MySpace Records

MySpace Records has finally made it to the big time. The Rupert Murdoch/News Corp entity has done deals with the major labels to give them the kind of access to MySpace as the indie labels once had -- alone.

Well, not so fast.

Some indie labels including big ones like Koch Records are quoted as being livid that MySpace would treat their company differently than those of the majors.

Let's get this right.

MySpace has gone Hollywood -- given better deals to the majors while allegedly ignoring the very indies that helped MySpace Records get rolling.

Charles Caldas, CEO of Merlin, an international licensing&hellip

MySpace Records

MySpace Records has finally made it to the big time. The Rupert Murdoch/News Corp entity has done deals with the major labels to give them the kind of access to MySpace as the indie labels once had -- alone.

Well, not so fast.

Some indie labels including big ones like Koch Records are quoted as being livid that MySpace would treat their company differently than those of the majors.

Let's get this right.

MySpace has gone Hollywood -- given better deals to the majors while allegedly ignoring the very indies that helped MySpace Records get rolling.

Charles Caldas, CEO of Merlin, an international licensing&hellip

Radio’s Last Critical Decision

To quote that great American philosopher Rick James -- "It's such a very freaky scene".

Friday, the NAB was outed for behind the scenes jockeying in Congress as the House took up a bill that would simply allow Internet streamers to continue negotiating with the record label's representative, SoundExchange, in an effort to try and resolve the dispute over royalty payments.

The bill introduced late Thursday was necessary because Congress is headed for recess and law requires this enabling legislation while Congress is away from Washington because the parties are seeking a statutory license.

It doesn't guarantee a thing&hellip

Radio’s Last Critical Decision

To quote that great American philosopher Rick James -- "It's such a very freaky scene".

Friday, the NAB was outed for behind the scenes jockeying in Congress as the House took up a bill that would simply allow Internet streamers to continue negotiating with the record label's representative, SoundExchange, in an effort to try and resolve the dispute over royalty payments.

The bill introduced late Thursday was necessary because Congress is headed for recess and law requires this enabling legislation while Congress is away from Washington because the parties are seeking a statutory license.

It doesn't guarantee a thing&hellip

Music Memory Cards

The big four record labels have come up with a new way to replace the CD.

You might want to sit down for this one.

Fingernail-sized memory cards that will hold an entire album, notes, cover art and allow for some personal storage by the consumer.

Some 449 million CDs were sold in 2007 -- a 19% percent drop from the previous year and a continuation of an almost constant eight year decline in sales. Fifty million were sold digitally (Nielsen) -- not enough to give the labels any comfort that they have found the modern day replacement for the decreasingly unpopular CD.

Of course the largest number of song&hellip

Music Memory Cards

The big four record labels have come up with a new way to replace the CD.

You might want to sit down for this one.

Fingernail-sized memory cards that will hold an entire album, notes, cover art and allow for some personal storage by the consumer.

Some 449 million CDs were sold in 2007 -- a 19% percent drop from the previous year and a continuation of an almost constant eight year decline in sales. Fifty million were sold digitally (Nielsen) -- not enough to give the labels any comfort that they have found the modern day replacement for the decreasingly unpopular CD.

Of course the largest number of song&hellip

My Mobile Radio

I've waited a long time to share my thoughts on mobile "radio" -- that would include terrestrial signals and Internet brands.

Now, I'm ready.

Keep in mind this is my personal opinion and yours may differ. But it will be fun to trade views.

My mobile listening is done on an iPhone. I have enjoyed the iPhone -- although I had a lot of trouble initially trying to get the email to "push". Now, the mail works reasonably well. My calendar (on Entourage) is still a pain -- duplicating events such as birthdays many times every time there is a software update. One birthday a year is enough for me -- I don't know about&hellip

My Mobile Radio

I've waited a long time to share my thoughts on mobile "radio" -- that would include terrestrial signals and Internet brands.

Now, I'm ready.

Keep in mind this is my personal opinion and yours may differ. But it will be fun to trade views.

My mobile listening is done on an iPhone. I have enjoyed the iPhone -- although I had a lot of trouble initially trying to get the email to "push". Now, the mail works reasonably well. My calendar (on Entourage) is still a pain -- duplicating events such as birthdays many times every time there is a software update. One birthday a year is enough for me -- I don't know about&hellip

The Best Radio Investment

With bids due any moment on the CBS sell-off of smaller radio markets you've got to wonder why anyone would buy more stations now.

Tom Taylor is reporting Bonneville, Entercom, Cumulus and even the former CBS Radio President Joel Hollander are thought to be among those interested in CBS' leftovers.

There are all the usual hurdles.

Financing can be challenging at this point in time. Servicing more debt is always a problem. Sellers want multiples higher than nine times cash flows and buyers need lower multiples -- if they are going to be responsible to themselves and/or their shareholders.

CBS Radio President&hellip

The Best Radio Investment

With bids due any moment on the CBS sell-off of smaller radio markets you've got to wonder why anyone would buy more stations now.

Tom Taylor is reporting Bonneville, Entercom, Cumulus and even the former CBS Radio President Joel Hollander are thought to be among those interested in CBS' leftovers.

There are all the usual hurdles.

Financing can be challenging at this point in time. Servicing more debt is always a problem. Sellers want multiples higher than nine times cash flows and buyers need lower multiples -- if they are going to be responsible to themselves and/or their shareholders.

CBS Radio President&hellip

Hey Feds, Bail Out Radio and Records Next

The government, in what may end up as a one trillion dollar bailout of the banking and mortgage industries, is fast discovering what we in the radio and record label business could have told them a long time.

If only we had listened to ourselves.

Sometimes you need regulation.

Isn't it so -- well, swell that both the Democrats and Republicans are working their buns off this week to cooperate with the president to save the American economy. Or, is it to save their own butts politically? Whatever. They're working together -- there's a headline.

So taxpayers will eventually ante up the rescue funds and the&hellip

Hey Feds, Bail Out Radio and Records Next

The government, in what may end up as a one trillion dollar bailout of the banking and mortgage industries, is fast discovering what we in the radio and record label business could have told them a long time.

If only we had listened to ourselves.

Sometimes you need regulation.

Isn't it so -- well, swell that both the Democrats and Republicans are working their buns off this week to cooperate with the president to save the American economy. Or, is it to save their own butts politically? Whatever. They're working together -- there's a headline.

So taxpayers will eventually ante up the rescue funds and the&hellip

Embarrassing Radio Pep Talks

National Association of Broadcasters CEO David Rehr insulted the hard working people who put up with the indecision makers holding them hostage every day by saying "Radio needs people who believe".

To me this sounds a lot like Jim Jones asking the faithful to step up and drink the very Kool-Aid that will immediately kill them.

Rehr, apparently forgetting that when he points one finger at the program directors, general managers and sales people in today's radio industry, he also has three fingers pointing back squarely at himself.

Rehr added, "I'm talking about the negativity that's pervading the radio business and&hellip

Embarrassing Radio Pep Talks

National Association of Broadcasters CEO David Rehr insulted the hard working people who put up with the indecision makers holding them hostage every day by saying "Radio needs people who believe".

To me this sounds a lot like Jim Jones asking the faithful to step up and drink the very Kool-Aid that will immediately kill them.

Rehr, apparently forgetting that when he points one finger at the program directors, general managers and sales people in today's radio industry, he also has three fingers pointing back squarely at himself.

Rehr added, "I'm talking about the negativity that's pervading the radio business and&hellip

Best Buy’s Napster Purchase

Best Buy, the big box electronics giant, just forked over a relatively small $127 million in cash (easy for me to say, right?) to buy Napster.

Two things:

1. Napster is over -- way over.

2. Napster isn't coming back.

Nonetheless, give Best Buy some credit for at least thinking out of their big box and understanding a reality that will affect them soon -- the next generation doesn't live in record stores. Often, they don't even live in electronics stores.

It's too early to tell Best Buy's end game here. The Napster they are buying has about 700,000 subscribers. It does about $30 million a quarter and has&hellip

Best Buy’s Napster Purchase

Best Buy, the big box electronics giant, just forked over a relatively small $127 million in cash (easy for me to say, right?) to buy Napster.

Two things:

1. Napster is over -- way over.

2. Napster isn't coming back.

Nonetheless, give Best Buy some credit for at least thinking out of their big box and understanding a reality that will affect them soon -- the next generation doesn't live in record stores. Often, they don't even live in electronics stores.

It's too early to tell Best Buy's end game here. The Napster they are buying has about 700,000 subscribers. It does about $30 million a quarter and has&hellip

Video Killed The Record Star

Remember when the Buggles song "Video Killed the Radio Star" launched MTV -- Music Television back in the 80's?

Who would have thought back then that the singing radio obituary would one day be a death notice for the record business -- and while we're at it -- MTV, itself.

That's where I think we are.

Did you see the MTV Music awards recently? When the main attraction is Britney Spears all cleaned up along with an outraged comedian railing against right wing politics, you pretty much have the stage set for where I'm headed with all this. Look, MTV has always been outrageous -- and certainly their awards shows were.&hellip

Video Killed The Record Star

Remember when the Buggles song "Video Killed the Radio Star" launched MTV -- Music Television back in the 80's?

Who would have thought back then that the singing radio obituary would one day be a death notice for the record business -- and while we're at it -- MTV, itself.

That's where I think we are.

Did you see the MTV Music awards recently? When the main attraction is Britney Spears all cleaned up along with an outraged comedian railing against right wing politics, you pretty much have the stage set for where I'm headed with all this. Look, MTV has always been outrageous -- and certainly their awards shows were.&hellip

Radio: A Zell of an Economy

I have a pen pal named "anonymous" who usually writes me every time I say Sam Zell, Randy Michaels and a ton of ex-Jacor employees want back into radio.

Write to me again because I'm still saying it.

The other day I wrote a piece about employee pricing that could help existing local management buy radio stations from cash strapped consolidators who have fallen on hard times.

Basically, there are a lot of radio stations for sale -- publicly and privately. The more visible ones are CBS' smaller markets and Citadel's "make me an offer, any offer" markets.

So what do we know about Sam Zell, the successful real&hellip

Radio: A Zell of an Economy

I have a pen pal named "anonymous" who usually writes me every time I say Sam Zell, Randy Michaels and a ton of ex-Jacor employees want back into radio.

Write to me again because I'm still saying it.

The other day I wrote a piece about employee pricing that could help existing local management buy radio stations from cash strapped consolidators who have fallen on hard times.

Basically, there are a lot of radio stations for sale -- publicly and privately. The more visible ones are CBS' smaller markets and Citadel's "make me an offer, any offer" markets.

So what do we know about Sam Zell, the successful real&hellip

Radio: 1-2-3, I Beat Jerry Lee

Everybody wants to take a piece of Jerry Lee, the 70-year old FM radio pioneer who manages radio like he's 25.

The mighty Clear Channel (when they were really mighty) tried to position WSNI, Philadelphia to go after Lee's WBEB (B-101), the longtime market leader (with KYW) and revenue machine.

After a few years of giving it all that they had, Clear Channel changed formats.

The latest attack is from Greater Media which is taking its 97.5 frequency to create a younger version of Lee's soft rock station called "Now 97.5". It wasn't much of a risk because the station had been bombing with the Smooth Jazz franchise that&hellip

Radio: 1-2-3, I Beat Jerry Lee

Everybody wants to take a piece of Jerry Lee, the 70-year old FM radio pioneer who manages radio like he's 25.

The mighty Clear Channel (when they were really mighty) tried to position WSNI, Philadelphia to go after Lee's WBEB (B-101), the longtime market leader (with KYW) and revenue machine.

After a few years of giving it all that they had, Clear Channel changed formats.

The latest attack is from Greater Media which is taking its 97.5 frequency to create a younger version of Lee's soft rock station called "Now 97.5". It wasn't much of a risk because the station had been bombing with the Smooth Jazz franchise that&hellip

Employee Pricing for Radio Stations

Have you noticed how many radio stations are on the market right now and how few are selling -- even below value.

I mention this because the other day CBS President Les Moonves said publicly that someday the company might sell its radio division. A lot of folks reacted to this comment. Moonves pointed out that the free cash flow advantage that CBS Radio is contributing to the corporation is not lost on CEO Sumner Redstone.

What is significant and getting a lot less attention, however, is how many companies are trying to sell radio stations with no apparent luck at all.

CBS is one of them -- vowing to sell off its&hellip

Employee Pricing for Radio Stations

Have you noticed how many radio stations are on the market right now and how few are selling -- even below value.

I mention this because the other day CBS President Les Moonves said publicly that someday the company might sell its radio division. A lot of folks reacted to this comment. Moonves pointed out that the free cash flow advantage that CBS Radio is contributing to the corporation is not lost on CEO Sumner Redstone.

What is significant and getting a lot less attention, however, is how many companies are trying to sell radio stations with no apparent luck at all.

CBS is one of them -- vowing to sell off its&hellip

Radioǃ

Sometimes it seems the radio industry just doesn

Radioǃ

Sometimes it seems the radio industry just doesn

Starbucks Vs. Radio

Two proud industries have hit the skids -- radio and the high end coffee business.

Radio is finding that there is no future without the next generation. They lost that long ago and there is little chance of getting it back.

Starbucks has lost its way by over charging and under serving.

Radio has competition from new technology.

Starbucks from McDonalds and Dunkin' Donuts -- two corporations looking to sell "joe" for less.

But that

Starbucks Vs. Radio

Two proud industries have hit the skids -- radio and the high end coffee business.

Radio is finding that there is no future without the next generation. They lost that long ago and there is little chance of getting it back.

Starbucks has lost its way by over charging and under serving.

Radio has competition from new technology.

Starbucks from McDonalds and Dunkin' Donuts -- two corporations looking to sell "joe" for less.

But that

Radioǃ

This political season you can

Radioǃ

This political season you can