Vampire Weekend

Everyone in the music industry has a non-music industry friend who they trust implicitly when it comes to their musical taste. They are at once expert and fan, yet grounded in everyday life and not swung by industry hype. I’m lucky enough to have several, since I do my best to spend most of my free time pursuing other endeavors, but today I’m going to concentrate on my good friend Dave.

Through some quirk of fate Dave did not end up in the music industry despite having a better ear than anyone I know, and instead decided to own a factory downtown. It was a wise business decision as factories are doing better than record labels. When Dave tells me he likes something I always give it a listen, as its usually at least an interesting listen, and every once in a while he comes up with a real gem that has larger potential.

Now I realize that I am not the first person to write about this band, nor will I be the last. And honestly I read about them on irockiroll well before my friend even mentioned them to me (it is my job and all), but his enthusiasm makes me think that there is something there that may be bigger then the your average New York buzz band.

First they are good musicians, that should go without saying, but secondly their musicianship goes beyond the standard drums bass guitar keyboard combo and manages to create a sound that is both eclectic yet classic. It is a rare feat to incorporate so many rhythms and not feel experimental. I feel like I am back in the 50’s or 60’s yet their lyrics are distinctly modern. This band is going to have a field day licensing to retro movies and TV shows, and really any kind, as it is just good music.

So what is the Band's name – Vampire Weekend

Check them out on their Myspace page.

Oxford Comma is my favorite, but they are all great.

They currently have only a three song EP and are of course on Itunes. There booking agent is Billions and so they have been touring all over the country, building their fanbase. With the success of more female adult classic acts like Amy Winehouse and Feist, the world may be ready for a throwback male band and in an industry looking to license music to TV and film, Vampire Weekend is a good bet.

How A&R changes with the Music Industry

Not at all

I’ve was reading about the relaunch of Steve Greenberg’s S-Curve Label. The man who brought you Who Let The Dogs Out, which unfortunately was the soundtrack to one of my college summers. This has got me thinking about how the concept of A&R is changing along with the changing Music Industry.

The Hits press release states about the initial signings of We the Kings and crooner Tom Jones.

“S-Curve’s philosophy is that in the present and future music business, recorded music, music publishing and artist management are, in effect, all one business designed to launch and develop artists. Toward that end, S-Curve will not only be releasing We the Kings’ debut album, but have also signed a worldwide music publishing agreement with the band, while S-Curve’s agreement with Jones gives the company the opportunity to become involved in a broad spectrum of licensing and sponsorship deals. Management ventures will include acquiring interest in established management companies, as well as direct artist signings."

This is not exactly a new philosophy. David Geffen perfected, if not pioneered, the practice with Ayslum records in the 1970’s. The reason that it fell by the wayside is that artists realized that it is not always in their best interests to have their manager and their label be the same entity, let alone publishing. Now as record sales decline labels need additional revenue and management is the fastest legal way to get a piece of the pie without the financial risk of revenue sharing. EMI’s revenue sharing deal with Korn was a nice idea in theory, but I bet my student loans get paid off before Korn makes back their 25 million dollar advance.

How does this affect A&R? Will it begin to create a utopian artist development era or will the definition of buzz band change to the first band music supervisors fall all over, as the new management-labels drool in anticipation of publishing revenue. I’ve often said that there needs to be a more collaborative relationship between artist and this is a start. There have been numerous companies that have tried this same approach without the same corporate pedigree. Thus far I have yet to see many break any artists or make any real money. I see no real change in the A&R process as the prestigious management companies get rolled up and start merging with labels. Good music should always rise to the top, and pretty faces are still attractive to advertising companies.

The real change is in marketing that music and those faces. I will be watching We the Kings very closely though as I expect to hear them in some of my favorite shows or hawking my favorite toothpaste very soon.

I will also be seeing them at the knitting factory in NYC at on July 31 with signing power pick Danger Radio.

The Parlor Mob

Ok, I have been absent for about a month, traveling and working... Sleeping. Thus I have neglected the blog. I had a lot of great ideas for interesting posts, but just no energy to write them. I went to the NBA draft (actually I got shut of out of tickets for the first time in five years) and the parallels between drafting and A&R are... well kind of obvious. Even the low level employees are called scouts in both professions. So my promise dear reader(s) is that I will do a comparison of the draft and some up and coming bands by next Friday. I have other ideas as well. Maybe if I make a public pledge then the writing will somehow come.

When I started this blog it was as an outlet for my A&R talents which are currently languishing in storage, but without all of my fancy tricks it is certainly harder. Though not impossible. Its still listening to music. Also I guess I'm not sure if I should be making witty comments about signings, like the recent signing of cast off Capitol bands by Roadrunner. Looks like Roadrunner is the New Capitol is a sample headline. Yeah, that is really funny. Of course that might be my next post because one of those bands is the Parlor Mob, which is a band that I really love and was disappointed that Capitol dropped them. I think that they capture a modern take on a classic rock sound It is the kind of music that makes you think you have heard it before even though it is brand new. I see this band as building on what Wolfmother started and making their own name, much like The Killers walked down the road paved by Kill Hannah.

Listen to the Parlor Mob

Parlor Mobs Myspace.

What is interesting about the deal, is that they recently were signed to In De Goot Management which is the management arm of Mcgathy. In De Goot has an imprint under Roadrunner and that is the label that signed them.

The band definitely showcased for a number of labels at Midland a few months back. I personally tried to drum up interest at several labels and there was definite interest or at least that was the rumor. Ultimately they signed with their own management company though which leads me to believe that there were few places ready to jump on any of the ex Capitol Bands.

The band is playing at Crash Mansion in NYC tomorrow Tuesday July 10th, which is a terrible venue for sound because of its misplaced soundbooth and low ceilings, but The Parlor Mob 's powerful psychedelic rock should be able to push through the venues limitations. I will be in attendance as I want to see how the band has progressed with the stress of losing their Capitol deal.

Teen Vogue

Recently I was interviewed for an article in Teen Vogue on Myspace. Actually I was interviewed last August for an article that hit newstands in March for their April Issue. Its a little confusing how old media works. Even more confusing in February I was asked to write a sidebar for the article on the best unsigned MySpace bands that are not in the top artist list.

This was actually the impetus for starting Signing Power. I mean if Conde Nast wanted my opinion then clearly it might make for compelling reading to the literally hundreds of people who are trolling the internet for A&R gossip. A&R is currently sandwiched between alternative uses for hockey pucks and pictures of Amanda Peterson (of Can't Buy me Love fame - Oh how the mighty have fallen) on the google search terms rank.

To that end I have decided to post my article since it was cut from Teen Vogue and I hate to see anything I wrote end up on in word document purgatory. You'll notice some rehash of bands I've already wrote about and some are now signed since this was originally penned in February. Jaymay getting signed to EMI was the easiest call since Against Me to Warner Brothers.

Beyond the MySpace Top Artists List.

Jaymay
http://www.myspace.com/jaymay
Best Song: Grey or Blue
Jaymay originally wrote her signature song "Grey or Blue" on a children's xylophone while babysitting, because she did not have her guitar on her. Since then she has toured the world showcasing with her honest voice and insightful lyrics leading to a stint as the number one folk artist on iTunes.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
http://www.myspace.com/boris
Best Song: Oregon Girl
SSLYBY are indie-pop darlings from Missouri who wrote the lyrics to their first full length album as a love letter to a girl. It must have worked as Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie put their song Oregon Girl on a mixtape to his girlfriend.

My Favorite Highway
- http://www.myspace.com/myfavoritehighway
Best Song: How to Call a Bluff
Take the piano driven hooks of the Fray place and mix it with the punky flavor of the All American Rejects and you have My Favorite Highway. Listening to the sincere powerful songs on their MySpace page will convert your bedroom into a stadium show.

Danger Radio
http://www.myspace.com/dangerradio
Best song: Party Foul
Currently being courted by a number of labels, Danger Radio is the other band of Scene Aesthetic (11 on unsigned artists list) vocalist Andrew De Torres. They may not have as many MySpace views as Scene Aesthetic but they have a more complete sound. The band combines rock and dance in way that bridges the gap between New Rave and the Emo Scene.

The Envy Corps -
http://www.myspace.com/theenvycorps
Best Song: Story Problem
The Envy Corps is the latest offering from Robert Reynolds, The Killers Lawyer/Manager, who holds the same title with The Envy Corps. This bands harmonious choruses and rhythmic riffs lend themselves to audience sing-a-longs and are sure to brighten up a miserable day.

Label Departures

While catching up at Hypebot the other day I noticed a short update of A&R movement from the A&R registry. So I went there and in the past 8 weeks there have been a lot of people losing their jobs, and I don’t see many additions in that same place. Is A&R going the way of the dinosaur and the dodo and the 7 minute single?

A&R Registry letter.

Two of the most interesting departures (which is a nice way of saying firing) to me are Ben Goldman at Columbia and John Rubelli at Atlantic.

Ben had just crossed over to Columbia after 15 or so years at Epic Records when Steve Barnett and Charlie walk switched companies. You figure that would make him safe, as Barnett would want to surround himself with trusted allies, but with the Rick Rubin hiring and basic restructuring of Columbia that he is instituting, Ben might have been better off staying at Epic.

John Rubelli however is another story. One of my personal most anticipated albums of last year was Kill Hannah’s sophomore effort. This is what artist development was supposed to be about. The first Atlantic Kill Hannah album, Fornever and Ever, was great, but commercially did not do that well. Its biggest impact was making the synth sound viable again and opening up a door for The Killers, and Franz Ferdinand. I was surprised when Atlantic was giving them another shot, and I feel that mainly had to do with the passion that John Rubelli had for the band. The new album, Until There's Nothing Left of Us, was also a dud though. I feel that had to do with the music then the marketing. I can’t recall being more disappointed in an album. I played it several times to make sure I wasn’t just missing something, but the public spoke and Kill Hannah did not sell records. This wasn’t so much a sophomore slump, as the first album did not do well either, but after that the writing was on the wall for Mr. Rubelli.

A departure that has not even made the A&R registry yet is Michael Kaplan of Columbia. Kaplan of Or Music, Los Lonely Boys and Matisyahu Fame, often gets credit for popularizing the concept of upstreaming. He has some of the best ears and business instincts in the business. I can only imagine that he is a casualty of the Rubin hiring as well.

With so many exits in recent weeks the A&R registry must not be bigger than my pamphlet on Jewish sports legends.

Perez Hilton reads Newsweek instead of nothing

Newsweek stole my concept. I spend a good part of my day looking for indicators, things that can catapult a good band from obscurity to the public’s consciousness. When discussing Sportswriter, Bill Simmons (who was just name dropped in Hits), I called him a poor mans Oprah in that his fan base was rabid and would buy what he suggested. The emphasis is on Poor.

Now Newsweek, has given that title to Perez Hilton, the smarmy blogger who gets his kicks off ripping on celebrities. It appears that Perez is a music fan and that one mention on his site can generate a giant increase in site hits for an unknown band like Mother Mother or sales for a Major Label act like Mika. Newsweek says that his recommendations are like Oprah’s Book club. (Actually Jennifer Hirst formerly of Last Gang Records makes the claim)

Read here:
Gossip Maven Perez Hilton Tries Music Biz

Now this is quite a jump. The majority of Oprah’s book club members are legitimate best sellers, some in the millions, and this has occurred over a sustained period of many years. The Newsweek reporter is claiming that the slight bump that several artists experienced after mentions on Perez Hilton’s site as evidence of his star making abilities.

This is strange logic on 2 levels. One, For Mika, the Universal Republic artist who had the number one single in the UK. His 50,000 sales can hardly be attributed to just Perez Hilton. Granted he did not have traditional radio airplay, but he was all over MTV and VH1. Mika’s song Love Today was the theme to the Ten Spot commercials and I heard that song no less than 5 million times over the course of the past three months thanks to an unhealthy real world road rules challenge obsession.

Second, for Mother Mother, Newsweek claims that a mention on Perez Hilton spiked their hits by 5,000 in one hour. What do site hits translate into though? Does all that traffic (is 5,000 even a lot) mean that Mother Mother will really break though?

For the record I like Mother Mother and Mika, but there is a lot more going on with both of those records than just Perez Hilton.

Listen here:

Mother Mother MySpace

Mika MySpace

The most interesting thing in the article for me is this quote

“So what's in it for Hilton? He insists he gets paid nothing for an endorsement—unless hanging out with celebrities counts as some kind of currency. "I get free clothes," he admits, "but no one's ever offered me money." "I wish," says Jennifer Hirst of the post-for-pay idea, "because if that were the case he would just take any music we send."

Several years ago I wrote a treatise on payola for blogs. It looked like the natural progression as radio’s influence waned. Whichever company could control the flow of music to Blogs would be as valuable as the old independent radio promotion companies. The main reason it did not occur was that few blogs had any real affect on sales. With this Newsweek article maybe the tide is turning. It is even more amazing that Ms. Hirst comes right out and says that she would prefer a payola system. I don’t think this is a good thing. Somewhere the next Elliot Spitzer is licking his chops at taking down Brooklyn Vegan.

Danger Radio vs. Scene Aesthetic

vs.

Coolfer recently linked to an in depth article in the New York Times about indie musicians who makes a decent living by communing with their fans online. Its focus is primarily about a man named Jonathan Coulton and the community that has developed around his “create a song a week” experiment. It’s an interesting article which gives insight on how to grow and monetize an artist’s fan base. Mr. Coulton will not be taking limos anywhere, but he certainly makes more than the average A&R scout.

You can read all about it here.

Sex Drugs and Updating your Blog

What I found interesting about the article though is a side note at the end of the article about one of the top rated unsigned band on MySpace; Scene Aesthetic.

Scene Aesthetic is an Everett Washington band that writes decent songs which connect with angst filled teenagers. For a long time Scene Aesthetic and Second Hand Serenade sat together atop the MySpace unsigned charts. They were the same band to me, much like the Cider House Rules and Snow Falling on Cedars is the same movie to me even though they have nothing to do with each other, because they both came out around the same time and have similar sounding names. Now Second Hand Serenade is on MTV, after becoming the pet project of Daniel Glass, and Scene Aesthetic is in the New York Times. What a difference a year makes.

I’m not going to rip on Scenes Aesthetic just because I personally don’t connect with their music. People out there obviously do. The article talks about how they receive messages telling them how the bands music got someone through tough times. Who knows, maybe if my best friend in high school had Scene Aesthetic to listen to instead of Stabbing Westward then he wouldn’t have tried to drive his car off a cliff (with me in it) after a particularly bad breakup. I do however connect with Scene Aesthetic vocalist Andrew de Torres’s other band Danger Radio.

Danger Radio is a throwback band, they are clearly 80’s influenced but not any particular part of the 80’s. Sometimes I want to compare them to New Wave, sometimes to Bon Jovi (Hair Hard Rock), and sometimes to Fall Out Boy (which isn’t from the 80’s but if your lead singer’s other project is also one of the biggest Emo Artists on Myspace it is an inevitable comparison) I don’t think you can pin down their sound. Their latest track, has a kind of boy band feel to it, in the sense that it is well written and has a pleasant melody, but they add a shouting chorus to make it their own. Danger Radio manages to be an experimental band, without featuring an experimental sound.

It is interesting to see two essentially baby bands driven by the same artist.

First compare sounds:

Scene Aesthetic Myspace

Danger Radio Myspace

Now look at their stats.

Scene Aesthetic
Plays 15,675,896
Profile views 5,139,426
Friends 187,465

Danger Radio
Plays 707,517
Profile views 285,586
Friends 16,176

One band clearly stands out numbers wise and in my own opinion the other stands out musically. I belive that Danger Radio’s song Party Foul is a hit. I don’t hear that in Scene Aesthetics’ music. Scene Aesthetic is more of a career band; they have developed a nice following of 180,000 friends. Thsi is nothing to sneeze at, but nothing spectacular as it is roughly what Cartel was recently complaining about as the membership of their core fan base.

Which band will end up being more successful? Only time will tell, but these are two bands and one artist that I’m going to keep my eye on. Whether or not anyone jumps at Scene Aesthetic, (or if they even want to be signed) may depend heavily on the ability of Second Hand Serenade to prove MySpace bands can cross over and sell records at traditional retail. Danger Radio was already rumored to be pursued by several major and indie labels. I hear that their SXSW showcase was not well received though. From the sound of their demos they may need more work playing together, which is understandable if the lead singer is splitting his time between bands.

The wise thing may be for a label or management company to just sign Andre De Torres to a deal which encompasses all his projects. Why make a kid this talented choose.

TALENT Filter

So I have a rival; a Pepsi to my Coke, a Burger King to my McDonalds, a Gimbles to my Macys, a Warner to my CBS. I decided to be CBS because I’ve always been intrigued Walter Yetnikoff’s infamous vendetta for no real reason against Warner Music, whose high point was definitely the political style campaign buttons emblazoned with the slogan “Fuck the Bunny.” My rivals insignia is a coffee filter so stay tuned for my equally vitriolic button.

Talent Filter, a new anonymous A&R Blog, is getting a lot of love in the Music industry Blogosphere over the past two weeks. First a mention in Coolfer and now an interview in Hypebot. First let me say that this blog is good, whoever writes it is clearly on top of everything and must have an RSS feed of every blog on their MP3 capable Treo or a Hogan’s Heroes style bug in the major label conference rooms. There is a ton of inside information, it is updated frequently, it has a real focus, and it is well written. This alone puts it ahead of 90% percent of the music blogs out there. I wouldn’t want a nemesis that was incompetent. That wouldn’t be any fun.

But, I have several problems with TALENTFilter after reading the Hypebot interview,
First:

"...This is my only real outlet to express my opinions honestly without having to sugarcoat things in fear of pissing someone off..."

Who are they really going to piss off 95% of what is on the blog is positive. Who in their right mind is going to be upset about praise for an unknown artist. The artist and team should be happy about anything they can put in a media kit, the referrer should be happy that their site or station is getting a mention as a purveyor of top talent. The only people I can think might have a problem with it is the writers friends who may feel they are being used for their inside knowledge to further the career of TALENTFilter. I have a link to my blog on the bottom of all my emails, and will proudly stand up for my opinions.

And when asked about her background (I’m not sure what is the gender of this person. It is never specified if it is a guy or girl and I’m not going to be sexist and automatically assume it is a guy) she replies:

"...worked for a pretty successful artist discovery firm for a while and witnessed first-hand the plain stupidity of a lot of the younger A&R execs at the majors, who spend more time trying to woo the latest trendy Williamsburg / Silverlake band, as opposed to searching out acts that will appeal to the mainstream..."

This bothers me for several reasons. There is no mainstream in America anymore. It is a niche world. You don’t have to look at CD sales to see that, but it can be surmised by TV ratings, book sales, just about anything that is an entertainment property. I would argue the opposite is true. It is by only appealing to the mainstream that led the major labels to their current state. I think most younger A&R execs (and I would like to know what the filter considers younger and for that matter an exec) are idealistic and trying to change that. I know I personally strived to find bands that were both musically interesting and profitable. Profitable is different then Why can’t we have both?

Also the rip on Williamsburg and Silverlake is weak. The fact was that there were bands out of those areas that did well, and more importantly were good. It stands to reason that the music business would want to continue to mine that area for talent. Was an A&R “exec” lambasted for pursuing Seattle bands in the 90’s or Laurel Canyon bands in the late 60’s early 70’s. The answer is no. This is just a potshot that uses trendy neighborhoods in much the same way the writer abhors, as a back up to mock credibility merely by their mention. If liking a band is lazy merely because of their location, then disliking them is an equally deplorable offense.

And so I have my rival, Shes west coast, I'm east coast, Biggie to her Tupac. I'm a rambler and she is succinct. And so the the war begins. Some people may say there is room for both of us and point to Macys and Gimbles, but in reality Gimbles is dead. TALENTfilter is Gimbles.

Sparky's Flaw

Sometimes you just know a band is going to be good without hearing them. At least I can, but I think it is true of most people. I would call it word of mouth, but a lot of people tell me to listen to bands that turn out to be not very good. I would say it was when certain people or when specific tastemakers recommend something, but that is not it either. Music is a personal thing, and many people rave about bands that have no real sales potential, but every once in a while you hear about a band and the manner they are described and the people associated with them makes it clear that they have a shot at success.

Sparky’s Flaw was the latest band I needed to see, and I was not disappointed. I’m two weeks late on my review, but I needed some time to think about the real possibility of this band. They were playing the BMI new music showcase, a monthly event at Arlene’s where BMI showcases a particular artist that they believe in. June at BMI had been raving about them, and that is one mark in their favor – as their performing rights organization is behind them. Their management is Redlight (Dave Matthews and Update: not Govt Mule). They have savvy, connected, forward, thinking management - so that is the second mark in their favor. I could go on about how their lawyer is powerful, or their booking agent is diligent, and so on, but a lot of bands have similar credentials and a dedicated team.

The difference is the way these people talk about the band, you can hear it in their voice. It is not a regurgitated platitude of greatness backed by hopes that it will catch on, but rather true belief that this band should be heard by everyone. This is because Sparky’s Flaw writes good songs; songs with melody, and pace, and lyrics that are not too dumb, nor too obscure.

You can listen here:

Sparky’s Flaw Myspace Page

The second song Words Meet Heartbeats is a hit. It starts off with an uplifting pounding keyboard riff, then moves into evocative lyrics that somehow create images in my mind without using descriptive words and are delivered by a young man with a great voice.

When I left their showcase I had this song in my head on the walk home. The next day it popped into my head at the grocery store (Italian deli) and it did not go away. For the next week this song found its way into my head and I was not complaining. I had it playing while writing this post, so I’m sure I can expect more of the same for the remainder of the week.

I predict that this song will be heard all over the radio in 6 months to a year depending on how long it takes to decide on a label and record a full length album and decide on a marketing plan so the actual timing I’m not sure of, but this is a hit. It’s the perfect replacement for when the Fray’s second album inevitably bombs and the world is starving for piano based rock.

The flip side is that the band can also play free form. I mean really jam. Their Charlottesville roots shine through and the college guys in back of me kept yelling as they let their instruments fly. The inevitable comparison will be the next Dave Matthews Band, as they hail from the same hometown and have the same management, and a horn section, but that seems lazy. It is like when sportscasters compare a new player on the team to a past superstar because of their backgrounds rather than the similarity between their games. They can play though.

There was a ton of A&R and assorted industry folk at the show and the band played well, which should cement their pursuit. Anyone who wasn’t paying attention to this band should. If they get the right label to add to their already stellar team, they will be successful. That is not wishful thinking. That is something I just know.

Cartel

Originally cartels were a group of people devoted to a common end usually delivering products that we can’t be without oil, drugs etc. The band, Cartel claims to be able to create music we can’t live without. Note, I don’t know if they have made that specific claim, but I believe it is implied in their name.

If you haven’t heard by now, Cartel in conjunction with MTV and DR Pepper ( I’m not sure which has less to do with music) is entering a bubble under the Brooklyn Bridge and sealing themselves off from the rest of the world to compose an album. You can read about it here: USA TODAY Cartel Bursts Marketing Bubble

Part of me thinks this is a great idea, and part doesn’t. Here are the reasons why it is a good idea. First its exposure on MTV, which despite the fact it doesn’t play music videos anymore still has the potential to create stars, at least for a little while. The Ashley Simpson show is a prime example. Second it put some music on MTV, that is always a good thing. Someone needs to make MTV change its name now that it no longer shows music. Would CNN still be allowed to call itself the central news network if all it showed was reality TV.

The reasons it is a bad idea are pretty simple. David Blaine. If recent history has taught us anything it is that people are made fun of for sitting in a bubble. It is just such an easy target. It is the proverbial glass house, and Cartel can expect stones to be thrown. Stones are actually something Cartel should wish for since the much more likely projectiles involve bodily fluid. Secondly watching people record and write music is pretty boring. MTV can still make a career, but it takes a lead up and getting to know the personalities involved, Good Charlotte is one example. With the live approach that this act is taking it does not allow creative editing focused on conflict and drama. If viewers aren’t attached to the characters (the band) then no one is going to care, and when they emerge from the bubble to play their new album. It won’t matter. Lastly, this all hinges on them writing a great album. The last time I checked inspiration can’t be forced. If I were a betting man, and I am, I would bet that the album is going to end up being pretty mediocre as they rush to finish it in time for the deadline. I give the band props for betting on themselves, but I hope they have a really good album all set to go, and are just fine tuning it in the bubble, if not then they are really taking a risk here.

Now that my thoughts on the stunt are off my chest, I can get to the real reason I wanted to write about Cartel. This Quote from Lead singer Will Pugh’s open rant to Bob Lefsetz. “We don’t listen to our A&R he just got fired anyway”

This quote made me really angry. First off Cartel’s A&R is Peter Malkin, who was a very successful manager before taking the Epic job and someone who is very knowledgeable about music and the music industry. From what I heard he was willing to stay on and help the launch of Cartel’s record despite being laid off (which is a big difference from fired). And for this, the band just calls him out completely unnecessarily. He later recants and apologizes “for throwing his A&R under the bus,” “And says that he is involved in the creative process” but the damage was already done.

This begs a larger question, what is the relationship between A&R execs and the bands they sign?

I had one prominent music attorney tell me several years ago, when I told him that my dream was to be in A&R, that I should do management instead. He said that bands laugh at their A&R whenever he leaves the room, usually to pick up a tab. This is mainly because at the end of the day the A&R is beholden to the record company. They sign his or her checks. Artists traditionally don’t like record companies. It is always been an uneasy partnership.

This needs to change. Everyone is talking about record companies being involved in more and alternate revenue streams, and becoming more of a management company, even Warner is apparently looking to buy a management company. If there isn’t a mutual respect between the artist and the label though, then this strategy will never succeed. Artist need to think of their labels as partners in their success, and conversely labels need to truly develop their relationship with artist beyond a monetary one.

This is the first step down the road to recovery for the music industry.

Simmons Sales Bump

I am so smart, I am so smart, S-M-R-T, I am so smart. On Monday I predicted that thanks to the a mention in a Bill Simmons chat on ESPN.com, That the Silversun Pick Ups would experience a sales bump or at least a slow down of their drop off.

The band had a sales decrease of 28% the previous week and after the Simmons mention their sales went up 7%. The numbers are right here

This week - 5,832 +7
Last week- 5,426 -28
Two weeks ago- 7,498

Now I can’t be sure that this is the only reason that sales could have gone up, after a slide over 1/4 of their previous week, but I predicted it and I’m going to take credit for it, or I guess More accurately give credit to him. I'm naming it the Simmons Sales Bump I hope this doesn't start a trend where label's new media departments are sending sports writers albums in hope for a mention in a column. This is kind of a happy accident, and should not be part of any bands marketing plan.

It does bring up an interesting point though as radio continues to wane in influence, what will be the new indicators of potential success. Whoever can quantify and recognize these will have a leg up on the competition if finding new bands.

In other Soundscan news, Avril Lavigne’s 286,358 was the first week since April 1 when Tim McGraw debuted with 325,000. People were calling it the savior of the industry, but overall sales volume was only up 1% and after Avril and Nine Inch Nails there were no albums above 100,000. All signs point to another total sub 100k week for all debut albums as Joe (who was my best friend in high school’s little sisters favorite artist) is set to reach 90k. I’m curious as to what Avril will be able to put up after her relatively blockbuster initial week. If it is over 50% the album is in trouble. I hope it isn’t though as the album is filled with pop gems and I’ve always had a soft spot for Ms. Lavigne, since learning she received a cowriting credit for her #2 hit song Complicated, by changing the original lyric of "Take off all your stupid clothes" to "Take off all your preppy clothes." That one word made the song resonate with me, and I applaud her for that.

Pick Up Games

So I’m a sports guy. Two of the 7 links on this blog are sports blogs from friends of mine. I’ve found that a lot of people in the music industry are not sports guys (or girls). Either you were in the band or on the football team. The two are kind of mutually exclusive, and there is still some latent resentment over high school slights that permeate so many people in the industry.

But as a sports guy I read “The Sports Guy” the espn columnist Bill Simmons who loves the fights on MTV’s the real world as much as the fights in Madison square garden. (I was also considering the real world as much as real Madrid, but lets be honest no one likes soccer) So low and behold when reading his column this weekend which turned out to be a chat there is a discussion about indie rock.

Bill Simmons Chat

PattyO (Austin): Maximo Park or The Fratellis?

SportsNation Bill Simmons: like the Fratellis - interesting album. some really good music out right now, 30-40 songs I love in the past 3-4 months.

Ben ((Charlotte)): Bill, you seem to be in to indie rock, mind if i throw a couple bands out there? Broken Social Scene, Pinback, or Minus the Bear?

SportsNation Bill Simmons: Good choices... the new Modest Mouse album is really good (the return of Johnny Marr!), look out for Voxtrot as well.


Jason (ATL): alright simmons, whats your top 5 bands that get no love from mainstream media??

SportsNation Bill Simmons: Silversun Pickups, definitely... that album was unbelievable. "Lazy Eye" isn't even one of the best 3 songs on it, and that's the only one they've been playing so far.


SportsNation Bill Simmons: Mute Math is underrated. The Hold Steady. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Voxtrot. Blue October. The Cloud Room.

It then goes on with a discussion of Buffalo Tom who apparently has a new album out. You can read the rest at ESPN.

Now this is interesting for a number of reasons. Simmons has a large and rabid fanbase. Think of him as a poor mans Oprah, if Oprah’s core audience was between 18-40 and male. I think this mention will do more for the Silversun Pickups then a cover story in billboard. Your average person doesn’t read Billboard. Your average person does read Bill Simmons though.

Their current sales numbers look like this
This Week 5,426
Last week 7,498
Overall 126,200

I think they will have a jump in sales sometime in the next two weeks, due to this mention on ESPN, and the increased traffic from the Avril Lavigne and Nine Inch Nails new releases. Either that or they will have less than a 24% drop off which in some ways is a win anyway.

Stay Tuned to see if I’m right, or just throwing out random ideas. I can’t be the only one who is intrigued about the potential of the Simmons Sales Bump.

Most Popular Criminals

I was a little torn on what to pick for my first demo review. In reality A&R is sifting through tons of mediocre CDs and MySpace pages hoping to hear one good song. I'd like to just put up that one good song each week, but that isn't an accurate representation of the process. I'm instead planning on doing analysis on bands that have a little bit of traction and giving my honest guess on their success ceiling.

Yesterday on the 6 train my conversation was stopped by the familiar "excuse me ladies and gentleman." I was expecting a man asking for loose change, a kid selling candy for his basketball team, or even a dance troupe. I instead got a man dressed with a light up belt buckle selling CDs for a dollar for his non gangster hip hop group Most Popular Criminals. I find it odd that a so called conscious hip hop group would still use criminals in their moniker. I don't think its supposed to be ironic.
What separates this group from the legions of other hip hop street musicians seems to be business sense. I have been accosted by so many kids saying "do you like hip hop? Buy my CD for 5 or 10 Dollars that you never heard" that it gets old. This man was only selling his for a 1 though and for that I'll take a chance. He had on his groups T Shirt with their website, his belt buckle had their website even his shoes had their website. This man was a walking billboard. Unfortunately when I tried to visit the website it had an error maybe someone else will have luck with www.mostpop.org. With the amount of times I have received a blank CD without any indication of who the group was or contact info, I was impressed that this man was one step away from tattooing his website on his forehead. They also have their own TV show in BronxNet, and a feature done on them for ABC news. This shows not only a real dedication to their career but also the ability to execute their vision.

The other thing that is working for the Most Popular Criminals is timing. Don Imus's recent remarks about the Rutgers Womens Basketball Team have brought a lot of criticism on the current hip hop scene which NAS so eloquently put is dead. The leaders of the Hip Hop industry are all meeting at Lyor Cohens house to try and determine the next step for hip hop. Hip hop albums are not the guaranteed money makers they once were as Diddy's latest album hasn't even gone past 700,000 yet. There needs to be a positive hip hop group that is given a marketing push to show that the industry isn't just guns, ho's, drugs and money. This group already has momentum in that direction with their ABC news story.

Their only problem is their songs. Their beats are jazzy, with kind of a jurrassic 5 feel. Their rapping is fine, but not extraordinary, their hooks are not catchy, and while their songs are certainly not about jacking cats with gats for crack, there is nothing incredibly interesting about the lyrics either. Their is no positive message to back up their backstory. Their is really no message at all. I don't think a good producer could help them improve where they lack, namely compelling material, and I would pass on any major deal for them. They could be profitable on a small independent because of their story and marketing instincts. Without interesting songs though, they are going to have to really build up their fanbase and at their current tally of 1600 MySpace friends they have a long way to go. There are a lot better rappers out there with a positive message, I would pick one of them for the inevitable concsious hip hop marketing blitz.

Soundscan 4/18/07

As I previously stated I love looking at Soundscan. Its been my Wednesday ritual for the past 5 years. Today is no exception. All it takes is a quick glance to see that the sound recording industry ( at least that is the category I used on my taxes yesterday) is in trouble. There is not a single album over 100,000. More than that though the drop off is precipitous after the top ten, and artists that are getting a lot of traction are selling no albums.

Bob Lefsetz (A curmudgeonly Ski Bum who occasionally writes about the music industry) recently started a thread about Brandi Carlisle. He said she was everywhere. I personally only noticed a review of her Troubador show on Hits but even that generally means that an artist is being talked about a great deal. Brandi Carlisle sold 1196 albums this week and 934 last week. An artist who moves barely 2000 albums is somehow a story. There is already a backlash and this girl isn't selling anything. She gets her own music video at the end of Greys Anatomy and she sells 300 more albums. This is just sad.

Other chart notables are the number 1 album Now 24: A collection of singles. This is the best we have. I promise not to be negative in this blog, but soundscan day is now disappointing. No longer do I look forward to taking some time off going to Barnes and Noble and just going over the numbers. Sales are down 23% compared to last week and 32% compared to the same week last year. There is 1/3 as much volume.

What does all this mean for A&R staffs.

1) We have to redefine hit. I'd be much more interested in profit margin over number of sales. The movie business defines its stars by gross receipts, the music business by gross units. The music business will never define hits by money because then they might have to be more transparent about royalties.

2) Well i don't have a two just yet, but I will. This isn't over. I'll go over soundscan every week and as I get better at this writing thing it will become clearer.

Beginnings

I remember my first need to look at the Billboard Charts. I had made a prediction that the band Something Corporate was going to be "the next big thing" and their first album was coming out in Spring of 2002. I had heard the song Constantine on a car ride back from a college reunion and I just knew that this band had the chops and songwriting skills to be a juggernaut. I was also convinced that piano based rock could make inroads in the emo scene based on the recent successes of Coldplay and Vanessa Carlton in other genres.


Something Corporate was in the number 1 position on the Heatseeker Chart when I picked up Billboard the next week and number 100 overall. I felt validated. My keen ears were able to discern the difference between a random act with no potential and a possible platinum artist. Of course, Something Corporate faded away and the lead singer became the banal Jacks Mannequin. I blame this more on the poor singles selection of the MCA radio promotion team rather than the band, but regardless they did not become the darlings of the emo scene, but my first prediction meant something, and I have been in love with A&R ever since. The best a&r exec is part stock broker, part critic, and part psychic. This blog will examine them all.