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So, This Whole Internet Thing Is Temporal?
January 23, 2015
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"I will answer very simply that the Internet will disappear,"
-- Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt on Thursday predicted the end of the Internet as we know it.Well, you may or may not agree with Mr. Schmidt's prediction, but his comments, along with other notables (Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries and more) at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on a panel entitled 'The Future of the Digital Economy,' are certainly worth reading.
Check it out … your feedback is welcome: GOOGLE Schmidt: 'Internet Will Disappear'
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
FROM HOOKSANDHARMONY.COM - 'WHY MUSIC MATTERS'"Music is universal. It's a way we can communicate when words simply fail us. We write music as an outlet for our feelings, and we listen to music for the same reason. Music makes us feel alive -- no other species can react to the music the way we do, and no matter what the feeling is -- laughter, depression, lyrics that make us think -- it's a part of being alive and human. And what a joy it is to experience it."
Read Why Music Matters
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WTF? NEIL YOUNG'S ENGINEERS AREN'T SURE IF PONO SOUNDS BETTER?! HUH?Some are predicting that 2015 will be year the year that hi-definition audio takes hold. Neil Young's Pono, Tidal, Deezer and others are all pushing new, more expensive services that promise superior sound.
But superior to what? Few would argue that so called hi-def audio sounds superior than the traditional mp3, but Neil Young's own engineers at Pono admit that you might be better off sticking with your CDs than paying the extra money, according to a new report. Neil Young's Own Engineers Aren't Sure If Pono Any Sounds Better
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STILL MORE NETWORK TV DISRUPTION AND BIG NETFLIX GAINSRecent sharp declines in cable network ratings -- and overall lower TV usage -- can be partly attributed to the steadily growing inclusion of broadband-only homes in the Nielsen TV sample.
As broadband-only homes have risen, TV networks' ratings have dropped. Monthly total day C3 (commercial ratings plus three days of time-shifted viewing) among 18-49 viewers declined steadily over 2014. Read the whole storyAnd it goes on and on. Netflix Added a record 13 million new members in 2014 and now has 57.4 million global subscribers. Full story at TheWrap
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THE RETURN OF THE WALKMAN? AND IT'S EXPENSIVE"Vinyl just had its best year in decades, and now record collectors can enjoy a Netflix-inspired subscription service to try out new LPs. For a monthly fee, members of the just-launched venture VNYL can choose from a list of categories, called "#Vibes," and receive records in the mail much in the same way they used to receive Twin Peaks Season 1 DVDs at home before streaming services. The first group of VNYL members will get their inaugural selection of records next month."
Read the rest: New Record Service Distributes LPs Like Netflix
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SHAZAM HEADED TOWARDS $1 BILLION VALUATION!Song-naming service Shazam just raised another $30 million a new valuation of $1 billion.
"Over the past eight years, Shazam has raised $125 million in equity funding as revenue has soared, though it has not made a profit over that period," The Verge reports. But, that's not because Shazam has lacked a monetization strategy. As The Verge notes: "The company earns commissions on purchased songs that users discover using its service, as well as advertisements in its app." Read the whole story----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
THE TOP 10 MOST-HATED COMPANIESGeneral Motors is, evidently, one of the top 10 most-hated companies in the U.S.
The rules for the list: alienate a large number of people; have bad customer service; upset employees by paying low wages; disappoint Wall Street. "These companies managed to antagonize more than just one group and have become widely disliked," says the story. Read the whole story…----------------------------
BETWEEN THE GROOVESAPPLE MUSIC STUFF:
Backing up its Beats Music unit, Apple has quietly acquired music analytics startup Semetric. The British startup is best known for its Musicmetric analytics tool. "Musicmetric launched in 2008 as a way for music labels and other industry clients to track data on sales, BitTorrent downloads and social networking statistics for their artists, with its platform expanding to YouTube videos and audio streams over the next few years," The Guardian reports. Read the whole storyTHE LEAST IMPORTANT NEWS STORY OF THE WEEK IN MUSIC:
Kevin Jonas Explains Why Jonas Brothers Split: 'The Friction Was Too Much'SPOTIFY CHANGES:
The streaming-music company is trying to make finding new music easier with its new Touch Preview feature. Read moreTHE GLOBAL DIGITAL MARKET:
When technology is used to record, store, and encode sound, digital music has been created. Beyond its creation, digital music is what then allows customers to listen or download music that artists are distributing for profit. As album sales have declined beyond repair, the distribution via streaming services is dominating the market deeming digital music an immoveable part of the landscape of today's music industry. A recent report conducted by TechNavio projects the Global Digital Market will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.61% between 2015 and 2019. Global Digital Music Market Projections 2015 - 2019----------------------------
A PERSONAL NOTE…
On December 20th, a great old friend, and industry legend, Capitol Record's recording engineer and producer John Palladino, passed away at 94.
I had the great pleasure of working with John (who we affectionately referred to as "Mr. Snips" in the promotion department because of the incredible edits he could do) while I was National Promotion Manager at the Capitol Tower.Any artist, co-worker or industry person who was lucky enough to have worked with John, loved him. The list of those he worked with is staggering. Google 'John Palladino Capitol Records' and there are over 500,000 results, and in those results you'll see names like Sinatra and Steve Miller immediately, but the list is much longer. We relied on John for edits on Paul McCartney singles (you can read about his "Band On The Run" edit in the link below), Bob Seger, Little River Band, and more.
Stephen Peeples was our editorial manager in the press and artist relations department at the time I worked in the Tower, and was the online editor for the Santa Clarita Valley Signal for several years up until 2011. It was Stephen who sent me the sad news via e-mail, and he wrote the following, "This link will take you to a search page with links to the 4 stories I wrote about John Palladino in 2010 (with your help on the 'Mr. Snips' piece, TYVM!) for the Santa Clarita Valley Signal newspaper: Here's the link to those articles
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THE 'A-SIDE' - THE BONUS TRACKSBilly Joel Leads Bonnaroo 2015 Lineup
The 50 Greatest Grammy Moments
New Orleans Jazz Fest 2015: The Who, Elton John Lead Lineup
Madonna, AC/DC, Ariana Grande to Perform at Grammys
Black Crowes' Rich Robinson: 'The Band Has Broken Up'
The Death of the (Musical) Middle Class
The 6 Best Jobs for Touring Musicians
The 9 Most Brilliant Pieces of Comedy Hiding on YouTube
9 Baffling First Drafts of Classic Movie Posters
The 23 Most Crushing Insults from All of History
Monster 24k DJ headphones
Best desktop speakers
The newest stuff to watch at Amazon and Netflix
Stunning screen and compact design make this the first great laptop of 2015
Comparing T-Mobile and AT&T's rollover data plans
Microsoft to deliver free upgrades to Windows 10
Surprises from Microsoft's Windows 10 event
Short News Items ...
MACCA VINYL:
In a collaboration this past year that was even more unlikely than working with Kanye West, Paul McCartney wrote and recorded a song called "Hope for the Future" for the popular video game Destiny. On January 13th, McCartney will releasing the track as a 12" vinyl single. The 180-gram record will feature McCartney's original version alongside four remixes, including a thrash reworking and a mix by Madonna producer Mirwais. A download card will also accompany the 12".
MACCA DVD:
The star-studded Paul McCartney tribute concert, honoring the former Beatle as the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year, will soon be available on Blu-ray and DVD. The concert, 'A MusiCares Tribute to Paul McCartney', included Beatles and solo songs as performed by Neil Young and Crazy Horse ("I Saw Her Standing There"), Coldplay ("We Can Work It Out") and Alicia Keys ("Blackbird"), as well as several songs by McCartney. The evening ended with a medley of the Beatles' "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" and "The End" featuring the former Beatle playing with Joe Walsh and Dave Grohl. The Blu-ray and DVD releases will come out on March 24th. (Which of course means we can all watch it when people upload it to YouTube)
ELVIS' FIRST SELLS AT AUCTION:
Elvis Presley's first recording -- an acetate disc from 1953 featuring "My Happiness," backed with "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" -- sold for $300,000 at a Graceland auction, The Guardian reports. The auction took place on January 8th, the date that would have marked the singer's 80th birthday. The prized item, the only one of its kind in existence, was recorded by Presley, who was 18 at the time, at Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service on July 18th, 1953.
ARTISTS PICK THEIR INTERVIEWER:
This month a new music-themed talk show will debut that flips the script and lets musicians choose their own interviewer. 'Speakeasy's' first class includes Roger Waters, who chose TV journalist Bill Weir; John Mellencamp, who picked Rolling Stone founder Jann S. Wenner; Carlos Santana, who selected the "King of Calypso" Harry Belafonte; Nile Rodgers, who opted for singer Valerie Simpson; and Rush's Geddy Lee, who requested Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon. Since the show is a public television series, broadcast times and channels vary.
HOLY ZEP:
Next month's deluxe reissue of Led Zeppelin's sixth album, 'Physical Graffiti,' will feature a disc's worth of bonus material. Check out a previously unreleased version of "Houses of the Holy," which is "unlike anything anyone was doing," says Jimmy Page. Read More
THIS MAKES SENSE SINCE HE'S MOSTLY A JOKE ANYWAY:
Justin Bieber will be roasted in an upcoming special scheduled to air on Comedy Central on March 7th, Us Weekly reports.
BABS DOES IT AGAIN:
Barbra Streisand is making history. With her latest album 'Partners' reaching Platinum certification, Streisand extends her record for the most Platinum album certifications for a woman in RIAA history. Incredibly, 'Partners' is her 31st album to ship more than 1,000,000 copies in the U.S. The closest competition? Reba McEntire, who has 19 Platinum-certified albums.
DEAD LAST:
Bittersweet news for Deadheads: The four surviving original members of the Grateful Dead will reunite for three shows to mark their 50th anniversary in Chicago in July. But those shows, they say, will be the groups' last-ever gigs together. Read More
4 DECADES WITH THE BOSS:
Keyboardist Roy Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. His timing was pretty good - Bruce Springsteen was about to start recording an album called 'Born to Run.' With a new solo album out now, Bittan recounts his four decades in the band. Read More
Leaving Us
Dallas Taylor, the drummer best known for his work with Crosby, Stills & Nash, has died aged 66. Dallas first featured with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young during the folk rock supergroup's Woodstock set. He went on to garner an album credit for 1970 record Déjà Vu, before going on to perform with Stephen Stills and Manassas.
Andrae Crouch, a seven-time Grammy winner and gospel music legend, at a Los Angeles-area hospital, his publicist said on his website. Crouch was 72 and had been hospitalized at Northridge Hospital Medical Center since Saturday. Crouch was inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 1998 and his songs have been covered by artists as varied as Bob Dylan, Elton John, Barbara Mandrell, Paul Simon, Elvis Presley and Little Richard.
Taylor Negron, known for roles in numerous TV shows and films including 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High', died. He was 57. Negron's death was announced by cousin Chuck Negron, a former member of the rock band Three Dog Night. According to media reports, Taylor died after battling cancer.
Kim Fowley was the original viral rock star, circulating through American popular music for almost 60 years, from the Seeds and Kiss to the Runaways. In tribute to the producer, who died Thursday at age 75, David Fricke has compiled an all-Fowley playlist. Read More
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
New Facebook Notifications Alert Users When They Not Currently Looking At Facebook
MENLO PARK, CA—In an effort to ensure constant engagement with the social media site, Facebook announced Monday that users would now receive notifications anytime they are not currently looking at Facebook.
"We hope these helpful new alerts will improve our users' experience by prompting them to revisit the site in the event they momentarily turn their focus elsewhere," said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Read the rest and laugh
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
"When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people becomes an audience and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk: culture-death is a clear possibility." -- Neil Postman
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