Why you don’t get anything done at the office…
November 27, 2010Take a look at this TED Talk by Jason Fried of 37signals. He argues that the traditional office structure is counterproductive to getting real work done. If you haven’t read it yet his book Rework is a must. You can read my conversation with Jason on entrepreneurship and the music business in a previous blog post.…
Entrepreneurship and the New Music Industry
July 22, 2010I recently interviewed Jason Fried, co-founder of technology company 37signals for Berklee Today magazine. The article draws parallels between starter companies and music careers. If you haven’t done so already check out 37signals’ great little business book, Rework. Thanks to Mark Small at Berklee Today for making this happen… You can read the full article…
Don’t Go For The Masses, Go Direct-To-Fan
July 22, 2010Reblog from Hypebot.com: Don’t Go For The Masses, Go Direct-To-FanAuthor: Kyle Bylin – www.hypebot.comMajor labels are mass marketing power giants; it’s what they do. Before the advent of the social web, they were the only way to reach the masses. Due to their influence on commercial radio stations, big-box retail outlets, and television, much of this…
Netflix plan is to stay focused
June 16, 2010Jazz as a business model
June 9, 2010OK, let’s face it. It’s not easy making money as a jazz musician. As a matter of fact, today it is probably more difficult than it has ever been. The audience is understandably small because the music is sophisticated. It requires the listener’s complete attention and an inherent interest in the format. Nonetheless there are…
Taking care of business – We’re all self-employed
June 9, 2010Reading Paul Resnikoff’s essay this morning it occurred to me that the ‘vehicle’ for the future of the music business will be a completely individualized start-up mentality. Everything has changed; what it means to be a performer, a recording artist, a songwriter, an instrumentalist, a composer, a music publisher, a record label… As long as…
Why Do You Do It? – Pt. 2
May 29, 2010Most record labels were started by people who loved a particular type of music and wanted to share their passion. They liked to make money, but most were driven by a real love for music. Labels had unique identities – Atlantic, Delmark, Blue Note, Reprise, Prestige, Columbia, Nonesuch, Verve, Folkways, Deutsche Grammophon… As I discovered…
Why Do You Do It? – Pt. 1
May 28, 2010Reading Simon Sinek’s new book, Start with Why I was struck by his statement that, “…people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.” Sinek describes a simple formula he calls the Golden Circle. The center ring is WHY, the middle circle, HOW, and the outer circle, WHAT. Most businesses he says,…
Career Tracks: Killola
May 20, 2010Photo by Thaddeus Bridwell I recently had the opportunity to speak with the excellent folks in Killola, a four piece “Hardpop Altcore” band formed in 2003 and based in Los Angeles. Consisting of Lisa Rieffel (lead vocals), Mike Ball, (guitar), Dan Grody (drums) and Johnny Dunn (bass), the band’s indie work ethic and unique blend…
Nonesuch knocks it out the park with Brad Mehldau’s ‘Highway Rider’
May 13, 2010Nonesuch Records is doing some very cool stuff with their promotion of the extraordinary Brad Mehldau recording, Highway Rider. The website is engaging and features an innovative scrolling musical score and a fascinating story book (with streaming audio) that takes the listener/viewer through the programmatic trajectory of this unique project. Highway Rider is available on…