(...Story Continued from Previous Page) The following weekend (June 12 to
15) and just down the road, in Manchester, Tenn., Bonnaroo returns with four
days of outdoor music and camping.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, traditionally held the last
weekend in April and first weekend in May, boasts a diverse roster for 2008,
with headliners including the Neville Brothers and Tim McGraw.
And out in the Pacific Northwest, summer is book-ended by two big multiday
events: The Sasquatch! Music Festival, during Memorial Day weekend, includes a
performance by the Cure on Sunday, May 25; and music and arts spectacular
Bumbershoot returns Labor Day weekend to the Seattle Center Aug. 30 to
Sept. 1.
TRENDS
The big record labels continued downsizing in 2007, portending the likelihood
of more contraction this year. At industry majors including Island Def Jam (part
of the Universal Music family) and Sony BMG, the winter holidays were celebrated
with rounds of upper-level layoffs.
CD Sales: Sales of new compact discs plummeted 19 percent in
2007, and that downward trend shows no signs of reversing. Titles that continue
to perform well via physical -- versus digital -- media will skew toward older
consumers and more conservative markets. 2007 was the year Reba McEntire easily rebounded back at No. 1 on the
album charts, while old fogies the Eagles trounced troubled teen queen Britney Spears in first week sales (even though the former
opted to sell their title only through the Wal-Mart chain). And the best-selling
disc of the year was Josh Groban's holiday set, "Noel."
Although things look grim for the traditional album trade, the compact disc
could always rally. The allegedly "dead" medium of vinyl certainly has. Last
year, sales of good old-fashioned LP records, although slim (less than 1 million
units) were up 15.4 percent, according to a Jan. 10 article in Time magazine.
Recognizing the appeal of full-size artwork, warm analog sound and the communal
experience of gathering around the record player, savvy indie labels such as
Matador, Merge and Sub Pop have started including free album downloads with
every vinyl record sold, offering customers the best of both worlds. Look for
labels to add more bells and whistles via new formats, like MVI, DVDPlus and
CDVU+, that give music fans access to better sound, videos and updateable
content.
Digital Sales: With digital sales increasingly taking a bite
out of compact discs, expect to see U.S. charts modified to reflect this trend
(as they already are in the United Kingdom, where download sales are eligible
for pop-chart placement even before physical discs hit the market). Titles big
and small -- á la "In Rainbows" or "Oracular Spectacular," the debut from Columbia
Records duo MGMT -- will continue to rush (or dribble) out via the Web
ahead of actual record stores. Morcheeba has just announced plans to make its
latest, "In Deep," available exclusively via iTunes two weeks ahead of physical
issue.
But don't expect to see the words "iTunes" and "exclusive" in conjunction
quite as often in 2008, as labels align with other vendors to try to curtail an
Apple monopoly on music downloads -- and cash in on symbiosis the way Sub Pop
did by letting Zune feature Band of Horses prominently in promotional campaigns.
In early January, Sony BMG announced big plans to allow its titles to be
sold, in unrestricted formats, via the MP3 store at Amazon. (The entertainment
mega-corporation is also testing DRM-free album-specific gift cards, redeemable
for downloads, for nearly 40 titles by Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Kenny Chesney and Tony Bennett.)
However you obtain digital music, expect to get more bang for the buck (or 99
cents) in 2008. Watch for companies such as AmieStreet.com -- which sells music
on a sliding scale, based on popularity (songs start out free, then top out at
98 cents as download numbers rise) -- to break unheard new bands and drive down
overall pricing.
Artists and Labels: Still, in light of the success of
Radiohead's "In Rainbows," expect to see more big-name acts breaking off ties
with major labels and either going the independent route, or taking a more
do-it-yourself approach. Trent Reznor, who recently left Interscope Records, has
already announced plans to sell the next Nine Inch Nails album for $5 a pop via the band's Web site.
Madonna has signed a $120 million deal with the concert
promotion behemoth Live Nation, auguring a tectonic shift in her allegiance
after she delivers her final album under her Warner Bros. Records deal this
spring. And big names acts including Prince and Pearl Jam are all rumored to be exploring similar,
alternate avenues.
Those artists, especially baby bands, who opt to stick with the big boys may
find themselves increasingly pressured to ink so-called "360 deals," which allow
labels to take a chunk of profits from touring, merchandise and other previously
off-limits revenue streams, in exchange for more long-term promotion and
support. |
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