Artie update

According to the blog Siriusbuzz.com Artie did make it to Amesterdam on the same flight as Teddy.

In case you were not aware, there is now a great show on Stern 101 Friday mornings. Jay Thomas has become the defacto Friday morning host, and will now carry a regular show on the Stern network. In his first show as a permanent Friday host, Jay Thomas had the good fortune of being able to deliver some additional news regarding the Artie Lange saga that unfolded yesterday.

Artie is indeed in Amsterdam. The news was confirmed with a live call from Jason Kaplan of the Strern Show as he sat at an Amsterdam cafe. Kaplan confirmed that both Artie Lange and Teddy made the trip. Kaplan has not yet seen Artie but has placed a couple of phone calls to him.

Robin Quivers, a Stern how staple, called into the live segment of Jay Thomas’ show and offered additional insight, and is in fact on the air as I write this piece. Shuli, also a member of the Stern Show staff, and frequent participant with Jay Thomas added a bit more information on Artie. In a text message, it was confirmed that Artie was on the same plane with Teddy. At one tense moment as Teddy boarded the plane, he had to pass by Artie who was seated in First Class. The pair exchanged glances. Teddy says that he and Artie have not spoken, and Teddy stated that he is making it a point to avoid Artie during the trip.

So, we have some news on Artie, and the news that the Friday morning dilemma for Stern fans has been solved. Jay Thomas is a wonderful talent who hosts a regular afternoon drive show on Sirius Stars 102. His regular afternoon show will continue, and now he will entertain listeners on Friday mornings. With the addition of Jay Thomas on Fridays, and Vinnie Politan having a regular morning show, the morning drive situation at Sirius is far better today than it was a month ago.

Kudos to Sirius for addressing the morning drive issues in the programming line-up, and we all hope that the Artie situation comes to a reasonable conclusion that addresses Arties issues, maintains the show people love, and lets fans get back to great radio.

Artie Leaves Stern Show - No replays

We've all heard Artie threaten to leave the show before. Yesterday a fight with his assistant escalated into a brawl. Artie closed with I love you, but I'm out of here. Those Sirius fans wanted to catch the replay couldn't. Sirius always replays that days show for the duration of the day: not so yesterday. We heard a show from 4/7. Stern is not live on Fridays and they are on vacation next week. By the time they get back, it will be not be fresh in anyone's mind. A lot of fans speculating that the incident was scripted, mostly because of when it occurred-right before a break. Jason Reitman, the director of Juno had the unfortunate timing of being the guest to come on right after this. He even offered to come back another time. Everyone seemed shaken. In fact it took Robin screaming at the top of her lungs to get the fight to break and she's in another room. I was going to direct you to YouTube to listen, but the clips have just been pulled.
Something's happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear.....

Live Nation Scooping It Up

According to the NY Times, Live Nation is now signing Jay-Z for a $150 million dollar deal. He was president of the record label he was on. He now signs with a tour promoter. JayZ is not know as a road warrior.

The deal includes financing for his own entertainment venture, in addition to recordings and tours for the next decade. The pact, expected to be finalized this week, is the most expansive deal yet from Live Nation, which has angled to compete directly with the industry’s established music labels in a scrum over the rights to distribute recordings, sell concert tickets, market merchandise and control other aspects of artists’ careers.

As it's been stated, it appears Live Nation is just bulking up the assets to sell it again. Nothing like regifting. As Bob Lefsetz said, who do you want to be in with Michael Jordan or the hottest young basketball player. He also points out that when David Geffen started his own label he signed Elton John, John Lennon and Donna Summer. Not until he signed a new act, Guns N Roses, did he start printing money. Three veterans now signed to 10 year deals with Live Nation. Jay-Z wil be 49/50 years old when the deal expires. Madonna will be 60/61 and U2 will be close to Madonna. I'm not throwing stones as I could have gone to school with Bono. I just know that touring is not for the faint of heart. The older you get, the less important it is prove yourself or take on the road. We'll see if Live Nation gets the big payday. We'll see if it's worth the money to these acts.

South Pacific @ Lincoln Center

I don't know how you can go wrong with the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Last night's performance of South Pacific at Lincoln Center was a completely enjoyable evening. The play hasn't been revived on Broadway since it's debut in 1949, when it ran for 5 years. Kelli O'Hara was sensational as Ensign Nellie Forbush. She brought a nice sensitivity to the character without making her sappy. Her voice is outstanding. I also saw her in The Light in the Piazza (written by Richard Rodgers grandson). Matthew Morrison, who was also in Piazza, portrayed the conflicted Lt Cable. Matthew seems to be popping up in everything from TV-As The World Turns to movies-Music and Lyrics to theater. He and Kelli team up on the song My Girl Back Home. The song was originally written for the play, but was cut as Mary Martin did not want to duet with Ezio Pinza, the original Emile. She was afraid he would overpower her. It's a beautiful addition to the play. Last but not least, Brazilian opera singer Paulo Szot, Emile, has credits stacked high in the opera world. How does one get a voice like that? Some Enhantent Evening took on a new poignantcy. There are a few YouTube postings on him.

The play is set in the South Pacific during WWll. Old prejudices dies hard. War is surrounding them. Love is in the air. Even with lyrics like "I'm as corny as Kansas in August, I'm as normal as blueberry pie", the songs are not dated. Later on in I'm In Love With a Wonderful Guy, the lyrics bring it to a place anyone can relate to "And you will note there's a lump in my throat, When I speak of that wonderful guy!" The show opens tonight. Go see it and be prepared to be humming the songs in your head for days.

Trivia: James Michener who wrote the book the play is based on won the Pulitzer Prize. This was his first book and was written at age 40.

Apple to sell tracks for 15 cents a piece

As reported in today's Lefsetz letter:

And starting April 15th, all Universal tracks at the iTunes Store will
be fifteen cents. Steve (Jobs) wanted the price to be lower, rumor has it as
low as nine cents, but he couldn't convince Marty Bandier and the rest
of the publishers to lower their share, so fifteen cents it is.

Keep reading his post today.... but remember it's 4/1!!!

U2 latest to sign on with Live Nation

U2 is one of the rare acts today that doesn't need the music industry to survive. They might not sell as many records as they used to (no one does), but they can sell out any tour they put on sale. They must sell lots of merchandise. In other words, they do not lack for financial resources. An article in the WSJ yesterday laid out the terms of what Live Nation will be handling for U2. The monetary compensation was not announced.

Live Nation will not have a stake in the band's recorded music or publishing. They will be promoter of record for tours for the next 10 years, handle merchandise and the band's website. For the same portion of her deal, apparently Madonna was paid $70 million by Live Nation. As WSJ points out, this deal keeps the status quo. Live Nation or it's predecessors have produced and promoted every U2 tours since 1997, a subsidiary, already manages their website and deals with their merch.

I scratch my head as to why U2 made this deal. Is it a monetary windfall? Does that even matter to them? The ability to control your own destiny, the ability to go where you want, when you want seems to be synonymous with U2. After the debacle of their fan club members, who paid a minimum of $40, not being able to buy choice seats for their tour, you think they would want to rethink the whole thing, not make a 10 year deal. Do they want want to be beholden to a behemoth?

Live Nation is acquiring at break neck speed. They own merch companies, website/fan club administers, recording contracts (Madonna)-but no label, as well as being promoters. They are starting an in-house Ticketmaster type service. Is Live Nation becoming an otopus with a few too many arms? Are they spreading themselves too thin? Are they the future of the music business?

The Beach Boys-more legal dealings settled

Having been a Beach Boys fan since Wouldn't It Be Nice, I've kept up on their history. The number of lawsuits this band has been in, most of them between the band members, could fill up a nice coffee table size book. It looks like another one, over name infringement has been settled according to Hits Magazine. I'd be surprised if Brian would give up his successful solo touring career to join forces again with Love and Jardine. I believe he was quoted as saying the Beach Boys died with the death of Carl.

BEACH BOYS REUNITED? A settlement over the disputed rights to the Beach Boys' name has made possible a long-awaited reunion among the three surviving members, Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine. The agreement, reached last week in L.A. Superior Court, puts to rest years of litigation that grew out of Jardine’s use of the band’s name, “Beach Boys Family & Friends,” until a federal judge ruled in 2000 he was engaging in trademark infringement. That decision affirmed Love’s claim as the sole licensee of the name under a deal he negotiated with Brother Records in 1998, a ruling upheld by a U.S. appeals court in 2003, again siding against Jardine in the case brought by Love, Wilson and the estate of his late brother, Carl. Love and the Carl Wilson estate sued Jardine again in 2004 seeking $2.2 million in legal fees. It was that case, set for trial next month, which was settled last week

Hillary and Madonna? Obama and Pitt? Family ties

As seen in NewYorker.com

When did genealogy become the silliest science? This week, researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society climbed up into the family trees of the leading contenders for President, and what they found was surprising—and risible. Hillary Clinton, whose mother is of French-Canadian extraction, is distantly related to such luminaries as Angelina Jolie (ninth cousin, twice removed), Madonna, Celine Dion, and Alanis Morissette. Obama, through his white Kansan mother, is related to six U.S. Presidents, including George W. Bush, and Brad Pitt (ninth cousin). McCain’s origins are less well known, but he is a sixth cousin of First Lady Laura Bush. Below is a classic skit about family trees from 1965, starring Julie Andrews and Gene Kelly, either of whom may well be related to the candidates.—Ben Greenman

Smashing Pumpkins Sue Virgin Records

From today's NY Times. There doesn't seem to be more info on the story. Traditionally (depending on your contract) the use of a track from a record album (master use) would require the artist as well as the writer of the song (sync use) to approve any promotional uses.

The Smashing Pumpkins filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Virgin Records, accusing the company of using the band’s name and music in promotional deals that injured its credibility with fans, The Associated Press reported. In Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday, the members contended that Virgin’s use of the band in a promotion with Amazon.com and PepsiCo threatens their “artistic integrity.” The Pumpkins lawsuit argues that Virgin, which released the band’s music for 17 years, had no contractual right to use it in campaigns to sell other products. The band asked to be compensated with Virgin’s profits from the promotion, and also requested an injunction to bar use of its name and music. Virgin did not immediately respond to a call for comment.

Joseph Arthur curator

You have to love this:
From the NY Times

The Man, the Museum, the (Self-Created) Legend
Joseph Arthur is not just a singer-songwriter in the Nick Drake/Leonard Cohen/romantic-depressive mode. He’s also the proprietor of a gallery dedicated to himself. The Museum of Modern Arthur, in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn , features his artwork and promotes his philosophy: “MOMAR can, and will, party.” On Friday night he makes good on it, at a show and party celebrating his new EP and the three more that he plans to release this year.

SXSW in Photos

Brandi Shearer and Quincy Coleman perform at a party at SXSW. Unfortunately by the time Kate Walsh came on, night fell and it was too dark to take photos. Her set was lovely.

SXSW Time Again

So tomorrow I'm off to SXSW. Brandi Shearer along with future touring mates, Kate Walsh and Qunicy Coleman will playing the Cosmic America Music Party on 3/13. The ladies will be touring across the country this May/June. Other artists I plan to check out are Andy Davis, Liam Finn and Jim Boggia.

Wired: The Economics of Zero

Wired Magazine's editor Chris Anderson (the author of the Long Tail) has a sneak preview of his new book Free on Wired.com. He's examining the theory of free being the new economic paradigm. The music business plays well into his thinking, starting with free downloading of music. It's great food for thought.

Apple Record Retailer

iTunes climbed into second place among music retailers in 2007, behind only Wal-Mart according to the latest NDP Group research. Apple has sold over 4 billion songs to date.

Could this Warner Bros Records rumor be true?

Celeb blogger Perez Hilton is talks with Warner Bros. Records to become a music talent agent for the label, according to The New York Times. -Cynopsis: DIGITAL

I'd like to think I could pass that info off, but there is probably some substance to it. Shouldn't Warner Bros be looking in clubs, talking to music publishers, listening to music to find talent? It's out there. I can't imagine it's on a gossip blog. It's hard for me to hear this having worked with so many great people that are part of or have been part of the label. This place was all about putting out records that you had to pay attention to.

Rosanne Cash on John Stewart

When I worked with Rosanne Cash she co-wrote with John Stewart, the result was Dance with the Tiger. I loved that he was the guy that wrote Daydream Believer. Always a huge Monkees fan, it impressed me immensely. He also wrote her hit Runaway Train. Rosanne fostered a lifelong friendship with John.

I just read the heartfelt piece Rosanne posted on her website as a tribute to him. He died last month . This piece was so beautifully written and self humiliating on her part that it was worth sharing with you. He was another unsung, yet highly influential part of music history. Click here to read.

Grammy Comment

I saw this comment on the Lefsetz Letter and I hope Julie doesn't mind that I'm posting it here. She summed up the telecast so well.......

From: Julie Ann May
Subject: Grammys Golden-Grey

What a great 50-years-ago show! If it had aired in Black & White it
really would have connected with its audience - then again maybe not all
of them back here in the east who were probably asleep by 10...

URBAN RENEWAL

Seeing Keith Urban last night at the Garden was a jolt to the system. It reminded me that rock is not dead; that there are still arena-filling musicians who are in it for the music and are appreciative for their audience, their band and crew. He could have played it safe, but didn’t and that’s what made it great performance.

He opened with Once In A Lifetime, which happens to be my favorite of his. That of course made me think ok, is it over for me? It actually signaled to tighten the seat belt, I’m in for a ride. He came out like gangbusters and never let up. He had sweat pouring down his face by song two.

Phil Spector has his wall of sound, Keith has a wall of guitars, 4 + him to be exact. The configurations were numerous. His band traded off on guitar (acoustic and electric), banjo, mandolin, bass and keyboards. Keith, unlike most artists afraid to let their band outshine them, embraced their talent and let them have as much fun as him. Yes, everyone on that stage was having a blast, which infected the audience.

Midway through the set, the band went to the base of the runway that dissected the floor of the Garden and did an acoustic set which was anchored with You’ll Think of Me. Musicians in the round, showing off their stuff in a more intimate way always struck me as country music getting it right. This part of the show came as close to bringing a little bit of Nashville to NYC and bringing the audience closer to the band. Speaking of bringing the audience closer, at one point, Keith made his way from the stage into the audience about 10 seats to my left. With a roadie holding the mic stand above his head, Keith played and sang being devoured by the fans.

A colossal HD screen behind the band was a bit unnerving. It was a little like King Kong devouring the city. The band was just TOO big. HD made it seem even more real. Note: See my iPhone photos above to get an idea of what it was like.

The most endearing touch of the night was his appreciation of not only the fans (he stayed after his band left stage to low five the crowd, hitting every corner of the venue to show his thanks), but his crew also. He gave them a big shout out while the HD screen was filled with a photo of them. No one has any idea what goes into putting on a show like that, unless you’ve actually done it. Those people are usually the unsung heroes, but not last night. Whoever was handling microphone duty deserves a big applause. They were popping up all over the stage and its many arms.

Strong guitar solos, sing-a-longs and just plain rock and roll made last night a music renewal.

With Keith’s show being so strong, it still leaves me scratching my head the Carrie Underwood was the chosen opener. It was like two different shows: The Vegas Review and the Arena Rock Show. Carrie has a nice voice, looks great (please take off those 5” heels so you can move and enjoy yourself), but lacks the soul to make her performance more than the safe show it was. She has not left American Idol behind her.

There were two stagings that unfortunately are embedded in my head for their inconceivability. One she is wearing what looks like a blue wedding dress gone awry with a very long train. (see bad photo above) Perched on two round tiers, she looked the blueberry bride on a wedding cake. I can only guess that with so much fabric surrounding her, she was immobile. She stayed that way for two songs. After she changed into a more appropriate jeans and tank top, she was atop the circles again. This time the lights lay low, so low she was only visible to about the first 10 rows. Attached to the lights were very big white sheets, which were affixed to the waist of her jeans. The only way to describe this is it looked like she had huge rolls of toilet paper rising from the air, as the lights lifted and they were attached to her pants! These elements were so distracting that I couldn’t even tell you what she was singing about. The sound was not the best. She closed with the very likable hit, Before He Cheats, which reminds me of Aerosmith. Recipe for Carrie: Be yourself. Wear Jeans. Take it down a notch. Have fun. Watch a Keith Urban show. Take notes.

Who Is The Grammy Audience?

Who do the producers of the Grammys think their audience is? Last night’s performance started off like a Lawrence Welk revue. If you don’t know who he is, this mash up clip from his TV show sums up last night’s Grammys. Lawrence meets the Velvet Underground.

These Grammys could have stood out as a way for the industry to shine, try and bring back music lovers, its former glory, celebrate 50 years of the awards and show that they are not out of touch. No time like the present, right? They missed the mark. I barely watched anything after the first hour, but my perception is it looked like a second rate high school production. How to lose the kids in 30 minutes: Love b/w Across the Universe. Tell them to go online and choose the best violinist to play with the violin orchestra backing the Foo Fighters. Hype Alicia Keys 29 performances during the show.

The most enjoyable moment for me was when Kid Rock sang with Keely Smith who was the first recipient of a Grammy. It was entertaining. She can still sing and exudes cool. Kid Rock was charming and held his own.

I believe John Mayer to be talented. I also believe Sheryl Crow is talented. I’m convinced both will go to the opening of an envelope if asked. What was that mess with Alicia Keys & Mayer? Amy Winehouse, who along with Feist were the minority of young musicians this special was sorely lacking.

Yes indeed, they missed the mark.

From Bob Lefsetz:
If you think this awards show is important, then you must have a
financial interest. It's everything wrong with the music business. It's
something for everybody, whereas we used to specialize in the exact thing
the individual needed right now. Play to the front row, not the upper
deck. Play to those who care. Ubiquity is history, niche is king.
Everybody knows this but NARAS, which probably doesn't even know that you
can use Google to search hard drives, not to steal music, but to get
what you need, to keep you alive. Whereas this show will put you to
sleep.

Parades, Super Fat Tuesday

There is a lot going on in NY today. For those who want to feast before the beginning of Lent, there is much reason to celebrate: It's Fat Tuesday! The Giants are the Super Bowl Champs! People are coming out in droves to vote!

The Giants were hailed as the kings of NY in a parade downtown. I've been to two of these parades. Unfortunately I didn't make it today, but Fred did. Check out his blog, Otillus, which pays photographic homage to the NY Nitty Gritty.

In 1986 Lucia and I ventured downtown to pay tribute to the lovable 1986 Mets. They were lovable to those of us who were fans. As we now know, most of the team almost didn't make it. Partying way too hard the night before will do that. These Giants had a day of rest. We were so far back, that what I remember is Mookie must be passing by as we heard the low howl of MOOOOOOOKKKKKKKK. We also were able to glimpse the top of Darryl Strawberry's head.

In 1998, Danny Clinch took Luscious Jackson downtown for a photo shoot among the parade goers and police. All I have on file from that day is the subway shot, which will have to suffice. They did take a subway to get down there.

Lots of paper, lots of face painting, lots of cheering. Did you vote yet?