Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Rick Ruben getting kicked out by Sony
Big Idea Fades... Sony Music Staying Mum on Rick Rubin
Super-producer Rick Rubin refuses to set foot at Sony Music Entertainment offices, despite being hired as Columbia Records Group co-chairman. Perhaps that was an early indicator of things to come.
Sony executives are mostly quiet on the matter, though the absentee Rubin now appears to be getting a brushoff. Sony Music representative Claire von Schilling declined to discuss the potential shift with Digital Music News, referring to the matter to an unreachable Rubin representative Heidi Ellen Fitzgerald. Rubin was first confirmed to the post during May of 2007, and praised as a messiah-like game-changer in a New York Times Magazine article several months later.
Since then, Sony BMG has disbanded, and declines have continued to mount. Rubin, an incredible creative force, may not be having the big executive impact originally envisioned. "They're going to quietly offload him to a side label deal, and remove him from the main company," explained Roger Friedman of Fox News last week.
Part of the problem, according to Friedman and sources, is that Rubin has been recording projects for outside artists, and focusing on unimportant moves like office relocations. Now, Rubin recruit and Columbia general manager Mark DiDia is exiting, according to Billboard, potentially the first of several fallouts.
Permalink: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/122008sirius
Super-producer Rick Rubin refuses to set foot at Sony Music Entertainment offices, despite being hired as Columbia Records Group co-chairman. Perhaps that was an early indicator of things to come.
Sony executives are mostly quiet on the matter, though the absentee Rubin now appears to be getting a brushoff. Sony Music representative Claire von Schilling declined to discuss the potential shift with Digital Music News, referring to the matter to an unreachable Rubin representative Heidi Ellen Fitzgerald. Rubin was first confirmed to the post during May of 2007, and praised as a messiah-like game-changer in a New York Times Magazine article several months later.
Since then, Sony BMG has disbanded, and declines have continued to mount. Rubin, an incredible creative force, may not be having the big executive impact originally envisioned. "They're going to quietly offload him to a side label deal, and remove him from the main company," explained Roger Friedman of Fox News last week.
Part of the problem, according to Friedman and sources, is that Rubin has been recording projects for outside artists, and focusing on unimportant moves like office relocations. Now, Rubin recruit and Columbia general manager Mark DiDia is exiting, according to Billboard, potentially the first of several fallouts.
Permalink: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/122008sirius
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Labels not sueing people anymore?
Major Labels Ending Lawsuits Against Individuals.... Now What?
Major labels are now discontinuing their multi-year, legal attack against individual file-swappers, according to information confirmed by the RIAA on Friday. The RIAA-coordinated campaign, first started in 2003, has largely failed to stem file-sharing volumes, while producing massive public relations issues and burning millions in courtroom costs.
According to agreement details shared with Digital Music News, alternative plans are now being pursued with various ISPs in the United States. The reshaped agreements call for ISPs to start issuing warnings and eventually, terminations, to infringing subscribers.
The RIAA pointed to confidential negotiations, and nothing has been separately confirmed by ISPs. Some discussions are being facilitated by New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo, a broader forum that may also include the motion picture industry. "Attorney General Cuomo became involved in helping facilitate conversations during the summer," RIAA representative Jonathan Lamy said on Friday. "This has been a months-long process."
That leaves a lot of open questions, especially in the absence of above-board, joint announcements with ISPs. Is everyone on board? And, are ISPs willing to play bad cop against their own, paying customers?
Major labels are accustomed to that sort of attack, but ISPs are undoubtedly considering their next steps wisely. "Once you start going down the path of looking at the information going down the network, there are many that want you to play the role of policeman," Verizon executive vice president of public affairs Thomas J. Tauke told the New York Times earlier this year. "Stop illegal gambling offshore. Stop pornography. Stop a whole array of other kinds of activities that some may think inappropriate."
Other questions are also lingering. Once the claimed agreements start rolling, the exact processes for handling suspected file-swappers remains unclear. The RIAA pointed to a graduated response, one that will ultimately result in terminated accounts. Access providers have previously resisted those initiatives, and digitally-focused civil liberties groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) are likely to fight the actions. Consumers may also fight back, especially those falsely accused of file-swapping across shared, wireless connections.
Perhaps one thing is clear - the carnage is bloody in the rearview mirror. In total, the RIAA has sued more than 35,000, often through complicated, "John Doe" procedures designed to circumvent ISP-driven privacy protections. Ongoing lawsuits will be finalized, though fresh suits will not be issued except for egregious, selected situations, according to the trade group. The majors will also stop pursuing lawsuits against university students, the subject of an entirely different theater of negotiations. "We stopped filing new lawsuits in August of this year," Lamy continued.
On that matter, attorney Ray Beckerman found suits filed earlier this month, raising questions of exactly when the actions are being terminated. "We have learned that a number of suits have been brought by the RIAA, some as recently as last week," Beckerman explained.
The development follows a serious plunge in album sales in the United States - and abroad, for that matter. During the past three months, album sales have dropped more than 20 percent year-over-year, driven mostly by physical product declines. That, coupled with fresh challenges from parties like Harvard University Law School, are undoubtedly influencing the changed path.
The game is clearly changing, but the rules, battles, and players involved are difficult to predict. Additionally, as the news filters down to music fans, file-sharing volumes could spike upward. Ahead of the shutdown of Napster, file-swapping actually boomed, the first of many disruptive chapters still being written.
Report by publisher Paul Resnikoff.
Permalink: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/121908riaa
Major labels are now discontinuing their multi-year, legal attack against individual file-swappers, according to information confirmed by the RIAA on Friday. The RIAA-coordinated campaign, first started in 2003, has largely failed to stem file-sharing volumes, while producing massive public relations issues and burning millions in courtroom costs.
According to agreement details shared with Digital Music News, alternative plans are now being pursued with various ISPs in the United States. The reshaped agreements call for ISPs to start issuing warnings and eventually, terminations, to infringing subscribers.
The RIAA pointed to confidential negotiations, and nothing has been separately confirmed by ISPs. Some discussions are being facilitated by New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo, a broader forum that may also include the motion picture industry. "Attorney General Cuomo became involved in helping facilitate conversations during the summer," RIAA representative Jonathan Lamy said on Friday. "This has been a months-long process."
That leaves a lot of open questions, especially in the absence of above-board, joint announcements with ISPs. Is everyone on board? And, are ISPs willing to play bad cop against their own, paying customers?
Major labels are accustomed to that sort of attack, but ISPs are undoubtedly considering their next steps wisely. "Once you start going down the path of looking at the information going down the network, there are many that want you to play the role of policeman," Verizon executive vice president of public affairs Thomas J. Tauke told the New York Times earlier this year. "Stop illegal gambling offshore. Stop pornography. Stop a whole array of other kinds of activities that some may think inappropriate."
Other questions are also lingering. Once the claimed agreements start rolling, the exact processes for handling suspected file-swappers remains unclear. The RIAA pointed to a graduated response, one that will ultimately result in terminated accounts. Access providers have previously resisted those initiatives, and digitally-focused civil liberties groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) are likely to fight the actions. Consumers may also fight back, especially those falsely accused of file-swapping across shared, wireless connections.
Perhaps one thing is clear - the carnage is bloody in the rearview mirror. In total, the RIAA has sued more than 35,000, often through complicated, "John Doe" procedures designed to circumvent ISP-driven privacy protections. Ongoing lawsuits will be finalized, though fresh suits will not be issued except for egregious, selected situations, according to the trade group. The majors will also stop pursuing lawsuits against university students, the subject of an entirely different theater of negotiations. "We stopped filing new lawsuits in August of this year," Lamy continued.
On that matter, attorney Ray Beckerman found suits filed earlier this month, raising questions of exactly when the actions are being terminated. "We have learned that a number of suits have been brought by the RIAA, some as recently as last week," Beckerman explained.
The development follows a serious plunge in album sales in the United States - and abroad, for that matter. During the past three months, album sales have dropped more than 20 percent year-over-year, driven mostly by physical product declines. That, coupled with fresh challenges from parties like Harvard University Law School, are undoubtedly influencing the changed path.
The game is clearly changing, but the rules, battles, and players involved are difficult to predict. Additionally, as the news filters down to music fans, file-sharing volumes could spike upward. Ahead of the shutdown of Napster, file-swapping actually boomed, the first of many disruptive chapters still being written.
Report by publisher Paul Resnikoff.
Permalink: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/121908riaa
Monday, December 22, 2008
Wal-Mart iPhone Landing December 28th
Confirmed: Wal-Mart iPhone Landing December 28th
The iPhone will arrive at Wal-Mart stores on the 28th of this month, according to information confirmed Thursday. Sales representatives from stores in California, Washington, New York, Texas, and New Jersey confirmed the date to Digital Music News, though none would disclose price points. The representatives declined the pricing discussion until product is positioned.
That leaves the matter unresolved, though analysts are expecting a sub-$100 tag, given the price-chopping reputation of Wal-Mart. That remains to be seen, though a low-ball price point would place heavy pressure on Best Buy, the first retailer to carry the device outside of Apple and AT&T stores.
The iPhone enjoyed a spectacular third quarter, thanks to a massive second-generation push, though a more subdued consumer could soften sales this quarter. Still, against the broader economic backdrop, Wal-Mart is actually growing, thanks to a migration towards cheaper goods.
Permalink: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/121808iphone
The iPhone will arrive at Wal-Mart stores on the 28th of this month, according to information confirmed Thursday. Sales representatives from stores in California, Washington, New York, Texas, and New Jersey confirmed the date to Digital Music News, though none would disclose price points. The representatives declined the pricing discussion until product is positioned.
That leaves the matter unresolved, though analysts are expecting a sub-$100 tag, given the price-chopping reputation of Wal-Mart. That remains to be seen, though a low-ball price point would place heavy pressure on Best Buy, the first retailer to carry the device outside of Apple and AT&T stores.
The iPhone enjoyed a spectacular third quarter, thanks to a massive second-generation push, though a more subdued consumer could soften sales this quarter. Still, against the broader economic backdrop, Wal-Mart is actually growing, thanks to a migration towards cheaper goods.
Permalink: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/121808iphone
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Update on EMI.com
The New EMI.com: Where Will This All Go?
Where is EMI Music going with its newly-launched, EMI.com destination? The company entered with a rather straight-ahead destination on Wednesday morning, one that features a range of assets for roster artists - including videos, audio streams, pictures, biographies, and other elements. The beta-stage site is designed to tighten relationships with fans through observation and experimentation, though some executives were left scratching their heads at the rather amorphous agenda. "This is the beginning of a long term experiment," EMI North America senior vice president of Corporate Communications Jeanne Meyer told Digital Music News.
Currently, the site is available across the US and UK only. The label did not disclose an expansion timetable, though other countries are definitely ahead. "In the future, we expect to roll out the site in other territories as well," Meyer continued.
Other questions surround the driving forces behind the destination. The site was conceptualized by someone outside of the core executive team, specifically Shamsa Rana of Imdad Capital Ltd., though Meyer reiterated a unified front. The new executive cast includes Elio Leoni-Sceti, Douglas Merrill, Cory Ondrejka, Nick Gatfield, and Ronn Werre.
Permalink: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/121708emi
Where is EMI Music going with its newly-launched, EMI.com destination? The company entered with a rather straight-ahead destination on Wednesday morning, one that features a range of assets for roster artists - including videos, audio streams, pictures, biographies, and other elements. The beta-stage site is designed to tighten relationships with fans through observation and experimentation, though some executives were left scratching their heads at the rather amorphous agenda. "This is the beginning of a long term experiment," EMI North America senior vice president of Corporate Communications Jeanne Meyer told Digital Music News.
Currently, the site is available across the US and UK only. The label did not disclose an expansion timetable, though other countries are definitely ahead. "In the future, we expect to roll out the site in other territories as well," Meyer continued.
Other questions surround the driving forces behind the destination. The site was conceptualized by someone outside of the core executive team, specifically Shamsa Rana of Imdad Capital Ltd., though Meyer reiterated a unified front. The new executive cast includes Elio Leoni-Sceti, Douglas Merrill, Cory Ondrejka, Nick Gatfield, and Ronn Werre.
Permalink: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/121708emi
EMI.com
Let the Experimentation Begin: EMI Music Splashes EMI.com
EMI Music is now unwrapping a revamped EMI.com, an experimental destination designed to deliver content, foster discovery, and tighten fan relationships. The beta-stage site features content from a range of EMI artists, both past and present. Typical artist collateral includes track clips, videos, biographies, discographies, and images. "EMI.com is designed to be a learning lab," explained Alex Haar, vice president of Digital Special Projects at EMI Music. "It will help us gain even more knowledge about consumer preferences and choices."
The site architecture is pretty straightforward, at least in its initial iteration. The broader roadmap is a bit difficult to decipher at this stage, though the label pointed to continued upgrades ahead. That includes widgeting functionality, ecommerce components, and exclusive content. "This is the beginning of a longer-term experiment," Haar continued. "In the coming months, we will continue to add content and features to the site."
The testbed fits into a newer attitude at EMI Music, one that includes digitally-focused approaches from executives like Douglas Merrill (Google) and Cory Odrejka (Second Life). Both are strong proponents of data-driven decision-making, an approach that takes advantage of unprecedented levels of fan information and tracking. But whether a label-branded destination is the best place to understand the fan remains questionable, especially given the branding backseat that major labels assume.
On a deeper level, the new executive set faces an incredibly difficult challenge. After all, understanding fans is one thing; getting them to buy stuff is quite another. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking loudly, thanks to an accelerating nosedive in the core CD. That is putting the pressure on executives like Merrill to create Google-like moments, quickly.
EMI Music has been reshaping its executive cast, though outsiders appear to be playing a heavy hand in EMI.com. According to the label, EMI.com was designed and implemented by Shamsa Rana, managing director of Imdad Capital Ltd. On its website, Imdad describes itself as a "strategic advisory and turnaround" firm, one focused on privately-owned media companies. "Imdad prefers to work with the portfolio companies of private equity houses and/or those companies that are privately owned," the company describes. "Private companies on the whole have a stronger appetite to drive through change."
Imdad appears to be a one-woman show, based on website information, though digital media firm Perform is credited with building the site.
Report by publisher Paul Resnikoff.
Images and more details at
http://digitalmusicnews.com/stories/121608emi
EMI Music is now unwrapping a revamped EMI.com, an experimental destination designed to deliver content, foster discovery, and tighten fan relationships. The beta-stage site features content from a range of EMI artists, both past and present. Typical artist collateral includes track clips, videos, biographies, discographies, and images. "EMI.com is designed to be a learning lab," explained Alex Haar, vice president of Digital Special Projects at EMI Music. "It will help us gain even more knowledge about consumer preferences and choices."
The site architecture is pretty straightforward, at least in its initial iteration. The broader roadmap is a bit difficult to decipher at this stage, though the label pointed to continued upgrades ahead. That includes widgeting functionality, ecommerce components, and exclusive content. "This is the beginning of a longer-term experiment," Haar continued. "In the coming months, we will continue to add content and features to the site."
The testbed fits into a newer attitude at EMI Music, one that includes digitally-focused approaches from executives like Douglas Merrill (Google) and Cory Odrejka (Second Life). Both are strong proponents of data-driven decision-making, an approach that takes advantage of unprecedented levels of fan information and tracking. But whether a label-branded destination is the best place to understand the fan remains questionable, especially given the branding backseat that major labels assume.
On a deeper level, the new executive set faces an incredibly difficult challenge. After all, understanding fans is one thing; getting them to buy stuff is quite another. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking loudly, thanks to an accelerating nosedive in the core CD. That is putting the pressure on executives like Merrill to create Google-like moments, quickly.
EMI Music has been reshaping its executive cast, though outsiders appear to be playing a heavy hand in EMI.com. According to the label, EMI.com was designed and implemented by Shamsa Rana, managing director of Imdad Capital Ltd. On its website, Imdad describes itself as a "strategic advisory and turnaround" firm, one focused on privately-owned media companies. "Imdad prefers to work with the portfolio companies of private equity houses and/or those companies that are privately owned," the company describes. "Private companies on the whole have a stronger appetite to drive through change."
Imdad appears to be a one-woman show, based on website information, though digital media firm Perform is credited with building the site.
Report by publisher Paul Resnikoff.
Images and more details at
http://digitalmusicnews.com/stories/121608emi
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)