music industry news stories on Newser

Adele Gets Record Bump in Sales From Grammy's

John Johnson — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:23:45 CST

Adele's big night at the Grammy's (six wins) was sure to translate into increased sales, but the numbers came in better than anyone expected: Her album 21 went from selling 237,000 copies last week to 730,000 this week, reports Billboard . That one-week increase of 493,000, or 207%,...

10 Notable Bands With Only 1 Album

Dustin Lushing — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 10:23:50 CST

It's one way to avoid the sophomore slump: Paste counts down 10 singers or bands whose first album set the music world abuzz and whose official second album simply never materialized:

How Spotify's Boss Can Save Music

Matt Cantor — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 09:22:19 CST

Ever since Napster, the music industry has been desperate for a fix—and Daniel Ek may have finally found it. The 28-year-old Swedish founder and CEO of Spotify is, according to Forbes , "the most important man in music." His service amounts to a profitable way to give people what they...

Rock Music Has Worst Year Ever

Kevin Spak — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:00:00 CST

How dire is the state of mainstream rock? So dire that “Sublime With Rome,” a band with no higher ambition than mimicking Sublime, has had a song on the Billboard charts every week since May. “2011 may well be remembered as the most numbing year for mainstream rock in music...

Elvis Costello: Don't Buy My New Boxed Set

Rob Quinn — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:26:25 CST

Elvis Costello's new Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook boxed set is pretty good—but no way is it worth the current price Elvis Costello says. The special-edition set, which includes a CD and DVD of a concert from earlier this year, plus a coffee-table book, is selling for at...

Townshend to Apple: Stop Bleeding Musicians

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:10:16 CDT

Pete Townshend has a message for Apple: It can either help the struggling record industry or bleed it “like a digital vampire." Speaking at a lecture in honor of a BBC DJ, The Who guitarist called on iTunes—which “exists in the wild west Internet land of Facebook and Twitter”—...

Cassette Tapes Are Back

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:03:37 CDT

Proving once again that everything will someday become cool again, the Wall Street Journal today brings us the news that cassettes are making a comeback. A small comeback, sure, but a comeback nonetheless. “I want them fresh, sealed in the package,” says one collector. “I know one day I'll rip...

Google Planning Music Store

Rob Quinn — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:14:00 CDT

Google is pushing further into the entertainment business with an online music store that it aims to have up and running within weeks, sources tell the New York Times . Music industry execs say the MP3 store will probably be linked to Google's Music Beta cloud service. Google wants to have...

How to Save Record Labels

Matt Cantor — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 08:25:25 CDT

As the music industry navigates a path for the digital era, a tiny Swedish label has proven itself an excellent guide. Though it has just 43 employees, X5 Music Group topped the classical charts last year, its sales on par with Universal, the biggest label there is. Its strategy is...