-
FOLLOW-UP ON LAST WEEK'S 'WHOOPS, NOT SO FAST KANYE'
July 12, 2013
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. 24 years working in executive promotion capacities at both Capitol Records and at Universal Studios' MCA Records. Recognized as one of the industry's top professionals.
-
Thanks to all of you for the e-mails I received regarding my column last week on god ... er, I mean Kanye West.
It was the biggest reader response I've had in some time, and I'm also happy many of you enjoyed the humor I injected into my comments.
As a follow-up, I thought I'd report that Kanye's "Yeesuz" album held at #3 this week on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, moving another 39,000 units, and down 40% from the previous week.
I can't help but report these facts because Kanye deserves a dose of reality. All megalomaniacs do. Especially those who are with Kim Kardashian.
And for the humor this week, this moronic quote from Kanye from prettyandstupid.com: "I love Coldplay, and I honestly think they are on the same level as The Beatles, In 30 years, when Coldplay are old men, people will look back and say 'These guys were more talented than the Beatles.'"
And prettyandstupid's comment on the quote, "No one will say that, Kanye. Not even Apple Paltrow-Martin. Maybe Gwyneth's bff Madonna will say it when she is a senile old bat in a leotard and fingerless lace gloves playing shuffleboard to "Yellow", but that's it."
(Here's the source for that, and where you can read more dumb comments by Kanye )
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
FROM THE WRAP: ' HOLLYWOOD BRACED FOR HISTORIC 4 STRAIGHT WEEKS OF MEGAFLOPSBut even an unprecedented five $100-million flops in four weeks isn't enough to deep-six the summer box office.
Full story at TheWrap.
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
SOUNDEXCHANGE ANNOUNCES SECOND-QUARTER DISTRIBUTION OF $149 MILLION PAID TO ARTISTS & LABELSWASHINGTON, DC – July 9, 2012 – SoundExchange today announced second-quarter 2013 payments of $149 million. This quarter marks the organization's highest quarterly payment to recording artists and record labels to date with a 55% increase from the same quarter last year. In addition, the organization announced it achieved a final 2012 administrative rate of 4.9%– making the SoundExchange administrative rate one of the lowest in the world. Read the rest
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 4
USC MUSIC SCHOOL: TEACHING THE ART OF MAKING A HIT"Gee, if they only had some college courses about how to make hit records..."
Many students have probably said that all over the world, and now USC has answered that call.From the article in Rolling Stone, "New program's students are already landing prominent TV, movie placements...
"For Rozzi Crane and Sam Wilkes, it was love at first song. 'I heard Rozzi sing "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, which has been a big part of my life, for my entire life,' recalls Wilkes. 'I was just like, "I want to work with this girl."'"Crane, 22, is a deep-voiced pop dramatist; Wilkes, 21, is a heady jazz bassist. Shortly after they started working together, Crane inked a deal with Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine's 222 Records and went on to sing with the band on the Hunger Games soundtrack. But the duo didn't meet at an open mic night or find each other on YouTube. Instead, they connected at the University of Southern California's pop music program – the cutting-edge department that's become the site of one of Los Angeles' most productive new music scenes."
Read more
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 5
CHECKING IN WITH PRINCE ON V MAGAZINEV magazine checks in "the purple one."
What does Prince feel about the return of vinyl? "It never left," he says. "Think about a young person listening to Joni Mitchell for the first time on vinyl. You know how fun that is? Whoa, we gonna be here a minute."
And, oh yeah ... Prince doesn't own a cell phone. "Are you serious?" he says. "Hell, no." Read more
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 6
HOW NETFLIX IS MAKING TV BETTERNetflix is positively influencing the direction of current and future programming on cable and Internet TV, notes Rebecca Greenfield in this think piece.
For example, "The fees paid by Netflix (and services like it) for streaming rights make up a growing part of content owner's revenues ... For individual channels the money from these streaming deals can dictate what succeeds." Read the whole story
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
BUH-BYE, MSN TV
Anyone still using Microsoft's MSN TV, which began life as WebTV back in 1996, will need to find a modern way to access the Internet over their TV sets come Oct. 1st.Microsoft, which has focused on Xbox as its connected TV platform for the past few years, said that after Sept. 30 remaining MSN TV/WebTV users will be able to access their email via Outlook.com and transfer any photos to SkyDrive. Read the whole story
----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - THE BONUS TRACKS* Rolling Stones End North American Tour on High Note: $21.3 Million Over Five Shows
* 'Springsteen & I': Sneak Peek
* New Jim Morrison Doc Focuses on Doors Singer's Early Years
* 10 Best Movie Drug Trips
* Music Photos of the Week
* Robert Plant Rearranges Led Zeppelin Classics at High Sierra Music
* 20 Iconic Rock Star Move GIFs
* Read about 'The Fifth Beatle', Brian Epstein, in this new graphic book
* Brazilian Rapper MC Daleste Shot, Killed On Stage
* Why Most Musicians Don't Make Money
* Why Hollywood is Setting Release Dates 5 Years in Advance
* Google's Chromebook A Hit
* The 7 best storage devices for you
* Need a Bluetooth headset?
* Google to profit from self-driving cars by decade's end -- analyst
* Deja vu: Yet another high-resolution audio 'format'
* Top 10 grossing iPhone apps ever (pictures)
* 10 Reasons Why BB10 Failed as BlackBerry's Savior
Short News Items ...
MICK'S HAIR GETS SOLD:
Bidding for a lock of Mick Jagger's hair reached more than double the original estimate, bringing 4,000 pounds (roughly $6,000) at an auction in London on Wednesday. The clump of hair was sold by Chrissie Shrimpton, an ex-girlfriend of Jagger's, to raise money for Changing Faces, a charity that helps disfigured people.
NBC LATE NIGHT #1 AGAIN:
Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon scored the best 18-49 and total viewer numbers in five quarters, while Jimmy Kimmel increased his slight lead over Letterman in key demos. Full story at TheWrap.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN:
Pearl Jam has announced a North American tour that will begin this fall. The first leg of the 24-date tour will kick off on October 11th in Pittsburgh and wrap with the band's headlining performance at the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience in New Orleans the weekend of November 1st. The second leg will begin on November 15th in Dallas and close in the band's hometown of Seattle on December 6th. Tickets will go on sale on July 27th.
GARCIA ART FOR SALE:
Jerry Garcia's estate has unveiled its first fine art offering, and luckily for fans, they'll be able to get their hands on a copy of the piece. "The Guys" is an etching based on a quickly drawn portrait of the Grateful Dead by the band's leader. The piece features the band's '90s lineup. The etchings are limited to 50 with no reprints, and the first 20 will be available for $450. The next 20 will be listed at $750, and the final 10 prints will cost $1000.
STONES IN THE PARK:
The Rolling Stones returned to Hyde Park last Saturday, 44 years after their celebrated performances at the central London location, to a crowd of 65,000. The Sun reports that the band wanted to recreate the experience of the 1969 performance by installing two 70-foot tall model oak trees onstage, to mimic the woodlands the band played in decades ago. A video montage played footage from the 1969 performance on big screens just before the band took the stage.
LEADON TO TOUR WITH EAGLES:
The Eagles kicked off their 'History of the Eagles' world tour last Saturday in Louisville, KY, and Don Henley has confirmed reports that former guitarist Bernie Leadon will be joining them. "Bernie Leadon is definitely on this tour," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Randy Meisner, if he were healthy and willing, might have been included, too, but his current health will not permit. We are all wishing him well."
GET WELL, ELTON:
Elton John has canceled a series of festival dates in order to have surgery. According to the BBC, the singer called in doctors after falling ill on tour and has been diagnosed with appendicitis.
BON JOVI DONATES BIG TIME:
Jon Bon Jovi returned to his hometown of Sayreville, NJ to donate $1 million to the New Jersey Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund, a charity that aids those affected by last year's hurricane, Billboard reports.
DAFT PUNK TOYS:
Daft Punk will continue promoting their newest album, "'Random Access Memories," with the release of action figures later this year. The six-inch figures were designed under the French duo's supervision and will feature Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo dressed in their Random Access Memories outfits.
JUST WHAT WE DIDN'T NEED:
Through an NBCUniversal deal with digital publisher Lion Forge Comics, five classic NBCUniversal TV series from the '80s and '90s -- "Airwolf," "Knight Rider," "Miami Vice," "Punky Brewster" and "Saved by the Bell" -- will become online comic books. "The comics are planned for distribution in Q3 and Q4 2013, and will be available through the Amazon Kindle Bookstore, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble's The Nook Book Store and Kobo," according to SitcomsOnline.com
STING WILL PLAY NYC:
Sting has announced 10 concerts at New York's intimate Public Theater this fall to benefit the venue's arts organization. The shows will take place between September 25th and October 9th at the 260-seat Anspacher Theater in the Public Theater.
SIRIUS GROWTH:
SiriusXM announced his week that their satellite radio service has added 715,000 new subscribers just in the second quarter. The company now has over 25 million subscribers for their paid service. The reason for the rise of subscribers is due to strong automotive sales, which have contributed to 15% of the growth. With the increasingly large number of new cars equipped with satellite radio, it is expected that SiriusXM will emerge as a market leader.
LAMBERT JOINS 'GLEE:
'Glee' is kicking its upcoming fifth season up a notch. Showrunner and co-creator Ryan Murphy announced Wednesday that 'American Idol' alum Adam Lambert is joining the cast of 'Glee.'
GET WELL, RANDY:
Country singer Randy Travis is in critical condition after being hospitalized. Travis is suffering from complications from complications of recently acquired viral cardiomyopathy, caused by a viral infection of the heart, and as a result of the condition also suffered a stroke.
Quotes of the week
"I'm going to Beyonce tonight because I love Beyonce's music my wife."
-- Seth Rogan, on attending the singer's July 1 concert stop in L.A., on Twitter"She's finding her way, she's stepping off into womanhood."
-- Snoop Lion, on collaborator Miley Cyrus's personal evolution, to E! News
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Despite Armie Hammer Profile In 'Good Housekeeping' Magazine, 'Lone Ranger' A Flop At Box Office
LOS ANGELES—In a development that stunned studio executives, the new Disney motion picture 'The Lone Ranger' somehow flopped at the box office over its opening weekend despite a recent profile of star Armie Hammer in Good Housekeeping magazine.
"We're totally in disbelief over the way the movie has underperformed—people saw the half-page interview with Armie Hammer in Good Housekeeping, right?" Read the rest and laugh
AND...Terrified Johnny Depp Unable To Remove Tonto Makeup
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
-
-