You are currently browsing the monthly archive for March, 2008.
From portfolio.com:
Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman, Jr., is considering one of the boldest plans to combat illegal downloading and peer to peer file sharing networks. The idea? To charge everyone using the internet.
Consumers would pay a monthly fee, bundled into an internet-service bill in exchange for unlimited access to a database of all known music.
Read the entire article here and decide if this is an innovative idea or another desperate attempt to “fix” a broken business model.
I have a routine since I travel so much and try to stay with it as much as possible to reduce stress, hassle, time and improve the entire experience. Here are 7 things I try to always do:
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Wear slip off shoes and a “detector safe” belt. No tie up shoes if I can help it.
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Have one pocket in my carry on for change, phone, and anything else I need to take out of my pocket prior to going through security.
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Get to airport 2 hours before flight. There is nothing worse than running for the gate.
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Bring a good book, mp3 player, or magazine for the flight or in case of a delay. It makes the time go by quicker and I may just learn something along the way.
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Bring the planner. I find the best time to plan and make “to do” lists are at the airport or on the flight.
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In Nashville, the C gate security line can be crazy. If so I will check out the A & B security line and sometimes I find there is no wait at all. I will then go through A/B security and walk over to the C gates. A little more walking, but well worth it. Just don’t tell anyone else!
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I place something on my suitcase, especially if it black like most, so I can easily identify it on the carosel at baggage claim. I prefer to use my burgundy case, which is an even better option. Buy a case with color!
Here is Brian Regan talking about air travel. My favorite comedian.
Thank you Trace for being an exemplary representative of the country music community on “Celebrity Apprentice”. You handled yourself with class and integrity. We all can learn a thing or two by the character you displayed, which is not as common as it should be.
I’m sure you’ve made a lot of new fans, and rightly so.
Emerson Drive was a recent guest of the Big 98 WSIX in Nashville. The band performed six songs acoustically at the station’s Full Throttle Garage and answered questions from the invited listeners. Two of the songs are going to be on the next album. Check out “Extra Mile” by clicking here.
The rest of the tunes are here.
Emerson Drive is still in the studio working on the album tentatively scheduled for a Fall release.
If not, why not? Radio will need to embrace aggressive podcasting and video strategies to compete for the attention of future listeners. The age of P1 demo of many country radio stations is rising because they are losing younger generations of consumers. These tech savvy “self broadcasting” demos are getting what they want when they want it. They aren’t waiting around through ad spots and countless other songs to hear their new favorite.
Creative and innovative use of podcasts, video, web sites, and mobile based activity will not only enable radio to stay in the game, but be active in the lives of listeners. This could also answer the concerns of being local and developing engaging personalities, but radio companies need to make a commitment in making it happen. Will they?
These new media outlets will not only expand the brand of the station, but also be more easily monitored and accurately measured for advertising purposes. For example, YouTube users can now better analyze the viewing patterns of videos far more easily according to this story from Media Week.
The bottom line is creating entertaining content value and connecting to the listener and consumer. The more ways radio can do that the better chance they have to compete and win in a quickly changing landscape.
KFTX GM/morning show host, radio legend and Country Music DJ Hall of Fame member Dr. Bruce Stratton is now a movie star. He is making a special appearance in the soon to be released western film Palo Pinto Gold.
Shot in Texas, the movie stars Roy Clark, Mel Tillis, Trent Willmon, and Anthony Henslee. Special guest appearances, besides Corpus Christi’s own Dr. Bruce, by Kinky Friedman, Jay Novacek, Kevin Fowler and Robert Earl Keen.
Dr. Bruce is the bartender, seen at 1:10 into the trailer which can be viewed below. Notice how well he delivers his lines!
For a synopsis of the film and more information you go to www.palopintogold.com.
I was very glad to hear from the founder of the Dewey Foundation and The Victory Project, Mike Dewey, who made these comments:
Thanks for the kind words. It is already working! We are already receiving submissions, and the response has been amazing and emotional.
Clearly, people are frustrated with what everyone has been doing, and are happy to hear about a whole new approach.
We are going to have a world wide vote on the http://www.deweyfoundation.org website about what the 5th problem will be. So, you will have an opportunity to affect our list and get one of your pet projects noticed.
Thanks, Mike
Thank you Mr. Dewey for the information and what you are inspiring!
I love this. The Victory Project out of Austin, TX is offering the amount of $1,000,000,000 to whoever can find a solution to problems in our society which need innovation and determination. Our fame addicted culture has watered down what it really means to inspire and be successful. Whatever happened to the days when making real contributions to life and science was what a child wanted to do when they grew up?
There is still time.
One billion dollars to the first person(s) that solves any of these Problems:
- Develop a cure for breast cancer.
- Develop a cure for diabetes.
- Reduce greenhouse emissions from petroleum powered automobiles by 95% without increasing the cost of a normal car more than 5%.
- Achieve 150 miles per gallon of gasoline in a 3,000 lb. car, using EPA standards; without increasing the cost of a normal car more than 10%.
I personally could think of several more which should be on this list, but it is a great start.
In the event you haven’t had the opportuntity to see, or if you have somehow forgotten, just how good Whiskey Falls is in a room. No frills, no enhancements, no dog & pony……so turn it up:
Performing “Falling Into You” at a CRS lunch for radio programmers hosted by Bob Kingsley. Thanks to Bob and crew for having us and for their amazing support!
One of our three dogs would like to make his debut on the blog. Say hello to everyone Samson……
Joel’s guest blog posted on Wednesday got me thinking more about the process of finding Joy.
It seems that in order to discover the Joy in life or to notice the good, it takes effort and work. It is EASY to do something bad or to reflect on the negative things. Easy to be wretched, to tear someone else down, and to find the worst in everything. Especially easy in our junk culture and 24 hour crisis news media, which are set up not to allow contentment or Joy. It shows just how important discipline, reflection, and awareness are to life.
People tend to just float along and allow life to happen to them rather than making conscious decisions to be on the lookout for Joy, which is all around and calling out. Each one of us struggle with this.
It is time to see with new eyes.
The accompanying photograph I shot, to me, illustrates the process of finding Joy. It ain’t easy, it ain’t always pretty, and we still must go through stress, pain, and loss in this life; but Joy can find its way within us if we let it. Many times the hardship is necessary for Joy to be revealed.
Nothing can be better than living a life of Joy.
“Load Up The Bases” by Whiskey Falls has been officially named the FSN South and SportSouth pre and post-game theme for the Atlanta Braves’ 2008 season. The guys are shooting the video at Wild Bill’s in Duluth, Georgia today. Stay tuned for more huge partnerships in the forthcoming baseball season!
From www.ft.com by Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson
Apple is in discussions with the big music companies about a radical new business model that would give customers free access to its entire iTunes music library in exchange for paying a premium for its iPod and iPhone devices.
The “all you can eat” model, a replica of Nokia’s “comes with music” deal with Universal Music last December, could provide the struggling recorded music industry with a much-needed fillip, and drive demand for a new generation of Apple’s hardware. Apple would not comment on the plan, but executives familiar with the negotiations said they hinged on a dispute over the price the computer maker would be willing to pay for access to the labels’ libraries.
Nokia is understood to be offering almost $80 per handset to music industry partners, to be divided according to their share of the market. However, Apple has so far offered only about $20 per device, two executives said. “It’s who blinks first, and whether or not anyone does blink,” one executive said.
Detailed market research has shown strong appetite among consumers for deals bundling music in with the cost of the device, or in exchange for a monthly subscription, executives said. One executive said the research had shown that consumers would pay a premium of up to $100 for unlimited access to music for the lifetime of the device, or a monthly fee of $7-$8 for a subscription model.
Apple, which is thought to make relatively little money from the iTunes store compared with its hardware sales, is also understood to be examining a subscription model.
Subscriptions would work only for its iPhone devices, where it has a monthly billing relationship with customers through the mobile phone operators offering the device, while the “comes with music” model would work with iPhones and with iPods.
The subscription models under discussion in the music industry include the provision for customers to keep up to 40 or 50 tracks a year, which they would retain even if they changed their device or their subscription lapses.
Other music groups are understood to be in talks with Nokia, which is keen to sign up as many of the major labels as possible before launching its first “comes with music” devices in the second half of this year.
The Academy of Country Music has announced the nominations for the categories, which, due to time constraints, will not be televised during the show. Congratulations to all of the radio stations and individuals up for an award. Click on the following link to see all of the nominations……. Read the rest of this entry »
KYGO Denver PD Joel Burke has authored another great piece to share……..
TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD!
By Joel Burke
I flipped on the television the other night and began clicking through the endless channels. My choices were either reality shows or one program after another featuring bad news or trashy gossip. It made me wonder if there’s anything good happening!
So, in my next round of weekly meetings with each person who works for me, I started off by asking them to tell me something good that had happened to them in the past week, no matter how big or how small!
One person after another gave me a blank stare. Each one tilted their head and looked away like a dog that hears a high-pitched sound. It was as if I was asking for the solution to a chemistry problem. After some prodding and asking questions, I finally began to hear a trickle of thoughts, dripping out like a slow leaky faucet.
This weeklong experiment showed me that if I asked people to talk about “something bad” that had happened in the past week, the responses would be swift. I’m sure I would hear every detail, and that water faucet would be turned on full blast.
Why do we remember and dwell on every bad experience that comes along no matter how big or how small? And why, at the same time, can’t we remember when someone at the grocery store let us cut in line because we had fewer items?
Read the rest of this entry »
More behind the scenes footage of Emerson Drive at Country Radio Seminar with a special guest appearance by Charlie Daniels.
Although the haze of history conceals much about St. Patrick, this much is known: He was not even Irish. He was born in Roman Britain and kidnapped by Irish attackers and made a slave. After escaping captivity, Patrick returned to Britain and became a priest, and later a bishop. He returned to Ireland 30 years later and was a Christian witness among the Irish, converting thousands.
March 17th, popularly known as St. Patrick’s Day, is believed to be the day he died and is the date celebrated as his feast day. St. Patrick has never been formally canonised by a Pope; however, various Christian churches declare that he is a Saint in Heaven.
How we got from there to green beer is up for speculation.
I did not attend SXSW this year. Decided I had better things to do with my time. However, I did try to keep up with it as much as possible through a few informative blogs including ArtsBeat and Austin Music Source. Check them out if you want the rundown.
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The Skylink train at DFW is fantastic. So much better than that clunky old tram that took forever to get to another concourse. Skylink is sleek, quick, and since it sits atop the terminals, offers great views.
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Speaking of views, the new Cowboy’s stadium in Arlington is gigantic. You can see it clearly all the way from the airport and so far it resembles the contraption they built in the movie “Contact”. Massive.
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The entire airport at DFW has improved greatly. It reminded me how I’ve always loved airports and planes since I was a kid. Call me crazy.
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Omaha has a very nice Warehouse District. Cool shops and great eats! They are also getting some major concerts in the market.
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Des Moines Warehouse District is growing and looking impressive. The city is such a great market for country music too because of stations KJJY and KHKI (The Hawk). They support new music and help the format grow. We just had a huge show with Emerson Drive there, which was sold out. Thanks to everyone at the stations, especially Andy Elliot and Eddie Hatfield. Well done!
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Des Moines, however, is one of the worst places to fly out of to get back to Nashville. Always seems overly expensive.
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Heard some of the new music from Emerson Drive on their bus after the show. They are going to deliver something AMAZING. The whole band is operating on an entirely higher level. Very exciting.
RADIO IN 3D
by Daniel Anstandig
Radio cannot grow if its operators insist on constricting the delivery of their brands to the sense of sound. Sure, there is no way around the fact that “speakers to ears” is our primary delivery method. Still, listeners and advertisers are now challenging radio stations to “think outside the speakers” into the interactive world. They want three-dimensional radio.
Many advertisers are now convinced that an audio ad is no longer enough to reach their customers. New Media has opened up new options to reach consumers—outside of television and radio, and local direct advertisers are buying campaigns that are “diversified” in nature. Radio/advertising companies that offer a multi-dimensional solution to advertisers (including audio, online showcasing, online lead generation, etc.) are more likely to win the lion-share of the business. Many of the radio companies we consult on building their digital marketing/sales strategies have reported that the street-level enthusiasm for radio buys with an interactive bend is at an all-time high.
McVay New Media’s 2008 Interactive Revenue forecast is calling for a 9% increase in this year’s spending on local banner ads alone. Across the United States in 2008, we will see approximately $10 Billion spent on local internet advertising by local direct buyers. Last year, radio is estimated to have pulled a whopping 1% share of that revenue.
These numbers concur with a study done by Borrell and Associates, which estimates that only 1.1% of last year’s $8.5 Billion spent in local online advertising (banners, audio/video streaming, and paid search engine placement combined) went to a radio station. Approximately $1.2 Billion dollars in streaming audio/video advertising alone will be placed online by local advertisers in 2008 (up 317% from 2007). It is estimated that $6.3 Billion will be spent by local advertisers on banner ads alone.
Broadcasters now stand at a cross-roads on whether to further include interactive media into their advertising-product-portfolio or not. The operators that effectively include interactive media in their strategies for audience and revenue growth will see returns this year. The operators without a vision for including interactive in their plans will leave money on the table—and sacrifice dollars to local internet portals.
Does anyone think it is interesting that Lee Abrams left XM to work for Randy Michaels? Jerry Del Calliano thinks it is not only interesting, but suspicious. Find out what he means on his blog Inside Music Media.
Lee, in his own blog, makes a comment about his new partnership with Randy: “We ARE going to re-write the future of media. He’s the kinda guy you want to do it with.”
I look forward to hearing more.
KRYS PD Frank Edwards returned from the snow in Nashville on Saturday to thunderstorms that rolled through Corpus Christi yesterday afternoon. No one knows for sure if it was straight winds or a tornado, but it did considerable damage to the building, including tearing off part of the roof, that houses the Clear Channel affiliates including K99. Check out the video here to see the aftermath.
Whiskey Falls rocked the packed house at the CRS After Midnite Disco Party! Seven, Damon, Buck and Wally jammed for 30 minutes at the annual bash (only one act beside WF played that long!). The band shined with three different lead singers on songs ranging from rock to disco to one of their own originals. Following are the guys getting funky on “Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself Again” & “Rapper’s Delight”. Blair has it right when he said Whiskey Falls ”kicks butt!”.
Now that I am fully recovered and rested from Country Radio Seminar, I can get caught up on the blog and the rest of my life.
The keynote address at CRS was actually turned into a panel after the cancellation of Sean Hannity a few days before. The hot topic? Sound performance rights for music on terrestrial radio. It was a high octane discussion fueled by radio consultant Joel Raab. Unfortunately, I don’t think it went far enough into the matter and like most panel discussions, ended without any ideas toward resolution.
David Ross writes about the keynote in Music Row:
Moderator/radio consultant Joel Raab framed the session with a brief synopsis of the opposing points of view. Labels and artists want terrestrial radio to pay a sound copyright fee, something which is recognized in all but four other countries worldwide. Radio’s stance is that they expose the product and therefore already perform a service for the artists and labels, so the use is a fair exchange. Panelists included Mike Kraski of Tenacity Management, John Simpson of SoundExchange, Tom Taylor from Radio-info.com and NAB Exec. VP John David. “Radio revenues are flat,” said Taylor, “but labels are in true pain. My hunch is that this year nothing happens, but this issue won’t go away.” “I wish everyone fun at the label parties,” said David, immediately adopting an argumentative stance while intimating the labels still have lavish party budgets. “We are not impressed with the $1.25 million small station proposed exemption, either. Our intention is that the money is not going to come.”
Simpson pointed out that these artist royalties are collected overseas, but in most cases not sent to the U.S. because this country does not have a reciprocal right. SoundExchange collects performance rights in sound recordings for digital transmissions, satellite radio and cable radio. “Artists who had great records of songs they didn’t write get nothing when their music is played over and over for years,” Simpson remarked. “In some sad cases they are forced to work until they die to pay the bills.”
Kraski delivered the label point of view. “On our side it is a moral imperative,” he said. “If one side wins big while the other loses then we all fail. We need radio, and radio needs content. There has to be a middle ground.” Kraski also answered the exposure argument by saying at least 40% of radio airplay is Gold music which doesn’t need exposure and is just to the benefit of the station.
Audience questions quickly brought the emotional impact of this economic issue to a boil. Radio audience members cheered when David said, “Zero is the only acceptable number to pay.” Fortunately the crowd was small and moderator Raab wisely cut off the discussion with a fade to lunch.
The Buckeyes were Emerson Drive crazy when the band performed at Newport Music Hall on campus of Ohio State University.
I attended several tech panels today, which I am glad to see on the schedule. One in particular was a panel that had Sean Ross from Edison Research, Dean Ernst from Play MPE and Jim Kerr from Pollack Media Group.
They each debated and rated the hottest tech trends as “Boom” or “Bust”. Here’s a quick rundown on how they voted:
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HD Radio: Majority BUST
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iPhone: Majority BOOM (shows you how fast technology moves because this has been an obvious boom for a while now)
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Internet Radio: Majority BOOM (although they said it would take a while to get up to speed)
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Podcasting: Majority BOOM
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360 Label Deals: Mostly BUST (in my opinion this is relative to which artists and managers)
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User Generated Content: Majority BOOM
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Mobile Content Distribution Channel: Majority BOOM
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DRM-Free Music: Majority BOOM
A forward thinking article on an application of the Long Tail for individual artists. Find 1,000 true fans, cultivate them and and make a nice living giving them what they want. Brilliant!
Or consider what recording artist Jill Sobule is doing:
Typically recording artists get an advance from the label to produce a new album, but Jill is taking a different approach. She is in search of $75,000 to create her next project and going directly to her fans with incentives for help. At this point they have responded in a big way with over 60K being donated. I think it is an incredible idea, especially for those artists who have a strong and passionate fan base. The time for innovation is now.
Check out the donation levels for fans:
- $10 - Unpolished Rock (but with potential) Level: A free digital download of the album, when it’s released.
- $25 - Polished Rock Level: An advance copy of the CD. Weeks before the masses.
- $50 - Pewter Level: An advance copy and a “Thank You” on the CD.
- $100 - Copper Level: All the above, plus a T-shirt saying you’re a junior executive producer on the album.
- $200 - Bronze Level: Free admission to my shows for 2008.
- $250 - Silver Level: All the above, plus a membership to the “Secret Society Producer’s Club,” which means you’ll get a secret password to a website where I’ll post some rough tracks, or… something worthwhile.
- $500 - Gold Level:This is where it gets good! At the end of my CD, I’ll do a fun instrumental track where I’ll mention your name and maybe rhyme with it. And if you don’t want your name used, you can give me a loved one’s instead. What a great gift!
- $750 - Gold Doubloons Level: Exactly like the gold level, but you give me more money.
- $1,000 - Platinum Level: How would you like to have a theme song written for you? I’ll have a song you can put on your answering machine and show off. Again, this could be a gift.
- $2,500 - Emerald Level:Mentioned as an executive producer of the album — whoop-di-doo!
- $5,000 — Diamond Level: I will come and do a house concert for you. Invite your friends, serve some drinks, bring me out and I sing. Actually, this level is a smart choice economically. I’ve played many house concerts where the host has charged his guests and made his money back. I’d go for this if I were you.
- $10,000 - Weapons-Grade Plutonium Level: You get to come and sing on my CD. Don’t worry if you can’t sing - we can fix that on our end. Also, you can always play the cowbell.
CRS greetings to those of you who couldn’t make the trip……..”Wish You Were Here!”
Brett Favre has decided to retire. I am a little surprised because of his resurgence this past season and the potential that he still has for next season, but he certainly is going out near the top of his game.
Dang.
The finalists for the ACM Awards came out this morning and Emerson Drive picked up nominations for Group of the Year and Song of the Year for “Moments”.
Also, congratulations to my good friend Mike Wrucke who co-produced the Miranda Lambert project which is up for Album of the Year and her song “Famous In A Small Town” which is competing for Single of the Year. Nice work Mike!
Go here for a complete list of nominees.
Whiskey Falls had an early wake up call on Saturday morning to get prepped for an appearance on the CBS Early Show. For those of you who slept in, here is the segment on the 2nd Cup Cafe.
I recently witnessed the best country music show of the year so far- Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood. Yes I know, they are not artists I work directly with, but I’m in this business because I love music and will give it recognition whenever it is good or when an artist does the right things. I may also let you know when I feel like a song is doing nothing but taking up valuable space; but I’m not here to talk about the Garth & Huey Lewis single today.
Anyway, if you have seen a show with Keith Urban lately and you don’t vote for him as Entertainer of the Year, you are on crack! I’ve seen him as part of The Ranch and then a few times after going solo. He has always put on a solid show and is a great guy to hang with, but after the show I just experienced I can testify he is hands down the most charismatic and exciting performer in the country format. From his backstage visits with fans and radio, to the inventive production and the powerful show, it was done first class. He gets it! Carrie Underwood opened and she certainly is a star and a nice fit for Urban. A complete home run for the guys and the gals.
Between sets a talented DJ was spinning and mixing music from all genres and all generations. I was impressed how the entire evening was very relevant to the crowd and you could feel the exciting buzz of the house from start to finish.
I am fortunate to be working with Emerson Drive, Whiskey Falls and Adam Gregory because I really do believe they are phenomenal artists, but if all I did was write and talk about my own artists then I would be doing a disservice to you and to myself. We are all in this together and I’m not simply an outlet for company talking points. My mission is much bigger than that.
Has there ever been a person, besides your family, who you have always wanted to thank for making a significant contribution to your life, but lost contact with? Maybe someone as far back as childhood?
When we grow older and think about who we are and where we came from, there can be revelation in how certain individuals made an impact on our lives. You may not have known it while being with them, but comes to you later in your journey.
There are several individuals who I’d like to thank, but the foremost in my mind is Mr. Croft. Before I tell you about him, let me tell you about the context in which I knew him.
Gregory Elementary was an extremely small rural school located outside of Inola, Oklahoma. It was a 3 room building. Each building had combined grades of first & second, third & fourth, and fifth & sixth. Each class was taught by one teacher for all subjects, beginning on one side of the class and then moving to the other side. Lunch was absolutely home made by Mrs. Mootry and her daughter Mrs. Keener. Fresh baked from scratch rolls, entree and desert. Unbelievable food! And when everyone would leave the lunchroom they would hug Mrs. Mootry. A downright country schoolhouse.
We had sports, but since there were so few students, we could start playing elementary basketball and track in 3rd grade. Our recess was a free for all and always ended with the lucky student who was allowed to ring the big brass bell from the front steps.
I remember hardwood floors, the tornado cellar we scampered to several times, the mini interior gym, the stone exterior of the building, playing basketball against the Mennonite school with the kids in their overalls, and our 6th grade graduating class that had 5 students. That’s right, five! And all boys! Imagine how much we were looking forward to the girls at Inola Junior High were there were going to be 50 or so students. Huge!
This brings us to Mr. Croft. Now pay attention here. He was our 5th and 6th grade teacher. He was also the Principal. And the girls and boys basketball coach. And the track coach. And the bus driver. He was involved in every aspect of our education and our growing up at Gregory. Mr. Croft and his wife would have us all over to their home. He would play games with us and practical jokes on us. If we ever deserved it, he would discipline us with a board on our behind. The man was essentially a parent to us and as I look back on it now, like a father figure for me.
Gregory School was like growing up in a bygone era. Schools like that do not exist anymore that I know of. Today it is no longer a school, but the building still stands and serves as someones home now.
So with all of that said, I would like to thank Mr. Croft for everything that he did and the sacrifices he surely made. I hope he knows the impact he has made on not only my own life, but countless other fortunate kids. I have heard that he’s still somewhere in Oklahoma and I will try to connect with him. If I do, I’ll write about it you can be sure.
The photos below are:
1) My 6th grade graduation. The five guys and Mr. Croft. I’m on the bottom right 2) Gregory Elementary School
