What we're listening to. Our Album of the year 2015.

As you know, each Friday throughout the year we post about an Album we're listening to and recommend it. It proves popular so thanks for that (you can register on this blog for an email alert too if you wish on the right under 'Automatic Updates'). 

They're varied across the years - Classics. Stuff we're loving.

And here's the full 2015 list should you be looking for something over Christmas: Bad Company Straight Shooter; Jackson Browne Love is Strange; Lou Reed Transformer; Steely Dan Aja; Stones Black+Blue; Stephen Bishop Careless; Nils Lofgren Night after Night; Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells; Neil Young Harvest; Led Zep 4; David Bowie David Live; Van It's too late to stop now; Wings Band on the run; Rod Stewart Atlantic Crossing; Ryan Adams Heartbreaker; Santana Essential; Bob Dylan Desire; Roxy Music For your pleasure; Bob Marley Legend; Stephen Fretwell Magpie; James Taylor Sweet Baby James; Deep Purple Machine Head; Springsteen Darkness on the edge of town; Leon Bridges Coming Home; Eagles Hotel California; Jungle; Aretha Soul Queen; Neil Young After the Goldrush; Zappa Overnite Sensation; Fleetwood Mac Rumours; Keith Jarrett Koln Concert; Doobies Southbound; Stevie Earle I feel alright; Tom Waits Closing Time; Pink Floyd Dark Side; Van Moondance; Eric Church Caught in the Act; Randy Newman Little Criminals; Elton John Madman across the water; Patti Smith Horses; Doobies Captain and Me; Steely Dan Can't Buy a Thrill.

But in April we came across Mr. Lamar and 'To pimp a butterfly'. Since then it's gone stratospheric - Rolling Stone/NME/New York Times one of 'the best Albums of 2015' and the highest number of grammy nominations (11) due for that announcement in Feb 2016.

Although 'Coming Home' Leon Bridges ran it close, but Kendrick Lamar's 'Butterfly' is our Album of 2015.

Here's what we said last April - 


Well we had to listen because it seems the whole world is listening too. 
So we were starting to feel left out.....

This will take a bit of getting used to but it IS worth it. 

His third album just released in March, with Dr. Dre and Pharrell Williams all playing a Production part. It's become/becoming a huge album (Billboard number one) with lavish, superb production values that need (like all good records) many listenings. Many are calling it 'a masterpiece'. We are, sorta, kinda.

It's a real mixture of jazz, hip hop, funk, pop....everything. 

The hip hop vinyl scratching on the track 'Wesley's Theory' is very 2 Pac (as is 'Momma'). 'For Free' is straight out of the Frank Zappa handbook (yes, Frank Zappa). 'King Kunta' is the single, pure rap, with the Michael Jackson 'Eddie are you okay?' reference. 'Hood Politics' starts as a Steely Dan tune. 

But go straight to the last few tracks and you'll know if it's for you. 'You Ain't Gotta Lie' which is very Erykah Badu and excellent as is 'i' (video below). 

But it's all a lot mixed up which makes it a lot...well, interesting. Beautiful even in parts and magnificently produced.

Nice for a change but you need to keep with it and it will reward you.

And all you Ad people, just listen to the sound mix and production on this....genius. Radio can work like this too y'know!

What we're listening to. Jackson Browne, 'Love is Strange'.

We do admit it upfront that few of us in Streamabout are hardcore fans of Jackson Browne but rather possibly, 'admire him from a distance'. That said, having heard this Album this week, that's changing. We've actually started to look at his live gig tickets and back catalogue - this Album is that good.

We'd all have the 'Running on Empty' and 'Pretender' (reflecting on the suicide of his first wife) Albums and of course, really familiar with his work with The Eagles. 

Very American stuff but what you might not know, is that he's actually German! Son of a GI stationed there.

But above all, Jackson wrote what has to be one of the great classics. It's on 'Running on Empty' and the last 2 tracks - 'The Load Out' and then it runs into 'Stay'. If you haven't heard it, just stop now and do it. It will stay with you for life.  "Now the seats are all empty, let the roadies take the stage....we got Richard Pryor on the video..." here you go.

Apart from being a well love classic (and trust us, it is), what's also interesting that the vocals on the song (from 1977) include David Lindley (violin and guitar too) and that's who we see on this 'Love is Strange' record sharing the cover pic. In fact if you watched that last clip, you'll see Lindley playing the slide guitar in it.

'Love is Strange' is a live album from 2010 but documents a Spanish tour from 2006. So it's very Spanish and in that way, very very charming. 

Really interesting stuff and to be honest, feels like Irish folk music in parts with a little zydeco, in other parts it Spanish flamenco. And although these are his well known songs, they sound totally different.

Very folky, guitar driven in a way not unlike Ry Cooder. But it's a big record that has so much going on, it's quite stunning. 

The opener 'I'm Alive' sets the tone, a beautiful thing and 'Your Bright Baby Blues' features some magnificent Spanish guitar that lets you float and lose yourself, just as say, Van would. You listen, you close your eyes.

'These Days' is about as deep Irish trad as you can get with a very Spanishy vocal by Luz Casal a very well known Spanish singer, 'Running on Empty' sounds American "John Cougar" traditional while the title track 'Love is Strange' has a 50's "Frankie Valli" tune style. Even 'Take it Easy' (which we generally hate because it's overplayed) sounds well and that's done in a zydeco way.

There's so much in here, layer after layer, that's it's so worth it. It's an ideal Christmas listen too, very calm, very beautiful. And you'll change the way you think about Jackson Browne for sure. We did. Little piece of magic.

And here's Browne singing himself 'Bright Baby Blues'.

Ad of the year.

Ad of the Year? 
That'll be John Lewis. Again.

But it's for Home Insurance (which is one tough nut to break, trust us) featuring Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' from 'Madman across the water' which is a classic Album by the way.

Script, Concept, Performance, Production...it has it all, pure and simple.

And John Lewis keep doing it. Or should we say, 'Adam&Eve DDB' do. Straight outta London, goes straight global. One big result for a Home Insurance commercial.

Hats off from us and yep, we're all former Agency people so we know just how tough that was. Magic. 

What we're listening to. Bad Company 'Straight Shooter'.

Now this is a gem that cheers you up!

From 1975 it features the bands best known tracks 'Good lovin' gone bad' and 'Feel like makin' love' but every song is terrific. 

'Weep no more', the classic 'Shooting Star' (story of a rock star who dies early seemingly about Hendrix) 'Call on me' and the beautiful 'Anna' all make it a great Album. 

Paul Rodgers the lead singer had left 'Free' with Simon Kirke who both formed Bad Company ("All right now") and Rodgers vocals are superb (he later toured with Queen post Freddie Mercury). It was their second album in a classic 'hard rock' vein with their first Album being a great success. So they were very much in the groove.

Paul Kossoff (Koss) also a former 'Free' member was always on the fringes of Bad Company and expected to tour until his sudden death in 1976 (aged 26) on an airplane of all places, from heroin problems. He has to be considered as one of the greatest guitarists of all time and his headstone epitaph reads, 'All right now'. His father David, a well known actor, spent his life as an anti-drug campaigner after Paul's David. 

They were a very British band and very much of the era, but the Album is timeless. It's ballady and rocky but really interesting stuff that gets you going. Don't get put off either by the 'heavy rock' label, it's much more than that with great melodies. One you can always put on when sitting at home. Or in the office as we did. A real gem to have.

Have a listen and you'll get a sense...

Irish Independent and Ad Age reports today on TV audience massive declines. Ads must switch to online digital video.

The growing crisis in TV Ad slump of ratings, continues.

A Report today in The Irish independent, "TV ads slump as viewers move to Netflix", showed a -25% slump in viewership from TAM (Nielsen) data in Ireland. Particularly acute amongst 15-34's and Housekeepers with children between 2013 and 2015.

Comreg also reported that 9% of Irish households have Netflix but a huge 18% of homes in Dublin have ad-free Netflix (which is the real market), spending a whopping 7 hours viewing a week. 

14% of those subscribers now no longer watch live traditional TV.

Therefore the traditional TV universe (the potential for an Irish audience to see Ads) has slumped.

We did of course know that, but it flies in the face of PR being put out by broadcasters claiming TV viewing remains static or growing. It isn't.

Just search 'TV' in the top left Search bar of this blog and you'll see many stories over many years, saying just that.

Today too, 'Ad Age' reports "No end in sight for TV ratings freefall..." again using Nielsen data to show that only 3 US shows year-on-year show ratings gain. NFL Football (live sports) being one of the three.

The average ratings decline, similar to Ireland, is -25%.

Of course, the story here is the switch to online digital video, growth that Streamabout only knows too well. And the Ad dollars will follow albeit at a slower pace. Indeed Facebook now reporting over 8 billion video views a day! In essence, they're broadcasting a Superbowl every day!

But what it does mean is that traditional TV broadcasters are going to have Ad sales difficulties unless they're state supported (RTE for example, receive circa 180 million euro from the Irish Government we believe).

Clients need to take cognisance too that TV is no longer the mainstay medium for brands - online video is. We can build brands, deliver more effective results and do it for less.

The TV game is up.

Teresa Mannion. The remix....

Sorry, we just loved this.

RTE Reporter (teresa mannion whom we know) reports from a watery stormy town. And here's the remix.....by 'Super Ceili'. Well done boys and girls, lovely bit of editing....

What we're listening to. Lou Reed 'Transformer'.

Another 1972 classic largely because of one track, 'Walk on the Wild Side' which is about Reed's time at Andy Warhol's 'Factory' and the people there (like Candy Darling) - Reed died in October 2013 at 71 from liver disease. His name is actually Lewis Reed.

Produced by David Bowie (!) and Mick Ronson (who plays on the record but was in Bowie's band), it was Reed's second Album after The Velvet Underground. 

'Vicious' (from an Andy Warhol thought) and 'Satellite of love' are a worthy listen as indeed 'Perfect Day' which became better known 30 years later.

Very much from a New York Punk scene (David Byrne, Patti Smith), although recorded in London (!) 'Walk on the wild side' quickly became a controversial hit with lyrics like, "giving head" and "the coloured girls go...". Actually the three backing singers were white English women called 'The Thunderthighs'.

But 'Transformer' is the record that made Lou Reed although 'Sally Can't dance' from 1974 is well worth a listen too. Went down well at Streamabout anyway...

There's only one song to play here...

Hulu Mounts a challenge.

Hulu, the digital video service owned by Disney, 21st Century Fox and Comcast, seems to be mounting a challenge to market leaders Netflix and Amazon.

Buying up content, such as 'Empire' and 'Seinfeld', their subscriptions (9m+ subscribers v Netflix 43m) are up +60% yoy and therefore viewing is up +85%. On foot of that, Hulu are looking to expand internationally and move from loss making into profit.

They are of course, late to that international market and face internal competition as Disney talk about their own streaming service (meaning content may no longer be available solely on Hulu), nevermind pressure from Netflix on pricing.

Still, it's a streaming market that's growing as 'cord cutting' becomes more likely from traditional TV as better online options emerge. Meanwhile, traditional TV broadcasters simply sit on their hands.....and keep delivering their own home content in a way that nobody wants.

The trouble with Newspapers.

Online newspapers seem to grow and grow, yet paywalls seem to fail and this is all spelling out a really difficult future for traditional daily newspapers.

This week's 'Economist' outlines the points very clearly (as they always do).

Axel Springer bought BusinessInsider in September for 442 million usd and NBC invested 200m usd in BuzzFeed, in what's perceived as an attempt by traditional publishers to bring more online inventory into traditional media ownership.

Largely because their traditional Ad revenues continue to fall. 

Between 2005 and 2014, traditional print Ad spending in US newspaper dailies has dropped -60%. As it dropped, staff and newsrooms were cut. A bleak future response then, delivering a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ad revenue falls, staff are made redundant, product suffers, ad revenue falls.

Indeed, there may come a day when print advertising per se, drops to Zero and indeed, online Ad prices are falling too, as media options (where to place them) increases widely. Increased supply drives prices down and with Social Media options (Facebook, Twitter) developing a pace, they'll suck in more and more Ad dollars from newspapers.

Getting readers to pay for news has not been a success either - marked recently by the UK 'Sun' dropping their subscriber paywall. Metered or Limited paywalls have worked for some (notably The UK FT) but with so much free content, it's not going to work well. And certainly, will not compensate for the losses in Ad revenue in any real way.

Boosting online Newspaper Ad revenue is one way, but Newspaper online Ad revenue is only up +11% since 2007 - not enough. Not nearly. 

Although while Advertisers do look for more 'native content' (sponsored content) and online video, Newspapers just do not have the skills to produce video to an acceptable standard either - nor, in some ways, should they.

Sponsored content will also have a poor knock-on affect to readers who will realise that what they're reading as "news" is in fact Advertising - and they won't like it. It's breaking brand trust.

The real super threat is Programmatic buying, now becoming standard, where an advertiser buys the reader and not the Title and so that's a real threat to publishers. They should not embrace it but difficult to see how not to either. Turkeys and Christmas.

So Media buying by Title, is coming to an end. Ad Blocking proliferation is another threat too (and notably, video is not ad blocked).

One way suggest The Economist, is for publishers to branch out into areas such as Music, Sport, Health or Religion and they note, The Boston Globe developing a health site called 'Stat' this very month. Gardening and Wine Clubs too, possibly ideal for the Sunday reader (as in The Telegraph typically), may bring in some money.

It signifies a shift away too from 'Breaking News' which of course, given the print deadlines, traditional newspapers can no longer do. They still can of course, give insights into stories that have already broken, or special investigations. But it's limited.

There's no joy in saying it, but the traditional daily Newspaper days are numbered. They're facing an onslaught through online programmatic media buying; through ad blocking; through increased digital media supply bringing lower prices; by paywalls not delivering because of free news; through lower ad revenues; and a possibility of breaking reader trust with Native Stories.

Difficult to see a way out of this.

But it is clear that Newspapermen have to consider that their biggest asset is online and not what's being printed. If they stopped printing the Newspaper and focused on their online property, they'd save a lot. And that's considered heresy.

What we're listening to. The Dan, 'AJA'.

We've already featured their debut, 'Can't Buy a Thrill' (1972) one of the great Steely Dan Albums but AJA (pronounced 'asia') is probably their most highly regarded by Dan fans. There's a highly recommended Dublin tribute band of the same name.

Their 6th Album from 1977 (is that 38 years ago??!!) it's also their best seller and Grammy winner. 

Named after a Korean woman by Donald Fagen, there arguably, was never really was a Steely Dan Band, just a series of session musicians under the Becker/Fagen guidance - who wrote everything. 

We've counted 35 musicians on this Album alone and of course including, the great Michael McDonald on 'Peg' and the fabulously named, Jeff The Skunk Baxter (from later Doobie Brothers fame). There's a magnificent piece of footage somewhere of a gig at The Roundhouse with The Skunk opening those guitar chords for 'Reeling in the Years'.

This is Jazz, more than anything, with huge production values and remember too, as stereo was coming into its own in 1977, new production values brought listeners. Aja was produced by Gary Katz who also did 'Can't buy a thrill' and 'Gaucho' but became legendary (10CC, Bobby Darin, Diana Ross and so on).

Indeed, Floyd's 1973 'Dark Side of the Moon' got huge initial traction using stereo production techniques such as the footsteps walking from speaker to speaker.

'Black Cow', 'Home at last', 'Peg', 'Josie' and the long 8 minute title track 'Aja' all became Dan standards. Classics actually. 

It's hard to fault the Album at all. Beautifully put together, gorgeously produced with some great tunes in a modern, jazz, uplifting way. You get lost in it. Elegant is a good word and if you never listened, do it now. 

Here's an interesting piece about it from a Classic Albums doc....

And here's AJA....

Adele Lookalike Competition. 33 million views in 6 days and worth them all!

Smashing little new BBC clip featuring Adele in an 'Adele lookalike' competition.

If you haven't seen it, well worth a look.
33 million views in 6 days!

Great to share it - but then, that's online digital video for you.

What we're listening to. Stones 'Back & Blue'

You nearly have to have a Rolling Stones Album in there somewhere.

Arguably 'Exile on Main street', 'Let it Bleed' or 'Sticky Fingers' (all interestingly, pre-dated Black and Blue) but 'Black and Blue' is a good place to start from 1976, their 13th record. 

They've released 29 studio Albums alone and the next Album they produced after this, was 'Some Girls' which was their biggest seller ever - bizarrely. 1968-72 is considered their Golden Age where all the big singles came from. 

When Jagger/Richards started in circa 1961, they called themselves 'The Blue Boys' and although we are making it up, assume some link to this Album's title. The name 'The Rolling Stones' comes from a Muddy Waters song, 'Rolling Stone'. So there.

You'll like this, not just because it's the first Album to feature Ronnie Wood (from The Faces and a great pal of Rod Stewart) who replaced Mick Taylor, although Irish man Rory Gallagher was auditioned, but because it's so different. More funky, more reggae.

'Fool to Cry' was the big single from the Album but 'Memory Hotel' is a stand out track as well as, 'Melody' featuring the great Billy Preston. 

Generally though, it's not what you expect - more "produced" than the raw sound of their other records. And for that reason, it's well worth a listen, because it's different.

Clearly, very officey! Here's the great 'Melody' and you can hear Billy Preston all over it. Enjoy.

Square IPO Today at 2.9 Billion Dollars.....

Square will start trading today on the NYSE at 9 usd per share, on opening. This gives it a valuation of 2.9 Billion usd.

It's the Jack Dorsey company, or was, now that he's back at Twitter.

It lost 54 million usd in Q3 2015, a higher loss y-o-y and they've yet to make a profit, although that doesn't really bother us. But the valuation does.

It's a mobile payments company (www.squareup.com) largely at retail point-of-sale for Small businesses. Big deal - we've seen a 100 of these types of companies. 

So what's getting Square the profile and huge valuation? 

The presence of Jack Dorsey. And if you want a view....that's 2.9 BILLION of madness.....enough already.

UPDATE - It opened today at 11 Dollars 20 Cents. Range was 11-13 Dollars but priced at 9 Dollars. So this is real positive. Still makes no sense though....but remember, it has to CLOSE over 9 Dollars. 

TV has simply become the delivery channel for live Sport only.

Adage, that bastion of all things Ad Agency, has a story showing that traditional TV in the USA has really just become the "delivery system" for the NFL.

Based on ratings, using Nielsen data, it shows that top rated programmes are all about Football live. The only other content that makes it, albeit in a relatively small way, is Season premieres or Republican debates.

So general entertainment per se, doesn't get a look in.

Pretty shocking if you're a TV broadcaster to see that all that supposed "rich" content you've developed, gets beaten by Football. 

For example, 'Supergirl' the newly well flagged show, ended up 71st on the list....'Empire' season premiere was 37th...'Walking Dead' a lowly 50.

Because entertainment is being watched online through video.
TV really is only about live broadcasts that you can't get online. Yet.

THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN

TV Show	Date	Viewers (in millions)
Fox National Game (Seahawks-Cowboys)	Nov. 1	29.4
NBC SNF Kickoff Game (Steelers-Patriots)	Sept. 10	27.4
Fox National Game (Cowboys-Eagles)	Sept. 20	27.2
NBC Sunday Night Football (Giants-Cowboys)	Sept. 13	26.8
NBC Sunday Night Football (Seahawks-Packer)	Sept 20	26.4
CBS National Game (Patriots-Cowboys)	Oct. 11	26.1
Fox National Game (Packers-49ers)	Oct. 4	25.9
CBS National Game (Chargers-Packers)	Oct. 18	25.0
Fox National Game (Cowboys-Giants)	Oct. 25	24.5
NBC Sunday Night Football (Cowboys-Saints)	Oct. 4	24.2
CBS National Game (Broncos-Colts)	Nov. 8	24.0
Fox News Channel GOP Primary Debate	August 6	24.0
CBS National Game (Ravens-Broncos)	Sept. 13	23.3
CNN GOP Primary Debate	Sept. 16	23.1
NBC Sunday Night Football (Eagles-Cowboys)	Nov. 8	23.0
NBC Sunday Night Football (Packers-Broncos)	Nov. 1	23.0
NBC Sunday Night Football (Patriots-Colts)	Oct. 18	22.8
NBC Sunday Night Football (Broncos-Lions)	Sept. 27	22.1
CBS National Game (Bears-Seahawks)	Sept. 27	22.1
Thursday Night Football (Broncos-Chiefs)	Sept. 17	21.1
NBC Sunday Night Football (Eagles-Panthers)	Oct. 25	20.6
NBC Sunday Night Football (49ers-Giants)	Oct. 11	19.6
Thursday Night Football (Ravens-Steelers)	Oct. 1	19.4
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)	Sept. 21	18.2
NCIS	Sept. 22	18.2

Source: Nielsen
Chart by Chen Wu