Rasta Pasta
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MJ News in review26 Jun 08
Mentionings.............Day 136: What the media don't show about Michael Jackson the business man
Beatles reaching Guitar Hero before iTunes?
The Beatles are close to securing a deal that would see their first digital music releases through music games rather than direct downloads from iTunes or or similar stores, says the Financial Times. The UK business paper claims sources who say that the pop rock group may have deals "in a matter of weeks" that bring songs to Guitar Hero maker Activision as well as to Rock Band co-creator MTV Games. While no specifics are mentioned, the deal suggests a Beatles-themed title and alludes to the possibility of making Beatles songs available as downloadable content. While no involved parties will publicly confirm or deny the talks, the alleged deal would require the approval of the Beatles' own Apple Corps, their parent label EMI, and Sony/ATV, the owner of most Beatles copyrights. However, any agreement would be valued at "several million" US dollars.
The move would also be crucial to translating the Beatles' songs into a non-CD digital format, which has yet to take place. The group's Sir Paul McCartney has predicted a 2008 launch but has said that contracts and the final setup stages themselves have prevented a quick launch; the surviving band members and the estates of George Harrison and John Lennon are said to want an ideal release.
Apple Corps chief Jeff Jones has been more "active" than late founding member Neil Aspinall was in moving the digital conversion process, the paper says.
The Times article doesn't explain the motivation that would lead to a release of some songs as game-ready pieces rather than traditional music, though Sony/ATV head Martin Bandier notes that permission to play Beatles covers during American Idol has spurred a renewed interest in the music through alternate channels, including as soundtracks and through cellphone carriers.
http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/06/23/beatles.guitar.hero.rumor/
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Legendary Pop Icon Lisa Lisa Set to Present at 'BET Awards' at the Shrine Auditorium in LA
NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Carlisle, MA, United States, 06/23/2008 - The Queen of Latin Hiphop, Lisa Lisa will present an award at the highly anticipated BET Awards on Tuesday June 24, 2008 at 8PM. The unbelievable line-up of performers and appearances, ensures that this year's BET AWARDS will be the best yet!.
As an original member and the electrifying front woman of Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam, Lisa Lisa has not only made a name within the entertainment business, but also proven herself to be a staying power within the music industry. With six top selling albums and more than 20 million records sold worldwide, Lisa Lisa has become an icon in her own right; with her powerful voice and stage presence she has provided the foundation for many of today’s powerhouse diva’s such as Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Today Lisa Lisa’s success continues to expand as she proves her versatility as an artist. From 2001 to 2002 she starred in Nickelodeon’s TV Series, Taina, as well as appeared on NBC’s Law and Order and Broadway’s Westside Story.
Lisa Lisa’s long awaited seventh album, Life N Love, will be released in the upcoming months by Mass Appeal Entertainment. Lisa Lisa is managed by Songwriter/Producer Stephanie Saraco. Please visit Lisa Lisa’s website at for much more information, including photos, music, and tour dates.
About Mass Appeal Entertainment
Owned and operated by Producer/Writer Marcus “DL” Siskind (Backstreet Boys, Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, etc.) Mass Appeal Entertainment is a Boston, MA based company with a multitude of artists currently signed from various musical genres. Mass Appeal also has divisions in Publishing (Shakertown Music is a joint venture with Sony/ATV Publishing) and a Recording facility (world class Blue Jay Recording studio). Releasing highly-anticipated albums by artists such as the legendary Lisa Lisa (from Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam), Boston’s Hiphop star Dre Robinson, and Singer/Songwriter Ryan Toby (formerly of City High), Mass Appeal Entertainment is an independent force taking the music industry by storm.
http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/36079/
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This was so nice..it has to be posted twice..............
The business of carrying a tune
By Joshua Chaffin in New York
Published: June 23 2008 03:00 | Last updated: June 23 2008 03:00
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As half-owner of Sony/ATV, Mr Jackson (pictured below) holds broad sway over a catalogue that boasts roughly half a million songs, including more than 200 Beatles classics. But while the King of Pop has proved an astute collector of music, his legal troubles and reclusive lifestyle had sometimes paralysed management at Sony/ATV.
"If I wanted to do a deal, I had to have the flexibility to be able to close it quickly," says Mr Bandier, one of the creators of the modern music publishing industry, as he recalls his concern.
The two men had done business before. In 1993, when he was head of EMI Music Publishing, Mr Bandier paid Mr Jackson a record $70m advance for the right to administer his ATV Music catalogue. As part of the deal, Mr Bandier also agreed to sell three of his favourite Elvis songs to the singer, who was then dating Lisa Marie Presley. This was no small concession for a self-described "song junkie."
It is unclear whether that favour figured in Mr Jackson's thinking. But, after a brief phone conversation last year, Mr Bandier was put at ease.
"For me, it's a piece of cake," he says of the relationship, still chuckling at Mr Jackson's insistence on calling him "Mr Bandier". "To his credit, Michael has given me a green light."
As Mr Bandier recounts it, the episode is of a piece with his happy tenure at Sony/ATV. With two sizeable acquisitions, he has begun to increase market share at the fourth-largest music publisher. He enjoys the backing of a supportive boss, Sony chief executive Sir Howard Stringer.
Just as importantly, Mr Bandier feels free from the turmoil of his time at his former employer, EMI, where the contribution of music publishing was often overshadowed by the chaos in the rest of the company, and profit warnings and restructurings seemed to lurk around the corner.
"It's been spectacular. There's no other way to put it than to say that this has been the best year-and-a-half imaginable," says Mr Bandier, seated in a mogul-sized office that includes his familiar wooden cigar box and the requisite collection of autographed guitars.
In geological terms, music publishing is one part of the music industry that is not sinking into the ocean. In fact, it continues to grow. Publishers collect a small royalty each time their songs are featured in films, advertisements, concerts, wind-up toys and now video games, among other uses.
A music-lover who trained as a lawyer, Mr Bandier got into publishing in the 1970s when it was the decidedly un-sexy side of the business. His big score came in 1986, when he and two partners acquired the CBS Songs catalogue for $125m. Two years later, they sold to Thorn-EMI for $340m. For the next 17 years, Mr Bandier worked to build EMI Music Publishing into the industry leader, snapping up the Motown catalogue, among others, and aggressively marketing their hit songs. "It's not just being a bank," he says of his approach. "It's about being proactive and going out and getting commercials or film and TV opportunities."
In spite of EMI's success, it came as little surprise in late 2006 when Mr Bandier bowed out. The relationship had frayed over the years as Mr Bandier took an increasingly dim view of senior management. "It was one fiasco after another," he says. For their part, EMI's top brass tired of the griping from an executive who was being paid more money than the company's then-chief executive, Eric Nicoli.
At 64, and wealthy, Mr Bandier could easily have retired. But he was restless. At Sony/ATV, he saw a publishing business with room to grow. Sony sweetened the forthcoming deal by offering equity, making him a partner as opposed to a salaried employee. "I'm at the stage of my life that I'm doing this because I want to - not because I have to," he says.
Once in the job, Mr Bandier wasted little time fulfilling industry expectations that he would become an aggressive bidder for any and all catalogues. Last April, he paid $45m for the Leiber and Stoller catalogue, which includes Elvis's "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock".
A month later, he won a $350m auction for Viacom's Famous Music Publishing, which boasts the soundtracks to Paramount films such as The Godfather .
There are whispers in the industry that Mr Bandier has overpaid, but he is unapologetic. "My philosophy has always been that I would rather spend more on something that is climbing the charts and going to be successful than spend half that on something where you just don't know," he explains.
For all the happy talk, though, Mr Bandier admits to suffering an emotional period following his EMI break-up and the loss of a business he had spent his career building. It was particularly wrenching when he would drive to his beach house and one of his old EMI songs would come on the radio. "My wife said my face would sort of change," he recalls.
Six months ago, he went for lunch with his old friend Berry Gordy, the legendary Motown Records founder who sold his own catalogue of songs to Mr Bandier in 1997.
"I said, 'Berry, let me ask you a question: Do you ever feel like you were lost? Do you ever feel anger that you still don't own Motown Records . . . when you hear a song being played, and you know that you were there when Smokey Robinson wrote it?'"
"He said, 'yeah, all the time,'" Mr Bandier recalls. Then Mr Gordy offered a blunt bit of advice: "Get over it."
Mr Bandier says he finally has. The question now is, how will he take Sony/ATV forward? Mr Stringer, he says, publicly pledged at a recent gathering of Sony/ATV executives that he was prepared to bankroll further acquisitions.
Mr Bandier would jump at the opportunity if EMI were to unload all or part of its publishing group - either to raise cash or to satisfy regulators as part of a future merger with Warner Music.
At present, though, Sony seems more focused on trying to buy out Bertelsmann's share of their recorded music joint venture, Sony BMG. The cost could exceed $1bn(£506m).
Another problem is that Mr Bandier's success has encouraged a legion of imitators. As the recorded music business collapses and the value of publishing becomes clear, new competitors - including private equity firms - have entered the fray and pushed up prices.
Mr Bandier is convinced that many have overpaid, and - lacking experience - will be forced to sell sooner or later. "At some point in time, we're going to be able to buy those things back at a much cheaper rate," he predicts.
He also foresees an eventual windfall from a host of new social networks, such as MySpace, which are ramping up their music offerings and will have to pay royalties.
In the meantime, he is focusing on Sony/ATV's most valuable asset - its trove of Beatles songs. "There's no bigger star than 'All You Need is Love'," he says, calling the collection "unique".
In 1985, he travelled to Perth to try to buy the catalogue from Australian tycoon Robert Holmes à Court. But another collector - Mr Jackson - bested him.
Although their offers were comparable, Mr Jackson played a charity show in Australia. He also gave the song "Penny Lane" to Mr Holmes à Court's daughter, Penny.
Apple Corp, the company the Beatles created to manage their business affairs, has balked at licensing deals over the years. Yet that seems to be changing under Jeff Jones, the new chief executive. In the past year, Apple and Sony/ATV have licensed Beatles compositions for use in American Idol , a Las Vegas show and a Hollywood film. They are closing in on a multi-million dollar deal to create a Beatles-themed video game.
"It's about making sure that the songs that we control are used in every manner, shape and form possible," Mr Bandier says, "and hopefully with good taste."
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ab04aac0-40bb-11dd-bd48-0000779fd2ac.html
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