Music Industry News

Diverse Musicians in Crosswalk, Pianist Lays Dead, Rapper Too Hip for His Own Good, Jailed

Source: Michael Ricci
April 27, 2009

Defense invokes 'Crash,' blaming chance encounter for man's death Witnesses say an enraged David Jassy punched, kicked and ran Osnes over with his SUV. He faces a murder charge and is being held on $1-million bond.

Witnesses describe a brutal attack in which a driver punched, kicked and ran over a pedestrian who had hit the hood of his SUV. The driver's attorney calls it a random encounter that led to tragedy.

In a city besotted with automobiles, John Osnes ...

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Record Store Day Gives Indies Sales Boost

Source: HypeBot
April 27, 2009

Saturday's National Record Store Day provided U.S. indie music stores and labels with a tangible boost in sales.

Billboard chart analyst Ed Christman put the gain at just 1% of overall independent label sales. But Coalition Of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) outlets were up 22% over the previous year and vinyl sales jumped 222% according to the indie store alliance.

“What we have here is one more glimpse into the future," said new CIMS head Jim Fahey. “We can make ...

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A Quick Chat with Patti Wicks

Source: Seattle Jazz Scene
April 27, 2009

By Katy Bourne

Patti Wicks is a highly regarded jazz pianist and vocalist and international recording artist. She spent over three decades playing in jazz clubs in New York City and also working the East Coast jazz circuit. She has several recordings in her discography and her CD It’s a Good Day received an Italian jazz award for the best jazz album in 2008.

Patti currently resides in Florida and will be appearing at Bake’s Place this weekend with Seattle’s ...

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Concord and Fantasy: A Microcosm

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
April 27, 2009

When Concord Music acquired the Fantasy, Inc. complex of labels a few years ago, the deal stirred apprehension that records preserving a wide swath of jazz history would disappear into the recording industry black hole known as Out Of Print. Concord took over the Fantasy, Prestige, Riverside, Contemporary and Pablo catalogues. More than three years later, as record companies struggle against the tide of the digital revolution or try to learn to navigate in it, listeners are still concerned that ...

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AMI Signs Mark Rapp to Artist Roster

Source: Two for the Show Media
April 27, 2009

Addeo Music International who represents Maceo Parker, Gerald Clayton, Aaron Goldberg, Steve Turre, Tom Harrell, Eldar and more has signed jazz trumpeter Mark Rapp AMI was founded in 2008 as a multi-genre, international music agency committed to fostering the careers of some of the most culturally significant and forward thinking artists in the world. AMI is led by music industry veteran Eric Addeo, who has worked in the entertainment field for over 20 years as a musician, agent, and consultant. ...

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William Morris and Endeavor Set to Form New Talent Agency Powerhouse

Source: Michael Ricci
April 26, 2009

Talent agencies William Morris and Endeavor are expected to vote Monday on a merger that would create a representation powerhouse in Hollywood that would rank second only to the long-dominant Creative Artists Agency.

The combined entity, easily the most talked about hookup in town since Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, would be better positioned to survive the shrinking economics of the entertainment industry, in which fewer films and network shows are being made along with studios squeezing salaries paid to ...

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Record Store Day Boosts Indie Stores' Sales

Source: Billboard Magazine
April 23, 2009

The numbers are in and Record Store Day produced a nearly 1% gain - to 566,000 for the week versus 561,000 from the corresponding week of the prior year - in U.S. album sales for the indie store sector, according to Nielsen SoundScan. While that may seem meager, it comes off as strong considering that U.S. album sales were down 15% last week to 6.3 million from 7.5 million in the corresponding week for the prior year. “Any sales increase ...

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Rodgers and Hammerstein Catalog Sold

Source: Michael Ricci
April 23, 2009

The estates of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II have sold the rights to the legendary duos songs and musicals

They including South Pacific, The Sound of Music and Oklahoma! to Imagem Music Group, an investment arm of a huge Netherlands-based pension fund, the company announced on Tuesday.

The sale represents a transfer of power over one of Americas most famous song catalogs and the licensing rights for future productions of the musicals, which until now had been controlled by ...

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