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Apple Jumps In The Stream
June 15, 2015
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Unless you were too busy checking out Caitlyn/Bruce Jenner's Vanity Fair cover article, or finding out what sex Kim and Kanye's next baby will be, then you might have seen or heard that Apple finally announced their launch of their streaming music service this week.
And indeed, the launch was covered far and wide online and elsewhere.
So, to help you sort it out, here's a bunch of articles to help you.
Whether the music industry likes it or not, it seems streaming will be the model that survives when all else is done.
So read on in any of the below referenced articles … there's plenty to chew on.
A year after acquiring Beats (and its Beats Music streaming service) Apple has finally consolidated it into its iTunes service and called it ... Apple Music. The service will be available to all comers -- even Android users -- and will cost $9.95 a month. While Tidal has failed to make a dent in Spotify's growing subscriber base Apple Music is probably the Swedish company's strongest competitor yet. READ MOREWhen it launches on June 30th, Apple Music will offer a three-free-month trial; and Apple contracts leaked to Hypebot show artists and labels won't receive any compensation for the music consumed during those trials. Millions Likely To Sign Up For Apple Music's Free 3 Month Trial; Leaked Contracts Shows Artists, Labels To Be Paid Nothing
With a service that costs $10 a month after a three-month free trial, CEO Tim Cook says Apple will "change the way you experience music forever." Apple Music remixes Beats Music, iTunes Radio
Reactions to Apple's announcement at its Worldwide Developer's Conference Monday that it was indeed launching Apple Music -- which it positioned as a service that takes the best of what's already out there and adds a heaping does of its secret sauce -- were generally favorable although some details about execution remain murky. Read the whole story
With the launch of Apple's new music service just a week away, the reports and rumors are flying everywhere and will likely accelerate. If $19 million advances to celebrity DJs aren't enough, Apple has other tricks up its sleeve. And just in case Apple finds the winning formula, Jay Z is already trying to hedge his bet on TIDAL. (Good luck buddy)
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And Spotify's Daniel Ek Sez "Free songs won't kill the music industry but will make it 10 times bigger"… And moreThe head of the music streaming service Spotify has rejected claims he is killing the music industry and claimed easier access to songs will make the business 10 times bigger. Daniel Ek has come under fire from celebrities including Taylor Swift after launching the music service which allows users to listen to songs for free in its most basic subscription.
In the meantime, technology news site The Verge published a partial leaked copy of a 2011 contract between major label Sonyand leading interactive streaming service Spotify. The contract has since been taken down at the request of the copyright owner, but the reporting, which includes details of the deal, remains.
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RECORDED MUSIC'S DIGITAL PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE, ILLUSTRATEDBillboard reports, "With the music business trade fair MIDEM set to draw more than 6,000 attendees from 70-plus countries to Cannes from June 5th to 8th, an annual industry report finds that 67% of the world's music is still sold outside the U.S.
That figure for 2014, which has fluctuated only a few percentage points during the past decade, is a reminder of the importance of international markets to American artists and to U.S. music companies whose executives attend MIDEM." Read more
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HOW WELL CAN YOU HEAR AUDIO QUALITY?----------------------------
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HOW THE CD LOST ITS SHINE"Thirty years ago this month, Dire Straits released their fifth album, 'Brothers in Arms.' En route to becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time, it revolutionized the music industry. For the first time, an album sold more on compact disc than on vinyl and passed the 1m mark. Three years after the first silver discs had appeared in record shops, Brothers in Arms was the symbolic milestone that marked the true beginning of the CD era."
Uh … Dire Straits' 'Brothers In Arms' was the hallmark for beginning of the CD era?
Gee, I don't recall that … I remember Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' having a lot to do with it … and other albums as well.
Still, a good article about the decline of the CD.----------------------------
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ART GARFUNKEL SEZ PAUL SIMON'S "A MONSTER"Yes, a monster talent, but Art Garfunkel is still bitter after all these years.
Art Garfunkel on Paul Simon: He Has Become a 'Monster'----------------------------
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WHY JAY-Z'S TIDAL IS A DISASTER"Like many rappers, Jay Z writes songs that have a paranoid streak. He lashes out against conservative cable news anchors, overzealous cops, lazy music critics, and less-talented lyricists, all of whom, he insists, are out to get him because he's famous. On May 16th, Jay Z uncorked one of these bilious anthems, Say Hello, from his 10th studio album, American Gangster, at an exclusive performance for people who've signed up for Tidal, his subscription-only streaming-music service. Stalking the stage at New York's Terminal 5, Jay Z addressed critics of his new venture, who have savaged it as tone-deaf, unimpressive, and -- perhaps most wounding for a celebrity who famously boasted "I'm a business, man" -- a lousy investment."
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HOW MUCH DO MUSICIAN'S MAKE ONLINE?How much musicians earn online (download sales, on demand streaming, online radio) though a range of distributors (Tunecore, CD Baby, others) and providers (like Spotify, YouTube) is a moving target. This extensively researched infographic recently released an update to its 2015 edition. How Much Musicians Earn Online - 2015 Edition [Infographic]
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BETWEEN THE GROOVES
Netflix, Hulu, Digital Upstarts Slowing Cable Growth:
Variety reports, "The pay-TV business will continue to grow in the U.S. through 2019, according to a new study by PwC, but that's no thanks to cable. Satellite and telco services will boost the overall pay TV market, with the total number of subscription TV households moving from 100.5 million in 2014 to 105.3 million by 2019. All this competition will put the brakes on growth. Subscriptions will rise at a compound annual growth rate of 1.2% from 2014 to 2019. That's less than the annual growth rate of 4% to 5% that the sector once enjoyed." Read moreJudge Explains Why Pandora Must Pay 2.5% of Revenue to BMI:
The Hollywood Reporter reports "U.S. District Judge Judge Louis Stanton has unsealed a ruling explaining the basis for why he decided that Pandora, a digital radio service, must pay 2.5% of its revenue to BMI, which collects public performance royalties on behalf of songwriters and publishers." Read moreThe 100 Most Influential Leaders in Marketing, Media and Tech:
AdWeek reports, "To assemble this list, we considered the profiles and results of corporate titans, taking into account such criteria as the value of company assets, revenue and revenue growth, consumer reach and affinity, market performance, standing among rivals, employees overseen, key acquisitions and partnerships, and industry accolades and media buzz. " Read more.Vault trouble:
Wolfgang's Vault bills itself as the "world's largest collection of live music." Sister site Daytrotter brings that same sensibility to merging music. But much of the music you find on these sites has not been properly licensed, according to the NMPA. Music Publishers File Lawsuit Against Wolfgang's Vault, Daytrotter For "Massive" Copyright InfringementNetflix, HBO Streaming Video Traffic Increases As BitTorrent Declines:
TechCrunch reports "A new report released today shows the continued domination Netflix has on North American Internet traffic patterns. According to broadband networking company Sandvine, which periodically releases its findings on web usage, Netflix now accounts for 36.5 percent of downstream traffic on fixed networks during peak evening hours, which is up from the 34.9 percent reported in the second half of 2014 ." Read more.----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - THE BONUS TRACKS & NEWSBrian Wilson's Music Genius, Mental Issues Are Focus Of 'Love & Mercy' Film
This Week in Billboard Chart History: 45 Years Ago, The Beatles Hit No. 1 for the Last Time
Bonnaroo 2015: The Ultimate Guide
Born in the U.S.A.: Top 50 Stars of the 50 States
Rolling Stones Share 'Brown Sugar' Take With Eric Clapton
Led Zeppelin Announce Final Three Deluxe Reissues
Rock and roll in surround sound
EDM Market Still Growing But More Slowly
How To Claim Your Apple Music Connect Profile Now
Foo Fighters Are Already Thinking About 'Sonic Highways' Part 2
Green Day, Miranda Lambert, Kings Of Leon to Headline Inaugural NIFI Music Fest In Kentucky
Miranda Lambert Takes Down Sexist Country Radio Exec: 'Biggest Bunch of BULL I Have Ever Heard'
'Entourage' Movie Boasts Previously Unreleased Tom Petty Song: Listen
Read Previously Unknown George Harrison Letter From 1966
Ex-Google Play Exec Launches A Music-Streaming Platform Powered By Mobile Gaming Lessons
5 'Jurassic Park' Plot Holes With Horrifying Implications
The British are coming: The Harbeth Super HL5Plus speakers
Zvox SoundBase 350 review
What's the best speaker or headphone you ever heard?
Apple tops Google as world's most valuable brand
Short News Items ...
GOOD LUCK JAY-Z:
VentureBeat reports "Tidal, Jay Zs answer to Spotify, has received a lot of grief since it launched in March with a cast of celebrity co-owners. Unable to control ourselves, we've weighed in on the topic repeatedly. But today's a big day for Tidal, so let's hear them out: The hi-fi streaming company is launching on the desktop (in beta for Windows and Mac) for the first time. Previously Tidal was only available via the Web and on mobile; that's one sticking point solved." Read more
WOOD'S WORDS:
Before Ronnie Wood joined the Rolling Stones in 1975, he made his name with the Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. He recently discovered road notes he kept with a band that even predates those groups, with cameos from Eric Clapton and the Who. Read More
STONES START:
The Rolling Stones kicked off their Zip Code tour in style in San Diego, opening with "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and ending with fireworks and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." In between they played two-plus hours of greatest hits and a few less-obvious picks. Read More
R&R HOF HISTORICAL STUFF:
Four years ago the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame managed to get Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Fats Domino in a room together. Deep interviews with each marked the beginning of the Hall of Fame's unprecedented oral history project. Read More
TOWNSEND HONORED:
Pete Townshend was honored Thursday at a MusiCares benefit in New York, and Bruce Springsteen was on hand to deliver a funny, moving tribute. "Pete managed to take the dirty business of rock & roll and somehow make it spiritual," he said. Read More
DEAD DISCS:
On October 27th, 1979, the Grateful Dead pulled up to the Cape Cod Coliseum. That night the band played one of their best shows there. "They're on fire," Dead archivist David Lemieux tells Rolling Stone. The set will appear on a massive 80-CD set. Read More
TYLER TALKS:
As a child spending summers in New Hampshire, Steven Tyler ran a 50-foot wire to an apple tree to get radio reception for a far-off Country station. Now he's cutting a Country album in Nashville. "I think Country is the new rock & roll," he tells Rolling Stone. Read More
BEATLES' BATHROOM TAPES:
Before they were the Beatles, John, Paul and George were the core of the Silver Beetles. Sometime in 1960 in McCartney's Liverpool bathroom, they cut several tracks. You likely wouldn't download this stuff, but some of it bears closer inspection. Read More
Leaving Us
Ornette Coleman, died on June 11th, on November 9th, 1984. "His playing has a real purity about it, a real beauty," Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead said of the iconoclastic alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman in 1989. Garcia had just played on the latter's album Virgin Beauty, a complex, radiant showcase for Coleman's idea of free jazz: defying conventional laws of harmony, melody and rhythm in the pursuit of an individual, ecstatic voice.
Coleman's titanic impact on jazz as a composer, improviser and lifelong outsider can be measured in the truth of album titles
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
New Music Festival Just Large Empty Field To Do Drugs In
MOUNT STERLING, KY—Declaring the event a rousing success so far, organizers confirmed more than 45,000 people turned out Wednesday for the first annual Cavalcade Folk and Roots Festival, a four-day gathering that consists solely of a big empty field to do drugs in.
Held on a farm in the foothills of eastern Kentucky, the festival, which continues through Friday and features no live performances of any kind, reportedly offers "something for every type of music lover," specifically a fenced-off, 300-acre pasture in which to consume a broad array of mind-altering substances.
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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