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The Kanye West-Amy Winehouse duel for Album of the Year is the sexiest one on the board this year.

LENNYBEERBLOG: EIGHT THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

This Week, Lenny Finds Hope on the Tube, for the Indies and at the Upcoming Awards Shows
1. MTV's relatively new 52/52 program really works. They feature one band in all their interstitial programming for an entire week, and I mean lots of on air featurettes—plus major mtv.com goes with it. It has significantly helped sales for Paramore, Rodrigo + Gabriela and this week for The Bravery. Check it out and if you are a record company, work really hard to get your band included in the program...

2. VH1's You Oughta Know rotation and promotion is incredibly powerful. They play the batshit out of your video, promote the heck outta it online, tag your CD in-store and really help you sell records... If you don't believe me, check out winners like Sara Bareilles, Colbie Caillat, Corinne Bailey Rae, Feist, etc., etc., etc.

3. RED has done an incredible job helping small labels market and promote their acts. Elliot Yamin, Ingrid Michaelson and a staggering array of winners speak loudly for their efforts. Now, Ron Spaulding has joined Fontana and is doing the same. His first big winner is Kate Voegele—and she won't be his last. Indie labels can really compete these days with the help of these two powerhouses.

4. Whether or not she shows for the Grammy Awards ceremony, Amy Winehouse is the favorite to walk away with the most wins. She is the one to beat for Album, Song, Record, New Artist and more. The Kanye West-Winehouse duel for Album of the Year is the sexiest one on the board this year.

5. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are a lock to win this year's Oscar for best song in a motion picture. “Falling Slowly” from Once is the perfect melding of song and story. There have been a lot of surprise and rather bizarre winners in this category through the years, but I’ll be shocked if this twosome doesn’t emerge victorious this year. If you haven't yet heard this track, do yourself a favor.

6. Herbie Hancock's Grammy-nominated album of the year is as good as advertised. Soaring vocals from Norah Jones, Tina Turner, Corinne Bailey Rae and more add to the magnificent jazz stylings. Download it to your iTouch, sit on your porch or your favorite easy chair, pour yourself a cognac or whatever poison fits your fancy and listen to it all the way through. It's well worth the time.

7. For those of you in Oscar pools, this year's locks are Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor, Julie Christie for Best Actress and Javier Bardem for Best Supporting Actor. The other categories are still up for grabs.

8. And finally, this coming Wednesday's UCLA/NARAS Music Business Now class will feature MTV programming goddess Amy Doyle and the inimitable Charlie Walk, President of Epic. Stop by if you are in town—it should be a great one.

So what’s exciting you these days? What are you dying to turn people on about? We’re all ears. Tell us what you think at [email protected], and as always, we’ll publish the most interesting responses.
_____________________________
Lenny -
In response to the items:

1. "MTV's relatively new 52/52 program really works." Gee, how shocking. Remember when the M in MTV stood for "Music first"? Imagine what they could do with even more MUSIC programming.

2. "VH1's 'You Oughta Know' rotation and promotion is incredibly powerful." Again, more music more often means more sales. Throw in the basics of Marketing 101 and you win.

3. "RED has done an incredible job helping small labels market and promote their acts." Hooray for any company that carries the passion for their artists so successfully. We need more people like that now than ever before!

4. "Amy Winehouse is the favorite to walk away with the most wins." Probably...but whether or not she becomes an artist with lasting power remains to be seen. Brilliant album...should have sold way more.

5. "Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are a lock to win this year's Oscar for Best Song in a Motion Picture, 'Falling Slowly.'" Maybe. Does anybody care any more about this other than the winners?

6. "Herbie Hancock's Grammy-nominated album of the year is as good as advertised"... Yup, it is.

7. "Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor, Julie Christie for Best Actress and Javier Bardem for Best Supporting Actor" Sounds like it for sure...maybe only one in question is Julie Christie. If No Country for Old Men doesn't win for Best Direction and Best Screenplay Adaptation, I'll be pissed. I think it's also the Best Picture, but There Will Be Blood is stiff competition.

8. "And finally, this coming Wednesday's UCLA/NARAS Music Business Now class will feature MTV programming goddess Amy Doyle and the inimitable Charlie Walk, President of Epic." Love to stop by... er, can u pick up my plane ticket?

Steve Meyer
President/CEO
Smart Marketing Consulting Services
Las Vegas, NV

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