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Good Ratings Aren't Necessarily An Indicator Of Good Things
September 12, 2008
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"Television is the first truly democratic culture -- the first culture available to everybody and entirely governed by what the people want. The most terrifying thing is what people do want."
-- Clive BarnesI didn't want to write about the MTV Video Awards Show. It stopped being a must-see meaningful music industry event in the last century. But after so many readers sent me e-mails that basically asked me the same questions, I thought I had to. So here goes.
The MTV Video Music Awards Show was proof positive (if indeed there was any doubt remaining) that not only is America dumbing down, but MTV is beyond repair. Want proof that the country is dumbing down? The ratings were up significantly from last year. Frightening, isn't it?
MTV "jumped the shark" some time ago, and this year's show confirmed that MTV is simply just a great marketing brand to capture advertising revenues from companies seeking the demographics the channel attracts.
There's nothing wrong with any channel or broadcast network trying to capture ad revenues. That's what they are supposed to do. If they don't get ratings, they don't get advertising dollars from Madison Avenue. No ads dollars, shows get cancelled. And in some cases, channels fail. Remember UPN and the WB?
MTV has captured enough Madison Avenue agency dollars to make it a very successful broadcast enterprise. Then again, nothing recedes like success, so they better be on their toes.
I've said before it's hard to believe the channel is still called MTV. Once upon a time that stood for "Music Television." With so much on-air programming now dedicated to shows like "Exiled," "Pimp My Ride," "True Life," "Cribs," "Busted," "Exiled," "My Super Sweet Sixteen," "The Hills" and more, the channel is certainly not music-intensive. At one time, they used to have on-air promos that used to say, "Music is our first name" or "Music first." That isn't the case anymore. Music is now incidental. MTV is now nothing more than a youth-oriented lifestyle channel, and since music is part of the lifestyle in the demographics they seek, they throw it in the mix. That's about it these days.
But back to the show.
The show wasn't bad. It was very bad. Then again, everybody likes to watch a disaster, and many were expecting to see one since it was announced at the last minute that Britney Spears would "open" the show. She opened the show alright. There was an attempt at humor in a sophomoric SNL-type opening, then she walked onstage and said, "Thank you so much. Thank you for all the love. I'm here tonight to celebrate a very important birthday, the 25th anniversary of the VMAs. This is the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards and it starts right now." That was her "opening."
As L.A. Times writer Todd Martens said in the paper, "Spears did little more than read a cue card at a mile a minute, and walk around with a beauty pageant smile. Grade: F." On the other hand, after Britney's disastrous MTV opening last year, maybe this was actually better. An F instead of an F-.
First of all, let me answer the questions that so many of you e-mailed, and maybe others of you are still asking yourselves if you watched this on-air Titanic. No, I have no clue why Britney won three VMAs. No, I have no idea why she could have won any considering her album was a bomb at retail and none of the videos from it were on anybody's "hot" list anywhere. Well, maybe that's not totally true. I'm sure whatever Britney Spears fan clubs are left all loved it.
One reader e-mailed me and said, "My 14-year-old daughter asked me if I had ever heard of the guy who was hosting and she asked why MTV would have someone she could barely understand introducing people. I told her I had no idea, so I'm e-mailing you for possible answers to these questions."
No, I have no idea who chose Russell Brand as host. But he was maybe the worst host ever. I have no idea where he came from, but according to wikipedia he's allegedly an "English comedian, actor, columnist and presenter of radio and television." Well, so much for the English standards of taste and "talent." (Let's remember, they thought Benny Hill was hysterical). So much for MTV investing in a host who can talk and be understood by the majority of the people watching. And still more evidence that MTV has lost relevance with their audience: There's already rumors circulating that Brand might be the host next year.
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps was on the show as well. They brought him out so he could introduce Lil' Wayne's performance. The only thing that stood out about Lil' Wayne's performance was the fact that it was a miracle his pants didn't fall down. Michael Phelps is in the record books forever. Lil' Wayne is a blip on the platinum flavor-of-the-month radar screen. He might even be content for a future Trvial Pursuit Rap/Hip-Hop edition.
There is always the hope that in things done so badly, there will be some good. And there was. There was a bright shining moment when Christina Aguilera took the stage and outclassed every other act on the entire show. Christina might be the only one who took the stage that will still be around in 20 or 30 years. Real talent stands out head and shoulders above anything less, and Christina stood tall.
Leona Lewis also stood out, although briefly, when she was wasted in Lil' Wayne's big number. Why Leona wasn't featured in her own spot is a puzzle. She has one of this year's biggest hits (maybe the year's biggest hit), "Bleeding Love," a platinum album, a follow-up hit, an incredible voice, and she could have added some real class to the show. Kid Rock did well with his current smash, "All Summer Long," but his performance of the song a few nights later on Fashion Rocks was even better when he brought several members of Lynyrd Skynyrd onstage to sing "Sweet Home Alabama" with him.
The MTV Video Awards are obviously something no one should take seriously. Once upon a time, they really meant something to the artists who received them and the audience at large. Now it appears they serve as nothing more than nice trinkets to give to the artists of the moment, and a good reason to have a party afterwards. And that's fine.
Everybody likes a good party.
But the burning question still remains, how the hell did Britney Spears win 3 VMAs?
And Now This...
I try and present facts in my commentary that can often provide foundation for formulating my opinions in regard to specific topics.
In the August 15th issue, I included a link to a story in Rolling Stone "Kid Rock's Hot Summer; No iTunes Required." In commentary before the article I wrote the following: "Livia Tortella, general manager of Atlantic Records (Kid Rock's label) says, 'It's definitely interesting that he's the only artist that's not available on iTunes with a monster hit right now, and we're seeing that kind of a growth. It's certainly spurring a lot of debate in our company ...Why would that spur debate Livia? Last time I looked, hits were still selling in huge quantities whether they were on iTunes or not. Please see the multi-platinum designations on the Billboard Top 200 for evidence."
This week, I link to the follow-up story below (also from Rolling Stone) "Maybe Pulling Songs From iTunes Isn't a Good Idea" that tells how Warner Music attempted a similar strategy with their new artist Estelle, who had a Top-10 hit at the time with "American Boy" (which features Kanye West). When Estelle's album "Shine" was pulled from iTunes, the song and album both plummeted down the charts.
I've said repeatedly that iTunes isn't responsible for cannibalizing album sales. Bad albums don't sell; good albums do. As I said last week (and many times before as well), the multi-platinum designations on Billboard's Top Album Chart defeats the whole iTunes does damage argument.
If artists choose not to sell their music online at iTunes and elsewhere, they might have success like Kid Rock is currently enjoying. But the question I'd be asking if I was Kid Rock would be, "Gee, I sold two million CDs and I'm not on iTunes. I wonder how many people stole it online now that's it a big hit?"
And as I said back in the August 15th issue: "So Kid Rock would rather have you steal his music that buy it on iTunes. And that makes sense?"
The picture is becoming clearer now for those who still don't see that ubiquity is the only answer in today's digital age. Sell your songs and albums everywhere you can.
The RIAA Lawsuits: Five Years Later
Wired magazine marks the five-year anniversary of the Recording Industry Association of America's assault on illegal file-sharers with an article about how ineffective the more than 30,000 lawsuits launched by the organization have been in curbing the widespread problem. According to the report, the suits have targeted everyone from students to the elderly -- no one in the U.S. who uses KaZaa, Limewire or any other file-sharing network is immune to the RIAA's investigators, and fines under the Copyright Act go as high as $150,000 per track.
Meanwhile, billions of copyrighted songs continue to change hands on file-sharing services and some serious questions about the legality of file-sharing have gone unanswered. As one New York area lawyer says, "We're just barely scratching the surface of the legal issues. (The RIAA is) extorting people -- and for what purpose?"
On Sept. 8, 2003, the RIAA reformed its strategy of only going after file-sharing services like Napster, to targeting file-sharers themselves in 261 independent lawsuits across the country. Five years later, the RIAA admits that its efforts have amounted to little more than "public relations effort aimed at striking fear into the hearts of would-be downloaders." As Eric Garland of digital music research firm BigChampagne says, the lawsuits simply are not reducing the number of people trading music online. "If the goal is to reduce file sharing, it's a failure," he says.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Radio & Records: An Inconvenient Truth
From INISDE MUSIC MEDIAI can't predict the disposition of the radio spectrum, but I can say with great assurance that the radio company that doesn't start investing 20% in non-terrestrial, local-based content is history.
Another inconvenient truth -- the genie is out of the bottle and can't be stuffed back or, for that matter, sued back in. Record labels can no longer control the delivery system (the Internet) for music and therefore cannot charge money for the one thing they sell --albums.
Of course, the labels, like their radio brethren, are fighting like hell to get back into the past when a consumer would get arrested if they stole music. Today, all that is history. Even good kids -- young people who would never think of walking out of a retail store with that which they don't own -- steal music.
It isn't ethical. It's not right. But it's not going to stop.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Maybe Pulling Songs From iTunes Isn't a Good Idea
After Kid Rock's "Rock N Roll Jesus" enjoyed a sales boost thanks to hit single, "All Summer Long" -- which isn't available on iTunes -- Warner Music attempted a similar strategy with their new artist Estelle who had a Top-10 hit at the time with "American Boy" (which features Kanye West) Estelle's album Shine was pulled from iTunes -- and then the song and album both plummeted down the charts.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Own Part of a Hit Song
A start-up called SongVest Inc. is betting that the songs themselves -- the music and lyrics -- are still valuable to die-hard fans.
Starting next month, Madison, Wis.-based SongVest plans to auction on its website portions of the rights to 18 songs recorded by Garth Brooks, Aerosmith, Cher and others. People who buy the songs will receive a share of royalties the tunes generate, but they won't have input into important matters like the songs' use in television commercials or movies.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Ad Exec: Payola Can Save Webcasters, Music Business
Can a reviled -- and illegal -- radio industry practice actually be the salvation for webcasters? Ad man Doug Perlson thinks so. The CEO of online radio ad agency TargetSpot says online radio needs to embrace payola if it is to survive controversial performance royalty rates. The resulting "pay for play" system, he writes, could help save the music industry in general, in a piece posted Monday on Silicon Valley Insider.
Payola has long been derided as a negative influence, and thanks to U.S.C. 317, it's against the law for over-the-air radio stations. If a station wants to play a song in exchange for payment, they are supposed to disclose it to their listeners. However, the practice continues, as independent promoters funnel money from labels to stations in return for getting songs played over the air.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Online TV Viewing Doubles
VarietyViewership of television broadcasts on the Web has grown about 100% since 2006, to nearly one-fifth of Internet families, per TNS and the Conference Board. Of those viewers, 72% relax by watching TV programs online every day. Users cite portability, time flexibility and the ability to evade commercials as their main reasons for migrating to the Web. News, drama, comedy, reality shows and sports are their favorite programming categories.
The most popular places for viewing TV on the PC are the network websites, YouTube, Apple's iTunes and Fox/NBC's Hulu. "For consumers PCs enhance content consumption from simply time-shifting to place-shifting," says TNS executive Michael Saxon.
Read more about it by clicking here.
The Lust-Worthy iPod Nano
Hot on the heels of this week's "Let's Rock" announcement, PC Magazine's got their two cents about Apple's new iPods all ready for you. First off, Apple's sexy, slimmed-down iPod nano 4G lives up a much of its hype; it responds to your movements, creates playlists it thinks you'll like, and makes the competition look like a bunch of clunkers. Check out the full review for more.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Ten MP3 Players Under $150
If you're in the market for a new portable music companion, but don't need all the bells and whistles that come with higher-end devices, you can find a terrific bargain. Here are ten of PC Magazine's favorites that come in under $150--in fact, most ring up for less than $100.
Read more about it by clicking here.
STILL CONTROVERSIAL, BUT IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MARKETING FOLKS
Madonna continues to bring controversy to her Sticky & Sweet tour after dedicating "Like A Virgin" to the Pope at her concert in Rome last Saturday night.
WOODY GUTHRIE, STEINBECK TRIBUTE
The Black Keys, Sheryl Crow, Cat Power and Son Volt will perform at "A Tribute To John Steinbeck, Woody Guthrie And The American Spirit," taking place on September 20th at San Francisco's Sleep Train Pavilion.
WELL, EXPOSURE OF ANY KIND IS VALUABLE THESE DAYS
The Roots, MGMT, the Ting Tings, Ladytron and more artists you'd never associate with a children's show will appear on the upcoming season of Nickelodeon's "Yo Gabba Gabba."
DYLAN DOWNLOAD
For a limited time, Bob Dylan's website is offering a free download of "Dreamin' of You," culled from Dylan's 1997 Daniel Lanois-produced Time Out of Mind sessions. Tell Tale Signs will be available as both a two-CD and a four-LP vinyl set, with both versions featuring 27 songs and a 60-page booklet.
iPOD NEWS
As expected at Apple's "Let's Rock" conference in San Francisco this week, the company announced a whole slate of new additions for iTunes and iPods. On the iPod front, the non-touch versions will find the 80GB models upgraded to 120GB, but the 160GB model is being discontinued. There's also a new style iPod nano, an aluminum, monolithic-looking device that was called "the thinnest iPod ever." You can still load photos and videos, but now you can view them horizontally on the nano in the new "landscape" mode.
APPLE FACTS
Apple has now sold over170 million iPods, there are now 8.5 million tracks in the iTunes Store, and the store currently has 65 million user accounts. Proof that innovation pays off big time.
COUNTRY NODS
The Eagles, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and former Idols Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler were among those nominated for Country Music Association Awards today. Kenny Chesney led all finalists with seven noms, while Sugarland and George Strait each earned five nominations.
YES USES YOU TUBE, TOO
First Journey used YouTube to recruit singer Arnel Pineda after they saw a clip of him on YouTube. Now, Yes has gone the same route to recruit Benoit David, lead singer of Montreal-based Yes tribute band Close To The Edge, after Yes lead singer Jon Anderson was sidelined for six months with acute respiratory failure which meant the group would have had to cancel their 40th anniversary tour.
MOBILE TICKETS
Ticketmaster has linked up with mobile company Research In Motion to produce technology allowing BlackBerry users to browse and purchase tickets through their phones. The software should be ready by year's end.
DIVORCE COURT AND NEW ALBUM
Sarah McLachlan who split from her husband of 11 years, documented the experience for two new songs that will appear on the singer's upcoming greatest-hits collection Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan, out October 7th.
Quotes of the week
"I could still snort you under the table."
-- Elton John, snapping back at a visibly drunk Lily Allen, who pointed out she's "40 years younger" than the British pop star, onstage at the 'GQ Men of the Year Awards'. Way to go, EJ! She's also 40 years less-talented than you."My closet full of size 0's are being worn by Pete right now and he looks hot in them."
-- Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, on how husband Pete is making use of her pre-pregnancy wardrobe, on her MySpace blog. Yeah, there ain't nothing like that look, Ashlee. Amy Winehouse has it, too, but she certainly doesn't look "hot.""I liked her pink bikini."
-- 'The Hills' Lauren Conrad, finding the only thing good in co-star Heidi Montag's first music video after being forced to watch it, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!"I'd like to see George Bush light up a giant joint."
-- John Mayer's onstage attempt at political humor during the final stop of his tour, at the Cruzan Amphitheater in West Palm Beach. Nice try, John. George Carlin said that line almost 40 years ago about President Nixon. When he did it, it was original."Although I like Matthews and Olbermann, I think it's a good idea to let some older, more experienced anchors interrupt people."
-- From The Onion, one of their "interviewed" people commenting on MSNBC removing Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann from anchor duties during coverage of the presidential campaign.
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Struggling Air Force One To Begin Selling Passenger Tickets
WASHINGTON-With oil prices hitting record levels, the United States Air Force announced today that it has begun selling passenger tickets on all flights operated by its Air Force One fleet in order to maintain the service as a "feasible enterprise."
"It no longer makes sense financially to let one passenger dictate when and where we travel," acting Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley said in a press conference at the Pentagon, the Air Force's corporate headquarters in Arlington, VA. "We've got a big plane here, and there's no reason we shouldn't be filling it."
Read the rest here and laugh: http://tinyurl.com/6bdkzt.
THE RADIO INTERVIEW on 'THE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE' - From newsblaze.com
"Steve Meyer is on the front line of global music sales and distribution which he expects will soar to pocket-bursting levels. What's more, he shares his insight and ingenuity with us. Steve gives us both historical perspective and futuristic vision as he chats with Judy about the love of his work, trends of the business and his personal points of view about success, happiness and blending life with the lust for life. Steve joins Judy and helps us discover the thrill of having it all with a sense of balance and purpose. "
You can listen to an interview I did with Judy Piazza of 'The American Perspective' by clicking here: (It runs about 15 minutes)
http://www.thesop.org/index.php?id=10306.
The Blogs
Check out a great blog by Jerry Del Colliano, the Director Executive Programs, Clinical Professor Music Industry & Recording Arts, at the Thornton School of Music,University of Southern California, by clicking here: http://www.insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com.
Box Office
Check The Daily & Weekly Box Office (and more film info) at: www.boxofficemojo.com.
TinyURL
Check out www.tinyurl.com where you can make a smaller URL that will work for any webpage you wish to link to or reference. (As you can see, I'm using it in my news stories above!)
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