1. Independent Study: Decon Records

    August 06, 2013 5:52 PM EDT Label: Decon Records Founded: 2003 Location: New York, NY Number of Employees: 4 at label, 18 at agency Biggest Release: Pusha T, Fear of God II: Let Us Pray ( Soundscan: 49,000) Next Release: Boldy James, My First Chemistry Set ( Oct.) Distr ...

  2. Black Flag Co-Founder Sues Ex-Bandmates Over Use of Punk Group's Logo, Name

    August 04, 2013 10:28 PM EDT One of punk’s most iconic band names has provoked a new lawsuit. Fans may be confused to see two different groups performing this year under the name of Hermosa Beach punk outfit Black Flag -- one fronted by founding guitarist Greg Ginn, and an ...

  3. Indie Beat: FYF's Sean Carlson, House of Vans' Anna Sherwood-Stephan on the Art of the Free Summer Concert Series

    August 02, 2013 10:23 AM EDT It’s a delicate art putting on a free summer concert series. Even if you find the right sponsor(s), book the right artists and secure an amenable venue, ravenous crowds or unkind weather gods can still derail the proceedings faster than ice crea ...

  4. Bubbling Under: Radio Loves KAPTN's 'Ricky Ricardo'

    August 02, 2013 10:00 AM EDT Each Friday, Billboard presents "Bubbling Under," a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success. Up this week: KAPTN, Said The Whale, Lauren Aquilina and Forest Swords.   Los Angeles-based rap ...

  5. Luaka Bop and Sonic Cathedral Announce Label Services Partnerships with !K7

    August 01, 2013 4:43 PM EDT Luaka Bop, the New York-based label founded by avid cyclist (and Talking Heads founding member) David Byrne, alongside Sonic Cathedral, a shoegaze-concentrated independent label from London launched in 2006, have both unveiled their collaborat ...

  6. Radio Free Song Club Helps Artists, Amasses Fans with Free Music and Performances

    July 31, 2013 1:20 PM EDT It's not a revolution – not quite yet anyway. SiriusXM has no reason to sleep with one eye open, but if things keep evolving the way they have been, Radio Free Song Club  could be one of the many spark plugs that helps restart the clunking ...

  7. Expelling Band Members Isn't Easy: Gogol Bordello and Ariel Pink's Legal Disputes

    July 30, 2013 6:45 PM EDT To misquote Leo Tolstoy, every unhappy indie rock band is unhappy in its own way. Take Gogol Bordello. Eugene Hutz, the singer for the popular New York gypsy punk band, is being sued after he "brazenly absconded with approximately half a mi ...

  8. 'Radioactive' Explosion: How Imagine Dragons' Hit Has Conquered Multiple Radio Formats

    July 27, 2013 11:00 AM EDT The track links a 21st week at No. 1 on Rock Airplay, breaking the record for the longest reign dating to the Nielsen BDS-based chart's June 20, 2009, inception. Foo Fighters' "Rope" ruled for 20 weeks from its debut the week ...

  9. ThinkSay Records Signs to Caroline Distribution

    July 25, 2013 2:51 PM EDT Caroline Distribution has announced the addition of ThinkSay Records to its roster. ThinkSay is an independent music company founded in 2012 by industry executives Brad Davidson and Ben Singer, who have helped launch the careers of such artists ...

  10. Glassnote Entertainment Expands With London Office

    July 24, 2013 1:53 AM EDT Glassnote Entertainment Group, the label that's home to Phoenix and Mumford & Sons, is expanding its operations by opening an office in London to serve as its U.K. and Europe headquarters. Sam Rumney, producer of the highly influential ...

  11. James Murphy On His New (McIntosh) Sound System, Producing Arcade Fire, a Music Industry 'That Makes Zero Sense'

    July 24, 2013 12:41 AM EDT James Murphy finally has his own very own (LCD) sound system. The DFA Records co-founder has teamed up with home entertainment company McIntosh Laboratory for Despacio, a custom-built sound system that he debuted at the U.K.’s Manchester Inter ...

  12. Former Employees File Lawsuit Against Nacional Records' Tomas Cookman

    July 23, 2013 11:39 PM EDT Two former female employees of the Los Angeles-based indie Latin label Nacional Records filed a lawsuit yesterday (July 22) against its founder Tomas Cookman. The complaint contained 15 charges against Cookman that included sexual harassment, wr ...

  13. How Krewella Leveraged Its Social Strategy Into A Career

    July 23, 2013 4:47 PM EDT The following article on Krewella's social media strategy is from "Social Media's True Value" package featured in the latest Billboard. Here, you also will find Billboard digital correspondent Alex Pham's report on the m ...

  14. Pitchfork Fest 2013: Bigger Headliners, More Sponsors, Elaborate Production, Killer Mike and El-P's New Beer

    July 18, 2013 6:35 PM EDT Now in its eighth year, the Pitchfork Music Festival has growing pains like any other festival. It's likely to sell out a capacity of 54,000 tickets across three days at Chicago's Union Park. It also has a record sponsor count that� ...

  15. Kobalt Label Services Appoints Bree Nevin as Creative Brand and Synchronization Manager

    July 18, 2013 2:06 PM EDT Bree Nevin has joined Kobalt Label Services as Creative Brand and Synchronization Manager in an effort to expand their synchronization services. Nevin will work under Michelle Stoddart, SVP of Synchronization and Digital Media, and help place mu ...

  16. Tomas Cookman on LAMC: ‘Years Ago Ricky Ricardo On Conga Drums Was Latin Music…’

    July 16, 2013 4:56 PM EDT Behind a black curtain in the corner of the second floor of the New Yorker Hotel is Tomas Cookman , a former punk rock musician and the founder of the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC). Here he was slowly tearing down his makeshift off ...

  17. Tegan and Sara, Metric Make the Polaris Music Prize Short List

    July 16, 2013 1:37 PM EDT The short list for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize was revealed in Toronto on Tuesday, with Metric, METZ, Purity Ring and Tegan and Sara among the ten acts in the running for Canada's best album of the year. The announcement was made at a med ...

  18. Independent Study: Kitsuné Records

    July 16, 2013 12:19 PM EDT Label: Kitsuné Records Founded: 2002 Location: Paris Number of Employees: 10 exclusive to label, 70 total worldwide Biggest Seller: Two Door Cinema Club, Tourist History (178,000 copies U.S.) Next Release: Is Tropical, “Lover’s Cave” single, U ...

  19. Atoms For Peace Pull Album From Spotify, Take To Twitter

    July 14, 2013 11:34 PM EDT If you want to listen to Atoms For Peace, you can’t anymore on Spotify. In a string of tweets today from Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and producer Nigel Godrich, both members of the group Atoms For Peace, the two revealed that their album AMOK ...

  20. Rubén Blades Eyeing Label Deal With Nacional Records

    July 13, 2013 6:16 PM EDT Rubén Blades, the venerable salsa singer/songwriter/actor, is eyeing the Los Angeles-based Nacional Records as a possible home for his new music, according to a source familiar with the ongoing conversations.   Blades, who spoke this week at Lat ...

  21. Backbeat: Carla Morrison at the Latin Alternative Music Conference - 'It's Not Always About the Song...'

    July 13, 2013 9:44 AM EDT Carla Morrison (white shirt, couch right) hangs out backstage at SOB's in New York with her team and band including Gil Gastelum (manager/Cosmica founder), Daniel Cerrillo, Alejandro, Jimenez, Esteban Vazquez and Alejandra Morrison-Hogan (M ...

  22. Third Man Records Production Head Says Limited Edition Vinyl For Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta' Is His Year's 'Good Idea'

    July 11, 2013 3:09 PM EDT With the pre-release of Jay Z’s Samsung-promoted twelfth studio album Magna Carta: Holy Grail on July  4 (and subsequent standard format release July 9), HOVA is being hailed by some as a pioneer for new platforms of distribution. Dubbing his ca ...

  23. Peppi Marchello, Singer for Long Island's Infamous Good Rats, Dead at 68

    July 11, 2013 2:25 PM EDT Long Island rock legend Peppi Marchello, who for decades fronted The Good Rats, lovingly dubbed "the world's most famous unknown band," died on Wednesday of an apparent cardiac arrest. He was 68. The news of his death was first an ...

  24. Backbeat: Blood Orange Plays New Album For Anyone in NYC Who Tweets at Him (And Billboard Interns Take Him Up On It)

    July 10, 2013 3:20 PM EDT Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99" LatentStyleCount="267"> UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Nor ...

  25. Billboard Launches The Billboard Shop

    July 10, 2013 3:19 PM EDT Billboard today announced the launch of the Billboard Shop ( http://shop.billboard.com/ ), an online retail space offering a wide variety of Billboard products. Among the Billboard Shop's offerings are: A one-click way to purchase current ...

  26. Recreating Lee Hazlewood's 'Trouble Is A Lonesome Town': The Story Behind the Tribute

    July 10, 2013 11:48 AM EDT Producer Charles Normal has spent years crafting a revival of country artist Lee Hazlewood’s influential 1963 debut album, Trouble Is A Lonesome Town . Today, he finally sees his passion project come to life, thanks to help from such notable art ...

  27. SoundExchange Paid Out Record $149 Million in Q2

    July 10, 2013 10:17 AM EDT Signaling the strength of Internet and satellite radio, SoundExchange paid out a record $149 million to record labels and artists in the second quarter of 2013, 55% increase over the same period in 2012.   SoundExchange is the non-profit organi ...

  28. Sub Pop Unveils iTunes Label Store, Host of Remastered and New-to-Digital Music Ahead of 25th Anniversary Celebrations

    July 09, 2013 6:22 PM EDT Sub Pop – the celebrated indie label responsible for countless musical touchstones over its history – and iTunes today unveiled a significant digital push ahead of its birthday celebrations this weekend. The companies have created a new label p ...

  29. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' Gay Equality Anthem 'Same Love' Hits Top 20 on Billboard Hot 100

    July 08, 2013 3:24 PM EDT Following the United States Supreme Court rulings on two separate gay marriage issues (June 26), Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' gay equality anthem "Same Love" jumps into the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart this week. ...

  30. Nielsen SoundScan Mid-Year Report: Digital Album and Single Sales Slow

    July 03, 2013 7:50 PM EDT Digital tracks sales are on the decline and the trend is accelerating. For the year to date as of June 30, digital track sales have declined 2.3% to 682.2 million units from the 698 million units that tracks scanned in the first half of 2012, ...

  31. MTV, VH1, CMT Partnering with Monster DNA to Promote, Fund Indie Artists on July 4

    July 02, 2013 12:31 PM EDT For 12 hours on July 4, MTV, CMT and VH1 are going to be all about music. The networks' owner, Viacom, and the headphones company Monster DNA are teaming up to promote "Music Independence Day," during which indie musicians will be ...

  32. Independent Study: Innovative Leisure

    July 02, 2013 11:24 AM EDT Label: Innovative Leisure Founded: 2010 Location: Los Angeles Number of Employees: 5 fulltime, 1 part-time Next Release: Superhumanoids, Exhibitionists ( Aug. 6) Distributor: ADA Twitter: @ILRecords Website: InnovativeLeisure.net The second t ...

  33. From the Magazine: The New DIY -- Your Music Career in Your Hands

    July 01, 2013 2:00 PM EDT The following excerpts are from the "The New DIY: Your Career In Your Hands" cover package featured in the new issue of Billboard (July 7)  and inlcude Ed Chrstman's look at the changing marketplace for independent distributors; ...

  34. Christopher 'Tricky' Stewart Exits Epic A&R Helm

    June 28, 2013 9:14 PM EDT In an unexpected move, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart has exited his post as Epic Records’ president of A&R to concentrate on producing. The Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer joined the label in that role in October 2011. There was no ...

  35. Business Matters: What iTunes Radio Will Actually Pay

    June 28, 2013 7:24 PM EDT A close look at the iTunes licensing agreement for indie labels shows iTunes Radio royalties have limited downside and strong upside. The minimum royalty calculation ensures labels will be paid a decent royalty until iTunes Radio becomes effe ...

  36. Chuck Inglish's Sounds Like Fun Imprint Signs to Dave Sitek's Federal Prism Label

    June 28, 2013 12:05 PM EDT Rapper Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll, one-half of Chicago duo the Cool Kids, announced a new partnership between his imprint, Sounds Like Fun, and Dave Sitek's label Federal Prism, distributed by ADA and home to Sitek's main ...

  37. RED Distribution Signs [PIAS] Music Group for North American Distribution Deal

    June 27, 2013 5:13 PM EDT RED Distribution has signed the [PIAS] Music Group, a leading European independent label and distributor, to an exclusive distribution agreement covering both digital and physical product for North America. As part of the deal, in Canada, RED wi ...

  38. Apple iTunes Radio's Licensing Agreements With Indie Labels Emerge

    June 26, 2013 10:08 PM EDT The licensing agreement between Apple and indie labels reveals further information about the planned iTunes Radio service.  According to a copy of the document obtained by Billboard, Apple will not have to pay for any content during the beta ...

  39. Distro Briefs: INgrooves Distributing BMG’s Mute, Sanctuary Catalogs; Victory Signs I Scream Records

    June 25, 2013 11:20 AM EDT INgrooves To distribute BMG's Recently-Acquired Mute and Sanctuary Catalogs INgrooves has signed a deal to distribute BMG's recently acquired catalogs, Mute and Sanctuary, which covers such artists as Nick Cave, Moby, Erasure, Iron Ma ...

  40. Tom Silverman's Libera Acceptance Speech: From Artists Against Counterfeit Tapes To 'The Big Six' To A2IM

    June 24, 2013 2:10 PM EDT One of highlights from last week's second annual Libera Awards was Tom Silverman's Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech. Part personal history (he co-founded Artists Against Counterfeit Tapes), thank you note (gave gratitude to ...

  41. Backbeat: A2IM's Libera Awards Bring Out Indie Royalty With Seymour Stein, Martin Mills, Tom Silverman, More

    June 21, 2013 2:02 PM EDT From the podium at the second annual Libera Awards Thursday night, Portia Sabin of Kill Rock Stars toasted a room full of DIY music entrepreneurs who unwound with free booze and finger foods after three days of power meetings, panels and presen ...

  42. Chart Moves: 'The Voice' Carries Weight on Hot 100, Hot Country Songs; Avril Lavigne Soars; Jack Johnson Returns

    June 21, 2013 12:36 PM EDT As previously reported , Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," featuring T.I. + Pharrell, spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Who else makes head-"Lines" on the Hot 100 and other song charts this week? Nota ...

  43. Dualtone, Alabama Shakes, Tom Silverman Take Honors at 2013 Libera Awards

    June 21, 2013 10:36 AM EDT It was a big night for Dualtone Records and the Alabama Shakes at the American Association of Independent Music’s second annual Libera Awards Thursday, with representatives from 400 independent labels across the country gathered to honor their p ...

  44. Backbeat: Sony, iTunes Execs Hit the Scene, the Stranglers Rock the Spoke Club, DJs Spin Atop a Crane at Toronto's NXNE, MuchMusic Events

    June 21, 2013 10:15 AM EDT Toronto has been crazy busy the past two weeks with North By Northeast, Luminato (still going), the MuchMusic Video Awards and piggybacking parties and events. Billboard.biz squeezed in a few, starting with the NXNE kick-off at Toronto’s Drake ...

  45. Secretly Canadian, Ultra Music, Robbins Execs Talk Monetization at A2IM Indie Week

    June 20, 2013 5:34 PM EDT Discussion centered on maximizing revenue from streaming platforms and YouTube during day two of Indie Week, hosted by A2IM, the American Association of Independent Music. Representatives from 500 of the group’s member labels and organizations ...

  46. Jesús Ariel Barreras, Editora de Ideas, Luz Casal, Psy Win at SESAC Latina Music Awards

    June 20, 2013 2:05 AM EDT Mexican songwriter Jesús Ariel Barreras, Korean pop star Psy, Spanish diva Luz Casal and publishing house Editora de Ideas were the big winners at the SESAC Latina Music Awards, which took place June 19 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. ...

  47. Chet Flippo on 'The Genre-Bustin’ Rise of Insurgent Country' (From The Billboard Archives)

    June 19, 2013 5:46 PM EDT With the passing of longtime music writer Chet Flippo , Billboard’s Nashville Bureau Chief from 1995 to 2000, we went back to our archives to read his voluminous music writings. Here we discovered a perfect example of Chet's shining long-fo ...

  48. A2IM's Indie Week Kicks Off With 'Guy Who Put Out the Lumineers & Guy Who Put Out Mumford & Sons'

    June 18, 2013 7:39 PM EDT A2IM, the American Association of Independent Music, kicked off its annual indie week event today with panels on publishing and neighboring rights. Nearly 500 members are in New York from across the U.S. and the world, including missions from Au ...

  49. Nonprofit Pvblic Helps Justin Bieber-supported Charity Raise $400K, Working with Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo

    June 17, 2013 6:22 PM EDT Earlier this year, when Pencils of Promise was looking for a marketing partner to help spread the word about its annual Justin Bieber-supported Schools 4 All fund-raising campaign, the international education organization turned to the nonprofit ...

  50. Warner Music Acquires Russia's Gala Records Group

    June 17, 2013 1:25 PM EDT Warner Music Group has acquired Gala Records Group, the first privately owned record label in Russia, WMG announced today in a statement. The label, launched in 1988, operates distribution, publishing, live production and artist representation b ...

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