Entertainment Attorney Dina LaPolt Educates Artists and Professionals On How to Navigate Business and Legal Aspects of Music Industry

Dina LaPolt, renowned Los Angeles-based attorney, who is The National Association of Record Industry Professionals’ 2011 Top Music Business Attorney, is once again bringing her expertise and experience to UCLA Extension with her popular “Legal and Practical Aspects of the Music Business” class for its tenth consecutive winter term.  LaPolt’s ability to break down into simple terms the complex legal concepts surrounding the various ways in which rights are exploited and monetized makes this course an essential for all artists, songwriters, managers, lawyers, accountants, executives, producers, publishers and other entertainment industry professionals.

Some of the most important issues covered by the course involve the growth of ancillary revenue streams for artists that are not even related to music but which have become important brand-building tools for music artists, such as sponsorships/endorsements, opportunities in television, book publishing, and creative forms of merchandising.  Licensing music for film, television and video games still create significant opportunities but licensing these rights have become very complicated due to the corporate mergers of the record and publishing companies.  To most, these subjects can be overwhelming but one of the main assets those taking this class will walk away with is a firm grasp of how to navigate one’s way through these minefields in order to have a complete understanding of today’s music business.  LaPolt, her firm’s associates,  and a stable of specific guest lecturers  will also discuss other areas as well such as issues that arise in the recording studio, recording and publishing agreements, as well as fans, brands, social networks, and cultural communities as they affect music, copyrights, and merchandising in a global music market.

Click to read more ...

Perfect Pitch Piano: Learn to Play Piano by Ear

Perfect Pitch Piano is an app that teaches you to play piano by ear.

Click to read more ...

What Do You Hear?

What do you hear? Cells in your ear are impacted by waves and register their shape and size-frequencies and amplitude-and almost everyone can hear those. Can you hear more? Listening is a skill; it can be improved upon. I’ll post tips on how to improve your listening skills later but now I just want to share a few examples of “insightful” listening. Please excuse the unfortunate pretentiousness.

Click to read more ...

"The Internet As A Platform For Musicians"

During my last semesters at university I started to work on the relationship between music and technology (you can take a look at my blog about Media & Technologies: http://mediaandtechnologies.blogspot.com/).

My thesis “The Internet as a platform for musicians” (it can be found at: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/document-preview.aspx?doc_id=101233079) focused on how technological innovation have shaped (and still shaping) the music world.

For this work I gathered reading material such as books, magazines, online articles, etc and I had the chance to interview ( mainly by e-mail) musicians from the US, from UK and from Switzerland. There were independent musicians, soundtrack composers & producers, radio show host and other people involved in the music business.

The project is divided in 4 sections:

Click to read more ...

Annoying music sends shoppers heading for the exits

Study illustrates the danger of retailers leaving the sound of their brand to chance

Half of Britain’s shoppers have left a store because they were annoyed by the music. This is the result of a study carried out by Immedia Plc, which develops music strategies for retailers. 

The findings illustrate the danger High Street brands face by not developing a suitable ‘sound’ for their brand.

1,000+ shoppers were asked both about their attitude to in-store music, and about how music affects them psychologically and emotionally. 

Key results are as follows:

Click to read more ...

R.E.M FUND

R.E.M. wrote the book on music and activism, and have tirelessly protected human rights, the environment, and supported those who needed it. To honor this rich history of great music and activism, Air Traffic Control (ATC) is collecting donations for an R.E.M. Fund through the end of October here: http://www.atctower.net/rem-fund/ ATC will work with R.E.M. to give the donations to some of the great organizations the band has worked with over the years. We will also pass along well-wishes and messages with the donation list to the band. All donations are tax-deductible. Make a donation online here: http://bit.ly/p10kHx or mail checks made out to Air Traffic Control: 1475 15th Street San Francisco, CA 94103 If you want to tweet or post, here is some language:  Please Share: Celebrate R.E.M.’s long history of great music & activism by making a donation to the #REMfund http://bit.ly/p10kHx About ATC: Air Traffic Control (ATC) helps musicians play an effective, unique and vital role in the promotion of social justice. Musicians and managers established ATC five years ago to assemble an experienced and trusted team of leaders, resources and tools that would help them to create more effective social change collaborations with each other and social justice organizations. As a result, ATC became an artists’ air traffic control—one that develops capacity, efficiency, and coordination to produce stronger and more creative social change collaborations. For more information about ATC, please go to www.atctower.net

Music Isn't Dead........

She’s not dead, but she isn’t well. I don’t want to be like any one of the other Nine Million Music blog posters out there and write about a day gone by like it was perfect, or even that great for music herself. Long ago, music lived in the air, for free, no matter where, no matter what. The only way you could hear instruments being played, is by proximity to a performer, or do it yourself. This is not the time so many seem to sing the praises of. They sing praises of a funnel system, that advocated control of music, and mechanical rights licensing and other dirty words.. They sing of the 50s or 60’s or 70’s or God forbid the 80’s as the hey day for music. I strongly disagree…

Click to read more ...

Entropic Strategies for Music Marketing : navigating the noise

While Entropic Strategist may merely be my own word to describe the style of scatter-storm marketing I use for myself and other artists, it’s a style that was proven in the business and startup world many times over long before the Wild West of the Music Industry we have today.

Click to read more ...

Heads Up: new online Music & Culture magazine with print aesthetic

EyeSeeSound, three DIYers with a love of music and culture, have relaunched www.eyeseesound.tv as an online Music and Culture magazine with the format and aesthetic of print magazines.

Focussing on independent and DIY bands and artists the magazine, Heads Up, offers an opportunity for music and culture lovers to discover new bands, short films, animations, artists, photographers and designers through a stylish and innovative approach to website design and functionality.

Click to read more ...

Amy Lavere Is Someone You Should See (if you like music)

On August 10, I went to a show to take some photos. I was not thrilled about it but I had agreed to do it for the Mapanare website (my site). The show was at a great little live venue in Chicago but the lighting there makes it tough even on a really good photographer (which I am not). I intended to take some shots and head for the door. I didn’t mention I had to be up at 6 a.m. the next day.

I stayed for thw whole show. Amy Lavere was the artist.

Click to read more ...

Dynamic Producer Commemorates 10 Year Anniversary with the 10th Annual Dynamic Producer Music Conference, Launches Industry Insider Interview Series

The 2011 Dynamic Producer Conference, held in Los Angeles on August 26 – 28, marks the tenth annual convening of some of music’s most influential executives along with the hottest up & coming producers and musicians from across the world. This three day event, created to help educate and provide opportunities for aspiring music producers, will host an array of sessions to assist aspiring producers navigate through the ever changing and selective music industry. From discussions on music publishing, copyrights, digital rights and downloads, to drum workshops, this years’ conference theme - “This Is My Drum Beat,” is sure to inspire producers to march to the beat of their own drum.

Click to read more ...

Tricked Out Country - Where Country Meets Jazz

Despite the roots all three share as rich tributaries of great American music, there have been few instances in which country, jazz, and pop rock have successfully come together within one band. It just seems like an impossible fit: corralling Stetson-hatted cowboys, cool-blowing jazzmen, and funky rock players into a single cohesive project, one that seamlessly blends these very distinct styles. It seems impossible, that is, until you’ve heard Tricked Out Country.

Click to read more ...

Good Music & Good Talent in the Midwest

DRO MAN Dro Man (unsigned) is an artist with character, who is developing as a gentleman in the industry. He is backed by a professional team that is shaping his persona to reflect quality role-modeling. He has recently gotten involved with Red Cross, and the Midwest Food Bank to support the victims of Tornados in the Southern US. He has taken notice of the influence his music and person has on individuals of all ages. His current single “Jiggalate” is responsible for a dance craze that is currently sweeping the Midwest. In addition, he has a tremendous fan base in several Midwest markets and almost every kid in Indianapolis’ public schools system and their parents are “Jiggalatin”. The hit single, Jiggalate is published with EMG Publishing, registered with BMI, and recorded in Mediabase and BDS systems. The song is currently in the Top 10 on WHHH 96. 3, and is quickly being added to other regional and national syndicated radio stations. He is planning a 10 state, 20 city tour, which is sure to attract more than 50,000 attendees.

Click to read more ...

Frisco School of Music Students create band using iPads

The Frisco School of Music presents “iBand”. This is an advanced class taught by Gabriel Batista with all of the instruments being iPad Apps. All of the students are taking music lessons at the school and were able transfer those skills to the various iPad applications.

Click to read more ...