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Making Music
June 12, 2009
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"The release date is just one day, the record is forever."
-- Bruce SpringsteenI've written a whole bunch of commentaries about the loss of artist development in the industry, and how that loss has contributed to a decline in healthy rosters at almost all labels.
If you doubt that's true, just track the Top 20 albums in Billboard each week and see how many appear for just one week before and they disappear faster than any new shows NBC puts on in prime time each season.
It's rewarding to see an artist like Dave Matthews debut at #1 on the album charts and sell almost a half-million copies the first week. (Especially in these economic times.) Dave Matthews has been releasing albums for at least 15 years, and his audience has grown with him during that time, and his live shows sell-out as fast as they go on sale.
Of course the Dave Matthews band isn't the only act with a long history succeeding like this, there are others for sure. Jeff Tweedy and Wilco come to mind immediately as well. (Although they don't sell mega-platinum like Matthews or play in large venues like he does.)
But, Matthews, Tweedy, and others who consistently make great albums that contain more than just one or two good songs (add Taylor Swift to the list right now; she's going to be around a long time), are not the status quo in the industry these days; they are the exceptions.
How many artists these days are making albums that you will pull out and want to listen to 10 or 15 years from now?
Labels, of course, aren't primarily concerned with that. They have to generate huge numbers to generate the kind of profits needed to keep their market share. So that means they have to release a whole lot of records, and hope that a whole lot of them sell in big quantities NOW. There is no more time for real artist development because the business is tougher than ever.
MTV used to expedite sales when they played music videos 24/7. Now the only thing MTV expedites is repeated YouTube viewings of Sasha Baron Cohen's ass in Eminem's face at the recent MTV Movie Awards Show. That might generate big viewing numbers for MTV, but it doesn't do anything to sell more music.
Radio used to expedite sales when they played a good quantity of new music and were excited about doing so. When was the last time you listened to music radio and thought it was exciting?
All of this makes it harder for new artists to gain recognition these days. But those artists who work hard at their craft and draw crowds in their local and regional venues, sell their CDs online or at their shows, and who use the Internet to reach people globally, are taking matters into their own hands. Those that gain significant notoriety via any of those ways obviously attract label attention. Many get signed by labels and enjoy even more success. Others remain fiercely independent and want nothing to do with the industry machinery.
Whatever the case may be, those artists we listen to over and over again, create the music that stays with us forever..
"If in the afterlife there is no music, we will have to import it." -- Domenici Cirri Estrada
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
ELTON TAKES TEN TONYS
He's got Grammys, an Oscar, and now he can add Tonys to the awards shelf.
Congrats to Elton John on his 'Billy Elliot" Broadway musical winning, turning 10 of its 15 Tony nominations into wins, including Best Musical.
The show made history when the three teenage boys who play the role of Billy won for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
MORE FOLLOW-UP TO 'MAYBE THINGS NOT SO TERRA FIRMA?'
If an artist is willing to pay a whole lot of money to get out of a recording contract, then something is indeed rotten in the state of Denmark, or in this case in the state of things at EMI between the label and Joss Stone, one of Emil's artists.
London's The Daily Mail recently reported that Stone has "no working relationship with the label and has even recorded a song called 'Free Me' about her wish to escape."
How willing is Ms. Stone to sever her relationship with the label? According to the article "The 22-year-old told EMI she wanted to leave in January and insiders say she is willing to give up 1.2 million pounds from a 7.5 million pound advance she was given in 2006. Joss, a Grammy Award winner who has sold 11 million albums worldwide, is also prepared to give up £800,000 due for "Colour Me Free."
The Rolling Stones and Radiohead have already left EMI, and "sources say she (Stone) has become increasingly frustrated with EMI since it was taken over by private equity firm Terra Firma in 2007."
You can read the article here: http://tinyurl.com/m76ml6.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 4
RADIO NOT AN OPTION IN THIS POLL
A current online poll at CNet.com asks readers to vote on their choices for hearing and fin ding out about new music.
iTunes and Friends rank #1 and #2 ... and radio isn't even listed as a choice on the survey.
I've mentioned for several years now that when I guest lecture, I always start by asking how many listen to radio to hear new music. The response has always been the same -- less than 5% respond.
While there is little doubt that radio still sells music when they play it, there's also little doubt that this generation and those behind it have no affinity for radio whatsoever.
(You can see the poll here: http://news..cnet.com/8301-13645_3-10258747-47.html?tag=mncol )
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 5
PIRATE PARTY WINS POLITICAL BATTLE IN SWEDEN, FRANCE INTERNET PIRACY POLICY STRUCK DOWN
Free, the best word in any language, is of course something everyone loves.
In Sweden, a recent election demonstrated just how far the people will go to support radical changes in laws pertaining to free file-sharing, changing existing copyright laws, abolishing DRM, and more. Sweden's Pirate Party, which advocates legalizing file-sharing, just won 7.1% of the vote to claim one of the country's 18 seats in the European parliament.
Pirate Party leader Rick Falkvinge told TorrentFreak after the win. "The citizens have understood it's time to make a difference." The party's membership has more than tripled since the April convictions of the four founders of The Pirate Bay and now stands at more than 48,000 members, according to TorrentFreak.
Check out the story below 'Ahoy! Pirate Party Gets Political Berth' to read more about it.
And in France, the country's "controversial attempt to crack down on Internet piracy was dealt a setback Wednesday when that country's highest legal authority struck down a provision that would have denied Internet access to those who repeatedly download copyrighted material illegally." (Read the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/na8lfl )
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 6
THE NAB GAINS YARDAGE IN THEIR FIGHT AGAINST MORE PERFORMANCE ROYALTIES
"The members of Congress just simply aren't buying the argument that radio stations ought to be taxed to make up for the struggling business model of the record labels," National Association of Broadcasters' EVP spokesman Dennis Wharton.
Wharton says that he believes the NAB has now convinced a majority of U.S. House members to oppose imposing new fees on radio to pay artists whose music they play.
Responding to a complaint filed with the FCC Tuesday by MusicFirst alleging an airplay boycott of artists who publicly support the legislation, Wharton said, "This allegation is nothing more than an act of desperation by a record label lobby losing on Capitol Hill and in the court of public opinion. On one hand, it highlights the unparalleled promotional value of free radio airplay, which has propelled countless artists to stardom. We would also note that Will.i.am, a vocal proponent of the performance tax, and his group Black Eyed Peas are currently #1 on Billboard's Pop 100 Airplay Chart with the song 'Boom Boom Pow.' If there's an FCC probe involving the music business, it ought to focus on claims from numerous artists-from The Beatles to Prince to Cher-that they were cheated out of royalties by their record labels." (Source: http://tinyurl.com/nqxacr )
MusicFirst Executive Director Jennifer Bendall says, "For more than 80 years radio stations have been using the work of artists and musicians without compensating them, now they're using the public airwaves unfairly for their own self interest. We respect the First Amendment rights of broadcasters to air their views in this and any debate, but they've crossed the line. They have engaged in a concerted effort to promote their own financial interests above their legal duty to serve the public interest by providing truthful and accurate information." (Source: http://www.rbr.com/radio/15093.html )
Ms. Bendall of course disregards the fact that for those same 80 years, the artists who have received radio airplay have also received compensation from ASCAP or BMI payments, royalties from records sold as a result of airplay, touring income and more.
I wonder how many NEW artists would be willing to forego imposing any new performance fees on radio, so they too can have the same chance at achieving success on the airwaves like all their predecessors. If radio does have to pay more to play music, it will be the new artists who suffer the most.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
AND ON A PERSONAL NOTE...
My heartiest congratulations to my ex-Capitol label-mate, great A&R man and one of the industry's best MUSIC people ever, John Carter.
John co-manages Chickenfoot (the new supergroup consisting of Sammy Hagar, Van Halen bass player Michael Anthony, guitar-legend Joe Satriani, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith), and their debut album enters the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart this week at #4.
As I reported last week, Chickenfoot's first set of tour dates have sold-out and the group will be planning further dates in bigger venues.
Congrats, old friend. Job well done.
From Indie Music Tech: CD Baby to Unveil New Website and Single Sales in July
Read about the coming changes and see a screenshot of what it's all going to look like.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Digital Music Kiosks Redux?
A CNet.com article says that digital music kiosks might be coming back.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Eagles, Weezer, Aguilera To Launch 24-Hour Online Radio Shows
Clear Channel Radio and Front Line Management are creating artist personal experience (a.p.e.) radio, a stand-alone company that will allow musicians to produce their own online radio shows, Billboard can exclusively reveal. The channels will run 24 hours a day and play songs chosen by the artist, interviews and commentary. The program will launch in July with the Eagles, Christina Aguilera and Weezer.
In addition to programming the channels, artists will share in the profits they generate from ads. "Is it going to make a lot of money? No. It's more of a marketing tool," Azoff says. "But what is recorded music? It's mostly a marketing tool, right?"
Read more about it by clicking here.
Apple to Unveil Cut-Price iPhone
Financial TimesApple could introduce a cheaper version of its popular iPhone as soon as Monday, sources tell The Financial Times.. The price drop will either be $50 or $100 off the current low-end price of $199, with the lower price being subsidized by AT&T's communication service contract.
"It's either a $50 or a $100 cut," Morgan Stanley analyst Kathryn Huberty said. A consumer survey conducted by Morgan Stanley reveals that a $50 price cut would increase demand by 50% and a $100 price cut by 100%. According to Gartner, a research group, Apple sells 11% of the world's smartphones, compared to Nokia's 41% and Research in Motion's 20%.
The lower price will certainly have an impact on Apple's market share. Last week, AT&T boss Randall Stephenson said that variable pricing for iPhone data plans would arrive eventually, with heavy data users being charged more.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Report: Twitter Growth Halts in May
While the news media continues its love affair with Twitter, Compete reports that the microblogging service suddenly stopped growing in May. According to the research firm's May data, Twitter registered a slight 1.47% increase in monthly visitors compared to April, totaling 19,728,619 uniques. Total visits, however, were up a healthy 6.9% to 134,536,240. Compete's numbers can't be considered completely accurate, but they are corroborated by similar findings from Quantcast, which actually showed a dip in monthly uniques for the hot Web startup.
Meanwhile, YouTube and Facebook continue their growth trajectory. Compete's data shows a minor decline in unique visitors for YouTube, but separate analysis from comScore shows that 6.8 billion videos were viewed on the Google video site in April, a 15% increase over March. In all, U.S. Internet users viewed 16.8 billion videos in April, and Google's video properties had 107.9 million video viewers. According to Compete, Facebook grew from 104 million uniques to 113 million, an 8.54% increase. Visits also grew from 1.63 billion to 1.74 billion.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Ahoy! Pirate Party Gets Political Berth
Sweden's Pirate Party has won entry to the European Parliament in Brussels in elections held Sunday.
The Pirate Party gained 7% of the Swedish votes and secured at least one of the 18 seats that Sweden holds in the parliament.
"Citizens have understood that it's time to pull the fist out of the pocket and that you can make a difference," Rick Falkvinge, leader and founder of the party, told the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet, after the result of the elections were revealed. "We don't accept to be bugged by the government. People start to understand that the government is not always good."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Trent Reznor On Social Networking: I'm Out
For Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor, social networking is not working. Which might seem strange to hear from a man who was presented this week with a special achievement award at the Webbys.
Still, in a blog post written Wednesday, Reznor seems to have come to an emotional fork in the road with Web 2.0. And he's decided to stick the fork in it.
"I will be tuning out of the social networking sites because at the end of the day it's now doing more harm than good in the bigger picture and the experiment seems to have yielded a result. Idiots rule," he said.
Read more about it by clicking here.
For YouTube, the Future is the Mid-Tail
Ad AgeAs it turns out, long form content simply isn't that popular on YouTube, the runaway leader in online video. So, for all the talk about studio deals, the real opportunity for the Google video site lies in the so-called mid-tail, says Ad Age's Michael Learmonth, which fills a niche somewhere between studio-produced and user-generated content.
This is a category that didn't really exist before YouTube, but it may play a significant part in its future, because the mid-tail actually supplies the biggest pool of brand safe impressions, Learmonth says. The top 100 mid-tail producers include the likes of College Humor and MyDamnChannel, which have generated more than 2 billion views during the past six months on YouTube. By comparison, full-length hour-long and half-hour long TV shows on YouTube have accumulated just 19.5 million views. CBS, YouTube's biggest content partner, has generated just 6.9 million views across 315 full-length episodes in the past year.
So, what does this mean? "The closest thing as made-for-YouTube is this midtail; it's more snack-size -- you're watching at work when you have less time," said TubeMogul CEO Brett Wilson. "As audiences grow, this will be more profitable for YouTube than selling ESPN's content."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Broadcasters Compete to Put TV on Phones
Los Angeles TimesTV broadcasters and electronics device makers have a vision for the future in which we access live television not just on big screens in our living rooms, but also on the cell phones in our pockets. Shows and live video clips are already available on some phones, but after the digital switch on Thursday, companies will use the broadcast spectrum freed by the switch to transmit more live television to mobile phones. Broadcasters and cell phone companies intend to turn TV-via-phone from a luxury into a must-have.
Expect broadcasters to push customers to use service provided by the Open Mobile Video Coalition, a group that represents more than 28 station groups in the U.S. It will broadcast free local TV to mobile handsets, Netbooks and MP3 players. One possible hitch: the young consumers who are more likely to watch television on their phones tend to watch on-demand programs -- rather than live TV.
Read more about it by clicking here.
WHITNEY'S READY
Whitney Houston's new album, her seventh studio album, will be released worldwide September 1st, 2009 on Arista Records. Since Whitney's 1985 self-titled debut, she has generated over 170 million combined worldwide sales of albums, singles and videos. Whitney is cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as music's "most awarded female artist of all time," with an unsurpassed tally of 411 awards, inclusive of 6 Grammy Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, 23 American Music Awards and 16 Billboard Music Awards.
FROM NIRVANA TO POLITICS
Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic is running for clerk of Wahkiakum County in Washington to protest candidates' ability to list any kind of party affiliations when they run for office there (he listed himself with the "Grange," which isn't a party but a non-partisan organization).
SONY JOINS VEVO
Universal Music and YouTube's new all-music-video site Vevo (due to launch later this year) has lured another label group into the fold, reports CNET: Sony. Talks with Warner Music and EMI are ongoing.
SPINAL TAP BACK
Spinal Tap will return with their new album "Back From the Dead," their first since 1992's "Break Like the Wind," on June 16th. The double-disc set, available for pre-order at Spinal Tap's website, features a DVD with track-by-track commentary from David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls and Nigel Tufnel.
LIVE NATION SERVICE FEE WAIVED WEDNESDAYS
Live Nation's "No Service Fee Wednesday" continues this week as all tickets -- not just lawn seats -- for artists performing at LN-owned amphitheatres will be available with no service fees on June 10th. After facing some controversy last week, Live Nation notes in a press release that parking fees and other venue fees still apply.
BRITNEY BARED
A series of photos that appear to depict a topless Britney Spears have been unearthed by British tabloid News of the World. The photos were reportedly taken on set during the 2007 video shoot for the Blackout single, "Gimme More," where the then-troubled singer pole-danced while sporting fake tattoos and black hair.
BRITNEY BACK
Britney Spears' "Circus" tour is coming back to several U.S. cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The shows will kick off Aug. 20 in Canada. Concerts are also scheduled for North Carolina, Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas.
AGUILERA DOINGS
New York electro-rock trio Le Tigre has hit the studio with Christina Aguilera, Pitchfork reports. Aguilera has also been collaborating with Sia, Ladytron and Goldfrapp.
SOME PEOPLE WILL BUY ANYTHING
A sign taped to the wall at John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 1969 bed-in is hitting the auction block, according to the Edmonton Journal. Christie's is handling the sale of the note that reads "L'Amour Et La Paix."
MANADELA FÊTED
Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah and Wyclef Jean will perform at a July 18th concert honoring Nelson Mandela at New York's Madison Square Garden. The event is being created by the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart.
THE WHO, ETTA, AND MORE
Etta James' "At Last!" The Who's "My Generatio" and George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today" have been selected for preservation in a special sound archive.
Every year the Librarian of Congress selects sound recordings to include in the National Recording Registry. Other selections include: "West Side Story," original cast recording (1957); 'Tom Dooley," the Kingston Trio (1958); "200 Years With Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks"; and more.
NEW NAME TO BE DECIDED?
Chastity Bono, the daughter of the late Sonny Bono and Cher, is in the early stages of transitioning from female to male. Bono's representative, Howard Bragman, confirmed a TMZ report.
PASSING
Kenny Rankin, Washington Heights, N.Y.-born pop-jazz-folk singer/songwriter who played on Bob Dylan's "Bringing It All Back Home" album and appeared on the "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson more than 20 times, passed away on Sunday (6/7) after a bout with lung cancer.
Quotes of the week
"Money doesn't buy you happiness. But it buys you a big enough yacht to sail right up to it."
-- Johnny Depp, who owns a 156-ft. yacht and a private Caribbean island, to Vanity Fair"I'm going to be going to a secluded spot where no one can find me ... NBC prime time."
-- Jay Leno, who will have a new comedy show in the 10p slot premiering in September, during his final monologue, on The Tonight Show"I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I'm gay. I almost started talking about it to the reporters, but I thought, 'I'm going to wait for Rolling Stone, that will be cooler.' I didn't want the Clay Aiken thing and the celebrity-magazine bullshit. I need to be able to explain myself in context. I'm proud of my sexuality. I embrace it. It's just another part of me."
-- "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert in the new issue of Rolling Stone."I looked at the music business, and realized it is nearly impossible to make it with the way it is right now. No one is going to take a chance with an artist who is somewhat out there. The only way you have a chance being looked at by a label right now is if you are what everyone else is. So I realized that I wouldn't be taken seriously as a recording artist unless I had a huge platform. I saw that and I knew that 'Idol' was the only thing that would do it -- if it worked ... I've seen a lot of guys come off this show and bomb, so I recognize that I could crash and burn. But if I play it safe, it's not going to work, so I might as well go for it with the same intention that I had on the show."
-- Adam Lambert on why he auditioned for Idol.
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
New Terminator Movie Brings J.D. Salinger Out Of Hiding
CORNISH, NH-Famed literary giant and notorious recluse J.D. Salinger, who has not published any new work since 1965, came out of hiding Monday to gush about the new film Terminator Salvation, offering the world its first glimpse into his private life since his last interview nearly 30 years ago.
"I believe that a writer's privacy is among his most precious possessions, in that personal information about him distracts readers from what is most important: the work itself," the author of The Catcher In The Rye told reporters outside the Claremont Cinema 6 theater, moments after seeing the film for the third time. "But on the other hand, the new revival of the Terminator franchise is just way too awesome for me to remain quiet any longer. Hello? Time-travel paradoxes? Freaking amazing!"
Read the rest here and laugh: http://tinyurl.com/m3qnb7.
THE RADIO INTERVIEW on 'THE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE' - From newsblaze.com
"Steve Meyer is on the front line of global music sales and distribution which he expects will soar to pocket-bursting levels. What's more, he shares his insight and ingenuity with us. Steve gives us both historical perspective and futuristic vision as he chats with Judy about the love of his work, trends of the business and his personal points of view about success, happiness and blending life with the lust for life. Steve joins Judy and helps us discover the thrill of having it all with a sense of balance and purpose. "
You can listen to an interview I did with Judy Piazza of 'The American Perspective' by clicking here: (It runs about 15 minutes)
http://www.thesop.org/index.php?id=10306.
The Blogs
Check out Jerry Del Colliano's (the founder of INSIDE RADIO) daily blog, by clicking here: http://www.insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com