When you own discovery, you own so much of the ecosystem; you own demand generation. [And], over time, you end up owning gross margin when you own discovery and demand generation. | | | | Anna Calvi at the Legitimate Peaky Blinders Festival, Birmingham, England, Sept. 14, 2019.
(Ollie Millington/Redferns/Getty Images) | | | | | |  | "When you own discovery, you own so much of the ecosystem; you own demand generation. [And], over time, you end up owning gross margin when you own discovery and demand generation."
| | | | | | rantnrave:// I used to be that guy on the panel who'd ask why a consumer base that over the decades had embraced AM radio, portable record players, lo-bias cassette tapes, stock WALKMAN headphones, stock IPOD earbuds and SPOTIFY should be expected to suddenly demonstrate a preference for high resolution audio. People love nothing more than they love convenience—tape hiss and muddy bass be damned—and nothing says convenience less than "you're going to need to attach a DAC to your phone." Just give me a good beat I can dance to and a play button. But that doesn't mean I don't love super-high-end audio when I can get it and it doesn't mean I don't think there isn't some portion of that consumer base that would happily pay whatever it costs to get it for themselves. Because of course there is, as companies like QOBUZ have proved on a niche level and as a certain company called AMAZON is now trying to prove on a not-so-niche level. But just how big a portion is it? Is AMAZON MUSIC HD, which launched Tuesday with 50 million high resolution tracks (basically CD quality FLAC files) and "millions" of, um, higher resolution tracks (up to 24-bit, 192kHz) at a $14.99 monthly price point ($12.99 if you're a PRIME member, which anyone who'd be interested in this service probably is), a game-changer? Is it a viable business? Is it the nudge that will get SPOTIFY and APPLE (and other phone companies) to eventually upgrade their audio, too? I don't pretend to know, and this isn't one of those things I'd trust NEIL YOUNG on, but I'd be thrilled if AMHD caught on just enough to give its more seasoned competitors reason to get onboard. And "just enough" can mean almost anything in the world of Amazon, which reportedly has signed up more than 30 million streaming music subscribers without most of the world batting an eyelash. I'd be equally thrilled if its upgraded offering persuaded record companies to demand the same of their other streaming partners. The NEW YORK TIMES says Amazon's low price point, compared to existing hi res services, is "a statement." "We are signaling to the world that quality is for everybody," Amazon Music VP STEVE BOOM told the paper. Spotify shrugged its shoulders. The VERGE says the service sounds "amazing," at least in Amazon's San Francisco office, but you "aren't likely to hear a big difference on most ECHO speakers," which seems at least a little significant. Exactly which equipment the service will and won't work on make for a couple of paragraphs in each site's story that read like terms-and-conditions agreements. That's one of the hurdles mainstream music fans will have to find their way over. And maybe they will. Amazon is Amazon after all. But the easier it becomes to use, the more standardized and compatible the equipment gets across services and manufacturers, the more tracks and playlists that arrive in hi res audio automatically, without users having to ask for it, then the closer the elusive promise of pristine bass and perfectly crisp snare drums gets. I used to be that guy on the panel but I'm not insane. I want that, too... Estimated cost of launching the MECHANICAL LICENSING COLLECTIVE, which will oversee mechanicals under the MUSIC MODERNIZATION ACT, and which by law must be funded by digital music services: $37 million... APHEX TWIN in London, Sept. 14, 2019... BILLBOARD has put some content behind a paywall, and in the current dire environment for music—and pretty much all—media, I am absolutely positively not going to complain about this... Write TYLER, THE CREATOR lyrics on a college library flip chart, get arrested on a charge of making terroristic threats... How the NEW YORK TIMES figured out how old RIC OCASEK was... RIP STEVE DALACHINSKY, JOHN COHEN and RICHARD CONRAD. | | | - Matty Karas, curator | | | |  | Texas Monthly | | Both before and after Lee Hazlewood wrote hits for Nancy Sinatra and Duane Eddy, he was a Texas musician. | | | |  | Los Angeles Times | | The Alabama Shakes frontwoman put her band on hold for a solo debut dedicated to her late sister and featuring songs about race, sexuality, acceptance. | | | |  | The Verge | |  | Billboard | | Sales of cds are already down by 21% this year, according to Nielsen Music, but retailers say that some labels are beginning to change their attitude toward the format as they realize there is still money to be made from physical products. | | | |  | Esquire | | Singer songwriter Kay Hanley of Letters To Cleo remembers the lasting influence of a fellow Boston group. | | | |  | Vanity Fair | | With his gawky frame and indeterminate age, the late singer-songwriter was the unlikeliest video star of the decade—and the first to land in the Museum of Modern Art. | | | |  | Music Business Worldwide | | Paul Vogel tackles user demand, podcasts and label negotiations in Goldman Sachs interview. | | | |  | The Undefeated | | Etan Thomas: Jay-Z shouldn't be canceled, but he does need to answer to his critics. | | | |  | Playboy | | The multitalented musician rode the crest of chillwave, then dove headfirst into exploring creativity and the joy of connection. | | | |  | Mixmag | | We headed to Detroit for a new documentary with the charismatic Kenny Dixon Jr. "No matter where I am," he says, "I always have Detroit dust and dirt on the bottom of my feet." | | | |  | NPR Music | | As a true diva, Cruz was of her time and capable of transcending it. Her voice carried lessons in presence and stamina, and her enduring legacy has created a space for feminist interventions in salsa. | | | |  | Red Bull Music Academy | | Côte d'Ivoire's politically-driven storytelling music paved the way for a multi-party democracy and created a generation of icons – but what happened to its female stars? | | | | | Billboard | | The Mechanical Licensing Collective, which must be able to administer the new U.S. blanket licensing system for mechanical rights by its legislated start-up date of Jan. 1, 2021, estimates that it will need $37.25 million to build and then have a first year operating budget of $29 million. | | | |  | Pollstar | | Not only did the band pioneer and refine a style of heavy metal that continues to inspire generations of fans and musicians 38 years after they first began, but the stalwart foursome has retained and even continued to gain relevance as a high-octane touring band, headlining stadiums and arenas and setting touring records at will across the globe while showing no sign of slowing down. | | | |  | The Nerdwriter | | One of the things I love about movies is their ability to make reality lyrical. In life, there's no score playing under your morning run on the beach, except for the on you choose. | | | |  | The FADER | | Budding Bramptonian singer Raahiem is ready to re-introduce himself after two years of recalibration. | | | |  | Variety | | The Guild of Music Supervisors (GMS) hosted its 5th annual "State of Music in Media" conference on Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Los Angeles Film School. | | | |  | NPR | | Whatever your relationship with Journey's 1981 hit, a perseverance anthem that has itself persevered, there is no escaping the longing it evokes for youth, love and a chance at greatness. | | | |  | Switched On Pop | | Baby Shark! | | by Nate Sloan, Charlie Harding and Andrea Silenzi | | Charlie sits down with Andrea Silenzi, host of the amazing parenting podcast The Longest Shortest Time to break down one of the biggest love/hate hits of recent memory, and to make a very special announcement! | | | |  | Soundfly | | A deep exploration of YouTube and Spotify playlists made to calm dogs down in the home. But do they work? Find out with our experiment. | | | | |  | | YouTube | | | | | | | | | | | There's a lot going on here, and it is epic. From the jazz trumpeter's "Fly or Die II: bird dogs of paradise," out Oct. 11 on International Anthem. | | | | | | | | © Copyright 2019, The REDEF Group | | |
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