Concert Industry Bucks the Recessionary Trend
Jan 1, 2009
The concert industry has so far bucked the recession, according to year-end data from trade magazine Pollstar, but promoters are bracing for a bumpy 2009.
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Apple Pings Facebook With ITunes-Based Social Network
Sep 2, 2010
Even Apple, which lives in a bubble of its own device-centered success, can't resist the lure of social networking. Today, CEO Steve Jobs formally thrust the company into the social-media fray with an iTunes-based network, Ping. Why would Apple want to get into social networking? It's where consumers are spending most of their internet time, and Apple has millions of iTunes customers as an instant revenue stream. "We think this will be really popular very fast because 160 million people can switch it on today," Mr. Jobs said during his keynote, where he also announced a version of iOS 4 for the iPad and a new $99 version of AppleTV, with 99-cent TV and $4.99 movie rentals.
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Music Industry Goes Gaga For Product Placements
Jul 6, 2010
Lady Gaga has given a boost to Virgin Mobile and Miracle Whip via her video hit, Telephone, which has already been viewed 63 million times on YouTube. There’s nothing new to product placements like these – but what is new in this growing trend is the prominent positioning of brands in a clear bid for additional revenue.
What Business Strategy and Photography Have in Common? It Is All about the Decisive Moment
Jul 6, 2010
Marketing of any innovative technologies always encounters one big problem, they are being compared with an older generation of technology and although usually do better in many fronts such as performance and features, there are always those who wonder if the analog quality is better than digital.
Not Fade Away
Jun 17, 2010
The downtown celebration for my beloved Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks last week included a big screen video montage of their playoff successes. The soundtrack was the Who's 1972 hit Join Together. Why use a song that’s almost 40 years old? It happens in advertising all the time. David Bowie's Space Oddity (1969) was featured in a commercial for Lincoln's MKZ in 2008, and Ameriprise Financial used the Spencer Davis Group's 1967 Gimme Some Lovin’ that same year. Coke used the Rolling Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want (also 1969) for a spot it ran in 2004. Classic rock regularly appears on TV and movie soundtracks, and it seems like no American politician wants to use a song for his or her campaign that isn't at least a generation away from any significant iTunes traffic. Is it simply Boomer targeting?
MTV Sites Intro Artist-Focused Channels
Jun 3, 2010
MTV Networks wants to establish its Web properties as the go-to outlets for fans to track all of their favorite artists’ social media activities. The company today will introduce channels on MTV.com, VH1.com and CMT.com under the brand "Posted." These venues will focus on specific artists for one-month periods, aggregating Twitter and Facebook updates and Foursquare recommendations, along with original and archival photos and videos.
Apple To Shut Down Music Streaming Service Lala
May 1, 2010
In early December, Apple acquired streaming music service Lala. Just five months later, Lala is shutting its doors. The Apple-owned service is no longer accepting new users and, according to a message on its website, come May 31 it will cease operations for existing members as well.
Rollingstone.com Relaunches With Exciting Extras, But No Screams
Apr 19, 2010
Rolling Stone has rolled out its new website today, er, tomorrow. Or something. More importantly, for the first time in a long time, it's in charge of its own online destiny. A deal with RealNetworks, which ran the magazine's online presence, has expired, and so full control of the site is back in Jann Wenner's hands--and not before time. "Here's something we're excited about," they trumpet. "On April 19, we'll be relaunching a redesigned, reimagined rollingstone.com." Aaaand, cue dry ice.
Creativity Explodes on Chatroulette
Mar 26, 2010
You can play bingo on it. Unknown piano players and rock stars alike can use it to serenade strangers. Bands can announce their albums there. And you can even sell a nightclub's worth of tickets for an evening spent experimenting with it. What is it? Why, Chatroulette, of course. For about two months now, people all over the world have been flocking to the site, which offers little more than a way to connect to random strangers on the other end of a Web cam. Built by a Russian high school student, the site launched in November but became the latest online addiction sometime in February after thousands of people discovered how easy it was to spend hours seeing what other people staring at Webcams were doing.
Lady Gaga's Instant Karma With Polaroid Developing
Mar 17, 2010
There's a reason Polaroid figures nearly as prominently as Lady Gaga does in the pop singer's latest music video "Telephone": it's in her financial interest to make sure the once iconic brand gets as much camera time as she does. While Gaga and Polaroid each got a lot of ink in January when she struck an unconventional partnership with the company that made her the brand's "creative director and inventor of specialty products," a source close to the situation told The Post that the 23-year-old pop star has a financial stake in Polaroid that allows her to participate "in the future of the company in a meaningful way."
To Bundle Or Unbundle? That Is The Question
Mar 9, 2010
The latest retransmission fee rift between Walt Disney's WABC-TV and Cablevision, as well as Viacom yanking its popular "Daily Show" and "Colbert Report" from Hulu over ad revenue-sharing, strengthens the argument for a la carte content -- allowing consumers to pay for just what they want, when they want. The complex sphere of content economics is being fractured by continuous conflict and experimentation by bundling cable operators and other content aggregators at one end of the spectrum and iTunes and Netflix paid downloads on the other.
Brand Messaging: Visual Over Verbal
Feb 8, 2010
Johnny Mercer, in my opinion, was the best lyricist of the 20th century, but I'm sure those words on a piece of paper, even repeated millions of times, would not have made "Moon River" famous. It was the music that made the words "Moon River" famous. Advertising needs visuals in the same way that lyrics need music, if you want to drive your words into the minds of your prospects. Without a visual hammer, an advertising campaign is almost certain to fail.
Content 2.0: 'Protection' is in the Business Model not the Technology
Feb 2, 2010
Fueled by the music industry's ongoing turmoils and, finally, books going digital at a very rapid pace, there is a lot of debate on how to deal with the fact that many people habitually share i.e. redistribute digital content without any of the upstream users making their own payment. How can you monetize content when the copy is free? This question is a key issue across the board, whether it's in music, eBooks, news, publishing, TV or movies. The fear is, of course, that once a digital item has been purchased by one person it can be easily forwarded to anyone else if it is in an open format, thus seriously reducing the possibility that someone else will actually pay real $ for it, as well (of course, the same is true for supposedly locked or protected digital content as well - it just takes a bit longer). No more control over distribution = no more money. Right?
The Lessons of Lady Gaga
Jan 29, 2010
Pay attention to that woman opening the Grammys. At Sunday's awards show, Lady Gaga is expected to play a duet on a single piano with Elton John. She is nominated for five awards, including record of the year, but that's less important than her broader impact on music culture in the space of a year, which has been seismic.
The Power Of Nostalgia In Advertising
Jan 26, 2010
As we age our nostalgic yearnings grow, making us more receptive to advertisers and marketers use of what researchers call "a longing for positive memories from the past." In addition to time's arrow, this desire for nostalgia is further intensified by society's present circumstance of receding predictability and opportunity. While science is still struggling to unravel the neuro-dynamics of nostalgia, studies have identified some nostalgic cues that can be exploited and how images and sounds from the past can create favorable attitudes about products.
The Madness of Crowds and an Internet Delusion
Jan 13, 2010
When does the wisdom of crowds give way to the meanness of mobs? In the 1990s, Jaron Lanier was one of the digital pioneers hailing the wonderful possibilities that would be realized once the Internet allowed musicians, artists, scientists and engineers around the world to instantly share their work. Now, like a lot of us, he is having second thoughts. Mr. Lanier, a musician and avant-garde computer scientist — he popularized the term “virtual reality” — wonders if the Web’s structure and ideology are fostering nasty group dynamics and mediocre collaborations.
Microsoft, Kia Plan Phone, Music for Cars
Jan 6, 2010
Kia Motors America and Microsoft Corp. are forming a partnership to equip Kia vehicles with a system that drivers and passengers can use to make phone calls and control the car's audio system using voice commands. The hands-free system, called UVO, will be offered in several Kia Motors Corp. vehicles by the end of the year, according to the auto maker. The first vehicle to offer it will be the 2011 Kia Sorento crossover, likely to be out around July.
Hulu, Warner Music Ink Deal
Dec 26, 2009
Warner Music Group has become the second major label to strike a content licensing deal with online video hub Hulu. The agreement brings music videos, concert performances, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage to artist-branded pages within the Hulu site. The first implementation of this deal is a Muse-branded page on the Hulu site, which currently features a Saturday Night Live appearance, several performances captured during a tour stop in Wembley Stadium, along with some interviews and deep-catalog videos. Next up are Jason Mraz and Paramore, with additional artists coming online in the new year.
BlackBerry’s Love for U2 Comes With Budget No Label Can Match
Oct 8, 2009
Irish rockers U2 will step on stage tomorrow in Tampa, Florida, helped by BlackBerry’s sponsorship of their world tour in a deal no record company could offer. Research In Motion Ltd.’s “BlackBerry Loves U2” advertising campaign is part of a trend where brands are stepping into the breach as plummeting sales shrink music labels’ marketing budgets. Once reluctant to be seen as selling out to corporate sponsors, artists are keen to sign up.
ESPN's 'Quiet Triumph of Storytelling' a Bold Celebration
Oct 2, 2009
When it comes to touting music, movies, books or TV shows I really really really like, I tend to cross the line between enthusiastic advocacy and combative over-promotion. I sent so many copies of "American Tabloid" and "I Love You, Beth Cooper" to friends that I found myself on the receiving end of a U.S. Postal Service restraining order. My inability to comprehend the li'l sister's decision not to re-up her HBO subscription for season four of "The Wire" eventually boiled over into a hostage situation. I am capable of great feats of annoyance. Well, the roommate/Missus-To-Be better gird herself for a Larry-generated hype tsunami, because I've latched onto a series that threatens to enthrall me through 2010: ESPN's "30 for 30" sports documentary series, which is as ambitious an undertaking as anything the network has ever attempted. Hell, it might be one of the most ambitious projects in the history of TV.
How Copyright Holders Profit from Infringement on YouTube
Aug 22, 2009
By now, we’re all pretty familiar with how digital music works: People get sued, content gets deleted, and start-ups go bankrupt. YouTube’s ContentID marks a welcome change from that routine by freeing people to infringe copyright while generally keeping copyright holders happy. In an area known for bitter lawsuits and hastily issued “take down” notices, this is that rarest of birds: a feel-good digital music story.
Nokia Rocks the World: The Phone King's Plan to Redefine Its Business
Aug 20, 2009
Nokia already owns the global cell-phone market. Now Tero Ojanperä is launching the world's biggest delivery system for services, apps, and entertainment.
The Waning Days of 'Mere' Music Licensing
Aug 13, 2009
From the early strains of "Revolution" by Nike, marketing has increasingly co-opted the soundtracks of popular culture to create emotional resonance. And, boy, has the dance between marketers and music changed. No longer are brands and agencies willing to "crutch-up" their advertising with simply a popular song. In fact, the practice of slapping a song in at the last minute is moving into the Ice Age. What continues to thaw and thrive is the shared-values model, that fertile area where what the brands want us to experience and what the bands want us to experience is the same place.
The Monetization of Mimi: Mariah CD to Have Ads
Aug 3, 2009
As music sales continue to drop like they’re not so hot throughout the industry, Island Def Jam Music Group is jamming on a new business model: integrating brands into artists’ CD booklets. The first deal, created for the Mariah Carey release Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel on Sept. 15, is a 34-page co-production with Elle magazine that includes lifestyle ads from Elizabeth Arden, Angel Champagne, Carmen Steffens, Le Métier de Beauté and the Bahamas Board of Tourism. Providing the experiment goes well, the label is eyeing bigger brand deals for booklets of CDs by Rihanna, Bon Jovi, Kanye West and other artists.
Advertisers Need to Make Some Noise
Jul 25, 2009
Sound in advertising is hot once again. Take the recent VW television commercial making light of a hybrid car's sound or General Motors admitting that the Volt has "the feel of a sports car" but its sound needs to be refined. Or Starbucks' approach to reinvigorating its brand by rejuvenating the coffee experience so that customers can hear the "whir of the grinders."
Social Media: Taking Cues from Indie Music
Jul 23, 2009
Who is Claude VonStroke? Is Dan Deacon familiar? Perhaps you have heard of Amanda Palmer? Or Erol Alkan? If you are a serious fan of independent music it's likely one or more of these names rings a bell. What might be surprising is the extent to which these four -- and many dozens of independent musicians like them -- can teach both scrappy startup brands and major CPG players how to most effectively make social media work.
Magic Flute: Primal Find Sings of Music's Mystery
Jul 3, 2009
The discovery of the world's oldest musical instrument -- a 35,000-year-old flute made from a wing bone -- highlights a prehistoric moment when the mind learned to soar on flights of melody and rhythm.
What the Michael Jackson Sales Surge is About
Jun 30, 2009
Sometimes people ask me why, say, McDonald’s or Coca-Cola or Nike bother to advertise at all. We’ve all heard of them, right? We’ve all decided whether or not we like them. So why waste the money? Here is my answer: Because the simple-sounding issue of salience is very important. And as backup I offer the abrupt return to popularity of Michael Jackson’s music.
Sound: Differentiating Brand Builder
Jun 8, 2009
Some time ago, I was flicking through a copy of ‘People’ magazine, when I beheld something on its pages that caused me to just about fall off my chair. An ad promoting a TV series about Elvis, which was to run on CBS, was the source of my surprise. “The King is Hear…”, proclaimed, typographically, what turned out to be the first part of this innovative notice. On turning to the next page of the magazine, sure enough, I did hear the King. Elvis was singing from the pages and a voiceover was promoting the series. If you managed to see this copy of the magazine, I’m quite sure you’d have found the advertisement as unforgettable as I did.
To Beat Antitrust Rap, Papers Take Cues From Songwriters
Jun 4, 2009
Ailing news organizations seeking to make money from both online readers and the Web sites that republish their stories are looking at the way music publishers collect a fraction of a cent for every song played in public, from the corner bowling alley to the stage of "American Idol."
The 5 Worst (and Best) Ad Songs of All Time
Jun 3, 2009
The right song can help a product shine -- but the wrong one can hit an off note. Billboard consulted with a six-person panel of experts in advertising and branding to determine our list of the best five songs in commercials -- and five that made viewers reach for their remotes.
Name That Tune
Jun 3, 2009
You know you're old when songs you listened to when you were a kid are being used to brand old fogey cars. It's common for musicians of all ages to sell their music to advertisers. Beck and the Who have done it, as have Feist and the Rolling Stones. It's not just a crass sellout anymore, but rather crass marketing strategy: ads get heard more often than songs on radio stations, so getting into a commercial is just one of a menu of options that include inclusion in the soundtrack of a movie, or appearing in a teen drama on TV.
The New Media Value Chain—Emotional Connectivity
Jun 1, 2009
As the economy declines and consumer spending habits undergo a vast reevaluation, there is nowhere left to hide. The media industry, in other words, must adapt or die.
Dr. Dre Raps for Dr Pepper
May 29, 2009
It may just be a few seconds of music, but Dr. Dre fans will remember the new Dr Pepper ad as the spot where they heard the first officially released beats from the much-delayed "Detox."
Toyota Launches 'Rock The Space' For Musicians
May 27, 2009
Toyota, which last fall signed on as one of three inaugural sponsors of MySpace Music -- the News Corp. property's independent label -- is activating the partnership with "Rock the Space," a competition encouraging unsigned bands or solo artists.
Microsoft Steps Up Value Attacks on Apple
May 13, 2009
Microsoft is continuing its attacks on Apple products as overpriced with a new Web campaign for its Zune portable media player. In a Web video, financial planner and former reality show star Wes Moss presents the case that the 120GB iPod would cost $30,000 to fill with music buying songs at $1 each at the iTunes Store. "People worry about the capacity of their iPod," Moss says in the 30-second spot. "What about the capacity of their bank account?"
Running On Empty
May 10, 2009
The lack of innovation in pop music suggests that we are experiencing an energy crisis in culture at large.
Last.fm Launches Visual Radio to Entertain Listeners, Woo Advertiser
May 7, 2009
Last.fm, the social music site acquired by CBS two years ago, unveiled a major redesign to its interactive radio service on Wednesday in an attempt to keep users where its advertisers can reach them.
We Are Hunted: Charting Online Music Popularity
Apr 23, 2009
Traditional music charts are based on shipped albums, or units sold. While this may have been an accurate method to judge music popularity in the simpler times of top-down, centralized music distribution, today’s media-consumption behavior patterns do not always adhere to such direct paths.
With New Web Series, Sprite Plays Pop Impresario
Apr 17, 2009
Sprite is hoping it has discovered the next pop sensation. In an effort to promote itself to teenagers, the Coca-Cola brand of lemon-lime soda is revving up its marketing engine to propel the career of British singer-songwriter Katie Vogel. It's doing so by underwriting the production of a new, interactive Web reality series on YouTube called "Green Eyed World," which will follow Ms. Vogel as she tries to make it big.
Discovering Music in 2009: The New Tools
Apr 16, 2009
MTV doesn't play music videos. Magazines are dying. Radio is all about the $$$. It's no secret the old modes of music discovery have been thrown out the window. Thankfully, new music-finders are here:
The Future of Music: Record Labels Get Real
Apr 6, 2009
To be sure, the death of the album does not mean that the music industry itself is over. Parts of it are actually thriving.
How NPR Became the Hippest Way to Discover New Music
Mar 20, 2009
Podcasting. Live concerts on-demand. Full previews of albums. Original performance videos. Curated streaming in 100 different genres. It's not on YouTube. It's on Npr.org/music, a fast-growing site launched by the nonprofit as a way to unite and expand its work as curators of music for curious music lovers. It's one of the many ways NPR is surprisingly finding itself on the digital cutting edge.
Finding Fame in Austin in the Internet Age
Mar 20, 2009
Weaving through the thousands of fans, spring-breaking music industry professionals and assorted revelers who clog the streets of downtown Austin this week, you might well think that South by Southwest, the annual music conference and festival here, is nothing but a big party.
Q&A: Kash Is King for Geico
Mar 18, 2009
Selling car insurance isn’t supposed to be a laugh riot, but somehow Geico makes consumers laugh again and again. It’s latest effort ad effort, created by the Martin Agency and starring “Kash," debuted in December. However the character continues gain more and more fans, according to Geico CMO Ted Ward. Ward spoke with Brandweek’s Kenneth Hein about why this stack of money with cookie monster eyes has drawn such a following.
Kraft Contemporizes Canadian Cracker Brand
Mar 15, 2009
Kraft has introduced a new jingle for its Triscuit brand in Canada in an effort to refresh the cracker’s image.
Don't Turn a Deaf Ear to Music Branding
Feb 18, 2009
Music. Records to some, jingles to others, a theme, a tune, a few bars or a beat -- it's music, yes, but it's more: It's branding, music branding, and the sound is music to corporate ears.
No Dough in the Do-Re-Mi: Songwriters Take On the Recession
Feb 9, 2009
Michael Adams doesn't claim to be the equal of famed Depression-era songwriters like Woody Guthrie. Still, the 39-year-old from Tucson, Ariz., aims to leave his musical mark on the current economic crisis. Editor of the nutrition-oriented Web site naturalnews.com, Mr. Adams says his personal outrage about all the federal funds being shoveled to crippled corporations prompted him to write a hip-hop song called "I Want My Bailout Money."
