Music Biz Academy Digest - Issue #31 - March 18th, 2002
An update from http://www.musicbizacademy.com.

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

The 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, subscribers to the March 18th edition of the Music Biz
Academy Digest!


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT....
MusicCity.com, the heir-apparent to Napster, is seeking to 'level
the playing field' for independent artists and musicians.
Beginning in early April, independent artists will be able to
promote and distribute their music to millions of listeners
through the Morpheus User Network. Downloaded music will be
secured in a file-wrapper called 'CintoA,' a rules-based security
feature that allows you as the artist to decide how many times a
listener can preview your music before they are required to
purchase it. Downloaded music cannot be burned to a CD, so your
music remains secure. Artists will keep 70% of the gross from
sales, and checks will be sent out monthly.

MusicCity is aiming to go live with their new program in early
April. If their web site is any indication, MusicCity.com looks
ready to create some very interesting and exciting promotional
opportunities for musicians. We at MusicBizAcademy.com are going
to be watching developments very closely, and we will of course
keep you all posted.

More info at...
http://www.musiccity.com/
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-859678.html?tag=cd_mh

David Nevue
Editor, The Music Biz Academy
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/internet/index.htm
http://www.mp3.com/davidnevue


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THE INDIE MUSICIAN'S PDF POWER PACK!
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/index.htm
Get three of our best-selling books for one low price! Set
includes 'How to Promote Your Music Successfully on the
Internet', 'The Indie Bible' and 'Music is Your Business' - All
for only $49.95 emailed to your inbox!


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Latest Additions To The Academy
http://musicbizacademy.com/articles/
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10 TIPS FOR DEVELOPING MUSICIANS
From our in-house consultant, Chris Knab
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/knab/articles/10tipsdeveloping.htm

READY TO PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC THROUGH MORPHEUS?
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/internet/morpheus.htm
MusicCity.com, the heir-apparent to Napster, is seeking to 'level
the playing field' for independent artists and musicians.
Beginning in early April, independent artists will be able to
promote and distribute their music to millions of listeners
through the Morpheus User Network.


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Recent Additions/Updates to the Musician's Directory....
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/directory
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THE DIY TOUR GUIDE
http://industrial.org/tour.html
Want to book your own tour? Find the dirt on a local club you're
considering playing at? Check out the DIY Tour Guide. Using the
Guide, you can spy out suggested performance venues within the
U.S. and Canada. The DIY Guide is essentially a visitor run
resource, allowing you to add your own listings, comments, and
even rate clubs and venues based on your own experiences. You'll
find an active discussion forum as well as a few 'how to'
articles.


DOING IT YOURSELF - A GUIDE TO MAKING MUSIC
http://www.ram.org/music/making/tips/DiY.html
This site, maintained by musician Ram Samudrala, provides an
honest and interesting insight into what it takes to make and
market your music on the cheap. Ram is a staunch advocate of the
'Free Music Philosophy' and using it he sold over 3,000 copies of
his CD on the Internet in two years. On the web site, he tells
you how. You'll find tips on building (and using) a studio,
copyrights, tutorials, duplication, marketing and promotion. A
very interesting read.


THE GUILD OF INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITERS AND COMPOSERS
http://www.songwriters-guild.co.uk/
Opened to the public in 1986, The Guild of International
Songwriters and Composers, based in Cornwall, England offers some
great services for its members. Free copyright certification,
free song assessment, a lyricist/composer collaboration service,
free consultancy and contract evaluation, free legal services, as
well as a subscription to their quarterly Songwriting and
Composing magazine. There is an annual fee of £50.00 (approx $70
U.S. as of this writing), but the potential benefits are well
worth it.


INDIEBIZ.COM
http://www.kathoderaymusic.com/indiebiz/
IndieBiz.com, from Kathode Ray Music has been around for a long,
long time providing great services to musicians. Today, IndieBiz
specializes in street and Internet promotion help for independent
musicians as well as artist development. Choose a scenario from
their web site and you'll see how they can help. Need a manager?
booking agent? How about press? Their client list includes a
couple bands you may have heard of - Marcy Playground, oh, and
how about this one...Bush. IndieBiz.com started small as Kathode
Ray Music a number of years ago. Now, they are a real player in
the industry, named 'Best Behind The Scenes Stringpuller' by The
Nashville Scene.


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Contests & Competitions
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2002 U.S.A. SONGWRITING COMPETITION
http://www.songwriting.net/
Entries for the 2002 USA Songwriting Competition are now being
accepted. Winning songs will receive airplay on a nationally
syndicated radio program serving over sixty cities in North
America and Canada. This is the first Songwriting Competition
that gives airplay to the winning songs, giving deserving bands,
songwriters the recognition and exposure they deserve. Entrants
stand to win a grand prize of over US$50,000 in cash, merchandise
and exposure. Songs may be entered in fifteen different
categories including Pop, Rock and Country. Entries are accepted
from now through May 31, 2002.


B.E.A.M. GRANT PROGRAM HELPS UNSIGNED MUSICIANS
http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=33162
Making a living in the music world can be a tough goal to
achieve. Many talented musicians go unnoticed because they don't
have the resources needed to display their talents. To help make
some of these life-long dreams come true, Jim Beam® Bourbon will
award another $100,000 in grant money in 2002 to unsigned artists
through the B.E.A.M. (Benefiting Emerging Artists in Music)
program. Final grant deadline is August 30th.


101 ONLINE MUSIC PR SOURCES - FREE TO TWO WINNERS EVERY MONTH
http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/onlinepr.html
Bob Baker is giving away copies of his new music publicity
resource. "Some professionals hide their secrets, but not Bob,"
says Jeffrey P. Fisher, author of Ruthless Self-Promotion in the
Music Industry. Fisher is referring to Bob Baker's "Online Music
PR Hot List," a new downloadable book that reveals 101 places to
submit press releases, get reviewed, uncover PR connections and
promote your music on the Internet. Every month, Baker will give
away two copies of this new online music PR directory.


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Articles From Around The Net....
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RADIO AIRPLAY 101: COMMERCIAL AIRPLAY MYTHS
http://www.musicdish.com/mag/?id=5547
When talking to people who are launching their first couple of
projects, invariably the same misunderstood points come up
concerning commercial regular-rotation airplay. Here they are...


WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE SINGLE?
http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/wkd.death.of.the.single.ap/index.htm\
l
The first time you entered a music store, chances are it was
because there was one song you had to have. Maybe it was "I Want
to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles, or Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it
Through the Grapevine." Perhaps you obsessed over "Night Fever"
by the Bee Gees, or "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran.
These days, finding that song -- without buying many more you
don't want -- is becoming increasingly difficult.
The music industry is killing off the single.


MUSIC FANS MUST REBEL AGAINST GREEDY RECORD INDUSTRY
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,46557,00.html
What happens when an industry mistreats its customers and its
suppliers? When 8,999 of 9,000 audits show shoddy accounting
practices? When a core business is bungled and the marketplace
shrugs and moves on? When scandals and greed lead to massive
layoffs and massive disgust? I'm not talking about Enron. I'm
talking about the record industry.


CAN THE ALBUM SURVIVE DIGITAL MUSIC?
http://www.forbes.com/2002/02/22/0222albums.html
Middle-aged music fans remember picking up the Beatles' Sgt.
Pepper's album in 1967, pouring over its cryptic cover, pulling
out the giveaway cutouts inside and being blown away by one of
the most famous artistic creations in popular music history.
The digital music revolution is barely beyond the Fort Sumter
stage, but it's worth asking: Will there be albums, as they're
known today, in the future?


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Featured Music Industry News
http://www.musicbizacademy.com
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CONGRESS ENTERS FRAY OVER DIGITAL COPYING
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,47956,00.html
Congress is on the verge of stepping into the widening war
between entertainment and Internet companies over digital music
and movies, threatening to severely limit consumers' ability to
copy and trade such content unless the two sides can come to an
agreement.


MORPHEUS SEEKS NEW ROLE IN MUSIC BIZ
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-859678.html?tag=cd_mh
StreamCast Networks, the creator of the popular Morpheus
file-trading oftware, is set to unveil a plan Thursday that it
hopes will help it become a more legitimate means of music
distribution. The company is adding new digital rights
management, or anti-copying technology, to its set of software
and services. It's calling for independent artists to distribute
their work through the Morpheus file-trading network, using this
technology to help solicit payment for their work and guard
against piracy.


NAPSTER SHEDS STAFF AS TALKS LAG
http://investor.cnet.com/investor/news/newsitem/0-9900-1028-9031282-0.html?tag=a\
ts
File-swapping company Napster laid off 10 percent of its staff
this week, as it struggles to stay afloat without significant
sources of revenue. The company had hoped to settle its
long-running copyright battles with the major record labels by
now, paving the way for it to launch its subscription service
this month. Instead, negotiations have proved rocky, and the
company is back in court without a clear path to settlement in
sight.


RIAA AND AFIM FORGE NEW RELATIONSHIP
http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=33850
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the
Association for Independent Music (AFIM) today announced a new
relationship. Through a $25,000 grant from the RIAA to support
AFIM's mission as well as to foster joint programs of mutual
concern, the two organizations will work together on issues they
hold in common, such as combating the challenge of CD Recordable
piracy, international intellectual property protection and the
parental advisory program.


TRIAL DATE SET FOR MORPHEUS
http://siliconvalley.internet.com/news/article/0,2198,3531_985781,00.html
A Federal judge set a trial date for music and video-swapping
service Morpheus after its defense team failed to persuade Judge
Stephen Wilson to dismiss the copyright case filed in October
2001 on behalf of 28 major entertainment studios. The trial date
is set for Oct. 1, 2002.


REALNETWORKS THE BUFFER SLAYER
http://www.theregus.com/content/4/24241.html
RealNetworks claims it has optimized the buffering feature of its
streaming media system, so that streams can launch up to 800%
faster than in previous versions of its software. The feature,
named TurboPlay, is new with the final "gold" version of the
subscription-based RealOne player/service, released this week.


RECORD LABEL COPYRIGHT PROOF DUE IN NAPSTER CASE
http://www.nj.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?f0433_\
BC_Napster-Copyright&&news&newsflash-financial
A federal judge gave the record labels suing Napster until
Thursday to produce documents proving they own the copyrights to
213 songs that once traded for free over the song-swap service.
U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ordered the labels to
provide certificates of copyright registration, or applications
for such proof, for top-selling artists such as the Beatles and
Elvis Presley.


MUSIC BUSINESS IN A FUNK
http://www.msnbc.com/news/715625.asp
The amount of music products shipped by the major record labels —
including CDs, cassettes, LPs and DVD music videos — sank by more
than 10 percent in 2001. The industry blames the decline in part
on the ballooning growth of Internet piracy, but others claim it
may also reflect more fundamental troubles in the business.


KAZAA BENEFITS FROM MORPHEUS SHUTDOWN
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2106035,00.html
The surprise shutdown of the popular Morpheus file-trading
software last week has thrown a spotlight on a little-known
Australian company whose ervice now carries bragging rights as
the world's largest file-swapping network.



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Recommended Resources
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HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC SUCCESSFULLY ON THE INTERNET
2002 Edition!
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/htpromotemusic.htm
Learn the marketing and promotion methods that one musician uses
to bring in over $4000 a month in income from the Internet! There
are no 'pipe dreams' sold here. The author details step-by-step
how he finally said good-bye to his day job and starting spending
more time on his music. 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!


101 MUSIC BUSINESS CONTRACTS
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/101contracts.htm
Can’t afford a lawyer? That’s OK. We’re here to help, with 101
Industry Standard Contracts available for instant download, or on
CD, or printed in a binder just for you. All for less than what
you would pay an Entertainment Lawyer for 15 minutes worth of his
time.


THE MUSICIAN'S ATLAS - 2002 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
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
Bible. This fantastic new musicians 'black book' contains 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
This great offering from music biz consultant Christopher Knab is
now available in PDF format! Find out why so many musicians fail
and how you can get the 'edge'. Learn how to attract
distributors, radio play, and how to create a demand for your
music. Music Is Your Business includes excellent flowcharts and
graphs, demonstrating in simple terms how the industry operates.
Sample artist bio, fact sheet, and checklists for jump-starting
your career and/or running your own record label! PDF Edition
only $19.95!


THE INDIE MUSICIAN'S PDF POWER PACK!
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/index.htm
Get three of our best-selling books for one low price! Set
includes 'How to Promote Your Music Successfully on the
Internet', 'The Indie Bible' and 'Music is Your Business' - All
for only $49.95 emailed to your inbox!


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Services
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RADIO & RETAIL PROMOTION
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/radiopromo.htm
If you're looking to promote your music either via radio or
through retail, we've teamed up with a radio promoter who has
quarterbacked campaigns for RadioHead (before they were stars),
Lit (Malicious Vinyl), and others. Our contact will help arrange
on-air interviews, CD reviews, and create a custom campaign
custom designed for your music.


ART DESIGN - CDs, Posters, One-Sheets, and Web Sites
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/artdesign/
In this business of music, image means everything! You know it,
we know it, the music industry knows it. Our hand-picked graphic
designers will help you make a powerful statement about your
music! Whether you need art design for your CD package, or just a
quick logo, it's all here. Check out the very cool one-sheet
designs, the perfect item to make your press kit stand out!


GET YOUR MUSIC ONLINE!
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/cdstreet.htm
We've partnered with CDStreet to offer one of the best deals on
the net for musicians looking to sell their music via the web.
There are NO set up fees or hidden charges. CDStreet simply takes
20% of your CD price. If you sell a CD for $12.99, you keep
$10.39. If you need to ecommerce enable your existing web site
(as in, you need a shopping cart), you can use CDStreet to do
that as well. Visitors can rate your music, post reviews, get
news and information and listen to and purchase your music. Very
highly recommended, with lots of buzz on the ‘street’.


INSIDE SESSIONS: LEARN FROM THE PROS
http://www.qksrv.net/click-1043288-5834908
Brought to you by the Universal Music Group, the largest record
company in the world, InsideSessions is an Internet-based program
that teaches you everything you need to know to transform your
passion for music into a successful career as a recording artist
or industry professional. The online 10 session course features
instruction from artists Sting, Sheryl Crow & Nelly, record
executives Jimmy Iovine and Russell Simmons, producer Glen
Ballard and many others. Once you sign up, Universal guarantees
their A&R executives will listen to your demo, and even provide
you written feedback if you select that option.


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ALSO FROM MIDNIGHT RAIN PRODUCTIONS

If you like this newsletter, please do drop by our network of
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

Thanks for your continued support of The Music Biz Academy!

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The Music Biz Academy Digest is brought to you by The Music
Biz Academy (http://www.musicbizacademy.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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