moe. and Clear Chanel team up

[canadianphan]

Just read article this on jambase, and I'm interested in what ya'll think.

I'm a little woried about a big nasty multi-national like clear chanel (known for their monopolistic business practices) getting involved with our nice low key jamband scene.

How long will it be before Clear Channel wants to prohibit all other tapers, in an attempt to maximize profits. I'm sure they are not interested in the good nature of our scene, and will do whatever thay think they can get away with to make a buck.....

Here's the article:

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Instant Live, Clear Channel Entertainment's new music program, will offer fans a new concert experience through an exclusive collaboration with popular jam band moe. and Coca-Cola. Instant Live will record and duplicate the majority of live shows on moe.'s U.S. tour this fall, which will include stops in clubs and theatres across the U.S. After each concert, fans will have the opportunity to buy high quality CD sets of the entire performance, available just minutes after the show.

After a successful test run involving recording, duplication and sales with the Allman Brothers Band this summer, Instant Live is expanding their program to include a full-scale national tour. The moe. Coca-Cola Instant Live Tour promises to provide music fans with an original new way to enjoy live music.

Instant Live, previously tested in clubs in Boston and in amphitheatres with the Allman Brothers Band tour over the summer, offers fans the opportunity to purchase and walk away with a CD of the concert they just attended before they leave the venue. Instant Live concerts are recorded using a combination of ambient microphones and feeds from the soundboard. The program employs state-of-the-art technology to duplicate, package and deliver CDs in as few as five minutes after a show. Fans will soon be given the option of pre-ordering the CD when they purchase concert tickets or purchasing the CD immediately following the performance.

"We have embraced live concert taping for years and that will not change," says Jon Topper manager of moe. "What will change is that fans will now be able to get soundboard recordings, which are of much higher quality. moe. fans have asked us to make more shows available to them. The logistics and cost were prohibitive. Now with Coca-Cola and Clear Channel getting involved we can provide our fans with the recordings they want at an affordable price."

Rising from college bars in upstate New York, moe. carved a niche for themselves with a distinct blend of Americana, playful melodic turns, exceptional songwriting, and diverse arrangements. Formed in Buffalo, NY, in 1991, the band has spent the past twelve years amassing a devoted following through relentless touring and the release of several acclaimed studio recordings.

Their most recent release, Wormwood, is a tour de force that combines basic tracks recorded at live shows in the summer of 2002 with studio jams and overdubs. The result is a continuous piece of music that captures the excitement of their performance with the high quality sound and editing of a studio album.

Prices have not been set for the Instant Live recordings.

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http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=4205

[mark tonin]

Wow ... we knew this was starting to happen, but this brings it really close to home.

I like the idea of being able to purchase a high quality live copy of a show I was at, if this is something that a band wants to provide for its fans. It makes sense to me that a band should be able to pursue this sort of merchandising arrangement if they want to. Having said that, I'm sure bands will think long and hard about any sort of arrangement that changes the dynamics between the band and the fans.

However, my concern is that deals will start occuring which will make it harder for bands to decide if they want to allow audience taping or not. For example, some artists allow for audience recordings and videos of a show, as long as the venue allows it. Suppose Clear Channel starts putting pressure on venues not to allow audience recordings? The band may be ok with audience recordings, but the venue may have some sort of deal which doesn't allow them. It could get messy.

Ultimately I am for this, as long as the band still has the final say regarding their taping policy ... whatever that policy is. If a band can pursue this sort of merchandising opportunity to increase their revenue without giving up control over what they do and how they do things, then it seems like a reasonable thing to me.

Peace, Mark

[SolarGarlic]

I recently saw this as well. At first I cringed after I learned that the company handling the live recordings was Clear Channel. I also wondered why moe. (or anyone else, i.e., the Allmans used them for 4 shows I believe) would want to openly associate themselves with a ruthless company like clear channel. I realize that most bands associate with them to a point by playing in venues that they control, but this is a closer relationship than I would have initially liked to see.

Ultimately I suppose everything will be fine if the band's policies remain the same. However, once Clear fully realizes the earning potential of this, the may get greedy. Hopefully things will just stay the same.

And whats up with Coca-Cola? Where do they fit in with all of this?

[Big Wooly Mammoth]

"The moe. Coca Cola Instant Live Tour" ?!?!?!

I dunno, I think that this is going a little but too far...I understand trying to make a living and all that. are things going that badly for the band?

[mark tonin]

A good point, Big Wooly Mammoth ... it's a little overwhelming when large corporations start becoming this involved in the music that we all love.

Peace, Mark

[mark tonin]

From the Clear Channel web site:

"Clear Channel Entertainment produces and promotes live music concerts by the world’s most popular performers and the brightest up and coming artists. The Music Group currently owns, operates and/or exclusively books 135 live entertainment venues, including 41 amphitheaters in the U.S. and 30 venues in Europe."

I guess it wouldn't be too hard for Clear Channel to start limiting/restricting taping. Hopefully they won't. It would be a shame if deals such as this change the relationship between a band and its fans.

All right, I'm done babbling ... a great article to get my head spinning, but I'm getting dizzy!

Peace, Mark

[SolarGarlic]

...This next song is brought to you by new Vanilla Coke.."Heads, when those nugs have your throat parched beyond hope, crack open a refreshing Vanilla Coke"..

[Booche]

"Ultimately I suppose everything will be fine if the band's policies remain the same."

That's where I am sitting right now. Better the devil you know, so to speak.

"it's a little overwhelming when large corporations start becoming this involved in the music that we all love."

Bound to happen. As soon as someone can hear registers ringing in their head, they come a runnin'. Starting with The Grateful Dead (the REAL Dead), I have watched this 'scene' slowly become capitalized upon. It will never be as grassrooted as each of us want it to be, but at least we got something.

Not to sound alarms, but lets remember how Warner Brothers got their start in all of this. The San Francisco scene of the 60's. Did they destroy the scene, or did Oroborus?

I think it is great that I can walk out of a venue with crispy matrix's of that nights show, but I dont know how long I will feel that way.

Pepsi has Brittney, Coke has Moe. Personally, I'll take some coke

(I had to edit this)

"Heads, when those nugs have your throat parched beyond hope, crack open a refreshing Vanilla Coke"

HAR HAR!

[Guest Low Roller]

Mixed thoughts on this, but hey, everybody is jumping on the capitalist bandwagon, so why not moe?

I'm sure this deal guarantees them a ceratin percentge of the profits, plus delivers to the fans high quality copies of each show. In the end everbody wins.

The deal with Clear Channel will probably allow moe to tour a wider variety of venues, with little to no risk, since Clear Channel will probably give up a downside guarantee for each venue.

All in all I'd say that this is a positive step forward for moe.

[MoMack]

I think its horrible. On one hand we have SCI doing the right thing and suing TM for anti-trust, and on the other side we have moe. saying show me the money.

How hard can it be to have done it themselves? I mean Phish does, the Dead do, SCI does. And you know damn well that SCI would have struck a deal with them. For that matter the technology and resources the Dead and Phish used are just sitting there. Why put more money in the hands of the evil empire? It doesn't make sense to me. I hope this is a shotgun wedding of some sort some how....

Booooo

[Groove Fetish]

no sure how I feel cause I'd like to give moe. the benefit of the doubt, hmmmm.

I hate Clear Channel but they have sure been all over the jam scene this year.

[colinw]

Too funny about moe selling out so blatently. Everyone here loves to bash Phish for making too much money and blah blah blah. What about moe. who aren't even doing this themselves like Phish, Dead, SCI? Those bands put their own cash up front to work this bad boy out. Moe is benefiting from Clearchannel who make all their money from kids going to see Brittney and nsync, and paying 5 buys extra for each ticket. Mos didn't even get out there and do something themselves - trying to cash in I guess, which is understandable since they will make a ton of cash from it.

So much for Phish being the power hungry, capitalist overlords they are often painted as being. Moe dropped a lot lower then they ever will.

[DevO]

What a lame move on moe.'s part. I'm sure they already require a minimum guarantee for every show. I wonder what kinds of conditions they have to abide by in order to benefit from Clear Channel's taping deal.

boo to moe! (even though they have good tunes)

[bouche]

What is the current situation with moe Soundboard recordings?

[dave-O]

"We have embraced live concert taping for years and that will not change, moe. manager Jon Topper tells Jambands.com. What will change is that fans will now be able to get soundboard recordings, which are of much higher quality. What could be better than riding from moe. show to moe. show listening to a crisp soundboard recording and drinking a cold can of Coke?"

Best quote ever... hahaha Topper sucks!

[elemeno]

its all about the bling bling bling..

if you wanna play clear channels venues then you sign the dotted line.