EMI Drama: According to a UK paper Guy Hands is considering selling EMI’s recorded music business leaving him with only the publishing arm. He also may move the US headquarters of the label from East Coast to West.
American Idol: Still a Launch Pad for Stardom: Negative news plagued American Idol this year. We heard about the ratings drop and the lack of talent, but it hasn’t stopped the Idol show breaking new artists. Idol champ David Cook just set some new sales records..
“David Cook will set a record for debut entries on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Digital Songs tomorrow as 11 titles enter the former, while 14 songs jump on the download tally. Cook’s takeover of the Hot 100 shatters the mark for debuts set by Miley Cyrus (as Hannah Montana) in the Nov. 11, 2006, issue, when she placed six new titles on the list. The 11 songs on the chart are the most in a week by any artist in the Nielsen Music era, which began in December 1991 when the chart converted to Nielsen BDS and Nielsen SoundScan data. His haul also marks the most placements on the list since the Beatles charted 14 songs on the Hot 100 in the week of April 11, 1964.” (Billboard)
Recommended Shows: Carlotta @ Annex (NYC) on June 2nd at 8:45pm. Listen to the tracks Rise and Fall and Maybe in a Year. For more information contact Gil c/o Moir Ent.
The Vanishing Album: Sony chief executive Howard Stringer said at a recent tech-focused conference,”The problem with the iPod model is it is a singles model, and the album stands for a body of work, and the vanishing album is an issue I worry about, but maybe I am old.” (Digital Music News)
No Howard, your not old. It’s just that many artists can’t focus long enough to complete a body of work. Medical professionals call this the ADD generation. The ADD generation are held hostage by distractions. Let’s all give a huge thanks to Coldplay. They haven’t forgot about the album as they go through every note, every melody line, every verse and chorus with a fine tooth comb. The album cover and art work even goes throughs a torture process. It isn’t a technology problem, it’s an artistic problem…
Not sure how the ‘iPod model’ is a ‘problem’ to anyone but douchebags like Stringer.
Artists aren’t afforded the opportunity to focus on a complete body of work.
Gotta make the numbers this fiscal year – get it done!!
To blame this problem on the iPod is another example of the major labels wanting to blame someone else for a problem that they created. Charging as much as they did for CD singles why wouldn’t consumers buy the album. Now that consumers have a choice they will buy the single for instant gratification or because the whole album is not worth buying. 99 cents a song is reasonable, $10 or more for a compressed digital album is not. If I like an album enough I will buy it CD format many times close to $10. Another problem is many artists today cannot put out a whole album that is worth buying. I think they should work on artist development and ways to offer value to the consumer and the album will eventually make a resurgence. Stop blaming the iPod and digital files for all your problems.
Maybe if major labels signed groups capable of making a complete body of work and not be ringtone and single driven….things wouldn’t have gone down hill so quick.
I like to blame the ipod, but its here and it does no good to stomp my feet. I blame the labels for completely loosing focus several years ago much more.
Oh well, they have in the end created a great era to be indie.