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And If Anybody Is Still Wondering...
June 1, 2007
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"We expect more than half of the songs on iTunes will be offered in iTunes Plus versions by the end of this year."
-- Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a statement announcing that Apple's iTunes Store began selling DRM-free songs from EMI this week. (DRM -- digital rights management -- software prevents owners from copying or freely using a digital file across multiple devices.).Well, the big news this week was Apple's iTunes starting to sell those DRM-free EMI songs. (See the story below, "Will The Music Industry Dance Again To Apple's Tune.")
Next up is amazon.com.
While there are still many in the industry who think this move is a mistake, I hope that those who still oppose this move, will not waste precious time and energy trying to prevent DRM-free music from being sold on every online music store in short time. God help us if the RIAA offers an opinion and gets involved. After all, they've done so much for the industry with all those lawsuits they've filed. (Yes, that's sarcasm folks.)
Digital rights management systems prevent file sharing when songs are purchased and are they hated by almost all music fans. It's difficult to move songs from one device to another with DRM and whether the industry likes it or not, consumers aren't thrilled about BUYING something and then not being able to put it on their iPod, burn a CD, etc. Whether we like it or not, that's why a whole lot of people just find it easier to steal music online from any one of the hundreds of P2P websites still up and running.
I'm not suggesting for one second that DRM-free will stop people from downloading illegally. I've said here in this newsletter dozens of times NOTHING will ever stop file-sharing. And to date, nothing that's been done via any legislation here or anywhere else in the world has diminished P2P usage one iota. But selling DRM-free music is at least a step in the right direction to possibly entice more people to buy.
As it says in the news story mentioned below, "Even the staunchest DRM proponent must recognize that copy-protection software is losing some momentum." That's a big "duh!"
Susan Kevorkian, an IDC analyst quoted in the story, suggests the music industry start worrying less about fighting piracy and more about profiting from downloads.
That's what I've been writing about for the past few years now. I'm still waiting to see the labels come forward with new strategies. If they exist, let's start hearing about them in the media.
So if any of you new media/digital guys at any of the labels are reading this and still wondering about DRM-free or not, please turn the page.
AND NOW THIS
"I'd rather be a musician than a rock star."
-- George HarrisonThe above quote from George Harrison, was in response to the repeated questions from people who asked if he missed touring after The Beatles quit doing so in 1966.
Today, thanks to shows like MTV's "Cribs" and others that glorify the excesses that can accompany success as an artist, more people would rather just be rock stars, drive the fancy cars, have the big houses, and have a harem of bimbo babes, than be serious musicians.
There's nothing wrong with anybody wanting "the good life." What's wrong (in my opinion) is wanting that more than wanting to create some great music that lasts longer than the flares now appearing on the Billboard charts. You've all seen them. Just look at the names of some of the artists who debut in the Top 20 Album Chart weekly and see how many you know. See how many are there a week or two later. See how many are on the charts at all several weeks later. And then when they try and come back a year or two later it's "Oh, yeah ... I kinda remember them."
They appear on the late night talk-show circuit. One week it's Leno, the next Letterman, the next Jimmy Kimmel. And they get on the shows with only fifteen minutes of fame. (Andy Warhol was so right, wasn't he?) At one time, the artists appearing on late night network shows had a whole lot more talent and established success. Not so anymore. Some of the "artists" appearing on these shows make us wonder how they got on the show at all. But then, it's all about "the image" today and it's simply amazing how much marketing can do to hoodwink the people who book talent.
And let's face it, with the way groups come and go today (sometimes faster than Lindsay Lohan doing a u-turn back to rehab), the talent people at these shows aren't really reading the tea leaves. Their just drinking the tea and nodding approval at what they think is "hot" this week.
Occasionally, we get to see some REAL talent on these shows. Anytime Wilco is on any of these shows, I hold hope that maybe things might change for the better. But Wilco, and other groups made up of real musicians, are the exceptions. Most of the time it's back to us wondering again how the hell the groups got booked on the shows in the first place.
If labels had real artist development concerns like they used to, I don't think half of the talent out there today would be signed. Labels used to sign artists they could develop for long-term success, artists who provided the label with a healthier roster as they grew with each subsequent release. Yeah, I know "it's different today." But if labels don't start returning to the basics and trying to secure REAL talent again, they will end-up like many of these artists. Gone and forgotten. It's not easy to hit those quarterly sales figures when your follow-up albums by disposable artists don't sell.
I think it was Scott Shannon who coined the adage (and if it wasn't you Scott, tell me and I'll credit the proper person) in regard to artists' longevity: "It's not how heavy you are. It's how LONG you're heavy."
Right now there's a whole lot of "heavies" out there every week. I hope they're saving their money.
Will The Music Industry Dance Again To Apple's Tune
Apple has plunged into uncharted waters by stripping security software off some of its music. Never before has Apple sold songs without attaching antipiracy software, the systems that prevent file sharing and hated by many music fans. If successful, Apple's bold gamble to do away with digital rights management (DRM) could act as a whirlpool that sucks the rest of the music industry into DRM-free music, say analysts.
The move is important on many levels. For the first time, consumers can play music from Apple's iTunes on digital players other than the iPod. For Apple, offering DRM-free songs could hand the company some credibility in dealings with European regulators, who want the company to open up iTunes to third-party hardware makers.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Review: iPod Music Everywhere
Creative announced the Xdock back in January at CES 2007, along with the X-Fi Wireless Receiver. PC Magazine is reviewing the two as one-because one really doesn't work without the other. The concept is not new: The charging dock for your Apple iPod also outputs video, music, and photos from your library to your TV and stereo, and a wireless receiver placed elsewhere in the house will play the audio from the docked iPod, provided it is also wired into speakers. The Xdock is a more affordable and simpler option in the category, but it isn't without its flaws. Read the full review to see if it's worth a shot in your home.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Concerts Get 'Second Life' On Internet
In a small abandoned warehouse in an industrial area north of Denver, local bands Bad Weather California, Born in the Flood and Meese are playing a very unusual gig. At first glance it seems pretty straightforward. The warehouse contains the headquarters and studios of Internet video outfit ManiaTV, which is streaming the performances live via its Internet TV network.
Nothing new there. Ever since the online success of the worldwide Live 8 music festival--during which some 5 million viewers tuned in to AOL to view the concerts--companies like Control Room (formerly Network Live) have emerged to air concerts live online, while such venues as the Knitting Factory, the Gig, CenterStaging's rehearsals.com and various Live Nation properties now record and broadcast almost all their performances.
What makes this Denver concert different is that it is also being simulcast in the popular virtual world Second Life.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Site of the Week: MOG Musical Networking
MOG is a music fan site taken to the nth degree. The social-networking site puts artists and fans on the same level, letting them interact with each other through blogs, reviews, and shared music. Creating an account and becoming a "mogger" is free and simple-as is the site's easy-to-follow interface. How well does this new network do in meeting its self-proclaimed goal of helping users "discover people through music and music through people"? See what PC Magazine thought about it all.
Read more about it by clicking here.
CBS Buys Music Network Last.fm
CBS on Wednesday said it has paid $280 million in cash for music social network Last.fm. CBS said in a statement that the online service has more than 15 million active users in more than 200 countries and would fit well with its plans to attract younger viewers and transform it from a content company to an audience company.
The Last.fm team will continue to run the online network under the terms of the deal and work with CBS to apply its community-building and technology expertise to extend CBS businesses online, the media conglomerate said.
Read more about it by clicking here.
File-sharing Sites Are Being Subverted For Web Attacks
Peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing networks, which let users trade movies, music and software online, are increasingly being used to trick PCs into attacking other machines, experts say. Computer scientists have previously shown how P2P networks can be subverted so that several connected PCs gang up to attack a single machine, flooding it with enough traffic to make it crash. This can work even if the target is not part of the P2P network itself.
Now, security experts are warning that P2P networks are increasingly being used to do just this. "Until January of this year we had never seen a peer-to-peer network subverted and used for an attack," says Darren Rennick of internet security company Prolexic in an advisory released recently. "We now see them constantly being subverted."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Perspective: Piracy In China Is Smart & Getting Better
Although the Chinese government is trying to crack down on piracy, illegal software and movies continue to thrive. An estimated 86 percent of software there is illegal. In fact, in some ways it seems a little worse.
Now movies offered on the street more than in the past. Plus, the selection of movies is getting closer to the time they are playing in the theaters. The first guy who ran up to Cnet.com editor, Michael Kanellos, when he got out of his cab tried to pawn off Spiderman 3. (In fact, every vendor led with Spiderman 3). Then he whipped out Shrek 3. Both are in theaters and neither is on disc yet. Then he started in with the movies that just came out on DVD: Casino Royale, The Queen, and so on. There was hardly anything more than 11 months old.
Read more about it by clicking here.
YouTube, EMI Sign Breakthrough Licensing Pact
Google struck a deal with EMI Group on Thursday that will allow it to show the record label's collection of music videos and artist performances on YouTube. In addition, EMI said it will work with YouTube parent company Google to develop business models enabling people to legitimately incorporate videos and performances from EMI artists into their user-generated content on YouTube. The record label said it will rely on YouTube's content management tools to track EMI content and compensate its artists, or in some cases, request the removal of copyrighted work.
"Through this agreement, EMI Music and its artists will be fairly compensated for their work," EMI Chief Executive Eric Nicoli said in a statement.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Where's The Other Half Of Your Music File?
FROM THE NYTIMES.COMCHANCES are that even if you have taken the plunge and started building a digital music collection, you have never had to tangle with the word "bitrate." That may be about to change.
The Apple iTunes store, the largest seller of music downloads, began selling tracks from EMI Music yesterday without any restrictions on copying, for a slightly higher price than usual, $1.29 instead of 99 cents. To sweeten the deal, those tracks have better sound, with a bitrate of 256 kilobits per second (kbps), up from the standard 128 kbps. Apple has gone so far as to say that this results "in audio quality indistinguishable from the original recording."
Read more about it by clicking here.
THIS WEEK'S 'WHO CARES?' NEWS ITEMS
ITEM #1: Lindsay Lohan is facing criminal charges after crashing her car early last Saturday morning. Beverly Hills police said Lohan was driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and that "a usable amount" of "contraband," believed to be cocaine, was found in her car. Lohan was not immediately taken into custody so she could be treated at hospital for minor chest injuries. And now, she's back in rehab. Gee, what a surprise, huh? Another Hollywood babe who is famous NOT for doing anything worthwhile (her "body of work" is almost laughable) but for leading a completely out-of-control lifestyle. And for anybody who might be actually be waiting for Ms. Lohan's next musical outing (and why anybody would be waiting for this is beyond me), she plans to begin work on her next album in June or July and wrap it up four months later. (Provided she doesn't crash any more cars.)
CONGRATS
CONGRATS #1 TO: To Ashley Judd's husband, race car driver Dario Franchitti, who won the 91st edition of the Indy 500 last Sunday, in a rain-soaked race.
WELCOME TO THE CAMP ... AND THE REALITIES OF RUNNING A LABEL
Justin Timberlake has partnered with Interscope Records to launch his own label, Tennman Records, and he will serve as chairman and CEO of the new venture.
MORE CREAM
Jack Bruce, bassist for the legendary rock group Cream, told The Associated Press last week that he agreed recently to play an unspecified show or shows later this year with guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. No dates were announced, and no reps from either Clapton or Baker have yet confirmed the announcement.
SORRY BABS, ROME IS A NO GO
Barbra Streisand canceled the concert she had scheduled in Rome next month, and the cancellation follows protests made by Italian consumer groups angered by what they said were excessively high ticket prices. Concert promoters said the cancellation was not due to the public outcry, but due to "unexpected production delays." Whatever the case, Babs obviously has a lot of angry ex-fans in Italy.
GOOD RIDDANCE
Rosie O'Donnell won't be back on "The View" after ABC agreed to release her from final three weeks of contract following the on-air argument with Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Donald Trump applauded the move, saying "a good service was done by getting her off the airwaves." And it's hard not to agree with "The Donald' on that one.
HE'S GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME
Bo Diddley was released Thursday from the Omaha, Nebraska, hospital where he has been since suffering a stroke on May 13 and was transferred to a hospital in his home state of Florida to continue his recovery.
DRM-FREE ITUNES
The iTunes Music Store started selling thousands of songs without copy protection this past Wednesday, meaning that non-iPod users can for the first time purchase songs that will automatically work on MP3 players made by companies other than Apple. The DRM-free tracks feature a higher sound quality and a higher price tag than regular tracks -- $1.29 as opposed to 99 cents.
PRINCE PACKAGES HIS NEW SCENT
Prince is planning a concert for 1,400 fans at a Macy's in his hometown of Minneapolis on July 7, the day before his new fragrance, 3121, debuts. For $250, concertgoers can purchase the Ultimate Prince Xperience package, which includes a ticket to the private show on the eighth floor of the department store, a ticket to the singer's performance that evening at the Target Center and a bottle of 3121.
TOUGH TIMES AT NBC, BUT STILL A GREAT PLACE TO GET FIRED
NBC ousted its chief entertainment executive, Kevin Reilly, Tuesday and replaced him with the two-man team of Ben Silverman, the man responsible for bringing "Ugly Betty" and "The Office" to American television, and veteran TV exec Marc Graboff. Reilly has headed up the struggling network's entertainment division for the last four years and signed a new three-year contract in February. Which means of course, even though he's been ousted, he's getting a whole lot of money. Which means of course, executives who underperform can still make a whole lot of money in television.
VERIZON GETS PRINCE'S GUITAR
Verizon Wireless is giving away digital copies of Prince's latest single and will do mobile-music battle with Apple. On Thursday, the second-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. announced that it would be exclusively offering Prince's new single "Guitar" through its VCast service. Subscribers will be able to download the song, which will appear on Prince's upcoming album "Planet Earth," for free.
WHY DO YOU THINK WE USE DVRS?
A new study from Nielsen Media Research has unearthed the shocking information that more than half of DVR users fast-forward through commercials. The really shocking part? That close to half of DVR users don't fast-forward through commercials.
2006 Industry Conferences
Name Date Location Digital Hollywood June 11-June 14 Santa Monica, CA P2P June 11 Media Summit, Santa Monica, CA
Quotes of the week
"It's a little disappointing that now I'm known for the whole Kevin/Britney thing, because I have worked my whole life."
-- Shar Jackson, Kevin Federline's ex-girlfriend and mother of two of his children, complaining to USA Today. Yeah, but look at this way Shar, without the "whole Kevin/Britney thing," you'd have no identity whatsoever."Some of Michael Jackson's personal processions will be auctioned off in Las Vegas the end of this month. The one thing that Michael won't be parting with though, is his Pinocchio doll. Do you know about this? Michael will not sell his Pinocchio doll. You know, on the off chance, that one day it might become a real live boy."
-- Jay Leno"Congratulations to Jordin Sparks. She's the new American Idol. The moment was spoiled when Paula Abdul tripped over her."
-- David Letterman"If I was her, I would hit someone the second I got in there and go into PC, protective custody. Then she's just got to sit in there and read some books."
-- "Law & Order: SVU" star Ice-T, when asked by New York magazine if he had any advice for Paris Hilton before she went to jail."I realized how much energy and love I had put into my past relationship when it was gone because I genuinely did not know what to do with myself, and it made me so sad. I confess, I was so lost."
-- Britney Spears, explaining why she "hit rock bottom" after her divorce, on her official website."To think that Yoko Ono would even see it makes me want to throw up."
-- Paul Rudd, discussing taking on the role of John Lennon in the rock-biopic parody "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," to Entertainment Weekly"Both are ways to make a good dishonest living."
-- Keith Richards, who portrays Johnny Depp's dad in the new "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel, on being a rock star compared to a pirate, to Rolling Stone.
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
MySpace Outage Leaves Millions Friendless
BEVERLY HILLS, CA-An estimated 150 million people continued to be without social lives Tuesday as a massive system failure at MySpace.com entered its third day.
"The problem is taking longer than we anticipated, but rest assured we're working around the clock to get MySpace back online," said David Gundy, a spokesman for the social networking site. "We're hoping to have friendship restored to our users as soon as possible."
The outage, which occurred late Saturday night, is believed to be the result of a complicated wallpaper upload for the page of a former VH1 'I Love New York' contestant, which triggered a chain reaction of web browser crashes and server shutdowns. Although MySpace's emergency-response team has so far been unable to reconnect any of the millions currently stranded without access to online companionship, Gundy said he remains hopeful that no profiles have been lost. However, because the sudden lack of friends has deprived MySpace users of comments, bulletin posts, and searches for elementary school crushes, it is feared that the ordeal could inflict long-term psychological damage.
Read the rest and laugh hard: http://tinyurl.com/ytw3xy.
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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