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You Tube, I Tube, We Can All Groove To You Tube
June 30, 2006
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"In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes."
-- Andy Warhol.Though Andy made the above statement before the Internet existed, when put into context of how fast people gain notoriety because of something that happens on the Web today, it seems truer than ever.
It doesn't matter what's going on in TV land because if we miss it, it's up and on the Internet in no time. More people have watched Connie Chung's humiliating farewell swan song for her and husband Maury Povich's MSNBC talk-show on the Web, than ever tuned into the show on television. (And if you haven't seen it yet, by all means take the time to do so immediately ... it's entertainment so bad it's delicious to watch)
The Web landscape is cluttered with a myriad of websites and startups that have come and gone also within their own "15 minutes of fame," but YouTube.com, started by a pair of twenty-something friends last year, has now exploded into something its creators never envisioned and it looks like it will dramatically alter the way most of us view a whole lot videos from this point on.
If you haven't seen YouTube.com yet, or used it, go there. When the home page loads, type in the name of an artist or band you'd like to see in some video, and then wait for the retrieved pages to load. I spent a whole lot of time this week watching great videos of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Springsteen, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Rolling Stones, and a whole lot more. In fact, I spent more time this week watching videos than anything else in my spare time. It's hard to stop watching and listening to great music by so many great artists. And I've found great video footage of many artists I've never seen elsewhere.
This week, YouTube announced a new partnership with NBC, who will actually pay the home video site to distribute promotional video clips of its TV programs, including a full highlight reel of next season's new shows. (See article below ' NBC Ends Feud, Partners With YouTube To Create 'NBC Channel' ) It will no doubt be the first of many partnerships, as other broadcast networks, production companies, film studios, and film makers, take advantage of a great online destination for people actively seeking a variety of online video content.
There's so much great stuff on YouTube right now, and I'm sure there are flagrant copyright violations occurring daily. (I'm no legal expert in this arena, but it's a quite obvious that copyrighted material uploaded without permission of the content owner is a violation) I'm sure YouTube will somehow sort this all out in short time as the site becomes bigger and better.
Of course, "bigger and better" means more commercial. And yes, it's inevitable that we'll see YouTube create it's online revenues from online ads and co-sponsorships. But it will be small price to pay for the users if YouTube continues to be the destination of choice for online video seekers.
Anyone can upload video content to YouTube as well. Which makes it a kind of video network for anyone and everyone that wants to broadcast anything online. That opens up a myriad of opportunities for people to expose great creative video content online and then have it explode via online viral marketing.
The fact that millions are already tuned into You Tube should be yet another wake-up call to all creative people. More and more people are seeking more and more entertainment alternatives and You Tube is another piece of that puzzle that when completed, will help them find what they are looking for.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND A HAPPY AND SAFE JULY 4th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tower Stacking Up Downloads
Music retailer Tower Records is preparing to take the shrink-wrap off its digital download store on Tuesday, when Tower.com/Digital goes live with a comprehensive service powered by Puretracks.
Tower will market the digital alternative across all media in tandem with the chain's retail business, which comprises 89 stores in the United States. Initially the store will offer a catalog of 1.2 million tracks priced at 99 cents each or $9.99 for an entire album. Artist information and other related material is provided by Muze.
Tower Records chief marketing officer Russ Eisenman said the digital store fit perfectly with Tower's history of offering music in all formats that prevailed throughout its 45-year history.
Read more about it by clicking here.
The Residents Blank Out On New Release
Cult band the Residents and the Cordless e-label have teamed up to create something that is either a unique multimedia experience that will link the physical, digital and mobile worlds--or is just plain wacky.
On June 13, Cordless issued the Residents' "River of Crime"--a 1940s-style radio serial with a band-composed musical score--in a cardboard double-CD package with artwork that reinforces the band's trademark eyeball, all for $14.99.
The catch? It contains two blank CDs so that the five episodes, which will be released sequentially during a 10-week period, can be burned after the last one becomes available. A unique code for each package allows users to unlock the subscription at riverofcrime.com.
Read more about it by clicking here.
MTV Sends More Shows To iTunes
MTV Networks might be backing a musical rival to iTunes, but that's not stopping it from expanding its offerings of TV shows on Apple Computer's online store.
The iTunes store's TV show lineup just got a whole lot more colorful, with the addition of "Viva la Bam," "Disorderly Conduct," "Sit-Down Comedy with David Steinberg" and several others from MTV. A subsidiary of media conglomerate Viacom, MTV encompasses Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, The N, Spike TV, VH-1 and, of course, MTV and its various offspring.
The new programming is now available at on iTunes for the regular price of $1.99 per episode, the companies announced Thursday.
Read more about it by clicking here.
An Internet For The Few Or The Many?
Michael Copps has a message for the technology industry when it comes to Net neutrality: Get involved.
Copps, a Democratic commissioner in the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission since May 2001, recently urged an audience of technology executives to participate in the political process and public debate on preserving the Internet's freedom and diversity. That hallmark of the Internet, many say, could be jeopardized by operators seeking to control distribution and content, meaning the Net could quickly be dominated by the interests of only a few media giants in this country.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Copyrights And Wrongs
The record biz could lose by winning its lawsuit over XM's recorder.I'm a fan of Bob Dylan's new Theme Time Radio Hour show on XM Satellite Radio, but I'm often not around at the times it is aired. So the idea that Pioneer's brand-new inno portable receiver can record XM broadcasts seemed perfect. But there's a problem. The recording industry doesn't want consumers to be able to buy an inno -- or anything like it.
A group of record companies, backed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), has filed a suit in federal court in New York claiming the inno's recording ability violates copyright law. The complaint seeks a ban on the sale plus damages -- as high as $150,000 for every song XM plays.
Unlike the music industry's fight against file sharing, this dispute has nothing to do with piracy. The inno, which we'll look at in detail in a future column, can store music recorded from XM. But once saved, the songs are locked in the device until they are deleted or the XM subscription lapses, when they vanish. And XM is paying about 7% of its gross revenues in music royalties. In other words, XM pays for broadcast rights and would-be pirates are thwarted.
Read more about it by clicking here.
NBC Ends Feud, Partners With YouTube To Create 'NBC Channel'
Six months ago, NBC ALL but declared war on YouTube, forcing the popular video-sharing site under threat of a lawsuit to remove a "Saturday Night Live" skit that a user had uploaded. But Tuesday, NBC publicly reversed course with a deal to become the first major network to partner with the burgeoning YouTube.
The agreement calls for NBC to create an "NBC Channel" on YouTube to promote shows including "Saturday Night Live," "The Office," and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
New NBC content will be uploaded weekly, and the network will also host a competition for user-generated content, inviting YouTube users to submit their own 20-second spots for "The Office." In yet another twist of old and new media platforms, NBC will broadcast promotions for the contest on air, and will also air the winning submission during an episode of the show in August. NBC is providing signature graphics and music from "The Office" for the contest. For its part, YouTube will promote NBC's content throughout the site.
Read more about it by clicking here.
AVRev.com's Top Ten Rock Bands of All Time (And more)
To celebrate the pending tenth anniversary of AVRev.com on July 1, 2006, AVRev.com has compiled its list of the top bands in rock history.
The group of five judges included three Baby Boomers and two Generation Exers. The Boomers include former Dire Straits guitarist Jack Sonni, as well as University of Southern California Thornton School of Music professor Ken Lopez and AVRev.com's music editor Charles Andrews. Desktop speaker company XHi-Fi president Howard Schilling and AVRev.com founder and publisher Jerry Del Colliano, Jr. round out the group.
From a diverse list of 100 bands, judges ranked each band for each category. A perfect score is 550 points. Using the analytical tools that have become popular in high-powered fantasy sports, the AVRev.com judges rated bands based on a battery of criteria: U.S. Sales; Songs and songwriting; Technical ability; Live Performances; Consistency versus longevity.
Want to find out who's #1? (The Beatles were #2) Click here.
Senators Endorse Broadcast Flag Plan
A legislative proposal to revive a controversial anticopying system known as the broadcast flag cleared a U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday, despite misgivings from some senators.
During a day of debate on a wide-ranging communications bill, members of the Senate Commerce Committee endorsed the idea of requiring digital TV receivers to restrict redistribution--particularly over the Internet--of over-the-air broadcasts. The measure would also allow for similar rules, or an "audio flag," for digital radio receivers.
Also at the committee meeting, chairman Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican, postponed discussion on what has proved to be one of the thorniest provisions of the bill: Net neutrality. Senators plan to begin debate on that topic on Wednesday at 7 a.m. PDT, with votes on a number of amendments expected.
Read more about it by clicking here.
GETTING OFFERS THEY COULDN'T REFUSE
Four more 'Sopranos' cast members said to have accepted offers to return for the final season of the series: Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Melfi), Aida Turturro (Janice), Robert Iler (AJ) and Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Meadow). All four were said to have received substantial pay bumps. Meanwhile, Tony Sirico, Steven Van Zandt and Steven Schirripa remain in negotiations.
MAYBE HE WAS BUSY RECORDING A RAP SONG ABOUT THE WHOLE INCIDENT
A judge issuing an arrest warrant for DMX after he failed to appear in court Wednesday to face a number of charges stemming from bad-driving instances.
KISSED OFF
Gene Simmons has amicably resolved a defamation lawsuit brought by an ex-girlfriend accusing him of defaming her in the VH1 rockumentary When KISS Ruled the World. The suit, filed in January 2005 in Manhattan Supreme Court, claimed that the juxtaposition of commentary by Simmons talking about his love life with photos of Ward cast her in a false light.
SLEATER-KINNEY EXITS
A little more than a year after releasing their seventh album, the girl-power punk rockers have announced that the music will stop after this summer. The Portland, Oregon-based trio whom Rolling Stone columnist Rob Sheffield called "the best American punk rock band EVER," still have five summer shows coming up, including Lollapalooza in Chicago on Aug. 4, where they are set to say their final goodbyes.
LIL' KIM HEADED HOME
Lil' Kim will Be Released From Prison Early. The rapper, who has been serving a 366-day prison sentence for federal perjury, will be released nearly three months early on Monday due to good behavior.
THIS WEEK'S "WHO CARES?" EVENT
Star Jones Reynolds left 'The View." Never has so much been said about so little a talent.
COMING SOON!
- Thom Yorke, The Eraser (7/11)
- Muse, Black Holes & Revelations (7/11)
- Golden Smog, Another Fine Day (7/18)
- Tom Petty, Highway Companion & Revelations (7/25)
2006 Industry Conferences
Date Name Location CMJ October 31 - November 4 New York
Quotes of the week
"This is my child because I've been working so hard on it. Having twins! It's so exciting! Oh my God, I want a steak like crazy now!"
-- Christina Aguilera, talking about her upcoming two-disc release 'Back To Basics', scheduled for an August 15th."He doesn't really fit the demographic. So I could care less. Look at me, and look where he is ... sorry!"
-- Hilary Duff in ELLE magazine talking about New York Times film critic Stephen Holden's poor reviews of her films."The only person who broke my wife's nose was a plastic surgeon."
-- David Hasselhoff in Us Weekly, reacting to allegations of spousal abuse."In an interview this week Paris Hilton said she never discussed sex with her parents. She said she was too shy to ask them about it. In fact, everything she knows about sex she learned from watching her own video."
-- Jay Leno"The Census Bureau reported that Las Vegas is about to pass Washington, D.C. in population. Of course there's a huge difference Vegas and Washington. See, in Las Vegas, people gamble with their own money."
-- Jay Leno
NARIP Information
NARIP (The National Association of Record Industry Professionals) promotes career advancement, education and good will among record executives. To find out more about this great organization, how you can join or attend their events, just go to: www.narip.com.
The B-Side - 'Blips'
FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE CALORIES: CHICAGO -- Twinkies -- they're not just for dessert anymore. The new "Twinkies Cookbook" has recipes for everything from a Twinkie Burrito to Twinkie Lasagna.
Theresa Cogswell compiled about 50 recipes for the book. Many were submitted to Hostess, as part of Twinkies' 75th anniversary celebration last year. Cogswell told Illinois' Daily Southtown newspaper that one of her favorites is a berry-laden Patriotic Twinkie Pie. It's red, white and blue. Cogswell said it makes a great centerpiece for a Fourth of July picnic, which you can also eat for dessert.
ANOTHER CABLE-GUY STORY: PHILADELPHIA -- Comcast has fired an employee for sleeping on a customer's couch during a house call after video of the incident became a minor Internet sensation. The Philadelphia-based cable company also says it has apologized to the customer in Washington for the "unsatisfactory customer experience."
The customer, Georgetown University law student Brian Finkelstein, said the technician needed to phone company headquarters for help but was put on hold for more than an hour and fell asleep. He posted video of the sleeping technician on YouTube.com, a site that lets users share videos. He added an Eels song with the lyrics, "I need some sleep." The 58-second video has been viewed more than 227,000 times since it was posted Tuesday.
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