Results for "AAJ Staff"

The Musician's Delicate Balance: Unbridled Self-Expression vs. Listener Alienation

September 22, 2018

The motivation behind creating music varies wildly from artist to artist, with some doing so in hopes of fame and fortune, and others just because they feel like it. Here we look at how to strike the delicate balance between making music based solely on your own self-interest, and desperately trying to make music the world ...

How Teens Influence Music Industry Trends in 2018

September 20, 2018

While the constant connectedness of today's youth has been well established, just what impact that has on the music industry is somewhat less well documented. One thing which is certain however is the popularity of music videos among the younger demographic, leading to what some are calling the ressurection of the MTV generation. Guest post from ...

Electrifying: Eurupeans Only

September 20, 2018

In July 1953, drummer Louie Bellson recorded an album in Los Angeles for Norman Granz's Norgran label called Skin Deep. For the big band tracks, he assembled quite a stellar showcase of talent. The band featured Harry “Sweets" Edison, Maynard Ferguson, Conrad Gozzo and Ray Linn (tp); Hoyt Bohannon, Herbie Harper and Tommy Pederson (tb); Benny ...

Listening To Music At Work Boosts Productivity

September 19, 2018

5 Ways To Get Music Discovered In The New Digital Age

September 19, 2018

While the ways in which people discover music have changed dramatically in many ways, some avenues remain the same. Here we offer advice to artists on how to get their music discovered in the digital age by consulting with industry experts on where they go to find new music. Guest post by Jeremy Young of Soundfly's ...

Helen Merrill With Strings

September 19, 2018

Between 1954 and 1957, singer Helen Merrill recorded five albums for Mercury's EmArcy division. Yesterday, while writing, I spent the day listening to all of them as well as a bunch of assorted tracks she recorded for the label. Perhaps the best known album of the bunch is Helen Merrill, which she made in December 1954 ...

5 Small Business Tips For Music Industry Pros

September 18, 2018

Small businesses make the music industry go round, and whether you're a record label, marketing agency, or management company, we here offer five essential tips for achieving success as a small music business in 2018. Guest post by Jeanette Keats of Symphonic Distribution and the Symphonic Blog Small businesses keep the music industry running. If you ...

Red Mitchell and Tony Fruscella

September 18, 2018

After my post last week on trumpeter Tony Fruscella, reader Don Frese wrote and asked if knew of bassist Red Mitchell's vocalese rendition of Fruscella's recording of I'll Be Seeing You. That song appears on Fruscella's Tony Fruscella, recorded by Atlantic in April 1955. I wasn't aware of Mitchell's vocal so I tracked it down and ...

Big Jay McNeely (1927-2018)

September 17, 2018

Cecil “Big Jay" NcNeely, the father of the R&B tenor saxophone whose stamina and extravagant stage act starting in the late 1940s included playing on his back, setting the tone for rock 'n' roll and soul artists who followed, died on Sept. 16. He was 91. Big Jay had several significant R&B hits in the late ...

BMI Has Record Year, Revenue Tops $1B, Digital Up 32%

September 15, 2018

BMI has reported record revenue of $1.199 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30th. The PRO distributed and administered a record $1.118 billion in royalties to its songwriters, composers and publishers, an increase of $95 million, or 9% higher than the previous year. The $1.118 billion in total distributions includes domestic and international royalties, as well ...