-
The Internet: The Yin And The Yang
August 27, 2010
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
"I was having lunch with a very dear friend of mine [in the record business] sometime around 2000. We met right around the time when Napster came together, and I said 'There are opportunities and there are potholes. How are you preparing for a digital future?' He said to me, 'Jac, I just want it to go away.' Well, you can't continue that conversation."
-- Jac Holzman, the man who founded Elektra Records, now a senior advisor to the Warner Music Group (Source: 'Music Tech Guru Says Web Is Not The Enemy' on Cnet.com, http://tinyurl.com/2vpj9pn )Jac Holzman has some very smart things to say about the Internet, but we'll get to that in just a bit.
First: John Mellencamp, always one to never hold back what he's thinking, talked about the Internet last week at the Grammy Museum and said, "I think the Internet is the most dangerous thing invented since the atomic bomb. It's destroyed the music business. It's going to destroy the movie business." (Source: http://tinyurl.com/22r8enq )
Mellencamp warned (sounding like a character right out of Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelov"' in my opinion), "some smart people, the China-Russians or something" may have already conquered America by hacking into the power grid and financial system." (Gee, the lyrics from Buffalo Springfield's classic "For What It's Worth" just came to mind: "Paranoia strikes deep, Into your life it will creep, It starts when you're always afraid...")
Perhaps Mellencamp should ask Eminem how exactly the Internet has affected sales of his new album "Recovery' which has already sold more than two million, and is well on its way to three million. (And it leaked online before it went on sale.) Perhaps he should ask Taylor Swift the same question. Then Lady GaGa. Then Lady Antebellum. Then Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. Then Susan Boyle. Then Justin Bieber. Then The Black Eyed Peas. Then Carrie Underwood. And so on, and so on.
Yes, all those artist (and more) might have sold more without the Internet, but the fact they've sold millions when anybody can download almost everything for free (including music not even for sale online, like The Beatles), and millions are doing it everyday, shows there are a respectable number of artists selling in multi-Platinum quantities. And yes, maybe not as many as before the Internet. But then again, maybe the albums selling more are just so much better than other albums out at retail and people aren't buying CDs with just one or two hit songs anymore.
Mellencamp went on saying ""Rock 'n' roll -- as important as we think it is, and as big as it was, and as much money as people made on it, and as proud as I am to say that I was part of it -- at the end of the day, they're gonna say: 'Yeah, there was this band called the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones, and this guy named Bob Dylan ... And the rest of us? We're just gonna be footnotes. And I think that that's okay. I'm happy to have spent my life doing what I wanted to do, playing music, make something out of life, but forgetting about the idea of legacy."
(Dear John: Those artists that will be footnotes will be those artists who should be footnotes because their contributions to "Rock'n'Roll" aren't as meaningful as others. But the legacies will be longer than the Beatles, Stones, and Dylan. By the way, I think you forgot to mention a guy named Elvis Presley. I think he has a legacy as well)
While Mellencamp is obviously distressed by what the Internet has done, Jac Holzman has an altogether different viewpoint. "I think the music industry has a bright future," he says in the CNet article I referenced above. Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. sought him out, hired him as a senior adviser, and sees value in the context Holzman can provide. "I love the way Jac approaches the intersection of music and technology--through the lens of opportunity," Bronfman said.
While Holzman sees the opportunities of the Web, he also might be a bit too optimistic in his assessment of how other labels in the industry now feel. ""I don't think anybody is afraid anymore. I'm looking at all the labels, and I know them all and I've sat down with all their digital guys. Everybody is embracing digital technology, but they're just trying to figure out how to make it work for them."
I hope Jac is right, because right now I don't see any major labels "embracing" digital technology. I see them struggling to create models that can generate the types of revenues major labels need to have to exist in any meaningful size and matter. It seems that there are more independent labels embracing technology than major labels. More new artists than many existing ones, doing the same.
An Internet advocate for years, Jeff Tweedy said ""We live in a connected world now. Some find that frightening. If people are downloading our music, they're listening to it. The Internet is like radio for us."
And in Wilco's case, and in the case of dozens of other independent artists and labels, the Internet has been their "radio" that has exposed their music as many people as possible globally.
A global audience available to all online. How is that a bad thing?
Those that view it negatively have yet to see the possibilities of what can be done with vision and innovation.
-------------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
A GREAT ARTICLE ABOUT A GREAT A&R MAN
My old friend Stephen Peeples was the editorial manager in the press and artist relations department at Capitol Records when I worked there in national promotion.
Stephen and I recently reconnected on Facebook, and he's now the Online Editor and entertainment columnist for the Santa Clarita Valley's Signal newspaper. As we were chatting online, Stephen told me he was going to write an article about longtime Capitol engineer/producer/A&R exec John Palladino, who we both were privileged to work with back then, now 90 years old and visiting the Capitol Records Studios as part of on ongoing history project,
I told Stephen briefly about the miracles John had done for us in the promotion department, and how he obtained the nickname "Mr. Snips." John edited many of our long album cuts on a variety of artists we needed to break at Top 40 radio, by giving us a single no longer than three minutes and 30 seconds. It was the RKO radio chain mandate back then that spread everywhere, so Top 40 stations could play more hits per hour and also sell more advertising. Our online conversation about it all became a part of his article.
Paul McCartney, Bob Seger, Steve Miller and Little River Band were just some of the artists John Palladino helped garner major radio play with his magical edits. It might sound like it's easy to take a long song like Paul McCartney's album version of "Band On The Run" and make it a single to fit those time requirements, but it's not at all. But John did that song and others justice, and many of us never could never tell how he did it.
The article is also glimpse back into a small part of the past of the record business back then. A time when promotion people could call upon great A&R men like John to help create the vehicles (hit singles) that facilitated breaking an artist via a hit single.
John Palladino is a legendary A&R man, and working with him was one of the greatest experiences I had in the music industry.
You can read Stephen's article 'They called him 'Mr.Snips' here: http://tinyurl.com/29sbbzn
-------------------------------
THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
THE iPAD IN THE WORKPLACE
Long before the dawn of the iPad, tablet talk usually centered around the same questions: Who would use such a device, and for what purposes? But, no more. Apple's "tablet-style device seems to be sidestepping the resistance that the iPhone and other consumer-oriented devices have faced in the corporate environment," according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. (Source: http://tinyurl.com/29wjnls )
"Indeed, many businesses have raced to snap up iPads." Apple, which said it sold more than three million iPads through the end of June, attributes at least some of the device's success to businesses, according to The Journal. In July, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said that "very surprisingly" half of the Fortune 100 are testing or deploying iPads. Helping its cause, more than 500 of the 11,000-plus applications built specifically for the iPad are in the business category, according to The Journal. One free app from Citrix Systems, which lets users access Internal corporate programs directly from the iPad, has already been downloaded more than 145,000 times
-------------------------------
ON A PERSONAL NOTE...
I was saddened to receive the news this week that a legendary promotion man, Merv Amols, passed away.
I had the privilege of working with Merv when I was on the Capitol Records promotion team. If you knew Merv, you were lucky. The enthusiasm and energy he displayed when promoting his music was endless. It was because that energy was so much a part of his trademark in promotion, at a Capitol Convention we officially nicknamed him "Amols Nitrate" and gave him a T-shirt with those words printed across the front in big bold letters. He wore that T-shirt the very next day and many days after, always proud to carry his records into a station with the same fierce zeal time after time.
Perhaps Merv's greatest claim to fame was that he was the one who hired Al Coury, who later became Capitol's VP of Promotion and Artist Development (and the man who gave me my shot in promotion) before becoming the president of RSO Records during the era of "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease." Al talks about Merv's passing and his memories of his first days at Capitol with Merv in a YouTube video that was posted this week here: http://tinyurl.com/26722lu
There's a whole bunch of people paying tribute to Merv online, and you can get more information on this Facebook page as well: http://tinyurl.com/2fgobfj
And Now For Some News ...
Pandora Adds Genre Stations
READWRITEWEBPopular music engine Pandora has debuted station-creation based on musical genres, instead of just bands or songs, reports ReadWriteWeb.
"With the new feature, you don't need to think of the type of music you want to hear, pick the band you think best represents that music, and then hope that Pandora feels the same way. Instead, Pandora will let you choose from more than 100 channels and 'micro-genre stations,' which the company say are already a big hit." According to Pandora, channels like "Today's Country" and "Today's Hip Hop and Pop Hits" are already on the top 100 "most frequently listened to stations" on the site. But, don't worry. The channels will still allow for personalization with the familiar "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" buttons letting users shape the type of music they want to hear.
Michael Zapruder, a "senior music curator" with Pandora, tells ReadWriteWeb that the feature has been the subject of many requests.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Coalition Asks Supreme Court To Consider File-Sharers as "Innocent Infringers"
MEDIAPOSTA coalition of law professors and other attorneys are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider whether people who share music over peer-to-peer networks can be considered "innocent infringers." If the Supreme Court ultimately agrees with that argument, file-sharers could still be liable for copyright infringement, but with damages of only $200 per infringement rather than the current minimum of $750.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Things Change Dept: Landline Phones And TV Sets No Longer Essential
POST-GAZETTE.COM"A new Social & Demographic Trends survey by the Pew Research Center shows that landline phones and TVs aren't the necessities they once were for younger Americans. Just 42% of Americans say that TV sets are essential; just 3 in 10 believe this in the 18-29 age range. For landline phones, 62% of Americans -- down from 68% last year -- believe landline phones are something they could not do without."
The study credits changes in technology, rather than the poor economy, for these shifts. (Yet another study shows TV Internet viewers have doubled in the past year: http://tinyurl.com/2dwuvo2)
The Pew Research Center analysis of government data shows that just 74% of U.S. households now have a landline phone, down from a peak of 97% in 2001. During roughly the same time period, use of cell phones has soared: 82% of adults now use them.
Read more about it by clicking here.
The Top 10 Beatle Songs
ROLLING STONEHere's a sneak peek at Rolling Stone magazine's new Collectors Issue of "The Greatest Band's 100 Greatest Songs" with the Top-10 listed in photos and interesting facts about each song as well. Can you guess what #1 is?
(And still no Beatles songs for sale at iTunes or elsewhere online)
Read more about it by clicking here.
TicketMaster Announces Full Disclosure Pricing
TICKETOLOGYTicketMaster has announced Full Disclosure Pricing, a new three-day refund policy and the debut of an official blog called Ticketology.
In the past, consumers weren't privy to the full price - including all of the additional charges - per ticket when buying ducats from Ticketmaster until late in the process. Now, those fees will be disclosed up front. The first post on Ticketology goes into full detail about the new arrangement
Read more about it by clicking here.
"Darkness" Deluxe Package And A Sneak Peek At The Documentary
ROLLING STONEColumbia Records will release Bruce Springsteen's "The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story" on Nov 16th. The Deluxe Package comprises over six hours of film and more than two hours of audio across three CDs and three DVDs. The media contents are packaged within an 80-page notebook containing facsimiles from Springsteen's original notebooks from the recording sessions, which include alternate lyrics, song ideas, recording details, and personal notes in addition to a new essay by Springsteen and never-before-seen photographs.
You can read about the entire package and all it contains here: http://tinyurl.com/2b2uh26
You can view a three-and-a-half minute sneak peek trailer from the 90-minute documentary, "The Promise: The Making of 'Darkness on the Edge of Town,'" here: http://tinyurl.com/2a7txk2
Student Appeals $67,500 Judgment For Downloading
BOSTONGLOBEConvicted file-swapper Joel Tenenbaum has appealed a 90% reduction in the amount of damages he was ordered by a jury to pay the major record labels for sharing 30 songs online. A federal judge's order said that he should pay four record labels $67,500 in damages for illegally downloading music, even though the amount is only a tenth of what a jury said he should pay for copyright infringement on the songs.
Want more evidence that the RIAA wastes the industry's time and money? Here it is: Cara Duckworth - a spokeswoman for the Recording Industry Association of America, a Washington-based trade group that represents the record labels - said in a statement yesterday that the labels "had no choice but to appeal the erroneous and unprecedented decision" by Gertner on July 9 to slash the award by 9%.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Virgin Launches Contract-Free Unlimited Mobile Broadband
Sprint's Virgin Mobile announced on Tuesday an overhaul of its Broadband2Go mobile broadband service. The carrier plans to offer a new contract-free, unlimited mobile broadband plan for $40 per month, and Virgin Mobile will also phase out most of its current tiered mobile data plans.
The new broadband plans will be available for purchase online Wednesday, and will roll out to retail stores in the coming weeks. Virgin Mobile's announcement comes when the trend among mobile carriers is to control data consumption through tiered plans for both cell phone and mobile broadband access.
Read more about it by clicking here.
APPLE ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING:
Apple has invited members of the media to a "special event" on Sept. 1st, with an invite featuring an acoustic guitar sporting an Apple logo-shaped sound hole, at which it is expected to introduce new music and perhaps TV-focused products.
UMG GETS ANNIE:
Annie Lennox has a new label. Lennox has signed a long-term worldwide deal with Universal Music Group.
HEAVY METAL INDEED:
Iron Maiden scored their fourth #1 album, and first since 1992, as the band's 15th album "The Final Frontier" landed atop of the U.K. album charts.
LESTER DONATES BEATLES FILM STUFF:
Richard Lester, the director of The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!", is donating his personal archives from working on both films and his other works to the British film museum BFI. The archives include never-before-seen photographs from the set, the original shooting scripts and more.
PAGE BIO:
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page will release his first official autobiography, titled "Jimmy Page," on September 27th.
SHAZAM INDEED:
Mobile music identification service Shazam is now adding one million new users every week, the company said in announcing its 10th anniversary.
HAITI SEZ NO-GO FOR WYCLEF:
Haiti's electoral board has denied Wyclef Jean's candidacy for president. The decision, confirmed this week, was not explained.
GAGA BEATS BRITNEY:
Lady Gaga has officially surpasses Britney Spears for the title of Most Followers on Twitter: At press time, Gaga has over 5.743 million Little Monsters following her account, while Spears currently has 5.704 million followers.
PASSING:
Kenny Edwards, an original member of the Stone Poneys country-rock band and longtime collaborator with singer-songwriters Linda Ronstadt and Karla Bonoff, has died in Santa Barbara, CAat age 64. A statement on his website says he died Wednesday (Aug. 19). The Los Angeles Times reports Edwards was hospitalized earlier this month in Denver after collapsing while on tour with Bonoff.
PASSING:
Michael Been, the former leader of The Call, passed away of cardiac arrest a week ago in Hasselt, Belgium, following a performance by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the Pukkelpop Music Festival. He was just 60.
PASSING:
Songwriter George David Weiss, who helped pen such hits as The Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," passed away of natural causes at his New Jersey home at the age of 89. Weiss was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984.
The Music Industry Past, Present & Future, And The Internet I answer questions on EconTalk
I did an interview about the industry and the Internet at EconTalk with host Russ Roberts. Russ is also a professor of economics at George Mason University, blogs at Cafe Hayek, and has written three novels that teach economics. He's also the co-creator of the Keynes-Hayek rap video. (And if your understanding of the economic meltdown that occurred needs to be enlightened, this video will do it)
In the interview we talk about the evolution of the music industry, the impact of the digital revolution, and I give my reasons for believing in the virtues and potential of the Internet in enhancing the music industry. I point out, as I have many times here in the newsletter, that the internet allows numerous artists to make money from their music and it can enhance revenues from live performances by expanding an artist's base. We also discuss the challenges facing record companies and I suggest that the full potential of the Internet as a distribution channel has yet to be fully exploited. There's a lot of ground covered, but based on the comments already posted of those who have tuned in, they've enjoyed it.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Quotes of the week
"People think pop is rock, and the lines are getting blurred. Now Rihanna's wearing f- leather jackets, and it's really annoying."
-- Taylor Momsen, dissing the pop star and her style, to Spin magazine. (You're annoying, Taylor)"I am Armenian, so of course I am obsessed with laser hair removal! Arms, bikini, legs, underarms ... my entire body is hairless."
-- Kim Kardashian, revealing her beauty secrets, to Allure magazine."It's obvious that whenever anybody ever thinks of hip-hop or rap, they think of 'Chelsea Lately.'"
-- Chelsea Handler, on hosting MTV's Video Music Awards, to The New York Times"One second ago I was the youngest person on the set, and now I'm the oldest. I don't know how that happened. I'm so old, my joints hurt when I keep my legs crossed a certain way for too long ... I can't see far. I can't see close."
-- Courteney Cox, on what happened in the 15 years from "Friends" to "Cougar Town," to Emmy magazine. (Uh, it's called getting older, Courtney. And neither you or any of your Hollywood friends can escape it)
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Hollywood Rangers To Manage Overpopulation Problem By Killing Off 1,200 Celebrities
HOLLYWOOD, CA-Calling current population levels "wildly unsustainable," rangers from the Federal Bureau of Celebrity Conservation announced this week their plan to eliminate some 1,200 celebrities from the Hollywood region.
While FBCC sources said the number of indigenous celebrities in the region has been increasing steadily since the 1950s, rangers said the past decade in particular has seen an alarming spike in the population due to the rampant spawning of celebrities via the Internet and reality television, leaving the agency no recourse but targeted exterminations.
Under the terms of the program, a corps of rangers is patrolling a 30-mile radius centered on the Sunset Strip and has begun to find and eliminate celebrities. At press time, some 20 stars, including Paul Sorvino, Billy Crudup, American Idol winner David Cook, and Khloé Karadashian had been killed and placed in special disposal bins for incineration.
Read the rest here and laugh: Click Here.
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!)
-
-