Music Industry News

Indelible Lines

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
November 20, 2009

Before the Rifftides staff gets back to business as usual, whatever that is, we're finding it difficult to let go of thoughts about Johnny Mercer. Lines from his songs won't go away -- ever.

There's a dance pavilion in the rain, All shuttered down...

I remember, too, a distant bell and stars that fell like rain, out of the blue.

Faint as a will-o-the-wisp, crazy ...

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A Record Store Joke

Source: HypeBot
November 20, 2009

What do you call a CD that retails for more than $9.99?

Answer: A return.

“...Our customers have spoken loud and clear. They love their CDs and they love purchasing them from indie record stores. The only problem we're currently facing, and will continue to face in the future, is the current price point...we've inherited the $9.99 price point from the non-traditional retailers, from the loss-leader shenanigans of the big boxes to the digital smoke and mirrors offered up online." ...

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Interesting Developments at J@LC

Source: Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes
November 20, 2009

Remember the halcyon days when to be considered a university, you had to have six or seven accredited colleges as well as graduate and professional divisions? In our society's more recent cavalier and clever language-mashing, it seems anything goes.It started with Hamburger University, then Dunkin' Donuts University and probably thousands' more corporate training initiatives that persist today with the university adjunct. And, of course, Jazz at Lincoln Center's “Swing University."Grammar cop semantics barb aside as I ...

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What is SoundExchange?

Source: HypeBot
November 19, 2009

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The Band is Not the Brand

Source: HypeBot
November 19, 2009

This guest post is by Scott Perry. With his free email newsletter and web site, the New Music Tipsheet,keeps the industry informed of new releases as well as commenting on trends and sharing industry news. Scott

Band as brand. Band as brand. Band as brand. Simply put, the most overused, misunderstood phrase by the entire music industry. Sure, having a recognizable audio & visual identity is important - it makes it easier for your fans to recognize you, makes it ...

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Is It Possible for a Band to Sell out Anymore?

Source: HypeBot
November 18, 2009

"While we might be irked that our favorite band has sold a song to VW or McDonald's, we can instantly decontextualize and remove that song from its annoying commercial counterpart. When we don't buy full albums anyway, when we don't care about album sequence (which is all about intention) or look at the band's artwork or the label they're on (again, all intentional decisions), and when all of the songs we want are free-floating in the ether untethered, then advertisements ...

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Beck, Wilco, Feist Do Skip Spence's Oar

Source: JamBase
November 18, 2009

Beck, Wilco & Feist Do Skip Spence's Oar

As part of Beck's Record Club project, Wilco, Feist and others joined forces to work on Skip Spence's Oar. Check out the video and what Beck had to say on his website for more:

We're 5 months into the Record Club project now, and it's time for our third installment.

This one took place last June when Wilco was in town for the release of their new eponymous album. They came by ...

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Molitz, Freekbass and Logic Form New Band, You Can Name It!

Source: JamBase
November 18, 2009

New Project from Freekbass, DJ Logic and Steve Molitz

Steve Molitz DJ Logic, keyboardist Steve Molitz (Particle, Phil Lesh & Friends), and Freekbass are putting together a project to tour late winter/early spring 2010. They initially got together onstage for a jam during DJ Logic's set at the Church of Universal Love and Music in Pennsylvania over the summer. It turned out to be one of those magical musical moments, so they have decided to do some full shows together. ...

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