Industry News

The IBMA reminds labels and independent artists that the organization will again prepare a list of eligible recordings for the 2008 International Bluegrass Music Awards which will be included in the first round ballots sent to IBMA members in June.

The recently established Mountain Roads Recordings of Bristol, Tennessee, was formed by Karl and Gail Cooler to focus on unique sounds that originate in the mountains that we all love so well. They want to promote already established bluegrass and

There has been much discussion in the last year concerning the future of DRM (Digital Rights Management). Will it continue to be used widely, or will it be discontinued as an ineffective measure? DRM encompasses a number of technologies used to

The NPD Group released a new report yesterday detailing the changes in music consumption among U.S. music buyers during 2007 (report) The report claims an overall increase in music acquisition of 6% for the year, while stating a decline in "average

As a songwriter Craig Bickhardt has had about as much commercial success as a person could hope for. His songs have been recorded by top artists in several genres, including cuts by Alison Krauss, Tony Rice, David Wilcox, Martina McBride,

No Depression, a bi-monthly magazine that covers a wide range of Americana and roots music, will cease publication of its print edition after the next (May/June) issue is delivered to subscribers. They will continue to publish online, with expansion of

In the latest edition of the County Sales Newsletter, #290, David Freeman, the founder of the longstanding and illustrious retail outlet "for bluegrass, old-time and authentic rural music", is in a nostalgic mood, telling his readers how it used to

College radio has long been a launching ground for new artists in the music business, and a place where few of the recognized programming rules hold sway. A number of younger bluegrass and alternative acoustic acts have found success in

Last year a raging battle ensued over the performance royalty rates for internet radio. That battle continues even now. The entity that established those rates is the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB). The CRB is now preparing to adjust and establish mechanical

Yesterday morning a new peer-to-peer music downloading application was launched called Qtrax. The service was launched with the announcement that the company had negotiated licenses with all the major labels and would have over 25 million songs available for download,