SXSW Blog post

Is a stop at SXSW worth it for artists / bands?

o I would most definitely say that it is worth it for bands to make it to sxsw. The reasoning for this is not because of payment. After a small survey and some in depth research, bands do not get paid very well for performing at a showcase. So then why on earth would it be worth it to even attend an event such as this? Well the answer is ... NETWORKING!
Thousands of people from all over travel each and every year to meet new and important from various industries. I mean you never know, SXSW could be the place where you meet a booking agent, talent scout, producer, band/tour manager, as well as many other artists. The possibilities are endless.
In an industry that I consider to be very D.I.T. (Do It Together), the more people you know, the better. That way you can scratch each others back and it is a win-win situation for all.

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Music News: Apple's Internet Radio

Apple Is Pitching Labels Half of Pandora's Royalty Rate for Upcoming Internet Radio Service

Apple has pitched record labels a per-stream royalty of 0.06 cents per stream, or half of what pure-play webcasters like Pandora currently pay for performing sound recordings, for its upcoming Internet radio service, according to a record label source. Whether or not record labels will accept the offer is another matter.

Apple's impact in various consumer markets is no secret. It is their brand power that allows them to do business in whichever way they please. Will this be enough leverage to get record labels to bite? That is the question.

Music News: The Real Story on "Thrift Shop's" success.

The Real Story Of How Macklemore Got 'Thrift Shop' To No. 1

If you haven't already, take a couple minutes out of your busy schedule to listen to "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. It has been number 1 on the charts for the last 4 weeks. The big deal about this was that is was became huge without the support of a major label. However, this article basically calls out Thrift shop by exposing the fact that macklemore used a distribution group associated with WMG. This article ends with a very strong yet debatable statement. See for yourself.

Weekly Music Discoveries : Tori Kelly

I'm a huge fan of amazing raw vocalists. Thanks to media outlets such as YouTube and Soundcloud, it is possible for talented musicians to post videos or audio tracks in hopes to gain fans and expand the number of ears listening to their music. There have been various amounts of people who now are making a living by posting videos every week and youtube success stories are becoming more and more popular as time goes on. I started watching Tori Kelly when her videos were barely in the thousands. She is now gaining popularity through YouTube and this even opened a door for her to be on singing shows like American idol. Enjoy!

  Tori Kelly - PYT cover

Music News : JT to Tour with Jay-Z

Justin Timberlake to Tour with Jay-Z

This piece of news are probably more existing for me than for some of the people reading this but whenever two of my favorite artists collaborate and in ths case go on tour together, it is nothing short of awesome! With the release of "suit and tie" one of my personal favorite new songs and with the fact that they have sexy wives tagging along, it sounds like a good time!

Weekly Music Discoveries : Boombox Cartel Presents: Down Low Ft. Ian Everson & Monty Cold

Hot new release from some close friends who are also some of McNally Smiths finest. After a few days of its release, it was quickly scooped up to be released by KatHaus Records. Below are links to their social media sites. Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/BoomboxCartel
https://www.facebook.com/ianeversonmusic
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Monty-Cold/265858016804055?group_id=0

Music News: Sony Music CEO Doug Morris Is Streaming Big

Morris is the godfather of the music industry. He’s been a top executive at all three of the big record companies: Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. He enjoyed soaring profits with the compact disc in the 1980s only to struggle over the last decade as Internet piracy decimated the big record labels. Now Morris says the profits are returning and the thrill is back.

“The industry is transitioning itself into something that will be very valuable, unless we screw it up,” he says. “There’s big money coming in from videos. Huge money. There’s a transition from ownership to access personified by something like Spotify. We’re making a lot of money from this explosion in Internet radio, the Pandoras of the world. You can see Apple getting ready to get into it.” What’s more, the cost of distributing digital music is lower than CDs or vinyl albums. “It’s a better business,” Morris says. “The margins are higher.” - Doug Morris 

 The numbers support him (See illustration below). Industry analyst Alice Enders expects annual music sales in the U.S. to hover at around $5.5 billion over the next three years as declining physical sales are replaced by the digital variety. That’s a relief for an industry that was in free fall for the past decade. Morris likes to say that the distribution of music has changed radically, but the business is still all about relationships. 

There is something about articles like this one that have the power to change perspectives. I would almost compare it to the light at the end of a dark tunnel. Everyone knows the state of the music industry, the changes that it is going through, and all other negativity that surrounds it. To hear the "godfather" of the music industry get excited for what is happening and to have him speak positively on the twist that is the music industry feels like Christmas morning. Full of hope and joy as we metaphorically wait to unwrap our presents. I'm definitely looking forward to a great year. 


http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-07/sony-music-ceo-doug-morris-is-streaming-big