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April 23, 2007

Apple Share Increasing: The Tipping Point!

According to Robin Bloor a writer for IT-Director.com, Apple is now at the tipping point. According to Mr. Bloor:

"We are witnessing a tipping point in the PC market. Apple now has 5% of the US market, which may seem small, but that 5% punches well above its weight because Apple focuses on the home market—that 5% is more like 15% of the people that actually choose their PCs (in the corporations you get what you are given) and at current rates of growth that 15% will be 30% in the US in about 2 years, unless Apple's momentum slows. Now consider the fact that the US market drives PC buying trends in the rest of the world to some degree and Apple's momentum comes more into focus."

Having just attened the "ASCAP-I CREATE MUSIC" EXPO, it is very evident that Apple has the lead. While there were a few PC's around, all I saw were Apple laptops flooding the conference! (Mitch Santell)

It's all about Good Times!

Risque by Chic was the first track on their third album, Good Times released January 1, 1979.

Posted by mitchsantell at 01:52 PM

April 20, 2007

THE ASCAP CONFERENCE IS HERE!

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.

Right now as you are reading this entry, I am attending the 2007 ASCAP I create music. The first 24 hours have been a whirlwind of activiy contacts and workshops. Last night Randy Newman provided 90 minutes of performance, insights and ideas to almost 1000 musical professionals and new artists, producers and others from around the world.

If you recall, I invited all of you who read this blog to attend. Cost? About 350 dollars for the 3 day event. Now that I am through with the next phase of Movie Capital Limited, you'll be seeing more posts on a more regular basis. No worries. Now go do your dream!

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 like no other single event I have ever attended in the musiz Biz, so I expect to see you all at next year's conference.

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.

At What's Out Next we always say that SUCCESS IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR!

Artist: Hinkel Title: Not A Life-Saving Device

Posted by mitchsantell at 02:55 PM

April 02, 2007

EMI & Apple Sign DRM Free Deal!

At What's Out Next we received news from various news sources, this one came to us from Black Friars Marketing. When we first looked this up, we thought it was an April fools joke, but considering it's now April 2nd, this is real, so read on and smile.............

Record label EMI and Apple have reached an agreement that allows Apple's iTunes store to carry a significant portion of EMI's music catalog without Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions. The new DRM-free AAC files will sell for a premium price, $1.29 a song, allowing that music to be played on many third-party music players, not just iPods. For those who don't want to pay for the higher quality or lack of DRM, the same songs will be available including Apple's Fairplay DRM for $0.99. Buyers who purchase albums will automatically get the higher quality versions without DRM.

From a marketing point of view, we see this move as smart on both EMI's and Apple's part. For EMI, its higher-quality DRM-free music is now differentiated in a way that could dramatically increase its revenue and increase album sales over the less-profitable singles. For Apple, it now has a deal that proves that Jobs' claim to oppose DRM is real and differentiates Apple's services significantly from the draconian DRM restrictions Microsoft places on its music and video. And without as many DRM shackles to enforce, Apple has the potential to further simplify the user experience for its customers.

Most record labels will see this as a ground-breaking, dangerous experiment. But with CD sales down 20% this year, they had to do something. And kudos to Jobs and Apple for having the courage to call for the end of DRM and the business drive to make it happen. It's one small step for music, but one giant leap for consumer fair use rights in the digital age. We look forward to other labels following suit.

At What's Out Next, we say "hey man, give this a go!" Apple may save the music business yet and may the last DJ you'll ever need.

Posted by mitchsantell at 11:54 AM