It’s tax time in the US, which means it’s also the season for what I call the “$400 Myth” to start circulating in musician circles. Here’s the myth as I hear it goes like this: “If I made less than…
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Spoon frontman waxes about work ethic
Here’s a cool article on Brit Daniels and his band Spoon, and his workman-like approach to music: The singer-guitarist-songwriter says his years intently listening to radio hits were like “extensive research.” Knowing from the beginning that he cared most about…
Nashville Star no star-maker
Like its pop counterpart American Idol, the show Nashville Star has failed to produce country superstars as first expected. Second season winner Brad Cotter was dropped from his label after his post-NS release only sold 128,000 copies. (Is it me,…
It still takes money…
Coolfer points out that the new music business still needs money to function, and references two articles about the unseen overhead of promoting a single in the age of MP3s and MySpace. Cheap technology and internet may have eliminated some…
5 Questions with Evan Brubaker of Cake Records
In the mid-90s producer/engineer Evan Brubaker founded Cake Records as a boutique label, producing and collaborating on records by artists such as Holly Figueroa and Kym Tuvim. Since then, Cake has undergone a dramatic growth spurt, embracing a wide range…
“Relentless repeatability”
I was flipping through the online version of entrepreneur Bruce Judson’s book Go It Alone! and came across an interesting concept: “relentless repeatability.” In a nutshell, Judson beleives the ability to reduce your activities into a process you can refine…
REAPER: almost-free recording software
Although it’s not quite to version 1.0 yet, Reaper looks like it’s going to be killer recording shareware. Windows-only, but lots of the same features you’d expect from a pricier recording suite. I particularly like the VST/DXi support since there’s…
CD Baby updates
Thousands of artists use CD Baby’s digitial distribution program to get their music into iTunes, Rhapsody and other digital stores. Today, CD Baby posted a streamlined version of their DD agreement. Among the changes are: improved readability, ringtones and an…
New “Interviews” category!
I’ve got quite a few more 5 Questions interviews in the pipe, so I’ve added an Interviews category to spinme.com so you, Constant Reader, may more easily find them. Watch this space. In the meantime, here’s a brief recap of…
On being “real”
Seth Godin’s blog is another non-music website I think all working musicians should read. Godin has a rep as a marketing “guru” but I suspect his true talent is a keen grasp on what people really value in their lives.…
5 Questions with Michael Tarlowe of Virt Records
Michael Tarlowe started his independent label Virt Records in 2001 with a tight focus on the Triple-A and performing songwriter markets. Virt’s modest roster includes critically acclaimed artists Vienna Teng, Shane Nicholson and Brenda Weiler. New releases from husband-wife duo…
American Idol no guarantee of marketplace success
Here’s a report that American Idol finalists typically have poor record sales and that labels are hesitant to offer contracts to former AI contestants. Of course, “poor record sales” can mean different things to different people: Second-season singer, third-place finisher…