Thursday, December 31, 2009

Susan Boyles destroys 20th Century marketing
Album of year in 6 weeks
Beats Taylor Swift
End of press release mentality
YouTube rules


In six weeks, Susan Boyle has destroyed 20th Century marketing. In the next week or two, Billboard will be announcing its album of the year.

Taylor Swift has had Fearless on the charts the entire year. She toured her tail off (unfortunately did not make Top 10 concerts of the year). Was in the Jonas Brothers and other movies. Yet Boyle, who has had her CD out since Thanksgiving, will beat Swift for CD of the year
.

How did Boyle do it? A little thing called YouTube. In 2007, I was thrown out of offices for suggesting YouTube & MySpace presence instead of press releases. Boyle's success is directly from YouTube. You can not turn on a newscast without seeing a YouTube related story.

Today I am advocating SmartPhone apps; getting the same reactions from companies as when I advocated YouTube. You wonder why the economy is bad? 20th Century thinking management!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

John Fields – a music guy I wasn’t aware of


As a music journalist, including for the biggest music trade, Billboard, I’ve known many back end people; producers, concert promoters, song writers, even roadies.

Today I was listening to Selena Gomez’ Disappear and it hit me – Hall & Oates. When I did my research, it wasn’t Hall & Oates; it was a guy name of John Fields – a production guy.

He has been credited with Jonas Brothers Don’t Speak, Hollywood, and Paranoid. Miley Cyrus’ 7 Things and Brandi Carlile Throw it All Away. He about owns Demi Lovato: Believe in me, Everytime you lie, Falling over me, Moves me, Party, Remember December, The Middle and U Got Nothin’ On Me. He produced Jon McLaughlin Beating My Heart.

Question is, did he really write Disappear, or get credit for being the producer? Found his discography, but Disappear doesn’t appear on it. Hope Mr. Fields sees this post, leaves a comment and gets in touch. This guy truly is MAGIC. Besides producing Tween hits, he can do something Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers and Selena Gomez can’t do – walk down the street without being bothered.

What’s his connection to Alice Melo of Brazil?

Why corporate record companies are dead
How music is exposed and discovered
In 21st Century SECOND DECADE
Get Timbaland & Miley $5

Was listening to AOL Radio this morning. Heard a Miley Cyrus tune I thought FANTASTIC. Turns out it was on the new Timbaland CD I was not aware of – Shock Value II. Had not heard it on traditional radio. I had heard the Justin Timberlake tune from the CD a month ago – thought it sucked.

Went to Amazon. Saw a used CD for $3.99. Then I checked out the download price - $5. I had purchased Tiffany Giardina’s CD the same way, for like $3.

So, I was exposed to a song via Internet radio, picked it up for about shipping costs or local taxes online. This is how you market music in the 21st Century.

By the way, think this is the BEST song Cyrus has done – of course I’m partial to Timbaland.

I also like Amazon better than iTunes. QuickTime messes up Windows based programs for some reason. If you use iTunes, you must download QuickTime. iTunes has Shock Value II for $12.99, another reason I like Amazon. Got most of Miley Cyrus The Time of Our Lives free due to Amazon promo codes.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Top 2009 concerts held by oldies acts
Miley Cyrus fails to break top 10
Yes, she makes $1-million per show


I’ve been waiting for this report! Top box office acts for 2009 tours followed last year trends of oldies acts. U2, Madonna, Springsteen, AC/DC and Fleetwood Mac were the top touring acts in 2009 according to Billboard.

According to Billboard, U2 had $300-million+ for its 44 venue 360 tour. Madonna had $222-million for Sticky & Sweet tour. Bruce Springsteen, $156-million and AC/DC, $135-million.

P!nk, who toured her butt off and Twitter-ed about it, placed five with $102-million.

Jonas Brothers came in with $73-million.

Miley Cyrus didn’t place in the top 10, being topped by Kenny Chesney, Fleetwood Mac, Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band and Dutch violinist/composer Andre Rieu (don’t ask me). Yet Cyrus came in first for the Thanksgiving holidays, netting more than $6-million from Nov. 24 to Dec. 2. That was Charolette, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Columbia, S. Car.; Atlanta, Tampa and Miami.

For those who didn’t believe Cyrus makes $1-million per show, in the Mick Jagger league, do the math, as Hilary Duff said.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

That motivational speaker is disrespecting you
Why are you giving HIM your $$$?
Experts at cheaping out

Arizona is popular in late fall for motivational speakers. Last weekend I attended an event where the speaker wanted to transform my mind to millionaire status and this weekend the king of motivational speakers, you saw him in a Jack Black movie, is right near my home. He thinks it's Scottsdale according to his Tweets, but it is Phoenix!

I love motivational speakers, but the one last weekend got to me. He was telling us how he only travels first class and how millionaires demand that. Then I looked at the seats in the hotel ballroom this speaker, plus the one this weekend in Northeast Phoenix, have their attendees sit in. These are chairs designed for a two hour wedding reception, not 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
for three to five days.

That's when it dawned on me how much these motivational speakers REALLY disrespect you and only want their hands on your wallet. These seminars cost about $5,000. The motivational speaker trying to reach my mind was explaining how he negotiated a Huntington Beach hotel for $4,000. I've had conferences at hotels and was able to get the ballroom free for promising X amount of hotel rooms sold - plus free snacks and coffee. Last weekend I had neither for 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.


Either these motivators are idiots - at which point you should not be listening to them - or they're pissing on you in the respect department. Phoenix has some fine theaters. I saw Jeff Beck at Phoenix Symphony Hall in downtown. Cost on that is $1,300 per day, plus it seats more than 2,000. The millionaire guy had 700 in attendance. Think of how comfortable we would have been over his three day seminar if he hadn't cheaped out.


Down the street is the historic Orpheum Theater, 1,300 plus seats at $1,400 per day. If you want prestigious, try Scottsdale's Virginia G. Piper Theater. It only seats 800 plus, costs $1,500 per day, but it's ACTUALLY in Scottsdale. Saw Ray Davies of the Kinks there. Had the Beat Angels sit right in front of me.


As I was writing this, it dawned on me. All the motivational speakers, from Wayne Dyer to Zig Zigler, are men. Where's the women motivational speakers who do the circuit through Arizona?

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Addendum: Heard from some motivational speakers who contend if you have comfy seats, the audience may fall asleep. Okay. Now let's look at it from a marketing standpoint. Customer is ALWAYS king. One-third of your customers are going to be baby-boomers. You put baby-boomers on a stool-like seat for more than a couple hours, you've got hemorrhoidal issues. You want to cause your customer discomfort? Go for the plushy auditorium seats and use a water gun to keep those wayward audience members awake - use luke warm water!

You may be able to talk 15 hours a day (something I've never understood how), but those hemorrhoids won't wait that long.

Happy birthday - 24
Raven Symone
Too old to Tween

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Award shows say bye-bye to Disney mouse
Shows what happens when you hire all interns
Meet the 30-ton gorilla - Taylor Swift

Notice how ALL the 2009 Winter awards shows have snubbed Disney stars? Last night the Grammy Award nominations were announced. Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Ashley Tisdale, and if you include Bandslam, Aly & AJ and Vanessa Hudgens all ignored. All had products released in 2009 that qualified for vote.

What about the FORMER-reigning pop princess, Miley Cyrus? Surely she got a nomination - yes, she did. The Climb was nominated, drum roll please, for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or other Visual Media.


Disney did score similar nominations for the movie Up, but since that was animated, doesn't impact the tween market.


Disney was snubbed at the American Music Awards, too. Goodbye, Mr. Mouse stars. We'd like you to meet the 30-ton gorilla, we call her Taylor Swift. Swift has managed to sell out in minutes all her 2010 concert tickets, something Cyrus could not accomplish in ANY market in 2009.