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It's All Steve Jobs Fault (Again), Yadda Yadda Blah-Blah-Blah
April 22, 2011
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"Stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance."
-- William GaddisI realize that not all people "get it" when it comes to technology and what it has contributed to our economy overall.
This from Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL, Chicago) on the House floor last Friday afternoon, "A few short weeks ago I came to the House floor after having purchased an iPad and said that I happened to believe, Mr. Speaker, that at some point in time this new device, which is now probably responsible for eliminating thousands of American jobs. Now Borders is closing stores because, why do you need to go to Borders anymore? Why do you need to go to Barnes & Noble? Buy an iPad and download your newspaper, download your book, download your magazine." (Ironically, it was only last month that Rep. Jackson was promoting the Apple iPad and Amazon on the House floor. Source: http://tiny.cc/3mhrv )
Obviously, Representative Jackson is not taking into account all the ancillary jobs the iPad and other technology devices are creating. A Google search on 'How Technology Helps Small Businesses' yields 125 million results. I think a few in that number might be good reading for the people like Representative Jackson.
Oh yeah, and even before iPads there was this thing called the Internet, and it offers news 24/7 just like those cable news channels. Newspaper circulation has been gradually declining for the past decade. Maybe the iPad and devices like the Kindle are actually getting more people to read again.
As for why Borders, Barnes & Noble, or any bookstores are in trouble, I would suggest Representative Jackson check out a website called Amazon.com.
Those who still blame Steve Jobs and/or Apple for problems in various industries and make such statements prove they haven't done the homework.
Last month it was Jon Bon Jovi blaming Steve Jobs saying he "is personally responsible for killing the music business," yet iTunes has sold over 10 billion songs. That means 10 billion less STOLEN. I don't think any artists getting checks for the sales of their music on iTunes would agree with Mr. Bon Jovi at all. Before iTunes, they were getting nothing because nobody except Apple had successfully created a great online store.
As for Apple, probably the most innovative company in the world right now, it just reported the best non-holiday quarter ever with $5.99 billion profit for Q2 2011. (See 'Track 6' below)
Apple apparently is doing something right.
It's not Steve Jobs fault that the music business is in trouble or Borders is closing bookstores.
It's a brave new digital world we live in, and only those who continually innovate will survive.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 2
THE SOCIAL NETWORK LAWSUIT: I GUESS $65 MILLION WASN'T ENOUGH
If you've seen "The Social Network" or read about the founding of Facebook, you already know who the Winklevoss twins are.
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss allege that their former Harvard University schoolmate Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea for the social networking site, sued and then settled their differences with the Facebook chief executive three years ago for $65 million in cash and stock.
Now they are appealing the settlement because they say their lawyers hid instant messages from them during litigation. Their request was the second effort to overturn the original settlement and allow them to proceed to trial on their theft claims.
Give me $65 million ... no wait, give me just one or two million, and I'm done.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 3
I KNOW YOU PROBABLY LOVE YOUR iPHONE 4, BUT...
Just an FYI: Apple suppliers will begin production on the company's next-generation iPhone 5 in July, with the device then expected to ship in September, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The new smartphone will have a faster processor.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 4
RADIOHEAD GIVES BONUS TRACKS TO PEOPLE WHO BUY THEIR ALBUM ONLINE
I've written many articles about ways artists and labels can increase online sales. One of the suggestions I wrote about nine years ago (the first year of the newsletter) was offering consumers more for their money via extra tracks not available elsewhere, unreleased videos, or both.
Radiohead has decided to give away two new tracks to people who bought its latest album, "The King of Limbs," from its website before the album was made available at retail.
"It's a thank you for being SO supportive of what we do," the band wrote in an email received in the U.S. Tuesday night.
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 5
THE PREMIUM VIDEO-ON-DEMAND STARTS
I wrote several weeks ago about the plans of studios to move up the pay-for-view window at a higher price to offset declining DVD sales revenues.
This week, DirecTV launched its premium video-on-demand program, at a $30 price. The first movie title on the service is "Just Go With It," the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston feature. Other upcoming premium titles being considered include The Adjustment Bureau (Universal), Cedar Rapids (Fox) and Hallpass (Warner Bros). (Source: http://tiny.cc/83o0x )
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 6
APPLE KEEPS GOING UP AND UP
Apple just reported the best non-holiday quarter ever with $5.99 billion profit for Q2 2011. Apple's guidance for the third quarter of fiscal 2011 includes expected revenue of $23 billion and earnings per diluted share of $5.03.
Some astonishing numbers: Apple shipped 3.76 million Macintosh computers during the quarter, a unit increase of 28% over the year-ago quarter; iPhone unit sales reached a record 18.65 million, up 113% from the year-ago quarter, and the company also sold 9.02 million iPods during the quarter, representing 17% unit decline over the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold 4.69 million iPads during the quarter.
Read all about it here: http://tiny.cc/yjf1i
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THE 'A-SIDE' - TRACK 7
THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK
People magazine says Jennifer Lopez is the "most beautiful woman in the world"?
For a very funny take on it read 'Which World Are We Talking About, Exactly?' here: http://tiny.cc/i58wq
And Now For Some News ...
TicketMaster Partners With MarketShare
AP/YahooLive Nation's Ticketmaster announced this week a partnership with MarketShare to develop dynamic pricing tools that will allow artists, sports teams, promoters and venues to adjust ticket prices for their events based on demand.
And that's a good thing for all indeed.
Read more about it by clicking here.
GrooveShark Tells RIAA "We're Legal"
TORRENT FREAKLast month, Grooveshark's music app was removed from the Android Marketplace by Google at the request of the RIAA.
Following claim and counterclaim about Grooveshark's legality or otherwise, the company has announced that if necessary they will take their fight to court and to Congress. "Let's set the record straight," they insist. "There is nothing illegal about what Grooveshark offers to consumers."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Dr. Dre Wins Court Battle, Gets 100% Of Digital Sales
BILLBOARD BIZ/APHip-hop artist Dr. Dre has won a federal lawsuit against WIDEawake Death Row Records, entitling him to 100% of proceeds from digital sales of his landmark 1992 album "The Chronic," the Associated Press reported.
Read more about it by clicking here.
From The Onion: "Home Taping Is Killing Music" Redux: Three Case Studies
THE AVCLUB/THE ONIONThanks to Portland's DJ (and now an-air personality at KBOO-FM) for this great column from The Onion's AV Club section.
Check out #3 in the article, "Record companies to Amazon: "Boo, cloud."
Read more about it by clicking here.
Apple's iOS Beats Android By 59%
BIZJOURNALS.COMApple Inc.'s iOS platform -- which includes the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch -- outreaches Google's Android by nearly 60%, according to a recent analysis by comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR), a Reston, VA-based digital marketing intelligence company.
Read more about it by clicking here.
SongVest Gets Into Fan-Funding For Artists
HYPEBOTSongVest, best known for selling shares in hit songs to fans, is joining the fan album funding game.
Past SongVest auctions have included the rights to songs recorded by Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Carrie Underwood, Ringo Starr, Ozzy Osbourne, and The Monkees.
Read more about it by clicking here.
GAME HARDWARE UP, SOFTWARE DOWN:
U.S. video game sales were down 4% in March, to $1.53 billion, as hardware sales climbed while sales of game software fell, according to a report from market research firm NPD Group.
RIM SELLS 50K BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOKS ON LAUNCH DAY:
Research in Motion (RIM) sold an estimated 50,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets on Tuesday, their first day on sale, according to analyst firm RBC Capital Markets, Economic Times reported. The 50,000 sales figure for the PlayBook contrasts with Apple's launch day sales of around 300,000 for the iPad last year.
SAD NEWS INDEED:
In a move reflecting the severe challenges facing orchestras everywhere, the Philadelphia Orchestra this week will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
JUSTIN HOSTS, GAGA SINGS:
Justin Timberlake will host the season finale of Saturday Night Live on May 21st. Musical guest will be Lady Gaga.
AND PLAYSTATION SALES KEEP GOING:
Sony Computer Entertainment announced last Friday that sales of its PlayStation 3 have now surpassed 50 million units, since the game console's launch in November 2006.
DELAYED AGAIN:
"Spider Man: Turn off the Dark" played its last preview Sunday afternoon after more than a 100. It is scheduled to re-open June 14th.
WEIRD AL GOES GAGA:
Though she initially refused, Lady GaGa has granted permission for "Weird Al" Yankovic to release "Perform This Way," a parody version of Lady Gaga's hit "Born This Way."
IDOL TO CHANGE VOTING PROCESS:
American Idol executive producer Ken Warwick has told Billboard that the show is planning to change the voting process for the hit series next year. No decisions have been made yet, but Warwick says that producers are considering limiting the number of text votes allowed out of concern that some segments of the audience were skewing results.
YOUTUBE GOES WEB-M:
Continuing the push for Google's WebM video format, YouTube now says the majority of its most-viewed videos are available in the open-source, royalty-free format -- or about 30% of all videos hosted by the site. "Backed by Google, Mozilla, and Opera, to name a few, WebM is a competitor of the H.264 format, backed by Apple and predominantly used for mobile video because of the lack of Flash support on iOS devices," PCWorld explains. All new videos uploaded to YouTube are now automatically transcoded into Web.
BLOCKBUSTER UPDATE:
The DISH Network, which is acquiring bankrupt video rental store chain Blockbuster for $320 million, said it plans to keep around 600 Blockbuster stores open, meaning some 1,000 other locations may soon be closing, the Dallas Morning News reported.
PASSING:
Randy Wood, founder of Dot Records, a label that found success in the '50s recording white artists like Pat Boone covering R&B songs originally cut by black artists, died last Saturday at his home in La Jolla. He was 94.
PASSING:
Gerard Smith, the bass player for TV On The Radio, died this week at age 36. Smith had been had been battling lung cancer in recent months.
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 want to spank Britney."
-- "S&M" singer Rihanna, on her plan of action if she were to shoot a music video with Britney Spears, who appears on a new remix of the song, on FM radio's Elvis Duran and the Morning Show. (You and a whole lot of other people, Rihanna)"I'm not going to start churning out what you expect. If you want me to be a manufactured act, you can f*** off."
-- Lady GaGa, on her music, to NME magazine"You are the coolest man on Earth, how the f--- did you get like that?"
-- Gwyneth Paltrow, interviewing and kissing ass to hip-hop mogul and good friend Jay-Z about his new website Life + Times."Like, I would advise people that while it's okay to tweet about your paper-towel purchase, I really don't want to know about what shape your stool is in."
-- Zach Galifianakis, on why social media has gone down the toilet, to GQ
The B-Side - 'Blips'
THE ONION (www.theonion.com) STORY OF THE WEEK:
Author Promoting Book Gives It Her All Whether It's Just 3 People Or A Crowd Of 9 People
CINCINNATI-Shortly before her reading Tuesday at local bookstore Word Mentality, author Francine Massey told reporters that she does her absolute best for everyone who comes out to see her, whether it's just three people or a much larger crowd of nine people.
Massey, on hand to promote her novel A Lighthouse Keeper, said that with publishing houses slashing their marketing budgets, it often falls to writers themselves to make the most of every reading opportunity, from cozy gatherings of just a few fans at smaller booksellers to major events at chain stores that can draw upwards of 10 people.
"I have to remember that even if just one person shows up, he deserves the same passion and enthusiasm I would give to a big group of seven people or eight people," said Massey, watching as a bookstore employee began setting up rows of folding chairs.
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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