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Vevo Launches A 24-Hour Music Network
March 15, 2013
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Remember when we had a 24-hour music TV channel? Yeah, it was called MTV.
Of course, over the years the MUSIC on MTV all but evaporated (except for some image posturing) and MTV morphed into MEDIOCRE/MORONIC television with such wonderful programs as "Jersey Shore," "The Pauly D Project," "Teen Mom" -- which spawned "Teen Mom2" – "A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila," "Date My Mom" and ... you get the picture, right?It looks like somebody finally decided "I think people would watch a 24-hour music channel again if given the opportunity ... there's so much great music out there being discovered online."
And it looks like Vevo Chief Executive Officer Rio Caraeff is the one who is making that decision.
Bloomberg reports that Vevo has launched a 24-hour music network that is online and will broaden to pay-TV later in 2013 with the goal of gaining subscriber fees like those given to MTV and VH1.
The broadcast-style network is available to U.S. and Canadian viewers. Read more
AND MORE FROM MEDIA POST....
In a major upgrade to its mobile apps, music video superpower Vevo has added a 24/7 live stream of video programming that recalls the early days of MTV.
VevoTV will be a broadcast-like experience that includes programming blocks, artist interviews, video premieres, and live concerts. We didn't see a VJ on hand, but the programming seemed to follow the expected run of musical styles in one-hour blocks.
Read the whole story
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FROM HYPEBOT: THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS LOSING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS BECAUSE IT ISN'T ENGAGING FANS"The U.S. music industry is leaving hundreds of millions on the table yearly thanks to poor fan engagement, says a new Nielsen survey. The study of 4,000 found six levels of fans, each with different spending levels and music consumption habits."
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PANDORA HAS HUGE EARNINGS, THE STREET SEZ TRADITIONAL RADIO WILL BE GONE IN A DECADE"Soon, what we have come to take for granted as an option in a car will cease to exist -- the AM/FM dial. It will go away. Give it 10 years."
If that. Traditional radio's only chance at semi-survival: More Pandora knock-offs such as Clear Channel's iHeartradio. Or, hold your laughter, something innovative," says The Street's Rocco Pendola.
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STILL MORE PEOPLE PULLING AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL TVA new report by Nielsen shows that five million people in the U.S. no longer watch traditional television -- but that doesn't mean they aren't streaming video from other devices.
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'THE WEIGHT"... GREAT AMERICAN MUSICFrom Joanna Colangelo, The Huffington Post's music journalist, "Why has 'The Weight' emerged as the iconic American standard? Why is this the mood-setting song in "Easy Rider?" Why is this the song that 22-year-olds still put on when they start their first road trips across the country? Why, since Levon Helm's passing nearly a year ago, do Americana musicians overwhelmingly close their shows with 'The Weight?' Why did the Grammy Awards choose 'The Weight' as its group sing-along for the musicians we lost this year -- and why was it the only performance of the night that had everyone in the audience singing and dancing? ...'The Weight' has forever come to represent this same celebration of American music -- of its spirit, its diversity, its soul and most importantly, it's universality."
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TOMMY MOTTOLA'S BOOK ... A HYPE IN WEEK #1?The public has always seemed pretty indifferent to books about the music business by people in the music business, regardless of their stature.
Walter Yetnikoff (former president of CBS Records) wrote a great book about his time as head of a label, it didn't do much at retail. Books allegedly exposing all the dark sides of the music business haven't faired wel,l either.
Clive Davis's new book, 'The Soundtrack Of My Life,' is currently #2 on The New York Times Best Seller Non-Fiction list, but best-sellers in the publishing world have numbers far lower than anyone might imagine. (With the exception of runaway giants like the Harry Potter series, and currently "50 Shades Of Gray") In fact, "it takes about 20,000 books ordered during a week at select bookstores to have a chance at the New York Times bestseller list."
Clive is a true legend in the business, and I expect because he is so well-known, his book will sell better than almost any others.
Which brings us to an interesting article titled "Did Tommy Mottola Buy Credibility From The New York Times?" online at musicvoid.com.
From the article: "It makes perfect sense that a record executive could just as easily manipulate the book business and its version of the Billboard charts, the venerable NY Times Bestsellers. Such seems to be the case of Tommy Mottola's recent autobiography."
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IS IT REALLY JUST THE SHUTDOWN OF MEGAUPLOAD THAT CAUSED THE INCREASE?The shutdown of the mega "cyberlocker" Megaupload last year boosted revenue from digital movie sales and rentals by up to 10%, according to a new study from Carnegie Mellon's Initiative for Digital Entertainment Analytics.
The results, as Variety reports, "lend credence to arguments that one of the solutions to fighting piracy is to make available easy-to-use alternatives" -- or make illegal services just a little harder to find.
(Editor's note: What if,on the other hand, the increase in sales was due to higher demand for certain movie titles that consumers wanted to buy?)
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HAS SXSW PEAKED? CNN SAYS MAYBE"If SXSW Interactive doesn't keep growing at up to 40% every year, does that mean the tech industry is slowing down or that the festival itself has reached capacity? Or is it only the hype that has plateaued?"
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DIGITAL CONTENT: CAN IT BE RESOLD?Can consumers resell digital content? Unfortunately for the book and music industries, oing so is becoming increasingly plausible.
For instance, "In late January, Amazon received a patent to set up an exchange for all sorts of digital material," as The New York Times reports. "The retailer would presumably earn a commission on each transaction, and consumers would surely see lower prices." Of course, content creators are fighting back. Read the whole story
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TASTEMAKER MAKES CHANGESTastemakerX, the social game for music discovery, today introduced a new user experience that spotlights members' music tastes evolving toward a new "Collections" motif, and delivers a new listening experience powered by Spotify, Songkick, SoundCloud and YouTube.
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WINDOWS 8 "NEEDS HELP" ... AND MOREMicrosoft needs to fix Windows 8 to make it easier for the average consumer to use, says IDC. Read more
And, the president of Samsung's memory-chip division describes Windows 8 as "no better than Vista." Oh, and demand for Surface is "lackluster" as well, he says.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - BONUS TRACKS* For Netflix, faster Web speeds mean better streaming experiences for users and, hence, more users. As such, Netflix just launched the ISP Speed Index -- a site designed to help consumers find faster Internet service providers (ISPs). "The data on the site, Netflix says, is based on data from more than 33 million Netflix members who view over one billion hours of TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix per month," TechCrunch reports.
* With the news this week that more Americans are cutting the cable than ever, the Roku 3 is perfectly poised to earn your business. Read more
* Twitter quietly acquired We Are Hunted last year -- and is presently using the music discovery service's technology to build a standalone music app -- CNet reports, citing sources. "The app, to be called Twitter Music, could be released on iOS by the end of this month," it writes. "Twitter Music suggests artists and songs to listen to based on a variety of signals, and is personalized based on which accounts a user follows on Twitter." Read the whole story
* Four videos have been posted showing the device's new features, including a SmartPause and new unlock screen.
* Best music and audio apps for Android. From 3D graphics to biometric scans: How your smartphone will get smarter
* Hypebot reports that ReverbNation is launching a new program called 'Music For Good' through which artists selling downloads can donate profits from download sales to charities. Under the program, on a $1.29 download, 56 cents will go to non-profit, 56 to the artist, 12 to PayPal in payment charges and 5 to ReverbNation.
* Promotions purporting to be from Apple and Beats Electronics offer "unsealed" hardware in exchange for "Likes" in an apparent scam to build fan page numbers.
* Check out the Top 5 Kickstarter blockbusters: The Top 5 crowd-funded projects on Kickstarter that have raked in over $1 million in donations.
* Here comes the $99 gaming console
Short News Items ...
STONES ROLLING AGAIN:
After the Rolling Stones' 50th anniversary shows in New York and London, Keith Richards said of a full tour: "Really, all you're going to have to do is wait for an announcement." A source confirms for Rolling Stone the band plans 18 North American shows this year.
JAY-Z'S AC CLUB CLOSES:
Jay-Z's nightclub outpost in Atlantic City closed last fall after ending its lease early, The Press of Atlantic City reports. The rapper co-owned the 40/40 Club, which shut its doors October 27th in preparation for Hurricane Sandy, and never re-opened. A spokesman for the club said the hurricane damaged the building that housed the upscale sports bar, though a representative for the landlord, Tanger Outlets, disputed that claim.
JIMI MIGHT HAVE LEFT THE BUILDING, BUT HE STILL SELLS:
Jimi Hendrix's final studio album, consisting of unreleased tracks recorded with a variety of musicians between 1968 and 1970, sold 72,000 copies and made its debut at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart. "People, Hell & Angels" is Hendrix's highest-charting album since 1969.
JT LIFTS 'SNL' TO BIG RATINGS:
Justin Timberlake brought ratings back to NBC's "Saturday Night Live," with his fifth turn hosting the late-night show producing its top overnight rating in 14 months. Saturday's telecast, in which Timberlake served as both host and musical guest, averaged a 5.9 household rating/15 share in Nielsen's metered markets, topping the season's previous high by 9% (5.4 for the Oct. 20 edition with Bruno Mars as host and musical guest). It was also up nearly 40% vs. the comparable telecast of last year.
DYLAN HONORED:
Bob Dylan has been voted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, marking the first time a rock musician has been chosen for the elite honor society. Officials in the Academy -- which recognizes music, literature and visual art -- were unable to decide if Dylan belonged for his words or his music and instead inducted him as an honorary member like previous honorees Meryl Streep, Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese.
BERRY HONORED:
Motown: The Musical, will open April 14th at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater and the label's venerable founder Berry Gordy will be the recipient of the prestigious Pioneer Award, to be presented at the 44th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner slated for June 13 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in N.Y.
OUCH:
Mötley Crüe were forced to cut short their concert in Sydney on last Sunday night when singer Vince Neil was hospitalized for a kidney stone attack.
DON'T FORGET THOSE COURT DATES:
Rick Springfield was arrested today near Los Angeles and taken into the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station after missing a court date he apparently didn't know about. It had to do with the old DUI charge and it's now been cleared up.
ABBA 'A':
ABBA singer Agnetha Faltskog's new album "A" will come out in May, with the first single "When You Really Loved Someone" released on Monday, according to Universal Music Group.
DON'T FRACK IT UP:
Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon have put up billboards, run a TV ad and presented petitions in opposition of fracking, now they've recruited celebrity friends including Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, members of Wilco, Adrien Grenier, for the new video to their song "Don't Frack My Mother," which debuted last summer on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.
CLASSIC ALICE:
Alice Cooper plans to record an album of classic rock songs inspired by his legendary onetime drinking club, the Hollywood Vampires, a group that included John Lennon, Keith Moon, Harry Nilsson and more.
IRON MAIDEN BREWSKI:
Collaborating with Robinsons Brewery in England – who trace their roots to the 19th century – Iron Maiden has crafted Trooper, a new 4.7% ABV ale that touts notes of citrus and a blend of Cascade, Bobec and Goldings hops.
ARGO WINS BEST PICTURE, IRAN WANTS TO SUE:
Iran is planning a lawsuit over the film, "Argo," and is unhappy with its allegedly "unrealistic portrayal" of the country, according to the Associated Press. French lawyer Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, who counts Venezuelan-born terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez – a.k.a. Carlos the Jackal – among her clients, is currently in Iran to meet with officials over how to approach the lawsuit.
SABBATH SOON:
Black Sabbath's first album with Ozzy Osbourne in more than 30 years now has a release date: June 11th
STEVIE ON THE BIG SCREEN:
The Stevie Nicks documentary, "In Your Dreams," will screen on more than 50 theaters across North America on April 2nd, two days before her band Fleetwood Mac kicks off its first tour in four years. The film was shot during the making of her 2011 solo album, "In Your Dreams," with Dave Stewart. It already has played the Hamptons International Film Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival.
LIL' WAYNE DOWN, NOT OUT:
Lil Wayne was hospitalized earlier this week after suffering more seizures. The rapper had multiple seizures on Tuesday night while filming a music video in Los Angeles and was taken to Cedars-Sinai hospital. According to TMZ, he was released the next morning, and is currently recovering.
GROH'S SXSW SPEECH:
With his Sound City doc, Dave Grohl has remade himself as a real rock & roll professor. In his SXSW keynote speech, he recounted how he made his own rock dreams a reality, practicing in his room "until there was sweat dripping down the Rush posters on my wall." Read More
MINAJ LATE FOR 'IDOL', WATCH RATINGS GO UP:
Nicki Minaj was noticeably absent, leaving an empty chair at the judges' table for the first 15 minutes of the show on Wednesday after supposedly getting stuck in traffic. While an unamused Mariah Carey rolled her eyes and twirled her hair, host Ryan Seacrest quipped, "Which one of you gave her the wrong directions? Who drained the gas from her car?" (Minaj being late was probably the best thing to happen on 'Idol' this season)
Leaving Us
Peter Banks, best known as the original guitarist of Yes, died last Thursday in his London home from heart failure. He was 65. Banks was reportedly found after failing to show up for a recording session. After Yes, Banks formed Flash and released three studio albums with the group.
Clive Burr, the former drummer of Iron Maiden, died this week at the age of 56. Burr had been suffering from multiple sclerosis, and he died in his sleep.
Baseball has as its unofficial anthem "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." And hockey has "The Hockey Song." Its creator, Canadian country music star Stompin' Tom Connors, has died from natural causes. He was 77.
Quotes of the week
"Nothing's been discussed yet. Why would he say this? Hey, Dave's a talkative guy. Why don't you call and ask him?"
-- Van Halen manager Irving Azoff, telling Rolling Stone that contrary to David Lee Roth's saying Van Halen is going to do "50 to 60" shows this year in Europe, it's not confirmed. Would Van Halen possibly do a broader tour, or more dates in 2013? "Not unless something special comes up," Azoff says. "It certainly won't be a tour of Europe.""I think we're going to look back on the Internet in 50 to 100 years as a big mistake. It's like this horrible drug that we're all super-addicted to. It's definitely a good tool for spreading information, but at the same time it's helped and hurt. It's blown into this giant world with so much information, and I think that's hurt a lot of bands."
-- My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James at a SXSW Music Q&A with MTV Networks' Bill Flanagan. (Uh, hello Jim ... what about all the bands the Internet has helped!)
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Singing Dancing Boy Upset
LOS ANGELES –After tuckering himself out this week and canceling his popular musical shows, sources confirmed that the singing dancing boy is very upset, and is refusing to get dressed up and sing and dance again until he's feeling all better.
AND, BECAUSE SXSW was this week...had to share this one!
Word 'Innovate' Said 650,000 Times At SXSW So Far
AUSTIN, TX—Four days into the culture and technology component of the South by Southwest festival, event organizers confirmed Monday that the word "innovate" has been spoken 650,000 times thus far.
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
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