Indies

1. Indies Slam Myspace Over Licensing Policy at MIDEM

   January 28, 2013 8:34 AM EST 1 15 28 0 Less than one week after opening up its new design to the public, Myspace found itself in hot water with the community it’s most actively trying to court — indie artists.   Merlin, a global rights agency that represents thousands of independent ...

2. Amanda Palmer Q&A: Why Pay-What-You-Want Is the Way Forward, and More

   January 28, 2013 7:44 AM EST 0 0 0 0 Amanda Palmer is hardly your average musician. The multi-faceted artist and former co-leader of Dresden Dolls has a groundbreakingly hands-on relationship with her business affairs and, via social media, with her fans. Last year those fans pledged ...

3. Martin Mills' Call to Action: His Billboard MIDEM Speech In Full

   January 27, 2013 4:00 PM EST 33 377 202 0 This morning (Jan. 27) at MIDEM, Billboard honored Beggars Group founder Martin Mills with its Industry Icon Award for his innumerable contributions to the music business. His fiery speech (in full here) is a call to action for governments an ...

4. Myspace’s 
Indie Dilemma

   January 27, 2013 10:45 AM EST 0 0 9 0 Indie labels pull songs from social site days after launch due to expired rights. This article is from the February 2, 2013 edition of Billboard, featuring the only major interview Justin Bieber has granted for the Jan. 29 release of his new album ...

5. Martin Mills Receives Billboard’s Industry Icon Award

   January 27, 2013 9:07 AM EST 0 0 1 0 Above (from left): Billboard editorial director Bill Werde, Beggars Group founder and Billboard Industry Icon Award winner Martin Mills, Reed Midem CEO Paul Zilk and Midem director Bruno Crolot. (Photo: MIDEM/D'Halloy/Image & Co) Martin M ...

6. MIDEM Panel and Q&A: Kevin Wortis on Amanda Palmer, Kickstarter, ‘Theatre Vs. Theater’

   January 26, 2013 2:17 PM EST 0 2 8 0 MIDEM 2013 opened in Cannes with a raft of how-to sessions. One of the freshest of those featured Kevin Wortis who drilled well under the surface of his ward Amanda Palmer’s million-dollar fan-funding exercise.  Wortis (see Q&A below) is a 22- ...

7. Coachella 2013 Lineup: Blur, Phoenix, Red Hot Chili Peppers Headlining

   January 25, 2013 12:35 AM EST 0 3 6 0 Blur, the Stone Roses, Phoenix and Red Hot Chili Peppers top the lineup for the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which was unveiled late on Thursday night (Jan. 24). The annual fest is set to once again take over Indio, Calif. on con ...

8. Billboard to Honor Beggars Group Chairman Martin Mills at MIDEM

   January 24, 2013 5:31 PM EST 0 1 2 0 Martin Mills, chairman of the Beggars Group, in many ways helped create the idea of the indie label as we know it today. From its London roots as a mobile disco, a small chain of record shops and the Beggars Banquet label, the company has grown in ...

9. Eve Forms Label, Releasing First Album in 11 Years

   January 24, 2013 2:28 PM EST Following an eleven-year recording hiatus, rapper-actress Eve has announced that her fourth studio album will be released this spring. "You can officially expect Lip Lock on May 14," she promises in a new interview. While she originall ...

10. Building the $100 Billion Music Business: Guest Post by Tom Silverman

    January 23, 2013 3:31 PM EST 7 2 6 0 In this guest post, New Music Seminar/Tommy Boy Entertainment founder Tom Silverman describes how we can grow the music business into one that reaches $100 billion in annual retail revenue in the next decade. Going through last year's U.S. sa ...

11. Martin Mills: Billboard Icon 2013

    January 22, 2013 7:01 PM EST 4 33 10 0 Video: Martin Mills and Beggars, with Gary Numan, Seymour Stein, Richard Russell, Ezra Koenig, More The Billboard Q&A: Martin Mills Looks Back at His Life and Career Martin Mills Receives Billboard's Industry Icon Award Daniel Miller, R ...

12. A2IM's Second Annual Libera Awards Announced, Accepting Nominations

    January 22, 2013 6:24 PM EST 0 0 0 0 The second annual Libera Awards ("The Libbys"), an event begun by A2IM for independent labels and services, is now accepting nominations for its award show slated fro Thursday, June 20 at New York's Highline Ballroom. Twelve categor ...

13. MIDEM 2013 Hub

    January 21, 2013 3:56 PM EST 0 0 3 0 American Express CMO John Hayes on 'Unstaged,' Social Media, and Their Vast Amount of Data on Concertgoers Worldwide Independent Network Announces 'Independent Manifesto' Blink-182's Mark Hoppus Talks Piracy, Pros and Cons ...

14. Bubbling Under: The Mowgli's, Cab Ride To Radio With New Singles

    January 20, 2013 2:43 PM EST 0 0 0 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: the Mowgli's, the Cab, Chase Rice and Jeyro     The Mowgli's The Mowgli&# ...

15. Chart Moves: David Bowie's 'Where Are We Now?' Debuts On Hot Rock Songs, Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift Soar Onto Hot 100

    January 20, 2013 2:33 PM EST 0 0 0 0 As previously reported , Bruno Mars spends a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Locked Out of Heaven," while Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop," featuring Wanz, charges 5-2. While the rap duo could ...

16. Arts & Crafts Label Announces Ten-Year Anniversary Events

    January 15, 2013 6:14 PM EST 0 0 0 0 Toronto indie label Arts & Crafts, which helped spawn the careers of Feist and Broken Social Scene, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with AC10, a series of events, releases and collaborations in music, fashion, photography and lit ...

17. IMPALA, Indies Ask EC to Investigate Sony-BMG's Parlophone Bid

    January 11, 2013 7:17 PM EST 0 0 0 0 Independent music companies have raised concerns about a plan by Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann music venture BMG to bid for former EMI label Parlophone, arguing an acquisition would give the music giants, particularly Sony, too much market power. Viv ...

18. 2013 Grammy Voter Guide

    December 21, 2012 3:31 PM EST 0 0 0 0   On our way to Music's Biggest Night, a close look at the nominees for the top awards, a complete list of categories and nominations, and an overview of the top-nominated independent artists: Complete List of GRAMMY Nominees » Genre Analysis ...

19. Glassnote Pitting Majors Against Each Other, May Get 'Outlandish' Deal

    December 20, 2012 8:33 PM EST 0 0 0 0 With Glassnote's distribution deal with RED ending on the last day of February, Daniel Glass is pitting Doug Morris against Lucian Grainge in hopes of coming out with a multi-million-dollar payday, according to sources. With the tit-for-tat b ...

20. A2IM Extends U.S. Commerce Dept Funding For Indies To Attend MIDEM 2013

    December 18, 2012 1:57 PM EST 0 0 0 0 The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has extended its offer of financial assistance to indie labels attending next year's MIDEM music conference, taking place in Cannes, France, Jan. 26-29. The offer was originally due to expi ...

21. The MUSIC Act Aims to Help Independent Labels in U.S.

    December 12, 2012 7:45 PM EST 0 0 0 0 Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced legislation Wednesday that would make it easier for U.S. independent music labels to access the global marketplace. The Making United States Independents Competitive (MUSIC) Act aims to help small label ...

22. Ra Ra Riot Return to Syracuse University to Teach Classes They Once Took

    November 26, 2012 6:20 PM EST 0 0 0 0 Ra Ra Riot performs at Syracuse University's famed Setnor Auditorium at the conclusion of the band's week-long residency at their alma mater. (Photo: Michael Barletta/MediaWorks) (Disclosure: Ulf Oesterle, the author of this article, is ...

23. Bubbling Under: Rudimental's 'Love' Takes Over

    November 09, 2012 12:19 PM EST 0 0 0 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: Rudimental, Liz Longley, One Night Rodeo and Sean Riva Rudimental Dance collective ...

24. Chet Faker Wins Big at Australia's Independent Music Awards

    October 17, 2012 2:00 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Rising soul-tinged singer Chet Faker was the big winner Tuesday (Oct. 16) night at the Australian Independent Music Awards in Melbourne, where he converted two of his five nominations. On a night when "true independence" was challenged f ...

25. Mumford & Sons' No. 1 Record Offers 'Validation To Be an Independent,' Says Daniel Glass

    October 04, 2012 12:59 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 With 600,000 copies sold in its first frame according to Nielsen SoundScan, Mumford & Sons' Babel not only scored the biggest debut sales week of any album this year in the U.S. and the biggest sales week for a rock album in nearly four y ...

26. Cooking Vinyl Launches CV America Headed By Essential USA CEO Erik Gilbert

    October 03, 2012 2:52 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 The CV Group has rolled subsidiary Essential USA into its newly launched CV America which will be headed up by Erik Gilbert. In addition to the global platform for marketing and distribution services that Essential US provided to North American la ...

27. A2IM Using Federal Grant To Expand Trade Missions, Bolster Indie Music

    August 31, 2012 5:12 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 A2IM went to Washington, D.C.'s U.S. Trade Information Center at the Ronald Reagan Building to pick up the award certificate for the MDCP funding. From left: Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing and Services Maureen Smith, who ...

28. Dead Sara, Manager Talk About the Keys to Their Indie Success

    August 24, 2012 3:35 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Dead Sara rock the Sunset Strip Music Festival's main stage. (Photo: Nicole Pajer) For a band without the support of a major label, Dead Sara has made some major career strides. You can hardly turn on rock radio these days without hearing the ...

29. Bubbling Under: Vicci Martinez's Voice Reaching Radio

    July 13, 2012 10:37 AM EDT 0 0 0 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: Vicci Martinez, Cheyenne Jackson, Miss Willie Brown and the FiNATTiCZ Vicci Martine ...

30. Business Matters: How Extensive Pre-Sales Can Help Indie Albums to Top 40 Debuts

    July 02, 2012 5:29 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Extensive Pre-Sales Can Help Indie Albums Chart Higher Than Major Releases Fan-funding platforms can now put independent albums high up the U.K. album chart. Whether or not that's a good thing is up for debate. Take the example of Ginger Wild ...

31. Seymour Stein Pays Tribute to Beggars Groups' Martin Mills at A2IM's Libera Awards

    June 22, 2012 1:08 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Seymour Stein (right) presenting Martin Mills with his Libera Lifetime Achievement award in New York City. (photo: Kyle Dean Reinford) At last night's inaugural A2IM Libera awards, legendary record exec Seymour Stein presented Beggars Group&# ...

32. Spotify, Bon Iver, Arcade Fire Take Home First Ever Libera Awards

    June 21, 2012 9:00 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Bon Iver's self titled release took home the award for Independent Album of the Year (presented by Official.fm) and the Arcade Fire's "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" won Independent Video of the Year at the first ever ...

33. Amanda Palmer Partners With U.K. Indie Cooking Vinyl For European Album Release

    June 21, 2012 12:05 AM EDT 0 0 0 0 Singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer has signed a distribution and label services deal with U.K. indie Cooking Vinyl for the European release of her forthcoming studio album "Theatre Is Evil." As previously reported and detailed in this week& ...

34. Wynter Gordon Preps Self-Released Four EPs (Listen To First Single Here)

    June 20, 2012 1:28 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Wynter Gordon's new Doleo EP Wynter Gordon, a singer/songwriter best known for her club hits "Dirty Talk," "Buy My Love" and her vocals on Flo Rida's top 5 2009 single "Sugar," is going the D.I.Y. route. Alt ...

35. A2IM's Indie Week Day One: U.S.'s Shrinking World Market Share, YouTube Helps Indies, Playing China

    June 20, 2012 9:21 AM EDT 0 0 0 0 A2IM's Exporting to the Emerging Music Market in China Panel: Moderator Robert Singerman, on the far right with (from left), Laura Devine Attorney's lawyer Anastasia Tonello, China Audio-Video Assn. Secretary general Ju Wang; Shanghai Sy ...

36. Victoria Espinel, 'I.P. Czar,' Set For A2IM's Indie Week Keynote

    June 14, 2012 1:28 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 A2IM's Indie Week kicks off its seventh year June 19, and before the organization's inaugural Libera Awards honor the top independent labels and musicians, U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel will give the ...

37. A2IM Elects Daptone's Bauer, Glassnote's Scully, Jagjaguwar's Van Arman to Board

    June 06, 2012 12:09 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has elected three new board members, Daptones GM Cathy Bauer; Glassnote Records GM Chris Scully; and Darius Van Arman, founder and co-owner of Jagjaguwar/Dead Oceans/Secretly Canadian The three ...

38. Beggars Group's Martin Mills To Be Honored At A2IM's Inaugural Libera Awards

    May 30, 2012 3:52 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 At the June 21 Libera Awards, Beggars Group founder and CEO Martin Mills will be presented with a lifetime achievement award presented by Sire Records co-founder Seymour Stein. The Amercian Association of Independent Music will launch its inaugura ...

39. Amanda Palmer Hits $1 Million Mark on Kickstarter Campaign

    May 29, 2012 1:00 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Amanda Palmer has been burning through milestones since launching a Kickstarter campaign to help fund her new album May 1, and today she hit another, surpassing $1 million raised with more than two days to go . Moments after reaching the milestone ...

40. Fool's Gold's Nick Catchdubs on The Goldmine, Indie Label's New Premium Digital Service (Q&A)

    May 23, 2012 8:05 AM EDT 0 0 0 0 Fool's Gold, the Brooklyn based indie electronic and hip-hop label, announced last week the launch of The Goldmine, a premium digital subscription service powered by Drip.fm. For a monthly subscription fee of $10, Fool's Gold fans will g ...

41. Watch the Billboard Battle of the Bands (Live Stream)

    May 18, 2012 10:45 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 The Billboard Battle of the Bands begins at 8 pm (PT) with six of the country's best and most talented unsigned acts as voted on by Billboard readers, one from each of six regions: Saints of Valory (Southwest), Savannah Outen (Northwest), Tak ...

42. Fool's Gold Launches 'The Goldmine,' Premium Digital Subscription Service

    May 17, 2012 11:29 AM EDT 0 0 0 0 Brooklyn-based independent label Fool's Gold announced today it is launching a premium digital subscription service called The Goldmine. The new service will provide access to new Fool's Gold music as high quality 320 mp3 / WAV downloads ...

43. Yep Roc Label To Celebrate 15 Years With 3-Day Concert With Nick Lowe, Robyn Hitchcock, Jon Doe, Others

    May 16, 2012 2:48 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Yep Roc Records will celebrate 15 years with a three-night birthday party. The indie label's Yep Roc 15 concerts will be held October 11-13 at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina, and feature artists from throughout the label� ...

44. Deezer Signs Worldwide Licensing Deal With Merlin

    May 11, 2012 8:30 AM EDT 0 0 0 0 Merlin CEO Charles Caldas spoke both on his organization's new agreement with Deezer and his disagreenment with the Universal merger. Streaming subscription service Deezer has signed a global licensing deal with independent rights agency Merl ...

45. Exclusive: The Orchard Acquires IRIS Distribution

    May 09, 2012 11:30 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 The Orchard has acquired fellow digital distributor IRIS Distribution, bringing further consolidation to the digital distribution marketplace, according to an email apparently addressed to IRIS-distributed labels from that company's co-founde ...

46. Exclusive: Frenchkiss Label Group Announces First Distributed Labels: ATP, White Iris, Underwater Peoples, More

    May 09, 2012 8:00 AM EDT 0 0 0 0 Frenchkiss, which announced the formation of the Frenchkiss Label Group earlier this year, has announced the first nine labels joining the fold: ATP Recordings, Cavity Search, Cult, God Mode, Holiday Friends, JAXART, Pendu Sound, Underwater People ...

47. Vince Gill On Going Indie

    May 09, 2012 7:12 AM EDT 0 0 0 0 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Vince Gill can do whatever he wants. For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Country Music Hall of Fame member doesn't have a record deal. He got signed by a label in 1983 and had been on the MCA Records roster sin ...

48. Amanda Palmer's Kickstarter Campaign Soars Past $500,000 -- and It's Still Going

    May 05, 2012 6:40 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Amanda Palmer's record-setting Kickstarter campaign blew past the $500,000 mark Friday evening and stood at $536,275 Saturday afternoon. The project, to raise money to promote her new album, has received more pledges and a greater value of pl ...

49. Cooking Vinyl's Martin Goldschmidt On Universal-EMI Deal, Marilyn Manson, the Rise of Indies

    May 03, 2012 12:45 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 The current Cooking Vinyl homege features Marilyn Manson whose new album "Born Villain" is just out. Label founder Martin Goldschmidt says Interscope "dropped the ball" with his last album. Cooking Vinyl, a label founded in 198 ...

50. Amanda Palmer Raises $368,000 in Two Days, Sets Records on Kickstarter

    May 02, 2012 12:29 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Musician Amanda Palmer has raised $368,000 [Ed note: the amount went up to $379K in the screen shot taken 4 hours after the story was originally posted] in just two days on fundraising site Kickstarter to promote and distribute her latest album. T ...

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