My rant on Restless Leg Syndrome

My rant on RLS. I am so wanting to get another digital video camera soon.

52media Vlog vers. 1.1: Restless Leg Syndrome

www.youtube.com

Great insight on the new medical cure for Restless Leg Syndrome tell all of your friends about it...Flo

Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers "Stadium Arcadium"

"28 songs and it doesn't suck. The Red Hot Chili Peppers come full circle with a mammoth double disk". rolling stone

I agree completely. The Red Hots seemed to have pigeon-holed themselves as the godfathers of the extremely boring rap-rock movement of early 00's, think LimkB, 'nuff said, and this was an important record for them after 2 really fine efforts on more traditional pop - rock: californication and by the way.

With Stadium Arcadium, they distanced themselves from the 'alternative' pack in a magnanomous way and I've recently heard radio DJ's call them 'classic rock' because this record incorporates more Hendricks as usual, but it also has moments of Sabbath and dare I say it the Bee Gees. This IS also their third decade together as a band so I do agree, 'classic' is a perfect word for the record.

While I think the individual members are very talented in their own rights, their x-factor is John Frusciante, a student of music history and a genuine songwriter of immense simplicity.

That in itself is where most artists lose it. The one that comes to mind is yngwie malmsteen. His schtick is to play faster than any other artist out there and his music sounds stale, over anaylized and forced because of it.

John Frusciante takes his sweet time to build each song with the simplest of melodies and he knows his way around dynamics. Sometimes its just a 3 note lick to accentuate the vocals or bass while other times he can blister you ears with his knowlege of theory in a Randy Rhoads kind of way. Regardless, this kid knows where to place his notes and as Mozart did over 200 years ago, he places them in the perfect spot.

Talked to a CSR outta India Today

I called to pay our car bill by phone tonight and while we were waiting for our approval (their computers were down) we got to talking to our CSR. She was from Mumbia India.



We traded recipes, she gave us her favorite Dal and we gave her our Soup Beans and Cornbread and somehow we got got to the subject of what we make for a living

She told us that she makes 18,000 rubee's a month and she only gets paid once a month. Thanks to our friends @ finance.yahoo.com/ we found out that...

Currency Conversion Results
Symbol Indian Rupee Exchange Rate U.S. Dollar
INRUSD=X 18000 Oct 27 398.31823

That's a little more than our car payment...Flo


Downtown Mumbai

Current mood: shocked
Category: Travel and Places

NetFlix Wishlist Suggestions

We thought of some more movies we would like to suggest to help build your NetFlix wish lists tonight.


1) Sweet Dreams www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...id=1018371

2) Blue Sky www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...362686_0_0

3) King Kong www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...022392_1_0

Note: OK, we're on a Jessica Lange kick, she's awesome, sue us


4) Reversal of Fortune www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...d=60004511

5) Dead Ringers www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...331020_0_0

Note: OK, we're on a Jeremy Irons kick as well, he's so perfect at playing bizarre / funny roles, well worth your time



6) League of their own www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...eid=691124

Note: Excellent true story, great directing and Madonna actually acts in it, kinda.



7) Miami Blues www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...d=60030307

Note: one of the funniest comedies ever



8) Regarding Henry www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...d=60029917

Note: Harrison became one of our favorite actors with this role



9) White Palace www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...id=1119306

Note: a very entertaining relationship movie set in St Louis MO of all places



10) Chaplin: The Movie www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...416273_0_0

Note: excellent bio on one of the first stars of stage and screen (wow I sound a little like Ebert here...haha)



11) Murderball www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...d=70021128

Note: Sundance award winning documentary on an eXtreme quadriplegic sport, looks inspiring



12) Dracula www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...kid=147042

Note: one of our childhood favorites, excellent movie – weird eyes



13) Flirting with Disaster www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...232706_0_0

Note: Stiller is Stellar in this one with an incredible ensemble cast



14) Nashville www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...985693_0_0

15) Gosford Park www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...d=60021796

16) The Player www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...456666_0_0

17) McCabe & Mrs. Miller www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...999491_0_0

Note: Robert Altman, the king of all star casts and social / political commentaries



18) Red Dawn www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...eid=896678

Note: Another great ensemble cast from the 80's kinda like the Breakfast Club but with guns



19) Taps www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...882572_0_0

Note: Penn and Hutton basically started out their incredible careers with this one



20) Drug Store Cowboy www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...eid=462211

Note: Another ensemble cast in a dirty yet entertaining look at the life of junkies


We hope these look interesting to you. Let us know what ya think….Flo

endnote: these movies are not our top 20 movies in no way shape or form, while they are terrific, they represent movies that we would like to see or haven't seen in a while and would like to view ASAP. Our top 20 will be posted shortly if there is enough interest.

Found it: X Marks Spot for Jimmy Buffett?

Found it.....

Quote: Memo to Parrotheads: Cheeseburgers in paradise, no problem; drugs in France, well, that's another story...

Jimmy Buffett was briefly detained this week for allegedly having 100 tabs of Ecstasy in his luggage during a trip to the French Riviera.

Per French media reports, the "Margaritaville" mastermind's private jet landed at Toulon-Hyeres International Airport for the start of a vacation in the posh resort town of Saint-Tropez.

But instead of finding his lost shaker of salt, customs officials turned up what they claimed were illicit drugs. Airport officials were quoted in local reports saying the 59-year-old Buffett had more 100 tabs of Ecstasy with him.

He was not arrested, however. Instead, he paid about a $400 fine and was allowed to continue on his way.

Buffett's publicist did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday. But in a brief interview with the New York Post, the rep disputed French newspaper accounts, saying customs officials had found only 20 pills and claimed it was medicine prescribed by a physician. The spokeswoman did not disclose what the pills were nor did she elaborate on why the entertainer was forced to pay a fine.

The Grammy winner's latest disc, the country-flavored Take the Weather with You, hits stores next Tuesday.

source: yahoo news

Jimmy Buffet Busted for Ecstasy???

I heard it through the grapevine he got busted, couldn't find the story but found his reply to what happened, it's pretty funny all these geezers getting busted lately (see Willie Nelson some pot and mushrooms a few weeks ago), do you believe Jimmie's vitamin excuse'???

=================================

What happened? A message from Jimmy Buffett...
POSTED OCTOBER 6, 2006

I have tried over the years, to live below the radar when it comes to the "celebrity" thing. I see what I do as just a job, a really fun job that has opened the world, its people and places. However, I seem to still have a way of causing commotion now and then.

In Toulon, we arrived at the private terminal to leave and were moving through security, when my captain informed me that we were being ramp checked by French customs and some plainclothes guys. This is nothing new but what was strange was that the search was being conducted as we were leaving - not as we were arriving. No big deal - I thought. I found my bag and opened it up and they went right for a little pouch which contained my prescription medicines which was sitting on top of my clothes, not the most secretive part of my bag. I don't know about you, but at a few months away from turning sixty, I carry a few prescriptions, including a B vitamin supplement, called Foltx.

Well, that's the one that deflated the party balloon for when they examined them you could see a heart on the pill. "Ecstasy," they said. I have never taken it and couldn't tell you the difference between a hit of ecstasy and Excedrin PM. My vices these days consist of boat drinks, beer, wine and the occasional hot fudge sundae. I hadn't even opened the bottle, because my secretary had made a mistake and had sent the wrong prescription. I don't use Foltx any more.

I knew Foltx was a vitamin supplement not a love drug. I paid the fine, gathered my bags and my friends and as soon as they opened that door, I walked, rather rapidly towards my plane and flew out.

In Toulon, the stern faced authorities couldn't take the truth as the simple answer to a few simple questions, trying to turn vitamins into ecstasy. In these days and times, the truth sadly gets lost in the gossip at an alarming rate.

In the end, I will just chalk it up as being something that will happen if you have an adventurous soul and live a nomad life. I will, as my old hero Mark Twain put it, be "lighting out into the territory". The great old humorist Lord Richard Buckley used to say in one of his routines that humor is the absence of terror and that terror is the absence of humor. It seems there are too many people in the world intent on building fences, not bridges between cultures and fueling misinformation with heightened suspicions and senseless interrogations. I never was, nor do I ever intend to answer to or become one of those people. I will take my cue from Lord Buckley and keep on singing and laughing. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

- Jimmy Buffett
Over the Atlantic and on the way home

margaritaville.com/JB_statement.php

Sweet French Pop

I just found 2 french pop bands that remind me of Lennon and McCartney respectively. Enjoy...Flo


reXen
Listen to "Waiting for An Answer"
www.myspace.com/rexen


The Gostins
Listen to "Alright"
www.myspace.com/gostins

Frank Zappa Rules

I just noticed this weekend that a Zappa plays Zappa show is in town, his family and invited guests (Vai, etc.) are touring playing the old standards, gawd I wish I could see that!!!

I first heard him in the late 70's and as a kid 'got' his sense of humor immediately. The musicianship on his albums was both incredible and quirky. What a personality. He worked with John Lennon on 1/2 an album, that is cool as hell in my book. I bought his girl's "Valley Girl" 45 in fact, bought that song as well as "Yellow Snow" and "King Tutt" (Steve Martin) at the same time. I recorded an original song in the early 90's with a Zappa Freak band called the Naked Entrepreneurs called "Waiting for the Bus" I should dig out for you all sometime.

Gawd I miss singles....Flo

eBay Address

If interested the for my first eBay Auction goto:

eBay: Day One Update

I told a friend about my entry into the eBay world and he said that he's opening a store in a week or two and he'll give me a better deal than QuikDrop, I'll let you know how it goes.

Is it a way to make a little off junk in your home or are can you start dealing in the stuff after a few succeses and make a business out of this? Like any business, if you do your due dilligence, it may payoff in the long run.

Myself, I'm just getting rid of junk my mother saved for me from my childhood that's been in my attic for 6 years and I have a lot of it, she's a packrat. We're in a 'less is more' stage these days plus we need the extra income pretty bad. I just started Sunday at this so who knows how its going to turn out, I'm am positive we'll going to make something off of the hours of research I've put into it over the last 3 weeks, so anything will be great, if its worth me pursuing it as a side-gig, the jury is still out...Flo

Well I'm Ebaying

For starters its a...

LOT OF VINTAGE STAR WARS FIGURES w/ WEAPONS 70's NR! but hey, ya gotta start somewhere right??

The Kentucky Congressional Race is Heating Up

Let the mud slinging commence. It's worse and more interesting to me for one of Louisville's congressional seats: Anne Northup (8 year incumbant) versus John Yarmuth (local publisher of the LEO - louisville eccentric observer)

He accuses her and Bush of 'failing the country'.

She blasts back with a possible Federal Election Commission investigation and an entire website.

www.theyarmuthrecord.com/

Unfortunate for him he has 20+ years of editorials for...

Ending Social Security
Doubling the Payroll Tax (taxes suck, I'm for a Nat'l sales tax myself)
Taxing SUV's & Pickup Trucks (which are built in Kentucky, this one's gonna kill him)
Taking "Under God" Out of the Pledge of Allegiance (whatever)
On Lowering the Drinking Age (ahhh NO)
On Legalizing Marijuana (this actually is a non-issue to me, this state can sure use the revenue and taxes from this)
On the National Rifle Association /Gun Control
On Gay Marriage (non issue to me, people who are commited should be able to marry and enjoy the advantages)
On Abortion
On Burning the American Flag (while I'm for free speach I'm equally for respect)
On Louisville's South End
On Prescription Drug Plan
On the Death Penalty
On Art and Religion
On Serving in Elected Office and Observations About Himself

I vote on records, Anne has done incredible things for the state, I'm keeping her...Flo

I saw an SUV flip over this morning.

At 9;45AM this morning I took a different route to the office up Interstate 71 North towards Cincy. As soon as I merged off of 264 East, all I saw was a white SUV flipping over in the Southbound lane as hundreds of sheds of Semi parts flew all over the place. The SUV came to a stop as I passed and I noticed the driver was awake, she didn't look hurt, yet looking dazed, obviously.

I immediately called 911 and several minutes later as I entered 265 West, I saw two police squad cars, lights blaring, heading towards the wreck. This was something I've never seen live before and I was shaking as I called my Belle to her the story.

Here's the report from Wave 3 News

SUV Hits Tractor-Trailer On I-71

Sep 21, 2006 12:54 PM

(LOUISVILLE) -- The cable barriers installed along Interstate 71 in eastern Jefferson County appear to be working. They're credited with stopping a median crossover crash Thursday morning.

It happened just north of the Watterson Expressway exchange in the southbound lanes of I-71. We're told a woman driving an SUV looked down for a moment, and came up quickly behind a tractor-trailer.

She swerved, but hit the semi before overturning, stopping at the barrier installation.

LMPD Officer Greg Kellerman says the barriers did their job. "Obviously, they saved the SUV from crossing over. Most of the impact was in the southbound lanes, but it did prevent her from going over into the opposing lanes."

The driver of the car suffered minor cuts on her arms and face. She was wearing a seat belt and police say it kept her from sustaining more serious injuries.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was not hurt.

MySpace Rulez

www.NewArtistRadio.net

I've been working the whole MySpace scene hardcore this week & can't believe the response we're getting for tAC's song "Damn it, Elvis" in Europe, it's a big ego boost, so thanks you all.

So, tonight I meet a like minded group, www.NewArtistRadio.net , which has set their sights on iptv like 52media has had since 1998, (see Harvest Showcase webcast @ google video and our failed but awesome satellite ipmulticasting project "DigitalXmedia" all those years ago, etc.).

Anyway, I'm getting motivated once again, which is what its all about, which is also very scarry because this internet bullshit has cost us so much $$$ keeping 52media sustained,

once I thought I was out they drag me back in,

Anyway, its connections like this that keeps me going, more later...Flo

OK, so I'm stewing here

After 5 weeks without my alienware Area51 laptop, when they said it would only take 3 weeks, and I get a call this morning. Seeing they are out of the video card that came with the laptop they are going to upgrade me to this....
---------------------------------------------------------------------
eVGA nVidia GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express Video Card with SLI Ready, DVI, VGA, HDTV, TV-Out, DirectX 9.0, OpenGL 2.0: 512-P2-N570-AX (Retail) / 512-P2-N570-BX (OEM) (Powered by nVidia)
Features:
The new flagship NVIDIA GeForce 7900 graphics processing units (GPUs) are designed for extreme HD gaming and deliver ultra-realistic gaming experiences and unparalleled image quality at resolutions of up to 2560x1600.

Need a break from gaming? The GeForce 7900 GPU also delivers smooth, high-definition video playback and crisp picture quality thanks to its advanced NVIDIA PureVideo technology.

If you are searching for an extreme HD gaming and video experience on the PC, look no further than a GeForce 7900 GPU.
--------------------------------------------------------------
512MB512MB512MB512MB512MB512MB512MB!!!

Plus a new motherboard!!!!

Hoorah!!!!

I love alienware, even though their Customerservice sucks....Flo

All American Barrel "O" Fun

A friend got a great write-up in today's newspaper.

Barrel shaped for fun Ice-cream, burger stand is on a roll

By Scheri Smith The Courier-Journal

When Mark Beam saw a vacant, barrel-shaped building on Dixie Highway more than 12 years ago, he heard opportunity knocking.

Beam, then 43, had just been laid off from two factory jobs and was looking for a new career. The barrel building, which had wheels and had been used as a mobile barbecue restaurant, sparked an idea. "I just wanted something unique," he said.



Beam turned that old building into the Barrel of Fun ice-cream and burger stand. The red-and-white striped barrel, which is 12 feet high and 10 feet in diameter sits like a beacon at Cooper Chapel Road and Smyrna Parkway.

Beam has modified the barrel over the years, removing the wheels and building a kitchen and covered pavilion on the back. Today there are picnic tables too -- but no indoor seating.

The stand has become a community hangout and a favorite of children and adults, alike, said Tonie Beam, Mark Beam's mother.

Tonie Beam, 75, who lives on Eastern Parkway, works at the Barrel daily. She retired 12 years ago from the Planning Commission, where she was a draftsman, and said she wanted to help her son.

"I just do this and it keeps me off the streets," she said, laughing. "It's fun meeting all the people. It's kind of like your neighborhood bar."

But the big difference is the Barrel is a great place for ice cream, she said.

Besides soft-serve and regular ice creams, the Barrel also features burgers and hot dogs. Most items on the menu range from $1.35 to $3.95. The Barrel is open from April to October.

For Michele Kelien, 39, the Barrel has been a weekly pleasure since it opened. Kelien, who owns a trophy shop and lives in Hollow Creek, said she eats there two or three times a week.

"Their burgers are the best burgers in the world," she asserted. "The prices are unreal," and the location adds to its popularity, she said.

It's within walking distance of some neighborhoods, she said. "I see a lot of the same people there."

There are many repeat customers, Mark Beam said, but the Barrel also draws people from out of town.

Tonie Beam said the business has repeat customers from Chicago who come to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby.

The operation is a family business. Beam's two children, wife, niece and sister-in-law also work the stand. He also hires neighborhood youngsters. Five began working in high school. Three of those have continued working through college.

David Holloway, 42, who lives near the Barrel, stopped by last week to enjoy a hot dog for lunch. A civil engineer originally from Florida, Holloway said he was introduced to the Barrel by his wife.

"It's homey, and the Barrel's neat," he said. "It's all-American."

Lake Cumberland

I'm going stir Crazy here on the mainland!



Get me some lake now!!!!

3 Degrees of separation

Flo+one Kentucky mom+one Kentucky kid=Mel Gibson:)

We just watched ET tonight and couldn't believe our eyes, one of the people they interviewed at Moonshadows, the nightclub Mel was at before he got arrested, was a great kid from Kentucky who we've known for over 14 years.

After a quick call to his mom, we found out he's the one who took all the pictures at the nightclub and he now lives in Malibu, obviously.

She said that he was paid over $10,000 by a papparazzi the night of the incident for the pics.

Small world huh?

Saturday at 4:05pm we lost our little Abbey girl.

Unfortunately she didn't get any better from Friday night and took a turn for the worse on Saturday. We didn't want to see her suffer. Thanks for everyone's happy thoughts and support.

Floyd Landis' heroic journey in this year's Tour De Franc reminds me of a story from 19 years ago...

In high school I wanted to make this select soccer team called Bellotti Sports United. They were sponsored by an Italian soccer shoe and wore La Coq Sportif uniforms and played the best soccer I had ever seen. They had just won the state title the previous year.

I joined the cross country team to get in better shape and the crazy coach made us run up a MOUNTAIN!!!!

It hurt and the only thing I said to my self running 8 miles up that F*&$@eR was...

"I'm going to make team Bellotti I'm going to make team Bellotti I'm going to make team Bellotti I'm going to make team Bellotti I'm going to make team Bellotti I'm going to make team Bellotti I'm going to make team Bellotti I'm going to make team Bellotti"

I made it up that damned mountain and later that year I made the team. I believe its a balance between the mind convincing the body to do something. Or as Morrissey says "Does the mind rule the body or the body rule the mind, I don't know"???:)


Here is a replica of what the Italian World Cup Champs wore this year, ours were all blue but very similiar. Very expensive but last forever, I still wear some of the shirts today.

Abbey Road

Our 12 year old pekingnese, Abbey Road, is at the emergency care center tonight. Her kidneys failured this morning and Xrays found stones. I'm more tore up about this than anything and thought I'd ask you all for some good thoughts thrown her way.

Here's a great pic of her and her brother and sister a few years ago.



Abster Babster is the calico one in the back yawning.

She's the best dog ever and a fighter. We hope to get some good news here in awhile from an ultrasound.

Fingers Crossed...Flo

Fire @ Lee's Ford Marina this morning

I took some video -



At 1:30am we heard and felt a big boom. I thought it was someone jumping on top of our boat's Fly Bridge, that�s how close it sounded, my bil thought it was another renter trying to park their HB close by. We saw smoke and ran outside. That is when I took the video. You'll see a jet-ski in total flames moving towards the dock. 2 HB owners moved their boats after that, one, right in front of the Gas Dock and the other in front of the Over Night slips. At about 1:45am the first responders came with a vengeance and cut the first burning boat loose and dragged it away from the dock with a small fishing boat. At 2:30 am it looked like they had a handle on the situation so we went to sleep. This morning they said 5 boats were destroyed and many more were damaged

So many people helped out and the entire situation was handled as best as possible. I spoke to the one owner who moved to the Over Night and he said that as soon as he heard the 'explosion' as he called it; he knew a propane tank had gone off.

This morning there was a lot of debris and soot floating around A dock and two of the hulls of the boats that were destroyed were dragged to the Launch Ramp where they were still smoldering after 4 hours when I left to go to work at about 7:40am...Flo

MMJ on Letterman TONIGHT

My Morning Jacket will be appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman on Thursday, June 8th. They will be joined by Keith Lockhart and members of The Boston Pops Orchestra.

This phenominally heavy rocking band AND '99 Harvest Webcast Alumni are making another run of TV promotions tonight for their latest record titled "Z". Check them out and tell me why we shouldn't be proud as hell of our Kentucky brothers.

Pic I took in '04 from one of their incredible live performances...Flo

E-mail to netflixsettlementsucks.com

I just received another legal letter from NetFlix yesterday regarding the class action suit.

I attempted to sign up for the settlement today but they make you remember either your username, e-mail address OR credit card number that you used 7 years ago. If you can’t you are out of luck as far as I can tell.

I bet less than 20% of the former members will be able to do this.

We need another objection fast.

Thoughts on American Inventor

We just watched an interview with the winner after watching every episode this season. I have to admit its my favorite reality show. The pure passion and creativity of the finalists just blew me away while affecting me emotionally as well. The winner deserved it even though the kid with the bike was my favorite.

To me it has more to do with the the inventor and not the actual invention.

What do you all think?

I'm actually thinking of going to the Chicago auditions. Should I?

The Numbers: Can Indie Labels Really Make Money Through Downloads? Part 1

The Numbers: Can Indie Labels Really Make Money Through Downloads? Part 1

by Spencer Critchley

So far, many of the arguments on emerging music business models seem to me to be based on speculation and assertions. So I thought I’d sit down and do some actual math. I based it on two scenarios for a moderately successful indie album: physical CD sales vs. iTunes downloads.

It’s scary.

Let’s assume the following:

* 12 songs on the album
* very low recording budget of $10,000 (major label budgets are well into six figures)
* artist royalty rate of 12%, producer royalty of 3%
* mechanical royalties (which go to songwriters and publishers) are 8.5 cents per song, the statutory rate
* 40,000 CDs pressed, 30,000 sold (a good sell-through)*

First, the CD scenario. These figures are partly based on an article in the Aug, 2005 issue of Nashville’s Music Row magazine (subscription required), which, BTW, has excellent technology coverage.
CD: Label’s Gross Revenues Per Copy
Wholesale Price 9.50
Recording (0.33)
Mechanical royalties (1.02)
Artist royalties (1.14)
Producer royalties (0.29)
Postage (0.10)
Distribution Fee (1.80)
Positioning Fee (1.00)
Manufacturing (0.80)
Returns postage (0.03)
Refurbishing (0.05)
GROSS REVENUES $2.95

So if there are only 25% returns from stores, the label makes $2.95 per CD, or $88,400.00 on net sales of 30,000 CDs.

Unfortunately, that figure is before promotional and other expenses, such as radio promotion, publicity, advertising, etc. In the mainstream record business, achieving sales of 30,000 units could easily require a promotion budget of $100,000 to $300,000. Let’s assume the label is aiming for the mainstream and spends $100,000:
CD: Label’s Net Revenues, 30,000 Sold
Sales revenue 88,400.00
Promotion, etc (100,000.00)
NET ($11,600.00)

A loss of $11,600. It would be worse if we included overhead, if more albums were returned, or if the recording budget were higher–and even with a recording budget of $0, the label would still be in the hole. You can see why record company people say over and over that it’s a hit-driven business. Non-hits don’t make money.

If our label is an alternative indie, it obviously can’t afford to risk six figures to earn revenues like these–the break-even promotion budget on this project would have been $88,400. Alternative indies have to find ways to run very, very lean, such as relying on lots of touring by the artist, good will with influential press, and street teams of fans to spread word of mouth. Even so, it looks like a business to be in for love, not money**.

*You may object that the assumption of sales of 30,000 is unfairly low. Actually, it’s hard to achieve sales like that. Most alternative indie albums are lucky to hit 5,000 to 10,000 copies sold, and there are untold numbers that never break 1,000.

**Harvard Business Review sells an informative case study (PDF) on Nashville-based Compass Records, which covers Compass’ success at becoming viable, followed by its struggle to grow.

The Numbers: Can Indie Labels Really Make Money Through Downloads? Part 2

The Numbers: Can Indie Labels Really Make Money Through Downloads? Part 2

by Spencer Critchley

Related link: www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/8788

In Part 1 we looked at the revenues and costs of a moderately successful indie album release, and saw how hard it is for a record company to make money selling CDs. The promise of digital downloading is that it offers dramatically more efficient distribution. But a look at a comparison scenario using iTunes shows that the label may end up worse off.

In our first scenario, the label lost $11,600 (before overhead) on sales of 30,000 CDs, based on a low end mainstream marketing budget. For an indie, 30,000 units sold is an achievement. But it would still need to sell a few more thousand to break even, and wouldn’t earn serious money unless it had a hit (especially since more marketing will be required to drive more sales). Alternative indies make do with lower marketing budgets, and try to compensate with heavy touring and other tactics.

Now we’ll run a comparable project through iTunes. My numbers here are based in part on an article at musicbizacademy.com by entertainment lawyer Diana LaPolt:
iTunes Scenario: Label’s Gross Revenues Per Album1
Wholesale Price2 6.44
Recording (0.33)
Mechanical royalties (1.02)
Artist royalties3 (1.00)
Producer royalties3 (0.25)
Postage (0.00)
Distribution Fee (0.00)
Positioning Fee (0.00)
Manufacturing (0.00)
Returns postage (0.00)
Refurbishing (0.00)
GROSS REVENUES $3.83

Wow, looking good so far! The label makes $3.83 per album as opposed to $2.95, even with a wholesale price of $6.44 instead of $9.50. It looks like we’re seeing the magic of zeroing out all the manufacturing, shipping and handling associated with physical product (and last I heard, Apple doesn’t charge for favorable positioning).

Now let’s factor in the marketing expenses (radio promotion, publicity, advertising, etc) and estimate the take from sales of 30,000 albums–with, of course, no returns:
iTunes: Label’s Net Revenues, 30,000 Albums Sold
Sales revenue 114,805.00
Promotion, etc (100,000.00)
NET $14,805.00

A profit! $14,805 to put towards rent and salaries.

Except… There’s a new factor with downloading: Digital delivery unbundles the album format, allowing the purchaser to buy only the songs he or she wants. How often do people buy an entire album on iTunes? I don’t know, but on average they buy some fraction of total number of the songs.

Let’s see what happens if our 12-song album sells an average of six songs to each customer, which actually seems optimistic to me, at 64 cents wholesale (based on iTunes’ 99 cent/song retail price):
iTunes: Label’s Net Revenues, Avg. Customer Buys 6 Songs1
Sales revenue 72,943.00
Promotion, etc (100,000.00)
NET ($27,057.00)

Oh oh.

This is why record companies want you to buy albums. From the consumer’s point of view, it stinks to buy a whole album if you only end up liking a few songs. But from the label’s point of view, selling singles is a lousy business.

And of course it gets worse if people buy fewer songs from the album. At an average of three songs per album, the label loses $72,022. At one song, they lose $87,843.

Again, they will make a profit on a hit, but labels have similar up-front investments for dogs and for hits. The rule of thumb in the traditional record industry is that you’re doing well if one out of ten of your artists sells enough to pay for the other nine who lose you money. You can see why artists’ royalty rates work out to be roughly 10 cents on the dollar–the other 90 cents is paying for the other nine albums.

From the artist’s point of view: Your advance is recouped at the royalty rate. So if your record earns $1,000, your debt to the label goes down by only $100. It’s kind of an owing-your-soul-to-the-company-store thing. Producer Steve Albini runs those numbers in “The Problem With Music” at negativland.com. See also Moses Avalon’s Confessions Of A Record Producer.

1. After a challenge from teejay (see below) I’ve corrected some of these figures.

2. A typical album retails for $9.90 on iTunes, a single is 99 cents, and Apple takes 35%.

3. Artist and producer royalties are based on 130% of the wholesale price. As in the CD scenario, I’m assuming a 12% royalty for the artist and 3% for the producer.

Next time: According to the Long Tail hypothesis, good filters are critical to making downloading work as a business. We’ll look at the value those filters will have to add.

The Numbers: Can Indie Labels Really Make Money Through Downloads? Part 3

The Numbers: Can Indie Labels Really Make Money Through Downloads? Part 3

by Spencer Critchley

Related link: www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/8816

In Part 1 of this series I looked at how hard it is for an indie label to make money selling CDs. Part 2 was about how it can be even harder with iTunes. In this part, I talk about where all the money went, and about what new models, such as those based on the Long Tail, will have to be worth.

First of all, where’d the money go? As I mentioned in Part 2, even though iTunes eliminates a lot of a label’s expenses related to physical distribution, it may yield the label less money. That’s partly because iTunes, like other download services, unbundles the album format, allowing customers to buy individual songs. That’s great for customers, but given that the up front marketing costs to launch a new project are roughly equal for an album or a 99 cent single, it’s big trouble for labels.

In response to Part 2, teejay argued that because singles are so much cheaper than albums, people will buy more singles, and the increased volume will help make up for the lower price. I agree that more people are likely to buy a single, but I’m not convinced yet that the increase will be in the hundreds per cent, which is what would be needed to replace physical album sales (physical singles sales have become close to negligible). And given that cheaper digital production and distribution are leading to an explosion of new product, I’d expect the benefit from increased singles sales to be diluted by the availability of more releases, except in the case of big hits.

But there’s more to it than just unbundling. Comparing the numbers in Part 1 & 2 for CD sales vs. iTunes sales, I notice that the wholesale album price has gone down just over three dollars, from $9.50 to about $6.44 (depending on the retail price1). That might seem logical, given the savings realized by dropping physical distribution:
Postage (0.10)
Distribution Fee (1.80)
Positioning Fee (1.00)
Manufacturing (0.80)
Returns postage (0.03)
Refurbishing (0.05)
TOTAL GROSS SAVINGS (3.78)
“Gross” savings because digital distribution is not cost-free.

But have a look at this line-up of figures:
Gross distribution savings 3.78
Reduction in wholesale price to labels (9.50 - 6.44) 3.06
Apple’s gross margin (9.90 - 6.44)1 3.46

Steve Jobs showed the record companies a way to reduce their expenses and convinced them to give almost all the savings to him.2 There IS a reality distortion field! One begins to see why EMI and some other labels have begun arguing that Apple should raise its iTunes prices.

So that’s where the money went. For now, anyway, it looks as if labels have lost the advantage gained from increased distribution efficiency. So is there a way left for labels, in particular the indies, to make money? As Philipp and dannyo_152_redux have pointed out, reduced marketing expenses could be another route to profit.

This is also the promise of Wired editor Chris Anderson’s Long Tail model. Anderson says that in the digital economy hits will serve as entrees to similar non-hits that are further down the long tail of the sales curve. And he highlights the importance of filters, such as recommendations from trusted experts.

This kind of marketing can be close to free. But what’s it worth? And how much value does it have to make up? As I mentioned in Part 1, marketing expenses for indie albums that are attempting to compete in the mainstream are in the range of $100,000 to $300,000. Alternative indies can’t spend that much cash, so they do things like have their artists play lots of shows. But I’d guess that if you account for time and work, the investment is similar. I hope new forms of marketing can have comparable impact for less money, but I haven’t seen convincing details yet of how that will work. I’ll repeat what I said a little while ago in a post called “Beware Of Risk-Free Business Models”:

So far in business history, there’s been a requirement that risk and reward roughly balance… Many of the alternative models I’ve seen seem to be based on the assumption that merit is enough: people will hear good music and recommend it to their friends, who will want to buy it. But it’s at that point that the model appears to go risk-free… [the] marketing investment is the risk in the risk-reward equation. In particular, it’s the “impresario fee” for finding an artist that is extraordinary in some way and then doing all the things that have to be done to, in effect, modulate pop culture with the image and sound of this artist.

If there’s little or no risk behind a product, why will anyone want to pay for it? So far there have in fact been few money-making acts to emerge from the net, and there have by now been many attempts. It may be that the era of hit recordings is ending, as David Bowie3 and others have argued. Until now, only hits have made profits; the hope for the new models is that increased efficiencies will make non-hits profitable. But in order to make that work these models will have to overcome some powerful forces pulling in opposing directions–in particular, the conversion of music into a commodity whose unit value is approaching zero.

1. iTunes’ retail prices vary.

2. Apple is believed to make little direct net profit from music sales, but the value in iPod sales is huge. The money saved by switching to digital distribution will vary widely depending on the particular model. Running iTunes is apparently quite expensive, while P2P networks can spread expenses so thin they pretty much disappear.

3. ‘’Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity… So it’s like, just take advantage of these last few years because none of this is ever going to happen again. You’d better be prepared for doing a lot of touring because that’s really the only unique situation that’s going to be left. It’s terribly exciting. But on the other hand it doesn’t matter if you think it’s exciting or not; it’s what’s going to happen.'’–New York Times, June 9, 2002.

The CMCFund is Working!

[b]TOTAL COLLECTED: $95.48
AVERAGE COLLECTED: $19.08[/b]

[quote]I've listened to your music and have greatly enjoyed it over the past couple years. I look forward to hearing more from you soon. I'm sure its going to inspire you to create some damn good music out of this fiasco. Keep up the good work. moontrains ($10.00)[/quote]

[quote]To further the Intergalactic circulation of CMC's music, here's my $10 spot. sogax ($10.00)[/quote]

Come on people give until it hurts

If you are one of the other 3 who have given, please send a little blurb so we can post it.

Thanks in advance...Flo

CMC Fund: The 1999 MP3.com Rolling Stone AD Fiasco Revisited

CMCFund PayPal E-mail Address


I was just asked by a good friend for some help ($$).

More on that later.

In late 1998 I was hanging out at the old MP3.com Message Board when they were indie before their IPO and before they soldout to Vivendi, chatting with some pretty brilliant artists who spanned the globe. At this time there were less than 1000 pioneering artists utilizing digital distribution through the 'net. More on them later.

I had an idea to place a full page ad in Rolling Stone for one of the artists that I couldn't understand wasn't signed to a large label. His name is The Crack Emcee (www.myspace.com/thecrackemcee).

I called the President/CEO of MP3.com at the time and convinced him that I could raise enough support from the less than 1000 pioneering artists that were using his site to promote their indie music to pay for 50% of the Rolling Stone bill.

He told me that he would pay the other half.

I got to work. In less than 1 week we had over $6,000.00 in support from the indie artists and were on our way to placing the ad.

At that point people started to question why The Crack Emcee deserved to be the only artist featured in the ad and over the next several days the entire 'project' fell apart. The President/CEO of MP3.com's ADD didn't help too much either - haha.

Anyway back to my friend's request.

I don't have the amount he needs so I thought I would reach out to every music community out there to see if we could put together a similiar project not to promote his music but to save him from losing his apartment, his instruments and his recording equipment because his wife left him while taking all of their savings in the process.

He's really in a tight spot and this is the time where all good inie artists should come to the aid of their fellow indie artists.

If you were there back in 1998 and feel the same regret of not seeing that Rolling Stone AD to the end, here is your chance to do something about it.

CMCFund PayPal E-mail Address

I'm sure he would appreciate if you can give whatever you can to this effort. If donating is out of the question, please contact me at the same e-mail address and let me know how you can help. Anything you can do will be appreciated.

Karma is a blast you all.

Sincerely,

Flo
52media.com

A creative use of Digital Distribution

Multimedia & Death Cab Fans - CLICK HERE

I just found out that Death Cab is releasing 12 videos for each song off the band's major label debut "PLANS." Every song off of Plans will be shot by a different director and released one by one through [b]Digital Distribution[/b] over the next several months on their website.

This project gives a lot of merit to their decision to sign with a major label in the first place, um...budget, as well as show how digital distribution is increasing the the channels artists have to promote their records ....Flo

--------------------------------

The unprecedented collection came about as the brainchild of otaku-house, the production company owned and run by childhood friends Nick Harmer, bassist for Death Cab for Cutie, and video director Aaron Stewart-Ahn. They saw the opportunity to enlist a variety of talented young artists to each make a short film set to a Death Cab song, without the constraints of the traditional music video -- no arbitrary performance footage, the band themselves would not appear in the films. Though the budgets would be small, there would be no creative limits placed upon the filmmakers' imaginations. The ultimate goal was to create a series of small films that worked together as both individual pieces of art and as a unified whole.

Stewart-Ahn and the band compiled a list of directors, including superstars, up-and-coming new talents, and even a graphic novelist who had never had his work animated before. "We named the project 'DIRECTIONS,'" says Stewart-Ahn, "because it's a pun on 'PLANS,' obviously, but ultimately because we feel this project is about unique directorial visions more than anything else. We wanted to create a situation where that would be the emphasis, and I feel the list of directors alone proves that."

Among the filmmakers contributing to "DIRECTIONS" are Lance Bangs, famed for his work alongside Spike Jonze, as well as his videos for such artists as R.E.M. and Green Day; P.R. Brown, who has directed videos for Billy Corgan, Matisyahu and Motley Crue; Ace Norton, a stop-frame animation maestro; acclaimed graphic novelist Jeffrey Brown ("Clumsy"); the Cincinnati-based motion design collective, Lightborne; longtime Death Cab photographer Autumn de Wilde; writer/director Rob Schrab, the mind behind the legendary never-aired Jack Black pilot, "Heat Vision and Jack," and co-founder of the Channel 101 website; acclaimed music video directors Laurent Briet and Monkmus, as well as Stewart-Ahn himself, following up his critically hailed video debut, the Decemberists' "16 Military Wives."

"Each interpretation is phenomenal and our hats go off to everyone involved," says Death Cab's Ben Gibbard. "It's our hope that this project serves as a model to both labels and bands as a way to grant the directors the type and amount of freedom we've enjoyed in the creation of the music itself."

"We have truly been blessed to have met so many creative and energetic artists over the years of being a band," says Harmer. "It just seemed so appropriate to build a project that so many artists that we admire could be a part of and it's so inspiring to stand back and watch them work."

"It's thrilling to have so many enthusiastic artists involved," comments guitarist Chris Walla, "and better still that they're such a varied bunch: Some are heroes; some are exceptionally talented friends; some are brilliant people none of us had heard of. I don't know of any projects quite like this one, and it's a testament to Atlantic's commitment to our artistic vision (and partial lunacy) that they've gotten behind us completely to ensure that it happens."

"They're all so good," concludes drummer Jason McGerr. "The first rough cut I saw blew my expectations out of the water. To read about someone else's interpretation of your song simply isn't enough. To be given an opportunity to see it through their eyes is astonishing."

Multimedia & Death Cab Fans - CLICK HERE

MTV2 of all places turned us on to this throw back to 70's hard rock, wolfmother from down under. For some reason their use of fuzzy guitars, organs and passionate tenor vocals just hit the sweet spot this weekend. Enjoy. We did..Flo

-------------------------------------------------------------


http://www.wolfmother.com People unite for the Wolfies have returned from the canyons of L.A with a fusion of freaked out jamming, delicate melodies and gallant rock riffage that shall be known collectively as Wolfmother. Myles Heskett, Chris Ross and Andrew Stockdale are the key holders to the future of all things Wolf . Together they write all their songs while contributing drums, bass/keyboards and guitar/vocals respectively. In their lives before Wolfmother, Myles worked in graphics, Chris in things digital and Andrew was a photographer so they all shared a passion for creative expression. After years of jamming in anonymity they finally stepped out in public during early 2004, playing shows and signing to Modular Recordings. Later that year the trio released an independent EP that caused ink to be spilled and fans to be won. Then after 6 months of nonstop Australian and overseas touring it was time to start creating a vast album with a deceptively simple title. Their partner in this conception was producer D. Sardy; catalyst for the likes of Dandy Warhols, Oasis, Autolux, Jet and Helmet. Chris, Andrew and Myles decamped to L.A. in May, 2005 and rented an abandoned Hollywood recording studio called Cherokee for their rehearsal space. In its heyday Cherokee hosted sessions like Pink Floyd's "The Wall" but most of its equipment has since been sold or stolen. Even so, from this barren place came lush things as freeform jams evolved into fully formed songs. The themes of the album also took shape in the City Of Angels; a city that thrives on chaos presenting many lyrical possibilities to Andrew Stockdale. The complexities of living in the metropolis also helped shape the escapist imagery of Wolfmother... simple philosophies for complex times. After six weeks of focused creativity at Cherokee - and many fish tacos - the band finally began recording at legendary studio, Sound City. As a result 'Wolfmother' was incubated in the same room as albums like 'Nevermind' and 'Rumours'. After just two weeks in that cavernous space the band had captured the inspired live performances which would form the backbone of their debut album. They then spent another month elsewhere in L.A. adding the little touches that help make 'Wolfmother' such a sprawling beast. And in their downtime they became Champions of every pinball machine in the valley. Throughout this process Myles, Andrew and Chris remained committed to retaining the raw, emotive punch of their live performances. Everything was directed toward capturing "the perfect feeling" rather than "faultless performance". The result is a record on which reckless abandon and glorious imperfections underpin the most evocative moments. As their studio time came to an end the band filmed some videos in the same patch of California desert which featured in the original Star Trek before venturing forth for more live shows. The New York Times gushed about their gig downtown and the NME said kind words about their UK trip. Then they came home to hear "Minds Eye" on the radio ushering in the forthcoming Wolfmother album. The disc comes wrapped in some fine art by illustration icon Frank Frazetta. The images are timeless and impossible to ignore - like the music itself - and it all lands in Australia on October 30. At that time Wolfmother will embark on a month long Australian tour. It will be followed by December appearances at the Homebake, Rockit, Meredith and Falls Festivals. 2006 will see the band taking their music to people around the rest of their world. Please experience Wolfmother [link=http://www.wolfmother.com/2005.html]http://www.wolfmother.com/2005.html[/link]

Lords of Dogtown - Revolution In The Streets

Anyone seen it yet?

Jay, Stacy and Tony are my new (anti) heroes.

One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Great surfing, skateboarding, acting, soundtrack and directing....MUST SEE

It all started from an..
"Edgy documentary on skateboarding..., .....A close-up look at the birth of skate board culture in Southern California, Dogtown and Z-Boys has attitude to burn, just like the sport it documents. Directed by Stacy Peralta, one of the legends of the sport, it captures the punk rock spirit of skate boarding, and perfectly places it into context within the boundaries of time (the 1970s) and location (a neighbourhood between Santa Monica and Venice, California). Even if you are not a fan you'll be fascinated by the story, which is told using a combination of narration, stills, great vintage 1970s skate boarding footage and new interviews with all the key players. Sean Penn provides the narration, and adds a flair all of his own. The opposite of stodgy, Penn speaks to the audience not at them, sounding like someone sitting at a bar telling the tale. At one point in mid-sentence he coughs, pauses for a moment and then continues. It's this kind of approach that gives this movie its edge." Author: mrchaos33 from Toronto, Ontario 5 July 2003

KILLER

Heath Ledger was a terrific boozed up - drugged out hippie surfer / board manufacturer and small Dogtown bidness owner.

The entire young triple threat called the J-Boyz acted heads and shoulders above nearly all the adults in the movie BUT NOT including Rebecca Demorne (sp?).

Most of these new faces have only been in a handful of films like Emperor's Club with Kevin Kline (another great actor) and I'm going to follow their careers to see if they can ever match this film again.

AWESOME

I see this movie as a revolution on the streets.

PUN INTENDED and stolen.

Just like the punk music and new rock (bowie, acdc, etc) music that we were listening to at the time, this event pretty much helped shape the counter-culture that is alive and kicking and marketed to death today.

JUST as it was back than.

Whjat a wicked film.

Bands at the time and after: Iggy, T-Rex, Clash, Suicidal Tendancies and Honk added to the rallying cry & importance of this scene.

"We're gonna fight your brother...,...And raise HELL". Joe Srummer

I love that music man.

FUCKING A

Back in the 70's and STILL today people eat what they are fed from the media and this movie just killed me with their attitude and badassedness and anti-hero nonconformity. I wish there was a movie like this when I was 13 years old. I had "Pump up the Volume" which I believe did me OK, but this would have been a little more enlightening

Like it is NOW for me at age 37.

Sincerely,

Flo
www.52media.com
502.777.5252

Class Action Settlement/Software Update Notice

Anyone who bought MMJ's "Z" on my recommendation can get $7.50 AND another album download!

[b]The RBB AARR - Making you money and getting you more music from Sony's Fuck-up:)[/b]
Enjoy....Flo

Class Action Settlement/Software Update Notice
***IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE/SOFTWARE UPDATE NOTICE***PLEASE READ*** (Please do not respond to this email. Responses will not be read.)

If You Bought, Received or Used a SONY BMG Music Entertainment CD Containing Either XCP or Media Max Content Protection Software, Your Rights May Be Affected By a Class Action Settlement, And You Should Download Updates For That Software.

What is this about?

A settlement has been proposed in a lawsuit brought against SONY BMG Music Entertainment, Inc., SunnComm International Inc., and First 4 Internet, Ltd. ("Defendants"). The lawsuit, In re SONY BMG CD Technologies Litigation, Case No. 1:05-cv-09575-NRB, is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and relates to XCP and MediaMax content protection software installed on certain SONY BMG music CDs.

The Settlement resolves claims that the Defendants manufactured and sold CDs containing XCP and MediaMax software without adequately disclosing the limitations the software imposes on the use of the CDs and the security vulnerabilities it creates. The Defendants have denied that they did anything wrong.

Who Is Included, And What Does The Settlement Provide?

The settlement provides relief for persons who bought, received or used SONY BMG CDs with either XCP or MediaMax software. Under the settlement, any person in possession of an XCP CD can exchange it for a replacement CD, an MP3 download of the same album, and either (a) cash payment of $7.50 and one (1) free album download from a list of 200 albums, or (b) three (3) free album downloads from that list.Purchasers of CDs containing MediaMax 5.0 software will receive a free MP3 download of the same album and one (1) additional free album download. Purchasers of CDs containing MediaMax 3.0 software will receive a free MP3 download of the same album.

The settlement also requires the Defendants to stop manufacturing SONY BMG CDs with XCP or MediaMax 3.0 and 5.0 software and, until 2008: (1) make available updates to fix all known security vulnerabilities caused by XCP and MediaMax software; (2) provide software programs to uninstall XCP and MediaMax software safely; (3) fix any future security vulnerabilities discovered in MediaMax and any other content protection software placed on SONY BMG CDs; (4) provide independent verification that personal information about users of SONY BMG CDs has not and will not be collected through XCP or MediaMax; (5) waive certain provisions of the end user license agreements for XCP and MediaMax software; and (6) ensure that any other content protection software will be clearly disclosed, independently tested and readily uninstalled.

At 9:15a.m. on May 22, 2006, the Court will hold a hearing at the United States District Court, Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, Courtroom 21A, New York, New York 10007-1312, to decide whether to approve the settlement and the class attorneys' fees and costs.

How Do I Participate In The Settlement?If you bought or received a SONY BMG Music CD containing XCP or MediaMax software and want to receive the relief you may be eligible for under the settlement, you must submit an online claim form at www.sonybmgcdtechsettlement.com, or mail a claim form to:

SONY BMG CD Technologies SettlementP.O. Box 1804, Faribault, MN 55021-1804
All claim forms must be submitted by December 31, 2006.

What Are My Other Options?

If you bought, received or used a SONY BMG Music CD containing XCP or MediaMax software, and you do not want to be legally bound by the settlement or receive a replacement CD, cash, free downloads or other relief, you must exclude yourself by May 1, 2006. If you do not exclude yourself, certain of your claims against the Defendants that were or could have been asserted in the lawsuit will be released, meaning you may not be able to sue the Defendants for those claims.To view the detailed legal Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement, Motion for Attorneys' Fees and Settlement Fairness Hearing and to download the software updates, visit www.sonybmgcdtechsettlement.com. You may obtain further information by contacting the claims administrator at the address above or by calling toll free 1-800-242-7610.