a Response to Ashley Griffith.

In the March 2008 issue of the MBJ, Ashley Griffith wrote “Loggers and Luthiers –the Drama of Not Going Green.” In it, she cited the alarming decline of Sitka spruce trees, the only domestic wood suitable for musical instruments, primarily caused by the export of wood for housing in China. As a response, the Musicwood Coalition was formed by instrument manufacturers and is asking Sealaska, the logging company controlling the Sitka spruce forest, to engage in more sustainable logging.

In late March, Billboard presented its annual Mobile Entertainment Live conference as part of the larger CTIA wireless conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Featuring panelists and keynotes from leaders in the mobile phone, digital content, and music industries, the conference focused on finally bringing mobile music to a truly mass audience in the United States. I took a plane from Boston to see it for myself and separate the facts from the hype.

In a move hailed by the record industry in the UK, the British government is putting pressure on Internet Service Providers to clamp down on illegal downloads. The county’s cultural minister has set an April 2009 deadline for action on the issue.

Imagine you are waiting at the Park St. Station for the next green line train--and for what seems like an hour. An Alewife bound train has just dumped a flood of businessmen into the station and now they all herd towards the financial district. Suddenly a group of ghostly looking commuters break into a choreographed dance to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller.’ Following a five-minute verse and chorus performance, the dancers disperse into the crowd, the music fades away, and it is as if nothing ever happened.

The music industry depends on private savings, the source of all investment. Some of that investment is channeled into music, allowing the trade to grow and take more risks. Artists get signed. Publishing catalogs fetch higher ‘multiples’. The business of live music expands, for example, to emerging economies, where construction of large-venues may not have reached the over-saturation of North America and Western Europe. Finally, whenever money flows both to the recorded and live music trades, it gives impetus to the business of musical instrument accessories and recording gear.

The moment has finally arrived; your first hit song was just played on the radio station! Unfortunately, only the songwriter (if that’s not you) and the publisher will be receiving a royalty payment for the airing of your performance over the terrestrial radio airwaves. This narrow exemption within copyright law exemplifies how important it is for the new artist to understand licensing when negotiating contracts with their publisher and promoter.

The Non-Profit Strategies of Three Orchestral Titans

The classical music world has experienced a drop in support from local communities on many levels. Some of the world’s top orchestras have cultivated ways to survive and maintain lasting methods for gaining vital support. They have seen steady growth in terms of monetary and in-kind support, and they have acquired ways to stimulate true interest and involvement from local community members of all ages.