Tunecore + Universal. Catch or no catch?

Ok, that does it. I have to write a post about this whole Tunecore / Universal partnership-thingy that has been going on since the release of the official news last Thursday. For those of you who aren’t aware of this historical event, here’s a quick summary.

Tunecore= low-fee digital distribution platform for bands, that places their music on sites like iTunes, eMusic, Amazone and others. Tunecore launched in 2006 and since then has become one of the most prominent and active digital distribution models out there.

Universal=largest behemoth record label on the planet. Is known to engulf record labels, and many other things.

Since July 9th, Tunecore+Universal=first ever partnership where a major record label offers services instead of offering contracts to indie artists (that I know of).

Since my synopsis might have been unclear, I’ll let Jeff Price, CEO of Tunecore, explain: “In a nutshell, in addition to regular old TuneCore.com, we will also be hosting and serving websites for Universal labels that provide artists distribution while taking none of the artists rights or revenues. At these label portal sites, you not only get distribution but also extra things from each label. We do not yet know what the “extra things” are as each label will be creating their own. These extra things could be musician services, marketing, promotion, information, opportunities etc.“

Here’s also an extract of the Ars Technica review on the matter (recommended read): “any artist (big or small) can sell music through iTunes and Amazon for $9.99 already with the help of TuneCore, but now artists can choose to “sign themselves” to one of UMG’s labels—assuming the label is agreeable—for more marketing and distribution opportunities for a separate flat (and affordable) fee. [...] Each label within UMG will have its own package of offered services, providing many different choices for the discerning musician. Price said that the individual labels will set up portal sites that will outline what they can do for artists, like finding a similar band to open for you at your next show. “The labels are going to do this without pre-signing or tying down the artist,” (first services should open-up around October 2009)

So now artists have the possibility of signing themselves to a major record label. Historical indeed.

Actually UMG and Tunecore have been in partnership since last year – Tunecore bands have the possibility of ordering mastering sessions from Universal’s studios for only $50 a song. Forum discussion confirmed that the quality was pretty amazing for the price. But this new deal is something else. What does it all amount to for both the artists and UMG’s labels? Well I haven’t been able to find the catch yet and I find myself seduced by the greatness of the initiative.

Is this the model the established record industry needs to follow? Outsourcing its services and know-how to the indie market? Artist can now be DIY and DBSE (done by someone else), keep their rights, and have a steady foot in the door of big time players’ facilities and services. From Universal’s standpoint, such a deal amounts to one big A&R operation without the hassle of actually sending out scouts. If there is no blatant catch here, Tunecore artists will be working side-by-side with a major engaging in a healthy B2B fashion. Really sounds like a win-win.

So seriously, what’s the catch? Is there a possibility that there might be no catch? I have been so brainwashed and accustomed to pointing fingers at major labels that I feel there must be one. As cited above, this might be one the solutions we all need right now, because even in the event where a consolidated band gets approached by UMG to sign whatever sort of contract via this system, I have a tendency to think that the whole process would be different, that the exploitation could come to a halt. Why? Well for different reasons, and for me the most obvious one would be because otherwise this whole new relationship UMG will be developing with the indies would crumble. They would get smacked by music communities in not time if they were to abuse their rights. And they know it’s time for a change.

Although this is still business and not some care bear inspired scenario, and although all of this might only be wishful thinking, such a deal has the potential of re-instating mutual trust between majors, unsigned bands and the public, and this might as well lead to music of a more experimental nature to reach a new, long lost level of popularity and properity, since it will be the artists themselves that will intiate the financial risks.

So catch, or no catch?

Read Full Post »

Radiohead’s In Rainbows still on everyone’s lips

Thom Yorke celebrates Obama’s victory by humbly donating ‘a remix of harrowdown hill that was finished ages ago during the band webcasts’. A pretty gloomy musical piece as a ‘small reminder of the dark days of Bush’s….’

That’s not the only remix news Radiohead has to offer. Uk’s The Guardian has addressed five renowned jazzmen to perform interpretation of the song ‘Nude’ out of Radiohead’s latest album, ‘In Rainbows’. You can listen to the versions here.

Beautiful results for a beautiful song. For those of you who still haven’t given In Rainbows a shot, I urge you to do so. The album is breathtaking.

A couple of weeks ago the band’s publishing firm released the numbers behind its success, and those too are breathtaking. In Rainbows to date, has moved more than 3 million units, across box-sets, physical CD sales, and downloads via iTunes and the band’s website. The physical CD itself has moved 1.75 million since its release in January.

The ‘pay what you want’ model did pay off big time, even after Radiohead got criticized for dropping it after three months. We all agree that very few are the bands that can pull this off, but these numbers proove that quality of music surpasses the prestige of a band’s reputation. Their previous album ‘Hail to the thief’ moved less copies even as it was label-supported. This goes to show that top-notch major label executive marketing and promotion isn’t necessarily the answer to healthy success.

We are at a time where people can listen to whatever they want from whoever they want whenever they want. My take on this is that only the artists who concentrate more on their art then on anything else have better chances at getting noticed and appreciated for what they do.

mruff.

Read Full Post »

The Beatles, Rock Band and our musical legacies

The Beatles are in the process of being pixelized! Word came out a couple of days ago that a video game recounting the career of the most famous pop band in the world is in development. Harmonix, creators of Rock Band, MTV games, Apple Corps ltd. and the surviving band members, Paul and Ringo, have all decided to settle for the interactive adventure. Apparently the game will be a Rock Band look-a-like but only focusing on the repertoire of the brit-pop quartet (as a reminder, Apple Corps is not to be confused with Steve Job’s Apple. The former is a multimedia conglomerate formed by The Beatles in 1968 that regroups all their media activities, and above all retains publishing rights to their back-catalogue. Pretty big legal battles arose between the two companies over trademark infringement by the way :).

Big sudden leap for Apple Corps ltd who has been so reluctant to distribute their music digitally. Actually they still haven’t given their consent to do so but negotiations are ongoing, which is understandable seeing how going with the Rock Band flow has very (very) positive effects on the featured bands’ sales. But even so, to understand why the Fab-Four still haven’t gone digital is quite the brain teaser.

First off Apple Corps has some weird relationship with technology as they made fans wait until 1986 before they released their albums on CD. Concerning digital distribution, many reasons, or rather hypothesises explain the unwillingness. Why their catalog isn’t sold on iTunes is fairly logical since Aple Corps ltd. and Apple Inc. are kind of sworn enemies and all, but why not in other major distribution outlets like Napster or Rhapsody? The Beatles are an album band’ and selling individual tracks will hurt their integrity blablabla. Their songs are worth far more than 99 cents blabla. They are skeptical about the mass market appeal for downloading blabla. Well now digital sales are growing and band games are sky rocketing, so the way I see it Apple Corps is cutting the bla and diving head first into a pool full of cash.

But hey, it’s easy to point fingers. Even though I hate those stupid games I must admit they are educating youngsters musically, and that much can’t be said about the current major music industry. Not only have albums sales been soaring for the bands lucky enough to be featured, but so have also guitars, bass and drum sales. Kids these days are finally understanding that rock is good and that without it there is no meaning to life.

All jokes aside, I say why not. The Beatles are probably the most influential band there is. I think it’s safe to say no band can admit to not having been influenced by their lyrical melodies and their outstanding originality paving the roads to so many musical genres. But lets not forget that old bands live on thanks to a generation’s appreciation of their work, and the Beatles’ generation is still alive and well. I am very concerned for geniuses such as Yes, Zappa, Roxy Music, Karate and so many others in the years to come. Seeing how a big proportion of the public blindly accepts what is served to them in terms of music, what’s to happen to those guys in 50 years. They might be completely forgotten if there is no significant eagerness to promote their music once we’re all dead and gone. I mean, damn, who now knows Todd Rundgren, or Marlena Shaw these days?? Almost nobody, and that constitutes a real problem I believe a band even of the likes of the Beatles isn’t immune to, at least to some extent. So if games likes Guitar Hero and Rock Band can help leverage and promote their music, yea, I say why not.

Bark?

Read Full Post »

Nimbit to become MySpace’s official online music-store and merchandise table

Nimbit is a complete music commerce solution for bands. The free version of their OMT (online merch widget) allows bands to sell songs and display a neat profile. For $4.95/month you get to sell merchandise in addition to your songs, and you get access to their digital distribution network composed of iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody and others.  For $12.95/month you get some other things like being able to update content information on different sites at once, having access to a unique branded skin Nimbit sets up for you, managing multiple artists through one store. You can even manage your physical CD sales through Nimbit. They take 20% off each sale.

It’s an all-in-one service that seems to be doing very well and making headway as its OMT just became MySpace’s official application for selling songs and merch. Before there was Snocap, but they didn’t fare so well due to their “inability to get visitors into the habit of purchasing music from a small box on a page that typically offers free music and video streams” as Glenn from the Coolfer, music and industry blog puts it. Nimbit has now taken its place with a more complete and up-to-date setup and faster check-out procedure.

So in the list of all the sites you can try out for your e-commerce solutions, Nimbit appears to be leading the race.

Read Full Post »