For decades the entire royalty system has become increasingly complex, tedious, and difficult for artists and labels to decipher or audit. A long-time colleague of mine, Bob Kohn ( a very successful serial entrepreneur, attorney, & author of the BIBLE of legal issues in the music world -- "Music Licensing"), has launched a new venture called Royalty Share to address...
By now, those of you who regularly read my blog have come to know that a big part of my work (and life) involves frequent interactions with established rock artists -- one way or another. I confess I run the risk of getting jaded about these encounters. I attended the Foreigner concert in Saratoga a couple of nights ago (comps...
In the late 60s, bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin & The Who set the stage for massive live performances in stadiums and arenas around the globe. In the 70s, we saw artists like Boston, Styx, Foreigner, Journey, Queen, Peter Frampton & Genesis emerge -- who really defined the moniker "Arena Rock". These bands would sell-out the...
"Over the course of a recording career spanning several decades, The Residents have remained a riddle of Sphinx-like proportions; cloaking their lives and music in a haze of wilful obscurity, the band's members never identified themselves by name, always appearing in public in disguise -- usually tuxedos, top hats and giant eyeball masks -- and refusing to grant media interviews."...
I had a fascinating meeting recently with a relatively new colleague (to me) -- though apparently many in my circle have known him for years. Alan Howarth is a notable film composer, sound designer, and technologist. Perhaps best known for scoring all of the "Halloween" films, the original Star Trek film, "Hunt for Red October", and many others -- he's...
I ran into my old buddy Pedro Vargas last week; he's now a Director at SanDisk. Pedro and I (and many of our colleagues) are part of what I had been terming "the 10 year club". Those of us who had been pioneers in the earliest days of digital music -- only now it's been closer to 15 years. Hard...
Given my history working with established artists, I'm often asked by my clients to seek their participation in various endeavors involving either new technologies or new forms of distribution (or both). However working with artists is in itself an art -- and requires a certain delicacy, diplomacy, and an understanding of how they think & operate (which often as not...
Given your involvement in digital media, you've no doubt heard of The Long Tail http://www.thelongtail.com. This is the notion, made famous by former Wired editor Chris Anderson, that suggests that people value highly cherished entertainment content that's important to them but that they can't find anywhere but online because it's viewed by the major content owners as too obscure to...
I'm getting ready to head out on a road trip for a three day weekend coming up later this week. I'll be driving up to the Mendocino area -- wild, unspoiled, and unimaginably beautiful. Even just three days away does wonders for the creative spirit. You may wonder, what does this have to do with digital media per se? Everything,...
Just when you thought things couldn't get more bizarre -- listen to this. If you can believe it, an increasing number of mobile users are mistakenly hearing their ringtone, even when there is no incoming call. "This audio illusion - called phantom phone rings or, more whimsically, ringxiety or fauxcellarm - has emerged recently as an internet discussion topic and...
