creative deconstruction

Music News from Around the Web – Friday May 28, 2010

Posted on 28. May, 2010 by refe in NEWS

I’ve compiled a selection of some of the most important music industry news of the past week, along with a few of my own thoughts. Let me know in the comments section if you think I’ve missed anything notable.

Music News from Around the Web

If you can’t make money selling records, and you can’t make money touring…

Imogen Heap

Imogen Heap is certainly not a nameless artist working for her big break. She has won a Novello award, a Grammy, and her music has been featured on a host of TV shows and film soundtracks including Garden State and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Still, with the majority of US venues being owned by a single monopoly (as well as similar issues in other parts of the world) and record sales hitting record lows, it has apparently become difficult to make ends meet for even relatively successful artists such as Heap. Read more at The Guardian.

We’re The Same We’re the Same We’re….

Not exactly music industry news, but applicable nonetheless. Look at all the band websites, MySpace or Bandcamp pages out there and it’s unfortunate how many of them look like carbon copies. In his most recent post, marketing mastermind Seth Godin advises companies (and bands) to build websites and online identities that actually communicate what is unique about them. In other words, don’t spend your energy trying to fit – spend your energy trying to stand out. Read more at Seth’s Blog.

Love Thy Hater: How to Learn and Profit from ‘Bad’ Feedback

Justin Boland of DIY hip-hop blog Audible Hype dropped this post yesterday. The headline says it all, but here are some of the choicest bits:

“This is a business, not a talent show.  That’s real simple but 90% of rappers will still complain about their skills getting slept on.”

“If you really thought you were the shit, you wouldn’t need to prove it.  Arrogance is actually not confidence, it’s insecurity.”

“So when I get this type of criticism, I ask for more detail: was it my mix, was the emcee wack, was the structure wrong, has it been done before, are the rhymes elementary, was the hook weak? I want to know these things. If enough people say them, I’ll learn from it. And overall it can help the listeners become better listener as well.”

The entire post is well worth a read. You can find it here: AudibleHype.com.

Record Sales Week Ending 5/23/10

Glee

Here are some excerpts from Bob Lefsetz’ weekly recap of the charts. Are the charts really a good way of measuring what’s going on in music? Of course not. Nevertheless, it is still interesting to see the numbers.

1. Glee: The Music, Vol. 3-Showstoppers Sales this week: 135,748 (Debut.)

“I’d love to tell you this album is crap.  A souvenir for mindless twits.  But instead I’m going to say it’s loaded with certified hits, and you can hear the joy in the performances.  Puts a smile on your face, makes you want to get up and do the Safety Dance yourself.”

2.  Black Keys “Brothers”Sales this week: 73,370 (Debut.)

“If you listen to the opening track of “Brothers”, “Everlasting Light”, you’ll reach for the skip button immediately if you’re not a fan.  You’ll think this music is made for people who are too hip for the room, who use bands as a badge of honor.  And you’d be right, “Brothers” is number one at the Music Monitor Network’s independent stores.”

"Are you as rich as me? Of course you're not!"

3. Justin Bieber “My World 2.0″Sales this week: 61,828. Percentage change: +2. Weeks on: 9. Cume: 1,104,631.

“It’s laden with the sound effects of Top Forty radio.  Yup, all the tracks sound alike, with the synthetic drums, the heavy bottom, the focus on rhythm. That’s what it takes to win on Top Forty.”

4. Damian Marley & NAS  “Distant Relatives” Sales this week: 57,285. (Debut)

“At first this sounds just one step away from being an SNL skit. Imagine rap and reggae meeting…  Is this a marriage we were truly waiting for?”

5. Lady Antebellum “Need You Now” Sales this week: 46,013. Percentage change: -15. Weeks on: 17. Cume: 2,126,068.

“There’s nothing new about Lady Antebellum, but they do the old so well.  This is barely country, there’s just occasional Nashville instrumentation to make sure it’s safe for country airplay.  This is as mainstream as it gets today.  And isn’t it funny it’s outselling all the hits on Top Forty.”

Read more at Lefsetz Letter.

More trouble in paradise

German collection society GEMA was involved in a ‘heavy case of fraud.’ According to reports, 10 members and 2 employees reported live events all across Germany that never actually took place. The members were paid royalties by GEMA for the fake performances. Billboard’s report doesn’t indicate which members were involved in the scam, only that the acts involved were mostly ‘popular music’ but also that ‘no prominent GEMA members [were] among the accused.’

According to Billboard ‘GEMA represents the copyrights of more than 60,000 members (composers, lyricists, and music publishers), and GEMA also represents over 1 million copyright owners all over the world. Worldwide, it is one of the largest societies for authors of music works.’ Read more at Billboard.biz.

More Music Industry Headlines:

Apple is said to Face Inquiry about Online Music Tactics from New York Times.
Supreme Court Rules Pirate Bay Must Stay Blocked from TorrentFreak.
Musicians and Health Insurance: Taking the Pulse from HypeBot.

Photo Credits: Lee Jordan, Kerosene Photography

Tags: ARTISTS, imogen heap, music news, record sales