July 11, 2008

Red Hot Chili Peppers - TM Suit

Man uses band's trademark on back of jacket. Man gets sued for trademark infringement.

July 9, 2008

Last.fm - Artists Royalty Program

Last.fm launched their Artist Royalty Program. The program allows unsigned musicians to collect royalties when their music is loaded into Last.fm’s library and then streamed.

“The young musician making music in a bedroom studio has the same chance as the latest major label signing to use Last.fm to build an audience and get rewarded. The Artist Royalty Program is another revolutionary step towards helping musicians take control of their music — and, more importantly, make a living from it,” said Last.fm co-founder Martin Stiksel.

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July 7, 2008

Branding in Music

Robert Levine, "It's American Brandstand: Marketer's Underwrite Performers", July 7, 2008 New York Times, at Business (Media & Advertising) (highlighting a wave of companies getting into the music business to promote their own products, essentially becoming record labels themselves).