A common thought on the view of Spotify is that is it great for the consumer, and bad for the artist. Valid point. Considering that record labels are getting about a third of a penny per play, leaving artists with even less. So for instance, every 15 tracks you play, which is an average track number for CD’s, is going to cost you around 5 cents. Well, when it is put like that it certainly seems like stealing. Great for the consumer, considering that an average CD usually runs about $12.99. So how can this not be labelled stealing from the artists.

Spotify iPhone app's Playlists screen

To take a deeper look into the music industry, you should start by looking at the numbers. Since the late 1990′s the music industry has fallen from a 45 billion dollar industry to a 12 billion dollar industry. This is largely due to the increase in piracy, and internet distribution of media – in this case, music. Therefore artists simply are not making as much money as they did. People don’t buy CD’s because distribution of music has been made so convenient. Even things like Pandora radio station give us another alternative to buying CD’s. Spotify is the latest alternative to buying music. And just like Pandora, you do not physically own the track with Spotify.

This brings the question of how much is each track play worth to an artist. Are artist entitled to make large sums of money because of their work? I think not. As a technicality an artist is only an employee of a Record Label. Very few artists make it big without being signed to a record company. If any artist choses to go independent, more than likely they will see less success then they ever would as a signed artist. Record companies are striking up deals with Spotify obviously because there are some profits to be made. The profits may be less than they like, but without Spotify or any other music service, songs will just be pirated. Piracy is wrong, and it is unfortunate that it exists, but the problem doesn’t necessarily have to do with piracy as much as it has to do with distribution.

Just because at one point in time the only way you could buy CD’s was to go to the local store and buy one, doesn’t mean that model will always be sustainable. The music industry was making record profits during this time. Music was harder to produce, and there was only a select few who had the opportunity. Now, during our internet age, music can be delivered to your computer over the span of just a few minutes, and there are many more opportunities for artists to be successful. You can buy professional recording equipment for under $500 dollars with Pro Tools. You can broadcast yourself on YouTube. You can distribute your music on Myspace. There are endless ways to get seen these days, and the costs to produce music have gone down considerably. Artists, more than anyone else are ignoring this. Just like any other business, you are not guaranteed to make “x” amount of dollars because you or someone else has in the past.

The record companies do understand this. That is why they are making deals to be a part of it. It may not be the most beneficial to the artists, but as an artist, you cannot expect to make a large sum of money off of a market that doesn’t exist. A CD that sold for 16 dollars at one point after creation, production, packaging, shipping, and finally retail markup does not equate in today’s standards. You want to send the CD directly to someones PC in minutes, with decreased production costs and charge the same $16? Um, I don’t think so.

The music industry should look at Spotify as essentially free advertisement, that you can actually make a little bit of money from. This is especially true for artists who are under the radar, and need exposure that can be done through direct pays or from word of mouth through Spotify’s social aspect. Artists need to think about the live performance at its rawest as their main income. There is no market to sell $16 CD’s anymore, so don’t expect to make hand over fist with each CD you release.

Spotify

With all of that being said, Spotify does have one downfall. For popular artists who are dominating the number of plays, they should receive a little bit more of the profits since it is because of them that Spotify is able to have a successful business. There is no reason that a band who has just gotten off the ground should be paid the same percentage, when comparing to artists like Lady Gaga who attract millions of plays. Without the big names, many people would not be signing up to listen. For the smaller bands, it is better to look at this as an opportunity to be seen.

Spotify has definitely been generating some controversy over the inexpensive, seemingly all inclusive service of music. It is ultimately better for the consumer, than it is for the artist – but a better alternative than piracy. The music industry isn’t what it once was. Consumers can now have music faster, cheaper, and in large quantities. This isn’t exactly what musicians want to hear, but that is the reality. The internet has made things easier, and more affordable. Music is not independent from this, and therefore Spotify has made attempt to fix the problem of distribution and theft. Some people may think this is stealing, but the Record companies are making deals with Spotify. The artists are employees of the Record companies. Right now Spotify has the best business model. Our technology driven business era may change that fast, but everyone needs to understand that the same technology driven era has created Spotify out of necessity.

This article was written by Thomas Randall. Thomas likes to blog on the internet about music, web design, and other various internet related topics. He knows what it takes to get some buzz on the internet and helps to provide the best white hat SEO services.

Be the first to contact us and claim your Spotify code, if you don’t have one yet. Be quick!

Today, the company announced that over 10,000 artists/musicians/DJs had signed up for the service in the first month. The company attributes the explosive growth to its simple value proposition which has been heavily embraced by the artist community.

“I’m blown away by how quickly word is spreading throughout the industry,” says Onesheet creator Brenden Mulligan. “I’ve never seen early growth like this before for an artist focused product.”

Musicians of all sizes have set up Onesheets, including artists from all the major labels, such as Paramore, Owl City, and Mat Kearney.

Up to this point the site has been in private beta, but as of today, anyone can sign up to create a Onesheet.

The service has been rapidly rolling out enhancements over the past month (details can be found at blog.onesheet.com):

• Added support for additional services such as Beatport, CD Baby, Eventful, iTunes, Topspin, and Ustream.
• Additional customization options such as changing the colors of the navigation bar, removing social network icons, etc…
• Buy/Store links now be placed directly under the media player.
• A video from YouTube, Vimeo, or Vevo can be featured
• Onesheets can be assigned a custom domain name
• Most Onesheet branding can be removed from the web page
• All traffic data can be accessed through a user’s Google Analytics account
• Like and Follow buttons can be added underneath the media player
• When a user saves a Onesheet on their mobile device or tablet, a custom icon is created

Many of the above features are part of the “Pro Preview”, which allows current users free access to use some of the features that will eventually be part of the premium service. No credit card is required to be a part of the preview.

The premium tier is promised to roll out over the next few months, as well as continual feature enhancements.

Blue Microphones Drum Kit

Basically, all you are asked to do is to leave a published comment on the band’s Facebook page saying why you should win, or fill up a simple form (better – do both).

One eskimO, who is going on tour starting October 13th, has more cool stuff on their Facebook page. Using this app you can listen to an unreleased remix of the band’s new single by simply “liking” the page. If you want to hear the second track, you will have to “Share” a link to the page, and if you want to download the songs – just leave your email address.

Another contest on the same page gives you a chance to win free tickets to One eskimO‘s show.

You can enter the One eskimO and Blue Mic giveaway right away.

Pop stars Chris Martin of Coldplay and Lady Gaga have both endorsed the new network, promising to play an active role in Ping’s new social community. Ping members will be able to view music other friends purchase and will receive special playlists based on what users are listening to, similar to the Genius application. Looking to attend a Katy Perry concert in the near future with your friends? Ping will show upcoming concerts and allow users to purchase tickets to shows.

Ping

However, just like every good thing on the internet, there are already major drawbacks. Spammers have hit Ping like a firestorm, setting up fake artist pages and plastering the network with advertisements for “free iPhones” if you complete a survey. It’s a bit embarrassing for Apple, as they originally had zero spam filtering for the service.

Apple will find starting Ping up difficult if it does not allow connectivity between the other major social networks such as Twitter, Last.fm, Facebook, and Myspace. Having a “walled” social network that’s not connected to other services will turn users away out of inconvenience.

PCMag.com’s Michael Muchmore has a great in depth article that delves deep into Ping and helps users with a quick start guide to getting around the social network. From an initial look at the network, Apple is going to need bigger hook to keep its one million users active and away from Facebook.

But Tunited is not just for musicians. Fans of genres from across the musical spectrum can discover new artists and provide feedback and support for each other in an ever competitive music industry. Custom playlists can be made with a huge mix of different artists from the site.

Tunited

And the best thing? All profits made from the songs go directly to the musicians, 100%. No middleman or promotion company to take in any revenue, effectively making the idea of a record company obsolete. And even if you don’t purchase a track, streaming a song can give the artist money also.

Tunited also adds links to music production software such as MU.LAB and Ableton to provide artists with the gear they need to rip tracks and perfect that sweet sound. Since Tunited is still in beta, not everything is up and running, meaning there is no artwork software to download yet. When it becomes available, musicians can create posters, flyers, CD artwork and more to promote their sound.

To add to the promotional opportunities available for musicians, music industry experts are available to provide insight and suggestions on artistic ideas. Such experts include Andrew King, who managed Pink Floyd and Ross Allen, a DJ for Domino, an indie label.

While it looks like another music sharing site on the internet, Tunited offers a greater alternative for up and coming artists looking to get their name out on the web. 100% profit intake and a great community for feedback, adding on top of great features to keep the artist and fans coming back for more, and you have yourself one promising website.

Visitors to SoundCloud now can uncover popular Creative Commons-licensed tracks via a dedicated homepage and search for free-to-use samples and audio via the advanced search features and tag browsing. Creators who choose to provide their original work with these free licenses now should have new channels to expose their tracks with the freedom they want them to carry for sharing and reuse. In addition, companies and developers building on SoundCloud’s open platform can bring the same search and remix experience to their users with reportedly increased access and filtering behind the scenes over the API.

SoundCloud

Creative Commons is most often associated with photo-sharing sites like Flickr, who host over 140 million CC-licensed images, and more recently with video-hosting platforms such as Vimeo. An increasing number of bigger names in the music world such as Nine Inch Nails, the Beastie Boys, David Byrne, Radiohead, and Snoop Dogg have embraced Creative Commons and it continues to thrive among a wider community of musicians and artists.

Alexander Ljung, CEO of SoundCloud said: “Providing the talented and varied userbase we have on SoundCloud with more options to share and create their own original works is core to our mission. Partnering with Creative Commons is great for our users and any audio creators in the CC community as we look to build a huge library of sounds, samples and songs to inspire more new creativity. These new features will facilitate this process and help to consolidate all the disparate sources of CC audio around the web for future creators.”

Find out more at this location.

Have you used the new features yet? Share your SoundCloud username in the comments, and don’t forget that you can send music promos to Dotted Music through our DropBox widget.

The rules are dead simple. You have two options to enter the giveaway:

• “Like” the Dotted Music page on Facebook.
• Share the message about the sweepstakes on Twitter (and don’t forget to follow me).

Or do both ;)

The winner will be announced later in June (the end date has been pushed back).

1,2,3

Confetti 7" Cover

A little background on 1,2,3, signed to almost as much young Ooh La La Records, a boutique artist development company and record label from Brooklyn, founded by producer Theo Aronson.

The outfit consists of Nic Snyder (vocals, guitar & keys) and his long-time pal Josh Sickels (drums). 1,2,3 hail from Pittsburgh and are late of the well-known power punk outfit, The Takeover UK.

“I’m really excited about this new band,” Nic proclaims, “It’s what I’ve always wanted a band to be.”

1,2,3 is the platform for some very smart songwriting, for example, “Confetti,” a tune about death that quite happily sounds like the orgasmic collision of latter day Beatles (definitely a Lennon tune), Gram Parsons and Big Star, and “Can’t Bribe God,” a kind of slow, Gospel shuffle that finds Snyder displaying simply the most viciously visceral vox work this side of Prince Rogers Nelson with a middle eight that feels curiously like ELO… in a good way.

Both songs were recorded last Fall at Aronson’s Brooklyn recording studio. Inquiring minds can expect to hear them very soon, followed by a full album in early 2010. Check out the band’s MySpace page for a sneak peak. “Confetti” is available in the Ooh La La Records online store.

Myself, FYSed

Upon completion, the photos can be saved and sent to either Facebook or Twitter. Or posted on a blog, like here on the right (I decided to keep it simple, as I look dumb even with only those sunglasses added).

As the announcement says, Four Year Strong have always embraced the idea of not taking themselves too seriously and now, they have spread that philosophy with FysYourself. Hours after its launch, FysYourself reportedly attracted the likes of Pete Wentz, Paramore’s Hayley Williams and over 10,000 other viewers.

Fans will have the opportunity to enter a contest with their FysYourself “masterpieces,” and the best entry will receive the ultimate Enemy of the World prize package: FYS Skatedeck, vinyl, CD, shirt, poster, pin pack, and tickets to see the band live.

What has been done here is relatevely simple technically wise, which only confirms that a viral idea doesn’t require an enormous budget.

My advice: if you are thinking of what game concept could be adopted for your own brand, just go to a random online collection of Flash games for inspiration – you will get dozens of ideas. But if you don’t care about viral promotions, or just goofing off at your computer: go FysYourself.

The list is based on my personal preferences, all items have been hand-picked. And, as you guessed, each of them costs less than $50 (without shipping)!

Disclosure

• The list includes some affiliate links. While I might be able to earn few bucks from them, I hope you understand that this isn’t the aim of the article.
• Yes, I love Etsy.
• I used these great blogs while working on the list: Coolest Gadgets, Fashionably Geek, Oh! Gizmo.

Enough of introduction, the Holidays are near and you’ve got lots of presents to order! I’ve divided the goodies into groups to help you.

Books

1. All You Need To Know About The Music Business, 7th Edition
   $21.12
   The latest edition of what they call “a music industry bible,” written by Donald Passman. Not recommended as a gift to your client if you are a music attorney or a label representative.
2. Confessions Of A Record Producer, 10th Anniversary Edition
   $16.49
   Another reissued classic, which I’m currently reading. This work of Moses Avalon is also packed with a CD full of videos.
3. Friction Is Fiction
   $19.98
   The most recent collection of Gerd Leonhard’s essays. If you don’t know who Gerd is, visit his Media Futurist blog and seriously consider checking out his books and presentations (moreover that most of them are available online for free). The book is sold as a $60 full color dead-tree version, the same b&w version (offered to you here) and a $7.50 PDF file. More info.
4. Remix: Making Art And Commerce Thrive In The Hybrid Economy
   $17.13
   Wired columnist Lawrence Lessig ranting on the copyright law applied to the online world.

Donald Passman

1. Fans, Friends And Followers
   $15.95
   The title, “Building An Audience And A Creative Career In The Digital Age,” is pretty self-explanatory. A great guide on building online fan base. Read a recent Hypebot interview with the author, Scott Kirsner.
2. Hit Hard: A Story Of Hitting Rock Bottom At The Top
   $17.81
   I received a copy few months ago, when we promoted the book’s release on UG. This is a very sincere story of Joey Kramer: a man, a real person with difficult childhood and broken life, who happens to be a drummer of one of the biggest rock bands in history. I’d recommend sending this to your nephew, dreaming of a rock & roll life (especially if he is a fan of Aerosmith).
3. Why AC/DC Matters
   $11.33
   As stated by the author, Anthony Bozza, this book is not just for the AC/DC fans, but for “the rest of you” as well. Interesting and easy read.
4. Kill Audio Comic Book
   $3.99-$42.00
   A comic book series co-written by Coheed & Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez and his wife Chondra Echert. The comic revolves around the title character, an immortal and unsuspecting hero who must save the world with his music. Sounds like fun!
5. Six-String Heroes
   $23.10
   A beautiful showcase of 150 of the greatest guitar players in history by rock photographer Neil Zlozower. Steven Rosen wrote the text. This music journalist, who is in the business for more than 30 years, now constantly writes for UG.

Clothes / Bags

10. Starwars Yoda DJ Men’s T-shirt
    $39.30
    What would this list be without the mightiest Star Wars character?
11. Classic Cassette Tote
    $9.99
    An old-school geeky cassette tape tote.
12. “I Listen” T-Shirt
    $20.00
    Red tee, headphones, and the “I Listen” sign in Japanese. Aesthetically good.
13. Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious Retro Punk T-Shirt
    $17.00
    For real punks other there.
14. I Heart Guitars Baby Shirt
    Don’t forget about the babies! They can love guitars, too.
    $10.00

I Want To Be A Crock Star tee

10. “I Want To Be A Crock Star” T-Shirt
    $14.00
    Didn’t you just have a feeling that you know at least 10 people whom you’d present this tee?
11. “Girl Talk I Am Not A DJ” T-Shirt
    $20.00
    Another cool tee for all the superstar djs around you.
12. Joan Jett ‘Born To Be Bad’ Tee
    $39.00
    This is replica of a shirt Joan Jett wore in 1978 by Worn Free.
13. Michael Jackson Dancing “This Is It Tour” T-Shirt
    $17.00
    Might be a good gift for the fellow MJ fans.
14. Rock On, Rock Off T-Shirt
    $18.00
    Loved this description at FashionablyGeek: “It’s hard to imagine the type of music that would warrant the simultaneous use both a flaming Bic and the sign of the horns, but if you know of any, this shirt will provide them both when the lights go out.”
15. Turntables Hoodie
    $40.00
    Spread some love for turntables!
16. Womens Turntables Tee
    $11.00
    I said love? Don’t forget about women, your close ones might adore vinyl & turntables too.

Accessories

22. Technics Wallet
    $6.30
    An official product by Technics DMC.

Guitar Hero Cufflinks

22. Rolling Stones 1975 Tour Belt
    $22.00
    If the Rolling Stones rocked your pants off in 1979, here’s a commemorative belt to help keep you clothed. (c)
23. Guitar Sunglasses
    $6.25-$8.00
    One of the most insipid things I’ve ever seen, but I couldn’t resist from posting it here. Makes sense to order few dozens at once to make your co-workers look equally cheerful (and stupid).
24. Guitar Pick Earrings
    $25.00
    Accessories for the true rock-chicks.
25. Guitar Hero Cufflinks
    $50.00
    If your friend is more into Guitar Hero than real guitars, this is a must-buy-and-send-as-a-present thing.
26. Black Grand Piano Cufflinks
    $18.00
    A pianists’ version.

Guitar Stuff

28. Sterling Silver Guitar Pick
    $30.00
    A silver pick with “Play On” hand stamped onto it.
29. The Beatles Guitar Picks
    $8.00
    Picks with Fab Four’s printed faces.
30. Steve Clayton Custom Picks
    $39.00-…
    If the above two options didn’t work for you, check this out. At this site you can design everything from the shape and gauge to the text/design and material of your picks.

Butt-O-Meter

28. Handmade Adjustable Guitar Strap
    $45.00
    A nice “Whimsical Floral” handmade guitar strap for female guitarists. Other patterns are available.
29. Strap Graphics
    $59.00 (yes, I know I exceed the limit a bit)
    Want something totally unique? Head over to this site, upload your own design and select specs like the strap width, leather color, and stitching.
30. Batt-O-Meter
    $34.95
    Simple and irreplaceable tool for reading voltage and hours of use on most active basses, guitars, and effects pedals that use a 9 volt battery. Essential for gigging.
31. Outlet Tester
    $37.66
    Taking the time to use the outlet tester a few minutes before a show can save your friend’s precious amp.
32. Dunlop Pyrex Glass Flare Slide
    $7.95
    The Dunlop Pyrex Glass Flare Slide can deliver you a warm, middle-harmonics tone. For fans of Joe Walsh, Jack White, or Billy Gibbons.

Gadgets

MIXA USB cassette

36. MIXA
    $32.70
    A “USB cassette” for the digital stuff. Design your own version before ordering right on the site.
37. USB Rocking Teddy
    $42.00
    Your little sister / daughter will love it.
38. Mobile FM Transmitter Handsfree
    $17.00
    This digital FM Transmitter lets you listen to mobile phones’ music on car stereo (has a built-in hands-free function). Might be useful for people spending half of their lives in cars.

iPod / iPhone Accessories

39. BudFits By Innovelis
    $8.93
    A nice little thing for music & sport lovers. BudFits help iPod and iPhone earbuds not fall out and maximize your comfort by eliminating the need to wedge earbuds into the ear canal to keep the earbuds in place.
40. Handmade iPhone/iPod Case
    $28.00
    A handmade Apple range cover for protecting your iPod Touch/iPhone, with the soft inner suede and a cool cassette Artwork.

Online Services / Stores

Soundcloud

41. Soundcloud
    $42.20
    An ideal gift for any musician, in my opinion. Consider the better Premium packs as well.
42. iTunes Gift Cards & Gift Certificates
    $50.00
    Even if you put your own records on iTunes, it isn’t a reason to abandon buying music at it, right? Same applies to your friends.
43. Rhapsody Music Gifts: Rhapsody Unlimited
    $29.99 (for 3 months)
44. Amazon
    $5.00-$5000
    Amazon is good at such kind of things. You can choose a desired type of your gift card and load it with as much money as you want.
45. ShockHound $50 Gift Card
    $50.00
    A good place with lots of music and accessories.

Random Stuff

46. Michael Jackson Lap Tray
    $32.50
    Another souvenir for hardcore Michael Jackson fans.
47. The Gripp Hand Trainer
    $4.99
    This cheap hand/forearm strengthener is aimed to help musicians playing for a longer period of time. Can be taken anywhere (unlike a guitar).

The Gripp Hand Trainer

46. The Beatles Pint Set
    $45.99
    Beatles & beer, what a combination! 4 pint glasses featuring cover images from Rubber Soul, Revolver, Let It Be and With The Beatles on each one.
47. STS9 Merchandise Pack
    Free, if you are lucky
    You don’t have to pay anything for it, just subscribe to Dotted Music! The prize won’t be delivered earlier than in January, so consider this as a nice present to yourself.
48. Leonard Cohen Live At The Isle Of Wight 1970 LP
    Free, if you are lucky
    Another sweepstakes now running on Dotted Music. If you are a fan either of Leonard Cohen or vinyl records, enter the giveaway by subscribing to our friendly RSS feed!

Let me know in the comments if you’ve ordered / tried any of the listed products, or think that this gift guide is a garbage – hey, I’m open to any feedback!

But if you found the post useful, don’t forget to save the link in Delicious to get back to it when another holiday season strikes.