Music Biz Academy Digest - Issue #18 - September 5th, 2001
An update from http://www.musicbizacademy.com.

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THE MUSIC BIZ ACADEMY
http://www.musicbizacademy.com

FEATURING:
Musician's Online Directory:
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/directory

The Academy (Articles and Tips)
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/articles

The Bookstore
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore

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WELCOME....
Welcome to the September 5th, all natural, no preservatives
edition of the Music Biz Academy digest!


ALL THE RAGE....
All things considered, it's been a rather quiet two weeks in the
recording industry. While there have been no mind-blowing antics,
we are still seeing (and will continue to see) the effects of the
recording industry crack-down on piracy. Most notably, the big
five major labels are proported to be releasing encrypted CDs
into the marketplace right now to prevent copying. Which artists
are effected? Which CDs are encrypted? Well, of course, no one's
saying. Would you?

It's official - Vivendi Universal announced late last week that
it has completed the acquistion of MP3.com. Michael Robertson,
former CEO of MP3.com, has left to pursue other interests, and
Robin Richards, president of MP3.com since 1999, has taken his
place. Still, independent MP3.com artists are holding their
breath, wondering whether their MP3.com's earnings programs will
soon be on the chopping block. MP3.com representatives are
talking as if it's business as usual, however, giving no hint of
further changes that would effect artists in a negative way.
Perhaps the future of MP3.com is not as dim as we think. We shall
see.


THE INDIE BIBLE - ALL NEW 3rd EDITION!
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/indiecontactbible.htm
We are very excited to announce the release of the new, 3rd
edition of the Indie Bible (formerly the Indie Contact Bible).
It's bigger and better than ever with all the contacts you need
to get your music into the hands of reviewers, promoters and
radio station programmers! Plus over 340 MP3 sites where you can
upload your music! All in all, the new edition contains over 6000
contacts from around the world, in all music genres. Order it now
at the bookstore for only $24.95! PDF version availble!


SUPPORT YOUR HOST!
MusicBizAcademy.com is free, the articles and directory are free,
but please show your support by trying out our music and support
the work of you host, David Nevue: http://www.mp3.com/davidnevue
Stop by and check out a few tunes.


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Latest Additions To The Academy
http://musicbizacademy.com/articles/
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INSIDE RECORD LABELS: ORGANIZING THINGS
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/knab/articles/insidelabels.htm
There is a lot of work involved with signing, recording,
promoting, publicizing, and selling music. The following
introduction to the way major labels and independent labels setup
the business of music marketing is broken down by departments.


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Recent Additions/Updates to the Musician's Directory....
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/directory
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JUST FOR MUSICIANS.COM
http://www.just-for-musicians.com/
Do you ever wonder why some musicians make it in the music
industry and others don't? JustForMusicians.com is essentially a
running commentary from one musician's perspective on how to find
success in the music business. It's good reading for the
uninformed, and takes a sort of 'pump-you-up' approach to the
business. A good place to go for encouragement and motivation.
Just For Musicians covers the basics of the '4 P's', playing,
performance, promotion and production. More Tutorials.


DEGY MANAGEMENT SERVICES
http://www.degy.com/
DMS was formed in 1996 by Ari Nisman and Josh Degenstein, two
music promoters whose past promotional work has included such
artists as George Clinton, Eric Johnson, Luscious Jackson and
Mazzy Star. Degy is a full service artist management company,
whose services include promotion, label shopping, press kit work,
endorsement shopping, tour support, consignments and even CD and
Tape design. If you stop by, be sure to check out the Monthly
Music Forum, a fantastic gigging resource which focuses each
month on the venues, magazines, and radio stations for various
cities nationwide. Contact Degy Management at 908-810-9190 or via
email.


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Articles From Around The Net....
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MAJOR LABEL - RUN BY ARTISTS?
http://www.dmusic.com/news/news.php?id=5538
As an exercise in idle speculation, I figure the pho arena would
have some interesting opinions on whether or not major recording
artists would be able to start a "new" major label and have it be
successful. With artists including Courtney Love, Don Henley and
the Dixie Chicks at loggerheads with various major labels, I
wonder if such artists have ever considered banding together to
form their own label. It would be a high stakes risk that could
lead to ruin, or a utopian venture that might usher in a new era
of creative achievement. Article by *Simon S. Foust.


DARK ANTITRUST WINDS BLOWING OVER MUSIC INDUSTRY
http://www.newmediamusic.com/articles/NM01080116.html
Ten months ago we wrote about cold antitrust winds on the way for
the music industry, as usual, at the worst possible time. This
week’s New York Times and Wall Street Journal have both run
substantial articles on a pending investigation of the Majors’
new online service offerings coming at MusicNet, pressplay, AOL,
BMG, and Universal. The issue is antitrust law, i.e., are their
plans and practices going to be collusive in pricing—will they
result in exclusion of small Internet marketers who need catalog
from the Majors, and will the public be well-served, or damned by
the skimpy nature and high pricing of the subscription and
streaming offerings?


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Featured Music Industry News
http://www.musicbizacademy.com
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VIVENDI TAPS NEW HEAD FOR MP3.COM
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/newsbursts/0,7407,2809514,00.html?chkpt=p1bn
French media giant Vivendi Universal said Thursday that it has
tapped Robin Richards to head its recently acquired online music
site, MP3.com. Richards, formerly president of the San Diego,
Calif.-based company, replaces founder Michael Robertson as
chairman and chief executive. As expected, Robertson will act in
an advisory role to Jean-Marie Messier, CEO of Vivendi Universal,
according to MP3.com. The company added that Robertson is
pursuing other interests and plans to start a separate business.


VIVENDI UNIVERSAL CLOSES ON ACQUISITION OF MP3.COM
http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=26866
Vivendi Universal announced that it successfully completed the
acquisition of San Diego-based MP3.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: MPPP) in a
combined cash and stock transaction on August 28, 2001.
MP3.com stockholders voted in favor of the merger transaction at
a special meeting of stockholders held Monday, August 27, 2001.
MP3.com was delisted from Nasdaq effective prior to opening for
trading Tuesday, August 28. Of the more than 69 million shares
outstanding, over 68 percent were voted. Of those voting, more
than 99 percent voted in favor of the merger.


SURVEY: USERS WON’T PAY FOR WEB MUSIC
http://www.msnbc.com/news/621327.asp
Consumers have not accepted purchasing and downloading music via
the Web and are not likely to change with the new services being
developed by the recording industry, according to a survey by
research firm GartnerG2 on Wednesday. The survey of 4000 adults
on the Internet found that nearly 50 percent of those polled
listened to CDs on their PCs; whereas only 25 percent listen to
music downloads from the Internet on their PCs. In the same
GarterG2 survey, it was reported that only 6 percent of the same
demographic purchased digital music downloads in the last 3
months.


MAJOR LABELS SECRETLY SELLING ENCRYPTION INSCRIBED CDS
http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=5290
In an attempt to protect its artists and their intellectual
property, major record companies Sony, EMI, BMG, Warner and
Universal are believed to be secretly selling certain music CDs
with inscribed encryption security software in Europe and the US.
The five companies are believed to be testing a new software
encryption to make it impossible for people who buy their CDs
from shops to transfer the music properly onto their home
computers.


UNIVERSAL MUSIC TO RELEASE TITLES IN SUPER AUDIO CD FORMAT
http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=26734
Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's largest music company,
today announced it will make titles available on the high-quality
Super Audio CD format which has been jointly developed by Philips
and Sony. UMG plans to release Super Audio CD titles consisting
of a combination of best-selling new releases and catalog. Many
of the releases will incorporate the multi-channel surround sound
capabilities of the Super Audio CD format.


NAPSTER RELAUNCH STILL MONTHS AWAY
http://www.netimperative.com/media/newsarticle.asp?ArticleID=11928&ChannelID=2&A\
rticleType=1
Troubled P2P music sharing system Napster looks set to miss its
self-imposed September start date for a new subscription-based
service, after CEO Konrad Hilbers said it would be the end of the
year before the system was launched. Hilbers told a technology
summit in Aspen, Colorado, he did not expect the service to be
available before the end of the year, and that no decision had as
yet been taken about the price of the service, despite reports
elsewhere claiming the company had set a price structure.


NAPSTER CRACKDOWN FAILS TO SPUR CD SALES
http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/stories/news/0,4164,5095986,00.html
U.S. music product shipments fell 4.4 percent to $5.9 billion in
the first half of 2001, the Recording Industry Association of
America said Tuesday, despite the industry's success in stifling
its nemesis Napster. Shipments in the first half of 2000 totaled
$6.2 billion. Hilary Rosen, chief executive of the RIAA, said
that although consumer loyalty to physical music products still
dominates, the industry is working aggressively to embrace new
forms of online distribution.


52 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS SUE MP3.COM FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=26462
More than 50 independent songwriters and music publishers
including Copyright.net Music Publishing, L.L.C. have filed a
copyright infringement suit in the United States District Court
for the Southern District of New York against MP3.com.
The complaint identifies about 1,000 individual songs whose
publishing rights were repeatedly infringed. The lawsuit was
filed after MP3.com failed to reach a settlement for its
unauthorized use of the independent publishers’ copyrights.


INDEPENDENT MUSIC SITES GAIN GROUND
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5095963,00.html?chkpt=zdnnt082101f\
e
It sounds like a genuine blast from the past: an online music
site on an acquisition binge, expanding quickly around the world,
with a stock price that has actually climbed since the beginning
of the year. But don't look in the United States. The company is
Vitaminic, the independent Milan, Italy-based site that has
carved out a space in Europe somewhere between MTVi and MP3.com,
with more success than either inside its own markets.


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Recommended Resources
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HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC SUCCESSFULLY ON THE INTERNET
Spring 2001 Edition!
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/htpromotemusic.htm
If you want to sell your music on the net in any form, this book
will teach you how to design and market a web site that will SELL
YOUR MUSIC and bring in that extra income you need to boost and
financially support your music career! The author is currently
making over $4000 a month selling music related products and
advertising on the internet. 'How to Promote Your Music
Successfully on the Internet' shows you exactly how he did it,
step by step! Download Version Available for only $14.95!


THE GUERRILLA MUSIC MARKETING HANDBOOK
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/guerrillamusic.htm
This guide to independent music success features over 175 ways to
thrive and prosper with your own band or record label. Download
Version Available! The PDF version of this great book is now only
$29.95!


THE MUSICIAN'S ATLAS - 2001 Edition
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/musiciansatlas.htm
Created by The Music Resource Group, this 368-page volume
provides access to over 15,000 music businesses and key industry
contacts in more than 25 categories. Current names, phone and fax
numbers, e-mail and website addresses, detailed submission
policies and the styles of music preferred is just some of the
information you'll find on every page of The Atlas. Available in
hard copy for only $24.95!


THE INDIE BIBLE - ALL NEW 3rd EDITION
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/indiecontactbible.htm
Need to create some BUZZ about your music? Looking for reviewers?
Radio station contacts? Promotion services? Then grab The Indie
Contact Bible. This fantastic new musicians 'black book' contains
320 pages filled with contacts with publications and radio
programmers all over the world. These are people who actively
look for music to review! Download or Hard Copy Version Available
for $24.95!


MUSIC IS YOUR BUSINESS
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/musiciyb.htm
Used as the official textbook for the Art Institute of Seattle's
Audio program, this invaluable book is filled with insights into
the music business and tactics for marketing your music. It
includes examples of industry marketing documents, a sample of an
artist bio and fact sheet, and checklists for starting your
career and running your own record label. Available in hard copy
for $24.95 until September 30th! Thereafter, MIYB sells for
$34.95. Buy it now and save!

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ALSO FROM MIDNIGHT RAIN PRODUCTIONS and RainMusic.com

If you like this newsletter, please do drop by our web sites to
see what we're doing.

THE FREE SHEET MUSIC GUIDE
http://www.freesheetmusicguide.com

THE SHEET MUSIC ADDICT
http://www.sheetmusicaddict.com

WHISPERINGS: SOLO PIANO RADIO
http://www.mp3.com/stations/whisperings

REAL WORLD NEWS
http://www.realworldnews.net

Thanks for your continued support of RainMusic.com and The Music
Biz Academy!


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ABOUT THE MUSIC BIZ ACADEMY
The Music Biz Academy is brought to you by Midnight Rain
Productions (http://www.rainmusic.com) . It is a resource
designed for musicians promoting or selling music on the
internet. Each week we feature news, articles, and reviews
related to the art of online music promotion and music related
product sales.

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