July 2010
1 post
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Q&A: Pete Wentz on the Future of Music and His... →
April 2010
1 post
6 tags
March 2010
1 post
2 tags
Sorry...
…for the lack of posts followers! I’ve been very busy and have been away on vacation, but I will return. No need to worry! Ask me some questions in the meantime! : )
-Ben
February 2010
8 posts
1 tag
Artist House Music
http://www.artistshousemusic.org/
This website is a great source of information for anything music business related.
What other websites do you know of for anything music business related?
1 tag
Musicians and Business Enthusiasts Take Note...
downloadcards:
We would be lost without our CRM software for our business so if we were in bands, we would use this: http://ow.ly/16tlc #bandize
If you are a full time touring band with established income this makes sense. Organization is always key.
6 tags
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Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger gets Justice...
True talk
This is what we call a monopoly and it’s only the beginning.
jofoyo asked: Hey! I'm a Music Business and Technology major at Millersville University in PA. My "dream job" is to write reviews for music magazines or websites... Billboard being #1. Are there a lot of job opportunities for a writer in the industry?
Anonymous asked: i would love to intern abroad, what is the best way to go about that?
Anonymous asked: hey dude, i like your blog.
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AOL Time Warner owns the copyright of “Happy...
kristinagrossmann:
For this reason movies often use different songs (which are not in copyright or are owned by the studio) for birthday scenes. AOL Time Warner earns over $2 million per year from royalties for the song.
(source)
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it……Truth
January 2010
8 posts
4 tags
1 tag
ASK →
5 tags
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Trademarks...
…Believe it or not, your band name can be registered as a trademark. However, just by using the name without the trademark, you are still somewhat protected by trademark law. Moral of the story: register your name with the U.S. Trademark office to make sure you are the only band who goes by that name.
-Ben Hughes
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Contracts...
…Just get a lawyer. Don’t go through the hassle of getting screwed over before your band even has their break…Trust me, someone is looking to make a quick buck out there.
-Ben Hughes
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Ask
I’ve enabled the ask function, so ask away my little music industry minions.
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Moving to the Majors by Ben Hughes
It is finally 2010. Not too long ago, I read Alternative Press’s issue on the most Anticipated of 2010 (Issue 258). A fair amount of these bands mentioned in the issue, however, have either been on a major label or have moved to a major label recently (All Time Low, The Maine, Anberlin, Four Year Strong, 3oh!3). I’d like to point this out because most us are somewhat familiar with...
December 2009
3 posts
5 tags
The five legal cases that defined the year in... →
A little precursor for my next semester Music Industry class. I will be taking Legal Aspects in the Music Industry, so if my posts shine a little more light on the legal side, don’t worry, I always try to tie in current artists/issues to what is going on in the industry.
In addition, if anyone needs advice on choosing colleges or wants to pursue a degree in music business hit me up at:...
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Warner, Sony BMG, EMI and Universal face up to $6...
Excerpt taken from here
“While the major record labels were dragging file-sharers and BitTorrent sites to court for copyright infringement, they were themselves being sued by a conglomerate of artists for exactly the same offenses. Warner, Sony BMG, EMI and Universal face up to $6 billion in damages for pirating a massive 300,000 tracks.
The labels have made a habit of using songs from a...
7 tags
November 2009
7 posts
9 tags
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Analyzing Data by Ben Hughes
In my opinion, with the technology we have today, data is the future of the music biz. We are now able to do things with technology that we have been unable to do in the past. Analyzing data, for example, allows artists to determine where their fan bases are, which in turn lets them know where they should tour. Determining these markets is crucial in the success of an artist.
Companies that...
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“if you didn’t write the song, don’t take credit. that’s fraud. i’ll put you in...”
– (via thereadyset)
It’s actually called copyright infringement… don’t worry I’ll let it slide this time.
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The Future of Music Marketing →
If you didn’t know, over the summer I had the privilege of taking an online course with Berklee College of Music (which I highly recommend btw). This course was taught by an intelligent professor by the name of Mike King. I’ve also talked about a company called Topspin, who is basically recreating and leading the new music business model in marketing. Tying those two entities together,...
3 tags
I was recently interviewed by Industry Insider!... →
(via taylorcthomas)
I love you Taylor, but this blog totally jacked my name haha
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Help Me Help You
In order to do that, I need your help and in return I will share my wealth of knowledge with you, therefore helping you in return.
If you like a post, don’t hesitate to press the “like” icon. If you want to go the extra mile however, help me out by re-blogging something you find interesting.
Once again, don’t hesitate to ask questions. Ask me anything you might not...
October 2009
6 posts
6 tags
Industry Professions: Management by Ben Hughes
This is the first segment of posts breaking down the different roles in the music industry.
Artist’s managers are key players behind the scenes in handling the artist’s career as well as helping them advance in a positive direction. Managers let the artist focus on what they are good at: the music, while the managers handle all the business related aspects of the artist’s...
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Labels Emphasize Artist-Specific Social Networks,... →
I’ve explained artist branding and the artist-fan relationship. Here is a pertinent example/article of what artists should be doing.
In summary: Artists should give fans a place to go that is tailored for a unique experience that keeps the fan involved and constantly interested.
Just check out www.Paramore.net. The website includes:
- Media
- Forums
- Merchandise
- Twitter
- Blogs
-...
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Making Connections and Networking by Ben Hughes
To spell this out plain and simple… making connections in the industry is crucial. It’s not as easy as just going to school and getting a degree in music business and hoping things happen for you. It’s about getting out there, getting experience, and getting your hands a little dirty first. Experience is key and along the way you will meet many people.
Wisdom for the day: Write...
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Why Data Is The Future of The Music Biz →
Short video from Ian Rogers, CEO of Topspin, on why data is the future of the music biz. In short, Topspin is a marketing company for artists. They specialize in helping artists market directly to fans and the like. Very interesting stuff.
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Record Labels of the Future by Ben Hughes
In my first post I talked a little about the future of music and how music will be acquired in the future most likely through a utility based model. In the following posts after, I further explained the artist-fan relationship and tying in some DIY ethics. For this post, I would like to tie some of those lose ends together and talk about how record labels will most likely function in the future.
...
September 2009
5 posts
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Artist-Fan Relationship Follow-Up by Ben Hughes
To follow up on my previous post on the artist-fan relationship, I would like to go more in depth on this topic. The previous examples I gave hopefully painted the overall perspective of what the artist-fan relationship is and what it means. This expands a simple idea even further and explains the overall psychology behind the artist-fan relationship.
I would like to first start by reiterating...
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Artist-Fan Relationship by Ben Hughes
To introduce my next topic of discussion, I would like to acquaint you with the artist-fan relationship. This area of an artist’s career can either make or break them and will determine how much time you will be spending in the the hearts of fans. I will go more in depth in a follow-up for my next post, but I want to give you a few recent examples of where this relationship has been...
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The Future of Music by Ben Hughes
In the wake of kicking off this new blog, I felt it would only be relevant to talk about the future of music. If you do not know already, the future is very bright in the music business. In the light of this positivity, the power is now in the people/musician’s hands (where it should be!) and the major label power is starting to diminish. The music industry has tried to hold back technology,...
Welcome!
This is The Industry Insider. Let’s cut to the chase…So you may ask, what exactly is The Industry Insider? Well the answer to this seemingly valid question is simple. There is more to the industry than just the music. Essentially, there is a whole other world; a whole other business. The Industry Insider will be discussing various topics related to the music industry and anything that...