We have a lot of new readers rolling through the site this week, so I thought I’d sum up my philosophy on how to make money making music. I just typed out a quick note to one of the members…
Record labels halt shipments to Tower Records
I think a tipping point for my love of music was the first time I visited the Piccadilly Circus store of Tower Records in 1992. Up until then, my record retail experience was limited to the awful chain stores around…
American Idol 6 Will Include a Songwriting Competition
UPDATE – APRIL 27: Big, huge, fun American Idol liveblog + discussion happening on our new discussion boards. UPDATE 4.5.07: American Idol Songwriter Contest Rules Now Online UPDATE 4.4.07: American Idol Songwriting Competition Signups Open!! Now that’s something I wasn’t…
Has your iPod Got C.R.A.P. in it?
The Executive Editor of CNet explains why Digital Rights Management tools are full of C.R.A.P. Whenever I lead a seminar on growing your audience, folks either understand why unrestricted MP3s are great for the independent music business, or they’re freaking…
Where the photos come from…
(Because, four hours into the relaunch, someone has already asked…) I’m finally making this page more visually appealing than it’s been for a long time by tossing some random pictures from my personal Flickr stream throughout the pages. Expect to…
Two new “Open Phones” conference calls for you to ask me questions about the music business.
Members of our music business mentoring program can RSVP for two more “open phones” calls on our class listings page. These calls work a little like a free form radio show — participants ask questions about all aspects of succeeding…
How to get advice on your music industry career for less than ten bucks a month.
Today’s the official launch of our revamped home page and the next version of our private music business mentoring program. (If you get our weekly newsletter, you heard all about this last week.) Here’s the deal… For the last eighteen…
Getting through to Talent Buyers: Pest vs. Persistent
Jay Flanzbaum from the indispensible OnlineGigs has a great article at Galaris this month about the distinction between being effectively persistent and just bugging the snot out of a talent buyer. Most of the bands that claim “nobody will book…
Even Lindsay Lohan Needs to Promote Her Record Release
I guess she thought it would sell itself? Guess not… UK label just dropped her, because she “couldn’t be bothered to get off her bum and promote it.”
Music Business Mentoring Program — Major Announcement Tomorrow
If you’re a member of our mentoring program, you’ll want to check this post.
Jill Sobule Sings About Net Neutrality
I always use Jill as an example of someone who’s been grinding out a living as a working musician in between crazy label signings. She’s successful because she builds great relationships with her fans and she’s not afraid to pull…
Swimming Upstream: Can Musictoday Help Live Nation Get Back On Track?
Coran Capshaw was on to something when he founded Musictoday as a connector between fans, artists, and venues. Taking what he learned from the successful fan club he built for Dave Matthews, he and his team have been building solid…