Music Biz Academy Digest - Issue #50 - December 20th, 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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Hello subscribers, welcome to the December 20th edition of the
Music Biz Academy Digest! I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful
Christmas and New Year!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT....
I have been really surprized at the lack of press on the most
recent changes over at MP3.com. Of course, it may be that many in
the industry consider MP3.com irrelevant today, but I myself, as
an independent artist, take some exception to this. Perform a
search at Google for 'music' and MP3.com is the #2 site listed.
Search for 'mp3' and it's the #1 site listed. In terms of pure,
cyber-traffic I'm not sure how much more relevant a web site can
be. Maybe MP3.com doesn't have the traffic of Amazon.com, but for
a web site that willingly plays host to thousands of independent
artists, there isn't much out there that's more visible.

You may recall that a few weeks ago I wrote a commentary on
'MP3.com's Halloween Treat,' that is, the new 'look and feel' of
the web site. In addition to these changes, MP3.com dropped hints
that there were some big changes in store for its 'Premium
Artist' Program. Last week, MP3.com announced those changes.

The most notable change, which I must admit I dreadfully
expected, is that as of January 15th, 2003, MP3.com is
discontinuing their Pay for Play (P4P) program. The P4P program
paid independent artists 'royalties' every time their songs were
listened to or downloaded. It was a wonderfully cool idea that,
unfortunately, cost MP3.com more than it was worth to keep going.
To quote MP3.com, "It's our goal to offer Premium Artists the
best service for their money and tools that benefit all members.
But this (P4P program) was getting more difficult given the
enormous accounting, engineering, research and fulfillment costs
that went into both the P4P promotion and regrettably, the
monitoring of individuals gaming the system."

I, for one, am really going to miss the P4P program, and not just
because of the drop in personal revenue. I'll miss it more
because, using the earnings it generated, I was able invest
heavily into MP3.com's promotion programs, all of which I applied
with much success. This success lead not only to a ton of
exposure for my music - over 1.2 million plays since I joined
MP3.com - but to a continuing flow of CD sales from my own
'official' web site.

So, you might ask, "David, why don't you just drop MP3.com and
move on?" Actually, many independent artists are doing just that
(and have been for some time), but I'm not ready to bail out yet.
Why? Because there is one thing MP3.com offers that most other
services can't quite match: pure, Internet traffic.

Imagine having your CDs on the shelves of one of the world's
largest music stores, sitting side-by-side with CDs by artists
like Madonna, Linkin Park, and Pink. Imagine the exposure
potential, especially if you could, through careful placement,
get your music directly in front of the people most likely to buy
your music. Any of these potential customers, with a click
of a button, can preview your music right on the spot.

That's what MP3.com *still* offers independent artists. In
this regard, especially considering the volume of traffic they
generate from people looking for new music while listening to
'popular' artists, no one else I know comes close to offering
this opportunity.

With the P4P program dead, however, I can only speculate what the
future might look like for independent artists promoting their
music on MP3.com. I won't get any clarity on that issue until
long after the new changes go into effect. MP3.com states with a
great deal of conviction that they are still dedicated to helping
and serving the independent music community. I truly hope this is
the case, but I wonder, with the financial demands of the
coporate music realm, will MP3.com really be able to keep us
'indie's' hanging around?

MP3.com has found itself in a very awkward position, I think.
It's a strange experiment gone haywire, a
once-totally-independent web site that has been genetically
grafted into the corporate music family. In some ways, MP3.com
now resembles a free, but handicapped, version of Listen.com's
Rhapsody service. MP3.com started out like a child with big
dreams and ideas, now it seems more like a confused teenager,
trying to find its place in the changing digital world. Will it
survive its adolescent years?

The future of MP3.com as a web site even seems uncertain.
According to rumblings on the MP3.com Artists Boards, even
'SOPHIE,' a mysterious MP3.com employee and 'spokesperson for
independent artists,' is being 'downsized.' Her last day at the
company, rumor has it, is today, December 20th.

You may also recall my report from October, in which I mentioned
that Universal Music Group has been in the process of reviewing
which of its assets, including MP3.com, they can dump to reduce
their debt. Would it suprize anyone to find one day that typing
http://www.mp3.com in your web browser forwards you to Rhapsody,
PressPlay, or MusicNet?

For those of you who, like me, are still MP3.com artists, there
are other alternativies around. MusicDistribution.com
(http://www.musicdistribution.com) lists a number of services
that host independent music, including JavaMusic
(http://www.javamusic.com), and AmpCast (http://www.ampcast.com),
both of which offer royalties for artists for downloaded songs.

I'm not ready to give up on MP3.com, though. I suppose in a way,
I feel that after all I've invested in it, both in writing as
well as financially and with my time, I've become a part of the
MP3.com 'family.' As such I'll stand beside it through its
victories, and perhaps even to its eventual deathbed, if that's
where all this leads.

Still, I hope beyond hope, that we are not seeing the beginning
of the end of MP3.com, and that, for the independent artist, the
best is yet to come.

LIST OF CHANGES GOING INTO EFFECT AT MP3.COM
http://help.mp3.com/help/article/pas_changes.html

IS MP3.COM ON ITS LAST LEG?
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/internet/mp3p4p.htm

UNIVERSAL TO REVIEW WEB ASSETS, INCLUDING MP3.COM
http://tinyurl.com/2awm

Until next time,

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


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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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Q&A: "DIY MAKIN YOU CRY?"
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/comment/diycry.htm
"It is a great time to be an independent musician in the Music
business, but it can also feel like a Catch-22 curse for those of
us who must wear several hats; artist, businessperson, promoter
and, in limited cases, distributor. Please explain how we can,
not only find success with our recordings, how we can even hope
to grow our labels beyond our debut release, or even hope to
carry other artists on our labels in the future?" Answer by Kenny
Love.


25 THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT RECORD DISTRIBUTION
http://tinyurl.com/3pun
A simple summation by music consultant, Chris Knab, author of
Music is Your Business.


2 VITAL PHASES ARTISTS *MUST* NOW IMPLEMENT
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/comment/2vitalphases.htm
Trying to operate in today's unrequited Music industry feels like
watching an espionage cat-and-mouse chess game played out by
Bond, James Bond (independents) and Dr. No (RIAA et al). "Bond"
makes a move, then "Dr. No" counters by blowing something
up...anything...and always out of proportion. Therefore, I am
stepping in even closer to the game, and portraying one of those
little pip squeak guys who is on Bond's team and so readily
provides him with all of the neat little gadgets for
counterintelligence and, ultimately, escape.


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Popular Archives From The Academy
http://musicbizacademy.com/articles/
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HOW LABELS AND RADIO STATIONS WORK TOGETHER
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/knab/articles/radiolabels.htm

THE BUSINESS OF LIVE PERFORMANCE
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/knab/articles/liveperf.htm

HOW TO BECOME A 'PRIORITY' ACT AT A RECORD LABEL
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/knab/articles/priority.htm


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MUSIC123: KEYBOARDS, GUITARS, INSTRUMENTS & ACCESSORIES
http://www.rainmusic.com/music123.htm
Music123 has a huge selection and they guarantee you the lowest
price on all their instruments and equipment. Found a cheaper
price? Call their 800 number toll free and they will beat it over
the phone! Buy guitars, amps, keys, software, recording, dj, and
lighting gear, all at the click of a button. Very easy to
navigate, great selection, and 6 months, same as cash! They even
have an outlet store for B stock and blemished items!


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Recent Additions/Updates to the Musician's Directory....
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/directory
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AXEACE: MUSIC-RELATED CLASSIFIED ADS
http://www.axeace.com/index.php
Axeace is a web site dedicated to music related classified ads.
It's free and you don't have to register or become a member to
view, search, or place ads. Not only can you advertise goods, but
you can post opportunites, 'seeking' or 'wanted' ads. A good
selection, with new ads posted each day.


FEMMUSIC: MAGAZINE
http://www.femmusic.com/
FEMMUSIC is "The Place for Emerging Women in Music." You'll find
interviews with up and coming musicians as well as concert
reviews, demos, book reviews, and festival information. FEMMUSIC
is the ideal place for women with a passion for music to find
others with like interests.


SUMADEK PORTABLE LISTENING STATION
http://www.sumadek.com/
A cool way to set up listening stations at gigs or showcases,
SumaDek serves as both a promotional billboard, and a CD display.
Slick, clean, and groovy.


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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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Contests, Competitions, and Opportunities
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The Music Biz Academy has no affiliation with the below contests
or opportunies. They simply looked interesting to us, so we
thought they'd be interesting to you. Participate at your own
risk.


THE MP3.COM 3000 SCREAMING FANS CONTEST
http://www.usmusictradeshow.com/screamingfans/index.htm
Talented bands that want to be part of U.S. Music Tradeshow
Artist Showcase Festival can enter to win super performance
prizes by entering our 3000 SCREAMING FANS ARTIST TALENT SEARCH.
Over 250 Artists will be chosen through a selective jury process,
to win a spot in our Music Showcase. From our 3000 Screaming Fans
Contest, one grand prize winning band/artist will be given the
chance at the performance of a lifetime to put on a concert live
at the U.S. Music Tradeshow! Plus, perks like First Class,
Round-Trip Airfare, Private Limos, $25,000 Cash, Media Promotion,
Personal Chefs, and tons of other perks worth an estimated
$250,000! All Submissions must be received by Feb. 15th, 2003.
$20 entry fee.


UNISONG INT'L SONGWRITING CONTEST
http://www.unisong.com/
Over $50,000 in cash and prizes for songs in 10 categories, plus
win a trip to L.A., N.Y., Nashville or London to write with the
pros. Past UNISONG Grand Prize winners have had the opportunity
to write with the likes of Burt Bacharach, Peter Buck, Jimmy
Buffet, Gary Burr, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Stewart Copeland, Rodney
Crowell, Lamont Dozier, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Frampton, Indigo
Girls, Montell Jordan, Gladys Knight, Lisa Loeb, Me'Shell
Ndegeocello, Joan Osborne, Lee Roy Parnell, Bonnie Raitt, Brenda
Russell, Andy Summers, David Was, Don Was, and many others.
Entries must by postmarked on or before April 30, 2003. $25 Entry
fee.


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GET YOUR MUSIC HEARD!
http://www.rainmusic.com/tonos.htm
Our friends at Tonos have blown the door of opportunity open for
more than a few musicians and songwriters. Founded by legendary
music makers Carole Bayer Sager, David Foster and Kenneth
"Babyface" Edmonds (all three Grammy winners), Tonos gives many
artists the chance to get their music into the hands of the A&R
folks that matter. On a regular basis, record labels,
film/television music supervisors, producers, managers, and other
music industry entities contact Tonos when they're looking for
specific musical talents. For example, Steve Lillywhite, producer
of albums by U2, Dave Matthews and the Rolling Stones, used Tonos
to find the first artist he signed for his new record label. And
he's not alone. On a constant basis, there are new opportunites
listed. Click link above to view current listings.


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Articles From Around The Net....
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THE FUTURE OF MUSIC AND IT'S ENEMIES 2002
http://www.musicdish.com/mag/?id=7242
Year's end is our time to reflect on the past and look forward to
the future. It's fun to predict the future, even if you're wrong
about a few things. It keeps the brain tuned and strengthens your
powers of observation. This is my bi-annual report on predictions
for the future of the music biz. I'm going to divide this into
two parts. The first part below will respond to the predictions
of several others, mostly, Gerd Leonhard of LicenseMusic.com, who
published his predictions for the future of music on MusicDish
this past month.


THE FUTURE OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS: AN ALTERNATE VIEW
http://musicdish.com/mag/?id=7256
"If I can't get at least $7 or $8 a copy, why should I even
bother to ever make a record? Why would any major artist? Sure,
I'll sell you a $5 CD, with the CD, jewel case and insert. But at
that price, you get a blank CD. Hope you like the melody...."


MUSIC INDUSTRY SHOWS SIGNS OF ADAPTING AMID TUMULT
http://tinyurl.com/3puv
Sales of compact discs are sliding, down 10 percent this year, as
CD burning and file-sharing proliferate. Legislators who have
criticized the industry, saying it has a perception problem, are
considering regulations to end some long-held practices, like
paying independent promoters to persuade radio stations to play
hits. And some people are concerned that disgruntled artists may
stage a public protest at next year's Grammy awards, as they did
last February, in a bid for greater autonomy. Still, in the midst
of one of the most tumultuous times in the music business since
the payola scandals of the 1950's and 1960's, the industry is
showing signs of adapting.


ONLINE MUSIC SERVICES READY FOR SHOWDOWN
http://tinyurl.com/3pux
After a long struggle marked by false starts, frustration and fan
indifference, commercial online music services see this year as
the crucial second act of a hit show in the making. Since
launching a year ago, subscription music services headed by the
major label-backed ventures Pressplay and MusicNet have taken
heat from music fans who compared them unfavourably with free
peer-to-peer networks like now-idled Napster. But after expanded
licensing deals and platform upgrades, these services and rivals
Listen.com's Rhapsody and FullAudio, are better armed to take on
free services like Kazaa and Morpheus, which emerged in the wake
of Napster's legal demise.


TOWER RECORDS: ON THE ROPES
http://www.musicdish.com/mag/?id=7221
Tower Records is out of sight. Almost literally.
Owned by MTS Inc, which in turn is 99% owned by Russ and Mike
Solomon, a father-and-son team, Tower is yet another example of a
specialty music retailer which, like the RIAA and MPAA, couldn't
tell which way the digital media wind was blowing. It's a,
"tottering giant inside a stumbling music industry," as a
November 30 Associated Press story described it. Tower's typical
CD can cost up to $18.99, compared with $13.99 or $14.99 at Best
Buy, Wal- Mart and Amazon.com, says the article, entitled Tower
Records Hopes Holidays Will Save It.


RECORD LABELS GRAPPLE WITH CD PROTECTION
http://tinyurl.com/3abo
For three holiday seasons, record executives say, Internet piracy
has been the Grinch of the music business, undercutting album
sales and labels' year-end profits. So how did the labels open
the biggest music-buying period of the year? By shipping an
estimated 250 million albums to retailers without any protection
against digital piracy. Music and technology executives vow that
this will be the last holiday season without widespread use of
technology that prevents songs from being transferred from CDs to
the Internet. Of course, they've made that prediction before.


RECORD LABELS DON'T LIKE TO SHARE
http://tinyurl.com/3puy
The entertainment industry's war against digital file-swapping
resembles the ancient arcade game Whack-A-Mole. Every time the
industry's SWAT team of high-priced lawyers manages to kill or
maim one file-sharing network, such as Napster, Aimster or
AudioGalaxy, another one pops up. In a twist to the continuing
copyright war, four Microsoft researchers released a white paper
recently arguing that such legal battles — including high-tech
copyright protection schemes — are doomed to fail, because users
of what they called the "Darknet" will always find some way of
avoiding the rules.


CRANKING IT UP IN THE MUSIC SPACE
http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/10793_1503301
The volume has been cranked up in the Internet music space
recently and some of the action is even being taken into the real
world as Loudeye inked a deal with Fullplay Media Systems to let
bricks-and-mortar merchants offer in-store sampling of 3 million
songs from more than 250,000 CDs.


HOW PEER-TO-PEER FILE SHARING IS LIKELY TO CHANGE BIG MEDIA
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20021128.html
Maybe you saw the story this week about a paper from Microsoft
Research analyzing peer-to-peer file sharing networks with the
conclusion that they can't be stopped -- not by the law, not by
the movie studios and record companies, not even by mighty
Microsoft and its Palladium initiative for trusted computing.
Swapping songs and maybe movies is about to reach some critical
mass beyond which it simply can't be stopped, or so the kids in
Redmond think. The story is interesting, but this all pales in
comparison to the implications of their conclusions.


FEE-BASED ONLINE MUSIC SERVICES SING THE BLUES
http://tinyurl.com/3pv1
In the 12 months since MusicNet and the other subscription music
services were launched to counter the file-swapping frenzy that
Napster ignited, none has managed to attract more than 100,000
paying subscribers, label sources and analysts say. Meanwhile,
unauthorized music and movie swapping continues to flourish.
Despite the recording industry's best legal and technological
efforts, the free file-swapping service Kazaa remains the most
popular music destination on the Internet in the wake of
Napster's collapse, attracting nearly 13.7 million visitors a
month from the United States alone.

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MIXDOWN: PRO CD DUPLICATION MADE EASY!
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/mixdown.htm
How would you like to duplicate your own, retail-ready CDs one at
a time? Or maybe you just want 20, 50, or 100 CDs and don't want
the expense of mass CD duplication? How would you like to sell
your professionally packaged CDs from your web site for free?
Our new Mixdown service allows artists to have professionally
packaged CDs made without any upfront costs. Order your own CDs
one at a time as needed or sell them directly to your fans
through your own web page. When an order is placed we take care
of the CD duplication, packaging and shipping so you can focus on
what matters most....writing music!


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Featured Music Industry News
http://www.musicbizacademy.com
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OVER 10% OF USA NOW USE KAZAA
http://www.slyck.com/news/200212Dec/121902a.html
New research by Nielsen has shown the extent to which KaZaA 'has
gone pop'. The sheer popularity has also been endorsed by 2 other
reports this week, as KaZaA has become one of the most popular
search terms of 2002. Lycos rated KaZaA as one of the top 3
search terms of 2002 as Google's report on popular search terms
also rated this P2P client highly. KaZaA is now used by
14,095,000 American's each month and the figure is estimated to
be as high as 70 million on a global basis (and growing). Only
AOL instant messenger and Yahoo! Messenger are used for longer
periods.


RIAA CRACKS DOWN ON STORE CD COPYING
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-978096.html
The trade association that represents the major record labels
said Monday it is launching a new anti-piracy campaign against
small businesses, threatening to file lawsuits against gas
stations and convenience stories that sell counterfeit compact
discs.


MUSIC INDUSTRY FACES A BLEAK CHRISTMAS
http://tinyurl.com/3pv2
Holiday stockings this year will be stuffed with plenty of CDs,
though not necessarily the kind you can buy in a record store.
The music industry is finding itself increasingly in discord with
fans who prefer to burn songs onto blank CDs or rip off tunes
from unauthorised online file-sharing services. In the critical
holiday period, the world's biggest record labels had hoped to
reach a sales crescendo with a heavy slate of new releases by
big-name artists. But, while several new records -- like country
pop diva Shania Twain's album "Up!" -- are selling well, the
overall trend seems to be heading in the opposite direction.


STRUGGLING LIQUID AUDIO TO DISSOLVE
http://tinyurl.com/3pv3
Internet music company Liquid Audio may sell or liquidate its
assets now that its board of directors has voted unanimously in
favour of a US$57mil stockholder cash payout, the company’s chief
executive confirmed. Under the approved cash distribution,
shareholders of record yesterday would receive US$2.50 per share
on Dec 20, the company said. Liquid Audio produces software and
provides a proprietary method for delivering music over the
Internet.


NAPSTER REMNANTS ON AUCTION BLOCK
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/11/tech/main532576.shtml
Computers, laptops and a slew of T-shirts with a grinning cartoon
cat logo will go up for auction as the now defunct song-swap
company Napster cleans out its remaining physical assets.
The smattering of tech goodies represents all that's left of the
company dreamed up by a few college students, primarily Shawn
Fanning.


RIAA TEAMS WITH SECRET SERVICE TO BUST PIRACY RING
http://tinyurl.com/3pv4
Stop! In the name of the ... recording industry?!
The RIAA, which has long been policing the Internet for
copyright-infringing file-sharers, strapped on its real-life
gumshoes and assisted in one of the largest busts of pirated CDs
ever. Several investigators from the RIAA helped a team of U.S.
Secret Service agents seize hundreds of CD burners and thousands
of pirated CDs and DVDs Monday morning from a Queens, New York,
building.


GATEWAY DELIVERS PRESSPLAY SERVICE ON PCS
http://www.ispworld.com/Reuters/BreakingNews/120602_js04.htm
Computer maker Gateway Inc. on Friday aimed to "jazz" up a ho-hum
Christmas season by announcing a deal with online music provider
Pressplay to load its PCs with 2,000 songs from hit pop stars
from Eminem and Bruce Springsteen to the Dixie Chicks and Frank
Sinatra.


COMPANY BUYS NAPSTER, MAKES SHARING LEGAL
http://www.uwire.com/content//topnews120602002.html
Napster is back with a new name, but now for a price.
The software company Roxio purchased the famous file-sharing
program for about $5.2 million dollars last week. The Recording
Industry Association of America is satisfied that Napster's old
ways of allowing the illegal downloading of copyrighted material
are no more. Roxio will now be a subscription-based service, and
a percentage of its profits will go to artists and record labels.


BUSH SIGNS NET RADIO ACT
http://bandradio.com/news/?id=1954
President Bush Wednesday approved a reprieve for a clutch of
Internet radio stations facing extinction under
government-mandated music royalty rates. The legislation that
Bush signed is designed to resolve a longstanding dispute over
how much money Internet radio stations should pay for the
privilege of "webcasting" copyrighted music.The legislation does
not establish specific royalty rates for webcasters. Instead, it
authorizes the music industry's principal royalty collector,
SoundExchange, to negotiate binding royalty contracts with small
webcasters on behalf of all artists and record labels.


MADSTER GIVEN COURT ORDER TO CLOSE
http://tinyurl.com/3pv5
Controversial file sharing site Madster, formerly Aimster, has
been ordered by a Chicago federal judge to unplug its computers
from the internet in an extreme last ditch attempt to stop the
trade of illegal songs and other files over its network.
Federal judge Marvin Aspen last month ordered Madster to prevent
trades of copyrighted music on its service, but in papers filed
with the court, Madster owner Johnny Deep called the order
"impractical," and the service has since stayed online.


AMAZON AND CDNOW RELAUNCH CDNOW.COM
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y02/m12/i05/s01
CDnow and Amazon.com announced the relaunch of the CDnow.com Web
site on Amazon.com's e-commerce platform. CDnow sells CDs, DVDs
and videos through the site. Under the terms of the agreement,
Amazon.com will provide inventory, fulfillment, site content and
customer service, and CDnow.com customers will have access to
Amazon.com features.


FILE TRADERS, STUDIOS SPAR IN COURT
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-975801.html?part=dtx&tag=nhl
Attorneys for the record industry and the movie studios sparred
with lawyers for file-swapping services Morpheus and Grokster in
federal court Monday, as each side sought a quick resolution to a
pending copyright suit against the popular Internet companies.
Both sides are seeking a so-called summary judgment, or pretrial
ruling, in their own favor. If federal Judge Stephen Wilson rules
in favor of the file-swapping companies, it could enable them to
avoid going to trial altogether, or shield them from parts of
copyright infringement claims that could end up costing tens or
hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Wilson showed little
inclination to rule immediately on either side's request.


UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP LEADS THE INDUSTRY
http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=44925
Universal Music Group, the world's largest music company,
continues to lead the industry, closing in on the end of the year
with unprecedented chart success and market share dominance. UMG
has an impressive year-to-date current album market share this
week of 30.88%, according to SoundScan. UMG holds the #1 spot on
more than 30 charts, including SoundScan Top Current Albums, R&B
Current Album, Top Catalog Albums, Top Soundtrack and YTD Top Rap
Album, among others.


INTERNET ANYWHERE - ON A SINGLE CHIP
http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=44876
Flint is to help UK designers connect any office or industrial
equipment, consumer electronics device or household appliance to
the Internet, based on an open implementation in a single chip.
According to Flint, eDevice SmartStack(tm) can bring truly open
Internet connectivity to any device, on any infrastructure,
anywhere, without using proprietary hardware and protocols,
gateways or specific ISPs.


POLICE REPORT LARGEST-EVER PIRATE CD SEIZURE IN EUROPE
http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=44906
Police in Luxembourg have made the largest-ever seizure of pirate
CDs in Europe, uncovering what is thought to be a huge,
international illegal bootlegging ring. Luxembourg police,
assisted by anti-piracy personnel from the international
recording industry, raided two warehouses and report having
seized around one million infringing CDs, with an estimated value
of over ten million Euros at pirate prices.



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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! Includes one free PDF update!


THE INDIE BIBLE - The Fourth 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
Bible. This fantastic 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 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
$24.95!


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, three songs in the upcoming film
Employee of the Month starring John Doe from the band X, music in
the upcoming file Paris starring Karen Black. Placements with
Naxos Audio Books, Tokyo Pop Animation Company; Xtremeride Sports
Video, an NHL Hockey video, and others. One of NOMA's World Music
acts recently inked a recording contract with Naxos Records. As
you can see, 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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And Now a Word from our Sponsors...
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INSIDE THE MUSIC BUSINESS
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/insidethebusiness.htm
Learn how the music business works first-hand from those who are
already successful in it, and receive personal coaching on your
path to success in the music industry!


MUSIC123: KEYBOARDS, GUITARS, INSTRUMENTS & ACCESSORIES
http://www.rainmusic.com/music123.htm
Music123 has a huge selection and they guarantee you the lowest
price on all their instruments and equipment. Found a cheaper
price? Call their 800 number toll free and they will beat it over
the phone! Buy guitars, amps, keys, software, recording, dj, and
lighting gear, all at the click of a button. Very easy to
navigate, great selection, and 6 months, same as cash! They even
have an outlet store for B stock and blemished items!

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ADVERTISE HERE!
Yes, you can advertise your web site or service here at rates
starting at just $30 per issue. Email us at
musicbiz@... for details.


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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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To automatically subscribe, just send email to:
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