Leaks: Fix Them or Let Them Flow?

Oh the blunders of the music industry – Kelly Clarkson’s much anticipated new album “All I Ever Wanted” with a release date of March 10th has been leaked. Her album has spread like wild-fire over P2P networks over the past week and the incident has garnered a significant amount of attention. According to Rolling Stone, the Norwegian division of Apple’s iTunes is to blame for this incident. Ms. Clarkson is not the only artist who has been affected by these “missteps” in the industry – the band U2, for the second consecutive time has had one of their new albums released early. Universal Australia began selling digital tracks from their new album “No Line on the Horizon” more than 2 weeks ahead of schedule. These situations make many music-lovers question the carefully orchestrated process of releasing albums as well as the meticulous and confidential aspects of how an artist’s music is unveiled. Are these situations really mistakes or is this all precisely planned to create hype and media attention? This week I decided to delve into the blogosphere to read what people were thinking about this situation. In The Los Angeles Times music blog entry titled “Kelly Clarkson's 'All I Ever Wanted' leaks early. Thanks, Apple?” Todd Martens discusses this debacle. Additionally, EdibleApple.com offers a take on the matter. Below, you will find my responses to these entries, which can also be found on their respective blogs.

“Kelly Clarkson's 'All I Ever Wanted' leaks early. Thanks, Apple?”

Comment

It is refreshing to see a well-rounded take on this Kelly Clarkson leak. The intriguing aspect of these “mistakes” is that you hardly hear of an album being leaked that ends up being a total flop. Ms. Clarkson’s last album was highly anticipated as well, but there were no problems in its distribution. I wonder if this has anything to do with the content in that album. The previous album “My December” turned out to be a disappointment on several levels – Kelly wanted to take more artistic freedom, she had a semi-falling-out with Clive Davis over the direction of her music, and the hype was all around her. Yet, with all of the media attention before the release of her previous album, no early circulation or major leak occurred. Since “All I Ever Wanted” has made it around the internet this past week, the reviews are extremely positive – a stark contrast to the first weeks of her previous album’s reactions. Having heard the album in its entirety on YouTube, it’s definitely apparent that her music has essentially taken a U-turn and embraced 2004’s “Breakaway” rock/pop vibe. Another important fact you talk about are the album’s “mini events” that took place over the past few weeks when little snippets of information were released. It is difficult to know exactly how the whole release process is planned and executed, but thus far, it seems that this leak has sparked a very positive reaction with her fans. The music is refreshing, new but familiar, and more mainstream – all aspects that were lacking in her previous album. If this was all one big accident, which I remain skeptical that this was indeed an error, Kelly Clarkson and her label should milk it for everything its worth before the official release date on March 10th. Her 1st single on this album already made history on the Billboard charts – jumping from practically last to #1 in a mere week. Positive reviews by the listening public before an album is released can only fuel the hype and make music-lovers that much more interested.

“iTunes leaks Kelly Clarkson’s new album weeks before its release”

Comment

You have hit the nail on the head in regards to the irony of this leak surrounding Norway’s division of iTunes. Norway’s adamant pursuit to obtain DRM-free songs on iTunes really draws attention to this leak and its ironies. You also write “…an album leak is probably the last thing the former American Idol winner needs.” As much as I would want to agree with this statement generally speaking, I tend to disagree in this particular situation. With the whole played-out chronology of the “All I Ever Wanted” release, the pseudo-events offering a glimpse into the album’s cover and lyrics in the past weeks, and the historical jump her single made from almost last on the Billboard charts to #1 in just a week – this album is heading towards success already. After listening to the new album in its entirety on YouTube, it seems as though Ms. Clarkson has reverted to the pop/rock sound that made her 2nd album “Breakaway” so catchy and profitable. It’s almost as though she’s offering an acknowledgement to Clive Davis (who she turned away from in her last compilation) in this album, judging by the tone she has taken and the pop sound making more of an appearance this time around. If this leak was truly an accident all-around, then maybe all of the early and very positive reviews by the public are exactly what Kelly Clarkson needs to continue where she left off with 2004’s “Breakaway.”

The Envelope Please: The Award for Best Pre-Recorded Live Performance Goes to…

Over the past month, Americans have had the opportunity to view exciting events such as the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama and the Super Bowl. As contrasting as these events may seem, they have one thing in common – each offered stellar live performances by big-name musicians and recording artists. The list of entertainers reads as a who’s who in the music business – Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill, Yo-Yo Ma, and Itzhak Perlman to name a few. Each artist may represent a specific genre of music, but every one of them engaged in and defended a controversial practice known as lip-synching. The contentious issue of lip-synching has been a sensitive one for a number of years. Singer Ashlee Simpson’s very embarrassing lip-synch mishap on Saturday Night Live in 2004 thrust the whole pretend-live-singing scenario into the spotlight. The incident seen here hurt Ashlee as well as the Saturday Night Live show because SNL is known for embracing the unexpected, and of course for always being “live.” Why do musicians lip-synch or fake-perform in front of audiences? The answers performers offer to this question are just as creative as the musical offerings of which they are known for. They sometimes cite stressed vocal chords, the difficulties of both singing and dancing or even admit that a smooth performance is desired with no technical hiccups. It is essential to point out that many of the explanations often sound lofty, patronizing, and borderline comical. Although some musicians defend lip-synching or pretend-performing, others oppose the practice and question the legitimacy of appearing in front of an audience to play make-believe.

At the presidential inauguration, the theme of “change” seemed to highlight the day, not solely by the use of speeches and literal displays of the power change, but by the ceremony itself which offered unique poetry readings and musical performances. It seemed as though the arts were being celebrated in a fresh, yet calculated way. Dignified ceremonies such as these require exact precision and careful timing. As the program is live, there are bound to be slip-ups here and there – it is to be expected in this type of setting. Surprisingly, the poetry readings and musical numbers went relatively fluidly. Aretha Franklin's My Country ‘Tis of Thee was careful and simplistic overall, never embellishing or adding much personal style beyond her natural tone. The string quartet performance led by Yo Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman was much more musical in terms of phrasing – a seemingly effortless and impressive performance all around. This would be extremely difficult to accomplish in temperatures so low given that a string musician relies on meticulous finger movements touching very thin strings. The only real glitch in the ceremony took place when Chief Justice John Roberts mixed up the words in the presidential oath. For a live event, there really was not anything out of the ordinary that occurred. As the day concluded, details emerged that the string quartet performance was not live, but a pre-recorded track. The performers were literally fake-playing or miming in a seemingly live scenario. The New York Times interviewed both Itzhak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma about the inauguration performance. “It would have been a disaster if we had done it any other way,” said Mr. Perlman, referencing the weather conditions in Washington D.C. and why they fake-played to a pre-recorded track. “What we were there for was to really serve the moment,” explained Mr. Ma. As a musician, I can understand that a performance on stringed instruments in this particular situation would be nearly impossible to execute properly. Given that fact, is mime-playing in front of millions of people showing respect to music as an art? Or is this an exception because it is for the presidential inauguration? And if this is an exception, who says a cellist’s important debut at Carnegie Hall should or should not have a pre-recorded track playing in the background while he pretend-plays Bach’s Solo Cello Suites on stage? These questions all fly around this grey area – where the musician is on stage physically moving around but acting as a puppet to soundwaves all to trick the audience into believing they heard sheer perfection.

In her first major performance in months, Jennifer Hudson wowed millions of people when she opened the Super Bowl singing The Star Spangled Banner. Her interpretation was flawless, passionate, and thoughtful. In a stressful setting such as this, Ms. Hudson seemed un-phased and determined, never missing a note and embellishing ever so slightly, never to spoil the famous melody. The crowd was engulfed in her presentation, knowing this was Ms. Hudson’s first appearance since losing close family members in the recent months. Eric Felton, a singer, trombonist, and columnist for The Wall Street Journal writes: “There was nary a catch in her voice, no unwanted, creeping tremolo. In fact, her vocal performance was remarkable in its near-perfection -- or would have been remarkable had she actually been performing. Instead, the voice we heard was from a track she had prepared in a studio well in advance. So much for high drama.” The show’s producer Rickey Minor admitted to the Associated Press that Ms. Hudson and also singer Faith Hill both lip-synched their performances to pre-recorded tracks. "That's the right way to do it," justifies Minor. "There's too many variables to go live. I would never recommend any artist go live, because the slightest glitch would devastate the performance." Never recommend any artist to perform live? What ever happened to the professional industry standard that states "you are only as good as your last performance?" If an artist cannot put their best foot forward under a live setting, then maybe they should not be appearing under the pretense of performing live in the first place. Audiences can discern between and forgive glitches involving microphones or speakers versus a bad musical performance. It is condescending and even disrespetful to take the public for granted and deceive them into believing they listened to a fantastic live performance when lip-synching is involved.

The illuminating part about these fake-performance scenarios also is the fact that the details are given after the events have taken place, and the producers or artists try to persuade everyone to think that there is no other way to do it and it is completely acceptable. If this is standard operating procedure, then why not divulge the truth beforehand? When fans buy tickets to see Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus, it is safe to say that most know there will be lip-synching involved either in whole or part at these concerts – these performers do not shy away from talking about this truth and yet they remain very successful. It is curious to see the marketing strategy behind events where the details of mime-singing or playing come to light after the event has ended. It is becoming so ridiculous when the details emerge after performances that commercials and advertisements should just be honest from the get-go to avoid embarrassment later: “Appearing live, moving their mouths to pre-recorded tracks!” The public pays money to attend performances because they yearn for the live concert experience. Controversies such as this lip-synching debacle cross an ethical line which has been a standard for a number of decades. These puppet-moving musicians may be smiling on stage, but the audience is beginning to see the strings now.

First Post: A Brief Introduction

As a rookie in the blogosphere, it is a personal goal to earn a presence in the online community discussing issues related to music. The art of music is one that is constantly evolving and as a fellow musician, it is difficult even for me at times to discern where exactly the industry will venture next. This blog will focus on several facets of the art, gathering viewpoints from blogs such as Pop & Hiss and Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise to periodicals such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times to name a few. In the process to find credible and well-rounded material, I am guided by the Webby and IMSA criteria as well as search engines such as Google in my research. The chosen guidelines exemplify an effort to choose sites that are not only intelligent, but also maneuverable, accessible, and incorporate opinions with thoughtful structure. The Webby criteria addresses content, structure, navigation, virtual design, functionality, interactivity, and overall experience. Although every component may not be met in every website I lead you to, it is important to note that the overall experience essentially serves as the driving force in regards to content. The IMSA concentrates on blogs based on depth, usefulness, and bias, alongside other criteria. I encourage users to offer constructive feedback and opinions to my postings, as I am very much new to this atmosphere and open to all points of view. I appreciate your time and look forward to creating a unique blog in the online community.