Metallica VS the Net: Round Number 100?

Paste magazine is now reporting that "Metallica is fighting the Internet again".

This time it's over some early reviews of of their new CD, Death Magnetic. Reportedly, they had allowed early access to several tracks for review...and then got upset that the reporters actually reviewed the CDs.

This happens shortly after another "Internet fight" in May.

The band's official statement can be found on their site.

Opinion: I'm glad I don't handle PR for these guys.

JG

Another Blog: Polyvibe Records.

I found an interesting blog by Polyvibe Records/Entertainment today. It's shared here, in the interest of helping promote the free exchange of information and ideas about music, and the music industry.

Many interesting thoughts and bits of news on that blog.

As always, just remember that all business decisions you make in this world are up to you, and you bear the responsibility for making your own career happen, if it ever does. These days, more than ever.

Hats off to you for taking the initiative and time to try.

Best,

JG

Shock the...Money?

Singer Peter Gabriel has gotten deeper into the Internet-entrepreneur game with a new entertainment/travel/lifestyle recommendation search engine. The former Genesis frontman is hoping the service will compete with amazon.com.

(Gabriel started experimenting years ago, and had his first major success, with on-line business models in 2000 when he co-founded OD2. The company provided digital music to clients such as MSN and Nokia,and later sold for nearly 20 Million dollars, reports CNN.com).

The new service is in beta testing now, and is due for a public launch in May, according to CNN.

Gabriel also expressed delight with the way that many musicians are now useing the internet to bypass traditional music distribution channels, and find thier own way to success.

Johnathan Coulton: from coder to professional songwriter in one year.

Here's another story about Songwriter Jonathan Coulton, who quit his "dilbert-like" existance and became an internet success story by writing one song a week...and promoting his website site 24/7.

http://potw.news.yahoo.com/s/potw/61785/how-to-become-a-rock-star

Good luck to him.

JG

Britney and her Manager: Update.

More problems with Britney Spears and her manager.

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1710362,00.html

Creative Career: Custom Songwriter

Here's a story about a gentleman who writes custom love songs. According to the article on Yahoo.com, He gets paid "anywhere from $2,000 to $25,000 (per song) depending on whether he performs (the song) Live or not. "

Talk about finding and serving a niche!

One question not addressed is this: who owns the copyright on these songs? Are they considered a "work for hire", because the money is paid up front, or is the cost listed as a licensing fee? The difference may seem to be unimportant, but it's actually quite signifigant. Under the first arrangement, the songwriter gets a large upfront fee, but no royalties. If one of those songs later becomes a hit, this lack of additional (passive) income could make a huge influence on his ability to make a live, or not. In the later arrangement, the songwriter would have another source of income, something vitally important to the long term sustainability of the self-emlpyed.

Students will be reminded to watch this fact as we go forward: Know who owns the copyright before you sign anything!

Best Always,

JG

Recipe to Become a You Tube Star?: Part 2

An update from yesterday's comment on You Tube promotion:

Sometimes talent *is* part of the mix (see below).

Also: if you backlink to this artist's homepage, you'll see that she says she had to remove the comments section as others were using her page to promote their own businesses, some of which she refers to as "nasty" (I shudder to think of what kind of business those might be...)

So there you have it, another example of the dark side of fame (You can see my previous post on this subject here).

Students: please bookmark this link, as we'll be referencing this when we discuss fame (and both it's positive and negative aspects) in class.

Best to you,

JG

Recipe to Become a You Tube Star?

Want to be a You Tube star?

As I was telling my students this week, all it really seems to take are the following elements:

1. A few songs
2. An instrument of some kind that you can play reasonably well.
3. An inexpensive digital recorder.
4. An internet connecttion
5. Time - to record, edit (optional), upload, and promote your "work".
6. Looks/personal appeal.

Talent, of course, is optional. But then that's nothing new. ;)

Here's an example, found at random by You Tube and placed on the "recently featured" listing via Yahoo.

Students and others will please notice that this young lady shows as having over 15 thousand hits just on this one video (she has several). Please also note the fair amount of comments left by others (287 about this video, as of the date and time of this post), and the fact that she offers CDs for sale (no hard numbers available). She also has a myspace and personal domain site (http://www.julianunes.com/).

Those interested may want to compare this listing to the previous post on Andy Mckee. Following the backlinks from that post to his profile and his record company will show an excellent example of a more formalized, and business-like, approach.

So, is this the future of the music industry? Is the grass roots/viral marketing and indi/artist-owned label/publishing house the wave of the future? Will we see more and more people who stay "small time" yet make a living with their music, rather than the select set of mega-million dollar stars we have seen in the past? Or will equilibrium be reached by blending the two approaches, so that both have their own, very specific, place in the new order?

We shall have to wait, and see.

In the meantime, at least we'll have plenty to watch.

Happy, and safe, viewing.

JG

Top Earning Artists for 2007

The numbers are in for the top earning artists for 2007. It looks as if veteran and reunion bands did very well in general. The Police, for example, tipped the scales at 142.2 Million in "ticket and music sales". Not bad for a band that has been disbanded since 1986 ( It must be noted that all three have kept creative solo careers going, even if only one of them, Sting, has keep high in the public eye during that time).

These numbers are impressive, but missing are figures on both merchandising (and requisite profits), and actual expenditures. How much was the band paid, for example? I seem to remember a figure of around 200 million paid to the band to do the tour, If that's the case and if total receipts were 142.2 million, than the "Biggest grossing tour of 2007" still would still net a loss. I've done some investigation, and an still trying to verify the numbers paid to the band. Other tour expenditures will be even harder to pin down, and may not even be made publicly available. I will post an update with any hard findings that appear in the course of my research.

Good luck in your own endeavours,

JG

Andy McKee and Youtube Promotion Done Well

Hello, and I hope your new year is going well. Regular visitors will notice the pace has slowed down since the "winter break" started. rest assured, it will be over soon and I'll start posting more often.

The video below was something I tripped on while searching for guitar entries on Youtube.com

This video, is by Guitarist/composer/(percussionist?) Andy McKee, and his record company Candyrat Records.

Not only is the music incredible, but the record company is doing the smart thing: get the product out there, in a "free" format, and let it sell itself. In this way they are building a community around the artist's work (see the comments section), and have all their contact information (and other web sites) in the "About the video" section (so people can find a way to buy the music, and find their other artists as well).

Brilliant, IMHO.

You can check out Andy's work below, and see related videos too.

Good luck with your own music, and it's promotion.

JG

Happy New Year!

2007 saw a lot of changes in music, technology, and the business of music. A lot of flux, some confusion, and difficulty, were found as the traditional systems seemed to be breaking down. The record deal is no longer considered the "holy grail", according to the MTV story in my previous post. If that's true and if artists can't expect record labels and managers, the people who traditionally have the knowledge and experience to "make it happen" for them, then what are the creators and performers of music supposed to do? These seem, at first, to be dark times for those who want to make music a career.

And so the first blog post of the year will be about something we can all probably use

right now: hope.

Here's the story

It's about a young composer, only 16, who's recently had his work played by the Yale University Concert Band. One of the better quotes talks about the qualities this young composer has exhibited in his, still very young, career:

"He has the right combination of talent, passion and entrepreneurial spirit," Duffy said. "This is a pretty significant accomplishment for a beginning composer."

In truth, it's also too rare in so called "older, more experienced" composers and musicians as well.

So if you can't rely on the traditional powers that be, to make you a success, who can you rely on?

This young composer, and many, many others are have already answered that question for you: in the 21st century, more than ever, you have to make it happen for yourself. Others can advise, help, and even "evangelize" your music, but ultimately it's up to you to make it happen.

So, what are you doing about your career in 2008?

Stay tuned here throughout the year for more news, ideas, information, and with luck, some inspiration as well.

The very best to you in the coming year,

JG