What do the Rolling Stones and professional wrestling have in common? If I were a funnier fellow I'd probably have a good joke here about old body slams or something – but I'm just going to go with the obvious answer: “nothing.”
Except I'd be wrong if I said that, because as it turns out the Stones have teamed up with the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and Yahoo to present a live pay-per-view stream of an upcoming Newark, N.J. concert. The concert is the last show of a mini-tour the band embarked on late this year to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The concert will be held December 15 at the Prudential Center, and the Stones will welcome a slew of big name guest stars including Bruce Springsteen, the Black Keys and Lady Gaga (who knew?). Also, former Rolling Stones Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor also are expected to appear at the show.
Even with the impressive lineup, live pay-per-view concerts are certainly nothing new – regardless of the involvement of a professional wrestling organization – but the reason I'm writing about it today is because of wide number of streaming formats available.
For instance, in addition to traditional television purchases through cable and satellite providers, fans also can choose to stream the concert online. No matter which way is chosen to watch, the cost of the event will be around $40, and online concert viewers will be treated to interviews with the band, footage from previous concerts and other special features.
Those who purchase an online stream will be able to watch the show on tablets and smart phones, and will have the ability to pause and rewind the performance. Additionally, these customers can watch the material for an unlimited number of times for 30 days. WWE is in charge of distribution of the special.
“We are pleased to partner with Yahoo, a global leader in digital media, to bring the Rolling Stones pay-per-view online to millions across the world,” said WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon in a statement.
“The Rolling Stones' music has crossed generations and the world and Yahoo is excited to bring this very special music event to our global audience,” said Erin McPherson, vice president and head of Yahoo's video and originals. “The Rolling Stones are living legends, and we are honored that the band and WWE chose us to be a part of their 50th anniversary.”
I find all of this particularly interesting because of the rise in the number of online pay-per-view concerts and specials, specifically in the past year or so. Louis C.K. seemed to get the ball rolling on paid online streams for comedians, as other comics including Aziz Ansari and Jim Gaffigan soon followed suit. Those guys used the online route to avoid television specials (and DVD releases) altogether. But the Rolling Stones are classic in many senses of the word; and like many well-established artists, still must also do the traditional television pay-per-view route. I just wonder if it won't be long until online streams become the mainstream.
So, Why A Membership?
Let’s face it — trying to create professional mixes without the correct knowledge, tools, services, and network is like playing a concert with a broken instrument to an audience of no one.
That’s where the Sage Audio membership comes in — the membership gives you everything you need to create professional mixes consistently.
The membership is the secret to your success — it’s the difference between the 1,929,999,999 of poor-sounding mixes and the .00000002% of mixes that make people say 'WOW!"
There are 7 unique value-points included in your Sage Audio membership.
Let’s go over each one so you can decide if the membership is right for you.
1. Sage Audio University
- SAU Flagship Mixing Course: 23-video in-depth mixing course that reveals the little-known secrets of mixing and matches the needs of the new music industry.
- SAU Flagship Mastering Course: 19-video in-depth modern mastering course that dives into every nuance of making professional-sounding masters.
- SAU Pre-Mastering Course: Concise pre-mastering course that details the latest industry standards for preparing your mixes for mastering.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from budding mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout each course.
- Each SAU course includes Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website and social channels.
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2. Private 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio private 1-on-1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us for advanced mixing feedback, in-depth discussions, and customized guidance that's tailored to your specific needs.
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- Unlimited private access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve every aspect of your mixes and masters.
- Customized guidance that’s tailored specifically to your needs.
- Fast communication so you can improve your skills quickly.
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3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited professional mixing feedback directly from us so you can consistently improve your skills and create professional mixes.
- Mixing feedback is invaluable, and the Sage Audio membership gives you continual direct access to us for real-world feedback so you can improve every aspect of each of your mixes while you're in the process of mixing.
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4. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
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- You get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
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- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
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5. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with additional real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
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6. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
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7. 800+ Video Catalog
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