Head of Australian Recording Industry on the New Music Business

Posted on 23. Sep, 2009 by refe.

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The new music industry could be effectively broken down into two different camps, with the traditional recording industry on one side and the proponents of the emerging independent DIY models on the other. The two camps rarely see eye to eye, but in many ways the debate between them is quite balanced. The traditional recording industry has all of the [...]

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“An Old Man’s Perspective” on the Current State of Rock and Roll

Posted on 27. Aug, 2009 by refe.

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I received this email yesterday from a man named David Sherbow in response to a comment I left on a post he had written. I felt like his perspective was worth sharing, so I’ve included his message in its entirety:

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What Will it Take to Unite Artist, Industry and Fan?

Posted on 19. Aug, 2009 by refe.

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The recording industry is bankrupting fans in court, technology is reshaping the marketplace faster than anyone can keep up, and fewer people than ever before are buying music. How did we get here? More importantly, how do we respond?

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Performance Rights Act Discussed in Heated Senate Hearing

Posted on 05. Aug, 2009 by refe.

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The Senate judiciary hearing on performance rights and parity was held yesterday on capitol hill to discuss the controversial Performance Rights Act. If you are unfamiliar with the bill you should know that it carries significant implications for the music industry. If this bill passes, terrestrial radio will be required to pay royalties to the performers [...]

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This Business of Music

Posted on 31. Jul, 2009 by refe.

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Art and business are not incompatible, but they do make an odd couple. One constantly pulls at the other as both try to achieve their own distinct goals and serve their own purpose. Just like in any relationship, there are times when common ground allows for beautiful things to happen. Other times their differences threaten [...]

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Resurgence of Vinyl Could Be Just What the Industry Needs

Posted on 02. Jun, 2009 by refe.

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A pair of Wired stories recently reported evidence of a significant uptick in the sale of vinyl records, showing that while CD sales have declined 11.7 percent this past year, vinyl sales have increased 36.6 percent. This recent resurgence of vinyl is beautifully ironic. This is the digital age! Music is cheap, convenient and portable. Innovations [...]

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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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Are 360 Deals the Answer for the Music Industry?

Posted on 29. Apr, 2009 by refe.

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No – probably not.
What is a 360 deal? It is basically an arrangement where one entity facilitates every aspect of their artists’ business – including marketing, pr, distribution, merchandise and live performances – and takes a cut from each of these revenue streams. Madonna was the first to sign a deal like this with concert [...]

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Google Launches MP3 Search Engine in China

Posted on 31. Mar, 2009 by refe.

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Google officially launched its ad supported MP3 search engine in China yesterday. Similar services have existed in China for some time, including the most popular and widely used, Baidu. Google is the first to offer the service legally, after cutting a deal with all four major record labels that entitles them to a cut of [...]