Archive for the ‘Music Industry News’ Category

A Bad Accent Can Go A Long Way

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

After more than 40 years in the business, German rock sensation The Scorpions have announced their retirement.

With timeless classics such as “Wind Of Change” and “Rock You Like A Hurricane”, The Scorpions have been selling out arenas for longer than I’ve been alive.

Tell me this: How did such a shit rock band make it so big and for so long?

With a tenure just shy of The Rolling Stones’ and a decade lead on U2, it’s clearly not a fluke.

What’s their secret sauce and where can I get me some?

10,000 Sonicbids Members To Claim $4 Million

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Sonicbids

Two weeks ago, Panos Panay, Founder and CEO at Sonicbids, announced that 10,000 Sonicbids members will receive their part of $4 million of unclaimed digital performance royalties collected and distributed by SoundExchange, the non-profit organization that collects royalties from satellite and internet radio.

Sonicbids members can check if they are on the ‘list’ and how much is owed to them by logging into their Sonicbids account.  If they are on the list, they must then register with SoundExchange to claim payment.

Related Posts:
Sonicbids Indie Showcase
About Sonicbids
TuneCore To Serve MySpace Music

Honor By August Win Breaking The Band 7

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

Honor By August

Washington DC alt-rock act, Honor By August, were selected as the winners of Breaking the Band 7.

“Now widely considered one of the most promising new talents on the East Coast,” (Washington Post) Honor By August makes music characterized by “distinctive, inviting vocals and anthemic, reverb-drenched guitars” (MetroMusicScene.com) and built on “award-winning songwriting, strong vocals, catchy melodies, and dynamic live performance” (Jenni Chase, Washington’s Z104/OnTap Magazine).

From arena shows at the Verizon Center, McDonough Arena and Innsbrook Pavilion, to headlining multiple shows at the 9:30 Club (DC), Bowery Ballroom (NYC), Blender Theater (NYC), Knitting Factory main stage (NYC), Viper Room (LA), Ram’s Head Live (MD), Toad’s Place (VA), Middle East main stage (MA), Cain’s Ballroom (OK), House of Blues Cleveland (OH) and many others across the country, Honor By August are turning heads, cultivating a loyal following and producing the kind of buzz every independent artist aspires to seed.

We’re looking forward to working with them!

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Hello Operator break into CMJ’s Top 100
Streetlab
Nettwerk’s Eavan Porter Joins We Are Listening

TuneCore To Serve MySpace Music

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

TuneCore Logo

Tomorrow, MySpace Music will open its gates to TuneCore artists, Wired.com reported.  TuneCore’s artists will be able to distribute their music through MySpace and benefit from streaming royalties, though the company has not commented on how much.  Probably very little.

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TuneCore – $30 Million in Music Sales in 2009
TuneCore: A New Digital Distribution Model
CreateSpace

Hind Raises $60,000 In 11 Days

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Hind

25-year old female singer, Hind, completed her fund raising project on SellaBand, the foremost fan-funds-artist platform.  In just 11 days, Hind, a former Pop Idol from the Netherlands, raised €40,000 ($60,000) to record a new studio album.  Almost 1,000 Believers (fans) from over 50 countries invested an average of $5,500 per day, a new artist fund raising record!

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ReverbNation Adds Expert Human Resources

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

ReverbNation

ReverbNation, now home to more than 500,000 artists, labels, managers and venues, has partnered with an expert faculty of music marketing experts to provide its users with a selection of marketing services, such as PR, radio outreach, street team development, and Twitter or Google optimization.

Any ReverbNation member with a free ReverbNation account can automate an enquiry with an ‘expert’ in the Resources section of his or her account in a couple of clicks.  The listed ‘expert’ has committed to respond in a timely manner.

“The goal here is to efficiently match an Artist’s needs with the right service provider for them,” said Jed Carlson, Co-Founder and COO of ReverbNation.com.  “Finding credible help in the music business can be a significant challenge for Artists.  Our goal is to simplify the process greatly.”

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Google To Launch Music Service

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Google Discover Music

Yesterday, TechCrunch reported that Google is preparing to launch a music service.  The project, in partnership with LaLa and the recently acquired iLike, is expected to surface during a Hollywood event dubbed “Discover Music!” on the 28th October 2009.  More details here.

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iLike
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Grooveshark & EMI Resolve Matters

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Grooveshark

Grooveshark, the Florida-based streaming music startup that grappled with EMI earlier in the year, has reportedly inked a deal with the major label.

A Webware 100 Winner, Grooveshark allows its users to stream music for free from an aggregate selection of 15 million tracks.  No download or registration required.  The service is supported by online advertising or through a $3/month premium plan which eliminates the ads.

Developed by a group of music enthusiasts from the University of Florida, Grooveshark boasts one million registered users to date.

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4 New Judges Join Our Song Contest Panel

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

Chris Jackson

As Director of Music for the Comcast Entertainment Group, Chris is responsible for the “sound” of the E!, Style, G4 and Fearnet Networks. Chris oversees all aspects of music acquisition, placement, and production for the major cable network group. This includes catalog development and exploitation, rights administration, and strategic initiatives involving music and music-related programming. Chris also works closely with programming, talent, and promotion to leverage network assets in providing opportunities to both emerging and established artists seeking to take advantage of the network’s worldwide scope and reach. Prior to CEG, Chris was a partner in Beatscape, providing music supervision for Film, Television, Trailers and Videogames. He also co-founded MustVote, a groundbreaking voter registration campaign coupling viral and social media marketing with the passion of music fans. Chris also co-founded Rightspring, Inc. a pioneering marketplace for searching, licensing and digital delivery of creative assets to professional users. Chris has over 15 years experience in all facets of the music business including major and independent labels, event production and digital media.

Jolene Pellant

Jolene Pellant is a partner at Yes Dear Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based talent management, marketing and music publishing company. Prior, Jolene was the VP of National Marketing at Live Nation, overseeing national marketing efforts and working on tour marketing for artists such as Aerosmith, Fiona Apple, Journey, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Damien Rice, Chicago, Backstreet Boys, Stevie Nicks, Don Henley and many others. She was promoted to this position when Avalon Attractions/Clear Channel Entertainment, a marketing and promotions firm where she held the post of Director of Marketing and oversaw entertainment events ranging from Blue’s Clues Live to the Rolling Stones, was restructured and branded as Live Nation. Jolene started her career in radio at the legendary Los Angeles rock radio station, KLOS, and as a video editor at Pop Art Film Factory.

Justin Levenson

Justin Levenson is SESAC’s Manager, Consultant Support, Writer/Publisher Relations. A seven year veteran of the performing rights organization, Justin is responsible for processing and signing unaffiliated songwriters. Hailing from Birmingham, AL, Justin attended Jacksonville State University before embarking on a career as a professional musician working with such superstars as Kenny Chesney and Donna Summer. He joined SESAC in 2001 in the Licensing Department as an Accounts Resolutions Specialist. He also contributes his time as an active member of S.O.L.I.D. (Society for Leaders in Development), a leadership organization for young executives in the music industry.

Daryl Berg

In the past six years, Daryl has licensed over 30,000 tracks for commercial use, booked over 350 artists for television performances, and executed numerous network-sized music marketing campaigns. A native of Long Island, NY, Daryl began his career as the minority founder and VP of Strategic Development at The Orchard, the world’s largest independent digital music distribution company. He left The Orchard to join EMI Recorded Music in LA as the Director of Business Development New Media. Daryl made the transition to music supervision and licensing by founding a company called Crusty Old Timer, Inc. that handled music supervision and music placement on behalf of its media clients. At Crusty, he helped launch FUEL TV, charged with the network’s music supervision duties. Currently, Daryl serves as FUEL TV’s Director of Music Supervision & Licensing, responsible for everything from music marketing, music supervision, licensing, and artist booking.

See entire Song Contest Panel.

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Win $10,000 Cash from ArtistForce.com

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

ArtistForce

ArtistForce, the web-based relationship management platform and marketplace for live entertainment, has introduced a free version of its service.  The free edition provides artists with up to five different industry resources per month and will make it possible for them to receive messages, negotiate booking inquiries, and use the ArtistForce widget, without paying any fees.  Entertainment buyers will enjoy free and unlimited access to review talent, negotiate performance offers, manage event expenses, generate documents, and manage contacts.

ArtistForce is offering a cash prize of $10,000 to the artist who books the most paid shows using any free or paid version of ArtistForce between October 9, 2009 and February 14, 2010.  The cash prize will be presented in Austin during the company’s participation in SXSW 2010, where the winning artist will also be given the opportunity to perform live at an ArtistForce sponsored event.

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Public Enemy Raising Money from Fans on SellaBand
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How to raise $10,000