On television at least, it looks as if the beat doesn’t go on.
The phenomenon of music-based television shows, which have dominated the ratings for more than a decade, seems by nearly every measure to be over or in steep decline.
“They flooded the market,” said Simon Cowell, perhaps the individual most responsible for turning amateur singers into superstars, with his roles on “American Idol,” “The X Factor” and “America’s Got Talent.” “There have just been a ton of shows, and something has simply gone awry.”
As broadcast network executives descend upon Manhattan this week to hawk their new programming wares to advertisers in the springtime ritual known as the upfronts, shows filled with music have gone achingly flat.
It is hardly the first time television has burned out a genre through mass imitation and overexposure. Networks rode westerns into the ground. They exhausted the audience with singers trying variety shows. At one point, almost every night had a newsmagazine. And, most famously, ABC ran the sprockets off its game show hit “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” with four episodes a week at its height, leading to a plunge in ratings and its relegation into syndication.
The music genre has been both longer lasting and more potent than most of these examples — until now. CONTINUE READING
Buzz Track: This Road With You
The songwriting duo of Helen Austin and Paul Otten, known as Big Little Lions, will be releasing their debut EP, Paper Cage, on May 6th, 2014. Their sound has been described as “Pomplamoose meets Mumford & Sons.” Even before releasing any music, Big Little Lions has been featured in various TV placements. Their song “This Road With You” has appeared in MTV’s Catfish and ABC’s The Vineyard, as well as three Ikea commercials. Check out the newest track Make It Up As We Go Along.
Contact: rachel@bigpicturemediaonline.com
He’s a billionaire straight outta Compton — or so Dr. Dre says, anyway.
A video shot by R&B artist Tyrese Gibson seems to confirm that Apple is buying up Beats Electronics. Beats’ founder is rapper and entrepreneur Dr. Dre (Andre Young), and he’s pointing right at the lens in Gibson’s video.
The first billionaire in hip hop right here from the motherf—-n West Coast,” Dre announces.
The Financial Times first reported Thursday that Apple is closing in on a $3.2 billion purchase of the high-end headphones and streaming music service. Representatives from Apple and Beats declined comment.
In the video, Gibson was hanging out with Dre and friends, holding the camera in selfie mode, when Gibson said the deal was official.
Check out the new music video of Never Gonna Stop by indie rock group Mind The Gap featuring Quan. The song was made specifically for the docudrama Generation Iron, narrated by Mickey Rourke. The band released an EP in February which can be streamed here, our favorite is Hero.
Contact: gc@mtgsound.com, stefan.karrer@milanrecords.com
Buzz Track: I Like It
TEAM* has becomes a kings favorite after listening to “I Like It“. The band released 2 EP’s and 4 singles, the latest EP ‘Good Morning, Bad Day’ was just released on May 6th which was produced by Will Pugh (Cartel). TEAM* was recently featured on a national Verizon ad (Come to my House) and will be playing select dates with Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World this month. The band falls between fun. and Young The Giant.
Contact: jr@thespacecamper.com
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