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This is a super lazy post. See the following link for David Silverman’s answer to the above question on HarvardBusiness.org
The RIAA will instead work with ISPs to crack down on file sharers. The response of one small ISP based in Louisiana to the demands of the RIAA is spot on me thinks http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10127841-93.html
Ok, this isn’t really news hot off the press but I was in Copenhagen and missed it until I got back today. So EMi.com launched on Wednesday 17th with Doug Merrill penning his own welcome email:
For all of you who love music, we are happy to introduce you to EMI.com.It’s a website designed for you to discover new music, rediscover your favourite classics and find information about EMI artists.
EMI.com will allow you to listen to your favourite songs, watch videos, discover music based on your tastes, create playlists and search for content about EMI artists – all for FREE. In the future, you’ll be able to buy downloads from the site.
What you’ll discover at EMI.com:
Visit EMI.com today and sign up to access loads of great content and music!
Best Wishes
Douglas Merrill
Having visited the site, I’m underwhelmed. But as Doug says its an experiment. EMI.com is in Beta, more features’ll be added and the site will get better, promise. Lets hope so.
My label
OK first off – my apologies. I meant to blog about this site about a month ago, when I stumbled across it on Mashable, and I have only just got round to it.
The site is called The Next Big Sound. It’s a music social network site that lets you discover new bands. *hears sound of snoring*. I know, I know – sounds familiar doesn’t it, but bear with me.
The differentiator in the site is that it lets you – the user- become the label. In simple terms, this just means instead of ‘adding’ friends, or ‘joining’ groups as with traditional soc nets this site asks the user to ‘sign’ bands that you like. The registration process involves founding your own label, and then you’re encouraged to sign acts that you like to your label.
Now if I’m honest there are a number of limitations to the site, despite how nice it looks. Firstly, the bands are all US centric at the moment (no band thing, I love Americana College Rock – ala Death Cab– as much as the next guy, and the recently added Map function does mean you can build up location-based ‘scenes’).
Secondly there is very little engagement or dialogue between you and the bands you sign, making it a rather lonely experience. MySpace changed the way that fans could interact with acts they liked, and the absence of any messaging element seems a little strange here. Indeed there’s actually very little information available on some of the bands.
Thirdly, the filtering and search functions are very restrictive. This means that scouting for bands is actually quite tiresome, and relying on the automated filter (similar to the Last.fm system) kind of takes the fun out of playing the role of an A&R man on the hunt for the next band who can make you a million
It’s actually this ‘play’ element though that made me sit up and take notice of the site. You’re restricted to signing 10 bands, which encourages you to be selective with who you sign – it’s a nice touch as you have to go for quality over quantity. For every signing you score points, the more popular and higher rated the band, the more points you earn.
This adds a competitive edge that is more akin to a casual game than a purely ‘social’ virtual music experience, which I thought was an interesting development. I’m not sure how the site expects to monetise the service, but if users are compelled to ‘play’ while they discover new music then it could prove very popular . If it’s of interest – a couple of bands I’ve signed and really like are somanydynamos (read it backwards…) and Han Ma and the Camaros.
And in other engagement/ music/ label news – why not buy shares in Patrick Wolfe for your loved one this Christmas?
Clever idea from Cravendale – milk – to get people making more tea and to crowdsource (gaining free insight into people’s tastes/office-drinking habits…)
The company recently launched the widget/social networking site, Make the Tea, which reminds you and those in your ‘group’ whose round of tea it is. Once registered, it asks you to set your tea or coffee preferences (how much milk you like – colour-coded from 0-5, whether you take sugar) and set the time and day for when you want tea made (say, x5 per day). It then sends a reminder at each of the times to let you and the people in your group know whose turn it is.
You can also upload pictures of yourself and your colleagues and leave comments for added fun and japery…
Now there are no excuses not to make tea (or for making hideously milky – ‘lazy-tea’ – as some DERT team members have been know to do…).
Ofcom’s auction off of the most desirable band of UHF spectrum is starting to cause a stir. As we switch from analogue to digital, media pundits are speculating as to whether companies like Microsoft and Google will snap up the soon-to-be-free broadcast spectrum. Why? This spectrum has a much longer wavelength which means better penetration of walls meaning excellent coverage as well as high speed wireless.
In the US, Google placed a bid on the spectrum but also lobbied the FCC hard to ensure that the spectrum, once won, would be be left open to any non disruptive device (mobile, PDA, laptop, handheld games devices) and that all devices using the network should be open to third party software. For Verizon, who won the auction in the US, this meant that they couldn’t lock devices into their network or protect them against any third party software, securing Google a medium for its ad revenues.
An article in this weekend’s Observer, Media and Business James Robinson wonders if Google, using the Google phone, could turn operator:
Crucially, the chunk of analogue space being sold is high frequency, meaning a high-quality signal that can reach a wider area easily. The spectrum currently used by mobile phone companies is weaker, meaning more base stations need to be built to ensure customers receive a good service. They are expensive to construct and difficult to roll out, often meeting resistance from planners. The new spectrum in effect provides a ready-made network, requiring few modifications or additional capital expenditure, and that could allow a new entrant to establish a national presence within a few years.
That has prompted interest from some of the world’s most valuable companies, including Google, which is placing huge resources behind its new Google phone. Senior industry sources confirm it is considering a bid. Google’s new handset, which will compete with Apple’s iPhone, will give users access to services such as Google Earth, which could be adapted to provide customers with information on everything from road maps to where to find local shops and restaurants. It would be cheaper to sign a deal with an existing mobile provider, as Apple has done, piggybacking on its network and sharing profits. But buying a licence outright would allow Google to keep all the revenue, give it greater control over marketing, and could even allow it to drop monthly rental charges for the device.
That may not be as risky, or as expensive, as it sounds. Google’s search engine is funded almost entirely by advertising, and applying the same business model to its phone could generate enough revenue to fund this plan. A Google handset with no contract would be hugely popular, placing it in the hands of millions of consumers and creating a valuable new captive audience for advertisers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/dec/07/uhf-network-television-switchover-digital
Given the current economic climes and the memories of the cost of 3G licences still fresh in telcos minds, next year’s bidding will certainly be interesting. Who will have the cash to place the winning bid?
Anyone contemplating how to make money on the Internet out of things that consumers now consider free (i.e. digital music and films) should read Kevin Kelly’s ‘Better than Free” manifesto. The “senior maverick” from Wired doesn’t believe that advertising is the only business model, but that generosity, accompanied by the cultivation and nurturing of qualities “that can’t be replicated with a click of the mouse” is the new business model.
This brilliant manifesto “Better than Free” looks at the eight things that are, well, better than free. He starts off by setting the scene with:
When copies are super abundant, they become worthless
When copies are super abundant, stuff that can’t be copied becomes scare and valuable
When copies are free, you need to sell things that can not be copied
Well what can’t be copied?
Read it!
In case you didn’t see it in the DERT Daily – article in the IHT on the rise of citizen journalism and its now open support by some newspapers.
The German newspaper Bild is partnering with Lidl to sell ‘basic’ digital cameras in the hopes of encouraging readers to contribute their own news stories to the paper as their writers, ‘can’t cover everything’.
As seen with Mumbai, the article highlights the way internet users are increasingly influencing the recounting of news in a less organised, non newspaper-regulated way – much to the horror of many journalists. Interesting to see if any of the UK newspapers pursue similar initiatives…
Working during times like these is really interesting. Some feel that its time to cut prices and up the ante on promotions to sell, sell, sell. AdAge has an interesting 3 minute vignette featuring Nick Brien from Interpublic who from this clip appears to belong to this school of thought.
Most interesting for us is that we have had a number of briefs through from clients and prospects who are seeking to make more of an emotional connection with the consumer during these hard times. For consumer tech companies this is particularly important as once you go down the route of slashing prices its very difficult to turn back.
Consumers today are much more informed, the Internet is a bountiful source of information about different companies, not just product information but how a company treats it staff, the working conditions of their factories abroad, environmental impact etc.. etc… Branding has always been about these issues but before the Internet became so ubiquitous it was perhaps easier to concentrate on the logo, ad campaign, point of sale and sponsorships than the doing, the all encompassing permeation of values in everything a company does, of branding. Our own Trust Barometer shows that the most powerful drivers of trust are quality of products or services, customer service and the company’s overall reputation.
I’ve seen some great examples of the doing variety of branding which I am mentally banking but here are some examples I’d like to share. Not all are from the world of consumer tech but all provide some great learnings:
– Apple introduced Genius Bars to their stores manned by ‘Geniuses’ to help their customers with any problems. Great bit of customer service and one that doesn’t involve you clicking through several options on your telephone. When the iPhone launched the company also gave every member of its full-time staff in the US one instantly creating iPhone and Apple evangelists.
– Npower Hometeam engineers give their customers the ‘red carpet treatment’. They use rolls of red carpet to protect the floors of customer houses from their grubby boots and make sure they leave the house spotless on their departure. Nice!
– Nicholas Ind, the author of Living the Brand , believes that Patagonia is one of the best examples of a brand that does just that. This is a company that lets their staff down tools and go surfing when the waves reach 6ft. They even teach them how to abseil down a building to unfurl environmental protest banners. The company not only has an employee centric approach but believes that the business can be used to further environmental causes. Nicholas’ book is definitely worth a read.
– Lexus is a brand I really admire. The research and development that went into the creation of the car by sending engineers to live in Laguna Beach for a year to study the lifestyles of the rich and famous was worth it. It is the most trusted luxury car brand in the US. The brand also offers exceptional customer service. They have a version of Apple’s Genius bars in their showrooms but they also sent over 500 dealers and general managers to work at Ritz Carlton hotels for 3 days. As a result gentle touches such as fresh flowers in the showroom, marble floors in the bathrooms and chocolates and bottled water in the cupholders when customers come to pick their car up after a service. When their 400 Sedan hit the market for them only to discover there were some minor glitches, 300 Lexus representatives travelled the US to apologies to the car owners in person. Brilliant.
The final example is given by Jeremy Bullmore in one of the essays he wrote to accompany a WPP annual report. Incidentally these are conveniently available in a book entitled Apples, Insights and Mad Inventors (a nice little stocking filler). He gives the example of a supermarket chain who before stacking up the lettuce on the shelves would remove the outer leaves so the salad wa at its freshest. The leaves went straight into the bin until one employee suggested that they were bagged and given away free to shoppers whose kids had rabbits. They were called ‘bunny bags’. This is possibly my favourite example of the doing type of branding that will have undoubtedly elicited a powerful emotional connection between customer and supermarket.
Santa Claus is coming! Santa Claus is coming! We all know that Santa and his elves have all gone web 2.0 (if you didn’t you heard it here first) so what better way to deliver the DERT team’s list of wants than through our very own blog.
So what is the team wishing for?
Luke Pollard, would like a solar powered charger for his laptop so that he can work from the beach. Clearly he thinks that he is relocating somewhere hot or plans on working during his holiday? Santa is sure to deliver requested gift to such a good, environmentally aware lad. But if he doesn’t you can pick something up from www.selectsolar.co.uk.
Will has clearly fallen in love with one of the items in his client Canon’s portfolio. Acccording to him it is “*expletive* cool” and is the EOS 5D Mark II. Not only does this bad boy shoot HD footage but you can continue to take snaps whilst filming. A note to Santa: Due to an unfortunate incident last week Will’s camera was broken….
Charmaine is opting for a Blu-ray disc player with the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty to compliment her new Samsung HDTV.
Gadget man Gareth is keen on what I can only describe as a music player slash pet: the Sony Rolly. (Gareth owns many, many gadgets and as fun as it looks I can only assume that this would be another that would gather dust.)
Polly fancies a subscription to the RED(WIRE) a really beautiful online music magazine (unlike any other online music magazine). The money from the monthly subscription not only helps to tackle AIDS in Africa but also helps support new musical talent to.
Luke Mackay really wants an iPhone but if demand outweighs the stock he’d settle for a subscription to Wired UK magazine.
Me? Well as much as I love my little BENQ projector, and games console combo, I wouldn’t mind upgrading to a SIM2. Ever since seeing King Kong’s final moments in high-definition at a SIM2 press screening, no amount of tears could distorte or blur the most impressive image I have ever seen. A tidy little Domino would go down a treat but Santa I’m sure a Grand Cinema C3X 1080 will squeeze down my chimney.
Any other thoughts?
Merry Christmas
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