Category: Management

Web site Pitchfork weighs in on today’s country music.

Nashville Star’s promising sixth season got underway last night (6/9) on a new network—NBC—and clearly separated itself from past iterations. Production values are noticeably improved, but in reality, it’s the show’s professional cast that turns straw into gold. The 90-minute weekly episodes are judged by industry icons Jewel, John Rich and Jeffrey Steele. Billy Ray [...]

John Rich’s Get Rich Talent Search hosted its second competition at 12th & Porter last night (4/29). Nine acts competed for fame and glory, plus cash prizes in front of eight industry judges including ASCAP’s Connie Bradley, Warner Bros. A&R VP Tracy Gershon, CMA leader Tammy Genovese, Manager Marc Oswald, Billboard writer Ken Tucker, Producer/Warner [...]

Part of the fun of working in the music industry is getting to work with artists and other celebrities, but should the rules of conduct for industry professionals be different than for fans when it comes to dealing with artists? Music Row publicists are divided on this issue.
After bringing her star client to a recent, [...]

Universal, Warner Bros. and Sony BMG have been holding back DRM-free license approval from iTunes while extending that approval to Amazon.com and some other startups. Only EMI has offered its music in DRM-free, MP3 format to both vendors. This marketplace inequality appears to be a punitive measure against Apple, for refusing to agree to label [...]

Following recent artist testimony on the issue at a Senate Judiciary Hearing, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) plus Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA) and Darrell Issa (R-CA) jointly introduced legislation that would compell AM and FM radio to compensate artists and labels when their performances are broadcast over the air.

Traditionally, record labels prospered using the 80/20 or 90/10 rule. If one or two, out of every ten new artist signings succeeded, a label would be profitable. In fact, up until a few years ago, the payoffs were so great that no one stopped to consider why a company would endure a business model with [...]