Access Hollywood

• Former Supreme Court Nominee Harriet Miers
• Congressional Sex Scandal Bad Boys Larry Craig and Gary Condit
• Amy Winehouse
• Former Enron chief Jeff Skilling (Let him out of jail early and call it community service!)
• John Rocker (Former pitcher who managed to insult just about every minority in a 2000 Sports Illustrated interview)

Former Mrs. McCartney on Trump's Apprentice a no-go originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading McCartney planning massive world tour in wake of divorce

McCartney planning massive world tour in wake of divorce originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Independent record label Concord Music Group and Australian-based film company Village Roadshow Pictures Group, part of the media company Village Roadshow Ltd. (OTC: VRLDY), have merged to form Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, reported Billboard early last week. Village Roadshow will own nearly 40% of the new company, while the other majority split between two private equity firms based in New York and Los Angeles. According to Billboard, the two companies "had common owners in that Norman Lear and Hal Gaba's Act III Communications and Tailwind owned Concord; and Act III and Clarity -- through an entity called Crescent Entertainment -- owned 50% of Village Roadshow Pictures group."

The deal is nearly six months old, after being announced on September 3, 2007, and the Act III group paid close to $48 million to command more than 60% of the new company. Both companies will continue to operate as "separate entities, but some backroom functions like human resources and information technology likely will be combined." Additionally, the report indicated that some cross-promotion opportunities are to be expected via the merger of film and music companies.

While this deal and the merger seem logical for the owners and participants involved, the only concern this consumer has about a private equity firm owning a majority stake in a music company is the problems that have plagued London-based EMI since Terra Firma bought out the music giant last summer. Clearly, Concord has enjoyed a positive relationship with its private equity owners for longer and with much more success. Furthermore, the label has gained significant signings in the last year while creating a new label with Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) to release Paul McCartney's first album after leaving EMI last spring (before the Terra Firma buyout).

Concord Music Group and Village Roadshow merge originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 17 Feb 2008 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

George Harrison's solo catalog goes digital originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Billboard

Starbucks (SBUX) to re-release McCartney's 'Memory Almost Full' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Starbucks plays next 'card' in music business originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Is the music industry different now than 50 years ago?

Is the music industry different now than 50 years ago? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Paul McCartney fans wait for secret LA show tonight originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Warner Music scores strong reissue chart placement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As if Howard Schultz, founder and chairman of Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) doesn't have enough to worry about, the chairman may have to answer to Sir Paul McCartney! It seems that "Sir Paul" has recently fired a few roadies for having the audacity to eat a few hamburgers! That's right, a few hamburgers. Did these guys drop and break some valuable equipment? No. Did these guys hook up the amplifiers incorrectly? No. Did these guys fail to set up the "Sir's" sound system poorly? No. They ate meat!

It seems that Sir Paul is not quite the tolerant sole that he appears to portray to the world. McCartney is an avid vegetarian and an activist for the mission. Great, ah, Sir Paul it's "Live and Let Live," not "Live and Let Die." McCartney has a brilliant new CD out that is available at Starbucks' 11,000 store unit system. As I wrote last week, the initial sales since its June 5 release have been fabulous. The 13-song CD has all new McCartney material and is a testament to Paul's talent -- and, by the way, yesterday, June 18th was Sir Paul's 65th birthday.

So here we have this ex-Beatle having turned 65 years of age. Don't you think Sir Paul would be a little more tolerant of other people's personal choices? After all, hamburgers are almost as popular in the United Kingdom as they are in the United States.

Well now, if Sir Paul cannot work with anyone that dares place any sort of meat to his or her lips, the big question is: Does Howard Schultz of Starbucks eat red meat? If he does, what will Sir Paul do? Will he immediately terminate his relationship with Starbucks? Will he try to convert Mr. Schultz and any other red-meat eater executive of Starbucks to the ways of this "tolerant vegetarian"? Let's see, Starbucks has about 11,000 stores and if each one sells just 100 copies of McCartney CD's in just the first month at $15.95 each, and McCartney's cut is ... I think you get the picture.

Sir Paul, what say you? How about bringing back those roadies and sing 'em your beautiful song " Let It Be"...

Georges Yared is the CIO of Yared Investment Research and a former Paul McCartney fan.

Starbucks' Howard Schultz: Do you eat red meat? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Starbucks, 'that new record store'

Starbucks teams with Sonic Youth originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With the constant back and forth about the purchase of England's EMI Group PLC (LSE: EMI), how much does the often rumored and hoped for reissuing of The Beatles catalog factor? Certainly, if Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) or a private equity firm ends up the "winner" in the EMI buyout, the gain that the future release will make must be under consideration.

Of course, that could be the very reason the process has sped up and become so intense in the last month. As Paul McCartney's solo catalog went digital from EMI, his newest album was released by Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) and fared better than any of his recent albums for EMI. Buyers must be thinking about that success for a former Beatle and what it can mean for the pending remastered Beatles albums. The persisting rumors now indicate that a release will occur later this year or in 2008, but will the buyout be finished before then? Warner has pursued EMI for over seven years to no avail because of regulation concerns in the European Union courts.

In any case, EMI is expanding the Digital Rights Management technology deal that the company made with Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes Store to other companies. The new deal with PassAlong Networks follows similar agreements with Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and creates new competitors for iTunes, but all three will sale the DRM-free tracks for $1.29. The DRM deal and the buyout signal that EMI is making gains right now, but will The Beatles release be a part of this growth or the products these developments are intended to benefit?

EMI buyout: Do The Beatles factor? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 16 Jun 2007 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Paul McCartney album marks #3 debut for Starbucks

Paul McCartney album marks #3 debut for Starbucks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Jun 2007 20:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Eight days ago, Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) began selling the new CD from former Beatle Paul McCartney titled Memory Almost Full. Currently, the CD is only available from Starbucks stores in all 27 countries and on Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN). The CD may be the spark that Starbucks needs to get its stock going, as it is selling extraordinarily well and may lift Starbucks' June same-store sales.

Starbucks is a long-term, excellent growth story. The company currently operates almost 12,000 stores, with a stated corporate goal of growing to over 40,000 units in the next decade. This year so far has been a frustrating one for Starbucks as its stock has traded as high as $36, but is sitting at its low point right now at $27.74.

Update June 13, 2007, 4:36 p.m.: "First-week sales of 160,541 copies marked a 33% improvement over those for Flaming Pie."

The first quarter earnings for Starbucks came in right at consensus expectations: no upside surprise. The market reacted with a rather large yawn and the stock has been trading sideways since. The Paul McCartney CD may be the catalyst necessary to get the stock and the same store sales popping in sync.

Continue reading Paul McCartney should lift Starbucks' same-store sales

Paul McCartney should lift Starbucks' same-store sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Jun 2007 06:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I visited four different Starbucks stores in the greater Minneapolis area yesterday, and yes, I drank four different cups of coffee. I bought only one CD, however. I spoke with the managers of each store and asked about the CD's sales so far on the first day. Three of the stores sold 12 or more units, and the fourth store sold 10. My unofficial survey ended at 7 p.m. as I figured it was time for some decaf.

If these four Minneapolis, Minnesota stores are any indication of the rest of the Starbucks system, then the all important same-store sales metrics may see a good month or two. As a point of reference, the four stores sell about 4-5 CDs per day of various artists. Obviously, the exclusivity of Paul McCartney is a huge selling advantage for Starbucks.The four stores were also playing the CD all-day long for customers' pleasure.

One store manager was concerned about running out of supply by the weekend -- a nice problem to have. The Starbucks customer cards were also covered with the new McCartney CD versus the standard Starbucks logo. The early results will be interesting to hear when they are officially released in a couple of weeks time. Starbucks needs to beat the June quarter expectations to get the shares going again. The stock has been caught in a tight trading range, between $28-32 these past 3-4 months.

Starbucks is a tremendous long term growth story currently stuck in neutral. The McCartney CD may be just what the doctor ordered.

Georges Yared is the CIO of Yared Investment Research where he explores more growth stock ideas.

Is Starbucks ready to run? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX)'s music label Hear Music released Paul McCartney's latest studio album, Memory Almost Full, in the United States today. The chain will host a "global listening party" in its 10,000 stores with an estimated 6 million coffee drinkers poised to hear the album simply by walking into stores in 29 countries. Fans interested in buying the album do not have to go out for coffee though, the album is also available in regular retail outlets as well.

For months, this release has caused a stir in how the music industry works, but in McCartney's England, copies sold at Starbucks stores will not count into the albums placement in album sales charts at the end of the week, BBC reports. Starbucks apparently has no intention of submitting sales data either and Ken Lombard, the executive in charge of Starbucks Entertainment, hopes that the album will sell 5.5 million copies, matching the Ray Charles compilation the company released a few years back.

These 5.5 million copies are not limited to Starbucks locations, but for fans and consumers, buying the album at Starbucks creates a dilemma. At Starbucks, the price is generally the listing price, while retailers like Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT), and Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) offer sale prices that are significantly lower than list. Meanwhile, stocks for the coffee company closed at $28.83 yesterday, down from Friday's $29.13. This afternoon prices have fallen slightly lower.

Continue reading New Paul McCartney album creates stir for Starbucks

New Paul McCartney album creates stir for Starbucks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading It was forty years ago (yesterday) that global music learned to play

It was forty years ago (yesterday) that global music learned to play originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Music summer akin to movie blockbuster summer? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 May 2007 18:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Who has the audacity to say that ... even think it? Nobody is bigger than McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD). After all, didn't McDonald's change the way we Americans eat? Didn't fast food and drive-thrus become the norm? Didn't McDonald's capture the hearts and, therefore, the appetite of every little kid with its Happy Meals and Ronald McDonald character? Didn't McDonald's even say that the world was ready for their menu and actually expand around the world? Even in France!

The answers to all the above questions is yes. McDonald's set the table (pardon the pun) to the way we view and eat fast food. Its success fostered major competitors like Burger King Holdings (NYSE: BKC), Wendy's International (NYSE: WEN) and Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ: SONC). It boasts a number of celebrities who have worked there in the past.

But McDonald's is still McDonald's. It has tried to be hip and cool by actually offering salads, but do you really go to a McDonald's to eat a salad? The movie Super Size Me did not do anything for its image either; yet McDonald's still marches on.

McDonald's went public in 1965 and a $2,250 investment back then would be worth nearly $2 million today. What a great success story; 31,000 units spread out over 119 countries. It is truly one great American export. The brand name alone is among the world's top 10 most recognizable and worth untold billions of dollars.

So, who is going to be bigger than McDonald's? The answer is Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX).

Continue reading Starbucks will be the next McDonald's

Starbucks will be the next McDonald's originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 May 2007 20:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

'Long and Winding Road' to iTunes' Beatle offerings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 May 2007 18:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.