Today the major record labels don't have a positive brand image and the very public actions they have taken to control the rise of digital media and the Internet over the last several years is at the very heart of their fall from grace. To some the big labels are an anachronism. To others they are anti-consumer. The erosion of their image is dramatic and while we have seen plenty of polls attempting to gauge consumer thought, any attempt to apply sales figures to such measurements is elusive.
The major labels have taken to blaming file sharing for all ills. In reality, file sharing is just one piece of a more complex puzzle that is still shaping itself as new technologies and digital strategies reshape the media landscape as a whole. To rely on file sharing as the universal scapegoat may have only served to distract label management from a much larger schism that hits at the heart of the traditional label/artist/ model. This includes the rise of tools that have empowered the artist directly like MySpace and YouTube.
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Friday, August 3, 2007
Cities are losing the sound of music
Record-label mergers, corporate takeovers of radio and three generations worth of television are the main perpetrators behind the demise of the true American sounds. The independent label or renegade radio station doesn't seem to exist anymore. Nowadays, the music business is all about copying the latest style or trend. Sound has little to do with it.
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Concert Lineup Angers Some Va. Tech Families
A free concert organized to lift the spirits of the shaken Virginia Tech community is instead angering some parents of the victims, who say the decision to feature a New York rapper known for his violent lyrics shows a blatant lack of respect for the people killed in the April 16 shooting rampage.
Vincent J. Bove, who said he is a spokesman for seven of the victims' families, said yesterday that the parents are outraged that the Sept. 6 concert at the university would include the rapper Nas, who in one 1999 track chants, "Shoot 'em up, just shoot 'em up, what?" followed by whispers of "Kill, kill, kill, murder, murder, murder."
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Vincent J. Bove, who said he is a spokesman for seven of the victims' families, said yesterday that the parents are outraged that the Sept. 6 concert at the university would include the rapper Nas, who in one 1999 track chants, "Shoot 'em up, just shoot 'em up, what?" followed by whispers of "Kill, kill, kill, murder, murder, murder."
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Circus Diablo Off Ozzfest: Expecting Babies
Circus Diablo frontman Billy Morrison has checked in with the following update:
"As I sit here in Dallas, TX, on the bus that has taken us from our home town of Los Angeles, to the middle of the South, it pains me to tell you all that we have to call it a day for now on the Ozzfest 2007. It has been a fantastic four weeks and we have had an amazing time. But two of our band, Ricky [Warwick, guitar] and Brett [Scallions, bass], have wives that are expecting babies any day now, and we just cannot continue heading east with that hanging over us. The guys need to be with their wives, and we all respect that. I hope you all understand that we have done our absolute best to get as far as we could this time around."
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"As I sit here in Dallas, TX, on the bus that has taken us from our home town of Los Angeles, to the middle of the South, it pains me to tell you all that we have to call it a day for now on the Ozzfest 2007. It has been a fantastic four weeks and we have had an amazing time. But two of our band, Ricky [Warwick, guitar] and Brett [Scallions, bass], have wives that are expecting babies any day now, and we just cannot continue heading east with that hanging over us. The guys need to be with their wives, and we all respect that. I hope you all understand that we have done our absolute best to get as far as we could this time around."
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Elton John says the internet is destroying music
Pop legend Sir Elton John wants the internet closed down.
Never one to keep his opinions to himself, the Rocket Man has waded into cyberspace with all guns blazing.
He claims it is destroying good music, saying: “The internet has stopped people from going out and being with each other, creating stuff.
“Instead they sit at home and make their own records, which is sometimes OK but it doesn’t bode well for long-term artistic vision.
“It’s just a means to an end.
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Never one to keep his opinions to himself, the Rocket Man has waded into cyberspace with all guns blazing.
He claims it is destroying good music, saying: “The internet has stopped people from going out and being with each other, creating stuff.
“Instead they sit at home and make their own records, which is sometimes OK but it doesn’t bode well for long-term artistic vision.
“It’s just a means to an end.
Read More Here
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Horse the Band Unveils Video for "New York City"
HORSE the Band recently filmed a video for the powerhouse new song “ New York City ” with director Roboshobo (Mastodon, The Blood Brothers, Poison The Well). The vocalist for HORSE the Band, Nathan, had this to say about the song and the video:
“If 'A Natural Death' is about the vast scope of nature from the horror of birth to the beauty of death then ' New York City ' is a song about the life in the middle. It’s about civilization and society and the brief moments in time when we as people come together. The director uses these elements to weave a retro-modern science fiction tale rooted in the concrete and asphalt world of today about two tragic lovers trying to find each other against the odds. It’s beautiful and touching as well as intense and epic. HORSE the Bands greatest video yet!!!!”
Check out the video for “ New York City ” here.
“If 'A Natural Death' is about the vast scope of nature from the horror of birth to the beauty of death then ' New York City ' is a song about the life in the middle. It’s about civilization and society and the brief moments in time when we as people come together. The director uses these elements to weave a retro-modern science fiction tale rooted in the concrete and asphalt world of today about two tragic lovers trying to find each other against the odds. It’s beautiful and touching as well as intense and epic. HORSE the Bands greatest video yet!!!!”
Check out the video for “ New York City ” here.
Band Review: Westside Daredevils
Westside Daredevils
Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Indie pop with nods to the 70's.
Right out of the gate I'm into this band. Pop rock with some nice layers of harmonies, clean guitars and snappy drums. I'm listening to "Alter Ego" right now. This song reminds me a "Ugly" and "Sugarglass" by Easily Amused.
The rest of what WD has to offer is also fun, safe and comfortable. They've taken what could have been a basic pop song and fleshed it out with trade-off lead vocals and guitar parts. Everybody takes a turn in the spotlight which leaves said basic pop song in the far far distance.
The harmony arrangements are top-shelf. They're very smooth and warm - sort of like the Beach Boys / Jan and Dean. If I could recite the lyrics from memory right now I'd probably accompany them.
I bet the girls could twirl and/or bop for hours at their live shows.
www.myspace.com/westsidedaredevils
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Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Indie pop with nods to the 70's.
Right out of the gate I'm into this band. Pop rock with some nice layers of harmonies, clean guitars and snappy drums. I'm listening to "Alter Ego" right now. This song reminds me a "Ugly" and "Sugarglass" by Easily Amused.
The rest of what WD has to offer is also fun, safe and comfortable. They've taken what could have been a basic pop song and fleshed it out with trade-off lead vocals and guitar parts. Everybody takes a turn in the spotlight which leaves said basic pop song in the far far distance.
The harmony arrangements are top-shelf. They're very smooth and warm - sort of like the Beach Boys / Jan and Dean. If I could recite the lyrics from memory right now I'd probably accompany them.
I bet the girls could twirl and/or bop for hours at their live shows.
www.myspace.com/westsidedaredevils
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Band Review: Less Than Under
Less Than Under
Hometown: Denver, CO
Just as their influences state, there's certainly an influence of Pantera and Lamb of God in this band. Thick and heavy riffs with sick vocals - growls to doomish spoken word to fluent actual singing. I would have liked to hear a couple of guitar solos somewhere though - I think that would really raise the bar for this band.
"Deadbeat" is their best song thus far. The lyrics are simple, but very creative. The kids will have no problem screaming it back to the band. "You think that my house is your hotel - You think my things are yours to sell - My couch, your bed - My fist, your head"..... classic.
More about the lyrics - somebody is really pissed off at some very specific people. Lots of blue collar anger going on here.
Fans of live metal shows will really dig LTU - there's plenty of grooves and solid beats to get a decent pit going. The industrial element adds some nice flavor which helps to fill out any lose ends. I would certainly go see this band perform.
Suggestions - more consistent drumming (electronic, then live, then a mix of both.... it gets confusing) and more bass in the mix.
Something I noticed on their MySpace page that made me snicker - it looks like they all shared the same pair of sunglasses in their individual promo shots. Maybe I'm wrong, but it still looks funny.
www.lessthanunder.com
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Hometown: Denver, CO
Just as their influences state, there's certainly an influence of Pantera and Lamb of God in this band. Thick and heavy riffs with sick vocals - growls to doomish spoken word to fluent actual singing. I would have liked to hear a couple of guitar solos somewhere though - I think that would really raise the bar for this band.
"Deadbeat" is their best song thus far. The lyrics are simple, but very creative. The kids will have no problem screaming it back to the band. "You think that my house is your hotel - You think my things are yours to sell - My couch, your bed - My fist, your head"..... classic.
More about the lyrics - somebody is really pissed off at some very specific people. Lots of blue collar anger going on here.
Fans of live metal shows will really dig LTU - there's plenty of grooves and solid beats to get a decent pit going. The industrial element adds some nice flavor which helps to fill out any lose ends. I would certainly go see this band perform.
Suggestions - more consistent drumming (electronic, then live, then a mix of both.... it gets confusing) and more bass in the mix.
Something I noticed on their MySpace page that made me snicker - it looks like they all shared the same pair of sunglasses in their individual promo shots. Maybe I'm wrong, but it still looks funny.
www.lessthanunder.com
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Madonna Wayne Gacy Sues Marilyn Manson Over Partnership Proceeds
Instead of paying his keyboard player, Marilyn Manson squandered his band's earnings on "sick and disturbing purchases of Nazi memorabilia and taxidermy (including the skeleton of a young Chinese girl,)" a lawsuit being filed today in Los Angeles charges.
Keyboard man Stephen "Pogo" Bier accuses the Goth rocker and his "musketeers" (his business manager, lawyer and the band's manager) of assisting Manson "in filching millions of dollars the band made over the years." According to an e-mail sent to us that was approved by Bier's lawyer, Keith Fink, Manson promised Bier "partnership proceeds" from the band in 1993, but then spluged on "a multimillion-dollar home, had a lavish wedding in Ireland, gave an engagement ring to Dita von Teese" and collected Nazi artifacts and taxidermy.
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MITM Notes: For those of you keeping score, Marilyn Manson the band has no original members left - only Manson himself, although drummer Ginger Fish has endured over ten years worth of abuse.
Keyboard man Stephen "Pogo" Bier accuses the Goth rocker and his "musketeers" (his business manager, lawyer and the band's manager) of assisting Manson "in filching millions of dollars the band made over the years." According to an e-mail sent to us that was approved by Bier's lawyer, Keith Fink, Manson promised Bier "partnership proceeds" from the band in 1993, but then spluged on "a multimillion-dollar home, had a lavish wedding in Ireland, gave an engagement ring to Dita von Teese" and collected Nazi artifacts and taxidermy.
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MITM Notes: For those of you keeping score, Marilyn Manson the band has no original members left - only Manson himself, although drummer Ginger Fish has endured over ten years worth of abuse.
So why would a band sign on for a tour that doesn’t pay?
So why would a band sign on for a tour that doesn’t pay? For In This Moment, an up-and-coming band from Southern California, it comes down to exposure.“Ozzfest has been great for us so far,” lead singer Maria Brink says by phone as she traveled to an Ozzfest stop in Denver. “There’s been a really wide range of people at the places we’ve played so far, both in terms of age and musical taste. So it’s a great way for us to reach a whole new audience for our music.”
In This Moment has been together for almost three years, and the band’s appearance at Ozzfest helps get out the word about its recently released debut recording, “Beautiful Tragedy.”
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Apple Whistles a Happy 3 Billion iTunes
Apple (AAPL - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) has passed another milestone in its continued dominance of the digital music world, a plank from which it hopes to reach buyers of its Mac computers and iPhone handsets.
On Tuesday, the company announced it has sold over 3 billion songs from its iTunes online music store. Apple's a la carte model has proven to be the most popular with consumers who generally prefer to pay for songs individually, rather than paying subscription fees to services such as Napster (NAPS - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) and Rhapsody.
Shares of Apple lost 4.6% to $136.85 midday.
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On Tuesday, the company announced it has sold over 3 billion songs from its iTunes online music store. Apple's a la carte model has proven to be the most popular with consumers who generally prefer to pay for songs individually, rather than paying subscription fees to services such as Napster (NAPS - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) and Rhapsody.
Shares of Apple lost 4.6% to $136.85 midday.
Read More Here
ASCAP Cracks Down on 26 Venues for Playing Music without a License
As most venue owners know, you can't play music for your customers' enjoyment without paying a licensing fee to BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC -- the three performing rights organizations that cover pretty much the gamut of commercially-available music for public performances.ASCAP has gone after 26 venues in 17 states for non-payment of these licenses, with hefty fines the likely result. New York's Hiro Ballroom and Chicago's O'Hare Gaslight are the only ones on the list that rang a bell with me; the varied nature of the list makes it clear that ASCAP is trying to send the message here that no matter where your bar, nightclub, restaurant, or other venue is, ASCAP reps are listening.
Clutch Avoid Labels In More Ways Than One
Clutch, the bluesy, ballsy hard rock band from Germantown, Maryland, have been referred to as the "sonic cousins" of Korn and the Deftones. Although past albums like 1993's Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes, And Undeniable Truths were far more angry and metallic than the funky, full-on rock-a-rolla that's displayed on their latest disc, From Beale Street To Oblivion, the nu metal label should never have been applied to the group."I think maybe it's some lazy rock journalism," says singer Neil Fallon. "We've played with some of those bands, so maybe they drew that association.
MITM Notes: I saw Clutch open up for Marilyn Manson around 1994. They had a bunch of cardboard cut-outs of Star Wars figures.... stormtroopers, Darth Vader, etc.
RIAA: 'Lawsuits Can't be the Only Solution to Piracy'
Realizes that suing CUSTOMERS is "not the best answer" but, is it too little too late?.
In a recent conversation with TG Daily, Jonathan Lamy, a spokesman for the RIAA acknowledged the massive PR headaches and friction with the public that it's large-scale years long lawsuit campaign had generated and that suing potential customers "was not the best answer."
Oh really? You mean basically extorting college students, whom you've once referred to as some of your best customers, without the benefit of due process is maybe "not the answer?"
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In a recent conversation with TG Daily, Jonathan Lamy, a spokesman for the RIAA acknowledged the massive PR headaches and friction with the public that it's large-scale years long lawsuit campaign had generated and that suing potential customers "was not the best answer."
Oh really? You mean basically extorting college students, whom you've once referred to as some of your best customers, without the benefit of due process is maybe "not the answer?"
Read More Here
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Adler Holding Out Hope For Guns N' Roses Reunion
With the big "Appetite For Destruction" 20th anniversary show behind him, original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler is looking forward to taking his Adler's Appetite band worldwide. But he's also holding out hope for a blowout reunion bash with his former bandmates."I believe I made it this far for some reason," Adler tells Billboard.com. "I want to finish what we started, and ... with the love and support I got from those guys, I think we can (reunite). I'm gonna leave it up to Axl [Rose]. That's gonna be Axl's call, and I love Axl and I know he'll make the right call."
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[I saw Adler's Appetite perform once in Philly - he had Jizzy Pearl on vocals and Robbie Crane on bass. Adler himself was an embarrassing mess, the payoff from years of drug abuse.]
Band Review: Reality Stricken
Reality Stricken
Hometown: Norristown, PA
A steady rock band (think emo meets Brazil and The Cure) with the right ideas but poor execution. With some real time in a professional studio and a producer willing to lend a hand in structure, these songs could become the true havens of power anthems that are harbored within what Reality Stricken has thus far projected as "their best work". The band has a good sense of arrangements and overall song design, but something is lost between their heads and my ears.
www.myspace.com/realitystricken
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Hometown: Norristown, PA
A steady rock band (think emo meets Brazil and The Cure) with the right ideas but poor execution. With some real time in a professional studio and a producer willing to lend a hand in structure, these songs could become the true havens of power anthems that are harbored within what Reality Stricken has thus far projected as "their best work". The band has a good sense of arrangements and overall song design, but something is lost between their heads and my ears.
www.myspace.com/realitystricken
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Social networks 'lure music fans'
Social networks are changing the way people consume music at a time when piracy is on the rise and the rate of growth of legal downloads has slowed.Those are the key findings of a new survey conducted by analyst firm Entertainment Media Research.
The survey found that some 53% of people actively surf social networking sites to find music.
A further 30% said they went on to buy or download music that they had discovered on a social network site.
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Music from indie labels to be sold via cell phones
EMusic, the nation's second-largest online music seller after Apple's iTunes, plans to announce on Tuesday a deal with AT&T that will allow people to buy songs from independent labels through their cell phones, without the need to go through a personal computer.
Several services, including those run by Sprint and Verizon Wireless, let people buy songs directly over the air. But they focus on songs by mainstream performers like Prince, who has a deal with Verizon. EMusic sells music only from independent labels, a category that these days includes the new album from Paul McCartney as well as obscure punk bands. The arrangement with AT&T Mobile Music will make those songs available just as easily as the more conventional ones.
Read More Here
Several services, including those run by Sprint and Verizon Wireless, let people buy songs directly over the air. But they focus on songs by mainstream performers like Prince, who has a deal with Verizon. EMusic sells music only from independent labels, a category that these days includes the new album from Paul McCartney as well as obscure punk bands. The arrangement with AT&T Mobile Music will make those songs available just as easily as the more conventional ones.
Read More Here
Gwar Frontman Gives Advice
Oderus Urungus of Gwar is a saint. He has spent much of his time on Earth helping those in need, when not butchering politicians and useless celebrities onstage in front thousands of screaming fans, that is. He cares so much about the starving people in Africa that he introduced AIDS into the populace to help lessen the number of people needing food. Now, he goes a step beyond that, as the great and mighty warrior has signed on with Anarchy Music to give lonely and lost souls some much needed advice. Love, career, family, friends... no situation is outside the realm of subjects that Oderus has contemplated upon and can help you through. Of course, if you have an issue in your life that could use the intelligent and caring advice from a god among men, just send an email to anarchy@anarchymusic.net with "Dear Oderus" in the subject line.Read More Here
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