ON THE MONEY
Is a Spotify boycott getting started?
As streaming music services gain ground, artists’ managers and their labels are starting to give more thought to how to window their new releases, to keep people buying the CDs and the digital downloads.
Last week, CNET reported that Coldplay reps told a bunch of streaming services, including Spotify, Rhapsody and Pandora, that it didn’t want its new album, “Mylo Xyloto,” available there.
The reasoning: They wanted fans to hear the album in its entirety.
“Windowing is something that is definitely being debated at the moment,” said one music label executive.
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
January Jones
While movies tend to have big opening audiences and then drop off, music is a different animal. Some artists take a while to build (Adele, for example), while others (say, Bruce Springsteen) have huge sales on day one.
“The shelf life is different,” explains one music-label executive, who doesn’t think such windowing is a great idea. “Windowing could be a logistical nightmare. We already do exclusives with retailers.”
This person lamented that even getting a release out on iTunes is something of a task, given that it can take as long as 10 days to get it there.
While streaming services are where the music business is headed, one can hardly blame artists for wanting to preserve their revenue models. Paul Vidich -- a former Warner Music executive who appears in Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography for his role in helping build the iTunes platform -- told On the Money last week that the music business is in a deflationary period. He points out that CDs were once $18, and digital downloads are 99 cents.
Vidich told On the Money, “Consumers are enjoying the music at different price points. The new and convenient on-demand service is cannibalistic and . . . is creating overall deflationary pressure on revenue.”
He added that there were very few artists who can control their streaming deals, since those are locked up with the labels. Claire Atkinson
Grace notes
Let’s take a peek through January Jones’ “Rear Window.”
In addition to shooting the upcoming fifth season of AMC’s monster hit “Mad Men,” the blond bombshell is rumored to be leading the pack of actresses to portray Grace Kelly in the much-flapped-about bio-flick tentatively titled “Grace of Monaco.”
Even more impressive than Jones (right) topping the list of prospects, which includes proven veteran actresses Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett and Gwyneth Paltrow, is the $5 million pay day.
“It’s impossible to ignore that fact when [Jones] is dressed and styled like Betty Draper [on ‘Mad Men’] she looks identical to Kelly,” a Tinseltown insider who has worked with Jones told On the Money.
“I think the decision to give Michelle Williams the part of Marilyn [Monroe] is going to weigh heavily here. An A-list actress isn’t the catch -- it’s the look.”
Our insider also told OTM that Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, the EuropaCorp co-founder who recently launched his Stone Angel production and financing company who is backing the flick, reached out to Jones shortly after securing the spec script by Arash Amel.
Le Pogam, who has $15 million on hand, is already generating heated interest from filmmakers dying to tell Kelly’s tale -- much like The Weinstein Co. did before they even announced their decision to roll the dice on Williams -- passing on Paltrow for the film “My Week with Marilyn.”
E! columnist Marc Malkin, who broke the details behind the Monroe project, is skeptical about the idea of Jones landing the role and even more baffled by the potential paycheck.
“Five million dollars? That’s a lot of money for someone who hasn’t proven they can open a huge movie,” Malkin explained. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see. But one thing I will say is, whoever lands that role has an inside track to winning an Oscar. That role will be gigantic for someone’s career.” Joseph Barracato
Direct to video
Universal Studios recently cancelled plans to make its new movie “Tower Heist” available via premium video on demand three weeks after its theatrical debut.
But at Monday’s premiere, studio boss Ron Meyer indicated that his failed experiment would eventually be a reality.
“I think that one day this is going to come,” he told us. “We have to do it in conjunction with theater owners. And I think that we have to find a way to do it in a way that they’re satisfied and that it satisfies our business.”
He declined to elaborate on what it would take for a major studio to make this happen, saying simply, “That’s a longer answer.”
Meyer, who was accompanied by Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, recently received a vote of confidence when Comcast extended his tenure through 2015. On this development, Meyer told On the Money, “I love it,” adding, “They’re good guys, and I’m glad I’m still here.” Hilary Lewis
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