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Maybe Lily Should Think Twice
September 18, 2009
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"We don't sell records any more; we act wherever people experience music, from digital and physical formats to all the other 'touchpoints' of the music experience: from being part of the discovery process, to music in games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero or recording and selling music at live events and so on. Our role is not to put physical discs on a shelf, but to reach consumers wherever they are."
-- Elio Leoni Sceti, chief executive of EMI MusicThis week Lily Allen spoke out on her MySpace blog about how file-sharing and the Internet is "having a dangerous effect on British Music, but some really rich and successful artists like Nick Mason from Pink Floyd and Ed O'Brien from Radiohead don't seem to think so." ( http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=36707169&blogId=510114316 )
Lily seems to think that the older artists (who have made millions already) don't worry as much as the ones that now try and make their fortunes in today's changed music retail world. She's worried that "You might not care about this, but the more difficult it is for new artists to make it, the less new artists you'll see and the more British music will be nothing but puppets paid for by Simon Cowell." Oh, you mean a "puppet" like Leona Lewis who outsold you by huge amounts because she had one of the year's biggest singles ("Bleeding Love") and debut albums? I guess Lily forgets the simple fact that the public buys what they want no matter who signs someone. That's the way it's always been and always will be. Remember The Spice Girls, Lily?
Last week, the Featured Artists Coalition, a group that includes Coldplay and Blur, said it "vehemently opposed" proposals to switch off file sharers' connections."
To that Ms. Allen said, "The Featured Artists Coalition also says file sharing's fine because it 'means a new generation of fans for us. This is great if you're a big artist at the back end of your career with loads of albums to flog to a new audience, but emerging artists don't have this luxury. Basically the FAC is saying 'we're alright, we've made it, so file sharing's fine', which is just so unfair to new acts trying to make it in the industry." Gee, I don't know. Are Coldplay and Blur already considered artists that have "loads of albums to flog to a new audience"?
What Ms. Allen fails to mention so conveniently is that Radiohead and a myriad of others used the Internet to gain exposure in the U.K., and here at home in the U.S., the model for success via using the Internet for a strategic partner is Jeff Tweedy's Wilco. I've written numerous articles about how Wilco took their 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' album back from Reprise, put it online for all their fans, how Elektra later resigned and released it, and it went Gold and became the group's biggest seller. After that, Wilco still continued to give songs way online, allowed fans to stream concerts and new online, view videos and more. Wilco is not complaining. In a very difficult retail music world, they've adapted to the changes necessary and are rolling right along.
This week, The Smashing Pumpkins Billy Corgan announced he is writing and recording 44 songs for an upcoming album, "Teargarden by Kaleidyscope," and he's decided to give away all of it.
This from Corgan's post on www.smashuingpumpkins.com, "Recording began yesterday, September 15th, 2009 on the new record which will be entitled 'Teargarden by Kaleidyscope'. The album will feature 44 songs, four of which are now being recorded. My desire is to release a song at a time beginning around Halloween of this year, with each new release coming shortly after until all 44 are out. Each song will be made available absolutely for free, to anyone anywhere. There will be no strings attached. Free will mean free, which means you won't have to sign up for anything, give an e-mail address, or jump through a hoop. You will be able to go and take the song or songs as you wish, as many times as you wish...We will, however, sell highly limited edition EPs (of four songs each times 11), and details of how those EPs will be made available are still being worked out. Because the songs themselves will be free, the EPs will be more like collector's items for the discerning fan who will want the art itself, along with the highest possible audio quality available. The EPs will be more like mini-box sets rather than your normal CD single. We may also offer other variations for sale, say, for example a digital single with a demo version of a song. The commitment that is most important is the one I'm making to you: that the music of 'Teargarden by Kaleidyscope' will be available for free to everyone. All 44 songs: free for ALL."
Gee, I dunno. I guess Ms. Allen would view Corgan as another rich and successful artists who can afford to do this. But, maybe Mr. Corgan is just a bit wiser when it comes to utilizing the Internet.
In an incredibly difficult retail environment, and in the most challenging of all times for the music industry, the fact is that new and emerging artists are having success despite the downloading and Internet. As I mentioned last wee, Taylor Swift has sold over 10 million albums and 20 million downloads. Lady GaGa sure seems to be a new and emerging artist and she's doing just fine. (And her music has been all over the Internet) Yes, Leona Lewis was signed by Simon Cowell and she won 'Britain's Got Talent.' But she made a great record and sold six million albums worldwide. The Kings of Leon are headed for platinum (if not there already) and there music has been pirated online for the last couple of years. And so on, and so on, and scooby-boody-dooby.
Yes, illegal file-sharing is still rampant. Yes, it isn't right that people download copyrighted content and compositions for free. But the fact is, nobody is going to ever be able to stop it, or regulate it Ms. Allen. Cracking down on Internet sites that offer P2P technology only creates more offline Intranets and "dark nets," it doesn't diminish downloading. As was reported by the market research firm Interpret back in July based on the downloading habits of a massive 64 million respondents, "From this group, well over a third admitted to downloading music illegally through file-sharing networks and BitTorrent, but that doesn't mean they don't buy any music." (Source: http://tinyurl.com/lutvg6 )
Maybe Ms. Allen would be wise to heed the advice of Elio Leoni Sceti, chief executive of EMI Music, as quoted above and understand that her role is "not to put physical discs on a shelf but to reach consumers wherever they are."
Things are tough all over right now. Bitching about what is and what should be doesn't solve anything.
Doing something about it does.
Those that have vision and are creative enough to embrace the technology at hand to their benefit, instead of condemning it, will survive. Those that don't will suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous technology.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
THE LADS FROM LIVERPOOL STILL RULE THE CHARTS
Last week in my commentary, 'The Act You've Kmow For All These Years,' I wrote : "What would EMI be doing today to generate such revenues without the remastered catalog? Will anything they do next year and beyond provide the revenues that can be generated from a catalog from a group that stopped recording together in 1971? Nope. It ain't gonna' happen ... How many artists that rule the charts today will be generating such a global impact at retail in 40 to 50 years and still be relevant? Can anybody name one possibility?"
This week, The Beatles remastered catalog accounted for 620,000 total units sold at retail. Not bad for a group that stopped recording almost 40 years ago. Oh yeah, EMI's marketshare jumped 10 points from 7.8% to 17.8%.
Billboard, as in the case recently with Michael Jackson catalog sales that exploded, put none of the sales of the catalog on the Top 200 Album list. (With the exception of the news stereo box set) On their 'Catalog Albums' chart, The Beatles held nine of the top 10 positions. So, in reality, catalog or not, these albums were selling BIG at current retail. Which once again begs the question: Why wouldn't such sales on the 'Top 200' Album Chart when these albums are obviously retailing so well? Either the Top 200 reflects what is currently ranked in the Top 200 at retail or it doesn't.
The Beatles Rock Band is off to a good start it seems as well. The company reports 25% of inventory sold in the first week, and they expect all inventory to be sold by November, and then a second wave of retail will hit between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
THE LABELS SUE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW
If you haven't already heard, a group of the biggest record labels are suing the daytime 'Ellen DeGeneres Show' alleging that Ellen's show has broadcast over 1,000 songs during the "dance over" segment of the show (the segment where Ellen dances into the audience) without paying license fees.
At a time when most artists (and one would think, record labels) would love exposure on such a successful show, the lawsuit seems a little silly. I'm not suggesting Ms. DeGeneres or anybody on television get away with not paying license fees, but I do think there are better ways to reach agreements regarding the use of songs on television without going to litigation.
Certainly, there are artists who would live to have such daily exposure on television, and I'm wondering what they think at a time when television exposure often means a whole lot more than radio play.
MySpace Music Singing Along
TechCrunchIt turns out News Corps' teen locker door is making sweet, sweet music. MySpace Music, a joint venture in which music labels have an equity stake launched last fall, just rolled out a snazzy more user-friendly homepage and overall design, though there are no functions incorporating recent acquisition iLike into the mix just yet. At the moment, the move is likely intended to further distinguish the music spin-off from its parent and let people know its there, says TechCrunch.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Music Publishers Say iTunes Is Not Paying Fair Share
Songwriters, composers, and music publishers are making preparations to one day collect performance fees from Apple and other e-tailers for not just traditional music downloads but for downloads of films and TV shows as well. Those downloads contain music after all.
These groups even want compensation for iTunes' 30-second song samples.
"We make 9.1 cents off a song sale and that means a whole lot of pennies have to add up before it becomes a bunch of money," said Rick Carnes, president of the Songwriters' Guild of America. "Yesterday, I received a check for 2 cents. I'm not kidding. People think we're making a fortune off the Web, but it's a tiny amount. We need multiple revenue streams or this isn't going to work."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Veoh Not Liable For Pirated Video, UMG Loses Lawsuit
by Wendy DavisA federal judge in California has ruled in favor of video-sharing site Veoh in a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by Universal Music Group. U.S. District Court Judge A. Howard Matz in Los Angeles ruled that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe harbor provisions protected Veoh from liability for hosting pirated clips uploaded by users. "The DMCA does not place the burden of ferreting out infringement on the service provider," Matz wrote in his 29-page order.
Read more about it by clicking here.
iTunes 9: Everything You Need to Know
Read more about it by clicking here.
CNet Picks The Best 5 MP3 Players
There's no one-size-fits-all MP3 player that's perfect for everybody. Some people need a small MP3 player for the gym, while others need tablet-size players with wide-screen video playback. Whatever your interests are, these five MP3 players broadly represent our current favorite portable music gadgets.
If you're looking for your first MP3 player and you want to start at square one, then take a look at CNET's MP3 player buying guide.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Report: TV Networks Should Be Afraid -- Very Afraid of Hulu
If analyst Laura Martin is right, Hulu is the demon seed that will wipe out the network television business as we know it. In a new report, the Soleil Securities analyst estimates that the online video hub will cost TV networks $920 per viewer in advertising if their audiences are cannibalized by Hulu. And she believes the bulk of viewing on Hulu is indeed taking eyeballs from TV.
Read more about it by clicking here.
ROCK'N'ROLL SUPERSTARS FETE HALL OF FAME
Bruce Springsteen, U2, Eric Clapton; Crosby, Stills & Nash, Paul Simon with and without Art Garfunkel, Jackson Browne, Chuck Berry, Van Morrison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sting, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Metallica and Aretha Franklin are among the performers who will play in concert to celebrate the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame's 25th anniversary. The concert will take place over two nights next month at New York's Madison Square Garden, with highlights shown on HBO over Thanksgiving weekend.
TIMBERLAKE AND IDOL WIN
Justin Timberlake and American Idol walked away with wins at the Creative Arts Emmys.
FOGERTY HONORED
John Fogerty received a special honor Thursday night at the eighth annual Americana Music Association Honors and Awards Show. Fogerty, formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival, was honored with a lifetime achievement award for songwriting.
VMAs SCORE
It was everything an MTV Awards Show should have: stars, great performances and great music. The show drew almost 9 million viewers on MTV, but MTV also said that between airings on MTV, MTV2 and VH1, the VMAs was seen by 26.9 million. If Kanye West hadn't opened his mouth, maybe the ratings would have been bigger.
FOR DYLAN FANS
Wolfgang's Vault (www.wolgangsvault.com ) has unearthed a two-hour Bob Dylan/Band show from 1974, recorded at the Los Angeles Forum. If you're a fan, check it out. In other Dylan news, Dylan will show off almost 100 paintings at a new exhibition in Denmark that opens in the fall of 2010. A press release confirms the show at National Gallery of Denmark (Statens Museum for Kunst) will feature 30 large acrylic paintings from Dylan's Brazil Series.
SNL NEWS
U2 are booked for the first Saturday Night Live of the season, and the show has announced more musical guests: Shakira, Lady Gaga.
PASSING
Poet and punk rocker Jim Carroll, whose life story was famously documented in his autobiography "The Basketball Diaries," died following a heart attack on Friday, September 11th in New York City. Carroll was 60.
PASSING
Mary Travers, who with Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow performed some of the most enduring folk anthems of the 1960s as Peter, Paul and Mary, has died at age 72. Her spokeswoman, Heather Lylis, said the cause was complications from leukemia.
Quotes of the week
"Of all the reasons to remaster The Beatles catalog, there is really only one: the opening chord of 'A Hard Day's Night.' Within that gobsmacked gasp of 12-string Rickenbacker, Gibson acoustic, Hofner bass and Steinway grand lives the exact moment when a counterculture was conceived. It is a three-and-a-half-second sustain poised on the brink of bursting, a clarion of desire, hope, uncertainty, self-awareness and longing, an iconic pop-music moment whose only parallel is the calamitous E-major death knell sounded at the end of 'A Day in the Life.' Now, polished to the brightest of sheens, it is downright phantasmagoric."
-- From Rose Martelli's review of 'A Hard Day's Night' from Consequence of Sound ( http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/09/16/album-review-the-beatles-a-hard-days-night-remastered )"I'm sure she's a wonderful gal but we have never tasted the Skittles Rainbow together."
-- John Mayer dismissing rumors that he has dated Kristin Cavallari, on Twitter. Dear John: a) Who is Kristin Cavallari?: b) What makes you think we care?"That was divine intervention. Divine intervention, and nobody knew how to shoot."
-- Jay Z, talking to Oprah about dealing drugs as a teenager and being shot at."Women hold the power because we have the vaginas. If you're in a heterosexual relationship and you're a female, you win."
-- Megan Fox, talking to Cosmopolitan about the balance of power in a relationship."I just misspoke."
-- Chris Brown, dispelling reports that said he didn't remember assaulting Rihanna. Yeah, you misspoke again, Chris. But we know the truth, we saw the photos of what you did.
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Rolling Stones Kick Off 'Sing Our Songs For Us' Tour
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