Research Has that it kids prefer Itunes to P2P?

NPD Group claims that purchasing musicTweens_2 from Apple’s iTunes Store is more popular with tweens (kids 9-to 14) than "illegally" downloading music. The report says 70% of tweens now use legal services with iTunes grabbing 49%, Limewire still commands 26% and MySpace is used by 16%.

Blogs More Than MySpace Sell Music Says News Study

Blogs More Than MySpace Sell Music Says News Study

A new study by New York University's Stern Business School tracked blog chatter for 108 albums for four weeks before and after their release dates.

Stern_biz_school_3The study showed that the volume of blog posts led to future sales, but that large increases in an artist’s Myspace friends had a weaker correlation to sales. According to the study, if 40 or more blog posts were made before an album's release sales ended up being three to four times times the average for both indie and major releases. If blog posts crossed 250, album sales rose to six times the average regardless of label.

But don't throw out the old school rules just yet. Albums released by major labels andBlogger_3 albums with a number of reviews from mainstream sources like Rolling Stone also tended to have higher future sales.

Advertising has always been about impressions, but previous marketing efforts were often aimed at big scores - a magazine cover, a TV apprearance or even a major national tour slot - and the bump in sales they provided. But in a fractured media landscape it seems to be the cumalitve effect of a multitude of impressions that matters. This study provides some early clues for music marketers interested in assessing the relative importance of Web 2.0 sites and metrics and suggest that looking at cumalative online action appears to provide predictive value far beyond looking at each in isolation.

PDF of full study

Jack Johnsons sales are 37% Downloads..Holy Sh*^T

Of the new album's total, 139,000 units (37%) were digital downloads, making it the biggest sales week for a digital set since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking such sales. The previous high came when Kanye West's "Graduation" moved 133,000 digital albums in its first week last year.

Jack Johnson scores his second Billboard 200 chart-topper -- and his biggest sales week yet -- as "Sleep Through the Static" climbs on board at No. 1. The Brushfire set moved 375,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which outdoes the 163,000 start of the soundtrack to 2006's "Curious George," Johnson's other No. 1.

Starting with 92,000 copies, Sheryl Crow's sixth studio effort, "Detours" (A&M), bows at No. 2 -- her fourth consecutive runner-up slot. Her last release, 2005's "Wildflower," began with 140,000; in fact, this is the singer/songwriter's lowest sales debut since her 1996 self-titled sophomore album bowed with 80,000.

Alicia Keys' "As I Am" (J) falls 1-3 despite a 31% sales increase to 80,000. Lenny Kravitz returns to The Billboard 200 at No. 4 with "It Is Time for a Love Revolution," which sold 73,000. It's the follow-up to 2004's "Baptism," which bowed at No. 14 with 52,000.

The "2008 Grammy Nominees" multi-artist compilation album holds tight at No. 5 for a second week with 52,000 units, a 3% sales bump. The Rhino soundtrack to "Juno" falls 2-6 with 47,000 (-14%), while Mary J. Blige's Matriarch/Geffen album "Growing Pains" slips 6-7 with 45,00 (-6%).

While it doesn't provide her best sales week ever, k.d. lang's "Watershed" (Nonesuch) becomes her highest charting album, entering at No. 8 with 41,000. Her two bigger weeks came in 1993, when "Ingenue" did 46,000 and 42,000 in successive frames following her performance on that year's Grammy Awards.

Miley Cyrus' Disney double-disc "Hannah Montana 2 (Soundtrack)/Meet Miley Cyrus" climbs a notch 10-9 with 40,000 (+13%) as Taylor Swift's self-titled Big Machine debut flip-flops with it, descending 9-10 with 39,000 (+8%).

Only two other albums bow inside the top 50 on The Billboard 200 this week. Atlantic's soundtrack to the film "Step Up 2," featuring Flo Rida's No. 1 hit "Low" and new songs from Missy Elliott, debuts at No. 13 with 31,000. Kenny G's new set "Rhythm & Romance" starts right behind that at No. 14, also with roughly 31,000; the album is his first released through Starbucks' Hear Music label.

Sales this week are up 11% from last week at 8.43 million units and down 14% from the same week last year.

Flash drives offer new choices for music fans

Instead of a CD or digital version of the Universal album, fans are buying a $30 USB drive designed like a Ouija board planchette.

When the Mars Volta put out its latest album, The Bedlam in Goliath, in January, the act gave its hard-core fans an option that is becoming increasingly popular--and creative.

Instead of a CD or digital version of the Universal album, fans could buy a $30 USB drive designed like a Ouija board planchette. The device comes with a digital-rights-management-free version of the album and the promise of more bonus materials in coming months. Users simply plug it into their computer's USB drive and then listen to the album or download it into their music library.

The Mars Volta joins a growing number of recording artists who have experimented with USB releases in recent months, among them Jennifer Lopez, Ringo Starr and Matchbox Twenty.

More are expected in coming months. Austin-based All Access, the company behind USB releases from Matchbox Twenty and Starr, has signed deals with EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group to make USB bracelets for other artists.

"The selling point to the labels is a really good one--it's a marriage between merchandise and music so that people will at least buy it instead of stealing it because they want the merchandise," All Access CEO Chris Guggenheim said. "It's the only for-sure non-stolen product."

At this point, the releases are offered more as collectibles to build fan loyalty than as sources of revenue.

The cost of putting an album out on a USB drive is pricier than releasing it on a CD, partly because bands aren't placing bulk orders and partly because flash drives cost more than discs. Guggenheim said that bracelets generally cost $5 to $7 per unit. But costs can rise to $17 per unit or more for flash drives with more memory and other additions.

Universal doesn't expect to make money on the 2,000 USB units it put out for the Mars Volta release or on the 2,000 USB units it will put out for Erykah Badu's February 26 release, Nu AmErykah, Universal senior vice president of digital business development Cameo Carlson said.

But it does expect to keep fans connected to both acts. Those who buy the Mars Volta USB stick get a new extra on the 29th of each month, ranging from bonus tracks to wallpaper. Badu will create new bonus features throughout the year for those who buy Nu AmErykah on USB.

"It's not for everybody," Carlson said. "It's for the hardcore fan that wants tons of pictures, who really wants something more and the opportunity to get new stuff every month."

For bands, USB drives offer a cooler way to get their music to fans in a souvenir package that fans can wear or carry with them, giving the band free promotion.

Starr wore a wristband containing his latest album, Liverpool 8, to the Grammy Awards, getting attention for the release that a CD jewel case certainly wouldn't. Guggenheim said that about one wristband is sold for every three CDs of Starr's album.

In October, Matchbox Twenty released its latest album, Exile on Mainstream," on USB bracelets, putting out an initial 25,000 units. Manager Michael Lippman said that "tens of thousands" have been sold.

"USB is going to be the future," Lippman said. "You don't have to download it on a computer, you put it in and it comes up, (and) there's plenty of room to add additional material."

Some indie bands have turned to USB drives for releases because they can order fewer units and spend less money than they would for an order of 1,000 CDs, said Ed Donnelly, president of Los Angeles-based Aderra, which makes drives for Barenaked Ladies, Jars of Clay and indie bands like Los Angeles' Killola. Acts can place orders for as few as 100 USB drives preloaded with their album and other goodies.

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Along with the songs from the album, Matchbox Twenty included its first video, behind-the-scenes footage, pictures and an Internet link to the band's site.

Based on the success of its album sales on USB, the band is selling bracelets of its live show at concerts during its current tour. All Access replicates the bracelets after a concert in minutes. The bracelets are quickly sent to the merchandising booths, where fans can buy a recording of the show they just saw as they leave. Each bracelet costs the same as one of the band's concert T-shirts.

Barenaked Ladies, considered the pioneers of USB releases, put out Barenaked on a Stick in 2005, a 128 MB flash drive loaded with 29 previously released songs plus videos and other content. The band followed it up with souvenir flash drives at its 2006 concerts in support of Barenaked Ladies Are Me. The concert USB keys came loaded with the new album, live tracks, ringtones and videos for $25.

Willie Nelson, Jars of Clay and the Black Crowes also have sold USB bracelets at concerts.

Bands typically sell the drives to 5 percent of their audience at a show, depending on how tech-savvy the crowd is.

If you want to buy Custom Flash drives click here folks we got em....

Why Do Republicans Always Steal Music to Push Their Hateful Ideology

The latest GOP thief is Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee, who's been stealing music from the popular rock band Boston.

Two weeks ago we reported how dishonest Republican Senator John McCain was caught stealing 2 songs from John Mellencamp for use in his campaign to personify a third Bush term. It isn't uncommon for Republican political hacks to steal popular music from Democratic songwriters and singers. They never pay for the usage-- which is ironic since it is the Congress that sets the rates and conditions and McCain has voted on the legislation dozens of times and is certainly aware that it is a crime to just use people's music without paying royalties. Bush was caught over and over again using popular songs from Democrats in his campaigns and he was repeatedly asked to cease and desist. Even back in 1984 Reagan was caught using Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A.," an anti-Vietnam War anthem for his campaign, although he eventually stopped when Springsteen said he would sue him if he kept using it.

The latest GOP thief is Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee, who's been stealing music from the popular rock band Boston. Barry Goudreau, who was in the band early on, before being fired in 1980, is a Huckabee supporter; he didn't write "More Than A Feeling" or any other Boston songs. The songwriter is band leader Tom Scholz, and, like John Mellencamp, he isn't amused to find his music (the classic "More Than A Feeling") being used to push the Republicans' reactionary and bigoted agenda. He wrote to Huckabee and demanded he stop. Huckabee refuses.

"You have taken something of mine and used it to promote ideas to which I am opposed," Mr. Scholz wrote. "In other words, I think I've been ripped off, dude!" In response, Fred Bramante, who was chairman of Mr. Huckabee's New Hampshire primary campaign, said: "Governor Huckabee plays 'Sweet Home Alabama.' Does that mean Lynyrd Skynyrd is endorsing him?"

They probably do. But that's up to them. Scholz is insisting... and he wrote the campaign and explained that "Boston has never endorsed a political candidate, and with all due respect, would not start by endorsing a candidate who is the polar opposite of most everything Boston stands for." Scholz likes Obama's positions and hopes to vote for him to be president but doesn't plan to use Boston to push him.

IT'S NOT JUST REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES EITHER...

John Amato just reminded me that a certain unethical candidate from the Connecticut for Lieberman Party kept using an Orleans song, "Still the One," even though the songwriter, John Hall, was a Ned Lamont supporter.

Downloads will supress CD SALES 2012

Music downloads to surpass CD sales by 2012, Forrester study says

Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass. said that digital music sales will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23 percent over the next five years, reaching $4.8 billion in revenue by 2012. In contrast, by 2012, CD sales will be reduced to $3.8 billion.

"This is the end of the music industry as we know it," said James McQuivey, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, in a statement. "Media executives eager to stay afloat in this receding tide must clear the path of discovery and purchase, but only hardware and software providers can ultimately make listening to music as easy as turning on the radio."

The Forrester report is based in part on a survey of more than 5,000 consumers in the U.S. and Canada.