Two Colorado companies who are leaders in their respective fields will soon be working together to produce a new line of musical instrument cases.

Colorado Case Company of Ft. Collins is a familiar name to musicians in all genres, bluegrass included. Their instrument gig bags, soft case covers and flight cases are endorsed by Steep Canyon Rangers, Missy Raines, Cadillac Sky, Sammy Shelor, Don Rigsby, Bill Evans and a great many other acoustic acts. They have been longtime members of the IBMA and have a history of support for bluegrass music.

Case Logic of Boulder likewise makes products that many musicians own and use, as well as a wide range of storage and portable carriage solutions for consumers. They got their start making carrying cases for audio cassettes, and now manufacture similar products for CDs, DVDs, MP3 players, cameras and laptops, as well as backpacks and luggage.

In their newly announced partnership, Colorado Case will design, market and distribute a line of musical instrument cases under an exclusive license with Case Logic. The first will be available in the 4th quarter of 2008, for guitars, flutes and drums, and marked with the Case Logic brand. More products will be added in 2009 and beyond with a full representation of all cased instruments expected in the next few years.

They will be sold through music stores, using Colorado Cases’ extensive network of dealers, and manufactured in their Ft. Collins facility.

The Spring 2008 issue of Berklee Today, the official alumni publication of the Berklee College Of Music, has an interesting article on Crowd Funding. It was written by Peter Spellman, director of Berklee’s Career Development Center, who has written a number of books on marketing for musicians.

The concept of crowd funding is a relatively new, bottom-up sort of grassroots financing for new artists and/or projects that has been spawned in the Internet age. In a nutshell, it is one where artists appeal to fans to raise the necessary capital for recording, video production or tour support.

As record labels throughout the industry become more conservative when it comes to signing new acts and promoting second-tier acts, many artists - both new and established - have begun to consider alternative options. Spellman examines three web-based companies that were formed to serve this niche.

ArtistShare has been around since 2002 - old guard in today’s web world - and functions as a conduit between artists and fans, encouraging fans to make small investments (micro-funding) in artists’ work in exchange for special access.

Participating artists raise funding for recording projects by offering fans special interactivity options, such as the opportunity to download scores in process or to watch a recording session. An ArtistShare “participant offer,” for example, is similar to buying tickets to a live show; fans purchase incrementally priced packages that offer a glimpse of the artist’s work in progress, pre-release privileges, and, in some cases, credit on the final packaging or Web page.

Sellaband is a newer entry, launched in 2006 with the help of two former label executives.

It allows fans (dubbed “believers”) to invest $10 each until the goal of $50,000 is reached. The 5,000 believers provide funding for the band to record an album with professional producers and studios. Both parties earn money when it is released. At the moment, 6,355 artists are on SAB, and believers have funded six completed albums.

Lastly, he looks at Slicethepie, which functions as a sort of new music stock market. (more…)

Recently we reported news of the link up between Mountain Roads Recordings and Big Country Bluegrass. Although bands changing labels is nothing new, some may have wondered about the Big Country Bluegrass arrangement with Hay Holler Records.

Well, when talking to Gail Cooler, she added weight to the open ’secret’ that Kerry Hay was retiring by saying that his decision led directly to the formation of Mountain Roads Recording and their agreement with Big Country Bluegrass.

So, I spoke to Kerry and this is what he had to say, insisting that he wasn’t retiring …….

“I, and Hay Holler, are in fact ‘winding down.’ I have no firm plans to do any more recording, but if the right band came along, and would be interested in recording with Hay Holler, I would do it. I realize this is a very unlikely scenario, as any band within their senses would want to associate with an aggressive label. As I said in the previous email message, I will keep Hay Holler, Inc. an ongoing, viable operation, for the purpose of maintaining inventory for our artists who continue to tour.”

Hay Holler Records was formed in 1989, with their first recordings released in 1990, following a collaboration with banjoist Butch Robins [Blue Grass Boys and bass player with New Grass Revival]. The label is noted for releasing what Hay describes as “real bluegrass, hard-core traditional mountain-style bluegrass that sounds as lonesome as a Whippoorwill.”

A representative listing of artists that have recordings released by Hay Holler includes Herschel Sizemore, 5 For The Gospel, Big Country Bluegrass, The Bluegrass Brothers, Cedar Hill, The Gibson Brothers, The Gillis Brothers, The Goins Brothers, Sand Mountain and Wayne Henderson.

For more about Kerry Hay and Hay Holler Records listen to his GrassCast interview from December 2005.

A great many bluegrass fans have embraced satellite radio. In addition to each having nearly 200 channels offering a wide variety of news, music and sports, both XM and Sirius have 24/7 bluegrass music channels produced in house.

With the US Department of Justice’s approval of the proposed merger between the two satellite radio giants being announced a month ago, subscribers and music industry observers have had much to say, pro and con, about the impact such a merger might have on this relatively new medium.

Billboard and Reuters had a joint piece last week looking at how record labels view this merger, and their fears that it could eventually lead to the sort of consolidation that would eliminate any duplication of services. Though both companies insist that their goal is to maintain separate subscription services, allowing a la carte selections from the other side of the aisle, the label reps quoted in the April 20 piece by Ken Tucker don’t cherish the thought of loosing any possible exposure via satellite radio.

Brad Paul, senior VP of promotion at Rounder Records — a label whose bluegrass releases benefit from the 24/7 national exposure they get from Sirius and XM — doesn’t like the idea of one less national outlet. “If the argument were being made that it’s a good thing because I could economize my effort, heck, I’m not about economizing my efforts, I’m about having opportunities to get these artists’ music exposed to as many listeners as possible.

“Both networks offer different ways to feature and launch a new project,” Paul says. “I feel good about having both those options to go to.”

Tucker also passes along the feeling expressed by several reps that satellite radio had been responsible for breaking new artists, though none presented any concrete examples. There was some disagreement expressed, but overall, the quotes in the piece look askance at the merger.

But Kevin Herring, VP of promotion for Nashville-based Lyric Street Records, says losing XM’s Highway 16 channel or Sirius’ New Country channel wouldn’t have much of an effect on his label’s promotion efforts. “Anytime there’s less current outlets, it affects us, but I don’t see it having an overarching effect on what we do or how we do it,” he says.

Sony BMG Nashville VP of marketing Tom Baldrica says his label group has long supported both satellite services and is also not pleased with the possibility of consolidation. “One of those stations goes and it’s like losing a major-market radio station,” he says. “And it’s a major-market radio station that’s speaking to the people that value and love the music more than most. I’m not happy about that at all.”

Read the full piece online.

Here is the final installment in our interview series with four of the folks who run prominent bluegrass-oriented record labels. Previous posts have discussed how these labels’ sales in 2007 compared with the dire trends in the wider record business, the sales of digital audio versus manufactured discs and the future of the album format.

The last two questions we examined touch on how promotion of new releases may have changed, and whether the labels (Pinecastle, Rebel, Rounder and Rural Rhythm) look for anything different in new acts they consider signing in this rapidly changing market.

First we posed this query: “How has your promotion changed in the face of industry and sales trends – and how do you envision promotion changing in the near future?”

Ethan Burkhardt, Pinecastle Records:

“We are having to be more conservative with our advertising and marketing budgets. In turn, we are focusing on online guerrilla marketing and are relying heavily on our tour support for free publicity through newspaper and radio interviews. Just as we’re seeing more money from digital sales, we’re also going to see more of our promotions and advertising shift over to viral marketing and online advertising.”

Dave Freeman, Rebel Records:

“We are doing less print advertising as it is getting more costly and yielding less results. Bluegrass Unlimited is one of the few places we can count on getting results. We have had great radio play all over the country (especially the Southeast), but we may cut back on sending out DJ copies as well, because there’s usually no place where people can buy the CDs even if they hear them on radio and like them.”

Ken Irwin, Rounder Records:

“We have started and will continue to do more promotion and advertising online and have become more selective in our decisions about advertising in general.”

Sam Passamano, Rural Rhythm Records:

“Consumers need to hear the music and there are so many more opportunities to expose our artists to bluegrass listeners today and it’s expanding all the time. It’s very exciting to see all the new online opportunities like the artist sites, label sites, magazine sites, blogs, MySpace, YouTube, digital music providers, online retailers, etc. Bluegrass music consumers today can listen to song clips of the entire album, see the artist’s music videos, read about the artist, listen to an artist interviews, read album reviews and see where the artist is touring all at a click of the finger.“

We also asked: “What sort of things are you looking for in a new act? What attracts you to them, in terms of music and being able to promote them?” (more…)

In this installment of our interview series with bluegrass label heads, we’ll look at how they see the distribution model for bluegrass changing in the near term. As before, we spoke with Dave Freeman of Rebel Records, Ken Irwin of Rounder Records, Sam Passamano of Rural Rhythm Records and Tom Riggs of Pinecastle Records.

The first question in this realm we asked was “Have you seen the promotion of singles (via radio play, videos) drive increased CD sales, or primarily the sales of single downloads?”

Sam Passamano, Rural Rhythm Records:

“It takes a total marketing mix containing single airplay, video exposure, album reviews and articles, print advertising, banner ads, general media exposure, retail merchandising program and artist tours to increase CD album and digital album sales. A really good single can go a long way in accomplishing increased CD sales, but you need a real cohesive marketing effort to significantly increase sales. I don’t think there is enough data available right now to actually determine if there is a single download market that will only purchase singles based on new single radio airplay, videos, etc. exposure. This market trend may develop over time but it is too early make this judgment now. “

Ken Irwin, Rounder Records:

“Our video and radio play drives CD sales, not the sale of tracks.”

Dave Freeman, Rebel Records:

“We can’t comment on singles because we don’t produce any conventional singles.”

Tom Riggs, Pinecastle Records:

“Outside of Prime Cuts, we do not service radio with singles, so I do not have anything to add on this question.”

We also asked “Do you see a time when you might go to an entirely digital distribution model – or abandon the album format?” (more…)

In this second installment of our interview series regarding bluegrass music sales, we look at how sales of digital music online are trending in our slice of the recorded music world.

Once again, we spoke with Dave Freeman of Rebel Records, Ken Irwin of Rounder Records, Sam Passamano of Rural Rhythm Records and Tom Riggs of Pinecastle Records.

The question we asked was “What trend do you see in sales of digital downloads versus CDs?”

Sam Passamano, Rural Rhythm Records:

“I really don’t look at it as digital downloads vs. CD’s. I look at digital downloads as a product line extension of the album and part of the product mix in a label’s product delivery network to the music consumer. As CD sales decline due to current down tends in music purchases over the past few years, digital downloads have been a source for additional revenues for labels, as well as, a wonderful exposure vehicle for new release products. It’s exciting to see all the artist and new product exposure opportunities available to the consumer today. Consumers can listen to song clips of the entire album, see the artist’s music videos, read about the artist, listen to artist interviews and read album reviews before they choose to purchase the digital download or CD album. Most major ‘brick & mortar’ retailers now have their own digital download sales sites, so I don’t see this as an either or situation.

I think there is a place for both product lines, in most music consumers’ collections. Digital downloads are great for exploring new artists and new release titles and collecting important individual songs that are special to the consumer. However, there is no substitution having the physical CD product in your collection containing all the packaging photo’s and information the artist wants their fans and listeners to have, which truly makes it a better experience for the consumer.”

Ken Irwin, Rounder Records:

“Industry wide, CDs sales were down 15% and digital was up 50%, 2007 compared to 2006. Rounder’s performance exceeded the industry average in both tracks and album downloads. In general, Rounder sells more album downloads than the industry average as we are not a singles-driven label, and our genres are not singles-driven.

Our album vs single ratio has not changed significantly over recent years and our video and radio play drives CD sales, not the sale of tracks.”

Dave Freeman, Rebel Records:

“We see no reason why digital sales won’t continue to grow and conventional CDs will continue to fade. Much of the digital market is for individual tracks, not entire albums.

All in all we have been very pleased with digital results, which have continued to grow substantially.”

Tom Riggs, Pinecastle Records:

“Downloads in our case are almost all single as opposed to full albums. I think it has always been this way. Overall our digital download sales increased about 40% over ‘06.”

Our next post will examine how these labels view the future of the album format, and how their promotional efforts have changed in the face of a rapidly changing market.

The proposed merger between Gibson Guitar and TC Group which was announced in January ‘08 has been shelved.

The two companies issued a joint press release late last week.

Gibson Guitar, the world’s premier musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology and TC Group, an international leader in sound processing, amplification, computer recording and speakers, announced that they have discontinued discussions regarding a potential merger between the two companies. The decision followed an intensive effort by both parties to consummate the deal within the targeted timeline, but a number of issues remained unresolved, and both Gibson and TC agreed that it was best that the merger proceedings not continue. TC Group’s goal is to continue to produce and distribute innovative and respected high-performance audio products for business partners around the world. Gibson Guitar remains loyal to its many customers and will continue to dedicate its future to producing the best musical instruments in the world while engaging and building its family of brands through innovative technology and potential new business partners.

This is the first post in a series we will run this week reporting on how the sales of recorded bluegrass music in 2007 compared with the trends in the wider music industry. We won’t be analyzing sales data directly, but sharing what a number of large bluegrass-oriented record label heads have to say about what they see in their corner of the music business.

The first question we’ll examine is “how did each label’s 2007 sale compare with the widely-reported drop in unit sales for all recorded music?” Over the next few days, we will also discuss how the labels see their promotional efforts changing in this new business climate, the future of the manufactured CD, their growth in digital sales, and whether their choices of new acts may be affected by the changing consumer preferences.

Q: How would you compare your 2007 sales with what has been reported in the wider music industry?

Tom Riggs, Pinecastle Records:

“Better than the overall industry.”

Dave Freeman, Rebel Records:

“We actually had a pretty good year in 2007, but that was at least partly because we had more records out and our budget issues did quite well in Wal-Marts, etc. Overall retail catalog sales were definitely off at least 15-20% , but we made up for a lot of this with increased sales to Amazon and through our own County Sales.”

Ken Irwin, Rounder Records:

“Our sales exceeded the industry’s performance driven mainly by the sucess of Alison Krauss’ A Hundred Miles or More, her catalog and the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss Raising Sand release.”

Sam Passamano, Rural Rhythm Records:

“As you have seen in Billboard magazine, our music industry has experienced a steady decline in revenues over the past few years and the trend is still continuing. Our revenues over the past few years have been consistent which is very good under these tough times in the music business.”

Q: Is this trend even across the board, or do you see noticeable differences between established and emerging artists? (more…)

On Monday (4/14) we will start a multi-part series of posts comparing recorded music sales within the bluegrass world with what has been reported in the larger music industry.

We interviewed Dave Freeman of Rebel Records, Ken Irwin of Rounder Records, Sam Passamano of Rural Rhythm Records and Tom Riggs and Ethan Burkhardt of Pinecastle Records. Each label head shared with us how their 2007 sales compared with the 9.5% drop in unit sales that has been widely reported for sales of recorded music in the aggregate (US music sales).

They also discussed how things are going for them with digital downloads, and how their marketing and publicity has changed in the new music industry environment in which they find themselves.

This is not any sort of hard numbers analysis. We simply requested and received feedback from label heads, and will share the results with you starting on Monday.

The IBMA is offering reduced membership fees during the month of April for new professional members. The annual dues are normally $70, but this month anyone who is not a member of the organization and who fits the criteria for professional membership can join for $45.

Details from IBMA…

Discount Membership Eligibility:

• $45 rate is for “Individual Professional” membership (normally $70) for applications received April 1-30, 2008.
• Applicant must qualify for “professional” membership and currently be (or have been) active in a professional capacity within the bluegrass music industry.
• Discount is only for new memberships in IBMA. The special $45 rate is not available for renewals or those whose membership expired within the past 60 days.
• Recruiter benefit: Current members who recruit new members during this period are eligible for prizes, including: First place: Two VIP tickets to the 2008 IBMA Awards Show; Second place: One year’s free membership renewal; and Third place: IBMA merchandise; prizes will be based on most members recruited during the time period. To count as one of your recruits, a new member must be eligible and pay dues between April 1-30, 2008 and must indicate your name or organization in the “solicited by” section of the membership application. Everyone who recruits someone will be acknowledged in International Bluegrass.

Online registration and more details are available on the IBMA site.

In late February we posted the news that iTunes had moved into the number two position in the ranking of the top music retailers in the US. The same group (NPD) has just released a new report for the first month of 2008, and reports that iTunes was the number one music retailer in the US during the month of January.

Apple was responsible for 19% of the music sold during the month of January, moving it ahead of Wal-Mart who sold 15%.

One could take these numbers in several different ways. First, the report is not based on actual sales data, but on a consumer survey. Secondly, detractors are quick to point out that Apple’s numbers are very likely skewed due to the redemption of gift cards consumers received as Christmas presents. That may be true, but I’d like to point out that the other retailers all sell gift cards as well, so that’s not a completely valid criticism of the report. However, the gift card factor could mean that iTunes might not retain the number one position once those cards have been redeemed and consumers return to normal buying habits. I do think it is a good indicator of future trends and wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple hold on to the number one rating.

While all this may not be an accurate reflection of the current bluegrass music industry, I would suggest that it is useful data to those in our genre interested in reaching new audiences. The February report, on 2007 sales, stated that 48% of US teenagers didn’t purchase any CDs during 2007. If bluegrass wants to reach a young generation, we should remind ourselves we’re in the music business, not the little plastic disc business.

NOTE: The NPD report has not been officially released as of this publication. The contents of the report were leaked and you can read about it at ArsTechnica.com.

The market giveth, and the market taketh away…

We commented last week on somber news about CD sales at the wholesale level, mentioning the recent demise of long-time bluegrass and old time wholesale distributor, The Record Depot. Their closing has had a profound effect on a great many bluegrass-themed businesses, not only for the loss of a trusted vendor or customer, but also for the omen it may portend about the future of recorded music sales in the bluegrass world.

On a cheerier note, Music Shed has just announced the launch of a wholesale division to serve fellow music retailers who stock and sell bluegrass. The company is owned and closely associated with Pinecastle Records, in much the same way that Record Depot was once affiliated with Rebel Records.

They maintain a large inventory of CDs, DVDs, books and box sets which they have offered to retail customers for many years, and now this same catalog will be available to resellers as well.

The tech and finance sites are abuzz with news/discussion about Warner Music Group’s having hired industry consultant Jim Griffin to promote his plan to force internet service providers to charge a fee to all internet users for music rights. The idea is to assess a $5 monthly fee on all internet access accounts which would go into a fund for distribution to license holders. Those paying the fee would have access to a database of all digital music online, at no additional charge.

Some call it a music tax, others a piracy surcharge, and battle lines are being clearly drawn. In an interview with Conde Nast’s Portfolio.com, Griffin shares the label’s perspective.

“Today, it has become purely voluntary to pay for music,” Griffin told Portfolio.com in an exclusive sit-down this week. “If I tell you to go listen to this band, you could pay, or you might not. It’s pretty much up to you. So the music business has become a big tip jar.”

Nothing provokes sheer terror in the recording industry more than the rise of peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. For years, digital-music seers have argued the rise of such networks has made copyright law obsolete and free music distribution universal.

Bronfman has asked Griffin, formerly Geffen Music’s digital chief, to develop a model that would create a pool of money from user fees to be distributed to artists and copyright holders. Warner has given Griffin a three-year contract to form a new organization to spearhead the plan.

On the other side, TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington calls it The Music Industry’s New Extortion Scheme:

Asking the government to prop up a dying industry is always (always) a bad idea. In this case, it is a monumentally stupid, dangerous, and bad idea.

If this happens, it will put an end to the endless creative/destructive energy that is reshaping the music industry today. Good musicians will always find a way to make money. Others may have to follow their passion as a hobby and (shudder) get a day job to pay the bills. But if a music tax is put in place, that innovation will die, and with guaranteed revenues and profits, the need to innovate, market and compete will also die. A music tax is a sure fire way to destroy an industry that is just beginning to really blossom.

Yes, blossom. As terrifying as these days must be for music industry players, it’s clear that a golden age of creativity and innovation is ahead of us, all led by the Internet as a nearly perfect distribution mechanism for their product. Music labels must die. Hopefully, before they do any more damage.

Before bluegrass/folk/acoustic songwriters and artists get excited about this proposal, keep in mind the way that blanket royalty fees have been distributed in the past. A club that featured bluegrass music exclusively would pay fees to the publishers’ unions, none of which ever made its way to bluegrass writers or performers.

Read more on Portfolio.com, TechCrunch or Wired.com.

Dutch country and bluegrass periodical, Country Gazette, is scheduled to publish it’s last issue next month. The magazine has been in publication for 35 years, covering all things country and bluegrass in Northern Europe. On April 26, 2008, the May/June issue number 368 will be the last one.

Publishers Hans and Jannie van Dam are retiring, and have not found anyone to take over publication of the magazine. They have spent a great many years supporting the music and I’m sure fans and subscribers will be sorry to see them go.

The last issue promises a complete overview of festival and concert dates for the calendar year 2008, along with suggested websites and other resources for fans to continue keeping up with the music in the future.

Monday the US Department of Justice approved the proposed merger/buyout of Sirius and XM Satellite Radio companies. The proposed merger is really a Sirius take over of XM, to the tune of $5 billion.

This proposal has been in the works since the beginning of last year. The Department of Justice Antitrust Division had to approve the merger before it could take place, in order to determine the effect it might have on consumers. The main concern being the creation of a monopoly with no competition. The DOJ determined that although the merger would create a situation in which only one satellite radio company would exist in the US market, there would be sufficient competition from other technology sectors to protect consumers.

After a careful and thorough review of the proposed transaction, the Division concluded that the evidence does not demonstrate that the proposed merger of XM and Sirius is likely to substantially lessen competition, and that the transaction therefore is not likely to harm consumers. The Division reached this conclusion because the evidence did not show that the merger would enable the parties to profitably increase prices to satellite radio customers for several reasons, including: a lack of competition between the parties in important segments even without the merger; the competitive alternative services available to consumers; technological change that is expected to make those alternatives increasingly attractive over time; and efficiencies likely to flow from the transaction that could benefit consumers.

Further into its report, the DOJ gets specific about where this competition is coming from. When the report says “The Parties” it is referring to Sirius and XM.

The parties contended that they compete with a variety of other sources of audio entertainment, including traditional AM/FM radio, HD Radio, MP3 players (e.g., iPods®), and audio offerings delivered through wireless telephones. Those options, used individually or in combination, offer many consumers attributes of satellite radio service that they may find attractive. The parties further contended that these audio entertainment alternatives were sufficient to prevent the merged company from profitably raising prices to consumers in the retail channel.

And the DOJ agreed.

Interestingly, it seems the National Association of Broadcasters agrees as well, and they’re not happy about it. The LA Times is reporting that (more…)

We’ve heard this week from one of our regular email correspondents, who is in management with one of the larger specialty bluegrass labels.

He passed along what is surely not encouraging news for those who depend on CD sales to large retailers for a part of their income. He tells us that many executives from the Handelman Company, one of Wal-Mart’s chief CD vendors, were let go last week as a result of business decisions and performance over the past several years that have affected the company’s bottom line.

This follows another poor reporting period for the company (3rd quarter 2007) with music sales down more than 25%, and Handelman’s delisting last week by the NY Stock Exchange.

Our correspondent also reports that record labels are expecting larger than normal product returns from Borders this quarter as a result of financial issues that are being resolved internally.

Some of this may turn out to be industry scuttlebutt, but coupled with the recent closing of The Record Depot, among the oldest and largest wholesale distributors of bluegrass and old time music, the picture continues to be bleak and uncertain for retail music sales in our business.

Following the results of yesterday’s poll, as well as several comments submitted via email, have lead me to the following conclusions.

The real question yesterday was this: Is iTunes the #2 retailer of music to bluegrass fans? It seems it may be #1 among those who took our poll. “Direct from artist” took the number one position in the results, but that’s not one single retail outlet. It is encouraging though to see that bluegrass fans still prefer to support the artists in this way. “Other” was the second most popular choice, and here’s where the emails come in. Some of you wrote in to share specifics of your “Other” choice.

I realize we are a self selecting group, in that we are all already online (you’re reading this on a computer right?), so we don’t represent those bluegrass fans who aren’t online. What that percentage is I don’t know. Nationally it’s about 30%.

iTunes we know to be digital downloads, let’s call this “virtual product.” Amazon could be virtual product, or physical product (CDs) either one. What percentage of “Direct from artist” and “Other” is virtual? I don’t know, though I suspect it’s quite low. What percentage is purchased online, even if it is physical? That number is probably higher.

So let’s try two more polls. I’ll put them both below and ask that you participate in both. The first will be a very simple choice, asking your preference between virtual (digital downloads) and physical (CDs) product. The second will be an experiment. Let’s see if we can find the most popular retail outlet. For our purposes I’m bringing back several of the most popular options from yesterday’s poll, combining Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart.com into one option, dividing Direct from artist into two options, adding a couple new ones suggested in your emails, and (here’s the experimental part) allowing you the option of adding a new choice. If your first choice of retailer isn’t already there, just select “other” and then type in your choice.

So let’s here it bluegrass fans!

* UPDATE: I went in to “fix” the title for an option and wiped out the first 12 votes. Sorry guys! If you choose “other” please specify by changing the text to the name of the retail outlet you use. Thanks.

John and I have been giving a lot of thought to the news that iTunes had seized the number two music retailer spot. We’re wondering how the bluegrass community compares to the broader music industry.

We’re in the process of doing some research and will be sharing our results with our readers soon. I thought we’d go ahead and do a little informal research right here on The Bluegrass Blog.

To that end I’ve put together this little poll so we can see where we’re all buying our music. Go ahead and participate, no registration is required. The poll will reload right in place without the need for a page reload.

The IBMA reminds labels and independent artists that the organization will again prepare a list of eligible recordings for the 2008 International Bluegrass Music Awards which will be included in the first round ballots sent to IBMA members in June. This list, though not intended to be an all-inclusive catalog of eligible releases, can have a predictable impact on this first ballot, where professional voting members write in the names of artists and recordings they deem worthy for the awards.

From the recent IBMA press release:

To be eligible for the 2008 International Bluegrass Music Awards to be presented on October 2, 2008 in Nashville, Tenn., a recording project must have had its first commercial release between April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008.

If you have an eligible recording and would like it listed with the first round ballot, be sure to send information to that effect to IBMA no later than April 30, 2008. The information required for submission, along with the address where it should be sent, can be found on the IBMA web site.