Category: Music Industry

RIP, Tom Petty

October 3, 2017 Off

I came late to the music of Tom Petty. I’d heard songs on the radio, but the pivotal moment came when my friend Jon Grier, at the time, an engineer at Music Annex in San Francisco, brought me into the control room to demonstrate the studio’s new Genelec monitoring system. He put on “Learning To…

By Eric Jensen

YouTube Revenues Explained…

March 23, 2016 Off

YouTube monetization is complex but well worth understanding in a music economy where every revenue stream counts. Attorney Chris Castle recently participated in a SXSW panel and posted an excellent guide to YouTube monetization on his MusicTechSolutions blog. A Billboard chart explains revenue splits for compositions, recordings, and videos, and Castle touches on the opacity…

By Eric Jensen

Musicians Are Natural Entrepreneurs

June 17, 2013 Off

Berklee Today, the journal for alumni of Berklee College of Music, recently gave me the opportunity to explore the relationship between musical training and the skills of entrepreneurs. I interviewed several Berklee alumni who have gone on to create groundbreaking music technology companies serving independent artists. Derek Sivers – founder of CD Baby Panos Panay…

By Eric Jensen

The rare and valuable skills of musicians

June 15, 2013 Off

I recently had the opportunity to create a presentation for Daniel Indart’s Music Entrepreneurship students at the Cornel School of Contemporary Music at Shepherd University in Los Angeles. My presentation: Thinking Different(ly)…The Rare and Valuable Skills of Musicians discussed the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset in today’s music industry. While business and music are diametrically opposed activities, they…

By Eric Jensen

Thinking Different(ly): Creative Music in the Digital Economy

January 20, 2013 Off

On January 15, 2013 I gave a presentation to alumni of The Royal College of Music in Stockholm Sweden. The topic was music careers in today’s economy – musical entrepreneurship and developing multiple income streams. Here are the slides featuring case studies of several entrepreneurial musicians and a basic overview of the principles music publishing…

By Eric Jensen

Following the Money – Alternative music revenue streams for musicians

February 8, 2012 Off

A bucket under every drip… I recently had the opportunity to research and write a piece for Berklee Today magazine exploring lesser known revenue streams for composers and musicians. In today’s music industry, tapping every revenue source is key, particularly for independent artists. Thinking like an entrepreneur and getting ahead of the curve with new technologies…

By Eric Jensen

How Social Media Impacts Brand Marketing

October 21, 2011 Off

Today Nielsen  released graphs illustrating where consumers are getting trusted recommendations. Their charts clearly illustrate the importance of peer recommendations and clear communication and interaction from company web sites. You can view the full post here. Where are your customers getting information about your products and services? What are their most trusted sources? Are your…

By Eric Jensen