MIDEM(Net) Blog

MIDEM Preview interview: David Eun, Google

In this, the first of a series of interviews from MIDEM's official Preview magazine, Julian Newby speaks to MidemNet headline speaker David Eun, Google's vice-president of content partnerships.

David Eun manages Google’s relationships with content-owners around the world. The former Time Warner and NBC exec is also closely involved in the development of new content-driven products and services. In his MidemNet keynote, Eun promises to examine “the fruitful and cutting-edge partnerships” that Google is forging with record labels, music publishers, artists and fans.

What will be the theme of your MidemNet address?
I’m very honoured to be given the opportunity to speak at Midemnet. I look forward to talking about how YouTube is revolutionising the way in which consumers access music, while creating compelling new partnership opportunities globally.

What else will you be doing in Cannes?
I hope to meet with many current and potential partners.

What is YouTube's offer to the average music fan?
YouTube is the number-one video site in the world and, although we are not a music-streaming site, we probably stream more videos containing music than any other site. That’s because we offer both produced content from our music partners and user-generated content incorporating licensed music tracks.

MIDEM 2008 Learnings: Images & Brands workshop

In this final recap of MidemNet/MIDEM 2008 sessions, Christophe Caurret and Natasha Kizzie, music and entertainment experts of advertising agency Euro RSCG BETC, reveal "Five top tips to Mind the Gap between Music and Brands."

This document summarises the findings of this special MIDEM workshop, whose objective was to identify and propose solutions for the main stumbling blocks in the dialogue between the music community and brands/their advertising agencies.

Among the questions covered by this "life beyond the sync" session were:

- Why are brands seeking out creative partnerships with artists?
- Why it is important to understand the difference between an ATL and BTL agency?
- What do you need to know as a brand operating in the music space?

Download Images_Brands_Mind_The_Gap_MIDEM_2008.pdf

Welcome back!

The MidemNet Blog is now back up and running for a second season. In the months prior to next January’s MidemNet digital music conference, this blog will more than ever be the place to discover the insights of leading thinkers such as renowned tech blogger Gerd Leonhard, iTunes & Coke Music consultant Denzyl Fiegelson, mobile music pioneer Ralph Simon and more.

It will also feature exclusive videos of MidemNet and MIDEM conferences past and present (YouTube’s Chad Hurley & Bebo’s Joanna Shields to name just two), plus in-depth industry news, interviews and analysis from StrategyEye.

Most importantly, MidemNet Blog remains the place to debate the music industry’s most pressing issues; so please, comment away!

More MIDEM highlights: Music Marketing Forum transcript

13 music-meets-brands experts also convened behind closed doors at MIDEM to discuss how to improve relationships between the music and brands sectors. Click below for the findings of the first ever Music Marketing Forum!

Download midem_music_marketing_forum_2008_summary_report.doc

More MIDEM highlights: Jim Griffin workshop transcript

Digital distribution guru Jim Griffin was one of MIDEM 2008's most sought-after opinion leaders; you can find the full - and extensive! - transcript of his International Manager Summit workshop here:

Download midem_manager_summit_workshop_jim_griffin.doc

Thank you!

Thank you all for making the 2008 MidemNet Forum such a resounding success. You can find full conference  reports in the online versions of the MIDEM News magazines (especially issue 1); meanwhile watch this space for more exclusive MidemNet Blog  comment and content (including videos)... and feel free to carry on sharing your post-event thoughts right here!

Janus Friis: Disruption is not destruction!

In this exclusive midemnet blog interview, MidemNet keynote Janus Friis, co-founder of Joost, Kazaa and Skype , explains why internet TV platform Joost – of which he is also chairman - can be a boon for music companies; and why its OK to call him a ‘disruptor’... if it’s in the positive sense of the word!

Why did you agree to speak at the MidemNet Forum? What message do you hope to put across?
It’s a good opportunity for us. Joost is a platform for all kinds of video content, but in music terms, you find not only standard music videos, but also footage of big events, like concerts, for example. Joost is a platform which allows anyone to reach a global audience [launched October 2007, it has already attracted 5 million users worldwide, ed]. It’s all about legitimate content, above all. We already have deals with many labels; Warner, Universal and indies like Beggars Group to name a few.

What can Joost do for the music industry?
Kazaa led to five years of litigation with the music business… so that’s given us a bunch of experience and understanding… but not that that’s directly related to what we’re doing now. If you look at MTV in its heyday, it was a very good promoter of music. Nowadays, the way TV works, it’s not easy to create a TV channel. With us, you can programme your own channels and reach a global audience immediately; lots of labels are already posting concert and backstage footage, artist profiles… and, of course, music videos. Music does very well on Joost, as a lot of our demographic is young and male. So it’s worth labels’ effort to post videos because Joost is a legitimate way to use the internet to create a good music experience online; plus, it provides revenue for content owners, with whom we divide advertising revenue.

Music Week Q&A: Harvey Goldsmith

At risk of stating the obvious, Harvey Goldsmith is one of the most important people in the live music business today; a reputation the recent Led Zeppelin reunion gig at London's O2 did little to harm. The managing director of Artiste Management Productions (and MidemNet Visionary Chair Committee member) answers  Music Week's questions right here, right now...

What most excites you about the digital music space at the moment?
How much it’s expanding and opening up new opportunities.

What do you see as the biggest untapped source of value within music, and who is best placed to reap the benefits?
Back catalogues, the catalogue value of all those big record companies, that are still untapped. Everybody can benefit from it; the writers, whoever’s going to record the stuff, the artists and the record companies. With the live industry so healthy and all these people going on tour, I don’t think any of the major record companies, or even the medium-sized companies, have really made the most of their catalogues.

If you could fix one thing in the music industry in 2008, what would it be?
Outlaw the secondary ticket market and take the word ‘ticket’ off ebay’s inventory.

Are the solutions to the music industry’s problems more likely to be found by those within the traditional industry, or by people outside of it?
I think basically the industry is changing a lot, nothing sits still, it’s constantly evolving, so a new breed of people coming to the industry will have new ideas and new ways of doing things with don’t necessarily balance with the traditional. Those traditionalists that are open enough to take into account what’s coming will survive, those that are dyed in the wool won’t survive. Having people that are completely outside of the industry to solve all the problems, I don’t buy that at all. Having accountants and people who can go through a big company staff list and say "you don’t need this, you don’t need that, that’s fine"... but for 99% of companies that’s not a problem. It’s only the four big companies that have that problem. Everybody else is lean and mean in the main. It’s about change and evolution, it’s not about people coming in - consultants and busybodies - telling you how to run your business.

What was your favourite song/album of the past 12 months?
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (Raising Sound, Rounder Music).

Which is the company or executive to watch in 2008?
That’s an interesting one. I’ll have to think about that...

Thom Yorke and David Byrne get WIRED

WIRED - whose editor-in-chief Chris Anderson sits on MidemNet's Visionary Chair Committee - has just proved once again why it is so essential: if you haven't yet read the exclusive chat between Radiohead's Thom Yorke (left) and former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, get over there now! Byrne's analysis of old and new artist deal models is equally insightful...

Yorke's choice quote: "In terms of digital income, we've made more money out of this record ['In Rainbows'] than out of all the other Radiohead albums put together, forever — in terms of anything on the Net. And that's nuts. It's partly due to the fact that EMI wasn't giving us any money for digital sales. All the contracts signed in a certain era have none of that stuff.

Byrne's choice quote: "The future of music as a career is wide open [...] what we now call a record label could be replaced by a small company that funnels income and invoices from the various entities and keeps the accounts in order."

 

Photo: James Day

Music Week Q&A: Ali Partovi, iLike

In this second Music Week Q&A, Ali Partovi, CEO of iLike - notably makers of Facebook's most-used music application - tells the UK trade title why he's positive about the future. Also, Partovi's interview with midemnetblog is here!

What most excites you about the digital music space at the moment?
The pace of change!  Every week there are new challenges and new perspectives to consider, so you have to continuously question your assumptions and stay extremely agile.

What do you see as the biggest untapped source of value within music, and who is best placed to reap the benefits?
For sales of recorded music, I think ring-back tones have untapped potential, and longevity because there's no easy way to "pirate" them. At least in the US, they're poorly marketed and difficult to purchase. A carrier that improves the user experience and marketing, perhaps working with a social-networking partner, is best placed to capture this opportunity.