snapshot 10/29/07

Walgreen sees movie-burning DVD kiosks at stores
Walgreen plans to put kiosks that can make DVDs of popular movies in drugstore photo departments next year, using a new system that would increase selection while avoiding piracy. Recent change in copy-protection rules governing DVDs have freed Walgreen and other retailers to tap this new movie market by letting consumers burn digital copies onto blank discs at stores, industry watchers said.


Brick-and-mortar stores eye new music formats
In the latest attempts, iTunes digital download album cards highlighting specific titles are getting high marks in the early part of the rollout. Meanwhile, merchants await the introduction of the "ringle" -- which aims to revive the CD single in the physical world and allow brick-and-mortar merchants to participate in the ringtone phenomenon.

Retailers pay nothing for the cards, which are not activated until paid for at the register. So far, "people are pleasantly surprised by the results," Sony BMG Music Entertainment senior vice president and general manager of U.S. digital sales Adam Mirabella said. The Vedder card comprises 6 percent of overall scans for "Into the Wild," which has scanned 95,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan -- including 36,000 in digital downloads, 5,720 of those from the digital cards.


Mobile subscription services not yet phoning it in
Mobile phones were meant to revolutionize the subscription music business. But if that revolution were to be televised today, it would consist of nothing but dead air.


Indie bands go online to seek funds from fans
The most recent, and perhaps most well-known, exemplars of the trend are seminal German industrial band Einsturzende Neubauten, which has funded its past three records using donations from a group the act refers to as "supporters." Neubauten charged between 35 and 65 euros ($49.50-$92) for the ability to interact with the band via webcast during the recording process as well as a copy of the finished product.

A number of smaller unsigned bands have also used the Web to raise money for recording expenses from fans and strangers. Two sites, Sellaband.com and Slicethepie.com, enable listeners to "invest" in unsigned bands, with the investors betting that the acts eventually will sell enough records to make them a profit. Investors are also granted access to the band and free copies of the records.


When Pigs Fly: The Death of Oink, the Birth of Dissent, and a Brief History of Record Industry Suicide
via CrunchGear
Rob over at Demonbaby is pissed. At the music industry, at the takedown of OiNK - everything is driving this guy mad. Hence why he took to his blog and decided to really let the public know the state of today’s music industry. Rob used to work for the big labels from the late 1990s into the 2000s and knows a thing or two about how they work and what they loathe. In the end, as you probably expected, it’s all about profit and money.
Most of us are like Rob in ways. We loathe the RIAA and the big labels that nearly force us to pirate due to exorbitant prices on the music they both sell. The newspapers adapted to the age of the Internet, so why can’t the labels? Ultimately, Rob suggests boycotting the RIAA by purchasing non-RIAA music, pirating, writing to labels and even contacting your congressman. The post is one of the longest reads around on the issue, but is by all means necessary. I highly recommend taking a 20-30 minutes out of your day and reading it. It’ll change the way you view and hear your music.


EMI And imeem Partner For Viral Song & Video Streaming
Music centric social networking site imeem and EMI today launched free ad supported on-demand full song and video streaming of EMI's global digital catalog. Sony, Warner and a number of indie labels already have similar deals with imeem.

Members can upload their favorite music, video and photos for streaming, create customImeem playlists and slideshows, and share them with friends and fans on imeem as well as on Facebook and personal blogs.


If It’s Retail, Is It Still Rock?
The barriers are changing and we as artists are making less and less money, and we have to get creative,” notes Mr. McKagan, whose new band has licensed its music to a Victoria’s Secret commercial and movie soundtracks, formed partnerships with entities like the music video simulation game Guitar Hero, and appeared in ads for the clothing designer John Varvatos. “Fifteen years ago, it would have been totally not cool. You would have been selling out.” BAND branding appears to know no bounds. The Black Crowes market rolling papers, Bon Jovi offers $1,000 signed canvas art prints and Mötley Crüe peddled Mötley Brüe, a carbonated drink. Celebration Cellars, a California winemaker, teamed up with several rockers, including Bon Jovi, Kiss, Madonna and the Rolling Stones, to issue special-edition wines that feature band logos and sell for $100 or more a bottle.


Bootleg Yourself
So why don't more acts do it? First of all, a system will cost between $5,000 and $10,000 - and burn towers have a two-year shelf life. Co-written songs create copyright issues, major labels tend to keep a tight grip on their product and touring the larger venues requires lots of paperwork and/or favors.


Life in the vast chain
"This just makes business sense," says Don Henley. "With the disappearance of large record store chains, Wal-Mart is now the largest CD retailer in the world. And if people don't want to buy from Wal-Mart, they can buy directly from us at the website."

Eight years ago the Eagles created Eagles Recording Co. and contemplated releasing an album online, but ultimately decided it wasn't the route for them. "The Internet is a wonderful thing, but as a tool for distributing music, it doesn't matter if you can reach the whole world if your fans can't find you," Henley says. "The Internet has not worked out on a large scale for anyone I know. So some people are going with indie labels, which for the most part are distributed by majors. And some have gone with certain large coffee companies."


BlackBerry hops on digital music bandwagon
Research in Motion's BlackBerries will come with a cheap, unlimited music service from next month for the first time, marking the latest foray by a handheld device maker into a burgeoning music arena. Rob Lewis, CEO of British mobile music provider Omnifone, told Reuters on Tuesday his firm had signed a deal to supply the BlackBerry with unlimited tracks from their MusicStation service, sounding the latest challenge to Apple's iTunes for the newly launched iPhone.


Vinyl May Be Final Nail in CD's Coffin
As counterintuitive as it may seem in this age of iPods and digital downloads, vinyl -- the favorite physical format of indie music collectors and audiophiles -- is poised to re-enter the mainstream, or at least become a major tributary.

Pressing plants are ramping up production, but where is the demand coming from? Why do so many people still love vinyl, even though its bulky, analog nature is anathema to everything music is supposed to be these days? Records, the vinyl evangelists will tell you, provide more of a connection between fans and artists. And many of today's music fans buy 180-gram vinyl LPs for home listening and MP3s for their portable devices.


NBC chief says Apple 'destroyed' music pricing
NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker on Sunday urged colleagues to take a stand against Apple's iTunes, charging that the digital download service was undermining the ability of traditional media companies to set profitable rates for their content online.


Zune Album Art Goes High Rez
With no announcements or fanfare, Zune Marketplace appears to be improving the resolution of their album art. Users are noting that new albums looks better, while numerous old albums are momentarily dropping from the service only to be replaced by bigger, more beautiful versions—all available for free re-download. One Zune owner reports that their 1680×1050 monitor was filled by one of these new covers, meaning that the Zune's 320x240 screen should be fairly pleased with the situation—right along with Zune owners.


Converged Mobile Music Grows, Storage Remains Important
Consumers are increasingly interested in converged mobile music experiences, yet storage remains a gating factor. In a recent survey published by PriceGrabber.com, 58 percent of consumers felt that phones carrying MP3 players are "valuable," while 54 percent of purchased devices offered embedded music capabilities. Meanwhile, the LA-based comparison shopping destination noted that 85 percent of its top 20-selling phones carried MP3 player capabilities, a 31 percent jump over similar figures from last year.

Mobile manufacturers are stuffing more and more features into their devices, including camcorders, cameras, GPS navigational systems, and of course, music playback. By default, that rising tide of options means more music functionality, and a growing threat for stand-alones like the iPod. Still, storage remains a barrier, though PriceGrabber noted that 45 percent of its top-selling devices have at least 60MB out-of-the-box. And a large percentage of those devices can be easily upgraded.

Still, one-third of respondents noted that bigger storage is still attracting them to dedicated MP3 players. Meanwhile, other factors may also be at play. Stand-alone MP3 players also offer dedicated interfaces, and that means easier access to songs, playlists, and other features. And even though a consolidated device offers all-in-one convenience, a lost device means everything is gone. PriceGrabber canvassed 2,535 consumers for the report.


Amazon MP3 Download Store Now Blocking Non-US Customers
Amazon.com is now using geographical targeting to filter out everyone outside the USA. For the first month or so, as long as you had a US-based billing address (even if it was fake), you could buy MP3s from Amazon.