Making national news usually requires a disaster, scandal or some other sort of theme that is not the most uplifting. The summer of 2010 will be remembered as “The Summer of LeBron”. From launching a revamped webpage, getting 200,000 twitter followers in a day, and getting his own hour long special on ESPN, LeBron James officially has begun to launch the idea of giving his name its own brand. This idea has been talked about in the past, as it’s no secret LeBron wants to be a billionaire someday, and it is a subject that was repeated in the six presentations he reviewed from the teams trying to recruit his services. This whole process has been filled with marketing mistakes and marketing genius, only time will tell whether the genius will make up for the mistakes.

Genius: 

1) The Hype Factor: No single sports announcement, not even one from Bret Favre, has garnered this much attention from fans and media. Everyone has an opinion about it, some are completely sick of it, but everyone is talking about it. Different factors have played a role in this story continuing all summer, the first of which is obviously LeBron himself never giving any indication where he is going. No better way to get people talking about what you’re going to end up doing then to not tip your hat in any direction, and let people roll with their own assumptions, hopes and beliefs. Reporters have put out story after story on this topic, because that is what people want to read and are commenting on.

2) Three Day Summit in Cleveland: Making all the suitors come to Cleveland may have taken away the glitz and glamour of being hosted in some of the most notable cities in the U.S., but it also allowed the media to converge in one location and also added to the story line that many felt LeBron was staying in Cleveland and his home state of Ohio, it was up to another team to come woo him away. For the course of those three days we knew what car LeBron drove, we know exactly how long each meeting lasted, and we even know what some of the teams presented to LeBron. Major news outlets from CNN to the Wall Street Journal got in on the discussion about his earning potential and who was coming to talk to him.

3) Addition of Social Media: LeBron James, in conjunction with his management I’d be willing to bet, has added a new website and a Twitter account to his arsenal (which accumulated 200,000 followers in the matter of a day). He will even take questions on his one hour special from people over Twitter. All this does is give more people across the world access to LeBron, which only builds his brand up more. It also gives him more means for sponsorship opportunities, as you can already find a Bing search engine located on his homepage. Plus, adding a sign up on his webpage to collect fans’ e-mail addresses is a great move. The database he will gain from that will be one of the most valuable tools he will have in acquiring new sponsorships. The number of companies that will want to advertise with him in hopes to get their product seen with LeBron will be huge, and the more people signed up on that last will only increase his value.

4) Timing: Timing is everything, and the timing of leaks to the media, and various major reports could not have worked better in the days leading up to “The Decision”. One day people were reporting he is going to Chicago, without a doubt. The next day the story is no one can pry him from Cleveland. Not surprisingly, New York takes a lead the next day, only to be out done by Miami on the day leading up to the announcement. On top of the discussion of which team has the lead, word leaked early the day before LeBron’s announcement that Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade would be joining forces in Miami. Did LeBron want Thursday’s spotlight alone? One is left to wonder if someone in the James camp leaked that information in order to assure all talk Thursday was on their client. Also, following his three day summit was a three day summer camp that LeBron puts on in Akron, allowing more attention than normal to be paid to the camp. All of this leading to now, his decision, getting its own hour on television, on a Thursday night. It’s probably no surprise there is absolutely nothing else on television this night in terms of new episodes, so even if LeBron had known for the past couple days, one has to wonder if this was his first chance to get television time. Regardless, he got the time, and it is sure to draw a large amount of viewers.

Mistake:

1) Narcissism: Miami could potentially be about to land the three biggest names in free agency, but even people there are sick of the LeBron saga. Even his largest supporters in Cleveland are becoming ill at this whole process. Everyone may watch his hour long special tonight, but this is just the capstone to those who have said from the start LeBron is just starved for attention. LeBron may very well be the best person currently playing basketball, we get that. Every team in the NBA would love to have him, and it’s one thing for him to hold his meetings so he can truly gauge where he wants to play. But to turn this whole process into the spectacle he has could make him no better (in the eyes of some) than celebrities who use up their fifteen minutes of fame and more.

2)  Polarizing Himself in Cavs Fans Eyes: Going into this process, before any of the events that have happened did, even the most diehard of fans in Cleveland could have probably understood him leaving. Early playoff exits the past two years and a supporting cast that couldn’t live up to the hype were clearly on the mind of all Cleveland fans as LeBron exited Quicken Loans Arena after the biggest and most embarrassing playoff loss in Cleveland history. Most probably thought that would be the last time he’d be in Cleveland in a Cavs jersey. But then came this summer, and all the talk, the hope that was instilled in Cleveland fans and the reports they were still in the LeBron sweepstakes. LeBron has to be aware of the news articles out there, he has to know what he means to Cleveland and if he is just using the town for drama, to come on television and abandon the fans and people of Cleveland, he may be the most hated person in the eyes of everyone there. Had he done this with class, not put so much into it and not made his own feature event (take a note from Kevin Durant’s extension signing announcement), chances are he can spin moving to a new city in a light that Cleveland fans can understand. Granted they would still be disappointed, but they may not hate the guy like they potentially could now. No brand wants to have opposition in such a strong fashion, and if LeBron is truly building a brand, he is on the verge of potentially losing his most loyal customers.

3) Adding Fuel to the Fire: LeBron has had his skeptics for some time. He has done nothing to win them over during all of this, and in the process has probably managed to turn even more columnist against him. For someone who wants to build his brand and be an athlete billionaire, it would probably be nice to have some press members on your side. There have been numerous articles already about how big of a blow this would be to Cleveland, and he hasn’t even officially left yet. There have also been numerous articles about how LeBron has acted like a diva in this whole process, which probably isn’t what the LeBron brand is looking for either.

4) Unheard of Pressure: No matter where he chooses, there will be an unheard of amount of pressure on him to win a championship. LeBron has had his moments in the playoffs, but he’s also had forgetful games. Did he really need to do this to himself? The scrutiny will be at an all time high next season, and at an even higher level come the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if he can handle it, and if he feels it is warranted, because he has no one to blame but himself and his management team for any extra pressure that will be on him.

5) Holding Teams/Fans Hostage: It’s understandable that he took his time and weighed his options. What is not understandable is that he is supposed to be the biggest name in this free agent market, and instead he is letting others dictate what he does, while holding other teams and their fans hostage in the process. Ideally in the minds of the Cavs, Knicks, Bulls or anyone else they get LeBron to join, but until then other teams are recruiting people that would be great options to work with LeBron. One would think LeBron would have been the first to announce his decision, and then recruit who he wants where he wants to play. Instead he will be one of the last marquee names to announce, keeping a team like Cleveland from securing a viable second option to him, while in the process making it seem like he is just a follower to where he goes (barring a Cleveland choice). Regardless, the after taste of making fans and owners wait this long coupled with the production he has put on could leave a bad taste in some people’s mouths, also hurting the LeBron brand in the long run, as he may come out of this looking like a kid with the way he acted.
 
 
           The summer of LeBron will come to an end on July 8th at 9:00pm. His special, entitled “The Decision” will air on ESPN and last an hour. One city will be rejoicing, five others will be moving on to a plan B. If that one city does not turn out to be Cleveland, it could end up being one of the most classless moves by an athlete ever seen. Would the hometown hero, who supposedly loves Akron so much, really turn his back on all his fans by making it a national spectacle? Only time will tell, but it is certain none of the six cities in contention for James are on edge more so than Cleveland.
            Six teams made presentations to LeBron over a three day period: The New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavs. All of these meetings took place in Cleveland, and for three straight days fans and employees of the Cavs showed up in numbers to show their love for LeBron, holding signs up that simply said “home”. Most of the presentations focused on one of two things, either maximizing LeBron’s net worth in a new city, or giving him the pieces needed to win a championship. Cleveland got to take a different approach with their presentation, focusing on the aspect of staying home. In a ten minute clip released online, which was reportedly shown during the Cavs’ presentation, residents of Ohio, from Cleveland to Columbus voiced pleas for LeBron to stay in town, the overlaying tone being that it’s not only the city that needs you, it’s the entire state of Ohio.
            The whole concept of Ohio needing LeBron is one that requires a brief look at history. The city of Cleveland has not had a professional championship since 1964, and possibly more memorable heart breaks than any other city. Despite this Cleveland has been in good spirits for the past seven years, figuring their savior had arrived, and to a certain degree he did. The Cavaliers have been a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference for the past couple of seasons and many in the city thought it was only a matter of time before an elusive championship was to be celebrated. Early playoff departures the past two seasons put any sort of celebration on hold, and in a matter of hours all hope that once existed could be gone for some time, with the Indians and Browns not expected to compete for a title any time soon.
            Sure, this all resonates in the minds and hearts of those in Ohio, who cheer for these teams, and have for awhile, but from all accounts LeBron has never been a hometown boy when it comes to cheering for those teams, he’s been a front runner, all about cheering for the teams that were dynasties when he was growing up. Thus, while there is little doubt LeBron loves his hometown of Akron, maybe the Cavs should have spent a little more time showing him how they’re going to build a dynasty, and not trying to appeal to a sense of home. LeBron is from and will always be from Akron, Ohio. There is nothing that can be done to change that and LeBron had no say in it. He also had no say in who won the rights to draft him out of high school; it just so happened Cleveland won the lottery that year. LeBron has a say in this, he wants to win multiple championships, and chances are his decision will be based on that one factor.
            That being said, a one hour special to potentially announce a decision to leave a place that loves you, a state that you have lived your whole life in, just doesn’t seem like the type of production someone who plans on returning to Akron would do. LeBron may not owe the city of Cleveland anything more in terms of playing basketball for them, but to put on a show all summer only to rub it in the fans faces for one hour would seem to be a classless exit, and may even propel LeBron to the ranks of Art Modell status in terms of most hated sports figure in the city.
            For all the rumors Cleveland fans have heard, and all the doubt and hope that has come from these rumors, there is no doubt that the most emotional response to “The Decision”, whether it be for the best or for the worse, will be in Cleveland, and it will be interesting to hear LeBron’s rational one way or the other.
 
 
Easy pick for my band of the week here. Copeland will begin their farewell tour this Wednesday, and it happens to be the one show in North Carolina. With Copeland hailing from Lakeland, FL. (close to Orlando) I have had the pleasure of seeing this band on numerous occasions, in various venues, and on tons of tours while I was living in Florida. 

I personally feel like their best CD is "Beneath Medicine Tree", which was also their first full length release. I'm not discounting their later and more recent works, but there is something about that album that stands out in my opinion. 

Head on over to their homepage to get the tour dates and listen to some tunes. I highly recommend taking time out of whatever day they are coming near your city to see them, absolutely wonderful musicians, and you probably won't get the chance to see them again any other time if you have not already.
 
 
The Morning Of is this weeks band of the week simply because they posted a YouTube clip announcing the date of their upcoming CD, "The Way I Fell In", which will be released on May 4th.

Their first full length, "The World As We Know It", was highly anticipated and lived up to a lot of the hype, but never quite took off as some expected it to. I highly recommend that CD,  it was one of the best of 2008 for sure, and I have no doubt this upcoming release will be just as good, and probably better (the song playing in the background of the YouTube clip sounds amazing).

Check out the band on MySpace, check out the page for the upcoming release, and check out the YouTube clip I referenced a few times below.

 
 
Every week I'll put up a new feature band that I feel anyone reading this blog should check out. To kick it off I have a band out of Tallahassee, FL. called Look Mexico. Head on over to their MySpace at this link  to get updated show/CD info (new CD coming out in February) and check my list of songs of theirs to check out below, most can be found on their lala profile, or on their MySpace.


Check these out:
You Stay. I Go. No Following. 
You're Not Afraid of the Dark, Are You?
You Come Into My House, While I Sleep?
It's Been a Long Time Since I Smelled Beautiful


Those in Florida be sure to check them out across the state in late Feb. in support of their upcoming full length, which I will be sure to post a review of when I get my hands on it.
 
 
The new year is upon us. I took a look back at music in 2009, and now I'm going to look forward to the remainder of this year.

1) The Audition releasing "Great Danger" in March.

I'd be lying if I said I was a fan of this band in the past. Seen them plenty of times, listened to all the music in MySpace, and it just never did anything for me. The other day I heard a 30 second clip of a new song entitled "The Art of Living", and became a fan (at least of one song). I look forward to hearing the rest of the songs on this CD, as they could be in for a big 2010 with some more songs like this on the album. Check out the 30 second clip here.

2) Owl City becoming even bigger.

It may be to early to tell if Owl City has reached their peak with Fireflies, but I can vouch for the rest of that CD being loaded with radio ready tracks that the public is sure to enjoy. He'll take constant heat for being a Postal Service rip off, but he'll also be selling more tracks then most bands could only wish for these days.

3) Reasonable awards in RIAA lawsuits.

I've never understood how a person who is being sued by the RIAA is forced to pay millions of dollars for what usually doesn't surpass 50 songs. Put that at $1.00 a song (like one would pay on iTunes) and damages should be $50.00, plus any distributing they did of the song obviously. Recently a federal judge slashed a $1.92 million dollar award for the RIAA down to $54,000. It is too be noted the RIAA offered $2,000 and $3,000 settlements, but that is still a hefty fine for 24 songs, which was what was in dispute in this particular case. The lawyer in this case has vowed to fight on, and it may not happen here, but I feel (and hope) that at some point this year these ridiculous awards to the RIAA become a thing of the past.

4) Something Corporate playing at Bamboozle Left (any other reunions?)

Something Corporate will be playing their first show since 2005 at Bamboozle Left on March 28th (what I wouldn't do to be there...), will we see any other bands playing a reunion show this year? There's talk every year of it, but I feel this may be the year Midtown finally plays a show together again. Whether it's to benefit Haiti or just a change of pace from Cobra Starship, it seems like it's time for Midtown to take the stage again. There are plenty of other bands I would like to see reunite, but that list would be far too long to share.

5) Impact of the "Rock Band Network" on artist.

With the recently implemented Rock Band Network artist and labels can now submit their own songs for addition to the Rock Band Store, after going through a stage of testing. It's going to be additional revenue and additional exposure for artist, and quite frankly it's going to be awesome for us consumers (hopefully) getting to play the songs of some of our favorite bands.

Bonus) Cleveland Cavaliers win the Championship and LeBron stays in Cleveland.

Maybe this is just wishful thinking, being a fan of all things Cleveland, but the team has looked great as of late, and when the big games have come, they have showed up. It will be interesting to see how Mo Williams performs coming back from injury, and if he shows up for the playoffs this year. I think he will. As long as the Cavs make the finals I can't imagine LeBron going anywhere else, unless an offer he can't refuse comes up, like to team with Dwayne Wade or Dwight Howard. Time will tell, but I definitely don't foresee him going to New York or New Jersey, as others have claimed.
 
 
It was really hard to choose my ten favorite albums of 2009, as it usually is for any given year. A few bands that I absolutely love put out CDs this year that I tried to warrant putting on the list, but just couldn’t in the end (Farewell, We Shot The Moon, Person L, Set Your Goals, Sherwood, and Every Avenue, to name a few). You can find the list below, with a few short comments at the conclusion.

10) The Swellers – Ups and Downsizing

9) Between The Trees – Spain

8) Two Tongues – Self Titled

7) New Found Glory – Not Without a Fight

6) All The Day Holiday – The Things We’ve Grown to Love

5) Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

4) Mansions – New Best Friends

3) The Dangerous Summer – Reach for the Sun

2) Cassino – Kingprince

1) Fun. – Aim & Ignite

I knew “Aim & Ignite” was going to be my album of the year the first time I listened to it (and the plenty of times after that). It is simply amazing and I am ashamed I have not seen them live yet. Cassino put out another great album this year, but I still can’t get over the redone version of “The Gin War”, I like the older one way better. This was pretty much the only album I expected to compete with Fun.’s, and while it was second, I wouldn’t say it competed. At number four is the band Mansions, really the project of one individual, but keep an eye on them in 2010. I had never heard of them until I saw them open for The Get Up Kids, and I am glad I was introduced to them. Spots 6-10 were really hard to distinguish to any degree, each album has a few songs I absolutely love, some I dislike, and some I can tolerate. It pretty much came down to my familiarity with the band, or lack thereof, and what I expected from it. I was very disappointed in the Between The Trees album, I really thought that would be in my top three, at least, until I finally heard it.

Overall it was like any other year when it came to my favorite albums. A limited number of bands stood out in the crowd, some new comers caught my ears, and some bands that I like disappointed. And one last note – check out the CD/DVD combo: The Starting Line – Somebody’s Gonna Miss Us. It’s a great live show and documentary about the band, and just how messed up the music industry can be.