Kickstarter Names Perfect Pussy’s Meredith Graves New Director Of Music

Meredith Graves has joined Kickstarter as their new Director of Music. Graves is an outspoken writer, former MTV News anchor, indie label founder and frontwoman for the hardcore punk band Perfect Pussy. Users have funded more music projects than any other category on Kickstarter including 27,488 albums, performances, independent music…

Eyellusion Raises $2M For Hologram Tours

Thomas Dolan has raised a $2 million seed round for Eyellusion, the startup behind hologram tours of Frank Zappa, Ronnie James Dio and others. Dolan serves on the board of Madison Square Garden and AMC Networks, and will serve in an advisory role for Eyellusion. “The Eyellusion team is incredibly…

Live Nation Launches Fund To Back Female Founded Live Music Businesses

Live Nation has established the Women Nation Fund, an early-stage investment fund focused on female-led live music businesses. It will provide access to the company’s resources and capital for underrepresented female entrepreneurs in the concert promotions, events, and festival spaces. The announcement was made by Live Nation President and CEO…

How To Make The Power Of Community The Key To Music Industry Success

While the music industry is often described as a cutthroat dog-eat-dog world (and this certainly can be the case) there is much to be said for the power of community, and what working productively with others in the industry can do to buoy your chances of success. __________________________ Guest post…

SoundExchange, RIAA, ASCAP, BMI, Others Voice Strong Support Of Senate’s Music Modernization Act

The bipartisan Music Modernization Act was introduced in the US Senate today. It closely mimics the House version which passed recently on a unanimous vote. As with the previous bill, music industry trade groups lined up in strong support. Michael Huppe, SoundExchange President and CEO “On behalf of the 150,000+…

Ex-Ticketmaster CEO Amasses $30M War Chest To Shakeup Ticketing

Former Ticketmaster exec Nathan Hubbard recently announced plans to take on the ticketing giant with the formation of a brand new company he’s calling Rival. The Los Angeles-based startup has raised more than $30 million in venture capital over the last 18 months. The company’s backers include Andreessen Horowitz, Upfront…

4 Offline Marketing Ideas For Venues, Festivals

While the often discussed digital marketing certainly has its place, there remains much to be said for real world, ‘in the flesh’ marketing. Here we look at four of the most effective ways you can reach fans in your city offline. __________________ Guest post by Bill Leigh of Eventbrite These…

Live Nation, Ticketmaster To Use Troubling Facial Recognition To Track Concert Goers

Live Nation and its ticketing arm Ticketmaster have announced that it has invested in facial recognition technology and will introduce it into its venues. The concert and ticket giants are teaming up with Blink Identity, a company that specializes in facial recognition technology, so that concert-goers will no longer need…

Live Money vs. Streaming Money: Which Comes First?

Professor David Phelp of William Paterson University examines how the balance of power has shifted between live and streamed music, and where both areas may have their financial limitations when it comes to artist growth. ________________________ Guest post by Professor David Phelp of William Paterson University and Music Biz 101…

Music Stocks: Pandora, Live Nation Soar, Spotify Down

Most major music stocks are generally having a great day on Wall Street, with the exception of Spotify. As of mid-day Friday, most major indexes were up 1-2%. But Pandora is up a whopping 25% and Live Nationis up more than 11% after both reported financials that, while mixed, beat…