Apple is Preparing iTunes Renovation

The article talks about Apple Inc. and its plans of major changes to iTunes since its debut in 2003. Bloomberg acquired this information from people with direct knowledge of the matter, and they mentioned that Apple would release the details of the plans later in the year to the public. Any change to iTunes becomes critical to the company since it is a major source of revenue. Also the changes are sure to affect the music and media industry because it is the “gateway” to many users of the Apple products such as iPhone, iPod, Mac computers, etc. to purchase music, movies, shows and television shows. 

Use the inspiration! You'll need it in this industry

The video of the TED speaker named Chris Anderson emphasizes what he calls a “crowd accelerated innovation”. Despite the population of the planet growing, the Internet has made the world a smaller place. People are able to communicate and influence each other despite the distance through different vehicles in the Internet. To explain what he means by this, he uses the example of webcam videos. These videos that people make and put online become abundant and global. It becomes a self-fueling system.

NARIP - A Professional Association Program

There are several professional association programs that impacts the music industry. One of the most appealing ones is called National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP). NARIP is an association program across the country and around the globe that brings together the brightest minds and leading innovators in the global record and music industries. It is the biggest in the world, and it is specifically for record industry professionals.

What's the Deal with Music Publishing?

Music publishing is incredibly similar to the big record labels. Aside from royalties, licensing deals and administrating copyrights, music publishing involves the recording and selling of songs, just like record labels do. So what's the deal with music publishing? Simply, the business of recording music is getting weaker as the music publishing business is becoming stronger. A revenue collecting company for songwriters called SongTrust states that the importance of music publishing has increased during recent years. The Internet has made an abundant amount of music distribution methods. The digital media has caused a much wider audience to be reached, and the payments from these audiences increase the publishing revenues.

The End of the A&R Era?

Possibly. A&R back in the day were considered creative people who had some sense of power over pop culture. They knew the dos and don’ts of commercial success, and they were responsible for scouting talent for their record label. They would go spend their evenings in nightclubs to listen and discover new artists or bands, and help them develop.  Nowadays, however, the talent needs to have some sort of momentum before A&R even consider getting involved. Once an artist achieves this momentum, they go straight to the contract without the need of an A&R.

The Importance of an Internet Marketer

The recording industry and the music business have always depended on marketing for the success of their sales. In these modern times of Facebook and Twitter, it is easy to promote and communicate with consumers. Any musician can communicate with fans by themselves, and they may even feel that there is no need of an expert. However,  Ariel Hyatt, an online marketer and businesswoman, stresses that without implications of traditional marketing strategies, all the effort put in social media websites becomes diluted. She states:

“The act of selling music is not at all like selling goods or services which is where Internet Marketers have a leg up on musicians. You are ostensibly selling a feeling. People connect to music in a very different way than they connect to any old product, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t take the same basic principles and apply them.”