music industry – Page 3 – richard cleaver

Music Rising

May 11, 2006/0 Comments

I came across this initiative from the Gibson Guitar homepage:

Welcome to Music Rising, an initiative developed by U2’s The Edge, legendary producer Bob Ezrin and Gibson Guitar CEO Henry Juszkiewicz to raise funds to replace the lost instruments and accessories of the musicians affected by the hurricanes that devastated the Gulf Coast region two months ago. “The devastation wrought by the hurricanes of 2005 to the Gulf Coast region has threatened not only the lives and livelihoods of the region”™s residents, but the area”™s rich and spirited culture as well,”? said The Edge. “Providing replacement instruments through Music Rising will not only help thousands of professional musicians affected by the hurricanes to regain a foothold on their future, but will also ensure that one of the Gulf Coast”™s greatest assets, its music, rises again.”?

I never stopped to think about the impact of hurricanes on musicians. I would view the loss of my own musical instruments as tragic. Aside from the monetary value, there is a sentimental value associated with each instrument. Then again, a new limited edition Gibson ES-335 would be nice.

Core

May 9, 2006/0 Comments

So the story goes. George Harrison of the Beatles spotted an ad for Apple Computer in a British magazine in 1980. He felt there was potential for trademark conflict with Apple Corps. Apple Corps was set up by The Beatles in 1968 to release their songs and manage their creative affairs.

Apple Computer started in a California garage in 1977.

The first battle was fought as the two companies tried to reach an agreement about their respective names. The two firms reached an agreement on their use of the Apple trademark in 1981. Under the terms of the agreement, Apple Computer would use its name and logo only in the computer business and The Beatles’ company would use it in the field of entertainment.

Apple Computer introduced MIDI capabilities in 1988. Apple Corps saw an opportunity to gain money through litigation and began court proceedings in 1989.

After more than two years in court, the two firms reached a settlement rumoured at around $30 million USD. Things stayed quiet for a while until Apple Computer launched iTunes in 2003. By starting iTunes, Apple Corps claimed that Apple Computer had entered the entertainment business and breached their trademark agreement.

So off to court they went. And, for now, Apple Computer has won. All I am saying, is give peace a chance.
Apple Corps

Another Group

March 27, 2006/1 Comment

One of my readers had seen my Aerosmith post here and reminded me of another group that I had helped out a few years back. I didn’t think that they would go anywhere so I quit that band.

Beatles

Just Sitting In

March 26, 2006/0 Comments

Some folks saw me at the Aerosmith concert a few weeks back. I was just helping them out for the night.

Carry on.

Aerosmith

American Idol Manipulation

March 23, 2006/1 Comment

Kevin Covais finally got booted off American Idol last night. I could not understand how he was selected as one of the best vocalists in the U.S. to be shortlisted on American Idol nor why he kept showing up well into the finalist stage.

Turns out that he may have had some help.

Wired did an interesting piece on VoteForTheWorst.com. Here is an excerpt from their interview with Della Terza:

WN: When did you decide which contestant will be part of your American Idol campaign?

Della Terza: We pick who we feel is the worst contestant, and then we vote for that person until they go home. We chose Kevin Covais the last week of the semifinals, so we’ve been voting for him during the past three weeks. (VoteForTheWorst.com) likes to choose contestants that can’t sing, but we consider a lot more than just vocals. Kellie Pickler and Ace Young sing worse than Kevin does but we knew the viewers would be angrier if Kevin stuck around, so we went with him. I also think Kevin has an excellent sense of humor, and I think he’s kind of in on the joke. I think Kevin is really just a funny kid and people take him seriously when he says he’s a “sex symbol,” but he’s really just playing it up.

WN: Do you want to teach American Idol producers a lesson?

Della Terza: We don’t want to teach them a lesson as much as we want to make it obvious to the viewers that the show is extremely manipulated. It’s basically a “let’s promote our new musical act for 12 weeks while disguising it as a competition” show, and for some reason, the viewers just go along with it.

WN: Do you think American Idol manipulates the voting to make the show more dramatic?

Della Terza: I think it’s very likely that the producers manipulate the show. They have never released vote totals, so it’s incredibly easy for them to just change the numbers. A disclaimer at the end of the show says that they can throw out votes and they can kick out anyone from the competition. So really, there’s no one keeping them in check if indeed they do manipulate the show.

Via.

Vote For The Worst