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The Same Question Asked Two Times
August 10, 2007
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"Without deviation from the norm, 'progress' is not possible." -- Frank Zappa.
This week I read an Associated Press article somewhere that the wonderful industry association, the RIAA, spent $658,000 on lobbying efforts during the first half of 2007. The AP reportedly retrieved this information from public documents released Friday by the Senate public records office in compliance with various disclosure laws.
If the RIAA continues spending like this in the second half of '07, then lobbying expenses, which probably includes lots of fancy dinners at all those fine restaurants in our nation's capitol, would exceed $1.2 million. Add to that figure the costs of the salaries for the RIAA execs, the costs of filing all those file-sharing lawsuits (which STILL haven't done a thing to help the industry) and miscellaneous operational costs for the association, and you can see that the costs are questionable at best for an association allegedly serving the industry that supports it.
Gee, $1.2 million. Back in the good old days, we could break a whole bunch or records with that kind of money. But I digress. New York Governor (then Attorney General) Elliot Spitzer killed all that. Every label thought they would save all that money, and all the independent labels thought that meant they had a level playing field. Neither happened and now it's harder to break new music than ever before on radio. Of course, the active music audience doesn't care. They have the Internet, which is the new breeding ground and media of choice for tens of millions of music lovers around the world. If you are in radio and don't believe this, time for you to start doing some focus groups pronto.
But back to the issue at hand ... the RIAA. While all associations hire lobbyists to sway the opinions of our elected officials (the best that money can buy!) in Washington, D.C., when all the costs are added up, somebody at the labels has to now ask the question, "Who's minding the store?"
AND NOW THIS
This week at a quarterly investor discussion in New York, Warner Music Group chief exec EDGAR BRONFMAN JR. made the following statement:
"In order for us to succeed as a company, it is essential that we maintain our financial discipline." (Source)
I didn't know Mr. BRONFMAN did stand-up. But wait, this wasn't meant to be funny. Not at all. Mr. BRONFMAN made the statement almost as a postscript to his comments about why WMG could not justify meeting the offer Terra Firma made EMI.
I wonder how many people who heard those words were wondering just what kind of "financial discipline" was in place at WMG as stock prices continued to reach new lows.
Some stockholders have to be asking "Who's minding the store?"
Music Companies Seek New Money In Old Partners
The world's leading music companies, hit by falling sales of CDs, are switching to a new groove -- buying merchandising, management and other companies to diversify and boost profits.
Just this week, Universal Music and Warner Music Group announced investments in companies specializing in artist management or Web networking, segments they might not have considered part of their core operations in the past.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Shopping Channels Tune In To Musical Acts
Move over, MTV. Here comes QVC.
That's right music fans. In between the blond women selling jewelry and the dermatologists shilling skin-care products, television retail channels are booking live musical acts -- and not off-brands, either. Think LEANN RIMES, BARRY MANILOW and the GOO GOO DOLLS. MANILOW is preparing for his second QVC gig this fall to promote his new CD, "The Greatest Songs of the Seventies." His first appearance, to promote "The Greatest Songs of the Sixties," resulted in 43,000 CDs being sold in one hour, according to QVC.
It's just one way the home-shopping channels are trying to change their image. As network and cable TV shows become laden with ads and branded products, shopping channels such as QVC and HSN are going in the opposite direction -- attempting to attract new viewers by working more content into their shows and making them seem less about selling.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Disney's Hollywood Records to Reveal CDVU+ Technology
The New Way to View MusicHollywood Records announced the "JONAS BROTHERS" debut album due out AUGUST 7th, will be the music industry's first release via the brand-new CDVU+ (pronounced "CD view plus") technology. Together, label and band demonstrated the new musical experience that "reads" like a digital magazine full of exclusive content, hidden "easter eggs," and interactive goodies that, once downloaded, can be accessed both on and offline. CDVU+ replaces the traditional CD booklet/jewel case with eco-friendly packaging (100% recyclable, 35% post-consumer) while still offering an unprecedented amount of content.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Amazon Leads Investment In Music Site Amie Street
Amie Street, a digital-music site that prices songs of new artists according to their popularity, said on MONDAY that Amazon.com is leading a first round of investment in the start-up. Started last OCTOBER by three Brown University graduates, Amie Street allows musicians to post songs with a variable pricing model, which is different from the one-price model used by Apple's popular iTunes Store.
A new song on Amie Street is initially priced at zero cents. The song is automatically given a starting price after users begin to download the song. The price rises gradually with popularity, to a maximum of 98 cents.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Ad-supported SpiralFrog Finally Launches Music Site
Earlier this year, SpiralFrog looked like a goner after infighting triggered an executive exodus. But the company that made a splash last summer by promising to offer free, ad-supported music is finally ready to launch. Founder JOE MOHEN confirmed on Tuesday to CNET News.com that SpiralFrog has quietly invited a select number of users to test a beta version of the site.
MOHEN said SpiralFrog will offer 700,000 songs at launch and be the first ad-supported site to offer video for download. He estimated that SpiralFrog will be ready for a public launch sometime before the end of the year.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Apple Homeward Bound With New iMacs, iLife
Apple's fourth major event of the year was a bit more understated than the previous ones, but provided another glimpse of the company's view of the personal computer.
Apple CEO STEVE JOBS unveiled new iMacs with aluminum and glass exteriors, keeping the rumor mill honest this time. Apple's iMac is an all-in-one computer where the motherboard sits behind a flat-panel display, in a more streamlined approach to the traditional desktop PC.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Music Sales Continue Their Decline In 2006 As Major Labels Ignore HD DVD And Blu-ray
FROM AVREV.COMThe RIAA has released their 2006 sales report for recorded music, and the downward trend continues for yet another year. Overall sales are down 0.6 percent to 12.27 billion, which is slightly misleading because the RIAA is now counting the lucrative, new market of cell phone ringtones in their overall sales numbers. Without ringtones in the mix, overall music sales slipped even further in 2006. The low-resolution, audio-only CD format continues to age, leaving today's kids buying video-oriented DVDs, high-definition video games and all sorts of content for their handheld devices, such as cell phones, PDAs and beyond.
Read more about it by clicking here.
THIS WEEK'S 'GEE, HOW COME I'M NOT SURPRISED' NEWS ITEMS
ITEM #1: As his ex-wife, BRITNEY SPEARS, continues to exhibit questionable behavior, KEVIN FEDERLINE filed for primary physical custody of his two sons with SPEARS WEDNESDAY, according to E!News.
CONGRATS
CONGRATS #1 TO: Fox's Idol Gives Back and HBO's The Addiction Project will both share the Television Academy's Governor's Award, the academy's highest honor, "for harnessing the power of television to educate and inform viewers about two very significant issues that touch us all," said Chairman DICK ASKIN.
CONGRATS #2 TO: MICHELLE PFEIFFER, who received the 2,345th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Monday, four days before the release of her latest film, "Stardust."
CONGRATS #3 TO: JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and BEYONCé KNOWLES, who scored seven nominations each for this year's MTV Video Music Awards. KANYE WEST and RIHANNA were just shy of the top spots with five nominations each, while newcomer AMY WINEHOUSE received three.
CONGRATS #4 TO: VINCE GILL, MEL TILLIS and RALPH EMERY, who have been selected for induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year.
CONGRATS #5 TO: JACK WHITE and supermodel wife KAREN ELSON, who welcomed their second child in New York Tuesday.
NO LOVE FOR JARDINE
A judge has set a Feb. 11 trial date in BEACH BOYS frontman MIKE LOVE's $2 million lawsuit against former bandmate AL JARDINE, stating the long-delayed case "needs to be decided and a decision needs to be made." LOVE sued JARDINE in APRIL 2003, accusing him of touring with a group that wrongly used various versions of the BEACH BOYS name.
PLANT & KRAUSS DUETS
ROBERT PLANT and ALISON KRAUSS have teamed up to record a joint album, reinterpreting lesser-known material from blues, R&B, country and folk songwriters. The end result, titled "Raising Sand," is due out Oct. 23 on Rounder Records.
ONE WEEK LATER...
A week after calling off their planned NEW YORK nuptials, USHER and pregnant fiancé TAMEKA FOSTER swapped vows last FRIDAY in a private ceremony at USHER's lawyer's office in ATLANTA.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WORSE, HIS FIRST NAME OR HIS LAST NAME, BUT THIS WILL BE AN INTERESTING CASE IF IT GETS TO COURT
Founding MARILYN MANSON keyboardist STEPHEN GREGORY BIER JR. has filed a $20 million lawsuit against the singer, claiming MANSON dipped into the band's collective funds from merchandise and touring to buy personal items, such as a $150,000 engagement ring for his ex, DITA VON TEESE, his collection of Nazi artifacts and the preserved skeleton of a four-year-old girl.
PAPA EVIDENTLY HAD A LOT OF BRAND NEW BAGS
DNA testing on about a dozen people who claim JAMES BROWN was their father has come back showing that at least two of them are telling the truth, the soul singer's longtime adviser BUDDY DALLAS said last FRIDAY.
LEE HAZLEWOOD PASSES
LEE HAZLEWOOD, the country singer and record producer who penned NANCY SINATRA'S signature tune, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," died last Saturday of kidney cancer at his home in HENDERSON, NV.
NO DOWN-LOW ON J-LO
JENNIFER LOPEZ has been awarded nearly $545,000 in an arbitration ruling stemming from a lawsuit she filed against her first hubby, OJANI NOA, about a ghost-written tell-all book he was attempting to get published about their relationship.
DIAMOND DAVE BACK WITH VAN HALEN FOR TOUR
VAN HALEN, with original lead singer, DAVID LEE ROTH, will set out on a national tour beginning in OCTOBER. VAN HALEN will supposedly play 50 dates in arenas across NORTH AMERICA and make the official announcement this coming MONDAY.
NOT JUST ANY PIANO....
If you're interested in buying a piano, why not consider the one owned by BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN from 1977-1979. The piano was in BRUCE's NEW YORK apartment that he shared with his then girlfriend, LYNN GOLDSMITH. While it was there BRUCE wrote many songs using it, some of which can be found on "The River". BOB DYLAN wrote many songs on it as well, some of which can be found on "Blood on the Tracks". You can read all about and bid on it on e-bay at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300138196547&ssPageName=STRK:MESC:IT.
Quotes of the week
"I'm sure he'll hear all about the record. The poor guy's probably heard about it in every interview."
-- MANDY MOORE, on ex-boyfriend ZACH BRAFF's reaction to her new album. Based on your past sales history, MANDY, I don't think ZACH is too worried about too many people hearing the record."Now I spend a much shorter day in them and I'm, like, 'Owww!' I've really destroyed my body by running and dancing in heels. My knees are shot."
-- SARAH JESSICA PARKER, on developing high-heel woes since her days on "Sex and the City." You just figured this out now, SARAH?"She's always been the boss!"
-- MARC ANTHONY, on wife JENNIFER LOPEZ. Now we know (though we suspected it all along) who wears the pants in that family."A lot of drunk dudes want to take their picture with me. Women ask me to knock them up. Which means I don't think they understand the point of the movie."
-- 'Knocked Up' and 'Superbad' star SETH ROGEN talking about his confused fan base to RYAN SEACREST."In a recent interview with People magazine, KATHY HILTON said that her daughter PARIS HILTON may have gotten a rash from the sheets in her cell. Today the sheets issued a statement saying, no, they got the rash from PARIS HILTON."
-- JAY LENO"BRITNEY SPEARS in trouble again. Yesterday, BRITNEY SPEARS was involved in a fender bender. Fortunately, her kids weren't in the car at the time. Unfortunately, they were strapped to the roof."
-- CONAN O'BRIEN
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Destruction Of National Pastime Given Two-Minute Standing Ovation
SAN FRANCISCO-A sellout crowd rose to its feet and exploded into ecstatic cheers Tuesday night as Barry Bonds completed the downfall of America's most revered sport by hitting a thundering 435-foot shot into the left field bleachers for career home run No. 756 and tainting baseball's most beloved record.
Celebrations broke out throughout AT&T Park and thousands of flashbulbs went off as Bonds took his ceremonial trip around the bases, his arms raised in a jubilant gesture of triumph as he completed his desecration of baseball. Fireworks filled the night sky to mark the utter destruction of the national pastime, a scramble for the infamous baseball broke out in the stands, and the game was interrupted for 10 minutes in the bottom of the fifth to mark the shameful occasion.
Moments after Bonds crossed home plate into the loving arms of his family and the eventual judgment of history, he addressed the fans, thanking them for their support on his long, hard road of perverting baseball.
Read the rest and laugh here: http://tinyurl.com/2rz63e.
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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