BigChampagne Media Measurement Blog

Raymond vs. Raymond vs. Raymond... Usher's Stunningly Early Leak

Digital Music News:

It seems that Lil Wayne’s Rebirth is setting the tone for a string of very early big-name album leaks. Among the latest casualties is Usher, whose album Raymond Vs. Raymond began appearing online mid-day Sunday the 27th according to data from BigChampagne.. Like Rebirth, the album’s release date has played a questionable game of hopscotch. Originally set to be released in “early 2010”, it was then set back to December 21st, and then to “TBD” status.

Now there is a lot of conflicting information on the release date in the digital retail world. Best Buy, Tower, Fye, CD Universe, and others are offering pre-orders for a February 16th release date. So is Barnes and Noble, yet the album is absent from Borders’ site. Walmart.com also has a pre-order option - but for February 2nd. Ditto Amazon for March 1st (keep a close eye on those pre-orders guys!). Adding to the mystery is it’s complete absence on iTunes at the time of writing.

Regardless of which, if any, date ends up being correct; the leak will motivate those to-whom-it-may-concern to quickly get their ducks in a row and decide on one definitive date, which will likely be sooner rather than later.

And speaking of extremely early album leaks, the self-titled collaboration of Danger Mouse and James Mercer of The Shins, known as Broken Bell, has also leaked.. The group just recently debuted their first single, and the album isn’t due out until more than two months from now: March 9th.

Report by John Robinson

What a Difference a Decade Makes in Music

Houston Chronicle:

“Just imagine we could rid ourselves of this global crisis of piracy,” Garland says, “the fundamental issues are unchanged. It turns out the ability to cherry-pick songs and pay very little has shaken up the economy as much as anything. We thought the problem was piracy, but it turns out the problem was the Internet.”

Accused 'Wolverine' pirate calls charges 'ridiculous'

Sandoval at CNET:

“It’s just ridiculous. I bought it from a Korean guy on the street for five bucks. Then I uploaded it. I didn’t make any money.”

[…]

But Sanchez’s explanation raises more questions than it answers. The first of which is whether the trail of the person who first leaked the movie has gone cold in the eight months since the unauthorized copy first appeared on the Web. Security experts I’ve spoken with, however, say long delays are common with these kinds of file-sharing cases, which sometimes require law enforcement officials to spend months compiling evidence.

The two things that almost everybody agrees on are: 1) the case illustrates once again how hard it is to protect digital content, and 2) Sanchez isn’t the original source of the leak.

The Timbaland Camp Springs a Leak... Again

Digital Music News:

It’s no secret in the hip-hop world that anything going through the Timbaland camp has a good chance of leaking.  Back in September, Digital Music News reported that the first leaked tracks from Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 were Timbaland-produced - a problem that even Jay-Z acknowledged at the time.

Now, Timbo’s long-anticipated album Shock Value II is also leaking, according to information researched by BigChampagne.  The album slipped onto the web as early as Sunday evening, more than a week before its official release date of December 8th.

The album is a follow-up to a 2007 release and, like part one, is heavy with collaborations.  Among these, about half are new names (The Fray, Katy Perry, and even Miley Cyrus), and half are hit-makers from the last album (Timberlake, Furtado, OneRepublic).  Add to this mix the now-ubiquitous guest Drake and the mass-appealing Daughtry, and it appears that the super-producer is putting his eggs in many baskets.

Other major albums that began leaking early this week include 30 Seconds To Mars’ This Is War and Chris Brown’s Graffiti. Both are also due out officially on December 8th.

Leak report by John Robinson.

Now Playing: Jay-Z's Data-Driven Setlist...

Digital Music News:

As revenue sources continue to shift, touring is becoming increasingly important.  The live performance sector has its own demons, most notably macroeconomic pressures, though the show is a unique experience that is difficult to reproduce.  But how can artists maximize that experience by playing the songs that fans want to hear the most?

For newer artists, the challenge is getting enough material together to fill a set.  But for multi-album, multi-decade artists with long-term, loyal followings, the question becomes more complicated.  Fans certainly want the classics; the sing-a-longs that peppered their experiences growing up, partying through college, and living out their adult lives.  But artists need to balance older songs with newer material, including songs that are still catching on.  And, all of that needs to be smartly blended into a package of 15, 20, or more songs.

But what to play?  Digital Music News, using data from BigChampagne, attempted to answer that question using the example of Jay-Z, a relevant, touring artist with a massive catalog.  Jay-Z has played lots of gigs, and has the best sense for what crowds want to hear.  But online channels also offer some guidance, especially when multiple platforms are considered – in this case, MySpace Music, YouTube, and file-trading networks.

MySpace Music offers a considerable level of programming to its audience, and in the case of Jay-Z, positions the latest release (The Blueprint 3) most prominently.  In the case of YouTube, the monitoring focus was the Jay-Z channel, a section that also leans heavily towards promotional and newer content.  P2P may offer the purest indicator of demand, simply because users are entering searches cold.  But those choices are still informed by outside media sources, prompting the move to acquire.

And the takeaway?  Jay-Z is obviously pushing newer material, and shows are not just about memory lane.  But, in the interests of mixing old and new, a number of older songs are must-plays according to the data.  (Incidentally, plenty of songs feature guest artists and therefore call for tricky work-arounds in a live setting, though they are still incorporated here based on user demand.)

So, without further adieu, the most demanded tracks across the various platforms, sorted loosely by time period…

Newest:
1.    Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) (2009)
2.    Run This Town (feat. Rihanna, Kanye West) (2009)
3.    Brooklyn Go Hard (feat. Santogold) (2009)
4.    D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) (2009)
5.    History (2009)
6.    Hate (feat. Kanye West) (2009)
7.    Already Home (feat. Kid Cudi) (2009)
8.    Thank You (2009)

Relatively Recent:
1.    Hello Brooklyn 2.0 (feat. Lil’ Wayne) (2007)
2.    Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)… (2007)
3.    American Gangster (2007)
4.    Jockin’ Jay-Z (Dopeboy Fresh) (2008)
5.    Lost One (feat. Chrisette Michele) (2006)
6.    Show Me What You Got (2006)

Older Songs, Classics:
1.    Can I Get A… (feat. Amil, Ja Rule) (1998)
2.    Big Pimpin’ (feat. UGK) (1999)
3.    99 Problems (2003)
4.    Girls, Girls, Girls (2001)
5.    ‘03 Bonnie & Clyde (feat. Beyonce) (2002)
6.    Money, Cash, Hoes (feat. DMX) (1998)
7.    Money Ain’t a Thang (feat. Jermaine Dupri) (1998)
8.    Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love) (2001)

Just Like Old Times: 50 Cent Rush-Releasing Leaky Album...

Digital Music News:

Before leaks were automatic, labels would rush-release big titles that slipped early.  Nowadays, the more frequent reaction is to stick with existing dates, but for 50 Cent, a more aggressive approach is being applied.

According to data partner BigChampagne, the 50 album, Before I Self Destruct, first started leaking on October 28th - nearly one full month before a street date of November 23rd.  That prompted Interscope executives to strike an iTunes exclusive starting November 10th, according to details shared by Hits Magazine.  The physical album was pushed forward to November 17th (Tuesday), a bit of damage control that followed three weeks of unfettered access across file-sharing networks.

Still, the strategy is rustling some sales - Apple agreed to force-bundle the album, and sales within the exclusive iTunes window reached 46,000.  Moreover, those ‘pre-release’ sales are getting counted against the first scheduled week, also according to Hits.

The rush-release sounds somewhat similar to the response in 2003, when Get Rich or Die Tryin’ started leaking.  But that was when leaks were considered an accident and an anomaly, and release dates carried more meaning.  It was also before CD sales started seriously tanking, and multi-platinum results were the norm from superstars. 

When Divas Leak... Rihanna, Lady Gaga Now Unleashed

Digital Music News:

Shouldn’t Beyonce and Mariah have something leaking this week, just to keep up with the other divas?  Tracks from Rihanna’s new album, Rated R, have been slipping one-by-one for the past week, and according to information tracked by BigChampagne, the full album surfaced last weekend.   File-sharers are, of course, combing through the pre-release for references and hints regarding the Chris Brown incident, and all this chatter and curiosity will most likely boost album sales.

What else?  Lady Gaga’s new album (or is it an EP?) The Fame Monster also began leaking in full on Monday.  No, it’s not a reissue, but eight new songs that darkly reflect on her rise to super-stardom.  In a regard, however, the album is leak-proof - at least as far as her (rather huge) core fanbase is concerned.

Premiums are the reason.  Hearing the music a week early is great, but it’s not exactly the same as owning, say, a lock of Gaga’s hair - which in fact can be obtained by purchasing either the “Lady Gaga Super Deluxe The Fame Monster Pack” ($100) or the “Lady Gaga Super Deluxe The Fame Monster Bundle” ($115). These are just two of ten (!) different packages available.  Most also include a copy of the previous album The Fame, a “collectible puzzle,” posters, paper dolls, fanzines, and 3-D glasses (for use with future Gaga swag).

Purchasers of the Bundle might even receive the equivalent of a chocolate factory golden ticket - randomly selected CDs will be autographed by The Lady herself.

Both albums are officially due on November 23rd.

Report by John Robinson.

Hulu's Backers Bicker as Web Video Soars

CNET:

So what? What does it mean if the studios hobble Hulu? Consumers have watched TV for over half-a-century. They can still go back there. Right?

Eric Garland, CEO of Big Champagne, a company that tracks traffic on peer-to-peer sites—where most illegal file sharing occurs—told me recently that consumers are heading online for video entertainment and he doesn’t expect them to return to their traditional viewing habits ever again. Garland’s data shows that Hulu is the first legal Web service to snatch market share away from the pirate sites.

He also said that the lords of video, with their rejection of Internet businesses, are behaving much the same way the music industry did when confronted by the digital age. Garland said that if network and film studio executives are dissatisfied with the returns they see from Hulu and similar sites, they should consider the possibility that this is all the new media landscape will yield.

Read the whole article HERE.