Music Biz
Commentary on Music Industry Figures & Happenings
Have I Got A Deal For You
The guys at Torrentfreak do a terrific job of covering the torrent and p2p scene. I’m always amazed at the stories they break and the excellent writing. And if I understand it correctly, they do it in their spare time when not at their day jobs. Last weekend they broke another story that I found... »
And You Thought That I Had Forgotten!!
Yes, I’m back. Apologies for the long hiatus, but I was busy with some knucklehead who had the world convinced that he was going to buy the Pirate Bay. Oy vey. What a story. I’ll get into all of the details in the coming months. It’s one of the weirdest chapters of my extremely unconventional... »
Welcome EMI
I want to officially welcome Elio Leoni-Sceti, Ronn Werre and Sylvia Coleman of EMI to my little site. I was in London a couple of days ago with a friend and we just happened to bump into the three of them and I was introduced. They told me that they were avid readers so... »
The Show Must Go On
In case you haven’t heard, Michael Jackson died recently, leaving behind a lot of debts, a custody battle over his kids, an estate that must look like a rubic cube and AEG Live holding the bag. I’ve know Brandon K (Randy) Phillips, president of AEG Live, for 30 years, when he was a piss... »
EMI To Mom & Pops: Eat Cake Bitch
Here’s a really good one for you. Last week EMI sales reps started making calls to many if not all of their small accounts, mostly independent mom & pop stores, to tell them that they would no longer sell them product!!! Were these accounts bad payers? Nope. Would they not stock catalog or new... »
Billboard Analysis Points To New Models; Hope On The Way
The other day Billboard Magazine published an analysis on the effect of variable pricing using Nielsen SoundScan data on February-May sales of hits and a sample of popular catalog songs. They found that “while variable pricing made sales volume decline, higher prices compensate for that to create more revenue”. They note that results vary... »
EMI: Round And Round…Again
God I know it may be getting old, but EMI just never fails to do stupid stuff to keep jerks like me interested. This time, they’ve started their own HR merry-go-round. Maybe musical chairs would be a better metaphor. A friend in London was telling me a crazy story. Everyone knows that EMI has been... »
Virgin Media, UMG Looking Backward Together
Much has been made about the new subscription service that Virgin Media is launching this coming December. And the timing of the announcement, the day before the Digital Britain Report was released, was no accident. That report, although mostly focused on broadband penetration, suggested that warning letters and “technical solutions” from the ISP’s be... »
London Calling
I know that I have been writing a lot lately about EMI. I know that it seems as though I’m beating up on them. But to paraphrase the great Willie “The Actor” Sutton’s response when asked why he robbed banks, “Because that’s where the money is”. Last week brought lots of news from the ongoing... »
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- EXCLUSIVE: Video Interview – Mark Ramsey, President of MRM
- Job: iTunes Label Business Manager – Apple Inc (CA, US)
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