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Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' Sets Box Office Records ...Where's Radio?
October 30, 2009
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And always the sound and the staging seem indivisible in his mind. It shouldn't come as any surprise, but after decades of idle tabloid gossip, lies and innuendo, it's a relief to be reminded of Jackson's prodigious talent, the consummate care and craftsmanship underneath all the razzmatazz. -- From the CNN review of the Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It" by Tom Charity
"And always the sound and the staging seem indivisible in his mind. It shouldn't come as any surprise, but after decades of idle tabloid gossip, lies and innuendo, it's a relief to be reminded of Jackson's prodigious talent, the consummate care and craftsmanship underneath all the razzmatazz." -- From the CNN review of the Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It" by Tom Charity
The Michael Jackson "This Is It" documentary opened at midnight on Tuesday and set a record for a Tuesday night opening with $2.2 million in box office receipts. By the end of business on Wednesday the film had already grossed $7.4 million. It's estimated that by Sunday the box office gross will be approximately $40 million.
The film has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, this from the Chicago' Sun-Times Roger Ebert: "The result is one of the most revealing music documentaries I've seen. And it's more than that. It's a portrait of Michael Jackson that belies all the rumors that he would have been too weak to tour. That shows not the slightest trace of a spoiled prima donna. That benefits from the limited number of cameras by allowing us to experience his work in something closer to realistic time, instead of fracturing it into quick cuts. That provides both a good idea of what the final concert would have looked like, and a portrait of the artist at work."
Whatever your feelings are about Michael Jackson, he was one of the biggest superstars in music history. Naturally then, his death was one of the biggest news stories of this year, one of the biggest news stories of any year regarding such a musical icon's passing. The only other artist I remember receiving such global coverage when he died was John Lennon.
When John Lennon was killed in 1980, I was at Capitol Records. Overnight we sold out of every Beatle and solo Lennon album in inventory. Radio threw Beatle songs back into the control room, and John's single, "Just Like Starting Over" went to #1 on Billboard, and stayed there for five weeks. Radio played John's music for months as his "Double Fantasy" album sold millions, and every time they played one of his songs, the audience felt an emotional connection.
The same happened at retail when Michael passed away. Like Lennon, Michael Jackson ended up selling millions of albums worldwide following his death. Tens of millions. But now, even though there is a brand new song for radio to play, "This Is It," radio hasn't reacted in any meaningful manner.
One might think that radio would want to participate in this historical documentary by playing the "This Is It" single in some rotation. It's not a bad song at all, and I find it hard to believe that with millions buying Michael's albums, and millions expected to see the film, radio wouldn't want to participate in this event. Do they assume that everybody buying albums and going to see the film doesn't listen to their stations? Huh?
Whether or not the song is a "hit" (and how radio determines that today is beyond me) is not an issue. How does radio not play a song like this from such a legendary artist with all the media attention, retail and box office occurring? As an ex-promotion man, that's what I'd be asking the programmers who aren't playing this song. And if they answered "It doesn't knock me out." I'd simply say, "Who cares? Look what's happening out there!"
I've said many times in the newsletter, that when I guest lecture at colleges and elsewhere, I always start by asking "How many of you here listen to the radio to hear new music?"
The response is always the same. Less than five percent of the people raise their hands. They have absolutely no affinity for radio at all. It's not an important part of their lives. They don't find it relevant. When radio does something like this, should we be surprised then?
Millions have either downloaded Jackson's 'This Is It' song or streamed it online. Millions will be buying the "This Is It" album when it's released as well. I assume the stations not playing the song don't care about that as well.
I got into the "record biz" because of radio. I loved radio and the music it played. I thought if I could ever get into promotion and carry my passion for the music to radio, I could participate in bringing that excitement to programmers, and by doing that, in turn the audience would connect emotionally each time they heard a great new song.
There is absolutely no reason why that same excitement can't be there today on radio, and if it is there, the audience will reconnect with it. There's so much more to getting ratings than playing the same 25-30 records that are being played everywhere. And yes, I fully understand the problems that programmers face each and everyday when they choose new music. Making mistakes can be costly. But how much of a mistake is it to program something like "This Is It" and to talk about it to the same audience that's buying the music and seeing the film?
All it takes is what it always took. Playing the MUSIC the audience wants to hear. The music they are buying. The music they are watching on TV or in a theater.
Right now, an awful lot of the music buying public is buying Michael Jackson music and/or going to see his last performances in a great documentary.
Right now, radio could be connecting in a big way.
And Now For Some News ...
The Technology Behind U2's Record-Breaking Tour
From CNET.comIf you were one of the 96,000 people packed into the Rose Bowl Sunday night for the U2 concert -- said to be the largest concert ever held here -- you were sharing the experience with at least a few other fans off-site.
There's no way to know yet how many exactly, but it's safe to say millions of people around the world were also watching the concert live on YouTube, a potentially server-crashing Webcast that may have been the biggest live-stream yet.
For months, the band has been on tour with its U2 360 concerts. To top off the grand claims, it has been called the biggest rock tour in history, at least as measured by the size and cost of its infrastructure -- more than $750,000 per show, according to Rolling Stone.
Read more about it by clicking here.
U2 And YouTube ... A Big Success Indeed
U2 continues to play larger than life on its latest tour, and streamed its show live from the Pasadena Rose Bowl on Google's YouTube Sunday night. The concert began streaming live worldwide just after 9 p.m. PST Sunday -- but before the show U2's Bono told a French news agency in an interview that the band will play, but the focus should be on the audience for making history. It is now reported that a global audience of 10 million watched the show on YouTube.
About 1,600 people with general admission tickets stood in line to get good spots on the stadium floor when the gates opened at about 5 p.m., reported the Los Angeles Times. Nearly 100,000 people were expected to attend the sold-out U2 concert, but millions more took advantage of the opportunity to watch online.
Read more about it by clicking here.
MSN Seeks Duet With MySpace Music
All Things DBoomTown has the exclusive on a potential tie-up between Microsoft's MSN and MySpace, which involves the social network's music service, MySpace Music, powering the Web portal's music offerings. Sources at both companies caution that the talks are still early, but Microsoft execs are apparently interested in building early buzz around the partnership. Why? "Because MSN Music consistently ranks substantially lower than other big online music properties in terms of traffic, while MySpace Music is always near the top," BoomTown explains. What's more, sources say Microsoft doesn't think it can do as good a job as MySpace in the music game.
Read more about it by clicking here.
A Q&A With Big Champagne's CEO Eric Garland On Media's Meltdown
From CNET.comBeverly Hills, CA-based Big Champagne has collected data on file sharing and sold it to media companies for almost 10 years. Garland's company has survived all that time, even while making the same sad pitch. He tells the music labels and film studios they are going to be chopped down at the knees by the Internet and online piracy -- but that doesn't mean they can't survive
Read more about it by clicking here.
Free All Music To Offer Free MP3s, New Ad Model
From CNET.comFree All Media, an Atlanta-based start-up, is the latest company to propose an ad-supported music downloading service. The company, which just announced its first seed round of funding Wednesday and expects to begin public beta testing by December, hopes to differentiate itself from flameouts like SpiralFrog with a unique advertising model that asks users to participate more directly in choosing the ads they'll see.
The company's CEO, Richard Nailling, explained how the company's website, Free All Music, will work. Users will select an MP3 they want to download and a sponsor they'd like to "buy" that MP3 for them. They will then watch a video advertisement, between 15 and 18 seconds in length, from that advertiser. Once the ad is completed, they'll be free to download the file, a 256kbps MP3 with no copy restrictions. No further advertisements will be served for that download.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Blinkx Wants To Crash Music Video Party
From CNET.comVideo might've killed the radio star, but the Web sure hasn't killed music videos. Less than a week after News Corp.-owned social site MySpace announced its MySpace Music Videos portal, video search engine Blinkx announced the debut Tuesday of "Blinkx Music," a search tool specifically designed to trawl through
"There are hundreds of thousands of music videos available on the Web today which makes it nearly impossible to navigate and find what you are looking for," Blinkx founder and CEO Suranga Chandratillake explained in a release. "Based on the success of blinkx Remote, our online TV guide, we recognized there was a need to help organize music videos and make them easily searchable on the Web. By leveraging our award-winning video search index, we built Blinkx Music to help our users find their favorite music videos quickly, easily and in one place."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Google Changes To Aid Music Searches
By Alan Duke, CNNThe song download sites will not pay Google for driving traffic their way, a spokeswoman says.
Los Angeles, California -- The Internet's most popular search engine should get smarter about music, as Google updates the algorithms that power its searches this week, a company spokesman said.
"You don't have to know what yo're looking for," Google's Jennie Johnson said. "If it looks like they're looking for a song, we're including in the regular search result links to hear songs from partners," Johnson
Read the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/ykqx29a
And read 'Google Brings Online Music To The Masses' here: http://tinyurl.com/yhuljdv
And also 'Google's Bid To Save The Music Industry One Search At A Time' here: http://tinyurl.com/yfcavm9
The Case Against The FCC's Net Neutrality Plan
The FCC proposed draft rules to codify the six Net neutrality principles, were outlined by Chairman Julius Genachowski in his speech on September 21st. Now begins the process of gathering comments and other testimony. Later, the FCC will vote on whether to adopt the rules or to amend them, or just call the whole thing off.
The basic thrust of the proposed rules, as nearly everyone knows by now, is to keep broadband Internet access providers from managing last-mile network traffic in ways that discriminate, pro or con, based on content, applications or devices. Access providers would be banned from restricting or throttling services that the provider doesn't like, for example, perhaps because they compete with more expensive alternatives the provider or one of its business partner offers. The proposed rules would apply to all broadband access, including wireless.
Read more about it by clicking here.
JukeFly Turns Your PC Into Music-streaming Device
JukeFly, which first launched in 2008 and was updated to version 2.0 Wednesday, promises a free alternative for streaming music from your Windows PC (sorry, not Macs) to any other computer over the Internet.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Be Careful What You Tweet, The Tweet Can Come Back To Haunt You ... In Court
A designer who alleges that she was libeled by Courtney Love on Twitter has won a round against the celebrity in court.
Judge Aurelio Munoz in Los Angeles Superior Court denied Love's motion to dismiss the case under California's anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) law, which provides for speedy dismissal of lawsuits that aim to squelch people's right to speak about public matters.
Read more about it by clicking here.
MORE AMA UPDATES
Rihanna will perform at the American Music Awards on November 22nd, the day before her new album, Rated R, is released. Rihanna's mentor Jay-Z is already booked to take the stage, along with Taylor Swift and Alicia Keys.
BRUCE JUICE ON iTUNES
"Wrecking Ball," the song Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band debuted at their final gigs at New Jersey's Giants Stadium, is now for sale at iTunes. Springsteen's website announced the song is bundled with a live video shot during those gigs.
PLANT READY
Robert Plant is in talks to perform at Glastonbury. "There's place for me there, but I have no idea who with," he told the BBC, thereby igniting the hopes of millions of Led Zeppelin fans itching for another reunion show.
SLOWHAND SIDELINED
Eric Clapton has been forced to withdraw from Friday's historic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden because he requires surgery to remove gallstones, Reuters reports.
GABRIEL RETURNS
Peter Gabriel's first new album in seven years will be an orchestral spring 2010 "song swap" called "Scratch My Back" where he and other big-name collaborators reinterpret each others' songs, according to the Guardian. His collaborator John Metcalfe wouldn't name names or confirm the validity of a leaked track list that includes Radiohead, Arcade Fire and David Bowie on it.
VEVO NEWS
VEVO, the music video and entertainment service co-owned by UMG and Sony, and powered by YouTube, has reached a branding and marketing agreement with AT&T, which will support comprehensive services across multiple connected platforms.
TIMBERLAKE SAYS STAND BACK
Justin Timberlake has won a restraining order against Karen McNeil, a 48-year-old stalker who broke into the star's house three times. TMZ reports McNeil was previously sentenced to prison time for stalking Axl Rose.
WI-FI IN YOUR CAR
General Motors is making an Internet router available as a dealer-installed option on select vehicles. The device, from Autonet Mobile, creates a Wi-Fi hotspot that extends 150 feet within and around the vehicle, allowing occupants to use portable devices to tap into the Web. Initially, the Internet access will be available only in GMs vans, SUVs, crossovers and trucks. Autonet also supplies Internet routers for Chrysler and Volkswagen.
THE DROIDS ARE COMING
Verizon Wireless announced this week that its forthcoming Droid smartphone from Motorola will hit store shelves Nov. 6th and sell for $200, with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. The new phone will also be the first powered by Android 2.0, the latest version of Google's open mobile operating system.
PASSING
Dee Anthony, 83, legendary music manager and impresario, who guided the careers of such artists as Tony Bennett, Peter Frampton and Peter Allen, passed away on Sunday (10/25) at his home in Connecticut.
PASSING
Soupy Sales, one of television's original funny men and a comedic innovator, passed away last week in New York City. He was 83. Soupy's show (which ran 15 years) was as big a hit with adults as it was with kids, and many stars, including Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., made guest appearances on the show, and yes, got pies in the face.
Quotes of the week
"You need moisturizer and help. You are the oldest young women I've ever seen."
-- Wendy Williams, commenting on Lindsay Lohan's appearance next to Donatella Versace, on her talk show"I like kissing women sometimes. Women are pretty. It doesn't mean I'm necessarily sleeping with them."
-- Adam Lambert, on smooching a female model for a photo spread in Details"Fantastic, fantastic. Her boobs are great as well ... I shouldn't have said that should I?"
-- Amy Winehouse's dad, Mitch, on his daughter's well-being and her recent breast augmentation, to British TV show This Morning"It sure was nice for the rest of us while it lasted - we got a little more of the consumer money. Now Garth's going to come back and eat it all up, and I'll have to get a real job again. Thanks a lot, Garth!"
-- Country star Trace Adkins, on Garth Brooks's return to the stage
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids
Watch the video here: http://www.theonion.com/content/video/facebook_twitter_revolutionizing
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.comWebsite
Check out attorney Ray Beckerman's website at: http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com where he prints news about the RIAA's ongoing activities
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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