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Archives for March 2006

Radio Killed The Radio Star, Part One

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Part One: The Music Industry Doesn’t Have A Clue, And The Government Isn’t Helping Either

Remember when it was just video killing the radio star? Today, it’s the Internet and satellite and the iPod and, let’s be frank, general boredom with the medium. Does radio have a future in a digital world?

This was the topic of a SXSW panel called “The Future of Radio” (perhaps it’s a sign of the times that the podcast doesn’t seem to be online yet, but the video is — link below). Panelists included moderator Kevin Smokler, Celia Hirschman of Downtown Marketing and KCRW, Roman Mars of WBEZ, Elise Nordling host of Indie Pop Rocks from SomaFM, and Tim Westergren of Pandora, bringing together lifelong radio listeners, public radio professionals, Internet radio stars, and purveyors of social networking applications.

Before the session started, I eavesdropped on a conversation between two long-time radio professionals. At one point, the man said, “I’m very, very interested in podcasting.” And I’m thinking, “So you should be, so you should be.”

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The Daily Loper – March 20, 2006

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Todays links of interest:

The New Music Model: DIY

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By now, everyone knows the story of Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah: independent band finances own record, manufactures disks, ships copies, plays Letterman, lands on the soundtrack of an Office episode, and sells 90,000* and counting copies. All without a major label deal. For every record sold, the band is putting major cash in the bank; rather than a royalty after certain costs, they’re getting the whole enchilada after costs.

And that’s before you factor in live performances and merchandise. Now whether or not this band is a flash in the pan, one thing is clear: you can have success without the machine. Other bands are looking at this model, and thinking that DIY isn’t just for punks anymore. As we wrap up our coverage of this year’s SXSW festival, we turn our attention to music, and how the bands are viewing the future.

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The Daily Loper – March 19, 2006

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Todays links of interest:

The Weekly ‘Loper – March 19, 2006

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While you were figuring out ways of getting around your Network Admin policy of cutting you off from March Madness, we were dissecting the panels we attended at this year’s SXSW:

  • Librarians vs. The Search Giants – Sure, that sounds like a particularly bad Monty Python skit, instead, it’s a spot-on recap of a SXSWi panel about the issues surrounding the digitialization of books.
  • My Sony Settlement, Part 1 – Is there anything more disheartening than being part of the winning side of a class-action settlement against a evil multinational?

LaLa Love You

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Sometimes new media media ideas get retrofitted into older media. A perfect example of this is a start-up called LaLa, which takes distinctly new media concept — using the Net to share files — and applies it to an older technology, the Compact Disc.

Part MySpace, Netflix, eBay and iTunes, La la incorporates pieces of each: Users list online the CDs they both want and have. In the process, they find others who share the same taste in music. Then, when one user requests a CD that another person owns, the owner drops it in the mail in a pre-paid envelope. The receiver is billed $1, plus 49 cents for shipping; the shipper pays nothing.

It’s devilishly simple, of course, and 100% legal.

[Read more…] about LaLa Love You

The Daily Loper – March 18, 2006

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Todays links of interest:

The Daily Loper – March 17, 2006

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Todays links of interest:

What The Office Will Do on its Summer Vacation

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While other TV shows will be taking their summer vacations, much of the cast of The Office will  be participating in a series of webisodes that will be available from NBC.com this summer.  According to an NBCU press release, there will ten eps: a story arc centering on a missing $3000, and the attempt to locate it. 

And in keeping with this season’s emphasis on the secondary and tertiary characters, the webisodes won’t have most of the big names: Steve Carrell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer and B.J. Novak.  Those people will be getting to take actual full vacations.  Sounds more and more like a real office, doesn’t it?

Conspicious by his presence is Rainn Wilson, which causes us to make a prediction: Dwight done it.  No doubt to finance the purchase of a of a brand-new Prism DuroSport 6000.

 

The Daily Loper – March 16, 2006

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Todays links of interest:

  • Companies Fear Spread of March Madness
    I can tell you how one large corporation is dealing with this fear: blocking all sports sites. Not the college basketball parts, but ESPN in toto; CBS Sportsline in toto, etc. Even frackin’ MLB.com!! Which, of course, will drive hardcore fans to other measures.
  • March Madness may be crazier than usual
    Beyond the “free” broadcasts: Live Webcasts, On Demand, iTunes summaries. Tons of it. Everywhere. They’re doing it right, and possibly overloading entire corporations’ networks to boot!! It almost makes us wish we actually cared about college hoops.
  • YouTube: Natalie Portman Rap Search
    This morning’s (08:25AM 03-16-2006) search on YouTube for “Natalie Portman Raps” returned 4 results.
  • Gates Sketches Out Vision for the Future
    Excuse me, I’ve got an email coming through on my wallet. Where the hell did I put that thing?
  • Movie Theaters May Ask to Jam Cell Phones
    Not surprisingly, Kirk has a solution for this very problem. It too will require an Act of Congress.
  • Cable industry slams a la carte study
    In an escalating game of “my study can beat your study up”, today, the cable industry strikes back. The bad news? When the FCC does studies, taxpayers pay.
  • Why The Web Is Hitting A Wall
    Why Business Week is hitting the wall: in its first example, the person clearly *does* use the Internet. Is it his fault that he’s too lazy to point and click on his own?
  • CBS Facing 3.6 Million Fine For Indecency
    The issue? Trying to turn television into “Leave It To Beaver”? The problem? Programming can’t deal with real issues in a world where sex is deemed “indecent.