Just as consumers are increasingly purchasing their music in digital form, from online music stores like iTunes, Amazon and eMusic (a trend digital music distributors like us rely on for the future of our business), radio audiences are moving online. A study published recently by Bridge Rating, company that:
“provides guidance services to media companies and investment firms seeking immediate and timely behavioral data related to media use.”
covering consumer use of satellite radio, Internet radio, MP3 players, Podcasting and mobile media consumption. They forecast that online ‘radio’ audience will grow to 77m by 2015. Their figures draw from both online only stations like Pandora and Yahoo Music, and simulcast stations (those that also broadcast over the airwaves) – see their graph for comparative growth rates.
So why are users migrating? The cost of a radio is minimal, compared to the cost of a computer, or even to a broadband subscription, and anywhere you can pick up the internet, you can pick up an FM signal. If it were the case that people were just using their computers as a convenient method of accessing the radio content, because their speakers are hooked up to it, signal is poor or they’re out of range, then simulcast stations wouldn’t be seeing a stagnation of or negative growth. Instead it seems likely that users are usign alternative music streaming services becaused of the greater interactivity and enhaned services like forums and playlist sharing that surround the musical core of the online channels, just as they surround music stores like Spotify (which runs it’s own nascent radio platform). If it is this rather than the inherent quality of the radio content itself that is drawing users online, then what does the future hold for premium airwave radio providers like Sirius XM? Will their hold on the car dashboard be enough to save them from their competitors? Not if Pandora have anything to do with it, as their contract with Ford to build in-dash controls to interact with their service shows. The increasing prevalence of smart phones and mobile internet devices also means that anyone with a stereo jack cable can use their existing car stereo to access their own music collection and playlists.
Lady GaGa will play North American and European arenas this year and Live Nation Entertainment’s global touring division will take the reins as promoter/producer.
Lady GaGa is set to begin a run of dates in the U.K. (promoted by AEG Live) on Feb. 18 at the MEN Arena in Manchester, followed by shows in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, which are all almost sold out. According to sources, it is now expected that the artist will play arenas in Europe some time this spring, then North American arenas in the summer.
Live Nation has previous run heavy international tours for both U2 and Madonna, so Lady GaGa will be in good hands.
We mentioned that Slash is involved with a competition over at Guitar Centre, in which you can win his participation in a 3 track EP. He’s also recorded a series of interviews for them, talking about song-writing, creating a distinctive style for your act, and some more technical, instrument related matters (they are a guitar shop, after all). Again, his may not be your preferred style (perhaps you can’t carry off a top hat), but success is difficult to ignore.
Since 1st August 2007, when Terra Firma bought EMI for $8,000,000,000 with a 90% approval from it’s shareholders, the bottom line on EMI’s financial reports is set to show losses of more than $1.5 billion dollars, despite Terra Firma and its allies pumping in half a billion dollars worth of equity. EMI managed to meet the covenants imposed on it’s debt by Citibank in January, but is highly unlikely to do so in the coming quarter-year reports without further funding from Terra and Co.
EMI’s earnings are equal to paying the interest on their loans ($215 million!), but if they can’t improve their financials they’ll be in danger of defaulting on their debt and having the company fall back into the hands of the lenders, Citibank. Of course, there is still Terra Firma’s lawsuit against Citi in the offing, claiming malfeasance on Citi’s behalf in handling the auction of EMI – One can imagine a lot of white knuckles and short words as the cheque for the interest payments is signed.
If the debt does turn bad, it seems likely that Citi would break EMI up for parts, the gem being the still-profitable publishing department. Such a move would drastically change the face of the mainstream music industry, particularly in the UK, where most of EMI’s artists are based. A lot of the big sellers would go to the other major labels, but the felling of one of the biggest trees in the wood would make a lot more room for independent labels to grow up from under.
HMV is increasing it’s investments in the live music business. Having entered into partnership with Luminar to cross promote between live venues and their music store, and having operated a joint venture with MAMA in the same manner for just over a year, they have succeeded in obtaining just over 56% of shares in MAMA, giving them a controlling stake, and another place to promote their own artists and keep an eye on up and coming artists.
The BBC is looking hard at it’s digital radio services, which are costing it a vast amount compared to the audience numbers they attract (£25,000,000 for an audience of some 300,000) – a similar amount to their period drama productions per hour. With that in mind, we’d like to recommend lending an ear to Jarvis Cocker’s new music show on 6 Music, widget below:
In a competition that opened on the 1st, Guitar Center is offering the chance to have Guns n’ Roses Slash write, record and perform on a 3 track EP with you. The prize is more than that:
· A 3-song E.P. produced by legendary producer Mike Clink (Guns N’ Roses, Megadeth, Mötley Crüe)
· Slash will write, record and perform on your single
· A management development deal with “The Collective” (the team behind Linkin Park, Slash & Avenged Sevenfold)
· Feature of your single on iTunes
· World-wide digital distribution of your music through Tunecore
· $10,000 Guitar Center shopping spree
· $10,000 in new gear and endorsement deals from Ernie Ball Music Man
· The opening slot on Slash’s Monster Energy Bash
· An editorial feature on your band in Guitar World magazine
Whether or not you think Slash will fit into your J-Pop band, or be able to enhance the sound of your folk band, the experience and connections of a man who’s been at the top of the music industry for the last 25 years is going to be invaluable, and the publicity generated from the win, let alone the efforts of the management team will push you into a new league. Submit your music through the competition website here. Just read that contract.
If you live within swimming ange of the Isle of Wight, you’ll be interested in the following lineup for Bestival this year:
Dizzee Rascal / The Flaming Lips / Hot Chip / LCD Soundsystem / Gil Scott Heron / Chase & Status / Echo and the Bunnymen / Simian Mobile Disco / Delphic / Rolf Harris / Marc Almond / dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip / Ellie Goulding / Fat Freddy’s Drop / Flying Lotus / Four Tet / Kitty Daisy & Lewis / Stornoway / Tinie Tempah / Vitalic / The Cuban Brothers / Chilly Gonzales / Beardyman / Tunng / Hurts / Nathan Fake / The Gaslamp Killer / The Vegetable Orchestra / Ulrich Schnauss / The Twinkle Brothers / High Llamas / The Antlers / Archie Bronson Outfit / Beth Jeans Houghton / Mixhell / Glen Matlock / Samuel and the Dragon / The Japanese Popstars / The Lost Brothers / Hear We Go Magic / Goldhawks / Countryside Alliance Crew / Laura J Martin / A Genuine Freakshow / Bookhouse Boys / King Charles / Three Trapped Tigers / Worship / French Horn Rebellion / Sisters of Transistors / Spindle and Wit / Starless & Bible Black / The Boy Who Trapped The Sun / Telegraphs / Tim and Sam Band / Unicorn Kid
Notable high points for us will be Gil Scott-Heron and Fat Freddy’s Drop, and Beardyman’s always good value – hopefully a cold winter will mean good weather this Summer
Rumours (originating at the blog ‘Postmark Here’) are spreading over the web about a wrap party that went down [to use the vernacular] in Hollywood last week:
Bryan helped transform a house in the Hollywood Hills into a recording studio and spent the last three weeks there recording Radiohead with Nigel Godrich. On Saturday, we waded through a driveway full of Priuses and Minis to get to the wrap party.
Utterly unsubstantiated, of course, but if true, we can start hoping for a new release sometime in the next few months. The band will have to be very smart to top the buzz they created with their last release, and converting buzz to sales is another thing entirely.
The blog post over at Postmark Here has been removed, which makes this blogger think someone requested it be taken down… No smoke without fire.
Every year brick and mortar merchants observe a rising in sales from Grammy winners and performers, this year so far has not been the case.
“The only act that is showing a major impact from the Grammys is the Black Eyed Peas, but it’s not big enough to make me go out and order more product on them,” the head of purchasing at one large chain says. “The artist I bet my buy on was Lady Antebellum and so far [the band] has had about a 30% jump.”
Most merchants still believe that this week things will increase!
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