From Guns n Roses to AC/DC! Yes, we really are keeping up with the times! It’s funny how these, ahem, ‘mature’ bands are leading the way with their music strategies.

Anywho, I thought I’d report on the Young Brothers and co, because they recently took a stand against iTunes. They believed that an album should not be able to be broken down and purchased as individual tracks. Something that Apple is very sure should be able to happen, and something that I am sitting on the fence about. If you are going to make a ‘proper’ album (and I wouldn’t do it any other way), then the songs really should come as a package. There’s the mixture of styles, tempos and the interludes and the way it all moulds together to make an album something a bit more special than a compilation. There’s also the fact that many albums I have bought and immediately assumed ‘I don’t like track 3’, only for it to evolve with me and a couple of years later I realise that my favourites are the unknown and once disliked tracks. If, however, you are a current major label pop starlet and you are going to throw together 2 hits and a bunch of fillers in order to get something out in time for Christmas and your album would normally become the staple of car-boot sales around the country, then I can see the appeal of shortening the pain and just purchasing the two tracks. Although, to be honest, you could shorten the pain for all involved by not recording a bunch of rubbish in the first place (that rant is going to continue in a new blog post, I can tell you…).

So, AC/DC’s ‘Black Ice’ album would not be available on iTunes for the above reason. The result? Over 780,000 sales in it’s first week in the US. That’s also thanks to an exclusivity deal with Wal-Mart and strong promotion on their part. I the UK, they outsold Kaiser Chiefs two to one, and I believe that sales hit around the 120,000 mark. Ultimately, they hit the number one spot in an incredible 29 different countries!

Am I saying that we should all now ditch the digital revolution and just sell physical albums? Of course not. AC/DC is in a unique position and can strike up such a deal because of their strong history. Ultimately, the physical only strategy was to their greatest benefit. And I AM saying that you should explore all options to find the greatest benefit to you. Maybe that is physical releases, maybe that is an exclusive digital deal with Stompy, maybe you should give your music away. You decide, I’m just here to open you eyes

Lee Jarvis.

Ok, I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with this one, but ride it out with me… Over the last couple of days I have received emails and feeds reminding me to vote in the US Election from people such as MTV, OM Records, and many, many more. In fact, MTV news headlines are dominated by election predictions and results.

What has all this got to do with the changing face of the music industry? Directly… nothing. Indirectly, the thing that has struck me, and that you should really think about too, is that the way that both the political parties and neutral organisations are using the internet and new media to encourage people to vote in incredible numbers. National Geographic have reported that voter turnout could be the highest since 1908!

Yes, the high voting numbers can often be born from times of despair, but I also think that this has something to do with the way that the world communicates today, and how it differs from 8 years ago. A new media marketing success can reach an unbelievable number of consumers, and it often hits a high percentage of young, affluent, responsible US citizens. These are the people who should really be concerned with their vote, and have been missing from previous elections altogether.

Viral videos have been a huge contribution to this, as they can use humour to make their point hit home with great effect.

Wassup 2008

Is viral marketing something that you can tap into for your band promotion / record label / concert venue? I think you should seriously consider the way the world communicates, and how it is evolving. While I do plan to share lot more about the changing music industry over at my personal blog, one guy who really knows what he’s talking about is Bob Baker. Head over to his blog and read a few of his wise words.

Lee.

Does it still happen? Well, no.

It may SEEM like someone gets a lucky break now and then, but trust me, that particular gig where the (insert national newspaper) reviewer pops along and likes what they hear – that’s because it’s your 1052nd gig and they are there because you’ve contacted them through the whelm of social networking sites. They checked out your UK Music Jobs profile (which is in all your signatures) before replying, which was up to date with info, press shots, new music and carefully crafted branding. Someone in their office had actually heard of you already because you are always chiming in on (insert blog) with insightful comments and linking back to your own regularly updated tour blog. Their friend had won free tickets to your last gig that you’d offered to the local radio station (along with a CD and biog for the specialist genre DJ there).

Here’s the good news, and the bit to focus on. Your career is now in YOUR hands. You don’t have to rely on the top A&R gurus listening to your tape and throwing the other 1,000 away on that particular day.

YOU record your own ideas, dreams and emotions. YOU build your fan base. YOU start your own label and YOU sell the records through YOUR website. YOU do the marketing, publishing, live performances and cost scheduling.

It’s hard, but in today’s model, it’s all very achievable. You may not get it all right first time, and you may need to research for some advice. That’s where I come in

The internet is incredible, and web 2.0 is all about providing free content. There’s hundreds of helpful blogs providing expert help and advice, here’s a few I recommend;

www.leejarvis.blogspot.com (The Digital Revolution, Music 2.0 and tips for Indies and Freelancers; we all get one free plug, don’t we?!)
New music strategies (Does what it says on the tin. Change the way you think if you want to make it in the future music industry)
Berkleemusic (Top US college with some amazing tutors, offering help on all kinds of music careers. Alumi include Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock)

Now that you have control over you own career, go make it happen! Ooh, but before you go, leave a comment and check back soon

Lee.

I reported the leaks on Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Chinese Democracy’ album recently, and now it’s finally getting a timely full release. Yesterday’s official statement from Best Buy and Geffen Records gave us a street date of November 23rd for CD, vinyl LP (with a free digital download) and digital album versions, and pre-orders have already begun today.

The title single from the album was yesterday sent to radio stations, and they immediately started airing it and eagerly listening to fan’s thoughts. Many US station reps have shared their thoughts over at Billboard.com.

Is it any good? Well, Steve Kandell at Spin.com says, “Once the overture of muffled voices, ominous drums, and plinky Edge-ish guitar gives way to a thick, muscular four-chord riff and that Axl banshee wail, only the most stubbornly jaded will manage to suppress the goosebump reflex”

Want to make your own mind up? You can listen here – add your views in the comment section.

It has been an incredibly long wait for the new GNR material; their first album since 1991’s seminal ‘Use your Illusion I’ & ‘Use your Illusion II’ releases. It’s been such a debacle that soda company Dr Pepper once offered to “provide a free can of the soda to everyone in the U.S. if the album drops this year” (today they kept their promise and made plans for the free deal).

Was it worth the wait? Did the band gain anything by waiting this long? Does anyone still care about the album? Let me know your thoughts…

Lee Jarvis.

I’ve been thinking some more about my post last week, debating how much you actually earn from selling your music online these days. Coupled with the news that’s been finally weaned from Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ Album and the fact that the more forthcoming Trent Reznor’s figures on Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Ghosts I-IV’ album, I thought I’d blog further on the topic of what you can earn by giving your music away.

Regarding ‘In Rainbows’,”More than three million people acquired the album,” points out Warner Chappell Music senior vice president of International Legal & Business Affairs Jane Dyball, who admits “I had doubts there was money to be made online”. That figure includes downloads sold across various retailers, and physical packages sold online and through brick-n-mortar stores, and Dyball noted that 1.75 million copies of the physical, full-priced release were shifted. The band may have decided to not give out any specific figures on sales, but that hasn’t stopped people from estimating revenue ($10m in the first week?) and average price paid per album ($5? $8?). Other companies are saying that these figures don’t allow for those who paid $0 for the album (ComScore.com), and Radiohead’s representatives then reply that those figures are inaccurate but don’t give us anything solid to go on. Despite the option of a ‘$0’ price on the official website, between October 10 and November 3 2007, ‘In Rainbows’ was still downloaded from Torrent websites to the tune of 2.3m downloads. So just about no-one can figure it all out once the Torrent numbers are thrown into the mix.

So how about Nine Inch Nails? Front man Trent Reznor must have thought it a huge success. Not only having the respect of your loyal fans and the Music Futurists out there… not only giving the old major labels an e-middle-finger… but also pocketing $1.6 million dollars in revenue in the first week. It must have been a success, as they’ve made the follow-up album ‘The Slip’ available for free download in multiple formats, all DRM-free and encourage you to “remix it, post it on your blog, and share it with strangers”. What an amazing attitude; these will surely go down in history as all-embracing album experiments. It should be right there alongside Michael Jackson being the first black artist with a video on MTV (Billie Jean, 1983). (your random fact for the day )

It wasn’t that easy though – Reznor reported earlier this year that in the two months up to January 2nd, his previous collaboration with Saul Williams consisted of 154,449 people downloading a standard quality of ‘NiggyTardust’ and just 28,322 of them paying the $5 for the higher quality version. In his blog, Reznor suggested that he was “disheartened” by the results.

So, it wasn’t the quality which drove people to illegally download via torrents. Reznor went back to the drawing board and tried a slightly different approach. He now understood the need for a physical product to help launch the album, in fact he released several variations for both CD junkies and hard-core NIN fans (the $300 Ultra-Deluxe Limited Edition of Ghosts I-IV immediately sold out its run of 2500).

At 43 years old, technically on the upper end of Generation-Y (if not Generation-X). Reznor is refreshing, and a true pioneer in his actions. Major labels may be starting to offer 360 deals for some artists, but GIVING the music away? That must be a long way off (if at all).

What would you give to have a Reznor in charge of your career? Well, maybe you can… YOU. Maybe Indies are gaining more and more advantages over the majors and you want to choose this path. If so, then this is the place to subscribe – I’ll be talking a lot more about this over the coming months.

Lee.

The Big Royalties Debate

Congratulations! You have recorded a kick-ass song and a major label wants to sign it and distribute it to a worldwide audience. The trouble is, just how much will you be rewarded for your years of hard work?

The fact is that people don’t buy singles on CD or Vinyl for £3.99 anymore – they pay £0.99 (if you are lucky) for a download, so the record companies have a lot less coming to them (read: a lot less to share with you). Sales have gone crazy with the advent of the digital revolution, but that is just the tip of the iceberg; there has been no set royalty rate agreed with music publishers and the RIAA. No wonder everything is such a mess!

Just a few weeks ago, all the major groups representing record companies, songwriters and digital music websites agreed a new deal for so-called “mechanical royalties” for interactive streaming music and limited music downloads. (The LA times gives a very good glossary of these terms and further details on the agreement.) The RIAA chief executive stated that “This agreement provides a flexible structure to support innovative business models in the digital music marketplace that will benefit music fans, creators and online services”.

It’s a step forward, but there are still some other issues to be resolved, and some rather large ones at that. The biggest grey area at the moment is Internet radio and the royalties that would be accrued from that. I’m sure we’ve all heard various stories about sites such as Pandora and the constraints placed upon them.

Streaming and internet radio is big business, and if you can find a (legitimate) way to make money in this markets then you can justify earning just a few pence per unit sold, or even giving your music away for free, as did Nine Inch Nails recently. Some big bands such as Guns’n’Roses can even swallow a major album leak, use the publicity to their advantage and turn it into promotion of the full album release. The market for online promotion of merchandise and live gigs is just as vast, and enough for a future blog post

The dwindling pot of money further declines because, as the big boys keep moaning left, right and centre, pirates are stealing billions of pounds of music every year. Yes PIRATES! Swashbuckling, downloading, free riding college kids are able to find, copy, distribute and burn illegal copies of your music for free in their sleep. The industry believes that the ratio of unlicensed tracks downloaded to legal tracks sold is about 20 to 1, which is a staggering figure. While the recent agreement is a step in the right direction, we’ve still a long way to go.

The short answer is that you will not earn very much directly from sales of one successful song. The days of retiring from one lucky “ooh ahh just a little bit” are long gone. But the thought of earning a new community fan base of affluent, stylish, generation-Y internet users that share and participate in the online world… well, that’s worth its weight in gold.

Lee.

If you think that the best way to further your music career is by just checking on the Jobs Board once a week, then you really are missing out. UK Music Jobs has many tools to aid you on your journey. This blog and my wise words being one of them of course and also, the members directory is a great place to network. We all want to have contacts in the industry, and here are a few suggestions how to get started, along with some great member profiles…

Artists & Musicians – you should constantly be checking out other artists & musicians! Inspiration is everywhere, listen to the music that other people in your genre (and outside it) are making, look at the way they promote themselves, take tips on their promo shots and demo tapes. Of course, there is also the huge possibility of collaboration. Merging backgrounds and experimenting often create some of the most interesting and successful records in history. (Roxy Music anyone?)

Check out Maria Alessandra Dangelo or Simon Noble

Producers & Engineers – The competition is fierce for any kind of studio work, and you need to keep on top of your game. Look at some strong profiles and try to improve your own. Keep your CV up to date, and adding a picture and a sample of your work will help encourage companies and members who browse the profiles. Looking at your peers you may notice some new or updated courses you can check out – there may be some great certificates / extra qualifications you can learn right on your doorstep and then add to your achievements.

Check out Mark Stevenson or James Kerr

Journalists & New media – whilst looking for work, why not try interviewing some of our talented bands? Why not get in touch with an established producer and offer your help on a music video or press releases? Maybe a fellow journalist’s profile will give you a clue as to how they got started and how you can gain some experience, or open your eyes to new companies that may require some kind of written skills.

Check out Joe Ward

However you decide to start networking, remember to update your own UKMJ profile – people are much more likely to interact if your page has photos / links / press clippings / list of achievements / uploaded documents. Check out my own profile for examples.

Remember, these are just my own ideas that I have thought up to help you – the UKMJ network is there for you to use in any way you can, and by doing so you will improve your networking and chances of finding your way through this crazy industry, maybe even with some new acquaintances!

Lee.

PS - Why not start getting involved with a comment if you find this helpful / ludicrous / interesting / obvious / etc. You may draw my attention and find yourself in one of my future blogs!

LL Cool J once said “I can’t live without my radio”, but do people still have radios nowadays? Hasn’t internet broadcasting killed off Tim Westwood, Pete Tong, Tony Blackburn et al? Not quite, but you catch my drift; you certainly can live without your radio. With the vast array of gadgets and gizmos available, it got me thinking what I can’t live without. We have personal mp3 players smaller then a matchbox and phones that can email and take photos (not forgetting, make the occasional phone call).

Apple have just unveiled their new iPods, and are rumoured to be announcing the launch of the Macbook Touch in October, combining the touch screen usability of their iPod Touch and iPhone ranges with their already successful MacBook laptops. Yet more kit that we don’t need but we all want.

For us recording artists, the gadget list snowballs. Learning my basic skills on an Akai 3000XL sampler, I’ll always have a soft spot for that. Popular dance artist Monika Kruse just yesterday told DJ Magazine that her Oscar Synthesizer will never leave her side.

Maybe you’re more classical and there’s one particular instrument that you will never sell. Maybe you are an aspiring music journo and you can make do without any of this, but you still can’t do without your inspiration (and maybe a pen that’s also a voice recorder).

Finally, those crazy Latvian disc jockeys, well, they just can’t live without their DJ Sport Games, so much so that they made an official event out of it! (Thanks to The Sound Republic for the heads up on that one).

Please share what you can’t live without by adding your comments. Or even pictures of you and your beloved

Lee.

John Webber was a freelance engineer in several studios throughout the UK before becoming resident engineer at Blue Pro Studios. He has established himself mastering, mixing and producing for a wide variety of indie, jazz, pop, rock and world music acts from unsigned prospects through to major label talent. Previous clients include Universal, SonyBMG & World Music Network for artists including Whitey, Rooster, Simon Webbe and Polar Bear.

Hi John, what have I interrupted you doing today?
I have just completed mastering for Candid Records’ new signing, Joe Stilgoe, a really impressive Jazz album featuring a wonderful cover of the scarecrow’s song from the Wizard of Oz ‘If I only had a brain’.

How would you describe your role within the music industry?
Primarily within the industry my main role is as a mastering engineer. We have slowly built up the mastering facility at Blue Pro over the last 2 years to be truly world class and have become known for consistent high-end results. We do still offer recording and mixing but our mastering work does dominate our schedule these days.

How did you first get into the industry?
Well, I have always been into music and started playing guitar at a very young age. My first paid audio related role was making speaker grills at a local sweatshop, sorry factory, near my hometown (Southend On Sea). Feeling like I’d never escape, I got lucky and was employed as a technician in a local studio, which eventually led to engineering work. I was then invited onto the second year of a degree at LCM (London College Of Music) which resulted in meeting with Charles Westropp, which soon after resulted in mixing for Rooster (Sony BMG/Brightside) at Blue Pro Studios.

I understand you are launching a new website soon, can you tell me a little bit about it?
Well over the coming weeks www.blueprostudios.com will be replaced with what we feel is the most informative and interactive studio website around. Users can create accounts to upload material and book sessions. The site will also contain news feeds and offer lots of useful industry insight and tips.

Soon after the main studio site goes up we will also be launching www.remotemastering.com, the worlds most ‘easy to use’ and ‘functional’ online mastering facility. Nothing particularly groundbreaking on paper but the interface and site design is truly unique. Users will be able to check DDP masters, compare mastered and un-mastered material in real time and effortlessly submit work with a 5-day turnaround.

What projects are you currently working on?
Well as I mentioned I just finished the master for Joe (Stilgoe). I am about to start a mix with songwriter/producer Adam Crowe. I am also working with Goodbye/Delete on their debut EP (John is actually the founding member). I’m doing more work with The Operators who are on the cusp of being very big. Aside from this I am always mastering and often do several records a week.

Who have you enjoyed working with?
I enjoy anything that pushes me to enhance my own skills. If the music’s good and the people involved are passionate then I get a kick from it.

Who would you like to work with in the future?
Any artists who have the potential for greatness!

Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?
It would be great to win a Grammy Award, as being noticed for your efforts is always cool! Really though, to be associated with great music in any shape or form would be fine. I also intend to do a bit more writing for other acts.

What tips could you give to help people survive the crazy world of music business?
What I tried to do was to be diverse and see what direction my opportunities led me in. I can write, produce, record, mix and master music. If you’re looking to make a living you certainly will find it hard to survive in one area exclusively, so be smart and dare I say it ‘think outside of the box’.

In general be persistent, be stubborn and never say no to anything work wise. Talent is not enough alone, it takes seriously hard work!

John Webber’s UK Music Jobs profile: http://my.music-jobs.com/john.webber
John Webber’s Myspace blog (full of advice on Home recording!): http://www.myspace.com/johnwebbermusic
Blue Pro Studios: http://www.blueprostudios.com

Lee.

It has just been announced that London clubbing Mecca, The End, is to close it’s doors for the final time in January 2009. Known and loved by many all over the world, The End has been a true pioneer of underground dance music over the last 12 or so years, hosting groundbreaking nights across house, techno, drum&bass, breakbeat and much more.

Director Layo Paskin states “Even though the past few years have arguably been our most successful as a club and as a business, I don’t particularly believe that there’s anything more that we can achieve”, and I have to say I’d find it challenging to think of how they could continue to top their record, especially with some key members of the team eager to try new things. It’s not as if the club were over the hill, far from it, but that almost makes it even greater, to go out on a high, and be remembered as outstanding.

Built by Layo (as in ‘Layo & Bushwacka’) and Mr C (as in ‘Ebeneezer Goode’), The End was often seen as the perfect club in many ways for DJs and clubbers; that circular DJ booth in the middle of the dance floor, the incredible sound system, and the friendly and diverse crowd.

Layo continues, “It’s partially a circumstantial decision, and partially a decision of choice”, adding, “We’ve had offers for the club before, and yes, this was the best one. But I wouldn’t say that it’s so good that it makes this a purely financial issue … If it was seven or eight years ago, an offer like this wouldn’t have been accepted. It’s a lot to do with the timing.”

On a personal level, I know I will certainly miss the club; my first ‘proper’ night clubbing was about 7 years ago to see Steve Lawler play a 6 hour set in the main room, and I’ve been hooked ever since, returning for the likes of Jeff Mills, Layo & Bushwacka, Chew the Fat, and the infamous Jaded after-hours parties. I know I will not be alone, judging by the eleven pages of comments on the website since yesterday’s announcement!

On a business level, add this to the other superclub closures of 2008 (The Cross, The Key, Canvas and Turnmills), and clubland has been well and truly shaken up. What will the future hold for the likes of a newly refurbed Pacha, a re-launched Bar Rhumba, and new-kid-on-the-block Matter, opening any day now from the people who brought you Fabric? Stay tuned for more news and interviews

Lee.