May 2009

What Artists Should Know About thesixtyone

May 28, 2009

In January 2010, thesixtyone unveiled a complete redesign, eliminating the social aspects of the site. Predictably, long-time users revolted and eventually left. This article and the comments that follow provide a brief history of the rise and fall of the site. While you may still find it worthwhile to upload your material, there’s little you [...]

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The Electronic Copyright Office

May 21, 2009

I’m a big fan of the whole “paperless society” thing, as my Kindle will attest to. Going electronic saves time, money, and resources – unless you’re dealing with the US government. Every few years I register a new album with the United States Copyright Office, and every time I wonder if I’m supposed to submit [...]

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Real Songs for Real People

May 14, 2009

Todd Durrant of A Different Drum here. Brian asked me to write about a project I’m working on with Marcus Fellechner of Rename. During the past few years, we’ve seen the music market become more open to independent artists thanks primarily to the internet, and also less profitable, thanks again to (ironically) the internet. Though [...]

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Is Jango Payola?

May 8, 2009

My last article on Jango sparked spirited discussions on the Just Plain Folks forums, the CD Baby forums, and Music Think Tank. Words like “scam” and “payola” are recklessly thrown about. We need to dispel these unfair and inflammatory accusations before we can have an honest debate. Is it a scam? Absolutely not! It is [...]

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