Music Industry News

Putting Jimi Hendrix's House in Order

Source: Michael Ricci
February 11, 2010

Janie Hendrix hopes that 'Valleys of Neptune' and other official releases help restore her guitar hero stepbrother's recording legacy.

The keepers of Jimi Hendrix's flame are calling the new album of long-buried recordings by the proto-rock guitar hero Valleys of Neptune. The obvious explanation is that it's the title of one of the cornerstone songs that emerged during a fertile, albeit transitional, period in Hendrix's career: the early months of 1969, when the original Jimi Hendrix Experience was dissolving and ...

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Compatible Quotes: Youth

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
February 10, 2010

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.--Friedrich Nietzsche It is all that the young can do for the old, to shock them and keep them up to date.--George Bernard Shaw For God's sake give me the young man who has brains enough to make a fool of himself!--Robert Louis Stevenson The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they ...

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Universal Music Group Names Successor to CEO Doug Morris

Source: Michael Ricci
February 10, 2010

The head of Universal Music Group's international operations has been named chief executive of the world's largest music company, succeeding Doug Morris.

Lucian Grainge, Morris' hand-picked successor, will take over as CEO on Jan. 1, 2011, sharing responsibility with Morris until that time. The 71-year-old Morris, who has headed Universal Music since 1995, announced his plans to step down in November. He will remain chairman of the label. Grainge, 49, for the last five years has run the international group, ...

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The Popdose Guide to the Steve Miller Band, Part 2

Source: Pop Dose
February 10, 2010

As stated at the end of last weeks part one of our Steve Miller Band Guide, 1972 and 1973 represented a transitional period for Steve Miller. His upcoming eighth album would be the last under his groundbreaking contract with Capitol Records, and disappointing sales for his last two releases made it fairly clear that he was in danger of being dropped. In addition, Miller was in a bad car accident that kept him off his feet for several months and ...

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Topspin Shares Impressive Music Marketing Study

Source: HypeBot
February 9, 2010

Perhaps more than any existing modern music marketing and sales platform Topspin is based on data.  They collected it from the beginning, have done enough diverse campaigns to see the trends and have a team to understand the patterns.  At a recent MidemNat presentation Topspin co-founder Shamal Ranasinghe shared the most in depth overview of their findings to date.

Some of the important and perhaps surprising trends that Topspin has discovered include the importance of physical goods to many fans ...

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Jazz and Writing: A Unified Theory?

Source: Lubricity
February 9, 2010

In my Sunday afternoon jazz internet perusal, I found a couple of interesting links that are worth sharing.  Theyre both related to my own personal search for self-expression both through music and writing.

First was this insightful manifesto from Chris Kelsey (from whom I borrowed the awesome image to your right.)  Chris offers a definition of true artistry:

The greatest players dont play out as a socio-political statement; they dont play in as a way of making debating points. ...

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Ritz-Carlton to Close 5-Diamond Las Vegas Hotel in May

Source: All About Jazz
February 9, 2010

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co will close its five-diamond property in Las Vegas this May, after the hotel struggled with a slide in demand and revenue.

“It's nothing the hotel did. It's a simple lack of business and a decline in the tourism industry," said Ritz-Carlton spokeswoman Vivian Deuschl. The owners of the 348-room property, Village Hospitality LLC, an arm of Deutsche Bank, will stop funding the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas day-to-day operations on May 2. “That was the owner's ...

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Warner Music Group Posts Net Loss

Source: All About Jazz
February 9, 2010

Company dips $17 million for fiscal quarter. Warner Music Group posted a net loss of $17 million, down 11 per share, for the fiscal quarter ended Dec. 31, the company announced Tuesday.

WMG posted a $23 million profit in the same quarter of 2008.

Revenue grew 3.5% to $918 million from $887 million in the same quarter the previous year but declined 2% with exchange rates factored in.

Operating income grew 14.6% to $47 million from $41 million a year ...

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