Music Industry News

SEO for the Discerning Musician

Source: HypeBot
March 19, 2011

On Music Think Tank, Christopher Davis demystifies the notion of search engine optimization (SEO). In his post, he gives ways that artists can make their websites, blogs, etc. more search engine and people friendly. With the abundance of artists on the music scene now, it is very important for artists to break through the clutter which includes great website content. Christopher Davis believes that, “Search engine optimization (SEO) often gets passed off as a sort of snake oil—some gimmicky trick that ...

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The Realities of Making a Living with Music in 2011

Source: HypeBot
March 18, 2011

On Music Think Tank, Bob Baker is about to give you a dose of reality with his post. His rant is in response to all the posts about the doomed music industry. In his opinion, there was never a sure path to making a good living as an artist. Instead of complaining, artists should focus on opportunities and embrace the new era. Bob Baker states that: “There's never been a time when musical self-sufficiency was guaranteed. It's always been the case—and ...

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What Music Service Has the Most Songs? [chart]

Source: HypeBot
March 18, 2011

Catalog size is an important aspect of subscription services for core music fans. So, who has the largest one of them all? Spotify. As of this month, Spotify has 12.7 million songs in its catalog. Rhapsody is right behind them with 11 million songs and MOG has 10 million songs. The truth is that most casual fans won't be able to tell the difference in catalogs, but when it comes to looking for those obscure, yet wonderful songs, it looks ...

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How Spotify Helps Fans Discover Rival Services

Source: HypeBot
March 18, 2011

If and when Spotify comes stateside, it's likely that not everyone will be pleased with their service. Spotify may be great, but it can't accommodate everyone. As one Swedish writer points out, Spotify may not be the best music service when it comes to editorial curation and artist recommendations. Due to the ineptitude of Spotify's music suggestions and the realization that it may pay major label acts more favorably than indies, Sam Sundberg left Spotify for WiMP, a Norwegian rival. Sundberg found ...

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JFJO: "Race Riot Suite" World Premiere on 5.20

Source: JamBase
March 18, 2011

TICKETS ON SALE THIS FRIDAY; PERFORMANCE SET FOR FRIDAY, MAY 20, TULSA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER On Friday, May 20, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey are set to debut “The Race Riot Suite" with a special performance in the John H. Williams Theatre at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There will be one show at 8 PM and another at 10 PM. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 18 at 10 AM local time. To get the discount, buyers ...

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A2im Now Has 270 Indies...

Source: Digital Music News
March 17, 2011

Say what you will about the ageing “indie vs. major" divide, because indie-focused advocacy messages are still resonating. And, it looks like indies still have unique issues that need to be addressed. Look no further than A2IM, which has signed 15 new indie labels over the past few months. That brings the total to 270 independents. The group is celebrating its latest additions—and overall growth—at its 'SXSW Breakfast' at Austin's Champions Sports Bar (members only, that is...) But these aren't ...

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"If a Studio Doesn't Fly a Flag, They're Dead."

Source: HypeBot
March 17, 2011

This post is by Hypebot intern Hisham Dahud. His Twitter: @HishamDahud. It goes without saying that today's music space is hypercompetitive—mainly as a result from the near zero barriers to entry. Virtually anyone can record an album, distribute, tour, and sell product directly to fans.  “I don't think there's anything negative about that," says John Vanderslice, founder of Tiny Telephone, a professional recording studio in San Francisco. “It's like saying you miss the old days of the Republic when only the ...

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SXSW: Finally, the Music Blitz Begins...

Source: Digital Music News
March 15, 2011

Nothing against group texting apps and Foursquare check-in championships, but SXSW's roots are in music. And in that spirit, the flurry of music-related announcements has finally begun. That includes Songkick, which just announced a slate of partnerships that include the Orchard, FanBridge, Ning, Topspin, Bandcamp, and Soundcloud. The tie-ups will allow users of all of these services to push concert listings and tickets to fans, without complicated API integrations or coding sessions.

But that's just the beginning. MOG is using ...

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