SONG CONTEST BLOG

A couple of weeks ago, we received an excellent video submission for Round 2 of the New Music Video Awards by the Texan group, Superstring. I was impressed by what I saw so I gave the lead singer, Julie, a call to find out more about the band.

We chatted for 20 minutes or so and she revealed that they had sold just under 17,000 copies of their record – independently! She shared that the group had already received a number of awards for their music video, placed two songs in the movie “Striking “Range”, currently writing material for a video game, and communicates with a registered fanbase of over 20,000 individuals. Wow!

I speak with unsigned artists everyday and I don’t think that I have ever come across such an impressive track record. Whatever their secret is, I want in on it.

www.superstringsound.com

Following the recent announcement by the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board regarding the establishment of new internet radio royalty fees and planned rate escalations through 2010, broadcasters and musicians alike are scattering to find safe ways to continue doing business as usual. The new rules authorize SoundExchange, a royalty fee collection agency created by the Recording Industry Association of America, to collect fees for streaming online musical content. These fees, coupled with SoundExchange’s ability under law to collect retroactively, are causing controversy across the internet radio community.