When I first decided to write this post I was going to write on royalty rates in the music industry.   It has been the source of big discussions on my TWITTER feed with some great people.  After putting some deep thought into this I realized I don’t feel that the discussions have been really about royalties [...]

LAS VEGAS, April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Billboard released the finalists for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards today at a press conference in Las Vegas.  The winners will be announced at the Billboard Music Awards show airing live on ABC on Sunday, May 22nd at 5:00 PM Pacific.  The awards show will take place at [...]

The foundation of the music business is built upon an incredible system of studios, songwriters, publishers, producers, and engineers. The interplay between these core members of the industry is what produces great songs and recordings. Arguably the person with the most responsibilities is the producer. He or she is faced with the stressful task of booking a studio, selecting the song(s) to be recorded, arranging and/or pre-producing any tracks, etc. The most provincial undertaking for the producer is to find the proper balance between the wants and needs of the artist and the label.

Songs are essentially stories, and the producer’s role is to help the artist get the message across as clearly as possible. Nashville-based producer Steve Fishell knows this. In Howard Massey’s book Behind the Glass, Fishell

The Nashville music scene can appear a bit daunting to enter, especially for new artists and bands. While there are plenty of opportunities to put your music out there, the only problem is connecting with fans. People need an incentive to follow a band’s career as it develops, and — although the music itself is important in achieving that goal — it’s not enough in a town where the advantage lies in the hands of those who are well connected. However, indie artists need not worry; UARadio.net, an online community for indie artists, is aiming to help out in a big way. I caught up with Julian Bankston, founder of

Bandcamp is a robust platform for musicians looking to sell their music online. Everything is customizable, and the interface is also user friendly for the bands and fans. It’s one of the few online distributors who makes a living off of letting fans name the price of how much they’re willing to spend on a song. (I do love the Amie Street platform as well – but their model is based on prices increasing as the popularity increases). Bandcamp does also allow bands to set the price of their songs, but I’m not sure what the split is between fans who set the price and bands who set the price.

Part of Bandcamp’s FAQ’s since