Gibson Music Blog: Archive

New Rules For The Music Industry

1) BE TRANSPARENT – No more hiding behind complex royalty calculations. Man up. Be honest. Provide clear and accurate accounting. The digital world makes it easier than ever to do this. This applies to labels, distributors, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and anyone else you can think of. They can all be transparent if they choose to be. Right now they choose not to be.
2) PAY ON TIME! – No more artificial royalty accounting periods. Returns and co-ops are a thing of the past. Pay out and account on one way no return sales that you have been paid in the same month you get them.
The only reason to hold on to the money is to make bank interest on it. If this is what you are going to do, see #1, BE TRANSPARENT and tell artists you are doing this. 3) NO MORE SUGARCOATING AND HIDING REALITY – Seriously. Stop promising things you know you can’t deliver. Not everyone is going to be a star. Be honest, tell the truth,. Let the musician and artist know the realities of the market so they can have a better understand of what needs to be done to succeed or why things are not going the way they want them to.
4) ACKNOWLEDGE YOU WORK FOR THE ARTIST, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND – Without the artist none of us will have jobs. They are the ones with the talent. They create culture and write songs that have an impact on the world. They are allowing us to serve them, not the other way around. This philosophy and culture must permeate everything you do. Turn this industry from one that “exploits” the artist to one that serves the artist.
5) ONLY OFFER SERVICES YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO – No more asking for rights or income from things you can’t contribute towards. If you are a label and want more money from other areas (i.e. merchandise, songwriter income, gig income etc) you actually have to provide a service that does something to earn that right. There are others out there that are specialists in these areas, can you do what they can?
6) UNDERSTAND THE ARTIST NOW HAS CHOICE – Unlike the old days, artists can now succeed without you. Labels have gone from a “must have” to a “might need”. Be clear in what you have to offer and create a fair and equitable deal in exchange for the services you are offering.

Apr 27, 2012

#music #music industry #music news #money #music buisiness #music buisiness news #buisiness news

Cake - "The Distance"

Apr 25, 2012

#music #songs #song #free music #rock #rock music #alternative #alternative rock #video #youtube video #youtube #music video

Sean Lennon - "Julia"

Apr 22, 2012

#the beatles #cover songs #sean lennon #john lennon #beatles covers #music video #youtube video #youtube #music #songs #song #video #live music #live performance

The Marketing Money Can’t Buy

Article From http://blog.tunecore.com Too often I see artists playing over and over again with diminishing returns. They’ve essentially worn their friends out, and haven’t done the thing that is most essential to the success of any band: shifted the burden of promotion from themselves to their fans. Without doing this, all bands (or products) eventually fail. There is a ceiling quickly hit when the creator of/company behind a song/product does not shift the burden of promotion from themselves to the fans. They can do all the advertising, marketing, promotion their budgets can withstand, and—for some period of time—will see some impact from this. However, bands/businesses don’t ever break through the ceiling in earnest until some group of these initial fans (call them “early adopters”) begin turning their friends on to the band/business. We call this word of mouth. The promise of social media has always been that this word of mouth marketing can be accelerated via technology. Obviously, as is proven by anything that “goes viral,” it can happen. Something “going viral” is just an extreme example of fans sharing and spreading the object of their fan-dom to their friends (via their social networks, typically) at a heightened rate. It’s not possible to manufacture something that goes viral. Viral-ness, by its very nature, is no longer being promoted by the creator of the product/song/etc., and, therefore, the creator is not in control. If we could manufacture viral products at will, we’d do it every time. Additionally, if we could do it, it wouldn’t come as such a surprise (I’m looking at you Double Rainbow) when something explodes virally. Part of the nature of something spreading in a viral manner is that it’s unexpected. This unexpected quality aligns closely with a key element of something going viral: it must be remarkable. Pulling that word apart you get its root: remark. We must always remember, that as is stated in The Cluetrain, “markets are conversations,” and conversations require topics of interest; topics that are remark-able. All of this leads to the concept that at its core, social media succeeds only if: 1. You shift the burden of promotion from the creator/business of the product to the fan. 2. Your product/business/band/service is remarkable; if it’s not, people will not share it. Once this is understood, you can begin articulating strategies that—while not guaranteeing what you do will “go viral”—will increase your odds of being spread by fans. In his still-relevant book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell, borrowing from Robin Dunbar, articulates the idea that the maximum number of authentic social relationships any person can maintain is 150. If you look around at the various clubs in your area, you’ll likely find that many of them tend to have a capacity of somewhere around 150 people (could be 200, could be 100, but you get the idea). This is why it’s not surprising that a band who does not shift the burden of promotion from themselves to their fans will have a painful downward trajectory of playing in these 150-capacity clubs for some period of time, until their friends get fatigued and stop coming. To avoid this plight, bands need, what Gladwell terms, “weak ties” to bridge the gap between one social group and into another. “Weak ties” are people that introduce an idea/business/band to an entirely new circle. Consider, for example, that you’ve been on a job hunt for some period of time. You’ve talked to all your friends, and none of them have provided you with any leads. This is because all your friends are within the same circle, and basically share the same information/contact base. One day you board a plane, and strike up a conversation with the stranger sitting next to you. You tell this person that you’re looking for a job in a certain field, and, much to your surprise/delight, this person says something along the lines of, “You know, I have a friend who is working in that industry; I should connect you.” This is the power of the “weak tie.” It introduces you into an entire new community. Using this thinking, bands can strategize to increase their odds of breaking out of their circle of 150. Here’s an example. There is a very fine band by the name of Guster. As they were emerging in the late 90s/early 2000s, they were a student band at Tufts University in Medford, MA. Prior to holiday breaks, they would gather their fans and arm each fan with several copies of their recent releases. They’d give these fans the following mandate: When you return home for the holidays, and you meet up with your hometown friends, who are also returning from college, give them copies of our release to take back with them to their colleges after the holidays. In doing so, Guster was able to utilize “weak ties” to build a network of fans throughout numerous universities. This is, of course, the very definition of social networking—long before either the term or the internet architecture (i.e. Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) were invented. This method worked for Guster not just because they shifted the burden of promotion from themselves to their fans, but also because their music was (and is) remarkable. They, like all bands, had to start by playing in front of their friends, but, because the music was (is) remarkable, the fans wanted to spread the word. Guster, understanding this, created an architecture of participation that enabled and empowered these people to do so. Note, Guster did not have to give incentive for these fans to spread the word; rather, the fans wanted to spread the word because they were passionate about the music. The sharing of something they loved, was reward enough. Guster just gave them tools and direction.

Click On READ MORE

Apr 20, 2012

#music #music news #music article #music information #music industry #news #article #information #bands #money #money news #money update #money information

Grooveshark: Trolling The Sea Of Artists To Make A Buck?

Article From http://blog.tunecore.com

So what does Grooveshark do? When you click the “about” link on their website, a little pop-up box appears that says: “Grooveshark is the world’s largest on-demand music streaming and discovery service.” What this means is that anyone can go to Grooveshark, and, for FREE, type in the name of an artist and then play any recording by that artist in the Grooveshark system. Users can make playlists, stop, start, skip and basically listen to what they want, when they want, with little-to-no restrictions. And guess what, allowing anyone to listen to anything they want with basically no restrictions got them a whole bunch of users. How many? According to their little pop-up box: “Over 30 million users flock to Grooveshark…” Wow. 30 million users that “flock to Grooveshark,” and, again, I quote from their own site: “…to listen to their favorite music, create playlists, discover new tunes, and share it all with friends via Facebook, Twitter, social news sites, and more.” Well, when you have 30 million people coming to your website, you have a lot of web traffic. This means you can start making money by charging entities to advertise on your site. After all, you reach tens of millions of consumers. Just think of all the money Grooveshark makes by selling ads. There is just one really big, big problem: they don’t get licenses and don’t pay the artists, the labels and/or the songwriters for the use of the music that’s making them tons of money. I can assure you, 99% of the hundreds of thousands of TuneCore Artists whose music is in Grooveshark have not been paid a single penny. Said more simply: ARTISTS SHOULD BE PAID FOR THE USE OF THEIR MUSIC! In order for Grooveshark to pull off their “aren’t-we-so-clever-f**k-the-artist” scheme, they use copyright law in a way it was not intended to be used.

Click On READ MORE

Apr 12, 2012

#music #music news #music article #music information\ #news #article #music industry #money #money news #money article #songs #music streaming #selling music #buying music

Lightnin' Hopkins - "Black Cat Blues"

Apr 10, 2012

#blues #blues music #youtube #youtube video #music #music video #video #acoustic #acoustic guitar #delta blues #guitar solo

Beck - "Where It's At"

Apr 9, 2012

#music #music video #video #youtube #youtube video #songs #song #alternative music #alternative rock

Robert Johnson - "Cross Roads Blues"

Apr 9, 2012

#blues #music #music video #youtube #youtube video #blues music #delta blues #video #classic music #classic rock #classic #acoustic #acoustic blues #acoustic solo

Pandora Warns: We Will Not Be Profitable In 2012...

http://www.digitalmusicnews.com April 2, 2012
Is internet radio completely broken? It’s getting harder not to ask that question: Pandora is one of the biggest streaming radio services on the planet, yet it’s struggling to pay its royalty bills, it can’t even enter the UK, and it can’t convince Wall Street to take it seriously. And now, the company is telling Wall Street that it’s unlikely to be profitable until at least early 2013 - that is, best case scenario. But is this really Pandora’s fault? You can argue all day about what a content owner deserves to be paid. But what if it’s simply impossible to build a business around those rates? This is what Pandora warned investors as part of its annual SEC filing, released just days ago. “Since our inception in 2000, we have incurred significant net operating losses and, as of January 31st, 2012, we had an accumulated deficit of $101.4 million. A key element of our strategy is to increase the number of listeners and listener hours to increase our market penetration. However, as our number of listener hours increases, the royalties we pay for content acquisition also increase. We have not in the past generated, and may not in the future generate, sufficient revenue from the sale of advertising and subscriptions to offset such royalty expenses. Part of the problem is that Pandora derives 87 percent of its revenue from advertising, according to figures shared by the company in March. Pandora’s been trying (rather unsuccessfully) to diversify into premium subscriber services, but it also finds itself dealing with considerable consumer resistance to paying for music (and especially radio) online. On top of that, Pandora is dealing with SoundExchange royalty structures that seem to be killing - not facilitating - the online radio market. And this is just horrific math: streaming rates are increasing, not decreasing, and the more listeners Pandora acquires, the greater its royalty obligations become. Which means that if per-stream royalty rates aren’t reexamined or restructured, one of the greatest companies to enter this space may simply be unable to survive long-term.

Click On READ MORE

Apr 9, 2012

#music #music news #news #music article #music information #music update #radio #internet radio #money #money news #money update #update

"She's Falling Apart" - Poem By: From the Depths

…and no one notices the descent.
Just as before when she was young, innocent.
Unaware of shadows lurking in dark
basements, between bedroom walls,
too afraid of her own voice to make a sound
. Thoughts tangled up in abstract meaning, hidden behind simple words and crimson scars
beneath long-sleeved shirts— even on the warmest of days.
They speak volumes if only someone could hear.

Everyday she retreats further from the world, afraid
she’s gotten too close, afraid
she’s let too many people in.
So she avoids everything, everyone,
pushes them away. Yet her actions don’t say
what she needs them to hear.

What she really means is:
convince me I’m worth fighting for,
convince me I’m worth saving,
convince me that I still deserve to be alive.
Cause the longer she fights, the less she believes it.

Words written but never spoken,
tears felt but never cried.
And a smile covers it up, makes it appear
that every thing’s all right.

Click On MORE POEMS BY “FROM THE DEPTHS”

Apr 8, 2012

#poetry #poems #poem #poet #poets #short stories #unsigned poets

Ten (Other) Ways to Make Money in the Music Industry

Many musicians long to “quit their day job” and work full time in the industry. You might see this as an impossible dream, but if you’re creative and hard working, it’s definitely possible to make a full-time career as a musician. Here are ten ways a musician can earn a living in the music industry while promoting their own material. If you’re a solid and versatile musician, you could make decent money being a session or studio musician. Session musicians work with soloists - or bands whose drummers had a tantrum and left halfway through recording - to record additional instruments on a studio album. You’re not a member of the band, so you won’t get royalties or any of the limelight, but you do get paid for your time, as well as experience playing a variety of different styles. Session work has another upside – it puts you in contact with a wide range of bands, artists, sound engineers and music professionals. If you do a good job and are friendly and helpful, they’ll remember you when your own album comes out. Music publishers and many commercial companies hire songwriters to compose commercial jingles, movie scores, and pieces for established artists to play. You’ll need a good background in music theory to be a songwriter, but it can be a lucrative, continuous source of work. The bands and artists at the top wouldn’t be there without the words of music critics, writers and bloggers. Every genre of music has glossy magazines (as well as instrument-specific magazines) or - given the trouble print is currently in - websites that need regular columnists, interviewers and reviewers. When bands tour or festivals come to town, they need a huge crew to handle the setup, tuning, care and sound-check of a host of different instruments. If you’ve had a lot of experience with a specific instrument (anyone working retail in a music shop, this is for you) you could get a position as an instrument tech on a show. Most techs travel with a tour, so you’ll need a flexible schedule and a body that can function on a few hours’ sleep. There’s a saying that “those who can’t do, teach.” But I say – why not do both? Teaching can be one of the most enjoyable things you’ll ever do, and having students in your own home means never having to get a job at an office. You could teach community classes, become a lecturer at your university, or coach up-and-coming talent. Musicians need album covers, posters, and merchandise – not to mention tattoo designs to perfect their badass image. If you’ve got artistic talent and know your way around Photoshop, you could quickly become the go-to designer for bands in your area. Graphic design skills can be a great way in with music magazines and labels – many are sorely lacking in decent designers. If you’ve got a spare shed that’s home only to a growing population of spiders, you could rent it out to bands as a rehearsal space (after you evict the spiders, of course!) Many bands struggle to find spaces in densely populated areas [in Brooklyn, you can apparently make a killing], so if you’ve got the rooms to spare, why not help out some local talent and get a bit of extra cash while you’re at it?

Click On READ MORE

Apr 7, 2012

#music #music news #music article #music article #music indusrty #money #money news #money information #music blog #making money

Epiphone Guitars: A History

Epiphone is one of American’s oldest and most revered instrument makers and since 1873, Epiphone has made instruments for every style of popular music. The name evokes both history and the spirit of invention. Epiphone has been an audible (not to mention visible!) presence in every great musical era from the mandolin craze of the early 1900s to jazz age guitars of the 1920s. From swing era archtops through post-war pop, jazz, r&b, and early rock n’ roll. From the “British Invasion” to heavy metal, punk, grunge, and thrash. And now, in the 21st century, new Epiphone technical breakthroughs such as the ProBucker™ pickup, series parallel switching, built-in KillSwitch™ pots, the Shadow NanoFlex™ and NanoMag™ pickup systems, and premier acoustic/electric guitars with the eSonic™ preamp have brought the historic name to a new generation. The story behind Epiphone’s improbable rise from a small family repair shop to a world-wide leader in the manufacture of quality instruments could easily be transformed into the great American novel. But our story is true. The Epiphone tale begins in the mountains of Greece and threads its way to Turkey, across the Atlantic to the immigrant gateway of Ellis Island, and into the nightclubs, recording studios, and coast-to-coast radio broadcasts of Manhattan in the 1920s and 30s. It’s the story of craftsmanship passed from father to son and the ceaseless American drive for innovation. Just a decade after Epiphone published a 46-page catalogue that included acoustic archtops, flattops, basses, electric guitars, banjos, and amplifiers, the company would be bankrupt and sold to a longtime rival, Gibson. Today, Epiphone is once again an innovator in guitar and instrument manufacturing. The variety of musicians that walk through Epiphone’s history is equally remarkable. Jazz greats like George Van Eps, country pioneers like Hank Garland, bluesman John Lee Hooker, and scores of mandolin, archtop and steel guitar players used Epiphone instruments daily over nationwide broadcasts. There are unlikely heroes and tinkerers in the Epiphone story too, like guitar pioneer Les Paul, who worked nights in the Epiphone factory to create “the Log”, his primordial version of what would eventually be called the “Les Paul.” Beatles’ bassist extraordinaire Paul McCartney choose an Epiphone Casino as his first American made guitar and John Lennon and George Harrison quickly followed. The Casino appeared on every Beatles album from Help through Abey Road. And today, Epiphone can be heard on albums by Gary Clark, Jr., My Chemical Romance, Joe Bonamassa, Zakk Wylde, Machine Head, Dwight Yoakam, The Strokes, Slash, Jeff Waters, Paul Simon, Radiohead, The Waco Brothers, Lenny Kravitz, and Paul Weller. If a time machine could transport today’s Epiphone players to Epiphone’s Manhattan showroom of 60 years ago when it was a gathering place for all the Big Apple’s best players, the generations would agree that Epiphone has always been the House of Stathopoulo, and today is still innovating, still delighting musicians, and still frustrating competitors with daring designs and superb quality. “Epiphone always made a good guitar,” Les Paul once said. And that after all, is what all musicians are looking for.

Click On READ MORE

Apr 3, 20121 note

#guitars #electric guitars #guitar history #guitar article #gibson guitars #gibson #epiphone #epiphone guitars #gibson guitar history #epiphone history

NEWSROOM: JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST EXPECT TO FIGHT THE LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM

By: Jacoby Miles (Decemeber 20, 2011)
After being accused by Syl Johnson for using an unauthorized sample of his work on Kanye West and Jay-Z’s track, “The Joy,” the duo responded back to the lawsuit against them, Universal Music Group, and Def Jam this past Thursday. Johnson proclaimed that West desired to use the sample for his album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” but the defendant was unsuccessful in acquiring the rights by the time of the album was released. Nonetheless, West is said to have simply taken the sample and used it on his collaboration album with Jay-Z entitled “Watch the Throne.” Thus, West is accused by Johnson’s attorney’s of knowingly and willfully misappropriation for using the sample without authorization. The duo stated that they intend to fight the charges made against them and questioned whether or not Johnson’s sound recording was protected under federal copyright laws since it was produced before 1972 when the suspected law did not cover sound recordings. The defendants did not acknowledge that they did use the sample, but claimed that they are protected from the allegations regardless if they used the sample or not. The attorney representing the artists issued the following: “Any claim based on the alleged use of Plaintiffs’ recording is is barred because, inter alia, (a) the allegedly copied portion of the Plaintiff’s recording is not part of the musical composition; and, if it is part of the composition, (b) is not protectable and/or (c) any use was de minimus.” We will keep you up-to-date on this continuing legal scuffle.

Apr 2, 20121 note

#music #music news #hip hop #hip hop news #music article #music information #rap news #kanye west #jay z #news #article #information #music industry

Muddy Waters - "Got My Mojo Workin"

Apr 1, 2012

#music #songs #youtube #youtube video #music video #video #videos #blues #blues music #t.v. performance #live performance #classic music #classic #classic rock

Gibson Music Blog

April 2012

14 posts