DIY success is alive and thriving on the Internet says TuneCore’s Jeff Price in response to Tommy Boy Silverman’s claim reported in digital music news <http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/012110tommy> that fewer than 8 DIY artists broke since 2008. Are album sales really the benchmark of success in the new music biz?? Agree or disagree?

(Reposted from TuneCorner. More at http://blog.tunecore.com/2010/01/how-people-use-neilsen-to-hurt-musicians.html)

How people use Neilsen to hurt musicians.

I read an article today at Digital Music News about comments by Tommy Silverman – founder of Tommy Boy and the New Music Seminar.

With all due respect, his information is wrong. But worse, the conclusions he reaches from this faulty information could be damaging to artists.

Some highlights include statements like:

“Silverman counted 105,575 new album releases that year, and found that just 225 of those were new artists surpassing the 10,000 unit threshold for the first time. Of that, just 14 were do-it-yourself artists, unaffiliated with a major, indie, or other entity.”

and

“What does this say about the Chris Anderson ‘Long Tail’ promise?” Silverman blogged in Musician Coaching. “Clearly the ease of making and distributing music does not benefit ‘breaking’ music. Breaking music requires mass exposure which requires luck or money or both. I can say with great authority that less new music is breaking now in America than any other time in history. Technology has not helped more great music rise to the top, it has inhibited it. I know this is a bold statement but it is true.”

I wrote a response to the editor of the blog where the article appeared, I do not know if he will post it, but I feel so strongly about making certain word gets out, I am re-posting my response to Tommy’s statements here

————

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing you in response to Tommy’s information and posting – the good news, he is dead wrong. The truth is more artists and bands are breaking now in America, and around the world, than at any other time in history. Technology has absolutly helped more great artists and bands rise to the top.

The Nielsen data cited is not only incomplete, but also provides a false analysis.

Let me provide you some hard stats to back this up:

According to Nielsen and Tommy there were:
“…106,000 new (music) releases in 2008″

In 2008, TuneCore released approximately 90,000 newly recorded releases

This means, according to Neilsen and Tommy, almost every single new music release in 2008 was distributed via TuneCore.

I know this simply not to be true – the base assumption that Tommy is making is as dead wrong as his other statistics.

Another example, Tommy states:

” just 225 of those (the new releases) were new artists surpassing the 10,000 unit threshold for the first time. ”

This is an empirically false statement for a few reasons.

First, in order for Neilsen to accuratly track sales, the UPCs for those albums must be pre-registered in their database. If the UPC is not registered in its database, Neilsen can not match the sales data to an album (or song). For example, if a digital store tells Neilsen it sold 100 copies of UPC # 123456789, and Neilsen has no idea what UPC # 123456789 is, it can not report the sales.

Next, the majority of the 90,000 releases via TuneCore in 2009 were not registered with Soundscan therefore making it impossible for them to track or report on the sales.

But these two points are actually kind of moot. Music is no longer bought by the album, it is bought by the song across an artist’s catalog. Tracking album sales as the sole indicator to determine if something is “breaking” is analogous to tracking only vinyl album sales to determine if something is “breaking”

Some examples:

When they were unsigned, the following TuneCore artists sold the following quantities of songs across their releases:

Kelly sold over 2,000,000 million tracks
William Fitzsimmons sold over 150,000 tracks
Soulja Boy sold over 200,000 tracks
Boyce Avenue sold over 1,200,000 tracks
Ron Pope sold over 250,000 tracks
Colt Ford sold over 300,000 tracks
Secondhand Serenade sold over 250,000 tracks
Tapes N Tapes sold over 200,000 tracks
Nevershoutnever sold over 1,000,000 tracks
Drake sold over 300,000 tracks
MGMT sold over 225,000 tracks
The Medic Droid sold over 150,00 tracks
Nickasaur sold over 150,000 tracks
Harry and the Potters sold over 200,000 tracks

This is just a very quick partial list that goes on and on and on

Under Tommy’s model, none of these artist sales count as they are not “album” sales.

With all due respect, Tommy might discount selling over 1,000,000 songs by an “unsigned” artist as not “breaking”, but I do.

On a macro level, in 2009 alone, the internet allowed the “long tail” unsigned artists that used TuneCore to generate over $32,000,000 in music sales by selling over 42,000,000 songs – this is more than one song a second selling by a TuneCore Artist on iTunes. This “long tail” catalog that TuneCore’s Aritsts represent is now one of the most valuable music catalogs in the world. And this all happened due to the net, social networking and access to the media outlets (like YouTube).

“Breaking” is not just about selling albums or even just the music – it is about generating revenue off of fame. This is done via merch, gig, publishing, music sales, ad revenue and more. Nevershoutnever sold over 35,000 t-shirts in a number of months via a regional sales program with Hot Topic. Surely Tommy does not mean to discount these sales and revenue simply because the artist is selling merch? How about if the band sold no music but consistently sold out 1,000 venue clubs and made $15,000 a night? Why does Tommy discredit bands for their success if they are not selling “albums”?

Another distributing and incorrect point suggested by Tommy is that music sales are down due to the fact that there is more music available to buy, share and discover.

As a matter of fact, its quite the opposite

In the late 90’s – also known as the “golden age” of market share and revenue for the music industry – more music was being released and bought than ever before (as an example, Warner was releasing one new release a day). Despite this increase of releases, sales (not just revenue) went up, not down.

Or from a pure logic perspective, if iTunes had 2,000,000 less songs, would an artist that is not selling now as no one likes their music magically start selling. Or to flip it around, I would suggest more music on the virtual shelf causes more music to sell as it allows the music buyer to discover music via the digital stores own recommendation association engines.

Tommy’s goes on to state:

“Breaking music requires mass exposure which requires luck or money or both.”

This statement is also dead wrong – and he knows it based on is own experiences at Tommy Boy.

Historically, in the music industry, 98% of what the record labels distributed, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on to market and promote and get played on commercial radio and MTV did not “break”. If “breaking” simply “required mass exposure”, there would have been a 98% success rate, not failure rate. But music is not a math equation, and therein lies the problem with Tommy’s statement. Yes, to break you need exposure, but that by no means guarantees success. The music has to cause reaction. For example, if “Smells Like Teen Spirit’ was not a song that people liked, it would not have mattered how much money was spent on getting you to hear it.

And that’s the excitement and beauty of the internet. The masses now have direct access to the media and “music discovery” social networking outlets. – i.e. YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, Jango and more. These new social networking and media vehicles allow mass communication in an instanteous fashion at a click of button. Suddenly one person’s opinion does matter and can can impact a bottom line. Even the digital stores themselves provide a vehicle to market and promote yourself off off (i.e. iTunes iMixes or recommendations of other music to buy). Through these vehicles the internet has delivered the ability for anyone to “break”, and they actually are. The masses now have access to the media outlets to get heard. The problem is the old school view that “breaking” is simply defined by selling albums. This could not be farther from the truth.

Tommy also goes onto say:

“I can say with great authority that less new music is breaking now in America than any other time in history. Technology has not helped more great music rise to the top, it has inhibited it. I know this is a bold statement but it is true.”

It might be a bold statement by Tommy to help get headlines, but it’s also false (and kind of silly). The truth is more artists and bands are breaking now in America, and around the world, than at any other time in history. Technology has absolutly helped more great artists and bands rise to the top.

The distressing part for me about this is based on Tommy’s statements, if an artists’ release is not counted by Neilsen than it is not actually released. If music does not sell as an album then it has not sold. In effect, he is de-legitimizing artists.

With all due respect, I believe an artist’s release should “count” even if not recognized by Neilsen as this de-recognition closes off possible opportunities based on the perception that a release is not “real”

I also find it distressing that the media, and other outlets, turn to Neilsen as the definitive source to determine what is occurring in this industry thereby decreasing the opportunities for musicians and artists that are not part of this old school system.

The reality is the majority of music is now being created, released and sold outside of the traditional system. Ad agencies, music supervisors, video game manufacturers, radio programmers etc turn to Neilsen for information to discover music in an attempt to use/license it. They need to understand that the Neilsen information is an incomplete and an inaccurate portrayal of reality. This inaccurate perception is holding back opportunity and validation for others. Tommy needs to stop propagating this false perception as it hurts artists.

It’s important that an accurate picture of what is occurring be presented to fans and businesses to provide additional choice and opportunity for musicians. They work hard enough as it is, the last thing we need to do is propagate a false reality to hurt them. Tommy’s heart is in the right place, we are here to help musicians, but let’s start with a more accurate description as opposed to a “bold” but false statement that helps promote an agenda.

(Reposted from Digital Music News. More at http://digitalmusicnews.com/stories/012010silvermandiy)

Define DIY success! Internet has hurt not helped new music succeed says Silverman of Tommy Boy Records. Agree?

Tommy Boy Records Tom Silverman says fewer than 10 new DIY artists really broke through since 2008.

The Incredibly Small Number of ‘Breaking’ DIY Artists…

Just how many DIY artists are really breaking into this market? Tough question, though Tommy Boy (and New Music Seminar) founder Tom Silverman recently investigated the issue using 2008 sales figures from Nielsen Soundscan. Silverman counted 105,575 new album releases that year, and found that just 225 of those were new artists surpassing the 10,000 unit threshold for the first time. Of that, just 14 were do-it-yourself artists, unaffiliated with a major, indie, or other entity.

Or were they? After digging deeper, Silverman realized that 14 was way too high. Right off the top, Silverman nixed two from the list after confusing the names with other, previously-successful artists. Silverman then eliminated another after discovering a partnership with indie Hip-Hop group Tech N9ne. Another Hip-Hopper was crossed-off after a massive marketing spend came to light.

The list kept shrinking. Another was boosted by American Idol, and another America’s Got Talent. A ‘few others’ were on ’small labels with big budgets,’ according to Silverman.

And so on. “What does this say about the Chris Anderson ‘Long Tail’ promise?” Silverman blogged in Musician Coaching. “Clearly the ease of making and distributing music does not benefit ‘breaking’ music. Breaking music requires mass exposure which requires luck or money or both. I can say with great authority that less new music is breaking now in America than any other time in history. Technology has not helped more great music rise to the top, it has inhibited it. I know this is a bold statement but it is true.”

So what’s left? All of that sounds deflating, though Silverman pointed to opportunities at lower sales levels. Whether artists can truly monetize smaller audiences remains an open question, though certainly, life goes beyond the recording. “In the meantime, artists can still make a very good living without selling 10,000 albums by careful cultivation of their fan relationships,” Tommy Boy surmised.

(The Musician’s Atlas Plugged interview with Eli Ball)

Eli Ball, CEO of LYRIC Financial, formerly known as First Entertainment Financial, LLC in Nashville, TN has specialized in funding music projects since they began in 2006.

AP: Where are the headquarters of LYRIC Financial?
EB: Nashville, TN…Music City, USA!

AP: Are you affiliated with First Entertainment Credit Union in California?
EB: No, the possible confusion with the credit union is why we are rebranding it to LYRIC, it will be official as of May 1.

AP: Does your institution specialize in the entertainment industry?
EB:Yep…that’s all we do. My gig is to develop new and hopefully meaningful financial products for the music community.

AP: Why should a musician consider using LYRIC?
EB:Since everyone at LYRIC is related in some way to the music business, we understand the unique challenges facing music professionals. Simply, what we do is take music assets, like the future value in a song catalog, and convert that into the cash needed, without jeopardizing the artists or label’s ownership of the catalog.

AP: How does LYRIC help Musician’s fund their music projects?
EB:We work with the artist/writer, publisher or label to develop the appropriate financial solution for their specific need; recording, marketing, touring, or personal.

For example, we have developed a royalty advance program called, FastForwardMyRoyalties to help with short term financing (less than 1 year), which is available to songwriters and publishers affiliated with BMI. Takes about a day to process, application is online and there’s no credit qualification…pretty simple and safe. We have other programs available for musicians and publishers seeking longer term financing as well.

It is very important for an artist to view his/her career like a business, which means being very aware of what assets (rights) you own and what they are worth. Generally, when you borrow money from a bank you have to pledge collateral that is worth at least as much as the loan and usually more. That means that if you don’t repay the bank, it has the legal right to seize the collateral and sell it or do whatever the bank wants to do with it.

While no lender wants repossess your house or your songs (it’s bad for business and the bank usually loses money), the fact is they have that right, if the terms of the loan agreement are not met. We created the FastForwardMyRoyalties advance program to avoid that risk for all involved, artist and LYRIC.

AP: What assets does an artist need to qualify for a FastForward Royalties advance?
EB:Traditional assets are not needed for the FastForward advance, just an established royalty stream or a projection from BMI if it is a new song on the charts. And we hope to have the other licensing organizations (PROs) signed-up by year’s end, both performance and mechanical.

We have other active programs that also benefit ASCAP & SESAC members: Performance loan program up to two years for artists with established PRO earnings history that need access to more than a year of royalties. We also have an All Access Line of Credit for artists with established catalogs; kind of like a home equity loan, but backed by the value of your catalog instead your home.

AP: How much can Artists raise via a LYRIC Financial program?
EB:Depends on their income base. For artists with performance income from BMI, ASCAP, or SESAC, the artist can generally get up to 90% of their projected two-year earnings. If the artist has an established catalog of albums that are still selling, he or she may be able to get up to 50% of what they would earn over a 12-18 month period; with minimum earnings of at least $50k per year.

AP: What happens if they don’t meet the earnings expectations – what is the penalty, fees, re-payments, etc?
EB: We are pretty comfortable with projecting what the two year earnings on a song or catalog will be. In the rare event that the earnings don’t reach our projection within two years, we simply renew the note until the loan is repaid. There are no penalties or late fees. Further, if the artist, songwriter or publisher would like to prepay the loan early, there is no prepayment penalty.

AP: Are all musicians eligible?
EB: This program is geared towards artists, songwriters and producers who earn royalties from a PRO or label. Non-US artists must have a US-based PRO, i.e. a London songwriter who is a member of BMI would be eligible.

AP: Aside from the creatives (songwriters, performers) what other music biz entrepreneurs does Lyric support?
EB: We work with publishers, labels, and managers who have businesses with established earning history.

Visit LYRIC online to learn more about their financing programs.

(This article originally ran in The Musician’s Atlas Plugged newsletter).

By 7th Annual IMA Alt.Country Album of the Year Nominee and IMA Vox Populi Winner Jan Bell

The dictionary definition of band: a company of persons functioning together; a group of instrumentalists playing music of a specialized type; to unite in a troop, company, or confederacy.

Since you and your band mates are part of a whole focused on achieving the same end result, dividing and delegating band business makes the workload easier and more successful. Let’s begin.

On Tour

Some tasks are more daily responsibility than others, depending how often you tour.

Right off the bat, I suggest whoever is the main vehicle owner/driver should be considered signed up for a big enough job as it is.

If there are 2 main drivers, I suggest they share Merch. Management.

Whichever one isn’t driving that day, is the one who sets up, tears down, and keeps track of Merch sales, and makes sure you have a bank. You can also pull from the Merch $ to pay for gas. Be sure to keep the receipts together in there, and write down the venue you played on each one.

If not on the road, team up and research new hat/tee shirt/sticker ideas/better deals. Navigator/Co-Pilot should ALWAYS be taken in turns, especially since involves helping the Driver stay alert sometimes.

Whoever has experience waiting tables, bar tending etc – is usually a good person to do the Radio and Press. This is because it involves approaching folks you don’t know, basic friendly salesmanship, assembling detailed contact. info, collating information as far who is best specific DJ/Reporter to approach; and FOLLOW UP. Did they get that extra hot sauce? If successful as far as emailing, this could lead to telephone interviews and other opportunities, where its helpful to have an approachable/forthcoming personality.

Booking tends to be the biggest, and most consuming, often frustrating job. Sometimes it feels like you shoot an arrow and get nothing back. Again, FOLLOW UP is the hard part. The singer songwriter/band leader tends to be the best one to take this on, since the band are singing your original songs, and you can choose the clubs you would rather play. You’re also building a healthy contact list. Small clubs now, might be bigger venues tomorrow. Part time/newcomer promoters now, may be prestigious bookers/talent buyers in the future. (See the Musician’s Atlas Archives for ‘The Do’s and Don’ts of Booking’)

If you’re a Solo Artist – try out a writer’s group/ acoustic jam /open mic – and invest your energy and ideas in that community. If there aren’t any where you live – why not make one happen at the local café/community center/book store? As a singer/songwriter, initiative is one of your greatest assets. If you’ve never hosted such an event before, go to one and imagine how you might do it differently.

Band Meeting

Next time you get together to rehearse, plan an hour after to write up a To- Do List, and share out the work. Keep it to an hour, say while you’re getting something to eat, or going out for a drink. Try and schedule this once a month.

Trade and Barter/How can you help others?

You’re not alone! You probably know many people building toward their dreams. Consider your own skills and availability. I once traded baby sitting in exchange for recording studio time. The Studio owner gave me a terrific discount, because to him and his wife (performing musicians) knowing they could count on me while they played their weekly gigs, was a huge weight off their minds. Look around, and see where you can help folks who may be able to help you.

So many people have home offices now. Would they help cut your costs as far as printing/copying/graphics etc? See if their dog needs walking/plants watering/cat sitting/dry cleaning picked up/post office run/fed ex drop off/gardening/lawn mowing/car cleaning……I know you get it! So go out and get it done! Most of all, keep a positive attitude. You never know where a little good will might get you! The main thing is communication and unity = Community. AKA : A thriving, hard working, and successful BAND!

HEAR MORE, LEARN MORE SEE MORE AT: www.janbellmusic.com Upcoming shows: www.myspace.com/janbell

By Doug Hoekstra (From the Musician’s Atlas Plugged Newsletter)

Solo, duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet –I think I’ve dragged about every conceivable combination of musicians on stage, to perform my songs. And, when my mates weren’t around to back me up, I’ve added boom box, harmonica, loop pedals and even spoken word, to my solo shows.

Yes, I’m a restless artiste’ always searching, always trying to redefine myself. And yes I enjoy hearing new things come out of my music – but, I’d be a liar if I didn’t own up to taking practical concerns into account. And increasingly, other musicians and songwriters who cut their teeth in bands, are adopting their own versions of the troubadour mentality in order to survive a challenging musical marketplace. Maybe you are too.

Recently, I was at the park with my producer friend, David Henry, watching our six-year old children play. David is involved in all sorts of projects here in Nashville and beyond, playing cello, producing, and of course, fronting his very fine Brother Henry band (which also features his twin, Ned, and another brother, Jeff).

I asked him how things were going with his own stuff and he said he had recently taken the band out east to the Carolinas for some shows, which were aesthetically great, but not exactly what they’d desired, re; attendance. He said something to the effect that it’s worse when you take the whole band out for those shows – that it made more sense to do the stripped down solo/duo thing, at least you can cut down on your overhead.

And, then we debated the advantages of More vs Less.

If you go out with the whole band, you have camaraderie and the experience of interacting with each other, maybe finding new grooves or melodies on tour or on stage.

Kat Parsons, a melodious singer-songwriter based in L.A. says that “two minds are better than one, you get two different musical perspectives coming together to create a unique union, and more opportunities for more harmony.” There is strength in numbers, as well, a dynamic that can be used to whip up an audience, or to be “partners in crime,’ insulating us from the loneliness or uncertain interactions or adventures inherent in any travel.

The flip side of course, is that more personalities can lead to more drama.

Dan Montgomery, a fine Memphis-based soul rockin’ songsmith who cut his teeth playing in the Ben Vaughn Combo, shared a tale about the time he added a father and daughter to his band right before leaving on tour. The daughter had just gotten a new tattoo and now father and daughter weren’t speaking. Finally, after trying to mediate during the eight-hour drives he said, “you’re not making much money with me, but you are saving a fortune in family counseling.”

And with a band, clearly, the overhead is much higher. You need a larger vehicle, more hotel rooms, more food, more gear to schlep, more, more, more. If you have a big guarantee, you don’t make less money because you have to split it up – if you have a lesser house, you lose money.

On the other hand, as a soloist/duo, you obviously have a different thing going on. You rely on drawing from the well inside and shuffling the deck, comparative to the audience – size and vibe. You tend to venture into the crowd and the city you play a bit more after the show. Overhead is lower. You can travel lighter, less hotel rooms, places to stay. If you have a big house, you make more money – if you have a lesser house, you lose less money. So, therefore, solo is obviously better, right? Not so fast.

A few years ago, I was talking to my friend Oyvind Berekvam on my first tour of Norway. Oyvind fronts the excellent Jedson Project, and has played pedal steel and guitar for the great Thomas Dybdahl. (Dybdahl is pretty big in Norway and Europe – Elvis Costello, among others, has sung his praises). Dybdahl’s music is big, atmospheric, and lush. According to Oyvind, Dybdahl never went out on the road without a large six or seven piece band, because he felt that was his “thing” and anything less wouldn’t accurately represent what he was doing.

That must have been expensive as hell in the early days, but he managed, he got attention, built it up and now he can do it without busting the bank. A similar thing happened with Lambchop, a Nashville band, that had the chutzpah to take a large band wherever they went in their early days including shows across Europe.

These sorts of high-risk approaches can pay high-dividends. Springsteen is another example of a guy who would tote his E Street fellows everywhere, way before anyone came to their gigs. But, if five people were there, the idea was, they’d be blown away so immensely that the next time through, they’d bring ten of their friends. Does this still happen today? And, can you actually blow those people away?

Bob Dylan once said that a guy with a guitar could blow a whole army away if he knew how to do it right. Maybe, but I didn’t try reaching Bob for this article.

Instead, I e-mailed Tommy Womack, a wonderful Nashville singer-songwriter, who disagrees with His Bobness’ assessment. He says that in a club environment, in particular, “you’re trying to make a impression on people.

A majority of people prefer bass/drums/guitars/keys over one weak dork with a wooden guitar around his torso. With a band, you can get people to rock, or at least tap their feet. With just yourself and a guitar, and God forbid a harmonica on a rack (second only to bagpipes on an irritant scale) you put people in a position of having to imagine how the song would sound…” Plus, says Tommy, “everyone who likes solo acoustic music brings a date to the show who sits there and wants to die.”

Dan Montgomery agrees but adds “solo, you have the ability to throw the set list out at any moment and go out on a limb as far as you’d like to go.” Tommy concurs that solo is a great challenge as one has the “freedom to play anything in your repertoire at any time.”

I spoke to another Nashville pal George Marinelli, to get yet another viewpoint. George is a veteran studio cat, sideman, founding member of the Bruce Hornsby band, songwriter/artist extrordinnaire in his own right, and longtime guitarist for the Bonnie Raitt Band. So, in a sense, he’s done it all, and he had this to say, “The beautiful thing about touring with a band is that you’re never alone and you’re always with the band and crew. The downside of touring with a band is that you’re never alone and you’re always with the band and crew.” He added, “You saw that one coming, didn’t you?”

Sure did. So the burning question, especially in these tough times – is it best to hit the road solo or as a duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet? As Coltrane might say, If you can swing it, do ‘em all!

Feel free to shoot Doug a question – . You can also visit www.doughoekstra.com or www.myspace.com/doughoekstra.

Doug Hoekstra’s music has garnered years of praise from critics, djs, and fans throughout the US & Europe. In addition to live discs, eps, and other oddities, he’s released six full-length works, earning him Nashville Music Award, Independent Music Award, and NARAS nominations. His short fiction and non-fiction has appeared in numerous literary journals, and he was nominated for the Pushcart Prize for his tale “The Blarney Stone” (2006). Hoekstra’s first-full length collection of prose, Bothering the Coffee Drinkers, was published in 2006 to rave reviews and earned a Bronze Medal for Best Short Fiction in the 2007 Independent Publisher Awards (IPPYs).

BLACKBERRY STORM

Or….

PALM PRE

This was submitted by an IMA staffer Walt Ribeiro. Send YOUR That’s Cooler challenge to

CONAN THE BARBARIAN

OR….

CONAN O’ BRIEN

This was submitted by an IMA staffers Joelle Batelli & James Potter. Send YOUR That’s Cooler challenge to

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

or…..

TOASTED ALMOND

This was submitted by an IMA staffer Lauren Veteri. Send YOUR That’s Cooler challenge to