Music Industry News

Eyewitness: Thumbs Carllile

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
April 19, 2011

Last week, JazzWax reader Uwe Zänisch in Berlin sent along a note about guitarist Kenneth “Thumbs" Carllile (1931-1987), a country picker with an superb technique. Rather than spoil the story, let me have Uwe pick it up: “Some days ago I was at YouTube and found a very interesting clip featuring an unusual guitarist in a Batman T-shirt. He held his guitar in an odd position and played it like a lap steel. With his right thumb he created a ...

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Humor in Jazz: Puttin' on the Wits

Source: Groove Notes
April 18, 2011

By Kirsten Kendrick and Nick Morrison

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO

April is National Humor Month. So, Nick and I thought we'd explore the funny side of jazz. Here are five jazz artists known for their wit as well as their jazz chops.

Humor is subjective, though, so to make this list as much fun as possible, be sure to go to the 'Comments' section below and recommend some jazz songs that make you laugh. Share a smile. ...

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Spotify Limits Free Model. Next Stop U.S.?

Source: HypeBot
April 15, 2011

EU based Spotify has announced new limits on its popular free music service. As of May 1st, users not paying for a premium service will be able to listen to a song just 5 times and be limited to 10 hours per month after the first 6 months. The move reflects the cost of licensing music vs. revenue from advertising; and could pave the way for a U.S. launch. “Above all, this means we can continue making Spotify available to ...

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Danish Company Says It Can Turn Piracy into Real Money for Artist

Source: HypeBot
April 15, 2011

Monetizing the millions of music tracks and other files traded illegally each day has felt more like a fantasy than a serious business opportunity.  Bo Schønemann and René Nygaard of Denmark's 7 Sky Media say they've developed a system which makes that fantasy a reality and they are out trying to get the licenses to make it work. “Our software is designed to play all digital files and locate the copyright holders regardless of where the file came from," Schønemann ...

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Jazz Stamp for USPS

Source: Michael Ricci
April 13, 2011

By Paul Rogers One day last year the friendly voice of Howard Paine was on the phone asking me if I'd like to design a jazz stamp for the US Postal Service. Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and about a dozen others have been honored with stamps in the past, and in 2008 Michael Bartalos designed a wonderful Latin Jazz stamp, but there has never been a single stamp to pay tribute to America's original art ...

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Full Text of Amazon's Cloud Music Email to Labels

Source: HypeBot
April 13, 2011

Amazon unleashed a storm of industry criticism recently when it launched it's music Cloud Locker and Cloud Player. Some even called it illegal. Yesterday, Amazon answered its crtics with a letter directly to the record labels. (Hypebot has detailed analysis of the letter and surrounding issues here.) Read the full text of Amazon's cloud music email to labels: Our launch of Cloud Drive and Cloud Player last week garnered lots of attention and excitement.We thought we'd follow up with ...

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Amazon Email Tells Labels Cloud Launch "Boosted MP3 Sales", "Not Looking For Licenses"

Source: HypeBot
April 13, 2011

(UPDATED) In a letter obtained by Hypebot and sent by Amazon to record labels this week, the internet giant says that customers have “embraced" their controversial new cloud music locker and player. While offering no stats, Amazon told labels that by, “removing the friction associated with managing your personal music files, our launch of Cloud Player has boosted Amazon MP3 sales." Higher sales may be small consolation to to some label execs who have publicly questioned the legality of Amazon's ...

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Tuncecore CEO Jeff Price Responds: "When Artists Become the Product"

Source: HypeBot
April 13, 2011

Last week, Hypebot published a guest post, “D.I.Y. Music—When Artists Become The Product“ by William Gruger which questioned the value of the growing “online industry dedicated to earning money and exposure." Today, Tunecore CEO Jeff Price responds. JEFF PRICE: The challenge with articles like this is they imply some sort of “magic wand" which, if waved, allows musicians to have instant fame and success. This is just not the case. The secret to success for a musician is in the ...

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