A2IM Charts A Course For The Future Of Indie Music
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Navigating The Future
Labels Matter
Continue reading "A2IM Charts A Course For The Future Of Indie Music" »
Navigating The Future
Labels Matter
Continue reading "A2IM Charts A Course For The Future Of Indie Music" »
Independent distributor Lumberjack Mordam has gone out of business. Effected are more than 100 mostly punk and hard core record labels. Sources tell Hypebot that a number of the labels were left with $30,000 - $50,000 in unpaid invoices, an amount that can be devastating for a small label.
We're working on a more extensive story including quotes from some of the indie entrepeneurs effected. Until then here is a partial list of effected labels via Punk News.
Continue reading "Indie Distributor Lumberjack Mordam Goes Under" »
This time the rumor mill proved correct. Sony Music Entertainment has entered into a global partnership with IODA which includes an investment in the digital distributor. IODA will now provide digital services for Sony's RED indie label arm, as well as, offer expanded overseas opportunities. In return, IODA can now offer its labels physical distribution and the stability of a corporate partner with deep pockets.
How Will Independent Labels React?
The exact details of how the two companies will work together are still being worked out. But if as Thomas Hess, Sony Music's President of Global Digital Business, U.S. Sales and Corporate Strategy told Billboard, IODA will be "joined at the hip" with the major, it is unclear how an often firecely independent label community will react.
Interview by Virgil Dickerson. Duncan Hutchinson is a music industry veteran who is chief content officer at Rights Flow. Rights Flow handles professional services for music rights management.Duncan also works with Blackheart Records and discusses the latest release by Girls in a Coma.
MORE EXLCUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEWS: Virgil Dickerson's interviews from NARM include Kevin Arnold of digital distributor IODA , Tim Hinsley of SuperD Distribution and NARM President Jim Doneo, Sandy Bitman of indie retailer Park Avenue and ex-Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford and Eric LeMasters of Koch/E.
Help Build A Database Of Music 2.0 Success Stories
During every interview, convention panel, startup negotiation or conversation with an industry peer, there is inevitably a moment when someone says something like, "All this talk about social networking, new media and digital marketing is exciting, but does it work? And if it does, where are all the successful artists that have made it because of music 2.0?"
They're not interested in stories of Trent Reznor, Radiohead and Jill Sobule who have maintained and even grown careers using all the 2.0 techniques after leaving a record label who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to break them.These skeptics want to know about artists that have "made it" without ever having the help of a major or even larger indie label.
I usually point out that in an era when only 950 new releases sold more than 25K copies in the U.S. last year, we need to redefine success. Touring, merchandise and direct to fan sales all are part of modern artist income streams. But even after that re-calibration of expectations, the doubters understandably want examples.
They Want Proof? Let's Give 'Em Proof
To answer the skeptics, I'm starting a list of artists that are growing and sustaining real careers in what I like to call the new musical middle class (or above) without label largess. I've included links to articles on Hypebot about each act or to their web site. This very short list is just to get things started. Will you help me add to it?
Continue reading "Let's Prove That Artists Don't Need Major Labels To "Make It" " »
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Virgil Dickerson interviewed Eric LeMasters of VP of Business Development at distributor E1/Koch at NARM. Other Virgil NARM interviews include Kevin Arnold of digital distributor IODA , Tim Hinsley of SuperD Distribution and NARM President Jim Doneo, Sandy Bitman of indie retailer Park Avenue and ex-Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford.
One of the breakout indie bands of 2008 was Sub Pop's Fleet Foxes, and the band openly credits online piracy for providing both inspiration and a promotional boost for its 200K+ selling debut album.
As much music as musicians can hear, that will only make music richer as an art form," singer Robin Pecknold told the BBC. "I think we're seeing that now with tons of new bands that are amazing, and are doing way better music now than was being made pre-Napster."
"I've downloaded hundreds and hundreds of records - why would I care if somebody downloads ours? That's such a petty thing to care about," says Pecknold. "I mean, how much money does one person need? I think it's disgusting when people complain about that, personally."
On recent rumors that the band was signing to Virgin, Pecknold wrote in a blog post:
Continue reading "Fleet Foxes Thank Piracy For Success, Pledge To Stay Indie " »
When eMusic recently added major label Sony to its previously indie only music subscription service, it also increased prices per download. Still cheaper than iTunes and others, the reaction from many eMusic fans was strong and negative.
Since the initial announcement, the company has been on a bit of a campaign to clarify why the price hikes happened; and in an interview with Wired's Eliot Van Buskirk, eMusic CEO Danny Stein said that it was the independent record labels and not a deal with the big bad Sony that forced the price increases:
Continue reading "eMusic CEO Blames Indie Labels For Price Increase" »
Virgil Dickerson interviews Rob Halford, former lead singer of Judas Priest and current God of Metal who talks about NARM, his record label and what he has been up to.
Other Virgil NARM interviews include Kevin Arnold of digital distributor IODA , Tim Hinsley of SuperD Distribution and NARM President Jim Doneo and Sandy Bitman of indie retailer Park Avenue.
(EXCLUSIVE) Massachusetts based music and video distributor Traffic Entertainment has moved to The Orchard for both digital and physical distribution, Christian Hedlund of Traffic and The Orchard's head of Physical Distribution Michael Bull told Hypebot in an exclusive interview. Previously, Traffic used IODA for digital distribution in addition to direct sales to iTunes and brick and mortar.
The alliance with Traffic, best known for releases including EMC's "The Show", Vaughn aka MF Doom's "Vaudeville Villain", De La Soul's "Mission Impossible" and Lil Scrappy's "Silence & Secrecy" marks the first time that The Orchard has opened their marketing and promotion to another distributor. The Orchard recently proved its muscle by delivering a gold single for Pitbull.
Many labels had seperated their phsyical and digital distribution, but bringing both back under one roof is bcoming a popular option for indies. Sales declines at brick and mortar, as well as, bankrupcies and consolidation has led to fewer physical distribution options for indies. And for digtial distributors like The Orchard via its recent purchase of TVT and INgrooves through investor UMG's Fontana arm, adding physical counters downward pressure on sales fees caused by Tunecore and others.
Founded in 2002, Traffic Entertainment Group has carved a niche...
Continue reading "Distributor Traffic Entertainment Taps The Orchard" »
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
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....
Continue reading "What Will A Record Label Look Like In 5 Years?" »
Digital distributor INgrooves has added physical distribution to it offering with the new Crystal Method album "Divided By Night" released on May 12th. In its first week of release, the album hit #1 on Amazon and was the #1 electronic album on iTunes.
INgroove's brick and mortar distribution will be handled via Universal's Fontana, a relationship facilitated by UMG's major equity investment in the company last year. Competing digital distributor The Ochard began offering a similar dual service recently with it's aquistion of TVT. Physical sales are shrinking. But because of increased competition, so are the margins that digital distributors can charge making revenue diversification an essential busines stategy.
Continue reading "INgrooves Adds Physical Distribution With New #1 Crystal Method Release" »
The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) recently launched their ThinkIndie online download store. The site was conceived as an answer to the revenue lost to iTunes by independent brick and mortar music stores, as well as, a place for online music discovery. Traffic will be driven by and profits shared with participating indie retailers. Just days after the launch, CIMS' Jim Fahy answered a few questions about the new online store:
Q: Is the ThinkIndie.com only partnering with CIMS stores or can other indie stores get involved?
FAHY: A healthy portion of AIMS stores are also among us. Other stores may be involved in the future.
Q: The selection is currently all indie. Do you ever intend to sell music from the major labels?
FAHY: Of course. One of our major label deals is about to be finished. After tha,t it's just a matter of uploading the content that makes sense. We're hoping our other deals will work out soon - especially as they see how it runs. Lawyers are a bigger problem than people.
Q. Does all of the music come from individual labels. Which of the indie digital distributors like The Orchard, IODA and INgrooves do you have have deals with for ThinkIndie?
"iTunes' magic lies in its integration.
Our magic is knowledge."
FAHY: Some of it does. Our deals with Sub Pop, Merge and Matador, for example, are all direct.As far as the digital distributors you mentioned: Yeah, we have deals with all those guys.
The Orchard are still involved in the physical business and employs several people who have been friendly with us over the years during their respective tenures at other labels. We're hoping that we'll be going ...
Continue reading "Interview: CIMS' Jim Fahy On ThinkIndie.com" »
Continue reading "Think Indie CIMS Digital Store Launched Today" »
Artist advocacy group The Future Of Music Coalition has released a new report "Same Old Song" confirming that indie music is not getting its fair share of airplay on broadcast radio.
In April 2007, the FCC found widespread payola and ordered the four largest U.S. radio groups (Clear Channel, CBS, Citadel and Entercom) to pay $12.5 million in fines and work with the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) to draft 8 “Rules of Engagement” and an “indie set-aside” including 4,200 hours of unsigned and indie label music.
But FMC's new survey of Mediaguide airplay data shows little has changed in the 2 years since the FCC decree. Indie music did make slight gains at AAA Non-comm. and Country radio. But at all 5 other dominant radio formats (AC, Urban AC, Active Rock, CHR Pop, and Triple A Comm.) the share of indie music played remained stagnant at 78-82% despite ndies comprising 30-40% of the marketplace.
Not surprisingly, the FMC also found that there were very few slots for any new music .There too, new major label songs typically receive more spins than indies. Finally, FMC looked at the indie labels...
Continue reading "Surprise! Study Shows Few Indies On Radio" »
INgrooves has inked Telarc and Heads Up International, both divisions of Concord Music Group for digital distribution worldwide excluding the US and Canada. The wide ranging Telarc and Heads Up catalogs include jazz icons like Dave
Brubeck, McCoy Tyner and Stanley Clarke, the blues of Taj Mahal and Tab Benoit, contemporary jazz from the likes Candy Dulfer and Victor Wooten and world music from Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Hugh
Masekela, Miriam Makeba and Zap Mama. Current artists include
bassist/singer Esperanza Spalding, Hiromi, Take 6, and guitarist Mike Stern.
Continue reading "INgrooves Adds Telarc & Headsup Overseas" »
Classical Record Industry Down 30% In '09, Harmonia Mundi Up 9%
All this week on Hypebot, we're exploring how the double whammy of falling sales and the global economic downturn is effecting the music industry. This guest post by Charlie Dahan, which first appeared on his Center Of The Indie Label Universe blog, shows how one indie label is using old fashion A&R to thrive in tough times.
You think the pop record industry is having a hard time of it - look
at the classical music industry. Product has been devalued by labels
like Naxos to be a budget line item, stores are closing, radio is
disappearing, funding from the private and public sector is drying up
and the audience is graying. Most labels have closed their classical
division and sales are down over 30% for 2009.
Not for French indie, Harmonia Mundi. They have seen an increase in their sales in 2009 of nearly 10% by recording new music, signing new artists and getting the hell out of their way and letting them develop over several records - sounds like a winning formula. They have also developed a loyal customer base, who trusts the brand and is willing to give anything with a Harmonia Mundi stamp on it.
Read about them and listen to their NPR interview here. Even if you don’t like Classical music, you can learn a lot from their business model and practices.
Saturday's National Record Store Day provided U.S. indie music stores and labels with a tangible boost in sales.
Billboard chart analyst Ed Christman put the gain at just 1% of overall independent label sales. But Coalition Of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) outlets were up 22% over the previous year and vinyl sales jumped 222% according to the indie store alliance.
"What we have here is one more glimpse into the future," said new CIMS head Jim Fahey. "We can make these days happen more and more through a concerted effort to let the indies sell something worthwhile and let The Big Boxes go back to selling microwaves and cheap TV's. Leave the music to the experts."
Here's a video of Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan at an Indiana record store on Saturday:
Continue reading "Record Store Day Gives Indies Sales Boost" »
Continue reading "Northern European Music Industry Blazes Trails Others Should Follow" »

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