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Thursday, February 12, 2015

Digital sill below 50% CityMusicDeals and MUSICAct

Let's be clear Physical Music Sales are 55%, if not more* of music sales and the only people that don't get it are the sales reps for digital distribution companies and Indie Musicians.  Just look, the numbers don't add up and investors are realizing that having a PhysicalDistribuitonDeal.com is vital to any companies, artists, band or labels success hence the drop in Digital Only companies stocks.

Who competes in only 45 percent of a market place, again -- Indie Musicans that's who does. And it's because they are lied to or to stupid to understand that 45 percent of a market (that is really dominated by one company) is not a success strategy. Meanwhile the Majors --you know the model that is the "WORSE BUSINESS IN THE WORLD" proclamation made by every CEO of a Digital Music play and most of their recording artists --

Yet! they are still making billions of dollars and they ain't doing it selling downloads or streams 


Now what is the end goal, clearly the multinational companies are not only interested in profits there has to be something else playing out; Because, there is more then money involved and at stake when it comes to music and it's not a good story for US Music; however, that's another blog post called Entertaining our Economy to Death.

I've been really thinking about how we frame the success of some artists when in fact their success is really from the music that came for the city or town that they happened to have been born or moved into and the City's music became part of their DNA as much if not more then they made the City's.  Since it's the City's music that is what frames the larger narrative Chicago Blues, DC's GoGO Seattle Rock, 

Looking at the simple economics of music over a few decades and the new push for US Mayors to export products nicly comes together with a project USMadeMusic.org that seeks promote the export of American made music, the idea dawned upon me to launch a City by City music deal, now called CityMusicDeal(TM) in the top USA Music Cities and (one by one) CityMusicDeal.com will turn into AustinMusicDeal.com, DCMusicDeal.com,  NashvilleMusicDeal.com and etc. connecting the local chambers of commerce, music and arts advocates and any artists band and label that wants a distribution deal. Read more on the website.


Having recently, talked with many of our US Music City Mayor's during the recent Winter Meeting 2015 they heard very clearly that getting exports out was key and most insticlly knew or have come to find out that local music is a priority; However in Washington, DC  music is an after thought other then talks of Cultural Diplomacy which it cannot do if we don't export it.

Really you say an after thought and I say yes! So much so that the only piece of legislation or trade actives I've seen carried out to help US Made Music the M.U.S.I.C. ACT has been in the waiting room for legislation and no one really talks about it.   What is this act?  It would give millions of dollars to local music makes to do just that and export it out of the USA.

Here's the quote from the intro to the legislation

“Our small, independent music labels are finding it increasingly difficult to sell their goods in the global marketplace,” said Nadler.  “This bill would help promote U. S. exports in an extremely competitive industry whose talents cannot be outsourced.  Helping these businesses access foreign markets is also an important part of President Obama’s goal to double U. S. exports in five years – an effort in which New York, home to many independent music labels and artists, continues to take the lead.”  
http://nadler.house.gov/press-release/nadler-seeks-bolster-global-market-american-independent-music

Now I'm not sure why Congress and the Administration aren't supporting this however I've stated a Change.org petition urging Congress to take this up NOW and get support to the one set of Small - large business need and that is working capital and exporting help and that is just what the MUSICAct delivers. Please sign the petition and let folks know about the CityMusicDeal.com it really make an impact on our economy and the lives of some many American's and who can't support that in the USA?

*Vinyl sales is something that I've been involved with for decades and know that what is reported in sales is not reflective of the true volume of vinyl sales.  One of the main reasons being that much of it is sold at shows by indie bands. However the upsurge is just the natural lift that comes from Majors jumping back into it which now means that all of the plants are occupied.   Kinda funny dontcha think.  Majors Occupied the Record Plants that they tried to kill.  

PS get ready for Major back titles on Vinyl to be at $45-55 dollars.