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The divide between streaming and downloading was made clear this week by the the two biggest stars of the hitsdailydouble chart.
Kenny Chesney beat Drake to the number 1 position. Kenny sold 233,841 copies of his new “Here and Now.” Most of the sales were CDs or paid downloads. Streaming was about 5% of sales.
Drake sold 225,783 copies and most of it was from streaming. About it 10% came from downloads. “Dark Lane Demo Tapes” does not come in physical form. As with most rap and hip hop or urban, there are no CDs to commemorate the album’s existence. It’s just…in the air.
And so these two new releases tell the definitive story of how music is selling these days. Chesney skews older, country and white. Drake is younger, with an urban audience. Older fans do want the music in their phones or iTouch’s or computers or iPads. They want the CD, too.
It’s funny. Drake is a superstar. If I were young, I’d want a complete collection of his “albums” that I could look at, read the liner notes, lyrics, etc. But his fans don’t seem to care about that. I guess it’s also generational. I think even at this advanced age I’d like to have the Drake CDs with some information to read along with the songs.
Anyway, with all this success Kenny Chesney can now afford sleeves. And I don’t mean record sleeves. (Kids, those were white envelopes that protected the album inside the cardboard cover…Oh, never mind.)
Spike Lee thanks Tina Sinatra for letting him use her father’s famous recording of Kander and Ebb’s “New York, New York” for his wonderful short film. You will cry and applaud at the end of it.
There are so many great Spike Lee moments in film, like the whole dancing scene in “Blackkklansman” or the crack house in “Jungle Fever” set to Stevie Wonder’s “Living in the City.” In this video, at about 1:50, a basketball hoop turns into the clock over the information booth in Grand Central. That’s when this film reminded me of Pennebaker’s “Daybreak Express.” It’s magical.
Eugene Hernandez, new director of the New York Film Festival (but long time on the staff) Tweeted his thoughts about this year’s get together.
Hernandez writes: “A lot to consider — our city is still in crisis — NYFF58 will be different. We’re exploring in-person & digital experiences for 2020, watching films & making selections.”
The festival is set for September 25th through October 11th. They’ve just announced their programming team, and are taking submissions. This won’t be easy. All movie production stopped around March 15th, if not before. A lot of films that would have been ready by September aren’t done and won’t be finished in time for the festival.
Knowing Eugene, he’ll figure something out, but it’s not going to be your grandmother’s New York Film Festival. He can take his cues from the cancelled Tribeca and Cannes Film Festivals. Venice is now up in the air, even though they say they’re putting on a show. (I seriously doubt it.)
Also in purgatory right now are Telluride, and Toronto. The latter is really in jeopardy. Earlier this week, the Toronto Music Festival, which follows the film festival in September, cancelled. A top TIFF source told me this week: “Canadian Music Week announced the cancellation of their festival yesterday. Although their festival takes place in September, they are working from a live entertainment business model that is very different from ours. We are still planning a modified version of Festival this September and are exploring a number of scenarios, including digital models, as well as adjustments to the physical aspect of Festival knowing that social distancing measures will likely still be mandated by government. We’ll be in a better position to share what Festival will look like for 2020 later in June.”
Eugene also said in his Tweet that in June there would be more NYFF info. I think everyone’s hoping the sun comes out, the heat kills the virus, movies theaters open, and we all sing “Kumbaya.” I know I keep dreaming that will happen.
Meantime, here’s the updated structure of the festival. They’ve added some new features. I hope we get to see them!
The MAIN SLATE, which is the heart and historic core of the festival, brings together the films that promise to define the year in cinema. The selection committee for this section will be Dennis Lim (Chair), Florence Almozini, K. Austin Collins, Eugene Hernandez (NYFF Director), and Rachel Rosen.
A new section called CURRENTS will be added to the lineup and is designed to complement the Main Slate. The CURRENTS section traces a more complete picture of contemporary cinema, with an emphasis on new and innovative forms and voices. The section will present a diverse offering of short and feature-length work by filmmakers and artists working at the vanguard of the medium. The newly formed selection committee for this section will be Dennis Lim (Chair), Florence Almozini, Aily Nash, and Tyler Wilson.
The new SPOTLIGHT section will be NYFF’s showcase of sneak previews, gala events, screenings with live or performance elements, guest-curated selections and other special evenings. This section will be programmed by Eugene Hernandez and Dennis Lim.
The REVIVALS section connects cinema’s rich past to its dynamic present through an eclectic assortment of new restorations, titles selected by the festival’s filmmakers, rarities, and more. This section will be programmed by Florence Almozini and Dan Sullivan.
The TALKS section will supplement NYFF’s screenings with a series of free and ticketed panel discussions and in-depth conversations with a wide range of guests. This section will be programmed by Eugene Hernandez, Devika Girish, and Madeline Whittle.
Bob Dylan — I wonder if he knew today was the 55th anniversary of his famous video for “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” At midnight he sent out the news of a third new single– “False Prophet”– and his first new album of original music called “Rough and Rowdy Days.” It’s set for June 19th release. Dylan’s last album of new songs was 2012’s “Tempest.” The new album will contain the two recent singles, the 17 minute long “Murder Most Foul,” and “I Contain Multitudes.” On the CD, “Murder Most Foul” will be a second CD unto itself.
“False Prophet” is a stompin’ blues number with some great gruff Dylan vocals and sweet guitar. It’s a balm for a day that sees some other, far less interesting releases.
Yes, yes, today is the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ “Let it Be.” But something else happened of even greater importance 55 years ago on May 8, 1965.
In the alley behind London’s Savoy Hotel, director DA Pennebaker shot what would turn out to be the most influential music video of all time, Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” Pennebaker was following Dylan around on his 1965 UK tour, making the documentary that would become “Dont Look Back,” still the greatest music doc of all time. Dylan was traveling with Joan Baez and with folk singer Donovan. There were other famous names in their party, including the Beat poet Allan Ginsberg and producer Bob Neuwirth.
The single had been released in March and was already a hit with the opening lines “Johnny’s in the basement/mixing up the medicine.” Dylan wanted to have a video clip that could be played for promotion. Pennebaker’s widow, filmmaker Chris Hegedus, recalls that the filmmaker “had seen something on the British music show Ready Steady Go using cards.” The plan was hatched. Donovan, Pennebaker said, was particularly good at making the cards.
“They carried the cards all over London. They were going to shoot on a rooftop, but it was too windy. They tried a park, that didn’t work. They settled on the alley behind the Savoy Hotel.” (You can see the failed attempts below.)
Ginsberg and Neuwirth can be seen in the video, which only lasts 2 minutes and 19 seconds. They’re having a conversation off to the side, seemingly oblivious to what Dylan is doing tossing the cards on the ground. At the end they just walk away in different directions.
Hegedus recalls, “When Penny was editing “Dont Look Back” he needed something to open with. And that was it.”
This short film has become the most influential, parodied, satirized, and copied music video of all time. Hegedus says she and Pennebaker even referred to in two of their own films. Among the places odes to Pennebaker’s work have turned up are in Tim Robbins’ “Bob Roberts,” and in “Love Actually.”
A few years ago, on a trip to London, Chris took the photo you see here of Penny and their son, Kit, who’s also a filmmaker, back in the Savoy alley. “It hadn’t changed much in 50 years,” Chris says with a laugh.
Pennebaker passed away last summer at the age of 94. In 2013, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Motion Picture Academy, the first documentary filmmaker ever to receive it.
Here’s an unused version of the video. On the side, Neuwirth is talking with Dylan’s producer, Tom Wilson, who’s wearing a fez and looking cool. Wilson’s other towering credits included Simon & Garfunkel and the Velvet Underground.
Johnny’s in the basement Mixing up the medicine I’m on the pavement Thinking about the government The man in the trench coat Badge out, laid off Says he’s got a bad cough Wants to get it paid off Look out kid It’s somethin’ you did God knows when But you’re doing it again You better duck down the alley way Lookin’ for a new friend A man in the coonskin cap, in the pig pen Wants eleven dollar bills, you only got ten
Maggie comes fleet foot Face full of black soot Talkin’ that the heat put Plants in the bed but The phone’s tapped anyway Maggie says that many say They must bust in early May Orders from the D.A. Look out kid Don’t matter what you did Walk on your tip toes Don’t tie no bows Better stay away from those That carry around a fire hose Keep a clean nose Watch the…
Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber have dropped a duet for the quarantine. It took four writers plus the two singers to put it together.
Rihanna, “Love on the Brain”
The main writer and producer Gian Stone wrote this on Instagram:
New @arianagrande x @justinbieber single “Stuck With You” out now! Wrote and produced this song with some of my best friends @freddywexler @skylerstonestreet @iamwhitphillips @scooterbraun Ariana, and Justin a few weeks ago during quarantine via Zoom. We wanted to write something that touched people during this crazy time. Something that could hopefully bring happiness to your day and offer you a soundtrack to a little late night quarantine slow dance.
Seeing everyones videos being posted over the last week has been incredibly emotional for me. Working with this team of people is a dream come true and I’m forever grateful for everyone involved.
Best part about this record – all net proceeds of this song will be donated to First Responders Childrens Foundation to to help out children of healthcare workers, EMTs, paramedics, police and firefighters, and all those on the front line. You are all true heroes.”
Jennifer Aniston got straight to the point today on Instagram regarding COVID-19. I would say the Golden Globe winning star of “The Morning Show” is as bored of isolation and quarantine as we are.
Well, that’s it. Tara Reade, who has accused presidential candidate Joe Biden of sexual impropriety, won’t give an interview to any established journalists, not even Fox News. She canceled an interview this past Sunday with Fox News’s Chris Wallace, citing “security concerns.”
But according to former Fox News/NBC person Megyn Kelly, Reade is “sitting down” with her. So, party over. If this is how Reade is going to proceed, she’s lost all credibility. Kelly left NBC in shame for advocating blackface. When she was at NBC, she was loathed and had no ratings. She was sort of drummed out of Fox News not because she turned against Roger Ailes, but because no one liked her and she wasn’t good at her job. Now she has a YouTube channel or something. Kelly might as well interview Duane Reade. No one cares.
MK EXCLUSIVE: Former Biden staffer #TaraReade, who accuses FMR VP #JoeBiden of sexually assaulting her in 1993, sits down w/me in her first on-camera interview since Mr. Biden denied her accusations. Her story & some tough Q’s in a riveting exchange. A ton of news coming … pic.twitter.com/8bvTntUIm8
Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” starring Chadwick Boseman, Paul Walter Hauser, Norm Lewis, Delroy Lindo, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jonathan Majors, comes to Netflix on June 12th. Spike announced it this morning on Twitter. He’s got a full beard and he’s grinning like the Cheshire cat. Maybe it’s because this one looks like the One, and it will be eligible for Oscars thanks to the pandemic (new streaming rules for this year).
“Da 5 Bloods” is written by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo with adaptions by Lee and Kevin Wilmott. According to Wikipedia: “Four African American Vietnam veterans return to Vietnam. They are in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader and the promise of buried treasure. These heroes battle forces of humanity and nature while confronted by the lasting ravages of the immorality of the Vietnam War.”
God Thursday Morning. DA New Spike Lee Joint-DA 5 BLOODS Will Be Streaming Out Onto World On Friday,June 12th. Please Check It Out. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF. Peace And Love. Be Safe. pic.twitter.com/pC86pe2hcC
Everyone is looking for comfort music, especially with so few new releases.
The result it that the iTunes chart is now filled with catalog hits from years ago that have been discounted.
This is not the same as Mariah Carey’s fans concerting efforts to push an old album to number 1. Indeed, Carey has no albums in the iTunes top 100 now.
But Madonna does– her greatest hits. And there are greatest hits collections from Journey, Queen, the Beatles, James Taylor, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Police, Chicago, the Eagles, Tom Petty, and so on. All in all, there are 41 entries from legacy acts mixed in with today’s hits.
Plus there are two “Guardians of the Galaxy” soundtracks, which consist songs from the 70s and 80s, plus several compilation albums of songs from those decades. There’s also Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits.
And it’s not like these old albums are selling that many copies. For example, James Taylor’s Greatest Hits, at number 7, has only sold 700 copies since Friday. It doesn’t take much to hit the top 10.
Catalog greatest hits albums are like grilled cheese and tomato soup on a cold day. If you’re looking for more, try packages from Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Earth Wind & Fire, the Temptations, Sam & Dave, and Tower of Power, just to name a few. And if you’re looking for a Mariah Carey album, my suggestion is “Music Box.” That one is worthy of new attention.
Yes, yes, today is the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ “Let it Be.” But something else happened of even greater importance 55 years ago on May 8, 1965.
