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So, Does “Indie” Really Mean Anything Anymore?

“Indie cred” used to stand for something.  It meant selling 7-inches at local record stores, not paying radio stations for spins, and not watering things down for mainstream acceptance.  But these days, everyone has direct access to the fan, major labels are weaker than ever, and traditional endpoints like terrestrial radio are losing influence.

Meanwhile, the worlds of indie and major seem increasingly blurred.  So-called indie bands are often upstreamed into the major label world (for example, Interpol onto Capitol), and so-called “indie distributors” like RED are often owned by majors (in this case, Sony Music Entertainment).  

So, what does “indie” really mean anymore?  And, is it dead?  That was the smart question asked by Paste writer Nick Purdy, who chatted with A2IM chief Rich Bengloff on the matter.  Bengloff pointed to continued access issues involving traditional brick-n-mortar retailers and radio stations, offering a reminder that old-school formats still wield considerable influence.  But Bengloff is stumping for many of the same issues as the RIAA, including anti-piracy objectives (A2IM supports ‘graduated response’); demands for recording royalties from terrestrial radio plays, and even DMCA-related concerns (A2IM is working to appeal the outcome of Veoh v. UMG).

So what is the difference then?  In the digital sphere, Bengloff also pointed to issues getting exposure on platforms like the iTunes Store.  But anyone can upload and chart on iTunes these days, and an artist website is a dedicated showcase and retailer unto itself.  In that light, is the term “indie” just another relic of a not-too-distant past?  It’s a question worth asking…

To read comments:

Source: digital music news

Amid sales slump, artists find ‘more ways to monetize music’
Album sales continue to slide, and once-booming digital sales are flat, but there are bright footnotes in the recording industry’s gloomy 2010 midyear sales summary.
Consumers bought 148.4 million albums (both physical product and downloadable delivery) through June 27, down 11% from the 166 million sold to this point a year ago, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

“With so many different options in terms of how consumers obtain and experience music, albums aren’t the only game in town anymore,” says Keith Caulfield, Billboard chart analyst. “Because the album was the dominant format for decades, people became accustomed to quoting album sales as an indicator of how well the music industry was faring.

“Now there are multiple ways of measuring music’s popularity and sales. It’s hard to keep tabs on how much money Lady Gaga is earning from having her songs in Glee. There are so many more ways to monetize music. Albums don’t tell the whole story.”
Flattening digital sales might be explained by dwindling new adopters and a widening mobile-device landscape.

Justin Bieber’s My World 2.0 is second, trailed by Sade’s Soldier of Love and Lady Gaga’s The Fame. Eminem’sRecovery, which sold 741,000 copies its first week, will move into fifth place with second-week sales projected to push his total past 1 million.

Eminem had “the strongest first-week showing in 20 months,” Grein says. “I was starting to think we wouldn’t see those kind of numbers again. And in just three weeks (of sales), Drake will be over 700,000 and rank No. 10 for the year. Those are encouraging numbers.”
Hip-hop also plays a leading role in several of the year’s biggest-selling songs. Of the top 20, 11 are collaborations, most with rappers, “which shows how ingrained that sound has become in popular music,” Grein says.B.o.B’s Nothin’ On You featuring Bruno Mars or Bieber’s Baby featuring Ludacris “would not have been as successful without the rap element. Hip-hop gave them an edge in the current market. Even Katy Perry’sCalifornia Gurls works better with Snoop Dogg’s rap.”

Top songs so far, in descending order: Train’s Hey, Soul Sister, Black Eyed Peas‘ Imma Be, Lady Antebellum’sNeed You Now, Ke$ha’s TiK ToK and Usher’s OMG.
Pop’s dominance in the top five “make sense, since young fans are the ones buying songs,” Grein says.

Source: USA Today

Francesco

Also visit: www.topguitarlessonsreviewed.blogspot.com

http://www.topguitarlessonsreviewed.com

Francesco

Also visit: www.topguitarlessonsreviewed.blogspot.com

http://www.topguitarlessonsreviewed.com

Bryan …

7/13/2010 1:18 AM

From: Bryan Beller <myspace.com/bryanbeller>
To: Songs2Share

Hey Songs2Share-
All y’all in Milwaukee & Chicago, I keep coming back up there. I must like it or something!
I just wanted to send you a quick personal invitation to two events I have coming up in the area.

On Friday night, I’ll be doing a duo show with my lovely R&B singer/songwriter/keyboardist wife, Kira Small.

Then on Saturday at 1:30pm, I’m doing a clinic at CPE Sound in Chicago, which is a really cool rehearsal/studio facility. Check it out:

Friday, July 16
with Kira Small
at Mercy Hill Gallery
2625 S. Greely Street
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Admission: $10
Set time 7:30

Saturday, July 17
Beller Bass Clinic
at CPE Sound
345 N. Loomis
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 656-9558
Free admission!
Start time: 1:30pm

This event is sponsored by Mike Lull Custom Basses and D’addario Strings
Hope you can make it to either one. I’ll be there either way.
Best wishes to all,
Bryan Beller

Read more: http://messaging.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=mail.readmessageV3&userID=38282466&type=Inbox&messageID=561591173#ixzz0tjME95mX

Here’s a copy of an e-mail I sent out today.  It updates you about our program. ~ R 

Hello David.  You song Lost In Blue is very good.  I did a once through & immediately thought of the recent & open, call for music at Music Dealers for an old time 50s or 60s Country song about loneliness.  This song you’ve made can hop over to Country rather nicely.  The goal of the Songs2Share program – one of the goals – is to set up a group of songwriters & artists so we can submit to these calls by creating a new recording if needed – on short notice. 

 I’ve thought of approaching demo companies, as they already have some melodies in their catalog to choose.  They also make melodies on a regular basis & can work fast.  & they own good recording equipment.

 May I send this MP3 to one demo company I’ve worked with, along with a copy of the Call For Music from the MusicDealers.com board & tell them about what I’m doing & see if they’ll sign on?

 I’d like to see the lyric & perhaps, tweak that 2^nd verse.  I heard several images & while I know you like your images, just want to check the flow.  The first verse flows so nicely, the 2^nd verse is where most songwriters hang up.  It’s that verse you got to watch.  You put the short i in your rhyme, which is the same as the i sound in your title – Lost IN Blue which is great.  Do you have a long u rhyme?  Might be a good idea. 

 We won’t be able to get a recording for this call.  I think it ends the 12^th.  But one step at a time.  Also, I’ve decided to add purchase of a lifetime license to Indie artists (sold less than 100,000 CDs) to our license agreement.  How much to charge is still open.  I made a survey form & posted the link at our MySpace page.  If you can go there and take the survey, I’d appreciate it very much.  I’m doing this all alone & any help at this point, is gladly accepted.

 We sold our first song license to a recording artist over 2 years ago.  A couple of teenage twins in the UK called Duo Canto.  Their pic is in our top friends at MySpace and you can go listen to their vocal cover of our song Celebrate The Day at their page (which you should cover too! – I have 5 female covers & no males & you have a lovely vocal!  Wish we could buy you some studio time & get a radio quality recording David+).  Legally, because their license is expired they should have to remove that song from their MySpace page.  But I don’t want them to take it down & it’s one of my co-writes & Clare doesn’t care either.  It is exposure & they should be able to sell that recording for the rest of their lives.

 They’ll never sound like that again – ever.  It’s a wonderful vocal performance.  So to me as a songwriter, they can have that song forever & sell their recording, even if they make it big & sell a million copies for the one time license fee, they gave that song EXPOSURE – S2S goal, another one, get the song the LARGEST audience.  The SONG.  & the songwriter will earn royalties. 

 So = how much should a lifetime license be?  And, are you willing to let the artist take your song & hopefully, make a hit for that one time fee?  I sure the heck am.  It’s non-exclusive so you sell as many licenses to as many Indie artists as you can find that want to buy a license.  & maybe a major artist will hear the song & come knocking to record the song.  These are also Non-Broadcast licenses.  If they want to get their recording onto the radio, they have to come back & buy a Broadcast License, which is on the back burner as it demands research to get the text right.  I think the future of music will eliminate the Performing Right Organizations as they are a middle man/middle management and the radios may get a better deal for themselves & the songwriters & performers, by buying flat licenses for blocks of music directly from music brokers.  The major performance monitoring station in the USA was turned off by the longtime family that used to run it, a few years ago – so I’ve been told.  So monitoring & paying middle people will go down kicking & fighting as music continues to evolve.  Just my thought.

 $250.00.  That’s a good price.  If an artist can’t afford that or doesn’t want to pay that much but wants to cover one of our songs, & I do go around telling artists at MySpace = “You should cover Celebrate The Day (or another title) for free.  It works with your vocal style” when I find a match– a lot, so I’m putting the word out, “- on a demo for license exchange.”  They make a recording that Songs2Share feels can be used to market that song, they get a lifetime license to make as many recordings and sell them & keep the money, perform the song forever, and try to get a licensed placement if they choose to market.  The original songwriter still owns a royalty percentage of any licensed fee & the recording artist owns a percentage of any licensed fee their first recording earns as well – while the songwriter can sell or give away copies of the new recording & keep all monies generated.  This is also a Non-Broadcast license.  If the recording artist wants to get their song on the radio, they have to come  back & purchase a Broadcast License.  So the artist gets a well crafted song, makes the recording, gives all rights to that recording to the songwriter except a % of licensing fees generated, & then they can perform, record & sell copies of any recording forever.  If I can get a great, even good recording of one of my songs that I own except to share with the recording artist any licensed fees generated, I’m happy to give them a lifetime license.

 A lot of people write a lot of new songs every day.  If you want to get your songs attention, & an artist to cover them, give them a good deal & they will give your song EXPOSURE.

 Peace.~ RobertaS2S  

  ps.  Music Dealers splits their license fees 50/50 with owner of the recording/songwriter.  Pump Audio splits them 65/35 with owner of the recording/songwriter for a licensed placement.  Some of the calls for music from Music Dealers are as high as $50,000.00.  You know a lot of music licensing companies are getting those same calls & sending in playlists for consideration, but you got to get ON the playlist to have a chance.  & to do that you need a radio quality recording of your song.  It’s worth it to me, to get a crew together to make custom songs for these big calls.  I’ll even write a lyric as some calls give you text they’d like in the lyric & throw my hat into the mix.  It’s sort of a music lottery, as they get such good music to choose from – you just got to hit it right for that customer.  J   

Here’s a call for a female vocal with guitar.  That’s it.  Nothing fancy.  If you’ve got one, go on over to Music Dealers.com and submit.  Good Luck.+

~ Roberta  

Due Date:

07/06/2010 - 10:00am

Submit

• TV Show - Melodramatic Singer Songwriter

Music Call: 

Client is looking to license and buyout a melodramatic singer songwriter song. For a funeral scene of a show where female character will be singing and playing acoustic guitar on the show. 2 minute use. Think about songs that talk about how beautiful the person was spirituality.

Genre: 

Singer Songwriter

Emotion: 

Melodramatic

Vocals/Instrumental: 

Vocals - Female

Explicit Lyrics: 

No

Duration: 

Full Songs

Other Info: 

• Please not this will be a BUYOUT.
• The studio will own the master and the publishing of the song.
• You will keep 100% of your writers share, there should be very nice performance royalties.
• They only want vocals and acoustic guitar, no other instruments!
• The songs need to be at least 2 minutes!

From our friends at Music Dealers.com.  To submit a song, visit their website, make an account and upload your submission right there.  Fast & Easy & Good Luck!  

Due Date:

07/06/2010 - 4:00pm

TV Commercial - Light Beer

Music Call: 

Client is looking to license music for an upcoming television commercial.  They are looking for indie pop music with a soulful edge, breakbeat style drums would be great!  The drums should definitely be organic sounding and driving.  The spot is geared towards a young, twenty-something, crowd.  The lyrics should be geared towards living an active lifestyle, motivation, movement, etc…  They want a very cool piece of music, nothing corny!  Male or female vocal is ok, although male is preferred.  

UPDATE: The client would like to hear some more tracks for this.  They want to concentrate on very cool, hip, tracks with male vocals, and NO rapping!  The track shoud have some driving organic drums and lots of energy, but not too crazy, just a good, hi-energy groovy track!  

UPDATE: Need more tracks!!  The target for this campaign is 25-40 men & women.  The song should promote an active lifestyle, going for it, at all costs!  They want a modern, upbeat track that is the next cool track.  The song should be able to make it on people’s “get movin’” mix, whether it’s a track to play while going for a run, working out, playing frisbee in the park or rock climbing. The music should get you exited to move!

Possible Lyric Themes:
Go
On The Go
Move
Never Stop
I’m Gonna Run
Nothing Can Stop

i.e. anything that supports being active and movement!

Genre: 

Indie Pop

Emotion: 

Driving, Soulful, Energetic, Positive

Vocals/Instrumental: 

Vocals - Male

Explicit Lyrics: 

No

Duration: 

Full Songs

Other Info: 

The spot is :30, but it would be great to get as close to full songs as possible! Also, be sure to have instrumentals handy, upload them to your profile so we have them ready for the client!

ALL SUBMISSIONS DUE BY June 15, 2010 4pm Chicago time 

New Music Dealers Opportunities

Hey Everybody,

There are new opportunities on the Deal Board at http://musicdealers.com/deal-board/active

-Your Friends at Music Dealers