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Gimme Some Truth
September 7, 2007
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"Columbia is stuck in the dark ages. I have great confidence that we will have the best record company in the industry, but the reality is, in today's world, we might have the best dinosaur. Until a new model is agreed upon and rolling, we can be the best at the existing paradigm, but until the paradigm shifts, it's going to be a declining business. This model is done ... The future technology companies will either wait for the record companies to smarten up, or they'll let them sink until they can buy them for 10 cents on the dollar and own the whole thing." -- Columbia Records Co-Chairman Rick Rubin, in the New York Times last week..
If you haven't already read or heard about the New York Times article, "The Music Man," about Rick Rubin that ran this past week, I highly recommend it. (You can read the article here)
I'm not going to dissect the article; whether or not you view it as a fluff piece, a good profile, or just interesting reading is up to you. All this stuff is subjective, right?
But Rubin is to be commended for having the courage to come out and talk bluntly about his label, Columbia, and the industry as a whole. In my opinion, he sees things quite clearly. Much of what he says I've written about here in the newsletter for the past five years. Much of it isn't going to shock you; you've probably heard some of the things he talks about elsewhere. But it's great to see a major label executive come right out and talk about the realities of the challenges the music industry faces today
While Rubin is quite direct about the changes he thinks the labels will need to go through (a monthly subscription-type model), his peer and Columbia's other co-Chairman, Steve Barnett, thinks otherwise.
"Smart people have told me if the subscription model is not done correctly," he (Barnett) said, "it will be the final nail in our coffin. I've heard both sides of the argument, and I'm not convinced it's the solution to our problems. Rick wants to be a hero immediately. In his mind, you flick a switch and it's done. It doesn't work like that."
Well Mr. Barnett, whether you like it or not, today it DOES work like that. Millions "flick a switch," turn on their PCs, point and click their mouse, and presto, they are listening to music (or downloading it) all over the globe. If I were you, I'd be as busy as the folks at Apple Computers, who have changed the whole meaning of the word "innovation."
There's a whole lot of other Rubin thoughts in the article that I disagree with, but again, his brutal honesty makes this article refreshing. I'm wondering if his fellow Columbia label execs were thrilled with the piece. I'm sure many cringed at some of it.
But here are the facts, folks: Like it or not, there is actually no need for the recording industry today as we know it. Rubin sees that clearly and offers suggestions as to how labels might exist in the future if they work real fast and survive.
Artists can record their own songs in home studios now that sound as good as those made in traditional recording studios. (Unless, of course, strings and orchestra are used!). Artists can sell their own songs on the Internet, and make their own agreements with iTunes, amazon.com, Wal-Mart, etc, and they can do it now without the help of a major label. Some artists already are.
Artists can sell, license, and make their own merchandising deals without giving up big percentages. Labels want to get pieces of it all, but the smart artists are saying "Why should I give you that much when I don't need to?" Others are saying, "Why should I give anything away?"
There will always be the big multi-million dollar merchandising and licensing deals, but they will be for established artists who can sell gazillions of tickets when they tour. Artists that do respectably on the road are just going to keep more of the pie for themselves; they're going to have to as CD sales decline and music consumers buy more songs and less albums.
Rubin closes by saying, "Too many people make and love music for it to ever die. It will never be over. The music will outlast us all."
That about sums it up. If the labels want to be a part of it, I would suggest they start swallowing that proverbial "hard pill" ... the truth ... and get on with designing their future. Whatever it may be.
AND NOW THIS
I received an e-mail this past week from David Ross, the publisher of Music Row Publications in Nashville. It contained a very well-done special report titled "Embracing Change - The New Rules Of Engagement."
It's a nine-page report, which David put together with a "Music Row Think Tank," and it examines and identifies a new tool set to help tomorrow's country industry partners adapt to the changing marketplace landscape. Sections include:
- The Digital Age -- A Brief History
- Five New Rules Of Engagement And Ways To Use Them
- Traditional and New Model Industry Revenue Flow Charts
- Interview: Scott Borchetta: Playing By The New Rules
The report is a MUST-read for any and all label executives, whether they are based in Nashville, have interests in country music or not.
I found the report to be very informative and thought some of my readers might like to read it, so I asked David if there was anyway he could make that possible, since the report is only available to Music Row subscribers.
David was gracious enough to create a URL so people could access the article and download it. (It's in Adobe PDF format)
It's well worth your time to read this.
Get it here: http://www.musicrow.com/article/ARN007791.
Kudos: Marketing Makes A Difference
On October 1st, Columbia will release 'Dylan: His Greatest Songs'
If you're a Bob Dylan fan, then you've probably seen the critically acclaimed D.A. Pennebaker documentary of Dylan's 1965 tour of England, "Don't Look Back." The opening sequence of Dylan, holding cue cards with lyrics to "Subterranean Homesick Blues" as it plays over the film, is famous and has been copied by dozens of other artists through the years.
Now, thanks to a great marketing person at Columbia, you can have Bob Dylan flip cue cards with 10 of your messages on them, from that very same film clip. It's all part of a great online marketing campaign, and some great creative online ingenuity to announce the new Dylan set. It's terrific fun and a great idea that proves viral marketing can be incredibly effective. (Thanks, Justin for turning me on to it!)
Read more about it by clicking here.
Does Sony Finally Have An iTunes Answer?
To Sony, the weak spot in Apple's iTunes fortress could be in video downloads. Sony is preparing to launch a challenge to iTunes' video service, according to a story published Tuesday in the The Wall Street Journal. The Journal reported that Sony's effort would employ the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Portable and Bravia high-definition televisions to offer some kind of download service.
The story, which, coincidentally or not, appeared the day before Apple has scheduled a major product launch, should provide grist for Sony bashers who can't wait to see the once-mighty Japanese electronics giant botch another effort to compete with Apple's iTunes juggernaut.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Apple Introduces New iPods
Yes, the rumors were all true. Apple head Steve Jobs announced a completely revised lineup of iPods, a new version of iTunes and a Wi-Fi Music Store -- along with a huge drop in the price of the iPhone -- at its event held in San Francisco on Wednesday.
You can read a whole bunch of articles about all these new developments and more.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Dylan Projects Are Blowin' In
Though his second Chronicles memoir and 32nd studio album aren't yet on the docket, many other sides of Bob Dylan will be spotlighted this fall. The Dylan deluge begins with a U.S. tour opening Sept. 16 in Austin and culminates with the Nov. 21 release of Todd Haynes' biopic, "I'm Not There." Slotted in between are a 51-track retrospective, an unprecedented dance remix, the second season of his XM Radio show and his first museum art exhibit.
The crown jewel is the Oct. 30 release of "The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965," a DVD on Columbia/Legacy. After 40-plus years in storage, 70% of the documentary's performance footage has been unearthed and assembled with previously released material.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Apple's iPhone Price Cuts Leave Mixed Feelings
Apple's decision to slash the price of the iPhone was heartening, confusing and troubling to the company's many followers Wednesday.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced Wednesday at San Francisco's Moscone Center that the 8GB iPhone now costs $399, a $200 discount off the initial launch price for Apple's first mobile phone, released just 10 weeks ago. The news of a 33% drop in the iPhone's price was sandwiched between the unveiling of the new iPod Touch and a performance by British singer KT Tunstall, almost a throwaway piece of the keynote speech on a day that saw Apple unveil new iPods in every category it occupies.
Read more about it by clicking here.
'Charlie Rose' This Ain't
NO GOOD TV IS MAKING WAVES.
Shia LaBeouf fantasizing about sex with a Transformer, Amy Poehler advising viewers to "get stoned" before her film "Blades of Glory" because "it'll be funnier," and Robin Williams lobbing F-bombs in foreign accents for "The Night Listener" doesn't sound like studio-sanctioned movie publicity. But in the free-for-all world of the Internet, that's exactly what it is.
No Good Television is a YouTube.com favorite precisely because it shows celebrities riffing wildly about drugs, sex and anything else, while somehow also promoting their latest films. Imagine the "The Daily Show's" straight-faced shtick with "Superbad's" raunchiness and you get No Good Television.
NGTV's Endeavor deal is an especially sweet coup for Taj and co-president Jay Vir. Despite some high-profile investors -- Kiss' Gene Simmons and Al Cafaro, former chairman and chief executive of A&M Records -- they struggled for years trying to find the right home for No Good Television. There was a failed attempt to take the company public last summer. They nearly closed a deal with In Demand to make NGTV a pay-per-view channel. but pulled out because it wasn't a good fit. Then YouTube's popularity exploded and they decided to take NGTV online.
Read more about it by clicking here.
THIS WEEK'S "WHO CARES?" NEWS STORY AND YET FURTHER PROOF THAT MTV IS SO OVER
After weeks of rumors, MTV has confirmed that Britney Spears will be opening the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, performing her new song, "Gimme More." "Performing"...hmmm, is that the new euphemism for lip-synching?
APPLES & COFFEE
Apple and Starbucks have paired up for a deal that allows customers to download songs from iTunes onto their computer or iPhone while inside any participating Starbucks store for no connection fee.
AMAZON TO OPEN ONLINE STORE THIS MONTH
Amazon.com has tentatively set a mid-September target for the launch of its music service, the New York Post reported in its online edition on Friday, citing sources familiar with the situation. The store will offer songs in the mp3 format and give consumers an alternative to Apple's iTunes, the report said.
HELP! IS ON ITS WAY TO DVD AND WITH GREAT EXTRAS
Apple has finally announced the DVD release of The Beatles' second feature film "Help!" with an Oct. 30th date. The package will be marketed and distributed by EMI Music, and will consist of a two-disc set that will feature the original film digitally restored with a newly created 5.1 soundtrack on one disc, an hour of extra features on the other, a half-hour documentary about the making of the film with director Richard Lester, a missing scene, an in-depth look at the restoration process, theatrical trailers and radio spots. There will also be a deluxe boxed set that will contain a reproduction of Richard Lester's original script, lobby cards, a poster, plus a 60-page book with rarely seen photographs and production notes from the movie.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Kelly Clarkson's 'My December' tour (cancelled after less-than-satisfactory ticket sales for the planned arena tour) will now take place in smaller venues, starting Oct. 14th with three shows at N.Y.'s Beacon Theatre among its 25 performances in 24 cities over a seven-week period. The tour will end Dec. 3rd at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.
CONGRATS TO
John Travolta, who will be honored with the second annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Nov. 15.
A GREAT VOICE ... GONE, BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN
Opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti died Thursday at his home in Modena, Italy, with his family by his side. He was 71. The legendary tenor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and was hospitalized last month for treatment. His funeral is scheduled to be held Saturday in Modena's cathedral, the town's mayor told an Italian TV station.
Quotes of the week
"Someone like Kelly Clarkson is beautiful and has pretty voice, but with me you get a much stronger image. I'm tough, I have a look that girls want to copy, and I sound a particular way. It's good if you're not easily ignored. And I'm not ... Selling 24 million albums hasn't really affected me, but it has changed things. I can't walk into a room full of people anymore without everybody turning their heads, and I can only eat in certain restaurants where I know I won't get hassled. But that's OK. I was born to do this, so I've learned to cope."
-- Avril Lavigne in the new issue of Britain's Q magazine. Oh contraire, Avril, selling 24 million albums absolutely affected you in a big way. You're ego is now getting as big as Kanye West's."Personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on our map."
-- Miss South Carolina Teen USA Lauren Caitlin Upton on the Today show, getting a second shot at answering her flubbed pageant question about why one-fifth of Americans are unable to locate the United States on a map. Uh, but Lauren...you and your friends obviously HAVE maps. In your answer to the pageant question. you said that "many U.S. Americans don't have maps.""When they told me I was getting it on, I thought it was going to be like a beeper, but it's like a pair of Bose headphones."
-- Rapper Eve, complaining about her court-mandated alcohol monitoring device."The L.A. Department of Family Services has closed its investigation of Britney Spears' parenting, because they found nothing and they couldn't find anything -- including the kids. Even Britney doesn't know where they are."
-- Jay Leno"In a recent interview, Brad Pitt said he and Angelina Jolie would like to have another baby. Angelina denied the story and said, 'Brad must have misunderstood when I said I was in the mood for Chinese.'"
-- Jimmy Kimmel
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Study: Casual Sex Only Rewarding For First Few Decades
ARLINGTON, VA-An alarming new study published in the International Journal of Sexual Health reveals that casual sex, the practice of engaging in frequent, spontaneous sexual encounters with new and exciting partners, may only provide unimaginable pleasure and heart-pounding exhilaration for, at most, 25 to 30 years.
"People who choose to participate in random, no-strings-attached lovemaking sessions with sexually adventurous strangers should be advised that this type of behavior is only incredibly liberating for the first quarter-century or so," said Dr. Loren Sullivan of Yale University, who co-authored the study on the long-term side effects of living out one's wildest fantasies on a semi-weekly basis. "Though sometimes it can be longer."
Read the rest and laugh here: http://tinyurl.com/2ezhsv.
The Blogs
Check out a great blog (that I contribute commentary to) 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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