TRL Takes a Final Bow (Finally)

On Sunday, MTV’s TRL aired for the final time with a three hour goodbye show.  There were a slew of celebrity artists that made appearances and even Carson Daly made it out for the event .  Many of the artists that benefited from TRL as a promotional outlet (Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent, Diddy–to name a few) praised the show’s effect on pop culture and their sorrow  to see the end of it.  But all I could really think about when I heard that TRL would be nixed was: it’s about time.

The first taping of the show was in 1998 in a time when record labels were starting to exploit their teenybopper acts.  It made perfect sense for these groups that targeted teens to use visually stimulating promotional tools such as music videos.  Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time” was extremely successful at sparking an interest with girls who wanted to be like Britney and boys who wanted to meet girls like Britney.  This set the stage for other acts to put out superficial videos that appealed to youngsters who would then go out and buy their singles.  I know this worked because I was one of those girls who begged my parents to buy the new Backstreet Boys’ CD.

While this model worked for my generation of teens, we have grown up and have become wiser about the music video.  I mean, who needs to watch a show where only the same videos are played?  Especially when we know that the R in TRL is a big joke.  Now we would rather discover funny or creative music videos on YouTube where anyone can put up their stuff.  We are the new tastemakers and will decide what should be watched.  TRL does not fit in a world where free expression outlets like YouTube exists.

Goodbye TRL, we will miss you. Not.

Arielle Rubin

Third Major Approval for Qtrax

Qtrax announced a deal with a third major label this week.  The newest label on board is Sony BMG, following the ranks of EMI and Universal.  Along with the other two majors, Sony has agreed to license only its digital music that is on downloading sites such as iTunes.

If you don’t already know, Qtrax is a site that prides itself as being the first legal P2P music sharing site.  The model is based on ad-driven revenue that is to be shared with corresponding downloaded labels and artists.  Qtrax uses DRM technology to track the streaming and downloads of different songs in order to pay out royalties.  However, the downloads are tethered, meaning that they stay on your computer and cannot be burned to a disc (you must pay for that ability).

With three of the four majors’ support, Qtrax will have a big catalog and a chance at sustaining itself.  While this model seems sound, the fact that you can’t put music you receive on mp3 players or discs is a big problem.  Despite the kinks, it’s encouraging that sites like Qtrax are pushing for different ways for consumers to get music while music industry players are getting paid.

By Arielle Rubin

Live Nation and Blockbuster Strike Deal

Currently Live Nation has been selling tickets to its events online only–due to the embittered breakup between Ticketmaster and Live Nation.  Yet LN has noticed the missed market of physical tickets that can be vital to packing people into concerts.  Where would be the best place to position LN kiosks? Well, Nathan Hubbard, CEO of Live Nation, believes a good location would be Blockbuster stores.

While this may seem revolutionary of LN to choose a video rental store as the hub for buying physical tickets, placing products in nontraditional shops seems to be a trend among the music industry as a whole.  The Eagles last year were the first to strike a deal with Wal-Mart for an exclusive sale and recently AC/DC has followed suit.  The relationship between these stores and music products makes sense for both sides.  Wal-Mart and Target sell CDs in order to entice more people to come to their stores in the hope that these customers will stick around and buy other stuff.  On the other side, these stores offer a place for records to be sold and people already shop at these locations, making on-site purchases a reality.

The deal between Blockbuster and Live Nation that will occur this January will be beneficial to both entities.  The ticket sales, which in some instances might be sold physically before you can get them online, will draw a crowd to Blockbuster stores.  With its opponent, Netflix, Blockbuster stores have seen a decrease in in-store rentals.  LN likes being associated with Blockbuster and the stores offer great locations around the U.S. for ticket kiosks.

Yes, many will still purchase their tickets online.  Yet I believe there is something to say about the die hard fans who will show up to their neighborhood Blockbuster store in order to ensure their ticket to the next U2 concert.

By Arielle Rubin