Music Industry News

Shazam Lands a Splashy $32 Million Round...

Source: Digital Music News
June 23, 2011

Wondering where the splashy digital music investments went? Well, Shazam has just landed a massive, $32 million funding round, according to details just shared by the company with Digital Music News. Investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) and Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) are leading the round, with existing investor DN Capital participating. The move signals a serious vote of confidence in Shazam,despite some ongoing monetization struggles (the company currently claims to be 'operationally profitable,' which basically means 'unprofitable'). Shazam ...

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How to Write Library Music That Sells

Source: We All Make Music
June 23, 2011

The licensing opportunities for library music continue to expand as do the catalogs and business models. With up-front fees shrinking, how do you increase your chance of high-profile placements that will earn you residuals and additional writing commissions?

What sells best has always been a mix of traditional, contemporary, and an understanding of your audience.

Think Like a Director Directors are storytellers. Their focus is the arc of the story, whether it is a commercial or a feature ...

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New Houston Label, Mercator Media, to Launch in July

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity
June 22, 2011

The new Houston label Mercator Media is set to launch next month with the release of CDs by two exceptional jazz vocalists who call Houston home. A Night Like This, on which Bryan Anthony is backed by the Gary Norian Trio with bassist Thomas Helton and drummer Joel Fulgham, is due July 12. Yvonne Washington's Trust in Me, which features Norian as her sole accompanist, will be released July 26. Mercator was founded by Houston business executive Scott D. Josey ...

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Merlin Adds U.S. Board Members, Indie Labels

Source: HypeBot
June 22, 2011

Merlin, the non-profit global rights agency for indie labels has added four new U.S board members and announced that a number of major U.S. independent labels have joined the group. New board members include: Dave Hansen of Epitaph, William Crowley of E1, Kris Gillespie of Domino and Glenn Dicker from Yep Roc and Redeye Distribution. They join current board members Tom Silvermanand Bob Frank of Qello. New U.S labels Merlin members include: Merge, Sup Pop, Naxos, Secretly Canadian, Thrill Jockey, ...

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TJay Is On A Roll! After Opening For The Doobie Brothers, TJay Is Recording A New Album with Special Guests John Popper and Ryan Macmillan

Source: ISL Public Relations
June 22, 2011

NY-based singer/songwriter TJay has good reason to be excited these days. Since the release of his debut album “Take A Seat" in 2009, TJay has toured throughout the Northeast, landing opening slots for Blues Traveler and Little Feat. Just last week, he had an encore performance opening for Blues Traveler in Ridgefield, CT. TJay's reputation as a solid live act has become so well established, he was asked to open for the Doobie Brothers at the Warner Theatre in Torrington, ...

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Ranking Your Fans from 1 to 5 (and What Those Ratings Mean)

Source: We All Make Music
June 22, 2011

[Editor's Note: The following post is by Ryan Sweeney, who's currently recovering from a week up at NXNE with his artists]

My last article touched on the use of third party e-mail marketing systems like Mail Chimp and Constant Contact. These sites allow bands to track which e-mail subscribers open e-mails, click on their links, and forward content to other contacts.

Many e-mail marketing sites rate your subscribers based on this activity. For example, I use Mail Chimp, which gives ...

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We7 Closes New Funding Round, Charts Expansion of Music Streaming Service

Source: HypeBot
June 22, 2011

We7 has added new funding and will use the money to expand across Europe. Participating were co-founder Peter Gabriel, Eden Ventures, Qualcomm Inc. through its venture capital arm and Pentech Ventures. The amount of the investments were not disclosed. Certainly the investments are well timed to help we7 compete in an increasingly competitive cloud music sector. “There's no doubt in my mind that we're on the cusp of seeing a massive change in how people consume music," Steve Purdham we7 ...

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Gigswiz and the Human League Help Disrupt the Ticket Industry

Source: HypeBot
June 22, 2011

TicketMaster has long been unpopular with both music fans and many bands. GigsWiz' approach to building an alternative was to create a system that rewards artists for ticket sales resulting from their direct contacts with fans. Essentially an affiliate program, it encourages musicians to promote their own shows on social media. The band Human League recently encouraged the company to add another aspect to the program and allow bands to pass on their rewards as discounts on tickets. Paul Sawers ...

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