Ever since attending last Saturday’s interview with John Oates, I’ve been talking to folks about the pros and cons of working on albums vs. EPs. There’s a school of thought among music promotion professionals right now that you might not…
Category
Selling CDs
Five things John Oates taught me about the new music business
The Philadelphia Chapter of The Recording Academy welcomed Temple alum John Oates back to campus last Saturday night, for an intimate acoustic performance and an interview conducted by my friend and former colleague, Gene Shay. Mississippi Mile is Oates’ tribute…
Nimbit uses venture capital to fund band-to-fan e-commerce platform
Techcrunch profiled Nimbit, a “band-to-fan” e-commerce platform that seems to roll up all the services from CDBaby, HostBaby, and Fanbridge into a single service. According to Rip Empson, the service has already rolled up $5 million in venture capital it…
When Does a 360 Music Deal Make Sense?
For major touring acts, it’s a no brainer. Ditch the major labels, cash a fat advance check, and head out on the road.
Music Business Education Reaching High Schools
After hearing so much great response from our profile of Drexel’s campus-based music business program, I’m noticing more stories about schools that model their student-run record labels and booking agencies along the same principles. This week, the Los Angeles Times…
Drexel’s Student-Run Record Label Reshaping Music Business Education
When I was in school — and I did have to walk uphill in the snow to get to class, so get off my lawn — the campus radio station was where you had to be if you wanted a…
How Local Record Stores Can Stay in Business
It’s not the first time we’ve covered the issue here, but amidst the horror story that has become the chart of overall music sales, there’s a quiet confidence among the owners of America’s finest record stores. The Columbia Free Times…
Where can you still make money in the music business?
While our regular readers ask me that question all the time, another group of people is just as curious about the answer — Wall Street. Clem Chambers from the investment website ADVFN offers a guest commentary in Forbes Magazine about…
Live Recording Patent Busted
With all the internet radio and YouTube stuff happening this week, this news nugget nearly slipped by me: The EFF managed to get a patent revoked that prevented many artists and clubs from offering quick-turnaround CD recordings of live performances.…
Is Simon Cowell More Important to American Music than Bruce Springsteen?
Simon Cowell seems to think so. The American Idol judge reveals in an interview with Anderson Cooper that acts he has signed to Sony BMG have sold more than 100 million records over the past five years. Springsteen, on the…
P&D Deals Surging in the UK
In Grow Your Band’s Audience and here on the weblog, I’ve written about pressing & distribution deals as a way to “hire” record labels to do two things that they’re really good at. Few majors will admit to doing a…
Compact Discs as Souvenirs
Lefsetz writes that he no longer wants e-mail from folks about the viability of compact discs. Indeed, the compact disc itself is not just a storage medium for music — it’s a reminder of how much you enjoy the work…