This list is lame.

Yet another post from an anonymous idiot who feels compelled to make an immediate negative. What IS it with these people?

Call it The Recession Bug or just simply just being "a hater". Culturally, we've digressed from critical thinking with fact-based opinions / responses to instantly gratifying emoitional noise. 

I would blame smartphones, the internet or another easy culprit, but not everyone spends all day trolling on a flashing brick, looking for any amount of attention, despite the negative ripple or cost.

So, I'll back off.

you have to remember times are extremely tough in this industry and period of history. people are very negative and you can feel it on these pages many times.

C'mon, lighten up. Weren't you ever 14 years old?  Some people remain that age 4 decades.

Great post, and spot on.

What about the NPR intern with a hard drive filled with songs that they "never owned"?

Mr. Corn, I believe that intern was covered by #11!

Jeff Price created more impact than Daniel Ek?

Thats rediculous.

I'll go w/ Shipley, Psy + Glass/Mumford&Sons

1 petit Français: Axel Dauchez gloire à lui!!

Price - You're a few years late with this one. In 2012 he made no impact beyond gaining ground in his career as a drama queen.

Ek - For sure. Spotify certainly disrupted my music habits in 2012. It's going to take us a while to master this tectonic shift.

Shipley - So a well written rant about royalty structures gets #3? Look for me on next year's list.

Zisk - I've never been, but then again, no one has ever suggested that I should go.

Glass - Absolutely. His good work shows how the label function is still the core of our business, and that the indie/major myth is just that. It ain't the meat, it's the motion.

PSY - well, ok - but you might as well reserve a spot each year for the rest of our lives the viral sensation that broke the record of the year before.

Dauchez - Remember, the French also worshiped Jerry Lewis. Time will tell whether they become the next Burger King or the next Carl's Big Boy.

Bengloff - You betcha. His work is more important for every musical genius in our future than anyone else on this list, by far.

Borchetta - Excellent choice. He's showing how we are now able to make our own decisions, as long as we treat our artists with respect.

Iovine and Dre - If we were talking lifetime achievement, ok - but we're not talking corporate acquisitions here, are we? The EMI fire sale is more impactful and disruptive in my book.

Lowery - see PSY above, just a different genre. He got it wrong, though, and in my opinion he actually slowed us down some.

"Zisk - I've never been, but then again, no one has ever suggested that I should go."

Go.

Ok, Barnes, what the fuck are you talking about?  And who the fuck do you think you are?  Do you even work in the music business?  And who is the "us" that David Lowery is slowing down?  I really want to know.  Because it's really easy to pick apart a year-end top ten list with a bunch of one-liners, as you have so obviously done here.  I wonder if you can even construct a well-worded paragraph as opposed to what amounts to less than an informed twitter feed.

It is a bit more difficult to refute logical arguments, and from my observation, it is imminently clear that you are no more than a Henny Youngman style dilettante who has no clue as to how the biz actually works, much less what the history of it is.  You think you can make the list next year?  Ha!  I'd love to see that.  But I'm not counting on it.  What have you ever contributed to respected musical content?  I think not much.  Otherwise, prove it.

Because it is easy to sit behind a screen and criticize others when you have nothing real to contribute.  And as far as comparing an underground sensation thirty years ago that continues to make vital music and thrive to a viral Youtube one-hit wonder today, it just goes to show that you don't know a damn thing about the way things are today versus the way things were once upon a time.  And, in the immortal words of Mr. T, "I pity the fool..."

Hey, chill out fella. I appreciate the passion, but don't just tell people to shut up. It's important during these times to promote discussion of the issues, not shout them down. I thought I'd contribute my evening to the cause in an entertaining way. I've got 38 years of credentials in the business. I've devoted my life to the support of music and musicians in our society, but I would give your logical arguments respect no matter who you are - if you care to offer any.

David Lowery earned my respect as musician long ago, when I discovered CVB. Apparently he's a professor now, and I consider teaching the most honorable profession, so I am thankful that in today's world he is able to contribute in such significant ways. My comparison with PSY was not about music, it was about our increasingly viral environment, and that DMN chose to value the latest viral sensations in the midst of some serious game-changers. Lowery is the man. He's right that he should have more money than he does. It's great that he spoke up in such an erudite and passioned manner, and it's best that his contribution sparked thought and debate. I still think he got it wrong, however.

The music business is in the midst of revolutionary change, and will continue to be for some time. For those of us who have experienced both the old and the new world from within the business, it is a truly awesome life experience. We are blessed. It is also an incredibly difficult time right now, however, but I think it's best to embrace the future and make it work for us. The old record business needed to be disrupted, if not burned to the ground, but now we have the responsibility and privilege to rebuild it in a better way.

The old world sucked for musicians. Too many great musicians were unrewarded and ripped off. The new world came knocking, but the old world is still around, and so we have to learn the new ways, incorporate them into our workflow, find the opportunities, while still having to engage in the old world activities to stay afloat while revenues decrease. If we can recognize which aspects of the old business actually worked for "us" (by which I mean all who contribute to and make a living from the business of music, including musicians), bring them forward, and master the gifts we've been given recently, there are brighter days ahead, I do believe. My simple point about Lowery's opinion was that it wasn't forward thinking enough, and was not disruptive and impactful in itself, but only as a touchstone for further thought and discussion.

Hmm...SF Music Tech Summit is your sponsor. Shouldn't that be called out? What happened to journalistic integrity?

Yeah okay, and Spotify isn't a sponsor yet it's #2. So your ppoint is?

Long Live CVB.

Musicians...This is the who to know list. And why you should know them.

Who made the biggest, most disruptive impact on the music industry in 2012?  Here are ten to consider... 

(1) Jeff Price, former CEO, Tunecore.

Balls, he's got 'em.  Fights, he picks 'em.  Results, he sometimes gets 'em.  And in an industry mired in hugely complicated and logjammed issues with endless doubletalk, that's pretty good.

There were a few plum headbutts this year.  Prior to getting fired from the company he started, Tunecore's Jeff Price was unabashedly confrontational with huge companies like Amazon and Grooveshark, not to mention Tunecore itself.  Price remained unafraid to call out deeply-entrenched machines (ie, Amazon's songwriter payout structures), question endless subterfuge (ie, Grooveshark's resistance against paying mechanicals), and even call bulls--t on your favorite music industry trade magazine (ie, Billboard).  

(2) Daniel Ek, CEO, Spotify.

Let the artists eat cake?  Well, if streaming is the future, Ek's Spotify is now extremely well positioned to be your bakery.  Ek is all about growth, and in 2012, Spotify reached 5 million subscribers, 1 million in the US, and a $3 billion valuation.  Be very afraid of this man.  

(3) Ellen Shipley, songwriter.

She co-wrote an 80s smash hit, and in 2012, crystallized a discussion around internet royalties.  After receiving 3.1 million plays over a three-month span on Pandora, Shipley received an astonishingly-paltry $39, and soon put it all in a WTF post.  That continued to put Pandora's fight for lowered artists royalties in a different light, especially with top executives like Tim Westergren and Tom Conrad cashing tens of millions in stock.  Other writers, including Desmond Child and Kara DioGuardi, were soon sharing similarly-despressing stats on Capitol Hill.   

(4) Brian Zisk, SF MusicTech Summit.

If overbloated, dinosaur conferences are holding on for dear life, Zisk is serving a smaller, scrappier business.  SF MusicTech Summit is not only affordable to attendees and sponsors, it's packed every time.  The future is smaller, and Zisk is creating a conference that fits.

(5) Daniel Glass, Glassnote Records.

If Glass won't share his secret sauce, maybe someone will buy it.  In 2012, Glassnote Records continued to smash concepts of what an indie can accomplish, with Mumford & Sons the biggest success story.  That is percolating rumors of an acquisition in 2013, though the more interesting story might surround Glass' next breakthrough artist.

(6) PSY

No, PSY probably won't deliver another 'Gangnam Style,' especially if all that anti-Americanism catches up with him.  But in 2012, PSY redialed expectations around virality by creating the biggest video in YouTube history, and that rarely ubiquitous cultural landmark.

(7) Axel Dauchez, CEO, Deezer.

Deezer isn't in the US, yet, though CEO Axel Dauchez is very carefully considering that entrance.  Even so, Deezer has 3 million subscribers, $130 million in financing, and different take on low-rent, freebie access.  If you're Spotify, Deezer is now a problem. 

(8) Rich Bengloff, President, A2IM

He's getting millions from Congress to fly indie artists around the world.  Any questions?

(9) Scott Borchetta, President & CEO, Big Machine Label Group.

Borchetta's had a deliciously disruptive 2012.  Big Machine is now inking some groundbreaking, direct licensing deals with major radio conglomerates, and chipping away at a decades-old legacy of extreme radio royalty complication.  He's also shown the chutzpah to thumb his nose at Spotify, while maximizing revenue through deals that emphasize full album sales.

(10) Jimmy Iovine & Dr. Dre

Iovine and Dre already upended the white earbud, but in 2012, they pounced on MOG.  That sets the stage for a potentially disruptive shakeup on the software side in 2013, one that challenges not only fast-rising services like Spotify, but also a sea of fidelity mediocrity.

(11) Oh, there's one more guy...

In one fiery and insanely-viral post, performer and professor David Lowery somehow managed to reframe the entire debate over technology, piracy, and the plight of the artist.  And, draw attention from seemingly every corner of both the tech and creative communities.  It was the biggest post of the year for the music industry, and potentially, the start of a very different type of discussion in 2013.  

Instead of Psy, you should probably have Scooter Braun on the list.  He's the guy responsible for Psy, Justin Bieber, and Carly Rae Jepsen, and The Wanted - you know, four of the hottest pop acts this year.

I really like Daughter from Glassnote Records.  I think 2013 will be their breakout year, though nowhere near Mumford & Sons in popularity.