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Don’t ask me why I’m feeling angry at artist packaging by the music industry. I’m just an angry young man. Well, I used to be young. I have a lot of respect now for Questlove, especially after seeing this clip. The meat of the clip is at 4:48.
If this clip makes you mad, you’ll understand what kind of mood I’m in.
To really get your blood pressure up, read this: http://www.cosellout.com/?p=6
Jack met his girlfriend 8 years ago before he became a famous bass player. Now she’s suing him because he recently purchased a house and didn’t put her name on the title.
She says she supported him for 8 years financially and they had agreed to divide his spoils when he finally made the big time. Until then, she bought him everything (clothes, bass strings, alcohol, etc…) he needed to become a big rock star bass player. Last year he made enough to buy a house and she was left off the title. A clear violation of the 50-50 split agreement, she says.
He says there was no such agreement. She was indeed once his girlfriend, and he let her move into his house in 2007 but after a year, he asked her to leave. She refuses to leave and refuses to return his vintage collection of 300+ vinyl lps. He evicts her. She files a lawsuit asking for 100K in damages and her half of the proceeds of the “partnership” assets.
According to the legal papers he filed in response to her lawsuit:
“Only now, since Mr. Lawrence’s success with his band The Raconteurs, does she seek to reap the benefits of an alleged partnership,” the filing reads. “Had Mr. Lawrence not found any measure of economic success in his music career, there can be no doubt but that Ms. Craig would never have sought to enforce a partnership claim so that she could share the burdens of the alleged partnership’s losses.”
That’s a lot of common-law vinyl. Tennessee doesn’t recognize common law marriages and although Jack and his ex-girlfriend hooked up while they lived in Kentucky, that state doesn’t recognize common law marriages either. Unless girlfriend can find something in writing, I’m betting on Jack.
Good luck getting those albums back, though!
A great article from Hypebot reminds us that sites like Myspace and Ticketmaster have their own interests at heart. And this includes keeping records of your fans and turning them into saleable marketing lists. Your fan data is valuable and each one is a potential customer (for someone else); -never forget this!
Read it HERE.
Great post, Bruce! Keep up the good work!
Rapper B.o.B. succinctly sums up the virtues of AutoTune in this short original song. Many Thanks to Chris who sent me this link!
Last year I covered the Atlantis Music Conference and ReMIX Hotel Conference for my students who couldn’t attend. This year I have a presenter’s showcase to attend and won’t be able to make it to either of these. This year’s ReMIX schedule has 2 solid panel presentations:
1. Mixing by the Numbers; -Frequency Ranges for Musical elements. This would be a great one for beginning mix engineers!! Learn how to carve out space in a mix so that every player sounds like a star!
2. The Path to Enlightenment – Signal Chains for Recording and Live Performance. There will be some grey areas in recording due to tastes, but I’d really like to hear the panel talk about processing for live venues. In this age of rack-mounted “do-it-all” processors, just what are the pros using to get a killer club sound? It’s like that 200 item Chinese buffet I sometimes visit in a nearby town; –too many choices and putting some combinations on your plate will lead to stomach pains!
Anyway, I know most of my students won’t be able to skip school and go, but if anyone’s interested, here’s the link:
http://www.wantickets.com/EventDetail.aspx?e_id=43320
The All-Access pass this year gets you admission to the Atlantis Music Conference and panels. (Remember that Grammy U members may get a free upgrade to VIP All-access status; –they did last year. Grammy U is also holding a mixer on the 16th of September. Details here.)
Atlantis has a couple of good panels on getting/keeping jobs in the music industry and touring. Since the two events go on simultaneously and are within a brief MARTA ride from each other, it makes for a good networking and educational value.
Got a band? Wanna play at the conference? Chances are slim, but there might still be a few spots available here:
http://www.atlantismusic.com/Festival_ShowcaseApp.html
Get on their mailing list and check back next year in July!!
Drove almost 700 miles today and alternated between radio and my newest CD purchase: The Raconteurs’ Consolers of the Lonely.
They have certainly blended together SEVERAL genres on this album (the only one I’ve heard), and I believe they’ve really created something unique. Tonight I found their website and I’ve decided I’ve never seen anything more… err…. retro?
{ above is embedding attempt. Cool video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG_UjxaKDK0 }
I don’t Twitter, but this is still cool. I think I posted a link to it many weeks ago. Unfortunately, edublogs is still keeping me from embedding this widget, so you’ll have to visit the page:
http://www.snoopdogg.com/extras/default.aspx/mid/3872
To try it out, you have to know someone’s twitter name; then click on “shizzle your friends’ tweets”.
For example, – Paul and Storm’s twittername = paulandstorm
Jonathan Coulton’s = jonathancoulton
If you’re a rising star, you should think about Twitter because it’s another “buzzing” line of communication between you and your fans. Widgets posted to your webpage can display “Tweets” and you can keep your fans entertained 24/7. Is it a fad? Probably, but like my old boss used to say: “never be the first to discard the old or the last to pick up the new.”
When you’re building bridges, tools can come in quite handy. And any artist that can sell product AND create the “culture/community” among fans that Snoop (and NIN and Radiohead, etc, etc…) should have an honorary MBA on their wall.
Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years? Will you be a one-hit-wonder or a cultural icon?
“–Ay, there’s the rub!
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.”
I’m still having embed problems with the site.
http://www.redlasso.com/ClipPlayer.aspx?id=842a1833-05ff-470b-a0c4-10ec60987926
The above clip is of a performing artist on a syndicated TV show (thanks Listenerd!)
Watch his backup singers. Do you see the fan? Look at the candles on the keyboardist’s rig. What do the costume colors suggest?
What messages do these stage “props” send? Famous “props” (and costumes, decor, etc..) that I can think of:
“Eddie” the Iron Maiden mascot.
That scarf that Steven Tyler ties on his mic stand.
Johnny Cash dressed in black.
Liberace’s candles & outrageous costumes.
Elton John’s glasses.
Zappa’s moustache and goatee.
Michael Jackson’s glove.
Add more if you can think of any!
(And tell me if you use a prop onstage!)
To My College Students–
Want to spend a couple of weeks in Los Angeles networking with the stars and Recording Academy members? How about if you were paid to be there? I guess I should also mention that you have to help take care of a bunch of high school age American Idol wannabes, but that’s merely a slight inconvenience; –what a great opportunity! If you’re not doing anything worthwhile this summer, please take a moment and consider this opportunity (but hurry; –I’m sure that once the word gets out, lots of folks will apply).
More general info on the camp available here:
Counselor application is here:
Website is here:
It’s the time of year I always dread; the income tax deadline looms ahead. If you’re facing the same deadline I am, I’ve gleaned a few choice tidbits from the web to get you in the mood (after the break). Students, I haven’t left you out; –there are tax tips ahead for you, too!
Audiogeekzine.com inspired me to echo his post about Before The Music Dies, one of the greatest documentary reflections on the current state of the music industry. It reveals some of the dirt that goes on behind the scenes that the general public may not realize. The clip below illustrates how the industry can “create” a pop star from someone who has NO MUSICAL TALENT! The Eryikah Badu quotes are priceless, but not necessarily safe for work.
The other movie is a documentary tribute to one of the most amazing recording engineers ever to have walked the planet; Tom Dowd. Not only was he one of the atomic scientists that worked on the Manhattan Project, but he pioneered stereo recording and built one of the first eight-track recording consoles. The synoposis of Tom Dowd and the Language of music reads:
A long-time engineer and producer for Atlantic Record, Tom Dowd was responsible for some of the most important R&B, rock, and jazz records ever made. In his own words, Tom Dowd relates how he went from working on the Manhattan Project, while still high school age, to recording some of the greatest music ever made over the last half of the 20th Century.
This guy produced some of the greatest recordings of all time and I learned so much from just watching him interact with the musicians. His discography reads like the Who’s Who of 20th Century Popular Music. It reminds me just how important it is to get the right team behind the musicians. Tom was the best. He passed away on Oct. 27th, 2002. He was one of the most important pioneers of our industry and we owe a huge debt of gratitude for showing us how recording should be done.
Youtube clip follows the break…
First Tracks is having a songwriting competition and I think you should enter something.
You have to hurry; the contest closes on Feb. 27th, 2008. Here are the basic rules:
1. Must be U.S. Resident.
2. May be individual or band (up to 4 members).
3. All songs must be entirely original and the recording less than 1 year old.
What do I win? Well…you get a choice of $20,000 cash or an EP commercially recorded, produced and distributed by Decca Records.
Who are the judges? You are! Just like American Idol…sort of. There are 3 rounds of online public voting, then a 4th round where the Decca brass and A&R folks get a vote (they’re actually voting in round #3; the public has the final vote!).
Interested? Go here.
I’m a Jonathan Coulton fan. I learned about him when he started touring with my friends Paul and Storm. This People of the Web segment from Yahoo News features JoCo’s story and has a neat little video; -some parts were filmed when I saw him in Atlanta a few months ago. I haven’t spotted my wife or myself in the video yet, but we’re there somewhere!
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