The RIAA Responds: “Our Efforts Have Made a Real Difference…”
Digital Music News made few friends at the RIAA last month by publishing the organization’s entire 2008 IRS tax filings. The paperwork revealed a salary of more than $2 million for CEO Mitch Bainwol, and even a $300,000 annual take-home for the PR guy. But it also included details of gargantuan legal costs, including massive payouts to outside law firms [...]
How the Indies Saved Pandora…
Pandora pays a monstrous percentage of their revenues to SoundExchange for the use of recordings. That is, 60 percent according to the latest estimates from Pandora founder Tim Westergren. But this could have been a whole lot worse, and A2IM chief Rich Bengloff takes some of the credit for softening Congressionally-mandated rates to more reasonable levels. “We want parity with [...]
Breaking: Spotify’s US Label Discussions “Back to Square One…”
What was that about a launch in the fall? Spotify’s US-focused label negotiations appear to be going nowhere fast, according to information surfacing late Thursday.
Breaking: Dimensional Associates Completes Orchard Purchase…
Dimensional Associates is now the sole owner of the Orchard (ORCD). The consolidation effort has been underway for months, though some pushback and procedural details emerged. Orchard shareholders approved the proposal during an afternoon meeting in New York. Dimensional is the private equity arm of JDS Capital Management.
Topspin’s iPhone Ticket Scanner: If It’s Good Enough for the Pixies…
The concert industry is under serious pressure, but an interesting direct-to-fan shift is happening. Suddenly, bands like LCD Soundsystem and the Pixies are selling out shows by selling straight to their email lists, Twitter followers, or wherever their fans hang. In the case of the Pixies, Topspin helped the band to direct-sell 6,000 seats exclusively through an email blast. Then, [...]
Piracy, the Old Fashioned Kind: BPI Collects $260,000 In Fines…
Turns out that people still buy CDs – lots of them – including millions of illegal knockoffs. That is the takeaway folllowing a major BPI conviction against a European counterfeit CD ring, an old-school dragnet that has plenty of modern-day markings.
Curating the Chaos: YouTube’s New Music Page…
YouTube can be a blessing and a curse for music fans, simply because endless music video selection also invites poor quality, redundancy, and chaos. Vevo has trimmed the weeds considerably, but YouTube took another healthy step forward this week. At youtube.com/music, fans can now find some lightly-curated content, as well as simple organization by views and genres.
Songtweak: What Really Turns a Listener On…
Lots of financial resources have been poured into recommendation startups, though this is still a riddle for entrepreneurs. Pandora has successfully approached the space with human reviewers and smaller artist lists, though a more brainier mindset continues. The latest comes from Songtweak, which is bubbling out of Georgia Tech’s College of Computing.
Exclusive: MySpace Music Not Paywalling Profile Streams…
MySpace Music is considering some serious changes to its business model, but don’t expect to pay for profile page streams anytime soon. “Our goal is not to alter our current experience,” MySpace Music chief Courtney Holt told the audience at New Music Seminar in New York on Tuesday.