hypebot

Chris Anderson: "Labels The Least Important Part"

"We wrongly correlated, or equated, the music industry with the record labels. It now turns out in fact that the labels are now the least important part. If you look at the rest of the industry now, from the bands to the fans from Apple to tour promoters, everyone’s doing OK, except for the labels. So there’s really nothing wrong with the music industry; we’re just redefining what it is."

- "Free" author Chris Anderson in an interview with Times UK

I'll Be At The New Music Seminar In NYC Next Week. Will You?

It's shaping up to be quite a day with Tom Silverman, Ian Rogers, Courtney Holt, Jeff Price, Terry McBride, and many more. More info here.

A New New MySpace Is Coming

Following some serious staff shakeups and layoffs, comes word that MySpace is going to reposition itself yet again as an entertainment portal.

In a brief interview with the Wall Street Journal, News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch said MySpace needs to be re-focused "as an entertainment portal." Mr. Murdoch described his vision for MySpace as a place where "people are looking for common interests." If plans continue to follow Murdoch's vision, music would become even more important to the social networking site.

How would you remake MySpace?

TechCrunch Dominates New Hype Machine Chart With A Single Tweet

Chart Troubles Continue At The Hype Machine

Top tech blog TechCrunch thought that the methodology behind the new Hype Machine Twitter music chart was a bit simplistic; so it decided to test the system. When a single tweet to the writer's 7000+ followers placed a song at #24 on The Hype Machine chart, he decided to tweet a link to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”  from the TechCrunch Twitter account which has 916,735 followers. The result was an almost instant #1. (click on image to enlarge)

This laltest test comes just days after Hype Machine outed a group of artists for trying to manipulate its "popular" chart. As TechCrunch suggests, maybe its time to stick with the We Are Hunted Twitter chart while The Hype Machine adjusts is methodology.

Hypebot Readers Don't Think Much Of Perez Hilton's New WMG Label

As of Tuesday morning, only 12% thought that Perez might have a ear for hits.

Online Surveys & Market Research

One Reason U2 Moved From Apple To Blackberry

The net was buzzing when U2 moved from beloved Apple to utilitarian Blackberry.  Why? How could it happen? Well, can you imagine Apple giving the band this much face time in a short ad?  And of course there is the money thing...

Tuesday's Music Brief: WMG & YouTube, Microsoft Takes On Spotify, EMI, Pandora, OurStage & More

Sorry for somewhat abbreviated editions of Hypebot the last two days.  I'm both battling a bug and traveling.  A truly fun combination.  I promise to cover (or at least point you towards coverage) and be back at full force in a day or two. - Bruce Houghton

• Warner Music Group and YouTube are talking again about royalties and getting WMG bands back on the popular video service.. (cNet)
• Microsoft is gearing up to launch a music streaming service similar to Spotify by the end of this month. (Telegraph) This may be UK only for now.  I've asked for clarification.
• Report: EMI is cutting back on the number of small record stores that it will sell to direct. (Wayne's World) Has anyone gotten these calls?  I'd love to here more.
• A look at how a handful of record stores like the UK's Rough Trade and US' Amoeba are reinventing themselves and thriving. (FT)
• Pandora now pushing radio to pay for music, too. - US radio stations don't pay performers and producers for the music they play, but the recording industry hopes to change that with a new performance rights bill in Congress. Webcaster Pandora has jumped into the fray on the side of the artists and labels, asking why radio gets a free ride when Pandora does not. (ars)
• Bob Frank is leaving E1/Koch and Alan Grunblatt has been promoted to president. (Billboard)
• OurStage raising more funding. (TechCrunch)
• 10 Weird Ways To Distribute Music. (Epicenter)

Survey Say Streaming Music Cutting Piracy

UK Music fans are turning their backs file-sharing in favor of streaming and other ways of sharing music, especially amongst teens, according to the latest survey by The Leading Question and Music Ally of 1000 music fans:

• The overall percentage of music fans file-sharing every month) has gone down since the last survey from 22% December 2007 to 17% in January 2009.
• The biggest drop in those regularly file-sharing occurred amongst 14-18 year olds. in December 2007 42% of 14-18s were file sharing at least once a month. In January 2009 this was down to just 26%.

All this is despite the fact that the percentage of music fans who have ever file-shared increased  from 28% in December 2007 to 31% in January 2009.

Is EMI's Fate In The Hands Of Troubled Citibank?

Terra Firma Prepares Another $486M Injection, If...

(UPDATED) Publicly EMI is touting its success with Lily Allen, Coldplay and Akon  They are also reportedly sitting on a treasure trove of unreleased Michael Jackson songs. But The Guardian is reporting that behind the scenes, EMI continues to have severe financial troubles and owner Terra Firma may have to come to the rescue with £300 million ($486 million USD).

Before Terra Firma injects those millions, however, they are asking  the holder of the lions share of EMI's £2.5BN debt,  Citibank, to accept a £500m write off. If the troubled bank refuses,;the future of EMI becomes uncertain.

 Enter Edgar The Savior ?

Perez Hilton Prances Into Warners As Predicted

What has been common gossip column gossip knowledge for months has come true.  Hollywood gossip whore Perez Hilton has been given his own record label by Warner Music.

Showing his deep intellectual grasp of the industry, Hilton told Entertainment Weekly, "I have an ear, which is really important in the music world - to be able to hear a hit and to be able to know who has a good song or not…".  And it appears that Hilton is part of Warner's promised 360 deal revolution, " I'm more than just an A&R person. I'm also a marketing person. I'm also a manager."

Perez's dubious claim to A&R fame is the he was an early supporter of Mika and Lady Gaga. ""I saw the potential in her from the very beginning before any one else." He'll announce his first signing later this money. (I wonder where all will be revealed?)

Do you think giving Perez Hilton his own record label was a smart move for Warner Brothers or if this just another example of a major label throwing money down the drain?

VOTE & COMMENT HERE.

Vote: Is Warners Crazy To Give Perez Hilton His Own Record Label?

Online Surveys & Market Research

Vote and then tell us what you really think in the comments section.

Pandora Gets Another $35 Million

Are royalty rates still too high for internet broadcasters to survive?  Many say yes, but a group of investors apparently disagree and have pumped $35 million into Pandora. Greylock is leading the round, with partner David Sze joining the board of directors, the company confirmed to peHUB, but they declined to comment on the round's size or valuation,

Pandora had previously raised $29 million, from Crosslink Capital, DBL Investors, Hearst Corp., Labrador Ventures, Selby Venture Partners and WaldenVC.

Concert Ticket Sales Slump? Live Nation's All-In Offer Expands Beyond The Cheap Seats

Are Ticket Sales In A Slump?

All summer long Live Nation has been running 24 hour sales on lawn seats for its amphitheater shows.  But this week the sale expands from the lawn all the way into the coveted reserve seats.

On Wednesday July 15th, in addition to the all-in $29.99 lawn ticket, fans can now also choose select $49.99 all-in reserved seats for many Live Nation amphitheater concerts. These all-in prices include a ticket, parking, ticketing fees, a hot dog and a soda.  Tickets for this week's installment of "No Service Fee Wednesday" go on sale at 12:01 a.m. local time at www.LiveNation.com.

Derek Sivers: Barking

CD Baby founder Derek Sivers has devoted his own chapter two to projects that benefit the indie music community.  In this essay "Barking", Sivers shares some a bit of advice most of us involved in marketing music (and ourselves) need to pay attention to:

In New York City last week, across from the library, there was a man pacing on the sidewalk, barking something hysterically at the top of his lungs. Everyone was avoiding him, even crossing the street to avoid getting anywhere near him.

It wasn’t until I listened closer I realized he was working for a local business, yelling, “20% coupons for window shades! 20% off! Window shades! Get your coupons here!”

Painfully ineffective.

Today I’m in Union Square on the 20th floor. In the big white noise of the city, only one voice sticks out. For the last 3 days, someone has been yelling in the park for hours a day, barking the same high constant monotone pitch (an F that falls to a D at the end of each sentence.)

Monday's Music Brief: Sivers, EMI, Perez, Jack White, Music Hack Day, 3 Strikes & More

HYPEBOT FEATURES:

• Derek Sivers: Barking
• Survey Say Streaming Music Cutting Piracy
• Is EMI's Fate In The Hands Of Troubled Citibank?
• Perez Hilton Prances Into Warners As Predicted
• VOTE: Is Warners Crazy To Give Perez Hilton His Own Record Label?
• Pandora Gets Another $35 Million
• Concert Ticket Sales Slump? Live Nation's All-In Offer Expands Beyond The Cheap Seats
• Two Great Michael Jackson "Beat It" Flash Mobs
• REWIND: The New Music Industry's Week In Review

MORE MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS:

• The Wall Street Journal takes a look inside the growing Jack White (White Stripes) empire.
• Music Hack Day throws up some nifty music-tech mashups. (Music Ally)
• French 3 strikes law returns with judicial oversight. (ars)
• Orange Music Store launches unlocked music downloads. (press release)
• Music research recap from Nielsen, Harvard, Berkeley (Billboard)
• Bricks in iPod boxes? Yup and here is the retail employee perspective. (ars)
• Congressman Asks Justice Department to Block Live Nation/Ticketmaster Merger (Wired)
• Live365 Says Webcaster Agreement Doesn't Fit All Sizes (FMQB)

Two Great Michael Jackson "Beat It" Flash Mobs

Flash mobs start with a few text messages to friends to gather at a public place.  Usually there's an action planned.  Something simple and direct that would also draw in anyone who just happened to be around.  Check out the two Sockholm flash mobs from July 8th inspired by Michael Jackson's "Beat It". ( @tommiesunshine via Daily Swarm)

REWIND: The New Music Industry's Week In Review

• Master Shortie: "A Blacklisted Artist Responds To Hype Machine"
• An insider's view of Amanda Palmer's success
• Indie distributor Lumberjack Mordam went out of business
• Moby's top selling track is also the one that he's giving away for free
• Webcaster's reached a new royalty deal but Pandora announced that it is limiting free users to 40 hours a month
• Does the death of Michael Jackson mark "The End Of The Era Of Celebrity?"
• The internet held up well under the Michael Jackson onslaught
• ASCAP wants to get paid for YouTube videos embedded on other sites.
• TuneCore has partnered with Universal Music and founder Jeff Price explains the deal.
• Nine Inch Nail's Trent Reznor on  "What To Do As A New / Unknown Artist"
• Hypebot joins 5 bloggers advising Indie Artist X
• A2IM's new manifesto charts a course or the future of indie music.
• As part of a site overhaul rates are going up for downloads sold from CD Baby's site
• Bandcamp: a place where albums still outsell singles.
• Beck re-records classic albums or free series
• Watch: Probably The Best Collaborative Music Video Ever
• Read Chris Anderson's important new book "Free" for free
• Spotify is looking for ways to raise cash
• Help improve Hypebot's list of artists who "made it" without major label support

ASCAP Wants $'s For Embedded YouTube Videos

ASCAP sent a collection letter to Jason Calacanis  seeking payment for YouTube videos embedded on his Mahalo site. Based on what the group told Valleywag, many music bloggers should also be concerned:

"ASCAP does not offer licenses to – or require licenses from – those who simply make their personal blogs available on purely noncommercial Web sites. Mahalo.com is a larger venture than simply a personal blog, and therefore ASCAP is engaged in discussions with Mr. Calacanis concerning the use of ASCAP members' music on the site."

It's not the first time that ASCAP has sent such letters.  So far YouTube has told recipients to refer the group back to them. But recently a judge ruled Google owed ASCAP $1.6 million and a court battle coninues. But how long will Google continue to defend bloggers who post thousands of videos woith music daily?

Zookz: Unlimited Downloads For One Monthly Fee

Antigua Based Site Says Not Subject To US Copyright Law

$9.85 per month for unlimited music or movie downloads and $17.95 per month for both.  One can already imagine the RIAA lawyers drawing straws to see who gets to spend some time on the Caribbean isle of Antigua litigating against Zookz.com..

Currently just 50,000 tracks and 1500 movies are available for downloading from their "safe database" but many more are promised.  Is it legal?  The site claims to be covered by a 2005 WTO Trade agreement between the US and Antigua. It's hard to imagine that will stand for long. But iif you're willing to share your credit card info then cancel you vacation plans, fire up your hard drive(s) and let the downloading begin.

TuneCore's Jeff Price Clarifies Universal Deal

From an email to Tunecore users sent late yesterday about the announcement of a new alliance with Universal:

Today, TuneCore announced a new partnership with Universal distribution and its record labels Interscope, Universal Republic, Island/DefJam, Motown, Geffen and more

So let me answer the big question right out the gate - no, we are not now owned by Universal.  This was a deal I did solely to provide artists more choices and options, the details of which you can read below.

Trent Reznor: What To Do As A New / Unknown Artist

This post on Trent Reznor's NIN blog is a must read from an artist who has helped re-write the rules of modern music marketing. I've added bold type to some passages for emphasis.

"I posted a message on Twitter yesterday stating I thought The Beastie Boys and TopSpin Media "got it right" regarding how to sell music in this day and age. Here's a link to their store: illcommunication.beastieboys.com]

Shortly thereafter, I got some responses from people stating the usual "yeah, if you're an established artist - what if you're just trying to get heard?" argument. In an interview I did recently this topic came up and I'll reiterate what I said here.

If you are an unknown / lesser-known artist trying to get noticed / established:

* Establish your goals. What are you trying to do / accomplish? If you are looking for mainstream super-success (think Lady GaGa, Coldplay, U2, Justin Timberlake) - your best bet in my opinion is to look at major labels and prepare to share all revenue streams / creative control / music ownership. To reach that kind of critical mass these days your need old-school marketing muscle and that only comes from major labels. Good luck with that one.

If you're forging your own path, read on.

United Airlines Destroys A Guitar And Gets A Viral Country Hit In Return

Halifax musician Dave Carroll went viral to protest the behavior of United Airlines and its treatment of his Taylor guitar. "United Breaks Guitars," which was posted on YouTube Monday has already exceeded 600,000 views. Carroll was flying with his band, saw a United crew member tossing their guitars while loading them into the plane and then spent a year fighting the airline to get them to replace his $3,500 broken beauty.

Rates Go Up For Downloads Sold From CD Baby Site

CD Baby is upping the rate it charges artists for downloads sold direct from it's site from 9% to 25% with a 27 cent minimum.  CD Baby blamed the increase in credit card fees which range from "27¢ (for a single) to over 50¢ (for an album or CD sale) per transaction". Commissions on downloads sold through Amazon, iTunes and other digital retailers will remain 9%.

The move is part of a site revamp going live this weekend that includes the addition of single song downloads, artist pages as well as the standard album pages, download card printing and an upload utility that eliminates the need to mail in a CD.

Friday's Music Brief: Unlimited Downloads, Reznor's Advice, Webcaster Woes, Critique Of Free & More

HYPEBOT FEATURES:

• ASCAP Wants $'s For Embedded YouTube Videos
  
• Zookz: Unlimited Downloads For One Monthly Fee
• TuneCore's Jeff Price Clarifies Universal Deal
• Trent Reznor: What To Do As A New / Unknown Artist
• United Airlines Destroys A Guitar And Gets A Viral Country Hit In Return
• Rates Go Up For Downloads Sold From CD Baby Site

MORE MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS:

• Hold on, Pandora didn’t save all Internet radio, (VentureBeat)
• Live365 Decries Webcasting Rate Deal; Submits Own Proposal (DMW)
• Universal Music and Gemalto Join Forces to Distribute Music Through Combination of DVD and SIM Card (press release)
• "Everything Is Wrong With Free Moby MP3 Story" - Glenn Peoples @ Billboard takes an intellectual swipe at those (including me and the artist himself) who believe that giving the track away free helped make it the top iTunes seller on his new album. (Billboard)
• French Senate approves new
• Ted Cohen: Sustainability And The Future Of Webcasting (MidemNet)
• Kazaa Uses RIAA Victim Jammie Thomas in PR-Campaign (TorrentFreak)

A2IM Charts A Course For The Future Of Indie Music

ONLY 6000 OF THE 105,000 ALBUMS RELEASED IN 2008
SOLD MORE THAN 1000 COPIES

During the recent 4th anniversary meetings of the American Association Of Independent Music (A2IM) members gathered in think-tank sessions to "do the serious work of charting a course for the future of independent music".   The result are two brief manifestos (my term, not theirs) that say a great deal about how independent labels view themselves and the future course being charted by its most active members.

Navigating The Future

Record labels need to consider and embrace changes in their structures and missions. All labels must consider themselves music companies, and must maximize their and their artists' income through a variety of revenue streams in a post album-centric world. Labels must explore all facets of the business, from syncs to video game placements to wireless, mine new emerging revenue streams, and craft bespoke contracts customized to each artist's individual needs. Music companies must innovate -- to help artists stay connected to their fans, and generate revenue in a way that transcends the now archaic traditional album cycle. Increasingly, labels must take a new approach to staffing -- the A&R department has to think financially, and the accountants have to be passionate about their label's music. In short, the next generation of successful music companies will have a nimble staff with the flexibility to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing music marketplace.

 Labels Matter

TuneCore Partners With Universal Music

 

(UPDATED) An upstart digital distributor that made a name for itself by criticizing the major labels has now joined hands with one. TuneCore has entered into a strategic alliance with Universal Music Distribution, the sales and marketing arm of the Universal Music Group.

TuneCore will host distribution portals for UMG's labels as well as partner labels and artists. As an artist develops, they'll have access  to a number of artist discovery, marketing and upstreaming opportunities within the UMGD system.

Last year Universal made a major investment in digital distributor INgrooves in part to be able to use its technology. These moves appear designed to give the major label group greater involvement with  a larger piece of the growing long tail of artists in their early stages. Whether Universal made an investment here is unclear, but according to Tunecore neither party will be taking rights or revenues from participating artists.

UMGD will also provide TuneCore's customers with a menu of artist services, including licensing opportunities and professional audio mastering. Additionally, Guitar Center, also a TuneCore investor and strategic partner, will provide to UMGD access to its entire chain of over 200 nationwide as a non-traditional retail channel for the sale of physical product which includes select TuneCore Artist titles.

The usually fiercely independent CEO of Tunecore Jeff Price has nothing but praise for Universal.

There's Still A Place Where Albums Outsell Singles

Many say that the album is dead and they have the proof. According to Nielsen SoundScan, sales of individual digital tracks led digital album sales by 16 to 1 (1.07 billion to 65 million) in 2008. 

But there ares still places where the album reins supreme. Digital delivery and marketing platform Bandcamp says that their albums outsell tracks 2 to 1. 66% of paid downloads on Bandcamp are for albums, compared to only about 6% for the greater Nielsen reporting world. They postulate that a number of factors contribute to the stunning difference in album interest:

• Most Bandcamp artists are indie and attract fans more interested in complete works than the average Hannah Montana/Lady Gaga flavor of the moment consumer 
• You can listen before you buy via Bandcamp.  Not just 30 second samples, but rather the whole album.
• iTunes and others price most CD's at $10. Bandcamp artists have found that name your own price with a $5 minimum is a real sweet spot.
• iTunes and others encourage single track purchases with page layouts, buy buttons and featured tracks

But even on Bandcamp what constitutes an album is evolving. 

First Music Video Shot On An iPhone

Impressive video results from an iPhone from small Ohio production house for Showdown "Play" by BJSR.   More @ Wired

Bertlesmann & KKR Launch Music Rights Biz

Bertelsmann AG and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts have creates a joint venture to develop a global music rights management business. Bertelsmann will contribute its BMG Rights Management music rights unit and own 49% of the joint venture. Bertelsmann AG's Hartwig Masuch, currently CEO of BMG Rights Management, will continue as CEO of the new company.

BMG had sold its recorded music holdings to Sony last year, but retained its signifigant publishing interests.

Kazaa Adds HD Video Sharing

Kazaa is planning to release a major new service will allow members the ability to upload and share their standard and HD videos direct with the Kazaa community. The addition will allow for home videos and HD quality movies to be transferred for free including via mobile devices without restriction.

After being sued by rights holders Kazza launced a subscription-based service with Brilliant Digital Entertainment (BDE) With the Kazaa service you get unlimited access to CD-quality tracks for a monthly fee of $19.98/mo and play those files on up to 3 devices. (more)

Thursday's Music Brief: A2IM, TuneCore + Universal, RIAA #'s, Pitchfork, New Music Seminar & More

HYPEBOT FEATURES:

• A2IM Charts A Course For The Future Of Indie Music
• TuneCore Partners With Universal Music
• There's Still A Place Where Albums Outsell Single
• Bertlesmann & KKR Launch Music Rights Biz
• First Music Video Shot On An iPhone
• Kazaa Adds HD Video Sharing
• Indie Distributor Lumberjack Mordam Goes Under
• Pandora Limits Users To 40 Hours Per Month

MORE MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS:

• Has the RIAA sued 18,000 people... or 35,000? Ars examines the extent of the recording industry's legal war on file-sharing by answering one question: just how many people have been sued, anyway?
• As Music Mags Fall, Pitchfork Is Booming - While publications like Blender and Vibe die off, a Chicago fan site is surviving--and thriving. (Forbes)
• MidemNet has announced that Peter Gelb, General Manager of New York’s Metropolitan Opera, will deliver a keynote in Cannes in January. At the crossroads of live classical music and digital, Gelb will outline how new technologies have revitalized the Met, both widening and monetizing its audience.
• Google, YouTube Win Dismissal Of Some Damages Claims (Reuters)
• The Beastie Boys and Topspin offer another great example of multi-tiered pricing. (Beastie Boys) My one criticism is that there's not a $5-10 option (maybe for a sampler) for the more casual fan. A $16.99 download makes folks want to visit Pirate Bay.
• The New Music Seminar has issued the final program for its July 21st NYC session: It includes Cortney Holt of MySpace, Nettwerk CEO Terry McBride; S Curve founder/CEO and Nabbr chairman Steve Greenberg; Pandora's Tim Wintergreen and me (among a slew of others). See you there.
• Dear EMI: Pretending The Old World Still Exists Won't Get You Into The 21st Century (Techdirt)

Indie Distributor Lumberjack Mordam Goes Under

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.

Pandora Limits Users To 40 Hours Per Month

Yesterday, webcasters reached a settlement with SoundExchange that saw rates rise, but not to the stratospheric levels feared. Most involved praised the agreement; Pandora among them.  To help absorb the higher costs, Pandora will cap listeners at 40 a month unless they pay 99 cents to unlock the service for the remainder of the month.  From their blog:

The revised royalties are quite high - higher in fact than any other form of radio. As a consequence, we will have to make an adjustment that will affect about 10% of our users who are our heaviest listeners. Specifically, we are going to begin limiting listening to 40 hours per month on the free version of Pandora.

Read Chris Anderson's New Book "Free" For Free

Wired Editor Chris Anderson's new book "Free: The Future of a Radical Price" is already creating controversy and discussion  across the net.  "Free" has particular significance to artists and labels who use free songs to attract new fans, as well as, their entire industry which has been turned upside down by free access to music via file-sharing networks. The book explores the Free model from all angles ,both current and historic, and reading an advance copy inspired me to think about my own business ventures in many new ways.

True to its title, "Free" is being made available at no cost in a variety of formats over a variety of periods from limited to forever.  You can buy a harcover copy of "Free", download a free copy of the audiobook as a zipped mp3 file or read it in its entirety for free right here on Hypebot. The reader after the jump expands to full screen. Bookmark this page and come back to read more....while it's still available.  Free is not always free forever. 

The End Of The Era Of Celebrity?

The death of Michael Jackson has given voice again to the chorus claiming that the era of the celebrity is over.  There fall of mass media and the rise of niche sub-cultures would seem to preclude future megastars.  But Creative Class author Richard Florida writing for The Atlantic says that just the opposite may be true:

"The big mistake of most chroniclers of popular culture is that they see only one side of digital technology. It is true that new technology enables niche acts to reach larger markets, giving rise to the Long Tail phenomenon identified by Chris Anderson. But the long tail is only part of the story of the transformation wrought by high-speed digital networks...Now, Harvard's Anita Elberse and PRS's Will Page are finding that, in the digital age, even though the tail is long but thin, the head remains "fat." In fact, if you take power laws seriously, the head of the tail should grow in proportion to the length of the tail - getting fatter as the tail gets longer."

Internet Holds Up Under Jackson Onslaught

(UPDATED) Some complained of choppy streams as they watched Michael Jackson's memorial service online yesterday, but for the most part the internet the internet held up well during one of its busiest days ever.

Web analytics firm Akamai measured a peak of 3 million simultaneous video streams as of 3PM EST. That's three times the normal traffic, but less than the 7 million streams during the Obama inauguration. Facebook said that 30 minutes after the start of the service, 800k status updates had flowed through their system. CNN delivered 8.9 million live streams during the event, according to TechCrunch, and  Ustream delivered 4.6 million.

More: The Trouble With MySpace Is Michael Jackson

Follow Indie Artist X Project Via Twitter

Yesterday I shared that I had joined 5 other music industry bloggers and consultants led by KnowTheMusicBiz.com's David Rose in offering free advice to an aspiring indie artist that we'll only identify as Indie Artist X  during the launch of his d.i.y. release and tour.

You can follow the action and get some of the same information and advice that we're sharing with Indie Artist X by following the team members via Twitter:

@cameronmizell,  @dbrose67,  @miserylovesco,  @hypebot, @educ8r3 @katieacrain,  @artistshouse,  @mountflorida and #IAXP

An overview or our constantly evolving plan can also be viewed here,

Martin Atkins Wants To Teach You To Thrive In The New Music Industry

I don't know Martin Atkins personally,  but people that I trust tell me that this guy is the real deal.  I do know that he was the drummer in Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, has run the successful indie label Invisible for years and more recently also dedicated some of his boundless energy to teach artists and indie entrepreneurs how to navigate and maybe even thrive in the new music industry or music 2.0 or whatever you want to call this messy yet grand experiment we're all participating in.

He's calling the Chicago based school Revolution Number Three and what intrigues me the most about what Martin is doing is that it's totally hands on - build a recording studio, edit a budget video, put together a compilation album for a local club, etc.

c/o pop Convention Gathers Momentum

With Popkomm taking a year off, the importance of the c/o pop - Pop Culture 2.0 gathering August 12-16 in Cologne, Germany has increased exponentially.

The organizers have risen to the challenge with an impressive array of speakers including the always opinionated Peter Jenner, Jim Griffin of Choruss, Band Metric's Duncan Freeman and representatives of EMI, SoundCoud, Mute and others. More are confirming daily, but you can read the current list here. China 2.0 is a topic seldom seen on conference agendas but covered at Pop Culture 2.0. A substantial schedule of live performances will also run concurrently.

(Updated) Just added:

Wednesday's Music Brief: Free "Free", Martin Atkins, Slump Continues, iLike & More

HYPEBOT FEATURES:

• Read Chris Anderson's New Book "Free" For Free
• The End Of The Era Of Celebrity?
• Internet Holds Up Under Jackson Onslaught
• Martin Atkins Wants To Teach You To Thrive In The New Music Industry
• Follow Indie Artist X Project Via Twitter
• c/o pop Convention Gathers Momentum
• Pandora, Other Webcasters Reach Royalty Deal

MORE MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS:

• Music Business Can't Shake Slump: Album sales for the first half of 2009 are down 15% from the same period in 2008. (The Wrap)
• UK Govt Says Needs More Time to Reduce P2P (ZeroPaid)
• SoundExchange shares details of the new webcaster royalty agreement. (SoundExchange)
• iLike has a 24 hour advance exclusive of The Dead Walkers. Jack White joined forces with Alison Mosshart (The Kills), Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs) and Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) to form the new band. Listen here.
• How A Buzz Band Became A Buzz Band: A Rural Alberta Advantage Case Study (Hit Singularity)
• Twitter as music marketing tool. (cNet)
• From Nashville's recent Leadership Music Digital Summit: The music industry's prime mission is to service the consumer - and, while they're at it, to think of that person primarily as a fan rather than, at least initially, a targeted potential buyer. As stated by Duncan Freeman, President, Bandmetrics, at 'Drastic Measures: New Metrics in the Music Business,' "It's not mainly about sales anymore. Sales are a byproduct of that meaningful relationship" between artists and fans."  (Cybergrass)

Pandora, Other Webcasters Reach Royalty Deal

After two year of wrangling, "pure-play webcasters" (those who do not also broadcast over the air or are part of large corporations) have reached a settlement for royalty payments to SoundExchange. Online broadcasters like Pandora, AccuRadio, Digitally Imported and Radioio are all included in the agreement.

On his RAIN blog, one of the chief industry negotiators, Kurt Hanson of AccuRadio wrote:

    "This agreement has three main benefits for those who choose to elect it:

(1) It cuts the CRB per-performance rates for 2007-10 by approximately a third to a half.

An Insider's View Of Amanda Palmer's Success

Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls has shown very public disdain for her record label Roadrunner/WMG. So when she made a splash recently by earning $19,000 in 10 hours on Twitter, some in the indie community saw it as affirmation that Palmer's well tuned social marketing skills rather than her label were responsible for her success. Others retorted that the primary reason that Palmer had so many Twitter followers was because of previous promotion by Roadrunner.

Which is correct? Is Amanda Palmer a success because of or despite her relationship with her record label? To find out more, Hypebot turned to Emily White of Whitesmith Entertainment who has a long history with Palmer and the Dresden Dolls"

I tour managed The Dresden Dolls from 2003-2006 and later co-managed the band as well as managed the launch of Amanda Palmer's solo career.  The band self-booked a spring 2004 tour around SXSW hitting everything from sports bars to a bbq restaurant.  They had no label, publicist, radio promo, agent, etc. to help book or promote the shows.  Before hitting the road, I thought, "who is going to turn up to these shows outside of the Northeast? (as the band is from Boston).  How will anyone know about them?"

But kids DID turn up.  Whether it was 100 folks in Carbondale, IL or the amazing show Appalachian State University students put together in Boone, NC, the tour was a smashing indie success.  I asked the fans at the merch table and the folks who helped us put the shows together how they knew about the band.  The answers were consistently along the lines of "my cousin in Vermont IM'd me," "my boyfriend sent me a CD from Boston," or "someone forwarded me one of their mailers."  It was true word-of-mouth about an incredible new band, fostered by Amanda and Brian's commitment to playing killer shows, writing personalized mailers and signing an autograph for every fan who wanted one, no matter how many hours it took.

Around that time the band also signed to Roadrunner Records. 

Hypebot Joins 5 Bloggers Advising Indie Artist X

I've joined 5 music industry bloggers and consultants led by KnowTheMusicBiz.com's David Rose in offering free advice to an aspiring indie artist that we'll only identifyi Indie Artist X as launches a d.i.y. release and tour. Our constantly evolving plan can be viewed at any time here.

Why all the secrecy? This is in part an experiment to see if our collective daily pontifications have any real impact and we don't want who we are to influence (positively or negatively) how others in the industry treat the artist.

Indie Artist X is a talented, hard working musician who has had 2 previous records released by a very small indie label. This record is being released 100% d.i.y. and he does not have a booking agent or manager. He does have a day job and a wifebut his goal is to make music his full time career. We'll share his identy once the project ends at the end of October.

Each advisor is responsible for an an area of the artist's career: