There’s an important debate taking place right now over the economics of subscription music services such as Spotify and Rhapsody and the like, particularly regarding how artists are compensated from them. Unfortunately, it’s being debated very poorly. The assumptions, misconceptions, and flat out inaccuracies underlying today’s debate over streaming music economics are truly staggering. (Full [...]

Is there anything more chickenshit than a company that hires an independent consultant to do a job but then doesn’t pay? Why go through the process of signing a contract, working together for three months, having nothing but good things to say about the work, constantly promising payment is just a few days away, and [...]

I wanted to wait a few days after the passing of Steve Jobs before posting anything more than what I wrote for Billboard (most of which by the way was written prior to his death, the way pretty much all obits of famous people are. It’s a crass reality of journalism). Because when someone of [...]

Sometimes even writers must rely on the words of others to best express themselves. And who better to turn to than the great Bob Dylan? This is my last day at Billboard magazine, and the title of this post best encapsulates my state of mind as I look back on the last seven years. Actually, [...]