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FROM CNET 'iTUNES STREAMING SERVICE BEATS PANDORA IN ONE MONTH'
September 27, 2013
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It didn't take long.
Apple's streaming music service notched 11 million unique listeners in just five days.
If it can maintain that pace, it will topple Pandora from its seat at the top of the Internet radio market.But that's a big "if." Read more
And in the meantime, Apple's new iPhones exploded at retail. Watch this service grow BIG time and present even more cross-revenue opportunities for Apple.
(If you have already used the Apple service, by all means let me know what you think of it)
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
AN INTERVIEW WITH YNGWIE MALMSTEENLegendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen was recently interviewed by Classic Rock Revisted.com, and one of the things he talks about is the Internet.
"How could it possibly be positive? If you go into a store and you see a car that you like, you can't just drive off with it. The cost and the blood and sweat and tears that go into making music is the same thing, it's not free. Try telling the engineer and the producer that they have to work for free. It's utterly bizarre, it's like just going into a store and taking things off the shelves. It's stealing. The reason there are no bands coming out now is that the money that was once there is not there anymore. So what happened was, in essence, by pirating music, you kill the music industry. The music industry died because of the piracy and now all the fans will have no new music. Isn't that wonderful? It's a direct consequence of that," Malmsteen says.
"How could it possibly be positive?" Yngwie? (And no, I do not know the correct pronunciation of his name)
How could it be positive? I would suggest you ask Wilco's Jeff Tweedy that question and see what he has to say. Ask all the artists who are surviving today ONLY because of the Internet.
"There are no bands coming out now"? Obviously, Yngwie doesn't read the charts and see all the new names that are being exposed online, and on radio.
Read the interview for other reasons than his comments on the Internet.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
WILL iTUNES RADIO HELP MUSICIANS?Industry insiders weigh in on Apple's new service.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 4
ARBITRON'S NEW REPORT: 'THE CONNECTED CAR'By 2017 there will be 140 million "connected" cars, essentially "smartphones on wheels," according to a new report delivered at last week's 2013 Radio Show in Orlando by Arbitron.
It was a joint presentation by Arbitron, Strategy Analytics and Jacobs Media, and it insists radio must act now to preserve its paramount position in the rapidly evolving world of in-car entertainment. That means developing a mobile strategy with the connected-car experience in mind.
Challenges ahead indeed, and they make suggestions for radio to succeed in an ever-changing world of available media anytime/anyplace.
Read and/or download the report
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 5
MUSCLE SHOALS, A RICH MUSICAL HISTORY NOW IN A DOCUMENTARYOnly about 13,000 people live in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, but the area has a musical history to rival Detroit or Nashville.
A new documentary recalls the heyday of the studios that hosted great sessions by Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and more. Read More
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 6
NEW BERKLEE COURSESBerklee's biggest term ever starts this Monday, September 30th, and they have a number of brand-new courses enrolling for the first time:
Music Business Finance by Peter Alhadeff
Music Business Trends and Strategies by Mike King
Composing and Producing Electronic Music 2: Techno, Trip Hop, and Dubstep by Loudon Stearns
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
STEVE JOBS TIME CAPSULE FOUNDBuried, and lost, in an Aspen field in 1983, the 13-foot-long tube contained, among other things, the mouse from Jobs' Lisa computer.
Now, thanks to the TV show "Diggers," it's been found. After 30 years, lost 'Steve Jobs Time Capsule' finally recovered
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THE 'A-SIDE' - THE BONUS TRACKS
* Lady Gaga's 'Applause' Remix
* Paul McCartney Lights Up 'New' Album Art
* Dhani Harrison Embraces Dad's Song for Charity – Song Premiere
* Bob Dylan Readies Iron Sculptures for Exhibit
* Justin Timberlake Streams '20/20 Experience: 2 of 2'
* 21 Under 21: Music's Hottest Minors 2013
* Diddy Leads Hip-Hop Top-Earners List
* Britney Spears' Manager Larry Rudolph on Vegas Residency Ticket Sales, Lip-Syncing and New Album
* Social Media & Musicians: The Danger in Being Everywhere
* Breaking Bad' Finale: 5 Things to Know If You've Never Seen the Show
* Yowza! Apple sells 9M iPhone 5S, 5C units in first weekend
* The best sound bar you can buy for the money
* Surface 2 declassified: How Microsoft made Surface into the tablet the world said it wanted
* Steve Jobs' 30-year-old mouse found in time capsule
* The Next Big Thing gives you a new look at tech
* 6 Pieces of Sci-Fi Technology That Make No Sense
Short News Items ...
NETFLIX WIN:
Netflix won its first Emmy for the direction of a TV series for 'House of Cards.' Director David Fincher won the award for the Best Director of Drama Series, beating out directors of 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Breaking Bad, 'Downtown Abbey' and 'Homeland.' The Emmys win is a big milestone for Netflix, which has recently embraced creation of original content.
FARM AID:
Ninety-four-year-old Pete Seeger led Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp in a rousing rendition of "This Land Is Your Land" to help wrap this year's Farm Aid benefit. "New York was made to be frack-free," they sang, updating the song. Read More
TRAVEL WITH JOHN LENNON:
John Lennon fans will be able to revisit the late Beatle's 1980 travels to Bermuda in a new interactive album app. "John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes" will launch in the iTunes App Store on November 5th and tracks Lennon's trip to the islands and his collaborations with wife Yoko Ono. It is directed by filmmaker Michael Epstein. The app follows Lennon in 1980 – the last year of his life – as he journeyed to Bermuda, Billboard reports. While there, he collaborated with Ono from afar, inspiring tracks for their album 'Double Fantasy.' Fans will be able to check out demos of songs like "Woman," "Starting Over," "I'm Losing You," "(Just Like) Starting Over," "Nobody Told Me" and "Dear Yoko," and they'll also be able to toy around with special interactive elements like traversing the ocean to reach Bermuda and visiting a disco.
CHRISTINE BACK WITH MAC:
Fleetwood Mac's sprawling tour just touched down in Europe and to celebrate, the band welcomed old friend Christine McVie to the stage in London. The singer-keyboardist, who quit the group in 1998, sang her own "Don't Stop," marking a rare full-band reunion. Read More
BON JOVI DRUMMER BACK IN HOSPITAL:
Tico Torres has undergone a second emergency surgery in two weeks, this time to remove his gall bladder. According to The Guardian, Bon Jovi are now going ahead with scheduled shows with Rich Scannella filling in on drums while Torres recovers.
RAY CHARLES STAMP:
Ray Charles is getting another accolade. The United States Postal Service is honoring the late singer with a commemorative stamp to be released on Monday, as part of its Music Icons series that had previously honored Tejano music singer/guitarist Lydia Mendoza and country legend Johnny Cash.
'THE VOICE' LAWSUIT:
'The Voice' walked away with an Emmy on Sunday night, but according to a new lawsuit, it also walked away with the concept of the show itself -- and now the supposed creator wants some payback. According to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this month, Irish citizen Michael Roy Barry created the concept for the international franchise "The Voice," and had the idea stolen from him. Read story at TheWrap
NIRVANA'S END:
"You can describe it as a remarkable achievement," says Dave Grohl of Nirvana's last studio album, the just-reissued 'In Utero.' "You can also remember it as a really fucked-up time." He recalls Kurt Cobain's last days for Rolling Stone's David Fricke. Read More
PAUL McCARTNEY ON KIMMEL:
Paul McCartney took over Hollywood Boulevard this week after appearing on the roof of El Capitan Theater for 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.' A crowd of 10,000 was on hand to see the former Beatle play 15 songs, including three from his upcoming album, 'New.' Watch a stream... Read More
NYET! NO ELTON JOHN CONCERTSKI!
From Reuters: "A Russian parents' committee has asked President Vladimir Putin to cancel a planned concert by gay musician Elton John, saying he intended to violate a ban on "homosexual propaganda". Read it here
DE NIRO WILL TAKE ROLE ON HBO MINISERIES:
Robert De Niro is going to act on the HBO miniseries 'Criminal Justice' in a role originally played by 'Sopranos' veteran James Gandolfini, according to an individual close to the project. The seven-part miniseries was thrown briefly into limbo by Gandolfini's death. But now it marks De Niro's entry into television, one of the most notable cases of an A-lister turning his attention to the small screen.
SLASH HORROR:
Slash, the former Guns N' Roses guitarist, is a fan of Freddy, Jason and things that go bump in the night. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is partnering with Fandango on a new micro-site, "House of Screams." The site will be devoted to breaking down the scariest moments in horror movie history and to selling tickets to upcoming films in the genre.
METALLICA FLICK:
'Metallica: Through The Never' Review: Ambitious and Loud, With a Gibberish Story. Read the story at TheWrap
Quotes of the week
"Both Elton and myself – probably more Elton who has been more vocal on that, but I've said to several people that the beauty of recording now is that you don't have to sell your soul to the forces that aren't going to be interested in you anyway. People's memories are very short. Everything is very 'here today and gone tomorrow.' It's ridiculous to try and put yourself into the shoes you fitted in so neatly a couple of decades ago. It's a great relief to just sit back and go, 'I don't have to think about making this a radio product.' It's been so, so gratifying to just be able to write whatever I wanted and basically throw it at the wall and see what sticks."
-- Elton John's lyricist and collaborator for four decades, Bernie Taupin, in Rolling Stone, talking about Elton's new album 'The Diving Board,' explaining that both he and Elton don't expect any Top 40 radio play anymore. In the interview, Bernie also admits that "We Built This City" was also one of his worst songwriting efforts. Read More"There's no such thing as anti-ageing -- it's all a crock of s**t. You can't go back in time."
-- Cameron Diaz to Esquire UK (Hooray, an honest Hollywood celeb)
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
New Netflix Gas Lets Users Inhale Multiple Seasons Of TV Shows
LOS GATOS, CA—Netflix unveiled its brand-new fume-based streaming service Monday, finally allowing its nearly 26 million worldwide subscribers to instantly inhale multiple seasons of their favorite television shows in just one sitting, company sources confirmed. Read the rest 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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