Tue - October 4, 2005

$14.99 for O.A.R.? No thanks!

O.A.R.'s new disc Stories Of A Stranger hit stores today. Arguably this is the most powerful release from the Maryland by way of Columbus outfit yet. Amazon.com says Stories puts the listener "center seat, a few rows back" at an O.A.R. show. But fans will pay a premium for this experience if they buy from iTunes - $14.99 in fact.

This is the most expensive single-disc new release I can remember being released on the iTunes Music Store. Apple touts the release as the "Bonus Video Version," offering a "making of" video, a digital booklet and two useless dub versions of "Program Director" and "One Shot." I will say it again. In fact I will scream it...

$14.99 IS ENTIRELY TOO MUCH TO PAY FOR AN ALBUM DOWNLOAD ON iTUNES OR ANY OTHER DOWNLOAD STORE.

There. I said it. And I will keep saying it as long as record labels continue to put pressure on Apple other digital retailers to pump up the price of album downloads.

I can buy Stories on CD for $9.99 at a variety of brick-and-mortar retailers this week. A video and two throwaway remixes do not make it worth $5 extra. Sorry O.A.R. Sorry Apple. Sorry big record labels. Music For Life will be skipping this new release in protest.

Posted at 11:29 PM     Read More  

Fri - September 30, 2005

Bon Jovi Ticket Prices Make Me Smirk!

18 Years and $104.30 Later: A Bon Jovi Ticket Story

Early in 1987 Huntington, WV was rocked by the news that Bon Jovi would headline a show at the rarely used Huntington Civic Center. Without a doubt this would be the hottest ticket in the River Cities since Elvis was slated to open the facility in 1977 (he died before the show, though). Bon Jovi was sitting atop the charts with "You Give Love A Bad Name" and the album Slippery When Wet was a must-have for everyone aged 8 to 38, give or take a few years either way.

Sometime in February of that year my dad dropped off me and a friend at Scratch & Tilt, Huntington's most famous arcade and official ticket outlet. These were the days before Ticketmaster, ticket brokers and elaborate schemes bilk fans of hard earned money. About 200 of us gathered to draw numbers for the chance to buy tickets. I vividly recall pulling number 15 out of the hat. Jean jacket clad teenagers, Marshall students and some older "kids" our parents warned us about formed an orderly line.

A few minutes later I plunked down $15 for a ticket to see Bon Jovi in Huntington, WV. I couldn't believe it. The biggest band of the year was going to play the 9,000-seat Huntington Civic Center. My parents couldn't believe I was spending a week's worth of lawn mowing money to see them.

Fast forward almost twenty years -> -> -> -> Staying true to the marketing push behind Bon Jovi's latest effort Have A Nice Day, I couldn't help but have a smirk on my face as I hit "Purchase" on Ticketmaster's web site yesterday morning. I had just spent $119.30 for two upper level seats to see Bon Jovi play Columbus' Schottenstein Center. Who would have believed on that cold morning in 1987 that two decades later I'd spending $104 more to see the aging rockers crank out their arena friendly hits?

Had I opted to purchase the lower level or floor seats for the November 9 show, I would have had to shell out more than $200 after facility fees, handling charges and Ticketmaster "convenience" charges. Since I just purchased a new home and realized this would be my 10th time seeing Bon Jovi, I rationalized the upper level "cheap" seats would be more than acceptable.

Posted at 03:47 PM     Read More  

Thu - September 29, 2005

2Pac Surfaces...Again!

Tupac "2Pac" Shakur is not dead. No way. You can't convince me.

Has anyone else noticed this is the most prolific "dead" guy in history? There has been more than a dozen Tupac album releases since his death in 1996. Although many are remix or live discs, at least a half dozen albums of original material have found their way to record store shelves.

Now comes news that a Tupac screenplay is heading to the sliver screen. Live 2 Tell is being developed as a feature film and will begin shooting in March 2006 according to Billboard.com.

Also, on a recent trip to an urban record store I noticed an abundance of 2Pac merchandise - calendars, posters, stickers, etc.

Something just isn't right here.

Posted at 01:36 AM     Read More  

Tue - September 27, 2005

Record Labels' Latest Gimmick

Coldplay's X&Y was the first album offered for pre-order on the iTunes Music Store. One week later came the opportunity to pre-order the Black Eyed Peas Monkey Business. Then came a steady stream of pre-orders - Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand – and the list goes on.

I will admit it's a pretty sweet deal at first glance. As an iTMS customer, I get the chance to pre-order a hot album with the promise of extras and bonuses not offered on the standard download. Typically it's a bonus track or a video. In the case of Depeche Mode, its access to a pre-sale code for concert tickets. Cool, eh?

But look deeper. These pre-orders often carry a price tag heftier than their standard download counterparts - $11.99 instead of $9.99. It also gives the big labels leverage to tout these new albums in interviews and in the media. The labels can now say "Artist X's album had 40,000 pre-orders through iTunes." I realize this isn't any different than pre-ordering the disc through Amazon.com. But there the albums are frequently discounted.

I also have to ask if the bonuses are really worth the extra two bucks? Usually you receive a "bonus" track that was actually deemed a throwaway by the band or the label. Why wasn't it good enough to be included on the album in the first place? For completists, it may be worth it. For casual fans, perhaps not.

And I still can't get past paying for videos. These are supposed to be free! I remember MTV's purpose in the 80s. Music videos are commercials for an album. Do you pay Aquafresh to see ads for toothpaste? No. So why do I have to pay Sony for a John Mayer video?

Posted at 12:08 AM     Read More  

Tue - July 19, 2005

Apple To Sell Music Videos; Video iPods Not Far Off?

Word on the street is that Apple is in negotiations with record labels to sell music videos. Am I the only one who thinks it is a bad idea to pay for what is basically a commercial for a song? Perhaps my age has something to do with this. I remember watching NBC's Friday Night Videos (pre-MTV for you kids out there) for the latest, hippest clips from the likes of Duran Duran, The Police and The Cars. Obviously I remember also when MTV actually played music videos.

The funny thing is that I really don't miss music videos that much. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who loves music as much as I do. But music videos I could live without. Sure, I tune in to the VH1 countdown, MTV 2 or MTV Hits everyone once in a while. And occasionally I will check out the video section in the iTunes Music Store. But would I pay to see these clips?

Sorry, but my answer is a resounding NO. These are commercials folks. The entire purpose of a music video is to sell records (or CDs or downloads) and merchandise. I realize musicians and labels are looking for as many revenue streams as possible. But this is not something that is going to take the over-30 crowd by storm.

Can Apple revolutionize music videos (and possible movies) they revolutionized portable music with the iPod? All I can say is I might pay attention if the product was as or more interesting than the current iPods. No way do I want to watch a music video on a two inch screen. Nor do I even want to think about downloading a blockbuster movie to only be able to watch it in QuickTime on my Mac. Bring me a revolutionary product and I promise to open up my mind again.

Posted at 12:56 AM     Read More  

Mon - July 18, 2005

Mon - July 11, 2005

Pink Floyd Shines In Live 8 Reunion

As I watched Live 8 replay on VH1 and MTV over the weekend, it became obvious the Pink Floyd reunion was the musical show stopper. I won't spend a lot of time on the details as the reunion as been written about endlessly elsewhere (see: Billboard and Rolling Stone), but let's just suffice to say it was obvious the reunion was exciting for the band and fans alike.

It also appears that Pink Floyd is one of the obvious sales beneficiaries of the Live 8 concerts. The band's catalog appears to be moving well at retail. HMV reports that sales of Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd jumped 1343 percent following the show.

Posted at 08:19 PM     Read More  

Wed - July 6, 2005

Sat - July 2, 2005

Live 8 Rocks The World; MTV Networks Coverage Doesn't Rock Anything

The stars came out in droves around the planet today. Paul McCartney, REM, U2, The Killers, Madonna, Duran Duran, The Who, Pink Floyd, Barenaked Ladies, Dave Matthews Band, Rob Thomas, Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Toby Keith, Linkin Park, Mariah Carey and the list goes on and on. The people came out in droves - perhaps as many as one million in Philadelphia alone. And the world tried to watch on television.

Tried to watch? By no means do I want to take away from the importance of Live 8 and the historic impact it could have as the G8 leaders meet. But what was MTV and VH1 thinking in their obtrusive and constantly interrupted coverage? Hosts and on-air personalities rattled constantly, breaking into live sets and hopping from one point in a venue to another. Other times the network cut to commercial mid-set. Multi-act festivals are difficult to watch without the help of shoddy production planning on the part of MTV Networks.

I remember watching Live Aid in 1985. If my memory serves me correctly that show was presented without interruption, save the occasional plea for aid (which, of course, was understandable). MTV and VH1 should have taken a cue from the history books and put in place a better strategy to bring this show to its viewers. Even with today's limited attention spans, viewers are capable of watching more than 45 seconds of a song without interruption.

This hack job may truly represent the end of "music" in MTV. Let's hope Live 8 is more successful in keeping the attention of the world's leaders than MTV was in presenting what was probably the world's greatest concert.

Posted at 11:04 PM     Read More  

Wed - June 29, 2005

Mon - June 27, 2005

Taking Issue With Spin's 100 Greatest Albums

Spin magazine has unveiled its list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the Spin era (1985-2005) in its July issue. It should come as no surprise that any list containing Nirvana's Nevermind would come under fire by Music 4 Life. However, as time marches on, I'm softening my stance on Nirvana and taking issue with the likes of Pavement, PJ Harvey and Pulp.

I'm not picking on artists whose names that start with P. And I'm not knocking the artistic merits of any of the above artists or their albums. Instead, I'm having problems with Different Class, Rid of Me or Slanted and Enchanted being listed ahead of, or even among, Odelay, Achtung Baby and OK Computer. I realize Spin has a different audience than Rolling Stone, Blender or Teen People (no Backstreet Boys on this list!). But come on, how do you rank Beck's masterpiece at No. 16 while Pavement's Slanted takes the No. 4 slot?

There are a lot of great albums on Spin's list. But there is a surprising number of long-forgotten and almost-never-was bands on the list. Crowding masters like De La Soul, The Smiths and The Cure are Fugazi, Raekwon and At The Drive-In. And we mustn't forget the lasting impact of Neutral Milk Hotel's 1998 masterpiece (never heard of 'em), Elastica's Elastica (barely remember them) and Big Black's Atomizer (they were big in Vegas).

You are forgiven if you haven't heard of any of these artists because neither have many others. I realize editors and contributors to magazines like Spin and Rolling Stone compile these lists to facilitate discussion, stir debate and ultimately spur subscriptions. But at the same time it makes you wonder if they really have a finger on the pulse of the music consuming public.

I'm not saying an album has to be played on the radio or sell a million copies to be ranked among the greatest of all-time. I believe quite the opposite actually. However, the albums or artists should be recognizable. Shouldn't they?

Posted at 10:43 PM     Read More  

Wed - June 15, 2005

Hooked On Sirius

Its official. I'm hooked on Sirius Satellite Radio. I've only been a subscriber for a few days but I already feel the need to constantly listen. Its been pure joy for this music fan to switch channels every 30 minutes or so and hear a completely different kind of music without interruption. When was the last time you heard String Cheese Incident or Bob Marley on terrestrial radio? What about Miles Davis segueing into Bob Dylan?

I purchased Sirius primarily for its inclusion of Jimmy Buffett's Radiomargaritaville and the eventual debut of the king of all media - Howard Stern. However, I've since discovered the Big 80s (Channel 8) with three of the original MTV VJs (Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood and Alan Hunter); Motown Mondays on 60s Vibrations (Channel 6) and Jam On's (Channel 17) non-stop programming of The Grateful Dead, Phish, SCI and more.

The cool part is I know there is still much more to be discovered, including the news and talk selections. I'm beginning to sound like a commercial for Sirius, but I can't help myself. This is truly one of the best investments we've ever made and I highly recommend it for any music lover.

And we all know I'd take Sirius over XM. Why? Because Clear Channel, as I understand it, is a major investor in XM. Enough said.

Posted at 12:25 PM     Read More  

Tue - June 14, 2005

Suggestions For Wacko Jacko

So now Wacko Jacko is free. What's next? Does he record a new album? Does he change his ways? I've heard all the pundits chime in with suggestions. So I guess that gives me license to do the same.

Music 4 Life's Suggestions For Jacko:

• Ditch the R&B producers. Look in the mirror Mike. You aren't black anymore.
• Hire "Mutt" Lange to write and produce next album. His crafty pop/rock sensibilities will bring a new edge to your lightweight sound. Think AC/DC meets Shania Twain. Hopefully he can position you somewhere in middle.
• Go on a Carl's Jr. binge. Eat the most fattening hamburgers for every meal. You need to put on, oh, say 100 pounds or so. If given the opportunity to a commercial for them, do it! I hear it really boosts the careers of superstars who really don't have careers (ask Paris).
• Beat up the lead singer of the Von Bondies. It will do wonders for your career and image.
• Sell the ranch. You need the money and you shouldn't have any use for the carnival rides anymore.
• Move to the beach and take up yachting or something. Superstars need a high profile, expensive hobby. And besides, you need to work on your tan.
• What's with the badges and the weird suits? Let's see you in more of an Uncle Kracker outfit - baggy shorts, Def Leppard tee under a flannel shirt and a trucker hat. And a wallet on a chain to accessorize.

Follow these suggestions Jacko and you'll quite certainly be on the road to superstardom! If not, you'll at least be tolerable again.

Posted at 12:30 PM     Read More  

Mon - May 30, 2005

Save The Manatee

Thanks to Jimmy Buffett, I was made aware of the manatee's plight. Yesterday, today I had the opportunity to see up close and personal the large, aquatic manatees at the Cincinnati Zoo. I realize, of course, this post is only loosely tied to music via Jimmy Buffett. But, I highly recommend Cincy Zoo's Manatee Springs exhibit to anyone who has the chance to see it.

The manatee, along with much of Florida's biodiversity, is threatened. This exhibit is a great opportunity to learn more about those threats while seeing the American crocodile and alligators in their natural habitat and viewing the manatee above and below water.

Posted at 09:56 PM     Read More  

Sat - May 28, 2005