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D-I-Y Overt There: Indies Abroad Time-Bomb Songs AIMP Turns 20 Making the MIDEM Trip HANDS-ON AND HEALTHY: Today's Indies Are Involved And Doing A Better Job Than Ever 'Chasing The […]

Brian McKnight is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, musical arranger, record producer--even an actor, co-starring in the sitcom Sister Sister--who's been hanging platinum records on his walls for the past 10 [...]

Present-tense promotion means 'never a day without change or 10 things that need immediate attention.' Just as Jeff McClusky & Associates is more than a radio promotion firm, its success [...]

After two successful decades, the nation's premier radio-promotion-and-marketing firm provides hundreds of stations with a variety of services. But its foundation and driving force remains unchanged: an unflagging enthusiasm for [...]

THE BILLBOARD INTERVIEW ETTA JAMES Etta James' first taste of fame came at age 15, when she co-wrote and recorded 'The Wallflower' (a.k.a. 'Roll With Me Henry')--the answer record to [...]

Now celebrating her 50th year in the music business, Etta James can point with pride to an impressive catalog of her work. Currently available are 23 individual albums, a two-CD [...]

With Its Brand Of Mind-Blowing Mysticism And Eye-Popping Showmanship, EWF Has Created A Musical Legacy Earth, Wind & Fire has sold more than 20 million albums--including an astonishing six consecutive [...]

He started out playing trumpet in his grade-school band, switched to electric bass when the Beatles hit, then co-founded White Wing Records, 'the coolest record store in Miles, Ohio' (a [...]

There are many. Chief among them is thinking like the labels it distributes. Currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, RED Distribution began in May 1979 as Important Record Distributors. As the [...]

'The perfect give-and-take' has characterized three decades of fruitful writing, producing and business collaboration. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff were a songwriting partnership that blossomed into a record-production team that […]

The most successful start-up record label of the last decade has to be Atlanta-based LaFace Records. Founders/co-presidents Antonio 'L.A.' Reid and Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds first got together as the respective […]

Ten years ago, the special-products business was about answering the phone and servicing song requests,' says Universal Music president of special markets Bruce Resnikoff. 'Nowadays, it has become a marketing […]

'Punk rock is always going great, even when it's not the flavor of the month,' notes Caroline's director of purchasing and label relations Michael Bull. 'Historically, it's always been our […]

Remember when 'indie' meant independent and 'alternative' meant an alternative to major labels? So do the folks at Caroline Distribution. After all, the Caroline Records label was there, releasing many […]

As the lines between electronic music and hip-hop became increasingly blurred, Caroline began strengthening its commitment to hip-hop in 1997. 'We were finding that people who bought electronic music were […]

'We are America's largest and most diverse distributor of electronic music,' says Caroline Eastern region sales manager Sean Gibbons. 'And electronic-dance music is one of the styles that's linked closest […]

Much of Caroline's 16-year success story has to do with how well the company covers the field. The following profiles chronicle Caroline's continuing efforts on behalf of a wide range […]

BRANCHING OUT FROM ITS ORIGINS AS A PURELY CLASSICAL DISTRIBUTOR, ALLEGRO'S FAMILY TREE IS NOW HOME TO A WIDE VARIETY OF LABELS AND MUSIC, EACH WITH ITS OWN SUCCESS STORY […]

From his work with the Monk Institute to the Rhythm Of Life Foundation, Hancock is actively involved with jazz education. Herbie Hancock has been deeply involved with the Thelonious Monk […]

Billboard surveyed a variety of past and present NARM participants, who reminisced about their first conventions, their most memorable experiences and what the 40-year-old organization has meant to them. 'My […]

Ray Charles. Truthfully, what can we say? Maybe 'Hey' (hey), 'Ho' (ho)... The basic biographical facts are these: Born Ray Charles Robinson on Sept. 23, 1930, in Albany, Ga. Raised [...]

'Brain McKnight has always been distinguished by his amazing voice, incredible musicianship and the strength of his songwriting,' says Universal Music Publishing Group Worldwide president David Renzer. 'While the A&R [...]

For almost two decades, the dedicated Memphis organization has supported activities that honor the music and promote its awareness internationally. 'To promote and preserve the blues around the globe': That's [...]

Tony Bennett, born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on Aug. 13, 1926, in Astoria, Queens, New York City, U.S.A. Italian grocer father, American seamstress mother. Learns work ethic early: 10 years old […]

James Brown died of heart failure on Christmas morning, Dec. 25, 2006, at age 73. But his gifts as a singer, songwriter, record producer, activist and showman extraordinaire will certainly [...]

It's probably the best time in the recent history of the music business to be a strong independent,' enthuses Koch Entertainment president Bob Frank 'The majors have had to do [...]

With a plethora of DVD-Audio, DVD-Video and SACD titles in the marketplace, retailers say there needs to be more consumer awareness and marketing muscle before these new audio formats can […]

'There are very few opportunities for acquisitions of this magnitude,' says Warner Strategic Marketing president Scott Pascucci, referring to the recent announcement that Rhino Records-now under the WSM aegis--scored the [...]

The blues may have its roots in Africa, but it remains one of the true wellsprings of African-American music. Virtually all the acknowledged masterworks are available on CD, and classic [...]

All are concerned about retail and distributor consolidation. They may, however, differ in their opinions about what it all means and how best to deal with the situation. The recent […]

The Distributor's Sound Decisions Led To Unlimited Success BAKER & TAYLOR ENTERTAINMENT began its corporate life in 1973 as a Chicago-based record one-stop called Sound Unlimited. Five years later, the […]

Wide tastes and a 'PASSION TO MAKE IT WORK' have served Mammoth's founder well through a decade of AMAZING MUSIC and GOOD BUSINESS. Armed with an MBA from Duke and […]

'There's a whole palette of ways to grow the business,' says Rykodisc president/CEO Don Rose, whose company merged with Island founder Chris Blackwell's new Palm Pictures entertainment firm just two […]

A Pioneer, Mentor And. Legend, He Still Boogies After 50 Years Those moaning, droning overtones...those ragged, jagged guitar lines...those low-down, throaty, stream-of-consciousness vocals... Those silences are LOUD! That's John Lee […]

Bennett's longtime accompanist digs the adventure and keeping it fresh. Now 74, Sharon began his professional career at age 16 when he joined the original Ted Heath big band's lineup. […]

Presents a history of musical group Aerosmith. How the band was formed; Importance of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts; Guitarist Joe Perry's temporary departure from the group; Aerosmith's record deals; Collaborations with various producers and musicians; Hit singles; The band's most recent recorded performance, which consists of several songs on the soundtrack to the motion picture `Armageddon.'

Presents an interview with rhythm and blues and jazz vocalist Etta James about her career in popular music. Different musical styles she has used during her career; What she looks for in a song; Her favorite songwriters; Her approach to songwriting; Others.

Presents the stories behind the surprise success of six songs. `Help Me,' by Willie Dixon, Ralph Bass and Sonny Boy Williamson and recorded in 1963; `Some Other Guy,' written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Richard Barrett; Chuck Berry's `You Never Can Tell'; Others.

Profiles the rags-to-riches career of singer Tony Bennett. Biographical information; Start in singing; Signing with Columbia Records in 1950; Famous songs; Bennett as a role model of cool; Quote from Elvis Costello.

Provides a listing of recent and forthcoming reissued music recordings for August through November, 1997, from various labels. Albums from Burton Cummings, Tony Bennett, Art Blakey, Judas Priest, Psychodelic Furs, Elton John, Kiss, John Denver, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, B.J. Thomas, Andy Williams and others; Music from television programs; The songs of Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern; K-Tel's collections, featuring 1980s glam rock and funk bands of the 1970s.

The article presents an obituary for legendary musician and performer James Brown.

Reports on the state of the contemporary independent sound recording industry as of May, 2003. Operations of independent (indie) record labels during a period of corporate reorganization at major labels; Comments of executives at Vanguard Records, TVT records and other indies; Benefits of being an artist contracted to an indie, including the amount of attention one receives from label resources.