Music business Noise in Hollywood / High priority

I read the following and was elated. This affirms all our predictions and the some. I hope you guys repost this. All Indie artist, writers , producers, publishers etc need to read this. I would love to hear your thoughts. I'm J. Gray and I approve this message.

cles / Music Business Makes a Lot of “Noize...

Music Business Makes a Lot of “Noize” in Hollywood

Author: George S. McQuade III
Published: April 29, 2012 at 7:19 am

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“Artists don’t need a label anymore,” Panelist Jessa Gelt, EMI Music Publishing told a crowd of mostly music enthusiasts, artists and industry pros Saturday, at the First Noize Entertainment Expo at the Musicians Institute, Hollywood CA. “We have songwriters, who have been dropped from other labels, we have songwriters, who have partnered with other songwriters and have formed bands. The Internet provides international resources.”

Topics ranged from “Indie vs. Major” (labels) the State of Industry to the “Pros and Cons’ of publishing. Panelists discussed critical observations of writing, producing and distributing music. Attendees got the rare chance to meet face to face with industry experts who all agreed that, “technology has turned everything upside down, creating a lot of noise.”

“Thanks to the Internet there are no rules, and forget about the business model, too,” said Darryl Swann, who is a long time contributor to ASCAP, and is a writer, record producer, and developer of emerging artists under his own production company, Senova Media.

“Great songs and great production will always be here, and it’s all cyclical. We were so enamored with ProTools, Apple Logic and all the technology - it's like a toy. We’re putting that toy away and getting back to the songs.”

Swann is an American record producer, songwriter, educator and musician. He has worked with prominent artists including Macy Gray, Black Eyed Peas, Mos Def among others. He has also done substantial work for Atlantic Records, Sony Records, and Universal Records, and teaches music at the Musicians Institute and UCLA.

And how do artists make money? “That’s the million dollar question,” he said. “Music today is pretty much a promotional vehicle, where you bring people to your brand.”

Best advice? “Think out of the box, and hustle,” said Swann.

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INDIE RECORDING ARTIST ALERT/CHECK IT OUT

Here is a new one for the books. 101 arena is in beta testing. This is a new generation of streaming,  that is actually  promising to pay 100% of sales to the artist. How is that possible?  With the amount of revenue made by streaming platforms from advertising there is, and has always been enough revenue from advertisers to  create substantial revenue for this to be possible. This model is going to shake things up in the download industry.  However only if the artist participate.Indie artist as a whole have allowed itunes, etc, to dictate how artist get paid.  The only way this is going to change is, if artist take a stand. Check this article out, and you decide Next Generation Streaming App Puts Focus On Artist Profit Share Website: http://www.101arena.com PHOENIX.101 Distribution has announced the launch of 101 Arena, the first and only free streaming music service to pay 100 percent of all advertising revenue generated directly to artists and content owners. This solution comes in response  to growing controversy surrounding marginal payments for unlimited listens through popular services like Grooveshark, Spotify, RDIO, Rhapsody and others. "101 Arena will be the most functionally disruptive business model today's music industry will be forced to embrace," said Damon Evans, executive Director of 101 Distribution, the nation's only full-service, independently owned music and film distributor that offers 100 percent payout to artists for all sales.  "No streaming service in operation today can accommodate free consumer access  and 100 percent ad revenue payout to artists." World-famous acts such as the Black Keys, Coldplay, Radiohead, Adele, Tom Waits, and more have made headlines for refusing to post their albums on streaming platforms.  Artists argue streaming services receive the majority of the monthly advertising revenue and user subscription fees, while content owners receive only paltry royalty payments.  In addition, traditional media formats are becoming secondary options for consumers,  while streaming services are rapidly growing in popularity. The launch of 101 Arena will test 101 Distribution's claim that popular services, such as Spotify, will only be as influential as artists allow them to be. 101 Arena's revolutionary model (Infographic: The Downside of Streaming Music) fairly divides all site advertising revenue between each artist based on 'listens' and was created by 101 Distribution, the nation's only full-service, independently  owned music and film distributor that offers a 100 percent payout for all digital, mobile, retail, merchandising, streaming and mail-order sales. The aggressive payout structure of Arena puts artists in position to net more monthly income than would be realized through services like Spotify, Rhapsody, MOG, RDIO and Grooveshark combined. An innovator in film and music distribution, 101 Distribution is committed to protecting and growing artist control and profit - and has built this philosophy into content streaming with the launch of 101 Arena. "We understand the impact streaming services will have on an independent artist's  ability to maintain a viable career in music. It's hard to think about recording a new single, let alone an album, when the most popular platforms are paying out less than  $.005 for an unlimited amount of monthly use," said Evans. "We've made it possible for any level of musician to self-manage product sales for all media formats¬ including streaming-while keeping full ownership of their content and  100 percent of all sales profits and site advertising revenue." 101 Arena allows users to stream singles, live shows, music videos and full-feature  films in pre-programmed playlists generated from 101 Distribution's catalog, free of charge. Genres include: Hip hop/rap, rock/alternative, faith/inspirational,  metal/hard rock, dance/electronic, film/video, country/folk and Latino and jazz/instrumental. Different from other streaming services, users can skip singles they don't want  to hear, replay any single multiple times and stream full albums from new  artists they discover. 101 Arena is the first mobile destination that combines streaming audio and video with a fully enabled shopping cart for physical and digital content purchases. For artists, 101 Arena is included in the company's existing flat rate non-exclusive distribution offering and requires no yearly storage  or renewal fees. 101 Arena is the stage for independent music and film. To experience 101 Arena, visit www.101arena.com or text ARENA to 46101. For more information on 101 Distribution, visit www.101d.com. CLICK ON JOIN AND BECOME PART OF THE AMP TEAM

FUNNY MUSIC STUFF

So here it is saturday again. What happen to the rest of the days this week. It's all been a blur. Another week in the music business. I need a laugh. I'm tired of crying. I'm J. Grady and I approve this message. "Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it." — John Lennon "A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his will on unsuspecting air molecules, often with the assistance of unsuspecting musicians." — Frank Zappa "Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung." — Voltaire "It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself." — J.S. Bach "I want to do a musical movie. Like Evita, but with good music." — Elton John "I understand the inventor of the bagpipes was inspired when he saw a man carrying an indignant, asthmatic pig under his arm. Unfortunately, the manmade sound never equaled the purity of the sound achieved by the pig." — Alfred Hitchcock "I don't deserve a Songwriters Hall of Fame Award. But fifteen years ago, I had a brain operation and I didn't deserve that, either. So I'll keep it." — Quincy Jones "I love to sing, and I love to drink scotch. Most people would rather hear me drink scotch." — George Burns "All music is folk music. I ain't never heard no horse sing a song." — Louis Armstrong "The musician is perhaps the most modest of animals, but he is also the proudest. It is he who invented the sublime art of ruining poetry." — Erik Satie "Talking about music is like dancing about architecture." — Steve Martin "When she started to play, Steinway came down personally and rubbed his name off the piano." — Bob Hope "The world must be filled with unsuccessful musical careers like mine, and it's probably a good thing. We don't need a lot of bad musicians filling the air with unnecessary sounds. Some of the professionals are bad enough." — Andy Rooney "Andrew Lloyd Webber's music is everywhere, but so is AIDS." — Malcolm Williamson "I know [canned music] makes chickens lay more eggs and factory workers produce more. But how much more can they get out of you on an elevator?" — Victor Borge

"I don't know anything about music. In my line you don't have to." — Elvis Presley "Rock 'n' roll will never die. There'll always be some arrogant little brat who wants to make music with a guitar." — Dave Edmunds "I'd love to see Christ come back to crush the spirit of hate and make men put down their guns. I'd also like just one more hit single." — Tiny Tim "If I didn't do this well, I just wouldn't have anything to do... I can't cook, and I'd be a terrible housewife." — Freddy Mercury (of Queen) "For us the most important thing is to be visual, and for the cats watching us to have fun. This is all we want. We get very upset if people get bored when we're only half way through smashing the second set." — Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd)

Money Music Art

It's been a tough week for a lot of us working in the music industry. Some of us have seen success, some have unrequited  blisters, and some barley broke a sweat. I hope you have passion for this three ring circus, because if you don't you'll wind up looking like a clown. If you do, sit back and enjoy the show. There's a different act under each tent. I hear their adding a new tent. Work on your act, polish it, tweak it and get it ready to present it to the audience. Remember this; you must have an audience for it to be seen. If a song is played in an empty room, is it a song? I'm J. Grady and I approve this message.

You may have heard that the music industry is sort of falling apart. It isn't really a matter of there being less money in the pool - just that the money people have to spend on entertainment (which will always be somewhat of a constant) is just being diverted away from where it historically has gone (record labels and managers). The music industry is by definition an operation invented to divert money spent on music away from actual musicians - the problems that the music industry is currently facing have specifically to do with the fact that the money that would usually flow directly to the bigger economic actors is now going somewhere else.

This is such a succinct and accurate example of what we've been talking about for over a decade, it's worth repeating. As we've seen over and over again in numerous studies, the amount of money being spent on the music industry (remember: that's more than just selling records) hasn't gone down at all, and, in fact appears to have gone up over the last decade. The "issue" is that it's going to many other players in the market, rather than the record labels. In the past, the record labels did their best to keep that money from ever going to musicians. These days, a lot of that money is up for grabs -- and the record labels are upset that they're not getting more of it. Instead, it may be going to others, such as Apple or an ISP or someone else entirely. But, really, it's up for grabs -- and that's why we see a lot of smart musicians figuring out how to take advantage and get their share. But it is a scramble. And if you want to succeed in the music business these days, you need to figure out how to get your share:

Sxsw should be an example of where some of that money is going. While labels are trying to figure out how they can get their piece back, the question sxsw should leave for bands is how to get theirs, or to at least not throw it directly at hospitality and energy conglomerates in order to get to Austin and see your fans money go straight down the throats of Mountain Dew incorporated instead of into your pocket. And again, just to re-iterate - it's not like these companies are inherently evil or vicious. I kind of like Mountain Dew. It's just that they are way better than you at figuring out how to get peoples money, and while your job as an artists should mostly be about making great art, it should also be a little bit about how to be smart at if not making money, then at least not throwing an undue amount away just so someone else can make money at your expense. This is the crux of the matter - there is a big pool of money out there that everyone is trying to get - the music industry is panicking because a lot of the money that used to go from music consumers right to them, is now going to companies that are posted just on the periphery of music, letting bands and labels spend money making music, and then swooping in with music related marketing strategies aimed at getting some of that relatively free money.

The realization is key: basically, there's a pool of money that people are fighting for, and you need to figure out how to get your share, not whine about others who are doing a better job of figuring out how to get their share. It's a recognition that you're in business, and business means competition. In this case, the band appears to have worked out a deal with a clothing company to help fund its performance at SXSW, as part of an effort to show that it could be done, rather than having to lose money and hope that someone at SXSW decides to just give you a big check. 

And that's, effectively, all we've been talking about here for more than a decade. It's about recognizing that the market has shifted, no one is automatically owed a living, but in this period of dynamic change, there really are a tremendous number of new opportunities. In the past, if you wanted to be a success, you were much more limited, because you had to wait for one of the big gatekeepers to anoint you. Today, your fate is in your own hands. It doesn't mean that everyone will succeed. Just as in any industry, many will fail along the way. But sitting around demanding money isn't going to work.

Click on join it's freeeee!

Vince Gill discouraged by the state of the music business

I don't normally post theses type of articles, however. Vince Gill has always been one of the most respected and honest artist in the industry, and one of my favorites. Reading this article reminds me of a world war 2 german  sniper hiding in the bushes waiting to pick off another soldier. Record labels, remember who won the war! The good guys!!!!!!!!!!


Vince Gill Discouraged by 'Mind-Numbing' Country Music

• Posted May 15th 2012 1:50PM by Gayle Thompson
• Comments

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Getty Images/NBC Universal

Vince Gill spent 30 years as an artist on a major label, the last 23 at MCA Records, before heparted ways with his record label earlier this year. The 55-year-old music icon acknowledges that the shift in his career has been difficult to accept.

"I still want to have hit records," he tells Pittsburgh's Post-Gazette. "You never get that out of your system. But in some sense, I have been shown the door."

Vince hopes to still churn out more albums, but not necessarily what is commercial today. "For me, [country music] lost its traditional bent pretty severely," explains the tunesmith. "I would love to hear someone write a song like 'He Stopped Loving Her Today' rather than 'You're hot. I'm hot. We're in a truck.' It's just mind-numbing to me."

Vince admits he is dismayed by the current state of the music industry, and worried about its future. "Income streams are dwindling. Record sales aren't what they used to be," he notes. "The devaluation of music and what it's now deemed to be worth is laughable to me. My single costs 99 cents. That's what a [single] cost in 1960. On my phone, I can get an app for 99 cents that makes fart noises -- the same price as the thing I create and speak to the world with. Some would say the fart app is more important. It's an awkward time. Creative brains are being sorely mistreated."

Now that Vince doesn't have to meet a record label's requirements, he is free to work on whatever he wants, which for him includes an upcoming album with his western swing band, the Time Jumpers. "I'm from Oklahoma," he notes. "That stuff is like drinkin' water to me."

The singer-songwriter is also spending time on the road this summer, first on a 12-citybluegrass tour (backed by band members of the late Earl Scruggs), followed by several shows performing three decades of his own hits. Vince says fans should expect the unexpected.

"Night to night it varies," he explains. "I always try to do a little bit of everything. Some gigs you get to play for only 75 minutes, or an hour and a half. Some you get to play for three hours. I'm always trying to make it interesting. What I try to do is serve the song. I really feel like the gift of being a great musician is playing what's appropriate -- and with the right guitar and the right sound, the right everything. That's most important to me. Serving the song the best way possible. Let everybody shine, everybody play -- makes it fun."

See Vince's concert schedule here.