Tag Archives: Taylor Swift

How ASCAP cheats everyone but the top 200 acts

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ASCAP pays out performing royalties only to the 200 top-grossing concerts while collecting fees from all artists – fair or not?

Zoë Keating, Cellist (photo Assaf Vestin)

Zoë Keating -  As a DIY artist it’s up to me to educate myself about the music business.

I do my best, but some elements of it seem exceedingly opaque, in particular, performance royalties as handled by the performing rights societies such as ASCAP and BMI.

The royalty “system” for radio and television is confusing enough, but I didn’t really know anything about live performance royalties.

Here’s what I’ve recently learned.

A little over a year ago I got a booking agent, Mark Lourie of Skyline. He and the entire agency are wonderful and they’ve made a huge difference to my career. Not only does my agent get me great gigs, but he also makes sure I get the best possible deal and have a contract.  Continue reading →

Top Country Song – guess what it’s Taylor Swift and “Ours”

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Taylor Swift’s “Ours” claims the crown on Billboard’s country song chart. (CMT)

Taylor Swift goes from strength to strength by topping the country charts this week with last years song “Ours” from the CD “Speak Now.”

It’s a sweet sentimental song about love and the power to overcome alienation in the modern world. It is spring right?
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Taylor Swift talks to her cat for promotion

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Country pop star gives Meredith the adopted cat a lesson on CMA awards and asks for advice

By Stephen Pate – Mike Masnick at TechDirt is always preaching that musicians should connect with fans to promote their music. He didn’t suggest a conversation with your cat.

However, for cutie country star Taylor Swift, cat chat is exactly what got her 350,000 YouTube views.

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Taylor Swift Eyes Open Released Tuesday

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One of the most anticipated releases this season includes one of two songs by Taylor Swift from the movie “The Hunger Games” on sale March 20, 2012

Fifteen tracks available from iTunes.
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Taylor Swift Eyes Open

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With The Hunger Games opening March 23, the new Taylor Swift song Open Eyes gets a preview

Update – full audio leak after the break – The Hunger Games is sci-fi movie set in the future where teenagers fight to the death on television, sort of The Running Man without Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The song is a foray into our lack of privacy with words like “Everybody’s waiting / Everybody’s watching / Even when you’re sleeping, keep your eyes open.”
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