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What The Music Industry Thinks Of Music Xray

Posted by Mike McCready | February 12th, 2015 | 2 Responses

We asked some in the music industry why they use Music Xray. This is what they said:

As Consumers Move to Streaming, RapidShare Announces Closure

Posted by Mike McCready | February 12th, 2015 | No responses

billboard.com

RapidShare, the filesharing company founded thirteen years ago, and that has persisted through challenges both legal and cultural over the years, has announced it will be closing shop on March 31, 2015. “Thank you for many years of trust,” the company’s website reads, without a hint of irony.

The company was previously sued by German rights society GEMA, and fielded a court case stateside from the porn magazine Perfect 10 (the latter of which resulted in RapidShare countersuing the magazine, accusing it of being a copyright troll).

Read more at billboard.com

How Satellite Radio Is Breaking Country’s Next Big Stars

Posted by Mike McCready | February 12th, 2015 | No responses

rollingstone.com

From bona fide superstars Florida Georgia Line to upstart guitarslinger Clare Dunn, SiriusXM’s the Highway is shaping country music’s future

Every day, plenty of tourists in Nashville pass by the gleaming Bridgestone Arena Tower without so much as an inkling that its upper floors house SiriusXM’s Music City studios. Right next to Lower Broadway’s strip of honky-tonks, the nerve center of popular satellite radio stations like Outlaw Country and the Highway is hiding in plain sight.

 

read more at rollingstone.com

Why Cover Songs and Tribute Bands Are Big Business

Posted by Mike McCready | February 12th, 2015 | 1 Response

pitchfork.com

Poke around a digital music service for a popular song and you’ll likely find more than a few “tributes” to it—soundalike versions courtesy of faceless outfits with vague names. In the digital age, piggybacking on covers has been a popular way for artists to get attention; the success of early-adopter acts like Pomplamoose and Karmin was, in large part, predicated on the fact that these acts were switching up already popular tracks.

continue reading at pitchfork.com

Hardgroove Explores Rock Music’s Legacy And Future At H.O.T. Zone At NAMM 2015

Posted by Mike McCready | February 11th, 2015 | No responses

livedesignonline.com

Anaheim, CA, February 3, 2015: During NAMM Show 2015 held last month in Anaheim, CA, audio specialist Sennheiser and Brian Hardgroove (Public Enemy) hosted three lunchtime ‘Silent Jams’ in the H.O.T. (Hands On Training) Zone, located on the second floor of the Anaheim Convention Center. Each session, produced by David Schwartz of the TEC Foundation and hosted by Brian Hardgroove, featured in-depth conversations and extended jam sessions by some of rock music’s most accomplished musicians, including Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs) and Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter (Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers).

Music Xray users can submit music to Brian Hardgroove for various opportunities here.

 

Check out the latest music industry jobs

Posted by Mike McCready | February 11th, 2015 | No responses

musicweek.com

Searching for a new music industry job? A number of new vacancies have been added to the Music Week jobs page.

Have a scan through the list below and keep an eye on the jobs hub for new additions.

Royal Albert Hall is looking for a Programming Manager to join the Programming and Education & Outreach Department to deliver and oversee the diverse range of programming of live events and exhibitions. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of working in the live events industry with agents, promoters and artists.

 

Pandora And BMI Face Off Today In Court Battle Over Royalty Rates

Posted by Mike McCready | February 11th, 2015 | No responses

hypebot.com

Today in Manhattan, pioneer streaming giant Pandora is set to meet licensing agency BMI in court to settle a dispute over current royalty rates. The trial will determine how much Pandora pays BMI’s songwriters and music publishers to stream their songs. According to the New York Times, Pandora currently pays BMI 1.75 per cent of its revenue, but wants to reduce that to 1.7 per cent to match that paid by most radio stations.

 

 

Trial to determine who wrote Y.M.C.A. to begin this week

Posted by Mike McCready | February 10th, 2015 | No responses

musicweek.com

A trial is due to begin this week to establish who wrote 24 of the Village People’s songs including Y.M.C.A.

Original band member Victor Willis won a court ruling in May 2012 to reclaim the rights to his share of the group’s songs. His royalty payments were due to increase from a 12-20% rate as a result, but he claims that as one of two songwriters, he is entitled to a 50% share.

However, Billboard reports that publishers Scorpio Music and Can’t Stop Productions believe Willis is only due a 33% share, pointing to copyright registrations indicating a third author, Henri Belolo.

 

5 Unlikely Connections Every Musician Should Make

Posted by Mike McCready | February 10th, 2015 | No responses

blog.sonicbids.com

The booking agent, the journalist, and the sound guy are all names that every musician should, and likely already does, have on speed dial. It’s pretty much a known fact in the music industry that networking is key. However, we also need to network outside of our industry, because quite often, we end up connecting with folks who boost our career unexpectedly. Here are five unlikely connections that you should add to your network ASAP!

Grammy Breakdown By Label: Majors Sweep Major Awards, Indies Have Strong Collective Showing

Posted by Mike McCready | February 10th, 2015 | No responses

billboard.com

At the Grammys on Sunday evening, major labels won big across the most popular genres, and Universal Music Group nudged out Sony Music for the most wins — 13 to 12 — across 50 recorded music categories.

Major label-associated companies brought in 17 of the 20 Grammy categories — 85 percent — associated with pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, country and dance/electronic. Universal-owned Capitol Records came away with five of these (three trophies for Sam Smith and two wins by Beck, which label head Steve Barnett was quite pleased with).