SONG CONTEST BLOG

Topspin, the enigmatic media technology company “dedicated to developing leading-edge marketing software and services that help artists and their partners build businesses and brands” has combined forces with Berkleemusic.com, the online extension of Berklee College of Music, to provide music marketing courses for artists and music promoters to master the Topspin direct-to-fan marketing strategy and dedicated technology tools.  The first online course, Marketing your Music with Topspin, available exclusively on Berkleemusic.com, is slated for release in September 2009, with course enrollment beginning next month.

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In a thought-provoking post on the MidemNet Blog, Peter Jenner, President of the UK’s International Music Managers Forum (IMMF), explores the personification of music piracy, underscoring key distinctions between ‘piracy’ and ‘theft’ that have largely been ignored or rejected by the music industry and, perhaps, even concealed to a pragmatic and moral music sharing public.

“If you steal my money I don’t have that money anymore.  If you copy my music I still have it, and so does everyone else who has it.  No one loses anything, the supply of copies just increases.”

Read the entire entry here.

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Sourced from Hypebot.

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If content syndication and distribution is the hottest topic on this blog at the moment, then music metrics is a close second.  Over the weekend, I played with a new service I read about on Hypebot called RockDex.  More like Google Alerts than Google Analytics for measuring music buzz, the free point-and-shoot service leverages the API’s of several social networks to measure an artist’s volume of mentions on Twitter and Blip.fm, content on YouTube and Flickr, and fans and listens on Last.fm and iLike, producing a score out of one hundred for each category.  Third-party ‘how-to’ recommendations are placed strategically next to each score in an effort to help the artist raise his social buzz and, in turn, score on RockDex.  I am not quite sure how useful or even representative this service is.  I am guessing that it is intended as a snapshot of a broader service to come or marketing collateral for Music Arsenal, the company’s paid web-based CRM solution for artists and record labels, reminiscent of ArtistForce.

Band Metrics is a data analytics and decision support system for the music industry, helping its users define and learn about their target audiences.  The system gathers pertinent data about artists and displays manageable statistics and assumptions for its users’ insight, application and marketing advantage.  For instance, Band Metrics will provide feedback about an artist’s presence on a variety of social networks which, in turn, can be applied to target promotional campaigns and isolate the areas where the artist may more effectively invest his resources.  Currently in private Beta, interested parties can apply for an invitation to test the site.  I’m waiting for mine.

Further to my post about Nimbit on the 8th March, I had a chance to communicate with the company’s Co-Founder and CEO, Patrick Faucher, this week regarding my comments.  Here is his response:

Interesting observations.
You may have overlooked the fact that we offer the only fully integrated storefront delivery system that allows you to sell, bundle and fulfill both physical and digital goods.  Also, our download card system actually drives the fan to redeem the product directly in the artist’s storefront, which is key to creating repeat customers and cross-merchandising.  One thing I can say regarding Reverb, Tunecore, etc. is that we don’t see them competing with our core business, which is direct-to-fan commerce. The reason why artists tend to stay with us is because they make more money overall, it’s easier to manage their business, and more sustainable.

I encourage artists to take their career into their own hands, self-manage and self-promote.  I believe that this is a prerequisite in today’s music industry and taking greater control of your assets will ultimately yield greater results than relying solely on third parties.

Needless to say, I’m not the only one who thinks this way.  Technology has created a gateway to music fans and the entrance through it is cheaper and more accessible than ever before.  As such, there are services available, free and not-so-free, catering to every imaginable aspect of a musician’s career, founded upon the DIY paradigm.  From music-friendly analytics and publishing tools to online collaboration and direct-to-fan distribution solutions, there are countless specialized offerings out there gaming for a stake of the massive independent artist market.

Now, a new service has emerged with the aim to assist artists in personal organization and management.  A one-stop-shop for accounting, task management, scheduling, and almost every other administrative task associated with the music industry, Bandize hopes to help artists clean up their act.

Currently a by-invitation-only service, the company may be over reaching by expecting artists ? essentially a community suffering from attention deficit disorder ? to take to a CRM solution.  Most artists are not facing complex cash flows and a diverse and demanding clientbase to truly take advantage of Bandize’s full suite of organizational features, including “Asset Management” which is bordering on ludicrous.  Those that are can probably justify hiring an intern, assistant, accountant, or personal manager as a business expense, by my estimation.  I did, however, enjoy learning about the company’s one-click data syndication, a simple yet powerful feature which enables users to post just once for all of their online properties.  That makes perfect sense.  It saves time and ensures that marketing messages and general communications remain consistent.

The site looks good and I completely support artists who wish to get organized and disciplined.  I just don’t believe that they will.  It’s like cleaning your room or taking out the trash.  There’s always something better to do.

The partnership between Groove Armada and Bacardi was a hot topic at Midem this year and yet another example of a major music act dumping its label (Sony, in this case) and looking for music-friendly partnerships outside of the traditional music industry ring.  The agreement is intended to help Bacardi become a stronger music-centric brand in the minds of new prospects and tap into Armada (and alike) fans.  Armada will be enjoying some well-funded creative and business license, including greater control over several facets of their business, namely a new digital distribution model slated for launch this year.

Matt Morissroe, A&R Director of Bacardi’s music division, B-Live Records, spoke in length about the deal’s schedule and the two parties’ plans to “share” new Armada music and release it independently, share being the operative word, not just in terms of this deal but also as the thematic underscore to Midem this year, the largest and most influential music industry summit.

Stephen Budd, a council member of the Music Manager’s Forum and founder of Stephen Budd Management, the producer management agency which looks after one of We Are Listening’s esteemed panelists, producer KK (Bjork, Dido, Nelly Furtado), commented on the devaluation of professional music producers at a summit of music producer managers in London this week.

Budd, and his peers, are calling for change in producer agreements due to unreasonable expectations and progressive devaluation of producers’ work, often subject to “on spec” agreements where the financial risk rests on the producers’ shoulders and their agents, no less.

The summit represented a concerted industry effort to brainstorm new business models to ensure the futures of professional producers through a restructuring of royalty shares in a number of areas where producers are professionally and creatively involved.

In the point of view of the booking agent, you – the artist – must be in place in your career that you can attract enough paying gig-goers to your show, do so frequently, and with consistent growth to justify the booking agent’s efforts in exchange for his 10% (sometimes 15%) cut.  Unfortunately, most developing artists, even those with a small but loyal following, are not attractive enough for the reputable booking agents to pursue.  Much like talent scouts, booking agents will sometimes take a chance on an act that they believe will develop successfully and provide a handsome financial return in the future, but this is a relationship that is both difficult to pursue and cultivate and its terms will be strongly in the favor of the booking agent.

If you’re not a savvy manager yourself, find an artist manager before looking for a booking agent.  Keeping in mind that your manager sees a cut of everything you do whereas the booking agent only sees a cut of your live performances, statistically, a manager should be easier to sign with because he is spreading his risk on all of your musical assets.  Your manager should already have music industry connections and a way in to discuss tour scheduling opportunities face to face with an established booking agent, rather than making cold calls yourself.  However, if this is not the case, at least the booking agent can see that you were talented enough to attract an artist manager in the first place and, therefore, worth attending your next show.

The multi-national booking and management agencies such as The Agency Group and William Morris Agency prefer to see that you have financial backing, usually in the form of a label contract.  This, if nothing else, ensures that the label can afford to finance your tour and even take a loss for the privilege of ‘breaking’ you.

Whatever the arrangement may be, everyone involved wants to make money.  As such, it’s your responsibility (or, better yet, your manager’s responsibility) to show that you are a great investment.