March 22, 2007
Starbucks Is The Last Retail Record Store, Ask Paul McCartney and Mitch Santell!
Howard Schultz, chairman of Starbucks, waved to Paul McCartney announcing his next Album would be sold through Starbucks!
"The last great record store in America is Starbucks!" Who said this? Me, Mitch Santell., CEO and Founder of Movie Capital Limited, "bridging the gap between film and muisc." ™ Starbucks has all the quality of a local Mom and Pop record store. Their help is friendly, the coffee is fresh and hot, there is always music playing and Starbucks has create a great sense of community." In contrast to those other arrangements, the deal for Mr. McCartney’s next album, expected in early June, does not restrict it to just one retail chain; Starbucks said the album would be sold at other outlets.
Still, the deal does signal that another nontraditional company is nudging its way into the music distribution system that has long been dominated by traditional record corporations. “It’s a new world now,” Mr. McCartney, the former Beatle, said yesterday during a video chat with Howard Schultz, Starbucks’s chairman, conducted in front of thousands of people attending the shareholders’ meeting. “People are thinking of new ways to reach the people. For me, that’s always been my aim.”
According to Jeff Leads, who writes for the New York Times:
Mr. McCartney’s deal comes at a time when his music has been meeting with mixed results. His 2002 “Back in the U.S.” live album, which followed an extensive concert tour and included performances of the Beatles’ hits, has sold 994,000 copies domestically, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. His last album of new pop songs in 2005, “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard,” sold about 533,000 copies.
According to other sources:
The announcement was made at the annual company shareholder meeting in Seattle, Washington. McCartney appeared on a live video feed from London to be present for the meeting and the announcement.
"For me, the great thing is the commitment and the passion and the love of music, which as an artist is good to see," said McCartney, who seemed very optimistic about signing up with the label. "It's a new world now, and people are thinking of new ways to reach the people and for me that's always been my aim."
McCartney's new album is due out this summer and will be available in most stores. His album will be the first released under the Hear Music label. Starbucks and Concord have high hopes for the label in their joint venture.
"Having the honor of releasing an album by Paul McCartney as our first project under the Hear Music label is in a word, remarkable," Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment, said. "This demonstrates how Hear Music can present even the most successful recording artists of all time with unique opportunities to reach existing fans, as well as a new audience of listeners."
Starbucks released news of its new label in early March. It's decided to sign both popular and new artists to its label. They plan to distribute the productions throughout their retail stores and music retailers.
Starbucks executives suggested they could do better by capitalizing on the coffee chain’s audience of loyal latte drinkers.
Our take at What's Out Next, is that we are not amazed, we knew it was a matter of time before this would happen!
"McCartney" Chart Information
U.S. Release Date: Apr 20 1970
U.S. Chart Entry Date: Dec 31 2002
U.S. Chart Peak Date: May 6 1970
U.S. Chart Peak: 1
U.K. Release Date: Apr 17 1970
U.K. Chart Peak: 2
Charted for: 47 weeks
(Click on the bold word TIME above and hear
Maybe I'm Amazed)!
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Posted by mitchsantell at 10:47 AM
March 20, 2007
It's All On The Tape!
Music has an amazing way of taking you back to another time. When Fleetwood Mac was in the studio back in 1976 working on Rumors released in 1977... they had no idea what a blockbuster the album would be. Going through an unbelievable amount of pain and drama, Fleetwood Mac would go on to produce an album that had so many hits on it that some Executives within the music industry simply wanted to call the album "Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits!"
What most of you don't know who are out there in the digital music space is this amazing fact. Rumors was recorded on good old Ampex 456 Tape. Two inches wide and a standard for 16 and 24 track recording, the feel off this tape had a warmth that is hard to match today.
Here is a little known fact about that album. Ready? Back in 1977 when Rumors was recorded they had a "safety back up" of the drum tracks. (This was also on 456 tape). By the time they got down to the final mix of the album, they noticed that all of the "high end" on the drum tracks including the high-hat could no longer be heard. It had rubbed off of the tape.
Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut, the producers on the record knew they had a huge problem on their hands. What did they do? Using two multi-track recorders they had the original safety track playing in one ear and the original finished track in the other. This was painstaking work as they had to match the finished track with the safety in order for the tracks to work.
At What's Out Next, we know what dreams are made of and we are still in awe of the magic that was created. Now that is magic to our ears!
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Posted by mitchsantell at 12:34 PM
March 12, 2007
The Legacy Of Capitol Records!
Songwriter Johnny Mercer created Capitol Records in 1942 with Hollywood music store owner Glenn Wallichs and movie producer Buddy DeSylva. According to Stephen Fratallone's 60th anniversary tribute article, "Like Mercer's musical genius, Capitol Records was new, fresh and revolutionary. He wanted to form a record company where music that was recorded and the artists who recorded it were treated differently. He wanted to give new artists and veteran artists alike the freedom to grow and to expand their artistic palette. Capitol Records provided a competitive alternative to the three major record companies of the day -- Victor, Columbia and Decca -- all established in New York. With his new record company, Mercer helped to change the sound of American pop music and the way it was made. In her autobiography, It Might As Well Be Spring, singer Margaret Whiting, a close personal friend of Mercer's and one of the first singers to record on the new label, wrote that he "was a man bursting with talent and always looking for a place to channel his energies. This idea of a record company seemed ideal." Mercer took his idea to one of his best friends, Glenn Wallichs, the owner of Music City, the biggest record store in Los Angeles situated across from NBC. Wallichs loved the thought of being a part of such a venturesome endeavor. It was agreed upon that Wallichs would run the business while Mercer would find the artists and supervise their artistic output. All that was needed to set Capitol Records into motion was financial backing. Mercer looked to Buddy DeSylva, who, besides being a great songwriter in his own right, had become head of production at Paramount Studios. He had hired Mercer to do the score with Victor Schertzinger for The Fleet's In, a musical with William Holden, Dorothy Lamour, Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton. DeSylva was also excited about Mercer's new project and quickly wrote him out a check for $25,000. Capitol Records was now in business."
By 1946 Capitol has sold 42 million records and was established as one of the Big 6 studios. In 1950 Capitol built its own studio on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. In 1955, EMI acquired Capitol Records for $8.5 million. The Electric and Musical Industries (EMI) company was created in Britain in April 1931 by the merger of British Gramophone Company and the Columbia Graphophone Company. In November 1931 it had opened one of the world's great recording studios in North London at 3 Abbey Road. By 1955 Capitol was the fourth largest American record company, emphasizing popular music with Nat King Cole, Stan Kenton, Peggy Lee, Dean Martin. Frank Sinatra made 19 albums with Capitol 1954-62, with arrangers Axel Stordahl and Nelson Riddle. EMI decided to build a new studio in Hollywood that would be state-of-the-art equivalent to its Abbey Road studio in London.
The present Capitol Tower building was constructed in 1956 at 1730 Vine Street near Hollywood Boulevard. According to James Bayless, "In February of 1956, Capitol Records reached a long planned-for goal when West Coast operations were consolidated in a new combined studio and office building in Hollywood. The building is unique in a number of ways. It has already become a Hollywood landmark as it is the world's first office building in fthe form of a round tower. Now widely known as the 'Capitol Tower', the building was designed by Welton Becket, noted architect, and is a modern, striking, earthquake-resistant reinforced-concrete structure. It is 13 stories tall and 150' high, the maximum building height permitted in Los Angeles. The decor is in keeping with the outward appearance of the building. The ground floor, the only rectangular part of the building, is actually a separate structure which surrounds the tower and was joined to it after the entire tower was completed. It houses the Recording Department offices, tape-to-disk dubbing rooms, and three recording studios which were designed to be as modern and striking as the building itself."
I had to good fortune to watch Nik Venet, my mentor and partner produce The Chicago Conspiracy Trial at Capitol Records in front of a live audience. Those were the days!
Mary Hopkin's first single was Those Were The Days, released on Apple Records on August 30, 1968
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Posted by mitchsantell at 04:01 PM
March 07, 2007
Charlie Chaplin, Master Composer!
Back in 1943, actor Charlie Chaplin, age 54, marries 18-year-old Oona O'Neill, daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill. Chaplin had a habit of marrying younger women--his first three wives were also teenagers when he married them. The couple spent most of their marriage outside the United States after being denied re-entry to the United States by immigration officials in 1952. Chaplin, an English citizen, was suspected of communist ties. The couple did not return to the United States for 20 years. Instead, they settled in Switzerland, where they raised eight children.
One of Mr. Chaplin's most amazing gifts was the beautiful music he composed for his films. We tip our What's Out Next! hat to you Charlie. Sometimes to look at What's Out Next, you have to look at what came before. Every time I see Charlie Chaplin or hear his music, it simply makes me smile!
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Posted by mitchsantell at 12:52 AM
March 04, 2007
The Power of Artist Development
The Original Ode Label from 1971
Ode Records was a record label started by Lou Adler in 1967 after he sold Dunhill Records to ABC Records. Between 1970 to 1976 Ode was happily distributed by A&M Records. One of the artists at Ode was Carole King. Yesterdday, we did a tribute to a brand new artist Elly. To prove the point of how important it is to support an artist, Carole King Released an album called NOW THAT EVERYTHING'S BEEN SAID. The result? A commercial failure. Next? Carole King Released a follow up album in 1970 called WRITER. The result? Another commercial failure.
The Original Album Photo for Tapestry
Ms. King, a true artist kept going and in 1971 Released TAPESTRY. The result? The album went all the way to Number 1, produced 4 Grammies and remained on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart for over 5 years.
The album sold 10 Million copies in the United States and sold an estimated 22+ Million world wide. As the crowing point to this album, Rolling Stone magazine rated Tapestry #36 on their "500 Greatest Albums of all time!"
It's not to late to go back and do it right! Support those artists both established and new!
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Posted by mitchsantell at 09:53 PM
March 03, 2007
The Power of New Talent
17 Year Old Elly
Elly is only 17 years but our prediction here at What's Out Next is that she has a bright future. How bright? You'll have to wear sunglasses to see it! Elly is the discovery of George Landress. If you don't know George he has as much passion for new talent as he does the music business. Mr. Landress has worked with a who's who of the music business and you can see his full credits here.
Yesterday I asked George about Elly and he stated that "It's time that young pop talent start to put out positive and upbeat messages." We applaud both George and Elly for sharing their passion with us.
Artist Development is the key to long term careers and until more professionals take on the "approach" and "passion" that George Landress has, we will continue to see one hit talent. Don't just sit there, go help some talent!
As Elly would say, is it something about you?
Check out Elly's my space now!
Copyright © 2007 Ambience Music Group. All Rights Reserved.
Posted by mitchsantell at 02:14 PM
March 02, 2007
ASCAP Is Doing Things Right!
The most common question that I receive each and every day is: "Mitch, how do I move my music career forward?" My answer is a question. Ready? Does your net-work? The most common mistake that new people to the music business make is not networking and being mentored by other professionals. This is an important first step. If you look right now at the Billboard Top 100 chart, you'll notice that most of the bigger hits (with real sales) were written by by more than one songwriter. I strongly urge collaboration.
ASCAP which stands for The American Society Of Composwers, Authors and Publishers puts on an event that started last year. The 2007 ASCAP I Create Music Expo is especially amazing because ASCAP is going to allow those who participate in their expo to attend the 24th Annual Pop Music Awards that is being held at the World Famous Kodak Theatre right in the heart of Hollywood!™
So don't just walk, you need to RUN to this event to help you make your dreams come true!
Direct from their web site....
The 2007 ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO — the only national conference dedicated to songwriting and composing — is gearing up to be another one-of-a-kind, must-attend event for music creators across all genres and those that support them. Building upon the success of the sold-out 2006 EXPO, ASCAP has developed a wide array of exciting new opportunities in creating a bigger, more comprehensive and interactive EXPO for 2007.
So simply run to the ASCAP web site and sign up before the conference is sold out! (Click on the ASCAP Graphic at the top of this posting and it will take you to the page)!
Artist: Hinkel Title: Not A Life-Saving Device
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Posted by mitchsantell at 01:42 PM
February 28, 2007
Cancer, Chemotherapy & Dreams
Joe Anderson and his Daughter Laurie Santell
The most important ship that you board in life is called a relationship. For over 21 years, my darling wife Laurie has been the wind beneath my sails. On February 23, 2005 I started happily blogging every day. Then we launched our pod cast "what's out next" that will have new episodes coming soon. As most of you know (our faithful readers) thank you very much.....I am building a new company in Auckland, New Zealand.
Laurie has now completed 4 rounds of Chemotherapy and it went so well that her Surgeon cannot feel the tumor, and it does not show up on Ultrasound! Her next steps are an MRI and a Sugery. The good news is that she gets to keep "her girls" up top. So we are good to go!
Yes, we will have a wholly owned subsidiary in the good old USA, but that is our plan. December 20th was the last post on this blog because my wife was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. It is with great excitement that I announce that starting today, What's Out Next is back in full swing with daily updates every single day about he state of both the Music and Movie business. We will as always share what we feel is that latest cutting edge technology.
There are many people we have to thank for showing up for us since December. First is my Mom, Rickie Santell who was of "emotional, spirtual and financial" help as we sought to get my wife the best medical care. Both my brother in law's Jefree Anderson and Dr. Kenneth Cheng, both of whom helped me more than words could ever describe. To my sister Lisa who was of great spirtual support and also sent an awe inspiring care package to help my wife through this process.
To Kathleen Hanlen Singer and Bruce Singer who carefully and lovingly took personal care of my wife during her Chemotherapy sessions. To Noel Ferguson, my dear partner in New Zealand who turned us on to a wonderful product called Ave and gave us a grand tour of New Zealand so we could set up the new company.
Mitch Santell and Allan Marston at
the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas,
Creating Miracles together!
To Allan Marston, who pushed me through the next steps in getting to New Zealand. Everything I have learned in life helped me over the past 4 months. As my father Richard Santell used to say, "If it's not your wife and it's not your life, it's not worth worrying about!" Thanks DAD for those kind words.
Everyone says now that you are past the chemotherapy, iit's time for a trip to Mexico!
Gorilla by Singer-Songwriter James Taylor was released in 1975
on Warner Brothers Records and Tapes.
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Posted by mitchsantell at 11:02 AM
December 20, 2006
The Story of Warner Brothers Records!
Warner Brothers, as a company, goes back to 1918, when four brothers (Jack, Albert, Harry, and Samuel Warner) opened their first Warner Brothers studio. They incorporated as a production and distribution entity five years later under the name Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. In 1944, they purchased Leon Schlesinger's cartoon studio, Looney Tunes, and became the owners of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and the rest. The Warner Brothers animation division then churned out high quality cartoons, comic books, and shorts for decades, until it was closed in 1963. Meanwhile, Warner Brothers continued to be one of the big Hollywood players in the movie industry.
Following the lead of MGM, who started a record label in the late 1940s, and Paramount, who established ABC-Paramount in 1957, Warner Brothers formed its own Warner Brothers Records as a division of Warner Brothers Studios on March 19, 1958. The office was located above the film studio's machine shop at 3701 Warner Blvd. in Burbank, California. The President of the label was James B. Conklin. Directors of A&R were Harris Ashburn, George Avakian and Bob Prince. The Warner Brothers label initially recorded pop, jazz, classical, spoken word, folk and gospel.
Over the years, it had not bothered Warner Brothers too much that they didn't have a record company, but it was in early 1957, when Randy Wood's Dot Records signed Warners' movie star Tab Hunter to a recording contract, that the Warner Brothers brass started seeing red. Wood could sign Hunter because although his Warner Brothers contract was exclusive, Warners had no record label. In fact, the timing of when Warner Brothers started their record label was very much linked to their getting their star's recording contract away from Dot. Hunter, who by his own admission could barely sing at all, was coached by Wood to make a few passable records which were major hits in 1957, while Warners steamed. When Warner Brothers finally got their record label off the ground in 1958, they reclaimed Tab Hunter, who made several albums for the label and had a few singles in the mid-ranges of the charts, although nothing like the success he had had with Dot. In fact, Tab Hunter's "Jealous Heart" [WB 5008], which only made #62 on the charts, was the only chart record Warner Brothers had during its first year, 1958.
On the album side in 1960, comedian Bob Newhart scored a #1 album with The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, the success of which started Warner Brothers to look around for other comedians to sign to record contracts. Eventually, Warner Brothers would become one of the most successful in the comedy album genre, with stars like Allan Sherman and Bill Cosby also becoming household names by 1965.
The early 1970s saw the Warner Brothers label grow to the major label it had always aspired to become. New artists included rockers Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Grateful Dead, Ides of March, Alice Cooper, and the Faces. On the more acoustic side, there was James Taylor, Seals and Crofts, Dion, and America. Also added were soul bands Tower of Power and Malo as well as pop/soul singer Dionne Warwick. By 1973, Warner Brothers was firmly ensconced in a leadership position in the music industry, and that is where they remain today.
As we continue to educate you all on some of the history behind the music biz, we want to thank Mike Callahan who wrote the original WB Records Story. Of course at What's Out Next we say it may all be a Spinning Wheel!!
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Posted by mitchsantell at 05:41 PM
December 19, 2006
The Grammy Vs. The RIAA
It always amazes me how one organization can have a positive reputation and the other a negative reputation. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) is committed to building the music business through their non-profit educational foundation. In fact their mission statement from their web site states: "The GRAMMY Foundation was established in 1989 to cultivate an awareness, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of
recorded music American culture – from the artistic and technical legends of the past to the still unimagined musical breakthroughs of the future generations of the music professionals. The GRAMMY Foundation works in partnership with its founder, the Recording Academy, to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural legacy."
Now, if you look at our friends at the RIAA, their web site states: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Its mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes our members' creative and
financial vitality. Its members are the record companies that comprise the most vibrant national music industry in the world. RIAA members create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 90% of all legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States.
For those of you aggressively tracking royalties right now both songwriters and publishers including the Songwriters Guild of America (SGA) and the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) are pushing for an increase in "mechanical royalties ," which is currently at 9.1 cents. This
makes sense to me.
On the other hand you have the RIAA who when not harassing consumers who purchase music by suing small kids, is pushing for a decrease.
Hmmm , maybe the Grammy people should become the PR firm for the RIAA and fire all of them. Just a thought!
Posted by mitchsantell at 09:44 AM
