-
Follow-Up: TV Or Not TV
April 26, 2013
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
Two weeks ago in the newsletter, my main commentary was titled 'TV OR NOT TV? THAT IS NO LONGER THE QUESTION. THE END OF TV AS WE KNOW IT IS NEAR'
I reprinted the quote by Carly Fiorina, then Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard in her NAB keynote speech back in April 2004, "In the digital era, the future is one in which consumers watch or listen to what they want to watch, when they want, at any time they want, on any device. This is a generation that will not wait for content to be delivered to them at a prescribed time. "
This week, lo and behold, I received an e-mail from the Center For Media Research titled 'Watch TV On Your Own Time' which states the following:
According to the results of The Harris Poll recently, 78% of Americans have utilized the varied technologies that enable us to watch TV shows on our own schedules. Though Americans' TV viewing habits were once at the mercy of network schedules, says the report, there are now more ways than ever to watch shows on one's own schedule, including video on demand. DVR's, and streaming content.
The top methods of delayed watching include:
On demand services (41% total, 34% cable, 9% satellite)
TiVo, DVRs or other recording devices (37%)
Netflix streaming services (30%)
Purchasing, renting or borrowing episodes or seasons on DVD (29%)
Hulu or Hulu Plus (22%)Read more from the Harris survey
And to bolster all this, now comes news that Netflix generated more than $1 billion in revenue in the first fiscal quarter of 2013, exceeding analysts' expectations for its financial results and underscoring the company's resurgence in recent months. Full story at TheWrap
AND...
For the first time ever, Netflix tracked more U.S. subscribers than HBO, according to figures for the year's first quarter. Worldwide, however, "HBO has 114 million subscribers across the globe, a far cry from the 7.14 million Netflix has outside the U.S.," writes Andrew Wallenstein. Still, "the new figures will likely escalate the rivalry simmering between the two companies, given the barbs Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and Jeff Bewkes, chairman of HBO parent company Time Warner, have traded over the years."
In other news from Netflix, "it plans to let its deal to carry Nickelodeon, BET and MTV content expire next month, even though it continues to discuss licensing certain shows," writes Dawn Chmielewski in the L.A.Times. "The video subscription service said it has been moving away from broad, multi-year deals with networks and cable channels, in favor of more selective licensing arrangements to carry programs that will work best for its subscribers."AND...
Amazon plans to release a set-top box this fall that streams Internet-based video into consumers' homes, Bloomberg reports, making the e-commerce giant the latest company to target the TV market.
But with only two Amazon services rumored so far, will it fall into the same trap as the doomed Google-only Nexus Q? Read more
And from Blomberg: Next up in Amazon's master plot to take over the media world: a TV set-top box. "The e-commerce giant is planning to introduce a device this fall dedicated to streaming video over the Internet and into its customers' living rooms, according to three people familiar with the project who aren't authorized to discuss it," writes Brad Stone.
--------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
THOUGHTS ON RECORD STORE DAY...REMEMBER THE iPOD?Grantland's Steven Hyden has a great article this week titled 'Ten Years in the Digital Ether ...Was iTunes just a stopgap in the music-consumption revolution?' prompted by this year's annual Record Store Day.
--------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
GROOVESHARK LOSESBillboard reports that a panel of five judges in the New York State Supreme Court of Appeals Tuesday found in favor of Universal Music Group (UMG) in its copyright suit against Grooveshark, reversing a lower state court decision favoring Escape Media Group Inc., the operators of Grooveshark.
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 4
A ONCE-GREAT L.A. VENUE GETS SHUT DOWNThe Gibson Amphitheatre will close its doors in September, Live Nation Entertainment said Wednesday.
The venue, which opened in 1972 as Universal Amphitheatre and is located at Universal Studios Hollywood, will be replaced by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction.Full story at TheWrap
---------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 5
JIMMY KIMMEL TRICKED PEOPLE ATTENDING COACHELLA INTO COMMENTING ON NON-EXISTENT BANDSA great short video from this week's 'Jimmy Kimmel' show in which the interviewer asks some people attending Coachella about bands that don't even exist.
The video provides good evidence of just how much pop-culture has convinced people to comment on something they should be hip to lest they feel embarrassed, or worse get no camera time, or these people are just plain stupid.
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 6
FROM ROLLING STONE: 'Without Clue: The 'American Idol' Judges' Biggest Musical Gaffes'"American Idol" has definitely "jumped the shark" and the ratings this year are the worst ever.
The people who put together this year's panel of judges was sorely out-of-touch with the likeability factor of Nicki Minaj. (Yeah, she sells records. But this is a middle-America TV show, and she is not one who will engage that audience)
Rolling Stone has put together a list of the judges (past and present) top-5 gaffes
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
ANOTHER ONCE GREAT RECORD STORE CLOSES ITS DOORSIf you're from New York City, or close to it, chances are you've hear of 'Bleecker Bob's' ... a truly great record store that embodied the best of what any record store could be in the golden heydays of music retailers.
On April 14th, Bleecker Bob's closed its doors.
From the Spin article titled "Broken Records: The Final Days of Bleecker Bob's Golden Oldies" by Kory Gow, "The aromas of must and dust were what stuck with you when you exited Bleecker Bob's Golden Oldies Record Shop, the dumpy yet iconic LP store in New York City's mercurial post-boho Greenwich Village. The scents wafted out the door, where they lingered in that no-man's-land between Ben's Pizza and Village Psychic. The collected fetor of decades-old cardboard, vinyl, and plastic all co-mingling, the whiff of oldies begging to be rediscovered."
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 8
APPLE BEATS EARNINGS PREDICTIONSSage observers were predicting doom and gloom for Apple on Tuesday, but the company surpassed analyst expectations with its earnings report, posting $9.5 billion in profit and $43.6 billion in revenue for the second quarter of fiscal year 2013.
Full story at TheWrap
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 9
'COUNTRY NOW' LAUNCHES 6-WEEK 'ON THE RECORD' SERIES WITH BRAD PAISLEYBrad Paisley is going on the record.
Country Now, the YouTube channel dedicated to all things country music, announces today that the "Beat This Summer" singer will be the focus of the first six episodes of its brand-new show, "On the Record." Each three to five-minute webisode will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Brad's chart-topping new album, Wheelhouse. In addition to candid chats with the country superstar, the shows will include scenes from his farmhouse recording studio and behind-the-scenes clips of his tour rehearsals. Read more----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - BONUS TRACKS* The iTunes Store turns 10: It's Apple's empire to lose
* Wireless headphones for your workouts
* Whether it's poor brand recognition or just plain bad products, some mobile companies don't have what it takes to be successful. eWEEK looks at the companies that appear destined for eventual failure in the mobile business as well as why they might be in trouble. Read it before you buy your next cellphone. READ MORE
* Apple's iRadio service is coming soon (video)* The upcoming computers you should wait for
* MacBook Pro declared 'best-performing' Windows laptop
* Taking Control of Your Music Online
* Ear-dazzling sounds at the New York Audio Show
Short News Items ...
AMERICAN IDOL IS OFFICIALLY OVER:
A&E'S 'Duck Dynasty' season finale drew a record 9.6 million viewers during its one-hour episode -- and an equally impressive 5.5 million adults 18-49. That haul in the key demo puts it ahead of all of cable and broadcast offerings for the night -- including 'American Idol.' Duck Dynasty's 4.3 rating with adults 18-49 rating tops the preliminary showing for Idol (3.2 rating) by 34%.
COOKE SONG HONORED:
Sam Cooke's civil rights anthem, "A Change is Gonna Come" will receive the "Towering Song Award" at this year's 44th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards dinner, slated for June 13 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in N.Y.
WARREN GETS A REALITY SHOW:
Grammy-winning tunesmith Diane Warren will be the subject of a new scripted series, Songbyrd, picked up by E!, based on her songs and experiences.
BOB & WILCO:
Bob Dylan will join Wilco and My Morning Jacket on the road this summer on the Americanarama Festival of Music. The tour, announced on Dylan's website, begins June 26th in West Palm Beach, FL, with Richard Thompson and others set for select dates.
CAMPBELL REDUX:
Glen Campbell will release See You There on August 6th on Surfdog Records. The new album features reimagined versions of hits like "Wichita Lineman," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Gentle on My Mind," and was recorded by Julian Raymond during the same sessions that yielded songs for Ghost on the Canvas.
A BOMB IS A BOMB IS A BOMB:
The Eva Longoria-produced dating series, 'Ready for Love,' didn't make a love connection with viewers. NBC has pulled it from the Tuesday schedule.
EVEN IN RUSSIA, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS:
Madonna has been accused by a Russian legislator of violating tax and migration laws after allegedly performing a commercial concert in St. Petersburg with the wrong visa, and then failing to pay proper taxes on the money she made.
TAXING HILL:
Lauryn Hill has two more weeks to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes after a federal judge postponed a sentencing hearing yesterday, The Associated Press reports. She pleaded guilty last summer to tax evasion for not filing returns accounting for $1.8 million in income between 2005 and 2007. The former Fugees singer promised to make restitution of $554,000 before she was sentenced. The court heard yesterday that the singer has paid only about $50,00
WILLIE SET TO BE AN OCTOGENARIAN:
Willie Nelson, set to turn 80, got a jump on the festivities in Nashville this week, where he was joined by friends including Neil Young, Norah Jones and Sheryl Crow for a taping for 'CMT Crossroads'.
SEE DEAD PEOPLE:
The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, holds a special place in Grateful Dead lore: it's the site of many A-list shows. Furthur, the post-Dead band led by Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, are completing a nine-night run there, and they're keeping the spirit of the Dead alive.
STONES POSTPONE DUE TO BASKETBALL:
The Rolling Stones have pushed back their 50 and Counting tour opener in Los Angeles by a day because of the NBA playoff schedule.
DIAMOND SALES:
Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" saw a surge in sales over the past week following the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15th. The track got a 597% boost, selling 19,000 copies last week, according to the Nielsen SoundScan as reported by the Associated Press. It sold 2,800 copies the week prior and totals 1.75 million in tracks sold. Diamond's 1969 track, addressed to Caroline Kennedy, contains no mention of the Massachusetts city but is a favorite for the Boston Red Sox, who adopted the song as a Fenway Park regular over a decade ago. The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Raptors and other sports teams played "Sweet Caroline" at games following the bombings.
YAHOO GETS 'SNL':
Investing it its content strategy, Yahoo has acquired exclusive rights to archived 'Saturday Night Live' clips from 1975 through 2012. As such, the clips will be removed from Hulu and NBC.com -- where they can presently be viewed -- by September. "The deal ... highlights the jockeying among companies that want to have a library of online videos to call their own," The New York Times reports. (Editor's note: But what about all the clips -- hundreds and hundreds -- on YouTube?)
BLACK SABBATH ON THE ROAD AGAIN:
Black Sabbath have expanded their four 2013 tour dates into a full, 20-date North American trek that kicks off July 25th in Houston.
RECORD STORE DAY SALES:
Record Store Day sales reached new heights last weekend, with total album sales increasing by three percent over last year, and by 60% over the previous week, according to new numbers from Nielsen SoundScan. All of Nielsen's Record Store Day figures take into account sales during the week ending in April 21st. Among the most impressive numbers were sales for vinyl LPs at independent record stores, which sold 200,000 units this year as opposed to 147,000 units last year, an increase of 36%. A total of 244,000 vinyl albums were sold during the entire week, and vinyl LPs also accounted for 37% of all album sales in any format last week.
THE BOSS & PETE HONORED:
Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger are among 198 new members elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences' class of 2013. Each year the Academy inducts the most accomplished individuals from a wide range of fields, including mathematics, physics, biology, medicine, philanthropy, the humanities, business, government, public affairs and the arts. Springsteen and Seeger were two of the nine individuals selected under the "Performing Arts – Criticism and Practice" umbrella, a group that also included Herbie Hancock, Robert De Niro and Sally Field. This year's class will be inducted at the Academy's headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 12th.
Leaving Us
Richie Havens, who brought an earthy soulfulness to the folk scene of the Sixties and was the first act to hit the stage at Woodstock, died of a heart attack on Monday, April 22ns. He was 72 and was living in Jersey City, NJ. Last month, Havens announced he would no longer be touring due to health issues. Richie Havens, Folk & Woodstock Legend, Dead at 72Christina "Chrissy" Amphlett -- front woman for the Australian rock band the Divinyls, whose "I Touch Myself" went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1991 -- died Sunday at her home in New York. Amphlett was 53 years old. Amphlett's husband of 14 years, former Divinyls drummer and multi-instrumentalist/producer Charley Drayton, confirmed in a statement that she died after battling multiple sclerosis since 2007 and breast cancer since 2010.
Storm Thorgerson, the graphic designer who created dozens of iconic album covers, most notably for Pink Floyd ('The Dark Side of the Moon'), has died at age 69 after a long battle with cancer. "He has been a constant force in my life," said Floyd's David Gilmour.
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
There Are People In World Who Are Concerned About Current State Of Hip-Hop
Read the rest here and laugh: Click Here.
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.
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
-
-