Just read a great article here from Music Think Tank about ‘the best kept secret for advancing your music career’. The writer asks what is the best way for an up and coming band with some buzz to spend $5000 to advance their career. Advertising? Touring? Radio promotion? Publicity? Nope, none of the above.

The answer: hire an entertainment lawyer.

If you are surprised, you are not alone. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that many musicians don’t discover the benefits of a music attorney unless prompted to for negative reasons. But the positives are far more abundant!

The author goes on to say that “in the world of entertainment, the attorney is king in many ways…they are the silent force behind every deal and advancement…the music industry’s silent gatekeeper and its best kept secret”.

So, have a read of the article, and shoot us a phone call or email. Whether it’s getting more out of your career/catalog, negotiating you a better deal, or offering guidance in any area of the business, we look forward to sharing this ‘secret’ with you.

- Kurt Dahl, Nov. 22, 2011

 

Just read an interesting article here about electronic music distributor STHoldings pulling all its distributed labels from streaming music services Spotify, Simfy, Rdio and Napster. The reason for the pull: a recent study concluded that music streaming and other free or low cost online music services “are more likely to cause listeners to continue to stream songs, rather than buy them”.

ST’s clients include some 238 labels around the world.

This raises a huge question going forward, one we have touched on before: is Spotify good or bad for artists? The above study concluded that Spotify and other streaming services have the effect of devaluing music by exploiting it as a low value/free commodity, with the end result being less and less music being paid for, and of course, less money to artists.

The counter argument is that if more artists, labels, and consumers got on board with Spotify, there would be a snowball effect in the coming years, and far more revenue and value would accrue to artists from streaming vis-a-vis the rapidly dwindling revenue flowing from more traditional ‘purchase’ services such as iTunes.

As always, consumer choice will point the direction forward. And based on the numbers in the above study, consumers have made one thing clear: they want Spotify. The question is, do artists?

- Kurt Dahl, Nov. 16, 2011

 

FACTOR has extended the deadline for Juried Sound Recording and Demo Applications from Oct 28, 2011 to Nov 30, 2011. On our consulting side of the company (Adagio Music), we offer comprehensive services in relation to FACTOR grant applications, and have a pretty strong track record in terms of approval.

So if you’d like Bob and I to help you take your application (and career) to the next level, shoot me an email at kurt(at)bcmusiclaw.com. We need at least 3 weeks advance to do the app properly, so hit me with an email and we’ll make it happen!

- Kurt Dahl, Nov. 2, 2011