Television seems to be taking the center spot and is responsible for even driving music sales and exposure for artists. Over the years, labels and publishers avoided TV pacts, but with everyone in the industry looking for new ways of making profits, topped off with radio making its way to a slow death and music videos on MTV and VH1 being more or less rare – TV has now become a fairly important source for labels’ marketing departments.
A good example is when Mamie Coleman, VP of music and production for Fox Broadcasting spread the word to music labels and publishers of the need for a new upbeat tune for its January promotional campaign for American Idol and 24. The overwhelming response is evidence of the big impact of TV on the music production industry.
The profits can be huge. Veterans of American Idol have currently sold close to 40 million records, and have under their belt 60 number one hits and 14 platinum albums – all these are just for one TV show.
However, not all situations are win-win. Music deal-making is extremely complicated, with all parties tussling over the use of music, be it in snippets versus the entire tune, the most crucial of which are those deals that involve the internet and home video rights.
Major labels have so far shunned digital distribution, but now, with the shift in power, some major players have managed to get into the game with very low upfront costs and without the need to make use of manufacturing or distribution infrastructures.
Coleman says, “We have so much direct contact with the labels and publishers now. We are always getting people telling us they have the perfect song for ‘House’ or a great song for ‘Idol’. A lot of labels have performances for us in their offices, and when we like what we hear, we sign a deal right then and there.”
Guest Post by Adrian Jilikian of Signal Television
As the internet has evolved has come the evolution of just what can be created with it. With the faster speeds and more accessibility to that faster speed has come the ability to watch television over the internet. All of the major internet companies are jumping into internet television industry and with this has ensued a huge battle between them.
The big battle has been between Fox and Cablevision as Fox has demanded some kind of compensation for their ability to be able to show their programs. Google has also gotten into the battle as networks have put a block on their ability to show their programs through Google TV. It is all become fodder for the big broadcasting networks as more and more of them are starting to have agreements with web based sites in order to be able to broadcast their programming online.
In a recent edition of the Washington Post, Marvin Ammori, a professor of law at the University of Nebraska said that ‘the future of television will hang in the balance in the next year.’ He went on to say that internet television is going to be like iTunes where consumers will be able to pick the songs that they want to hear. Internet television companies are going to be able to have the ability to allow users to have unfilitered and unblocked access to content. Ammori went on to say that the FCC is going to have to come up with ‘net neutrality’ and rules to prevent companies from blocking access to shows.
Youth entertainment, like The Chronicles of Narnia, Twilight, and Hannah Montana depend less on one-off actors and instead rely heavily on huge multi-year contracts. The cast is a crucial factor and can or break a movie or TV show. They have to commit a good part of their childhood to the characters they are playing. These, in turn, are the embodiment of the brand created for the production and are the life and soul of it. For instance, the Harry Potter series would not survive the loss of its star, Daniel Radcliffe.
Disney and Nickelodeon, in terms of children’s TV tend to follow more organized production schedules, aimed at minimizing work stress.
Paula Kaplan, Nickelodeon’s executive VP for talent says, “We respect the balance between work life and personal life. In our adult world, nobody accommodates us for down time. But in a child’s life on a set, we do take that seriously. At our studios on Sunset Boulevard, where we shoot ‘iCarly’ and ‘Victorious,’ the greenrooms are filled with games and Rock Band. We create an environment where they can have fun with their colleagues and take it easy.”
There is quite a bit of legal framework in place in terms of children’s workdays if you would like to call it that. Labor laws restrict their number of workdays, outline relaxation periods and breaks that must be built into production schedules, and a certain amount of breaks are also called for between dismissal and call-back. On top of all these regulations, children’s schooling ‘must’ take place during the week.
“Epic Mickey” is a video game that could see the return of Mickey Mouse to life. Not that Mickey was ever dead, but as Warren Spector put it “He’s an image, and he’s an icon, but he’s not a character anymore”. Spector is the VP and creative director of Junction Point Studios, the Disney division in charge of making the game. He is also known as the creator of vidgame franchises such as “Deus Ex,” “Thief: Deadly Shadows” and “System Shock.” His creativity in the field as well being a huge fan of the mouse were the reasons he was handed the project.
In the story line, Mickey is Kidnapped and Taken to Cartoon Wasteland, a place where all of Disney’s rejected creativity lives. Mickey is equipped with a paintbrush and thinner which he uses to interact with the environment. As he goes along creating and destroying environments and items Mickey ends up unleashing an enemy. The game also features long forgotten characters such as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Walt Disney lost the rights to this character in 1928, long before Mickey was born, but Disney CEO Bob Iger’s personal efforts have seen him reappear in this game. Oswald is portrayed as an antagonist who hates the success Mickey has achieved and also the love Walt had for him. One of the main goals in the game is the redemption of Oswald.
Mickey’s portrayal as someone who’s not afraid to start a fight in this game has lead to doubts of acceptance by all, especially children. In reply to that Graham Hopper, exec VP-general manager of Disney Interactive Studios said he didn’t believe there was risk, he added “We designed the game for a certain demographic, this game won’t be easily played by a 4- to 5-year-old”.
Today was the return of AI! “American Idol” is back! The 10th season of the hit show began the signup process today in Nashville. Crowds braved the near 90 degree heat and turned up 10,000 strong at the Bridgestone Arena. The signup process will continue till Saturday and the auditions will begin at a later date.This year is milestone for “Idol” in many ways. First of all it is the show’s 10th season and for any TV show to make it through 10 years is a big achievement indeed. Next, the show has dropped its minimum age limit to 15, so you can expect Justin Bieber lookalikes and tiny-teeny-boppers to swamp the show (or at least the auditions).
Last of all, the missing Cowell factor could be telling on the ratings of the show. Hated or loved, Simon Cowell was the backbone of “Idol”. His decision to leave the show, while prudent on his part, may be the worst thing that ever happened to the show. With ratings steadily sliding over the last few years, the exit of Cowell was the last thing “Idol” needed. For reasons unknown, his replacement is still not evident. Neither is news on the future of Randy Jackson; whether we will see the “Dawg” return for season 10 or not remains on how contract negotiations concluded.
Since FOX has kept mum on the subject, we could see a double replacement for the male judges in the coming days.”American Idol” is scheduled to make audition stops at – Milwaukee, New Orleans, East Rutherford, Austin, and San Francisco.
This year, Miley Cyrus will say goodbye to her alter ego “Hannah Montana” as the show draws to a close. It appears to be according to Miley’s wishes, as the star is eager to move on to bigger and better things.
Four years ago a relative nobody made her debut on the comedy series along with her (somewhat washed up) father. Since then Miley’s career in music has skyrocketed and the star has released three very successful albums. She has also starred in a movie, “The Last song”, and is looking forward to her role opposite Demi Moore in the indie flick “LOL”. Even Billy Ray Cyrus owes the revival of his career to the show. The Country Music star is getting ready for an album release later this year as well as a tour plan.
Neither is leaving the show with bad feelings; in fact their intention is to move on to bigger and better things. Miley stated that she can’t keep doing material for six year olds as her focus has shifted to a much (relatively) older audience. In fact “LOL” is as far from a “Hannah Montana” audience as it can get. But the star wanted to have some closure and felt that the fans deserved it too, hence the agreement to do a final season.
The final season of “Hannah Montana” will feature lots of surprises and guests. New cast members include a horse and guests include Jay Leno, Dr. Phil McGraw, Sheryl Crowe, Christine Taylor and Kelly Ripa.
Actor Charlie Sheen has put an end to months of speculation by releasing a statement saying “I’m looking forward to returning to my CBS home on Monday nights”. The 44 year old star of the hit sitcom “Two and a Half Men”, has signed a contract which will keep him on the show for a further two seasons.
The future of “Two and a Half Men” was in doubt due to two separate events. One was the due to the domestic violence charges brought against him. The actor pleaded “not guilty” to the charges that refer to the incident that took place on Christmas Day and involved his wife Brooke Mueller Sheen. The other issue was his desire to leave the show. After seven years, Sheen felt that the schedule and the demands of the sitcom were too much and wanted to refocus on his movie career. In that regard, he secured a role in the sequel to the hugely successful 1987 movie “Wall Street”, called “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”.
However, all those issues seem to be past him as he has now agreed to return to the show that CBS renewed for three years last year. The renewal came as a surprise to many as they knew that Sheen’s contract ended this year and he hadn’t committed to any furthered seasons. The reports that Sheen held out for a $2 million per episode payout have not been confirmed as yet.
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.
