If I Said I Want Your Body Now, Would You Hold It Agai----No! I Wouldn't!

After its premiere on MTV and Vevo.com last night, I am left screaming, "What is up with this video??????"  The entire Milky Way (and beyond) knows my love for Ms. Toxic, but seriously...HUH?  I'm not going to go into detail but for a few points.  While not originally a huge fan of the single, I definitely favor it over its visual counterpart. 

Pros:

-It's a new Britney video

-The end scene, where Cher has apparently lent Britney & her dancers the Burlesque stage

Cons/Confusions:
-Britney fighting herself-why is this happening in the first place and what does it have to do with holding it against me because you/I feel like paradise?
-Britney fighting herself-clearly neither Brits received training for this sequence from Tony Horton's KenpoX
-The child's pottery paint? I guess Britney & Willow Smith traded paint sets at a recent playdate
-The dancers' faceless masks, the TV set scenery, the nonsecretive and never ending barrage of product placement (Lady Gaga's was just funny in Video Phone), the quit cut-to of the ...One More Time video (where did THAT come from???)

Overall, I was very confused from beginning to end...well, at least until the aforementioned Burlesque stage scene.

View for yourself here:





Click here to find out what Billboard readers' voted as the 10 best Britney videos.

Supreme Court vs. You

Snippet: In January, the Supreme Court declined to review a ruling that reinstated an antitrust lawsuit alleging that major record labels conspired to fix prices and terms under which music would be sold over the Internet.  The justices rejected without comment an appeal by companies that included Sony and Warner Bros.

Subscription Service + Smartphone = Music, Music, Music

Rolling Stone recently published an article showcasing several portable subscription services and detailing which is right for smartphone consumers.  While the revenue side of this service is still questionable (subscription services make up a miniscule percentage of the digital music market), there has been a solid development of streaming services and apps, big thanks to smartphones, Apple, and Google.  All services listed below are currently $9.99/month for unlimited access and have the ability to cache songs on your phone for offline pleasure.

MOG: In July, the Berkeley-based service initiated "All Access" smartphone apps giving listeners just that.  Now accessible on iPhone, Android, and Roku TV set-top boxes are more than 9M songs which allow unlimied high-bit-rate (320 kps) downloads.  There is reportedly excellent curation, which includes guest playlists from Thom Yorke and David Byrne from Radiohead and Talking Heads, respectively.  The downside: Searching can be headachy.

RDIO: This service, launced in August by the founders of Skype, integrates with social-networking tools (Facebook, Twitter), letting users connect with friends.  It also will sync up with your iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry and seemingly comes with and easy-to-use interface.  The downside: 7M songs (the least of any service) = lack of indie acts like Arcade Fire and Pavement.  However, with AF's recent Grammy surprise, this info may soon be just the opposite.

RHAPSODY: The long-running service launched a mobile app in late 2009, available with iPhone.  Android and Blackberry apps are coming.  Users will find a huge, 10M song catalog and Pandora-style personal radio stations.  The downside: Too complicated interface; low bit-rate downloads, which means harsh tunes.

THUMBPLAY: Hooking up with your iPhone, Android, or (best choice) BlackBerry, this app started as a BlackBerry native & allows importing of iTunes playlists into non-Apple phones - sweet!  Also has a polished interface.  The downside: Weakest music-discovery tools; little editorial content.

The puzzle of downloadable and streaming music seems to be coming together nicely.  As senior VP of digital music at Warner, Jack Isquith stated, "People ar elooking at the rapid adoption of the smartphone.  I think that has tilted more engergy toward the idea of looking at the streaming model again."  With a quarter of American cell phone users owning a smartphone, iPhone owners already demonstrating a willingness to pay for apps, and phones being viewed as hacker-resistant, easing record label anxiety about unauthorized file-sharing, this seems to be an ideal time for these services to come out in full force.  Interestingly, MOG CEO David Hyman says the record labels are done losing sleep about such hacking.  "Hacking into a mobile phone to get those files out is such a fringe thing...labels have evolved enough that we're past the point where they care about that."  Gartner Inc. analyst Mike McGuire says labels are backing the model and have even relaxed their requirements for upfront minimum guarantees they chage to get access to a catalog. 

While we Americans still await the the stateside availability of Spotify (Warner CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr., stated, "Free streaming services are clearly not net positive for the industry, and as far as WM is concerned will not be licensed), Apple and Google are zooming through streamland.  In December, Apple bought the streaming service Lala.  This will let users stream iTunes libraries through their iPhones, potentially blowing out all the services listed above.  With 160M users already in their database, as well as an obviously-needed 500k sq. ft. data center in NC, Apple is completely dominating this section of the industry...or maybe even the whole.  Google, on the other hand, previewed a version of the Android Marketplace in May, which allowed songs bought in the Marketplace to be automatically streamed to a device running the Android interface.  Buy it on your computer, play it on your phone.  In September, rumors spread that Google had pitched labels on a Google music product that would include a cloud-based "storage locker."

Sorry to the small fries, but I'm betting on Apple & Google here.

Goldfinga!

Much overdue is this post to recognize the incredible composer, Brit's John Barry, who died on January 31.  His most famous works were eleven James Bond films, starting with "From Russia With Love" in 1963.  Barry's five Academy Awards included wins for "Dances With Wolves," "Out of Africa," "The Lion in Winter," and two for "Born Free."  Additionally, he won four Grammys.  Among his compositions were "Goldfinger" and "Diamonds Are Forever"...did I hear Kanye say "THANK YOU"???

As Bond composer David Arnold stated, "...James Bond would have been far less cool without John Barry holding his hand".  Well said.

Grrrrammy's

Following Sunday's pop-tastic Grammy's (I haven't witnessed that many performances, especially with the feeling we were back in the 2000s pop glory days, in a lo-o-ong time), there were plenty of folks roaring criticisms of everything from the pop-filledness to the bikers-with-helmet-cams during the Arcade Fire performance to the Biebliebers hate-mongering against the precious and very awesomely talented Esperanza Spalding.  Here are a couple other blurbs worth sharing, thanks to AM New York!

•   Rosie O'Donnell's ear drums apparently never had the pleasure of experiencing Arcade Fire, and after their album of the year win for "The Suburbs", her Twitter comment blasted, "album of the year? ummm never heard of them ever."  Unidentified experts on AF's defense have stated, "The act with the most complex, thoughtful and adventurous album actually won the Grammy".  With AF, Biebs, & Drake, it seems the Canadians are taking over.  So there, RODo!!
• The Lady's gone Madgaga!  Everybody is up in arms freaky, pointy shoulders following Lady Gaga's Grammy performance.  The accusations are flowing freely that LG is pure copycatting Madge.  Among the allegations:

- Lady Gaga's ponytail, breastplate, and leather-bustier-baring look ripped off Madonna's 1990 appearance
- "Born This Way" penned by Lady Gaga is a near-exact replica of Madonna's "Express Yourself"

My take is that Gags didn't intentionally rip of Madonna.  Influenced?  Very likely.  It's common knowledge Lady Gaga loves Madonna (and vice versa).  However, influenced by ≠ infringement.  There are only so many notes to compose with and though thousands of ways in which to arrange those notes, similarities are bound to exist.  While the messages of the songs also are being scrutinized as too-close-for-comfort, this still does not amount to lawsuit stature.

Goodbye Golden Ear

Don Kirshner, Carole King, Gerry Goffin

This article by Greg Shaw of Rock's Back Pages is a great look into the bottoms-up publishing life of dynamo Don Kirshner (1934-2011).  Responsible for (what seems like) thousands of hits, Kirshner, as one half of Aldon Music is one reason we have so many great pop standards thanks to "the Brill Building Sound" Kirshner sweated out of his writers - “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “The Loco-Motion,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”).  A few of the great songwriters/songwriters-turned-artists with Aldon: Neil Sedaka, who brought in Carole King; Carole/Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann, Barry/Cynthia Weil, & Neil Diamond.  Also, not to forget is the incredible success Kirshner later found and developed with the Monkees and the Archies.

"The Brill Building Sound" is in honor of the actual Brill Building, up the block at 1615 Broadway (Aldon was at 1650 Broadway).  The Brill Building had been the home of the American music publishing industry for an earlier generation of predominantly Jewish entertainers and businessmen on Broadway and Tin Pan Alley.      

You Feel Like Paradise and I Need A Vacation

My forever fave, Britney Spears, is back as of Monday with her new single, "Hold It Against Me". Very club (à la Necto on Friday nights), very energized, very produced. Energy and pop-music-forever props go to producer Max Martin, while thumping-beats and perhaps over-production goes to Dr. Luke. The chorus breakdown reminds me of the Luke-produced "Right Round" (Flo Rida), with the abrupt fallout of instrumentals and bass and the introduction of a twirling, sparkling background underneath the vocals.

Not my favorite Britney single, but I like that she's back with Martin. This single reminds me a lot of many cuts from her 2003 album In the Zone, as well as Blackout...neither of which were the most appealing to me either. I prefer the less rave-like, more standard pop Britney ("Lucky", "Crazy", "Toxic","Radar", "Stronger", "...Baby") that Jive is so well known for (Justin Timberlake, *NSYNC, BSB, Ciara, Usher).

Either way, I'm always a happy lass when Britney saves the day.

Hear the single:

Isadora Kim - The Classical O.G.

Well, Color Me Ivoried!...


Tonight, I witnessed a mind-blowing performance at Carnegie Hall by 16 year old Isadora Kim (Ji Eun Kim). She was the solo pianist backed by the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra with the Jerusalem Orchestra of Promise Ministries International. She commanded the stage, the orchestra, the piano, the jaws-dropped audience, and likely, the building itself through Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, and two encores, both of which, of course were amazing, but the first was completely outrageous and somebody should be slapped in thanksgiving for her insanity! Her trills, her technique, her superb dynamics, and her speed are like nothing I've seen, but the closest I could think of, especially in the speed, was Lang Lang.

I demand everyone to rewind their clocks and go to the concert from tonight. But, if that's not possible, you shall book a flight to catch Isadora at her next performance. Must. Do. Noow-uuuuu. (That was Ahhhnald Schwarz accented).

Proof:
Pieces Played Tonight (Isadora is 13-15 in these videos)
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1


Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2


Not From Tonight, But A Must-Witness
Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, 3rd Movement

Idol Worthy

Thanks to Metro New York's article today, I found my future child's idol: Crystal Harris! She is already very successful at the young age of 24, has been able to overlook her Love's...obstacles, and recognizes the importance of befriending elders.

What's that? She is succesful because of Pl--nooo!!!! Her Love's obstacles are...what??? Her befriended elder is who???

I am doomed. My future child will be crushed. Crystal deceived me! She looked so innocent in the paper, see for yourself:



Oy vey. In case you are scratching your cabeza, let me fill you in. Crystal's Playboy success has hurled her to Hef-marriage status, as her $90k engagement ring screams. Fine. We know how the Hef rolls. But what about those previously mentioned "obstacles"? You know, the one that says, "Hi. I'm marrying a man 60 years older than I."...? Or, how about the one that says, "Hi. I'm marrying an 84 year old and on our honeymoon..."--wait a minute, I don't want to talk about an 84 year old's relationship at all, let alone the honeymoon.

Most perplexing of all, is Ms. Harris's totally PR'd statement. "I don't notice the age difference with Hef at all. If anything, I have to keep up with him!" Come onnnn, can I be spared even a teensy weensy bit??

I am shocked. I am baffled. I am crying. Although, I don't know if these emotions are due to oozing desire for fame & money their relationship, the fact that HH is still (dare I say) going strong, or the fact that I now have to begin searching for future baby's celebridol all over again.

She Sings Too!

Her first and new single, "Turn It Up", is ready to be launched with a music video, but until we have the pleasure of viewing said video, Kim Kardashian has been gracious enough to share a couple of "sneak peak" photos:




And while not great audio, this video from her Premier at Tao in Vegas is the only option out so far of the single:
.

According to certain articles, the success (or lack thereof) of Paris Hilton's music career (Stars Are Blind) is seeming to be laid out as a what-not-to-do book for Kim K and others coming through the mic straight out of reality-TV-Land. However, the single was written by The-Dream (Single Ladies, Umbrella), video produced by Hype Williams (If I Ruled The World, Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See, No Scrubs, Big Pimpin', Rock The Boat), and there is a rumored music video cameo by Kanye; all of which equal a very good potential for a nice ride up SoundScan.

But, back to what we've learned from the likes of Paris, Lindsay Lohan, etc., my bets aren't skyrocketing...though this is not to say I won't be "Turning It Up" when it hits!!