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[All2Clear]

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I am a manager. One of my clients is a band called Cheap Trick. They have been together for 35 years and basically play shows and make recordings.

 

Though the public is clearly buying singles and not CDs, they record songs in clusters. They can prepare/rehearse them, get good instrument sounds, and realize other savings through efficiency. Once a good drum sound is finally dialed in, why not record a group of songs?

 

Anyway the band self released a collection of songs on 8-track, LP, CD, and digitally, called "The Latest" last summer. And since then the biggest thing I've learned is the power, (and price), of the band's fan information.

 

 

 

 

For instance, Ticketmaster "owns" information on hundreds of thousands of Cheap Trick fans who have purchased their concert tickets. This is for sale. Amazon "owns" information relating to every Cheap Trick Amazon sale from day one. Their information is for sale. All Music “owns” a Cheap Trick "Artist Page" that propagates inaccurate out-of-date information. And many third party sites parrot their information, and that's for sale. Soundscan "owns" information concerning CD and digital sales. Their information is for sale.

 

So, every couple of years when the band releases a new CD we hustle, work, and pay to promote it. This activity always raises their profile. And like clockwork Cheap Trick's former record company(s) release repackaged budget Special Products to cannibalize the new release. Once they buy this information they can better target their predatory product.

 

So it was decided “The Latest” would not be registered with Soundscan. Maybe the former labels would have a harder time trying to trick the fans. But keeping information from Soundscan so that it can't be sold to competitors is impossible.

 

Today I called Tunecore, our distribution company, pissed-off because a radio station I spoke with bought the digital sales information. I wanted to see if TuneCore could help stop the digital stores from reporting our sales information to Soundscan.

 

It is common knowledge that Soundscan pays iTunes, Amazon, and others for information so that they can mark it up and resell it. Soundscan also acquires their information from the electronics chain, two bookstores, the coffee conglomerate, and the two big box discount warehouse(s) who still remain in the physical CD retail space.

 

So selling information to predators is how Nielsen/Soundscan hurts musicians and I don't appreciate Soundscan selling my client's information to anyone.

 

Similar to the 24/7 media that leaves no room for mystique, development, and nowhere to earn fans. Too much information in the wrong hands can kill. And when the light hits, it's often too soon, and like bugs under a magnifying glass everything's cooked.

 

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I have a 15 year old daughter and I want her to have a career in music eventually acting etc, and I intend for her to be huge! Fortunately I am very wealthy so here's what I intend to do. I will hire a top producer ( maybe Mutt Lange, who's probably available) to take her into the Record Plant in LA and spend whatever it takes to record 12 songs written by the likes of lady gaga, pink, Justin timberlake, missy elliott, whatever. I can afford to hire the best players and will probably have guest artists such as Slash, a duet with Beyonce, and whoever wants to collaborate. Upon the albums release, i will advertise in all the major magazines, Radio, television, etc. including a full page in billboard and rolling stone. I will then proceed to buy 850,000 albums within the first 2 weeks, (beacuse I can) and with today's sales numbers that should pretty much make it the #1 album on the charts for some time. If/when it begins to slip I will just buy another 250,000 or so, and so on until I can guarantee the Grammy for best new album, based on sales.

it doesnt matter that she has limited talent, we can always pitch correct, lip synch , whatever, at least until her career is up and running, by which time we should be able to get her into a film with Miley Cyrus, or Taylor Swift, and soon thereafter we should be about breaking even on our investment. She will be about 18 at that time, and if Playboy is still around, we might be inclined to negotiate. The "breakout" concert tour should net more than the 10 Million or so expenditure required to get this up and running... regardless, she will be a celebrity!

Oh, and any of you really truly gifted, musically talented virtuosos, all I can say is: forget it...you haven't got a chance!

 

Note: as it pertains to me personally, the above is a fictional scenario..but it is a truth...because that is how it's done! and don't kid yourself.

 

 

 

neat.

[daddymack]

well thank you so very much for that. The rich person scenario you described, btw, was done years go by a guy named Rik Riklis for his wife, Pia Zadora....a footnote in entertainment history. There is no guarantee that throwing a ton of (your own) money at something will make it succeed either.

[Scafeets]

I understand the frustration, but making Soundscan the villain is misplaced hostility. Soundscan was purchased by Billboard to make the charts more accurate. Together with Broadcast Data Systems, which was started by Billboard to keep track of what was broadcast, these two services reduced the amount of hype and bull{censored} in the business exponentially.

If it were not for these two services, Cheap Trick would not get the recognition they deserve as still being a mainstay of contemporary radio, and still relevant at the retail counter.

As for the scenario of purchasing enough records to make a buzz, Billboard and the other trades have seen pathetic attmpts like that several times over the years and,to the best of my knowledge, have never been fooled.

Instead of railing against accurate marketing data, Cheap Trick's manager should be embracing it. After 25 mostly-great albums, Cheap Trick deserves another hit, and they won't get it by making their new tunes untrackable and unchartable. Record companies were cannibalizing their catalog to the detriment of new music by the same artists way before Soundscan. The only defense is a great new tune that gets promoted properly.

[Scafeets]

PS: Dave Frey's Red Light Management represents more than 100 other artists including Herbie Hancock, Faith Hill, the Decembrists, Switchfoot & Dave Matthews. I wonder how those artists feel about him declaring war on Billboard, Tickmaster and the others.