TuneCore's Jeff Price profiled in NYT

TODAY’S READING ASSIGNMENT: Innovative digital distributor TuneCore and its colorful creator, Jeff Price, are examined by N.Y. Times reporter Ben Sisario in a piece bearing the headline, “Out to Shake Up Music, Often With Sharp Words.” Price founded TuneCore six years ago as a service for artists working under the radar. For $50 a year, the company will place any album on dozens of online services around the world and route all royalties to the act. “TuneCore can be lucrative for musicians who already have a following or can build one on their own,” Sisario writes. “Major acts like Jay-Z and Keith Richards have used it, and two clients, the rapper Hoodie Allen and the Americana band The Civil Wars, recently hit #1 on iTunes after extensive social-media campaigns.” Said Travis Yetton, The Civil Wars’ co-manager, “A real temptation in this industry is to think there’s a quick fix, that all you need is one thing to be successful. For us, TuneCore was great. They did the service we needed. But if we need them to break a band, then we are doing a bad job, not them.” It’s another fascinating exploration for Sisario, who has quietly become one of the most insightful music business specialists in the mainstream media. (5/7a)