SINGING FOR THEIR SUPPER: MUSICIANS AND THEIR RESTAURANTS

Media reports indicate that Pete Murray is a co-investor in the recently opened “Frankie Brown Café” located in Byron Bay on the North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Murray, who is a highly respected singer-songwriter and a local resident, will be occasionally performing at the new eating establishment albeit the focus will be upon showcasing new musical talent in conjunction with an up-market menu.

It’s no secret that Murray is no longer burning up the music charts, however this investment outlines a shrewd equation of eating + music = general entertainment. Murray remains a famous and popular face in Australian music, thus we can expect some large crowds at “Frankie Brown Café” for the immediate future.

Musicians and their restaurants is not a new phenomena; Alice Cooper [Cooperstown Sports Bar in Phoenix, Arizona] and Bill Wyman [Sticky Fingers Café in London, United Kingdom] are some of the famous pioneers who have successfully combined the art of music and food.

Here are some other musicians who have quietly made the foray into the restaurant trade:

• Boz Scaggs – the success of 1975’s “Silk Degrees” enabled Scaggs to acquire the “Blue Light Bar and Restaurant” in his home town of San Francisco, where Tex-Mex dominates the menu.
• Bill Danoff – “Afternoon Delight” was a speciality on the menu of his favourite café AND the music charts in 1976. Danoff sang and composed “Afternoon Delight” for the Starland Vocal Band, and he is now the proprietor of “Starland Café” in Washington, DC.
• Jon Bon Jovi – the “Soul Kitchen” in Red Bank, New Jersey operates on the premise that you PAY WHAT YOU CAN when ordering meals. If you can’t afford to pay for your meal, JBJ and his crew will set you a simple task to complete within the establishment as your gratuity.
• Toby Keith – when you have a hit record named “I Love This Bar”, it only makes sense to open an eating house named “I Love This Bar and Grill”. Keith is a success; he now has establishments in 9 US cities.
• Jimmy Buffett – they don’t come any bigger than Mr Buffett. “JB’s Margaritaville” [named after his 1977 smash “Margaritaville”] offers up a seafood menu in more than 20 cities in the USA, plus Mexico, the Caribbean and Sydney, Australia.

This puts a nice little twist to the homage of “singing for your supper”!!

A DIFFICULT DECISION: VIVENDI RETAINS UNIVERSAL MUSIC

Recent news reports that media giant Vivendi rejected an $8.5 Billion offer for Universal Music from Japanese telecom group SoftBank has many music writers scratching their heads.

At face value, Vivendi have foregone an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sell the asset at a significant premium; Bank of America Merrill Lynch valued Universal Music at $5.8 Billion in June. Simple numbers aside, the intricacies of the offer warrant comment.

SoftBank have acquired US telecom firm Sprint Nextel, with a vision of providing music via its wireless services in the huge North American market and their homeland. There are many observers who state that SoftBank have a viable strategy, as market research firm Nielsen SoundScan have released figures to suggest that digital albums now account for more than 40% of all recorded music sales and music streaming subscription services have increased almost 25 % in the past 12 months.

On the flipside, Vivendi are placed in an awkward position because asset sales are urgently required. The European corporate owns global media assets however attempts to sell telecom assets in Brazil and Morocco have failed to reach closure.

Notwithstanding the very tempting offer from SoftBank, Vivendi can’t afford to sell Universal Music. The music imprint is the pivotal asset, without Universal Music it is feared that Vivendi’s market value would suffer a substantial decline as the balance of assets have minimal synergistic worth.

And who said you don’t need a record label in modern society?