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DIGITAL MUSIC COMES TO CES
October 11, 2013
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On January 6th, Digital Media Wire will present Digital Music at 2014 International CES. This half-day program will bring together top music industry leaders to discuss the business issues of the day, from new revenue models for recorded music to digital copyrights to the future of Internet radio. The event explores some of the most significant tech-music partnerships behind recent successes as the industry continues to evolve from a packaged good business to a digital business.
If you'll be at CES here in Las Vegas, check it out.
2014 Agenda
1:00-1:50p
PANEL 1: The State of Digital Music: A View from the Top
This panel of music industry heavyweights will discuss the hot button issues of day, including the state of digital music sales, online and mobile music product offerings. They'll also weigh in on business models, new channels of digital revenue, subscriptions, cloud services, mp3 stores, synch licenses, ad-supported models and next generation devices. What innovations and business models will fuel growth in the digital marketplace? What is the current state of the online and mobile music markets and where is the industry heading?2-2:50p
PANEL 2: The Digital Copyright Debate: What Needs to Change?
A common complaint of entrepreneurs attempting to license music for digital music-based services is that the current laws governing music licensing are too complex and unfavorable to digital music start-ups. In this panel, we will hear from experts in the field as they discuss what's working and what's not under the current laws. What are the arguments for and against reform? In an ideal world, what changes should be made or not?3-3:50p
PANEL 3: The Future of Internet Radio
There has been a seismic shift in radio over the past decade with the Internet forever changing how listeners tune in, allowing endless possibilities for a more personal, seamless music experience. With the connected car no longer a thing of the future, it expected that in-car listening to Internet radio will increase rapidly as well. This panel of industry experts will discuss the future of Internet Radio by looking at technology adoption, consumer preferences, advertising models, and licensing issues.-----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
ONE OF THE BEST DOCUMENTARIES EVER ABOUT A BANDOne of America's best bands, Wilco, is also in one of the best rock documentaries ever put together -- 'I Am Trying to Break Your Heart'
From Amazon.com, "In the fall of 2000, Wilco entered the studio to record their highly anticipated fourth album. Building on three critically acclaimed albums and a reputation for phenomenal live shows, the band seemed posed to cement its reputation as one of the great American rock groups. So how is it that ... one year later, with completed record in hand, the band found itself rejected by its corporate record label and missing two of its original members?
First-time filmmaker and award-winning photographer Sam Jones was on hand, chronicling this turbulent chapter in Wilco's history as it unfolded. The recording process is always rife with tension. That's to be expected, especially when the band is as ambitious as Wilco. The real surprise comes when the band delivers the final album to Reprise and all they get in response is two weeks of ominous silence. Soon, contracts are being broken and partnerships are being severed as Jones discovers he has a far more tumultuous tale to tell than he originally envisioned.
Throughout the film, Jones tempers the backstage dramas and unfathomable corporate shenanigans with inspired live performances, as frontman Jeff Tweedy and company perform songs from the beleaguered "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" album, recently released and already considered a modern classic. Shot in luminous black and white, I AM TRYING TO BREAK YOUR HEART is a riveting portrait of a band making the best music of its career."
Thanks to Portland's DJ Clarence Duffy for the tip that people can now see the entire film (an hour-and-a half-long) on YouTube. See it here
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
FROM CNET: ' WHY MUSIC SOUNDS BAD'Get your complimentary copy of the new Rovi white paper.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 4
BUILDING CAREERS IN THE MUSIC BUSINESSThe Agency Group President North America Steve Martin discusses discovering bands and the ups and downs of live music. He speaks with Carol Massar on Bloomberg.
Read it here----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 5
MUSIC AS AN ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTAlso from Bloomberg Business Week, Round Hill Music CEO and Founder Josh Gruss discusses music as an investment with Deirdre Bolton on Bloomberg Television's "Money Moves."
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 6
FROM CNN 'THE DEATH OF THE HOME STEREO SYSTEM'"For many years, it was a rite of fall. You moved into your dorm room or new apartment. You started unpacking the car. And the first thing you set up in your new place was the stereo system: receiver, turntable or CD player, tape deck and speakers."
Today's young music fan: "All you need is a good pair of headphones and an iPod"
Read The death of the stereo system
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
FOR THOSE THAT FOLLOW THE LATE-NIGHT TV WARSFrom Variety, "NBC has carried its primetime momentum over to late night, as Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon opened the season with dominant performances in their timeslots and their best premiere-week scores in three years.
According to Nielsen, "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" averaged 1.21 million adults 18-49 for the week of Sept. 23rd-27th, up 29% from last year and well ahead of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (863,000) and CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" (792,000). Kimmel was up 38% from last year when he aired at a later time, while Letterman was down 8%." Read the article here
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THE 'A-SIDE' - THE BONUS TRACKS
* Watch the trailer for PBS' Jimi Hendrix doc
* Flashback: Led Zeppelin's 1979 Return
* Watch the trailer for The Rolling Stones Hyde Park Live DVD 'Sweet Summer Sun'
* Music Photos of the Week
* The Independent Musician's Guide to Not Going Broke
* Paul McCartney Keen to Work With Thom Yorke
* Lady Gaga Unveils Eye-Popping 'ARTPOP' Artwork
* Lady Gaga Shares 'Aura' Lyric Video, 'ARTPOP' Track List: Watch
* 52 Must-See Rock Landmarks
* American Music Awards 2013: Full Nominations List
* David Byrne: The Rich Are Destroying New York Culture
* 5 Petty Arguments You Won't Believe Have Scientific Answers
* Samsung takes on Sonos with multiroom audio
* JBL Synchros S700: A bass lover's headphone par excellence
* The smart and dumb of smartwatches
* These 7 great phones are $100 or less
* Apple iWatch Confirmed, Up to 10 Million to Sell
Short News Items ...
TWO MORE YEARS OF DAVE:
David Letterman, the longest-running late-night host in television history, has extended his CBS contract through 2015. The move will keep Letterman on the air more than a year longer than rival Jay Leno will remain at NBC's "Tonight Show." Leno hands over the show to Jimmy Fallon in February.
WHAT CAREER?
Sinead O'Connor has reacted forcefully to online taunting by Miley Cyrus in the wake of her impassioned letter to the singer, demanding an apology and threatening legal action for potentially damaging her career. Sinead O'Connor Threatens Legal Action If Miley Cyrus Doesn't Apologize
HILL RELEASED FROM PRISON:
Lauryn Hill walked free from a federal prison Friday. She'd been incarcerated for the past three months for failing to pay federal income taxes. The 38-year-old still faces restrictions, though: three months of home confinement and a year of supervised probation. She'd also been ordered to pay penalties and the taxes she owed. Her lawyer, Nathan Hochman, said Hill has since fully paid her taxes.
ELTON JOHN - THIS IS YOUR LIFE:
To mark his game-changing album 'The Diving Board,' Elton John sat down with Cameron Crowe and revisited the 20 songs -- not necessarily hits -- he feels have defined his life and career, from 1969's "Empty Sky" to the new album's "My Quicksand." Read More
SONGWRITER HALL OF FAME NOMS:
Madonna and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are among this year's nominees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame, along with Kinks leader Ray Davis, John Mellencamp, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart and Nile Rodgers, The Associated Press reports. Sade, Cyndi Lauper and Linda Perry are also up for the 2014 class of inductees.
MACCA GOES BACK TO SCHOOL:
Paul McCartney took the stage for a surprise performance at a performing arts high school in Astoria, Queens this week. The 400 students packing the Frank Sinatra School for the Arts' auditorium heard McCartney and his band played a full set of 13 songs, including three selections from his upcoming album, "New" (due out next week), and plenty of Beatles and Wings classics. Read More
PRINCE STAYS AT HOME:
When Prince calls, people still come running. Nearly 2,000 fans lined up Saturday in suburban Minneapolis to catch the local hero in a short-notice gig at his home studio, Paisley Park. Lucky attendees were treated to a career-spanning funk blowout. Read More
SHARON BACK WITH DAP KINGS:
Good news for Sharon Jones -- the singer is storming back to music after cancer surgery earlier this year. Jones and her band, the Dap-Kings, were set to release 'Give the People What They Want' on August 6th – along with accompanying tour dates – but had to shelve their plans in June after Jones was diagnosed with a stage-one tumor in her bile duct.
AMA NOMS:
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis lead the nominees for the 41st Annual American Music Awards, picking up six nods including Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for their inescapable smash "Thrift Shop." The duo will go up against a slew of more established names, including Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna and Bruno Mars, who will also contend for Artist of the Year. Meanwhile their New Artist of the Year competition is Florida Georgia Line, Ariana Grande, Imagine Dragons and Phillip Phillips.
AMNESTY CONCERTS:
On November 5th, Amnesty International will release '¡Released!,' a special six-disc DVD and two-disc CD box set featuring four shows from their historic Human Rights Concerts series that spanned from 1986-1998. Bruce Springsteen, U2, Radiohead, the Police and more are featured in massive box set
CHELSEA AND IRVING:
Irving Azoff will help Chelsea Handler expand her burgeoning media empire, the longtime talent manager and the "Chelsea Lately" host said Tuesday. In addition to guiding the comedian's personal brand, Azoff will serve as a key adviser to Borderline Amazing Productions, Handler's production outfit.
PEARL JAM STREAM:
Pearl Jam are streaming their 10th album, Lightning Strike, a week before its official release. "We're trying to make not just the best Pearl Jam record, but the best record," Eddie Vedder recently told Rolling Stone of trying to reach "a higher plane." Read More
RASCALS HIT THE ROAD:
After a successful Broadway run, the (Young) Rascals are going back out on the road starting Thursday at L.A.'s Greek Theater. "We're taking this as far as we can take it," says drummer Dino Danelli says, who would like to see the band collaborate with younger acts, as the Beach Boys did when they played the Grammys with Maroon 5 and Foster the People last year.
SWIFT AGAIN:
Taylor Swift has set a record with the Nashville Songwriters Association International. The organization announced Tuesday that it would name Swift as its songwriter/artist of the year. This is her sixth win, beating out five-time winners Vince Gill and Alan Jackson. The award recognizes Nashville acts that have achieved Top 30 singles. Swift has released 14 Top 30 songs from July 2012 through June 2013. She's also the youngest artist to win the honor. Her six awards will be displayed at the Taylor Swift Education Center, which opens Saturday at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. The 23-year-old singer donated $4 million to the center. Taylor Swift Named Artist of the Year By Nashville Songwriters
TURNTABLE TO STREAM CONCERTS:
VentureBeat reports that Turntable.fm, music streaming service has announced a new platform to broadcast live concerts to listeners. The new platform – Turntable Live – will stream live concerts online. The new platform will require users to buy tickets for live shows. Read More
AOL SHUTTERS CAMBIO:
AOL has laid off the entire staff of its entertainment news site Cambio except for its editorial team, individuals with knowledge of the situation told The Wrap. AOL partnered with the Jonas Brothers in 2010 to launch Cambio, a millennial-focused MTV-esque site that featured celebrity news and videos, but a year later, the site was struggling to find an audience.
ARTIE'S BACK WITH A NEW BOOK:
Two years after his book 'Too Fat to Fish' became a surprise #1 bestseller, former Howard Stern sidekick Artie Lange hit rock bottom with a gruesome suicide attempt. Read Rolling Stone's Q&A with the comedian and an exclusive excerpt from his second book 'Crash & Burn' Read More
Leaving Us
Stanley Kauffmann, who ladled out praise and pans as the New Republic's film and theater critic for more than five decades, is dead. He was 97. The New Republic said he died of pneumonia at St. Luke's Hospital on Wednesday morning. Kauffmann's voice was intellectual and measured. He championed directors like Francois Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman and Sam Peckinpah.
Quotes of the week
"People usually choose 'truth' when it's their turn because you can tell a lie about yourself and no one will be the wiser, but when you are dared to do something, you have to actually do it. And doing something daring is a rather scary proposition for most people. Yet for some strange reason, it has become my raison d'eter."
-- Madonna, in Harper's Bazaar"I don't know if you know this — a lot of people think you're a jerk."
-- Jimy Kimmel to Kanye West on his show Wednesday night. Read the story at TheWrap"Nobody could park his car right then and there and could have a machine gun that could go off perfectly and kill all of the bad guys! It would be a joke."
-- Oliver Stone, speaking during a press day for the Blu-ray release of his documentary series 'The Untold History of the United States,' criticizing the finale of 'Breaking Bad.' Stone said if that 'Breaking Bad' scene were part of a movie, it would be "laughed off the screen." (Yo, Oliver ... you mean laughed off the screen like your ending in your fantasy 'Savages' where pot growers Ben and Chon face off against the Mexican drug cartel who kidnapped their shared girlfriend? LOL ... sure that was real ... please get serious!)"I draw from my own personal experiences. I've traveled the world. I wanted to write songs that are fun. And I also want to write songs people can relate to."
-- Paris Hilton, in Rolling Stone, talking about her upcoming untitled album. (Uh, Paris ... let's see, a billionaire father ... and after your stellar performance in the X-Rated 'One Night In Paris,' it will be hard for anybody to "relate" to your songs)
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
David Bowie Asks Iman If They Should Just Do Lasagna Again
NEW YORK—Saying he would be fine "just taking a load off" and eating in, rock icon David Bowie reportedly asked his wife, Somali supermodel and actress Iman, if they should just do lasagna for dinner again Monday.
The 66-year-old singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and producer, who once reinvented himself as a gender-bending extraterrestrial rock star named Ziggy Stardust, as well as an emotionless Aryan superman named The Thin White Duke, then looked through the couple's refrigerator and, noted they still had a jar of Mario Batali pasta sauce and a "pretty full" box of lasagna noodles in the cupboard.
Read the rest and laugh: David Bowie Asks Iman If They Should Just Do Lasagna Again
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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