7 am → The Album Will Not Die
I just finished reading the Wired issue on Snack Culture, which contained the umpteenth reference to the impending death of the album that I've seen in 2007. You've probably noticed it too as the Wall Street Journal broke news of a 20% decline in album sales in the first quarter of this year and everyone else added their two cents (hello). I'm here to say the album will never die and here are two reasons why.
1. Making a Hit Song is Hard / This is a Business
Like most things in life, the top 10% of artists account for 90% of album sales. Of those top albums, only 1-4 songs on each drive all of the sales; the rest is oftentimes filler. Wired notes that the move from an unskippable, analog record to a chunked, digital file makes avoiding these leftovers much easier.
Despite a seemingly logical progression, making music is art and most musicians (JT excluded) will not get it right on the first shot. In other words, they're going to record 20-30 songs to get a handful of good ones and several more worth your time. If one of good songs gets a bunch of radio play, why would the label sit on product that people want to hear? The album will live on as a result, even if more artists start out with a single, with full albums being sold at a discount over purchasing each song individually.
A footnote, but definitely worth noting, is that a good chunk of an album's budget is devoted to marketing. When you release five singles on a new artist in hopes of landing a hit you're going to spend quite a bit more money than you would when releasing ana album.
2. Indie Bands Don't Need Singles / Finding New Artists is Easy
The Arcade Fire and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sold a boatload of records and neither had a hit single. There are another half-dozen bands in their position and hundreds (thousands?) more making a healthy living with a modicum of mainstream radio exposure. No one knew these two bands were going to be huge before their debut albums released and releasing one or two singles makes almost no sense without a decent marketing budget. More importantly, a high percentage of these bands didn't get into music to get rich and are just happy to make a decent living doing what they love (I assume this is why Clap Your Hands decided to release their newest album themselves).
For those small artists looking to strike it big, releasing more songs can only help their cause. With search tools improving and a dozen new MP3 blogs starting every day, casting a wider net could make the difference. These two factors also begin to make the long tail much more valuable. People looking for something outside the mainstream are increasingly likely to find something that suits them, which will increase indie album sales (I'd guess there are figures to back me up somewhere, but if they exist I certainly don't have access to them).
We all know the music business is changing and album sales will continue to decline as people stop buying every track on Reuben Studdard's album, but the hit-makers are tiny fraction of the music business. When this all shakes out I'll be surprised if at least one major label doesn't go belly-up, but I have total faith in the industry. In fact, I'm guessing this sea change will help more musicians make a living as an artist and that's a very good thing.
For further reading, Steven Johnson agreed the album will live on, but he had a different reason. "Freed from the time restrictions of traditional media, we're developing a more nuanced awareness of the right length for different kinds of cultural experiences."
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4 pm → BAM Sends a Super-Useful Email
Tonight I'm going to see the dance performance of Edward Scissorhands at BAM. This morning they sent me the email you see at the right (click on it to see it larger) that has tons of great information about the performance.
First, there's a letter from BAM's Executive Producer with his thoughts on Matthew Bourne (the director) and the play in general. Then there are a ton of links to reviews, video snippets of the performance and interviews with and articles about Matthew Bourne. At the bottom there's a little info about the show and a link to more and details on BAM (directions, food options, etc.). This is a fantastic way to help their patrons improve their enjoyment of the show and I'm going to print out a few of these interviews to read as I wait for the lights to dim.
Now I just want every other venue to do the same thing. Imagine getting an email with links about the production of 300 or interviews with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem before his show at the Bowery Ballroom. The last thing we need is a way to continue the conversation after the event is finished.
If anyone wants to create a service that provides this info to venues with me (or without me), I think we/you would make a whole lot of money.
(Note: I couldn't actually post the HTML because all the links are coded to me, but if you go to BAM's Edward Scissorhands page you'll get almost all of the information.)
5 pm → Today's Best Albums
Don't expect this to be a regular feature, but there are two fantastic albums coming out today that I've been listening to for a while.
Low - Drums & Guns
I've been listening to this album for several weeks and I'm ecstatic that they were able to improve upon their last two albums, The Great Destroyer and Things We Lost in the Fire. Low is usually classified as slo-core, but they've been starting rock a little more. I'm a big fan of the triple play of "Hatchet", "Your Poison" and "Take Your Time" about 2/3 of the way through the album.
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
I had loosely followed Andrew Bird for a while, but got sucked in last year with the release of Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs. The new album has a very similar feel but is a bit more mellow. More than anything else, it's his hypnotic vocals that bring me back to his songs. The new album doesn't disappoint in this regard and is a great companion to Eggs. An interesting note, apocrypha can be defined as, "...works that in their title, form, and contents resemble books of the Old and New Testaments, but that are not accepted as true biblical books" (a.k.a. armchair religious person, like armchair quarterback).
8 am → Advertising and Design in the (Pretend) Future
When you make a film set in the future, you're forced to predict how society will differ. Two films that came out last year, Idiocracy and Children of Men, both provided their own perspectives.
Idiocracy
Idiocracy is set 500 years in the future and assumes everyone is unbelievably stupid. Speak Up provides screen-caps of ads from the movie that show off our faux progeny's brilliance. One thing they don't show is the disposable clothes that are covered in ads, a la Nascar.
Children of Men
Children of Men looks at a future where women are infertile and a class war is past its breaking point. These ads aren't as much of a stretch, but still are interesting.
(Side note: both movies are good, but I preferred Children of Men, even if Brawndo has electrolytes.)
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7 pm → Tops of 2006: Music
For this first year in recent memory, music wasn't my thing this year. It's funny because I couldn't have imagined ever feeling that music wasn't a big part of my life. It will be interesting to see if things shift back to normal in 2007.
I've decided to just compile my top five albums and give you a list of some other good ones. The top five are ones I listened to consistently and thoroughly enjoyed. The list below are albums that I didn't spend enough time with the warrant numbering. Here are the lists...
1. Guster - Ganging Up on the Sun
Guster is truly an amazing band and one that's grown with me. Back in the days of Parachute they were two acousitic guitars, some bongos and fantastic harmonies. Now they've gained a member, dropped the bongos (for the most part) and have become a fantastic band. It makes me incredibly happy that their album is my favorite of the year after being a fan for 9 years.
2. The Kooks - Inside In Inside Out
I still can't believe The Kooks are so young. The album has a quiet maturity and great breadth. Definitely worth picking up.
3. Morning Runner - Wilderness Is Paradise Now
The U.K. onslaught continues with an album packd with fun. This is their second album and is better than the first.
4. Aberfeldy - Do Whatever Turns You On
Yet another U.K artist with a second album that improves on their first. This album is a bit more laid back, but has melodies that will keep you whistling for days.
5. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
I remember hearing "Crazy" for the first time and being blown away. I still think it's one of my favorite songs of all time. Then the album came out and I was again blown away with their stage show and Cee-lo's energy. I can't wait to see what these boys do next.
Damien Jurado - And Now That I'm In Your Shadow
Eef Barzelay - Bitter Honey
Ratatat - Classics
Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
Joanna Newsom - Ys
Wolfmother - S/T
The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Previous Years' Music Lists:
2005
2004
2003: 1-15 16-30
2002
2001
2000
11 pm → Blip Festival and 8-Bit
The Blip Festival hit NYC tonight and is sticking around through the weekend. It's a festival of chiptunes and many of the big names will be here including Nullsleep, Bit Shifter and Cory Arcangel.
On Saturday at 3pm there will be a screening of 8 Bit, a movie all about chiptunes. I saw it at MoMA a couple months ago and really enjoyed it. Hell, it's only $5.
I'm wishing I could see Cory Arcangel's new flim, Super Mario Movie, which will be played at 8pm on Saturday to start of the evening's festivities. I'd also recommend you check out Nullsleep's presentation about creating chiptunes, NES Music: From Concept To Cartridge, on Sunday from 2pm-4pm.
I think I might check out the show tomorrow night if anyone's interested.
12 am → Same Guys, Different Show
Several months ago, I became hooked on Prison Break. It's not the deepest show, but it's pretty frickin' clever. Unfortunately, what was once intended to be a ten part mini-series is now in the middle of its second season and seems to be flying by the seat of its pants.
To bring everyone up to speed, the show is about a man wrongfully accused of murder and his brother who gets himself incarcerated just so he can break them both out. The first season drags this out over 20+ episodes and it works just fine. Now they're on the run and you can't help but wonder where it's going. There will most certainly be another 12 episodes and probably a third season, but what else is going to happen. The show is called Prison Break and, well, they are out of prison.
Instead of stretching a plot close to, and possibly past, it's breaking point, Fox should end the show this season. Obviously, they won't do it so long as the show is profitable, which is why I propose this (yes, I'm finally getting to the point): they should start a new show next season with the same major actors. Truth is, I'm over this plotline but I would happily watch these guys work together as part of an international peace-keeping supergroup (or something).
Unlike television, the movie industry seems to have this concept down. In film, ongoing storylines go against the nature of the medium and are therefore rare and often degrade over time (hello Star Wars). So, when there is a success, the crew will often work together again (e.g. Christopher Guest and crew, Steven Soderbergh and the Cloon) or they'll take the same framework and replace the cast (e.g. the Bond films, anything produced by Jerry Bruckheimer).
Television should really give this a shot. When The Wire finally comes to a close, I don't want to see those guys split up. I'm sure David Simon could find a new use for them. That being said, I'd be happy if they just moved the location to Philadelphia and called it The Tap.
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11 am → Season Four of The Wire
Jason's post reminded me to post about one of my favorite shows on tv, The Wire. Last night was the official start to its fourth season (although it's available a week early on HBO-On-Demand). Not a lot went down during the first episode, but that's the way the show rolls. It gives you time to meet the characters before the shit goes down, which is how I like it. I was able to get some catch up time with my favorite character, Bunk Moreland, who will have some fantastic one-liners based on this first episode.
If you haven't been watching the show up until now, there's always time. I suggest you rent, buy or steal previous episodes as soon as possible (steal enough to get your appetite whet, then buy up the first three seasons). If you need convincing, I'm going to let the New York Times take care of that with an article and an opinion piece from this weekend.
The show airs Sundays at 10pm EST on HBO and hits on-demand the Monday before.
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3 pm → Real Ones Playing Two Nights in NYC
One of my favorite bands from last year, Real Ones, is playing two shows in NYC today and tomorrow. The shows are cheap and I highly recommend you check them out as they are from Norway and won't be coming back soon (as far as I know).
They're playing at Sin-e tonight and The Living Room tomorrow. I'm definitely going tonight and would go tomorrow if anyone is interested.
To further intice you, I've uploaded my favorite song of theirs:
Real Ones - "Disharmonic Ears"
p.s. Sorry for the late notice for tonight's show. I was hoping to post this earlier today.
Update (9/7/06): The show last night was awesome. Don't forget, they're playing tonight too and have no other U.S. dates.
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8 am → District B13
One of my favorite films from this summer was District B13. It's a French action film that takes advantage of the Parkour (like freestyle walking, but more intense) craze. The characters are a little forgettable, but everything else (action, style and setting especially) is great. Personally, I'm just happy a good non-english/non-asian action movie is out.
The movie is out on DVD today. I suggest you either buy it from Amazon or rent it from Netflix. When I reviewed it for The Movie Binge, it passed the yo-dude test while satiating the indie snob in me.
12 pm → Movie Stars Driving Profit and the Long Tail
Yesterday, Kottke posted a story from the New York Times called, "A Big Star May Not a Profitable Movie Make". While there is no definitive answer, it seems that there are only a handful of superstars that can create significant financial success for a film; the rest don't make much of a difference.
In one study, Mr. De Vany and W. David Walls, an economist at the University of Calgary, took those factors into account. Looking across a sample of more than 2,000 movies exhibited between 1985 and 1996, they found that only seven actors and actresses — Tom Hanks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jodie Foster, Jim Carrey, Barbra Streisand and Robin Williams — had a positive impact on the box office, mostly in the first few weeks of a film's release.
In the same study, two directors, Steven Spielberg and Oliver Stone also pushed up a movie's revenue. But Winona Ryder, Sharon Stone and Val Kilmer were associated with a smaller box-office revenue. No other star had any statistically significant impact at all. So what are stars for? By helping a movie open — attracting lots of people in to see a movie in the first few days before the buzz about whether it's good or bad is widely known — stars can set a floor for revenues, said Mr. De Vany.
That sounds about right to me. In fact, it reminds me a lot of the the Long Tail. There are a few really big stars that drive a ton of money to the box office, which may account for 70% of the star power out there (let's say). Then there's a group of maybe 100 actors who account for the next 10% and the tens of thousands of other actors out there account for the final 20%. Below is my incredibly crappy attempt at a Long Tail graph (the first two sections should both be much smaller).
Each of the three groups are interchangeable within their groups assuming they fit the needs of the film. Fitting the film is key as a crappy film will do bad no matter what and putting Julia Roberts in the starring role of How High 2 just won't break the box office bank (even if the Snakes on a Plane set would love it). Another of the economists agrees with me.
Moreover, even if a star-studded movie does well, it does not necessarily mean that the stars are causing higher ticket sales. In fact, it seems to move the other way around: stars select what they believe are promising projects. And studios prefer to put stars in movies that they expect to be a success.
What's the answer? Make an entertaining movie and you'll make money. While a star can add entertainment, there are only a handful that have an impact on an otherwise crappy movie.
Since my knowledge and research skills are lacking, if you know any films that failed/succeeded because of/in spite of an actor, please post it in the comments.
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5 pm → Melody vs. Lyrics
With over 100 gigabytes of music on my computer, you could safely call me a music junkie. What seperates me from the pack is I'm a melody first guy. Most of my friends, especially the ones who are music junkies, focus heavily on the lyrics. The melody is important, but seems to be a given; it's the finely crafted words that make it an amazing song.
That's why I was happy to hear one of my favorite songwriters, Matt Hale of Aqualung and previously Ruth and the 45s, say that music always comes first for him.
Aaaaaanyway, after his afternoon's work you can hear an intricately wrought song idea with a vocal that goes 'woo-woo'. Matt has written a lot of excellent words for his songs over the years, but I don't know of any song of his that started with lyrics. Melody is his primary interest as a songwriter. Sometimes words come along with the tune, but if they don't, most of the time he'll sing a woo-woo version and ask me or Kim to turn the woos into words.
I'm sure he's not alone in his preference, but it feels like many singer-songwriters favor lyrics. Since I'm such a fan of his music, it's not surprising that he and I think alike in this regard. (As a slight aside, while I enjoy his work as Aqualung, I much prefer his poppier days as the 45s and Ruth. The 45s played the best cover of "Paperback Writer" I'd ever heard.)
Where do you stand on this debate? Are both strong lyrics and melody necessary for a great song?
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2 pm → A New Breed of Movie PR
Today, movie studios seem to be showing film critics fewer and fewer screenings. Stephen Humphries of the Christian Science Monitor argues that precscreening for youth-oriented movies like The Benchwarmers doesn't make sense since their target audience isn't reading reviews in magazines and newspapers anyway.
"I've talked with the advertising guys at studios about it," says Peter Bart, lead columnist at Variety magazine. "The media world is changing, and the people they want to reach are the kids who are looking at MySpace.com and exchanging instant messages about pictures aimed at them. Conventional critics don't matter."
Okay, but that doesn't explain the reason for cutting out the prescreening proccess all together.* Instead of doing a screening for the group of movie reviewers that get paid, they should be doing ones for those of us who review movies in a much more informal way. This is a long tail group that hasn't been properly tapped.
Living in New York City, I am often asked to preview films that are coming out in the coming weeks or months while standing outside of a megaplex. Sometimes the studios are looking for feedback on an early cut of a film but other times they're just looking to build some buzz for a new movie. Instead of approaching the often-isolationist NYC moviegoer, they should be going after bloggers and MySpace (or other social network) users.
I realize that many PR firms are already targeting the moviebloggers out there, but imagine a PR firm that goes after the level just below them. Maybe they pay Technorati for a list of every blog that has 100 links in and has posts tagged with movie. Then they contact MySpace and, ignoring ethics for the sake of argument, pay for a list of everyone with over 150 friends. They take this group and screen to them instead of taking a chance on a schmo walking into a movie who might never tell anyone about the movie.
Potential advertisers stand to benefit both themselves and their customers by taking advantage of the data that already exists to find the connectors and mavens of the blogosphere. Sure, there are the elite few with a really wide reach, but if you go after the thousands who reside in the next level below, everyone will be happy. Mavens like to share information on new media and connectors have the social network to get a meme moving quickly.
Buzzwords aside, there is huge potential here. Looking online for the right type of moviegoer will prove much more fruitful for studios looking to promote a slapstick comedy starring Jon Heder or a redneck crime drama with Billy Bob Thorton. And the first PR firm to compile a list like this with tons of metadata will make a boatload of money.
* All that really means is they have zero faith in their product.
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11 am → Gnarls Barkley is Crazy
Gnarls Barkley is a collaboration between Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse and the first single is amazing. It's called "Crazy" and you can listen to it on their website. You could also visit their Myspace page, but I had problems loading it.
Their album will be called St. Elsewhere's and is out on either May 2nd or 9th, depending on who you ask. You can preorder it from Amazon today. Cee-Lo's last album, Cee-Lo Green is the Soul Machine is one of my favorites from recent years.
5 pm → Snakes on a Plane Fever!
Holy shit, Snakes on a Muthafuckin' Plane! Yeah, I know these meme was hot about six months ago, but now that the trailer was leaked, I wanna see some motherfucking snakes on a motherfucking plane.
For the uninitiated, Snakes on a Plane is a film starring Samuel L. Jackson that has, well, snakes on a plane. Wikipedia's description of the fervor behind the movie is pretty accurate, but the meme seemed to gain a lot of traction after this post went up. My favorite bit of the whole story is Jackson's back and forth with a reporter at a press junket:
Beaks: One of those films that you're working on right now is... well, it's called "Pacific Air 121"—
Jackson: Snakes on a Plane, man!
Beaks: Exactly.
Jackson: We're totally changing that back. That's the only reason I took the job: I read the title.
Beaks: Snakes on a Plane! That’s everything!
Jackson: You either want to see that, or you don't.
And goddammit, I wanna see it. You'll see me there, August 18th, 2006.
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10 am → Hollywood Should Remake The Island
For a couple months, I've discussed the feasability of a remake of The Island (I'll get to my reasoning momentarily). It would seem an impossible task as it was a box-office failure and was released last summer, but now I'm not so sure.
It appears 20th Century Fox has greenlighted a remake of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a film that was also released last year. The Onion explains it thusly:
"We're always looking for ideas, and moviegoers really responded to Mr. & Mrs. Smith," said Fox vice president of development Mtumne Ngumwebaum. "Buckle up, action fans! This time we're going to do it bigger and better, with twice the budget and even hotter stars." Said film critic Harry Knowles: "You shouldn't touch a classic like Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but if you bring Eli Roth in as director, count me in!"
Obviously, this idea is ridiculous. Is there anyone hotter or bigger than Bradgelina? A sequel I would understand, but why would you remake a movie so quickly? I find it boring.
This is why I propose Hollywood start remaking films that were failed attempts at a good idea. As you likely read the title of this post and its opening sentence, I shouldn't have to tell you I nominate The Island. For those who didn't see the film, which is probably most of you, the film is about a society that grows clones of rich people who need organ transplants. It's a really interesting idea that fueled my interest through the first third of the film. Unfortunately, Michael Bay couldn't summon enough explosions to make the film work.
Image instead that Chris Nolan, director of Memento and Batman Begins had directed the film and Darius Khondji had filmed it (I thought of him because of Delicatessen). Now we have something interesting. They could have filmed The Island for a third of the $120 million budget and made something far more interesting.
I'm sure there are dozens of flops out there that were spoiled by the studio system and I would love to see them all remade. These are the types of things I would fund if I were a bazillionaire. If you're a fledgling movie producer, keep that in mind when I make my bazillions.
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12 am → Edgar and Chloe
These two make me crack up every show. They are complete caricatures of nerds, but they provide an excellent ballance to the machismo of Jack Bauer. The show would be lost without them.
By the way, how ridiculous is the 24 president? That guy couldn't make a decision to save his life. "You must choose: the right arm of every innocent child or a charlie horse." "[Shudder. Pace. Make constipation faces.] I hate charlie horses, so you can take the arms." Phew, it feels better to get that off my chest.
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2 pm → My Theoretical SXSW Line-up
I am not going to South by Southwest this year. Well, I've never gone, but that's only because I can't rationalize spending a bunch of money to go down there purely for my own entertainment. Thankfully, I can live vicariously through blog posts and flickr pools. I'll get some of the enjoyment without the lighter wallet and complete lack of sleep.
Instead of sitting idly by and letting you go to whatever shows you want, I figured I'd offer you the shows I would have seen if I were going. This way you can go to them for me and take pictures.
I've highlighted my picks for each night and listed bands that I already enjoy and those whom I'm curious about. I omitted quite a few bands I like because they were either obvious choices or tour non-stop. Oh, and I am well aware that I would not be able to see all these shows due to many laws of time and space, but I am going to assume these would have no effect on me since my trip to Austin is happening in my mind.
Wed 03/15
Beth Orton @ Antone's
k-os @ Antone's
Laura Veirs @ Caribbean Lights
The Go! Team @ Exodus
Built to Spill @ La Zona Rosa
Limbeck @ Momo's
Hockey Night @ The Velvet Spade Patio
Thurs 03/16
The Zutons @ Austin Music Hall
Chin Up Chin Up @ Emo's Jr.
Mark Mallman @ Exodus
The Twilight Singers @ Friends
The Hidden Cameras @ Molotov Lounge
Nada Surf @ The Parish
Damien Jurado @ Redrum
Fri 03/17
Neko Case @ Antone's
Billy Bragg @ Cedar Street Courtyard
Real Ones @ The Drink
Rye Coalition @ Emo's Jr.
Hotel Lights @ Friends
Black Heart Procession @ La Zona Rosa
Rogue Wave @ Red Eyed Fly
The Magic Numbers @ Stubb's
Sat 03/18
Okkervil River @ Emo's Annex
We Are Scientists @ Fox and Hound
Aberfeldy @ Karma Lounge
The Stills @ La Zona Rosa
Sam Roberts Band @ Momo's
If you want to see all the other bands that are playing, SXSW has listed them all and many have mp3s for your listening pleasure.
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3 pm → Brooklynites Love Hasidim
Some Netflix fansite pointed out Netflix's Local Favorites page (the link only works if you're logged in) and I immediately clicked through as I tend to do for just about every link that crosses my path. I like to know what kind of people live near me and movies are a good way to gain insight. Unfortunately, I don't love what I see. Here's the top 10 around the 11217 zip code.
1. A Life Apart: Hasidism in America
2. Downtown 81 (New York Beat Movie)
3. New York (8-Disc Series)
4. Weekend
5. The Tenant (Le Locataire)
6. Time of the Wolf (Le Temps du Loup)
7. Funny Ha Ha
8. My Life to Live
9. Happy Together
10. Videodrome
Ugh, what? I know that Brooklyn has a big Jewish population, but are there enough folks interested in Hasidim to make it the number one movie? The rest of it is artsy-fartsy stuff, which is the opposite of the Top 100 for all Netflix users.
Although it might fall in the artsy classification, I was happy to see my friend John's movie How to Draw a Bunny at number seventeen.* A welcome respite from the weird choices abound.
* Okay, so he's more Karen's friend, but I've met him several times. Several.
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10 am → The Cost of A La Carte Television
Update (1/31/06): I've updated some of the numbers based on comments and a glaring omission on my part (The Daily Show). The difference is MUCH more prominent now.
When iTunes announced they would be selling TV shows online, I explained that I wasn't terribly excited. The quality was bad and it seemed too expensive.
Being the nerd I am, I broke down the cost of downloading every episode of every show I watch for a whole year. This only includes episodes of shows I have season passes for on my Tivo. It does not include any sports or shows that I happen to watch if they're on (*ahem* Project Runway). Also worth noting is that I estimated the number of episodes based on previous seasons.
As of right now, my yearly cable bill comes to $648 ($54 a month). If I were to download my shows online, it would cost $1,140, which is a difference of $492 or $41 a month. The difference isn't ridiculous, but if you tack on the cost of watching live television (sports, awards shows, etc.) it will add up quickly. I'm not sure how the pricing would work there, but I currently pay about $200 a year for NFL Sunday Ticket, which is every NFL game (that amount was not included in the $648).
If the cost initially seems negligable, consider the fact that I live with 3 other people who also have shows recording on Tivo. If I had included their shows in the total, the total would have been a few hundred dollars higher, easily.*
Here is the breakdown of all the shows I watch:
| Show | Episodes | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 24 | $48 |
| Lost | 24 | $48 |
| Arrested Development | 20 | $40 |
| The OC | 24 | $48 |
| American Idol | 24 | $48 |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | 10 | $20 |
| The Wire | 12 | $24 |
| The Sporanos | 13 | $26 |
| Malcolm in the Middle | 22 | $44 |
| Sealab 2021 | 12 | $24 |
| Scrubs | 22 | $44 |
| SNL | 18 | $36 |
| Chappelle's Show | 15 | $30 |
| Da Ali G Show | 12 | $24 |
| Meet the Press | 40 | $80 |
| Aqua Teen Hunger Force | 15 | $30 |
| Good Eats | 24 | $48 |
| Stella | 10 | $20 |
| Inside the NFL | 21 | $42 |
| The Office | 24 | $48 |
| Love Monkey | 16 | $32 |
| The Daily Show | 168 | $336 |
| Total Episodes | 570 | $1,140 | Money Currently Spent | $648 |
* I won't get into the possibility of sharing downloads as that's a whole post unto itself.
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1 pm → The Simultaneous Release of Bubble
Yesterday, Steven Soderbergh and Mark Cuban's 2929 Entertainment released Bubble in theaters, on DVD* and on cable at the same time. This is the first film with a simultaneous release by an Oscar-winning director. I haven't seen the film yet, but I love this idea.
The window between theater and DVD release has shrunk significantly and most major films can be found on the street a day or two after it comes out. This being the case, Cuban closed the window shut and released everything at once, seeing what will stick. He'll be fine as he owns the production company, the theaters and the television network, but things would get hairier if the product weren't so vertically integrated. Still, I love the idea.
Simultaneous release will eventually work because it benefits the consumer. Although I do love seeing movies in the theater, I often go because I want to see a movie when it's fresh on people's minds. If I can't discuss the film with friends, it loses some value. If films were released on DVD, cable and in theaters on the same day, I'd oftentimes pick DVD or cable. A movie like King Kong is better in the theaters, but I could have seen Caché at home (in fact, it might have been even better). And that's just my preference.
The success of DVDs is in large part due to their low price and the rising cost of going to the movies. If you could buy a DVD of a film on the day it's released for $25 and have your family of four watch it together, you're saving $35 if you include concessions and don't have to deal with hauling everyone to the movie theater.
Hopefully we'll get a lot of good data out of Cuban's experiment. I can't imagine the theater chains will be happy about this, which Cuban discusses, but their need to adapt is inevitable. I'll be watching this one closely.
* The DVD is officially out on Tuesday, but I could have bought it at Landmark Sunshine last night.
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9 am → Tops of 2005: Music
Wow, I got a lot of music this year. Nutty. Going through everything, there was no clear number one record. In fact, I spent the last couple days shifting the line-up around and I'm still not happy with it. Instead of fretting forever, I figure I'd just put it up as the albums weren't changing, just the order. Enjoy.
1. Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
2. Nada Surf - The Weight Is A Gift
3. Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinoise
4. Archer Prewitt - Wilderness
5. Real Ones - Home With the Girls In the Morning
6. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
7. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl
8. Beck - Guero
9. The Spinto Band - Nice and Nicely Done
10. Portastatic - Bright Ideas
11. Hot Hot Heat - Elevator
12. Low - The Great Destroyer
13. The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
14. Laura Veirs - Year of Meteors
15. Aquabats - Charge!!
16. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
17. Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures
18. Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
19. Ben Folds - Songs For Silverman
20. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
21. Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
22. The Russian Futurists - Our Thickness
23. Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
24. Damien Jurado - On My Way To Absence
25. My Morning Jacket - Z
Best EP
Iron and Wine - Woman King
Albums Worth Buying
Brendan Benson - Alternative To Love, Black Mountain - Black Mountain, Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene, Clem Snide - End Of Love, Kanye West - Late Registration, LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem, Elbow - Leaders Of The Free World, Metric - Live It Out, Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft, Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze, OK Go - Oh No, Jens Lekman - Oh You're So Silent Jens, The Decemberists - Picaresque, John Vanderslice - Pixel Revolt, Stars - Set Yourself on Fire, Ed Harcourt - Strangers, The Coral - The Invisible Invasion, Sam Prekop - Who's Your New Professor?, We Are Scientists - With Love And Squalor
Every new album I acquired in 2005 (according to iTunes):
13 & God - 13 & God
22-20s - 22-20s
Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
Brendan Benson - Alternative To Love
Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
M.I.A. - Arular
Ben Lee - Awake Is The New Sleep
M83 - Before The Dawn Heals Us
Black Mountain - Black Mountain
Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
Portastatic - Bright Ideas
Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
The Frames - Burn The Maps
Aquabats - Charge!!
Chin Up Chin Up - Chin Up Chin Up
May Or May Not - Colors Only Bees Can See
Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinoise
Clem Snide - Early Home Recordings: Volume 1
Hot Hot Heat - Elevator
Clem Snide - End Of Love
Four Tet - Everything Ecstatic
Nine Black Alps - Everything Is
Marbles - Expo
Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth
Robbie Fulks - Georgia Hard
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Spoon - Gimme Fiction
Beck - Guero
Real Ones - Home With the Girls In the Morning
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl
Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
Iron & Wine, Calexico - In The Reins
Kanye West - Late Registration
LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
Elbow - Leaders Of The Free World
Harvey Danger - Little by Little
Metric - Live It Out
Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft
Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze
Teenage Fanclub - Man-Made
The Spinto Band - Nice and Nicely Done
The Dandy Warhols - Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars
OK Go - Oh No
Jens Lekman - Oh You're So Silent Jens
Damien Jurado - On My Way To Absence
The Darkness - One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back
British Sea Power - Open Season
The Russian Futurists - Our Thickness
Fountains Of Wayne - Out-Of-State Plates
The Decemberists - Picaresque
John Vanderslice - Pixel Revolt
Dosh - Powder Horn
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire
Ben Folds - Songs For Silverman
Aqualung - Strange and Beautiful
Ed Harcourt - Strangers
Prefuse 73 - Surrounded By Silence
Cursive - The Difference Between Houses And Homes
Low - The Great Destroyer
The Coral - The Invisible Invasion
Death Cab For Cutie - The John Byrd EP
The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
Caribou - The Milk Of Human Kindness
Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
Guster - The Pasty Tapes Vol. 3
The Secret Machines - The Road Leads Where It's Led [EP]
Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins
The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
Nada Surf - The Weight Is A Gift
Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
Tralala - Tralala
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
Sam Prekop - Who's Your New Professor?
Archer Prewitt - Wilderness
We Are Scientists - With Love And Squalor
Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
Iron and Wine - Woman King
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Worlds Apart
Coldplay - X&Y
Laura Veirs - Year of Meteors
My Morning Jacket - Z
11 am → Election: Not the Best Hong Kong Movie
The Guardian is reporting that Election was named the best film of 2005 by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society. I couldn't be more shocked.*
While in Hong Kong last fall I happened to catch this film and didn't love it. It started out strong, but the ending was unbearable. There were no less than three false endings and each successive one was more and more ridiculous. It's too bad, because the film's ambition made for an engaging and entertaining first half.
For thos familiar with the films coming out of Hong Kong this year, how could this movie be chosen? Is the HK Film Society out of their gord or did nothing good come out this year?
*Okay, I could be more shocked, but if you are looking at being shocked in this specific context, then my shock is at 11.
Related:
A review of Election
A list of HK movies released in 2005
10 pm → James Frey and the Importance of Truth
I'm a little behind on the whole "James Frey Made Up A Million Little Pieces" meme, but I've had a thought. It doesn't matter than he added color to his stories. I haven't read the book, but I'm sure that the meaning behind the massaged text is clearer after it was, uh, massaged, which is the whole point. You don't read a book based on the accuracy of the fact-checking; you read it because it affects you.
One of my favorite authors, Tim O'Brien, made this point quite clearly in his work of "non-fiction", The Things They Carried. The book is a collection of memoirs and stories from his time in the Vietnam War. The stories are often heart-wrenching, even though he admits in the book that he made up facts and supporting details.
By telling stories, you objectify your own experience. You separate it from yourself. You pin down certain truths. You make up others. You start sometimes with an incident that truly happened, like the night in the shit field, and you carry it forward by inventing incidents that did not in fact occur but that nonetheless help to clarify and explain.
For me, this had no impact on my feelings about these stories. Others in my class (I read it in high school) felt differently. By knowing that things had been made up, the story had lost meaning. Some admitted that the story was only interesting because they thought it really happened. Others felt manipulated.
Unlike Tim O'Brien, James Frey was not trying to include his thoughts on the ethics of memoir writing. He was telling a story as if it was truth and denied he fabricated portions of the book when confronted. This is why people were upset. If you go on Oprah and retell the horrors of your youth, they better well be true.
And so, I have absolutely no sympathy for the man.
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11 pm → Tops of 2005: Magazines
Magazines are my favorite way to read. Since I have a short attention span, reading an article is oftentimes more satisfying than a good book. Ever since I discovered discount magazine sites, I have been subscribing to more and more magazines. My taste varies, so I can't really compile a ton ten list (also I probably only have ten magazines I subscribe to), so I'm just going to list some specific favorites. Hopefully you'll find something you'll like.
Best Magazine Design: New York Magazine
I got hooked when they started their redesign in 2004. Before that, I would read it occasionally but preferred Time Out New York. Now, I look forward to this magazine more than almost any other. The typography is my favorite, but the grid is flexible yet very consistent and the imagery is bold yet tasteful. It makes me want to design type. They also have some great regular features, like the Approval Matrix and the Look Book. New York Magazine, you are my favorite NYC-centered rag.
Best Video Game Magazine (by a Long Shot): Edge
I've always been happy to gripe about the sorry state of video game publications in the U.S. The internet has kept me sated for the last couple years, but before blogs caught on, I was consistently disappointed. The names you know — EGM, Gamepro, etc. — are geared towards 12 year-old gamers who like poop jokes and reviews with big numbers (yes, I admit, I like poop jokes). Edge is nothing like that. To provide an analogy, Edge is like Cahiers du Cinema for video games. The reviews are thoughtful and thought provoking. The features, the existence of which is exciting on its own, span multiple pages and actually answer questions I would have asked. On top of that all, it's a beautiful magazine to look at. The one downside is the eight dollar price, which is due to its English origins. I, for one, am happy to pay this price since it was virtually impossible to procure stateside only six months ago. If you love games, I suggest you head to B&N and get a copy today.
Best Food Magazine: Cook's Illustrated
Yes, this is another magazine that commands a high price but delivers fantastic profit. Deal with it. Cook's Illustrated often tops lists of best magazines and its for good reason. There are good recipes and features, but I like their detail-oriented nature. Oftentimes they'll show what a dish looks like when it's over-done, under-cooked and just right. That's invaluable. I have a feeling I'll be a life-long subscriber.
Best Sports Magazine: ESPN the Magazine
The divide used to be much greater, but in the age of always-available online coverage, ESPN makes the best use of the print format. Their graphics are a touch dated now, but they're still far better than Sports Illustrated or Sporting News and they tend to approach articles from more unique perspectives. I'm also a sucker for their larger format.
Guilty Pleasure: Sound and Vision
A lot of girls fall prey to US Weekly, but I prefer to oggle audio-visual equiptment. I'd much rather pretend I could afford a $20k HD projector than a trophy wife. That's it, really. Their reviews are good, but I like the pictures. Oh, and the specs. Nothin' gets me like 32 HDMI inputs.
Best Long Articles: The New Yorker
I'm so far behind in my New Yorker reading. I'd just throw them out, but the articles are too good. James Suroweicki is a demi-god.
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9 am → Tops of 2005: Movies
Best of What I Saw in 2005
1. Oldboy
2. Match Point
3. A History of Violence
4. Syriana
5. Capote
6. The Squid and the Whale
7. Brokeback Mountain
8. King Kong
9. Me and You and Everyone We Know
10. Serenity
Worst of What I Saw in 2005
1. The Perfect Man
2. The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D
Movies I Didn't See But Might Have Made My "Best Of" List in 2005
3-Iron
2046
The Three Buirals of Mequiades Estrada
Cache
Junebug
Howl's Moving Castle
Munich
After the jump, you can see all of the new films I saw this year.
Be Cool
Oldboy
Sin City
Kung Fu Hustle
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Crash
Kicking & Screaming
Layer Cake
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
The Longest Yard
Saving Face
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Lords of Dogtown
Cinderella Man
The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Batman Begins
The Perfect Man
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Bewitched
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Wedding Crashers
Last Days
The Aristocrats
A State of Mind
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Everything is Illuminated (Rough cut)
A History of Violence
Serenity
The Squid and the Whale
Good Night, And Good Luck
The Weather Man
Rent
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Syriana
Brokeback Mountain
King Kong
Matchpoint
Capote
The Constant Gardener
Assisted Living
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Walk the Line
Rize
Transamerica
Murderball
Palindromes
3 pm → A $12.50 Movie Ticket
According to Gothamist, the Ziegfeld will be charging $1.75 extra for tickets to the film adaptation of The Producers. This means movie tickets will be $12.50. Are they crazy? I was planning on seeing the movie there with some friends this weekend, but now that's scrapped. I don't care if the Ziegfeld is the best theater in the city; I'm not paying a premium to see this movie early.
Now, I'm not opposed to the concept in general, but if market-based pricing is a two way street. If The Producers is going to be $12.50, then Just Friends should be $4.00 (and that's being generous).
On the other hand, if Universal is charging the Ziegfeld so much more to rent The Producers that they have to charge more, then something is wrong with this system. If I bought any snacks in the theater I would be spending close to $20, which is about what I'll pay for the DVD when it's released sometime next spring. I genuinely enjoy going out to the movies, but if prices keep rising I'm going to invest in a big television and say goodbye to my frequent movie watcher cards.
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10 am → Buying TV Shows Online? I'm Not Down. Yet.
Everyone's all a flutter about being able to purchase television shows via the iTunes Media Store, but I'm not convinced. I have a few reasons, which I'll outline below, but this article pushed me over the edge.
Jeff Zucker, the president of NBC TV, disapproves of Tivo's model for downloads while praising Apple's approach. I'm far from surprised, but why should a consumer be forced to pay for something they've already paid for? As far as I know, I am free to copy and display a TV show in any format so long as it's for my private use. So, what's the problem with bringing them to my PSP?
As you might guess, it's because NBC can't make money with Tivo's plan. Thus, I have to pay $2 when I want a copy of my favorite television show. If I weren't already paying for television programming I would be fine with this a la carte system as I'm happy to pick the shows I like and avoid the ones I don't. But buying episodes just to watch on my PSP in addition to paying for a cable plan is far too pricey.
In addition, if I can only register one iPod with each copy of iTunes then everyone in my household will have to buy a copy of an episode. This is a larger issue with DRM that deserves its own post, but this kind of nickel and diming will never win me over.
We're paying for convenience here. That's why I spent $25 on the 3rd season of Home Movies—buying a DVD set is easier than recording each episode and copying it to disc myself. But if I can download episodes from my Tivo, send them to my computer and watch them on a variety of devices at will then what incentive will I have to download episodes for $2 each?
Today, I have no incentive. When every program, from network to cable, is distributed online* I will buy in, assuming the DRM schemes are reasonable. Then I will ditch my cable subscription and buy my shows online. Until then, I can wait.
* This reminds me that set-top boxes are going to be a huge deal in the next few years. It also makes me believe we will indeed get a digital hub Mac Mini this January.
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10 am → Reasons I Turn to P2P for Music
I just finished reading about OK GO's opinions on DRM and it got me thinking about why I download albums from file-sharing networks instead of buying. For the record, I would say I buy 80% of the music I procure, with another 15% coming from friends and the rest coming from illegal downloads, which I think is better than most people in their 20s.
Damian (of OK GO) explains how he relies on kids to get their music in whatever way necessary, even if it means they don't pay for it. Since they're still not turning much if any of a profit for the label or making much themselves, exposure is paramount over everything else. This seems to be why so many artists can justify p2p. Now, here are my reasons for turning to the dark side.
1. The CD hasn't been released. Oftentimes I'm really excited about a new album and just can't wait. This is probably the least justifiable excuse, but I also don't download many albums for this reason.
2. The CD has been released overseas but is not available here (for a reasonable price). On Friday I was listening to the We Are Scientists' album and I liked it enough to buy it. Oh, it's an import and it's twenty bucks? Nah. Information moves too fast these days to stagger international release dates. I know, it's not always strategic, but I would have bought the record if it were $15 or less.
3. An album is just too darn expensive. I really wanted the new American Analogue Set but I couldn't justify paying the high price tag (which I've forgotten at this point). So, I turn to Soulseek. I'll buy just about any album if it's $13. When it's more I have to think about how badly I want the album. If it's over $15, it's highly unlikely I'll ever pay for it.*
4. I'm curious about the band, but not enough to spend money. Listening to a single or song samples aren't always enough (if they're even available).
In the end, it comes down to value. I'll spend $30 on an album if it's one of my favorite bands, but you won't find me spending more than $12 on the new Minus the Bear record. I realize that legal downloads solve some of my problems, but that opens up another can of worms, which I'll save for a later date. For now, you can read my potential solution from a few month's ago.
* There are exceptions. While in Japan, I bought Quruli's The World is Mine for over twenty dollars even though I had already downloaded it. The combination of my being a big fan, it's lack of availability in the U.S. and the relatively cheap price compared to other Japanese albums made me buy it.
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4 pm → I Love This Lord of War Movie Poster
This is the best movie poster I have seen in a long time. Click to enlarge it but you need to see it in person to see the amount of detail involved. It's fantastic.