Results for "Opinion"

News: Opinion

Nick Mango on the Fine Art of Indie Vinyl Releases

August 27, 2011

Vinyl enthusiast Nick Mango recently shared some insights on releasing albums on vinyl including issues with preorders, the relationship between vinyl and digital releases and increasing the collectability of test presses. Given the fact that vinyl has returned as a specialty item, it's definitely worth considering putting out such a release if you've built a strong ...

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News: Opinion

Jazz + Photography = Now

August 26, 2011

In your lifetime, as in mine, both jazz and photography have gradually won acceptance as fine arts. Having been intimately involved with both, I see underlying similarities between these two “modern" forms. The special energy of the fleeting moment is as crucial to photography as it is to jazz. Perhaps Zen painting or action painting should ...

News: Opinion

Welcome to HMV, Your Technology Superstore...

August 24, 2011

It's sad: if you want your music retailer to survive, it probably helps to sell less music. This is a diversification process that started years ago, but the disastrous plunge in CDs is causing drastic product shifts at larger retailers like HMV (and even indie shops). In the latest stab at survival, HMV is nowopening 150 ...

News: Opinion

Why Labels Insist on Drib-Drab Layoffs...

August 24, 2011

August 12th: Island Def Jam cuts more than 30 in a Friday layoff round. Rumors of cuts at Universal Music Group UK soon surface. August 16th: Sony Music Entertainment lets more than 20 go. August 19th: Warner Music Group slots 'turnaround specialist' Stephen Cooper as CEO. ...and that's just in the last few days! But why ...

News: Opinion

Why Hasn't Superglued Concert Community Achieved Critical Mass?

August 18, 2011

Superglued is a community built around the music concert-going experience. It's a nice looking site with an interesting concept that includes rewarding its users for their activity both on and offsite. Yet the membership is relatively small reminding us that “build it and they will come" is never a guarantee. I talked to Superglued cofounder Rush ...

News: Opinion

How Social Media is Hurting Your Ability to Obtain New Fans

July 28, 2011

This guest post comes from RJ Comer from the band Dance Hall Pimps about an interesting dilemma he's having using Facebook ads to promote his band . I know what you're thinking. “Wait, isn't Eric one of those music marketing guys who is always talking about social media HELPING musicians and what not?!" Yes, that's me. ...

News: Opinion

The Concert Industry vs. the Concert Industry...

July 19, 2011

Is the concert industry at war... with itself? That was the feeling after a Monday conference call with the newly-announced Fans First Coalition, a group that features a number of leading managers, venue owners, and promoters. But Live Nation executives were not part of the call, despite a token listing on the Coalition site. The group's ...

News: Opinion

Writer Greg Thomas Discusses His Current Series on Race and Jazz

July 17, 2011

To loosely paraphrase an age-old bromide, Know and recognize the truth and the truth will set you free. The only way to defeat racism is to recognize it's existence and confront it head on. That my friends is one of the cornerstones of the Independent Ear. Yes there are times when taking positions in recognizing racism ...

News: Opinion

Lyor Cohen: Vinyl Will Definitely Outlast CDs...

July 18, 2011

One's going down, the other is resurging. But will vinyl ultimately outlast the CD, a decade or more from now? “Vinyl will definitely outlast CDs because of the resonance, the sound," Warner Music Group top executive Lyor Cohen recently told Forbes. “The quality is closest to the way the artist wants you to hear it." A ...

News: Opinion

What This Economy is Doing to Creativity...

July 13, 2011

There's a dark theory about great, lasting art. Some of the greatest and influential music has sprung from pockets of desperation, poverty and struggle, and a desire to escape these confining elements. It's why Robert Johnson will be remembered long after the Strokes; why Eminem started in a trailer and not a mansion; why the funniest ...