1 December 2007
"We're not going to continue signing artists for recorded music revenue only," Bronfman said during a conference call with Wall Street analysts. What I keep saying to all of my indie label friends : Indie labels also have to give up on just being labels. It doesn't work. The artists (especially more successful DJs) are making lots of touring money, but they never consider sharing that with the label. So the only model that is working is that where the ... more...
11 October 2007
http://myspace.com http://virb.com http://imeem.com http://reverbnation.com http://music.download.com http://shoutlife.com more...
4 August 2007
CD sales have collapsed. Live shows, touring and merchandise income are robust. Prices for concerts are way up. Elton John charged a record $690 for top seats in Las Vegas. Gerd Leonhard, a music business consultant, predicts that by 2010, recorded music sales will make up only 30 per cent of a successful label's revenues. The rest will be generated by artists' extra-musical brand extensions. Like those $20 T-shirts. "Record sales as we know them are in long-term decline," says ... more...
20 September 2006
This small article notes that licensing is a complicated and annoying process and how completely inappropriate it is for the kind of mass internet media events we are entering into. As she notes, the computer technology to bill anything is trivial, but the laws and business practices are a mess. There is money being made through advertising and yet the music licensing is not being paid simply because the procedure for payment is obsolete and ill-defined. And so the artists ... more...
7 October 2005
Quotes and talk from Hank Shocklee and George Clinton about sampling, creativity, litigation. for all his gripes, though, shocklee had some pretty straightforward suggestions about how to improve the system. one of his repeated requests--a compulsory licensing system of sorts, or at least a more navigable, transparent, and consistent system of pricing--was an oft echoed call throughout the conference. even as shocklee urged the creation of such a thing, though, he acknowledged the inherent difficulties of setting it up. "is ... more...
5 December 2004
Any sample whatsoever without permission is an infringement and needs to be cleared with the holder of the copyright. No "5 second" rule (that's a myth), no nothing. Needless to say, if you grab a single drum sound, who can tell ? Many riffs and bits are untraceable, and many copyright holders will not bother to chase you or don't even care. (or appreciate the flattery and the invigoration of their back catalog). It is perfectly legal to use samples ... more...
5 December 2004
When you look for a record label, keep in mind that you are (hopefully) going to be friends with the people running the label. Look for people you might want to tour with, do business with, talk about music with and generally enjoy music with. This holds true even for fairly large labels. Independant music is about networking, and you should always be looking for new relationships. Please do not email me asking which label to send your stuff to. ... more...
5 December 2004
See: [[Demos]] [[Producing for Vinyl]] [[CD Manufacturing]] [[Sampling]] [[Mpeg download sites]] [[Social Networking sites]] myspace, virb etc. [[Indie vs Major]] [[Contracts]] [[Royalties]] [[Copyright]] [[Licensing]] [[Taxes]] [[Touring]] [[Annuals and Festivals]] need to find a label ? sorry, don't ask me go look at: http://www.allrecordlabels.com/ http://www.rlabels.com/ more...
5 December 2004
The basics are to choose maybe 6 labels of different calibers and styles. You should look for opportunities on small labels. Larger labels watch the smaller labels for new talent. The larger labels are getting so many demos a week, they don't simply don't have the time to really listen to everything. In general, they are already in contact with the people they are likely to sign in the future. In order to be one of those people, you have ... more...
