INNOVATION | creative deconstruction

Why Innovation Is Not Enough to Build a Brand (Or a Band)

Posted on 01. Feb, 2010 by refe.

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Innovation is important. It elevates a product beyond simple retail and causes it to become a catalyst for change in the marketplace and culture. Innovation is also notoriously elusive. Today’s stroke of genius could be tomorrow’s old news. Worse, that first-to-market concept you’ve been hustling to get out the door could be short-circuited by the [...]

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Mother of All Music and Tech Recaps – December 2009 Edition

Posted on 17. Jan, 2010 by Gabriel Nijmeh.

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Another year has passed and we can only hope – and more importantly work – towards making the new year and new decade in the music business less tumultuous and one where the the disruptive forces of change are embraced for the sake of the artists and fans. Because it’s about the music, isn’t?
Now more [...]

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New Forrester Report Presents ‘Music Product Manifesto’

Posted on 04. Oct, 2009 by refe.

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The latest music business report from the Forrester Research Group hasn’t produced the kind of buzz that the last one did. That’s likely because while the previous report did have some solid ideas, it wasn’t the answer people were looking for.
The report is called Music Product Manifesto: The Product Features That Will Save Recorded Music. [...]

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Deconstructing the Week in Music September 7 – 20

Posted on 20. Sep, 2009 by refe.

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Here’s a recap of what went on in the music industry this week. Make sure to check out anything you might have missed and leave your comments. Know something we don’t? Submit a story.

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Sufjan Stevens to Release BQE Multimedia Set Oct. 09

Posted on 21. Jul, 2009 by refe.

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It’s been four years this month since Sufjan Stevens released his last full record Come on Feel the Illinoise. For a man who once declared that he would release an album for each of America’s 50 states – and for the uniquely dedicated fans who follow the indie-rock wunderkind – four years is an awfully [...]

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Why the Music Industry Still Needs Taste Makers

Posted on 26. May, 2009 by refe.

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New tracks are pouring onto the Internet like auto workers into a state unemployment office. Except there’s no line, and nobody working behind the counter. Armed with a free copy of Garageband and the vague hope that someone, somewhere might listen, scores of nameless musicians are doing their best to take advantage of the new digital frontier. It’s largely the same situation for listeners. A music fan who logs onto MySpace looking for fresh tracks could spend endless hours scrolling through band profiles, probably finding more misses than hits. It might take weeks before they uncover something that really gets inside them.

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ReverbNation Paying Artists to Give Away Free Songs

Posted on 22. May, 2009 by refe.

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ReverbNation announced a new feature yesterday designed to generate revenue for the site and for some of its artists. The Sponsored Songs program will add a small, branded message to the digital cover art of each download. The message will then show up every time that song is played. In exchange for allowing the ad [...]

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The Unlikely Prince of Indie

Posted on 20. May, 2009 by refe.

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Greg Kot, in his new book Ripped, focuses on the story of an unlikely but high profile independent artist – Prince. While the diminutive 80’s pop star and his music may not seem relevant to many of you, it turns out he is actually an interesting example of an artist bucking the traditional system and [...]

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Amazon to Torrent Site: Stop Letting Your Users Buy Our Music

Posted on 11. May, 2009 by refe.

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Amazon.com looks to be the latest example of a major music retailer missing out on a huge opportunity to profit from file sharing – and this one was practically handed to them!

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Imogen Heap Uses Twitter, ‘Heapstream’ To Connect with Fans

Posted on 05. May, 2009 by refe.

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I have talked ad-nauseum about the opportunities that social media provides artists to get the word out and connect with their listeners. Sometimes I feel like I am beating a dead horse – surely everybody get’s it by now, right? But the more I talk with new artists and record labels the more I realize [...]