Jack Johnson News

Kids are a potent new army of music fans, a trend that became obvious a few weeks ago when the top three discs on the Billboard album chart were likely bought with allowance money.

The three big hits were the soundtrack to the Disney Channel movie "High School Musical," the ninth volume of the popular "Kidz Bop" series and the laconic, good-time cheer of Jack Johnson's "Curious George" soundtrack.

"They're all quite different and unique and they all have slightly different demographics," said Damon Whiteside, vice president of marketing at Walt Disney Records.

Up until a few years ago, Disney was an admittedly sleepy record label. It's now been transformed through projects that appeal to young people from diapers through puberty — including 3.6 million copies of "Baby Einstein" product sold, and hits with the "Cheetah Girls" and "That's So Raven" soundtracks.

This week Disney releases an intriguing disc, "Devo 2.0," updating the rock band's music with younger players. If it works, it could offer a roadmap for older musicians looking to revive careers.

The new face of Devo is a perky blonde named Nicole Stoehr, along with four other teenagers culled from Disney's casting department. They sing versions of songs they may have noticed in their parents' record collections.

Considering Devo's penchant for robotic, simple melodies, they translate well to the young voices and were easy for the cast to master. The music on the disc was performed by the old Devo members, but leader Mark Mothersbaugh said the kids have already learned to play the instruments themselves and are going on a concert tour.

Mothersbaugh, 55, has forged a lucrative second career as a composer for film and television soundtracks, with a long-term relationship with Disney.

Even back in the early 1970s when Devo was formed, band members envisioned it as an act that could exist without its original members — sort of like how the Blue Man Group has different touring companies, he said. It never worked out that way, but when Disney asked him if he was interested in another kids' project, Devo came to mind.

"Devo is kind of a good choice because our music was never about sex," Mothersbaugh said. "It was never about drugs, it was never about guns or pimps or whores or cops. It wasn't about committing suicide. Our music, if you distill it down, was pro-information. If we were anti anything, it was stupidity."

They new band sings "Whip It," "Beautiful World" and "Boy U Want," the latter rewritten from "Girl U Want" to accommodate Stoehr. She looks kind of rakish on the cover wearing one of those red plastic hats that made the old Devo look dorky.

Devo would be happy with a fraction of the success reached by an independent New York record label, Razor & Tie, with its "Kidz Bop" series. The discs feature anonymous young singers interpreting some of the top chart hits, and have sold some 7 million copies since 2001.

"Kidz Bop 9," which already has the series' top chart performance, contains versions of Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends," Gorillaz's "Feel Good, Inc." and Coldplay's "Speed of Sound."

Razor & Tie founders Cliff Chenfield and Craig Balsam, each a father of three, noticed at the turn of the decade that there was little available for kids when they were too old for "Barney" and too young for the suggestive material on the pop charts.

"You have to strike this balance between things that kids think are cool and that parents think is fun and appropriate for kids," Chenfield said, "and that's the balance that I think `Kidz Bop' strikes."

The singers are deliberately invisible and amateurish, so as not to disturb the illusion for children that it could just as easily be them singing.

Not coincidentally, hiring unknown singers also means that Razor & Tie's fate is not tied to some temperamental 14-year-old star, he said.

"Kidz Bop" also keeps things clean. "Hollaback Girl" would have been perfect "Kidz Bop" material, for example, if it weren't for a profanity repeated throughout the song, Balsam said. Other artists are shut out because their reputation precedes them.

"Even if Eminem made the sweetest love song of all time," Chenfield said, "I'm not sure if it would be on `Kidz Bop.'"

Songwriters are generally happy to get a call from "Kidz Bop" since use of their material offers easy money and a chance to introduce their work to another generation.

Razor & Tie is also expanding its brand to use the "Kidz Bop" music in toys, and a traveling stage show that gives kids a chance to get onstage and sing along.

Other companies are also beginning to recognize the potency of the kids' market. Universal Music, for example, has spun off a musical act from the popular Bratz dolls.

Mothersbaugh still does work for adults — like the music on the HBO series "Big Love" — but has found a comfortable home in the children's market.

"I think kids are receptive to ideas — much more than grown-ups are," he said.

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On the Net:

http://www.kidzbop.com

http://www.disney.go.com/disneyrecords