NEWS AND UPDATE ARCHIVE

Killing Itself to Live:

HOW THE RECORD INDUSTRY CONCEIVED IT'S OWN DEMISE

Kyle Bylin, June 24, 2009

 

Throwaway culture, while, perhaps, not limited to commercialized music, appears to stem from highly and quickly popularized songs that are file-shared and listened to for a short period of time. And are, then, later deleted or ‘disposed of’ from the listener’s computer or MP3 player, typically, once the song starts to fade into obscurity or has grown tiresome to the user, due to circumstances such as novelty, over-exposure, or a ‘change of taste.’

As I’ve argued previously, this can be partially attributed to what file-sharing changed about a music fan’s dynamic relationship with the culture that they consume and the numerous paradoxes of choice that are encountered within the realm of the Internet. Most predominately, file-sharing has allowed fans simulate decisions not yet made, or economically ‘committed to’ rather, and has, in turn, caused them to become ever-more passive about their deletion.

1. "Tastes which quickly increase in popularity die out faster."

Yet, up until this point, what has largely remained a mystery is why things become unpopular and what affect adoption speed has on the abandonment of cultural tastes. Throughout their research of over 100 years of data on first-name adoption trends, Jonah Berger from the University of Pennsylvania and Gaël Le Mens from Stanford University and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona found that tastes which quickly increase in popularity die out faster.

More interesting still, the researchers also noted that similar outcomes have been observed in the music industry, wherein, artists who shoot to the top of the charts may be perceived negatively and realize overall lower sales in comparison to those who’ve made a more gradual climb. Simply put, people may avoid buying music from an artist that they see as being short-lived, because the attractiveness of the music has decreased and lost its uniqueness.

“This seemingly counterintuitive finding,” they wrote, “has important implications. It suggests that faster adoption is not only linked to faster death but may also hurt overall success.” How these findings relate to the ten years proceeding and following the rise of Napster and file-sharing is where the big picture becomes clearer and new insight is added into what Steve Knopper deemed ‘The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age.’

2. Music as a Unit

During the CD Boom, which lasted from 1984-2000, music became increasingly pressured and scrutinized, because executives started to demand that it act like every other unit. This mindset became one of the many catalysts that caused the Record Industry to change from the savvy executives who nurtured talent and developed careers to the corporate types who relied primarily on the infrastructure established through MTV, big-box retail, and commercial radio.

By the late 1990’s, Greg Kot argues in Ripped that the acts dominating the charts were marketing triumphs more than creative ones. And, with these numerous successes, ranging from Britney Spears, ‘N Sync, the Back Street Boys, and Ricky Martin, the major labels began to abandon organic growth, their long-range, career-building view, in favor of the mass-mediated, commercial music, which could provide stronger quarterly growth and profits.

"cast a divide between themselves and a
wired generation of fans far more subtle and sophisticated
than anything they could’ve ever imagined."

However, what the hit-factories couldn’t create is loyalty and their practices would go onto cast a divide between themselves and a wired generation of fans far more subtle and sophisticated than anything they could’ve ever imagined. Every time the labels used commercial radio and MTV to spike an artist’s popularity, they had risked, as the researchers noted, realizing lower overall sales, because fans may avoid investing an artist if they perceive them as a fad.

Consequentially, once the teen pop bubble burst in 2001 and the performers that had become the Record Industry’s godsend could no longer sustain their success, the labels began the wake up to the harsh realities that file-sharing seemingly induced. But, no one could forewarn them about the vicious cycle that would be created as a result of their drastic misconceptions and how the very convoluted system they spent years supporting would spiral out of control.

The mass-marketing practices that the Record Industry adopted and mastered in correlation with file-sharing’s rise into predominance may have, in turn, created the ultimate paradox. Wherein the more the major labels focused on producing music that could be highly and quickly popularized, the more expecting fans perceived these artists negatively, perhaps, avoided buying their albums, and preceded to file-share their potentially ‘short-lived’ songs instead.

3. Lowest Common Denominator Music

But, the more the music fans file-shared, the more the major labels were almost forced to produce lowest-common-denominator music, which fed into ever-more vicious cycle. With every new release, every hot new artist that they used their marketing muscle to spike in popularity, it could be said that the Record Industry was killing itself to live. Achieving sustainability and profits the only way these music executives knew how. There simply was no turning back.

The CD-Release Complex, the backbone of the modern Record Industry, built around the idea that fans discover music through the same mediums that major labels use to promote new music, had become so engrained into very fabric of their business, that, without it, they would be lost. Still, they were blind to the fact that the very abstract system they created and used to commercialize culture and bring music to the masses had since become their mental prison.

"the allotted time table for an artist to be deemed successful
shortened and expectations were heightened."

Previously, artists were established through word of mouth and constant touring, which gradually built a following and allowed an artist develop their creativity and hone their craft. Yet, every year, for the last twenty years, the allotted time table for an artist to be deemed successful shortened and expectations were heightened. With advent of file-sharing and the advances in the Internet, that window of time has considerably shrunk to almost nothing.

On the contrary, digital culture has proved to be as unforgiving as the media landscape that preceded it. Due to the instantaneous nature of the Internet and how it amplifies word of mouth, the growth curve for an artist has compressed from a few years to a few weeks. “Now,” as Jordan Kurland, manger of Death Cab for Cutie and Feist, commented in Ripped, “you run into this phenomenon with people propping things up that shouldn’t be propped up quite so soon.”

“It is a society of instant gratification now, and bands are built up and torn down before they’ve had a chance to create a body of work that represents who they are or what they can do.” In other words, what we’re seeing within every spectrum of the Music Industry, from the top-down corporate media of major labels to bottom-up participatory culture of the Internet: artists that quickly increase in popularity die faster. And, within a climate that supports disposability, the file-sharing community will only continue to thrive and feed on the throwaway culture that is created as a result of it.

 

What Will A Record Label Look Like In 5 Years?

 

Martin J. Thörnkvist is a music industry thinker and strategist who operates indie label Songs I Wish I'd Written and is one of the founders of The Swedish Model consortium of labels. This article first appeared on the group blog Digital Renaissance.

The future. This undefined scope of time with a divine shimmer around it. When it comes to the future of music I’ve always consider myself an optimist.

For one, I’m certain that musicians and music fans have a prosperous future ahead of them. That’s because music is the single most important ingredient in the music business soup and music is, of course, a result of an artists creative minds. And it’s when musicians interact with listeners that a window for business is opening. Not before, and not just because some A&R person, marketeer or CEO opened their wallet. That the relationship between musicians and fans is the foundation of the business and the single most important piece of knowledge that we all have to submissively recognize. This is the key to the future for the middle men we call record labels – we have to encourage the interaction and realize that it will live without us.

We middle men have to remember that we always need to convince our customers (musicians and fans) why they should engage with us....

Music on plastic discs or plain mp3s just ain’t enough anymore. Competition is hard and consumers doesn’t take bullshit anymore. If they love something you don’t offer they’ll go create it themselves.

So, how will most record labels cope with the fact that they have less power and have to dance after somebody elses whistle? Based on what we’ve learned from the recent 10 years they probably won’t do very well in the 5 years to come. Many labels are like oil tankers trying to turn around in Øresund.

But that’s the major part. I’m sure we will keep see more innovative ways of connecting with fans and giving them a reason to buy popping up here and there. Many more will experiment with new models where power is given away to the fans and where the recorded music is used as the great messenger of feelings it was constructed to be.

Music people also need to study other businesses more closely. Begin with the ones that are closest to us: media, film, literature and games. We are in need of inspiration. (I’m actually in the middle of a that process, writing a book with some of the smartest people in each of those businesses.) I would like to explore the area of inspiration a bit further. For example I’m really interested in finding out more about how drug dealers relationship with customers look and is maintained. Wouldn’t it be great if we can get listeners in for free but charge on the way out?

In the near term, Davids will continue to challenge Goliaths. The game will continue to change. And that’s good. At least it’s good for musicians and fans. The core. How the middle men in the business navigate the new map will define how well they succeed. How well the major players are at adopting change is the single most important factor on how well they’ll succeed. Change is hard, culture is hard, Davids are hard. My simple message is: When you see something new rise let the problems that come along with it lead the way to possibilities and solutions.

Oh, I almost forgot. In five years a hard drive available to ordinary consumers will carry 35 TB of data. Data = music. 35 TB = 2.5 million songs. Watch this development closely. It’s easy to get blinded by Spotify, but imagine when file sharing on the street means transferring the entire music history. At least it is a wild card. It seems that we will have to work on better ways of charging for music than 1 dollar a song. Don’t you think?

Music Industry Investors
By Heather McDonald, About.com

Music business angel investors can take several different forms. Your angel might be a family member or friend with deep pockets, or they may be a complete stranger with loads of cash who is interested in investing in start-up companies. Some music business angels are people who have made their money in music and want to pass along their good fortune AND their expertise. Other are simply people with money to spend who like the idea of getting involved in music. Angels will help with start-up cash, but your proposed business needs to be of a certain size to make it worth their time (see "Small Print" section below).

Venture Capitalists:

Venture capitalists (VCs) will invest in businesses both at start-up and at times when the company needs a cash injection to grow. If you're looking for VC funding, make sure you look for a group that has history of investing in music related businesses. Although VCs look for high risk investments, they're not always good matches with creative industries unless they're used to that realm. In other words, if you can even get them to take you seriously to begin with, they don't really care about your "artistic integrity" - they want the loot, and they want it fast.

Arts Councils:

Americans can forget about this one, but outside of the States, most countries have funding bodies that provide money for the arts, including the music industry. These arts funding groups can be great places to get the money you need because they are willing to work with music businesses of all sizes and have the ability to take chances on projects profit seekers like angels and VCs wouldn't touch. Even better, most of the time they give grants rather than loans, so you don't have to pay it back. You'll still need a good business plan to work with them, however - though in most cases, they can help you write it.

Major Labels:

For indie labels, investment by a major label is an option. This kind of investment will typically only after you've built a proven track record of success as a label and need money to expand - start-up cash from a major is usually only given to someone who has either run a successful indie label in the past or has a good sales record as an artist.

Of course, funding from a major will require cedeing some control of your label, which has not always ended well for indies.

Distributors:

This is another one that is specific to labels, and it's getting a bit harder to find. However, in some cases, you may be able to get a distributor to invest in a release on a project basis. For instance, if you have a chance to work with a big name artist, but you can't really afford to come up with the advance or the money to give the album a proper push, your distributor might step in with an advance against future earnings on the album or with a loan that would make them an investor in the project, giving them a larger cut of the album's profits. Distributors might also help with manufacturing.

The Small Print:

When you're looking for investors in your music business, it's important to remember that in exchange for the cash, you'll be giving up a chunk of your business, some of your autonomy, or both. Make sure you carefully consider the real cost of the investment - not only what you will have to pay back, but what you will be sacrificing when you work with an investor - and make sure you are clear on these points in advance. Some things to consider include:

Does your investor want to be involved in making business decisions? If so, do they have experience in the music industry or another creative industry (and if yes, do you share a similar philosophy in terms of the business)? Working with an investor with tons of music industry experience who wants to help you shape and build your business can be a great thing. Working with an investor who simply has a lot of money and wants to invest in your music related business because they think it would be kind of fun might not be such a great thing if they want some say-so in your business decisions. (Note that not all investors will want to become involved in your business. Some just want to make an investment and wait for the payoff.)

Make sure you understand if you are getting an investment or a loan. Investments bring risk for the investor, and so they understand they may lose their money. A loan needs to be paid back.

If your investor is pressuring you to sign over a large share of your business, be cautious. If large amounts of money and large shares are involved, get legal advice. Another thing to remember when you're seeking investment is that the hardest kind of business to find funding for is a very small one. Generally speaking, VCs don't want to talk to you unless you need at least several hundreds of thousands in investment. Music business angels will invest in smaller companies than that, but typically they're looking for investment opportunities at least in the tens of thousands range. Raising a few thousand dollars is the hardest thing to do. In the absence of arts councils or generous family/friends, you may need to consider savings, personal loans and credit cards if you need a relatively small amount of money to get going.

Also, be aware that music investment is usually given to businesses like labels, promotion companies, etc. Bands looking for investment will have a difficult time going through one of these routes and will need to look to labels, distributors and so on for their needs.

 

Indie Labels Experience A Major Renaissance Amidst The Upheaval

With upheaval comes opportunity; and ongoing problems within the recorded music industry has also led to a revival within independent label sector. While not without their own challenges, indie record labels appear to be experiencing a renaissance, thanks in part to new technologies and media that did not exist 5 years ago. Their nimbleness and a fan-like eye for emerging talent is being rewarded by a cadre of fans who continue to demand and support quality music.

 

In short, when the traditional gatekeepers and obstacles to reaching fans are removed, indies thrive. As proof that an indie label renaissance is well under way, indie label trade group The American Association Of Independent Music (A2IM) offered these stats: Independent labels accounted for 32% of aggregate album sales in 2008, up almost 1.5% from 2007. Independent artists won 56 awards at this year's Grammys, up from 36 last year. That marks over 50% of all prizes given out

Independent labels, as a group, are the largest owners of master recordings in the industry - over 80% of America's music is under independent ownership. These labels aren't just diverse in genre, but in size and business model, ranging from single-artist-owned labels to imprints with decades of history and catalog. That overwhelming majority of master recordings in indie hands is testament to the diversity of genres covered by independent labels. The result is music that crosses boundaries, and may account for why indies notched the best album Grammy in an 24 different genres in 2009.

Spurned by broadcast radio, indies are thriving on the top internet broadcasting platforms. Overall, independent music makes up approximately 40% of all music played at non-traditional web radio and at industry leading webcaster Pandora, over half of the music users play is independent. Consumer choice reigns at digital retailers as well, and the numbers reflect it, with indie market share at digital rising to 38%. Two-thirds of A2IM members have direct deals with iTunes, the industry-leading music retailer.

RoyaltyShare Pulls Out Of Digital Music Distribution

Music royalty and sales services provider RoyaltyShare is pulling out of the digital distribution business. Just a year after adding low cost digital distribution, the company is no longer soliciting new labels and is working to find new homes for existing clients.

Company spokesman Mike Kelly told paidContent that the economy had forced RoyaltyShare to de-emphasize distribution and lay-off two of its 30 staffers. Other employees are moving to the company's other operations.

Digital distribution is increasingly as commodity business with ongoing downward price pressure. Full service digital distributors like The Orchard, IODA and INgrooves are responding by adding new services like marketing and brick and mortar distribution to justify their fees.

 

Eno Artwork Lights Up Opera House

Eno's 77 Million Paintings was also shown at the 2006 Venice Biennale

By allowing ourselves to let go of the world that we have to be part of every day, and to surrender to another kind of world, we're allowing imaginative processes to take place
- Brian Eno

The artwork of music producer Brian Eno is illuminating the iconic sails of the Sydney Opera House as part of a sound and light festival in the city. They have become a canvas for audio-visual work 77 Million Paintings which uses "self-generating software" to manipulate 300 of Eno's drawings. He says it aims to provoke "visual ecstasy" and "heightened calm". The inaugural Luminous festival, curated by the ex-Roxy Music man, runs from Tuesday until 14 June.

The festival was launched earlier with the first display of 77 Million Paintings, which will be shown from 1700 local time each night during the festival. Eno said the constantly evolving display of colour, shape and form - already shown in the US and countries across Europe - would help people to "surrender to another kind of world". "All the things that humans do, including imagining, are the way we deal with emergencies including the global financial crisis," the 61-year-old told BBC News. "So to imply, 'oh God, there's a crisis, no time for imagining any more' - it's not true.

"This is the time for imagining and the way we learn to imagine, one of the ways we learn to imagine, is through the experience of art." The human ability to imagine made people "capable of surviving," he added. "By allowing ourselves to let go of the world that we have to be part of every day, and to surrender to another kind of world, we're allowing imaginative processes to take place."

'Meditative experience'

Sydney Opera House chief executive Richard Evans said giving permission to project the work onto the sails was "not done lightly". We're not colouring in the opera house, we're actually kind of taking the art of the opera house and raising it to a different level. Sydney Opera House chief executive Richard Evans "It's a number of colours which kind of meld into one another and move around, sometimes quickly, sometimes very, very slowly, most times quite slowly," he added. "As you watch it, it's a very meditative experience. "We're not colouring in the opera house, we're actually kind of taking the art of the opera house and raising it to a different level."

Musical highlights of the Luminous festival include performances from dub star Lee "Scratch" Perry and electro-pop outfit Ladytron. Festival organisers say Eno was chosen as curator because of "his great sophistication and inventiveness". Educated in fine arts, Brian Eno leapt to fame in the 1970s band Roxy Music which he co-founded with Brian Ferry. He has since produced records for the likes of Talking Heads, Ultravox, U2 and Coldplay.

YouTube Ordered to Pay ASCAP $1.6M in Streaming Royalties

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 20, 2009 - 10:45am.

New York - Google's (NASD: GOOG) YouTube has been ordered by a federal court to pay U.S. songwriters represented by ASCAP $1.61 million in royalties, as well as $70,000 per year going forward, for the music played on the video site, Techdirt reported.

ASCAP had petitioned for a payment of $12 million for the music streamed via YouTube from 2005 through 2008, while YouTube had suggested a payment of $79,500 for the same period.

YouTube has recently been embroiled in disputes with record labels and collection societies over royalties paid for music streaming, leading some groups -- including Warner Music (NYSE: WMG), the U.K.'s PRS for Music, and Germany's GEMA -- to remove their artists' repertoire from the site entirely

 

Music Reports Debuts Web Royalty Accounting for Webcasting

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 20, 2009 - 12:44pm.

Woodland Hills, Calif. - Music Reports, a provider of music rights administration services, said on Wednesday that it has started accounting to more than 12,000 music publishing administrators representing over 50,000 individual music publishers, on behalf of its digital music service clients. The accounting comes on the heels of the recent agreement on mechanical licensing between songwriters, labels, webcasters and the Copyright Royalty Board. Starting this month, music publishing administrators will be able to log into MusicReports.com to view accountings, download monthly usage reports, and update song ownership information.

 

Time Names Sirius XM to "10 Biggest Tech Failures" List

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 21, 2009 - 8:58am.

Washington - Time magazine has labeled satellite radio provider Sirius XM (NASD: SIRI) as one of the "10 Biggest Tech Failures of the Last Decade," alongside HD DVD, Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) Vista and the Segway. The list, compiled by 24/7 Wall St., includes products and companies that "clearly miss the mark of living up to the potential that its creators expected." The magazine detailed how both DC-based XM and New York-based Sirius took on hundreds of millions of dollars in debt to build their services, which announced plans to merge in 2007.

By the time the FCC approved their deal 13 months later, the magazine said, "subscriber growth had slowed, most likely because of new and more popular consumer electronics devices like the Apple iPod and multimedia cellular handsets." The company's stock reached a low of $0.05 earlier this year, and its subscriber base fell by 400,000 in the first quarter. "Neither Sirius nor XM ever made a dime," the magazine said.

NBC's Brian Williams Debuts Web Indie Music Series

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 11, 2009 - 12:37pm.

New York - NBC (NYSE: GE) news anchor Brian Williams on Monday announced the launch of a new Web-only indie music interview series, "BriTunes." "I have always loved identifying good music and good groups -- discovering them early (bar bands are best) and following them through their journey," Williams wrote in a blurb introducing the series, which kicks off with an interview with Brooklyn-based Deer Tick.

Music vs Art: Fear of Music

Hirst has made millions from his art

If you are an avant-garde artist you can become incredibly rich like Damien Hirst or famous like Tracy Emin. Hirst has made millions from his art But if you are an avant-garde classical composer you probably won't be rewarded with fame or money. Why should we find modern music so difficult to appreciate - but not modern art?

David Stubbs, author of Fear of Music - Why People Get Rothko But Don't Get Stockhausen, points out that the Tate Modern is one of the most popular galleries in Europe - but that an audience presented with the equivalent in music tends "to screech". "There is something inherently distressing about dissonant music which people find hard to assimilate; [but]...abstract or minimalist art sometimes makes good decoration," he says.

He points to large corporations which use abstract art to make a statement, in a way that cannot be done with music. And he says that the huge sums that a Bacon or a Pollock gain at auction is another way that such art is exposed to people. Gabriel Prokofiev, a composer and producer who runs an avant-garde record label, says he uses club nights to expose younger crowds to different forms of music.

He plays classical music and some "leftfield, electronic music" - as well as more challenging contemporary music. Composer David Stubbs has chosen some of those pieces of music which should be appreciated alongside works of art - and explains why.

Debussy - Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun

First performed in 1894, and based on a poem by Mallarmé, this 10 minute piece is beautiful and evocative and yet is considered, retrospectively to be the first piece of "modern" music in that structurally, it departs from the rules of tonality and harmonic function which had governed classical music hitherto.

Edgard Varese - Ameriques

The Corsican born Varese emigrated to America where between 1918 and 1921 he worked on this piece, which takes as its inspiration the energies of New York City. "Vertical" shafts of sound erupt like skyscrapers, while sirens evoke both the hectic urban metropolis and introduce the element of "noise" into modern music first suggested by he Italian Futurist Luigi Russolo. The plural Ameriques is deliberate - new worlds, multiple new possibilities.

Bartok - Music For Strings, Percussion & Celesta

Parts of the third movement of this piece were used by Stanley Kubrik in his 1980 film The Shining. Although Bartok is considered a very jagged, angular musical proposition, suitable for this sort of soundtrack, this element of his music demonstrates the influence of Hungarian folk in his composition, which adds to its earthy vigour.

Stockhausen - Kontakte

This 1960 piece, 35 minutes of meticulously planned yet spatially liberated electronic music has been of huge subsequent influence on the electronic and studio-based popular music ever since. ts influence stretches from The Beatles's Sergeant Pepper (on whose cover Stockhausen appears - Paul McCartney was a great fan) to modern techno - though Stockhausen himself never took any interest in pop.

Morton Feldman - Rothko Chapel

An example of the link between contemporary art and contemporary music, this beautiful piece was written in 1971, a year after the artist Mark Rothko's suicide and intended to be performed in the non-denominational Rothko Chapel, which houses many of his works. t is an example of the way in which, similar to composer John Cage, modern composition draws on sound the way an artist draws on his palette.

 

Ryko Distribution Merged With ADA, Staffs Shuffled
April 23, 2009 - Retail By Ed Christman, N.Y.

The Warner Music Group is folding Ryko Distribution into Alternative Distribution Alliance company.

As part of the move, all labels signed to Ryko will be handled by ADA, with the transition expected to occur over the next 45-90 days. Ryko Distribution has annual sales of about $50 million; Billboard estimates the merged company's annual volume at $200 million. In order to accommodate the extra volume, ADA will add 12 people to its staff.

Meanwhile, the 25-person Ryko staff will be laid off, and those staffers can apply for the new ADA jobs, WMG sources say. Ryko Distribution president Jim Cuomo will serve as a consultant.

The Warner Music Group acquired Ryko Distribution in 2006 as part of its $67.5 million acquisition of the Rykodisc label. The label will continue to operate and will now be distributed by ADA. While it is consolidating the two independent distribution companies into one, the WMG still sees the independent sector as a strategic growth area and it is expanding ADA's capabilities, sources say.

In other moves WEA, WMG's major label distribution company, will cut maybe 10 staffers that call on smaller accounts and service those retailers through tele-marketers, sources say. Some back office functions at ADA and WEA will be combined at WEA.

 

Q&A: Pirate Bay Verdict

We look at the case and its implications for consumers and producers of entertainment.

Pirate Bay's Peter Sunde, speaking on his website: 'We couldn't and wouldn't pay'

Four men behind the Swedish-based file-sharing website The Pirate Bay have been found guilty of breaking copyright law. Frederik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Carl Lundstrom and Peter Sunde were each sentenced to a year in jail. They were also ordered to pay 30m kronor (£2.4m) in damages.

What exactly is The Pirate Bay?
It is described is the world's most high profile file-sharing website. It was set up in 2003 by an anti-copyright organisation, Piratbyran, but for the last five years it has been run by individuals. The site is essentially a forum for people to post music, movies, computer games and other forms of electronic media so that other people can download them without having to buy their own copies - or to pay the copyright holders for them. The site itself does not actually contain the copyrighted material, but provides links so that it can be found elsewhere.

So how does that work, then?
It's all possible thanks to a piece of software called Bit Torrent, which allows a number of people to download the same programme at the same time. The key is that as soon as you have downloaded even a small fraction of an album or a TV programme, someone else can upload it from you, without waiting until the file is complete. The more people sharing the file at any given time, the easier and quicker it is to obtain. A popular programme can take between five and seven hours to download, while a film can take twice as long and a more obscure programme up to a whole day. But for broadband internet users, this is no deterrent: it costs nothing more to stay online for 10 hours than five minutes, so many Bit Torrent users leave their computers on overnight or all day.

So what does The Pirate Bay actually do?
It is basically a search engine for Bit Torrent files, commonly known as torrents. These are small files which allow users or "peers" to download the pirated material directly from other users or "seeders". There are plenty of other such sites on the internet, but not all of them are as popular as The Pirate Bay, which has an estimated 22 million users. Its sheer success has made it a particular thorn in the side of the music, TV and film industries, which have seen this case as an important step in stamping out the illegal sharing of copyrighted media.

But if there are other ways of finding these files, what difference does this case make?
Well, the four guilty men are basically saying that it makes no difference to them and that their site will continue to operate. One of them, Peter Sunde, has already said in a Twitter posting that the case is "just theatre for the media" and that nothing will happen to The Pirate Bay. But even if the site is closed down, there are plenty of others to take its place. Since they are not based in Sweden, this case does not set a legal precedent for clamping down on them, as the battle will have to be waged in other countries' courts. So this case may make it harder to find pirated movies and music on the internet, but it will be far from impossible. However, John Kennedy, chairman of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) - the global music industry body - says the case "will send out a message, even to kids, that what they thought was OK, isn't". He says the verdict will also give a boost to legal internet music services such as Spotify, which also provide free access to music, but within the law.

 

U.K. Record Shops Fight for Survival

DISAPPEARING RECORD SHOPS

Number of Indie Stores
2005 - 734
2006 - 578
2007 - 408
2008 - 305

The event celebrates the best elements of independent record shops Independent record shops have attempted to show they have a bright future with a series of special events under the banner Record Store Day. The event came despite a year in which a quarter of UK outlets closed. The Entertainment Retailers' Association said there were 408 independent record shops in 2007, but only 305 remained by the end of 2008. Around 100 UK shops participated in the events, which included in-store gigs and one-off vinyl releases. As well as recessionary pressures faced by all retailers, independent record stores have had to cope with the twin threat of the rise of music downloads and of supermarket giants selling music cheaply in recent years. Many have survived by finding a niche in the market - appealing to collectors who want to buy music on vinyl or stocking releases from a much wider range of artists than that found in big-chain record stores. Spencer Hickman, from the Rough Trade store in east London, said: "There is a general thought that record stores will no longer be, but I think the strongest of the bunch and the most forward-thinking will survive." As well as in the UK, Record Store Day is also being celebrated on Saturday at more than 1,000 independent record stores in the United States and in another 16 countries around the world. For the occasion, many artists issued special releases for sale in independent shops only. Vinyl singles from Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, Tom Waits and Bob Dylan are among those that were pressed to mark the event. And the Rough Trade chain of stores revived the cassette, selling a special 99p compilation tape featuring Jarvis Cocker, Mystery Jets and 13 other acts.

Phil Spector Convicted of Murder

US music producer Phil Spector has been convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson, after a five-month retrial. The 68-year-old, famous for the "Wall of Sound" recording technique, faces between 18 years and life in prison. He had pleaded not guilty to the second degree murder of 40-year-old Ms Clarkson, who was shot in the mouth at Spector's home in Los Angeles. Spector was remanded in custody until sentencing on 29 May. His lawyer has said he intends to appeal. Phil Spector's lawyer gives his reaction to the verdict. I don't think justice was done today," said lawyer Doron Weinberg. Spector had looked frail as he entered the Los Angeles Superior Court, dressed in a black suit with a bright red tie. The jury took some 30 hours of deliberation to reach their unanimous guilty verdict. As the verdict was read out, Spector remained quiet and his wife Rachelle sobbed.

The jury had the option of returning a verdict of involuntary manslaughter, but chose not do so. An earlier trial was abandoned in 2007 after a jury failed to reach a unanimous decision. Second degree murder falls between first degree murder, which requires proof of pre-meditation, and manslaughter. Speaking after the verdict, Mr Weinberg congratulated the jury on "trying to do the best honest job they could" with "complete integrity and complete honesty". But he said the jurors had been flooded with "improper and prejudicial evidence" which made it impossible for them to reach a fair conclusion. He said he was "very, very certain" that Spector had not been proved guilty "under the proper legal standard".

Mr Weinberg said "the nature of the legal errors" made in the trial were "so significant and so clear that there is every likelihood that this case will be set aside on appeal". One of the jurors, speaking at a news conference after the trial, said the jury had a "complete picture" from the evidence. The unnamed woman said they had "gone through all the information and that's what the conclusion was".

Phil Spector worked with some of the biggest names in the pop and rock business, including The Beatles and Ike and Tina Turner. Spector had decided not to give evidence at his trial He produced hits including You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' by the Righteous Brothers and the Ronettes' Be My Baby. But for all his musical genius, Spector had a dark side. He was often described as being a bully in the studio, a man with a liking for guns and an eccentric personality. During the five-month retrial, five female acquaintances testified that Spector had threatened them at gunpoint in incidents dating back to the 1970s. Mr Weinberg had argued that the evidence from the women should not have been admitted. The defence said Ms Clarkson's death was a suicide and appealed to jurors not to judge the star on his eccentric appearance. Spector himself opted not to give evidence.

Actress Clarkson, 40, had been working as a hostess at the House of Blues venue in Los Angeles, and went home with Spector on the night of her death. Lana Clarkson appeared in cult 1980s film Barbarian Queen After appearing in cult 1980s films such as Barbarian Queen and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, her acting career had hit the rocks.
Spector had arrived at the club with waitress Kathy Sullivan, before setting his sights on Ms Clarkson. Spector's Brazilian chauffeur, Adriano De Souza, said his boss appeared to be intoxicated and that Ms Clarkson was initially reluctant to go home with the music producer. She was found dead in the foyer of his house in the early hours of the morning. A holster that matched the snub-nosed Colt Cobra revolver that Spector used to kill her was found in a drawer in the foyer. Mr De Souza called the emergency services, saying: "I think my boss killed somebody", after Spector emerged from his home with a gun. He told jurors Spector had said: "I think I killed somebody." The defence argued he had misheard his employer. The producer was taken into custody about 40 minutes after the shooting and had to be subdued by officers using a stun gun.

 

Gene Simmons vs. Bob Lefsetz @ Candian Music Week

South By Southwest wasn't the only game in town recently, here is an interesting video highlight of the Canadian Music Week 2009 which took place from March 11-14th. Tthe debate about the future of the music industry between Gene Simmons of "Kiss" and Bob Lefsetz turned out to be quite a highlight. The news about the battle of the minds spread quickly all over the world. The video provides a stark contrast - the philosophy of the new musical frontier vs. the conventional corporate thinking.

Report: Beatles May Opt for Own Store to Sell Digital Tracks

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 19, 2009 - 9:42am.

London - The Beatles may opt to offer their long-anticipated digital catalog on their own digital music store rather than on iTunes (NASD: AAPL) or other established retailers, citing a desire to set their own pricing for downloads, the Guardian reported. [Apple CEO Steve] Jobs says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree," thirty-year-old Dhani Harrison, a son of the late George Harrison who works at the band's label, Apple Corps, told Blender Magazine. "We're losing money every day," Harrison told the Guardian. So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with Steve Jobs." Harrison claims to be the driving force behind Apple Corps' decision to license the Beatles' tracks for use in the forthcoming music video game "The Beatles: Rock Band."

 

Post-Sachsgate, Standups Should Channel Bill Hicks
Bruce Dessau guardian.co.uk, Friday 30 January 2009 11.13 GM

The long overdue broadcast of a Hicks routine that was cut from the Letterman show reminds us that comedians must be fearless in the face of censorship

Dare to offend ... Bill Hicks. Photograph: Everett Collection/Rex Features

Fifteen years is a long time to wait but better late than never. On tonight's Late Show With David Letterman, Mary Hicks, the mother of iconic standup comedian Bill Hicks, will discuss her son, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 32 on 26 February 1994. More importantly, the show will finally air the Hicks routine that was dramatically cut from a Letterman show in October 1993. Thanks to a number of books and YouTube clips, we can already get an idea of what we missed; mainly, Hicks raging about religion and the pro-life movement. At one point, he suggested: "If you're so pro-life, do me a favour. Don't lock arms and block medical clinics. If you're so pro-life, lock arms and block cemeteries." Elsewhere, he took direct aim at Christians wearing crucifixes: "Do you think when Jesus comes back he's gonna want to see a cross?" Bullseye. Hicks was incandescent when he was cut from the show. He had been a regular Letterman guest and, after filming the slot, was under the impression that everything was fine, as it had been approved by the segment producer. When the routine wasn't broadcast, it was initially thought that the standards and practices department had intervened, deeming the material unsuitable. Others have suggested that CBS cut it simply because it was scared of losing advertisers. This is a timely point for the Hicks controversy to resurface. We are currently going through a period in which comedians are in serious danger of being censored by a terrified media following the Sachsgate furore. In a recent Panorama on the subject, Frank Skinner aired a clip which featured a nervous radio presenter frantically apologising for Skinner's use of the word "bitch" – even though he was using it in a quote and in context. The fear is that broadcasters will not dare to offend anyone. Geese everywhere can relax in the knowledge that no television show will say boo to them in the current climate. And self-censorship is worse than state censorship. The BBC is nervous about retaining its licence fee; commercial broadcasters, as was seemingly the case with CBS in 1993, are nervous about losing advertising revenue. At the risk of sounding like a stuck needle and echoing most other reasonable people, comedy needs to be allowed an edge, to be allowed to take chances and tickle taboos. Outspoken comedians should use humour to expose hypocrisy, reveal truths about the world and maybe broaden a few narrow minds. That is how comedy, and the world, moves forward. Not by having a compliance officer constantly hovering over an edit button.

LETTERMAN SEGMENT FROM FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2009

THE GRAMMY PUSH FOR MAIYSHA

TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2008: As many of you know, Eusonia/UFO artist Maiysha as been nominated for a Grammy Nomination for her song "Wanna Be" for the Best Urban/Alternative song. Grammy Award voters, please consider voting for Maiysha, she is the real deal. Below are two video versions of the nominated song for your enjoyment. Also, please check out the following links for more on Maiysha, and thanks for stopping by: SoulBounce, PopMatters, TheMusicAin'tLoudEnough, Essence.com, Top-40Charts and Venuszine.

MAIYSHA'S "WANNA BE" VIDEO

 

THE GUGGENHEIM GROTTO "HER BEAUTIFUL IDEAS" VIDEO

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009: Irish act and client of the iFn, The Guggenheim Grotto are in town direct from Dublin and will be performing in New York City weekly this month, to drum up support for their new album Happy the Man, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut Waltzing Alone. The album debuted in October as #1 iTunes Folk album and will be released on CD January 27th. The shows are at the Living Room (154 Ludlow Street) January 7, 14, and 21 at 8pm and the 28th at 7:30pm. They are doing similar residencies this month at World Cafe/Philadelphia (Tuesdays) and Lizard Lounge/Boston (Thursdays) and then embark on a national tour including Sundance Film Festival and SxSW. Check out their new music video for "Her Beautiful Ideas" directly above, which has well over 100,00 hits on YouTube..

HEARTBREAK MAKES AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT ITUNES FAVE
New York Post, December 21, 2008

Indie band the Airborne Toxic Event shocked the music industry when major LA radio stations began playing the song "Sometime Around Midnight," which the band had hastily recorded and distributed via MP3. Now the song, which describes the heartbreak of running into an ex, has been named the top Alternative Song of 2008 by iTunes. We spoke to singer Mikel Jollett. The iTunes thing is nice, but . . . "Music is three or four minutes of art where you tell a story and have a melody. The idea of ranking it the way you would the NBA is a little silly. But it was really flattering." Events depicted in "Sometime Around Midnight" are true. "That whole thing happened. That was a few months after we had broken up. I got up the next morning, shook off the hangover, and started writing. I didn't leave the house for three days. I just walked around in my boxers with the acoustic guitar, working out the arrangements, and I emerged with it three days later. "Your blood boiling, your stomach in ropes" is not a clinical diagnosis. "There's not a lot of metaphor going on there. That's just what the night was." Everybody hurts. "It's a fairly universal thing. There are love songs and breakup songs, but not a lot of songs about anxiety and jealousy. I get people from 14-year-old girls to 50-year-old men going, 'Man, that song got to me.' " My success sandwich. "The next day [after radio stations started playing it], my phone started ringing at 9 a.m., and I didn't get off the phone for three weeks. Every label, manager and p.r. person called. We were really, really broke, so we were just letting them take us to lunch. We'd ask if we could get an extra sandwich for the road, because my gas had been turned off for nine months at that point, and I had $12 in my bank account."

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2008: Check the PROPAGANDA page for several new articles which debate the new music tax proposed by Warner Music. There is also an article now posted about the "People's Music Store." Enjoy!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2008: It's such a tough economy out there riight now. Check the PROPAGANDA page for new articles on the closing of UK Music Distributor Pinnacle, along with layoffs at Last.FM, NPR, Sony, and RealNetworks. A bright spot is the viewership at YouTube and the new Scandanavian download company TeliaSonera. Also a word about the UK Copyright law and the plan of Indie Label "Team Love" to give away all the downloads for free. Enjoy, hope you are having a gas getting ready for the holidays!

DID COLDPLAY STEAL FROM JOE SATRIANI?

MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2008: Sorry, EMI has taken down the video, so the link no longer works. However, did Coldplay copy either blantantly or subliminally notorious guitar shredder Joe Satriani's chord progression and melody on the song "Vida La Vida?" The YouTube link was here: Coldplay vs. Satriani. Developing...

GRAMMY NOMINATION ANNOUNCED FOR EUSONIA/UFO RECORDING ARTIST MAIYSHA!

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2008: Very special congratulations are in order to iFn's client, producer Scott Jacoby, recording Artist Maiysha, her management TEAM at The Invasion Group, Ltd. and her label Eusonia/UFO for the Grammy Award Nomination announced today. Maiysha is nominated in the Best Urban/Alternative category.for the song "Wanna Be." The team has worked incredibly hard and it is so gratifying to see this fabulous record get some big-time national attention. In so many respects it has been an uphill battle against narrow-minded radio stations, tough crowds/venues, a failing music industry, not to mention a world-wide financial meltdown. The little engine that should is becoming the engine that can and will. There is an article posted here TheDailyVoiceArticle with links to a "live" video of the song, and an official announcement from Maiysha's publicists at Shore Fire Media here: Shore Fire Media. Keep an eye on Maiysha, she is definitely going places..

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2008: Its been a crazy few weeks, catching up from being gone and with the election and all the associated hoopla. Maybe now the market and the country can settle in a bit and begin to chip away at some of the monumental problems we are currently facing. Kudos to Ed Hamell of Hamell on Trial who was simply superb last week at the Bowery Poetry Club shows in Manhattan. His new show, "The Terrorism of Everyday Life" is spot on, inspiring one writer to write: "Hamell is Bill Hicks, Hunter S. Thompson, and Joe Strummer all rolled into one. Scabrously, filthily, twistedly funny." This show is a must-see!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2008: Greetings from Cape Cod! This special time of decompression for the iFn has been working wonders, in spite of the condition of world events and particularly the surreal collapse in the financial markets:

Major kudos to indie label UFO and The Guggenheim Grotto whose new release entitled "HAPPY THE MAN" debuted on the Itunes Folk Charts this week at #1! There is a copy of the press release for the U.S. here: U.S. Release. By the way, this release is in no way related to the progressive rock band HAPPY THE MAN, which the iFn's Rick Kennell happens to be the bass player and a founding member of.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2008: A few new articles up today regarding the Myspace Music relaunch, along with some Music Royalty resolution and legislation news out of the U.S. Senate. Also, check out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees all of which are posted on the PROPAGANDA page. By the way, for those voracious readers, who can't seem to get enough relevant music industry news, we archive the articles as we go here PROPAGANDA ARCHIVE.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2008: Great hot-off-the-press articles up today on the PROPAGANDA page, about two left of center artists, the late Frank Zappa and Marillion and the current challenges they are facing. In Zappa's case it's all about a lawsuit brought by his wife Gail to preserve his legacy and the rights to his music. In the case of Marillion it's about a new approach to handling the issue of illegal downloads. Enjoy and welcome to the official start of the fall season.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008: From industry bible HITS magazine today regarding the "Maiysha" record drop: "THE NEXT BIG DIVA? Lotsa industry buzz about neo-soulstress Maiysha, whose debut, This Much Is True, just dropped on the UFO-distributed indie Eusonia Records label. There are already comparisons to the likes of Beyonce and Alicia Keys in her smart lyrics and elegant groove. With influences like Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder and Prince, the Sarah Lawrence alum credits her attorney dad and TV journalist mom for raising her on '70s and '80s pop soul. Oh, yeah, she's also a model. Check out her music at www.myspace.com/maiyshamusic. If you are in the N.Y.C. area tomorrow night (9/11), she's hosting a pair of CD release shows at Joe's Pub 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.(9/10p)"

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2008: A couple of brand new articles up today on the PROPAGANDA page, about the challenges facing Napster and Apple with respect to their digital music services and the current state of the industry. Also, looking forward to Maiysha's 7:30 and 9:30 PM shows at Joe's Pub in NYC this thursday 9/11, in celebration of her debut drop on the Eusonia/UFO imprint. If you haven't had a chance to see Maiysha yet, you should definitely check her out! Congratulations to clients Dawn Landes on her fabulous new European sync licensing deal and to Ronnie Spector who is headed for Europe later this month for a string of sold out shows. Where did the summer go?

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2008: The newsletter for August arrived today from our good friends and associates at UFO, with all sorts of interesting news and updates, check it out here UFO UPDATE, Enjoy the balance of the summer and have a great Labor Day weekend!

MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2008: A new article up with respect to OurStage and their apparent ability to attract a record label for unsigned artists. BMI Announced today for the first time that revenues exceeded the 900 million mark. Read the stories here on the PROPAGANDA page, along with a story on the rumored upcoming subscription service for Itunes. Also, looks like the Phil Spector re-trial is moving forward once again.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2008: Some great new articles up today on the PROPAGANDA page, including interesting thoughts on Indie labels vs. the majors. First Business Week talks about the indie edge in "Drowning Out the Big Labels" while the Rock and Roll Report mentions the fact that "Indies Thrive While Majors Struggle". Check out the article about Amazon.com being the "Avis" of digital music and, an interesting article about the resurgence of vinyl and turntables in the marketplace called "Young Indie Crowd Takes Vinyl for a Spin". Also, new noise about Sony buying back the 50% interest in Sony/BMG and the sale of CD Baby to Disc Makers. Enjoy!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2008: Sorry, we have been slipping behind on articles for the PROPAGANDA page lately. Several new ones went up today, covering Emusic, Myspace, LimeWire, Courtney Love's latest shenanigans and Warner Music's surprising stock price. Thanks for showing up here, we appreciate it, and things should settle back to normal with regular updates to the site soon.

FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2008: A hearty special thanks goes out to Willie Moseley, Senior Writer at Vintage Guitar Magazine, for allowing us to post a copy of the article he wrote on Rick Kennell's PRS Bass Guitar, serial number #11, in the July issue here on the site. Also a special thanks to Whitney Lane for the photographs, and we have posted a few new ones here as well: PRS BASS GUITAR #11.

SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2008: A couple of new articles up today on tne PROPAGANDA page. The first one is about the very real threat the Iphone and AOL Time Warner pose to the XM-Sirius Satellite Radio merger and ongoing business plan. The other, depending on your point of view, is a rather humorous or sad commentary on the current state of the majors, namely EMI this time around. All the best wishes for a healthy and happy summer!

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2008: One of the most truthful and brutal rants about the state of the music industry in 2008 went up today on the PROPAGANDA page from Bob Lefsetz. On another note founder of the iFn Rick Kennell's handcrafted Paul Reed Smith bass from 1977, serial #11 is featured in the July issue of Vintage Guitar Magazine, which will hit the newstands this week. There is a small picture of the bass on the cover, along with a feature article on page 64 by senior editor Willie G. Mosely, complete with a full scale, full color photo by Whitney Lane. We will have a link to the article posted here shortly. Keep the faith folks.

MONDAY, MAY 5, 2008: An article went up today on the PROPAGANDA page with respect to Stereogum's growing influence in the marketplace and an overview of the impact of blogs vs. fanzines like Rolling Stone. Also, there was a lawsuit filed friday against New York State by Amazon.com regarding the collection and payment of sales tax. While we applaud the move and frankly, admire the size of their balls, Amazon.com more than likely doesn't stand a chance. We also added Grammy Award Winner Scott Jacoby's Eusonia imprint and their manifesto to the PLUGS page. Happy Spring and enjoy the new Kittyville USA photos on the DIVERSIONS page.

SATURDAY APRIL 19, 2008: Kind of an interesting day in history as two major industry folks curiously related to the iFn are in the news today. Our founder Rick Kennell was signed to Arista by Clive Davis in the late seventies, soon after spending time reheasing with Peter Gabriel directly after he left Genesis. The Gabriel interest didn't pan out but it definitely added fuel to the fire on the signing to Arista of Kennell's obscure art-rock band Happy the Man. Don't miss the farewell on Clive's demotion courtesy of Fortune Magazine along with a new article appearing on the PROPAGANDA page today, featuring Peter Gabriel. The Gabriel quote at the end of the article is arguably more relevant to the music business in 2008 than Clive has recently been, as unfortunate and harsh as that may sound. Check out the update with more about UFO's new distributed indie labels, Eusonia Records and Range Records along with tour date listings featuring a great upcoming show at the Knitting Factory on April 25th in NYC with Jess Klein and Damien Dempsey. Also, updates on the touring activities of Enter the Haggis, Black 47 and Hamell on Trial all here: UFO APRIL. Enjoy!

MONDAY APRIL 14, 2008: Tax season is entering it's final hours and we at the iFn are not sorry to see it head into the sunset for another year! A new book has surfaced by Alex Foege called Right of the Dial: The Rise of Clear Channel and the Fall of Commercial Radio. We have posted a brief review of the book on the PROPAGANDA page and we have chosen it as our "Book of the Month." However, we realize that the majority of you are so apathetic to the current state of terrestrial radio, this brief review may not be enough to convince you to give it a read.

FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2008: The iFn is pleased to announce our new association with Grammy Award Winning Producer Scott Jacoby and his EUSONIA Records imprint. Congratulations to Scott on the launch of his new label which is being distributed through the UFO System. The first release will be with soulful R&B artist and Ford Model Maiysha. More on Scott and his Scojac Record Productions here: www.scojac.com Also, some new diversions up on the DIVERSIONS page to include the Top 10 April Fools Jokes for Nerds, along with some photo chuckles, and Wacky Weddings. Also, interesting rumblings from Warner Music Group about paying for music sales via your ISP. Read about this controversial concept and a couple of rebuttals from self-proclaimed industry insiders on the PROPAGANDA page. Happy April Fools Day, and welcome Spring with open arms and an open heart!

SUNDAY, MARCH 23, 2008: Happy Easter! A few new articles up today on the PROPAGANDA page, to include a thought provoking diatribe on music sales vs. social networking originally publshed as an op-ed piece in the New York Times called "The Royalty Scam" written by indie artist Billy Bragg. We are also including a response from Charles Cooper. Also, a review of the all-you-can-eat music phone, Celestial Jukebox and an article about who will emerge as the future of radio. Enjoy people, spring is nearly upon us!

 

MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2008: Happy Saint Paddy's day one and all! I hear a lot of performers bitching these days about having to "pay to play" or suffering economic losses with respect to playing gigs or touring. Performers beware, you better be extraordinary "live" and be prepared on any given day to back it up by blowing people away. Mediocrity doesn't work here. Your show better be so special that newly-won-over-fans will be devoted to bringing even more bodies out to see you next time. Venues that can command a regular nightly following, regardless of the act performing, are an endangered species. In short, you certainly can't bank on that obsolete concept any longer. It's all about putting butts in the seats, dollars at the door and establishing your draw. Labels beware, you better be prepared to invest in your acts with respect to getting them out on the road and keeping them there. It's one of the best investments you can make, especially if the act is blowing people away. An article went up this morning from the Lefsetz Letters about SXSW which speaks candidly to this issue, among others. Read it and weep people, if you are not on terrestrial radio or high volume television, face facts; grinding it out with hardcore touring is your only path to becoming economically successful. You can read this story and several other interesting additions on the PROPAGANDA page.

THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2008: A great new article went up today from Blender Magazine called "20 Biggest Record Company Screw-Ups of All Time". Funny but pathetic stuff here on the PROPAGANDA page. Also, due to popular request, we are now archiving the music business articles from the propaganda page here: PROPAGANDA ARCHIVE. If you missed anything you should find it here and we will continue to archive moving forward.

James Blunt and Grace will be appearing together at the Zenith in Paris

THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2008: A new article posted today about Linda Perry on the PROPAGANDA page, suing Atlantic on James Blunt's behalf for, oh my, royalties. Also a hearty congratulations to a great friend of the iFn Mercury/Universal artist Grace, for her opportunity to perform with James Blunt at the Zenith in Paris March 10th and 11th. In addition, check out the March newsletter from United For Opportunity, Inc. who are in full St. Paddy's day/Celtic swing for the month, to include the signing of Black 47 and their edgy new release "IRAQ": UFO March.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008: Congratulations to music biz lawyer extraordinaire Bob Donnelly for celebrating his 30th year in the industry. We can't tell you how much we enjoyed the fabulous bash last night at the Canal Room in New York City. There were well over 275 industry folks present, most of them musicians, ending up in a state-of-the-art jam session in Bob's honor. It also gave Bob a golden opportunity to introduce the New York Music Community to his partners in Minneapolis who are from the Lommen Adbo law firm. The food and drinks were flowing and it was a fine time to get reacquainted with a lot of friends and also to meet new ones. Our hats are off to you, Sir Donnelly, for a long and amazing career. It's hard to find an attorney with such a rare combination of dedication and heart in this cluttered and demanding business! Here is a link to a quick blog posting from Bob's celebrity daughter, Alexis Glick, from the Fox Business Channel, called "Life Lesson: Love What You Do" speaking about her father and the event: Glick Report.

 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2008: Just finished reading CLAPTON, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY, and what a tremendous read! Highly recommended to all with even a passing interest in his body of work. It delivers an incredibly upbeat message about human suffering, addiction and ultimately the HEALING we can all experience on such a profound level. I felt compelled to quote from the end of Eric's Epilogue in the book here: EPILOGUE Also, new on the PROPAGANDA page is a flowchart from the New York magazine giving you their opinion on why you should skip the Grammy awards sunday.

MONDAY JANUARY 21, 2008: Happy Martin Luther King's Day to all! The iFn has been very busy working overtime to clear up all the year end processing and tax minutiae for it's client base. The year has started out with a whirlwind trip to Hollywood including some quality time with iFn friend Fuzzbee Morse. Also a great time was had by all at a very successful industry-only record release party for Dawn Landes and her "Fireproof" CD at Joe's Pub in NYC. Just back for a US tour for the month of February, Dawn has thrived during a very successful run in Europe over the past few months. Dawn is playing the Bowery Ballroom on February 21st. Check here to see if Dawn is appearing soon in a city near you at www.dawnlandes.com. Don't know if any of you have picked it up yet, but Starbuck's has a great compilation of Irish and British acts in a new release entitled "Across the Pond". One of the iFn's clients, United For Opportunity act Guggenheim Grotto, have a featured track on the record, in fact, Guggenheim Grotto is the only "indie" artist to make the cut. Check it out if you have a chance, you'll find it front and center on the Starbucks checkout counter. Lastly, in the spirit of the next major holiday, St.Valentine's Day, we put up a couple of chuckles on the DIVERSIONS page. Enjoy and drop us a note when you can.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2008: A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! Looking forward to the new year and all the magic and mystery which is in store for 2008. In spite of all the suffering and craziness in the modern world, it is still a GREAT TIME to be alive. Always remember, life is for the living...

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2007: A couple of interesting articles up on the PROPAGANDA page today, featuring a rather intelligent discourse on the various types of record labels currently in existence by David Byrne. Also, an article about how the mega-artist touring business is down. Given the state of the economy and the industry in general, does that really surprise anybody? Also the iFn is pleased to announce it's affiliation with legendary Producer/Bassist Bill Laswell and his company Offworld, Inc. For a detailed run down of Bill's various projects and credits check out the PLUGS page. Enjoy and have a happy new year everyone!

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2007: A batch of new diversions on the DIVERSIONS page today, with some holiday chuckles and some amusing photos of kids in action. A jaw-dropping new article posted to the PROPAGANDA page today, featuring Universal's Doug Morris. Has to be read to be believed! Also, our friend, musician extraordinaire Fuzzbee Morse has been added to the RAVES page. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all the positive feedback this year and to wish everyone a healthy and happy holiday season! Thanks for visitng and all best wishes heading into 2008!

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2007: New articles posted to the PROPAGANDA page today, about recording studios in the new frontier, and the status of the Beatles with respect to their online catalog. Also, a rather humorous back pedal by Warner Music's head politician, apparently in charge of damage control, Edgar Bronfman. Enjoy and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2007: A couple of interesting new articles posted on the PROPAGANDA page today, one about the current Napster situation and the other about the new global philosophy regarding treatment of artists at EMI. Enjoy!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2007: A nice update from United For Opportunity (UFO) and Invasion Group today, documenting the extensive international touring now taking place from their stable of artists. Please go here for all the details: UFO UPDATE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2007: It was great to hang with our good friend and homeboy, artist manager Wil Sharpe last night at the Knitting Factory. His act Edison Glass are just starting a three month road stint with Blindside. After listening to the first EG CD, I was prepared for the band to be rather tame and civilized, but was I ever in for a treat. Gritty, hungry, sweaty, aggressive with great musicianship, attitude and something that seems to be a dying art in the indie rock world: soaring harmonies! The stage show was electric, alive with conviction and focus. Keep on eye on this band, they are definitely on the move.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2007: Two new articles posted this morning on the PROPAGANDA page, including an article about the new low budget music video revolution. We figured this was timely with the video awards shows coming up. Also a rather revealing article featuring (former?) music biz guru Rick Rubin. After these statements, we wonder if Rubin even owns an ipod? We give this aritcle a 10 out of 10 stars for proving our case. For glaringly obvious reasons, the major label executives are completely out of touch. I can't wait to get my hands on that new "walkman!"

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2007: A great new article on the PROPAGANDA page today called "Artists' Royalties A Kings' Ransom" from yesterday's New York Post, illustrating how music royalties are up 8% at BMI. Good news from a reeling business. Also a new article about jumping into bed in the music biz with a friend. Interesting reading, for certain. Enjoy!

MONDAY, AUGUST 27, 2007: iFn client Dawn Landes is at Webster Hall in NYC on September 8th, if you haven't seen her, this would be a great time to check her out. We hope that everyone is having a safe and sound summer.

MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007: HAPPY BIRTHDAY RONNIE! What a great birthday party for Ronnie Spector friday night in NYC at Chris Noth's Cutting Room. An incredible time was had by all. A special thanks to Ronnie, Jonathan and Judy for having us down. Ronnie is such an incredible story; she looks great and she has never sounded better. It was such a special treat to hear those fabulous Ronette hits in the "unplugged" versions. Also, kudos to Grace and her partner Jerome on their engagement in Paris!

MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2007: Congratulations to dear friend and partner of the iFn, Mr. Larry Blau and his wife Olivia, whose daughter Linday was married over the weekend. What a grand sunset celebration! A very special time was had by all at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Pier. We wish Lindsay and Oscar all the best on their honeymoon and beyond.

TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2007: Where is the summer going? Is it just us or is time flying by at an incredibly fast pace? Things have been busy, busy, busy at the iFn. Discussions currently underway with three new international record labels for the iFn roster, along with a publishing company and possibly a production company. We have made a commitment to stay out of the band business for now and only deal with music companies. However, we seem to have a knack for falling in love with the occasional singer songwriter, so new solo artists may appear here from time to time. Updated news on the PROPAGANDA page, featuring MySpace Worms and the top ten PowerGeeks. Also a report about current music biz sales trends. Enjoy, we are trying to find the time to renew our commitment to the site and update it on a more regular basis. Wish us luck. For all the news and updates on our client United For Opportunity, including the new worldwide Ryko/WEA deal, click here UFO UPDATE.

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2007: May turned out to be overwhelmingly hectic. We are totally obsessed with the Phil Spector trial at the iFn, wondering like everyone, what the outcome will be. We are glued to Court TV like moths to the candle light. Special thanks to our client Serah's daughter, Grace for inviting us to her incredible private showcase at Mo Pitkin's recently and congratulations to Grace on her recent signing to Mercury Records International out of Paris. We were all blessed to see her show at her brief stopover in New York City. Her vocal chops are amazing and it was thrilling to get a firsthand, unplugged glimpse of the new material. We wish her nothing but the best moving forward with the finishing of her Mercury debut with producer Oz Fritz in San Francisco. We have also been working with our newest clients: Righteous Babe Records, Bill Laswell's Offworld, Inc. and Gigi Shibabaw's Black Lotus Corp. Much more to come. Happy summer!

MONDAY, MAY 14, 2007: The iFn's client, United For Opportunity, Inc. and Enter The Haggis are pleased to announce that the band's new live record, Northampton (Live), is finished, packaged and available on merch tables as we speak. The record will be released digitally on June 5, and a traditional retail street date is in the works for late July or early August. On the heels of their successful Regis appearance, the band is heading out for another run in the beginning of June. Also, the waiting is finally over. Damien Dempsey's new record To Hell Or Barbados is now available on the UFO site www.ufomusic.com. Stream tracks from the album and buy it here before you can get it anywhere else outside of Ireland. The record goes up on iTunes in the U.S. June 5, and will be released into traditional retail on June 26. Congratulations also goes out to iFn client Dawn Landes, who is in the midst of a highly successful run in Europe this month and to Gail Ann Dorsey, who continues to be seen in US arenas as bassist/vocalist with Gwen Stefani.

MONDAY, APRIL22, 2007: Well, we made it through another tax season with flying colors. Been an incredibly busy period so we haven't had the time to properly update the site for a while. We began working with several new and interesting clients and will try and update the PLUGS page accordiingly in the near future. A big heartfelt thanks to all of our associates, friends and clients for the outpouring of sympathy and condolences and for their kind compassion and understanding during this difficult period. There is a new section on the DIVERSIONS page where we will show photo updates on the work in progress on Chuck's 1929 Ford Model A Hot Rod. There are also new articles posted on the PROPAGANDA page. Thanks for stopping by, we hope you will find this website to be habit forming.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2007: The iFn is trying it's best to recover after it's founder and director, Rick Kennell spent the better part of the past six weeks in Indiana tending to his father, J. Charles Kennell, who passed away Sunday February 18th at 8:30 AM, after a courageous and heroic battle with cancer. Chuck was well known and loved throughout Northern Indiana, and he will be sorely missed by all of those whose life he had touched. To see his obituary go here: Chuck's Obituary or to sign or view his online guest book please go here: Chuck's Guest book. A big heartfelt thanks for the kind outpouring of love, compassion and condolences from family, friends and clients.

This website is dedicated exclusively to Chuck Kennell and the love, magic and fond memories he provided for all of those who surrounded him. God Bless him, may he rest in peace.

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2007: The iFn is proud to announce their affiliation with New York City based artist - composer - engineer - producer Dawn Landes. Dawn is currently putting the final touches on her first full-length film score project and is performing at sold-out venues with Josh Ritter. Please proceed to the PLUGS page for more info on Dawn and her new company FunMachine Music, Inc.

MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 2007: NEWS FLASH: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame today announced that the Ronettes (Ronnie Spector, Estelle Bennett and Nedra Talley) will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame March 12, 2007 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City! Other artists making the cut include Van Halen, Patti Smith, Grandmaster Flash and R.E.M. Our hats go off to the induction committee for ushering in our client Ronnie Spector! For the details and the official press release you can go here: HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2006: A special thanks to the British Embassy's Gordon Innes, Her Majesty's Deputy Consul General and the Director of Trade and Investment USA, and to Conor McNicholas, editor of the New Music Express (NME) for the invite this past friday, for the reception to celebrate NME in the USA. We thoroughly enjoyed the performance from "We Are Scientists" and the reception was in a word "fabulous." Had a nice time hanging with some old friends and making some great new ones such as Richard Powell and Rosemary Dix from the UK Trade and Investment section of the British Consulate-General of New York. There were so many other super industry folks, too numerous to mention. Everybody had a great time and we wish everyone from the NME a smooth U.S. launch and great success in the upcoming years! For more on the NME go here: www.nme.com

MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2006: Lots of updates to the site today with new articles on the PROPAGANDA page, covering everything from "Squeezing Money from the Music", "Holiday Do's and Don'ts," "Teens and Media," the potential merger in satellite radio, to some little known facts about Indian men. Also some suggestions on how to avoid the Alternative Minimum Tax and thoughts on media events this past year in the article "2006 Brought to You By You." The Ronnie Spector Christmas show was brilliant at B.B. King's in NYC over the weekend. Ronnie looks killer and her voice is so spectacular, words could never express how incredible she is. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame does the right thing next month and ushers her in. In other news, Damian Dempsey was included in the top 10 International Artists for 2006 at Amazon.com, while the Guggenheim Grotto were #1 in spins on XM Radio's, "Sound of Starbucks Show" last week, beating out everyone from Ray Charles to Bob Dylan to John Mayer. Finally, we added a section to the DIVERSIONS page featuring some irreverent definitions from the Urban Dictionary that made us grin and we hope will do the same for you. Lots of new client discussions which should result in adding to the roster in the first part of the new year. Enjoy and Happy Holidays to ALL!

MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2006: Updates to the sites posted today, particularly the DIVERSIONS page, featuring some cartoon chuckles and quotes centered upon the crass commercialism of the holiday season. There hasn't been a whole lot of earth-shaking news articles across the desk recently, so we will update the PROPAGANDA page as the month unfolds and news of the industry trickles in. We just saw in print that there are now 180 separate commercial download sites worldwide and that figure is growing daily. That is a staggering statistic!

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2006: Be sure and catch Righteous Babe Recording Artist and Invasion Management Client "Hamell on Trial" at Comix tomorrow night, November 29th at 8:00 PM in NYC. Comix is located at 353 West 14th Street. P.S. This show was outrageous, provocative, controversial, so deliciously naughty, and attracted a who's who of the New York Comedy elite. Best of luck to Hamell on Trial with the upcoming tour of Australia!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2006: Christina Occhipinti from the Westchester Business Journal interviewed our founder and director Rick Kennell for the November 27, 2006 issue in the "New Arrivals" section of the Journal. A hearty thanks to Claire Flower and to Christina for having us. Here is a link to the article: Westchester Business Journal

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2006: We hope that some of you were able to make it out to the Tribeca Screening Room last night for Creative Counsel and United for Opportunity's hosting of " Before the Music Dies: A film from B-Side Entertainment and XM Radio". XM Radio has jumped on board with the film, realizing that this films helps to define why they are in existence. Keep your eyes and ears open for much more about this film in the coming weeks. Jump over here for more info: www.beforethemusicdies.com

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 12, 2006: Interesting news item on NBC World News last night, reporting that digital downloads are up 199% from last year, while CD sales are down 8%. The 8% down figure on CD's seems wrong to me, as I would think CD sales are tanking to much more of a degree than that. Anyone venture over to Tower records for the liquidation sale? I spent quite a while browsing in the Tower NYC near Joe's Pub recently, and I must say, I was disappointed with A) The ridiculous prices even after the supposed 30% discount and B) the selection. Walked out after an hour or so empty-handed. Something happened to me when I downloaded my first track off of Itunes; I think it had to do with the anger I experienced with the realization that I had been ripped off while buying CD's and albums at $15-$17 bucks most of my life. Particularly painful when you spent the money only really wanting, concept projects aside, a couple of tracks. Almost everyone I talk to has the same reaction. It's no wonder people are so fed up with major labels and exhibit very little sympathy for their current plight.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2006: The latest newsletter from iFn's client UFO MUSIC GROUP is out today. To access the latest on all the happenings with the UFO label and Invasion's Management clients, and particularly all the confirmed upcoming "live" dates, please click here: UFOMusic Group Newsletter.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2006: A hearty congratulations is in order for our good friend and guitarist Ray DeTone, who has recently released his enticing new record "Guitar Noir". The record is a collection of instrumental pieces, many of which Ray had designed over the past year or so in his successful music-for-film career. The record, featuring a staggering variety of genres and some mighty-fine pickin', caught the ear of Grammy award-winning Producer Neil Dorfsman who used Ray's considerable talents on a session over this past weekend at Avatar Studios in NYC. For more info on Ray go to www.raydetone.com .

OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 4, 2006, CMJ MUSIC MARATHON: Wow, what a special week this was! We got to hang out with a lot of old friends and make some great new ones, as well as hearing an amazing amount of new music. Special thanks goes out to Carla Hay for having us on the "License to Thrive" Panel and kudos to my co-panelists Neeta Ragoowansi from SoundExchange, Music Attorney extraordinaire Dina LaPolt, Mark Steinman of Twilight Partners at Raymond James, and our fearless moderator Paul Barretta of Talent Clearing House, Inc. The panel was great, and the conference was managed very efficiently. A special shout out goes to the entire CMJ staff, the volunteers and the other organizers and co-ordinators who worked so tirelessly, for such great job in pulling everything together!

OCTOBER 28, 2006: The iFN would like to congratulate it's client Ronnie Spector and wish her all the best on the nomination today of the Ronettes to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Ronettes are on a short list along with Van Halen, R.E.M., the Stooges, Patti Smith, Chic, Joe Tex, the Dave Clark Five and Grandmaster Flash. The induction ceremonies for the winners will take place in March 2007. Be sure and catch Ronnie "live" at B.B. Kings in NYC December 9th and 10th for her annual Christmas show. It promises to be a gas!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2006: Thanks to Mary at Righteous Babe Records for squeezing me in at the last minute for the Ani DiFranco secret "live" WFUV radio broadcast at Joe's Pub yesterday afternoon. Ani was as prolific and poignant as ever, performing much of the material from her eighteenth studio effort "Reprieve". She also recited a thought-provoking original poem and was thoroughly engaging during the interview segments. All told, a very memorable show from an indie woman we and most of the world consider to be one of the few true indie pioneers. Do yourself a big favor and check out "Reprieve" and the entire Righteous Babe Records catalog when you have some time at www.righteousbabe.com

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2006: A warm welcome to all you first timers who may have popped over from the link on the Channel 12 news site, or may have seen the interview with Rick Kennell of the indieFINANCIALnetwork on News 12 television this morning. A very special thanks to anchors Amy Nay and Matt Sampson and also to producer Justine Annunziato for the invitation. We enjoyed the timely discussion about music technology and the changes taking place in the music industry. Also, thanks to our publicist Claire Flower for helping us pull it all together on short notice.