Tag Archive for 'indie labels'

Hypebot: Microsoft Sends Indie Labels Bonus Checks

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Rob Stefaniak
on May 8, 2008
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Zune logoAs reported by Hypebot and in what is a very cool move in my opinion, Microsoft Zune recently sent substantial one time bonus checks to some digital distributors and independent labels. The checks appear to be the company’s answer to criticism of payments as high as $1 per player extracted by Universal Music Group and other major labels granting permission for Zune’s music sharing functionality.

The move is being categorized as “a corporate decision to demonstrate their commitment to the independent sector in a manner we all appreciate: rather than simple lip service, they wrote a check,” by The Orchard and “a smart move by Zune at a time when concerns are being expressed over treatment of the indie community,” by IODA CEO Kevin Arnold.

Listening Post points out the move could increase pressure on MySpace Music, which was built by the indie sector, to start treating indies with the same degree of respect (read: money) that it gives to the major labels. The recent equity position offered to major labels by MySpace Music and cash advances by some new music services have led to concerns that the indie sector was not receiving its fair share.

Check out the Hypebot post for Microsoft Comments as well as full text of The Orchard letter.

Hypebot: Microsoft Sends Indie Labels Bonus Checks

Microsoft Zune Pays Bonus To Indie Labels | Listening Post from Wired.com

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Now playing: Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes
via FoxyTunes

The Canadian Press: Musicians Seek Extra Ways To Connect With Fans, Build Market

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Rob Stefaniak
on March 31, 2008
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Arts&Crafts LogoA solid article from The Canadian Press on the new ways Artists are squeezing marketable material out of their musical exploits. Arts & Crafts, a Canadian indie label / artist services company, is cited as an example of ways in which their Artists further develop relationships and loyalty with their fan base(s).

A&C executive Kieran Roy remarks, “It’s not enough to go and record 10 tracks and call it an album and call it a day. There has to be live content, B-sides, covers, EPK footage, web shorts, videos, podcasts, audiocasts, videocasts, you name it - everything and anything under the sun.”

The added dimension of capturing the recording process on video is another way for the Artists to express their ideas and connect with an audience. For most younger Artists, exploring multiple platforms is a natural extension of their art. The music is still the most important part, but there’s so much around creating and capturing an Artist’s world. Really, what you want to do is be a more complete Artist, and now Artists are provided the opportunity to do that.

Arts & Crafts is firmly built on a 360 model, an artists’ services company, so while they may be seeing lower record sales, they’re also participating in other streams of revenue with their artists… building concert sales, building T-shirt sales, building fan club sales.

Pop-culture watcher and broadcaster Stu Jeffries adds, “If you’re a fan of the group, you want every piece of information you can get and you’ll pay for it.” In the end, it’s great for fans, no matter the quality of the extra material. “Of course it’s a money grab, but then the industry has always been a money grab, so what changes now?”

The Canadian Press: Musicians Seek Extra Ways To Connect With Fans, Build Market

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Now playing: Los Campesinos! - Drop It Doe Eyes
via FoxyTunes

A Brave New World: The Music Biz At The Dawn Of 2008 — Ars Technica

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Rob Stefaniak
on January 25, 2008
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Great article and case study on the changing music industry by Nate Anderson at Ars Technica, a technology news and reviews site. In short, CD sales are down, major label revenues are sliding, and the music industry looks to be in recession. But music isn’t dying; it’s changing…

Ok, we already knew all that, but it’s still a good read. Here are a couple of great quotes:

What’s happening is obvious; consumers are making far more purchases than ever before, but are often choosing to grab only selected tracks rather than complete albums. The album may not be dying in a general way, but it has certainly lost its importance as the primary way that buyers in the digital era get their music. Bands with a track record of putting out uneven albums won’t be able to milk that strategy for massive profits anymore, nor will any labels that nurture such acts.

It’s often said that it’s hard to compete with free, and that may be true for some segments of the population. (Are college kids ever really going to cough up much cash?) But for most adults who don’t get off on breaking the law or on stiffing artists, it’s easy enough to compete with free. Make something that’s faster, more reliable, with better metadata and album art, and a huge DRM-free selection. Throw in charts, some editorial staff, and some community features, and money is there to be made.

Throw in a solid graphic with numbers on digital and physical music sales from 2003 through 2007…

Digital And Physical Music Sales - 2003-07

Also, make sure to check out the eMusic case study on page 2. Some impressive numbers on digital downloads and the state of indie music in general is brought forward…

Internet distribution has opened up music (like many other products) to the effects of the “long tail.” Since huge quantities of goods costs so little to store and deliver, online venues can offer products that appeal only to very small numbers of people and still make money. “The long tail does better online,” said [eMusic CEO David] Pakman, saying that eMusic is proof of that fact.

A Brave New World: The Music Biz At The Dawn Of 2008

What Radiohead Hath Wrought: Seattle Sound November 2007

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Rob Stefaniak
on November 12, 2007
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There’s a great article in Seattle Sound Magazine (November 2007, pp 58-61) that has Seattle’s top label heads discussing what Thom Yorke and Company’s divorce from the music industry means to them, you and the future of the little guy in music.

What Radiohead Hath Wrought : Seattle Sound November 2007

Note: article is located within digital edition of magazine and can only be accessed via the RealRead viewer - flip to page 58.