Music biz looks at giving fans all the songs they want in exchange for broadband access fee

AUSTIN, TEXAS---While most of the 12,500 registrants at the South by Southwest Music Conference were out playing on a beautiful early-spring afternoon a few days ago, the latest plan to save the music industry was being scrutinized at a dimly lit panel discussion inside the Austin Convention Center.

There, some of the industry’s brightest minds were gathered: veteran manager Peter Jenner, McGill University professor Sandy Pearlman, Big Champagne Web site founder Eric Garland, entertainment lawyer Dina LaPolt, and consultants Bryan Calhoun and Jim Griffin.

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Sucking up game! Learning About the New Music Business

I know that phrase may sound a little crazy, but it's something a small circle of my friends uses to describe learning inside information about something.

Recently, a lot of people have been asking how they can learn more about the new trends and technologies impacting the music industry. So, for those who want to "suck up game," here are some places to start:

Music Business Toolbox – of course, I listed my product first! It's full of information and tools for indie musicians and labels who want to DIY.
Future of Music Coalition – The FMC is an amazing organization helping educate and empower artists. Check out the fact sheets. You can download them for free. Make sure you attend the conference in the fall.
One House – The site is run by one of the most prominent leaders and smartest guys in this space, Jim Griffin. Click on “Pho” and ask to join the list. But, make sure you set up a rule to dump all emails into a separate folder because sometimes we’ll get 20 or more in a day.
Music 2.0 book – This was written by another one of the leaders in this space, Gerd Leonhard, who also co-wrote the book, The Future of Music. You can download his new book for free, but it’s good to donate.
Coolfer – A good blog with the appropriate tag line, "Music and the Industry".
Digital Media Wire - A good source of information covering a wide range of digital media topics.
Billboard.biz - For years, Billboard has been the standard for music business news. Check out the Industry News Section of their site.

360 Artist Deals: All bad?

Although I agree that in most situations when dealing with the majors, the so-called 360 deals do not work for artists, it is mostly because the labels are not properly staffed to exploit the rights that they obtain from the artists and the artists’ share of revenue is still calculated using convoluted and unfair accounting methods. If, however, the deal is structured in a way where the company, not necessarily a traditional record label, participates in all of an artist’s revenue streams, the company is properly equipped to aggressively exploit those rights and the economics provide for an equitable split of receipts, the deal could be mutually beneficial. Under the right conditions both artist and company are equally incentivized and can focus on the most profitable or creatively desirable revenue streams. Changing market conditions continue to reduce revenue derived from sales, physical and digital collectively. Still, the companies that make the substantial investment in developing, recording and marketing brands (artists are brands), are entitled to earn a reasonable return on their investment. Now, that means participating in the multiple revenue streams generated from the exploitation of the brands they build.