Happy New Year to Tipsheet visitors.

2008 is going to be the year that the majors realise it is time to evolve into a services oriented business model while divesting the 'production' aspect to their business.

I think we will see an introduction of a Tunecore style distribution.

A&R consultancy and hire by the hour marketing services.

A move towards a more partnership model from top to bottom. Failure to do this will consign them to history as their biggest artists will jump ship to others who will step into the brief.

At the bottom end of the chain artists are already using the likes of Tunecore for distribution who are excellent with what they can do albeit with some modifications. Imagine if EMI offered such a service. At least it will increase their bottom line without hugely affecting their business. Maybe they will buy Tunecore. Hmm who knows.

I may be wrong of course but in a way one "major" organisation (WIN/Merlin) are beginning to move in this direction. Perhaps they will cotton onto the vacuum out there and step into the void.

Have a great 2008 and if you enjoy my post then visit my site and say hello.

http://www.myhotmusic.com

Very good point about EMI offering the same choices as Tunecore.
Technically there is no reason whatsoever in there not being an EMI-Indie-Download store.

Obviously it could be as oversubscribed as Indiestore, but an interesting thought.

The point is that by doing this they will cover all angles of the music industry from the crap to the best and it won't affect them one bit apart from making them more money. Plus tell me which artist on Tunecore wouldn't want to be associated with EMI and if there is a massive hit brewing EMI will have first dibs at signing them. Tell me if Tunecore had the muscle of a major and approached you with a marketing and distribution package which involved a 50/50 profit share deal with marketing costs self financing ?

By the way EMI and any other majors if you are looking for ideas as it seems you have run out of them, I am available for a reasonable consultancy fee.

I can't imagine they are not looking at this as Tunecore and others will take over the download distribution model within 5 years. Get in now while you are still relevant or well die forever.

ps: If you enjoy my posts then visit my website. Linkies below.

I was thinking deeply about our own Tunecore situation here as I woke up.
Already gone are the days of going "Hey, we can release this!", and have been replaced by "Should we release this and where is our target audience?"
I think by the end of the year we will, nearly, have a full circle as you suggest.
When the general euphoria of DIY has died down a bit, acts will actively want to be a part of a scene with a stamp akin to a label on their product as a certificate of quality.
Equally, radio play etc will probably rely on the same labelling.

As a radio producer etc,you can`t endlessly sift through indie download product for good new releases, but you could expect a decent tune from , say, XYZ/Tunecore as they regularly supply a good hit.

Ouch.
With that theory, the whole thing would nearly go full circle.

Nothing wrong with DIY Mart and we won't be returning to how things were in the past. I think it would be a meeting of the two. You start out on DIY, be given resources and promotional opportunities. You have the backing of a good established label who then can build on your success or you jump ship. Success of course doesn't always mean sales but could be many things. The point is that the majors can't continue like this or they will disappear completely. Perhaps Tunecore might emerge as a major label.

Come to think of it, I just read that Jay Z and Apple are setting up a label. Interesting I wonder what is the implication with iTunes ?

Tell me if Tunecore had the muscle of a major and approached you with a marketing and distribution package which involved a 50/50 profit share deal with marketing costs self financing ?


In todays market marketing and distribution packages have to be very specific, taylored to the artist / song / media / target audience. Small companies very always better in this game, and after all the staff reductions the big 4 (very soon 3) can't compete.

Only positive things I heard about tunecore up to now. May be time for a change. Anyone have a label account at tunecore and can confirm they have proper accounting?

We have a label account with them, and the accounting is an absolute doddle and even comes in Exel format, so all I have had to do this year is attach the files to my live accounts to go to the accountant.
The down side of them are the "previews" available through Rhapsody. It`s slightly unclear as to whether the customer has copies of the works or not, but the "preview" is logged.