Forbes: The Business of Hip Hop [Forbes]

CBS finally grabs internet by the balls [Forbes.com]

SonyBMG heads to India. If US Music doesn’t sell, the Bollyhop movement could definite do it [Indiatelevision.com]

Universal Music Group [[UMG]] and wireless giant, Qualcomm Inc. set to merge with music/mobile marketing movement. [prnewswire.com]

A good read on the mind of Clive Davis:
Clive Inside the Record Business

Forbes.com reports:

…these kinds of bold investments when markets are in dire straits might seem reckless to many managers. But our analysis of more than 24,000 deals between 1996 and 2006 reveals that companies that acquired through the last downturn (2001 to 2002) generated almost triple the excess returns of companies that made acquisitions during prior boom years.

…We also found that executives who buy during good times and bad significantly outperform the opportunists. Think of it as “corporate-dollar cost averaging.”

I wonder how successful this “Got it For Cheap” deal goes for artists. I don’t recall too many M&A’s for boutique labels though. There was the joint venture bubble about 10 years ago. You know, when MAJOR labels played on every rappers need to be a “CEO”, flashed sexy distribution deals that didn’t work out as well as the last single. That and the industry’s then ignorance on thinking every artists was a selfmade brand, the way Roc-a-fella was becoming. Now, 100 plus dissolved labels later, Universal seems like they own everyone. Dang…If you think about it, really they do, which make me laugh with these album sale competition trysts. They get paid either way. Its like it was yesterday, you’d turn on a video and see 20 damn slashes for the album label and label-mate representation. Seriously, whole paragraphs would be on the screen.

The question is, where did he really go wrong? I mean, you have Alicia Keys who grew into the superstar we see now, Justin Timberlake who has reluctantly become an Pop soul icon, new sensation Chris Brown and now legendary Christina Aguilera. None who have gone under platinum, collectively kept the label going strong for over 10 years. It could be that his formula always worked but, there was just one involvement, the human element. That and his trust that people are willing to work hard.

Hoping a success come back for Whitney Houston, her album has been pushed back numerous times, swirling her “alleged drug use.” Or, his most recent, massive failure, the heavy promotion and over-hyped exposure of Jennifer Hudson. Though she got an Oscar out of the deal, Clive got no album in return, and his reputation questioned, if you ask me. I mean, she won two years ago, since then she hasn’t even been on broadway, released an album, not even a cameo on a sitcom. He had to drag her to the, now defunct Soul Train awards.

Fortune actually had a good perspective on the ordeal, writing:

(Fortune) Why did Davis and two of his longtime deputies Charles Goldstuck and Tim Bowen have to step aside? No matter how hard they try, SonyBMG and its major label peers — Warner Music Group (WMG), Universal Music Group and EMI — haven’t been able to fix the structural problems afflicting their business. CD sales continue to decline. Meanwhile, record companies can’t move enough digital music to make up the difference. [Fortune]

What’s amazing is that this old guy, has a timeless, diverse ear over many come and go label heads…I could say Diddy might be the closest for Hip Hop but, unlike Clive, there is no formula in Hip Hop, unless its a complete jacking, and faux proclaimed styles, pawned off to younger generations as, the truth, king or genius. Think, Whitney, as crackish her antics are, she’s still referenced by young and old. If rock fans didn’t LOVE Outkast, they would have been lost in the constant jacking of hip hop as one of those hodge podge groups. Esp, after Andre3000 & Big Boi outclassed and outsmarted most of the Hip Hop community as the precursor to the future of rap. When the Hip Hop community stop supporting, their label supported their decition to push on and it paid off.

Clive, creates icons, whether his decisions are still relevant, creating music superstars will always be his gift. The question, can that magic put in a bottle, saved, and just as a precaution, sprinkled on Hip Hop.

Universal just announced that its Island Def Jam branch is teaming up with Procter & Gamble, the big consumer goods giants (P&G makes everything from Charmin toilet paper to Maybelline makeup), on a hip hop label to be named TAG Records. P&G’s TAG body spray for men is the inspiration for this label!

A body spray!!!!!

According to the announcement, Jermain Dupri will act as president of TAG Records.

This type of corporate ‘sponsorship’ of a record label is a first! [Perez Hilton]

Guess we should have seen something when they did the “Where You At Commercial.” The way I see, rappers been saying products in rhymes for years and getting sucka dollars for them. Then again, if situations like Lupe Fiasco’s denial of McDonalds money because, “they serve pork” scenario goes down, or DMX for Petsmart, it might be hard to find artists to actually “sell” products without tarnishing the brand. See this might be good for those pop rap artists though. The only task will be make them come to the realization they are pop artists and not hip hop.

If you’ve seen/read The Manchurian Candidate or know about Jericho’s Jennings & Rall evil premise of a coporate take over, this does spook me out a bit. At least for the fact, I’ve never remember “Large” companies being all up in Hip Hop this much…just weird….jussssst a bit weird.

So, when its reported that 50′s team is losing member of its team, I can imagine it went more like the teacher in Lean On Me, flipping a desk, less like Eddie Cane Consider the consolidation between Rocafella was hardly as dramatic. Maybe because most fans didn’t know what to care about.

What’s amazing is that when you look at the G-Unit crew, the real question is…is Curtis looking for a protégé? I mean each member, include Buck were hardly Hip Hop culture mainstays, enough to make money off of the mere presences. well if you count Yayo’s old man swag and dum out dance. There was no transition of Dre to Eminem as Eminem to 50 scenario. It must be frustrating bragging about being the number one team. If you notice, Lebron James don’t boast too much about his squad. I mean team work *yay* and all but we know were the true franchise lays. Unless its a socially racial trend in where Lebron might be too young to know how that goes and rich to blissfully respond…but I digress.

Now the reemergence of Yayo situation and the bold teen have resurfaced. Its clear this kid played a “Do you know who my dad is..” sorta thing and got molly mopped. None the less, an old man beating up a big mouth teen is wrong…isn’t it? I guess if G-Unit was on top in all ways, there wouldn’t be much to root for, as an underdog at least. Some people are getting a kick out of this me, if G-Unit is having troubles imagine what other Hip Hop crews with out a net $10 mill a piece is dealing with.

Maybe he felt this self accolade could come with a consequence. He said, “I feel like this is our year, I love this…” And within days of him opening up, the resurfacing of his nightclub shooting with rapper Shyne and Jennifer Lopez; the release of the article which implicates him in the infamous, robbery of Tupac and the recording studios where Biggie and Diddy worked during this assault. It would bring on the start of the end and middle finger lifted by Pac that forever changed the mood of Hip Hop.

Read the article that claims LA Police reports stating Diddy and Big’s involvement with Pac during a NY incident. I could say it could be a new rivalry stemming from coastal law enforcement. One police department saying one thing, while covering up the other. It would seem normal for the source of the LA report, so detailed to also include the actual Pac shooting that ended his life or the Big shooting as well. It would also seem strange that the source of a NY shooting wouldn’t come from..um…”New York” reports. For that matter where is the NY cosign with the claims. Not that I doubt them it just seem strange.

For the sake of the families, I feel Pac’s family knows the truth which is why, I feel they have subtly moved on and asked people to remember and celebrate him rather than mourn him. Biggie’s mom, she is not of the hood or the culture. She acts as a square mother (respectfully) looking for answers. She does not know the codes. Yes there was a seemingly closer bond with

I feel the way these two type of men died brought the sad process of becoming rich and Black, from a past that won’t let go. Or entering a world with some artist know nothing about. Diddy is moving into Hollywood, and maybe this resurface of the Pac situation is the West Coast reminding him, “We haven’t forgot about the 90′s.” Shyne turing to MTV and its Diddy all day and night? He probably cursed at the screen in Yiddish a couple of times.

  I honestly download from iTunes and only purchase CD’s for relic. Lets be honest, art heads can recognize hot product packaging.Amazon, unlike Apple has no counter product. For iTunes, you have iPod, for iPod you have the extensive products like iTV and the actual computer line. Then the Macs have been the designer and media choice for almost 8 years. Unless Amazon offers digital collection sets (wait iTunes has that too..damn), Amazon would have to Columbia Music house (circa 1990′s) market music. You know, a 100 downloads for a penny. Or provide an extive “rare” song list. Something that traditionally led me to Napster, “back in the day,” the hard to find remix or instrumental.

  There would have to be a massive give a way to lure customers. The world Read more – Amazon Challenges Apple’s Music Empire [Forbes]