Music Industry News

The Strip Society

Source: Michael Ricci
March 15, 2010

Vegas entertainers take stage for ailing pal. Singer-musician Bill Fayne's recent medical and financial setbacks feel a bit more manageable after colleagues raise around $20,000 at a sold-out benefit show.

After accidentally going to the wrong casino, Excalibur headliner Louie Anderson rushed over to the Suncoast to offer a short burst of his humor to the sellout crowd of more than 500.

Backstage, Anderson said: “Vegas gets a bad rap for being shallow and not very community-minded. All the show ...

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Invested in Entertainment

Source: Michael Ricci
March 15, 2010

New York Stock Exchange bell takes celebrity turn. Corporate meets entertainment at the opening and closing of each trading day. What better place to bring KISS and Dr Pepper together?

KISS guitarist Paul Stanley fluffed his thick, shaggy hair as bassist Gene Simmons fidgeted in the background, their eyes looped in black makeup, faces painted chalky white. As the seconds counted down to 4 p.m., Stanley leaned on the green button in front of him.

“Clang, clang, clang!" went ...

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Jazz and Cultural Relevance

Source: One Working Musician by Jason Parker
March 14, 2010

The idea of the cultural relevance of art is not new. In fact, I'd argue that all art springs from the need of the artist to say something about his or her relationship to the world. Its this relationship that makes us all unique, as no two people interact with or see the world in the same way. That's why we say that art speaks to us. It's one of the few ways we have to view, react or interact ...

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Gig Advice from Dave Carpenter

Source: Goings on @ Urban Nerds
March 14, 2010

I was fortunate enough to study with the great bassist Dave Carpenter (Allan Holdsworth, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Boz Skaggs, Peter Erskine) for about a year-and-a-half while I was attending CalArts and I learned a lot from him about music and professionalism. I remember that he had some great, simple advice about the requirements for taking a gig.Dave's simple criteria is as follows: Who's it with? You don't want to turn down a gig to play with a ...

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Zimbalam Moves into U.S. Challenging Tunecore

Source: HypeBot
March 13, 2010

European flat fee digital distributor Zimbalam has entered the U.S. market with a product offering aimed straight at sector leader Tunecore. For $29.99, about $10 - $15 less than Tunecore, Zimbalam distributes an album to 25 key outlets including iTunes, Amazon, eMusic and Spotify. Like Tunecore, artists keep 100% of the royalties. After the intial year, there is a $19.99 charge every 12 months only if there have been enough sales to cover the fee, essentially ...

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SAG Leaders Agree to AFTRA Talks

Source: All About Jazz
March 13, 2010

Leaders of the Screen Actors Guild have agreed to resume their negotiating partnership with the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists for upcoming bargaining with companies on the feature-primetime contract.

SAG's national board gave approval Saturday morning with 78% in favor during a videoconference meeting. The move came two weeks after AFTRA's national board approved joint negotiations Saturday -- and nearly two years after AFTRA had split from SAG and negotiated its own primetime deal SAG had no immediate ...

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Take Your Royalty Checks SoundExchange Begs

Source: Michael Ricci
March 13, 2010

Grammy-winning R&B singer Sam Moore and his manager and wife, Joyce, say a lot of legacy artists haven t heard of SoundExchange. “They think the money isn't real," Joyce Moore says.

When John Boydston got an e-mail from SoundExchange saying he had several thousand dollars in unclaimed royalties, he did what most sensible people would do. He ignored it. To the rock musician from Atlanta, “money for nothing" meant a song by Dire Straits, not a stranger contacting him out ...

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Club Blujazz-a New Jazz Club for Chicago Opens Friday March 12, 2010

Source: JAZZzology by Richard Watters
March 12, 2010

In the following article from Metromix music & movies producer/writer Matt Pais of Tribune.com comes the review/overview of Chicago's newest jazz club, entitled, “What is Club Blujazz? 10 things to know about Bucktown's new music spot" (as published by Matt Pais Metromix March 5, 2010) This club hopes to turn a younger crowd on to jazz while offering a true listening venue for avid, serious jazz and blues fans. The Grand Opening weekend will feature the Mike Melvoin Trio...

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