The Master Plan

"[Their] version of ‘Guitar Hero’ generated far more in revenues than any Aerosmith album..."

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:06:26 -0800

““[Their] version of ‘Guitar Hero’ generated far more in revenues than any Aerosmith album ever has,” said Kotick. “Merchandising, concert sales, their ability to sign a new contract [have] all been unbelievably influenced by their participation in ‘Guitar Hero.’””

- Activision: ‘Guitar Hero’ A Bigger Money-Maker For Aersomith Than Any Album » MTV Multiplayer

"The greatest companies deliver profits, passion, and purpose. If the research shows that vision,..."

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:17:52 -0700

“The greatest companies deliver profits, passion, and purpose. If the research shows that vision, meaning and higher purpose leads to happiness. What is your company’s higher purpose? What is your own higher purpose?”

- Zappos CEO Hsieh: How to build a company culture that delivers happiness | VentureBeat

"I don’t think information (content) wants to be free. I think it just wants to be distributed..."

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:45:59 -0700

“I don’t think information (content) wants to be free. I think it just wants to be distributed friction-free. Which is why this fourth road - social distribution - has so much potential. It opens up distribution in ways that never existed before.”

- The Golden Road (to Online Distribution)

NONALIGNMENT PACT » I’ll Take A Raincheck On Those Songs: Bookmarking Music

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:15:35 -0700

NONALIGNMENT PACT » I’ll Take A Raincheck On Those Songs: Bookmarking Music

"Wikia, the home of fan-based wikis, has acquired the LyricWiki database of licensed song lyrics...."

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:47:19 -0700

“Wikia, the home of fan-based wikis, has acquired the LyricWiki database of licensed song lyrics. LyricWiki users, in return, are now able to use Wikia’s custom tools including the Question and Answer section. Part of the deal is that Wikia secured a licensing deal with Gracenote, so that music publishers will get paid their due royalties.”

- Wikia expands into lyrics (via annielin) (via artistspaid)

Curt Smith discusses Twitter and music fans

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:27:58 -0700

Curt Smith discusses Twitter and music fans

Orchard Lays off 20% of Team; President Greg Scholl Resigns

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:51:05 -0700

Orchard Lays off 20% of Team; President Greg Scholl Resigns:

(via annielin)

YouTube Musicians Launch a Label

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:42:17 -0700

YouTube Musicians Launch a Label:

(via yvynyl)

REASONS I PREFER A LESS KNOWN BAND

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 20:07:58 -0700

yvynyl:

jonmtm:

There’s a good chance you’ll talk to me

Even better, that you’ll know my name and not be a passerby

You appreciate/recognise individual supporters and interact with us closer

WE CAN ACTUALLY BUY TICKETS TO YOUR SHOWS

Sometimes you’ll come and play at ours because you can

Sometimes you’ll Tweet and say “I’m going to be playing here” and play there… FOR FREE

Sometimes you’ll spend four and a half hours playing all your songs back to back to say thank you

Sometimes you’ll send us emails or letters to individuals just to say ‘Hey, I like what you’ve been doing, thanks’

I get to be in your album notes and contribute in various shapes and forms

The music quality isn’t actually WORSE than the big bands, and in some cases, exceeds it

I don’t go out and like the unknown bands to be indie, cliche, cool or whatever. I do it because I really enjoy the music and get the chance to be a part of something.

So to Regina Spektor, who I will see in December, to Ingrid for November, to David Ford for tomorrow, for Amanda Palmer next week, to Alex Berger when you get your ass back in the UK, thanks.

To MUSE and Them Crooked Vultures who are breaking my heart with their over popular status that makes getting tickets impossible, especially when combined with ticket touts, POOP to you.

Oh and if Jenny Owen Youngs ever cares to read this, I’m still waiting for you to come back to England please. Fair’s fair, I did Chicago and New York and I don’t think you’re as commited to this make-believe relationship as I am.

justinleon: Reblogged for truth. I am also not a fan seeing a show at a arena. Arenas are for sports and maybe the circus, not a concert.

"In music business speak, “A & R” has long meant “Artists and Repertoire.” It is a term that..."

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:06:58 -0700

“In music business speak, “A & R” has long meant “Artists and Repertoire.” It is a term that refers to the elusive brass-ring-key-to-the-kingdom-Holy Grail for many musicians when they ask, “How can I get the attention of the industry?” A&R people have traditionally been the gatekeepers of glory; those sought-after staffers at record labels who find talent and roll them up and out at the door of “the deal.” As we all know, the music world has changed. Forever. So, I’m proposing a new interpretation of the term A&R. I believe we have moved into the era where those letters will more accurately stand for “Advocacy and Radar.””

- The Pill Box: The New A & R…

(hat tip wvmusic)
(via yvynyl)

"The idea that you are going to hard wire the key goals of an early stage company is nutty. The best..."

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:26:20 -0700

“The idea that you are going to hard wire the key goals of an early stage company is nutty. The best entrepreneurs weave and bob their way into the market, changing things as they go. Setting hard goals is a mistake early on in the life of a company.”

- Fred Wilson
(via entrepreneurwisdom) (via mikehudack)

Agreed, especially on the internet things where change so quickly.

(via blakeley)
(via soupsoup)

Radiohead Says No More Albums

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:14:58 -0700

Radiohead Says No More Albums:

“None of us want to go into that creative hoo-ha of a long-play record again. Not straight off,” said Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, in an interview with the Believer. “I mean, it’s just become a real drag. It worked with ‘In Rainbows’ because we had a real fixed idea about where we were going. But we’ve all said that we can’t possibly dive into that again. It’ll kill us.”

"Services are not offered for free at all. There is an exchange of value between users, the creators..."

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:18:57 -0700

“Services are not offered for free at all. There is an exchange of value between users, the creators of the raw material - data, content, and meta-data, and the network where that data is converted into insight. This exchange is still governed by the basic laws of economics but the currency is not dollars, it’s attention.”

- Brad Burnham, Union Square Ventures

Chris and Malcolm are both wrong
(via fred-wilson) (via davemorin)

Jeff Bezos: Regret Minimization Framework

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:54:34 -0700

soupsoup:

bijan:

This is fantastic.

via Jeff Bezos, 2001

I went to my boss and said to him, “You know, I’m going to go do this crazy thing and I’m going to start this company selling books online.” This was something that I had already been talking to him about in a sort of more general context, but then he said, “Let’s go on a walk.” And, we went on a two hour walk in Central Park in New York City and the conclusion of that was this. He said, “You know, this actually sounds like a really good idea to me, but it sounds like it would be a better idea for somebody who didn’t already have a good job.” He convinced me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision.

So, I went away and was trying to find the right framework in which to make that kind of big decision. I had already talked to my wife about this, and she was very supportive and said, “Look, you know you can count me in 100 percent, whatever you want to do.” It’s true she had married this fairly stable guy in a stable career path, and now he wanted to go do this crazy thing, but she was 100 percent supportive. So, it really was a decision that I had to make for myself, and the framework I found which made the decision incredibly easy was what I called — which only a nerd would call — a “regret minimization framework.”

So, I wanted to project myself forward to age 80 and say, “Okay, now I’m looking back on my life. I want to have minimized the number of regrets I have.” I knew that when I was 80 I was not going to regret having tried this. I was not going to regret trying to participate in this thing called the Internet that I thought was going to be a really big deal. I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not ever having tried. I knew that that would haunt me every day, and so, when I thought about it that way it was an incredibly easy decision. And, I think that’s very good. If you can project yourself out to age 80 and sort of think, “What will I think at that time?” it gets you away from some of the daily pieces of confusion. You know, I left this Wall Street firm in the middle of the year. When you do that, you walk away from your annual bonus. That’s the kind of thing that in the short-term can confuse you, but if you think about the long-term then you can really make good life decisions that you won’t regret later.

The Coolness Index « Music Machinery

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:53:25 -0700

The Coolness Index « Music Machinery

I'm streaming live in 15 minutes at 4:00pm EST. Be there!

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:01:29 -0700

I'm streaming live in 15 minutes at 4:00pm EST. Be there!:

allisonweiss:

Click through to watch and/or listen!

allisonweiss: Look at these fucking hipsters. (via...

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:28:12 -0700

allisonweiss:

Look at these fucking hipsters.

(via tessabaker)

bllllllllllllllllog / ELF

How an Indie Musician can make $19,000 in 10 hours using Twitter

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:27:50 -0700

How an Indie Musician can make $19,000 in 10 hours using Twitter:

allisonweiss:

Alright. This is amazing. Could Amanda Palmer be any more of a badass? No.

But I must say that I believe her Twitter success goes beyond simply using the service. It’s because (a) She is Amanda Palmer (b) she treats her fans like friends (c) Her goal with Twitter is not to make money.

I’m afraid people will read this article and think they should jump on the Twitter bandwagon so they can score some cash. That’s not what its about. It’s about connecting with people. You might make money, but first you have earn the support of your followers.

That said, I don’t think you have to be famous. You just have to be real. I made $2000 in 10 hours, $4000 in 24… and I am so very far from famous.

It’s all about believing in eachother! I’m now having a blast making this album thanks to the help I got on Twitter and Tumblr. You guys are the best.

"Goh Nakamura, Café Du Nord, 6/30: Relax after the busy weekend with this San Francisco-native..."

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:01:37 -0700

“Goh Nakamura, Café Du Nord, 6/30: Relax after the busy weekend with this San Francisco-native singer/songwriter gaining fast fame with his songs about the DPT, little ditties about love and other precious topics. His charming voice and very likeable personality will win you over within the first 5 minutes, we promise.”

- Listen Up: David Byrne, Wilco and Goh Nakamura | 7x7

Help Polyvinyl Save 10,000 Records From Destruction - Kickstarter

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:08:51 -0700

Help Polyvinyl Save 10,000 Records From Destruction - Kickstarter:

Help Polyvinyl Save 10,000 Records From Destruction! Some great brand new CDs and DVDs available.