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The Music Industry Thread (Articles)


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I will post all the recent events in the music industry here

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October 3, 2011 7:57 pm

UK album sales continue on downward track

The UK music industry continued to suffer falling album sales in the three months to September as the increase in digital album purchases failed to offset a further steep decline in sales of compact discs.

Digital music accounted for almost 30 per cent of all UK album sales during the third quarter, an increase from 20.1 per cent last year, according to figures released by the BPI, the music industry’s trade body.

However, the increase was not enough to counteract the sharp fall in sales of compact disc albums, which dropped 20.5 per cent in the period from 19.6m to 15.6m.

Album sales in the third quarter across all main formats – CD, digital and vinyl – fell 11.4 per cent to 21.8m, down from 24.6m a year ago.

The figures help explain the tough conditions faced by retailers such as HMV, whose traditional source of revenue has been hit as music lovers shun record shops in favour of digital offerings on their computers and mobile phones.

Digital downloads accounted for 99.7 per cent of all sales of singles in the third quarter, up 13 per cent to £42.2m ($65.3m). Music fans have bought more than 130m singles in the year to date, compared with 117.5m from January to September 2010.

Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI, said: “While trading conditions are tough on the high street, the strong pace of growth in the digital music market is extremely encouraging.

“The final quarter of the year is always the biggest for record sales, particularly the Christmas gifting market where the CD remains a key stocking-filler.”

The UK’s biggest-selling single of 2011 so far is Adele’s Someone Like You, followed by Jessie J’s Price Tag. Adele also boasts the two best-selling albums of the year to date with 21 and 19 in first and second place.

The BPI has said that piracy continues to eat into the market for music. Last December, the lobbying group said that three-quarters of digital music tracks acquired in the UK in 2010 had been downloaded illegally.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ce93ab94-edc4-11e0-a9a9-00144feab49a.html#axzz1Zl3QpVbE

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10 Things DJ Shadow Hates About the Music Industry

Producer, turntablist, and “musician” DJ Shadow’s latest album, The Less You Know, the Better, marks his 20th year in the business. That’s a whole lot of time to harbor a whole lot of hatred for the music industry. You could say he’s nally scratching that itch.

1. They don’t make record executives like they used to. An archetype often used to condemn the traditional music industry is that of the “evil record company boss,” a balding mobster behind a mahogany desk, wearing dark sunglasses and smoking a big cigar, who cheats naïve kids out of their publishing royalties. Of course, that has about as much in common with the modern music business as the Savage Skulls do with post-Giuliani New York. Suge Knight, for all of his wrongs, was perhaps the last of the true record company gangsters, a Morris Levy for the ’90s. It’s hard to imagine Levy or Nate McCalla submitting to the tech-geek larceny of P2Ps. If the recent crop of execs were just a little more badass, artists wouldn’t have to resort to doing the free-download shuffle just to stay competitive.

2. Quantity over quality. It annoys me when I hear artists talk about the 200-odd songs they left off their latest masterpiece. How is that supposed to make us feel better about the end product? Likewise, the current trend of recording minimalism: “I created my latest album on a laptop while sitting in airport lounges.” Nothing says rock ’n’ roll like spilled lattes and Fox News.

3. The VMAs. How is MTV still allowed to have something called the Video Music Awards, despite the fact that they abandoned the art form years ago? I can’t say that Justin Timberlake and I have connected on many topics, but when he exclaimed “Play more videos!” during the awards broadcast a few years back, he climbed a few notches on my righteous meter.

4. “Tonight.” Turn on any pop station that plays Black Eyed Peas, Pink, and the like. Listen to the music and lyrics. If you don’t hear the word “tonight” at some point during the hook or chorus, I owe you five dollars.

5. Burning Man. Maybe “hate” is a little strong, because I’ve never actually been. What I mean to say is that I hate the 40-something investment bankers and efficiency experts I meet at social engagements who describe their Burning Man experiences as “transcendental,” and then when pressed for an example can only offer that an erection resulting from being jabbed in the stomach by a cattle prod is unlike any other. Either way, Burning Man is strictly a no-fly zone for me.

6. I miss Tower Records. I was on a road trip through Houston recently and stopped to look for old vinyl. I did okay, but I noticed that there were essentially no stores in town selling new music—even the swap-meet scene was dead. Over the course of several days listening to satellite radio, I heard promotional interviews with many different artists, all of whom invariably concluded the conversation by saying, as is customary, “Yeah, so go pick up the album at your local record store.” After the third or fourth time, I literally screamed at the radio receiver, What record store?

7. Hotels. Being a touring “musician,” I stay in a lot of hotels all over the world. It doesn’t matter whether you spend $30 for a room or $300—all hotels are shit. Designer minimalism that renders faucets and light switches unusable, 24-hour room service available eight hours a day, and bed bugs are just a few of the wonders that await the weary traveler. The only hotel I ever stayed in that wasn’t shit was the Grand Hyatt Santiago in Chile. Just putting that out there.

8. The “Steven Tyler Effect.” Contemporary society loves to perpetuate myths about the staggering wealth of recording artists. It’s easier to justify illegal downloading when you imagine every artist to be an eternal Peter Pan, ditty-bopping through life with bare feet and a tenuous grasp on reality. Similarly, I’ve noticed that one of Yahoo!’s favorite home page topics is “wealthiest rappers,” a list that hasn’t been updated in five years. What I’d like to see is a story about all of the rappers who’ve had to go back to hustling because they can’t pay their bills.

9. Not enough political novelty records. In years past, any scrappy non-talent with a few dollars could voice their opinions about a given political issue in a manner that was productive, creative, and (essentially) harmless. This seems to have peaked in the ’70s and early ’80s, when favorite topics included the gas crisis (Gotta Have a Little Talk with the Peanut Man was one such gem) and the Middle East, in which every dictator and political bogeyman from Khomeini to Gadda was instructed to “shove it.” Sure, it was ignorant and banal, but at least the outbursts were contained within seven inches of paper and plastic. No harm done.

10. Too much Shakira, not enough Charo. At least Charo was in on the joke.

http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/10-things-dj-shadow-hates-about-the-music-industry/27171

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New Documentary Film Focuses on Vinyl Records

PASADENA, Calif., Oct 03, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- When Italian disc jockey Paolo Campana travels, it's no surprise he listens to a lot of music. But how he does it turns the heads of other travelers he encounters. Unlike most of them, he doesn't plug into an iPod with 40,000 songs ready for instant playback. Instead he fishes out a 12-inch vinyl record from a large case, drops it onto a battery-operated turntable, lifts the arm over the record and sets the needle down on a track.

This is all too much trouble for most music fans used to the ease of digital media players. But for Paolo the difference between the sound of vinyl and that of mp3s is like the difference between eating a meal at a five-star restaurant versus fast food. "The sound is so much warmer and more satisfying," he states with conviction. "It's the 'slow food' of the music experience."

Paolo is not alone. The Vinyl market has been one of the few bright spots in the music industry in recent years. From 2006 to 2010, vinyl record sales rose over 300% and are still rising. Surprisingly it is young people who have grown up with digital entertainment who are leading this trend.

Writer Owen McCafferty is at work on a book explaining why. "Our generation has grown up in an entirely digital atmosphere. Music for most young people was always so detached and intangible. Vinyl satisfies that void of being so disconnected physically." Owen describes this as the "digital devolution."

Paolo's own obsession with vinyl records prompted his 75-minute film, Vinylmania: When Life Runs at 33 RPMs. Set in 11 different cities worldwide and filled with fascinating characters, the film documents a global road trip exploring the role of vinyl records in the 21st century. The film airs on European TV later this year, but Paolo has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to distribute the film to a broader audience on DVD.

"Devotion, ecstasy, infatuation, agony--all the feelings I experienced from childhood, come out through the characters in this film," says Paolo. The film features some key "vinylmaniacs." Among the more well known are Klaus Flouride, bassist for the Dead Kennedys, and Winston Smith, artist for some of the Green Day and Dead Kennedys albums.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-documentary-film-focuses-on-vinyl-records-2011-10-03

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Open Letter to Musician Kanye West: Kanye, Please Stop!

Kanye there is no diplomatic or nice way to say this -- so I will just blurt it out -- KANYE PLEASE STOP!

Kanye West, you are a musical and lyrical genius. Kanye, you are a beacon of hope and light in the music industry as well as a man of great style and substance. But this path you have chosen as a burgeoning fashion designer must come to a full-stop; if not a permanent stop, at least a pause. A pause until you truly, in your heart of hearts, know that you are ready to send your true feelings and voice down a catwalk the same way you send them through the airwaves with your brilliant music. I make no qualms about it, I am a huge fan. But Kanye, please stop!

Kanye, and I say this all to you in an open forum from a place of respect, admiration and goodwill. I say in an open forum what many people in and out of the fashion world are already saying behind your back or via the anonymity of cyberspace. Kanye, please stop!

Kanye -- man to man, creative to creative and designer to musician -- you know the collection that you just showed in Paris does not represent who you are and what you are truly about. You can not for a moment believe that modern women navigating their way in the world today want to look or dress like this. As I am sure you know, women are juggling more responsibilities and duties today than ever before in the history of womankind. So you must please tell me, at what point do you and your TEAM (wink-wink) conceive that a woman wants to wear a poorly constructed dress made of cut bands, a fur throw rug, and an asymmetrical jacket during the Spring of 2012? Do you envision her wearing this look to the office, PTA, boardroom, supermarket or just a casual date night? Listen, I am all for stylistic freedom and the fantasy of fashion -- it is how I make my living. But you must agree there must be some rhyme or reason, some morsel of practicality -- or as they teach in Design 101 -- "form following function." Of course, you understand this, Mr. West, as designing is very much like composing -- it follows a certain rhythm, flow and even musicality. Kanye, please stop.

Kanye, my future colleague, I know what it's like not only to dream of, but to experience the coming out at the end of a runway presentation and taking your bow in front of your adoring well wishers. I even know what it feels like to dream of holding a microphone and rocking out on stage in front of a sold-out crowd, something you do on a regular basis. But I would not dare hop my vocally challenged and tone-deaf self onto a stage and attempt to belt out Jennifer Holliday's "And I Am Telling You". However, what you did this past weekend was tantamount to participating in the same sort of fashion felony. Yes Mr. West, this first outing of your "DW or KW" collection was borderline criminal. To send down a tone-deaf collection, absent of any voice, vision or direction, requires a summons from the fashion police. Kanye, please stop.

Kanye, let's make a plea-deal. Promise "yourself" (because you don't owe me anything), that you will not send another collection down the runway until it is at the level of your musical masterpieces College Drop Out, Late Registration or My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Do we have a deal?

Deal or no deal, Monsieur West, I really do wish you the vision of clarity or at least point of view, and hopefully one day when you are picking up your CFDA award you will thank me for this kind note. But for now, Kanye, I beg of you -- PLEASE STOP!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/malcolm-harris/open-letter-to-musician-k_b_990621.html

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Is Skrillex the most hated man in dubstep?

Sonny Moore is one happy dude. Sitting on the roof of his UK record label's office with a mid-afternoon Jack Daniel's and Diet Coke in one hand, and a scuffed BlackBerry in the other, he's full of the joys of life. Moore is glad to be catching up with friends in London, excited about the festival he's playing the next day, and stoked about unveiling a new video he hopes "is going to blow some minds". This isn't in a manic way, either – he's relaxed and lucid. He just seems happy.

Which is encouraging, but perhaps a little incongruous given that, as Skrillex, Moore has become dubstep's most hated producer in certain quarters of the internet. One thread on the messageboard for Coachella festival, entitled "I never realised how horrible Skrillex was until now" managed to accumulate 1,485 posts. Evidently, many fans of an underground UK genre have not taken kindly to a Los Angeleno Korn fan who dresses like an emo kid, and who used to be the singer for the screamo band From First to Last, taking dubstep to daytime radio and the pop charts.

Nevertheless, Moore is riding a spectacular wave of success. And for all those who hate him, there are many more who adore his music. Barely three years since he reinvented himself as Skrillex, he is the figurehead for the current unprecedented explosion of electronic dance music – including a high-sugar, hyperactive version of dubstep – into the middle American mainstream.

His fidgety sound, which veers from turbocharged disco in the Justice/Daft Punk mould to noises that take dubstep's "wobble" to an extreme that suggests Satan belching, has defined a generational moment. He plays to vast, demented crowds on a daily basis, remixes the likes of Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, is around 50 times more searched for on the popular online DJ store Beatport than any other producer, and parties with Tommy Lee. It would take some staggering self-absorption to be miserable in his shoes.

The current standard narrative of fame, especially for US stars, would have him explain how the "haters" make him stronger, how he overcame this or that crippling disadvantage and was now showing all those who doubted him how strong he really is. Moore, however, doesn't see it that way. "I never really even hear these views, mainly because I don't have much time for the internet," he says. "I go to shows and all I see is love. I didn't even know people had an issue until someone said: 'Oh, this and that forum seem to have a real problem with you.'" Since he averages more than a show a day, with more than 300 under his belt this year, perhaps his tendency to notice screaming glowstick-flinging ravers over griping keyboard warriors isn't surprising.

He was "emo with good reason" as a teenager, he says: "I discovered I was adopted when I was 16. But not only that, I found out that everyone – my parents' friends, my own friends, my friends' parents, everyone – had known except me. I've made up with my parents now, but I wasn't too happy at the time." Indeed, he took off with From First to Last to start a life of touring that hasn't stopped "for more than a month or so" in the intervening seven years.

But Moore is free from self-pity. And he doesn't suggest that the episode was some kind of dramatic epiphany. Rather, it just made him act on his desire to pursue music. At 13 he started going to punk gigs in "mainly Mexican parts of town". Later came illegal warehouse raves and sneaking underage into clubs. Like most rock kids of his generation, from an early age he had a working knowledge of electronic music through listening to industrial bands such as Nine Inch Nails, and an obsession with "IDM" ("intelligent dance music"), in particular "anything on Warp Records".

The other thing his leap into a life on the road revealed was a Stakhanovite work ethic. Asked where he fits sleep alongside gigging and making music (much of which is recorded on the tour bus), he replies: "I don't. But I don't do hard drugs all the time either. People always say it must be some cocaine lifestyle, but nobody could sustain that and do all the shows I do."

There doesn't seem to be a material goal, just a desire – naive, maybe, or even old-fashioned – to be part of music scenes and to connect with crowds. "I don't even try to make 'dubstep'," he says, lifting his hands to make air-quotes. "It's just another tempo and rhythm that I work in, because it makes people go wild." This might sound like a line from Spinal Tap, but his sincerity is endearing.

Moore's self-image tallies with the view of British dubstep star Skream, who has stood up for Skrillex against more-underground-than-thou snobs. "His production is so fucking clean but twisted," Skream says, "but the real thing is how he's shaken everything up without even knowing it. He's almost done to dubstep what me and Benga did to garage."

Whether or not Moore takes credit, his electro house and amped-up dubstep sound has found its way into the fabric of American subculture in a way no other rave genre has before. It's the demented flipside of David Guetta bringing Euro house into the mainstream. And while metropolitan hipsters sneer at dweebs, rednecks and "bros" donning UV facepaint and throwing shapes at commercial festivals, Moore is overjoyed to witness their thrill of discovery.

"I love that people find their own way to react," he says. "It doesn't matter if it's some place with lots of clubs where people are used to dancing. It might be some place in Arkansas where they're only used to rock clubs, and they react in this very different physical way – but it's all good, it's still sexy!" Skream backs this up: "It doesn't matter where you go, LA or Colorado, the energy out there at the moment is insane, thousands of people go absolutely crazy at every show."

Perhaps current American dance culture is a bit preposterous, related to "real" house and techno only in the same way as the heavy metal of the 70s and 80s was to the blues. But it is also a hugely celebratory collective insanity, a world away from the portentousness and individualism of much current hip-hop and rock. Anything that can make a superstar of a lank-haired, slighly gauche enthusiast such as Moore has to have some cultural interest.

He seems to appreciate the ridiculousness of the situation. "We party on tour, of course we do," he smiles, "and there is nothing better, than once in a while being with my friends, wasted, in a suite that's almost bigger than the houses any of us grew up in, and thinking back to the little festivals we would do in LA, or the punk shows we would go to, and thinking, 'Holy shit, this music that I never even meant to be released got us here.'" Is it any wonder he's happy?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/sep/29/skrillex-dubstep-interview?newsfeed=true

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'X Factor' winners don't deserve creative control, says Jamie Archer

160x120_xfactor_jamie_archer.jpg

Jamie Archer has suggested that winners of The X Factor should never expect to have creative control over their music.

The singer, who was the sixth act voted off the show in 2009, said that despite being "great for your ego", winning the competition is a "double-edged sword".

Asked if X Factor winners deserve more of a say in their careers, as Joe McElderry has suggested, Archer told Digital Spy: "No, I don't think you deserve it.

"I think that there is too much control over the people who come in the top three, but when you go on the show, you're an idiot if you don't realise that's going to happen.

"That's how it works. You've seen it, you've read the stories, and if you get in the top three they're going to say, 'You've won but we're going to do you our way'."

Archer added: "I'm so glad I didn't win. I'm so glad I came where I came. Because I'm free. I'm making my music my way. I dress the way I want to, and I will live and die by my own sword.

"Thanks to the show, and thanks to the public and thanks to Simon [Cowell], I've got this opportunity which I wouldn't have had before, and that's why I'll never diss X Factor, because it's given me everything."

Asked about his year's winner McElderry finding success with his Classic album despite being dropped by Syco, Archer said that Cowell's label had "angled him the wrong way".

"When you go through the machine, there is a tendency to have a one-size-fits-all sort of attitude," he explained.

"With Joe, it was so obvious that the people who voted for him and loved him were the people who liked classic songs with that amazing voice of his.

"They bought him back and gave him this pop stuff and had him dancing in the street. The people who loved him thought, 'I don't get this'."

Archer and his band release debut single 'Insanity' today and tour the UK later this year.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s103/the-x-factor/news/a343570/x-factor-winners-dont-deserve-creative-control-says-jamie-archer.html

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Apple's 'iTunes in the Cloud' gets European go-ahead

Apple is to announce a European rollout of the music storage service iCloud, with the UK expected to be the first major market outside the US to get authorisation.

Industry sources also indicated that Apple would discontinue the iPod Classic, which launched 10 years ago this month, as it focuses on a new generation of internet-connected devices.

The Apple chief executive, Tim Cook, will announce the rollout in a press conference at the company's Cupertino headquarters on Tuesday, along with theiPhone 5.

The expansion of "iTunes in the Cloud" from the US, where it was made available in the US in June, will allow people who have bought songs from Apple's iTunes Music Store to synchronise them among multiple devices such as PCs, iPhones and iPads via wireless connections. Previously they would have to connect them to a computer and synchronise them.

The technology giant has been locked in negotiations with the four major music groups – EMI, Sony, Warner and Universal – to seal the "iTunes in the Cloud" deal in time for Tuesday's announcement.

"Apple has been sitting at tables to get this through, as opposed to Amazon and Google who have just been seeing how much they can get away with," said one person with knowledge of Apple's plans. Amazon and Google launched their own "music locker" schemes in the US, letting people store their music online, but there is little evidence that they have seen any broad takeup. Neither service is available outside the US.

The "iTunes in the Cloud" service is part of Apple's broader free iCloud service, which will synchronise users' photos and videos to its servers and allow downloads to registered devices.

The expansion of iCloud marks Apple's biggest European move since the introduction of the iTunes Music Store by Steve Jobs in 2004and the iPhone in November 2007. However, no UK launch is expected yet for iTunes Match, the subscription system by which all of a user's library – including songs from CDs or downloaded from filesharing networks, as well as purchased songs – can be downloaded to devices.

The expected discontinuation of the "classic" iPod has been expected for some time. Sales of the iPod family – consisting of the shuffle, nano, classic and internet-enabled iPod Touch – have been dwindling since the beginning of 2009, and the iPod Touch now makes up half of all units shifted. The focus on the internet-enabled Touch, which can also be used to buy and download apps, acts as an "entry point" to Apple's App Store, and as a junior partner to the iPhone.

Apple first unveiled iCloud at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on 6 June.

The so-called "cloud-based locker" stores peoples' photos, films and purchased music online so that they can be accessed on a number of devices. It will be tied into new software for Apple devices, called iOS5.

The music aspect of iCloud, called iTunes in the Cloud, has been available only in the US since its launch in June. Legal difficulties that prevents the copying of music files has prevented its launch in the UK, where it is still technically unlawful to store copies of music on an mp3 player.

A UK launch for iCloud began to look more likely in August when the business secretary, Vince Cable, confirmed plans to relax current laws around the copying of music in response to the Hargreaves report.

Major record labels are understood to have privately agreed to "turn a blind eye" to Apple's iCloud player, given the influence of the technology company's music services.

In the US, music fans can pay $24.99 a year for an iCloud service called iTunes Match, which replicates tracks stored on a user's computer with better-quality alternatives in the cloud. Unlike iCloud, iTunes Match is not thought to be introduced outside of the US on Thursday, but will follow at a later date.

Only last week Apple announced that iTunes was now available in all 27 EU member states, after adding 12 more territories on 29 September, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic and Poland.

Sony Music, Warner Music, Universal Music and EMI had not returned a request for comment at the time of publication. Apple declined to comment.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/04/apple-itunes-cloud-launch-europe

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Vybz Kartel Charged With Murder

Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel has been charged with murder. A police statement issued in Kingston on Monday said that the 35-year-old artist was charged with murder, conspiracy to murder and illegal possession of a firearm. Investigators accuse the rapper, whose real name is Adijah Palmer, of conspiring with others to kill a 27-year-old promoter who was murdered earlier this year.

"The allegation is that on Monday, July 11, 2011, Palmer, along with other men, conspired to murder Barrington Burton o/c 'Bossie', a 27-year-old businessman/promoter of a Gregory Park address in St Catherine. Burton was murdered while he was standing with friends along Walkers Avenue in Gregory Park," the police release said. A preliminary hearing is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

Kartel's defence attorney was reported to have said that his client was prepared to fight the charges. Kartel was initially arrested on Friday for marijuana possession.

Kartel has previously been arrested on charges including assault and illegal gun possession. Those charges were later dropped. A long-running feud with fellow artist Mavado is alleged to have fuelled mob attacks in inner-city neighbourhoods of Kingston. In December 2009, the two met government ministers in an attempt to calm the situation.

Kartel has worked on collaborations and remixes with the likes of Jay-Z, Rihanna and MIA. His international hits include Ramping Shop, Dollar Sign and Clarks. The success of the latter song last year sent sales of the British shoes soaring in Jamaica. A businessman in his own right, Kartel also has his own brands of rum and condoms as well as his own controversial range of skin-lightening cosmetics.

Recently, the singer also became the star of locally produced reality TV show Teacha's Pet. Officials from the telecommunications company that sponsors the show were said to be discussing the new charges levelled against Kartel last night.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/oct/04/vybz-kartel-charged-murder?newsfeed=true

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Jobs' impact on music industry

Steve Jobs and his devices had a profound impact on the music industry.

Kareen Wynter has a closer look.

And that product is called, iPod."

After introducing the Apple Ipod in 2001, Steve Jobs became a major player in the music business, changing the way we buy, listen to and storm music. Suddenly, consumers had thousands of songs, from a variety of genres, af their fingertips, all compiled on a slic, portable device that could fit in their pocket.

"The digital age had already started to happen before the iPod became phenomenally popular. So there was Napster, there was other file-trading services that meant you could kind of access any music any time you wanted, anytime you wanted, as long as you were sitting at your desk. What Jobs did was, he sort of untethered that experience."

That experience was revolutionized in 2003 with the launch of the Apple i-tunes store. Before its debut, the music industry was facing a financially crippling piracy trend, as listeners were downloading music for free from file-sharing websites like napster, going to a brick and mortar record store to buy music was quickly becoming a thing of the past, with major brands like tower records, which filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2006, suffering the most. The ability to buy a single for 99 cents on itunes became a legal and easy alternative to piracy and consumers have since downloaded approximately 10 billion songs from the service.

"It is the most popular music player in the world."

Billboard magazine's Bill Werde says it was Jobs who ultimately helping bring digital music to the masses.

"Steve Jobs single-handedly dragged the music business into the digital age, launched the iTunes store, got those deals done and got the major labels, who had previously been unable to sell digital music to anyone, into the game of engaging consumers that way." "Hello, hello!!"

Jobs and Apple also proved to be innovative marketers, creating colorful ipod ads featuring hits from major acts like U-2 and the Black Eyed Peas as well as lesser known artists like Canadian singer Feist.

"1,2,3,4, tell me that you love me more."

Who benefited greatly from the exposure of a 2007 ipod commercial showcasing her song "1-2-3-4."

"At Billboard, we saw time and time and time again, artists jump off the charts once they were featured in one of those ipod commercials. Now I'm not sure if it ever happened as effectively as it did with Feist; suddenly that song was literally selling 75- to 80-thousand copies a week and it skyrocketed up the Billboard Charts; The power of that ad I mean it was pretty unprecedented."

Many argue that Jobs' power and influence on the music industry expands beyond just ipods and itunes.

"I remember what they taught to me!"

Like Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda who says that in many ways, Apple computers enhance the creative process when making music.

"Most of the musicians that I know, almost to the man, everybody uses Apple computers. They've thought of the steps that you're going to think of when you're trying to create your thing. And that's where the tools get invented to make better art."

Tools invented by a man whose impact on the music business will be felt for generations.

Kareen Wynter reporting.

http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/entertainment/Jobs-impact-on-music-industry

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Nicki Minaj: 'I Was Suicidal After Record Label Rejection'

Nicki Minaj has revealed that she became suicidal after receiving a series of rejections from record labels.

The 'Superbass' singer had a tough journey into the music industry and she reveals for the first time how she almost gave up on everything. "It was one dead end after another," Nicki told Cosmopolitan.

"At [one] point I was like, 'What would happen if I just didn't wake up?' That's how I felt - like maybe I should just take my life," she continued.

Nicki was saved when Lil Wayne took a chance on her and signed her to his Young Money record label.

However, she is now more optimistic about the future and revealed where she hopes to be in a few years time. "I'll have hundreds of millions of dollars. I will have put out five albums and will have an Oscar and Grammys," she said.

She also has aspirations for her personal life, saying: "And will be getting married and, a couple of years after that, will have a bun in the oven."

http://www.taletela.com/news/10053/nicki-minaj-i-was-suicidal-after-record-label-rejection

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Lily Allen Asks How Jessie J's Music Is 'Of Black Origin' After MOBO Wins

Lily Allen has joked that Jessie J only qualified for her wins at last night's (October 5) MOBO Awards because she sings “man dem” in one of her songs.

The singer dominated the MOBO Awards, which is short for Music Of Black Origin, winning four of the five awards she was nominated four.

Her wins included Best Song for 'Do It Like A Dude', which includes the lyric: “We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem.”

On Twitter, Allen, a fan of the singer, joked about her wins.

She wrote: “Now, I love Jessie J as much as the next person, but how is her music 'of black origin' ? Is it cause she says 'man dem' in her tune?”

Jessie J also used the social-networking website to thank her fans for her success.

http://www.gigwise.com/news/67673/Lily-Allen-Asks-How-Jessie-Js-Music-Is-Of-Black-Origin-After-MOBO-Wins

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Black Eyed Peas to split after pulling out of Michael Jackson tribute gig?

The last-minute cancellation is reportedly the last straw for the US group, featuring Will.i.am, Apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie.

A source told The Daily Mirror: 'Pulling out of this weekend’s gig is the final curtain call for them – especially as they’re all such huge Jacko fans.

'Things have been taking a turn for the worse over the past few months but this signals the end.'

The band were paid £1.5million for their slot at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium but returned the cash after pulling out over 'unavoidable circumstances'.

Black Eyed Peas have most recently been seen onstage at the end of September at a free gig in New York to raise money for charity even though they've been on a break since July.

Meanwhile, Jamie Foxx is set to co-host the Michael Forever concert with Fearne Cotton while Christina Aguilera, Gladys Knight, Cee-Lo Green, Smokey Robinson, Leona Lewis, JLS and Diversity are scheduled to play.

Michael Jackson's brothers Marlon, Tito and Jackie will also be taking to the stage along with his sister La Toya.

Chris Hunt, CEO of Global Live Events, said yesterday: 'It is with regret that we announce the removal of Black Eyed Peas from the Michael Forever bill, but I look forward to a great night with other earth-shattering artists.

'The event is really getting into gear and is going to be a fantastic evening for all.'

http://www.metro.co.uk/music/877765-black-eyed-peas-to-split-after-pulling-out-of-michael-jackson-tribute-gig

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Eminem Associate Commits Suicide

Chaos Kid, a longtime associate and friend to rapper Eminem, has committed suicide. The rapper took his life on yesterday (October 5) though details have yet to emerge surrounding the incident. Chaos and Eminem became friends sometime around 1988 and rapped and produced together for the next three-to-four years.

The teens performed and released music together as 'Soul Intent' when they were in high school.

Chaos Kid came to Eminem's defense in 2003 when a controversial demo tape featuring Em using the N-word was made public. “Marshall Mathers is not a racist,” Chaos Kid told MTVNews. “Although the songs were in bad taste, they were not intended to be taken seriously or even heard and do not represent the true sentiments of Eminem.”

http://www.hiphopblog.com/news-mainmenu-35/25371-eminem-associate-commits-suicide.html

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Lily Allen Asks How Jessie J's Music Is 'Of Black Origin' After MOBO Wins

Lily Allen has joked that Jessie J only qualified for her wins at last night's (October 5) MOBO Awards because she sings “man dem” in one of her songs.

The singer dominated the MOBO Awards, which is short for Music Of Black Origin, winning four of the five awards she was nominated four.

Her wins included Best Song for 'Do It Like A Dude', which includes the lyric: “We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem.”

On Twitter, Allen, a fan of the singer, joked about her wins.

She wrote: “Now, I love Jessie J as much as the next person, but how is her music 'of black origin' ? Is it cause she says 'man dem' in her tune?”

Jessie J also used the social-networking website to thank her fans for her success.

http://www.gigwise.com/news/67673/Lily-Allen-Asks-How-Jessie-Js-Music-Is-Of-Black-Origin-After-MOBO-Wins

WELL, YES BECAUSE MANDEM DERIVES FROM JAMAICAN/YARDIE/PATOIS ORIGIN... ERM, I THINK THEY ARE BLACK PEOPLE... THEREFORE IT CAME FROM BLACK ORIGIN...

PMSL... IS LILY ALLEN TRYNA SAY A WHITE MAN INVENTED THE WORD

COME ON NOW

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Lily Allen Asks How Jessie J's Music Is 'Of Black Origin' After MOBO Wins

Lily Allen has joked that Jessie J only qualified for her wins at last night's (October 5) MOBO Awards because she sings “man dem” in one of her songs.

The singer dominated the MOBO Awards, which is short for Music Of Black Origin, winning four of the five awards she was nominated four.

Her wins included Best Song for 'Do It Like A Dude', which includes the lyric: “We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem.”

On Twitter, Allen, a fan of the singer, joked about her wins.

She wrote: “Now, I love Jessie J as much as the next person, but how is her music 'of black origin' ? Is it cause she says 'man dem' in her tune?”

Jessie J also used the social-networking website to thank her fans for her success.

http://www.gigwise.c...After-MOBO-Wins

WELL, YES BECAUSE MANDEM DERIVES FROM JAMAICAN/YARDIE/PATOIS ORIGIN... ERM, I THINK THEY ARE BLACK PEOPLE... THEREFORE IT CAME FROM BLACK ORIGIN...

PMSL... IS LILY ALLEN TRYNA SAY A WHITE MAN INVENTED THE WORD

COME ON NOW

Are you avoiding the point, or did you miss it?

  • Upvote 3
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Lily Allen Asks How Jessie J's Music Is 'Of Black Origin' After MOBO Wins

Lily Allen has joked that Jessie J only qualified for her wins at last night's (October 5) MOBO Awards because she sings “man dem” in one of her songs.

The singer dominated the MOBO Awards, which is short for Music Of Black Origin, winning four of the five awards she was nominated four.

Her wins included Best Song for 'Do It Like A Dude', which includes the lyric: “We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem.”

On Twitter, Allen, a fan of the singer, joked about her wins.

She wrote: “Now, I love Jessie J as much as the next person, but how is her music 'of black origin' ? Is it cause she says 'man dem' in her tune?”

Jessie J also used the social-networking website to thank her fans for her success.

http://www.gigwise.c...After-MOBO-Wins

WELL, YES BECAUSE MANDEM DERIVES FROM JAMAICAN/YARDIE/PATOIS ORIGIN... ERM, I THINK THEY ARE BLACK PEOPLE... THEREFORE IT CAME FROM BLACK ORIGIN...

PMSL... IS LILY ALLEN TRYNA SAY A WHITE MAN INVENTED THE WORD

COME ON NOW

Are you avoiding the point, or did you miss it?

Fucking hell

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Lily Allen Asks How Jessie J's Music Is 'Of Black Origin' After MOBO Wins

Lily Allen has joked that Jessie J only qualified for her wins at last night's (October 5) MOBO Awards because she sings “man dem” in one of her songs.

The singer dominated the MOBO Awards, which is short for Music Of Black Origin, winning four of the five awards she was nominated four.

Her wins included Best Song for 'Do It Like A Dude', which includes the lyric: “We can do it like the man'dem, man'dem.”

On Twitter, Allen, a fan of the singer, joked about her wins.

She wrote: “Now, I love Jessie J as much as the next person, but how is her music 'of black origin' ? Is it cause she says 'man dem' in her tune?”

Jessie J also used the social-networking website to thank her fans for her success.

http://www.gigwise.com/news/67673/Lily-Allen-Asks-How-Jessie-Js-Music-Is-Of-Black-Origin-After-MOBO-Wins

WELL, YES BECAUSE MANDEM DERIVES FROM JAMAICAN/YARDIE/PATOIS ORIGIN... ERM, I THINK THEY ARE BLACK PEOPLE... THEREFORE IT CAME FROM BLACK ORIGIN...

PMSL... IS LILY ALLEN TRYNA SAY A WHITE MAN INVENTED THE WORD

COME ON NOW

I dont think black music should be defined by "man dem"

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Artists including Adele and Eminem contributed to a 3.3% increase over the corresponding period of 2010.

As the year heads into its home stretch, things are looking up for the U.S. music industry -- sales are on track to increase over the previous year, something that hasn't happened since 2004.

PHOTOS: MTV VMAs 2011: Red Carpet Arrivals

With nine months of 2011 down, album sales stand at 228.5 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan -- up 3.3% from the 221.1 million albums sold in the corresponding period of 2010. Overall U.S. unit sales, meanwhile, are up 7.2% to 1.18 billion, from 1.1 billion last year. And when albums including track equivalents are taken into account -- whereby 10 song downloads count as one album unit - albums have jumped 5.4%, to 323.7 million from 307.1 million.

The positive showing for album sales can primarily be attributed to the digital format, where the configuration's scans are up 19.7% to 74.1 million units, compared to 61.9 million units in 2010's first nine months.

PHOTOS: The Music Industry's Greatest Givers

But it's not only digital numbers that are encouraging. Though physical sales are down from last year, the dip isn't nearly as drastic as music executives had long grown used to. CD sales have decreased only 3.6% this year, after experiencing declines ranging between 18%-20% in each of the five previous years.

A banner year from Adele has helped across the board. Her album 21 has moved nearly 3.8 million units, while the best-selling title at the corresponding time last year -- Eminem's Recovery -- had garnered 2.7 million units by the end of the third quarter.

PHOTOS: Top 10 Highest Paid Music Artists

With 1.3 million units sold digitally, 21 is the best-selling album in the digital format since SoundScan began tracking such sales in 2003. Adele's song "Rolling In The Deep," with 5.2 million paid downloads, is likewise the best-selling title in the digital format.

Where market share is concerned, Universal Music Group has finally pulled away from Sony Music Entertainment, which had been nipping close at its heels for the first six months of 2011. At the end of the nine-month period, UMG's market share tallied 30.3%, while Sony's stood at 28.9%. Meanwhile, the Warner Music Group's market share totaled 18.7% and EMI's came in at 9%. Independent labels' market share, as determined by distribution ownership, totaled 12.6%.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/album-sales-up-third-quarter-245194

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