New e-Book Provides Inside Look Into Music Business

Recently released e-book Rock Realities by Zachary Fenell gives an insider look into the music business. The e-book compiles into one collection articles, each based off a phone interview with a different musician. These musicians mostly fall within the pop/rock/indie/alternative genres.

Through interviewing various artists Fenell creates a comprehensive resource capturing musicians’ perspectives on the music business. All together Rock Realities contains interviews with the following.

•Jason Stollsteimer (The Von Bondies/The Hounds Below/PONYSHOW)
•Billy Jack Skillet (Lucid Grey)
•Jake Nielsen
•Stacey Randol
•Eric Halborg (The Swayback)
•Dave Erickson (Summertime Dropouts)
•Todd Wilkinson with Chuck Doom (Team Sleep)
•Chris Hendricks
•Andrew W.K.
•Maddy Walsh (The Blind Spots)
•Steve Mackin (Mulu Lizi)
•Mike Hill (Tombs)
•Jesse Magee (Leftstronger)

Veteran music journalist Alan Cross encouraged musicians to checkout Rock Realities. Via his website A Journey of Musical Things, Cross said in-part “(Rock Realities) offers some serious truths about what you need to know.” He goes on to add, “It’s not just some dude pontificating. He went to some good sources for advice.”

Fenell in his comments explained why he wrote Rock Realities. “Like a record or cassette tape, my motives to write Rock Realities proved two sided. A, I aimed to establish a resource aspiring musicians can consult for advice. B, by interviewing upcoming independent artists I looked to offer music fans a tool for new music discovery.”

Accompanying discographies at each selection’s end makes said discovery an easy exploration. With links embedded to artists’ albums, new music remains two taps away. Tap one takes you to an album’s sales page on Amazon or Barnes & Noble’s website. Select whether you want a single song or a whole album and execute the second tap.

You can find Rock Realities available on the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook.

ABOUT ZACHARY FENELL
Zachary Fenell works as a freelance writer/editor, specializing in music and disability niches. He previously wrote about music for the now defunct websites OC Reloaded and Yahoo! Voices. Rock Realities marks his second e-book. Previously he released a memoir, titled Off Balanced, about growing up with the neurological disability cerebral palsy. To learn more about Fenell visit http://zacharyfenell.com.

http://www.zacharyfenell.com/rock-realities

http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=190933

Tuned Global Opens Asian HQ In Indonesia & Signs Strategic Deal With Musica Studios

Having identified key opportunities in the emerging markets of Southeast Asia and Indonesia, the Australian company has hired a local team of music and digital industry experts, who have already signed a strategic deal with the biggest independent Indonesian label, Musica Studios.

Funded partly by the investment of $5.1 million from Australian venture capital firm, Exto Partners, the new Tuned Global office in Senayan, Jakarta is now the Asian headquarters for the highly disruptive digital music firm.

It plans to grow its Jakarta team by recruiting more local specialists in business development, marketing, promotions and label relations roles in 2016.

Gary Mackenzie, Director of Music Partnerships Asia, has been chose to lead Tuned Global initiatives in Indonesia because of his 10 years of experience in digital marketing and music industry in Asia. Having already led the partnership agreements with Musica, Gary believes it is important for Tuned Global to have talented local people on the ground in Indonesia in order to build relationships with the key labels and grow its local business.

Tuned Global is currently in discussions with major telecoms companies, leading ad agencies, music companies and key brands, which will help the company to achieve its ambitious growth targets.

"We're excited to have established our Asian headquarters in the highly enigmatic city of Jakarta. We completely understand that business relationships are built over time in Southeast Asia and being located here and investing in the local Indonesian market was a logical step for Tuned Global. Our Asian hub will be instrumental in achieving our goal of becoming a global digital music company," said Con Raso, Managing Director, Tuned Global.

Newly signed partner, Musica Studios has an impressive line-up of the most popular and famous local Indonesian artists, including Noah, Nidji, Geisha and d'Masiv. The vast majority of music played on Indonesia radio and television is by its own local artists, so Tuned Global believed it was important to work with a label that represented the local Indonesian music scene.

"Tuned Global develops pioneering music solutions that provide extraordinary opportunities, not only for music labels like Musica, but also to our local Indonesian artists and most importantly it allows us to stream our extensive music catalogue to the Indonesian music fans, which promotes our artists while monetising our content. As the leading independent label in Indonesia, we are very excited to be working with such an innovator in digital music, which will enable us to protect our rich local culture and generate more revenue," said Gumilang Ramadhan, Managing Director, Musica Studios.

"Tuned Global intends to get more involved in the promotion of the local Indonesian music content as the relationship develops with Musica and its artists, because we are passionate about the music industry and want to help in the fight against widespread piracy here by offering new music business models that will make music fans, music labels AND artists happy," said Gary Mackenzie, Director of Music Partnerships Asia, Tuned Global.

About Tuned Global
Tuned Global is the leading business to business provider of white label digital music streaming and downloading solutions in Asia Pacific. The Australia and South East Asia headquartered company enables brands to harness the #PowerOfMusic as a potent marketing tool in their digital strategy to acquire, retain and engage customers, and collect valuable data to better know them. Clients include McDonalds, Coca Cola, Samsung, JB Hi-Fi, Virgin Mobile and L'Oreal. For more information please see: www.tunedglobal.com

About Musica Studios
Musica Studios is one of the leading independent music labels in Indonesia. Based in Jakarta, the company was previously known as Metropolitan Studios in the 1960s and then Music Studios in the 1970s. Musica Studios was founded by Yamin Widjaja, the owner of an electronics store. For more information, please see: http://www.musica.id

http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=188412

NYC Event: BMS' "The Independent Artist As A Startup" - Thursday, 5/28

BMS IS BACK!

This time, they'll be presenting "The Independent Artist as a Startup – Fundraising, Marketing, and Branding." This extremely timely topic will take center stage on May 28, 7 PM, at Guitar Center's Times Square location in New York City. The event is free, with a sharp moderator and six strategically selected panelists to enrich your mind.Here's what they've got in store for you this time – read on for the complete details on this essential event, direct from BMS:

BMS will delve into the concept of mapping an artist's career as a business and embracing an entrepreneurial spirit in fundraising and online promotion and distribution.The BMS panelists will discuss issues vital to the indie artist such as:

Effective Fundraising and Crowdfunding Strategies
Basics of Digital Marketing for Music
Building a team
The Art of Multi tasking
Maintaing your Independence
Touring and on- the-ground promotions

EVENT DETAILS

"The Business of Music Seminars" (BMS) aims to make it easier for producers, engineers, artists, and entrepreneurs to know what's happening now – and what's coming next.

When: May 28th, 7pm
Where: Guitar Center's flagship Times Square store in NYC
Cost: FREE to attend
Moderator: Kenyatta Beasly (Director of Audio Production- Long Island University)

Lineup: Our lineup of industry heavy hitters includes:
Faith Newman – Sr. Vice President, Reservoir Media
Fiona Bloom — CEO, The Bloom Effect
Bassy Bob Brockman — Grammy winning producer, Usher, D'Angelo
Stuart Matthewman — Twin Danger, Sade
Vanessa Bley – Twin Danger, Beast Patrol

BMS encourages strong networking. The audience will have ample time allocated after the live filmed panel to meet and have one to one conversations with the panelists.

Make a difference. Join us at BMS!
www.bmseminars.org

http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=183628

Musicians: Be First To Upload Your Profile On OKMusic.fm, New Site For Indie Fans

Be the first to share your music with fans, and gain exposure as a featured artist on OKMusic.fm, a new music site launching this fall.

OKMusic, a site that started in Japan and is wildly popular with music lovers in that part of the world, will select 10 musicians to be profiled on the new English language site when the site is formally announced. Tell us your story! You or your band could be featured with photos and an article on your music and how you got started.

Still in soft launch, OKMusic fuses music discovery with social networking.

Indie musicians can upload music and communicate with fans. Artists can create a profile along with their photo, upload and promote their songs and list their appearances. Music lovers can discover fresh, new artists, voice their opinions on songs at OKMusic’s Comment Fountain and leave messages for the artists’ on their profile page.

OKMusic offers fans the chance to discover new music in dozens of genres. Find out what indie music is trending. Listen to new music for the mood you are in.

Originally launched in Japan, OKMusic has more than four million musicians and music fans, worldwide.

OKMusic Link- http://okmusic.fm

Media Contacts:
Derek Asato/Robert Brown
The Bohle Company
(310) 785-0515 ext. 201/231
derek@bohle.com / robert@bohle.com

The Musician's Guide Offers Bands $1,250 Worth Of Services For $69 For 100 Hours Only

On September 1st at 8am, The Musician’s Guide is launching a 100-hour-long campaign in partnership with 25 music companies to offer aspiring musicians over $1,250 worth of tools & savings for 95% off.

The offer, which contains access to thousands of music business contacts, distribution to iTunes & Spotify, six eBooks, a video course, a pack of music contracts, radio publicity, as well as savings on mastering, CD duplication, amongst much more, will be available to purchase for $69 from http://www.themusiciansguide.co.uk/epic-deal/ for just 100 hours.

Marcus Taylor, founder of http://www.themusiciansguide.co.uk, says: “Having been an artist & a label manager myself I know just how expensive it can be to release a song. So many aspiring musicians get frustrated because they dream about earning a living from their music, but struggle to break even after paying studio fees & other expenses. While most of the industry is focusing on creating a sustainable new business model for artists, I’m just trying to do my bit to help lower the cost of being an artist, even if only for a while.

Twenty-five music companies have agreed to support the campaign by donating their services into the package at a discounted price. Major partners include Ditto Music, Disc Makers, Presskit.to, Jango Airplay, MusicXray, and many more.

Introducing Prelude: The First Affordable App For Musicians

Successful acts know how to connect with their fan base. In this day and age, that means more than just a web page, e-mail blitzes and a social media presence. It means providing a connection with fans wherever they are--any time, anywhere.

It means having an app.

But custom apps are expensive and time-consuming. Enter the revolutionary new Prelude for iPad. Prelude is inexpensive and lightweight. Best of all, Prelude will get you in the App store and on an iPad in one month or less.

With Prelude for iPad, artists can bring together news, social media feeds and tour info for fans on the go. Taking advantage of the iPad's revolutionary high-resolution Retina screen, uploaded photographs and video look simply stunning. Most important, music released in-app can be priced by the artist. Once purchased, the app remains with the fan who purchases it, and the artist keeps the profit.

Custom apps are priced way beyond the reach of mere mortals. That's why Prelude has been designed as a framework, which means costs are kept down by providing everything an artist needs without end-to-end customizability. With that said, artists will get an app experience that is as unique as their act. For a modest deposit and a low monthly fee, acts can load Prelude with albums, photos, videos, set lists, logo, colors, social media feeds and tour dates--everything needed to keep fans informed and connected.

Prelude for iPad will be available by the end of July, with further versions for different platforms and devices to appear in due course. Artists and labels interested in getting on board are encouraged to contact Bruce Pegg at bruce@getprelude.com for more information.

Aurovine Music Platform Launches With Best Artist Payouts On The Web

Aurovine - the music platform offering the best artist payouts on the web, today launched their first official public version of their website. In Beta since May 22nd, Aurovine have been listening to artist requests and making improvements to the site on a daily basis.

The site offers a unique and rewarding way for bands and fans to interact instantly and enables artists to sell music directly to the fans with every transaction immediately paid out into their paypal accounts.

"We bring the bands directly to the fans with no need for complicated aggregators, middle men or music industry vultures. In a sense we are the new way forward for the music industry because we put all the control in the hands of the artists and fans" said Aurovine's creators Ken Foster & Mark Szymik.

Incredibly Aurovine also offer promotion on top of their market leading initiatives. "We already syndicate our chart and promote our bands through social media, third party blogs, websites and radio stations but we have a secret 'coup de resistance' in the pipeline which will help virally promote our artists." said Foster.

Aurovine's website is at aurovine.com

Notes to editors:
Aurovine feature:
• Best Payout Rates in the Music Industry
• Instant payments to artists
• High quality WAV & Flac files along with 320kbps MP3's
• Bespoke artist pages
• Digital & Physical sales possible
• Integration with your Social Networks
• Free promotion via our Podcasts, Charts and Reviews
• Social Network Promotion via AVMS (Aurovine Viral Marketing System)

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The Uncontrolled TV Show Wants Your Music Video

In order to make it in the entertainment industry you need to have a place where your talent can be discovered and appreciated. The Uncontrolled TV Show is the place for you. This show can help turn your aspirations and dreams into a reality. At the Uncontrolled TV Show, we feel that it doesn’t matter where great music or talent comes from. If it’s something that people will like, we want our audience to see it.

The Uncontrolled TV Show is not your average music video show. For one, there is no annoying host to distract the viewers from the music. Another great thing about not having a host is that it allows for more videos to be played. That means we get to select more videos for our playlist and can make sure that our audience has nothing but great music to watch. We want to make sure to give as much exposure of our unsigned artists as possible.

If you are an independent artist, or if you have been struggling to have your voice heard, we want to hear from you. We know it is not easy to found with all the other aspiring singers and artists out there, and that is why we make it our job to do the wade through the best of the best. If you have talent and if we think you can give the audience what they are looking for, we want you on our show.

If you believe you have what it takes to steal the spotlight, and if we like what we see, we’ll add your music video to our playlist for the world to see. All you have to do is send the following information for our review:

· A YouTube video link to your best music video – Only (1) one link – Sending more than one will automatically disqualify you. Your video should be of high quality.

· Send us your biography, name, contact information, and any other information you want us to know about you.

Submitting your high quality YouTube video is very easy and we have a huge playlist to make, so make sure you give us your best. If we like your video you will get a response from our management, so cross your fingers and keep a look out for an email in your inbox!

powerhouse502@gmail.com

17th Annual USA Songwriting Competition Deadline Looms

Deadline is fast approaching for the 17th Annual USA Songwriting Competition, a competition open to all songwriters worldwide. Winning songs of the 17th Annual USA Songwriting Competition will receive airplay on a nationally syndicated radio program “Acoustic Café” as well as Sirius XM Satellite Radio. This is the first Songwriting Competition that gives airplay to the winning songs, giving deserving bands, songwriters the recognition and exposure they deserve. Entrants stand to win a grand prize of over US$50,000 in cash and music gear from sponsors such as Sony, D’Addario Strings, Ableton, Audio-Technica, Presonus, IK Multimedia, and more, making this the largest prize package for any annual songwriting competition. Other sponsors include: New Music Weekly, Loggins Promotion, AirplayAccess.com, Onboard Research, Acoustica, Livewire Musician, Sonoma Wireworks. Intellitouch Tuners, Reverbnation, Broadjam, Sirius XM Radio, Sonicbids and Soundcloud. Nenna Yvonne, songwriter from Los Angeles, is the 16th Annual USA Songwriting Competition's Overall Grand Prize winner was featured in Japan's Cure Magazine. Nenna Yvonne premiered her winning song "Go Around," on CBS’s hit TV show "The Mentalist" and currentlly signed to Interscope Records. Also from Los Angeles, Alexander Cardinale (see pictured, performing at USA Songwriting Competition's Songwriters Showcase during SXSW Week), 16th Annual USA Songwriting Competition's First Prize winner (Pop Category and Overall Second Prize Winner had his winning song "Traffic Lights" on the new "90210" TV program on CW network, aired on March 6, 2012. He was also on Music Connections Magazine's HOT 100 Unsigned Artists list of the year 2011. Alexander has worked as an actor in Films and TV . Most recently he shot a small, but featured principal role in David Fincher's hit movie The Social Network, written by Aaron Sorkin. Also soon to be released, he can be seen starring in Chad Peter's dark comedy, "Apocalypse, CA." Molly Hunt won the 16th Annual USA Songwriting Competition First Prize, Country category and Overall Third Prize winner made passed the Hollywood round and Las Vegas round of the Top 60 of American Idol TV show. She is the youngest first prize winner of the USA Songwriting Competition at just 15 years old. Molly will be singing the National Anthem at the Official Detroit Red Wings game two months ago. USA Songwriting Competition winners came from all over the world: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Denmark, etc. USA Songwriting Competition has a long history of having winners getting recording and publishing contracts, have their songs placed on the charts as well as having their songs placed on film and television. 2005 First Prize Winner Kate Voegele went on to get signed by Interscope records after her win. Kate shot to Pop stardom and her winning song "Only Fooling Myself" hit Top 40 on the Billboard Charts. Her second album hit top 10 on the Billboard 200 Charts. She also stars on the Hit TV show "One Tree Hill". USA Songwriting Competition winner Christopher Tin won two Grammy Awards at the recent 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. This marks a grand historic win, making Christopher the only USA Songwriting Competition winner to win two Grammy Awards in the same year. Christopher Tin won an honorable mention award at the 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition with the same song "Baba Yetu" that won two Grammy awards.Judges include A&R managers from record labels such as Warner, Capitol Records, Universal, BMG/SONY Music. Songs may be entered in 15 different categories including Pop, Rock/Alternative, R&B and Country. Entries are accepted from now through May 31, 2012. For more information, visit: http://www.songwriting.net Email: info@songwriting.net

Venzo Digital Launches iTunes & iPhone Service

Venzo Digital, a new technology platform for the iTunes Store, has officially launches its services with Venzo Digital 2.0. Through its flagship services Venzo Music & Venzo Mobile, artists are able to sell music, music videos, and ringtones on iTunes. Artists can also create and build their own iPhone & iPad app to be made available on the iTunes App Store. Venzo Music enables artists, record labels, distributors, and publishers to sell unlimited music on iTunes without any upfront fees in exchange for 20% of all revenue generated from the music. Artists are then paid out 80% of all their sales every month and are able to view detailed sales statistics for their music. Venzo Mobile enables just about anyone to create, build, and distribute mobile apps for the iPhone with Android services coming soon. Users are able to build apps without any upfront fees in exchange for 50% of all sales generated from paid apps. Users also have the ability to sell their mobile apps or offer their apps for free! What's even more compelling of these services is the technology behind it. Venzo Digital introduces their proprietary technology called INTRANET. With INTRANET, both services are able to fully automate and streamline their process, making the service more easy to use. Artists are able to upload their music using exclusive encoding software dubbed: INTRANET Prime. Currently, Prime is available only on Windows and Linux with a native Mac OS X version coming soon. "Venzo Digital has been distributing music in private beta for sometime. Our customers have been extremely happy with our improvements and we're extremely excited to finally introduce to the world a more powerful alternative for music distribution and music consumption. With our technology, users are able to get the service they want at the most competitive price. All without sacrificing their budget," says Kevin Rivers, Founder & CEO of Venzo Digital. About Venzo Digital Venzo Digital is a digital delivery platform for Apple iTunes. Venzo enables artists, record labels, distributors, and publishers to sell their music products on iTunes all over the world. Venzo Digital leverage a streamlined process of delivering music assets on iTunes through two unique brands: Venzo Music (iTunes Distribution) & Venzo Mobile (iPhone Apps). Contact: Kevin Rivers kevinrivers@xeinge.com248-914-0980

MusicDish*China Outlines Its Marketing Strategy At MIDEM 2012

MusicDish Founder Eric de Fontenay will be attending his 8th Midem conference in Cannes, France this month. Located at the Taiwan Pavilion, L3.19 Hall Lerins, he will be meeting with delegates from Europe and North America to outline the company's approach and track record in developing Westen artists in China. In addition, Shanghai-based This Town Touring in collaboration with MusicDish*China will be selecting one band from Midem 2012 to book on a 3-4 city tour, waiving their touring fees. Eric will also host a press conference and cocktail reception at the China Pavilion R02.01 on Sunday Jan 29th at 2pm to introduce rising new star and official Tudou representative at Midem, Ruhan. Music Marketing & Management In Greater China The MusicDish*China MIDEM one-sheet can be downloaded at http://www.musicdish.com/china/midem/MDC-Midem_OneSheet.pdf Social Media/Digital Marketing Due to the Chinese government effectively blocking all the major Western social sites (Facebook, Twitter,...), it is imperative to build your social media presence through the main Chinese social media sites. This now involves real ID verification as well Chinese language communication. Supported by a fully-bilingual Chinese staff, we've built active social media profiles for MusicDish*China, reaching nearly 7,500 followers, as well as our artists on: - microblog/weibo sites: Sohu, Sina, QQ,.. - music/blog sites: Douban, IndieVox, AliveNotDead,... - video sites: Tudou, Youku, Ku6,... We regularly conduct social media promotions and contests in partnership with portals such as Mogo, Sohu and Ku6 as well as event promoters. Live Music & Events MusicDish believes that live performance provides the best opportunity for Western acts to build their brand in China, and our partnerships give us a particular edge in delivering. Since 2010, we've been partnered with MIDI Festival, the biggest and longest-running rock festival in China. We've also worked with other major festivals such as Jue (2012), JZ Shanghai (2011-2012), INTRO (2010),... These partnerships are reinforced by collaborating with event promoters such as Trash A GoGo and UndergroundHK. Digital Distribution MusicDish has partnered with a-Peer Synergy, a content aggregator and service provider that offers a "One Stop" solution for distributing and selling digital music and visual media in the Greater China market. Website: MusicDish*China Email: chinasounds@musicdish.com

First Reeperbahn Campus Keynote Confirmed - Welcome Seymour Stein

Website: http://www.reeperbahnfestival.com

On Thursday, 23rd of September, music business legend Seymour Stein will open the official Reeperbahn Campus Programme at Schmidt Theater with a keynote speech.

As co-founder and chairman of Sire Records since 1966, he discovered world-famous artists like Madonna, the Ramones, Talking Heads, The Cure or the Pretenders - just to name a few.

Still under Seymour Stein's leadership, since 2003 Sire Records is part of Warner Music Group's label-portfolio.

The First Panels Are Confirmed:

Festivalsaison 2010/11
The festival season 2010 is over and for some festival promoters along came new insights. What were the trends of the festival season 2010, how did business go, and most important, what are the results for the upcoming season?

A selection of international festival promoters draws a conclusion and dares to take a glimpse into the season 2011.

Panelists: Stefan Lemkuhl, DE (Melt!), Christoph Huber, CH (Sankt Gallen Open Air), Rob Challice, UK (Association of Independent Festivals) and others; in cooperation with Yourope;

News & Trends concerning Ticket Sale
In 2009 Rammstein already tried to leave behind the existing structures of ticket sale and took the financially interesting business into their own hands.

While established players, such as CTS Eventim and Ticketmaster dominate the market, new and old players are bringing forward their ideas to change these structures. Such as the so called “Do It Yourself-Ticketing” online application by SmartTickets or Ticketscript, that supposedly even provides an income opportunity for the promoter. At the same time, new technologies as well as the changes in consumer's behaviour, enforce the evolution of new business models, like “Mobile Ticketing” and “Social Ticketing”.

We think it's time to analyse and talk about the pros and cons of modern ticket sale.

Panelists: Johannes Mertmann, DE (Ticketscript), Klaus Zemke (photo), DE (Ticketmaster), Ralf Scheffler, DE (SmartTickets/Batschkapp) and others;

Best Use Of Music - The Cannes Lions 2010
The shortlist of the award winning commercials from the category "Best Use of Music" at the International Advertising Festival Cannes 2010 and highlights - presented by WerbeWeischer, German representative at the festival.

What musical influences were the most successful this year?
Does the trend go towards composition or (hit)licensing?
How much musical creativity can advertising take in 2010?

Again Reeperbahn Campus will be the first to show and discuss the best and musically groundbreaking commercials - among others with one well known jury member of this year's Cannes Lions Festival.

Kenny Bloom: China's Music Mogul

By Eric de Fontenay (MusicDish LLC Founder & Publisher)
(more articles from this author)
2009-11-12

The music industry in China has significantly changed over the past couple of decades, from a tightly government-controlled propaganda pipeline into an increasingly powerful and sophisticated economic sector. Spearheading the way in China's entertainment industry is Kenny Bloom, music veteran of over 30 years, and Founder and CEO of VisiTek Holdings, Ltd. Born in New York City, Mr. Bloom, at age 56, has accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime, and he has no plans of slowing his pace. To say that his list of accomplishments is impressive would be a gross understatement.

A winner of the Lincoln Center Award for Music Achievement at age 15, Bloom attended both Julliard and Manhattan Schools of Music Prep Departments. He joined Atlantic Records in 1977 (a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group) and launched KB communications in 1984, one of the first entertainment marketing companies. He formed a joint venture with China Film (China's film monopoly) in 1988 and secured the China license for the Warner Music library, which led to the first foreign owned PRC record company since 1949. Over the years, Bloom went on to produce numerous radio shows, television programs, concerts by internationally renowned artists, soundtracks, and Broadway plays. He is widely recognized as a major player in the entertainment industry.

One might wonder if Bloom would be ready to ride on his reputation for a while, coasting through the years to come after having such an illustrious career. But nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, Bloom is moving faster, striking harder with a bold strategy to become a leading content producer. Leading the charge is MOGO, a video site covering the emerging independent music scene in China to the young, hip (undeserved) urban music consumer.

I had an opportunity to interview Mr. Bloom regarding his past, and his vision for the future. It was one of the most enlightening, thought provoking, and inspirational interviews I've ever had the pleasure of doing.

You've had over 20 years experience in the Chinese music business, beginning with the launch of Warner Music China. What are some of the unique characteristics that have shaped its development?

For one thing, massive piracy. The only business left now is ringtones and live shows. That said, there are more artists now then every before. 20 years ago there were half a dozen big pop stars and 4 rock bands. Now there are scores of pop stars and well over 300 working rock bands.

So what's sustaining that growth in the face of piracy?

Basically, live shows. The entire industry is going through a global transition. China is no different in that regard.

There's been a lot of talk about the recent WTO decision opening the Chinese market to more Western entertainment, including music. The RIAA reaction to the decision was to state: "Enhancing the ability of the U.S. creative community to do business in China will generate needed revenue and jobs to the U.S. economy." This seems to fly in the face of the piracy problem. But having said that, do you believe that the decision will at least result in an increase in the international repertoire's share of the overall market?

China's music market has a 98% mandarin language repertoire. It's what they like. The WTO decision is certainly not going to change the musical tastes of the Chinese consumers. And why should China embrace western music in a language they don't understand. Does the West embrace Chinese music? That's a totally open market. This has been an inane concept for quite some time, that every market has a pent up demand for Western culture. In a way, it sends a very disturbing message that "your culture is not as relevant".

Let's discuss the latest western invasion in China - Google's oPhone vs. Apple's iPhone, China Mobile vs. China Unicom... While the iPhone launch in China thus far has been disappointing, it is turning into a new platform being seized by indie bands and labels to release content and manage their fan base. How will the smart phone impact the Chinese music business?

It will be a long time before smart phones are in the hands of the "average" Chinese consumer. They are just too expensive to have a huge impact outside of business applications.

But, the Chinese are super-status oriented and there is an upper-middle urban class. Why, when these products are launched in China, would they not be successful - especially with 400 million mobile users?

Even with 400 million users, you are talking about a relatively small percentage of the population who are upper-middle urban class. Out of the total population, maybe 3% can be classified as such. And they're not necessarily listening to music, certainly not Western music.

Pepsi has been making big moves in China with their nationally televised Battle of the Bands "Vox Rock" and launch of their music label QMusic. Is Pepsi really serious about supporting the independent Chinese music scene? And if so, is this a model that will have legs in China (i.e., might we someday listen to Tsingtao's latest buzz band)?

It is essential that corporate sponsors support the music industry. We are now seeing more of it focused on rock and hip-hop. But we also need local media to embrace those musical styles in order to build the consumer base. Otherwise, sponsors won't be able to quantify their investment in music that is outside of the mainstream.

Isn't QMusic much more than sponsorship? They're talking about developing and launching new bands, like Starbucks Hear Music.

Let's see what they do. It's still too early to make judgments as they have not yet started their operations.

I have one final question for you. Mogo is something of a 21st century MTV-like pioneer in China. You are creating original and professionally produced WebTV content (not user-generated), in support of the emerging independent scene (art, music...). That's difficult enough in the West. What are some of the unique challenges you face – the consumer, the government, advertisers?

It's China's own home-grown music TV station and all parties have been very supportive. The biggest challenge we are facing is finding qualified staff. Every company has problems finding experienced workers. Don't forget, the modern era of China is only 30 years old with most of the development coming in the past 10. The word of the day is "patience". It will all happen, but it will happen on China's terms.

40 Experts A La Carte For MIDEM+

More contacts, more advice. In 2010, MIDEM will push innovation further with MIDEM+, a new event dedicated to personalised networking where digital and music industry executives will be able to hold one-on-one meetings with around 40 experts from a wide range of fields including digital marketing, working with brands and looking for funding. MIDEM+ will open its doors in Cannes from 23 to 27 January, 2010.

"The idea is to offer tailor-made advice and a more individual approach. MIDEM+ is aimed at MIDEM participants who want to build on their experience of the marketplace and go home with the kind of concrete advice that is indispensable for developing their own businesses," said Dominique Leguern, director of MIDEM.

Those taking part in MIDEM+ will meet experts who are specialists in their given field and who will respond to specific problems. They can count on the shrewd advice of Jon Cohen, pioneer in the area of relationships between music and major brands, working notably with Converse, Nike and Microsoft. For everything to do with digital marketing, MIDEM+ attendees can look to the expertise of Neil Cartwright, who was behind The Prodigy's web campaign. Two experts will be available for their knowledge in the field of marketing the artist: Matt Drouin, whose input helped the group Metric to sell more than 100,000 units via their web-site in one month; and Emily White, who was behind the international success of the Dresden Dolls.

In the exhibition area reserved for MIDEM+, participants will be welcomed by "connectors." Their mission will be to put attendees in the hands of the right business contacts. Chosen for their considerable knowledge of music industry leaders, these three pioneers of new business models in the sector will be there to oversee this matchmaking: Ted Cohen (TAG Strategic), Denzyl Feigelson (AWAL and consultant for iTunes & Coca) and Bruce Houghton (Skyline Music / Hypebot.com).

Important: Participation in MIDEM+ requires separate registration. "Early bird" reduced rates are available until 31 October.

Registration to MIDEM+ and a full list of experts available at:
http://www.midem.com/MIDEM/Midem-plus/