The Fall 2011-12 Primetime TV schedules were recently announced by the networks and it was either good news or bad news for the music industry. What side of the coin you fall on depends on your sector of the music world.
For known acts, established back catalogues and label promotion departments, it is going to be a goldmine as both NBC & FOX announced they are going to double the number of hours devoted to music reality competitions. Notably, NBC is bringing back recent hit “The Voice” along with expanding their a capella group competition show, “The Sing-Off.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMbnbgq58GA]Meanwhile, Fox will debut the U.S. version of Simon Cowell’s “X-Factor” ahead of January’s return of established juggernaut “American Idol.” ABC will continue to bank on “Dancing With The Stars,” which will go head-to-head with the NBC singing shows.
What does all this mean?
A plethora of opportunities for famous songs and acts to promote their work. And jumping to the scripted format, a couple period-set shows have featured slots on the networks’ schedules. NBC’s “The Playboy Club” and ABC’s “Pan Am” will present “Mad Men”-like opportunities for label back catalogues that contain early 60’s era music.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-95qfa956A]And Now The Bad News…
So who is receiving the programming schedules with a resounding frown? Lesser known acts looking for those hitmaking placement opportunities. Previous “launch pad” shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy” have had their ratings steadily decline for some time now as viewers’ tastes have shifted and, by proxy, the tastes of the network decision makers.
Economics are in full play as networks throw the proverbial pasta on the wall with cheaply produced reality programming. For every five that fail, it is still cheaper than one scripted failure. Networks, beholden to the shareholders of the public conglomerates that own them, just aren’t willing to risk the capital anymore.
The current macro-economic environment is certainly one factor but, in terms of ratings, the general TV audience is showing a healthy appetite for the cheaper reality and reality competition fare. Why put Chateaubriand on the menu when the customer is happy with Salisbury Steak?
The Effect of Sitcom’s Rebirth
Lastly, there is one more trend that doesn’t bode well for the recorded music industry: The resurrection of the sitcom. The reports of its demise were apparently greatly exaggerated.
ABC is expanding its comedy line-up on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. At the same time, Fox has placed half-hour comedies in the slots after “Glee” and “X-Factor,” while CBS, in an attempt to capture a more female-oriented audience, has comedies on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Song placements are virtually non-existent in the format so music licensing opportunities have been reduced across the board by the networks.
While major-label promotion departments are looking with great anticipation towards the Fall, the rest of the industry is hoping that these programming trends are merely the next piece of pasta to not stick to the wall.
– Marc Caruso, Head of Licensing & Administration