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Billboard •

Steve Jobs’ Music Legacy: The Cover Story

It was in the creation of the iTunes Music Store that Jobs’ personality and negotiating style really made a difference. Labels at the time saw the iPod as a way to listen to illegally downloaded music on the go. They were casting about for a legitimate way to sell music digitally, and all their internally built efforts were failing.

Given the desperation in the air, Jobs didn’t need to turn on the charm too high to get them onboard. He simply presented himself as the answer to their problems, a
Billboard •

Steve Jobs 1955-2011: The Father of Digital Music, and His Legacy

That a man who never played an instrument or so much as sang a note professionally could be considered one of the greatest rock stars of this generation speaks to the impact Steve Jobs had on the music industry, and the legacy on it he leaves behind.

In a way different from any artist or label exec, Jobs will remain an iconic figure in the history of the music business. The innovations he shepherded into the market changed not only the way music is distributed, sold and enjoyed, but also, to an
Billboard •

Facebook Music: What it is, What it isn’t, and What it Means

“It’s not what you’re like; but what you like,” said John Cusack’s character in “High Fidelity.”
Facebook took that axiom to heart, rolling out massive changes to the popular social networking platform that founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he hopes will “transform industries.”
With the unveiling of what has been dubbed Facebook Music, one of those potential industries is the music business, which has seen more transformations in the last 10 years than it probably wanted to see. But this...
Billboard •

Labels Turning To Distribution Partners To Ease Digital Transition

Record labels traditionally have had three core responsibilities: produce music, market music and distribute music.
But what happens if one of those duties is taken away?
It’s an interesting question to ponder in the digital age, as more labels outsource digital distribution-that is, hire a third party to deliver digital songs and albums to digital retailers and streaming services like iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody and Spotify, and supply mobile operators with ringtones, ringback tones and full-track...
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Pandora’s Tim Westergren Talks With Billboard About IPO, Revenues, and the Future

After more than a decade of struggle, during which it almost shut down several times, Pandora today launched a highly successful initial public offering that so far has seen shares rise from an opening of $16 to $24.20, and the day is far from over just yet. It now claims a market value of more than $3 billion. For a company that at one point couldn’t even pay its employees for more than a year, it’s a significant milestone, and a personal achievement for founder Tim Westergren, the company chie...
Billboard •

Twitter Turns 5: Biz Stone & ?uestlove Q&A

As Twitter marks its fifth anniversary, co-founder Biz Stone (@biz) and the Roots‘ ?uestlove (@questlove) talk tweets, privacy and what the future may hold for the microblogging juggernaut.
Biz Stone: Co-founder of Twitter. He’s been “developing large-scale systems that facilitate the open exchange of information for more than a decade.”

Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson: He updates followers on the musical and the mundane. With 1.5 million followers, he’s a formidable presence on Twitter, helping new...
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The Beatles’ ‘Rock Band’: How The Fab Four Went Digital

Paul DeGooyer is tired — for good reason. It’s about two weeks before the release of MTV’s “The Beatles: Rock Band,” and DeGooyer, senior VP of electronic games and music for MTV Networks Music Group, has been traveling to New York, Boston, Los Angeles and London since 2007 to work on the project. He’s conducted delicate negotiations with surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison; hammered out essential licensing deals with executives at Son...
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Billboard Q&A: Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons is a busy man. The legendary KISS founder fills his time with a variety of projects. There’s filming for “Gene Simmons Family Jewels,” the reality show entering its third season on A&E. And there’s an animated show on Nickelodeon called “My Dad the Rock Star.” Simmons is writing his third book — “Ladies of the Night,” a “personal and historical overview” on the profession of prostitution — coming this spring via his own publishing company, Simmons Books. He also has Simmons Comics...
Billboard •

Matchbox Twenty Frontman Talks Mobile

Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas sat down with Billboard’s Antony Bruno to discuss the band’s partnership with AT&T, mobile music and the state of digital distribution today. How did you get so interested in mobile as a means of getting your music out? I don’t think it’s anything that’s super intuitive or cutting-edge of us to notice that more and more people are starting to experience music that way. Just like it once was the idea of the computer. There was a time when it seemed like a fo...