SXSW is technically in full swing, but the music part of the event starts on Wednesday. Will you be there? Are you prepped? Find out about getting trade show ready so you can make the most of your time in Texas. Is your plan already in place? Let me know what is on the cards for you - what you hope to achieve at the event, and of course, which shows you can't wait to see.

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1. This interview on Musician Coaching with A&R rep and label owner Michael Goldtone about labels, A&R and the state of the industry makes for interesting reading - check it out.
2. Well, EMI isn't having an easy go of it right now. Now, I know you'd think that a cleaning industry exec would be a perfect choice to run a record label, but alas, CEO Elio Leoni-Sceti hasn't been able to make it work after all. He's out on March 31. Add to that a court battle with Citibank - EMI (or rather, the private equity firm Terra Firma behind EMI) is charging that Citibank helped to inflate EMI's value way back when Terra Firma payed way too much for the troubled label. And oh yeah, a $160 million payment is due to Citibank from Terra Firma on March 31. Suddenly my cable bill looks kind of OK. You know, just because you have been successful in one industry and have a lot of records doesn't mean you are equipped to run a major record label. Just a thought.
3. Also in EMI news, Pink Floyd convinced a court to agree with them that their contract with EMI doesn't allow the label to sell their tracks online individually. The court didn't demand that EMI takes the Pink Floyd tracks down - yet. Oy vey.
4. I could actually go on with the EMI news, but that's just getting boring. This look behind the scenes of Jingle Punks licensing company was kind of cool - click here for the CNN video.
5. A2IM made a statement to the FCC this week about net neutrality - check out what they had to say. Where do you stand on the issue?

The new music industry contacts lists are slowly but surely growing - have you added yourself yet? Thanks so much to everyone who has participated so far, and if you haven't, please do! Just click a link and sign up!

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So, you need money for music project. That is hardly a unique position to be in -  but where can you turn? Personal loans and credit cards are often relied on, but they are rarely the best choices. There are other options you can explore that can help you get the money you need without destroying your personal credit in the process. Consider these common music industry investors to get some idea of where you may be able to turn for help.

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