What happened to the Rock Stars?

All The media outlets are producing some type of rock star except for Music?

Forgoodness sakes! Simon Cowell is more interesting to look at than the karaoke singers.

Say What?

The public is so bored that their eyes are glued to Paris Hilton and Lindsay? At least the socialites are living up to the public expectations. The public is bored and they should be!

Did artists forget how to become rock stars?

Axl Rose returned briefly in 06, and he didn’t forget to bitch slap Tommy Hilfiger. Thanks Axl. You are a true rockstar. Keith Richards smoked up his grandfathers ashes. Whether true or not, its genius. Amy Winehouse is intriguing, a coked up rocker unable to perform. Rap stars were rock stars for a millisecond until kids figured out they were greedy hustlers concerned about their bank accounts. Rock stars don’t save money, they light their cash on fire.

Tattoos, eyeliner, and black clothing don’t automatically turn someone into a rock star. Passion, intensity, and belief are the true ingredients. Who is responsible for selling records? The labels or the act itself? or both? Unless an act consisently writes Beatle quality top 40 songs, you can’t sell squat if consumers aren’t passionate about the act.

Any rock stars on the Warped Tour? Nope. Although Davey Havok from AFI does a good job creating a live experience. Any rock stars on the Ozzfest? Nope. Maybe Ozzy himself but all he has left is vital signs and a nagging wife.

One year I was backstage at the Ozzfest overhearing the stage manager yelling at some hardcore act to get their shit off the stage. Thats the type of of respect these acts get. “Get your amps and kit off the stage now, we are on a time schedule”. Next act?

Except for a few, artists today can’t even sell out 3,000 seaters. How do promoters get the audience attention today? They need to gather up 200 acts, circus clowns, elephants, tents, and popcorn machines. If a petting zoo isn’t attractive, we will give away free tickets (Ozzfest 2007).

Oh, let me hear the excuses! Things change…. We are living in a different times. ….Society has changed…. Kids have changed….. Video games…… MySpace…… The national mood has changed….. Self Worship…… Bull! no excuse for the lack of rock stars that had the ability to persuade 15,000 kids to congregate in one place.

We are waiting…………………………………………..

Bundling Digital Albums….

Bon Jovi will bundle a digital iTunes copy of the band’s upcoming album “Lost Highway” with purchase of presale tickets for their upcoming stand to open the new Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., which begins Oct. 25. The Bon Jovi deal is the first-ever “all-in” presale that bundles a ticket and a digital album together as a single transaction sold via Ticketmaster.com.

This is a great strategy. Consumers get the album and the ticket. Plus, it doesn’t feel like music is given away for free. It holds value.

Are CD’s really Dead?

CD sales still represent 80% of all album sales. The CD is far from dead. Some say the store that sells CD’s are dead. Basically, its hipper to buy a CD from Starbucks than Target. Read the article here.

Webcasters ask Congress for Help in Royalty Battle…

The CEOs of Yahoo!, RealNetworks, Live365, and Pandora have all signed off on a letter on behalf of the Internet radio industry, asking Congress to take a look at the the Copyright Royalty Board’s decision.

The letter notes that the CRB decision “shocked the industry and neutral analysts” and says that “the CRB-imposed royalties will cause immediate bankruptcy of the majority of the Internet radio industry when it becomes effective July 15, and will actually reduce royalties to record companies and artists as services go dark and royalties are never paid.”

Â

Linkin Park has an impressive showing, may in fact be the biggest rock act in the world…

Hybrid Theory is certified Diamond (10 times Platinum) in the U.S. by the RIAA. It is also the twenty-first century’s highest selling debut album, selling 24 million copies worldwide.

Meteora – 1st week it sold an estimated 810,000 units. 11 million copies worldwide, with more than 5.5 million sold in the U.S. alone.

Minutes to Midnight– topped the Billboard Charts within its debut week, selling nearly 625,000 copies. This record will sell 3 million+.

Never in the history of the music biz has an artist repeat this sales history especially when they do these kind of numbers on one album, not even Metallica, Michael Jackson, and Shania twain…nobody!

Check out this Live performance….

Hot Topic trying to win back shoppers………

Hot Topic’s dark goth stores, which were once popular with gothic rebellious teen shoppers, are getting a lighter, brighter makeover as the retailer struggles to pull sales out of a deep hole, the company’s chief financial officer said Wednesday.

“People were telling us that the stores were too dark, gothic and intimidating to the average customer,” McGinty said.

“We’re putting more merchandise at the front of the stores. We’ve put flatscreen TVs at the entrance that show our logo. The store walls are no longer black but a lighter color,” he said.

Change is good. Hot Topic needs to capitalize on a NEW trend. Imagine a major cultural shift taking place between the transition of the dark stores to the light stores. As if………

Check it out KOAR readers!

Twenty-years-old ‘Do it Yourself’ Oklahoma bred singer/songwriter/piano player, Maggie McClure is getting her name out there. She has been performing at various churches, youth groups, theatres, festivals, clubs and in-store events for six years. Some say Maggie is breaking down walls between secular and sacred audiences. More information here.

Check out the “What’s It Like” Music Video that will be featured on MTV Networks.