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Blame Canada
August 15, 2008
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"A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five."
-- Groucho MarxWhat the hell. Blaming Canada worked in the South Park movie.
This week, after reading an article in the Wall Street Journal , "The Internet Is Ruining America's Movies and Music," (http://tinyurl.com/6poygu) I started singing "Blame Canada" aloud. I found the article almost as ridiculous as that song, so I had to address it in this week's newsletter.
The article was written by Ms. Elizabeth Lee Wurtzel. Ms. Wurtzel also wrote the best-seller "Prozac Nation" in 1994. I don't know how that qualifies her to comment on the Internet and why she believes it's the evil empire, but the Wall Street Journal gave her ink and noted that credit at the end. What the hell, Prozac was the topic du jur back then, and today it's the Internet.
The article is yet another example of how some journalists just "don't get it" when it comes to writing intelligently about the Internet. I encourage you all to read it in full, but I'll start with these facts that Ms. Wurtzel conveniently left out. Either that or she didn't do her homework before writing the article.
According to a new report from Total Communications Forecast from Veronis Suhler Steven (http://tinyurl.com/58gbeg), the movie industry is experiencing its strongest summer on record. The report also said home video sales and rentals increased during the first half of 2008 after declining in two of the past three years.
Thirteen films released in 2008 have already grossed over $100 million-plus each (six of those over the $200 million-plus mark) and "The Dark Knight" is over $450 million and counting. Ms. Wurtzel could have gotten this data simply by hitting a couple of websites that post this information. She didn't. But the box office figures for this year, coupled with the increase in DVD sales and rentals, contradict the opinion that the Internet is "ruining America's movies." Ms. Wurtzel also says in the article that "Hollywood's motion picture factory is blundering." Really? Tell it to the motion picture factories generating this record year in revenues.
While Hollywood still makes action-packed blockbusters and "popcorn movies," great quality films are still made and marketed despite all the criticism to the contrary. Last year's most critically acclaimed films, "No Country For Old Men" and "There Will be Blood," both found respectable audiences at the box office.
Ms. Wurtzel says "the days when lines formed around the block at New York's Ziegfeld Theater because the latest installment of Star Wars had opened are over." I guess she didn't see any of the TV coverage about the long lines everywhere in the country for "The Dark Knight" or the media coverage on the frenzy to buy tickets at almost any price to one of the opening midnight showings.
Next week, Disney's latest sensations The Jonas Brothers will release their new album, "A Little Bit Longer." Early indications are the album will sell over 700,000 units in its first week. Not too shabby at all. Carrie Underwood has sold over nine million albums in a couple of years, Daughtry has sold four million, Rascal Flatts have sold four million, Nickelback have sold over seven million,
Ms. Wurtzel says that "today's music industry is either moribund or dead, depending on whom you ask. Downloading has destroyed it, and no one in the business is smart enough to figure out how to fix it." I'll give Ms. Wurtzel some credit here because she is right when she says, "No one in the business is smart enough to fix it." I've been saying that for years now, and so have dozens of others, so this is not an enlightening revelation by any stretch of the imagination.
But the multi-platinum sales levels I've mentioned already certainly contradict the statement that the industry is dead. Yes, the industry is down from its record sales years, and I've said that as well in this newsletter for some time now. Yes, it won't be what it once was before the Internet and technology changed everything. But it's not because of downloading "has destroyed it."
Ms. Wurtzel says, "In the era of the online music store -- even if you buy from iTunes rather than stealing from LimeWire, the problem is the same -- no one knows how to listen to a complete album anymore. Everything is slanted toward the hit single. This means that the music industry is oriented toward one-hit wonders rather than consummate musicians, and talent development is just not worth the trouble."
The Internet and/or the iTunes store aren't the problems, Ms Wurtzel. The Internet is just a distribution vehicle, and it will be the primary distribution vehicle for all media in the future. The iTunes store is today's replacement for local record stores that sold hit singles years ago. Yes, indeed, the real problem in the music industry is that labels stopped investing a lot of money in real artists when MTV came along and disposable music became fashionable. A lack of investing in artist development led to a lack of developing a good quantity of artists who could reach multi-platinum success repeatedly over a long-term career. It's not that "No one knows how to listen to a complete album anymore;" it's just that there aren't as many artists making great albums. But those that do, still sell in the millions.
Ms. Wurtzel talks about Pete Yorn in the article and says, "Pete Yorn is a Los Angeles-based rock and roller with a gold-record career and Jesus of Nazareth good looks. His songs have appeared in "Spiderman" and "Me, Myself and Irene," and his album's have reached No. 18 on the Billboard charts. If this were 1978, Mr. Yorn would be a multi-platinum artist living in a Malibu mansion with mountains of cocaine on every horizontal surface, lithe, hippie-ish blonde groupies with names like Veruschka and Christie lining the hallways, and ridiculous Larry Rivers paintings on the bathroom walls."
Ms. Wurtzel conveniently leaves out the fact that Mr. Yorn wouldn't have had the Malibu mansion and all the trappings in 1978 without mega-platinum selling albums. I realize it's 2008, but those platinum-selling artists I mentioned above all have enough money to live the 1978 rock-star lifestyle if they choose to. The Internet didn't stop any of them from selling millions, buying big homes, driving fancy cars, and all the rest. If Pete Yorn had multi-platinum selling albums today in 2008, he could still have them as well. Is it the Internet's fault he doesn't?
Ms. Wurtzel says, "All we've got left is Britney Spears." This begs me to ask Ms. Wurtzel the question, "When was the last time you turned on your radio and heard a Britney Spears' song?" Evidently Ms. Wurtzel still thinks Britney is a "recording artist" (quotes here because, if you can't guess, I use that as a euphemism), when she's currently just tabloid fodder. Britney's last album tanked at radio and retail, so that kind of negates the comment, "All we've got left is Britney Spears."
"The Internet, glorious as it is, should be thought of as the plague of post-modernity," says Ms. Wurtzel. Wow. That's quite a statement. If only there was foundation for it to be credible it might be something we could take seriously.
She goes on: "The U.S. was meant to be a nation of commercial creativity. It is our birthright. It's what we do."
The Internet, in my opinion (and a few million others), has sparked more commercial creativity than any other enterprise in history, and it will continue to spur commercial creativity for a helluva long time as it keeps evolving.
I've said enough. I found the article lacking, as you can see. I was actually surprised that Ms. Wurtzel didn't name Steve Jobs personally as one of the evil-doers. Then again, she mentions iTunes, so I assume Jobs is part of her perceived axis of evil
As for me, I'm going along with the SouthPark crowd. I'm going to blame Canada. Isn't that silly?
You bet it is. Almost as silly as saying the Internet is ruining Americ'a movies and music.
AND HERE'S ANOTHER ONE TO THINK ABOUT...
Kid Rock has a real hit with "All Summer Long."
If you haven't heard it, it's the song that's elevated his "Rock N Roll Jesus" album into the Top 5 on the album charts after 44 weeks, and is responsible for its sales of over one million-plus. Kid uses the piano melody from Warren Zevon's "Werewolves Of London," mixes it up with the guitar riff from Lynryd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," and comes up with a catchy tune that's on radios everywhere ... and being played at almost every summer party.
In the recent issue of Rolling Stone, in an article titled "Kid Rock's Hot Summer; No iTunes Required," (see the link to the full article below in my news stories), Kid talks about why he chose not to put the song on iTunes. The article says, "Since Rock has long refused to sell his music as digital downloads, fans who want to get "All Summer Long" -- legally, at least -- have to buy the album."
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, and Kid knows that. In an earlier article in Rolling Stone back on June 18th ("Kid Rock Lashes Out Against iTunes, Endorses Illegal Downloading"), Kid said, "iTunes is an old system, where iTunes takes the money, the record company takes the money, and they don't give it to the artists. I was telling kids: Download it illegally, I don't care. I want you to hear my music so I can play live. But I think they should steal everything." (Editor's note: I have received e-mails from dozens of artists who tell me they receive checks from iTunes regularly. Why Kid Rock didn't -- if he ever sold his music there -- needs more explanation)
In the new article, 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.
So Kid Rock would rather have you steal his music that buy it on iTunes.
And that makes sense?
Me? I'd rather get a small check for sales on iTunes than no check at all.
And Now This...
Well, it looks like the Chinese have learned something from Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson, and all others who have been caught lip-syncing. But when they do it in China, they do it on a much grander scale. In fact, they just did it on the grandest scale ever in a worldwide television broadcast.
If you haven't already heard, the little girl who sang a song and captivated millions of viewers during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, wasn't the little girl who was really singing it.
After the truth leaked out, games organizers in Beijing confirmed that Lin Miaoke, who performed "Ode to the Motherland" as China's flag was paraded Friday into Beijing's National Stadium, was not singing at all. She was lip-syncing to the sound of another girl, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi, who was heard but not seen, apparently because "she was deemed not cute enough."
"The reason was for the national interest," said Chen Qigang, the ceremony's musical director, in a state radio interview.
"The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feeling and expression ... Lin Miaoke is excellent in those aspects." The decision was made at the highest levels, Chen said. "We had to do it," he said. "We'd been through several inspections. They're all very strict. When we rehearsed at the spot, there were several spectators from various divisions, especially leaders from the Politburo, who gave the opinion it must change."
Evidently the Politburo watches MTV, and is as image-conscious as our music marketing people here in the U.S, are.
And so there you have it, folks. Another American export to China. Lip-syncing.
AND THIS...
The RIAA, and any music industry execs wondering just how realistic the possibilities of ever-stopping illegal downloading are, should have been in Las Vegas last week at the 16th annual Black Hat Defcon convention.
An estimated 8,000 attendees spent time in discussions about virus writing, Internet attacks, darknets and, of course, (the key topic) hacking.
If any music industry exec ever attends this conference (or sends their tech people) surreptitiously, they will see how simply ridiculous (and truly laughable) all the RIAA lawsuits are at this point. Maybe then (and I realize that's a big "maybe"), they would lead the charge to move the industry's association on to something else and stop them from filing useless lawsuits.
AND THIS...
A new report (the same one I quoted as a source above in my commentary this week) says that broadcast TV will surpass newspapers as the largest ad medium in 2008, while total Internet ad spend will surpass broadcast TV in 2011.
Check it out if interested here: http://tinyurl.com/58gbeg.
Kid Rock's Hot Summer; No iTunes Required
Kid Rock is ruling summer '08: His smash hit, "All Summer Long" -- which mashes up the super-familiar riffs of Lynyrd Skynryd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" -- has charted on rock, country, top 40 and adult-contemporary radio.
Since Rock has long refused to sell his music as digital downloads, fans who want to get "All Summer Long" -- legally, at least -- have to buy the album. (Other prominent digital holdouts include AC/DC, who have an album coming out this fall, and the Beatles.) "I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here," says Rock. "Good music just doesn't go out of style, and if you hear a great song that moves you, you'll obtain it -- by any means necessary."
"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," says Livia Tortella, general manager of Atlantic, who acknowledges that the company is considering keeping other artists' singles off iTunes in hopes of building album sales. "It's certainly spurring a lot of debate in our company."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Billy Joel, Clive Davis, Michael Bloomberg Announce Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in NYC
Songs from Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen echoed through the streets of Soho as Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in "the city where Lou Reed took a walk on the wild side."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Pure Play Music Platform To Launch Aug. 20
Developers at Pure Play Music are readying their Web-based music platform in preparation of its launch slated for Aug. 20th. The company's online portal, Pureplaymusic.com, allows unknown and independent artists to upload their music, and use Pure Play's music distribution channels to gain airplay, create awareness, connect with new fans, and to generate royalties.
Read more about it by clicking here.
iPhone 3Gs Sells 3 Million Units In First Month
In its first month on the market, Apple's iPhone 3G has sold 3 million units, says Michael Cote of Cote Collaborative, far surpassing the performance of the first-generation iPhone after its first month in 2007. "They are seeing unprecedented demand," said the former T-Mobile executive, whom Fortune's Steve Morritz claims has been "extremely accurate" with his wireless predictions. Apple would not corroborate Cote's numbers.
Read more about it by clicking here.
States May Tax iTunes, Other Digital Downloads
Because of legal quirks, many states including California don't tax digital downloads such as iTunes or Kindle purchases. But as electronic commerce grows, "iTaxes" may be coming.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Verizon's Model Music Player
So, you want a phone that can handle a bit of media, make clear calls, and won't cost you an arm and a leg? The LG Chocolate 3 VX8560 is the very model of a mid-range music mobile phone. It's a slim flip phone that delivers decent performance, reliability, flexibility and quality -- all at a reasonable price.
Read more about it by clicking here.
The Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites
At PC Mag, they spend their days (and nights) scouring the Web to find the best and coolest new sites. Their favorite "undiscovered" sites capture the zeitgeist of the Internet and may even already have a large following within their niches. Open a few extra browser tabs and get psyched to check out the best of the Web that you don't already know about.
Read more about it by clicking here.
U2 RED ROCKS DVD
U2's first concert video, "Live at Red Rocks," will finally be released on DVD September 29th. The 1983 concert from the famed Colorado venue will also include five unreleased tracks and a director's commentary.
DUSTY PICS IN THE WORKS
A pair of Dusty Springfield biopics are reportedly in the works. Nicole Kidman will produce and star in one written by "The Hours" writer Michael Cunningham, while Broadway vet Kristin Chenowith also has her own Dusty film in development.
CURE CONTRIBUTORS
Members of Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and 30 Seconds to Mars will remix new songs by the Cure for the band's upcoming EP "Hypnagogic States," out digitally and on CD September 13th.
SUPER BOWL BOSS
According to the NY Post, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band will be the halftime entertainment at the Super Bowl.
KANYE GOES FAT
Kanye West's KW Foods LLC is expected to open 10 Fatburger restaurants in his native Chicago. West's first franchised Fatburger will open next month in the Orland Park area.
WHEN YOU'RE HOT, YOU'RE HOT
Look for the Jonas Brothers' new album, "A Little Bit Longer," to sell over 700,000 units next week.
Quotes of the week
"It's a shame the Dodgers left Brooklyn."
-- Bob Dylan, during the encores of his concert this past week in Brooklyn's Prospect Park."If those little girls slept with as many men as they say in the tabloids, why, their little butts would have more fingerprints than the FBI!"
-- Dolly Parton, talking about frequent subjects of tabloid fodder such as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, during a performance at L.A.'s Greek Theatre. Actually Dolly, "their little butts" might have more fingerprints, but we'll never find out."You can take the girl out of Michigan but you can't take Michigan out of the girl."
-- Madonna, addressing her home state at the Fourth Annual Traverse City Film Festival, where the singer screened her documentary I Am Because We. Gee, I wonder if she said that in her phony English accent?"I'm like ... 'Alright, just give me the tongue, give me the tongue. We'll go to lunch after this. Come on Javier, give it to me.'"
-- Scarlett Johansson, downplaying the steamy kissing scenes with co-star Javier Bardem in Woody Allen's new film, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," to Entertainment Tonight Canada. And if Javier didn't give you tongue, Scarlett, it's time for the gay rumors to start.
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Soundgarden Inadvertently Reunites At Area Cinnabon
SEATTLE -- Members of the popular 1990s grunge band Soundgarden shocked critics and fans alike Tuesday, appearing together publicly for the first time in more than a decade after accidentally running into one another at the Northgate Mall Cinnabon.
The unplanned 15-minute reunion was the result of a number of unrelated events, including lead singer Chris Cornell stopping by the baked-goods franchise to buy a Caramel Pecanbon, drummer Matt Cameron taking a break from shopping at the nearby Banana Republic, bass player Ben Shepherd walking by and noticing his one-time bandmates in the food court, and former guitarist and Cinnabon daytime supervisor Kim Thayil working the 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift.
According to those in attendance at the packed fast-food venue, the highlight of the incidental Soundgarden reunion came when the rockers reconciled their differences and teamed up for the first time in years to finish off an order of Cinnabon Stix.
Read the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/5vne9k.
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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