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Interview

Breaking Through the Clutter: A New Artist's Perspective on the Music Industry

Source: HypeBot
November 23, 2010

The music industry is going through major changes. Some say that this is the best time to get into the music industry while others think the opposite. No matter what, new artists will always come onto the music scene and people will continue to make music. It is interesting to see the perspective that new artists have upon entering the music business. I got in touch with a new artist that opened for Kina Grannis. The artist, Imaginary Friend, is starting ...

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Interview

We7 Ceo Says Better Music Services Deter Piracy

Source: HypeBot
November 23, 2010

Recently, I spoke with Steve Purdham, who is the CEO of we7, an on-demand music streaming and radio service based out of the UK. In this interview, Purdham talks about his company shifting to focus on their personalized radio feature, the importance of acknowledging the needs of the mass-consumer, and how cloud-based music services will inevitably change our relationship with and desire to own music. Do you think it's important to acknowledge the needs of the mass-market as being different ...

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Interview

Notes from the Net: Phil Perry's New Collaboration; Mtume vs. Crouch; Plus News, Reviews, Interviews, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
November 23, 2010

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest: In this week's Miles Davis-related news, Davis' former percussionist James Mtume and journalist and critic Stanley Crouch recently debated the merits of the trumpeter's electric music of the 1970s, and their discussion was captured on video and posted online. Most ...

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Interview

Jazz News: Brubeck Back in Action

Source: Riffs on Jazz by John Anderson
November 22, 2010

Dave Brubeck is back in action after cardiac surgery, as noted in this story from the Worcester, Massachusetts Telegram-Gazette: Brubeck Makes Up-Tempo ReturnTicker repaired, pianist keeps beat By Peter Landsdowne WORCESTER—Joined by alto saxophonist and flutist Bobby Militello, bassist Chris Smith and drummer Cody Cox, perennially popular pianist Dave Brubeck kicked off the 16th annual Mass Jazz Festival Friday night with a dynamic concert at Mechanics Hall that served as part of Music Worcester Inc.'s 151st Worcester Music ...

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Interview

The Sacred Jazz of Deanna Witkowski

Source: JamaicaMusic Offbeat
November 22, 2010

Pianist, vocalist, composer and winner of the 2002 Great American Jazz Piano Competition, Deanna Witkowski is one of the more important sacred jazz artists today. With a very original and virtuous style, she mixes contemporary and Latin jazz genres doing so from a spiritual perspective. Based in New York, Deanna has worked in different projects relating to sacred jazz. Most important is her album From this Place that mainly focused on liturgical music and feature saxophonist Donny McCaslin, bassist John ...

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Interview

How Pros Hurt Creativity and Weaken Local Ecology

Source: HypeBot
November 21, 2010

(Updated) Recently, I spoke with Mike Masnick, who is the founder of TechDirt, a leading technology and insight blog. In this interview, Masnick share his thoughts on how performing rights organizations (PROs) harm up-and-coming acts by insisting that small coffee shops, bars, and venues pay large licensing fees, in the event that cover songs are played at their locations. Often, the end result seems to be that these businesses stop allowing playing music to be played. This hurts the development ...

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Interview

Ain't but a Few of Us: Author Karen Chilton

Source: The Independent Ear by Willard Jenkins
November 20, 2010

Several weeks ago at a Brooklyn book signing at the MoCADA gallery for native son Randy Weston and our new book African Rhythms (Composed by Randy Weston, Arranged by Willard Jenkins published by Duke University Press; see elsewhere in The Independent Ear) I had the pleasure of meeting author and thespian Karen Chilton. Most recently she authored the Hazel Scott bio and prior to that co-authored Gloria Lynne's memoirs with Ms. Lynne. As we swapped stories about our book odysseys ...

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Interview

Helping Artists Embrace, Make Sense of the Chaos

Source: HypeBot
November 20, 2010

(Read part one and two of this interview.) In his book Cognitive Surplus, Clay Shirky argues that the single greatest predictor of how much value can be derived from this surfeit of free time is how much we “allow and encourage one another to experiment, because the only group that can try everything is everybody." In other words, the way to explore and cultivate complex ecosystems like the new digital ecology of music culture is that you have as many ...

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