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Tag Archives: business
From Old Dreams To New Dreams
I wasn’t in a good place as I went to pick up my nine year old daughter from school the other day. My professional life has been tumultuous over the past few years as I have been transitioning out of … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Personal
Tagged Artists, business, career, dreams, Life, World Vision
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Does the Best Music Always Rise to the Top?
Every time I hear a debate about music and the charts, without exception one person will chime in and say ”the cream always rises to the top”. Meaning that the best songs will always prevail. REALLY? Honestly, do they? Come on now. … Continue reading
Rigid Mission
Have you ever worked for a company or been involved in a venture that was resistant to change, expanded services, or innovative ways of doing business? Met with resistance because of an overtly intense focus on their mission? I’m a … Continue reading
Posted in Business/Marketing, Music Business
Tagged business, innovation, mission statement
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Remember Customer Service?
Have you ever had customer service so good and people working that were so nice that it kind of freaked you out? Almost to the point that you wondered what was going on? I had that experience recently at Firehouse … Continue reading
Revealing Speak at Billboard Country Music Summit
The Billboard Country Music Summit was held in downtown Nashville on June 7th and 8th. It was a gathering of all segments of the music industry to discuss, debate and pontificate about current issues within the music business and ideas … Continue reading
New Words For A New World
In a recent article concerning the 2010 first quarter sales of music at retail and online the following was written: “In examining where album sales occur, the chain category — which includes Best Buy, Borders and Trans World — suffered … Continue reading
Posted in Business/Marketing, Music Business
Tagged Amazon, business, digital, itunes, labels, marketing, Music, retail, sales, Technology, Walmart
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So Far In 2010: Digital Drops, Non-Traditional Rises
From Billboard.biz By Ed Christman, N.Y. With the first quarter of 2010 now completed, the good news for the U.S. music industry is the slowing decline of album sales. And another observation is the emergence of the non-traditional sector as … Continue reading
You Rock
From SETH GODIN’S BLOG This is deceptive. You don’t rock all the time. No one does. No one is a rock star, superstar, world-changing artist all the time. In fact, it’s a self-defeating goal. You can’t do it. No, but … Continue reading
Posted in Business/Marketing, Life
Tagged business, career, goal, help, Life, marketing, productivity, professional, seth godin, vision, work
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The Fan I Was Before, Again.
I got into the music business because I was passionate about artists and music. I had a heart for it and wanted it to be all around me. That dream came true and has moved me into places I could … Continue reading
Posted in Business/Marketing, Music, Music Business, Personal
Tagged business, concert, fan, industry, Music, MuteMath, Radio, show
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Social Media Revolution
Below is an interesting and well done video compilation by Erik Qualman asking if social media is a fad or a revolution. His book Socialnomics from Wiley Publishing will be in stores August 31, 2009. The thing we cannot forget … Continue reading
Posted in Business/Marketing, Social Media, Technology
Tagged business, marketing, Social Media, Technology, Video
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Risk and Reward
From Seth Godin: The risk/reward confusion It’s easy to to adopt the policy of avoiding risk at all costs, that whenever possible, the products you launch or the engagements you have should be flawless and without downside. Here’s the problem: … Continue reading
Posted in Business/Marketing, Life
Tagged business, marketing, reward, risk, seth godin
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Good to Great
A short but important piece from Dan Miller’s weekly newsletter. Find Dan’s blog HERE. There is a PBS special running right now on the music of David Foster (Hit Man – David Foster and Friends). As the hosts asked him … Continue reading
Posted in Life
Tagged artist, business, Dan Miller, David Foster, Life, Music, self help
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Seth Godin Tribes Video
During Country Radio Seminar Seth Godin was the keynote speaker and had much to say on the future of marketing and social media. In another recent presentation to TED, Seth argues the that the Internet has ended mass marketing and … Continue reading
Posted in Business/Marketing, Media & Entertainment, Music Business, Technology
Tagged business, marketing, seth godin, Social Media, tribes
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Endangered Localism
My friend and writer extraordinaire Ken Tucker has a blog. It’s one of my favorites, so you should check it out. About a month ago he posted this piece on the deconstruction of local radio and the move toward a … Continue reading
Posted in Music Business, Radio
Tagged broadcasting, business, clear channel, Ken Tucker, localism, Radio
1 Comment
Can Free Music and Profits Coexist?
A recent article from The Tennessean: Sarah Sidwell, a 19-year-old freshman at Belmont University, loves listening to music but doesn’t buy it that often. Instead, she listens to top artists on Pandora, a free online radio station that she customizes … Continue reading
Posted in Business/Marketing, Music, Music Business, Nashville, Technology
Tagged Belmont, business, country music, digital, ilike, Keith Urban, marketing, Music, Nashville, Pandora
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Leadership Music Digital Summit 2009
Leadership Music’s annual Digital Summit is one of the most valuable and high-impact events in the Nashville music industry community. Join over 600 artists, ISPs, songwriters, venture capitalists, managers, content aggregators, labels, digital music services, publishers, service providers, mobile operators, … Continue reading
Posted in Media & Entertainment, Music Business, Nashville, Technology
Tagged business, digital, entertainment, Music, Nashville, Technology
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Termination Day
The worst kept secret in the radio and record industry came to pass as Clear Channel let go of 1850 employees. I actually thought there might be a slight chance the CC brass wouldn’t do it on the same day … Continue reading
Posted in Media & Entertainment, Radio
Tagged broadcasting, business, clear channel, Radio
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The Insanity of the Typical
It is said, “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” Is the music and radio industry insane? How long will we keep trying to do the same thing and expect a miracle? As … Continue reading
Posted in Business/Marketing, Music Business, Quotes
Tagged business, industry, Life, Music, Radio, records
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Time to Slice Up the Country Pie?
Back in June I posted about how much older our core demo is getting. It was based on research that I had read about and the concern was that we may be chasing the older demo off the cliff and … Continue reading
Serving Customers or Making Cars?
From Dan Miller: There seems to be a subtle shift that takes place in the history of most businesses. Let’s say Barney was a cave man who made great wagons. But there are only 20 people who live in his … Continue reading
Mobile Music’s Future
The Digital Music Forum West was this past weekend in Hollywood, CA. A Wired blog captures the highlights of “The Future of Mobile Music” panel. Some interesting observations, predictions, and concerns are shared by the guest executives, who like typical panelists, … Continue reading
Throw it up against the wall…..
A new recording format is being introduced by SanDisk, the world’s leading supplier of flash memory cards . It’s called “Slot Music” and it is the latest attempt by major labels to offset the major slide of CD sales. I … Continue reading
Posted in Media & Entertainment, Music Business, Technology
Tagged business, Music, Technology
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CMA Voting: Stealing the Election or Natural Selection?
So Rascal Flatts getting shut out of the Country Music Award nominations is a big deal apparently. It has also previously happened to Toby Keith and Tim McGraw at the height of their popularity too. One of the leading country … Continue reading
What Kitty Wells and Kid Rock Can Teach Us
Authenticity is so crucial for the success of our format. Nothing is worse than Nashville putting out artists and songs that are contrived and tedious. Oh wait, yes there is – radio playing them. I’ve often thought that this is … Continue reading
Pandora in Trouble?
From Brennon Slattery, PC World Blogger: Faced with huge song royalty increases, Net radio may soon face extinction. That is according to Internet radio Webcaster Pandora’s founder Tim Westergren. He told the Washington Post his popular music Webcasting site is … Continue reading
Posted in Media & Entertainment, Miscellaneous, Music Business, Technology
Tagged business, Music, Technology
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The Next Adventure
I’m now doing my thing at 1720 Entertainment. I’m thrilled to work with Bill Macky and his solid promotion team. I have worked with all but one of the crew at some point in my career and have the utmost personal and professional … Continue reading
Forward Thinking in Nashville
I LOVE THIS. Finally someone is doing something that makes sense in this town. Will it work? Based on the demo segment who purchase music from Taylor Swift I think it will. The price points may be a little high for the basic … Continue reading
Posted in Music Business
Tagged business, country, marketing, Music, Nashville, record label
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The Globalization of Country Music?
We were rolling down the road in our small bus in Kigali, Rwanda when we came to a stop in traffic. Next to us was a local man who was listening to music in his car. It was rather loud … Continue reading
Competing or Cheating?
A hypothetical situation here…… A particular segment of business has certain rules and regulations that companies are to abide by. Some are set in stone and others are unspoken rules. It essentially becomes the accepted framework of conducting fair business. Of … Continue reading
New Adventures
Sometimes it becomes necessary to make self inflicted changes or allow fate to intervene and shake things up. It is the only way you can regain a vision of the larger story, allow your dormant ideas to take actually take shape, and tackle fresh challenges … Continue reading
Industry Pro: John Pisciotta
John Pisciotta Ripcord, Inc. Previous employment/companies: Session Guitar, (Vince Gill, Pink, Amy Grant, Peter Cetera, Michael Omartian), Sony Tree writer/producer, Paradiso Music, Founder Lead Producer, Ripcord Entertainment, Founder, Creative Director Years in the biz: 14 Marital … Continue reading
Posted in Industry Pro
Tagged business, country, Music, Nashville, publishing, record label, studio
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The Strategic Marketing of Indie Labels
So many indie labels in Nashville are set up to try and compete directly with the huge corporate labels. Others are not even interested in that game and prefer to find niches and micro-markets for their artists and music. Which … Continue reading
Such is the Music Business
Thanks to all of you who have reached out today: Jesse, Jim, Beverlee, Carol, Luke, Kevin, Chris, Patches, Andy, Chad, Tim, Stephanie, Tony, Denise, Nathan, John, Mary, Frank, Rosey, Jim, Bill, Andrew, Jackie, Greg, Randy, Clayton, Tom, Jeff, Elizabeth, Brian, … Continue reading
Does Posting a Sign Make it So?
There is a sign I often see on the back of dump trucks lumbering down the interstate full of gravel, dirt and rocks. Some of the trucks have top covers and others don’t. The sign is always something like ”Not responsible for vehicle damage” or “Not … Continue reading
Sony/BMG or Just Sony?
By Eliot Van Buskirk from Wired.com The German media company Bertelsmann is considering escaping the flagging music sales industry by selling its 50 percent share in Sony/BMG to Sony. Apparently, no other parties are interested. Sony’s board is scheduled to … Continue reading
What Are Digital Sales Telling Us? Are We Listening?
Lefsetz lets loose with comments on digital sales for the week of 7/13. Here a few choice morsels that should wake you up if you are living in the past………. SINGLE TRACKS 27. Madonna (featuring Justin Timberlake) “4 Minutes” Sales … Continue reading
Mobile Platforms Not Yet Paying Off in Music Sales
From eMarketer.com: The music industry is learning a hard lesson: The mobile platform works better as a marketing and customer relationship tool than it does as a retail sales channel. “Bands and artists are increasingly using mobile to form direct … Continue reading
Get Out of the Foxhole
U.S. album sales continued a steep decline at the mid-year point with an 11% fall to 204.6 million units, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Country sales are off considerably more than that. The music business sales experts are saying that this dip is … Continue reading
Posted in Media & Entertainment, Music Business
Tagged Band of Brothers, business, marketing, Music, retail
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The Rising Cost of the Road
I’ve been talking with artists, managers, and booking agents about how gas prices are impacting artists tours, as those costs have tripled within the last 10 years. Working musicians are feeling the economic impact and it is changing the way they are doing … Continue reading
Posted in Media & Entertainment, Music Business
Tagged Artists, business, Music, shows
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Industry Pro: Beverlee Brannigan
BEVERLEE BRANNIGAN Operation Director and PD Journal KFDI/Wichita Previous Stations & Positions: KJJY/Des Moines ’81 to ’01 (Middays/Afternoons, PD) WOKQ/Dover-Portsmouth-Rochester ’79-’81 (PM Drive, Promotions) Years in the biz: 29 Marital Status: Married to Scott Kids: I … Continue reading
The Politics of Music
What do you get when you put the NAB, RIAA, Department of Commerce, artists, attorneys, and members of Congress in the same room? A mess. They are fighting it out in Washington D.C. regarding radio performance fees. Business Week has … Continue reading
Performance Royalties Battle on the Hill
From Coolfer: Opposing sides will speak tomorrow before the House Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. The issue is H.R. 4789, the Performance Rights Act, which calls for terrestrial radio to pay performance royalties for broadcasting sound recordings. … Continue reading
Posted in Music Business, Radio
Tagged broadcasting, business, copyright, Music, Radio
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Fans: Scout and Invest in Artists Online
From Digital Music News: In a democratized media environment, shouldn’t fans pick promising bands from the start? That is currently a theoretical debate, especially given the filtering role that labels have traditionally played. Of course, bands now have the ability … Continue reading
Records Labels Not Getting It Right
An excert from Jerry Del Colliano’s Inside Music Media: “They are producing too much music that is unremarkable. In an era when music is stolen and shared routinely, the labels need to focus on polishing up their best acts. They … Continue reading
Study Examines How Americans Use Internet to Buy Music
A new study by the Pew/Internet & American Life Project titled “The Internet and Consumer Choice: Online Americans Use Different Search and Purchase Strategies for Different Goods”. It examines how music is being purchased and information is gathered. Check out … Continue reading
The Sweet Spot
Successful artists typically fall into two categories: passionate art and commercial appeal. A third category, between the two sweet spots, is a gap where artists can fall into and have a hard time working out of. Seth Godin explains in his blog: … Continue reading
Posted in Media & Entertainment, Music Business
Tagged art, business, entertainment, Music, seth godin
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Guest Blogger: Koch Distribution Label Manager, David Sanders
The recent news that Wal-Mart is demanding a CD price cut from record labels sent ripples throughout the music industry. Wal-Mart is the nation’s largest music retailer, and they are threatening to pull out entirely from selling CD’s to make … Continue reading
Digital Summit Highlights: Retail
One of the more interesting panel discussions of the Leadership Music Digital Summit yesterday was “Digital Retail: What’s The Future?” On the issue of the future of CD product, UMG Nashville EVP Sales, Marketing & New Media Ben Kline said, “I can’t … Continue reading
Posted in Media & Entertainment, Music Business
Tagged business, digital, entertainment, marketing, media, Music, Technology
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Industry Pro: Tim Jones
Tim Jones Program Director – Citadel WGKX Memphis Previous employment: KBQI/KSYU Albuquerque PD Clear Channel HD Format Lab PD WDDD Marion-Carbondale, IL PD KEZS Cape Girardeau, MO PD KDXY/KDEZ Jonesboro, AR PD WYCQ Nashville, TN On-Air KFIN/KIYS Jonesboro, … Continue reading
Posted in Industry Pro, Radio
Tagged broadcasting, business, country, Memphis, Radio, Tim Jones
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Living and Working in the New World
A couple of Lefsetz gems this week: “The major labels have lost their luster. By wanting to reside in the twentieth century, by playing by old rules. By wanting instant success, instant riches, at a high price to the consumer. … Continue reading
