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Stupid Is As Stupid Does
August 22, 2008
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"There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life."
-- Frank ZappaGee, where do I begin?
This week I read that EMI is suing one of its acts, 30 Seconds To Mars, for not delivering the music they were supposed to according to terms in the band's contract. EMI released the following statement concerning the matter, and it reads like something written by a master spin-doctor who got into the music biz because it's more fun than politics:
"EMI's relationship with 30STM has been extremely rewarding and successful for both the band and the company. The hard work of EMI's global team and of the band has resulted in sales of 3 million albums and singles, multiple awards and a growing, global fan base. However, we have been forced to take procedural, legal steps in order to protect EMI's investment and rights during contract renegotiations initiated by the band and management. We hope to resolve these matters amicably and put them behind us so we can continue working in partnership with the band to take them to even greater levels of success."
It sure doesn't sound like their relationship with 30STM was "extremely rewarding." And if I read it correctly, this means EMI actually believes that one way to work "amicably" with their artists is to sue them. Pretzel logic, for sure.
The statement might also cause other artists that EMI might choose to pursue in the future to think twice before they sign on the dotted line. EMI obviously doesn't care about that. It's damn the torpedoes and full steam ahead. There's a new captain on the ship, and he'll have none of this. (Note to Guy Hands or his newly hired brand-meister Elio Leoni-Sceti: Rent "Mutiny On The Bounty" and watch it again)
30STM leader Jared Leto responded to the EMI lawsuit in an open letter on the band's website (and said ,among other things, "So, as you may have heard we are being sued by our former record company for the ridiculously oversized, totally unrealistic and pretty silly (but slightly clever) sum of $30 million. Insane? Yea that's what we said, too."
He goes on to discuss a number of reasons why the band wants out of EMI and says, "If you think the fact that we have sold in excess of 2 million records and have never been paid a penny is pretty unbelievable, well, so do we. And the fact that EMI informed us that not only aren't they going to pay us AT ALL, but that we are still $1.4 million in debt to them is even crazier. That the next record we make will be used to pay off that old supposed debt just makes you start wondering what is going on. Shouldn't a record company be able to turn a profit from selling that many records? Or, at the very least, break even?"
Many artists will read Leto's comments and find them all too familiar. At the very least, this was (in my opinion) an incredibly dumb move on EMI's part at a time when the company is transitioning from one corporate culture to another (I'm being polite here). Major labels are competing with Live Nation, so when it comes time to renegotiate contracts, labels are trying to secure artists for their rosters, and things are tough all over.
I had this quote in the newsletter several issues back, but this action on EMI's behalf made me feel it was appropriate to put it in against this week: "Terra Firma honcho Guy Hands also seems incorrectly named, given that high-profile bands keep slipping through his fingers." -- From the article, "EMI Loses Stones, Scores Humiliation Hat Trick"
One reader sent me an e-mail asking me if I had heard about this yet and asked "Is EMI that hard up for money that they have to sue their artists to improve their financial well-being?"
I dunno. But I bet a whole lot of other people might be thinking the same thing.
And Now This...
Well, one thing is for certain. The RIAA head honchos not only spend lots of money lobbying the best politicians money can buy, they make lots of money as well.
For what I still don't know. The lawsuits are a complete waste of time, and it sure seems to me like Mitch and Cary are living large as the industry faces its most critical challenges ever.
Mitch Bainwol, the RIAA's numero uno guy, earned a hefty $1.46 million in 2006, and another $17K in benefits, while Association President Cary Sherman earned $974k in salary and a whopping $584K in benefits. Both guys got bumps from their 2005 salaries.
Pretty nice, huh? Wanna' get even more upset? Previous RIAA head Hilary Rosen (another real winner, in my humble opinion) also earned $1 million-plus in her days.
I have nothing against executives making lots of money when their performance merits it and they earn it. But why the industry would continue to support such salaries at such a useless association as the RIAA is beyond me.
Add the costs of the RIAA's lobbying efforts, and it's easy to see the association's operating expenses are in the millions. Millions and millions being spent without any ROI. (That's "Return On Investment," for readers not familiar with that term)
I would implore you to read the full article about this all at: http://tinyurl.com/5jholx
You read the article and decide for yourself whether these salaries are justified by executives in an organization that is about as effective in getting things done as Congress.
Jerry Wexler: The Man Who Invented Rhythm & Blues
From Rolling StoneJerry Wexler, the legendary record man, music producer and ageless hipster, died last Friday at the age of 91. Wexler was one of the great music business pioneers of the 20th Century: as co-head of Atlantic Records from 1953 to '75, he and his partner Ahmet Ertegun grew the small independent R&B label into the major record company that it is today.
Wexler was much more than a top executive; he was a national tastemaker and a prophet of roots and rhythm. The impact of his deeds matched his larger-than-life personality. Because of him, we use the term "rhythm and blues" and we hail Ray Charles as "Genius" and Aretha Franklin as "Queen." We came to know of a record label called Stax and a small town called Muscle Shoals, Alabama. We witnessed the rise of Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers, and we care about a thing called soul.
Read more about it by clicking here.
More About: Vinyl Records Make A Return
Music on discs, the big, old-time kind, is popular again. Baby boomers and even kids seek it out. The industry responds. When the doorbell rings at Monti Olson's Glendale home in the middle of the night, it can mean only one thing: Jeff Bowers, his partner in Original Recordings Group, has brought new album artwork for him to inspect. "I'll come out in my pajamas and look it over," Olson said. "He drives home, and I'll go back to bed."
Olson's doorbell is chiming more frequently these days. Since starting vinyl-only label ORG in December 2006 in Olson's kitchen, the label is bursting at the seams. "By the end of the year, we will have gone from making zero money to projecting that we will gross over $1 million," said Olson, who nevertheless has kept his day job as senior vice president of A&R at Universal Music Publishing Group.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Bono Blamed For Unreleased U2 Songs On Internet
U2 front man Bono reportedly caught playing new songs too loudly on his stereo, allowing a passerby to copy and post the music on the Internet.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Pandora To Pull The Plug?
One of Internet radio's most successful services is on the verge of pulling the plug, Ars Technica reports. Thanks to the hefty Internet royalty rate hike pushed through by SoundExchange last July, Pandora founder Tim Westergren says the music subscription service won't last beyond the first round of payments. SoundExchange heaped massive royalty hikes on Internet-only radio stations, imposing per-user fees for each song. Worse, these royalties are set to double for big stations by 2010 to an estimated 2.91 cents per hour per listener. Satellite stations, meanwhile, pay just 1.6 cents, and radio stations have a different royalty structure altogether.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Is 'Guitar Hero' Saving Rock 'n' Roll?
Metallica's Lars Ulrich loves Black Sabbath and Deep Purple -- and so does his 10-year-old son. Ulrich may have played songs from those old rock bands around the house on his stereo, but he gives credit for his son's excitement to another source: video games. Myles Ulrich is a fan of games such as "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," which have spawned a comeback for rock music.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Music, Movie Lobbyists Push To Spy On Your Net Traffic
Recording industry and motion picture lobbyists are renewing their push to convince broadband providers to monitor customers and detect copyright infringements, claiming the concept is working abroad and should be adopted in the United States. A representative of the recording industry said on Monday that her companies would prefer to enter into voluntary "partnerships" with Internet service providers, but pointedly noted that some governments are mandating such surveillance "if you don't work something out."
"Despite our best efforts, we can't do this alone," said Shira Perlmutter, a vice president for global legal policy at the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. "We need the help of ISPs. They have the technical ability to manage the flow over their pipes ... The good news is that we're beginning to see some of these solutions emerge, in particular in Europe and Asia." (IFPI is the Recording Industry Association of America's international affiliate.)
Read more about it by clicking here.
Media Firms Profit From Pirated YouTube Clips
International Herald TribuneAfter years of regarding pirated video on YouTube as a threat, some major media companies are now treating it as an advertising opportunity. CBS, Universal Music, Lionsgate, Electronic Arts and others have stopped trying to remove unauthorized clips of their content and are now selling advertising against them. Ironically, CBS's sister company, Viacom, is also pursuing a billion-dollar copyright lawsuit against YouTube's owner, Google.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Apple Finally Ready For iTunes Subscriptions?
Three separate reports came out this week--with very similar details--that Apple is preparing to introduce a music subscription service on iTunes.
Read more about it by clicking here.
SO MUCH FOR THE CREDIBILITY OF MTV'S VMA
Britney Spears is up for an MTV Video of the Year for her "Piece of Me" video. She was named among the five nominees. Joining Britney in the top category are the Jonas Brothers' "Burnin Up," Chris Brown's Wrigley-sponsored "Forever," the Pussycat Dolls' "When I Grow Up" and the Ting Tings' "Shut Up and Let Me Go." If Ms. Spears wins. it will remind us all yet again what Billy Joel once said: "Before MTV music said, 'Listen to me.' Now it says 'look at me.'"
SPECTOR BACK TO COURT
The retrial in the Phil Spector will go on, after an appeals court denied the defense's attempts to stop the retrial due to double jeopardy.
NEW AC/DC ONLINE
The new AC/DC album "Black Ice," is available for pre-order at a trio of Websites. ACDC.com, Walmart.com and Samsclub.com are all stocking the album, currently being offered at the "special price" of $11.88.
ROLLING STONE READERS PICK BEST 20 ROCK PRODUCERS OF ALL TIME
And the top 5 vote getters were: 1. George Martin; 2. Rick Rubin; 3. Phil Spector; 4. Brian Eno; 5. Brian Wilson. (See the whole list at: http://tinyurl.com/6awp49 )
BRIAN STREAMS SUN
Brian Wilson's new Capitol/EMI solo album, "That Lucky Old Sun," will be available as a free stream on more than 50 Gannett newspaper and TV station websites, including USAToday.com, starting Aug. 22nd through Sept. 1st. The album hits U.S. retail Sept. 2nd on CD, limited-edition CD/DVD and digitally. The album will also be released as a limited edition 180-gram vinyl LP Aug. 19th.
PINK OCTOBER
Pink will release her new album "Funhouse" on October 28th.
BUT WILL SHE MODEL IT FOR US?
Janet Jackson will launch her own lingerie line later this year. The line will be called "Pleasure Principle," which shares its name with her 1987 hit.
REGISTER TO VOTE AND GET SHERYL FREE
Sheryl Crow will give free digital downloads of her new album, "Detours," to the first 50,000 people who get three of their friends to register to vote. It's part of the "Rock The Vote" registration drive.
PASSING
LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died suddenly in Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon after suffering complications from a June ATV accident. Moore was 46.
Quotes of the week
"We're approaching a pull-the-plug kind of decision. This is like a last stand for webcasting."
-- Tim Westergren, Pandora founder, in the Washington Post this week, talking about how the new Internet song fees will affect his company and others."(Inter)Net radio is good for musicians like me, and I think most musicians are like me. The promotion it provides is far more important than the revenue."
-- Matt Nathanson, a singer-songwriter who has recorded for both major and independent record labels, in the same Washinton Post article."Shelf space has shrunk so much over the last five years, that for anyone to give you shelf space and exposure is a big deal. Should the labels be worried? There's been a move away from the labels for a number of years now. And it's not necessarily their fault. The shelf space to have those records sell just isn't there. That's the market reality."
-- Terry McBride, chief executive of Nettwerk Music Group, in the New York Times"Will you pinch me just so I know it's real? Ow! Could you do that just once more, harder?"
-- MTV's Video Music Awards host Russell Brand, asking Britney Spears to prove that it's not just a dream and she really is sitting next him, in a promo for the show, which airs Sept. 7th. Evidently Russell is completely unaware that Ms. Spears isn't an MTV icon anymore and nothing is else is on her schedule."In one word: No. In two words: Hell, no!"
-- Kid Rock, on whether he'd perform with Britney Spears at the Video Music Awards, on Ryan Secreast's KIIS-FM radio show. Evidently Kid Rock is completely aware that Ms. Spears isn't an MTV icon anymore, and nothing is else is on her schedule. That, and she can't sing, she's acted like a psycho on occasion the past few years, etc."I'm used to releasing a record and selling 2 or 3 million. I don't want to sell 22,000 copies. The whole label structure is falling apart."
-- Steve Miller, in Rolling Stone. Whether "the whole label structure" is falling apart now or not, Steve, there are a whole bunch of artists selling "2 or 3 million" units these days. Maybe they just have hits and you don't."I did something that I do to people: I got him really high."
-- David Crosby, talking about getting Bob Dylan stoned when he went with him on a trip to Princeton, New Jersey, when Dylan received an honorary degree. If you remember, a couple of weeks ago I had the quote from David about his not remembering being at Woodstock. Now we know it definitely was the drugs.
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Darling, There's Something I've Been Hiding From You--I'm Jimmy Buffett
Darling, I know we've been together for over 30 years, and we've always promised that we would never keep any secrets from each other. But I think you should brace yourself, because, well, there is one thing I haven't been completely honest about: I'm Jimmy Buffett. Please don't be mad!
I know that for all these years you thought I was "Jimmy Buffett, the boat salesman who had to travel a lot for work." But no. I am Jimmy Buffett the multiplatinum recording artist known for such songs as "Margaritaville" and "Son Of A Son Of A Sailor." It's not something I'm very proud of, but it pays the bills.
I understand it's a lot to take in right now, but it's true. Your husband and the father of your children wrote and recorded the song "Cheeseburger In Paradise." I actually wrote the lyrics to it the night we met. I understand if you never want to speak to me again.
And all those times I told you that I was "going to the Jimmy Buffett concert"? Well, I wasn't attending those concerts, I was standing on stage singing songs for thousands of screaming fans. Yes, the very same people who come up to me on the street and tell me how much they love me. They're called...they're called Parrotheads and I'm sorry!
Read the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/6yc2yx.
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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