“This list is a pure hotness list,” Shannon Connolly, Vice President of Digital Music Strategy at MTV said in an interview with Wired.com. “We are intentionally presenting artists to the user that are high-ranking in velocity.”

I’m not sure I know what that means.

Velocity, in this case, means buzz — measured daily by incorporating feeds from Twitter, Facebook, and news sites from around the web. MTV is using technology developed by a company called The Echo Nest to determine the most buzz-worthy songs and artists on any given day.

Oh, ok. Like what The Hype Machine kinda already does.

• MTV Unveils New Music Discovery Website

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THR: What do you think is the biggest problem plaguing the music business right now?
Braun: A lack of understanding that we’re no longer a music business. We’re a multimedia business. We’re a branding business where the music, the songs and stars are the drivers, but at the end of the day, we have to be willing to open ourselves up to different revenue streams.

THR: Same question, but with the major labels.
Braun: They’re built on a structure that’s still based on a failing business. Doug Morris is a legend and what he did was incredible, and I think there’s some great new leadership with [Universal Music Group CEO] Lucian Grainge, but he has a tough job ahead of him. You see the moves that [chairman and CEO of recorded music for Warner Music Group] Lyor [Cohen] is making and he’s very capable. Barry Weiss is a brilliant guy who doesn’t like to lose either. There’s some good leadership out there and I think they’re heading in the right direction.

They also cover the difference between Bieber and other teen idols, his similarity to Michael Jackson (Jackson 5 Michael Jackson) and how Bieber got discovered. I had no idea he was found on Youtube.

• The Brains Behind Bieber

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More than 200 students at the University of Central Florida have come forward to admit to cheating after their professor gave a lecture on ethics that has become a YouTube hit.

I don’t want to get all stereotypical (I will anyway), but considering the past 10 years with Enron, the financial crisis and oil spills, it’s not so difficult to assume that people interested in business are statistically more likely to behave unethically.

Makes me think of that scene in Back To School where Rodney Dangerfield goes back and forth with the professor about how things are actually done in the business world.

• Video: 200 students admit cheating after professor’s online rant – Telegraph
• Via kottke

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I saw “Music file contains unique purchase identifier” on Kanye West’s brand new My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy released today for $3.99 on Amazon MP3.

The record company that supplies this song or album requires all companies that sell its downloadable music to include identifiers with the downloads. Embedded in the metadata of each purchased MP3 from this record company are a random number Amazon assigns to your order, the Amazon store name, the purchase date and time, codes that identify the album and song (the UPC and ISRC), Amazon’s digital signature, and an identifier that can be used to determine whether the audio has been modified. In addition, Amazon inserts the first part of the email address associated with your Amazon.com account, so that you know these files are unique to you. Songs that include these identifiers are marked on their product detail page on Amazon.com. These identifiers do not affect the playback experience in any way.

I think this is different than the Song ID left in the comments field of Amazon MP3s. It doesn’t appear to be available on every download available from Amazon. This is the first time I’ve ever seen it.

• Record Company Required Metadata

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The first sentence of the Snopes article really sums up what you’re in for:

This is one of those items which is primarily true, but the answer needs to be heavily qualified in order to avoid being misleading.

It’s not a simple answer because the music business isn’t simple.

• The Talk Show – Episode 17: Magic Flute
• Michael Jackson and Beatles Songs

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• Download Service eMusic Unveils New Pricing Model, Indie Labels Jump Ship : The Record : NPR

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Colwell & Salmon received a $1.3 million tax credit from Michigan in January for the expansion of a call center in that state, according to the Michigan governor’s office. The project was expected to cost $4.9 million and create 502 jobs.

It could not be determined as of Tuesday afternoon whether that project went forward.

Only two comments, but both from people who interviewed or worked there. They say it was sketchy town.

• Telecommunications company mysteriously shuts down offices
• Via The In Box

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Transcribed:

Why would anyone buy music from iTunes. They rip off the artist and the customer. 1.29 for a song. There are so many ways to get music without giving apple 70 cents for every song. Piratebay is the way to go for sure.

If you released an album how much are you getting from the Pirate Bay?

• From CNN (who should probably just disable comments entirely).

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Taylor Swift, one of the music industry’s biggest money-makers, released a new album Tuesday. Her label is so confident that Speak Now will sell well that it’s shipped more than two million copies to stores.

People who listen to Taylor Swift don’t know what P2P is. If anything, they may guess it’s like a PSP.

If you’re interested in hitting big in the recorded music retail model you need to consider becoming a country musician, making children’s music, or curating a movie soundtrack. The people who buy those don’t download music illegally. Just look at the charts.

• Taylor Swift Poised for one of 2010′s Biggest Sellers

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The other day, I was standing in line behind two elderly grandparents with four little kids who didn’t know what they wanted. Their indecision took an agonizing amount of time. Even though they marched off somewhat content with their lunch, I’m not sure the opportunity to create their own personal culinary art made the kids any happier than they would’ve been with spartan Happy Meals from McDonalds. Also, Grandma and Grandpa were thoroughly frazzled by the 20 questions required to make the tots happy. Six-inch? Twelve-inch? Wheat, honey, oat? Nuked or toasted? There were long pauses between each question.

• Choice Paralysis – PDF

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