In the consumerist, money-obsessed recording industry, artists have had to fight hard to record the music they love. Tori Amos detoured through the failure of the pop/big hair rock band Y Kant Tour Read because countless labels told her “that girl with the piano thing is dead.” Her successful solo debut,
Little Earthquakes, was initially rejected by Atlantic Records (she was told she needed to replace all the pianos with guitars for it to be a viable record). She made some compromises on the final line-up of tracks, but held firm to her artistic vision for the music.
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Tags: The state of music by Jon O
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Concert promoter Live Nation yesterday announced what many musicians already know: fewer people are attending concerts. The company reported a first quarter loss of $102.7 million — on top of last year’s loss of $37.2 million. Undoubtedly the dismal economy contributed to the downturn in concert attendance, but there was already a trend favoring home entertainment over live entertainment. The closure of many venues and the elimination of live music (or at least the unwillingness of venues to pay musicians) has been growing, as I’ve reported before. [Read more →]
If anyone needed further evidence that the major labels are in league with the devil, now comes news about “360 deals.” Driven to desperation by declining CD sales, record companies are requiring new artists to sign these contracts (also known as “multiple rights deals”) that take a percentage of every single thing the artist does: merchandising, ticket sales, paid appearances, interviews. Any band which signs such a deal might as well consider changing their name to Faust. 
An Italian court has ruled that Prince plagiarized a 1983 Italian disco tune when he wrote his 1995 hit “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.” The original song by Bruno Bergonzi and Michele Vicino, “Takin’ Me to Paradise,” appeared on a number of dance compilations in the early 80s. But how convincing is the evidence? Are we to really believe that Prince — a prodigiously creative musician who has probably written more music than anyone else alive — stole someone else’s tune? 
