LBK Entertainment Partners With Music City Sports and Entertainment

Tammy Genovese

LBK Entertainment, the content affiliate of London Broadcasting Company, has announced a strategic relationship with Music City Sports and Entertainment Group for sponsorship, marketing and event-related services.

As part of the relationship, Music City Sports and Entertainment Group will provide services for LBK Entertainment’s production company 41 Entertainment, as well as its artist development company, BE Music and Entertainment. 41 Entertainment produces the Troubadour, TX television series, and BE Music and Entertainment manages and develops artists.

Former COO/CEO of the Country Music Association and president of The Country Network, Tammy Genovese launched Music City Sports and Entertainment Group in 2011 to foster partnerships between sports franchises, artists, athletes, events and corporate brands. Marketing, sales and brand expert Dave Pritchett operates as VP/Business Development.

Carl Kornmeyer

“I am happy to announce our strategic relationship with Music City Sports and Entertainment Group,” says Carl Kornmeyer, COO of London Broadcasting’s Content Group. “As our 41 Entertainment production company continues to expand Troubadour, TX and BE Music provides an environment where artists of all types can achieve their full potential, Tammy and Dave are uniquely gifted and ready to help us meet the challenges of the fast-changing sponsorship landscape with their experience and creativity.”

Adds Genovese, “We are extremely excited about our new association with LBK Entertainment and the opportunity that lies ahead to work with such a respected and talented team. We feel there is great potential to uniquely connect the sports world and the entertainment business, and LBK Entertainment shares our vision to make it happen.”

Ram Truck Brand Goes Country For “Ram Jam” Concert

The Ram Truck brand is presenting “Road to the Ram Jam,” an all-star series with five country artists leading up to an invitation-only concert event December 29 in Nashville where all five artists will perform.

Kellie Pickler is the first of the five artists to be announced, and is offering fans a chance to win a download of her single “Tough” by entering to win a trip to the Ram Jam. Remaining artists will be announced throughout 2012, and all will receive a one year lease on a 2012 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn which will later be auctioned off to benefit military-focused charities.

“Road to the Ram Jam extends the brand’s already established alignment with many of today’s top country music artists and their far-reaching fan bases by creating an innovative platform for promoting the artists’ music and connecting with their fans,” said Fred Diaz, President and CEO of Ram Truck Brand. “We are excited to have Kellie and all the artists drive a Laramie Longhorn and experience firsthand the quality and refinement that make it the most luxurious Ram Truck ever produced by the company.”

Competing fans will have access to exclusive video content plus the chance to win collectible posters, vinyl records, downloads, and trips to the Ram Jam concert. For more information or to enter the sweepstakes, visit http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/road_to_ram_jam/.

New Faces Shine on RIAA 2011 Wrap-up

The RIAA’s 2011 wrap-up report is full of Nashville certifications, including numerous first-time honorees.

2011 American Idol winner Scotty McCreery’s Clear As Day debut earned his first Gold album plaque, and Gold awards for singles “Clear As Day” and “I Love You This Big.”

The Band Perry took home its first Platinum album award for its self-titled debut, and earned triple-Platinum honors for digital downloads of “If I Die Young.”

First-time Platinum download plaques were awarded to Eli Young Band’s “Crazy Girl,” Hot Chelle Rae’s “Tonight Tonight,” Jake Owen’s “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” and Thompson Square’s “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not.”

Jason Aldean scored his first double-Platinum album award for My Kinda Party.

Gold awards for 2011 album releases included Luke Bryan’s Tailgates & Tanlines, Eric Church’s Chief, Miranda Lambert’s Four The Record, Brad Paisley’s This Is Country Music, Blake Shelton’s Red River Blue, Tony Bennett’s Duets, and Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger.

Lady Antebellum’s Own The Night shipped more than one million copies in 2011, earning Platinum certification. The band’s “Need You Now” single also secured a 5x multi-Platinum plaque.

On the catalog front, Taylor Swift’s self-titled 2006 debut went 5x platinum. In addition, 2x Platinum certifications were awarded to Carrie Underwood’s Play On (2009), and Kings of Leon’s Only by the Night (2008).

Overall, more download honors were presented in 2011 than ever before in RIAA Gold and Platinum program history, and 25 percent more than in 2010. In total, 411 digital songs were certified in 2011, vs. 313 in 2010. In particular, multi-Platinum download certifications nearly doubled in volume year-over-year: 112 multi-Platinum digital singles were certified in 2011 vs. 66 in 2010.

Adele earned 2011’s highest G&P album. Her sophomore release 21 took the top annual album prize at 5x multi-Platinum.

Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne earned double-Platinum awards for their respective 2011 releases Born This Way and Tha Carter IV. Gaga’s 2011 song certifications represent more than 19 million paid downloads, and Lil Wayne’s tally ten million.

Making The Super Bowl Investment

Super Bowl commercials are among the most costly investments advertising firms make throughout the year. According to a report from Nielsen, the lofty price point of ads can be a worthwhile expense for the return in visibility.

The Nielsen report says brand awareness for ads aired during last year’s Super Bowl XLVI were 275% higher than awareness for the same products during regular programming.

In a report from sales data firm Kantar Media, over the past 10 years, the Super Bowl has generated network advertising sales of $1.7 billion from more than 125 marketers, and Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5 is expected to increase costs to record-breaking highs, upwards of $3.5 million for slots.

The top Super Bowl advertisers for 2002-2011 include Anheuser-Busch with $239.1 million spent, trailed by PepsiCo Inc. with $174 million, GM at $82.8 million and Walt Disney and Coca-Cola at $73.9 and $66.8 million, respectively.

Advertising from nine different automotive brands boosted the sector nearly double from the 2011 Super Bowl compared to 2010, and nearly four times over 2009. The change was apparently well-received, with an four auto spots making Nielsen’s annual 2011 Most-Liked list.

From 2008-2011, at least one of the top five highest grossing motion pictures had an ad slot in the Super Bowl line up, and Tortilla Chips have emerged as a popular spending category. Last year, three fan-made Doritos ads made Nielsen’s Most Liked and Most Remembered list.

Super Bowl XLVI is sponsored by Chevy, telecast on NBC, NBC.com and to select Verizon Wireless mobile devices. Music will feature prominently as well, with high-profile entertainment spots featuring Kelly Clarkson singing the National Anthem, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert performing “America The Beautiful” and Madonna headlining the the halftime show.

Shelton Celebrates Certifications, Heads To Super Bowl With Lambert

 

Warner Music Nashville Pres. and CEO John Esposito and his team surprised Shelton at his sold-out show in Duluth, GA this past Friday, Jan. 27 with three plaques to commemorate his success.

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert will share the stage at Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5. The couple will open the event by singing a duet version of “America the Beautiful.” Super Bowl XLVI will mark the husband and wife’s first TV performance since their nuptials last May. Their version of “America the Beautiful” will be available on iTunes beginning today (1/31).

Following the Super Bowl, Shelton will be returning to the second season of the hit TV show The Voice, premiering Sunday at 10PM ET on NBC.

On Friday he celebrated the RIAA Platinum certification of hit single “God Gave Me You,” and Gold certification of albums Red River Blue and Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton (pictured above).

In more news, Shelton and Lambert recently rescheduled tour dates due to the death of his father, and Lambert rescheduled a Feb. 3 stop in Tallahassee, FL due to the death of her longtime friend Mark Adams.

Sugarland’s Nettles Sings A Classic For Super Bowl Ad

The mighty voice of Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles will be featured in a 30-second commercial set to air during Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, Feb. 5.

The spot titled “Check-Out” is for Pepsi MAX and is the latest installment in Pepsi’s “Cola Wars” series. Nettles was enlisted to record the Hank Williams classic “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” which plays in the background. Morning show icon Regis Philbin also makes an appearance. If Sunday is just too long to wait, you can watch the ad here.

Super Bowl XLVI, featuring the New York Giants squaring off against the New England Patriots, airs at 5:30 PM/CT Feb. 5 on NBC from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Live From MIDEM: Day 1 and 2

U2 manager Paul McGuiness at MIDEM.

Belmont University professor Don Cusic reports exclusively for MusicRow from MIDEM in Cannes.

Saturday, Jan. 28
The 2012 MIDEM Conference opened on a rainy, chilly day in Cannes, France on Saturday, Jan. 28, offering attendees from across the globe a chance to learn about digital music technology.

The MIDEM Academy presented “How To Get The Most Out of Your Location Marketing” by Neil Cartwright, head of Digital Media Junction in the U.K. Cartwright noted that all mobile phones of the future—and many in the present—have GPS capabilities. This allows marketers to follow users wherever they go, profiling them along the way and resulting in a “take the shop to the customer” mentality to drive purchases.

Cell phone GPS leads to “checking in” at restaurants, stores, concerts and wherever else users go. This allows marketers, particularly music marketers, to “know” consumers much better and appeal to them.

A quite interesting seminar on “Marketing—Learn From Your Own Social Media Mistakes” was given by Ariel Hyatt with Cyber PR. According to Hyatt, of all the income generated by an artist from social media, 30% comes from email, 14% from Google, 18% from “other,” 2% from Facebook, 1% from Wikipedia, and 1% from Twitter.

Hyatt noted that 48% of young people get their news via Facebook, which means they’re not “searching,” but are taking what is fed to them. The over-35 demographic represents 30% of Facebook users, and “older” consumers are increasingly logging on, especially grandparents so they can post pictures of their grandchildren.

Hyatt said the biggest mistake artists make on social media is a constant barrage of “hey check me out” and “download this.” She said that consumers want more personal interaction and artists should engage fans before trying to sell to them. For Twitter users, she explained the importance of having a photo and bio on their profiles.

Sunday, Jan. 29
On Sunday, Jan. 29 there were plenty of meetings, socializing, showcases, and interesting seminars.

The “Commerce of Chaos: Why Copyright Still Matters Online” was a session with an impressive line-up including U2 manager Paul McGuinness, author Robert Levine, entertainment attorney Pierre-Marie Bouvery, and Qobuz president Yves Riesel.

Levine explained that last year Google made more than all the major labels combined. Furthermore, the tech companies displayed their power with the recent stamping out of the SOPA and PIPA bills. When it came to lobbying, Levine cited that the MPAA and RIAA spent about $2 million total to buoy the bill, while Google spent $11 million to fight it.

Levine further noted the power of Google which seems to go unnoticed by the public, who see the tech giant as simply a way to find things on the internet quickly and “for free.”

McGuinness noted that “the vast majority of content on the internet is not paid for. Journalists should know this because they aren’t getting paid, either. Further, you can’t rely on politicians who are afraid of being unpopular…Never underestimate the power of a monopoly to defend itself.”

He added that with all the music being played online, the performing rights organizations should be experiencing a “golden age,” but “they have not moved with the times.”

The seminar “Building Your Artist Brand as a Business” included an interview with legendary attorney Joel Katz. Spinning tales from his career, the born raconteur could have enthralled the audience for the entire day with stories about celeb clients ranging from Michael Jackson to Justin Timberlake.

Katz noted that “branding is finding your true authentic self” and used his long association with Jimmy Buffett as an example. The idea of Margaritaville was dreamed up as a way to expand Buffett’s career. Irving Azoff first paired the attorney and client. Katz recalled, Buffett showed up two hours late for their first meeting just to say, “Irving said you’re great, so just take care of everything, I’m going surfing.”

Today Buffett’s business includes 36 Margaritaville restaurants, a clothing company, chicken company, and merchandise ranging from flip-flops to blenders. And the greatest benefit is that it doesn’t compromise Buffett as an artist.

Katz noted that branding is “about culture. Buffett’s fans want to live in Margaritaville. It’s a lifestyle they want to lead and the products imitate the brand.”

Katz also shared the unique situation with branding hit artist/actor Timberlake. Actors are hard to brand, “because they play different roles, so the fans don’t know who they really are.” Still, Timberlake has his name on barbecue, tequila and clothing lines.

Read more of Cusic’s account tomorrow.

How To Become Famous? Hack Your Hit

Hack Your Hit: Free and cheap marketing tips for musicians

Writer: Jay Frank; Published by Futurehit, Inc. Nashville, TN

Jay Frank’s second book, Hack Your Hit, is scheduled for release Jan. 31, 2012. His first book, Futurehit.DNA garnered excellent reviews. It was a long form discussion of how to make a song “more hitworthy” and easier to discover based upon historical changes in the technology that control how we listen to music.

On Hack Your Hit, the author has returned with a punchy writing style and 41 short chapters that each reveal a single marketing tip. Ideas range across social media and even things as simple as why male artists should use images of pretty women. Frank succinctly advises, “Hot chicks get clicks.” He also preaches the wisdom of sending handwritten thank-you notes. Why? “Because it makes an impact, and one that gives you a crucial edge. To be memorable above all other artists, you must do the things that 99% of the other artists don’t, and one of those things is sending thank-you notes.”

But there are also buckets of implementable ideas based in the digital realm. Frank offers a healthy serving of innovative ways for an artist to speed up the career growth process and discover those fans that are most likely to be attracted to your music. Twitter, Facebook, Google Alerts and Google Search are some of the frequently mentioned players. Tips for cultivating Superfans, getting maximum impact on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube and strategic ways to utilize Google’s incredible search results are expertly harnessed to boost sales and visibility.

The real power in Hack Your Hit however, is its premise. The sheer quantity of great ideas gathered in one place, elevates the work to a valuable resource and more importantly, an inspiration. As the author humbly notes in the intro, “…the best hacks are not all mine.” Regardless, the savvy reader/musician will find Frank an invaluable guide as together they methodically pick and choose those ideas that fit best their unique situation.

And if anyone doubts the writer’s devotion to self promotion, page 76 should wipe away any such thoughts. Here, while telling his readers they must have a gimmick, he instructs them how to describe his book, asking them to “memorize it and use it as a secret handshake for other musicians.” In fact, Frank promises, “If you post that phrase on your Twitter account, I’ll send you a secret link to download a free bonus hack chapter not included in this book.”

So let’s see if it works? Here’s the twitter-ready phrase, and it’s a fitting end to this review.

“Man, you gotta read Hack Your Hit! There’s a ton of great secrets on how to become famous.”

Labels Earned $5.2 Billion in Global Digital Revenue Last Year

The Digital Music Report 2012 is an in-depth look at worldwide trends. Released Monday by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the report covers revenue, subscription and download models, piracy and more. Highlights and summary are below. Click here to download the full report, or here for an outline of key facts.

Digital Revenue Rising
Digital channels account for about 32 percent of record company revenues globally, up from 29 percent in 2010. Some markets now see more than half of their revenues derive from digital channels, including the US (52%), South Korea (53%) and China (71%).

Global digital revenues to record companies grew by an estimated 8 percent to $5.2 billion in 2011. This compares to growth of 5 percent in 2010 and represents the first time the year-on-year growth rate has increased since IFPI started measuring digital revenues in 2004.

Access and Ownership Models
Ten years after the first online stores emerged in the US and Europe, digital music is now broadly segmented into two main consumption models: “ownership” and “access.” Ownership usually refers to download services such as iTunes and Google Music. The access model is typically a subscription service such as Spotify.

According to the report, both models have enormous growth potential. At the start of 2011, the largest international digital music services were present in 23 countries. One year later they are present in 58 countries. Rob Wells, president, global digital business, Universal Music Group, explains, “The fact that these two models of consumption can co-exist speaks volumes about the future. In fact, we have really only scratched the surface of digital music in the last decade—now we are starting the real mining, and on a global scale.”

Spurring digital music growth is the rising prevelance of smartphones, tablets and broadband. “The technology infrastructure is being put in place in a way that we have never seen before and that is one major reason why we feel positive about digital music going into 2012,” adds Edgar Berger, President and CEO, International, Sony Music Entertainment.

Another bright spot is the growing popularity of online radio and music videos. The most watched artist on YouTube is Justin Bieber, whose videos have been viewed more than two billion times.

Sources: PWC Global Entertainment & Media Outlook and IFPI. Notes: games includes players’ purchases of accessories and additional game content as well as subscriptions. Music share is based on trade revenues. Newspapers include digital advertising and subscriptions. Books excludes audio books. Film excludes online sales and rentals of physical discs.

Download Services
IFPI estimates that 3.6 billion downloads were purchased globally in 2011, an increase of 17 percent (combining singles and album downloads). Single track downloads are up 11 percent by volume, and digital albums are up 24 percent by volume.

Download stores account for a large proportion of digital revenues and account for most of the 500 legitimate services worldwide, offering libraries of up to 20 million tracks. The most popular download store, iTunes, continued growing in 2011. iTunes opened for business in 28 additional markets, reaching more than 50 countries. Download service 7digital is now available in 37 countries.

Though singles are growing in popularity, up 10 percent in the US (Nielsen SoundScan), the album isn’t dead. Digital album volume sales have grown steadily in recent years, with US digital album sales in 2011 up 19 percent (Soundscan). In the US digital albums already account for 31 percent of all album sales by volume. Driving demand for digital albums are strong marketing campaigns, premium offerings that provide additional content, consumer habits and growing computer storage space.

The top selling single of 2011 was Bruno Mars’ “Just The Way You Are,” which sold more than 12.5 million copies.

Subscription Services
The number of consumers subscribing to music services globally is estimated to have increased by nearly 65 percent in 2011, reaching more than 13 million, compared to an estimated 8.2 million the previous year. This supplements the tens of millions of consumers who already use download services.

Subscription services Spotify, WiMP and Deezer are expanding fast across national borders. Spotify launched in the US and four European markets and now reaches 12 countries. The US also saw the launch of Muve Music in 2011.

Piracy Remains
It’s no secret digital piracy remains a critical barrier to growth and investment by record companies. Twenty-eight percent of internet users globally access unauthorized services on a monthly basis, according to IFPI/Nielsen.

There has been positive momentum in the fight against piracy in 2011. In the US, an ISP cooperation deal was signed in 2011 and a graduated response program will be implemented in 2012, with most major ISPs signing up to a “copyright alert system.” The move follows the closure of the illegal service LimeWire in 2010, which has helped cause a dramatic drop in levels of P2P piracy in the US market.

A similar law in France, the Hadopi graduated response law, has seen peer-to-peer (P2P) piracy levels decline by 26 percent since warning notices were first sent out in October 2010, according to IFPI/Nielsen. A newly-published academic study finds that single track sales were 23 percent higher than they would have been in the absence of Hadopi.

Mark Piibe, executive vice president, global business development, EMI Music, sums, “We know that some people will migrate from piracy and that others will not, but we want alternatives to be there.”

 

Rethink Music Conference Offers Genesis Competition

Rethink Music’s second annual conference is scheduled to take place April 23-24 in Boston. Rethink Music describes itself as, “A hands-on conference designed to bring music stakeholders together to discuss business models for the future, examine copyright challenges in the digital era, and analyze technological innovation in music and its distribution. Centered around transforming the music industry, Rethink Music’s programming does not just focus on discussing change, but rather making it happen.” The conference is produced by Berklee College of Music and Midem in association with Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

Panelists already added to the growing list for next spring include;
Chris Kaskie, President, Pitchfork
Kenneth Parks, Chief Content Officer, Spotify
Jim Lucchese, CEO, The Echo Nest
Rio Caraeff, President & CEO, VEVO
Cecily Mak, VP/General Counsel, Rhapsody International, Inc.
Jim Griffin, Managing Director OneHouse LLC
Anita Elberse, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School

This year Rethink Music has entered into a new partnership with Babson College to create the Genesis Project, a competition designed to recognise new concepts, technologies and businesses which can move the music industry forward. The competition is a key part of Rethink Music’s goal of fostering innovation and new ideas for the music industry. Submissions to the competition are open until March 15, 2012 and will be judged by Berklee College of Music faculty, Babson College faculty, industry executives and venture capitalists on their potential to become the basis of a viable new or improved venture or music business idea. Finalists will present their ideas at the Rethink Music conference in Boston on 23-24 April and Rethink Music will provide the winning project with $10,000 in legal services, additional in-kind awards, consulting services and meetings with venture capitalists.

Rethink Music will also host a Hacker’s Weekend April 21st & 22nd in Cambridge, MA at Microsoft’s New England Research & Development Center. (Microsoft N.E.R.D, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA) This will be a weekend for developers, designers, programers, industry insiders and musicians to come together to create new and unique applications across many different platforms. Hackers will have the weekend to build their hack and the three best will be presented at the Rethink Music Conference.