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The Album Is Not Dead -- Part 2
October 26, 2012
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"I suppose we've made a work that is a bit challenging for people who have grown up on a diet of pop stars."
-- Bono, attributing the poor sales of U2's 2009 album, "No Line On The Horizon," to a public not able to grasp the content because of the "pop star" music they've gown up with.Dear Bono, the poor sales on that album had nothing to do with the public that didn't buy it. It had to do with the fact that it just wasn't as good as other U2 albums.
How do we know that? Because other artists (not just the "pop stars" Bono refers to) sold lots of albums at the time, and more than "No Line On The Horizon."
Just three weeks ago Mumford & Sons' "Babel" debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200
Album Chart with over 600,000 sold in the first week.
The album stayed there for three weeks, and this week slips to No. 2. But after just three weeks the album has sold 938,000. That's just 62,000 short of Platinum certification. Not bad for a band that doesn't have a Top-10 single ("I Will Wait" is #34 on the Hot 100 next week), isn't on the cover of a dozen teen magazines, and just plays great music.
This week it was Country star Jason Aldean's turn. His new album, "Night Train," debuted at #1 on the Top 200 Album Chart and sold 409,000. (Just shy of Gold status)
Next week, Taylor Swift's new album, "Red," will absolutely dominate retail and sell over one million in its first week. That will be the biggest week at retail for any new album since Lady GaGa's "Born This Way."
Gee, albums selling Platinum and Gold in just a matter of a few weeks. And that Adele girl has her multi-Platinum album back in the top 10 again this week. Surprising?
Not at all.
Again, that's what happens when the music is that good.
It isn't easy to create such great albums, and it happens less today than it did awhile ago when more labels focused on long-term artist development. (I know, you're tired of hearing me say that again)
And even more surprising is the fact when the music is that good, the same artists that can sell lots of albums (whether at iTunes, Amazon, or at retail), sell lots of songs in addition. That kills the whole "iTunes killed the record biz because people can cherry-pick their songs" argument. (Sorry, Jon Bon Jovi, but that was a DUMB statement.)
Try and sell that argument to Mumford & Sons, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, etc., and you'll get a big, "Uh-uh, not true at all."
Nothing could be further from the truth. And the proof is at the cash registers ringing up big sales on these album sellers.
It isn't easy to create such great albums, and it happens less today than it did awhile ago when more labels focused on long-term artist development. (I know, you're tired of hearing me say that again)
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
INTERNET PROVIDERS (ISPs) START TO WARN CUSTOMERS ABOUT ILLEGAL DOWNLOADING (LOL)
This from CNN: "It is about to get a bit more difficult to illegally download TV shows, movies or music online. A new alert system, rolling out over the next two months, will repeatedly warn and possibly punish people violating digital copyrights. The Copyright Alert System was announced last July and has been four years in the making."
You can read the article on CNN here: http://tinyurl.com/8qew2kf
One need only what would happen if ISPs started punishing all their customers who do violate digital copyright laws. I think they would lose an awful lot of revenue.
More important: ISPs cannot stop people from trading files on an Intranet, darknet, or from burning copies and swapping with each other.
The move on the ISPs part will look good on paper, and have minimal effect on the overall ongoing problems of online (and offline) piracy.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
MUSICTV LETS YOU CREATE PERSONAL YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS
MusicTV, the free app that creates a YouTube playlist based on a users music library, has released an updated version that finally integrates with the wider world.
From the website, "MusicTV (a.k.a. AudioViz) is the only app in the iTunes App Store that automatically scans your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch music library songs and displays the corresponding YouTube video. It's perfect for parties, or simply for adding fun and flair to a personal entertainment experience."
Check it our here: http://tinyurl.com/8dwoajb
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 4
APPLE'S iPAD MINI AND 4th GENERATION iPAD
After a couple of years of rumor and speculation, Apple has finally officially unveiled its iPad Mini.
The new tablet releases on November 2nd, starting at $329. It sports a 7.9-inch IPS display, is 7.2mm thick, and weighs 0.68 pound. It comes in white and black and kind of looks like a larger iPod Touch at first glance.
Read our CNET's 'First Take' on it here: http://tinyurl.com/8rbt8q8
Apple also surprised the industry when it also announced this week its 4th generation full-size iPad. The device will come with an A6X processor that has twice the CPU and graphics power of the third-generation iPad. It starts at $499. Read about it here: http://tinyurl.com/9clf4tr
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 5
WHAT IS FLAC? CNET EXPLAINS THE HIGH-DEFINITION MP3
CNET explains what FLAC is, as well as where to buy music in the FLAC format, and how to play it on your iPhone, computer, or MP3 player.
From the article, "FLAC is a musical file format that offers bit-perfect copies of CDs at half the size, and is compatible with many phones (including the iPhone -- with an app), MP3 players, and hi-fi components. It's available for the same price as the equivalent MP3 in online stores, and it sounds much better."
Read the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/d7u9zcs
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 6
WHAT? SUPERMAN QUITS THE DAILY PLANET?!
I guess nothing is forever.
Have you heard the news? Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent, just quit the job he's held forever at the Daily Planet, saying "journalism has given way to entertainment" -- and will probably take a job in digital media? No, really.
Read about it here on USA TODAY: http://tinyurl.com/8huuus6
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
THOSE BILLBOARD CHART CHANGES HAVE PEOPLE REACTING
If you haven't already heard or read about it elsewhere, Billboard magazine recently revised their chart methodology.
You can read Billboard's explanation of it all here: http://tinyurl.com/9sa7bb9
And you can read what critics and industry people think about it all on Rolling Stone here: http://tinyurl.com/8sl43h4
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 8
TWITTER HAS A RIVAL WITH PHEED
If you haven't heard about it already, Pheed is brand name you can expect to hear mentioned with increasing frequency.
"In short, think of it as Twitter with a business plan," writes Forbes. "Somehow, the startup got over 200 tastemakers and celebs to sign up for the site -- and quickly!"
Notable users include Miley Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale, David Guetta and Chris Brown. As for its business plan, Pheed lets users -- or "Pheeders" -- charge for access to their content feeds, and then takes a share of the generated revenue.
And remember, nothing is hotter than "the newest thing."
Read the article on Forbes here: http://tinyurl.com/8uwh8ou
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 9
READ AN EXCEPT FROM ROD STEWART'S BIO
Pete Townsend, Neil Young. Keith Richards and now Rod Stewart joins the list of those releasing biographies.
Read an except on Rolling Stone in which Stewart remembers his first U.S. tour with the Jeff Beck Group in 1968: http://tinyurl.com/8r88vjg
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 10
GOOGLE'S GRAND PLANS FOR CONTROLLING AS MANY OF YOUR SCREENS AS POSSIBLE
The search giant is building a seamless user experience and ad serving tools, across mobile, desktop, TV and whatever screens you have.
Read what Google CEO Larry Page said about it all on a recent Google earnings call here: http://tinyurl.com/9r863gg
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 11
NETFLIX STOCK DROPS AFTER Q3 EARNINGS REPORT
All is not rosy in Netflix land. Even though earnings and revenues were good, they were down from last year.
Read more on The Wrap here: http://tinyurl.com/9tpf2s9
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 12
CAN AD REVENUE HELP FACEBOOK ENOUGH TO RAISE THE STOCK PRICE AND GENERATE REAL REVENUES?
Facebook's stock continues to languish at about half its opening price of $38 a share in May.
With its third-quarter earnings scheduled for Tuesday, analysts expect Facebook to report revenue of $1.2 billion and profit of 11 cents per share. That would represent a 29% revenue gain from a year ago.
Read more on MediaPost here: http://tinyurl.com/9v3jyd9
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THE 'A-SIDE' - BONUS TRACKS
* Galaxy Note 2: Why it works ... think of Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 as a big smartphone rather than a tablet, and you'll come closer to appreciating its top-flight specs. However, problems dog the device, despite its blazing quad-core processor. Read more
* Facebook has been cranking up its efforts to generate cash in recent months, although few of those efforts will show up in the company's third-quarter results on Tuesday. Read more
* The best TV at every size. CNET collects their favorite flat-panel TVs at sizes from 32 to 70 inches among models they've reviewed: http://tinyurl.com/8lwt5ac
Short News Items ...
A SWIFT MILLION:
Taylor Swift is poised to become the first female artist in the Nielsen SoundScan era (1991 to present) to have a pair of albums sell more than a million units in a single week.
AND NOT-SO-SWIFT YET:
Despite a report in Variety earlier this year that Taylor Swift will star in an upcoming Joni Mitchell biopic, the singer says in an interview with Time that the project remains tentative. "That's actually not confirmed," Swift said. "I wish I could say it's confirmed! But the thing about movies that I've learned is - I've been reading scripts for five years, and you just don't know what ones are going to get greenlit and which ones aren't, so I can't talk about it unless it's the real thing."
LEAVING THE MAJOR LABEL FOLD:
After reuniting to make last year's "Neighborhoods," Blink-182 have split from the band's record label Interscope, MTV reports. Blink-182 had been signed to Universal Music Group, Interscope's parent company, in some form since 1997.
STONES SELL OUT FAST:
The Rolling Stones sold out their November 25th and 29th shows at London's O2 Arena in just seven minutes, according to multiple reports. Fans apparently snapped up the arena's least expensive seats, priced around $152, in just three minutes, while the priciest seats at around $601 were gone a few minutes later.
MICK TO CO-PRODUCE BROWN FLICK:
Mick Jagger will join Brian Grazer to produce a long-awaited James Brown biopic that 'The Help' writer and director Tate Taylor is in talks to direct.
'BAD 25' TRAILER:
Spike Lee will debut his Michael Jackson documentary, Michael Jackson: 'Bad25' on November 22nd on ABC, and in this new trailer, the director gives a peek into the making of the classic 1987 album, its music videos and the Bad tour. Watch the trailer here: http://tinyurl.com/9ahpg44
SO BOBBY BROWN GOT ARRESTED AGAIN FOR DUI?:
Yes, Bobby Brown was arrested and charged with drunk driving this week in Los Angeles, E! reports. It's the singer's second DUI arrest this year, and it comes after a stint in rehab.
iPHONE SELLS MORE THAN EXPECTED, iPAD 2 GOING AWAY:
iPhone sales may be better than expected, says analyst. Based on the number of iPhones sold by Verizon, Apple's iPhone sales last quarter may be stronger than some analysts have forecast. Also: Apple may phase out iPad 2 to make room for iPad Mini. The iPad 2 may be on the chopping block as Apple streamlines its iPad lineup, says an analyst with Evercore Partners.
ADELE A MOM:
Adele welcomes a son with beau Simon Konecki. USWeekly reports that the 24-year-old Grammy winner gave birth to "healthy baby boy." There were no other details on the birth and the baby's name.
TIMBERLAKE HITCHED:
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have officially tied the knot. The actor/singer, 31, and his actress bride, 30, exchanged vows at an under-the-radar wedding in the southern Italian city of Puglia on Friday.
MORE AMA PERFORMERS:
Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj and Linkin Park have been added to the list of artists that will perform at the 40th annual American Music Awards ceremony on Nov. 18th.
WINEHOUSE PLAY:
A play based on the life and music of Amy Winehouse is expected to open in Copenhagen in 2013, the BBC reports. The Winehouse family, however, has no involvement in the production, a spokesperson confirmed.
LOUIS C.K. TO HOST SNL:
The hottest working comedian out there, Louis C.K., will host "Saturday Night Live" on November 3rd .
X-FACTOR RENEWED:
Fox has renewed "The X-Factor" for a third season. Season to date, the show is averaging a 3.9 rating among Adults 18-49 and 10.6 million total viewers and is a Top 15 show this fall among Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34. In addition, the show is a Top 5 entertainment program among teens this season.
"IDOL" BUMPED:
"Sunday Night Football" bumped "American Idol" as the top-rated show last season, so it's no surprise that a new study says it has also replaced the Fox singing show as TV's most expensive ad buy.
ARMSTRONG STRIPPED:
Cycling's governing body has stripped Lance Armstrong of the seven Tour de France titles he won from 1999 to 2005, The Associated Press reports. The UCI also banned Armstrong for life following the damning report from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency accusing him of leading a doping program on his teams.
MEL STEPS DOWN:
Mel Karmazin, the CEO of SiriusXM Radio (and mostly responsible for Howard Stern's move to satellite), is stepping down from the company. Karmazin will depart on Feb. 1st, following the expiration of his current employment agreement and a transition period.
DISH AND AMC SETTLE:
Dish Network and AMC have settled their carriage dispute, which means the channel resumed its programming on the satellite network Sunday for "$700 million in cash for the distribution deal.
BECAUSE THE PLANT WAS BORN THAT WAY:
Botanists at Duke University have named a newly identified genus of fern, and consequently 19 species within the genus, after Lady Gaga, the New York Times reports. The fern, found in Arizona, Texas, Mexico and Central and South America, has "somewhat fluid definitions of gender," as it reproduces by spores that can grow to be male, female or both.
PASSING:
Steve Paul, 71, who owned and operated The Scene, one of Manhattan's hottest clubs ever. Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Traffic, Fleetwood Mac, all played at The Scene and helped give the club notoriety. Mr. Paul, who went on to manage Johnny Winter and other rock stars and record them for his own label, died on Sunday at a hospital in Queens.
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
"Billie doesn't take things lightly and he wouldn't take rehab lightly, either," said Dirnt. "He's in the middle of some really big things, but we're going to pull through. It's killing everyone. Green Day has never been a band that sits still, but sometimes you have to step back and let life go on rather than try to control everything."
-- Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt, on lead singer Billie Armstrong's rehab"I wrote 'Show Me the Way' in the morning and wrote 'Baby, I Love Your Way' in the afternoon of the same day. I've been trying to figure out what I ate for breakfast that morning ever since!"
-- Peter Frampton
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
New Evidence Suggests Dinosaurs Died In Cretaceous Period Hospice
LAWRENCE, KS-After studying a rich fossil bed in the South Dakota plains, paleontologists from the University of Kansas have confirmed that most Cretaceous Period dinosaurs ultimately died in hospice care. "We've uncovered a number of fossils of elderly Tyrannosaurus Rexes and Troodons more or less seated in makeshift wheelchairs and covered in shawls," Professor Meredith Moreschi told reporters Friday.
Read the rest here and laugh: Click Here.
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"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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