Where Do We Go From Here?

Where Do We Go From Here?

As I was reading up on some recent news in the entertainment industry, I learned that famous rocker, Stephen Tyler, has decided to bow out of his position/role on American Idol. According to recent reports, Tyler stated, “I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I’m back… I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit.” With the exit of Stephen Tyler, also came the exit of host, Jennifer Lopez. Yes, Tyler’s exit is understandable, focusing more on Aerosmith, as the continue to tour and release their latest album, after 8 years of silence; however, I wonder if that was the only factor for him leaving, Jennifer also. I thought to look into more the show itself. 

This past season, viewings only came in at roughly 21 million on the season finale. This is extremely low compared to how many viewings that would come in over years past. The wall street journal reported that “Fox has already had to agree to reductions of about 20% on the price of ad packages for top sponsors such as AT&T Co. and Coca-Cola Co. whose contracts range from about $25 million to $35 million and include ad time, product placement and other cross-promotions…” American Idol’s audience hit its all time high in 2006, it has had a consistent decrease since then.

I truly believe that FOX has done a great job with this show. Not only have they opened the eyes to the U.S. to so many talented singers, but they also created the platform for shows such as GLEE, The Voice, etc. 

CD or EP... What say ye?

CD or EP... What say ye?

Recently, I was sitting at Waffle House having a conversation with a group of friends. For sake of this post, I will give their respectful titles, an artist, an artist manager, a producer/musician, and myself, a musician as well. We were discussing the music business, as it relates to product. More directly, we focused on such this like, a live recording versus a studio recording, or a live studio recording. We also focused on creating product such as singles, full compact discs (CD’s), or Extended Play Records (EP’s).

As we progressed in conversation, it triggered a thought. “When did Extended Play Records become so popular?” The idea of an EP is not anything new to the music industry; in fact, it was made quite common during the time of the vinyl record. While many are no longer playing vinyl’s, except for me because I prefer them over CD’s J, the fact still remains that is simply the median between a single and a full album. According to Heather McDonald, “Musicians release EPs for a lot of reasons, but perhaps most importantly, they are frequently used as a promotional tool. EPs are used to introduce new bands, keep interest in an artist alive between full length release, to help promote a tour and more.” It makes perfect sense.

I remember when bands and artists were only releasing singles, most times, depending on the genre, it had two to three versions of the single on the CD. That quickly got old. Now, it is not uncommon to see groups, especially new artists, put out an EP, and letting that serve as their “full album.” I personally believe that, while it is a means to promote a tour or an upcoming album, it is simply a means to make a presence in the industry. Just looking through iTunes, I have seen more and more artists release EP’s. From new artists quickly gaining distribution via iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc., to already known artists making sure their name is not lost in the wind. There are many music services that are available for artists to use, in an effort to get distribution through such portals. Just to name a couple, CD Baby and ReverbNation.

I must say, I am definitely a fan of Extended Play Records, especially for new artists.