Gennaro Castaldo Watch: The stream flows uphill

Our old friend, Gennaro Castaldo - now chief insight-piper at the BPI - has popped up in Silicon Republic making excited noises about how streaming might help turn the decline of physical sales:

“The whole streaming thing, I think, has been a bonus that hasn’t been anticipated,” [he] says, suggesting that these UK results may well equate to similar findings in Ireland.

“It was thought it would carry on the digital trend. It has in one way, as more and more of us are doing it, but it has also permitted the idea that some people can buy music, too.”

Castaldo suggests streaming can actually be looked at as a shop window of sorts, pushing people towards actual purchases, although not to the level of before.

“No, it won’t be the mainstream activity, all of the time,” he said, “but there is potentially a new narrative where you can stream and buy physical. It’s allowing us to think of a new form of music consumption that might not have seemed possible when digital downloads had a decade of growth, fuelled by iTunes.”

The idea that people listening to music they don't actually own could lead to people going out and spending money on music isn't a crazy one. In fact, it's the same thing that most people spent telling the BPI would happen back in the days of the Napster Wars. The BPI wouldn't have it then, so it's nice that it's finally catching up to where everyone else was in 1999.

Obviously, there's a difference in a legal streaming service and a digitally sourced unlicenced track; the latter, the artist made absolutely nothing from the transaction, but with Spotify et al, the artist has to wait for a lot more transactions before their earnings reach even that level.

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: Looking at Kim Sears' chest

The appearance of Kim Sears at Andy Murray's Australian Open final wearing a Parental Advisory shirt (following being caught on camera swearing like a Gamergater spotting a feminist) was a good joke.

And what do you do with a good joke? Why, you analyse to death. Hence, the BBC used the shirt as a leaping-off point for a piece about the Parental Advisory logo.

And who better to share a thought or two about something music-related than Gennaro Castaldo, once HMV's homme de pensee, now installed on the South Bank as BPI's thought monarch:

But Gennaro Castaldo from the BPI admits that the label can undermine its own purpose. "Yes, there is that badge of honour aspect to it," he says. "The impulse behind it is to make parents and consumers aware of the content but it does have a dual effect - after all we've all been teenagers driven by a need to be anti-establishment and anti-parents. That's not going to change."

It makes you wonder what Gennaro's anti-establishment teenage years were like - sticking out press releases without notes for editors, perhaps. "Screw you mom, screw you dad, I'm not going to indicate where more follows and there's not a thing you can do about it."

I'm not sure Gennaro's statement makes much sense - if parents are seeing a sticker and going 'ooh, this is a rude record, I shall not buy it' and teenagers are seeing a sticker and going 'ooh this is a rude record, I shall buy it', I don't think that's a dual effect; it's alerting both sets of passers-by that there is a rude record on sale.

Obviously Gennaro knows in his heart that most teenagers will see a CD carrying a parental advisory sticker not in a shop as they go about making music purchases, but as they go through their parent's record collection going 'so you had to put these in, what, a BluRay machine? Is that how it worked?'

To be fair, not all youngsters wouldn't recognise a disc if it was sharpened to a point and used to slice their modish beards off. There's the subset of The Kids buying vinyl, and it was this "trend" thatsaw the Telegraph seeking Castaldo's counsel. What's going on, asked the Telegraph:

Vinyl-record sales are booming, too. Last year they hit an estimated 1.2 million – the highest for 20 years, and a five-fold increase since 2008. Threatened by seemingly superior technologies, the old discs seemed headed for extinction, but – as with books – it is the “soul” of vinyl that has been its salvation.

In particular, fans like the covers – once an art genre in their own right and now being rediscovered by a new generation. “They are one of the key reasons people are buying vinyl again,” says Gennaro Castaldo of the British Phonographic Industry. “They help to transform a record into an artefact fans like to own and collect.”

Yeah. What Castaldo doesn't warn The Kids is that when they come to move out of their parent's homes, the purchase of vinyl is going to add boxes and boxes of weight to every time they shift from house to house in the future. Good luck with that, The Kids.

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: One Direction sell a lot of records

It's been a while since we've heard from Gennaro Castaldo, former HMV think-speaker, in his new role as BPI thought-pronouncer. But the Internation Business Times has secured a few words from the great man on the occasion of One Direction selling records:

Gennaro Castaldo, a spokesman for the music industry trade body BPI, said: "For home-grown talent to have recorded the world's biggest selling album six out of the last seven years is a phenomenal achievement that says a great deal about the popularity of British music around the world.

"Aside from the obvious contribution to British exports, this success underlines the vital role our music and artists play in promoting the appeal of British culture around the world."

I'm not sure the contribution to British exports is that obvious. Isn't most of the One Direction crap sold in shops made overseas and, thus, the band's success is actually harming - rather than helping - the UK's balance of payments? And the CDs sold overseas aren't made in the UK; nor are the downloads normally housed on British servers. There's the intellectual property, of course, but the songwriting and production credits on One Direction are drawn from an admirably wide range of territories, so at best represent money flowing through, but expressly out, of the UK economy.

But, regardless, suggesting that One Direction are - narrowly - a British success is a bit of a fib.

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: Softcore porn is business

Ah, we hadn't heard from Gennaro Castaldo since he left HMV. He did leave HMV, although he hasn't updated his LinkedIn profile. Perhaps like other parts of the HMV social universe, the password was handed to an intern and never surrendered?

Anyway, you can't keep a good thought-wrangler down and we've got the first sighting of him in his new home, defending porny pop videos for new employers, the BPI.

He appeared on ITV news:

Explicit music videos should be made available to the public in a responsible age-appropriate way but should not be banned completely, Gennaro Castaldo of the British Recorded Music Industry told ITV News.

Now, obviously, there are music videos which are explicit because the music they represent is explicit - and banning things is bad. I guess that far we can go with Gennaro.

The problem, though, is that the music industry is using sexist sexy videos for songs they're aiming largely at kids. That's what we need to talk about, surely, and the conversation Gennaro didn't seem interested in having:

"We have been speaking to digital service providers about whether they could introduce age-based filters. That could be one way of solving this problem," Mr Castaldo said.

"Rather than trying to stop content by banning or censoring it, it’s about how to make it available in a responsible fashion."

You see? The problem isn't the music industry selling Robin Thicke by getting women to show their tits, it's the fault of "digital service providers" for not stopping kids from seeing it.

This is similar to the way that guns don't kill people, it's people failing to have bulletproof skin that kills people.

But, hey, just to drift further from the point, maybe a spot of meaningless cultural relativism could help?

Mr Castaldo said the industry takes the issue extremely seriously, but pointed out that "values move" on and that "back in the 50s, people were scandalised by Elvis Presley."

Yes, Gennaro. Values move on. Back in the 70s, people thought it was okay to sell any product - cars, nuts, shock absorbers - by sticking a woman in a bikini into an advert. We've moved on from there. When will the BPI join us?

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: Gennaro Castaldo is the story

For years now, we've delighted in the work of Gennaro Castaldo, as he clambered onto the Official Opinionator of HMV and shared the fading retail network's viewpoints.

But no more, for Castaldo's 27 year-run with HMV is coming to an end.

The good news, though, is that Castaldo isn't falling silent.

Oh, no. He's now joined the RIAA's UK client group, the BPI:

Gennaro Castaldo said, “I'm really looking forward to this exciting new challenge - working with Geoff and his team, Tony Wadsworth and, of course, the BPI members to communicate the exciting developments taking place in our industry during this dynamic time of change.

"I can't leave HMV without saying what a privilege it's been for me to have worked there and particularly with so many wonderful colleagues and associates past and present, who I will always think of with great affection. I will look to bring the same passion and commitment to my new role and build on the strong foundation of media engagement that is already in place."

Well, it's tricky days for the BPI. But you can't argue that during the last couple of days, HMV hasn't been in the papers. Gennaro is the man for the job.

Gennaro Castaldo watch as HMV lurches into another new start

So the last sighting in the public prints of Gennaro Castaldo came a couple of weeks back as Bracknell's HMV shut down. He'd taken on the role of the sad-eyed uncle at a funeral:

Gennaro Castaldo, head of PR for the entertainment chain, said that he is "very, very sad" to see the store go.

He told the News: "With a number of the stores Deloitte decided to bring the closure forward. Obviously it's not totally unexpected, it's more or less in the time frame they [Deloitte] spoke about of four-six weeks.

"I met the staff there [at Bracknell] before Christmas and it was a real pleasure, they're a fantastic group of kids and we wish them the very best.

"We'd also like to thank our customers in Bracknell who've shopped with us for years."

At the same time, Gennaro predicted that there would be a buyer for HMV in "the next week or so" and, indeed, more or less on cue Hilco picked up the remaining stores in the chain. And Fopp, too. No independent Fopp, then, at least not yet.

This means that - once again - HMV is set for a revamp of format:

The sale of T-shirts and other artist memorabilia are expected to be at the heart of an optimistic "we are entertainment" revival plan for HMV, which was rescued by a turnaround firm in a £50m deal that has secured about 2,500 jobs at 141 of the retailer's stores.

Hilco, the new owner, plans to concentrate on selling music and film and step away from selling consumer electronics. Music labels and film studios, keen to ensure that a major entertainment retailer remains on the high street, are understood to have agreed to support HMV with new supply terms.

In Hilco's favour, then, are new agreements with landlords and suppliers, and a dumping of a lot of the outstanding debt and underperforming stores.

Dumping the foolish desire to flog iPads and overpriced headphones makes sense, too. Trying to nudge the store into a different declining High Street niche never made sense.

And Hilco do at least have a track record they can point to - their Canadian variant had a really great Christmas, albeit relying as much on tshirts with the word "Bazinga" on them as selling records.

Whether it'll work in the UK, I'm not so sure. I suspect what Hilco have bought is a business from which they'll be reaping a dwindling profit across its declining years. But that's a better fate than the proposal which would have seen HMV become a brand slapped over the DVD rack in the corner of an Asda.

HMV sacks workers painfully, clumsily

When HMV went into administration, management were quick to stress they'd continue business as usual, and yesterday's sacking of 190 staff at head office and across the distribution network was done in typical HMV style - management behaving carelessly and loading pain on top of humiliation.

The Guardian captured screenshots as staff got wind of what was happening, and took to Twitter:

But, you might be asking, how could the poor management at HMV know that Twitter would be seized by the people who were paying the price for their mistakes?

They might have had a clue from the official Twitter account of the Irish stores, which even now sports an angry cross and the name "Store closed":

There's also some pretty direct criticism of the HMV management, sitting there:

What's that? Maybe it wasn't an officially-sanctioned account, and perhaps the London HMV communications and management people didn't even know of its existence?

Unlikely, as here is a message from the account - sent in (marginally) happier times, but now carrying the piratical 'store closed' and grim cross - in HMV spokestwitterer Gennaro Castaldo's account:

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: HMV slashes prices, claims to be fine

HMV is having a massive, massive closing down sale. But it's just what people do, isn't it, Gennaro?:

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo told Sky News the Blue Cross Sale was not unusual for this time of year.

"Normally we'd look to run a multi-buy campaign of some kind at this time of year, but we thought we'd freshen our promotional mix up a bit and try something a bit different that will hopefully stand out from all the other sale offers on the high street right now," he said.

It certainly does stand out. It's the sort of thing we haven't seen since Borders started making massive cuts.

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: Who's doing nicely out The Voice?

Is anyone doing well from The Voice? Obviously the procession of hats and brave faces competing have yet to pitch any wares (except, I guess, for the Five Star back catalogue), but the judges are doing very nicely.

Gennaro Castaldo, HMV's head of abacus-wielding, explains:

"So far Jessie has seen the biggest lift - with sales of her album nearly 100% up on the period before the show started," Gennaro Castaldo, head of press and PR at HMV told The Radio Times.

"It tends to be the performing guest artistes featured on reality TV audition shows that normally steal the headlines and see a lift in sales of their products, but for the first time it's actually the panel of judges on The Voice who appear to be benefiting."

Jessie J's album sales have been boosted by 89%, albeit in some sort of vague way:

[She] has experienced an 89% increase in sales of her first album Who You Are since the show began in March.

Presumably that's not she's sold 89% more than the total sales up until that point, but it's not entirely clear what period the comparison is with.

Fellow coach Danny O'Donoghue has also seen an increase. His band The Script have seen sales of their first two albums rise by 57% over the past four weeks

I'm presuming there's also been a 57% rise in people getting an album home and feeling really cheated in the same period.

Gennaro Castaldo watch: Vinyl throw of the dice

Here's something we haven't had for a while: a positive story about HMV. Gennaro Castaldo has been able to take a break from trying to put on a brave face to hail the return of vinyl to the Swansea branch:

Initially Swansea will carry a stock of 1,500 vinyl albums.

HMV head of PR Gennaro Castaldo added: "We are initially embarking on a 12 store trial. If the trial proves the success we hope and expect it to be we will extend it to up to 30 stores and thereafter we'll consider rolling it out to many of our stores in our 240-strong chain."

Or, he might have added, wait until our chain shrinks to just those 30 stores. Whichever comes sooner.

Still - lovely to see HMV doing something that might tempt music fans back into their shops.

Gennaro Castaldo watch: Game on

Given that HMV has the healthy prognosis of an asthmatic in a dust storm, you might think they'd show a bit of sympathy for rival GAME, which can't persuade suppliers to deliver stock. Not a bit of it:

HMV communications head Gennaro Castaldo added: “We are working hard on our own advertising, PR and promotional activities, including specially-built product zones on hmv.com, to send a positive message out to consumers so they know we have these titles in stock, and to highlight special deals we may be offering.”

Given how badly HMV managed to fumble the advantage handed them by the closure of Woolworths, Borders and Virgin/Zavvi, you've got to wonder if they really should be so excited by GAME going bottom-up. Apart from anything, doesn't it suggest that flogging computer games from a special shop might be a shit business to be in?

Gennaro Castaldo watch: Aylesbury fail

The spokesperson who shares HMV's pain at closing the branch in Aylesbury isn't named as Gennaro Castaldo, but we can be sure it is him:

A HMV spokesman said: “We’re really sorry to be closing our store in Friars Square.

“This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly and doesn’t in any way reflect on the fantastic work colleagues that we have there.

“We are working hard to relocate our Aylesbury staff to other stores in the region.

“We would also like to point out that our decision does not in any way reflect on our regular customers who we would like to thank most sincerely for their valued support over the past years.

“We shall be looking forward to perhaps seeing our Aylesbury customers at nearby HMV stores or online at hmv.com.

“Nine members of staff are currently in employment at the Friars Square store, all of whom are currently in consultation."

How can we sure that it is Gennaro? Because this is what he said about the closure of the Cheshire Oaks branch:

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said: “We’re very sorry to be closing our outlet in Cheshire Oaks, which is not a decision we’ve taken lightly and certainly doesn’t in any way reflect on the fantastic work colleagues we have there, who we are looking to relocate to other stores in the region where at all possible, or indeed on our regular customers, who we’d like to thank for their valued support over the past eight years.”

Maybe I'm being oversensitive, but if you can't be arsed to come up with something specific to say about the people you're kicking out of work, it might be best not to bother. Gennaro might as well leave a message saying "The thing being affected by the event under discussion has caused us the correct emotions for a corporation of our type."

[Thanks to Steven from Subsiren for the tip]

Gennaro Castaldo watch: coping with loss

A cold wind blowing through Cheshire Oaks outlet village, with HMV closing its branch there. Gennaro Castaldo is on hand to hug the departing staff:

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said: “We’re very sorry to be closing our outlet in Cheshire Oaks, which is not a decision we’ve taken lightly and certainly doesn’t in any way reflect on the fantastic work colleagues we have there, who we are looking to relocate to other stores in the region where at all possible, or indeed on our regular customers, who we’d like to thank for their valued support over the past eight years.”

Closing the store doesn't reflect badly on the customers? Eh? Presumably if you had customers you wouldn't be closing?

It's a bit strange that HMV ran an outlet shop anyway: aren't their ordinary shops the places which they stack high with unsellable product?

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: Farewell, Fareham

HMV tried a pop-up store over Christmas in Fareham, to which the town is now waving goodbye.

Gennaro Castaldo, HMV's pop-up press person, explains at length why (although "it was a pop-up store for Christmas" is all that was really needed):

‘We were pleased with our short-lease store in Fareham and would like to thank our customers for their valued support,’ he said.

‘In an ideal world I’m sure we’d love to have a more permanent presence in the town.

‘But whilst our retail offer may be viable for us during the run-up to Christmas when most big releases tend to come out, it’s less so across the rest of the year when sales are much lower and costs such as rent are much greater in relation to turnover.

‘If we traded the year-round, as we’d ideally like to do, it’s possible the site could lose money, whereas having a temporary store at this very busy time of year enables us to provide a valuable service to customers when they are most likely to require it, hopefully also allowing us to make a return while employing a number of staff in the process.’

I'm sure a tear rolled down Gennaro's cheek as he said "a permanent store might lose money" - given that the company lost £40million in the last six months, if HMV went round closing down stores at a risk of making a loss there wouldn't be a lot left.

There's an implication here, though, that the temporary Fareham store paid for itself, which could offer a glimmer of hope for HMV: could it become a movable feats, opening up temporary shops when there's some demand and not having to pay for large, empty shops at times when older people aren't out buying records? Keep a couple of flagship stores and a strong online presence the rest of the year. It's got to stand a better chance than trying to keep going by selling overpriced headphones.

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: Explaining the error

Yesterday's surprise appearance of an HMV order page for Amelia Lily's X Factor winner's single caused some eyebrows to be raised, and conspiracy theorists to head for the net.

Who can reassure a worried nation? Step forward HMV's explanation expert Gennaro Castaldo:

"Hmv.com was looking to accept customer pre-orders for versions of the X Factor winner's single recorded by each of the three finalists," said HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo.

"Due to a technical issue, only Amelia Lily's details were uploaded.

"These have been temporarily removed so that all three finalists details can go up at the same time.

"This has been the result of an unforeseen but regrettable technical issue, for which we apologise and ask that nothing further be construed."

Well, that seems... hang on a minute: you were inviting people to pre-order records, two of which don't exist and never shall? That actually seems more scandalous than any possible rigging of the X Factor.

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: The dead sell on their own

Hey - that Amy Winehouse album is merely being released as a tribute, yes, and the fact it's been rushed out to hit the Christmas market is just a coincidence.

The Evening Standard reports that it's already number one:

Amy Winehouse topped the charts today with a posthumous album.

Eh? But it's Monday. How has she topped the charts "today"?

Four months after she was found dead in her Camden flat, her new album, called Lioness: Hidden Treasures, has topped the iTunes chart within hours of its release.

Wow. That really is number one in some sort of chart.

But who can give a view on this? Who can tell us if it's alright, like giving a dead man's shoes to a charity shop for someone else to get value from them; or terrible, like digging up Benny Hill to steal his silver? iTunes don't have a spokesperson for these occasions, so the Standard turns instead to Gennaro Castaldo:

Gennaro Castaldo of HMV said: "There could be an emotional reflex among the public, who may feel compelled to buy by way of paying tribute to Amy."

Yes, don't say a silent word of prayer or play the record you already own. That isn't paying tribute. If you're not forking over a credit card, you're some sort of beast. An uncaring, evil, beast.

Talking of which, there's an unnamed HMV spokesperson wheeled into position in the Guardian to talk out their face about Jeremy Clarkson. Could it be a shy Gennaro?

An HMV spokesman said: "We've found in the past that controversy involving artists, with all the media coverage this generates, can often boost sales of their products.

"Clarkson is one of those 'Marmite' personalities that you probably either love or hate, and the chances are that many of the public he upset weren't likely to be among his fans in the first place, while people who do appreciate his sense of humour and follow him on TV may have felt prompted to go out and buy his Powered Up DVD over the weekend."

Or perhaps it's people deciding his career is over, feeling compelled to buy his DVD by way of paying tribute. Who can say, eh?

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: Talking up the DVD

With so much of HMV's business turning to sludge, it's not surprising to discover Gennaro Castaldo over on Sky News, trying to talk up one part of their offering:

Research suggests that spending habits have changed, but Gennaro Castaldo, from HMV, insists there is still a market for the DVD.

"People still buy - often for other people - and particularly at Christmas time when nearly 40-50% of our sales are generated.

"And more often than not they want to get something physical and tangible as well, so we shouldn't write traditional media off for many years to come," he said.

Well, it's great that there's still some sort of market. But - like advocaat, wrapping paper and sprigs of plastic holly, if most of the trade is done one month a year, is there much of a business trying to sell the same product the other eleven months?

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: Bismillah! No!

It's forty years next year since Queen started. Apparently this calls for "a year-long celebration" which seems a bit rich, given that the actual Queen has been going for 60 years and is quite happy with just a weekend to celebrate.

And who would be equal to the task of arranging the revels for this grand occasion? Step forward, HMV and Island Records:

Island Records and HMV are partnering to invite fans to nominate their all-time favourite lyric by the iconic rock-band.

This exciting development is difficult to imagine. If only HMV had a spokesperson who could explain it all... hang on...

HMV's Gennaro Castaldo comments: "We're thrilled that Queen are set to join other iconic artists in HMV's 'my inspiration' campaign, but rather than ask the remaining members of the band which song lyric has most inspired them, we felt it would be appropriate in this special anniversary year to flip the question and ask their fans which Queen lyric they would choose. Some of the most memorable and anthemic lines in rock and pop history have come from Queen, so it will be fascinating to see what the public goes for as its favourite Queen lyric of all time."

I hope, with all my heart, that the winning line is "This kettle is boiling over/I think I'm a banana tree". We can only hope.

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: Now, thrill to the visuals

Something novel for Watch, as Gennaro appears on video. He's talking about the upswing in sales of Amy Winehouse's back catalogue, trying to not look too delighted at selling records in such circumstances. Well done to the BBC crew who shot this for finding an angle which makes HMV look like a record shop.

Gennaro also popped up on CNN, from where a fact-hungry New Zealand Herald took down his words:

Spokesperson Gennaro Castaldo, from British music retailer HMV, told CNN: "There was an initial spike in downloads on Saturday evening as people heard the news, and then on Sunday when stores were open, we had a lot of people coming in.

"It repeats a pattern seen when other artists have died," he said. "Time and again, when someone passes away, you see a huge surge of interest in their current album, and also in other items in their catalogue.

"People want a tangible connection to the artist - they want their own little piece of Amy to hold on to."

"Their current album and also in other items in their catalogue" - he means "their records", or, if you must "all their records".

I'm not entirely sure this is true - when a high-profile artist dies a high-profile death, like Amy Winehouse or Michael Jackson, there's a surge, which is fed in part by characters like Castaldo turning up to talk about the spike. But surely when most musicians die, there's barely any noticeable change to sales levels?

Gennaro Castaldo Watch: It's not like it was when Bassey was young

Is it really so strange that a Welsh person gets to number one? Apparently so, as Sian Evan's ride to the top (albeit through "featuring" on a DJ Fresh track, Louder) has forced the Western Mail out to ask Gennaro Castaldo what he thinks about it all:

Music industry expert Gennaro Castaldo said the song’s popularity was down to a number of factors, including its timing in the music festival season and at the start of the summer holidays.

“Clearly it’s getting a huge amount of coverage and a huge amount of airplay, which is one reason for why it has done so well.

“In this particular case it has also been on the ad campaign of a well-known drinks product, which has given it a huge additional profile.”

He said the music industry had changed from when Dame Shirley and Sir Tom were among the first Welsh chart-toppers in the 1960s.

Fans are less interested in following a specific artist and more driven to listen to what fits in with their behaviour as a consumer and what their friends are sharing through social media, he said.

“It’s more about the song and how it fits in with people’s lifestyles.”

You'll note something surprising here - no, not the way that he falls into the "must mention Tom Jones" trap of "talking about Welsh music" but there's no mention of HMV attached to his name. This is, I think, the first time that Gennaro has turned up without his employer's name in the copy. An editing slip-up? Or is there something we should know?

(By the way, if you're really going to stretch back to Wales' original chart-toppers, isn't Ricky Valance, who had a number one half a decade before Tom Jones managed it, a more interesting name to bring up?)