-Indie NYC act Interpol signs with Capitol. Majors are continuing to pick up indie bands with decent sales. Indie bands still believe in majors despite what anyone says. (Hits)

–Classic Case has signed with Fearless Records. This band has been slugging it out on the indie emo scene for some time. Great live show.

Check out the LA Times “Musician Is Front Man at Geffen”

Ron Fair who is now head of one of Universal Music Group’s labels, has rekindled the debate over who should run the music industry: business executives or people with experience creating music.

Jimmy Iovine says “I’d always rather teach a music guy how to sell a record than try to teach a business guy how to make one,”. Ron knows what a star looks like, and he knows how to produce a hit. The rest of the business is easy compared to that.”

Others stake a different claim.

“We need executives who think about groups as brands, not just musical acts,” said Andy Gould, manager of such Geffen acts as Rob Zombie. “There are very few execs who know what to do beyond send a song to KROQ and pray it gets played. I think Ron is up for the challenge, but it’s going to be tough if he’s mostly in the studio.”

Fair says he will shift Geffen’s focus from a mishmash of genres to singer-driven albums and the most commercial of genres: pop.

“To succeed today you have to get the biggest exposure possible, and that means pop,” said Fair. “Pop music dominates radio, it dominates television, it dominates commercials and the Internet.”

There’s so much competition for people’s consciousness now that a band has to grab anything that gives them exposure,” Fair said. “There’s no such thing as selling out, now. There’s just getting heard.”

“It’s good to have someone in that position who actually loves music,” said Gould, the manager. “If it works, the music guys might just win back this business.”

As sad it seems, Ron Fair is right. Selling out doesn’t exist anymore and competing for the people’s consciouseness is a hard task in this ADD Generation. Also, label heads must have a sense of music and business. One who only knows music will fail and one who knows only business and is tonedeaf will fail. Aint that the truth.

Bono: The Billion Dollar Business Man
I always saw Bono as a savvy business man. Tom Petty is a traveling rock star, but Bono with his oversized sunglasses is on his way to the respectable “Trump” status. The savior of the third world and his private equity group Elevation Partners, a $1.9 billion media and entertainment buyout firm bought major shares in Forbes Magazine and became the first outsider to invest in its business media properties. Bono set up Elevation Partners, named after a U2 song, last year with five former senior figures from the world of business, including the former chief financial officer of Apple Computers.
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Performance Videos Are Passe.
Don’t waste your money on cliche performance videos anymore unless of course your showmanship is a cut above the rest. YouTube changed everything and it changed they way stars are born. The fact is, kids are bored with peformance videos and are more intriqued by videos with a creative twist (IE: OK Go’s “Here it Goes Again” – viewed 2 million times on YouTube). Just think about it, a real video that would be suitable for MTV/VH1 would cost 150k and that is the on the low side. OK GO spent peanuts on a video and it landed on Fuse, VH1 followed by major press including Wall Street Journal, N.Y. Times, and Washington Post. Spending money doesn’t equate to a successful video nor video play. Creativity is more important. What a beautiful success story that bears truth.

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NY Singer Builds Big Following With Web Exposure
Jamie Kristine Seerman has been offered major labels deals but turned them down even though she has no financial backing and a marketing plan. She has faith in the Internet, iTunes and inexpensive recording, and would rather maintain control of her work. She released a five-song EP on the Internet site www.insound.com and on her MySpace page. Her song “Gray or Blue” became a top-selling folk song on iTunes and her EP made the top 100 albums.
Paste magazine music editor Jason Killingsworth said the music industry is so fragmented that for many artists, “there is no compelling reason to sign up to a major record label.”  (Reuters)

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**send your demos and new music to KOAR. We want to hear your new music. If your an artist and believe you are the “real deal� send an email to dean@kingsofar.com and provide us a link to your music.

-Rapper/ producer Dr. Dre and Interscope Records CEO Jimmy Iovine have filed a lawsuit against a Delaware based company over an oral breach of contract.

–Clear Channel Communications said Tuesday its second-quarter earnings fell more than 10percent on higher operating costs, despite a 7 percent increase in revenue. To stem the loss of listeners to satellite radio, Clear Channel has cut back on commercials, but raised its rates.

-Victory Records signs Ohio hardcore screamo act Beneath the Sky

-Los Angeles based indie pop/rock band The Hanks have signed to Cobra Music distributed by Fontana/Universal. Legal rep is Ben McLane, Esq and management: Jennifer Dare

-Billboard executive editor Ken Schlager and bureau chiefs Melinda Newman and Phyllis Stark were axed as part of a bigger overhaul triggered last month when the magazine’s VNU parent bought radio trade publication Radio & Records and closed down Billboard Radio Monitor. A total of 26 employees were let go from editorial, sales and operations, including nine from Billboard (Hits).

-According to Hits , P.O.D. split with Atlantic Records. Although the band has sold 7 million records, the last two records failed to react with a larger audience.

– MTV VMA’s nominates Alternative act 10 Years (pictured) Wasteland Video for ‘Best Direction and ‘Best Art Direction’. The band who is currently on the Family Values Tour has sold close to 350,000. New single ‘Waking Up” will impact radio 8/15.

Vol 22 Now That’s What I call Music
TW 127,156
Total 883,125
**An album full of Hits.

Come (Whatever) May
Stone Sour
TW 80,786
Total 80,949

All The Right Reasons
Nickelback
TW 43,545
Total 3,209,312
**Incredible

Taking The Long Way Home
Dixie Chicks
TW 32,012
Total 37,336
**Cancelled 14 shows after slow ticket sales.

Greatest Hits
Guns N Roses
TW 13,195
Total 3,093,530