-
That Vinyl Thing Again ... And Maybe Labels Can Learn From It
September 25, 2009
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
"Vinyl is one of the only growth formats right now, and this is something more people should pay attention to. This is not just a curiosity, the message is the medium."
-- Sandy Pearlman, producer (Blue Oyster Cult, The Clash, Dream Syndicate), from an address to the Transmission tech confab in Victoria, BC.More and more people are buying more vinyl every year. It isn't a fad. Vinyl is doing something at retail that CDs never really did, even when they were selling in the gazillions.
Vinyl engages and creates a more personal connection with the consumer. When that connection was lost at the retail level, there were less reasons for people to buy albums as the Internet connected more people and downloading songs -- instead of whole albums -- became commonplace. Take away the magic of picking up an album, holding it in one's hands, looking at the artwork, ripping off the cellophane wrap, throwing it on the turntable, and a whole lot of emotional magnets are gone.
Every time I write about the vinyl resurgence, I get a few e-mails from label people who tell me how "insignificant" actual vinyl sales are compared to the annual revenues generated by CD sales, and (of course) now online digital sales.
But it isn't the annual dollar amount that's important. Vinyl sales have increased dramatically in the last few years in an industry that is in transition and fighting for survival. As the quote above states, vinyl is one of the ONLY growth formats right now.
Maybe the creative minds at labels should really look at how much vinyl does connect with a whole new consumer at retail, and realize just how valuable that connection is.
There's little doubt the future of all music distribution will be online. (Regardless of how much the labels don't want that and try to defer it.) But if the labels can create a package, digital or otherwise, that engages the consumer and connects the way vinyl does, it's my belief there ate a whole lot of new revenue stream opportunities.
And no, I don't believe Apple's 'Cocktail' or the labels developing their own format, CMX, are the answers. Those are just ways to get the consumer to buy more albums instead of songs. While the industry might feel these are steps in the right direction, they don't go down the right path -- the path to engaging, grabbing the consumer emotionally. And that's what's happening at vinyl record sale gatherings all over the country. Imagine if music retail could ignite the same consumers on a mass-market level.
It's important to understand consumer trends in any industry. The lack of doing so results in catastrophic consequences down the road. American automakers rolled out lots of big SUVs that made them big profits (like the music industry's CDs), while consumers were engaged by Japanese automakers, who sold them better quality cars that were more fuel efficient. The results? Well, you already know what happened, don't you?
So here's the thing: It's hard to get people to buy music these days in big quantities like they used to (with the recent exceptions of The Beatles or Michael Jackson), and again, the Internet and P2P file-sharing changed everything. But if one or two million people a year are actively seeking out vinyl, and spending money on it (and the number of people is growing), what can the industry learn from that?
It's time to stop dismissing vinyl as such a small percentage of sales, and realizing there is a vibrant retail music market out there waiting to be had for those smart enough to creatively engage the consumer.
Once the "record store" was gone, it was the beginning of losing one of the industry's best connections with the consumer.
Let's hope the industry can see that losing any more connections will only expedite its demise.
------------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
LILY ALLEN FOLLOW-UP
The Last week in my commentary 'Maybe Lily Should Think Twice,' I gave the reasons why I disagreed with her statement that the Internet and file-sharing are hurting new emerging artists. If anything, the Internet and file-sharing have brought many new artists to light.
This week, Lily confirmed that she has no plans to tour anymore or record a follow-up to her latest album, "It's Not Me, It's You." "I do, howeve,r remain a fan of new music, so this is not some selfish crusade. The days of me making money from recording music has been and gone as far as I'm concerned, so I don't (at this point) stand to profit from legislation," she said on her blog.
This week, none other than gossip maven Perez Hilton reported that when Lily was "a nobody and trying to break onto the music scene, she created her own mixtapes that included her music AND other artists, such as Jay-Z, Jefferson Airplane and The Kinks. In case you didn't know, that means Lily was and is making music available illegally. It wouldn't be a huge deal if it happened in the past, but both mixtapes are still available on her website."
Whether Lily got the message or not, the mixtapes with those songs have since disappeared from her website.
Maybe Lily wasn't making as much as she wanted in the music biz. Maybe somebody never told her about the realities of the business.
Maybe some people will actually miss her music. I'm betting it's not too many.
------------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
GOOGLE'S CHIEF SAYS PAID CONTENT WON'T FLY
I wrote several commentaries several weeks ago on why I believe Rupert Murdoch's decision to charge for online news content would not fly.
I received dozens of e-mails from readers, some agreeing with me, others wondering if Mr. Murdoch's idea might not actually become successful.
I still hold firm to my belief that people won't pay for news content when they can get it for free from too many other sources. (As of this moment, I haven't read that CNN has plans to charge for their online news)
Now, Google chief exec Eric Schmidt joins the debate.
Speaking to a group of British broadcasting execs a week ago, Schmidt said publishers of general news would find it quite hard to charge for content online due to the surplus of sources available.
"In general these models have not worked for general public consumption because there are enough free sources that the marginal value of paying is not justified based on the incremental value of quantity," said Schmidt. Then someone hit his "reset" button and he said it again.
( Source: http://tinyurl.com/y8d7gul )
------------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 4
THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS FROM A READER RE: TV NETS SHOULD BE AFRAID OF HULU
I received this e-mail from a reader who brings up yet even more problems for TV nets and local stations. (And TV nets have even more trouble on the way. See the story below 'TV Sets Shape Up As Web Battleground.")
"On the Hulu story, as far as cutting the cable, a lot of people get their Internet through cable, so the cable companies will probably survive it, but local TV stations have a real problem. I bought a $200 computer from TigerDirect.com JUST TO HOOK UP HULU to my HD TV. Runs fast and fine on my home wireless system, and I don't even have the highest speed Comcast Cable internet. Since most new TVs have a PC input, all I had to do was hook it up to the TV. Most people probably haven't thought about that yet. .I don't have the resources to create a HULU computer to sell, but all you'd need to do is build a cheap computer with a decent video card and wireless adapter that can run HULU on Linux. After all, a Tivo is simply a program written to work on Linux with a small computer and standard hard drive in it. (Take it from someone who updated his 40G TiVo drive to 320Gs!). I can imagine a HULU box selling for $150. At this point I think they are getting away with thinking most people watch it on their handheld devices or computers, but moving it to the TV is all too easy! "
He's absolutely right. And I'm sure others have had similar thoughts.
------------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 5
A POLL ON WHERE PEOPLE LISTEN TO MUSIC AND A CAR RADIO WITH NO CD PLAYER
The latest poll results from CNET.com on "Where you listen to music most of the time?" (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-10356343-47.html?tag=mncol)
- iPod, phone, or MP3 player 34.8%
- Car 27.8%
- Computer 23.0%
- Hi-fi or home theater system 14.3%
Total votes: 2546
In other news, Parrot has introduced a car radio without a CD Player, but completely compatible with the iPhone. Check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/yb6m3ot.
Gee, anybody surprised now why CD sales are eroding?
------------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 6
MORE TWITTER FACTS
A report releases this week says that it's not clear that people who Twitter will keep up the tweets. Crowd Science released a study Tuesday revealing that 24% of Twitter users have never tweeted or have stopped tweeting. Only 27% of Twitter users tweet daily, while 46% check updates. (Source: http://tinyurl.com/n5zlxs )
In other news, Twitter is clamping down on fake celebrity accounts after being sued in America because thousands of famous names have fallen victim to impostors, including Britney Spears, Foreign Secretary David Miliband, the Dalai Lama and even the Queen of England. "A phony account under the name of film star Christopher Walken and bearing his picture is still regularly read by more than 90,000 people. And in March this year, actor Ewan McGregor's spokesman claimed the star was considering legal action to remove a fake Twitter account that had attracted 20,000 followers. ( Source: http://tinyurl.com/nab838 )
-------------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
YEAH, BUT IT ALSO MEANS WE'LL HAVE TO PAY TAXES FOREVER
From CNET.com this news, "I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogram our bodies' stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, aging. Then nanotechnology will let us live for ever," says "Kids from Fame" aficionado Ray Kurzweil.
------------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 8
A PERSONAL NOTE: BILLY SQUIER PROVES GREAT ROCK AND ROLL IS HERE TO STAY
Billy Squier rolled into town this past week and kicked ass in a two-hour show that had everybody in the audience on their feet and wanting more.
It's obvious there is a whole new generation of young people out there that love great rock'n'roll, especially from the Classic Rock era, because there were plenty of people ages 18-24 in the audience, and they knew almost every song, whether it was Billy's trademark song, "The Stroke," or his album staples "My Kinda' Lover," "Lonely Is The Night," "Everybody Wants You," "the Big Beat," "You Should Be High Love," and many more.
There's nothing like great guitar fused with piercing vocals and Billy puts them all together so very well. If you've never seen Billy, and want to get your rock'n'roll adrenalin pumping, go see his show.
The New Economy: More Startups, Fewer Giants, Infinite Opportunity
From Wired Magazine's Chris AndersonI highly recommend this article to all. Another great piece by Wired's chief, Chris Anderson.
Read how the new economy will emerge out of the ashes of the old, and why so many opportunities abound for so many new, smaller companies.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Sony Catalog Comes To Amie Street -- With Fine Print
Sony Music Entertainment's catalog is coming to indie music retail site Amie Street, in the New York-based start-up's first major label deal.
But here's the catch: Sony's catalog will not be participating in the "dynamic pricing" model that's been Amie Street's trademark -- unpopular songs are the cheapest, and the price rises as a song is downloaded more. Instead, Sony songs will be available for a flat 69 cents, 99 cents, or $1.29 based on popularity.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Auditor Finds Problems With Arbitron's People Meter
Dow JonesI've received dozens of e-mails from readers in the past year, most of them from very concerned label promotion people, who have told me how Arbitron's People Meters ratings were hurting chances for new music exposure at stations. (Basically, another "shot themselves in the foot" for radio, which most likely overreacted to the People Meter the same way they misused callout research all too often)
Now, an independent media ratings auditor has found "persistent problems" with Arbitron's Portable People Meter that tracks radio audiences, according to the House Oversight Committee and its Chairman Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y.
According to the Oversight Committee, the Media Rating Council reports that Arbitron consistently undercounts minority populations across the country. In New York City, for example, Arbitron undercounted Hispanic and African American populations by several percentage points, it said. The rating council also says Arbitron's sample sizes were "unacceptably low" to accurately measure minority audiences' listening habits, according to the committee.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Trade That Old iPod For Cash
Getting tired of that old iPod, Bunky? You say you'd love to get one of the new ones? Then listen up!
Gazelle.com pays customers for used electronics -- everything from BlackBerrys to digital cameras to cell phones. And they'll recycle your clunkers for free. Four-year-old laptops can fetch as much as $200, and fourth-generation iPods can score nearly $100.
Read more about it by clicking here.
10 Websites To Help You Navigate The New World Of Music
Yes, the online world of music is abundant with websites. Check out CNN's list of 10 sites that offer everything from subscription service (ugh) to free streaming, social music and more.
SPECIAL NOTE: One of the newest streaming websites not covered in the CNN article, is the one I listen to almost every night while I'm online. It's a virtual library of almost everything you could possibly want to hear by almost any artist. Just type in the name of the song and away you go. It's www.grooveshark.com and it's my favorite
Read more about it by clicking here.
TV Sets Shape Up As Web Battleground
The Wall Street JournalImprovements in TV sets are making it feasible to run Web applications on a TV without the need for a special set-top box, such as those offered by TiVo or Apple. That opens up a whole new role for the living-room television set.
Despite the reluctance of elements of the entertainment industry, tech companies are building chips and Web browsers for TVs. Plus, Yahoo, Adobe Systems and others are developing Web applications that can be accessed on these next generation TV sets. Vizio, for example, will have Wi-Fi enabled TV sets with screens measuring 42 inches or bigger on the market by November. Included will be a remote control with a full keyboard.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Analyst: Accounting Change Apple's Gain
FortuneUnder new accounting rules approved Wednesday, Apple's 2009 reported earnings could increase by a whopping 44%, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.
Apple apparently wouldn't be required to switch to the new accounting method until Dec. 2010, but Munster expects the company will start as soon as possible -- most likely with the new fiscal year that begins next week. Yet, it's also possible that the impact of the rule changes have already been factored into Apple's share price. Indeed, the stock closed Wednesday at $185.50, having soared 137% over the past eight months.
Read more about it by clicking here.
THE BEATLES BAIL OUT EMI BIG TIME
Another update on the remastered Beatles albums: The Beatles sold more than 2.25 million copies of the EMI Music re-mastered albums (and box sets) so far.
R&R HALL OF FAME NOMS
The ballot for next year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees has been made public. The Red Hot Chili Peppers and LL Cool J, who both made the ballot in their first year of eligibility, are joined by Kiss, Genesis, the Stooges, Laura Nyro, the Chantels, the Hollies, Donna Summer, ABBA, Darlene Love and Jimmy Cliff. The final list of inductees -- decided by the 500 voters receiving ballots -- will be announced in January, and the ceremony will take place March 15 at N.Y.'s Waldorf Astoria.
TIMBERLAKE DOES CELLULOID AGAIN
Justin Timberlake, who picked up an Emmy Sunday night for his SNL appearance, has landed another high-profile film role, this time as Napster co-founder and Facebook president Sean Parker in David Fincher's "The Social Network."
OH. NO, YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME THIS STARTED?
Between their catalog reissues and Rock Band, it seemed like the Beatles were bigger than Jesus this past month -- and now Google has confirmed it. According to the search engine's stats, queries for the Fab Four outnumbered those for Jesus, the Telegraph in the UK reports. (Source: http://tinyurl.com/mp5r6a )
NEW MICHAEL JACKSON SONG ON THE WAY
Sony Music Entertainment has announced that a new Michael Jackson song, entitled "This Is It," will be released as a single on Oct. 12th. The song -- which features backing vocals by Michael's brothers, the Jacksons -- is part of a two-disc album of music inspired by the upcoming "This Is It" film, which chronicles Jackson's final days rehearsing for his comeback concerts before his death.
BLOCKBUSTER CLOSING 1,000 STORES
If you haven't read it elsewhere, Blockbuster recently announced they are closing close to 1,000 stores. One big reason? Netflix. And now Netflix has announced it is hoping to bring its video-streaming service to Sony's PlayStation 3, Nintendo's Wii and Apple's iPhone.
CHICKENFOOT DVD
Chickenfoot's debut is getting a deluxe re-release in the U.K. next month that features a DVD of live footage, interviews and the supergroup's two music videos,
TICK-TOCK, THE AC/DC CLOCK
I have no idea what AC/DC will be announcing on September 29th, but a countdown clock has appeared on the band's official Website (http://www.acdcbacktracks.com/us/home ), ticking down the hours until then.
CLAPTON AND BECK
Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck are going to rock together again in 2010. The pair announced they'll take the stage at London's O2 Arena on February 13th, 2010 at a joint concert that promises to be epic. (And I'm sure we'll see a DVD out of it.)
Quotes of the week
"By putting the needs and desires of consumers first, the band is breaking new records around the world more than four decades after they first started recording. All of us at EMI Music are very proud to have been a part of this exciting project and to have delivered an insightful and globally executed marketing plan."
-- EMI CEO Elio Leoni-Sceti. (Well, if you REALLY want to put "the needs and desires of consumers first," Elio, get the Beatles catalog on iTunes and every other online store as soon as possible and stop gloating over the CD sales that increased your market share 10% percent )"I would put you through to the next round."
-- New Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres, after Jennifer Aniston sang a few bars of "I've Got a Crush on You," on The Ellen DeGeneres Show"Jacked up to Jesus."
-- Reba McEntire, reminiscing about how she used to do her hair, on The Bonnie Hunt Show"Simon has placed himself as far away from Los Angeles on Emmy night as possible, just in case I happen to get lucky enough to win one."
-- Ryan Seacrest, on why his Idol costar will not be at Sunday's Emmy Awards, to eonline.com"I had this amazing Alexander McQueen purse with brass knuckles on it ..."
-- Pink, on why she wishes she had been onstage during Kanye West's VMA interruption, on Today
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Nadir Of Western Civilization To Be Reached This Friday At 3:32 P.M.
WASHINGTON-An international panel of leading anthropologists, cultural critics, biologists, and social theorists announced this week that Western civilization will reach its lowest conceivable point at 3:32 p.m. Friday.
"From the prehistoric Lascaux cave paintings to the stirring symphonies of Mozart to today's hot-dog eating competitions and action films with comical gerbils, culture has descended into a festering pool of mass ignorance," said Yale sociologist Paul Riordan, who has spent his career analyzing western civilization's fall into the depths of depravity. "If our calculations are correct, this complete erosion of all that is enlightened and unique will reach absolute rock bottom on the afternoon of Sept. 25, 2009."
Added Riordan, "It is scientifically impossible for civilization to sink any lower than it will this Friday."
Read the rest here and laugh: http://tinyurl.com/myj579.
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