Corbis CEO Gary Shenk explains why they’re excited about music licensing

Gary Shenk

We were pretty intrigued with the idea of GreenLight Music — the new digital music licensing business from Seattle-based Corbis — when we first wrote about it a couple weeks ago. So, you can hear Corbis CEO Gary Shenk discuss the idea in greater detail this week on CNBC’s Fast Money. GreenLight operates an online… Read More…

Bill Gates-owned Corbis unveils an ‘iTunes for music licensing’ with GreenLight Music

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Corbis may be best known for licensing digital images. But the Seattle company, started by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in 1989, is expanding its footprint in the digital music arena today with the launch of GreenLight Music. Some heavyweights from the industry have already lined up behind the effort, namely major labels such as EMI, Sony/ATV… Read More…

Spotify’s secret to adding 8,000 paying subscribers a day

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Ever since its U.S. debut last year, the popular music listening service Spotify has been adding 8,000 subscribers a day. And I’m not just talking about free subscribers. That’s paid subscribers. What’s their secret? It’s all in the marketing. I’ll show you what those strategies are and how to use them to promote your own product,… Read More…

Paul McCartney jets from streaming music services; Rhapsody calls it a ‘shock’

Paul McCartney. Wikipedia photo

Paul McCartney appears to be a “Band on the Run” … at least when it comes to popular music streaming services. The former Beatle has pulled his tracks from the likes of Spotify, Rdio and Rhapsody just a few days after releasing a new album, Kisses on the Bottom. Rhapsody, the Seattle-based music streaming service, said… Read More…

One-time popular music service iLike officially bites the dust

Freddie Mercury. Wikipedia photo

“And another one gone, and another one gone. Another one bites the dust.” Freddie Mercury of Queen may have summarized the current market perfectly. As we’ve previously reported, a number of high-profile Internet services have announced in recent weeks that they will be closing their doors following acquisitions by corporate parents. (Namely Picnik, TeachStreet and Summify). Now, we can add another… Read More…

Was that Sir Mix-A-Lot? Northwest music and voices coming to Sea-Tac Airport

Sir MIx-A-Lot (Wikipedia photo)

One day in 2008, Port Commissioner John Creighton and Seattle Office of Film and Music Director James Keblas landed in Austin for the Seattle Chamber’s Intercity Study Mission. Noting how that city marks its musical heritage with exhibits throughout the airport, Creighton turned to Keblas and asked, “Why don’t we have something like this in… Read More…

Video: Cell phone interrupts solo, and violist plays along

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How’s this for bringing harmony to the digital age? The video above, originally posted on YouTube over the summer, has gone viral in the past few days as a counterpoint to the controversy over the phone that recently interrupted the New York Philharmonic, promoting the conductor to bring Mahler’s Ninth Symphony to a halt. This… Read More…

What a comedian can teach you about making $1M in 12 days

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Would you ever think that a comedian could hold the key to unlocking the secret to making a lot of money online? Believe it, because that’s exactly what Louis CK did in early December. But he didn’t just make a little money. He made a lot in a short period of time… $1 million dollars in… Read More…

CES: Battle of the iPad guitars, with a very timely patent

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ION Audio’s Guitar Apprentice generated lots of attention from national press at the Consumer Electronics Show this week. It’s a guitar shell that holds an iPad, helping people learn to play guitar using a special app in combination with a light-up fretboard. Turns out another company had the same idea – and it has the attention of the U.S. Patent Office. Behringer,… Read More…

Theater geeks who text and tweet will be welcomed with open arms at this arts center

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At most theaters, concert halls and arts centers, guests are strongly encouraged to stow their cell phones until the performance concludes. But that won’t be the case at the Tateuchi Center, a 2,000-seat concert hall expected to open its doors in downtown Bellevue in 2014. The New York Times reports that the new facility will allow… Read More…