July 2010
3 posts
Great primer to online ad campaign creation for... →
Great article on how to gain traction in the online world as a musician. At the end of the day, music is a business - in the past, record labels handled all of these business aspects because they diversified their income streams and could keep a large staff of support people on board. As a DIY artist, the onus then falls on you to handle all aspects of your business, with the ultimate benefits...
RightsFlow links up with Rhapsody →
Interesting partnership here, but it definitely makes sense.
Sony ahead of the curve? →
Getting back into the blogging world after a long, long hiatus. While many things have changed since I’ve been away from the tumblr, it also appears as though many things remained the same. It’s good to see Sony pushing the envelope and apparently it is working out for them to some degree. Positive numbers are positive numbers, and compared to Warner’s reported losses, anything...
December 2008
4 posts
Hey Obama: Reboot the music industry! →
While on the surface I would want to agree with Mr. Rosoff, I just can’t justify that sort of spending on the music industry. Yes, it would be great to have music education bolstered and stipends to help out musicians but it seems like such an egregious amount of spending at a time in which we are spending a ton of money anyway. Anyway, food for thought…
Gartner Says 2008 Should Be the Last Christmas for... →
This is an interesting numbers-type article that perhaps points out what most of think is obvious. I think they promote the demise of the CD too quickly though, it seems to me that drastically scaling back CD production is a good idea but ditching it altogether is not such a great idea. Aren’t there significant manufacturing and distribution costs associated with physical product? If...
Lessig calls for abolishment of FCC →
As a former Stanford persona, I am a huge Larry Lessig fan. Love him or hate him, the guy pushes envelopes all day long which to me is a good thing, not a bad thing. I think that this article is right on and I totally agree that copyrights and patents last way too long to stimulate innovation and fairly compensate inventors. If the FCC is going to cater to those holding the monopolies, we are...
Attack on Long Tail Anderson Theory →
I think that it is really interesting that the research shows such a large amount of songs having NO consumer base whatsoever. Not arguing with the article, but I think an important nuance to Anderson’s theory is that it is somewhat built on the premise that shoppers have the resources and capabilities to gain perfect knowledge of the marketplace if they want to. In today’s world that...
November 2008
1 post
President of Music Platform? →
This post doesn’t put forth anything really all that mind blowing but is sort of a good synopsis of what many consider to be Music 2.0 in the coming decades.
October 2008
4 posts
AC/DC rockin with new album →
So largely I agree with those in the music world that have been arguing music is becoming experiential and is no longer just a commodity but you have to wonder if the two are always mutually exclusive? Albums largely used to sell because you had no other alternative - even if you only wanted one song you had to buy the album. But what about great albums that had many good songs on it (Dre’s...
Ebay style music licensing →
This seems like a pretty solid idea to answer the synchronization license issue. It seems on first glance to favor the licensor because a transparent bidding place (im assuming that is how it works) will create competition among licensees to pay greater amounts. however, it does seem to be more efficient than a current closed system. thoughts?
Myspace vs. Last.fm →
This is an interesting interview with the COO of Last.fm, Spencer Hyman. I think that he is pretty spot on regarding the need for huge databases of music but the importance of social networking in music referral cannot be forgotten. New music largely spreads through word of mouth marketing which is harnessed beautifully through social networking. Clearly the information on the music and ideally...
Ad revenue models in trouble? →
I think this article brings up an interesting point that may or may not have been considered in the music business. All sorts of Music 2.0 firms are popping up with expectations of ad-based revenue models, but what happens if advertising proves to not work out as well as expected? I am not sure that many of the social networking sites such as imeem and last.fm would be able to survive or offer the...
August 2008
34 posts
Million DJ March in DC →
As a DJ myself I can see what this organizer Shaw is trying to do - DJ salaries are extremely unregulated, most times the money is made under the table and nobody is really all that clear about what is legal and what is not. From what I gleaned from the article though I think this should be less about DJ rights (from the excerpts it doesn’t sound like the pro DJs are all that concerned about...
Napster in tough position →
This article makes a good point that Napster’s only real asset is it’s subscriber base. Unfortunately the company is in a tough spot - the bad publicity it is receiving due to its economic woes has got to be eroding its subscriber numbers which means its value is dwindling for any potential buyers. I saw another piece the other day, although I forget where I read it, that called for...
Is Album Only the only way? →
Chinese Democracy leaker realizing harsh... →
Mr. Cogill is in a world of pain, that is for sure. While the article may point out that it is up to the band to destroy him financially, the Feds do not take kindly at all to infringement that takes away the ability for an artist to enjoy a first to market advantage - and rightly so. This protection/right is probably the most important in all of copyright and is rather integral for any sort of...
eMusic jumps into A&R →
With the amount of volume of music that eMusic sees moving through its databases, it makes sense that it would jump into the A&R game. However, I feel like TuneCore would be much better suited for something like this - it is much more low-cost than eMusic and already has connections with indies that would be interested in picking up new talent with low-risk deals. I will say that I think...
EU Extends Copyright →
Originally I just posted this because I think it’s funny that the EU paid all that money to fund a project and then completely ignored it. Maybe somebody more influential than this academic gent had something to say about copyright lifetimes? I also think it’s important to keep a conversation about copyright terms going. Copyright terms are already way too long in the US (check out my...
LiveNation squeaks by - trouble ahead though? →
This coolfer post seems pretty much right on. I think an important point that is being left out is that the concert going market is smaller than the overall recorded music market and is a slightly less elastic market I would imagine. Concert goers are expecting to pay a fair amount of money for a ticket and variants in that cost are going to be handled better than variance in the price of CDs or...
Digital Licenses Lead to Profits →
artistspaid:
kingofspills:
katieschenk:
ekottke:
I don’t think it is a surprise that performance rights royalties are where the money is coming from right now. As more music is being consumed digitally, there is a dramatic rise in the places where it is being played - along with those new situations and contexts come increased performance license royalties for artists and organizations like...
Digital Licenses Lead to Profits →
I don’t think it is a surprise that performance rights royalties are where the money is coming from right now. As more music is being consumed digitally, there is a dramatic rise in the places where it is being played - along with those new situations and contexts come increased performance license royalties for artists and organizations like BMI and ASCAP. As music becomes more ubiquitous,...
Major indie arises →
This could be a great option for established and wealthy artists that know what to do and how to manage themselves more or less. However, as the music middle class grows (sorry to be cliche but the term has saturated the industry) and we’re becoming more concerned with the Long Tail principle in a digital marketplace, it seems more important to focus on the average musician and less on the...
Fleshmap? Really? →
This seems to be a most intriguing operation. Not sure where these guys are going with this but its definitely worth poking around the website a bit.
Does Europe have it right? →
A lot of countries in the EU have resorted to this sort of licensing scheme. Extra taxes for modes of digital storage, high-speed internet, mobile devices - anything that stores, plays or records music can be in the future with this line of thought. I can’t seem to get around how absolutely difficult it would be to sort out royalties for artists though if this were the case. No superstar...
50 Cent - richest rapper alive →
Please leave iTunes alone! →
Look - I’m pretty tired of the proprietary subscription stuff. iTunes works well just the way it is except it could use a more rapid transition to DMR-free items. Transitioning to a subscription based service will be a huge pain for iTunes owners and really will mess with their whole business model. Additionally, if given the choice, I feel like the majority of customers would choose to...
Again - mechanical rights are important for... →
Whether or not this infringement is true it only serves to reinforce the point I made yesterday in my post about the importance of mechanical rights. Musicians across all genres need to be on the lookout for infringement of their works. I’d cringe to imagine how much money the Chinese government might be in for if in fact the allegations are true…
Amazon's pricing strategy will really test how... →
I think this situation is rather interesting. While Amazon gains traction and collects market share that iTunes may otherwise seem disinterested in (for whatever reasons - profit margins, publisher harassment, etc) it seems to be making a run at toppling Apple’s digital giant. However, something I think that can be a valuable observation to take out of this situation is a psuedo-evaluation...
Creative Commons type database for DJs →
I think this is great - as a self-admitted leftist when it comes to music copyright I am happy to see creative juices flowing. AND, because its all self-controlled the copyright issues should be nonexistent. I even love the voting idea so that aspiring producers out there can be heard above the din.
Royalties will keep the boat afloat →
I think this article puts forward a very convincing point. It’s becoming increasingly clear that artists serve to help themselves most by holding on to their mechanical copyrights if they are songwriters. As music becomes more ubiquitous and experiential it seems as though the one possession a musician can keep that will be respected and monetized is a mechanical copyright. I’m not...
http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/08/video-riaa-laws... →
A2IM supports Pandora →
Muxtape being interrogated along with Pandora... →
Muxtape’s legality has always somewhat been in question but I think it has always been a good natured service - why else would they cap the song limit at 12? As a fan of High Fidelity I’ve also been a fan of Muxtape. Hopefully the RIAA simmers down and they can work together with Muxtape to keep things going.
“If the RIAA has its way, every music app, with the exception of basic consumer...”
– Cyndy Aleo-Carreira - Is the Music Industry Digging Its Own Online Grave? (via artistspaid)
iTunes makes the dough →
It’s just such a perfect invention - when is somebody else going to be able to slay the goliath? Tip of the hat to Steve Jobs…
Good post for those music marketers out there.... →
I agree with this assertion - because music is a relatively risk free consumption commodity the complex contagion model is not so applicable here. Consumers are often on equal footing with regard to music, although certain network hubs (Anatomy of Buzz by Emanuel Rosen - also a good read) have more influence than other members of networks if only because of sheer network connections. Instead of...
Want to lose your money? Invest in Napster! →
It’s sad to see the tattered remains of such an innovative and persecuted idea…
MySpace Music unsure about leader heading into... →
Now obviously I don’t know the personal dynamics behind what is going on over there with Mr. Murdoch or the rest of the MySpace contingency but I will say this - an external CEO is a great idea. What MySpace will need is a CEO that can bully the labels back a little bit while appeasing their demands at the same time. Unfortunately, it is a bit late in the process to name a CEO I feel like -...
TotalMusic - a possible answer? →
If the majors indeed are working together on some sort of digital distribution mechanism, that is gonna be unreal.
Bronfman upset because WMG isn't making money →
I think that Bronfman had nobody to blame but his own company for the position they are in. Does his own firm not control licensing deals? Why did they not ask for more initially from Activision and Harmonix? When the next round of licensing comes up then get more money if you feel slighted Bronfman - you are right, the game’s don’t exist without your product. Even so, I give them...
Widget released to aid DIY artists in marketing... →
Here is another tool to help out those artists that are trying to do it all themselves in this digital age…
Why Sony/BMG won't push for purchase of Warner... →
I think this is an interesting position for Sony/BMG to be in. Not only are Sony and BMG trying to figure out what is going to happen within their own firm, but having such a solid investment in Warner Chappell staring you in the face in the midst of a chaotic economy is a tough situation. It seems as though publishing (and subsequently licensing) is going to be the backbone of the income for the...
iTunes still holds majority market share, Amazon... →
Interesting article about the top music retailers for the first half of 2008. Raises an interesting point regarding the weight of physical product sales versus the weight of digital product sales. Who wants to finally dethrone iTunes?
Soul Legend Dies →
As a fan of hip-hop, seeing legends like Issac Hayes and James Brown passing away is the real beginning of an end of an era. Without artists like them, most pop music as we know it wouldn’t exist…
Interesting hypocrisy.... →
I know this is old, but I thought it was pretty amusing, especially given Bronfman’s appearance in recent headlines…
July 2008
20 posts
Bring on the RIAA
artistspaid:
themusic:
mash-up or mash·up (mash’up’) n. An audio recording that is a composite of samples from other recordings, usually from different musical styles. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Re-use of other people’s work is nothing new in modern music. Musicians have been singing each others’ songs for as long as they’ve been singing...
The Internet Online Distribution Alliance (IODA):... →
I used to intern with IODA in the marketing services department and I have to say that from what I saw they definitely are legitimate. Promonet is innovative and useful and really helped the marketing team get their jobs done well. What impresses me the most is that IODA really is all about the music - they don’t have big, overly glamorous offices (although their setup is really trendy and...
Zach De La Rocha is baaaacccckkkk.... →
So Zach’s new crew One Day As A Lion, is getting ready to release their new album and in anticipation hit us all with a promo single. I am/was a huge Rage fan and so hopefully this will be a taste of great times past.
Development near Capitol Records approved by LA... →
This story has been an interesting development the past few weeks. Basically, Capitol Records has one of the most storied recording studios in the music business (it was designed by Les Paul) but it is temporarily threatened by a serious development project across the road. In a nutshell, jackhammers and bulldozers aren’t very kind to the sonic waves of instruments so Capitol was trying to...