Music Sales Are Up For The First Time Since 2004

For The First Time In Ages, Music Sales Reports Don't Look Like This

Nielsen and Billboard have just released their 2011 Music Industry Report, and for the first time in eight years the number of total albums sold has gone up. You can check the figures here. And when you do so, you’ll also see that for the first time ever digital sales have beat phsycal music sales.

Still, just because sales are up from 2010 that doesn’t mean the industry’s “saved” or anything like that. It’s the beginning of a recovery process that will take a good couple of years.

And there should be no doubt in anybody’s mind that services like Spotify, Grooveshark and Rdio are to thank for this increase in sales. If anything, these services are responsible for instilling something that was unthinkable just some years ago: the concept of listening to music legally online.

It’s all gone full circle. Digital music hurt the industry at first, but now it’s making people support their favorite artists with their wallets again.

So, contrary to what lots of people predicted, digital music didn’t kill the industry in the end. It did exactly the opposite, giving it a whole new lease of life when least expected. It’ll be really interesting to see what the music report for 2012 looks like.

Provided the world hasn’t ended by then, that’s it.

My, the state these Mayans have left us all in…

Who Were The Hardest-working Musicians Of 2010?

Ever wondered which bands performed the most gigs and traveled the furthest in 2010? Well, this infograph is going to enlighten you. It was assembled by concert information service SongKick, and it is obviously topped by a young, energetic performing unit (Mayday Parade). Household names such as Lady Gaga also occupy an all-too-obvious position.

But there is also a pleasant surprise in the shape or Willie Nelson, who played 161 shows last year. The man is pushing 78. On the road again? Indeed, my friends…

hardest working bands

DJ Earworm Mashes Up The Biggest Hits Of 2010

DJ Earworm

DJ Earworm

There you have the 25 finest Billboard Hits of 2010 mashed up together, courtesy of DJ Earworm.

This megamix (part of his “United State Of Pop” series) obviously includes artists like Ke$ha and Katy Perry, and for many people that is reason enough to skip it altogether. Yet, DJ Earworm’s chops are nothing short of impressive, and even those who hate the artists involved (a list that also includes Bruno Mars, Eminem, Taio Cruz and Lady Antebellum) could learn a thing or two from it.

This is the full list of artists/songs that are mashed up:

Ke$ha – Tik Tok
Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
Train – Hey, Soul Sister
Katy Perry Featuring Snoop Dogg – California Gurls
Usher Featuring will.i.am – OMG
B.O.B. Featuring Hayley Williams – Airplanes
Eminem Featuring Rihanna – Love the Way You Lie
Lady Gaga – Bad Romance
Taio Cruz – Dynamite
Taio Cruz Featuring Ludacris – Break Your Heart
B.O.B. Featuring Bruno Mars – Nothin’ On You
Enrique Iglesias Featuring Pitbull – I Like It
Young Money Featuring Lloyd – Bedrock
Jason Derulo – In My Head
Rihanna – Rude Boy
Lady Gaga Featuring Beyonce – Telephone
Katy Perry – Teenage Dream
Bruno Mars – Just the Way You Are
Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me
The Black Eyed Peas – Imma Be
Jay-Z + Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
Usher Featuring Pitbull – DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love
Travie McCoy Featuring Bruno Mars – Billionaire
Eminem – Not Afraid
Iyaz – Replay

MusicKO: Uruguayan Unsigned & Independent Artists Of 2010

I think the day I decided to begin covering Uruguayan unsigned and independent artists on MusicKO was the happiest of the whole year. It gave me a lot of direction, and a true sense of purposefulness. I have managed to become acquainted with some extraordinary musicians – individuals who are truly devoted to what they do, and who believe in the power of music to bond people for life.

These are all the unsigned and independent Uruguayan performers I featured on MusicKO in 2010.

I hope to review twice as many in 2011. If you are one (or if you know one), just drop me a line. The address is emiliomusicko@gmail.com.

Cínica
Retrocedonia
Laiojan Sebastian
Doorman
Conkistadores
Mal Yo
Lucía Ferreira
RostbiF
Soundays
El Cardenal Sebastián
Lucas Meyer

MusicKO: The Best Album Reviews Of 2010

There you go, the best album that I reviewed in 2010!

Is there something that I omitted? Did you read a review on MusicKO that I left out of this list? Well, leave a comment below and let everybody know about it!

Black Gold: The Best Of Soul Asylum
Wasp Star (Apple Venus Part 2) (XTC)
Monster (REM)
Empty Glass (Pete Townshend)
Rough Mix (Pete Townshend & Ronnie Lane)
(What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (Oasis)
The Masterplan (Oasis)
All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (Pete Townshend)
The Iron Man (Pete Townshend)
Chips From The Chocolate Fireball (The Dukes Of Stratosphear)
Green (REM)
Grace (Jeff Buckley)
(Sketches For) My Sweetheart The Drunk (Jeff Buckley)
Southern Accents (Tom Petty)
Odds & Sods (The Who)
Once (Original Soundtrack Album)
Elizabethtown Vol. 1  (Original Soundtrack Album)
All This Useless Beauty (Elvis Costello)
The Band (Album Review)
Caribou (Elton John)
One For The Road (The Kinks)
Horses (Patti Smith)
Echo (Tom Petty)
Blue (Joni Mitchell)
Combat Rock (The Clash)
Pablo Honey (Radiohead)

MusicKO: The Best Music Startups Of 2010 (Part 2)

Read the list below if you want to know which were the best music startups of 2010.

What? Want even more startups? OK, check the other half of the list.

And come back tomorrow for the best album reviews of 2010 (hooray!).

Radar Music Videos – Find The Right Director For Your Music Video
Earwurm – For These Songs You Just Can’t Get Out Of Your Head
Eyeball.fm – Another Way To Share & Discover Music Online
iMusicTweet – Sharing Your Songs Through Twitter & Facebook Simultaneously
Music Matters – Combating Piracy In A Fair Way
MusicVault – Rating Albums Old & New Using Twitter
Tubeoke – Where YouTube Becomes A Karaoke
DemoHero – A Community Site Devoted To Demo Recordings
Songbright – Choose Your Best Songs, Upload Them And Make Some Money If You Chose Right
Jamendo – Where Music Is Shared For Free
Digiclef – Guitar & Bass Tabs On Your iPhone

MusicKO: The Best Music Startups Of 2010 (Part 1)

This is a list of these music startups that I have commented in 2010 that I still remember as if it were the day I wrote about them.

This is the first part of a list I will complete tomorrow [update: done!]. After that, I am compiling a list with the best album reviews of 2010, and another with all the unsigned/independent Uruguayan Artists I featured on MusicKO all through the year.

TuneCrank – Letting Independent & Unsigned Artists Spread Their Music
Guitaryst – Play Your Guitar With The Help Of Automatic Tabs
Bud To Bud – The Online Sharing Of Music Is About To Reach A New Height
Bender Converter – Convert All The Videos You Want For Free
Flashbck – Reliving Gigs & Festivals
Shuffler.fm – The Pandora.fm Of Music Blogs
Music180 – Connecting Indie Artists With Renowned Music Pros
Venossi – Making The Discovery Of New Music Something Natural & Logical
Mixtap.in – Making Mixtapes Fashionable Once Again
Tastebuds – Find A Perfect Match Based On Your Favorite Music
BuyWidget – The Perfect Way To Monetize A Music Blog

The Top Artists Of 2010 On Last.fm

Below You Will Find The Most Popular Songs On Lastfm During 2010

Below You Will Find The Most Popular Songs On Last.fm During 2010

Yes, folks, it is that time of year in which “Best Of” lists start populating the Web. I came across these two today, and I felt like sharing them with you.

They highlight the artists Last.fm users have listened to more intently during 2010. The one on top is devoted to the US, and the other showcases the likes of people the world over. Both have Ke$ha reigning supreme, but that is hardly surprising considering how viral TiK ToK was.

Agree? Disagree? Feel like emulating Pete Townshend and bashing someone with your guitar over the head? Well, why don’t you leave a comment below instead and get things out of your system?

Last Fm Top