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Billboard Finally Steps Into Reality And Changes Top 200 Album Chart
November 13, 2009
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. 24 years working in executive promotion capacities at both Capitol Records and at Universal Studios' MCA Records. Recognized as one of the industry's top professionals.
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Statistics can be made to prove anything - even the truth.
-- Author unknownIt seems that Billboard has had a change of heart in regards to listing the REAL best sellers on their Top 200 chart.
During the Beatles repackaged releases and the flood of Michael Jackson albums that sold in large quantities after his death, Billboard chose not to list the albums by either of them on the Top 200 Album Chart. Instead, the albums were listed on their Top Catalog Albums chart even though the albums were retailing in many cases in the top 10 and top 20 across the country.
From the folks at Billboard comes this about the whole situation, "The events of 2009 and the continuing creativity in the repackaging of catalog titles, have led us to the conclude that the Billboard 200 would be best served presenting the true best sellers in the country, without any catalog-related rules or stipulations, to the media, pubic and our readers."
Well, sure. Either the Billboard 200 represents the "best sellers in the country" or it doesn't. The fact that it wasn't right was duly noted by many people in the media, and Billboard (the so called "bible of the music biz") no doubt felt the criticism (and heat) internally.
So the real translation: Uh, okay ... we screwed up, and now we're making it right.
But it should have been right in the first place. Some time ago.
Billboard's not listing the albums in the Top 200 Album Chart when they were first retailing in good quantities, hurt no one other than Billboard. I received dozens of reader e-mails asking me how the magazine's chart could retain credibility at the time by not listing the Beatle and Jackson albums.
In a time when the music industry is changing on a daily basis, Billboard should have recognized what needed to be done sooner to rectify their mistake. They should have captured the excitement at retail in a time when music retail is losing physical CD sales year over year. The stories about the Beatles and Jackson retail were big stories. Success stories to shout about. Billboard could have engaged their subscriber base and the media in even greater capacity had they made this move when it was happening.
But of course, that's just my opinion.
You can read more about it here: http://tinyurl.com/y9r3ax2 or here: http://tinyurl.com/yfgyrj5
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MORE FOLLOW-UP ON 'THIS IS IT' BOX OFFICE & ALBUM SALES
The worldwide box office for Michael Jackson's "This Is It" has now surpassed $200 million, making it the highest-grossing documentary and/or concert film in history.
Because of the box-office success, the film's run in theaters has been extended another three weeks into early December and according to BoxOfficeMojo, 'This Is It' is now the 22nd most successful film worldwide in 2009.
The "This Is It" album is now #2 in the U.S.
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THE HISTORY CHANNEL TO AIR 'THE BEATLES ON RECORD'
From the History Channel comes news the channel will air a one-hour documentary, "The Beatles On Record," on November 25 at 10p.
This info from The History Channel website about the show: "In 1962, an unknown group from Liverpool entered Abbey Road Studios to record their debut single. During the next eight years they created what is arguably regarded as the greatest collection of studio recordings of the 20th century. This special charts The Beatles' extraordinary journey in the studio from "Please Please Me" to "Abbey Road" and reflects on how they developed as musicians, matured as songwriters and created a body of work that sounds as fresh in 2009 as the time it was recorded. Narrated entirely by John, Paul, George, Ringo and Sir George Martin, the documentary features over 60 classic songs, rare footage and photos from The Beatles' archives and never heard before out-takes of studio chat from the "Abbey Road" recording sessions."
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ALL THE VIDEO YOU WANT AND MORE
One of my favorite websites that I visit daily is Webcastr.com. Think of it as your Daily Video Newspaper.
Industry notable Tim Devine put together Webcastr. It's a 24-hour, worldwide video aggregation network offering the best professional video on the web in news, politics, sports, music, fashion and more from over 200 content providers (CBS, Reuters, BBC, WSJ, FHM, NBA, New York Times, Boston.com, SF Gate, NHL Hockey, Slate, SpeedTV, Space Channel, Sony/BMG Musicbox, The Vegas Channel, Daily Variety, Celeb TV, Election TV, Digital Daily, Ovation TV, Green Energy TV, Automotive TV and many more.)
I tune in daily at: www.webcastr.com ... check it out!
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RE: THAT PAID CONTENT THING
Last week I reported that a new poll from Ipsos Mendelsohn and PHD said the majority of online content readers will not pay to read content online. (You can read about it here: http://tinyurl.com/ykm3muz ) Rupert Murdoch (and others) are hell-bent on going ahead with the paid-content thing anyway, and last week Murdoch said he would remove his company's newspaper stories from Google's search index. (Apparently Mr. Murdoch believes this will encourage people to pay for his content. Har-har-hardee-har-har)
This weeks this news: "According to an analysis of Google-generated traffic released late Monday by Experian's Hitwise service, Google and Google News currently account for more than 25% of the daily traffic to the Wall Street Journal's WSJ.com site. The Hitwise analysis also indicates that more than 44% of WSJ.com visitors coming from Google are "new users" who haven't visited the domain in the previous 30 days." (Source: http://tinyurl.com/yb8crk5 )
I'm not a financial analyst, but it sure sounds like Mr. Murdoch might be cutting off his nose to spite his content should he go forward with his decision.
And Now For Some News ...
Vinyl, Digital Sales Hit New High Marks
From Billioard.bizVinyl and single track download sales set new records last week, according to data from Nielsen SoundScan. The two events represent very different trends that were born from the rising popularity of digital music.
As of November 8th, four artists broke Rihanna's single-year digital tracks sales record of 9.9 million tracks: Michael Jackson (11.3 million tracks year-to-date), Lady Gaga (11.1 million tracks year-to-date), Black Eyed Peas (10.3 million tracks year-to-date) and Taylor Swift (9.98 million tracks year-to-date). The top three artists have already topped 10 million tracks sold this year and one, Taylor Swift, will surely pass the mark next week. Next week, sales of digital albums should surpass last year's total of 65 million and sales of digital tracks should top the 1 billion mark.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Blue Beat Ordered To Stop Selling Beatles Songs
From CNET.comA court has hit pause on the sale of Beatles tunes from the website BlueBeat. Judge John Walter of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California late this week issued a temporary restraining order against BlueBeat after being petitioned Tuesday by the Capitol Records unit of music label EMI, which owns the Beatles' recordings.
The judge found BlueBeat's arguments "lacking in clarity" and wrote that the defendants failed to offer reliable evidence to support "their claim that they 'independently developed their own original sounds'."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Qtrax Misses Another Deadline
From CNET.comThe would-be ad-supported music service once again failed to meet a self-imposed launch date. The company said barely two weeks ago that it would roll out in Australia and New Zealand on November 5th.
For most start-up services, launch delays are embarrassing, but not unexpected. For Qtrax, this is only the latest installment in a year-long run of embarrassing misfires, lawsuits, unpaid bills and broken promises.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Best Buy Gets Ready For The Future And The Shift To Downloads
From the L.A.TIMESWalking between rows of DVDs at the Best Buy store in West Hollywood, Brandy Moore admits that she doesn't always buy the shiny discs anymore since she started downloading movies and TV shows from Apple's iTunes Store. There's just one problem: She hasn't figured out how to watch them on her TV.
"I have a friend who's going to come over and set that up for me," the 34-year-old Los Feliz resident says. "I'm not a computer nerd."
Moore and legions of the technologically challenged like her represent the next frontier for Best Buy, which is not only the nation's largest electronics retail chain, but also the second-biggest seller of DVDs, behind Wal-Mart. Sales of CDs and DVDs have declined precipitously this year; along with video games, they plunged 23% from a year ago at Best Buy stores in the company's most recent quarter. The retail giant is responding not by cutting back on entertainment but by aggressively positioning itself for a future when movies, music and games are watched, heard and played from bits instead of on discs.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Interview With UN Agency -- Don't Jail Illegal Music Sharers
Now this is a man who knows what he's talking about.
The heavy punishment of illegal file sharers on the web will be counter-productive in the global fight against Internet piracy and copyright infringement, the director-general of a United Nations agency said on Thursday. Francis Gurry of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) said music copyright protection was "under the most severe stress" and the problem will likely spread to films as web connections speed up.
The music industry has been hit by rampant Internet piracy and has so far struggled to persuade consumers to pay for downloaded music. Some 40 billion music files were illegally shared on the web in 2008, a piracy rate of 95 percent, WIPO cites industry estimates as showing.
"I don't believe we are going to win this, (to) find the solution by putting teenagers in jail," Gurry said in an interview on a visit to India. "I think that is not going to win public sympathy."
Read more about it by clicking here.
The Music Industry Bows To Point-And-Shoot Cameras
From CNET.comAs cheap, powerful automatic cameras and camera phones proliferate, the music industry -- and its sports counterpart -- have had to realize they can't control fans' ability to take pictures.
At last month's huge U2 show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., how could you tell the difference between the professional photographers and your average amateurs? Answer: The professionals were the ones whisked away after Bono and friends finished their third song, and the amateurs were still there, happily shooting to their heart's content. Nearly every person at any show these days is going to have some form of camera with them, be it a point-and-shoot, an iPhone or some other camera phone, and it seems that there is almost no way to imagine keeping all those devices out.
Read more about it by clicking here.
First It Was The iPhone, Now It's The Droids...Who Needs Windows?
From CNET.comIf the iPhone didn't finish off Windows Mobile in the smartphone market, the Motorola Droid may.
Windows Mobile is losing the last vestiges of its mojo -- if it really had any to begin with -- as the Droid and other phones based on the Android 2.0 operating system push the buzz meter needle into the red zone. Many in the media -- who can play a big role in steering users to one technology platform or another -- sense that Windows Mobile has now been relegated resolutely to has-been status.
Read more about it by clicking here.
PC To Mac: How You Like Me Now?
NPD Group et al.Despite Apple's best marketing efforts, Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system is being well received, according early reports. At retail, the software giant sold more than triple the number of units of Windows 7 in the first few days on the market in late October than it had the previous Vista version, according to research firm NPD Group.
"Microsoft's program of early low-cost pre-sales, high visibility marketing, and aggressive deals helped make the Windows 7 software launch successful," said Stephen Baker, VP of industry analysis at NPD. "In a slow environment for packaged software, Windows 7 brought a large number of customers into the software aisles."
At a news briefing in Tokyo, Microsoft head Steven Ballmer said sales of its Windows 7 were "fantastic," exceeding revenue from any of its previous operating software releases in the first 10 days. A day after Windows 7 was released on Oct. 22nd, Microsoft said it sold more copies of Windows last quarter than in any previous period.
"The predictions of pent-up demand for Windows 7 appear to have been borne out," remarked InternetNews.com. Yet, "Those figures are actually down somewhat, percentage-wise, when compared to the Vista launch in early 2007 ... PC sales growth during the week of the Vista launch jumped 68% over the prior year's sales and 170% over the week preceding the launch."
"In order to counter its declining revenue trend throughout 2009, Microsoft has been pulling out all stops to promote Windows 7," noted eWeek. "In addition to online and traditional advertising, Redmond has been pushing discounts for the operating system, frequently in conjunction with its PC manufacturing partners."
Microsoft is "more bullish" on the personal-computer market than it was three months ago and expects the recovery in consumer sales to continue, Bill Koefoed, a general manager at the company, said last month. Corporate demand is sluggish and won't rebound this quarter as some analysts expect, he said. PC sales rose 2.3% in the third quarter, according to IDC, resuming growth a quarter earlier than the research firm had projected.
Read more about it by clicking here.
YOUNG HONORED
Neil Young will be honored as MusiCares Person of the Yea on January 29th, 1010. The talent lineup so far includes: Crosby, Stills & Nash, Wilco, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, James Taylor, John Mellencamp, k.d. lang, Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Dave Matthews, Ozomatli, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Josh Groban, along with emerging band Everest
GRAMMY PRE-SHOW NEWS
Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell and Sugarland are the first announced performers, and LL Cool J will return as host, on "The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! Countdown to Music's Biggest Night." It'll air on CBS Dec. 2nd at 9p from Club Nokia. Last year's premiere of the annual show drew more than 8 million viewers.
THE DROID VS. THE IPHONE, ROUND ONE
During its first weekend on the market, it's estimated that Motorola sold a respectable 100,000 Android-powered Droid phones. (Apple sold more than 1 million of its latest iPhone model in its weekend debut in June )
KING & TAYLOR
Old friends Carole King and James Taylor will join together for the "Troubadour Reunion" world tour. It starts March 27th in Melbourne and hits New Zealand and Japan before coming to North America and Europe.
TAYLOR SWIFT SWEEPS CMA AWARDS AND WINS SECOND STRAIGHT BMI SONG OF THE YEAR AWARD
Taylor Swift made history at the Country Music Awards this week, becoming the youngest artist ever to win the coveted Entertainer of the Year award. The 19-year-old singer also took home awards for best female vocalist, video of the year for "Love Story" and album of the year with Fearless. The night before, Taylor also won her second-straight BMI Song Of The Year Award for her song "Love Story."
FREE WI-FI
Free WiFi -- it's the gift that just keeps on giving, which partly explains why so many online companies are giving it to consumers this holiday season. This fall, both Google and Microsoft announced free WiFi promotions. As of today, Google is providing free WiFi on every Virgin America flight throughout the holiday season. (Google is also giving away free Wi-Fi in 47 airports across the U.S., including hubs such as Miami, Seattle, Houston and San Jose, Calif. The promotions will last through Jan. 15th, 2010.)
Quotes of the week
"Steven quit, as far as I can tell. I don't know any more than you do about it. I got off the plane two nights ago; I saw online that Steven said that he was going to leave the band."
-- Aerosnith's Joe Perry in the Las Vegas Sun on Monday"Aerosmith is positively looking for a new singer to work with. You just can't take 40 years of experience and throw it in the bin! Band is playing hotter than ever and our songs need to be played live! Don't despair; Aerosmith not splitting up. Promise that's the last you'll hear from me on the subject till we gear up again."
-- Joe Perry, tweeting to fans on the next day."I just want New York to know, I am not leaving Aerosmith."
-- Steven Tyler, joining Joe Perry onstage in NYC on Wednesday."If you're shocked that Britney was lip-syncing at her concert and want your money back, life may continue to be hard for you."
-- John Mayer, weighing in via Twitter about allegations by Aussie reviewers that Britney Spears has resorted to lip-syncing on her "Circus" tour."To the fans, thank y'all for accepting me. And most importantly, to Country radio, you took a chance on a pop singer from Charleston, SC, and God bless y'all for that."
-- Darius Rucker, accepting the Best New Artist award at Wednesday night's CMAs."I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears."
-- Rihanna, on the media storm that followed her physical attack by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, to Glamour"I smoke weed, but I don't think it's really a drug. It's more of a herb. I don't regret saying that at all. I think everyone smokes weed and people who say they don't are lying! It depends if I'm working, and on what song. And whether it's a smoking studio or not! It's like having a drink."
-- Joss Stone"I felt completely rancid!"
-- Mariah Carey, on her glammed-down role in the new film Precious, at the movie's AFI Audi Film Festival premiere. Yeah, but what about those photos of you in a bathing suit in Malibu?
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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