Music Industry News

Getonic: Buy Music Directly on Any Facebook Wall. No Credit Card Required

Source: HypeBot
October 26, 2011

The focus for musicians to sell directly to their fans continues to intensify, and looks like it won't slow for the foreseeable future. By bypassing the labels and traditional distribution channels, artists are able to take home a bigger profit and form a better, longer lasting relationship with their fans. With this trend comes an increase in services to facilitate the sales. Some obvious ones come to mind like Bandcamp and Topspin, but there's a long list of startups in this space. That ...

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Soundscan May Only Be Counting 15% of Vinyl Sales...

Source: Digital Music News
October 25, 2011

Could vinyl sales actually be multiples larger? We've been quoting some heady gains from Nielsen Soundscan, but what if those figures are woefully undercounted? “Soundscan only gets about 15 percent," Vince Slusarz of Gotta Groove Records just told the New York Times. “The majority of the stuff we press, it doesn't even have a bar code." Wow: a 15 percent rate would imply that vinyl sales are actually 7 times larger than we think. Sounds a bit extreme, and Slusarz ...

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D.I.Y. Advice for Indie Artists from CMJ Music Panels

Source: HypeBot
October 25, 2011

Last week's CMJ 2011 Music Marathan & Film Festival had lots of panels and lots of performances. Here are some nuggets of advice for indie artists from music industry panelists with a focus on social media, relationships with fans and the real meaning of DIY. CMJ 2011 took place in New York City from October 18 to 21. Industry panels contained insights for all levels of the game including some particularly useful tips for indie artists as recorded by writers ...

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How One Database Could Help Musicians Pay Rent

Source: HypeBot
October 25, 2011

In over a decade of digital music writing, one of my favorite pieces is a Wired.com article called “4 Reasons Music Needs One Big Database." My argument there was that if every song had a unique identifier attached to it—the same identifier, regardless of the service where the song appears—it would solve all sorts of problems for music fans and the industry. One Big Database would not only ease mergers and acquisitions within the digital music industry (see most recently ...

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Wes Montgomery on Verve

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
October 24, 2011

Wes Mongomery's recordings for the Verve label between 1964 and 1966 are significant for several reasons: First, the guitarist was able to work with large orchestras and leadingarrangers of the day, including Johnny Pate, Oliver Nelson, Claus Ogerman and Don Sebesky. Second, producer Creed Taylor was able to turn Montgomery into a major force and extend jazz's reach at a crucial time in the music's development. And third, with Montgomery, Creed found a seductive way to leverage the music of ...

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Exploring Dafnis Prieto, 2011 MacArthur Fellow: Prieto as Sideman

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
October 20, 2011

Dafnis Prieto recently was honored as a 2011 MacArthur Fellow, being recognized for excellence in his artistic pursuits. From his studies in Cuba to his professional work in New York, Prieto has always been a musician committed to outstanding artistry and pushing the limits of his creative energy. This cutting edge attitude has led to a burst of Latin Jazz excitement, but not in the standard ways that one might expect. Prieto has shown himself to be a technically astounding ...

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Jazz Arts Group of Columbus Releases National Data for Regenerating Jazz Audiences

Source: Michael Ricci
October 17, 2011

The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) has released findings from a 21-month research project focused on current and potential jazz ticket buyers across the U.S. and in Central Ohio. Funded in part by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) with a $200,000 grant, the Jazz Audiences Initiative (JAI), is a first-of-its-kind study designed to explore how and why people engage with jazz. The main goal was to learn new ways for engaging audiences, and infusing the art form with ...

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Be Honest: Are You Scarfing Down McDonald's on the Road?

Source: Digital Music News
October 17, 2011

The road is so full of desperate food runs it's laughable, and so many end at places like McDonald's. Sound familiar? Well, there's now an app to solve that problem—that is, if you view Chicken McNuggets and a McFlurry as a problem.

Which these guys definitely do. “As a touring band, you see those golden arches off the side of the highway and it's extremely convenient and cheap to buy food from companies you know exploit people, animals, and promote ...

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