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Sony Music Redux
November 11, 2011
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"My plan here is very simple. To help create the pre-eminent record company in the world."
-- Sony Music's new Chief Executive Doug Morris in the New York Times article "At Sony Music, A Plan To Dominate The Music Industry" (You can read it here: http://tiny.cc/5m7r3 )After a decade-and-a-half at Universal, Doug Morris decided to take the reins at Sony and make it even better than what he had built while at Universal.
Anybody in the music business who knows Doug Morris would not bet against him in his new role ... and why would they with his track record? After all Doug was the man who helped bring Jimmy Iovine and Interscope to the forefront in the industry, and along the way it helped generate tens of millions of dollars for UMG.
The sale of EMI leaves three major companies will now control the industry ... and if you want to know more about what Doug plans to do, read the article I referenced above.
Doug is a MUSIC man. Watch him recreate magic at Sony.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
CDs DEAD WITHIN A YEAR?
It doesn't sound like that's possible, but a new report predicts the demise of the compact disc; Billboard says no way, but plummeting sales and a changing market can't be denied.
A report from Side-Line cites a number of anonymous music industry insiders who confirmed to the music magazine that the major labels are planning to stop pressing new CDs by the end of next year, if not sooner.
Read the article and see what this is all about: http://tiny.cc/33n8s
(My opinion: Labels will stop making and selling CDs when consumers stop buying them. Until then, they still generate good profits)
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
MORE ON WHAT'S COMING FOR EMI
Sources now say Citigroup will split EMI into two companies for sale.
Read the rest here: http://tiny.cc/iuzvj
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 4
FREE ALL MUSIC FOR SOCIAL NETS
Free All Media plans to announce Tuesday a $650,000 private equity capital investment for FreeAllMusic.com.
The service powers campaigns that tie digital rights management (DRM) free music downloads to brand ads on Facebook Fan pages. The app will soon support other social networks, too.
Read the rest here: http://tiny.cc/ozwft
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 5
iCLOUD's HIDDEN COST?
When the late Steve Jobs introduced iOS 5 during his last keynote address in June, he touted iCloud as something that "just works" and that users would have nothing to learn. As it turns out, he was right, but only on his first point.
Read the rest here on CNET: http://tiny.cc/oxi4y
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 6
MOBILE DATA WILL INCREASE TENFOLD IN JUST 4 YEARS
Driven mainly by video, mobile data traffic is on pace to increase tenfold over the next five years, telecom technology provider Ericsson predicts.
"By 2016, Ericsson also predicts mobile broadband subscriptions to exceed 5 billion in its latest Traffic and Market Data report," TechCrunch notes. "The company earlier predicted that number to surpass 1 billion in 2011, but now forecasts 900 million subscribers by year's end."
According to Ericsson -- which specializes in technology and services for telecom operators -- mobile data traffic will double this year, mainly due to surging sales of smartphones, tablets and other devices. Total smartphone traffic is expected to triple during 2011. Also, users living on less than 1% of the earth's land area are expected to generate around 60% of mobile traffic by 2016, TechCrunch points out, citing Ericsson's reports. The report, as TechCrunch notes, is based on measurements of mobile voice and data volumes, which were recorded by Ericsson in more than 180 countries over the course several years.
Read the rest here on TechCrunch: http://tiny.cc/oivh5
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
THE LOST STEVE JOBS INTERVIEW ... HEADED FOR THEATERS
An approximately hour-long interview with the iconic Apple co-founder, filmed in 1995 for a PBS documentary, will screen at movie theaters this month. Thought lost, the footage had been duped onto VHS and had sat quietly in a U.K. garage, waiting to be rediscovered.
Read the rest here and find out where it will be screened on CNET: http://tiny.cc/ibz6h
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 8
IN-CAR AUDIO MIGHT BE A REAL THREAT FOR RADIO
When Americans listen to music, they're most often doing so in their car.
And even with all of the Bluetooth and docking gadgets in the marketplace, they're still likely to be listening to an AM/FM radio or CD. But that may not be the situation for much longer, according to a new report from The NPD Group.
"Smart devices streaming music could end up being the largest threat to CDs and broadcast radio since the dawn of digital music," Russ Crupnick, senior vice president and entertainment analyst for The NPD Group, wrote in the report Entertainment Trends in America. The growth in car audio systems with integrated digital music players will cannibalize every other listening option.
Read more here: http://tiny.cc/0s94b
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 9
LIVEMUSICSTAGE.COM
Finnish startup LiveMusicStage.com will host a live, interactive show featuring a performance by metal band Stratovarius on Nov. 20.
The company offers a monetized platform for fans to share a live concert experience without leaving their homes, wherever in the world they happen to be.
Check it out here: http://tiny.cc/2v8dn
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 10
SLATE SEZ GOOGLE+ IS ALL BUT OVER
Things succeed or fail fast in the digital world. Slate is officially calling Google+ "dead." Some of have argued -- including Slate's Farhad Manjoo -- that the network's key feature -- the ability to divide friends into groups or "Circles" -- isn't all that great. And, analysis has consistently reported Google+'s traffic to be declining from its early peak. There also seems to be a growing consensus that there just isn't much to do on Google+. All that, however, doesn't represent what Manjoo calls Google+'s "central failure."
Read the rest here: http://tiny.cc/i3yql
Short News Items ...
MTV EURO NODS TO GAGA AND BIEBER:
Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber were the big winners at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards last night in Northern Ireland. Gaga won four awards including best female artist, biggest fans, and best video and best song for her hit "Born This Way."
CMA WINNERS:
Taylor Swift won the Entertainer of the Year prize for the second time in her career at the Country Music Association Awards in Nashville. The Band Perry won New Artist of the Year as well as Single of the Year and Song of the Year. Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party beat out Swift for the Album of the Year award and received the Musical Event of the Year honor for "Don't You Wanna Stay," his duet with Kelly Clarkson. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert were honored as best male and female vocalists respectively for a second year in a row, while Lady Antebellum took home the prize for vocal group and Sugarland won for vocal duo for a fifth consecutive year.
DOC WATCH:
Dr. Conrad Murray was put on suicide watch at the Los Angeles County Jail shortly after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson. The physician will remain behind bars until his sentencing hearing on November 29th.
NEW NILS:
E-Streeter Nils Lofgren is filling the E Street downtime and expressing his sorrow about the loss of fellow band member Clarence Clemmons, the best way he knows how -- with music. His new album, Old School, features guest appearances by Paul Rodgers, Foreigner's Lou Gramm and Sam Moore, and he just wrapped up an acoustic duo tour with friend Greg Varlotta, with more dates to come in 2012.
ADELE SURGERY AS EXPECTED:
Adele has undergone laser microsurgery to repair damaged vocal cords that have caused repeated hemorrhaging, leading to the cancellation of many tour dates for the year's biggest pop act.
SPIDERMAN SUIT:
Julie Taymor, the mastermind of the original version of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," has sued the musical's producers with the claim that her creative rights were violated and that she was not properly compensated for her work following her dismissal from the show in March.
EDDIE OUT:
Eddie Murphy will not be hosting the Academy Awards show early next year. He announced he was quitting this gig a day after Brett Ratner, the guy who tapped him for hosting duties, resigned as producer of the show.
BILLY CRYSTAL IN:
Billy Crystal tweeted he will be Murphy's replacement.
NETFLIX AND NOOK:
Netflix Inc. will be pre-installed on the new Nook Tablet announced Monday by Barnes & Noble Inc., making it simple for Netflix subscribers to watch movies and TV shows on their device. As part of the deal, Barnes & Noble will promote the Netflix application in its stores and through various other marketing activities.
PASSING:
Dwight Myers, the Jamaican-born, Mt. Vernon, NY-raised hip-hop performer, executive and actor better known as Heavy D, was found unconscious near the entrance to his Beverly Hills, CA, home, and later passed away from unknown causes. As the leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, the late '80s hip-hop group, he released five albums, all on the Uptown label, later being named head after the exit of Andre Harrell. He was 44.
The Music Industry Past, Present & Future, And The Internet I answer questions on EconTalk
I did an interview about the industry and the Internet at EconTalk with host Russ Roberts. Russ is also a professor of economics at George Mason University, blogs at Cafe Hayek, and has written three novels that teach economics. He's also the co-creator of the Keynes-Hayek rap video. (And if your understanding of the economic meltdown that occurred needs to be enlightened, this video will do it)
In the interview we talk about the evolution of the music industry, the impact of the digital revolution, and I give my reasons for believing in the virtues and potential of the Internet in enhancing the music industry. I point out, as I have many times here in the newsletter, that the internet allows numerous artists to make money from their music and it can enhance revenues from live performances by expanding an artist's base. We also discuss the challenges facing record companies and I suggest that the full potential of the Internet as a distribution channel has yet to be fully exploited. There's a lot of ground covered, but based on the comments already posted of those who have tuned in, they've enjoyed it.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Quotes of the week
"If Van Halen play, it will be Dave [David Lee Roth], Eddie [Van Halen], Alex [Van Halen], and Wolfie [Wolfgang Van Halen], his kid - it wouldn't be Mike [Anthony] and I. First of all, we wouldn't be invited and second of all, if we were invited, we probably wouldn't do it. If Eddie is in the same condition he was the last time I saw him, I don't want to step onstage with him."
-- Sammy Hagar in Rolling Stone"Michael (Jackson) sat in the same hot seat Elvis was in, the biggest star in the world ... how can I put it? It's like you're not a person, your human-beingness is compromised. The stuff that everybody has to deal with, take that and magnify it by 1,000 -- that's where Michael and Elvis are sitting. It's madness swirling around them all the time. On the surface, you're coming off like you have it all the way together, and behind the scenes, you're completely unraveling. Michael was the first artist that jumped up into the canvas and became part of it, where every waking moment is part of the show. Who can live up to that shit?"
-- Eddie Murphy in Rolling Stone
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Former 'Munsters' Star Butch Patrick To Write Autobiography On Word Processor Bought At Yard Sale
PHILADELPHIA-Butch Patrick, 58, a former child actor who appeared on television's The Munsters, has announced plans to write an autobiography on the word processor he just purchased for $11, yard sale sources confirmed Saturday.
Read the rest here and laugh: Click Here.
The Blogs
Check out Jerry Del Colliano's (the founder of INSIDE RADIO) daily blog, by clicking here: http://www.insidemusicmedia.blogspot.comWebsite
Check out attorney Ray Beckerman's website at: http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com where he prints news about the RIAA's ongoing activities
Smart Marketing Consulting Services
Smart Marketing Consulting Services has been in business sixteen years, and consults clients in the music, entertainment, attraction, media, and technology industry on branding, marketing, online exploitation, maximizing new media, and more.
"And the beat goes on, the beat goes on ... drums keep poundin' rhythm to the brain."
"Work is life, you know, and without it, there's nothing but fear and insecurity." -- John Lennon
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