Talent2K Complaints Return to My Inbox

Editorial

Some things show up in four year cycles, like the Winter Olympics, leap years, and complaints about Talent2K.
In the past few weeks, I’ve found myself again facing a stack of mail asking whether Talent2K is “legit,” whether they’re “reformed,” or whether they can deliver on the promise of a record deal.
Contributors to spinme.com have been [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

The Orchard Lays off 20% of Staff, CEO Exits

News

It’s hard to read the tea leaves on this one, since this company has survived and evolved through things far worse than this:
CEO Greg Scholl is leaving the company, which is also laying off one-fifth of its team. News reports and press releases indicate that this is simply a “cost-cutting” move. As The Orchard moved [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Is Poor Self-Esteem Killing Your Band?

Growing Your Audience

Derek Sivers posted a little experiment.
In it, a band that was selling its CD for $15 at gigs asked the audience to come see them at the merch table. “Pay what you want,” they said, “and if you can’t pay anything, we’ll send you home with a CD for free.” That way, they reasoned, everyone [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Can Spotify Satisfy American Copyright Laws?

Editorial

Lots of friends and colleagues from abroad have hyped up Spotify to me, and I don’t doubt that it’s an awesome service. As we hear more about Spotify, especially involving mobile apps and in-car services, I fear we might be getting ahead of ourselves. Specifically, I worry that users’ fervor for the system overlooks the [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

During tough times, make time for more fun.

Booking More Gigs

I’m sick of articles that contain the phrase, “during these tough times.” (Sick of writing them. Sick of reading them.)
Many of my contacts in the booking business have freaked out about receipts this year. When jobs are on the line and gas prices rise above $2 per gallons, live entertainment is one of the first [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

Viral Video Attracts Audiences in Unexpected Ways

Featured Article

For the past hundred years, the conventional wisdom about marketing your music has been about building a brand and sticking to it. Think about some of the classic stars of the last century: Frank Sinatra, Etta James, Elvis Presley. It’s tough to see them outside the context of the carefully crafted personas we now find [...]

2 comments Read the full article →

No American Idol Songwriter Competition for 2009

Featured Article

Andy Dehnart at Reality Blurred confirmed with both Fox and with American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi that there will be no American Idol songwriting competition this year. In fact, Andy’s report indicates that Kara herself will be taking on the finale songwriting duties, much like Cathy Dennis did in earlier seasons.

35 comments Read the full article →

Wanting It More Than Ever

Featured Article

After 25 years of his winter film festival attracting attention for indie movies, technology and the economy have rolled the clock back. There’s no easy financing now.

1 comment Read the full article →

More Discussion about Film & TV Licensing

Licensing

Alexandra Patsavas, probably the most influential music supervisor working today, took some time to answer questions at the Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference, along with estate manager Jeffrey Jampol.
It’s interesting to see how that discussion played out. Jampol, whose job is to protect the heritage of his legacy rock estates, cautioned acts against [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

Hot Topic: Investing in Mid-Tier Bands

Growing Your Audience

I just came back from running an errand at the Plaza at King of Prussia. The whole mall is crawling with girls lined up to catch a glimpse of Robert Pattinson from the movie Twilight. 300 fans lined up in some crappy weather this morning to buy $30 shirts and wristbands for a meet-and-greet event. [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →