TuneCore Deals to Benefit Indie Artists
TuneCore cuts a variety of deals, one providing health insurance to musicians and three similar lookin deals with major labels for distribution and possible label contact.
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TuneCore cuts a variety of deals, one providing health insurance to musicians and three similar lookin deals with major labels for distribution and possible label contact.
Music 2.0 Business Models (part 1)
Kristin Thomson, Education Director for the Future of Music Coalition, narrates a lengthy slide presentation that I have not yet had the time to check out thoroughly but which seems to cover a lot of useful ground.
Music 2.0 Business Models (part 2)
There are also related charts in .pdf files that include "Examples of New Business Models in Music" and "How to get your music into digital music services."
Music 2.0 Business Models (part 3)
This may sound pretty basic, and it is to some degree, but I've generally found that a solid, thorough overview of the basics can be useful even to those folks already immersed in emergent settings as a way to step back and remind ourselves of the big picture as well as of our own biases regarding where best to focus time and energy.
I've also found that the world is full of blowhards, usually male, who will sit in meetings or comment online as if they know it all but if you ask them about really basic things, you discover they have no real foundation. And that's a powerful thing to understand.
Music 2.0 Business Models (part 4)
Bonus:
If you're really into the topic of business models, you might find Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers of interest
You can check out this lengthy preview in .pdf or see lead author Alexander Osterwalder present on the topic of Business Models as a Tool for Success.
David Nevue - Building a Music Career Online | CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast
Bruce Houghton - Blogging the future of music | CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast
Celldweller - Building your own brand | CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast
Roundtable - Where have all the A&R guys gone? | CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast
Public Relations Has Changed Forever - Part 1 | The Urban Plug - Cyber PR Urban
Billboard has announced the 2009 Billboard Women In Music Power Players List with Beyonce named Woman of the Year and Lady Gaga named Rising Star.
The 2009 Billboard Women In Music Power Players List:
1. Judy McGrath
Chairman/CEO, MTV Networks
2. Julie Greenwald
Chairman/COO, Atlantic Records
3. Jody Gerson
Co-president, Sony/ATV Music Publishing
4. Kathy Willard
Executive VP/CFO, Live Nation
5. Sylvia Rhone
President, Universal Motown Records
6. Debra Lee
Chairman/CEO, BET Networks
7. Alexandra Patsavas
Owner, Chop Shop Music Supervision
8. Amanda Marks
Executive VP/GM, Universal Music Group Distribution
9. Claudia Palmer
Executive VP/COO, Europe, EMI Music Publishing
10. Julie Swidler
Executive VP of business affairs/general counsel, Sony Music Entertainment
11. Marian Leighton Levy
Chairman, Rounder Records
12. Marsha Vlasic
Senior VP of contemporary rock, International Creative Management
13. Tammy Genovese
CEO, Country Music Assn.
14. Cynthia Sexton
Executive VP of music services, EMI Music, Worldwide
15. Brenda Romano
President of promotion, Interscope Geffen A&M Records
16. Amanda Ghost
President, Epic Records
17. Andria Vidler
President, EMI Music U.K. & Ireland
18. Lia Vollack-Friedman
President of motion picture music, Sony Pictures Entertainment
19. Kara DioGuardi
Co-owner, Arthouse Entertainment; VP of A&R, Warner Bros. Records
20. Linda Newmark
Executive VP of acquisitions and strategic projects, Universal Music Publishing Group
21. Melissa Lonner
Senior Producer, 'Today'
22. Rebeca Leon
VP of Latin talent, AEG Live/Goldenvoice
23. Kathy Spanberger
President of the Anglo American region, peermusic
24. Jennifer Schaidler
Executive VP of sales, Sony Music Entertainment
25. Cara Lewis
Agent, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment
26. Alison Smith
Senior VP of performing rights, BMI
27. Livia Tortella
GM/Executive VP of marketing and creative media, Atlantic Records
28. Marilyn Bergman
Former president/chairman, ASCAP
29. Liana Farnham
VP of marketing concerts/network integration, MSG Entertainment
30. Marilyn Santiago
Programming/operations manager for Miami, Spanish Broadcasting System
Over at Hip Hop Press:
MTV NETWORKS CHAIRMAN AND CEO JUDY MCGRATH TOPS
THE 2009 BILLBOARD WOMEN IN MUSIC POWER PLAYERS LIST
Murs on Why There Were No Female MC's At Rock The Bells
I think this is the most intelligent and, possibly, the only intelligent thing I've heard a male associated with hip hop say in a long time about the situation of women who want to be MC's. Or about women, in general, for that matter.
Murs is definitely operating on a higher level of consciousness than most, even most so-called "conscious" MC's.
Billboard's Gail Mitchell and Melinda Newman take a nice long look at "How Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Changed The Music Business".
Of course, sales of Thriller, the highest selling studio album of all time, were certainly extraordinary. But a variety of changes affected the music industry, partly fueled by the strength of the previous album Off The Wall, including a simultaneous worldwide release, the release of an unprecedented seven singles and the breakthrough effects of the Thriller music video extravaganza.
The article does a nice job of putting those changes in meaningful context beyond the stats.
Umair Haque on Michael Jackson and the Zombieconomy:
"If the world's biggest pop star only made $12 million a year from his [sales of] recordings, why would anyone make serious music? Where did the rest of the money go? Why, straight into record labels' pockets. Did they make better music with it?...Why can't a resource as scarce as the King of Pop capture more value?"
I find the "serious music" question a bit odd but Haque does make some interesting points in this piece on the failure of the music industry to create value.
Dave Stewart, of Eurhythmics fame, has been pointing out how ridiculous and bassackward music industry accounting systems are:
"If I sold shirts, I would receive instant, crystal clear accounting for my business. But since I make music, I am forced to deal with some incomprehensible labyrinth of archaic accounting methods. Visa has had this system in place for 30 years and I've been selling records in one form or another for about the same amount of time."
"As an artist, a songwriter and a producer, I, along with every other artist, have long yearned for advanced, transparent reporting structures in order to address the entrenched and endemic problem of years of late/short payments."
Dave has more to say including the revelation that he's involved with companies developing digital interfaces that will not only please fans but, one assumes, will provide artists with the tools and information they deserve. It also explains why he's been showing up everywhere he can talking about music industry transparency and accountability.
Via Techdirt.
Steve Knopper - Appetite for Self-Destruction
Steve Knopper's Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age was released January 6th on Free Press.
Inside Digital Media's Phil Leigh interviews Steve Knopper about his book and connects it to the video entertainment business:
"First, record label industry leaders during the past 30 years are "larger than life" characters whose stories may be colorful enough to merit retelling as a made-for-TV movie. Technological innovation was far down the list of the skills that made them successful."
"Second, the industry has almost always fought against technological change. For example, they resisted the adoption of CDs during the 1980s even though the format provided two great benefits from a financial viewpoint. First, the labels were able to sell CDs at a price premium relative to the LP and also simultaneously charge artists an associated technology adoption fee as an offset to royalty payments. Second, widespread acceptance of the CD led consumers to not only purchase new releases in the format but to often also replace their existing LP library selections with CDs as well."
"Third, the Internet has forever changed the record labels. It simply may not be possible for the industry to adapt in a way that enables it to retain its historical prominence. Its situation may be similar to the encyclopedia or newspapers businesses."
"For example, no matter what changes Encyclopedia Britannica made, the company simply could not retain its leadership after the advent of the Wikipedia. Similarly, it appears that newspapers could not have avoided losing prominence in classified advertising once Craig's List gained traction.'
"Fourth, record labels could be the "canaries in the coal mine" for the video entertainment business. Both industries are characterized by high profile leaders who are unaccustomed to adapting to changes driven by external forces. The labels were impacted first because of the lower bandwidth requirements of audio. But it has been ten years since Shawn Fanning launched Napster and the day of reckoning for entertainment video is fast approaching."
See Inside Digital Media for the full 30-minute interview and related research reports such as Third Generation Television: Internet-Video-to-the-TV.
Kill The Record Labels DVD
Kill The Record Labels, a DVD documentary about the record industry by Focus Media, is due May 12th.
Kill The Record Labels Trailer
Official Site: Kill The Record Labels
I've been finding Music Think Tank a great way to keep up with music industry bloggers including many focused on marketing.
Here are some useful posts from the last month focused on DIY:
What artists should know about Jango - Brian Hazard
Forget MySpace: How To Build The Ultimate Website To Interact With Your Fans - Eric Hebert
How to use iTunes to drive up your iTunes revenue - Ariel Hyatt
Is a Last.fm Powerplay campaign right for you? - Brian Hazard
And on music industry issues:
Is A&R Still Necessary In Today's Music Industry? - Jim Markunas
Defining the Music Industry Crisis - Chris Purifoy
Songwriters are taking it on the chin. What’s the solution? - Bruce Warila
The End of the Music Album as The Organizing Principle - Dave Allen
SellaBand, a unique fan funded music site/label, is officially launching in the States with a New York office and the support of Chuck D and BTN Eastlink:
"BTN Eastlink will serve as the first point of contact for all SellaBand business in North America, handling day to day support for the stateside operations, serving as the exclusive agent in developing strategic partnerships and sponsorship opportunities, consulting on SellaBand's partnership in the upcoming ArenaFest summer tour as well as other tours and festivals, and coordinating strategic marketing and promotion for SellaBand."
Chuck D is described as a "founding partner" in BTN Eastlink which currently has a coming soon website. Normally that would seem a bit questionable but Chuck D has a long consistent history as an indie music/businessman as well as a digital entrepreneur so this may be simply a new entity to take advantage of such opportunities.
In any case, that's the power of an honest brand, skeptics give you the benefit of the doubt at such moments.
SellaBand is one of the more interesting projects involving crowdsourcing and a promising model for music industry experiments.
Basically, everybody signs up for free, "Believers" buy shares in bands for $10 each, bands try to raise $50 or $100,000 and that becomes their budget for recording and launching an album.
SellaBand provides professional support, basically operating as a hybrid label, and fans get a rev share.
Further details under Terms and Conditions. I haven't read through them all but, if I were an indie musician, I'd be checking it out closely and probably getting in as soon as possible. Early members who play the game well will get an additional network effect that will be difficult for late comers to exploit.
SellaBand recently received $5 million in funding so they should be around for at least a few more months!
Official Site:
SellaBand
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Raising Money to Record via Fan-Funding & Donations
In a powerful reminder that live shows are where the money's at, Billboard Top Moneymakers list for 2008 is topped by Madonna who had the "50th-best-selling album in the country" but the top earning tour of the year.
Lil Wayne comes in at no. 12 with Mary J. Blig at no. 19 and Kanye West at no. 20:
1. Madonna: $242,176,466
2. Bon Jovi: $157,177,766
3. Bruce Springsteen: $156,327,964
4. The Police: $109,976,894
5. Celine Dion: $99,171,237
6. Kenny Chesney: $90,823,990
7. Neil Diamond: $82,174,000
8. Rascall Flatts: $63,522,160
9. Jonas Brothers: $62,638,814
10. Coldplay: $62,175,555
11. The Eagles: $61,132,213
12. Lil Wayne: $57,441,334
13. AC/DC: $56,505,296
14. Michael Buble: $50,257,364
15. Miley Cyrus: $48,920,806
16. Taylor Swift: $45,588,730
17. Journey: $44,787,328
18. Billy Joel: $44,581,010
19. Mary J. Blige: $43,472,850
20. Kanye West: $42,552,402
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