Universal extends music market share

According to the Informa Telecoms and Media publication Music & Copyright, Universal continued its strong success in 2007, dominating both the recorded and music publishing sectors. It grew its market share of the recorded music market to 28.8 percent from 25.7 in 2006. Sony BMG was second with 20.1 percent, ahead of Warner at 14.4 percent and EMI with 10.9. (The Guardian)

US Album sales decline, but is the slump slowing?

Album sales for the first quarter of 2008 are down by double digits, but that's significantly less than 2007's decline. So there's more than one way to look at the results. For the glass-half-empty crowd, this year's numbers continue a trend that has seen album sales tumble from 140.4 million in 2006's first quarter to 104.5 million this year, according to Nielsen SoundScan — a drop of more than 25% in two years. (USA Today, Digital Music News, Music Row)

Music fans tune into sound benefits of ‘punter equity’

As the traditional record company juggernaut ponders its massive running costs, “punter equity” becomes more attractive to a growing number of musicians. Sellaband, an Amsterdam-based website through which artists invite investment from individual admirers to fund the professional recording of an album, is one example. (Financial Times)

Live Nation, U2 sign agreement

Live Nation Inc. said Monday that it had reached an agreement for a 12-year global contract to handle the merchandising, digital and branding rights as well as the touring of Irish rock band U2.
The deal with U2, one of the world's biggest rock bands, comes just five months after Live Nation announced a comprehensive partnership with pop star Madonna, which included her coveted recording rights. Live Nation said U2 would continue the band's long-term recording and publishing relationship with Universal Music Group, a unit of French media giant Vivendi. (LA Times, PR)

R.E.M. Brings London Apple Store Up To Speed

R.E.M. showcased its new album "Accelerate" (Warner Bros.) alongside obscure old songs during an intimate showcase for fans and media at the Apple Store on London's Regent Street. The gig, which will be available as an audio download from the iTunes Music Store at a future date, came just two days after the band played its first-ever show at London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall. After a May-June tour in the U.S. and Canada, R.E.M. returns to the U.K. in July for a headline slot at the T in the Park festival, followed by stadium shows in August. (Billboard)

Marley Biopic Hits Snag Over Music Rights

The anticipated Bob Marley biopic based on the book by his wife Rita has hit a snag over music rights. The reggae great's family issued a statement dated Monday saying that they have had numerous requests over the years to license his music for various projects and "all of them have been declined, including the proposed Weinstein production of Rita Marley's book 'No Woman, No Cry.'" The family has already licensed the music to a theatrical documentary directed by Martin Scorsese and co-produced by Shangri-La Entertainment and the family's Tuff Gong Pictures. (CBS)

Wal-Mart Wants $10 CDs

Wal-mart wants every CD you buy to cost less than ten bucks. And the nation's largest retailer -- which moved a quarter of a trillion dollars' worth of goods last year -- usually gets its way. Suppliers who don't accede to Wal-Mart's "everyday low price" mantra often find their products bounced from the chain's stores, excluded from being sold to the 138 million people who shop at a Wal-Mart store every week. (Rolling Stone)

Rival labels look to give Stones shelter

While the Rolling Stones focus on the imminent release of their latest album, Shine A Light, record companies are vying to sign the band to a long-term deal in a contest that highlights the ways in which the music industry is changing. Universal Music, Sony BMG and Warner Music have already begun courting the Stones in an effort to wrest them away from their long-time label, EMI. The band’s contract expires in June, and they are expected to finalise their plans within months. Some people close to the discussions have speculated the band could keep the albums and touring rights separate in their next deal rather than signing an all-encompassing pact like Madonna. (Financial Times)

Shaking Off Larger Economic Woes, Online Ad Spend To Rise 23 Percent In ‘08

The economy may be faltering, but that will not prevent online advertising from continuing to grow a healthy 23 percent this year, according to the latest eMarketer report. However, eMarketer’s latest report, which projects online ad spending of $25.9 billion compared to 2007’s $21.1 billion, represents a significant revision downward from the researcher’s November forecast of 28.5 percent growth for 2008. (PaidContent)

SanDisk Promotes DRM-Free Music from More Than 50 Emerging Artists

SanDisk Corporation announced the company will promote DRM-free music from more than 50 new and emerging artists on a microSD card. This U.S.-based program is the first of its kind to use microSD cards, and helps launch the new 8GB (gigabyte)1 Sansa Fuze MP3 player. The “Sansa Sessions” microSD card is comprised of a collection of rock, pop, and hip hop songs, music videos, and photos from more than 30 labels. Featured artists include All Time Low, Ladytron, Magnet, Nada Surf, Of Montreal and The Coup. (PR)

SXSW: Ticketmaster CEO on service fees, dynamic pricing

Ticketmaster CEO Sean Moriarty said the ticketing business is likely to move more and more to a dynamic pricing structure, and defended the company's service fees that are added to the cost of a ticket at a Friday afternoon panel at the South by Southwest Music Conference (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. (LA Times)

Samsung, Adidas take on iPod, Nike

Samsung Electronics and Adidas have joined the race against Apple and Nike to offer people a device that plays music and keeps track of workouts. The main differences between the two systems are that the Samsung model is also a mobile phone, while the Apple one is just a music player. One key detail for avid runners is that the Samsung/Adidas system does not tie a user to a specific brand of shoe like the Nike+iPod system does. (Washington Post, Information Week, IB Times)

Does This Latte Have a Funny Mainstream Taste to You?

Despite adopting a broader musical approach, Starbucks on average sells only two CDs a store each day at company-owned shops, according to people briefed on its business. Starbucks disputed that figure but declined to provide a different one. Starbucks says it still has the power to move record sales. Though it shifts titles regularly, its sales of a CD over, say, six weeks typically accounts for 5 to 10 percent of the album’s overall sales, according to music executives who do business with the company. (NY Times)

Paolo Nutini backs Puma brand

The Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini and the sportswear brand Puma are the first to be brought together by a new Warner Music International division formed as part of the drive to find alternative revenue streams as CD sales decline and digital downloads fail to plug the gap. (The Guardian)

What Questions Should be Asked in a 360° Artist Deal Due Diligence?

Entering into a 360° artist arrangement is a big decision, because you are entrusting one company with the responsibility of managing all aspects of your career, including music sales, touring, merchandising, and even TV and film appearances. As a result, you should make sure the company is good at all of the things they will need to do to make your career a success. Below is a “due diligence list” of questions to ask in considering the deal you are being offered. (MasurLaw)

Live Nation in running for the Rolling Stones archives

Live Nation, the world's largest concert promotion firm, has emerged as a surprise bidder for the Rolling Stones back catalogue of hits as the band considers ending its relationship with EMI. Sir Mick Jagger has already taken the new live album, Shine A Light, to Universal Music, which owns earlier Stones recordings and was believed to be in pole position to secure further rights. But Live Nation, which poached Madonna from Warner Music in a £60 million deal and produces Rolling Stones global tours, which have grossed $1.5 billion (£748 million), is understood to have made a counteroffer. (Times Online)

Live Nation Q4 2007 Earnings Call Transcript

There’s no question the live music is the one shining star in the music business as major artists are looking to live music for 50 to 90% of their earning potential. As a global leader in live concerts we are the number one business partner for artists worldwide and we believe we can leverage this position to expand into complementary businesses with the artist. (Full Transcript)

EMI considers expanding its library with £100m buyout of Boosey & Hawkes

EMI, the record group owned by Guy Hands' private equity firm Terra Firma, is eyeing up a £100m bid for classical sheet music publisher Boosey & Hawkes. A source close to EMI said that Boosey would appeal to the group as it would bolster its successful music publishing arm. Boosey owns rights to a who's who of 20th-century composers, including Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky, and signed jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis in January. (
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Yahoo Looks at New Way to Survive

Microsoft, whose offer for Yahoo is now worth $41.2 billion, was preparing to escalate its takeover fight by starting a proxy contest. But in an effort to delay that move, Yahoo is considering several options, including a plan to postpone its annual meeting, people close to the company said on Tuesday. The maneuver comes as Yahoo has stepped up merger and joint venture talks with AOL, a unit of Time Warner, these people said. (NY Times)

1,000 True Fans

The long tail is a decidedly mixed blessing for creators. Individual artists, producers, inventors and makers are overlooked in the equation. The long tail does not raise the sales of creators much, but it does add massive competition and endless downward pressure on prices. Unless artists become a large aggregator of other artist's works, the long tail offers no path out of the quiet doldrums of minuscule sales. Other than aim for a blockbuster hit, what can an artist do to escape the long tail? One solution is to find 1,000 True Fans. (The Technium)