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Bad News ... The Remedy: Better Albums
January 21, 2011
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"Unlike in the CD era, there is no one-size-fits-all music consumption channel. Looking at the "many to many" channels of exposing, distributing and selling music, the opportunities are broader than ever, from one standpoint. But on the flipside, the very many opportunities of the industry are also its main challenges, a potential "catch-22" situation. Given the consumer engagement covered in this report, the various music exposure and consumption channels will be played together, with the view to optimize the marketing mix and the channel mix. At stake, it is not only about maximizing the share of ear, but also the share of wallet."
-- From the Nielsen Music study "Digital music consumption and digital music access -- More music available, in a prolific ecosystem: the hyper-fragmented market" (You can download the report at the Midem site here: http://tiny.cc/voe6n )The above referenced Nielsen Music study reports that fewer than 20% of Internet users worldwide pay for downloads of individual songs, and even fewer pay for downloads of full albums. It also says the most popular means of accessing music online is watching a music video; the second-most popular is illegal downloading. Nielsen's data also shows that Internet users are three times more likely to watch a music video online than purchase a legal download of a song.
Couple that with the news in the Wall Street Journal that "the Billboard 200 album-sales chart just registered a dubious distinction: "The No. 1 position was held by an album that sold fewer CDs and downloads than any predecessor since at least 1991, when accurate weekly tallies first became available. The 44,000 units sold by the band Cake's sixth album, "Showroom of Compassion," marked the second week in a row that the No. 1 album notched a new low-water mark." (Source: http://tiny.cc/vna4f ) That news might be enough to send a whole lot of music executives running for the shelter of their doctor's little helper (apologies to the Rolling Stones for the poetic license).
But before anyone writes another article about the end of the music industry (and the industry will survive, albeit in a completely different manner) one must also look at the music out there right now and then do a more thorough analysis of what artists are actually tallying the big sales numbers. Yes, sales are down, but did anyone in the music industry expect Cake to explode at retail in big numbers? Cake?
Okay, that still means things are bad because Taylor Swift is now #3 on the Billboard Album Chart, so that means she sold even less than that, right? Yes. But how many has Taylor sold to date in a very short period of time? How many singles has she had out from the album? How many albums has Eminem sold to date? Last September he had already passed 2.3 million sold. By now, he's well over 3 million and maybe he's done 4 million. And yes again, those sales might be down from the lofty heights of previous years in the business, but the fact remains, HITS will sell in big numbers even with the illegal file-sharing.
I hope that all those currently writing articles about how bad things are in the music industry will also report the first week's sales when the new Lady GaGa album hits retail. I think her numbers the first week will be a whole lot different than these past two weeks. And yeah, she's a mega-star and that's expected. But Lady GaGa, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and others are all selling at Platinum or multi-Platinum sales levels. What do they all have in common? Great albums with more than one or two hit tracks. Great albums that people can play all the way through before they listen to the next "Now That's What I Call Music" CD collection of hit songs from a whole lot of artists whose CDs they don't want to buy because their albums aren't that good.
I know, it sounds too simple. Things are different today and no matter what, sales will still decline because of the Internet. If the industry at large accepts that fate without believing that the quality of the music can generate not only more sales but more loyal music consumers, then the industry at large might as well go off life-support.
Things are bad. But one need only look at a whole lot of the music on the charts and listen to a whole bunch of what's on the radio. How much of it do you want to buy?
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FRIDAY MUSIC ... A TALK WITH THE HEAD OF A SUCCESSFUL INDEPENDENT LABEL
A true success story at a time when the industry is facing its biggest challenges.
I first met Joe Reagoso when I interviewed him for a promotion job at MCA Records in the mid-'80s. I hired him, and he stayed with MCA seven years before leaving to work for Atlantic Records and EastWest, and then RCA. He returned to MCA in the late '90s (I was long gone) and launched his own label Friday Music in 2001. Today, Friday Music is one of the industry's most successful independently owned labels and has an extensive catalog of Classic Rock re-issues and as well as new music Joe has secured from some of the industry's heritage artists.
I thought it was time to talk to Joe about his label, and how one man's commitment to hard work -- coupled with his passion for the music -- has resulted in making Friday Music so successful. And oh yeah, we talk about the vinyl thing.
Q: When did you start Friday Music, and what gave you the idea to do so?
JR: In early 2003 Friday Music was born, but this whole idea of having my own record company had been floating around inside my head since the second or third grade. I always had dreamed up these elaborate album covers on my notebooks with imaginary bands with a lot of guys with beards that looked like John Lennon and Frank Zappa. This later transpired into me having my first garage band. One time we played in the fifth grade classroom -- we did "Let's Work Together" by Wilbert Harrison. I was nuts for the music.
Stepping it up from the '80s to 2003, as you know, I worked for all of the major labels like yourself for a number of years: MCA, RCA, Atlantic, etc., so it kind of was always bouncing around in my brain, and I knew that my own label would eventually become a reality. I just didn't know when to make the jump since my promotion career and helping to break music was a good one. But there was always something inside else telling me there were better things ahead.
Q: Was the thought of starting your own label daunting?
JR: In 2002 I had gone to see some Yes shows in Philly (not even thinking that we would be making Yes albums a few years later). I looked at the audience comprised of all generations -- kids to older folks -- each of them had albums, CDs, T-shirts, box-sets, posters, books, you name it. If it wasn't nailed down, they bought everything in sight and it dawned on me: this is your next thing ... a classic rock label. Classic rock has withstood the test of time, and the audiences are very loyal, and let's face it, classic rock will never die. So I went home after that one concert, took out the old yellow notebook pad and a pencil, and started to think about and put together a list of my favorite albums that weren't available on compact disc at the time.
It was a daunting task, but I was never a quitter, and I realized this was going to be for the long term, so I stuck with it. Before you knew it, we had our first number of releases, which were received rather warmly by retailers and consumers, and these good folks have helped us become a lasting entity to this day. It forced me to move the operation to the West Coast, where it was a very tough run for a number of years. I spent my own money to invest in my resources, and believe me there were a lot of valleys, but anyone will tell you in our industry it's not an easy thing to do this, and even more so today. But, I love music. It's always been in my life. I cannot imagine a world without music.
Q: How much of your time is spent doing all the negotiations necessary to secure the titles you want to release?
JR: Throughout the years working in the industry, I developed many contacts and relationships with artists, artist managers and labels. Every deal is unique. Sometimes deals can be made in days and sometimes it takes as much as a year or longer.
Q: Who distributes Friday Music here in the U.S.? Internationally?
JR: Our great friends at the ADA/Warner Music Group distribute Friday Music worldwide, except for Canada, which is handled by the wonderful folks at Universal Music Group.
Q: Do you spend time in the studio with your reissues?
JR: All the time. These albums are my children. I spend a lot of time and resources developing our product at Friday Music, and in selected studios around the country. We work with the best sound resources available to create the final article.
I constantly go back to certain albums and CDs for various reasons ... mostly inspiration ... and just to sit back and smile, knowing they are my favorite albums being re-released for everyone to enjoy again. We hit the motherlode lately with the 180 Gram vinyl Friday Music releases which include the first Boston album, Journey' 'Escape' album, Meat Loaf's 'Bat Out Of Hell', Deep Purple 'Made In Japan', Jeff Beck 'Blow By Blow' and Boz Scaggs' 'Silk Degrees.' These were all very pivotal albums for each of these artists and for their fans. I can recall many times people telling me that 'Silk Degrees' was their favorite album growing up or that "Don't Stop Believing" is their favorite song. I am in the world of providing impeccable music and great memories to our customers, but they in turn inspire me to keep delivering for them.
I go back and listen to a number of albums and CDs and I listen a lot in the car to a suite of things in the changer like maybe the recent Carole King 'Writer' remaster, or three new Santana remasters we just released. If I am in a hard rock mode, then I break out the Deep Purple remasters, the fantastic Mr. Big 'Lean Into It' or David Lee Roth's remasters. There is so much great music we've been working with now for almost a decade, it's difficult for me to pick favorites, because I love them all.
Q: Once you have secured a title, how long is it before it's ready for release?
JR: It depends. It has to sound great, look correct, feel and smell like it did when it was originally released (collectors know what I am talking about), and the market timing has a lot to do with it, but I like to get the music out there as fast as I can. I spend a lot of time proofing and there is redundant listening or editing, there is always work to do. But then again, I love to see the Friday Music brand out there with the classic works of Journey, Heart, Deep Purple, Santana, Yes, Billy Joel, Boz Scaggs, all done properly and sounding and looking great. It can only be that way. It means the world to me to get these absolutely as impeccable as they can be.
Q: When did you start reissuing titles on vinyl ... and is the process of choosing titles to release on vinyl different from that of CDs?
JR: We started our first vinyl release with the multi-platinum 'Minute By Minute' by The Doobie Brothers. That was my favorite album from 1978 and my favorite band from my college days, so I thought if I was going to endeavor into the audiophile domain, I would start with something that meant a lot to me. That's always been my philosophy with every release Friday Music develops. I try to pick great music that people remember, or maybe need to be reintroduced to, and before you know it, you have your next set of releases in the marketplace. But the ones that kicked this vinyl world into full gear for the company would be Yes' 'Close To The Edge', Jeff Beck's 'Blow By Blow' and Alice Cooper's 'School's Out.'
Q: Vinyl record stores are sprouting up all over the country; have your vinyl sales shown steady increase?
JR: The Who sang it, "The Kids Are Alright!" You know, Steve, it isn't just the collectors or older demos, the kids are buying vinyl now and they love the classic rockers and head bangers. I aim to please these astute rockers with our catalog of treasure troves for rockers of all ages. It's a badge of honor to have a limited edition release of their favorite artist on vinyl. A lot of the young guitar shredders are gravitating towards the legends, and we have those iconic albums from Jeff Beck, Ritchie Blackmore from Deep Purple, Steve Howe of Yes with 'Close To The Edge', 'Relayer', Kerry Livgren with Kansas and their game-changing 'Leftoverture'. Some very heavy stuff indeed.
Q: Why do you think vinyl is reconnecting with so many music consumers?
JR: Because it sounds great, it looks great, it feels and smells great, its real, its comfort food for the ears and soul. It's a non-fatigue listen, and it's warm. I recently sat down with some non-industry folks, and played them some future things on test pressings we had. We listened to Journey, Meat Loaf, Billy Joel, Quiet Riot, Gerry Rafferty (may he rest in peace), Poison, Deep Purple, Chicago, Boz Scaggs, and they all commented, these sound incredible! People would say I never heard Heart's 'Dreamboat Annie' sound so great, you know things like that.
Q: Is there any one genre of music that sells more on vinyl?
JR: Hard Rock, Progressive and Classic Rock all do seemingly well. Even the Blues are well received. I am always dabbling with things, but if it's a great album of any of the popular genres and I dig it, I will do my best to make it available. If I could convince enough business to come my way, I would even release Ferrante and Teicher, Andy Williams, Jackie Gleason for those audiences. I dig all kinds of music.
Q: So do you believe vinyl will continue to increase in sales and remain as a format?
JR: If you look at rankings for 2010, it was actually up overall over other physical formats, in double digits! For Friday Music our CDs are selling more, too. I admit I get a little freaked out when I hear from people who aren't hip to many of the great online stores, or well-stocked brick and mortar accounts, that the CD is over. Many of our Friday Music customers still want their music in the physical format, and we continue to fulfill their ears and hearts with great music.
Q: Is there different considerations for mastering old titles when considering them for vinyl release?
JR: I try to release music so it sounds exactly like it did when you purchased it years ago. We work from the original record company tapes or from the artist's own archives. I know the albums inside out, so our Friday Music customer knows they are getting the best quality available. Even our album covers are made with extreme craft and I make sure we use the original album cover graphics. When it comes to our CDs, I try to include an album cover feel in the CD folder or digipak, so it feels likes it's the real thing.
Q: Do you get feedback from consumers about vinyl?
JR: Yes, and it's usually thanks for putting out my favorite group or revisiting a particular album again. Many fans never threw out their old record collections or turntables, so there is a need for what we are doing, but it has to be authentic.
Q: How many titles does Friday Music currently have in its catalog? How many are on vinyl?
JR: There are several hundred titles in the catalog, and it continues to grow.
Q: What are some of your best selling titles?
JR: I mentioned some already: Boston, Journey all the Yes titles we have, Billy Joel's 'An Innocent Man', 'Glass Houses' all his stuff, the Alice Cooper and Deep Purple vinyls, America 'Horse With No Name', Don McLean's 'American Pie', everything does pretty well on the vinyl side. The rhythm & blues things like Boz Scaggs, Muddy Waters and Solomon Burke have been doing nice business, too. The fusion stuff like Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin does pretty well. A lot of our compact discs in the catalog continue to get solid sales: David Lee Roth, Toto, Deep Purple, Al Jarreau, Boz Scaggs, Johnny Winter, Hall and Oates, the late great Dan Fogelberg remasters.
Q: What are some of your future release?
JR: The next couple of months you will see some very legendary vinyl masterpieces from: Heart 'Dreamboat Annie', Chicago 'Chicago VI', Eric Johnson 'Ah Via Musicom', Grand Funk Railroad 'We're An American Band' on the gold vinyl! ( I believe you worked this at radio!), REO Speedwagon 'Hi Infidelity', The Best of Booker T. & The M.G.s', Journey 'Infinity', Jefferson Airplane 'The Worst Of Jefferson Airplane', Quicksilver Messenger Service 'Anthology', etc.
Plus a plethora of remastered CDs from Al Jarreau 'L Is For Lover/The Deluxe Edition', Gregory Abbot 'Shake You Down/25th Anniversary Edition', three new Santana 30th Anniversary Editions with Zebop!, Shango and The Swing Of Delight, another fine Johnny Winter collection from his own archives 'Live Bootleg Volume 7', a real nice Jefferson Starship two-fer of 'Freedom At Point Zero' and 'Winds Of Change' with bonus tracks, Yes 'Yesshows' and '90125' .A lot of these recordings haven't been available domestically for years, so I am honored to be the conduit to our Friday Music customer base.
Q: It's obvious you are optimistic about the future of Friday Music and the industry overall ... any last thoughts?
JR: I am humbly proud to say that Friday Music has developed one of the finest catalogs of music of our time. Our goal is to continue to add great music to the label, and we want to continue to connect with the fans and grow the consumer base.
Over the next year, we are going to be issuing a wide array of very important CD and vinyl releases from Santana, Chicago, Johnny Winter, Journey, Linda Ronstadt, Yes, Warren Zevon, Jeff Beck, Heart, George Benson, Deep Purple, Grand Funk Railroad, Poison, Gordon Lightfoot, Bonnie Raitt, Bread, Boz Scaggs, Johnny Cash, REO Speedwagon, plus classic soul from the Atlantic Records legends like Wilson Pickett, Booker T & The M.G.'s, Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge, Solomon Burke, Clarence Carter etc.
Stay tuned!
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
YET MORE FEEDBACK THAT PEOPLE DO NOT WANT OR LIKE PAID CONTENT
A large majority of iPad owners would prefer free, ad-supported media to content they have to pay for, according to a new survey by Knowledge Networks. They aren't enthralled with advertising, but 86% will trade irritation for free access.
Read about it here: http://tiny.cc/2zdr0
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
YIKES! THE APP MARKET WILL HIT $25 BILLION IN 5 YEARS
The app market did $6.8 billion in 2010, but the total global mobile applications market will be worth $25 billion by 2015, according to a new market research report by MarketsandMarkets.
Read about it here: http://tiny.cc/y2abo
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 4
TROUBLE RIGHT THERE IN NIELSEN CITY
While more viewers are getting up from the TV set and watching shows on the go, ratings giant Nielsen is stuck on the couch. Video viewing on Apple's iPad and other mobile devices is exploding. Just last week, Google's YouTube said its mobile video views tripled to 200 million in 2010.
Nielsen, the market leader in traditional TV ratings, is having a tough time tracking eyeballs elsewhere. It has yet to offer advertisers an accepted way of measuring viewers who watch video on their home computers -- let alone on portable devices. "We are actively planning for the inclusion of viewing of TV programs on tablet devices in the Nielsen ratings," a spokesman for the company said, adding, "At this point, there is no specific timeline for tablet inclusion."
Read more here: http://tiny.cc/nylve
And Now For Some News ...
Digital Music Revenues Up 6% In 2010 To $4.6 Billion Globally
IFPIGlobal digital music revenues were up 6% in 2010 to $4.6 billion, and accounted for 29% of total industry revenues last year, according to a report from IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), an international trade group of record labels.
The report also mentions the following: the first actions taken by ISPs to stop mass illegal file-sharing were announced in France, Ireland and South Korea in 2010; progress is expected in the U.K., New Zealand, the European Union and Malaysia in 2011; the digital revenues up 6% in 2010, with 400+ licensed services; piracy is still hitting jobs and investment.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Beatles iTunes Sales Over 5 Million Songs
HOLLYWOOD REPORTEROver five million Beatles songs and over half- million full albums have been sold from Apple's iTunes Store since the tracks first became available for purchase digitally on Nov. 16th, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Read more about it by clicking here.
UMG To Release Classic Out-Of-Print CDs Using Amazon's CreateSpace Technology
BUSINESS WIREUniversal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, and CreateSpace, part of the Amazon, announced this week they will release 50 seminal titles from Chuck Berry and B.B. King to Judy Garland and Patti LaBelle exclusively through CreateSpace's Disc on Demand platform.
All of the major labels are now utilizing the cutting-edge on-demand service to make their extensive catalogs of high-profile content readily available to the broadest possible worldwide audience. CreateSpace now offers more than 100,000 music titles on demand, making the groundbreaking service a one-stop shop where music lovers can go to find previously unobtainable releases.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Not A Good Year For DVDs, CDs, Movies And Games
THE LOS ANGELES TIMESMuch of the entertainment industry saw a downturn last year. Profit centers for Hollywood's main business fell as DVD sales were off 13%; CD sales dropped 19%; and video, concert and theater attendance also slid. Technology is letting people get entertainment cheaper and faster, and the dissolution of the American middle class is not good news for cable and DVD companies, according to market observers.
While affluent consumers are stuffing themselves with the latest mobile phones, tablets, or Internet-connected TV sets, "It's the other half [40% of American earners] that is being largely ignored in this discussion," said Craig Moffett, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. He said that after paying for food, housing and transportation they only have about $100 per month to cover health care, clothing, phone service and entertainment.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Nokia's "Comes With Music" To Be Discontinued
REUTERSI hate to say "I told you so," but when the "Comes With Music" program was announced in 2008 I said it wouldn't work. No matter how many times they tried to spin it, spruce it, or splash it, consumers just weren't biting. According to information confirmed by Nokia on Tuesday, the service will be discontinued in most countries where it currently exists, and will not be featured on newer devices.
Comes With Music (or, more recently, Ovi Music Unlimited) came with plenty of problems. These were DRM-protected tracks, yet somehow, the company was spinning an unlimited access, 'free download' offer. But songs were mostly married to the device, and it was tough to get a straight story on the restrictions. Perhaps the lesson is that consumers are tough to trick, though they also have "unlimited" options for grabbing "free downloads" -- no strings attached.
Read more about it by clicking here.
The Financial Struggles Of Bands ... Even Some Successful Ones
ALT PRESSA decent article about the hard-core realities facing all musicians/bands these days. And today it seems there are more bands out there than ever before. Just check the musical guest lists on any late night talk-shows each night and see how many names you recognize during the course of a week.
Though much of what's said in the article might not be news for people who have worked in the industry, it reiterates the financial realities that have actually been going on for years with all struggling artists.
(Editor's note here: Though the article tells many truths, I must comment that many readers of this newsletter are independent artists unsigned by major or small established labels, and some of them have been able to earn a living from relentless touring, good use of the Internet for maximum exposure and exploitation, and more. There are exceptions, however rare.)
Read more about it by clicking here.
Apple Declares $26.7 Billion Revenue, $6 Billion Profit
TECH CRUNCHWith over 7.3 million iPads and 16.2 million iPhones sold to date, Apple continues to create products that consumers are embracing.
Because of those products, Apple has just declared it's best quarter ever in terms of revenue. If there was any doubt that Apple currently dominates the tablet market, new IDC data shows that iPads accounted for 90% of all such devices sold in the third quarter. What's more, "IDC reports that Apple's iPad drove tablet demand almost exclusively in the third quarter," notes ZDNet. "Global tablet shipments in the third quarter checked in at 4.8 million units in the third quarter, up from 3.3 million in the second quarter."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Spotify Nears U.S. Launch (Finally)
NY POSTThe New York Post is reporting that Spotify is finally ready to make its U.S. debut. "After trying to crack the U.S. market for more than a year, Spotify is close to a deal with one major music company in the U.S. (Sony) and has gained the support of at least one other," writes The Post, citing sources.
If it does reach the states, the popular European music service could represent a legitimate challenge to streaming music rivals, and the entire digital music business.
Read more about it by clicking here.
YouTube Mobile Crosses 200 Million Views
MEDIAPOSTMore evidence that more consumers are going more mobile.
Mobile activity continues to ramp up on YouTube. The video hub revealed this week that mobile video plays tripled during 2010 to 200 million a day. The site announced the milestone in connection with announcing the addition of Vevo's extensive catalog of music videos to its YouTube app for Android.
Read more about it by clicking here.
Bob Dylan Gets Six-Book Deal
ROLLING STONEBob Dylan has reportedly agreed to write two sequels to his 'Chronicles Volume 1' as well as four other books.
Read more about it by clicking here.
JOBS TAKES BREAK FROM JOB AGAIN:
Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday announced that he will take another medical leave of absence from the company, following a medical leave in 2009 during which he underwent a liver transplant and treatment for pancreatic cancer.
ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WERE ACTUALLY VIDEO STORES:
The share of DVDs and Blu-ray disc titles rented from Redbox and other standalone DVD rental kiosks overtook the share of titles rented from retail stores for the first time ever in the U.S. last year, according to a report from market research firm NPD Group.
MORE GRAMMY PERFORMERS:
Bruno Mars, B.o.B. and Janelle Monae have been added to this year's lineup of Grammy performers.
COACHELLA LINEUP:
Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Kanye West and The Strokes have been announced as the headliners of the 2011 Coachella Festival in Indio, CA. The bill will also feature Animal Collective, Duran Duran, PJ Harvey, the Black Keys, the National, Lauryn Hill, Cee Lo Green, Robyn, Bright Eyes, the Chemical Brothers, Erykah Badu and Interpol.
AMAZON BUYS EURO'S LOVEFILM:
Amazon.com announced on Thursday that it will acquire LOVEFiLM, the European online DVD rental and video streaming service.
LENNON LETTERS TO BE PUBLISHED:
Yoko Ono has sold the rights to a collection of letters penned by John Lennon. The book will be comprised of over 150 letters written over the course of Lennon's life, including notes to record companies and newspapers, several drawings and a letter to an eight-year-old boy. According to Alan Samson of Orion, a majority of the letters and drawings in the book have not been seen by the public.
SPIDERMAN STILL SPINNING NEW WEB:
The Spider-Man musical finally has a grand finale. After weeks of putting on the show with a temporary ending in place, the fully-realized final act of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark made its debut on Broadway last night. The new version of the ending includes a sequence in which Spider-Man flies around the theater in a moment of triumph. Despite the addition of the new conclusion, the show is still being tinkered with by director Julie Taymor, songwriters Bono and the Edge and music producer Steve Lillywhite. The production is currently scheduled to open officially at the Foxwoods Theater on March 15th.
KATY PERRY HITS THE ROAD:
Katy Perry has announced the details of her California Dreams summer tour. The singer has scheduled 38 dates thus far, beginning with a concert on June 7th in Atlanta. The North American leg of the tour will feature the Swedish pop star Robyn and the Welsh group Marina and the Diamonds as opening acts.
PASSING:
Don Kirshner, a songwriter and producer known in the music industry as "The Man With The Golden Ear," has died. He was 77 and the cause was heart failure. In 1965, Kirshner was charged with putting together the music for "The Monkees" television show. After parting ways with The Monkees, Kirshner put together a cartoon band with the characters from the comic book "Archie." The group would have a #1 hit with "Sugar, Sugar." In 1973 he created and eventually hosted his own weekly live music show Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. Kirshner was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2007.
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
"I was using and fell off the stage. I was snorting fuckin' Lunesta. I got 19 stitches, broke my shoulder. No one in the band called me for 27 weeks. It about killed me. I'm Italian so it almost took me down .... Joe (Perry) didn't come visit me."
-- Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, talking to Howard Stern about using drugs again after 12 years of sobriety, which led him to fall off a stage in 2009 in South Dakota."It was a big year for 3D movies. Toy Story, Despicable Me, Tron," he said. "It seemed like everything this year was three-dimensional. Except the characters in The Tourist. I already feel bad about that joke. I tell you what, I'm jumping on the bandwagon, because I haven't even seen The Tourist. Who has? But it must be good because it's nominated, so shut up, OK? And I'd like to crush this ridiculous rumor that the only reason The Tourist was nominated was so that the foreign press of could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. That was not the only reason; they also accepted bribes."
-- Ricky Gervais, being funny and outrageous on the Golden Globes Broadcast"There were a lot of big films that didn't get nominated this year; nothing for Sex and the City 2. No, I was sure the Golden Globe for special effects would go to the team that airbrushed that poster. Girls, we know how old you are. I saw one of you in an episode of Bonanza."
-- Ricky Gervais again
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Winona Ryder Finally Agrees To Sleep With Generation X
LOS ANGELES-After being a subject of Generation X desire for the better part of two decades, actress Winona Ryder announced Tuesday that she had finally conceded to having intercourse with every interested member within that age group.
"Fine," Ryder said in a statement addressed to the 71 million American men and women born between the years 1962 and 1981. "For more than 20 years, I've had to endure the yearnings of an entire generation of people, so I suppose I owe it to them to finally offer some relief. After all, they've avidly followed my career all this time. I figure it's the least I can do to repay them."
Read the rest here and laugh: Click Here.
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
Smart Marketing Consulting Services
Smart Marketing Consulting Services has been in business sixteen years, and consults clients in the music, entertainment, attraction, media, and technology industry on branding, marketing, online exploitation, maximizing new media, and more.
"And the beat goes on, the beat goes on ... drums keep poundin' rhythm to the brain."
"Work is life, you know, and without it, there's nothing but fear and insecurity." -- John Lennon
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