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I grew up in the 1970s and was on the record production track. Did a few indie productions that are still well thought of today... on a limited scale! ;-) Jumped the hoops, ticked the boxes: AES member, NARAS member, blahdy blah. I was blessed to have some truly fantastic mentors, including/especially the late Bob Moog and the incredible, amazing, underrated Jimmy Miller (Stones, Traffic). But for every kind, generous, enthusiastic, supportive mentor there were 50 sexist @$$holes. Record execs who, when introduced to me as a female producer, looked me up and down and with rolling eyes sighed "They USED to be publicists." With all due respect to Massy, it wasn't the physical environment that drove me out of the industry. I LOOOOVED the studio. LOVED it. It was like entering a cocoon where you checked life's problems at the door to be at your most effective. What really drove me out of the industry was being at some function with a bunch of "they USED to be publicists" type guys and deciding that I simply DID NOT WISH TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE DEALING WITH WALL TO WALL @$$HOLES when there were countless other options available. I saw my future: to quote John Cale, "what endlessness ahead". And I did not like it. I didn't care to spend the rest of my life in a toxic working environment being put down for being competent, whereas in other industries one's competence is appreciated, expected, valued and credited. So I bailed. This may seem like cowardice to you, and if it does, that's fine, you do you. But on a day to day basis it ground me down to the point where a production career, while achievable, simply didn't seem to ME to be the best use of my time & talents. The misery was simply never going to let up, not ever. Life's too short for that. I'm way better off psychologically and emotionally being OUT of the industry. Decades later I still feel I made the right decision.
I think there are some wonderful, talented women out there who are on the rise. I think of Casey Desmond, who, as the daughter of an engineer/studio owner, literally spent her childhood crawling on the floor among the consoles, wires and speakers. To her, it's home ground. And with the support network she has of family & friends ALL in the industry, she'll get there eventually if she wants it. But she has other strings to her bow as well, and it will be interesting to see if she elects to move on to another of her core competence areas like videography or fashion design. I wouldn't blame her if she did, and I will totally understand. Why spend the rest of your life getting the metaphorical cr*p kicked out of you on a daily basis if YOU DON'T HAVE TO. Either choice will be equally life affirming.
Where Are The Female Music Producers?
While chart-topping superstars like Taylor Swift and Beyonce may make it seem as though women dominate the music industry it is, unfortunately, a very different story behind the mixing board, where female producers and engineers are overlooked with distressing frequency. ______________________...
Factoring in the 2 alternate "flavors" of former FM powerhouse WBCN which now stream online - playlisted WBCN and Free Form WBCN - looks to me like the radio scene in Boston will remain largely the same as it ever was. Except, of course, that former Bostonians like me can listen to our old friends any time, anywhere! :D If I had to vote which ones will survive, I'd vote on Henry Santoro's version of WFNX and Sam Kopper's version of (FreeForm) WBCN to end up the big draws as the others fall by the wayside, sooner or later.
In Wake Of WFNX Sale, Two Newspaper Sponsored Web Stations Vie For Alt Rock Audience
In May, the sale of Boston's alternative-rock station WFNX-FM to Clear Channel was announced and most of the staff dismissed. On Monday Boston.com announced the upcoming launch of a web radio statio featuring six former WFNX personnel. This news was soon followed by news that original FNX owner...
Well... It's the same old problem. Distribution. Make your app available in a timely fashion in an app store EVERYONE CAN ACCESS, and we'll be more than happy to buy it.
A lot of Android consumers out there are using devices which, for a variety of reasons, cannot access Google Market. If we can't access Google Market, and your app is not on Amazon Market, guess what? We CAN'T buy it, much though we would like to.
I've said it before: Distribution is not an end user problem.
I Think Your App Should Be Free
Guest post by Joey Flores, co-founder of Earbits,com, an online radio platform that help labels, artists and promoters acquire fans and market music and live events. [Editors Note: This article was originally published on October 4th, 2011. It was an allegory intended to show developers and...
WORD!!!!!!!! Thank you, Clyde, for finally saying this.
If the record companies are serious about combatting pirating, they are going to have to seriously rewrite all these territorial contracts. I've had to wait as much as a YEAR for music released in the UK to be legally available in the USA; sometimes it never gets released here at all.
Newsflash, label mooks: if you don't find a way to make your product available LEGALLY in a TIMELY fashion, people are going to find a way to acquire it. (And I'm not even sure the courts would uphold that as an "illegal" download. If the label doesn't make the product AVAILABLE for purchase, nobody can be accused of STEALING it, now can they?)
Consumers want to be able to discuss new releases with their friends, just as they have always done since the beginning of recorded music. The difference nowadays is, those friends are very likely to be in another country.
It's not the consumers' problem to figure out how to solve this; it's the labels' and the artists' problem to figure out how to solve it. Consumers can't write your contracts FOR you, but if we could, we would demand simultaneous release in all territories.
There's Just One Territory For Releasing Music Now: The World
Guest post by Michael Brandvold of Michael Brandvold Marketing. I came across this on Bravewords.com this morning: Starting at roughly 8:00am EST on Thursday, February 2nd, VAN HALEN's new album A Different Kind Of Truth will reportedly be available via the Australian iTunes store (12:00 midni...
I think it did, and I think it's only going to get infinitely worse after the new layout rolls out.
I mean, look: When a friend of mine posts a song in their ticker from Spotify, I *should* be able to click on that link to hear the same song at the same time. But I can't; it doesn't work. In fact, it crashes Spotify completely and hangs up Facebook. (And no, I'm not some kind of computer illiterate middle-aged person. I have 4 gig RAM and 3 different web browsers, thank you, and this VERY BASIC FUNCTIONALITY does not work in any of them.)
Farcebook has jumped the shark, bigtime.
Did Facebook Just Pull A MySpace?
(UPDATED) What Facebook did last week was brilliant. Instead of taking the time and effort to try to build their own "best" music and media services, they opened up the back door and let almost everyone in. And who "everyone" is can change as new services that grab fan attention come online. ...
You are entirely correct. This user is not at all happy. Even worse - for those who have existing Spotify accounts, links to the music your FB friends are playing WILL NOT OPEN in Spotify when you click them from within FB. This whole thing is an epic fail. I've pretty much migrated to G+ for right now, where all links to all available music services do still work. For now.
Facebook Account Now Required For Spotify Signup, And Users Aren't Happy
A Facebook account is now required for all new users signing up for Spotify; and even though existing accounts aren't affected, many users are less than pleased. The message "“You need a Facebook account to register for Spotify. If you have an account, just log in below to register. If you don...
Yeah, it's a damn shame. I don't really give a crap what the in-dus-treeee says, Grooveshark for me is still the best business model, and Spotify's lack of content didn't convert me.
But I do BUY what I HEAR on Grooveshark, and that isn't likely to be changed by either of these add-ons.
Groovejaar Turns Grooveshark Into Limewire. Then There's Groove Shredder...
The RIAA and many record labels have never liked Grooveshark much even though the music streamer claims it's DMCA-compliant and responds to takedown requests. Two new open source projects - Groovejaar and Groove Shredder - are guaranteed to make the RIAA & CO like Grooveshark even less. To be...
Apple seems to be really, REALLY good at keeping the major tech media's collective mouths shut about this one. My account was hacked via iTunes in August 2010 (someone set up an automatic debit every month), and PayPal told me that ****OVER 50,000**** accounts had been hacked. If this happened to any other company it would be all OVER the tech media. So you may be shocked that it happened; I'm shocked that it wasn't EVER REPORTED BY ANYONE.
iTunes Hacked, Linked PayPal Accounts Drained In Ongoing Problem
I've been rather surprised to learn that fraudulent purchases on iTunes accounts have been an ongoing problem for over a year and that some linked PayPal accounts have been drained in the process. This is bad news for Apple, who don't seem to be responding effectively, and even worse news for ...
It seems somewhat obvious to me that there will ALWAYS be a "next big thing" in social networking sites, in much the same way that no "biggest band in the world" ever held that spot forever. IMO the mistake is expecting any SN site to last forever. We've seen the rise/fall of MySpace, now it's the rise/fall of Facebook, Twitter will come after that, and probably Tumblr after that. And so on.
Is Facebook Tumbling?
Could the recent surge in the popularity of Tumblr, coupled with a fall off in the use of Facebook, suggest we have another twist in social connectivity coming our way? Tumblr has reportedly hit 400 million users a day, and its success may be due to the very thing that Facebook tries so hard t...
Ahh come on Ian, it's way more fun than betting on the Kentucky Derby! :-)
I *wish* that Jim Selby would get it b/c even though Naxos is a classical label, that guy has a genuine vision for the future. But it won't happen.
My picks: Ruthig, Mills, Iglauer, Parker. More or less in that order.
Look Who's Running For The A2IM Board
17 candidates are vying for five seats on the board of top U.S. indie music trade group the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). The list looks like a Who's Who of the indie music business: 1) Joe Parker (ABKCO Records, Vice President) 2) Bruce Iglauer (Alligator Records, Foun...
So, what, it's going to have a playlist of like 10 songs? :-)
Clear Channel Announces Purchase Of Tumbplay's Cloud Music Biz, Takes On Pandora
Clear Channel Radio has officially announced the purchase of Thumbplay's cloud music service. The acquisition does not include Thumbplay’s ringtone business which was sold toe SendMe Mobile in late March. Terms of either sale were not disclosed. In a move clearly aimed at Pandora and Songza, C...
I wouldn't mind paying more for d/l's with improved sound quality PROVIDED that the upgraded format came with the credits embedded as metadata. Not being able to find out who engineered, produced, wrote, and played on a track is one of the most frustrating things about purchasing downloads.
The UK-based Music Producers Guild has a good campaign on this called "Credit Where Credit Is Due". Read about it here:
http://www.creditisdue-mpg.co.uk/
Talks Heat Up To Improve Download Sound Quality, But Is it Just An Excuse For Higher Prices?
According to several sources, iTunes, eMusic, Amazon and other digital music retailers are in talks with the major labels about improving the quality of sound in music downloads. But for most of those sitting at the table, better sound quality may be more about making money than sonic improvem...
I can't help feeling these statistics are *somewhat* misleading when it comes to people's actual listening habits.
The reality is that in the USA and Canada, streaming music on a smartphone is much too expensive for anyone except yuppies to do very often. It's a data muncher par excellence - hence my own decision NOT to move to mobile when Sirius/XM released its streaming app. It's cheaper for me to pray that my old Sirius Stiletto hangs in there for a few more years.
My own usage pattern tends more toward streaming satrad and music ***from my PC*** when at work (where my portable satrad doesn't work and where my mp3 collection isn't). That's 8 solid hours a day of music streaming which are not being reported using the methodology contained in the article.
Music Listening – The Least Popular Mobile Activity
ComScore published its 2010 Digital Year in Review report. In their analysis of what Americans are doing with their mobile devices, listening to music didn't fare well, which is a nice way of saying that it ranked dead last. Instant messaging is even more popular than music listening. And even...
These guys are so far ahead of the rest of the industry in terms of sussing out the ONE approach that will work in the new milennium that it is almost PHYSICALLY painful. You almost can't even read this without bursting out laughing, it's so ingenious. Now if only the rest of the industry would get ON BOARD with new approaches like this, instead of slagging them off so relentlessly for the outdated business models they DON'T follow.
We now return you to blah blah rights holders blah blah Spotify blah blah Vimeo blah blah. Carry on...
OMP3 – Let 1,000 Grooveshark Music Stores Bloom
OMP3 has created a free software program that allows anyone to start a music sharing site and store. It's powered by Grooveshark. Users can set up affiliate tie-ins and advertising which will enable them to monetize the software. Right now, the company is funded through donations. To the best ...
I agree.
The door is WIDE open for something similar but without the privacy issues.
As an aside, I still kind of miss the pre-Murdoch MySpace. Wonder if there's any chance someone would buy it at a bargain-basement price and REALLY remodel it...
Official: MySpace Cuts 500, 47% Of Staff
In an official statement today, MySpace CEO Mike Jones confirmed that about 500 employees will be cut globally. “With our recent relaunch as an entertainment destination for Gen Y, we introduced a much tighter focus, a significantly streamlined product and an updated technology platform,” acco...
I hope he's wrong too. The problem with not having any LEGAL streaming is that it opens the door for plenty of ILLEGAL streaming. That won't benefit anybody.
At the same time though, doesn't take much to perceive that the Spotify business model is kinda set up to fail.
Just for the record, though, I would neither support nor subscribe to an Apple/iTunes streaming system. Not after my account got hacked and I couldn't even get a live person on the phone.
I doubt I'm the only consumer who feels this way.
Luke Lewis: "Streaming Will Stop Looking Like The Future – Which Means Piracy Will Flourish."
This grim end-of-the year forecast comes from NME Deputy Editor Luke Lewis. He starts off his article of digital music predictions for 2011 by saying that, "Streaming will stop looking like the future... which means that piracy will flourish." His reasoning: "Spotify lost £17 million last ye...
Oh come on. I use Megaupload to transfer large files of scanned documents to and from WORK. Nothing to do with piracy at all. Another useless and thoroughly inaccurate statistic that the industry is going to try to beat its own customers over the head with.
Report: Piracy Sites Attract 53 Billion Visits Yearly
A report from security firm MarkMonitor states that 43 sites identified for piracy attract 146 million visits daily for a total of 53.29 billion a year. 67% of those 43 sites are hosted in North America or Western Europe and according to the study the 3 largest - RapidShare, MegaVideo and Meg...
That, and you'd think Apple CS would at least ANSWER phone calls and inquiries about this.
I can use the words "class" and "action" in the same sentence. Can you?
Your iTunes Account May Be For Sale Online
Thousands of hacked accounts for Apple's iTunes are now for sale on China's largest retail website Taobao. For an average of $4.50 (30 Chinese yuan) users are promised downloads of songs, games, movies and other products worth at least $30 dollars on iTunes. The Global Times reported that arou...
See, I'm a loyal GS user and I vehemently dispute that GS users don't buy stuff. I do, ALL. THE. TIME. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I *didn't* use Grooveshark to buy a track. Grooveshark provides direct links to Amazon and iTunes that are effortless to use, they take you right to the track you want (at least they do on Amazon; I boycott iTunes so I couldn't testify as to that!), so if you're set up w/ the Amazon downloader already and use 1-click, you're done.
The 2 reasons people use Grooveshark, in my opinion, over other streaming services are (1) it's INTERNATIONAL, so that hot new release from the UK that everyone is Tweeting about will show up there MONTHS before it does on any other US-based service; and (2) It's so damn EASY to BUY stuff off of Grooveshark.
Give us the PRODUCT we want, WHEN we want it, and make it EASY to buy. Whichever streaming service figures this out the fastest will be the one that ultimately wins.
Standing Next To The Grooveshark Sales Funnel
Look. You can scratch, claw, scream, and bitch about Grooveshark and services like it all you want, but fans don't care. I'm not saying its morally correct, but the average fan doesn't care if artists are getting paid for streams. Fans don't care if the labels make money off Grooveshark. Most ...
All these streaming services would be 100% justified in cranking their ad rates SKY high, and frankly I think they should do it. Increased revenue for them; better deals (hopefully) for musicians whose content is being streamed.
Spotify Lost $26.5 Million In 2009. What Does That Say About It's Future?
(Updated) Music Ally and others have jumped on figures published by Spotify that show a '09 loss of $26.5 million. TechCrunch Europe declared that the numbers show that U.S. expansion is now "imperative". But year old figures for a startup don't begin to tell Spotify's story or provide a predic...
The US figure is explained by the vast number of "enterprise" corporate drones who are given Blackberries via work - supposedly b/c BB syncs much better with MS Exchange than anything else does.
Quite intrigued by the UK dominance of Symbian though. Wonder why that is?
A Graphic Surprise: iPhones & Androids Do NOT Dominate Smartphone Market
via ME
Yeah, this'll be great - it was difficult to "Share" the stuff you were posting via Typepad!
Hypebot Finally Gets A Facebook Page
For q uite some time, Bruce has been using his personal Facebook profile to keep readers abreast on the happenings in the music industry. Today, we'd like to invite readers to join and "Like" our new, official Hypebot Page. We promise some special content and contests there soon. Don't forget ...
Nice work on this piece, Corey! If I might be permitted to add just one little smidge of historical context - you have to remember that back in the day, the biggest (and sometimes only) advertisers in music zines were... the major labels. I'm not going to claim that this ALWAYS colored what a music writer was permitted to say, though it certainly sometimes did (the extent varied from mag to mag); but it also was a key element in dictating who got to write about what. There was a real art to being an assignments editor, since if Major Label A took out 6 full-page color ads promoting its September releases, Major Label A was pretty much PAYING for your print run. So the editor kind of had to pick which staff writer would be willing to give each release the fairest shot.
The independence of the ad revenue stream nowadays gives music writers WAY more latitude than they had in the past. Use it wisely, my children! :-)
Blog It: How The Web Changed Music Criticism
Two words: Almost Famous. It may be cliché but this was the movie that spurned my foray into music. The fact that you could travel around the country with a rock band fascinated me. The ability to be able to capture the process of a band connecting with their audience and the unspeakable and i...
I like #5 as well. Very clever design!!
Choose A New Logo For Skyline Music & Win!
Regular Hypebot readers know that we're in the middle of a makeover / repositioning of our parent company, national booking agency Skyline Music. We're crowdsourcing a lot of the project by involving a variety of communities and sites, as well as you, our Hypebot readers. Win A Prize! Our first...
Different spins on the same statement. Bronfman always said existing deals would remain in place - just that he won't be making any NEW deals.
Spotify Says It's Still Feeling WMG Love
During a call with industry analysts earlier this week, Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr.appeared to close the door on working with free streaming music services like Spotify. “Free streaming services are not a positive thing for the industry," daid Bronfman, "and, as far as Warner Mus...
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