JamieKuse

Avid Unviels New Pro Tools|HD Interfaces

// August 17th, 2010 // No Comments » // Current Events

3 New Pro Tools HD Systems

Avid, the makers of Pro Tools, have unveiled a new line of their flagship interfaces. There are three new pieces of hardware available: the HD I/O, HD OMNI and HD MADI. Avid is claiming a ground up redesign of the platform, with features never before seen. Though not a Pro Tools HD user myself, i must admit that some of the new features sound remotely interesting (my best attempts to avoid being singled out as an endorser or band-wagoner).

New features include a new clocking and filtering system, and more interestingly, a proprietary new soft knee analog limiter (HD I/O and HD OMNI).

HD OMNI – Filling the “Mid Level” Void for Avid?

The HD Omni looks like it could be a great option for pro-sumer studios, or overdub/edit rooms at professional facilities. It includes HD conversion, 2 mic preamps, 4 Line In, surround monitoring and a 14×26 software mixer. Looking at it reminds me of a trusty old Edoril UA1000 card i had kicking around for ages. I’d love to hear what the Omni sounds like, especially when it comes to the preamps. Avid could be making a wise move to tackle that mid level market with this piece. If you are one of the thousands of people out there that doesn’t need loads of analog I/O, and you want to get into the PT|HD market, this could be worth checking out.

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Blog Post: Important Sales Trends You Need To Know

// June 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blog Post, Current Events

Fewer new releases are reaching one million units in sales, a very small number of them even get to 5,000 units and maintaining early sales momentum is increasingly difficult. Those were the lessons learned from Nielsen’s presentation at last month’s NARM conference in Chicago. Some of the highlights from the presentation:

12 Albums Released in 2009 Sold More than One Million Units
Of the 97,751 albums released in 2009, only 12 of them sold more than one million units last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The number of titles to reach one million units in previous years was 35 in 2006, 27 in 2007 and 22 in 2008. Clearly it is getting more difficult for an album to sell one million units.

The new releases that do sell over one million units in the year of their release, however, are maintaining their average. Between 2006 and 2009, the average annual tally for titles reaching the one million mark has ranged from a low of 1.42 million in 2008 to a high of 1.61 million in 2009. In years past, there were far more titles in the one million to 1.4 million range. Now such titles would probably not reach the one million mark and as a result would not be included in these calculations. So, the average of the titles in this million-plus ground stays about the same even though there are fewer sales and less revenue from these million-plus sellers.
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Music Blogs – Real Journalism?

// April 25th, 2010 // No Comments » // Current Events

In this video, long time music critic Chris Weingarten discusses his take on the evolving beast we call Music Journalism. Not sure about my stance on this, but its worth a watch. Feel free to take his opinion with a grain of salt.

Universal Slashes CD Prices to Between $6 and $10

// March 22nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Current Events

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Universal Music Group (UMG) is embarking on one of the most ambitious efforts yet to boost U.S. CD sales, with the test of a new pricing structure designed to sell most new releases by current artists at $10 or less at retail.

Music

The major’s “Velocity” pricing program responds to the continuing plunge in CD sales, taking aim at brick-and-mortar retail stores that have scaled back on floor space dedicated to music. The pricing adjustments will also bring CD prices more in line with what consumers pay for digital albums at online retailers like iTunes and Amazon. (more…)

Amazon vs iTunes – Apple’s questionable monopoly

// March 12th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Current Events

CUPERTINO, CA (Hypebot) – According to recent reports, Apple has been aggressively discouraging labels from participating in Amazon MP3′s Daily Deal. Feature a new release there, the labels have been told, and your release will get no promotion at all on iTunes.

Being an aggressive competitor is nothing new for Apple. It’s also common for labels for show a preference for their largest retailer. But this particular skirmish reveals both Apple’s hypocrisy as well as just how much the major labels fear Steve Jobs. (more…)