Chris Blackwell: What I Look For When Choosing to Sign an Artist
Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, talks about what he looks for in an artist he would want to sign to his label.
Chris Blackwell on Working with U2
Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, discusses what it was like to work with U2, and assesses his own contributions to the bands success.
Chris Blackwell on Music in Louisiana
Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, discusses his long affiliation with great Louisiana musicians, and the future of music in the region.
Chris Blackwell on Independent Labels and the Challenges of Artist Development
Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, discusses the tendency of major labels to maximize income at the expense of artist development, and shares his thoughts on what independent labels can do to help develop and break the talent on their roster.
Chris Blackwell on U2 and Digital Cross-Promotion
Island Records founder Chris Blackwell shares his thoughts on U2s decision to partner with Apple, Inc. to partner with apple to allow their album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb to ship preloaded on some iPods.
Chris Blackwell on Getting Your Music Heard by Record Labels
Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, reveals what you must do and what you must not do to make sure your demo or album gets heard by the decision-makers at the labels you would like to work with.
Producer’s Comments – John Snyder on Scrapomatic and Artists House
Producer John Snyder talks about working with Scrapomatic and explains his vision for the Artists House label.
What is a Mechanical License?
Producer, musician, and label owner George Howard discusses what mechanical licenses are and how they make money, how revenue from mechanicals is collected, and the controlled composition clause that reduces the mechanical royalty rate under certain circumstances.
Can Musicians Allow Their Music to be Used to Sell Stuff, Without Selling Out?
Producer, musician and label owner George Howard discusses the debate over branding (licensing music for use in advertisements and media), and the effect that branding can have on a career. Can branding be a good thing? Can an artist really ever sell out? Analyzing several cases (such as Nick Drake, Led Zeppelin and U2), Howard offers concrete advice to musicians who will need to confront whether to license, and to whom to license, their own creations.
Musician and Entrepreneur
Producer, musician and label owner George Howard discusses the traits that successful musicians and successful entrepreneurs have in common. Using real-world examples (Phish, the Grateful Dead), he argues that musicians have it in their power to be creative, innovative businesspeople, and offers advice on how to go about achieving this synergy.
