Want to get Michael Jackson’s new single? You will be able to get it on iTunes this month, contrary to earlier reports. But there’s a catch: You’re going to have to buy some of the late singer’s other songs, too.
After Michael Jackson died, fans flooded iTunes to snap up his music. And contrary to an earlier report, “This Is It,” the singer’s final work, will also be sold by Apple this month.
The good news: Two of music’s biggest acts helped slow the industry’s sales slump last quarter. The bad news: It’s still slumping. And the Fab Four and MJ are probably out of tricks.
Remember when Michael Jackson was one of the biggest things on the Web? So 10 days ago. Cable TV and gossip magazines are still cranking out as much Jackson stuff as they can, but Web video viewers have moved on.
The blog network owner says he’ll open his checkbook for readers who have amazing tales and pictures he can publish. He’s not talking TMZ money, yet. But “I’d love to have their reputation–as the place you go if you want to make a buck.”
Depending on your perspective, this is either interesting news or heartening news: Michael Jackson’s funeral and memorial were indeed a giant Internet event. But they don’t seem to have been as big as Michael Jackson’s death, and they weren’t as big as Barack Obama’s inauguration. So, let’s call them the third-biggest Web event of the year. To date.
Looks like I called this one wrong: Earlier in the day, I predicted that Web interest in Michael Jackson’s funeral would be less than expected because anyone who really cared about this would be watching on TV. Nope.
Michael Jackson’s funeral service starts at 1 pm Eastern today and you will have to try very hard not to see it: In addition to wall-to-wall coverage on the news channels, any Web site capable of live-streaming the event will be doing so. Is the Internet ready for the coming traffic jam? I’m betting it is.
We’ve previously noted that the Web is great at transmitting information quickly, though not always accurately. Same goes, apparently, for stories about the Web’s ability to transmit information quickly. Those reports you read last week about the Internet buckling under the weight of Michael Jackson traffic? Greatly exaggerated, says the analytics company cited most often in those reports.
One last Michael Jackson Web traffic story: Google says it received so many search queries with the late singer’s name on Thursday that it thought it was being targeted by an “automated attack.” Which meant that some visitors looking for Jackson info on Google News got an error message for about 25 minutes yesterday.
Remember all those stories about Web sites buckling under the weight of all that Michael Jackson traffic? Here’s the flip side, now being promoted by those same Web sites: Look at all of our Michael Jackson traffic! Yahoo, for instance, wants us to know that Jackson’s demise has been its good fortune. “Michael Jackson rushed to hospital” was the site’s “highest clicking” story, while Yahoo News set a record for hourly visitors.
The “fail” meme is one of the digerati’s least pleasant contributions to pop culture. Wouldn’t be accurate, anyway. Instead, let’s just say that the Internet was…challenged yesterday by the crush of people who flocked to it when Michael Jackson died. And that it seemed to do a pretty good job in the end. That’s a more interesting story, right?
Another big news event means another chance for Twitter to shine. And another example of the service’s shortcomings: Trust it if you want, but I’d like to verify.
Peter Kafka has been covering media and technology since 1997, when he joined the staff of Forbes magazine. Most recently, he has been the managing editor of the tech and media Web site, Silicon Alley Insider. Read more »
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.
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