1. 'Muscle Shoals' Documentary Picked Up By Magnolia Pictures During SXSW

    March 12, 2013 5:16 PM EDT "Muscle Shoals," Greg Camalier's documentary on the recording studios and musicians of Muscle Shoals, Ala., became the first music documentary to secure a distribution deal at this year's SXSW Film Festival, with Magnolia Pic ...

  2. 'Wild Ones:' Rockabilly Label Waves the White Flag to Digital at Doc Screening in Austin

    March 12, 2013 4:59 PM EDT "I hate iTunes," Wild Records owner Reb Kennedy said after a Tuesday screening of the film about his label and artists, "Los Wild Ones." "And I hate to compromise. But we lost to iTunes," Kenndy continued. Wild Reco ...

  3. Bubbling Under: B. Smyth Build's 'Leggo' At R&B Radio

    March 08, 2013 10:00 AM EST Each Friday, Billboard presents "Bubbling Under," a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success. Up this week: B. Smyth, Boy, Del Marquis and Brian Weaver . B. Smyth With his debut single &quo ...

  4. Trans World Profits Up in 2012, Company Plans to Open 20 New Stores

    March 07, 2013 8:31 PM EST For the second year in a row, Trans World Entertainment has produced black ink. More importantly, the company says it will return to growth mode, with plans to open 20 stores in the fiscal year. For the fourth quarter ending Feb. 2, 2013, Trans ...

  5. Business Matters: Has Crowdfunding Stolen Direct-to-Fan’s Thunder?

    March 06, 2013 9:12 PM EST Crowdfunding is one of the more dominant topics of this year's South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, which takes place March 8 through 17. The SXSW website lists 21 panels just with the word Kickstarter, including one panel with A ...

  6. SXSW: Festival Expects 28,000 Attendees With or Without a 'Highlight'

    March 06, 2013 5:30 PM EST South by Southwest is expecting a crowd of 28,000 for the Interactive portion of its 11-day tech, film and music festival, Adweek reports. That's 3,500 attendees more than in 2012, and 9,000 greater that what showed up two years ago. Whoa, ...

  7. Steve Angello, Junior Sanchez Launch New Size Imprint: Exclusive

    March 05, 2013 5:27 PM EST 0 0 17 0 Swedish House Mafia might be through, but its members’ solo careers are moving right along. Today, Steve Angello’s Size Records rolls out its newest project, an alliance with Brobot--the latest label from prolific dance veteran Junior Sanchez. &q ...

  8. A2IM's Trade Mission to Brazil - Applications for Travel Subsidy Due Tomorrow

    March 04, 2013 1:52 PM EST 0 0 0 0 The American Association of Independent Music is heading to Brazil in mid-April as part of its Market Development Cooperator Program, and today is the last day to have your costs halved. This is the second trip planned by A2IM through the MDCP, wh ...

  9. 2:30 Publicity and Grandstand Media Merge

    March 04, 2013 1:06 PM EST 0 0 0 0 Long-established publicity firm 2:30, founded in 1997, and relative newcomer Grandstand Media & Management, founded in 2012, have merged, it was announced today in a statement. "With a combined 50 years of experience…" begins the int ...

  10. Video: Amanda Palmer’s TED Talk: ‘How Do We Let People Pay for Music?’

    March 01, 2013 6:22 PM EST   Amanda Palmer’s pioneering efforts in the field of crowd-funding have been covered at great length in these pages, most recently in an excellent two-part interview with Glenn Peoples earlier this year, not to mention a widely read intervie ...

  11. Baauer’s ‘Harlem Shake’: The Global Hit That Started With a One-Off Single Deal

    February 28, 2013 7:00 AM EST 0 0 0 0 The Internet is full of free downloads, but most don’t end up topping the charts like Baauer’s “Harlem Shake.” The single was brought to market through a label as uncommon as the track’s quirky success story.   Jeffrees, a sub-label of Diplo’s Mad ...

  12. Simon Darlow, Songwriter for Grace Jones, Shirley Bassey, Named Chairman of U.K. Rights Org BASCA

    February 28, 2013 5:00 AM EST 0 0 0 0 U.K. songwriters’ body BASCA (the British Association of Songwriters, Composers & Authors) has announced the appointment of composer, musician and arranger Simon Darlow as its new chairman. Darlow, 52, has a long list of song credits including ...

  13. Exclusive: Taco Bell Teams With Passion Pit, Twitter For SXSW Showcase, 'Rockumentary'

    February 27, 2013 7:53 PM EST 0 0 0 0 Taco Bell is teaming up with Twitter and filmmaker Sam Jones (Wilco’s “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”) for a first-of-its-kind “Rockumentary,” “Feed The Beat: SXSW 2013,” at South By Southwest on March 11. The project will feature performances b ...

  14. Kobalt Music Group's Label Services Division Announces Two New Senior-Level Hires

    February 26, 2013 11:56 AM EST 0 0 0 0 Kobalt Music Group's Label Services division, a full-service alternative to labels for rights-retaining artists, has announced the appointment of two senior-level executives, it was announced today. Karen Lieberman has transitioned from her f ...

  15. Piero Giramonti Named GM of Harvest Records

    February 25, 2013 11:48 AM EST 0 0 0 0 Piero Giramonti joins the growing list of recent executive appointees at Capitol Music Group and its subsidiaries; the music industry veteran has been named general manager of the long-standing Harvest Records. Harvest's extensive catalog of ...

  16. Exclusive: Tumblr Gets Into Music Discovery

    February 21, 2013 12:26 PM EST 28 57 250 0 Blogging site Tumblr is getting into music discovery. At the core of the blogging company's strategy will be a select group of editors that share music, video and pictures with the site's 95 million users.   "This is our destina ...

  17. Mike Harris, Veteran EMI Exec, Named EVP and General Manager of Caroline

    February 21, 2013 11:51 AM EST 0 0 0 0 Mike Harris, an executive with and within EMI, most recently CFO at Blue Note, has been named executive vice president and general manager of Capitol Music Group's independent services division Caroline. Harris will be working closely with Ca ...

  18. Baauer's 'Harlem Shake' Debuts Atop Revamped Hot 100

    February 20, 2013 7:15 PM EST 0 54 94 0 The Billboard Hot 100 undergoes a major shakeup this week, as YouTube streaming data joins the chart's methodology. Fittingly, "Harlem Shake," the viral smash from Brooklyn producer Baauer, roars onto the ranking at No. 1.   As an ...

  19. Thomas Dolby's Second Directorial Effort Garners Fest Awards, Tour Planned

    February 20, 2013 11:31 AM EST 1 0 22 0 Thirty years passed between Thomas Dolby directing a video for his hit “She Blinded Me With Science” and his first proper film, but it has resulted in two awards at the Los Angeles DIY Film Festival. His next step? Take it on the road. Dolby will ...

  20. Pat Egan of Relapse Records Dies

    February 19, 2013 4:50 PM EST 5 287 52 0 Pat Egan of Relapse Records, a longtime veteran of the heavy metal music business, passed over the weekend. The director of retail sales and marketing for the metal indie had been hospitalized due to complications from pneumonia.   In social me ...

  21. Analysis: BMG Poised to Become a Top Indie Catalog Following Sanctuary Acquisition

    February 15, 2013 7:54 PM EST 3 9 13 0 Once completed, the pending acquisition of the Sanctuary Records catalog will catapult BMG Rights Management into one of the industry's top independent catalog labels. Universal Sells Sanctuary Label to BMG The Sanctuary catalog has about 17 ...

  22. Bubbling Under: Milo Greene Looks To The Future With '1957'

    February 15, 2013 1:56 PM EST 1 2 19 0 Each Friday, Billboard presents "Bubbling Under," a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success. Up this week: Milo Greene, Davina Leone, Jenny Simmons and DJ Chino.     Milo Greene Los Angeles ...

  23. 'Harlem Shake': The Making And Monetizing Of The Latest YouTube Dance Craze

    February 14, 2013 6:53 PM EST 8 192 197 0 Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” still has quite a ways to go before it becomes the next “Gangnam Style” in terms of total views, but the Mad Decent track became an unexpected viral smash last week at levels not seen since PSY’s American invasion -- an ...

  24. Backbeat: The Lone Bellow Raise the Roof at Hometown Show

    February 13, 2013 3:12 PM EST 0 45 6 0 Fast-rising Brooklyn act the Lone Bellow played to an astonishingly packed Bowery Ballroom last week -- astonishing because even though it was a hometown show, their self-titled album had barely been out for three weeks. Check Out All Our Backbea ...

  25. Concord's Glen Barros and Gene Rumsey on Label's 8 Grammy Wins, The ‘Underserved' Adult Market

    February 13, 2013 1:42 PM EST 4 1 8 0 Above: Esperanza Spalding won two of Concord's eight Grammy wins (Photo: FilmMagic) . Concord Records was the Grammy's leading label winner this year, picking up eight nods -- and it wasn't a fluke. Traditionally, Concord is one of ...

  26. Grammy Awards Send Sales Surging on Billboard Charts

    February 13, 2013 12:01 PM EST 4 12 107 0 Though Nielsen SoundScan's latest sales tracking week ended at the close of business on Sunday night, Feb. 10 -- the same day as the Grammy Awards -- the Billboard charts still feel the force of music's biggest night. While we will se ...

  27. Op-Ed: We Wouldn't Mind Getting Less Money From Pandora and Spotify, Indie Musician Says

    February 13, 2013 10:27 AM EST 3 232 51 0 My name is Patrick Laird and I am an independent musician with Break of Reality, an American cello rock band. Recent articles in national newspapers and magazines have focused on how working musicians are being underpaid by Internet radio compa ...

  28. Beats Electronics to Launch Its Curation-Focused Music Service this Summer

    February 12, 2013 9:52 PM EST 0 34 64 0 Beats Electronics, the maker of high-end headphones, will launch its own on-demand music streaming service this summer, Jimmy Iovine, the chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M and Beats’ co-founder, announced Tuesday at the AllThingsD Dive Into ...

  29. Grammys Spur Early Sales Gains for Mumford & Sons, Lumineers, Frank Ocean

    February 11, 2013 9:40 PM EST 0 7 14 0 While official numbers aren't in yet, sources suggest that some of the biggest sales winners from the Grammy Awards on Feb. 10 include Mumford & Sons, the Lumineers, Frank Ocean, Rihanna and fun. Music sales for the week ending Feb. 10, ...

  30. Q&A: Glassnote Records' Daniel Glass on Mumford & Sons’ Big Grammy Win

    February 11, 2013 2:30 PM EST 0 13 12 0 Glassnote Records act Mumford & Sons won the album of the year award for "Babel," which registered the biggest sales week for an album in the first 10 months of 2012, selling 600,000 copies. It has sold 1.7 million total. Mumford&# ...

  31. Chart Alert: 'Les Mis' Soundtrack Takes Top Album Spot in the U.K., Jake Bugg Upends Biffy Clyro

    February 11, 2013 10:25 AM EST 0 3 19 0 As the “Les Miserables” score album (Polydor/Universal) moved back to the top of the U.K. album chart yesterday,  Macklemore’s current Hot 100 No. 1 “Thrift Shop” (Macklemore), featuring Ryan Lewis and Wanz, mirrored that feat across the Atlantic ...

  32. Concord, Warner Bros. Lead Record Labels With Most Grammy Awards at 2013 Ceremony

    February 11, 2013 3:34 AM EST 2 266 37 0 Concord Records artists scored the most Grammy Awards, picking up eight, followed closely by Warner Bros. Records, which won seven, thanks to the six awards picked up by Nonesuch Records. Concord winners -- either on its label or distributed la ...

  33. Billboard Unveils Power 100 List at L.A. Event, Honors UMG’s Lucian Grainge, Sony Music’s Clive Davis

    February 08, 2013 12:03 AM EST 1 45 31 0 Above:  Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge (left) and Sony Music chief creative officer Clive Davis (Photo credit: Phil McCarten) Billboard honored Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge and Sony Music chief creative officer Cl ...

  34. Beatport’s Matthew Adell on Shazam Deal, Why Music Biz Is a ‘Disaster Model’

    February 07, 2013 12:03 PM EST 14 169 136 0 Yesterday morning, two of electronic music-media’s biggest names -- the online dance retailer Beatport and the multi-format name-that-tune app Shazam -- announced a new partnership, allowing Shazam access to the “imprints” of 1.5 million EDM ...

  35. Drag City Film Distribution to Release ‘The Source Family’ Doc in May

    February 06, 2013 4:13 PM EST 1 16 19 0 Drag City Film Distribution will release Maria Demopoulos and Jodi Wille’s documentary “The Source Family” in May followed by a video-on-demand release through Gravitas Ventures. Drag City Records will also release the film’s soundtrack in May. ...

  36. Postal Service Shipping-Rate Hike Forces Indie Labels to Change Tactics

    February 05, 2013 7:05 AM EST 1 8 27 0 When he started The End Records in the sepia-toned days of 1998, Andreas Katsambas would often ship albums to fans free of charge. He says shipping rates were so low at the time that he didn’t bother to pass the fee on to consumers. “When I start ...

  37. What the Music Business Can Learn From the Gaming and Gambling Industries

    February 04, 2013 10:22 AM EST 81 339 168 0 Hany Nada is founding partner of GGV Capital, a global, expansion–stage venture firm based in Silicon Valley and Shanghai with $1.6B under management. Billboard.biz welcomes responsible content – contact jem.aswad@billboard.com with ideas. Wh ...

  38. My Bloody Valentine Finally Release New LP Online -- Leading to Near-Immediate Server Crash

    February 02, 2013 9:13 PM EST More than 21 years after the release of their landmark 1991 LP "Loveless," My Bloody Valentine have, after countless delays and missed release dates, released the follow-up. However, due to a server crash, fans found they have to wai ...

  39. TuneCore Paid Out $102 Million to Artists Last Year, Company Claims

    February 01, 2013 5:14 PM EST 5 17 39 0 While some Jeff Price fans might question TuneCore's future  business prospects, the company's management tells Billboard that the company enjoyed robust growth last year, hitting revenues of $101.8 million for its artists through sale ...

  40. Bubbling Under: Could Kristina Maria Be The Next Carly Rae Jepsen?

    February 01, 2013 10:58 AM EST 0 0 15 0 Each Friday, Billboard presents "Bubbling Under," a weekly look at new and noteworthy acts making their way toward Billboard chart success. Up this week: Kristina Maria, Tom Odell, Blackberry Smoke and T.Rone Kristina Maria Could Kristi ...

  41. Business Matters: The Jury is Still Out on The Future of Music

    January 30, 2013 8:49 PM EST 8 15 45 0 The news from the annual MIDEM conference indicated streaming is the future of music. Deezer expanded to new countries. Rdio launched free tiers in new countries. Online video is a growing portion of revenue for record labels and music publisher ...

  42. Exclusive: Mixify Signs Red Light Management, Ultra Music, Others for Virtual Music Festival

    January 30, 2013 5:32 PM EST 24 280 35 0 Mixify, a three-month-old New York start-up that streams live audio, has signed up a number of major electronic dance labels and promoters for an upcoming virtual music festival called Rise. Among the presenters of next month's online-onl ...

  43. Exclusive: Ultra Music Signs Distribution Deal with Machinima

    January 30, 2013 11:00 AM EST 95 283 95 0 Ultra Music, an independent electronic music label that over the years has represented Deadmau5, Kaskade, Steve Aoki, Calvin Harris and numerous other EDM artists, on Wednesday announced a strategic deal with Machinima, one of the largest netw ...

  44. Amanda Palmer Q&A, Part 2: Touring, and the Challenges of Small Businesses

    January 30, 2013 10:15 AM EST 4 4 33 0 In part 1 of this article, singer/Kickstarter superstar Amanda Palmer talks about why she believes a pay-what-you-want "patronage" model is the way forward for the music business, the changing relationship between artists and fans, the ...

  45. Biz Q&A: BPI Chief Geoff Taylor On Google's Search Problem, HMV's Future, Moribund Digital Economy Act

    January 30, 2013 7:55 AM EST 0 0 0 0 The United Kingdom may only have a population of 60 million, but when it comes to generating music artists that resonate around the globe the U.K. consistently punches well above its weight. According to labels trade body the BPI, U.K. artists acc ...

  46. Worldwide Independent Network Announces 'Independent Manifesto'

    January 29, 2013 2:55 PM EST 0 3 4 0 Yesterday at MIDEM, the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) introduced its Independent Manifesto and the formation of a global council. The document (below) sets out the organization’s core principles to guide the global independent music sector. ...

  47. Blink-182's Mark Hoppus Talks Piracy, Pros and Cons of Digital at MIDEM

    January 29, 2013 1:34 PM EST 4 101 313 0 Always play your hits live. Make music you love. Drive beats talent. And it's ok to blow money if it means you don't compromise your art. Those are just some of the life lessons learned and shared by Blink-182 bass player Mark Hoppus ...

  48. Earache, Century Media Team Up for U.S. Licensing Deal

    January 29, 2013 8:00 AM EST 0 44 2 0 Established metal labels Earache and Century Media Records are partnering in a three-year deal where Century Media will handle all of Earache's physical product distribution in the U.S.   The deal was finalized within the last week and takes ...

  49. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'Thrift Shop' Named 2012's Biggest Hit in Australian Poll

    January 28, 2013 1:01 PM EST 0 0 4 0 It’s official. “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis was the biggest hit with Australian youths last year. On Australia Day, the global smash took out the Australian state-funded network Triple J’s Hottest 100 list, now regarded as the bigges ...

  50. MIDEM Q&A: Pledge Music's Benji Rogers on 'Making Destinations'

    January 28, 2013 11:47 AM EST 2 10 10 0 Benji Rogers has arrived as one of the music industry’s new breed of innovators. Rogers is founder and CEO of PledgeMusic, a fundraising platform that works with artists to develop a way to engage their fans early in a project, a strategy which ...

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