The Lessons of Austin

What does Austin, TX have that Tulsa, OK does not? And is there some way of imitating the lessons of Austin and apply them to Tulsa? Can you incubate a creative class in your community? What a great subject.

I have been pondering this subject while on vacation in one of the creative capitols of the world, Los Angeles. The benefits of the presence of a robust creative class are evident everywhere in Los Angeles. Driving down Washington Avenue in LA takes you through downtown Culver City -- home of Sony Studios. You drive further towards the ocean and see small, 2-bedroom houses that are selling for $1 million. You arrive at the Pacific and wander through Venice and on to Santa Monica.

What does Los Angeles, CA have that Newport News, VA dos not? Is there some way of imitating the lessons of LA and apply them to Newport News?

The question begs that we consider history. What has been happening in LA for the past 100 years that has not been happening in Newport News? What role does geography and climate play? Why does capital investment arrive in LA and not NN? Is there a creative class in NN that we don't know about? And what is my interest in Newport News, VA?

http://newsok.com/oklahomans-study-austins-music-scene/article/3278147/?dt=1217742628

Embracing the Pirates

There is a real story embedded in the good report from Andrew Edgecliffe Johnson (Financial Times). The music industry in Britain commissioned a study from the PRS' chief economist, Will Page. The report is not available online, at this point, but the report suggests that one of the recommendations is to capture some income (rather than punishing pirates) by licensing file-sharing websites. Makes sense but it means that there will still be millions of dollars "lost" to the pirates.

In any case, it's better to make some money than no money, right? Thanks to the Financial Times for getting this news on the web. When will the report (or an executive summary) make it online?

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/763fb67e-61bb-11dd-af94-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

Malaysian artists begin again to unite their agendae

The New Straits Times (Malaysia) reports on a congress of artist organizations. I have little understanding or knowledge of the music business in Malaysia. The reporter, RADIN SRI GHAZALI, provides a hint of insight into some of the bureaucratic issues facing the unification of artist organizations. Very little history is provided -- what is the problem here?

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Features/20080804180957/Article/indexF_html

MOU is not the sound a cow makes

An article by Nick Mathiason for the Guardian weighs in on the controversial approach being taken by European ISPs (and soon by an internet service provider near you), governments and music rights organizations to coordinate their efforts to enforce copyrights and to discourage music file-sharing. The form the agreement is taking is called a MOU = memorandum of agreement. Some would wonder if a MOU isn't the first step towards price-fixing.
The largest ISPs in Britain (Virgin, BT, Carphone Warehouse, Orange, Tiscali and BSkyB) are sending out threatening letters to customers suspected of high-volume downloads.
The business models that will be offered are almost identical to those being tried in this country plus the only-in-Europe model of charging a license fee to every customer. There is little support for this business model among the industry. The likely product that will be tried is a subscription model like Rhapsody. Rupert Murdoch is in support of the subscription model.
The tenor of the Mathiason article seems a little sunny when talking of the Dark Lord, but perhaps the subscription model will (one day) rule the face of the earth. iTunes continues to own the majority of the fee-for-music market.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/aug/03/musicindustry.downloads

Using film and music as yeast in economic development brew

Oklahoma is not typically considered a hot-bed for the music and film industry. One of the exceptions that I know about is the Flaming Lips, a rock/performance group. The Lips' manager, Scott Booker, is contributing to the discussion being convened by the Oklahoma Film and Music Office. Julie Bisbee's article for The Oklahoman (Tulsa) traces some of the partnerships and festivals that are a means of establishing a vital creative community.

How important is a creative community to the economic health of a region? What is needed to foster that creative community?

http://newsok.com/in-past-few-years-oklahoma-has-become-a-place-on-the-map-for-film-music-industries/article/3278145/?tm=1217738819

The Manager and U2

Neil McCormack of the Independent in Dublin, Ireland has a nice article sketching the business model of the band, U2. The tone is a little breathy, but it points the reader in many interesting directions (e.g. U2's manager is Paul McGuinness; he articulates an oft-repeated idea that artists are now taking on the role that record companies used to play).
Managers are an incredibly important part of a popular band's success. This article offers a glimpse into the importance of Paul McGuinness in U2's success.

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/how-u2-have-stayed-on-top-of-the-world-1445208.html

Move to China

There's a new music subscription service in China...but it requires you to move to China!

http://opinion.latimes.com/bitplayer/2008/08/china-mp3s.html

BMG employment opportunity

The blog called "Idolator" links us to a job description for a six-figure VP in the music business that doesn't require any experience in the music business. Your UST degree in music business would give you a solid grounding in music -- I suppose you wouldn't be qualified for the VP position at BMG. BTW, "Idolator" suggests that BMG is a sinking ship...

http://idolator.com/399683/sinking-ship-seeks-captain-promises-hazard-pay-in-high-six-figures

Initiation of a Young Rock impresario

In the NYTimes: There is no short-cut for hard work.

ARTS / MUSIC
On the Bus, and Off It: The Initiation of a Young Rock Impresario
By MELENA RYZIK
Published: July 31, 2008
For Sean Carlson, taking his independent music festival on tour was a chance to have fun, to make his name and, he hoped, to leapfrog to the next level of the music world.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/arts/music/31break.html?ex=1375243200&en=577e558c10bcf0ab&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

More introductions

Spent 45 minutes today meeting incoming freshmen students at an academic information session. Of the students who I met who were interested in music business, almost all of them have had years of experience. The one piece of information that surprised each of them was that they would have to audition to be accepted into the music department.
Surprised because I think it is assumed that music business doesn't require you to be a musician. That may be the greatest long-term strength of the music business program at UST -- we set a very high standard for what our students must be able to do if they are going into music business. They must be performers, producers, conductors, composers, and must have a grasp of the sweep of music history.
AND take foundational courses in business: finance, accounting, marketing, management, business law and ethics, and entrepreneurship.
This MuBu degree is HARD! As it should be.

First post

This is going to be an interesting experience for me. I've kept a blog before but never for my work. I will begin by saying that I am the director of the music business program at the University of St. Thomas. This means that I teach three classes, advise students, help them plan their internships, and advise the student organization called MEISA (Music & Entertainment Industry Student Association).
In time, I will have links to current news and will have posts discussing what is happening in the world of MuBu. Lt. Meriwether Lewis is my model in this endeavor. He kept scrupulous notes on what he thoughts, saw, heard, and felt during the great Expedition of Discovery that was a search for a northwestern passage to the Pacific Ocean that he led with Lt. Clarke.
If this blog is enlightening to you it will be because of Lt. Lewis and his Field Guide.