Siriusly?

You might recall that Sirius and XM, the two big satellite radio providers, merged last summer, pretty much swallowing that market. But thankfully, listeners are no longer locked into terrestrial radio, much less satellite, as they were in the 90s - iTunes, online streams and college radio provide plentiful alternatives. So it isn't too surprising that people would be loathe to pay a monthly fee when free sources are readily available. But apparently someone sees value in the company - last week, Liberty Media, which owns DirecTV, bailed out Sirius XM by investing $530 million, in return for 40 percent of the company, according to the New York Times.

But isn't Liberty is just staving off the inevitable? Sirius XM's strategy of hiring celebrity DJs (Howard Stern, et al) just doesn't have the same draw in today's fragmented listenership. And while the company has a variety of programming, can they really compete with the legions of podcasters who are obsessed with their own niches - and charge nothing for their content? Doubtful.

I, For One, Do Not Welcome Our New Ticketing Overlords

My first four shows in NYC, ever.

A week back, I was looking forward to a couple shows - the ArtBattles event at Le Poisson Rouge, and Modeselektor at Bowery Ballroom. I usually try to be prepared for an event - either having a ticket in hand or a guest list spot secured. But my plans were somewhat spur of the moment, and I took a calculated risk. In this case, the calculation consisted of the $6 surcharge for an online ticket, which I felt morally repugnant. Thus, I showed up for ArtBattles and it was sold out at the door. The next day, tickets for Modeselektor weren't available online, and I figured that one sold out too. In short, online convenience charges are a pain, but when a show is selling out anyways, you can afford to be a little greedy.

Today, the Wall Street Journal (registration possibly required) reports that the major culprits of the surcharge epidemic, Live Nation and Ticketmaster, are considering a merger. Cue the AIM conversation between myself and Jeff of the culture of me.

[13:03] MADLIBS04: so..is it really going to change things?
[13:03] MADLIBS04: /shrug
[13:05] thatdudejeffwho: nope
[13:05] MADLIBS04: interesting
[13:05] thatdudejeffwho: now just one website to go get raped on

Perhaps a little facetious, but let's face it - these companies aren't in the business to promote good music. They're here to increase their profit, and all else comes second. It's one of the last fringes of the music industry that actually makes money, and it pains me to see it being perverted.

The Disappearing Venue: Sound Fix Silenced

It’s a frosty night in Williamsburg a few weeks ago, and I am getting squished. If there is any place on the planet where people would flock to see vaguely twee indie pop from Cardiff, Wales in subzero climate, it would be Brooklyn’s nexus of hipsterdom. But I type such a sentiment lovingly – I have similar priorities. The band tonight particularly loveable: Los Campesinos!, who have just released a new album, just a half year since their debut. It’s my first show in about a month, and while the wait makes my ankles ache, the payoff is just as visceral and satisfying as ever.

Live in-store performances have always been a happy medium between the full blown shows and listening to a band on your iPod. They're also fantastic marketing tools - free admission virtually guarantees a packed room in the densely attentive NYC, as well as other big markets. A live performance by a band might just induce that reluctant fan to fork over the $14.99 for the actual album, and no bootleg can truly replace live music.

Unfortunately, it will to be one of the last events in Sound Fix, adding to the venue body count. While the record store mainstay will be hanging on, the performance area portion, which features a bar and small stage, is closing in February, according to brooklynvegan. Follow the paper trail, apparently the performance area has been in trouble since last April, as reported by Brownstoner. The culprit appears to be noise complaints from neighbors.

Tonight, I’m probably off to Studio B, another troubled Brooklyn venue that’s had its fair share of noise complaints, for the Norwegian DJ Lindstrøm. The club has recently reversed its strict 21+ policy, and shows through April are 19+. The mantra has always been that alcohol sales fuel a venue, so this is a bit of an interesting (though personally gratifying) change – perhaps they think underage people will be quieter?

Manifesto

Hey. My name is Roland. I mostly blog over here, but I am academically obliged to start up a new blog for this semester, so expect plenty of cross-posting and all that mutualistic stuff. The focus of this blog is music marketing - even as you read this, you're participating in a small part of the wonderful/terrible (depending on your job, I guess) new reality that is the music industry. As an inhabitant of this strange part of the internet over the last three years, I've realized that I can talk until I'm hoarse about very esoteric topics (shoegaze, dubstep or IDM, anyone?), but in aggregate, there's some interesting stuff happening here. I'm going to try to follow the business side of things on here, and you can follow my actual listenings, concert-goings and whatnot on the other blog. Again, there should be plenty of cross-proliferation, and that should be good.

Enjoy.