Editorial 2011
This, our final spring release, is brought to you with the warmth of summer sunlight peaking over the horizon. Clouds are parting, but not for us at The MBJ. This issue addresses a popular topic in music circles, ‘cloud technology’. In our cover, Athena Frost gives us a detailed analysis of Amazon’s new music locker service and the conflict it has stirred about its legality. In the meantime, Minden Jones reminds us that venture capital and angel investors are showing much curiosity too.
Understanding live music production is key for any musician, and Tom Jackson is one of its undisputed masters. Micah Deterville records a memorable and though-provoking interview, with Jackson reminding us that the artist-fan relation in concert is not what you might think. Deterville also offers a first-hand account of the New Music Seminar in LA, a symbol of entrepreneurial forward thinking.
Much is written in textbooks about performance rights, but Fred Choquette focuses on the collections and distributions of ASCP and BMI. How should artists choose among them? In the meantime, as the industry continues to evolve, innovative ways of doing business flourish. I’ve contributed an article detailing the strategic and well meant plans of a new type of record label, tinyOGRE.
Rebecca Black’s “Friday” merits discussion, if only for the remarkable exposure she has had on YouTube’s platform. Nick Susi doesn’t hold his punches, but this a reflective piece for musicians. For them too, the MBJ team is featuring the results of a salary study that was conducted by Berklee’s Career Center on industry-wide jobs; we report on business positions, but the reader can look up the
entire study online.
Finally, Mariana Ramirez, a Boston University student, discusses, in an interesting submission, the special ethical dilemma posed by Mexican music piracy. Also looking abroad, Jamie Anderson writes about the recent tragedy in Japan and the reaction of US musicians. It gives me great pleasure to present this issue.
Thanks so much for reading,
Evan Kramer, Editor-in-Chief
