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Final Tally: Americans Were 12 Times More Interested in Miley Cyrus Than Syria
September 13, 2013
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"Miley Cyrus' tongue resembled the unraveled fire hose Bruce Willis used to transit between floors in the original 'Die Hard.' Walt Disney would be turning over in his grave if he weren't still upright in a walk in freezer next to a guy who overspent after the Lufthansa Heist."
-- Dennis MillerIf you doubt that the country is dumbing down, or our culture is truly on a fast-track going in one direction only, downhill, then check out the story on New York magazine.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
RECORDING ENGINEER STEVE ALBINI TALKS WITH CNETDespite its high-profile nature, engineer Steve Albini treated the recording of Nirvana's 'In Utero' like just another one of the 2,000+ recordings he has done in his career.
He is fiercely resistant to digital, and has labeled CDs the "Rich Man's Eight-Track."
He is still recording artists today, 20 years after Nirvana's last album, and he spoke with CNET's Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg about modern recording techniques and his pursuit of the best-quality sound. READ MORE
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NEW FILM ABOUT JIMI HENDRIX - 'ALL IS BY MY SIDE' - DEBUTS AT TORONTO FILM FESTIVALOne of the most ambitious music-related films at the Toronto Film Festival is 'All Is by My Side," writer-director John Ridley's dark, jagged look at the year in which Jimi Hendrix went from playing backing guitar in small clubs to becoming the toast of London with the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Actor and rapper Andre Benjamin, of Outkast fame, makes a convincing Hendrix in look, speech and manner; the part comes when he plays guitar.
Read story at TheWrap.com
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 4
FROM ROLLING STONE: 'CAN TV PLACEMENT SAVE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?'Music supervisor Chris Mollere talks about getting bands exposure on shows like 'Pretty Little Liars' and 'Vampire Diaries' Read more
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 5BEATLES 'LIVE AT THE BBC-VOLUME 2'
In 1994, The Beatles' 'Live at the BBC' was released to worldwide acclaim -- hitting #1 in the U.K., #3 in the U.S. and selling more than five million copies within six weeks. Now, a new companion to The Beatles' first BBC collection, 'On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2,' will be released Monday, November 11th in 2-CD and 180-gram vinyl packages with a 48-page booklet.
On Air's 63 tracks, none of which overlaps with The Beatles' first BBC release, include 37 previously unreleased performances and 23 previously unreleased recordings of in-studio banter and conversation between the band's members and their BBC radio hosts. When first broadcast, pop fans were amazed to hear such witty irreverence on the rather formal BBC and it is great fun to hear these extracts now. In addition, On Air releases, for the first time, the group's candid interviews for the Pop Profile series recorded in November 1965 and May 1966.
Ten of On Air's songs were never recorded by the group for EMI in the 1960s, including two making their debuts with the new release: The Beatles' direct-to-air performance of Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You" and a rocking cover of the standard "Beautiful Dreamer." On Air also includes different versions of six rarities heard on the 1994 BBC collection: Little Richard's "Lucille," Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee," Chan Romero's "The Hippy Hippy Shake," Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman," and two songs they learned from records by Carl Perkins, "Glad All Over" and "Sure To Fall".
Check out the trailer for the new album at thebeatles.com
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NETFLIX SOARSThe per-share price rises more than 5% following deals with Virgin Media, Bloomberg Businessweek. Netflix stock hit an all-time high Tuesday of $311.63.
The increase of more than 5% from yesterday's close comes in the wake of a Monday deal announcement between the company and Virgin Media, in which the cable company will roll out a Netflix app to its 1.7 million U.K. TiVo customers.
Read story at TheWrap.com
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
BOB DYLAN & THE BAND 'DOWN IN THE FLOOD' DOCUMENTARYA great documentary with great music and footage that tells the history of Dylan and The Band (and their beginnings with Ronnie Hawkins).
It's an almost two-hour film, loaded with lots and lots of great stuff and well worth the viewing. Watch It Here
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THE 'A-SIDE' - THE BONUS TRACKS
* 9/11 Concert Tributes: 10 Unforgettable Moments
* Alternative Chart 25th Anniversary: Top 100 Songs
* 20 Years Ago — What Rocked in 1993
* Flashback: Axl Rose and Slash Share the Stage for the Last Time
* Bloody Beetroots Recruit McCartney
* Music Photos of the Week
* Lady Gaga Is Fashion Forward On The Cover Of 'Elle' Magazine
* Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves Lead CMA Awards Nominations
* iTunes Radio Will Launch September 18th
* 14 Brilliant Movie Moments You Won't Believe Were Improvised
* Get a portable Bluetooth speaker for $14.95
* Microsoft Expanding Xbox Music With Apps
* Remembering Apple's iPod Classic
* The all-new, plastic, colorful, $99 iPhone 5C
* Apple launches iPhone 5S and $99 iPhone 5C with five colors
* The real reasons Apple's 64-bit A7 chip makes sense
* Walmart to sell iPhone 5C for $79, iPhone 5S for $189
Short News Items ...
BRUNO BOWL:
It's official: Bruno Mars is going to the Super Bowl. The NFL confirmed through Twitter this week that the singer will be headlining the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show. The game will take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on February 2nd, 2014.
NEW GUINNESS ENTRIES:
Taylor Swift is officially a record breaker, according to the 2014 Guinness World Records. As People reports, Swift will enter the new edition of the book with the awkwardly specific title "First Solo Female with Two Million-Selling Weeks on the U.S. Albums Chart." But T-Swift isn't the only fresh-faced pop star to nab a spot in the legendary book: Rihanna has earned the title "Most 'Liked' Person on Facebook," while Justin Bieber is officially the "Youngest Solo Artist to Have Five U.S. #1 Albums" and "Youngest Musician with a Music Channel Viewed Three Billion Times." Meanwhile, One Direction has earned "Most Twitter Followers for a Pop Group."
SORRY MILEY, NO VOGUE:
After Miley Cyrus' twerking, Vogue editor Anna Wintour had done some jerking – scotching plans for the 20-year-old pop star to appear on the magazine's cover in December.
JIMI PBS DOCUMENTARY:
Get an exclusive sneak peek at 'Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin', a new American Masters special set for broadcast on PBS. The documentary features previously unseen footage, home movies and photos, with testimony from Paul McCartney and more. Read More
BRUCE JUICE AND MORE:
Bruce Springsteen and Roger Waters will show some love for the troops at the upcoming "Stand Up for Heroes" benefit this November. The New Jersey rocker and former Pink Floyd singer-bassist led last year's event, and they'll return with help from Jerry Seinfeld and "Stand Up for Heroes" veteran Jon Stewart, according to Variety
SNL SEASON PREMIER:
Tina Fey is returning to 'Saturday Night Live' to host the season premiere on September 28th. Arcade Fire is scheduled to perform as the show's musical guests.
EJ TO THE EMMYS, AND HE'S STREAMING:
Elton John will perform at the Emmy Awards for the first time to honor Liberace in recognition of the pianist's HBO biopic, "Behind the Candelabra." John's performance comes as the Stephen Soderbergh film is nominated for 15 Emmys. Elton has waited nearly seven years to release a new studio album, and he's eager to share it. He just made 'The Diving Board' available for streaming two weeks before its release. Read More
GOOD OLD FREDA:
Freda Kelly was just 17 when Brian Epstein gave her the opportunity of a lifetime: come work for a band called the Beatles. She was with the group -- "four ordinary guys from Liverpool," she says -- for 11 years and tells her story in the new documentary 'Good Ol' Freda.' Read More
WAL-MART TRADE-IN FOR SMARTPHONES:
Wal-mart, the world's largest retailer, said it plans to launch a smartphone trade-in program later this month that will give consumers immediate credit toward the purchase of a new model. The program, which will involve more than 3,600 Wal-mart and Sam's Club locations, will offer $50-$300 in credit on more than 100 smartphones. The program is scheduled to launch Sept. 21st. Read more
BOWIE & BUGG NOMINATED IN U.K.:
Teenage troubadour Jake Bugg and 66-year-old rock icon David Bowie are among nominees for Britain's eclectic and prestigious Mercury prize for album of the year. Bowie is nominated for "The Next Day," his first album in a decade, and Bugg for his rootsy self-titled debut.
NEW NEIL:
Neil Young shocked concert goers at a tiny 300-seat club in Boston Wednesday night, when he performed a new song with his wife Pegi's band the Survivors. Young has spent the last few weeks driving across country in an electric car; the new tune is apparently called "Drive My Car."
THE PIANO MAN BIO IS BACK:
Billy Joel's biography is back. Joel received a massive $3 million advance from HarperCollins for his autobiography in 2011, only to cancel it on the brink of the book's publication. Now the Piano Man has decided to revive it as an authorized biography, individuals with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap
AND THE PIANO MAN IS ONE OF KENNEDY CENTER HONOREES:
Martina Arroyo, Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel, Shirley MacLaine and Carlos Santana will receive the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Thursday. CBS, which has aired the ceremony since it began, will air the 36th Annual Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 29.
Leaving Us
Ray Dolby, the founder of iconic sound system provider Dolby Laboratories, has died in San Francisco, the company announced Thursday. He was 80. Dolby had been living with Alzheimer's Disease and was diagnosed with acute leukemia in July, the company said. Read more about Dolby at TheWrap.com
Quotes of the week
"You know how Eminem looked standing between Herbie and Brent Musburger? That's how the world sees us now."
-- Dennis Miller
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Jefferson Starship Memorial Reopens On National Mall
WASHINGTON—The National Park Service officially reopened the Jefferson Starship Memorial to the public Thursday, following nearly four months of routine repairs to the neoclassical marble structure honoring the historic American rock group.
The National Park Service noted that the Jefferson Starship Memorial is one of its most popular monuments, drawing upwards of 2.5 million visitors per year, a total exceeded only by the 6 million tourists who annually visit the National Gallery of Art Garfunkel. Read the rest here and laugh
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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