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Why Labels Insist on Drib-Drab Layoffs...
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 ...
Why Hasn't Superglued Concert Community Achieved Critical Mass?
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 ...
How Social Media is Hurting Your Ability to Obtain New Fans
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. ...
The Concert Industry vs. the Concert Industry...
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 ...
Lyor Cohen: Vinyl Will Definitely Outlast CDs...
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 ...
Writer Greg Thomas Discusses His Current Series on Race and Jazz
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 ...
What This Economy is Doing to Creativity...
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 ...
Time to Declare War on Aftermarket Ticketing?
It's hard to wage a morality war against high-priced concert tickets, especially when fans are voluntarily paying through the nose. But concert ticketing—especially aftermarket ticketing—is oftentimes a shady affair, one that could be bad for the longer-term health of this sector. And, for festivals that rely on their brand name and reputation to attract repeat attendees ...
Ian Rogers on Publishing, Trusted Sources and Connecting Content with Audience
This guest post comes from Topspin CEO Ian Rogers who blogs at Fistfulayen. I encourage you to spend some time with Cory Doctorow's thoughtful piece from The Guardian re: the changing role of publishing in hopes it will cause you to consider what publishing really was, and what it might become. Cory mentions “publishing" as it ...
Latinos and the Grammys: The Death of Musical Diversity?
On Wednesday April 6th, The National Academy Of Recording Arts And Sciences announced a “restructuring" of The Grammy Awards, a move that included the elimination of the Latin Jazz Grammy. This unfortunate decision undermines the integrity of Latin Jazz and disregards its importance as a major piece of the cultural landscape in the United States. I ...
