Well, if everything released is throwaway bland US RnB what do they expect? :angry:

 

I'm sick of Timbalands, Timberlakes, Timberwolfs. :puke2:

 

 

:lol: Spot on. All the Timber/a songs all just sound the same, and just polute the charts everwhere, radio, TV and beyond. :angry:

O....and then we wonder why the album sales have plummeted.....the days of RECORD album sales are over for some time to come....In the current climate & with little promo Rudebox did pretty good........ ^_^

Oasis, Jamiroquai to follow Radiohead

By Harry Wallop and Lucy Cockcroft

The Guardian via TRWS

Last Updated: 12:54pm BST 09/10/2007

 

 

 

Some of the music industry’s biggest names are considering offering their music free online following the success of the experiment by the band Radiohead to let fans download their new album without charge.

 

Now Jamiroquai and Oasis, two major names that are not contracted to a record labels, are rumoured to be considering following Radiohead by offering work for free, according to industry sources.

 

Radiohead refuse to reveal how many fans have pre-ordered their seventh album, In Rainbows, but figures from HitWise show the move pushed the site up from number 43 to the top slot for music websites in the UK.

 

Google say that searches for Radiohead have increased tenfold this week as fans log on to the band’s site, with the majority – according to the band’s spokesman – spurning the opportunity to download the album for as little as 45 pence and instead signing up for the £40 box set, which includes vinyl records, CD and artwork

 

The Charlatans are also offering fans their next album completely for free if they visit the site of radio station XFM.

 

The performers that give away their music for free are expected to make their money from sales of concert tickets and merchandise.

 

"They’ll all be thinking about it now," said Stuart Clarke at Music Week. "Any big name that is out of contract such as Jamiroquai and Oasis will now see it as an option."

 

Oasis has already announced that its next single, Lord Don’t Slow Me Down, will be available only to download for 99 pence. Meanwhile rumours abound that Madness, a band with a loyal fanbase amongst 40-somethings, is considering giving away its next album for free.

 

 

 

David Enthoven, founder of ie:music, Robbie Williams’s management company, said: "I think a lot could follow. You’ve got to be sure about your fan base but why would you sign your career away to a record label when CD sales are falling so rapidly?"

 

 

While CD sales are falling dramatically, download sales have grown from zero in 2003, to 26.5 million in 2005 which then doubled last year to 53.0 million. However, according to the British Phonographic Industry, for every track that is paid for, twenty are downloaded illegally for free.

 

Yesterday, Alan McGee, the manager of the Charlatans, said he was astonished by how popular the experiment was proving, even though fans were not yet able to download the album.

 

"The record industry is obsessed by age and fashion. And so you get these amazing British bands like the Charlatans and the Happy Mondays that were massive 10 years ago and are still great, but are out of contract. How do you get them profile? You give away the record."

 

He said that the initial feedback had been so positive that the he was already considering booking larger venues for the band to play in when they tour next year. "This experiment is going to work, I feel," he said, adding he was confident that merchandise and concert tickets will make up for giving away the free album for free.

 

Well, if everything released is throwaway bland US RnB what do they expect? :angry:

 

I'm sick of Timbalands, Timberlakes, Timberwolfs. :puke2:

When Timbaland stays BEHIND the mic, he makes some AMAZING songs.

Timberlake is the American version of Robbie I guess, except the fact his balls havnt dropped. :(

Timberworld, never heard that one. ;)

Pretty much everything Timbaland does ends up sounding similar to his previous work. :smoke:

 

And it is very interesting what David is saying in that last article I posted. Does this mean after Rob leaves EMI within the next year or two, he will do what Radiohead are doing and releasing his album via his website. Interesting times ahead.

How Radiohead killed the record labels

Telegraph via TRWS

 

The generation that believes music is free

Madonna’s move reflects the growing importance of touring as CD sales decline

The Material Girl is preparing to ditch Warner Music, her home for more than two decades. The company has helped her to twice as many number ones as any other female artist in history. Her new label, Live Nation, is not a label at all, but a company that makes most of its money from putting on concerts.

 

Meanwhile, indie legends Radiohead have bypassed their former label EMI altogether. In a brilliant marketing coup, the Oxford miserabalists set up a website to sell downloads of their seventh album, "In Rainbows", and invited fans to pay as much or as little as they like.

 

They are the latest in a clutch of big name acts to defy the music industry's traditional model and upset some of the decades-old relationships between artists, labels and concert promoters.

 

With some blockbuster performers now screaming "I want to break free", observers question whether the four music majors that generate four fifths of the industry's revenues are themselves becoming the business equivalent of rock dinosaurs, destined for a painful and graceless extinction.

 

Both Madonna's defection and Radiohead's move would have been inconceivable were it not tumbling CD sales – they are down 14pc this year alone. Despite the rise of Apple's online music store iTunes, legal downloads have yet to make up the difference, as web piracy remains rampant among a younger generation that has grown up with the idea that music is free.

 

And yet other parts of the industry are booming. The real money for most artists is in the live scene, where they take a much bigger cut of sales. Prince's recent sell-out residency at the O2 arena in London's Docklands was preceded by another savvy marketing stunt. In the run up to the dates, he gave away his new album for free via The Mail on Sunday, making a rumoured £250,000. Mark Mulligan at Jupiter Research reckons that deal was driven by the artist's desire to reach an audience of 2.5m. "Prince gave away the CD so he could sell out the O2, that was the end game and he succeeded."

 

Record labels are increasingly desperate to dip their toes in live music's revenue streams by signing so-called "360 degree" deals with new artists that get them a slug of ticket and merchandise sales. EMI's £80m deal with Robbie Williams gave it some such privileges as did Warner's re-signing of US band Linkin Park.

 

"Recorded music revenues are only telling part of the story," says Mr Mulligan. "Live is booming, as is mobile, syndication to movie soundtracks, adverts, console games, music TV channels and there's still the old staple of radio. Record labels are trying to extend their read within the value chain."

 

Live Nation's imminent deal with Madonna is evidence that the traditional concert industry is fighting back. "We think the deal is more a bold statement by Live Nation that it wants to quickly get deep in the music business, and less an example of Warner Music's inability to close a good deal," says Michael Savner of Bank of America, who reckons Warner was prudent to back away from mooted $120m (£59m) fee.

 

At the heart of all this flux is, of course, the internet. Radiohead's ''honesty box" stunt demonstrates how far the web has shaken the traditional distribution model in music.

 

Established bands can now go direct to their fan bases, says Alice Enders of Enders Analysis: "That allows you to do email marketing and say, 'you bought our album, we love you, come and see our next gig'."

 

But Ms Enders is convinced that record labels will still have a huge role to play when it comes to emerging artists. "It is extremely difficult to develop a fanbase on the web from scratch, although there are exceptions that prove the rule [Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen].

 

"An artist by definition occupies themselves with the creative act. Record labels are very good at managing formats and release windows, have significant expertise in A&R and everything from ringtones to territorial rights clearance." Labels also offer huge economies of scale, but as CD revenues shrivel, they are aggressively cutting costs to maintain them.

 

For all the hype, very few artists have gone it alone entirely. Radiohead, ironically, is seeking a record deal so it can distribute physical copies of "In Rainbows" in time for Christmas. Prince too, only backed out of his deal with Sony-BMG in the UK.

 

Nevertheless the big four – Universal, Sony-BMG, Warner and EMI – are clearly losing some of their clout over major stars.

 

"With Radiohead going independent, Paul McCartney signing with Starbucks and [Madonna's] potential move, record companies could be losing their grip on top-selling artists as they seek a bigger share of revenue," says Doug Mitchelson, a Wall Street analyst at Deutsche Bank.

 

The pressure is now on the big labels, he says, to "find the best up-and-coming artists and sign them to long-term, all-encompassing deals (allowing for further uncertainty in record companies' top line expectations)".

 

Any music executives hoping for no alarms and no surprises in the coming years are clearly in the wrong game.

 

Are record labels really necessary?

 

Posted Oct 13th 2007 by Zac Bissonnette

Filed under: Competitive strategy, Time Warner (TWX), Marketing and advertising, Sony Corp ADR (SNE), Entrepreneurs

 

The Associated Press is asking a question that is practically blasphemous -- the outcome of which could change the face of the music industry: Are record labels really necessary, especially for established artists?

 

With acts including Madonna and Radiohead forgoing traditional record deals, and international superstar Robbie Williams signing a complicated deal guaranteeing him 80 million pounds over four albums, including some revenue from live events, it's clear that the the traditional concept of labels signing artists and paying them royalties is changing. Radiohead has decided to make its album available online only and let fans decide how much to pay.

 

Some argue that these are exceptions -- traditional record labels are still a must for all but the most established acts. Yet even lesser-known acts can promote their music on sites like MySpace and Facebook, which allow users to feature the songs they like on their pages. A lot of young people get introduced to music this way, forgoing outlets like MTV and the radio, which are seen as too commercial and passe.

 

The shift probably will be gradual, with better-known acts making the leap first. But as the methods of music distribution and hit-making change, so too will the role of the record label. Long term, I think that role will become a lot less relevant.

 

Oh stuff Radiohead. :smoke:

Interesting to see Madge is following in Rob's footsteps and is signing a similar deal which includes touring etc as well. Although obviously for £20m less :smoke:

Interesting to see Madge is following in Rob's footsteps and is signing a similar deal which includes touring etc as well. Although obviously for £20m less :smoke:

Obviously. :smoke: Tbh, If I was her Record Lable, I wouldnt even want to pay her that much, she aint worth it. :smoke:

Obviously. :smoke: Tbh, If I was her Record Lable, I wouldnt even want to pay her that much, she aint worth it. :smoke:

 

Well she kina is, considering how many albums she sells, and as it includes tours etc, then it makes sence considering what insane prices she charges for her gigs. I bet though, Warner are not pleased and will do $h!t promo for her next album. :lol:

May 9, 2008

 

Robbie Williams had made five times as much money from his deal with T-mobile Sony Ericsson in one year than he had from his record label

 

Fascinating stuff from David Cushman's Blog ..

 

The mobile part in this mix? Well it interested me that Tim revealed Robbie Williams had made five times as much money from his deal with T-mobile Sony Ericsson in one year than he had from his record label. He made most of all from touring (the because effect in full effect!)

 

 

Interesting also that Sony Ericsson spent six times as much promoting Robbie's latest album in Australia than EMI did.

 

 

Source

 

Davis Cushman's blog contains the full article. Link above in green

 

Thanks to PR

Shocking stuff, and proof of how utterly appauling EMi truly are. No wonder Rob does'nt want to release another album with them. :rolleyes:

Interesting but not surprising. Music acts don't seem to make much dosh from selling records these days. :blink:

Hmmmm......

 

http://business.scotsman.com/medialeisure/...ship.4471301.jp

 

Music rivals go into partnership to cut their costs in the Asian markets

 

RECORD label EMI has signed a deal with US rival Warner Music to distribute releases in south-east Asia as part of its cost-cutting strategy.

 

The company, whose artists include Coldplay, Robbie Williams and Joss Stone, has announced that it has signed the multi-year deal, which covers its entire catalogue in the region.

 

Warner will distribute all physical and digital EMI music releases, but EMI will still develop digital partnerships in south-east Asia.

 

ROBBIE WILLIAM'S MANAGER ATTACKS UK GOVERNMENT ON P2P REGULATION

 

http://i39.tinypic.com/33csp69.jpg

 

By Robert Andrews - Sun 18 Jan 2009 06:57 AM PST

 

Robbie Williams’ manager has accused the UK government of “wimping out” in the fight against illegal P2P downloading. ie:music MD Tim Clark told the MidemNet music industry conference in Cannes: “In France, Sarkozy is doing something about it. In the UK, as you’d expect, our government is completely wimping out. They’re trying to avoid any responsibility in this space.

 

“They insisted that ISPs sent out letters to their subscribers saying ‘don’t download, it’s naughty and if you continue you’ll be spanked’. We gather what (actually) happened was encryption (masking illegal downloads) went up by 10 percent. I’m told if encryption continues to rise then the game really is over for recorded music and getting paid for it.”

 

Clark isn’t strictly accurate. The government’s BERR department bashed the heads of labels and ISPs together last year under threat of legislation, leading to an agreement under which ISPs sent warning letters to thousands of alleged lawbreakers. Now BERR and the DCMS are ready to consider the recommendations of Stephen Carter’s upcoming Digital Britain report, which, FT.com says, will call for a new agency to manage permanent collaboration between ISPs and labels on data sharing and letter sending. France’s national assembly is due to vote on a senate bill that would go further, disconnecting customers after three warnings.

 

Clark’s view is also contrary. On two consecutive days at MidemNet, UK Music CEO Fergal Sharkey and Internet Service Providers Alliance secretary general Nicholas Lansman urged government not to regulate the space but to leave them to self-regulate.

 

Clark had some other wacky ideas, demanding a way to monetise mere mouse clicks and admitting to a failed social media strategy for the ex Take That star…

—“Imagine how many clicks Robbie Williams gets on all sorts of sites - lets have a cent or two for that, just to start; we’ve got to find ways of getting value back in to recorded music.”

—“We did a blog from Robbie Williams which actually wasn’t written by him - it was spotted immediately! So we never did it again.”

(Photo: catzi)

 

Source PaidContent UK

 

:o

Edited January 18, 200916 yr by Scorpio

Huh? :blink:

I know :angry:

What blog? :unsure:

 

:angry: