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Best Joke Of The Week: MTV Has A Plan To Help Sell Albums
July 18, 2014
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"The people who watch it today, they don't refer to MTV as music television. They don't have the same emotional connection that, say, the people who are writing about [the logo change] do,"
-- MTV's head of marketing in 2010, Tina ExarhosI don't know if Tina is still working at MTV, but she was sure spot-on in her statement back then.
"Music Television" disappeared a long time ago, and in its place and along the way MTV gave us such wonderful gems as "Jersey Shore," "Teen Mom" (and now the sequel "Teen Mom 2"), "The Real World" (as if you could actually have a "real world" environment knowing MTV was taping every obnoxious thing you're doing), and more, as nausea.
MTV's newest program? "Virgin Territory"...""Virgin Territory follows the lives of 15 young adults, all of whom are trying to maneuver the often tricky world of virginity. Messy love lives, awkward parental sex talks, sexually active friends, and the pressure to give in to their temptations -- all can make for a very tumultuous journey for these abstinent adolescents. Each hour-long episode explores four different v-card-carrying cast members from all walks of life. Some of them are hanging on to their virginity and others are desperately trying to lose it." ( Read more about it )Now, MTV, has decided (after some research I assume ) that music videos are not enough to sell music and albums. (Insert BIG Homer Simpson "Duh!" here)
Perhaps music videos would be enough is the M in MTV still stood for MUSIC. But, let's be serious, as I mentioned, this is the network that gave us Snookie and all her fellow Jersey-ites. And their viewers aspired to be like them. That about sums up the relationship between MTV and its audience.Now, Shannon Connolly, Viacom's SVP of music strategy, told Mashable, ""We're focused on launching #1 records. We're starting out with bigger artists and the plan is to continue to refine the program so it works for both superstars and emerging ones."
From the Mashable article, "Dubbed "First," the program leads people to hear, watch and share artists' interviews and song streams (before their albums go on sale). It will extend to TV via documentaries and specials as well as offline with Times Square billboards."
And this from Van Toffler, president and CEO of Viacom Music Group," We want to tell the story of the new music because there's so much noise."
What a profound statement, huh?
Perhaps Mr. Toffler is deaf, because there's been a whole lot of noise out here for a long time.
MTV just chose to ignore it once they started programming shows that proved, if nothing else, just how fast the youth in America is dumbing down.
The circus that is the MTV Video Awards Show doesn't qualify as MUSIC content. It qualifies as a circus filled with all the clowns MTV can get to keep their audience engaged as they play mostly disposable music. (The disposable music isn't MTV's fault; that's the state of most of the new music in the industry today. If you disagree, just count the number of bands that will appear on Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Ellen DeGeneres, and more in just one year, and see how many are still around a year or two later)
So, MTV has a plan? LOL.
The ONLY thing MTV could do to help the music industry would be to revert back to its origins and make MUSIC their primary content.
But they won't do that.
Why risk it when you can program fodder, throw in some music content, pretend you're doing something to help sell more music for artists and labels, but all the while, making sure those ratings don't dip.
Read the article and have a good laugh: MTV Has A Plan To Help Sell More Albums
"Perhaps Western civilization is in a post-decline phase, or maybe the decline is just taking a really long time, like the Roman Empire's did. The Romans had gladiators and Christian-hungry lions and that sort of thing. We have MTV." -- Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
JACK WHITE AND HIS EFFECT ON THE WORLD OF VINYLFrom Hypebot, "Jack White secured another #1 album, with his latest Lazaretto starting off in the top spot. The title is White's ninth to reach the top 10, and his second to reach #1 (the other being his first solo album Blunderbuss). Lazaretto sold 138,000 copies, with 40,000 of those being vinyl. It is important to note how many from that total were records, as this marks the largest sales week in vinyl for any title since SoundScan began collecting data in 1991.
If you're thinking of picking the album up, you might want to consider spending the extra few dollars and getting the vinyl, as White has taken the medium to places it's never been before. Lazaretto is no ordinary record; it's chock full of special features and unique qualities never before associated with vinyl."
Jack White's Effect On The World Of Vinyl----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
RON HOWARD WILL DIRECT A NEW BEATLES DOCUMENTARYWhen Ron Howard was nine years old -- already a star on The Andy Griffith Show -- there was only one thing he wanted for his next birthday: "a Beatle wig," he tells Rolling Stone with a laugh.
"I am excited and honored to be working with Apple and the White Horse team on this astounding story of these four young men who stormed the world in 1964. Their impact on popular culture and the human experience cannot be exaggerated."
The director is set to make a documentary about the group's early years. Read More
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WAIT UNTIL KANYE WEST HEARS ABOUT THISA panel of industry experts and BBC 1Xtra DJs has named Ed Sheeran the most important artist in black and urban music. 1 Xtra bills itself as leading black music station in the U.K. #2 on the chart was twice as white as Sheeran, if that's possible. Disclosure -- two white brothers named Guy and Howard Lawrence, and the equally Caucasian Sam Smith was in fourth place.
Rapper Tinie Tempah was the highest rated black artist at #3.
"Artists were considered on variables such as sales statistics, quality of music and impact across the wider industry – it is not about the color of someone's skin," said a BBC spokesperson.
Ed Sheeran Voted Most Important Artist In Black & Urban Music (WTF?)
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 5
'THE DISTORTION OF SOUND' DOCUMENTARYThe Distortion of Sound is a documentary about the decline of sound quality and how technology has changed the way we listen to music starring Slash, Quincy Jones, Mike Shinoda, Snoop Dogg, Hans Zimmer and more.
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THIS IS A BIG STREAMING SERVICE ... HAVE YOU HEARD OF IT?It was slow going for Deezer at first in Brazil. But with the help of experienced curators, the biggest streaming service you've never heard of has captured two million monthly users there.
"It takes time to get the local knowledge," says one partner. Next up for Deezer: the U.S. Read More
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
YOUTUBE's STRONG ARM TACTICSFrom an op-ed by Peter Getty, musician, producer, writer and philanthropist. A member of the band Virgin Whore Complex, Getty founded the indie label Emperor Norton.
"As if beleaguered indie labels needed another battle ... Music streaming services like Spotify and Rdio are making a lot of money delivering unlimited streaming music in return for a flat monthly fee. Never shying away from a bandwagon, Google too is now jumping into the game. Corporate subsidiary YouTube is currently cutting deals with music labels in preparation of Music Pass, a music streaming service to be released later this year. YouTube is offering record-low payment rates for labels and artists. While many of the major streaming services offer as much as 70% of revenues to artists and labels, Music Pass will pay out as low as 55%. "Read the rest: YouTube's Pressure Tactics? Good Old Fashioned Corporate Strong-Arming
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BLACKER THAN BLACKThe Dark Side has some catching up to do. A new nanotech material claims the crown for being the darkest material ever created. READ MORE
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CONGRATS TO SIA ... BUT HOW SAD IS THIS STATISTIC
Sia's"1000 Forms of Fear" debuted at #1 this week on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart.
And with that, it logs the lowest sales figure for a #1 album in nearly two years. It's the smallest since the Aug. 11th, 2012 chart, when Zac Brown Band's "Uncaged" led the list with 48,000.
Read more----------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - THE BONUS TRACKS5 Tips to Survive Summer Music Festivals – Avoid Wackos and More!
Guns N' Roses' Next Record Is 'Close to Being Done,' Dizzy Reed Says
Beatles photographer's iconic pics
Stones: '14 on Fire' Tour Film
Hear Woody Guthrie's Unreleased 'My Name Is New York' - Premiere
20 Biggest Songs of the Summer: The 1980s
How Graduating High School Kids Listen To Music [CHART]
Weird Al Skewers Robin Thicke
'Weird Al' Enlists Jack Black, Margaret Cho for Pharrell Parody 'Tacky'
Jason Moran Is Expanding What It Means To Experience Music
Streaming live TV anywhere in the world just got a whole lot cheaper
Kim Dotcom's Baboom Offers Shares, Claims Indie Support, Seeks "Friendly Major Artists"
20 Awesome Movies You Haven't Seen And Should
22 Weird-Ass Details You Missed in the Background of Movies
SoundCloud Nears Deal With Major Labels, Ownership Stake Included
It's the CNET 100
Set phasers to channel-surf with insanely detailed 'Star Trek' remote control
Short News Items ...
GROHL'S SONIC HIGHWAY:
At an HBO event for 'Sonic Highways,' the upcoming series on the making of the new Foo Fighters album, Dave Grohl discussed his surprise appearance at Nashville's hallowed Bluebird Cafe. "If you can get down at the Bluebird, you've got a gig," he said. Read More
TOWNSEND GUITAR TO AUCTION ... AND MOON STUFF, TOO:
What rock artifact symbolizes the Who's live prowess more than Pete Townshend's red Gibson SG? Now one of the guitarist's signature axes – windmilled on stage during a '70s concert in Cleveland – is up for grabs at Lelands.com's Spring 2014 Catalog Auction, which closes on July 25th. Also on the online bidding block is a bundle of Keith Moon percussion accessories – two Premier timbale drums with original heads, a Paiste crash cymbal and a drum stool – used during the recording of the Who's 1978 LP (and Moon's swan song), 'Who Are You?'
ROKU SCORES BIG:
Mashable reports of all the media-streaming households in the U.S., 44% of them use Roku as their primary streaming device, a new report suggests. A study conducted by market research firm Parks Associates shows Apple TV lags behind at 26%, while Netgear, Sony, Google TV and WD TV make up the remaining 30%. Read More
APPLE RELEASES NEW iTUNES EXTRAS FOR APPLE TV:
Mashable reports Apple just released a new version of iTunes Extras along with long-awaited support for the Apple TV. iTunes Extras are digital versions of the extra features you get on a DVD or Blu-ray. These include featurettes, behind-the-scenes commentary and deleted scenes. Read More
RADIOHEAD TO THE STUDIO:
Radiohead will begin rehearsing and recording its ninth studio album in September, according to the bands guitarist Jonny Greenwood. "We're going to start up in September, playing, rehearsing and recording and see how it's sounding," Greenwood said during Mary Anne Hobbes' BBC 6Music show on July 12th.
ALL RUMORS AT THIS POINT:
Adele's hugely anticipated third album is widely expected to drop before the year's end. And a new rumor, sparked by the official Twitter account of The World Music Awards, is driving chatter about a surprise release for "25" followed by a world tour in support.
SHAZAM UPDATE:
Mashable reports the music-identification service Shazam updated its iOS app Monday to allow Rdio subscribers to play entire tracks from within its app.
Leaving Us
Blues legend Johnny Winter died in his hotel room in Zurich yesterday. He was 70. Afflicted with albinism and poor eyesight, he nevertheless became "the baddest motherfucker," as fellow blues virtuoso Michael Bloomfield once introduced him at the Fillmore East. Read More
Tommy Ramone, the last survivor of the original Ramones, has died at age 65. He had been in hospice care at home in Queens following cancer treatment. Read More
Legendary stage and screen actress Elaine Stritch has died at the age of 89, TheWrap has confirmed. The Tony and Emmy winner died in her home in Birmingham, Mich. Read more onTheWrap
Quotes of the week
"We were a little disappointed with the numbers, we wanted it a little bit higher. It's a live show -- unlike the other talent shows where you get the pre-packaged first episodes -- so we sort of had to learn on the roll."
-- ABC President Paul Lee, defending the slow start of the summer show, "Rising Star," early on, during his executive session Tuesday at the summer Television Critics Association. (Editor's note: Slow start? LOL! It NEVER got started. The show is not ranked in the Top 25 weekly TV shows and the show at #25 only had 5 million viewers in change. And Mr. Lee is ABC's President?)"I remember talking to Phil Spector in the early days. Phil used to say to us, 'You guys, you put too much value on. You put an A side, and you put a good song on the B side!' There had been a song called 'Sally Go Round the Roses,' an early thing, and on the other side they'd put 'Sing Along With Sally Go Round the Roses' – just the backing track. And we'd say, 'Aw, Phil, you can't do that, man. They paid good money for this. We would feel cheated by that.' And he said, 'Nah, you can do that. It's cool.' That became actually the big Beatle policy. It was always to put a really serious B side on there – so you got "Strawberry Fields" with "Penny Lane," and people now talk about that. That was a factor of the Beatles' success, I think. It was always a killer B side, which people often thought was as good or better than the A side. That was really from the same thing of giving value for money, which George Martin used to call 'VFM'."
-- Paul McCartney, in a wide-ranging interview in Rolling Stone. Read More
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Everyone In Middle East Given Own Country In 317,000,000-State Solution
NEW YORK—Marking the latest and most ambitious attempt to bring stability to the region, the United Nations announced Wednesday that every single person in the Middle East will receive his or her own sovereign nation as part of a historic 317,000,000-state solution.
The broad and extensive compromise, which affects more than 3,000,000 square miles formerly occupied by the territories of Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, and Jordan, will reportedly draw over 750,000,000 new borders in what experts claim will help drastically curb sectarian violence.
At press time, reports confirmed the outbreak of more than 90,000,000 new wars across the region, with sources estimating the current death toll at approximately 700,000. 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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