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November 30, 2012 If you wanted to sell music around the world twenty years ago, you needed to get picked up by a major label. That meant demo tapes, postal services, and constant performing on tours. That was all a ton of fun, but extremely hard work and very expensive, besides. That’s where music distribution online comes in.
January 25, 2010 An open letter from the co-founders of the Restoring Music Foundation.
There is more music available than ever. The ability for anyone to easily produce music at low cost coupled with an increase in available distribution channels, makes scarcity and control of music a thing of the past. This is compounded by the proliferation of online piracy, that has made a significant dent in the revenues of the music business over the past decade. Competing with “free” music is a challenge. This has resulted in a devaluing of music, which has affected every stakeholder in the supply chain, from the record company to the musician. This devaluation is the central reason for the Restoring Music Foundation.
In 2009 we defined the economic crisis with the help of our wonderful network of music industry supporters. We want to personally thank all of you that pitched in your opinions and helped us ask the big questions. The campaign was a massive success and it was all because of you. We hope you will continue to stay involved in the ongoing Restoring Music Dialogue. Thanks again!
Here at The Restoring Music Foundation, our goal is to create and implement solutions to the crisis and in turn, create an economically sustainable road map for the restoration of the music industry.
Creativity, Information, Innovation, Music Business Plan, Music Industry, Music Industry Crisis, Realistic Music Careers 101, Web 2.0, music business | tagged Future of Music, Industry, Music Industry, future, independent music business, music business, music business plan, new music business, recording industry October 6, 2009
Updated on October 7, 2009 by
Scott Olson
The slow death of record stores and the increased opportunity afforded to emerging artists are two stories that we have all become familiar with. Distributors of CD’s have no doubt fallen on hard times as well. Given the cost of distribution, and the fact that record stores are disappearing from the map, does it make sense for Indie artists and labels to consider getting a traditional distribution deal as a major goal?
Existing retailers are getting more exclusive. Rising “music retailers” Wal-Mart and Best Buy only stock that which they know will sell millions. And in place of an increasingly bland music retail scene, artists are making it easier to get their music from them directly (or at least by buying their CD of amazon).
August 29, 2009 I’d like to pick up where I left off with my Music Business Template and talk more in depth about how to prepare your financial statements. I’ve seen many new businesses write their entire plan first, then work the numbers last, wrong move. Once you have established the overall business model in your head, START with the Financial Statements. All of the words, goals and context that are in the rest of your plan should be dictated by how the numbers play out, not vice versa. What happens if your plan proves that you will not make a profit after three years, and the business will fold? I’ll tell you how to address this common mistake at the end of the post.
August 26, 2009 The Rights Workshop Presents Artist Development Seminar Series: Make Music, Make Money
Series runs September 29-October 1, 2009
San Francisco — In response to the growing interest in music placement and promotion, The Rights Workshop is hosting Make Music, Make Money, a series of career development seminars for artists, musicians, composers and other content creators beginning Tuesday, September 29 through Thursday, October 1, 2009. Each Make Music, Make Money seminar will be held from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Seminar attendees will learn about the mechanics of the music business and develop strategies to earn more money from their creative work. In each Make Music, Make Money session, panelists will address commonly asked questions about the rapidly changing music industry in a comfortable, artist-friendly environment.