CD TEX-Texas, Country, and Red-Dirt Music

Texas Music Icon, Kent Finlay, passes

Such sad news for the music scene in Texas this morning as we hear of the passing of Kent Finlay.

For those of you that don’t know, Kent Finlay is an iconic songwriter/singer but is also most notably known for opening the doors of Cheatham Street Warehouse in June of 1974 as a music hall. He said he opened it to develop, perpetuate and promote Texas music in its most natural state – the honky-tonk. During the last three decades, Kent has earned quite a track record for developing new writers and artists, and we are proud of the wealth of talent that has walked through the door and up onto the stage of this rustic old building.

How to Create 5-Year Business Plan for Your Band

The competitive nature of the music industry is why many musicians either fail to garner the attention they deserve, eventually disappearing from the scene while others give it their all for several years, but to no avail. For the few who do make it, the fame and glory is often short-lived because they failed to define their SMART goals and missed the opportunity to capitalize on their proverbial 15 minutes of fame.

Why Must Country Singles Be 'Worked' By Labels to Be Played on Commercial Radio?

If radio finds an act that it loves, why can't or won't they go off the menu and play something it's not being "worked" by Nashville record promoters? And how much, if any, musical discovery is still happening at terrestrial radio outside the normal channels?The answers center on some of the things radio is most often criticized for: politics, centralized programming decisions and busy programmers' lack of time to devote to music discovery.

Music Industry Converges on D.C. as Consent Decree Review and Negotiations Ramp Up

The consent decrees that govern how the two largest U.S. performing rights organization interact with music users will be the focus of a lot of attention in Washington D.C. over the next two weeks.

FCC approves new net neutrality rules

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to implement new net neutrality rules designed to make sure Internet service providers treat all legal content equally.

IFPI Announces a Friday Global Release Day, Disappointing the Indie Community

The independent community vocally expressed support for a worldwide album release day on Mondays, instead of the IFPI’s proposed Friday release day. AIMS, A2IM, Amoeba, Beggars Group, CIMS, Hastings, Newbury Comics, Rough Trade, SC Distribution, and others all came out against a Friday release day.

YouTube Reportedly Still Unprofitable, Even With 1 Billion Monthly Users

Sources tell the Wall Street Journal that YouTube posted $4 billion in revenue last year, up from $3 billion in 2013, and that while the service accounted for 6 percent of Google's overall sales, it contributed nothing to earnings.

Debate Begins Over New Radio Royalty Bill Introduced in Congress

The emails are flying fast today following the Congressional introduction of the Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA) on Tuesday (Feb. 24). On one side, the National Association of Broadcasters, which vehemently (and unsurprisingly) opposes making terrestrial radio broadcasts responsible for paying for the public performance rights of sound recordings.

Google Play Wants to Store Your 50,000 Songs

Google Play announced today that users will now be able to store up to 50,000 songs on the free service, up from 20,000. Once in the system, you can stream or download your audio files to any of your devices, including iOS and Android phones and tablets.

The Story Behind 'The Wrecking Crew' Documentary About L.A. Session Musicians: 'The Most Expensive Home Movie Ever

19 years in the making, Denny Tedesco's film 'The Wrecking Crew' explores the generation of L.A. studio musicians in the 1960s. According to thewreckingcrewfilm.com the documentary will hit theatres on March 13.

9 Reasons Why Bands Break Up

From baby bands to superstars, unfortunately, money is the main reason bands break up. The baby to mid size bands that legitimately cannot survive on the income their band is generating tend to get tired of living well below the poverty line. Each member, one by one, begins to peel off to ‘fall-back’ on their accounting degree and to ‘start a real life.’ Music is not for the faint of heart.

Here's The Score On Sync Licensing

As the composer of a film or TV score or as a songwriter whose song is used in a movie, TV show, advertisement, or video game, under the copyright law you own 100% of the copyright in your work from the moment you create the work and “fix it in a tangible medium.” However, you must be careful what you sign so that you do not assign those rights away without fair compensation for your work.

Bobby Emmons, Country Studio Musician & Songwriter, Dead at 72

County musician and songwriter Bobby Emmons, who wrote hits for Waylon Jennings and George Strait and played on more than 100 chart hits as a session musician, has died. Emmons passed away Monday in a Nashville hospital. He was 72.

Musicians! How to Get the Best Out of Your Gigs

So, you’re an emerging artist, trying to ‘cut your teeth’ on the circuit and make a name for yourself, just like the millions of artists that have tried (and mostly failed) before you. What you should be thinking is: how are you going to get the best out of your gigs? What is going to give you the best results for your hard work and determination?

iTunes Looking to add Editorial Content

iTunes is adding music journalism. CD Tex found an early February posting for an experienced editorial producer across pop culture and a specific expertise in music journalism. This full-time position is split between editorial and producing duties.

Money-losing Sony will spin off its video-and-sound business into a separate company and shrink its headquarters as part of a three-year turnaround plan to speed up decision-making and become profitable again.