New HBO series, "Vinyl"

I'm over 60. I've become immune to most advertising. The 'Mad Men" don't bother targeting us, olden peoples, because we're so hard to sell to. If it wasn't for Tivo, I'd never watch anything other than PBS and HBO.

 

I didn't watch it, maybe too close to home in many ways. (No I didn't go to Studio 54 or hang with gangsters if, according to Vidiot, it showed that side).* Having been mostly on an outer ring of the industry as outside counsel for many years, the one thing that always frustrated me, even during the tail end of the glory years (I started practicing in 1981 and retired in 2014) was how little most of the business side seemed to care about the actual music. There were exceptions, of course, but that alone could tell a story. I would love to write a book, but given confidentiality obligations, could not do so.
_______________
*The new Morris Levy biography is definitely worth reading.

 

I never got to see it! I hope it comes to Netflix or Shomi soon!

 

If you look at the viewing figures you can see why they changed their minds. They're abysmal, especially for a show with such a high pedigree and expensive to make. Even the premier was pretty awful ratings wise. You'd think that the names attached to it and the hype would've brought in viewers at least for the first ep.

I do think the show improved over it's short episode run though and viewing figures did get better for the last two eps, but still didn't even crack 1M based on the chart I saw. Quite bad really.

I can't really blame HBO for changing their mind. The show needed some work for sure & it could've improved but with viewing figures so low they probably thought "No one seems to care" and decided to cancel it.

 

Definitely had gangster elements in it. I didn't much care for that story line, although I appreciate there was a presence in real life.

Many of my friends who work in music tell similar tales about people working in the industry who don't actually care about the actual music much. Too many it's just a job, exciting or not. Some reported to people who didn't even know the artists they were selling at all (when they worked in distribution). They could've been selling any product essentially.

Shame you can't write a book though. Sounds like there's some good stories locked away in your head I'll check out the Morris Levy book. That's a name that comes up in every book I have about the industry but I don't know too much about him other than the usual.

 

May cancel HBO as a result, with Girls having ended and Veep done for the year. Maybe get it again whem they relaunch CYE.

Disappointing when a show is cancelled this way without a chance to tie up loose ends, in particular the murder investgation which was such a major thread.

Do we have a thread on Roadies yet? Funny this is launching just as Vinyl got cancelled.

 

Now I'll never know what happened to The Nasty Bits.

 

There were also the exceptions, so I don't want to seem down on the industry. If you remember some of the factors that led to its dismemberment - the rise of file sharing, the inability to buy a single track, the complaints about lack of A&R for new talent, etc., one can also overlook some of the benefits of the "old model": big labels subsidized unknown talent as part of a crap-shoot for the "next big thing," the culture of the music business extended directly to the consumer via record store promos, in store appearances by acts (some of which is still done by the independent stores), the vast inventories of places like Tower of new releases. Now, with the self-funded, tour to make money and sell CDs on the side, artists don't have it any easier. I don't want to turn this into a rant for or against the industry at large- figures like Mo Ostin, Ahmed Ertegun, Chris Blackwell, Jac Holzman, and countless others, brought their passion and taste to the masses.
There's a great element in the Levy book about how his creditors- studios and others- would send their underlings over to his office to try and collect money. Many of the folks we know of as legendary now were young, and completely unaware of Morris' charms, and were sent, unwittingly, to try and collect. It makes for interesting reading.

 

Well you should check out more on the network as there are so many shows far superior than vinyl.

 

They could wrap up the loose ends with a comic book. Or a YouTube video with five minutes of exposition.

 

They failed to recoup and were dropped, broke up shortly afterwards after the frontman OD'd, and they were largely remembered as a seminal influence on the CBGB scene. Their sole album was reissued a couple of times in the wake of increased interest in the pre-'76 NYC scene, most recently with a bonus CD of rough live recordings that the Mojo review called "raw and fun, if not essential".

 

I saw a few episodes through free previews. I thought it got better as the series progressed. I would have watched more if there was a Season 2.

 

Furthermore, G.G. Allen of the Scum F**s said, they simply weren't nasty enough to compete....

 

I just wanted to see Juno.

 

Those hipsters over at Pitchfork say, "Good riddance!"

Let's Just Say It: ‘Vinyl’ Deserved To Be Cancelled | Pitchfork »

 

It wasn't a great show but any show about the music business is better than none. Now the show I really miss is Lilyhammer.

 

One of my favorite young actresses.

 

I enjoyed Vinyl but I agree there are other good HBO shows. Right now I'm working my way through the last season of The Wire.

 

The Wire set a standard that all other series hope & fail to achieve.

 

Hard to argue with that. Excellent television. Last week I visited Baltimore and Lexington Market where one of the scenes was filmed.

 

Odd to see a full page ad in the NYT promoting Vinyl for Emmy consideration. This would seem to indicate cancellation decision was made too late to pull ad, as it otherwise seems like a waste of money for a cancelled show - particularly one with too little critical acclaim to really be in the running for an Emmy.

 

Screw that - I want "8-Track"!

 

Shellac

 

Oh man that's really too bad. My wife and I really got into it, even if it was somewhat over the top at times and some of the story threads (mafia) we could do without. But overall, a good series. Especially with the music. I guess some catch on and some don't. I find that HBO Canada is hit and miss with some of their stuff. Just because it's HBO doesn't mean all the shows are like the Sopranos or Game of Thrones.

 

Given the cancellation, I'm glad that the season finale proved to be (for me) a satisfying conclusion. I thought the show significantly improved in it's last few episodes and was looking forward to seeing where the new showrunner would take it, but that's that (and that's show biz folks!).