Pan American Television

Music has always been a part of conventional radio for a long time now until MTV invaded our homes and revolutionized the way music was presented to newer generations. And now, it is the turn of the internet to take over the place that television snatched away from conventional radio so long ago. Ironically, this is in the form of streaming radio and is generally offered for free over the internet.

While there are several genres that one can listen to as well a mix of the top music of the week, there is one genre that is a billion dollar industry and literally stands on its own apart from mainstream music, and is known as gospel music.

Musicians such as Ron Kenoly, Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, DC Talk and Petra revolutionized every sub-genre of Christian music forever apart from the traditional devotional music offering that has been a part of the music industry for sometime to come.

And with the advent of internet radio, people from all over the world can now listen to both the oldies as well as the latest music released by (most probably) CCM in the United States as well as in the United Kingdom.

And just like the best things in life come for free, one can listen to streaming radio for no cost at all.

Christian music has evolved into a billion dollar industry ever since the explosion of contemporary music that has imbibed sounds that resonates with regular pop and rock music in the mainstream music scene today.

Not only has the way people view devotional music changed, with these developments, but the medium by which one can listen to this kind of music has evolved too. Of course, with the internet finding more and more relevance to our lives just by the clicking of a few buttons, more and more people are taking a fancy to the multimedia offerings that the World Wide Web has in store for them and specifically in the form of online music that is available for 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Not only do they play the latest songs that have been released by Christian artists but they also play music that some people cannot get a hold of in countries outside the United States. However, with the huge audience that is available over the internet, it also bodes well for promotional activity for these artists as well.

In the broader genre of gospel music, there are several subgenres that have evolved over the last few decades. With Black Gospel and Praise & Worship music being music that has the traditional tag, Christian Rock, Pop, and Rap that obviously appeals to a younger generation have also found their way onto online radio, and is here to stay.

So, not only does the listener get to listen to their kind of music but are also encouraged to experiment with other types of music that fall within their area of interests.

This is a guest post from Daniel Horne

I had to take more elective classes for school one semester and there were a variety of online classes to choose. Since I have never taken an online class before and it was only an elective, I was willing to give it a shot. I signed up for Music Appreciation. I have always had an appreciation for music, what I heard on the radio anyways, and figured this class would be an easy A and help boost my grade point average. Boy was I wrong. The whole class started out bad. I could not get to the website I needed. After I found that, I couldn’t watch any of the videos that the instructor had posted. They would just stop in the middle and never start back up again. I called my instructor who informed me that it was most likely my internet connection. I told him that it shouldn’t be a problem because I had cable internet and he suggested that I give hughs net a try. That afternoon I called hughes in SC and the next day had satellite internet installed in my apartment. Since then I have always been able to watch the course required movies. I have had no trouble uploading and downloading files and while I wasn’t right about this class being an easy A, it is easier now that I can access the material properly.

Last night was the Finale for season 9 of American Idol and also Simon Cowell’s last night on the show. Simon is is leaving the show to start his US version of X-Factor which is a music contest show similar to American Idol with him being one of the judges. The show has been a hit in the UK for several years. It is not known who the judges will be on the version of X-Factor, but it was rumored that Simon was in talks with Victoria Beckham.  It is also has not been decided who would be replacing Simon next year at American Idol.

On the Finale, Lee Dewyze was crowned the winner and Crystal Bowersox took 2nd place. It was a surprise to many that Crystal did not win as on the night before, the judges seemed to favor Crystal as the winner. Ryan Seacrest announced that the winner won with a difference of 2% in the votes.

Several artists performed at the final, including Alice Cooper, Bee Gees, Christina Aguilera, Alanis Morrissette, Hall & Oats, Joe Cocker, Brett Michaels, Chicago, Janet Jackson, Kris Allen and Carrie Underwood. In addition, several group performances included past American Idol winners and top 10 finalists.

Paula Abdul also was present at the show and came on stage to speak about Simon’s departure.

Over the years the ratings have been steadily dropping for “American Idol” and the juggernaut is not what it used to be. But it still packs a solid punch when it comes to making money.

According to research by the Forbes Magazine, “American Idol” is the number one show when measured in ad revenue sales. For every half hour it broadcasts, the show makes $8.1 million purely out of ad sales. The research does not try to discover “which is the most profitable show?”, but rather which show has the most power in dictating ad prices.

The research broke the time slots into 30 minute segments so that sitcoms, dramas and reality shows could be compared with each other on an equal basis. It also disregarded all sports shows in its survey. The difference between the number one and two spots was a whopping $5 million. Sitting at number two was troubled actor Charlie Sheen’s “Two and a Half Men”. The sitcom is the only one from its genre to even make it to the top ten.

Taking the third spot with $3 million was “24″ the drama series from Fox. The show is in its final season, which probably accounts for the large ad revenue. The fourth spot is tied between an alien sci-fi and medical drama. ABC’s “V” and “Grey’s Anatomy” rake in $2.8 million each. The ad revenue ratings could play a great part in the future of certain shows. “V” is close to its season finale and so far no confirmation has been made of a second season.

It stood for seven long years before Taio Cruz broke the record for the biggest jump to the number one slot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. The British newcomer floated 52 places to the top with his collaboration with Ludacris titled “Break your heart” and is a record for the biggest jump by an act with their first chart single. Previously, the record was helped by the first American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, for her victory song “A moment like this” back in 2002 when it jumped 52 places.

Cruz knocked the Black Eyed Peas from the top slot after which the BEP single “Imma be” dropped down to the fifth slot after two weeks at the top. The act most disappointed by this turn of affairs would be country trio Lady Antebellum, who rose to the number two spot with “Need you now” by dislodging Young Money’s “Bedrock”, who in turn slipped to third. If not for Cruz they would be reigning in the top spot. But all is not lost; Lady Antebellum just might hit number one next week if the predicted drop in sales for Cruz does come about.

Waiting in the wings is also Rihanna’s “Rude boy”, currently in the number four slot. Rihanna’s track has been gathering momentum and could spoil the party for Cruz and Lady Antebellum. Ke$ha dropped two places to number six with “Tik tok” and Train dropped one slot to end at number seven with “Hey Soul Sister”. By climbing two places Jason Derulo claimed the number eight slot with “In my head” and the exhibitionist, Lady Gaga fell down to the ninth spot on the charts with “Bad romance”.

Just when you thought the quirky and complaining Jerry Seinfeld was gone for good from TV, he’s back! But this time it’s not a sitcom at least not in theory. What transpires in the “Marriage Ref” does seem sitcom-ish and potentially scripted, but it is not.

The show does not pretend to be anything other than its shallow self and is about squabbling couples who come forward to present their issues to three celebrity judges, who in turn give their verdict on who is right or wrong. Throw in lots of comments from the judges along the way and you’ve got a recipe for a funny show.

The sneak peek so far has revealed a potentially funny show with Seinfeld, Kelly Ripa and Alec Baldwin as the initial judges. However, the judges will change as the show goes along and Larry David, Ricky Gervais and Madonna are all slated to appear on the show. The mediator will be Tom Papa.

Do not expect this show to be anything as enlightening as the Oprah show, as it only intends to provide a comic look at squabbling couples. Like, for instance, in the sneak peek a wife has a problem with her husband who has installed a stripper pole in the bedroom and another does not want their not-so-favorite dog to be stuffed and placed in their home.

So, as you can see this is not very intellectual stuff but merely some reality TV that will bring you some laughs.

Twenty five years after it first swamped the world “We are the world” is back in all its glory and with an all new cast of singers. The original was designed to be a benefit single for African famine relief and was penned by Lionel Richie and the late Michael Jackson. The duo was given the task of writing the song by Harry Belafonte and Ken Kragen.

Richie is once again part of the song, this time as a conductor along with Quincy Jones who was also an integral part of the 1985 effort. “We are the World: 25 for Haiti” was initially not designed for the Haitian earthquake relief efforts, but with the unfortunate events that unfolded in Haiti, Richie and Jones decided to transform the commemorative effort into one that would once again be about relief.

The new version of the song features over 75 artists, updated lyrics and music. It also has a rap segment and a duet between Michael & Janet Jackson. The song was unveiled during the broadcast of the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics on NBC. All of the proceeds generated by the song will be channeled through the We Are the World Foundation to support the relief efforts in Haiti.

The earthquake hit on January 12, 2010 leaving the country devastated with millions homeless. The death toll is eventually expected to top 200,000 in number.

The video, directed by Paul Haggis and the single, are available for purchase on iTunes.