If you work in the music business, Watch this animated GIF a few times, and then head to your local watering hole…
Cheers!
Posts tagged Digital Music News
3/4 Unsigned Artists Still Want a Label Deal…
The results of a study by Reverb Nation and Digital Music News were revealed today, surveying 2,000 unsigned musicians, on whether they ultimately want to get a major record deal with a label. The result is still pretty apparent, 75%+ say yes.
So much for the DIY culture of independent music today…
Take a look at the breakdown below to see which genres are lookin’ for deals (Alternative/Indie bands care less about it, that seems to make sense to me) and also which labels are more attractive to artists depending upon genre.
I find it really fascinating to see the label desire broken down by genre, really gives you the sense of the reputation Sony and Warner has for Alternative/Rock music out there amongst musicians, whereas the reputation for Pop/Urban music is heavier towards Universal, Interscope, Island/Def Jam, and other associated labels.
Food for thought for you A&R and Marketing folks!
The strongly worded letter below from an executive at the Consumer Electronics Association is a wonderful summary of how the music industry has been stuck for the past decade or so.
The industry has been in a metaphorical lifeboat, treading water with a hole in the bottom of it that it couldn’t see at first, trying desperately to splash the water out while slowly sinking.
Meanwhile, a couple of people decided to jump ship and swim instead, and looks like they are finally approaching the shoreline…
CEA to Music Industry: Stop Complaining, Start Innovating…
(via Digital Music News)
This is in response to your article of March 7, in which you suggest that the tech industry benefits disproportionately from the digital revolution because “technology is cooler than content.”
Digital technology is merely a tool. It does not guarantee success. The rewards go to those creative and brave enough to reinvent their business models in response to consumer demand.
During the digital age, tech companies have thrived by offering brilliant new products that consumers want and crave. The last decade has brought us smart phones, HDTV, and tablet computers among numerous other inventions. The frenetic pace of innovation hasn’t slowed: over 20,000 new products were introduced at January’s International CES alone.
Similarly, artists embraced digital technologies that allow them to cheaply create and distribute their work, and communicate directly with fans. As a result more people are spending more money on music and music-related products than ever before. Indeed, according to the Nielsen Company’s figures, 2009 overall music purchases - sales of albums, singles, digital tracks and music videos - reached an all-time high of 1.5 billion.
Now, traditional record labels have finally realized that success lies in innovation, not litigation. They are relaxing their licensing terms and allow a wider range of music distribution technologies to enter the marketplace.
New companies Rdio, SoundCloud and RootMusic are rolling out exciting services. Pandora is well-established and moving toward an IPO. Hopefully, the labels will soon give American listeners access to Spotify, a music service has been wildly popular in Europe.
For years, record labels viewed their job as maintaining scarcity. Now, they finally realize their future depends upon promoting access. The labels finally appear committed to creating a vibrant, extensive, post-CD music ecosystem. If they are successful, then the big record labels will also count themselves winners in the digital revolution.
Michael Petricone
Senior Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs
Consumer Electronics Association
