We Have Choices

[mp3jrick]

Today's video market is spread out pretty well.
Pick your target area so we can see where the greatest need lies.
Think about what you get the most requests for, and which genre activates the dance floor the best.

How about "Other" - 70's - 80's - 90's

Just about none of the today crap. God am I getting old or is today's music JUST that bad?

[Doug Howard]

Hi Everyone,

Five minutes between flights.... whew.

Jimmi, I'd have to say a little of both in response to that. But then again, there is a lot of great stuff coming out that simply isn't in the "mainstream". Blame media consolidation and the implosion of the major labels for most of that. As well, it's not about what we like, it's about what fills the floor. And the majority of the record buying public thinks "Toxic" and "Yeah" are the shizznit.

For what it is worth however, I'm watching this poll closely, despite running my butt off keeping up with the growth of our series.

Watch for some goodies. Keep your comments coming. This is about you guys at the end of the day IMHO, not about "flavor of the minute". So if you tell us you want Latvian folk dance videos, I'll find them.

Boarding my row now..... gotta go.

Doug,

I've said this many times at DJChat ... And who knows this may just apply to me ... I am PRIMARLY a wedding DJ, most of my clientele is 25-35. We have had HUGE and I mean HUGE success in producing video montages (Story of Us video's) that the we show over dinner and bill as "dinner & a movie", the idea has caught on rather big here. But most brides say NO to the ACTUAL music video, due to they know about the racey content. I try to explain to them that most of the music we play is 80-90's stuff and very little from today.

Which leads me to ... I need good classic video's!! One every 2-3 months doesn't cut it!! As well it would be nice to have some variaty discs such as.. (And I'm just throwing these out off the top of my head) 30 years of love songs 1970-2000 all slow videos, All-Time country classics ( I presume this would need several volumes large) etc, etc

While it's nice to have different subscriptions for every genre, the actual music video isn't paying the bills. For now, it's a "throw" in. Making subscribing to seperate series not an option. My IDEAL "Hits" video disc would contain: Adult Contemporary, Top 40, Urban, Country, Modern Rock, And a couple Club/Dance cuts. 7 formats. That 5-6 songs of EACH format, with video, it should be easier to pick what songs go onto a disc, because video generally run AFTER the song has been a hit, or at least getting decent airplay.

I've been watching to see how ScreenPlay stacks up, so far, I've been unimpressed (No offense), I just did a 3 month extension to my PO vid sub. So hopefully something will turn about by June.

Sorry for the long winded post.

[mp3jrick]

I don't consider it a rant Jim, to me it's a rally cry, you are not alone.
The target audience this crap is 10-20 and is totally unusble for the most part.

It would take so little to clean it up ot the point where it would be usable, but thats not what the artists or the lables want, sex sells period. But, drugs make money too......hmmmmmmm, whats wrong with this picture?

I heard Bill Maher refer to it on Larry King once as a strip show to music on your tv set at home. And he is 100% right when you look at it.
I mean the freaking club music which is aimed at the club meat market is cleaner than the pop and top 40. And urban? Ahh, never mind.......

[Doug Howard]

Hi Jim,

No offence taken. Others are impressed enough, so I'm happy.... no worries.

But I hear you, especially as it pertains to upselling video to brides. Not only do they not want the questionable content, but often I've heard they especially don't want anything detracting from the main attraction..... themselves. Makes sense.

The most success I've seen with weddings and video is when the DJ works in tandem with the photographer and feeds the video onto the screens. As well, with your montages of the events. Beaucoup bucks!! I know of a few DJ's who went into photography as well as a result of this. The upsell can be 100% or even better when you pitch the bride and groom being up on the screen as opposed to Shania or Beyonce, or someone who looks better than the bride (Busta Rhymes?..... hmmm.... it happens!).

But you know all of this already.

You've been around long enough to have heard all of the current options and you know your business cold enough to know exactly what you need.

You know that I don't blow smoke and I don't tell fairy tales. I talk to hundreds (if not more) of DJ's regularly, .... music video in and of itself at a wedding is likely the toughest upsell, ... even with a substantial oldies library. Finding new ways for you guys to upsell ANY event is just as much our business as it is yours. I've never accepted the "this is what the labels give us" excuse. In my opinion, we just have to work harder as providers....period.

What I can tell you is that we do hear you.... myself AND my competitors. I can assure you that none of us are kicking back on this. Doing things the same way and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. (not original... but true).

Thanks for being patient, ... but most importantly... stay on top of the new tech trends!! That is absolutely the most important thing I can add here at this time. Our world is already changing large and fast, and from where I sit and from my experience... far for the better.

It's like a friend of mine who is a lobbyist in DC on behalf of the music industry told me a few days ago.... "If your in the music business, this could be the beginning of best of times ....or the worst of times."

Personally, I am very excited at what is developing.

However this hotel room I just checked into, while very nice, ....smells like farts. So I'll stop here as I'm off to the front desk.... and sorry for MY long rant too.

Regards,

DH

[mp3jrick]

Just for the record, it should be noted that SP's Hit and Dance Vision series are "cleansed" to offer a little less of the content that might be offencive to some people.
Doug will not say this here because of his feelings on hype and spamming.
However it should be noted that the step is taken to help us vj's overcome some of the the difficulties with public display of video that has content issues.
It is this initiative to realize the problem and overcome it that will make the difference between a leader and a follower IMO.
This industry will either see the loss of our business or make changes to preserve it, it's their call at this point.
I can be just as happy playing classics that I already have.

Thank you,

[Doug Howard]

Hi again,

Rick told me to lighten up on my anti-spam thing..... he says I am being too much of a hard a** about that. I still believe in the web being a commercial free zone..... guess I'm behind the curve on that.

Sooooo....

Yes, it is true. Screenplay actually does "re-cleanse" the content on our HitVision and DanceVision programs. While the labels send us clips that might be "broadcast standard".... in our view that does not often go far enough. Once approved, we do in fact take it one step further. My standard for this is the "Disney standard".... current, cutting edge, but without chargebacks from clients and stopped paymetns on checks.

We were doing this even before Janet's "nipple-gate" controversey.

When you are mixing at a sweet 16, or a bar/bat-mitzvah, or frankly any event where there is a "mixed" audience (ie. adults in the same room as kids...kids love smut we know as we were kids once too.... parents ...well WE are the parents now...jeesh!).... what MTV broadcasts half the time will give someone's mom, dad or Aunt Matilda a heart attack.

We know this, as we also program for some of the biggest in-store-vision retail accounts out there. If you think that Grandma's standards are high.... try putting the un-cut version of "E.I." on a major in-store program and see what happens. Oh brother!!!!

Our HitVision and DanceVision are designed to be clean with the mobile DJ's audience in mind.... ALL of the clips.... not just "some". When you are mixing you don't have time to judge if a clip is acceptable on the spot without being certain. Further, if you send out a substitute DJ on a gig with your name on it, you need to know that every clip he has in his bag is clean and not going to wind up with a phone call to you the next morning from an angry client. Therefore, we double screen ALL content on these two reels.

Costs us more (not you).... tastes great.

On the other hand, we do also program the UN-censored versions on our UrbanVision, ClubVision and RockVision (when available) as our club VJ's demand this. The club audience tends to get cranky when they are fed the exact same content that they see on BET or MTV..... these people WANT the naughty bits.

So ...what to do?

We separate these programs in terms of standards consistantly.... every month.... so that you know EXACTLY what you have in your hand when you are making a split second programming decision.

CountryVision is pure Country and nothing (ahem...cough) "else", and LatinVision is easy as well as the content we receive for these programs is usually pretty tame compared to the others.

So there you have it....and that's the extent of my "commercial".

(Yag!....< Doug grabs the Lysol>)

If anyone has any further questions, please call me.... I am usually always available (our toll free # is in my profile).

I'll tell you what you need to know..... not simply what you want to hear.

You've had enough of that.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.....

Regards,

DH