Music Biz Academy Digest - Issue #42 - August 17th, 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 August 17th edition of the Music Biz
Academy Digest!


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT....
Here's the stuff you ought to know:

On June 20th, as most of you probably know, the final decision
over webcasting royalty rates was issued by Federal copyright
regulators. That decision, issued by the U.S. Copyright Office
set the royalty rate at 0.07 cent (about 1/14th of a cent) per
song stream. While that doesn't sound like much, it does adds up
very quickly. As we reported in our July 26th edition, sources
report that more than two hundred Internet radio stations have
already announced their intent to close shop as a result of the
new webcasting royalty rates.

This week both the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of
America) and webcasters (including Listen.com and Live365.com)
notified the court of their intent to appeal this ruling. The
RIAA because they believe the rates are too low, stating that the
new rates 'underpay artists', and webcasters will appeal because
the rates are unreasonably high, and 'will drive small businesses
and hobbyists off the digital air.'

So, back to court we go again. Court dates to hear the appeals
however, are still months away (perhaps starting by the end of
2002). In the mean time, webcasters will have to pay the rates as
already issued. The first payment is due October 20th.

In other interesting news, a new study released by Forrester
Research states emphatically that Internet piracy has nothing to
do at all with the poor financial condition of the music
business. To quote Josh Bernoff, principal analyst at Forrester,
"There is no denying that times are tough for the music business,
but not because of downloading."

Fellow musician Janis Ian agrees. In fact, her excellent article,
'The Internet Debacle' continues to make waves within the
industry. Janis is a big proponent of offering free music
downloads to visitors, and in fact, has stated that since doing
so, her album sales have gone up 300%. She completely rejects the
industries notion that free online downloading has a negative
impact on sales. In fact, she says, 'most of the hard evidence is
to the contrary.' As if to prove her point, Forrester Research
projects that by 2007, digital music revenues will reach more
than $2 billion dollars (It's currently at $3 million) for the
music industry, accounting for 17% of all music sales.

Do not miss Janis Ian's excellent article at
http://www.janisian.com/article-internet_debacle.html, and the
follow up article entitled FALLOUT at
http://www.janisian.com/article-fallout.html

Finally, on August 12th, yours truly was featured in an article
by Business Week entitled 'So You Want to be a Rock 'N' Roll
Star.' The article, a generalized composite from interviews of
myself, music consultant Chris Knab, entertainment attorney Bart
Day and others, discusses how the Internet is changing the way
musicians market and distribute their music. You can find the
article at http://tinyurl.com/11o0 .

WEBCASTERS, LABELS APPEAL NET RADIO FEES
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-948834.html?tag=cd_mh

SAVE INTERNET RADIO!
http://saveinternetradio.org

RAIN: RADIO AND INTERNET NEWSLETTER
http://www.kurthanson.com/

MP3s NOT SOURCE OF MUSIC INDUSTRY WOES
http://tinyurl.com/11bi

SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK 'N' ROLL STAR
http://tinyurl.com/11o0

Until next time,

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

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FROM THE STUDIO TO THE STREETS
MARKETING YOUR MUSIC IN A DIGITAL AGE
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/internet/workshop.htm
The Music Biz Academy is honored to take part in "From the Studio
to the Streets: Marketing Your Music in a Digital Age." This
Portland, Oregon workshop features a panel of music business
professionals, including David Nevue, author of 'How to Promote
Your Music Successfully on the Internet' and founder of The Music
Biz Academy. How do you and your music fit into the Digital Age?
If you've ever wondered, this workshop is for you. Join us in
Portland, on August 24th, at 11am.


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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!


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Latest Additions To The Academy
http://musicbizacademy.com/articles/
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BAND NEWSLETTERS
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/articles/bandnewsletters.htm
I first started publishing my band newsletter during the Summer
of '98. I tried the snail mail route. It was exhausting.
Electronic newsletters (aka ezines) were the way to go. I must've
tried it all too. I promoted gigs, told of our latest
accomplishments, gave away a free mp3 every month. Some of it
worked. Some didn't. Here are some tips I've learned about
running my band newsletter... Article by Marc Gunn.


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MUSICDISTRIBUTION.COM
http://www.musicdistribution.com/
MusicDistribution.com aims to help you find the best places to
promote, sell, and distribute your music on the Internet.
Includes our top 10 list, music promotion tips, and
recommended resources.


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Recent Additions/Updates to the Musician's Directory....
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/directory
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INDIE-MUSIC.COM
http://indie-music.com/
Founded by Suzanne Glass, Indie-Music.com is a cornerstone of the
online independent music community. The web site is full of
excellent 'how to' articles. For example, featured this month
you'll find 10 Useful Personality Characteristics for Musicians
, Creative Drumming, Acoustic Guitar Amplification, and Studio
Versus Home Recording. In addition to being well stocked with
helpful articles, you'll find an A-Z listing of bands, info on
improving your 'chops', an online directory, contract and
software downloads, forums and more. Indie-Music.com is an
excellent, well rounded resource for musicians seeking 'full
time' musician status.


JOHN VESTMAN MASTERING
http://www.johnvestman.com/
We recently discovered John's studio while searching the net for
someone to assist us in mastering one of our own CD projects.
John's rates are excellent, and there are a lot of great articles
here that provide insight into the thought process behind John's
highly regarded work. Articles include 'How to Prepare for
Mastering', 'What to Expect from Mastering', 'Tips for Better
Mixing, Miking, and Recording Vocals,' 'Compression Explained,'
'Studio Monitor Madness' and others. A lot of good, easy to
understand information here for those unfamiliar with the
technical details behind mastering.


LICENSEMUSIC.COM
http://www.licensemusic.com/
LicenceMusic has a huge database of original music for licensing
for web, broadcast media and audio-visual production. They have a
long list of content providers, with original music made
available to and regularly used by the film and television
industry. The reason we list it here is that you can submit your
own music to their catalog rather easily. For those of you
looking to put your songs in film and television,
LicenseMusic.com provides one more door to that possibility.


TRADEMARK SEARCH BY MARKSONLINE
http://marksonline.com/app/tmsearch
Want to see if someone has already Trademarked your band name?
Search here for free. Marksonline also provides Trademark forms,
a Trademark 'watch' service, a Trademark 'FAQ', and details on
how to fill out a Trademark application.


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Contests, Competitions, and Opportunities
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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.


THE INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION
http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/
The ISC invites you to enter your songs now to win a Grand Prize
of $5,000 in cash and $25,000 in merchandise/services and
a chance to have your music heard by the music industry's top
decision makers and musicians! Categories include: Pop, Rock,
Country, Folk, R&B, Hip-Hop/Rap, World Music, and Lyrics Only.
Entrants may submit multiple songs in as many categories as they
wish. A total of $65,000 in prizes will be shared by 27 winners.
There is a $30 entry fee. All entries must be postmarked by
September 30, 2002.


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.


U.K. BROADCASTER SEEKING MUSIC VIDEOS FOR SKY TV
http://www.waterfall-studios.com/
Waterfall Studios is seeking seeking interesting or unusual music
videos from around the world to feature in a SKY TV series. The
series, 'Showcase TV' is broadcast throughout Europe. Artists
seeking exposure for their videos are welcome to submit their
material to Waterfall Studios, 2 Silver Road, Wood Lane, London
W12 7SG. They require Digibeta or BetaSP formats, (NTSC, PAL or
SECAM) although they can also accept U-MATICS. Further questions?
email James Weston at james@...


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Articles From Around The Net....
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UNCLE SAM HELPS THE RIAA CREATE MONOPOLY WHICH COULD DEPRIVE
ARTISTS OF CHOICES AND $$$
http://www.musicdish.com/mag/?id=6482
It seems that no one is happy with the recent decisions handed
down from the Librarian of Congress. Radio stations say the fee
is too high and the RIAA says it's too low. Who's right? It
doesn't matter, really, because artists will not likely see their
fair share of this new money. Here's why...


SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK 'N' ROLL STAR
http://tinyurl.com/11o0
David Nevue, 36, has been a solo pianist for more than 15 years,
spending his nights and weekends playing at coffee shops, special
events, and malls around Springfield, Ore., a town of 51,700.
During the day, he worked for online-security company Symantec.
No matter what he tried, however, his music career wouldn't catch
fire. His first album, self-published in 1992, gathered dust at
local shops. Then along came the Internet...Last fall, Nevue
achieved every artist's dream: He quit his job at Symantec to do
music full time -- a luxury he's able to afford thanks to online
sales of his CDs and a book he wrote in 1997 on marketing music
online.


FALLOUT - A FOLLOW UP TO 'THE INTERNET DEBACLE'
http://www.janisian.com/article-fallout.html
Quite frankly, when I spent three months researching and writing
The Internet Debacle, I wasn't planning to become part of a
"cause". I assumed that the 35,000 subscribers of Performing
Songwriter Magazine might read it, and a few might email me about
it. I had no idea that a scant month later, the article would be
posted on over 1,000 sites, translated into nine languages, and
have been featured on the BBC. Article by Janis Ian.


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Featured Music Industry News
http://www.musicbizacademy.com
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RECORD LABELS SUE WEB HEAVYWEIGHTS
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-954176.html
The world's largest record companies sued a number of major
Internet service and network providers on Friday, alleging their
routing systems allow users to access a China-based Web site and
unlawfully copy musical recordings. The copyright-infringement
suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks a court order
requiring the defendants to block Internet communications that
travel through their systems to and from the Listen4ever site.
Defendants in the suit are AT&T Broadband, Cable & Wireless,
Sprint, Advanced Network Services, and UUNet Technologies, a unit
of WorldCom.


RECORD INDUSTRY TURNS FIRE ON INDIVIDUALS
http://tinyurl.com/11bo
The US recording industry, struggling to combat declining music
sales, is considering legal action against individuals who
intentionally allow mass copying of music from their computers.
Until now the Recording Industry Association of America, which
represents the companies responsible for 90 per cent of all sound
recordings sold in the US, has concentrated on "peer-to-peer"
services such as Napster and Audiogalaxy that allow
file-swapping. But the RIAA is now canvassing its members to see
if there is an appetite to file suits against individuals, who
offer the largest hoards of songs on peer-to-peer services.


TONOS INKS FIVE MORE DEALS WITH MUSIC INDUSTRY LEADERS
http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=40308
Tonos Entertainment, the global musician's network, founded by
legendary music hitmakers Carole Bayer Sager, David Foster and
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, today announced five more agreements
with top industry leaders. Starting today, Chrysalis Music Group,
Dreamworks SKG Publishing, EMI Music Publishing, Famous Music and
Warner Chappell Music will sign two or more up-and-coming
songwriters who are members of Tonos global musicians network.


STUDY: P2P NOT TO BLAME FOR FLAGGING CD SALES
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t278-s2120801,00.html
Video may have killed the radio star, but Forrester Research has
said Internet piracy was not to blame -- as record labels have
claimed -- for the 15 percent drop in music sales in the past two
years.


NAPSTER'S ASSETS UP FOR AUCTION
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2187657.stm
The assets of the bankrupt file-sharing system Napster are up for
auction. Likely buyers could include media firms, music
retailers, record companies or venture capitalists.
The asking price is $25m (£16m) and the deadline for any bids is
21 August ahead of a 27 August auction. The German publishing
major Bertelsmann remains keen to buy the assets and has vowed to
raise its bid by $9m to a total of more than $100m.


EMI SUES AOL/TIME-WARNER OVER COPYRIGHTS
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1148596-6078-0,00.html
EMI Group has sued AOL Time Warner, claiming the world's largest
media company has been playing songs on its Turner Broadcasting
network and America Online Internet service without paying for
them. The dispute pits the owners of two of the major recording
companies against each other at a time when they are working
together with the rest of the recording industry to fight against
copyright violations by various online operations.


RIAA TO APPEAL INTERNET RADIO ROYALTY RATES
http://www.riaa.com/PR_Story.cfm?id=542
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) today
announced its intent to file a court appeal of the June 20
decision by the Librarian of Congress on royalty rates for
Internet radio. The RIAA intends to argue that the Librarian’s
interpretation of the deal with Yahoo! was incorrect, and that
the Librarian improperly threw out 140 licensing deals that the
record companies and RIAA signed with webcasters and other
similiar companies.


RECORDING INDUSTRY GROUPS APPEAL WEB ROYALTIES RULING
http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/492069p-3924942c.html
Both sides in the dispute over Internet music royalties said
Wednesday they will appeal a recent federal decision setting
royalty rates for music broadcast over the Internet. In June, the
U.S. Copyright Office decided to charge Webcasters 70 cents per
song heard by 1,000 listeners. That decision angered both
Internet music broadcasters, who said the rate was still too
high, and the recording industry, which said it did not fairly
compensate artists and labels. About two dozen Internet
broadcasters, including America Online Inc., Listen.com and
Live365.com, also notified the court of their intention to
appeal, according to the Digital Media Association.


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Recommended Resources
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HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC SUCCESSFULLY ON THE INTERNET
Summer 2002 Edition!
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/htpromotemusic.htm
Learn the marketing and promotion methods that one musician uses
to bring in over $5000 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!


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 available through the Music Biz Academy!
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These are partnerships we've created though channels and
connections we've established over the years. In other words, we
recommend them because we trust them. If you're looking for help
in any of the following areas, these should be strongly
considered.


CD MANUFACTURING and DUPLICATION
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/cdmanufacturing.htm
MusicBizAcademy.com has teamed up with Northwestern Media to
bring you quality CD manufacturing and duplication at a very
reasonable price. Why NW Media? Because this is the company we
ourselves use. We have partnered with them because we know how
very hard it is to find a good, reasonably priced manufacturer
that offers both great service and a high quality product. We
have been VERY satisfied with the work NW Media has done for us.
You simply cannot do much better, on quality, service, or price.


GET REPRESENTATION
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/representation.htm
The Music Biz Academy has partnered with NOMA music, a very
well-established song placement and promotion agency, to help you
get your music heard. The mission statement of NOMA Music is
threefold:

1) Placing bands, songwriters, instrumentalists, and solo artists
with established record labels.
2) Placing and licensing songs and music into television, film,
commercials, video, and animation projects.
3) Representing up and coming film and TV composers.

NOMA works with a large network of over 400 production companies.
Recent successes include client song placement in MTV's 'The
Osbournes', FX's 'The Shield', an NHL Hockey video, and three
songs in the upcoming film 'Employee of the Month' starring John
Doe from the band X. NOMA provides an aggressive program to get
your music into the right hands.


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.
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 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’. There is a
one-time $29.95 set up fee, but no recurring or hidden charges. A
fantastic deal on a high-visibility, high-class web site.


MUSIC CAREER CONSULTING
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/consulting.htm
If you'd like some help getting your music career off the ground
or preparing for that next step, contact our expert music
consultant, Christopher Knab. Chris has been called "One of the
Most Influential People in the Northwest Music Industry." by
Seattle's Rocket Magazine. He is owner of FourFront Media and
Music, a consultation service based in Seattle that helps
musicians develop marketing and career plans.


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!


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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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