It was a genuine pleasure to speak with Blake Morgan about the state of the music industry . . . we spoke for an hour and could have kept going for much longer!
Native New Yorker Blake Morgan is a recording artist, record producer, and the founder and owner of ECR Music Group, a global music company which operates under an elemental principle unprecedented in the music world: all of its artists and labels own one-hundred percent of their master recordings.
On the heels of his sold-out eight-month run at New York City’s Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3, Blake Morgan now embarks on his first large-scale West Coast solo tour of the United States. The New York Times calls Morgan “Disarmingly unselfconscious,†while Billboard Magazine writes, “Blake Morgan has a voice that was made to be heard on the radio…inspired songwriting and passionate performances.†The Washington Post adds, “He’s got killer pop-rock instincts, something that leaps out at you…a natural when it comes to fashioning sharp melodies and catchy choruses.†Blake Morgan’s 2016 West Coast Tour will run from August 22nd until September 3rd, with Morgan performing ten concerts in nine cities. Morgan returns to Rockwood Music Hall’s Stage 3 on September 14th, for Season Two of his ongoing artist-in-residence concert series in New York City.
We covered a lot of ground . . . Here is a framework of the topics covered.

What is the process of developing musicians now?
How do people access music in this day and age?
How do you reconcile the different definitions of success in your artists?
How do musicians get paid now?  What is the difference between “songwriting†and “mechanicalsâ€
What is the role of outside interests?  Sponsorships, merchandise, acting / books etc . . .
And how is that different from the past?

Regarding the impact of technology on the previous music industry business model, the dilemma it poses now for emerging musicians, and the impact of #irespectmusic . . .

How have the innovations of Napster on through to iTunes/ Pandora/ Spotify/ Youtube impacted artists
What are the positive and negative aspects?
How does this impact artists and their ability to earn?
How does the law protect artists currently?  Is it outdated?
What have been your legislative efforts?  Is this a chance for actual bipartisan work from Congress?
What is that political process like?  How do you educate our leaders about the importance of music and protecting the artist’s livelihood?
What can the artists do to help protect themselves?

Finally a little discussion on ECR and future plans

What is your vision for the modern record label – what is its role and how does it work in this day and age?
What are the signs of optimism for recording artists in the future?
Where do you see the future of music going?
How can people support #IRespectMusic?

WWW.BLAKEMORGAN.COM
Blake Morgan (Facebook)
Blake Morgan (Twitter)
IRESPECTMUSIC.ORG and via hashtag (#irespectmusic) on most social media platforms.