Technology News

Minty Fresh's Powers Answers "What is Working?

Source: HypeBot
December 18, 2008

In conjunction with US. independent music trade group A2IM (American Association Of Independent Music), we're asking indie professionals: In this fractured media landscape, what is working? What outlets and tools are helping your artists build an audience?

In this 4th installment, Jim Powers, co-founder of Chicago based indie label Minty Fresh (current releases include Drew Andrews, Prototypes and Hushpuppies) weighs in with his top 3 indie marketing tips:

Digital Music Track Sales Surpass 1 Billion

Source: Michael Ricci
December 18, 2008

Annual sales of digital songs will surpass 1 billion downloads this year, a first for the struggling music industry.

Nielsen SoundScan predicted in April that music downloads would reach this milestone, and with two weeks remaining in the year, that forecast appears to be proving accurate. Individual song downloads will reach about 1,040,000 for the year, with the top 200 tracks accounting for 17% of sales. The best-selling digital song of the year is Leona Lewis' “Bleeding Love," which sold ...

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TV Studio in a Box

Source: All About Jazz
December 18, 2008

TV Studio in a Box Enables Long-Tail Television

If you were impressed when manufacturers began putting home theaters in boxes, wait until you feast your eyes on NewTek's TriCaster, which packs an entire live television production studio into a comparable cube of space. With minimal training, anyone who can operate a computer can use it to broadcast professional-quality live video over the internet or on television. “It's basically a live TV truck in a backpack," said Philip Johnson, NewTek senior ...

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7digital Tips Toe in Free Ad Supported Waters

Source: HypeBot
December 18, 2008

A new offering from UK based download store 7Digital experiments with free ad-supported downloads via a partnership with Mountainview, CA based TrialPlay.  Consumers can download 15 free songs from 7digital's catalog of 4 million mp3's each time they try or buy an offer from one of TrialPay's 2,000 advertisers. The mix of pay and offer-supported should drive traffic to the innovative download provider who promise a online US launch in 2009.

TrialPay's e-commerce payment platform that lets people pay for ...

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Bluhammock's Jaylaan Shares "What is Working?"

Source: HypeBot
December 17, 2008

In conjunction with US. independent music trade group A2IM (American Association Of Independent Music), we're asking indie professionals: In this fractured media landscape, what is working? What outlets and tools are helping your artists build an audience? In this third installment Jaylaan Ahmad-Llewellyn, the founder of indie label bluhammock music (KaiserCartel, Cary Brothers, Swati, Val Emmich and more) responds:

“I think that this is an interesting question because it begs the question of what do you consider ...

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What Are Your Music Industry Predictions For '09?

Source: HypeBot
December 17, 2008

It's been quite a year for the music industry and I've been working on my list of predictions for 2009. I'd say about 60% of what I wrote last year (A Look Back At Hypebot's Predictions For 2008) came true. I'm not sure if that should be considered a success or or not.

But as I worked on my music industry predictions for 2009, what are yours?  Do you think that one of the four major labels go under or ...

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China Says It Has Right to Block Some Web Sites

Source: PC Magazine
December 17, 2008

China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday the country was within its rights to block websites with content illegal under Chinese law, including websites that referred to China and Taiwan as two separate countries. China regularly blocks sites it finds unsavory, particularly those related to Tibet or critical of the Communist Party. It considers self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Access to the Chinese-language versions of the BBC, Voice of ...

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Most Americans Prefer Internet to Sex

Source: PC Magazine
December 17, 2008

Would you rather give up sex or the Internet for two weeks? For 46 percent of women and 30 percent of men, the answer is sex, according to a study conducted by Harris Interactive and sponsored by Intel. Among women ages 18 to 34, about 49 percent opted to forgo sex for two weeks, while 52 percent of women ages 35 to 44 made the same choice. Among men ages 18 to 34, about 39 percent selected Internet time over ...

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