Album Sales down 21% from a year ago
Labels: 2007, Album sales, Billboard, Grobin, Music trend
According to the entertainment trade mag Variety, Josh Groban is one of few people in the music industry singing a happy jolly tune this holiday season.
While Groban's "Noel" has crossed 3.5 million in sales to become the top-selling disc of the year (and the #1 album for the past 5 weeks), there's no denying this music trend: overall music sales during the Christmas shopping season were down an astounding 21% from last year.
From the week of Thanksgiving up through the day before Christmas Eve, Soundscan sales tracking report 83.9 million albums were sold, a decrease of 21.38 million from 2006's 105.28 million.
The week leading up to Christmas saw sales rise a 42% over the previous week. But when the week's sales of 25.57 million are compared to the same week from '06, they represent an 18% drop.
Can online music gift cards for online music close some of that lost sales gap?
Is the CD part of the music industry on its way to becoming only a $20 billion industry even earlier than predicted last year?
posted by Unknown @ Friday, December 28, 2007,
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Beginning to look at 2007 Year-Ends
Labels: 2007, 2008, Jointblog, Media Trend Watching, trends, Year-end
So it is December already.
2007 is wrapping up and Christmas songs are playing on the radio again while winter storms bring out the worst drivers on the road.
Lots to process through evaluating what happened in media for 2007...and what's in store for us in 2008:
If there is one phase that captures the biggest movement, it is this: Social networking. This is THE trend of media. Those that get it and those that don't. If you aren't on Facebook, guess which label between get it/don't get it applies to you.
As our friend Jerry Del Colliano explains it: Social networking is bigger than the Internet itself. More important than email. More pervasive than text messaging. This generation defines itself by making friendships and associations with each other."
Agreed.
Radio and social networking? Sadly, still misunderstood and still not even a boardroom agenda item, let alone the R&D initiative plans.
How'd we do with other media trends?
Media revenues? Internet ad revenues still surging, as predicted...almost on par with radio in the U.S. Meanwhile, total radio revenues slipped in the U.S. (still growing slightly in Canada), while the big American consolidators continued their property sell-offs (radio still viewed as a positive acquisition north of the border by the media analysts).
The XM-Sirius merger? Almost a done deal.
The iPhone and Touch? Big hits, with radio still unable to capture any real estate on the device. But are Zunes picking up some steam?
Apple ads? Still cool. Chocolate Rain? Still weird.
Clear Channel firings and layoffs to clean up the books to boost "performance"? Yep, right on schedule, as usual.
Resolution on royalty rates for web streaming of music and radio in the U.S.? Nope, of course not. And now Yahoo! and AOL are considering plugging their radio plugs. too.
PPMs? More announced rollout delays...but still coming...
Colbert? I TOLD you so!
And Katie Couric's legs? Still mysteriously searchable online...
CBS Radio? More relevant again. Opie & Anthony? Less so. Imus? We'll see (nice tan, though).
Howard Stern? More and more...who?
AOL? Parsons moves on, with very little innovation to show for his leadership. He stopped the bleeding...but the patient may not ever recover.
Celebrity meltdowns? Wow, we've actually gone a few months without a scandal! Look out...we're due. And there's still one month left till 2008...
Wii, XBox or PSP? All three are winning.
Political YouTube debates? A curious new toy...
What are YOU seeing? We value your feedback.
posted by Unknown @ Saturday, December 01, 2007,
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Internet People
Yes, this includes you. Labels: 2007, animation, Internet People, trends, Viral Video
http://view.break.com/362585 - Watch more free videos
posted by Unknown @ Friday, September 14, 2007,
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Twin Light Beams of 9/11: 2007
6 years of remembrance and many thoughts about the impact of 9/11 here...plus this spectacular image Tuesday night of the memorial light beams. Labels: 2007, 6 years, 9/11, memorial, remembrance
posted by Unknown @ Tuesday, September 11, 2007,
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Miss Teen USA 2007 - South Carolina answers a question
Looking at the world of media trend watching through viral video, here's our education system on display at this weekend's Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant. Uploaded on YouTube just two days ago, it already has more than 2 million total views...and the number is quickly rising. Labels: 2007, blonde joke, Education, Lauren Caitlin Upton, Media Trend Watching, Miss Teen USA, Teens, Viral Video, YouTube
This is how South Carolina's Miss Teen USA Lauren Caitlin Upton answered her question from the judges hoping to show her "substance" beyond her beauty.
Blonde jokes can now begin.
Wa-wha-what?
click here to view directly.
posted by Unknown @ Monday, August 27, 2007,
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Media Trending: Spending Up, Usage Slightly Declining
Labels: 2007, Consumers, Future of Radio, Joint Communications, Media, Media trending, Predictions, Radio, Revenue, Usage, VSS
Has media reached a new usage plateau? A new level of consumer saturation? What's a new view of the future for media?
Private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS) has released a new study forecasting spending in the media industry into 2011. The study found that while communications spending increased in 2006, consumer media usage actually dropped after multiple years of growth.
Total communications spending grew 6.8 percent to $885.2 billion in 2006. VSS predicts that in the first half of 2007, the industry will grow by 6.4 percent, making it among the fastest growing sectors of the U.S. economy.
VSS also predicts that Internet advertising will replace newspapers as the largest ad medium by 2011.
Meanwhile, media usage per person declined last year by 0.5 percent, according to their data, due to changing consumer behavior and the efficiency of digital media. VSS found that digital alternatives for news and entertainment require less time investment than traditional media. VSS predicts consumer media usage to stabilize this year and slightly increase through 2011.
Consumers are also moving away from ad-supported media, such as broadcast TV and newspapers. VSS labels options such as video games and cable TV "consumer-supported platforms," and says their usage is increasing as time with ad-supported media decreases.
"We are in the midst of a major shift in the media landscape that is being fueled by changes in technology, end-user behaviors and the response by brand marketers and communications companies," said James Rutherfurd, EVP and Managing Director for VSS. "We expect these shifts to continue over the next five years, as time and place shifting accelerate while consumers and businesses utilize more digital media alternatives, strengthening the new media pull model at the expense of the traditional media push model."
If we have reached a new plateau of media consumption, it is worthwhile to take a look around the media landscape right now. Who has survived? Which platforms are still thriving? Still hanging on?
More specifically, take a look at radio. Good news...radio still operates with strength. It is simple, reliable, cost-effective and still is used weekly by 94% of the population. Radio has gone through tremendous industry change and competitive challenge from new media options...and radio still survives.
Is radio ready to rev it back up and go after the demographic it has nearly lost (teens) or the demographic it has turned away from (Boomers)?
posted by Unknown @ Saturday, August 18, 2007,
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At The 2007 CMW Conference: 60 Ideas In 60 Minutes
Labels: 2007, Actionable Ideas, CMW, Conference, Programming, Radio
Joint Communications is conference hopping this week, with John Parikhal at the R&R Talk Radio Seminar in Los Angeles and Chris Kennedy at the Canadian Music Week Conference in Toronto.
At the CMW, I served as a panelist for the "60 Actionable New Programming Ideas in 60 Minutes" discussion to help kick start the radio conference. Also participating: Mike McVay from McVay Media, Tracy Johnson from Jack FM/San Diego and Steve Young from Jones Radio Networks, with the session moderated by Chris Byrnes of Byrnes Media. Great ideas were shared by all. For those in attendance wishing a recap -- or for those unable to attend, here's my actionable ideas.
If you have any fresh ideas to add, just submit a comment at the end of this post.
A pdf of all 60 Ideas is also available by clicking here:
> WOM Marketing: Explore what Word-of-Mouth marketing means online for your audience. Attend various WOMMA-sponsored conferences and read their various white papers. Go to WOMMA.org for more. Learn how "spreading the word virally" works online so listeners will tell friends...who will tell friends...and so on...and so on...
> Online Suggestion Box: Do you have an easy-to-see, easy-to-use online Suggestion Box for immediate listener feedback?
> Do Search Engines See Your Site?: How do the Internet search engines perceive and filter your website? Go to SEOmoz.org as well as SEOkeywordanalysis.com.
> Listener-Uploaded Viral Videos: Offer a place on your website for listeners to upload/link favourite/recommend viral videos (make sure they get approved by the Program Director/Webmaster).
> iPod Companion Devices:The iPod turned 5 last November...and they're now everywhere. Give away Griffin iFM radio tuner add-on remote devices ($50) or Belkin TuneFMs for iPods ($55) or other iPod companion devices that include a radio tuner for the iPod. Make sure all your listeners have an FM tuner for the iPod. "Upgrade their iPod."
> Don't Make Me Think: Read and practically memorize Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think, then make sure those rules are applied for the website's design and see what can be applied on-air as well.
> Broadcast Through Cellphones/PDAs: Deliver your broadcast through cellphone/PDA providers.
> Update Your "This Stunt Could Go Wrong" File: Prevent problems before they happen or before your listeners suffer water intoxication. In addition, consider conducting periodic "risk exercises" with staff to practice possible "what ifs".
> Pretend You Are Launching A Station: If you are an established station, pretend you are launching as a brand new station on a brand new signal. Since you have no baggage or heritage, how would you launch to get maximum community response? What would be your essentials? How would you attack competitors? Then ask yourself, are you doing those things now? If so, are you doing them the best you can? What can you improve? If not, what can you do to make those things happen? And what can you do different than now?
> Have Essentials On Your Website -- Simplify: Reduce clutter. Be font size appropriate for your target audience (older -- larger fonts). Make what you do on-air simple and easy to access/view/read on your website -- especially your current and recently-played songs on-air. Include lists of Top Requests (include sample listeners). Edit! Provide top newsworthy stories and/or water cooler buzz of the day...not a lot of stories, just enough.
> Positive Radio Campaigns: Independent of RMB/CAB or RAB/NAB initiatives, incorporate positive radio campaigns locally. Radio is the original wireless. Be wireless...and visible. Stay active in the community and on the streets. Avoid being overly digital-centric; focus on being digital-balanced with the real world needs of listeners. Promote radio in general over and above your own station.
> Offer Custom Ringtones: Produce and make downloadable custom ringtones using the station voice, character bits from the morning show, jingles and/or production...or custom messages from personalities and key format artists and bands.
> Are You Blogging?: Gives the station personalities a forum to be connected with the community and for listeners to comment and interact. Content can be anything from show bit discussions to appropriate content matching station style to community events, live-blogging during personality-oriented shows, etc.
> Do A "Best Of" Local Survey: Newspapers and free weeklies have long done the local "Best haircut", "Best local pint", "Best pizza", etc. contests...rarely has radio made it their own in a market. Conduct your own contest. Partner or take it away from the papers, incorporate the voting online and text message/SMS as well as voice mail voting.
> Do Research Beyond Just Radio: When conducting custom market research (perceptuals, music test, focus groups, etc.), make sure you periodically measure multi-media experiences, habits, preference usage and demands/needs beyond just radio to avoid a myopic viewpoint and to better optimize listener's typical multi-tasking routines for media and entertainment. Find out where radio is in your target audience's usage spectrum...so threats and opportunities can be revealed.
For the full presentation pdf, click here.
posted by Unknown @ Friday, March 09, 2007,
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