Kyle Bylin Exits Billboard, Joins BigChampagne + Live Nation Team
Just weeks after Live Nation acquired influential media measurement firm BigChampagne, the live concert promoter has announced another major talent grab: Kyle Bylin. …
“The feedback loop in popular culture is broken,” Bylin told Hypebot in an email interview. “A fan holds little connection to their actions and the chart movements of their favorite artists. With the next evolution of Ultimate Chart, we’re going to mobilize fans to participate in the successes of their favorite artists and empower them to share their part of the larger story.”
Bylin joins high-profile hires including Ethan Kaplan, the former SVP of Emerging Technology at Warner Music Group and now VP of Product for LiveNation.com, as well as BigChampagne founders Eric Garland and Joe Fleischer.
Hypebot piece
hypebot.comI really like this, it’s a pretty great summary of my attitudes to music and stuff.
The Power Of Networking & Engaging In Online Conversations
hypebot.comEveryone is telling you to step-up your use of social media to connect with fans and to reach them where they congregate, online. Yet many of you don’t. You still post nothing but a steady stream of spammy type status updates such as: Listen To This! Buy My CD! Order Now! Like My Page! We’re Awesome, Tell Your Friends!
Indie Labels make up 32% of Album Sales in 2012 According to Billboard Mag.
a2im.orgWay to go indie labels.
Why Music Supervisors Don't Listen To Your Music
Why Music Supervisors Don’t Listen To Your Music
Get a paper and pen. Just do it, it’ll totally be worth it. I’m about to blow your mind. Quick – tell me 3 people you want to listen to your music that you think will be able to put it in a commercial, film, or TV promo! Even if you’ve already contacted them, write down a name with a little space beneath to complete this exercise.
Done? Great! Now write down 3 things you said to persuade each person to listen to your music (they can all be similar or the same if you do a lot of copy/paste).
Easy, right?
Alright, now for each person list 3 things about them that have nothing to do with their job, or music.
Hmmm…alright, take some more time and think about it…times up!
Now, as fast as you can, write down 3 things you can do for that person based on their needs or wants!
If you can come up with 1 thing for that last one, I’ll give you props. But only if it isn’t ridiculous (like “give them a million dollars” or “cut them in on license fees they secure for me” – because that’s payola, and payola is illegal…unless you’re Clear Channel).
The above exercise should prove to you that your emails suck. “Me, me, me.” That’s what you write about. “Listen to this! Check that out! I’d LOVE for you to put my song in a commercial!”
Great. I’m sure there aren’t 100,000 other people out there sending the same thing.
However, if you’re far enough along to know who to contact and actually have gotten some contact info, you’re STILL ahead of the game, as sad as it is. But you need to know something and you need to PRACTICE and GET BETTER at it as soon as you can:
The music business, and life in general, doesn’t work the way you think it does.
You cannot just sell yourself cold. It’s a waste of time. If you don’t have a good relationship with someone, it’s really tough to break through and make a connection. Especially one strong enough where they have confidence and enough trust in you and your music that they’ll give it a real shot.
How many emails have you received from someone or some entity that you didn’t know or agree to take part in? How did it make you feel? Did you read it carefully and take action doing what they ask? No?! What a surprise!
Here’s a gigantic tip:
Find a genuine connection to EVERY person you want to listen to your music before you ask them to listen to it.
That is HUGE takeaway. Huge. You should read it again, think about it, write any immediate ideas that come to mind, and then read it again.
Is it coming full circle yet? Do you get it?
Music supervisors are inundated with requests from people they don’t know and therefore don’t care about every day. They are flooded with emails like the ones you’ll find here. What makes you different?
Do you think changing your wording or coming up with a better email subject line makes you better? Wrong.
What most music supervisors will tell you is that they want a ‘filter,’ someone or some entity that they know well who they can reach out to for their music needs. What you need is to either discover one of those filters and partner up with them, or look for pre-existing relationships that act as that filter for you.
Whatever you do, don’t write another crappy email. No one cares about the 8-word catch-phrase that sums up your music perfectly. Your album art is NOT good enough to get someone’s attention. Your 15MB attachment consisting of your amateur band photo, 1 sheet, and latest ‘single’ from 2 years ago? You guessed it. It couldn’t penetrate chocolate pudding.
Don’t get mad or frustrated – get smart. CHANGE your approach. Make yourself relevant to the person you’re contacting. Emphasize key elements that will filter you out from the crowds of morons or partner up with someone who can. The intelligent independent musician can find ways to make themselves valuable IMMEDIATELY. Sure, it takes work. Yes, you have to do more than copy and paste the same form email to 200 people. You’re better of sending 10 effective emails in an hour than 200 bogus ones.
Shape up. Get relevant, get genuine, and start focusing on the right things. You’ll find it goes a lot further than the lame attempts made by most everyone trying to get their music licensed.
SoundCloud CEO Alex Ljung On Startups, Sounds & The Worst Thing That Could Happen [VIDEO] - hypebot
via hypebot.com
Old School and Older School
bit.lyThe mess at Interscope is reminiscent of the ‘good old days’ of records, radio, money, and more..
For almost two years, the offices of Interscope Records have been used as a drop off and pickup point for road cases alternately filled with kilos of cocaine and more than $1 million in cash , according to documents filed by federal prosecutors…
read on… HypeBot
It’s not a shocker that cash, sex, and drugs, have long been trade staples in greasing the wheels of rock and roll. While the big bust today at Interscope will probably prove to be unrelated to label operations, there was a time when it was… and not just at the edges. The ‘Network’ a mafia like cabal of independent promoters held the keys to radio in an iron grip, and to play, the majors had to pay. And pay they did
Frederick Dannen’s 1991 expose “The Hit Men” captured it best
Hit Men is the shocking, highly controversial expose of the venality, greed, and corruption of many of the assorted kingpins and hustlers who rule over the music industry. “A sobering, blunt, and unusually well-observed depiction of the sometimes sordid inner workings of the music business.”—Billboard
So you want to work in the music industry...
I have always wanted to work in the music industry. As a high school student living in the suburbs of Philadelphia and choosing to go to school in the middle-of-no-where, Indiana I thought my resources and opportunities were rather limited. This, however, has not turned out to be the case. Of course it helps to be a Music Business Major and go to school in a big city such as NYC or LA, but I have managed to break my way into the music industry without this background. My biggest resources? My university and the internet.
Put yourself out there and network. Go to any networking nights your school may hold that have to do with the entertainment business. Introduce yourself to the professionals present and ask questions.
Get involved on campus. Many students take the opportunities available on their own campus for granted or are simply uninformed on the tremendous amount of opportunities that exist. Volunteering at the university’s auditorium, holding a position on the student union board, and joining relevant clubs are just a few activities that will make you stand out to professionals in the music industry and will make you successful.
Start small and local. Do not expect to be interning at Sony Music the summer of your freshman year. Look for internships at local and even college radio stations that play the music genre of your choice. If you do not like working for free and are looking to make a little money search for a paying job at a local record store or musical instrument store.
Stay motivated and determined. Follow music blogs or create your own blog. Whether it is reviewing new artists and albums or just talking about your favorite music this is a great way to introduce new music to friends and gain some basic knowledge in A&R. Keep yourself updated on industry news by subscribing to sites such as Billboard or Hypebot.
Never give up and always do your research. Listed are some great sites that provide information on how to get started in the Music Industry along with websites that provide relevant internship opportunities. There are many other sites that provide loads of helpful information. These are some I have used myself:
http://www.discoverfame.com/business/music-business/
"Why The Internet Is A Bad Place To Discover Music" (newsflash: it isn't)
“Why The Internet Is A Bad Place To Discover Music”
http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2013/05/why-the-internet-is-a-bad-place-to-discover-music.html
You know what? It isn’t. It’s an amazing place to discover music. You just have to stop doing the things that don’t work.
I get really tired of people saying there’s ‘too much recorded music’:
How much of it do you hear? Not much.
How much of what you hear is bad? Lots? Stop looking in those places.
Find something good? Go back to that source and find some more. It’s not rocket science.
Two simple things you can do to prevent MMO (mediocre music overload):
- ARTISTS - stop recommending stuff by your friends just cos they’re your friends and you hope they’ll talk about you too. If we all share the music we love, everyone wins, and the people who want us to talk about them will just have to make better music.
- LISTENERS - stop clicking on links just cos the band or artist tells you to. That just leads to ‘the survival of the pushiest’. Tell me a story, give me a reason, make the context for the music interesting and I’m all ears. Telling me you need another 10 listens to reach 5000 youtube views isn’t remotely interesting.
We have the potential to make, share and discover so much amazing music. It’s better than any time in history. Anyone who thinks the internet is a bad place for finding music is either lazy or a fool.
Now, go share a link to something you think is brilliant. If you think my music is brilliant, please feel free to share it.
If you don’t, go share something that’s much better than me. The universe will be grateful
Can Music Streaming Ever Be Profitable? [INFOGRAPHIC] - hypebot
hypebot.comTold you so:)). Long time ago, here. And again, yesterday. The music business ecosystem is utterly dysfunctional - thanks to the IPFI, RIAA, most of the rights societies and widespread arrogance and egocentric obsession with control. Bummer, really. (Thanks to Fran van Horn for the Hypebot link btw).
