hypebot

20 Sneaky Rules About Being In A Band That No One Ever Told You

I'm sure at some point in your career you've heard someone say "If only I knew then what I know now" - or something to that effect. We've all been in circumstances where we could have benefited greatly from a considerate "heads up" but instead, we learned the lesson the hard way.

ADA Appoints Jessica Lehrman as Director, Business and Legal Affairs

ADA has named Jessica Lehrman as Director, Business and Legal Affairs, Previously, she was an Associate at the law firm Morrison & Foerster.  ADA is the indie label arm of the Warner Music Group and is distributor for Alligator, Beggar's, Domino, Epitaph, Matador, Merge, Nettwerk, Rykodisc, Saddle Creek, Secretly Canadian, Side One Dummy, Sub Pop and others.

Indie Labels Now Control 34.6% Of U.S. Market

According to a Billboard Magazine analysis of 2013 SoundScan statistics shared by A2IM, independent labels grabbed 34.6% U.S. of the overall recorded music market.  That's up 2% over last year and means that collectively indies outpace each of the major label groups followed by Universal, Sony and Warner Music.

12 Days of Monetization - A Summary of the 13-part Cyber PR Guest Post Series

Longtime Music Think Tank contributor Ariel Hyatt opened the floor for the best ways to build your career in 2014. Polling her own favorite contributors, she brings us a compilation of responses. Looking to make this new year the best of your career?

Lyor Cohen's 300 To "Challenge The Majors" With The Backing Of Google

By Eliot Van Buskirk of Evolver.fm.

Lyor Cohen, the music industry bigwig who began his career as Run DMC’s road manager before founding Def Jam Records and helming Warner Music Group, is launching a record label called 300, with Google as the primary investor.

While this doesn’t count as Google (owner of YouTube and Google Play Music), starting its own record label, it does reveal that Google is prepared to invest in at least partially owning music copyrights and helping to develop artists outside of the traditional label system.

Why Music Streaming Is More Lucrative For Labels [JAY FRANK]

By Jay Frank of FutureHit.DNA.

In the great streaming royalty debate, the focus has been on tiny royalty rates per stream. Artists are up in arms, many are opting out of streaming services, and the noise and debate has been growing louder. Lost in that noise is a voice that is seldom heard: that of the record companies. There’s good reason for that: they’re making more money from streaming and the future looks extremely bright for them.

David Bowie Tops 2013 UK Record Store Chart

David Bowie’s surprise release "The Next Day" was the best selling album in 2013 for the UK’s independent record shops. The Arctic Monkeys’ "AM" was #2 and Daft Punk’s "Random Access Memories" was #3 according to the Official Charts Company.  

MusicThinkTank Weekly Recap: "Pay For It, Or Lose Us" - The Challenge Facing Independent Musicians

• Mark Knight | “Pay For It, Or Lose Us” – The Challenge Facing Independent Musicians

• Mackenzie Carlin | Production and Marketing Essentials for Aspiring Music Producers

• Joshua Macrae | Can’t Buy Me ‘Likes’

Production and Marketing Essentials for Aspiring Music Producers

With the challenges of ever-evolving technology in today's music business come great opportunities for aspirining producers - if you're willing to put in the work. It is critical to make informed equipment choices, smart networking decisions, and be willing to devote a lot of time to personal development if you're serious about being successful.

"Pay For It, Or Lose Us" - The Challenge Facing Indie Artists

Now more than ever independent artists are forced to fight to be valued. Illegal downloading is going viral and the security in "being signed" just doesn't provide the foundation and financial stability it used to. In a world where digital is default and free streaming is king, how can indie artists position themselves for a successful career? The answer is - know what you're worth. Mark Knight brings us Alex Keevill's thoughts on the challenges facing today's indie artists on MusicThinkTank.com

Top Americana Albums of 2013: Jason Isbell, Steve Earle & More

The Americana Music Association has announced its year-end Top 10 & Top 100 Albums of the Year.  The chart is based on those records reported to the Americana Airplay Chart during the period of November 19, 2012 through December 2, 2013. This year’s Top Ten most played albums are:

How To Write A Song If You're Aiming For The Charts

Have you ever walked into the studio with no inspiration and bashed out a song just because you know you're supposed to? Let's be real - so has everyone else. You probably didn't like if very much and bet your fans wouldn't either... but before you went into the studio, did you think through your desired end result?

New On Hypebot's Music Industry Jobs Board: Babygrande Records, PledgeMusic and Evergreene

New on Hypebot's Jobs Board is established indie boutique Babygrande Records looking for a label manager. Also PledgeMusic is hoping to hire a Marketing Manager and world music label Evergreene Music is lon the hunt for a senior exec. Details on these opportunities and more are on  Hypebot's Music Industry Jobs Board.

HIRING?  How To Post Your Job For Just $29:

Music Business Association Adds 2 To Board

The Music Business Association (formerly NARM and digitalmusic.org) has added Glenn Dicker, co-owner of Redeye Incorporated, and Dave Zierler, President of INgrooves Music Group, to its Board of Directors. These two independent distribution representatives expand the Music Biz Board to 18 members from  different sectors of the music industry.

Top 10 Things to do (and not do) When Playing A Music Industry Showcase

On and off the stage you have to be your own best representative - that's a given in any successful career. What should you be hyper-focused on as a musician when approaching any event? Is your set list more important or your presence off-stage? The answer is both. Music Gorilla discussed the ten most important things to consider when playing a showcase on MusicThinkTank.com

Getting It Done: The Week In D.I.Y. & Indie Music

• Inside CD Baby: 5M Tracks from 330,000 Artists
• Crowdfund Cover Song Music Videos With Song Backer
• Marketing Your Music Blog With Just 3 Tools
• Sonicbids To Go Offline For "Re-launch" This Weekend
• Artful.ly Ticketing and Donor Management Tools Now Available In Web-hosted Edition

MusicThinkTank Weekly Recap: How To Make Money With Music: Gigging & More

• Shaun Letang |  How To Make Money With Music, part 1: Gigging

• Ariel Hyatt | 49 Female Music Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Advice (Part 2)

• Matthew Myers | Independent Recording Artist Development in 2014

Independent Recording Artist Development in 2014

The game is ever changing for independent artists entering the new music business. It's important that you understand your role as well as the roles of others in order to break into this world successfully and professionally. Matthew Meyers gives us a look from the inside the step by step process of indie artist development on MusicThinkTank.com

London Rules Record Stores: From Rough Trade NYC To First 3D Record Printing Popup Shop

Though you can't quite call it a comeback, indie record stores in the States are making news with events like Back To Black Friday. But the biggest news draws on England's love of vinyl with the opening of Rough Trade NYC adding to two London locations. The Guardian has an interactive digital presence in one of Rough Trade NYC's shipping containers. London will also host the first 3d record printing shop and the citiy's Independent Label Market manifests in LA later this month.

DETAILS:

New On The Jobs Board: Label Manager @ Evergreene Music, Viacom, Smithsonian Folkways & More

New on Hypebot's Jobs Board is world music label Evergreene Music seeking a label manager. There are also positions open at Viacom Music Group, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and more. Details on all of these opportunities are on Hypebot's Music Industry Jobs Board.

HIRING?  How To Post Your Job:

Getting It Done: The Week In D.I.Y. & Indie Music

• Between Art and Business: A Musician As A Startup
• When Asked To Play For Free These Musicians Had Sharp Comebacks
• TuneCore Partners With INDMUSIC To Monetize YouTube Videos
• TuneGO Building Musician Discovery Platform That May Actually Help Artists
• Matt And Kim Play Secret Santa For Fans Plus Ideas For Making The Most Of The Holidays

MORE:

As NoiseTrade Plans To Add Writers, How Are The Musicians Doing?

NoiseTrade is one of the quietest of the music tech startups that I consider top of the class. But now that they're planning to add a section for writers, called NoiseTrade Books, they're making a bit more noise. I spoke this week with co-founder Brannon McAllister about how NoiseTrade has been doing and why it's still a great tool for artists seeking to raise their profile. And I include some thoughts of my own on why giving away music for free can sometimes be a smart thing to do.

iOS Music Community Rebrands As Apptronica, Launches Netlabel and Digital Magazine

Back in April Clif Johnston launched the iOS Music Community to connect musicians and app developers focused on making music with the iPad, iPhone and/or iPod. Now he's taking things a step further by rebranding as Apptronica, launching a new site and adding both a netlabel, to release iOS recordings, and a digital magazine that should be on the iTunes newsstand any day now. So far it seems to be a rather small endeavor but it's an excellent example of creating a community to raise the profile of a unique musical niche.

Getting It Done: The Week In D.I.Y. & Indie Music

• How To Be Creative On A Limited Video Budget
• Marketing Your BitTorrent Music Bundle
• How Music Licensing Fits Into One Indie Act's Approach To Marketing
• Google Keyword Alternatives For Music Marketing
• The Music Alliance Gives Monmouth University Students Professional Industry Experience
• Pick A Band Name While Streaming Bandcamp Music

Beggars' Martin Mills Reelected Merlin Chairman, 2 Join Board

Indie global rights agency Merlin  has announced the results of the biennial election for its 15 seat board. Beggars Group founder Martin Mills who will continue as Merlin chairman. Erik Gilbert (Essential Music & Marketing USA) and Ashley Whitfield (Evolution Music Hong Kong) join the board for the first time.

Full Board Lineup