Music Industry News

PC Magazine Snubs Back: "You Guys Are Desperate..."

Source: Digital Music News
December 1, 2010

Up until recently, a letter from the RIAA stirred emotions of fear, anxiety, or outrage. But these days, it provokes something closer to... pity and scorn? Even when co-signed by about a dozen other industry organizations like A2IM, NMPA, BMI, and SoundExchange.

No one's getting intimidated anymore. “It worries me that the music industry took this action, because it reeks of desperation," PCMag editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff openly responded to the earlier reprimand. “Clearly the music industry is still losing money ...

Continue Reading...

Don't Just Make New Fans; Keep Them

Source: We All Make Music
December 1, 2010

It goes without saying that the two most important ingredients a band needs to start building a strong fan base are great music and kick-ass live shows. But a third skill, knowing how to keep fans engaged, is almost equally important. Every day music lovers are bombarded with tons of content from thousands of content providers. Fans are listening to online radio, checking in with bands on social networks, reading music blogs, watching videos, reading e-mails from their favorite bands, ...

Continue Reading...

You're the A&R Department Now, so Take Charge.

Source: HypeBot
December 1, 2010

No matter which page in the history of the record industry you flip to, there's always some talk about artist development or the lack thereof. This barb has been jabbed in the side of label executives for a very long time. In our more romantic notions of the record industry, artists toured—below the public radar—and honed their musical skills. Over the course of a few years and albums, A&R nurtured their talent, in hopes that the artist would release an ...

Continue Reading...

BMG Buys Chrysalis, $169 Million Deal...

Source: Digital Music News
November 29, 2010

he glow around publishing was pricked a long time ago, though catalogs are still a much better buy than recordings. Just ask Guy Hands.

In that spirit, BMG Rights Management has now announced its purchase of Chrysalis for $169 million (£107.4 million), the latest in a string of high-profile publishing acquisitions. The buyout brings a massive 100,000-strong catalog into the BMG fold, including songs from Blondie, David Bowie, and Michael Jackson.

Under the terms of the buyout, Chrysalis shareholders will ...

Continue Reading...

$99 Media Contact Lists Puts Your Music and Art in Front of the Right Jazz Radio Stations and Reporters

Source: PRThatRocks.com
November 27, 2010

Jazz reviewers and radio stations are not going to come to come knocking on your door wanting to review your music or band. You have to reach out and expose them to your music if you want to move your career forward. Smart jazz artists that want to do their own publicity need to get exposure from the right media outlets, such as leading jazz radio stations, newspapers, magazines, news websites, bloggers, or television programs. You've probably reached all the ...

Continue Reading...

Superstar WME Agent Ari Emanuel on How to Monetize Superstar Talent in the Digital Age

Source: HypeBot
November 24, 2010

This year, Julia Boorstin interviewed Ari Emanuel, the CEO of William Morris Endeavor (WME), at the Web 2.0 Summit. He shares his perspective on the state of monetizing superstar talent and how technology has shifted the range of opportunities available to them. Considering that we normally focus on smaller and midsize acts, this is a fascinating (read: scary) look into the upper echelons of the entertainment industry. Watch the video below: ...

Continue Reading...

Berklee Professor Brings Student Digital Arts Group to Havana, Cuba, for Cross-Cultural Collaborations and Performances Fusing Cutting-Edge Electronic and Traditional Elements

Source: Berklee Public Relations
November 30, 2010

Neil Leonard, a professor in Berklee College of Music's Electronic Production and Design Department, will bring the Berklee Interarts Ensemble to Havana, Cuba, in December to create and perform a new work from a week-long, cross- cultural collaboration with local student musicians, composers, and dancers. The creative process and artistic research will take place in the homes, studios, and institutions of the local artists. Collaborators from both sides will equally immerse the other in their rich and complex practices, the ...

Continue Reading...

Why Dead Labels Are Fertilizer for Music Startups...

Source: Digital Music News
November 21, 2010

A disproportionately high number of startups fail, but music-related startups are almost statistically guaranteed to bite the dust. And frequently, death strikes because of complications related to licensing. Sure, plenty of concepts are hair-brained—Spiralfrog, BurnLounge, and iMesh among them. But others, like Pandora, have dialed intoreal consumer sweet spots. But Pandora is surviving despite ridiculous licensing rates on recordings, and its recording obligations far outweigh its publishing payouts. Still, this is an above-board company that wants to compensate artists, but ...

Continue Reading...