With declining CD sales, and all this talk about new business models, be it 360 deals or ad-driven services, today's new artists seem to understand the music biz is about much more than music. Just take a virtual stroll around the Web sites of those up for a best new artist Grammy this year.
Taylor Swift
Among the items available in the Web store for country upstart Taylor Swift are $25 t-shirts and $12 Christmas ornaments. But more subtle is this $10 leather bracelet, with a "love love love" script that's apparently so popular, it's currently on backorder.
Paramore
Like pals Fall Out Boy, punky pop band Paramore knows its merch. Check its massive Web store, where you can find everything from $18 American Apparel undies to an $18 T-shirt dress. Or you can buy these $15 sandals. Just don't wear them to Warped Tour.
Ledisi
Not much other than music in the store for R&B singer Ledisi, although her first two albums are out of print. Wait, first two albums? What category is this? Best contemporary R&B or best new artist? (Yes, I know the category's fine print--you don't have to write in.)
Feist
If any of the best new artist crop are going to be down with commerce, it's surely going to be Canadian singer/songwriter Feist, whose "1234" was the soundtrack to an iPod commercial that ran every 30 seconds during the summer 2007. But why end there? Turn your iPod into a permanent Feist billboard with these cute little hoodie things.
Amy Winehouse
No products in the Web store for Amy Winehouse. It's all about the music for 2007's most talked-about artist. You'll have to head to her retro tunes to find the gimmicks.
So that's what this year's crop has for sale. Now who will win?
First the Grammys had to weather threats of having its annual awards show derailed due to the writers strike. Now one of its album of the year nominees is balking at showing up for the Grammys’ 50th anniversary party.
Sources close to Vince Gill report that the country star was not offered a performance slot that was deemed “appropriate” for an artist of his stature. Gill’s management, they confirm, has thus far turned down opportunities for him to perform on the telecast, and there’s now a good chance he won’t appear on the Feb. 10 broadcast.
In a typical Grammy telecast, each album of the year nominee gets showcased with some sort of marquee performance. But this year is not the typical Grammy broadcast. In hopes of honoring five decades of music, the Recording Academy and producers are said to be going heavy on collaborations and retrospective pieces.
The plan, label sources said, is to celebrate the 50th anniversary with one-of-a-kind, sweeping performances. Expect a Herbie Hancock ensemble piece to be announced in the coming days. But it won't be a showcase for his album-of-the-year-nominated “River: The Joni Letters.”
Other performances already announced include a gospel segment featuring Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, and a pairing of R&B star Rihanna with reunited funk group the Time. The Recording Academy also announced a Beatles segment, combining the casts of Cirque du Soleil's "Love" and the film "Across the Universe."
But a show heavy on communal performances as opposed to solo air time is not, apparently, one that Gill’s manager believe is suitable for the artist. Gill’s manager Larry Fitzgerald was quoted by the Tennessean as saying that Gill was not offered a substantial enough performance slot. According to Fitzgerald: “Grammy producers chose not to offer Vince an appropriate role on this year’s Grammy show.”
The trailer for the Wachowski brothers film "Speed Racer" opens with about 5 seconds of the familiar "Speed Racer" theme -- the horn that mimics a honk, the hurried, frantic rhythm. Then it leaves tradition behind, breaking off into pure rave territory with a full-on explosion of techno sounds.
But don't think the trailer foretells the sound of the film.
Composer Michael Giacchino says the 2-minute "Speed Racer" teaser cribs from his pre-"Speed Racer" work.
"They used a tiny bit of music from ‘Alias,’ I think," he says. "I don’t think the music in the trailer is representative of what the music in the film will be. The film is going to be a big orchestral thing, mixed in with some rhythm elements."
Giacchino, who has received recognition from this year's Grammys and Oscars for his work on "Ratatouille," says he was given about 8 weeks to compose the score for "Speed Racer," and will begin recording it on Feb. 11. More so than the music that's used in the trailer, Giacchino says his "Speed Racer" score will have a deeper connection to the '60s cartoon series.
"It will have an injection of feeling from the old show, but just on a bigger scale," he says. "I have every single score from ‘Speed Racer.’ I found them in Japan on CD, and I love that music. I want to make sure there’s a thread to it, so this feels like it was born out of the show."
That being said, he promises his "Speed Racer" score won't be as retro-influenced as his work for "The Incredibles." He also reveals that the live-action film, starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon and John Goodman, won't have much, if any, pop music.
"'Speed Racer' doesn’t really have any of that," he says. "It’s me and a blank slate, and 118 minutes that need to be filled. Movie starts, music starts, movie ends and music ends. It seems a lot of the films I work on are score-driven films. I’m not that drawn to projects where you’re filling in between songs."
After "Speed Racer," it's another much-beloved remake he'll tackle in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek." Giacchino has worked closely with Abrams through the years, following him from "Alias" to "Lost" and "Cloverfield," for which he wrote the end-credits "ROAR!"
Expectedly, he offers no hints to his "Star Trek" score, saying he won't have time to dive into it until after completing "Speed Racer."
"They’re still shooting 'Star Trek,' so ‘Speed Racer’ fit into the waiting area in which I would have been tinkering around with ideas for it," he says. "I’ll start on that in April. What I am thinking about is how so much amazing music has been written for the series, whether it be for the show or TV or the later shows. There’s so much stuff there that I love, so to have to put something into that world is very daunting."
But fans should expect at least some tinkering with the classic theme.
"In the same way that J.J. took the story and is re-inventing what it is, this is a chance to create something new, thematically, so I am excited about that challenge," he says. "But I want it to feel like it deserves to sit up on the shelf with the other ones."
After “Juno” received four Oscar nominations last week, the movie's soundtrack album moved into the top spot on the national sales chart. Sales of the indie-rock-focused soundtrack were up 13% to 65,000 copies last week, and it brings the total figure for the compilation above the 250,000 mark, according to Nielsen/SoundScan.
“Juno” is the first soundtrack to top the chart since “Dreamgirls” did it about this time last year, and Billboard reports that it is the first soundtrack from a film nominated for best picture to hit No. 1 since “Titanic” accomplished the feat back in 1998. It's also the first No. 1 album Warner imprint Rhino.
The “Juno” soundtrack knocks Alicia Keys' “As I Am” down to No. 2, with sales of 60,000 copies last week. Since its early November release date, “As I Am” has sold more than 2.8 million, and the Keys campaign doesn't look to be slowing down. The artist was just announced as a performer on the Feb. 10 Grammy Awards.
Though major releases from the likes of Sheryl Crow and Lenny Kravitz aren't due until Tuesday, a number of smaller and indie acts were released last week and landed on this week's chart. English singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield earned her first top 10 debut with “Pocketful of Sunshine,” an album that sold 50,000 copies and entered at No. 3.
Further down, indie favorite Cat Power also scored her best chart entry. Her album “Jukebox” landed at No. 12 after selling 29,000 copies.
Other newcomers include the latest volume in the Radio Disney compilation “Kids Jams,” which entered at No. 18 (21,000 copies), and country newcomer Chuck Wicks, whose “Starting Now” landed at No. 24 (20,000).
For the record: An earlier version of this piece said "Juno" was the first Oscar-nominated film since "Titanic" to reach No. 1. That is incorrect. It is first soundtrack from a best picture nominated film to reach No. 1 since "Titanic."
R&B star Alicia Keys, country singer Brad Paisley and best new artist nominee Feist have been added to the slate of performersat next week's Grammy Awards. Additionally, the Recording Academy announced this morning that the telecast would feature a segment devoted to the Beatles, combining the casts of Cirque du Soleil's "Love" and the film "Across the Universe."
"Across the Universe" and "Love" will compete in the long-winded category of best compilation soundtrack album for motion picture, television or other visual media. In an interview last week, "Across the Universe" composer Elliot Goldenthal confessed to not having seen "Love."
"Since we were working so closely with the same composers, in terms of source material, I didn’t want to be influenced by it," he said.
He continued, "Being that everything the Beatles did was perfect, it’s easy to be influenced regarding details of the arrangements. I wanted to basically start from scratch, as if I were discovering those songs only on paper."
The high-profile Grammy pairing of "Across the Universe" and "Love" is not the only one. As previously noted, Rihanna will perform with reunited funk act the Time, and the Grammys will play host to a gospel segment with Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige and the Clark Sisters, among others. Finally, the Foo Fighters will team with Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, who will conduct an orchestra comprised of contest winners, finalists of which were released today.
The Recording Academy also began releasing the names of presenters. Lined up so far is Latin star Juanes, as well as Cyndi Lauper, Bette Midler and Bonnie Raitt (courting the youth of America?).
Thus far, no much-rumored Michael Jackson appearance has been announced, although the inclusion of Feist (pictured), whose "1234" was one of 2007's most ubiquitous tunes, thanks to a commercial for an MP3 device, gives the telecast some much-needed, and much-welcomed, fresh blood. But with the telecast fast approaching, our hopes of at least one independent artist getting to perform are fading.
"Falling Slowly" from the indie musical "Once" is indeed eligible for an Oscar, according to a spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. An official statement is at the end of this post.
Last night, the blog of the New York Times' David Carr broke the news. Earlier this week, a spokeswoman for the Academy confirmed that the song's eligibility was being investigated after it had been nominated in the best song category, but did not elaborate on what prompted the inquiry.
Composed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, "Falling Slowly" appeared on a 2006 album from Hansard's band, the Frames. The CD, "The Cost," was released prior to "Once," and likely the cause of confusion. A spokesperson for the Academy was not immediately available for comment.
"Falling Slowly" will compete against three songs from Disney's musical "Enchanted," as well as "AugustRush's" "Raise It Up." In this blogger's interview with Hansard, he discussed the Oscar nomination, and why it's more meaningful to him than his Grammy nomination.
But now the question: Will this mini-controversy be enough to turn voters off the best song written for a film in 2007?
Here is the full Academy statement:
The Academy's Music Branch Executive Committee has met and endorsed the validity of "Falling Slowly" as a nominated achievement. The committee relied on written assurances and detailed chronologies provided by the songwriters of "Falling Slowly," the writer/director of ONCE and Fox Searchlight.
The genesis of the picture was unusually protracted, but director John Carney and songwriter Glen Hansard were working closely together in 2002 when the project that became ONCE was first discussed. "Falling Slowly" began to be composed, but the actual script and financing for the picture were delayed for several years, during which time Mr. Hansard and his collaborator Marketa Irglova played the songs in some European venues. Such previous uses were deemed local enough and minor enough to be inconsequential to the song's eligibility.
Two days after the Feb. 10 awards, Sony's Legacy Recordings will release the 25th anniversary of "Thriller."
You can bet the mystery surrounding Jacko's rumored appearance will drum up more hype for the release (witness this posting), which will certainly boost CBS ratings thanks to those curious to see what state Jackson is in. That's why I'm not expecting a firm answer anytime soon.
But here's hoping he's not in the Staples Center next weekend. For one, if he is, every other artist and performance will be overshadowed by talk of what Jackson will/or won't do, and what he will look like. And besides, the Grammys should honor the past year in music, not help sell a re-issue for Sony.
But more important, Jackson has already received a better tribute than the Grammys can provide. It came by way of Chicago rapper Rhymefest, who, along with Grammy-nominated producer Mark Ronson (Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse), has crafted a Jackson "dedication album," which takes inspiration from Jackson's work to create compelling new songs. I first learned about the project, dubbed "Man in the Mirror," via the blog of the Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot, and I haven't been able to stop listening since I downloaded it on Friday.
And speaking of downloading, one should head to the official Web site of Ronson's Allido Recordings (a label affiliated with Sony) or Rhymefest's MySpace page to download the project now. It's free, and these kind of unlicensed remixes have a tendency to disappear suddenly.
But Rhmyefest is able to do what major label marketing firms have failed at doing, and that's trim Jackson of the tabloid drama and bring the focus back to his music. Rhymefest sets out right away to humanize Jackson, and bring him down to earth, portraying him as a simple man from Gary, Ind., one who still has the power to unite a desperate community (see "Mike the Mentor"). He also inter-splices the album with brief, but always humorous, "conversations" with Jackson, in which Rhymefest's inserts himself into dialogue from Jackson interviews.
It's a tribute to a hero, but also a call to action. The 25th anniversary of "Thriller" comes bloated with extra tracks and remixes from will.i.am., Kanye West, Akon and Fergie, a disjointed smattering of superstars rather than a cohesive collection (as Rhymefest writes on his MySpace page, "As a fan, I expected a bit more"). By contrast, Rhymefest and Ronson have created a seamless offering, in which the rapper and the King of Pop play give-and-take with Jackson's songs of yore.
"Can't Make It" opens with a sample of "You Can't Win," and swipes and spices funk sounds over bombastic beats, mixing hip-hop dreams with a working-class reality. Rhymefest re-imagines "Dancing Machine" as a sparse club tune, and Rhymefest dramatically dances around a young Jackson covering "Ain't No Sunshine," re-crafting it as a song about tortured aspirations.
Rhymefest has more fun with Jackson's "Break of Dawn," turning it into the sly and soulful "Breakadawn," in which he wonders what Jackson's share of the Beatles catalog is worth. "Don't Let Your Baby Catch You" becomes the playful "Foolin' Around," and the title track brings it to a show-stopping close, with Rhymefest asking what he's done to lose the trust of his own mother.
After listening to "Man in the Mirror," it's clear there's only one Jackson Grammy pairing worth hearing: Jackson & Rhymefest, a duo that would probably make CBS suits cringe.
The three-month-long writers strike will have no effect on the Grammys.
The Writers Guild of America West has granted an interim agreement for the 50th annual Grammy Awards, allowing the Feb. 10 telecast to proceed with WGA writers. Last week, the WGA had announced that it would not picket the awards.
Today's news ensures that Grammy producers can utilize the show's regular WGA writing team of producer Ken Ehrlich and author-journalist David Wild. Since last week's assurance that the WGA would not picket the event, the Recording Academy has begun lining up its cast of performers, which includes Carrie Underwood, Beyonce, the Foo Fighters, John Paul Jones, Rihanna and a reunion from funk group the Time.
Additionally, with the show now essentially receiving the blessing of the WGA, producers should be able to line up a number of Screen Actors Guild members to present or perform.
In response, the Recording Academy issued the following statement:
"The Recording Academy is gratified by the WGA's decision to grant the interim agreement we requested for our milestone 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Having our talented writers on the team further ensures the highest level of creativity and innovation, something our audience has come to expect every year. Music fans worldwide can look forward to an amazing lineup of artists and performances on February 10, making our 50th anniversary show one of the most memorable ever."
The full WGA West statement below issued today:
The Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) has agreed to grant an interim agreement for this year’s Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. This will allow for written material for the show to be covered under a Guild contract.
"Professional musicians face many of the same issues that we do concerning fair compensation for the use of their work in new media. In the interest of advancing our goal of achieving a fair contract, the WGAW Board felt that this decision should be made on behalf [of] our brothers and sisters in the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists," said WGAW President Patric M. Verrone.
Rock vet Glen Hansard didn't want to get excited about the Oscars.
"I'm not supposed to care, but I do," said the singer, who along with Marketa Irglova performs as Swell Season. The two wrote and composed the music for "Once,"which was nominated for an Oscar for best song.
"I'm surprised with myself," he said. "At the end of the day, it's a bunch of people in another country deciding whether your film is worthy or not. It's something that's arguable, whether it's worth taking to heart. But it's such a lovely thing when you get it."
Come Feb. 24, Hansard and Irglova will see their passionate acoustic duet "Falling Slowly" go up against three songs from Disney's musical "Enchanted," as well as the gospel "Raise It Up" from "August Rush," a song performed by Jamia Simone Nash & Impact Repertory Theatre. Hansard has already earned two Grammy nominations this year, and though he has spent his career in the music industry, as leader of Irish rock group the Frames, he said it's the Oscar that's far more meaningful.
"I have to say, the thing with the Grammys is that it's a different stratosphere," Hansard said. "It's corporate rock."
Hansard said he lost his cool, rock-'n'-roll composure when the Oscar nom came down. Said Hansard: "I had been trying to say, 'It doesn't really matter.' This should not be important. All you do is make your work and put out your songs, and it shouldn't be important what the world thinks. But on the other hand, this is the Oscars. I kept thinking about my mother, and my family, and how proud everyone in Ireland would be."
"Once" stood out in a crowded year for music films, playing out like a live-action mix tape in which the characters learn to understand their emotions through pop songs. Hansard and Irglova spent much of 2007 on tour as Swell Season, and performed at a number of screenings at the request of Fox Searchlight.
"Once" was directed by former Frames member John Carney, and though the Frames have been around since the early '90s, it was a film that finally put Hansard's music on the map to U.S. audiences.
"When I say to my mother that we played to 1,000 people in New York, she has this idea that those 1,000 people are all artists and students," he said. "She doesn't think they're, like, the public. She gauges success on a different level. But when I told her we got the Oscar nomination, she flipped. Every year my mother would bring us into the living room and we'd watch the Oscars. It was bigger than the World Cup."
"Once" was one of a few artist-driven scores in 2007, with the other most notable efforts being Eddie Vedder's contributions to "Into the Wild" and Sondre Lerche's work in "Dan in Real Life." Both were shut out at the Oscars, and they weren't the only major artists to go without a nomination. Shakira ("Love in the Time of Cholera"), Diane Warren ("American Gangster"),Lou Reed ("Gravity") and John Mayer ("The Bucket List") failed to receive nominations.
If one is wondering where Vedder's cuts from "Into the Wild" went, one need look no further than the official Oscar rules. Voting on the songs comes directly after a screening of the clips. In a theater, it's hard to deny the delightful scenes of "Enchanted," and though the Oscars should surely take into account a song's relevance to a film, the nominated songs should also work outside a movie.
The "Whistle While You Work"-inspired "Happy Working Song" might be a pivotal scene in "Enchanted," but it's also directly tied to "Enchanted." A great movie song isn't all that different from one piece of a concept album -- it must be able to stand apart, and be enjoyed without any knowledge whatsoever of the film.
As much as I enjoyed "Enchanted," its music doesn't pass this test, at least not in a year that saw strong songs from Shakira, Vedder and Warren. Furthermore, increasing speculation, according to the New York Times' David Carr, that the music from "Once" is ineligible for an Oscar only serves to call into the question the relevancy of the category's rules.
The likely cause for confusion: "Falling Slowly," which is vital to the development of the film's characters, appeared on the Frames' 2006 album "The Cost," and there's now some question as to whether the song was written explicitly for the film.
In an earlier interview with Hansard, he discussed the process in which songs where written for the film, one in which he was not originally slated to act. "We basically brought John songs," Hansard said. "He liked some, and he didn’t like others, and he wrote themes around the songs that we gave him."
That kind of musical inspiration is evident on the screen, and hopefully why this mini-controversy will soon fade. In "Once," the music often illustrates an emotion that the characters are unable to express to one another, and it's one of the more loving odes to pop music in recent memory.
Word of a Scarlett Johansson album first hit last summer after the actress appeared with cult heroes the Jesus and Mary Chain at last year's Coachella. The album, titled "Anywhere I Lay My Head" and being released via Warner imprint Atco, will hit stores on May 20.
At least based on those Johansson is working with, the "Ghost World" actress has pretty good taste in music. She recorded the album with TV on the Radio producer David Sitek, and collaborated with Yeah Yeah Yeah's guitarist Nick Zinner on the album, which sees her covering 10 Tom Waits tunes. One original is said to be on the set, but a track-list is not yet known.
Johansson is not the only famed actress with some indie-rock cred. We reported on this album, and a host of other indie-friendly actresses, last summer. Check out the gallery here.
But there's more, at least for those following the actress-turned-singer beat.
Indie label Merge Records, home to Arcade Fire and Spoon, will release a collaboration between singer/songwriter M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel under the title She & Him on March 18.We plan on covering the pair's show from South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, in March, but in the meantime, check out some of their songs here.
