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By mvt2412, July 30, 2009 10:48 am

According to Business Week, Apple is currently talking with major record labels about the possiblity of more than just music being sold with an album.

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It does not seem that this will benefit the average artist until Apple makes the service avalible to more than just popular record labels. However, when it does, internet music sales can be taken to another level. Instead of only providing consumers with a music single, artists would be able to provide their listeners with lyrics, info about the band, short clips, pictures etc. The possibilities are endless. Check out the article here.

Leave a comment and let us know if, as an artist, you would provide consumers with more than just music on iTunes.

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By mvt2412, July 27, 2009 3:01 pm

I just read an article about how Social Networking is still “social”, even if it is over the internet.

It’s true that even though you are conversing with people on the internet, you still must follow some guidelines. Many users do not realize that there are often additional steps that must be taken on the internet to convey some of the nuances of conversation.

Musicians can make use of tips like these as well. For instance, a great way to “get the word out” to people about your music, is to get others to promote it. Utilizing a social networking site such as Twitter is a great way to do this. However, as the article explains, the format and wording of your “tweet” may determine whether or not others choose to re-post it.

Similarly, artists sometimes use their social networking sites as a place to let loose about their feelings on different matters. As the article says, its important to watch your language. Many artists and others have found themselves in hot water about something they said on their Twitter or Myspace pages.

Check out the article here.

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Michael Tuschman

COPYCATS Media, Marketing Intern

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By mvt2412, July 24, 2009 1:02 pm

I came across an article over at TechCrunch.com about an Artist who has his own music video removed from his YouTube account. Apparently, the artist made his own remixed version of one of his music videos, and posted it on his YouTube channel.  It was deleted by YouTube.  The artist is making public threats on his Twitter Page. Leave us a comment and let us know what you think about the video being removed, and the artist’s public response on his twitter. Make sure to check out the article.

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By chrisbrummund,

For folks around the Twin Cities, here’s a quick rundown of some of the shows and events going on this weekend:

If you’re planning on going to the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, I’d imagine you are already there and not sitting at a computer while reading this blog.  There are plenty of COPYCATS Media customers and other local bands playing alongside some huge national acts.  Among them are Atmosphere, Trampled By Turtles, Cloud Cult, Mason Jennings, The Honeydogs, and more. Of course, the three big headliners at this festival are Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, and Wilco.

Castle and Rockford Mules are playing with Scorpion Child at the Triple Rock Social Club tonight.

Sajak and Sans Pants are playing with Midwestern ska legends 3 Minute Hero at the Fine Line Music Cafe on Sunday.

Kid Dakota is at the Uptown Bar on Saturday night.

The Softrocks are playing with Lazer Forever and Sharp Teeth at the 331 Club tonight.  As always, there’s never a cover charge at this venue.

The New Standards, featuring former members of Semisonic and The Suburbs, are playing both Friday and Saturday night at the Dakota Jazz Club.

That’s just a small sampling of what’s going on this weekend in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Did we miss anything?  Leave us a comment if there other cool events you’ll be attending these next few days.

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By mvt2412, July 22, 2009 12:13 pm

The popular video game “Rock Band” is letting indie artists submit their music to be used in the game, but is it really worth it? Check out the article here.

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Many indie artists are desperate to get their music out to the public. Is Rock Band the way to do it? Let’s weigh the pro’s and con’s.

Pro:

• If you manage to get music on Rock Band, it becomes visible and accessible by every single owner of Rock Band.
• Adjustable price for your music. Anywhere from $0.50 to $3.00.
• 30% profit from every sale.

Con:

• $99 charge per year, with no guarantee that the music will actually sell.
• The process for submitting music is lengthy, with no guarantee that the music will be accepted.
• Only 30% profit from ever sale, as opposed to 70% on iTunes.

In my opinion, putting your music on Rock Band is a risk. However, the most that you can lose is $99 and a few hours of your time. If an artist has the time and is willing to take the risk, then why not? But for many indie artists, their time would be better spent getting their name in the public eye in more effective ways.

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

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Michael Tuschman

COPYCATS Media Marketing Intern.

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By chrisbrummund, July 2, 2009 3:04 pm

We’ll be closed tomorrow, July 3rd, for the holiday weekend, but we’ll be back at it on Monday morning.

If you are forgoing the lake cabin getaway and staying in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area for the weekend, here’s a sampling of good concerts around town:

Dillinger Four is playing at the Triple Rock Social Club on Saturday night.

Legends of Rock and Roll Tribute Show at the 501 Club on Friday. Local bands play tribute sets to the Ramones, Nirvana, and Rush.  Now that’s a great mix of music!

Lookbook and Ghost In The Water at the 331 Club. As always, the 501’s sister club never charges a cover.

Elvis Costello playing at the Taste of Minnesota festival on the 4th of July at Harriet Island in St. Paul.  The festival runs throughout the entire weekend and features other national and local bands such as Staind, Throw The Fight, The 757’s, Judas Priest, Jason Shannon, and others.

The Roots are playing tonight at the First Avenue Mainroom.

Head to the MN Zoo Amphitheater for Soul Asylum tonight and Toots & The Maytals on Friday night.

Haley Bonar is playing at the Walker Art Center’s Free First Saturday concert in the Sculpture Garden.

If that isn’t enough music for one weekend, there’s still a couple more shows on Sunday: Charlie Parr is playing the Turf Club and No Doubt is at the Xcel Energy Center.

That’s what caught my attention for the weekend.  Anything else going on worth checking out?  Let us know.

And now, I’ll leave you with this patriotic tribute by the Muppets.  Have a great weekend!

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By chrisbrummund, July 1, 2009 4:24 pm

There was an interesting little article over at Billboard today the problems of on-demand CD manufacturing.  On-demand CD manufacturing is the process of duplicating, printing, and packaging a individual CDs as they are ordered.  The article mentions that customers do not like the lower quality print and packaging that come with these duplicated CDRs.  But there are ways that you could improve the product quality with this distribution method.  Below is a real-life example:

At COPYCATS Media, we had a client who was in the business of recording live concerts and selling freshly recorded, mastered, and printed CDs within an hour or two after the show.  They had some big name clients and were hired to record a summer tour for the Black Crowes.  So how did we provide CDs, print, and packaging for a customer who needed a 2-hour turnaround time?

We printed up blank CDRs and empty packaging for each show.  The client that recorded the shows would have a big truck with all their equipment outside the concert venue.  Once the show was finished, they’d start mastering the recorded concert inside the truck.  When the mastering was finished, they would start burning copies using the printed CDRs we made for them in advance.  Then they’d take the duplicated copy of the CD and package it in the pre-printed digipaks we provided for each show.  This was how they got their products to the fans almost immediately after the performance.  They would then duplicate and package the rest of the CDRs and sell them through their online store.

The only downside to this method is the packaging did not contain the tracklisting because most touring artists don’t play the exact same setlist at every show.  However, we did print seperate packaging for each date, so they would have a different color scheme along with the date, city, and venue printed on it.

In order to make this on-demand CD selling model work, this is what these companies would have to do to improve their product.  But this would negate the reason retailers are interested in on-demand CDs in the first place (larger selection, less shelf space).  The next best option is getting better printing technology to produce single high-quality prints at a reasonable price.  This solution is also a dead-end, as a single high quality print might cost more than the CD, and reasonably priced print is going to be of lower quality.

Here’s an idea that might work for both brick-and-mortar retailers and online retailers: mail a commercial quality printed CD whenever a customer purchases a digital download of an album.  If they purchase the downloads at a store kiosk, they can just dock their MP3 player or USB flash drive to the system and get their music on-demand.  Then they can have the option to enter their address and have a physical copy of the CD mailed to them.  The same would work if you buy from an online retailer like Amazon.  You download the tracks on your home computer and receive the CD a few days later in the mail.  Again, this satisfies the need for on-demand music as well as having a physical copy complete with the packaging and artwork.  They would still need to store these CDs in a warehouse somewhere, but it will save valueable space inside stores.

Just my two cents.  Has anybody ever purchased an on-demand CD from a kiosk? What did you think of the quality?