Archives for October 2006

Requiem For Tower Records

October 14, 2006 by Jim Connelly

As the ‘Loper who is most in touch with the 15-year-old inside, I had a long conversation with that 15-year-old, and he is a little bit sad about the news that Tower Records is finally dead.

Because when I was a teenager — and for maybe a dozen years after that — the Tower Records in Fresno, California was the greatest place in the entire fracking multiverse, bar none.

Yes, I understand all too well the plethora of market forces that contributed to Tower’s final demise. Over the years, Tower’s share of my disposable income decreased — first it was Columbia House and BMB, then it was used CDs at Ragin’ Records, then it was Amoeba Records, then it was Amazon, then it was Best Buy, then it was iTunes and eMusic — even as my disposable income increased.

The Daily Loper – October 13, 2006

October 13, 2006 by Lopy

Luck is The Residue of Design Edition

Today’s links of interest:

Interview: Michael J. Nelson
After the interviewer stops trying to be match wits with one of the people behind what is arguably the funniest TV show ever, he asks some pretty good questions.
Fox uses Treo to break N.Y. plane crash news
Uh, good?
Oprah, Bono promote clothing line, iPod
Oprah . . . Bono.
Bono . . . Oprah.

That’s What I Like: Postseason Baseball

October 13, 2006 by Jim Connelly

I’ve always kinda loved October. I grew up in California’s Central Valley, so after four or five months of ridiculous heat and smog; October felt like the beginning of the new year. Even now, there is a coolness, wetness and clearness to the air and the sky that no other time of the year seems to have.

But most of all, I love October because it has Major League Baseball’s postseason.

The Daily Loper – October 12, 2006

October 12, 2006 by Lopy

Today’s links of interest:

Stephen Colbert Has America by the Ballots
Remember a year ago, when we tuned in because of his pedigree, and not because we thought he’d be able to make it work over a long period of time? Boy, were we wrong. Thank gods for that!
Six Degrees of Huffington
Arianna Huffington realized that success comes from community.
Magazine Editor Undergoes Sleek New Redesign
Despite The Onion editor’s new look-and-feel, she’s "as hard to read as ever."

Report From The Field: Nobody’s Paying Attention

October 12, 2006 by Kassia Krozser

As part of my Medialoper reporting duties, I often venture into the real world to get a sense of what’s happening outside the walls of the Internet. I have set up a little lab to study the media consumption habits of ordinary Americans. In order to keep the science almost rigorous, the group I’ve assembled is pretty much random, much like, well, what you’d find in an average office setting.

Since the dawn of the 2006-2007 Fall television season, I’ve had two conversations relating to traditional motion picture viewing. The first was a rather bizarre discussion about Lost. It started out as a review of the season premiere, but, well, died. Somehow it was a rehash of Season One — which, thankfully, I had seen enough of to fake my way through the conversation. Never let it be said that we don’t go the extra mile here.
[Read more…] about Report From The Field: Nobody’s Paying Attention

The Daily Loper – October 11, 2006

October 11, 2006 by Lopy

Today’s links of interest:

Christie’s Star Trek Auction: 40 Years in Three Days
‘Loper close personal friend Tim Gaskill was at the Star Trek auction at Christies last week. Check out his exhaustive report
Who’s next: "CSI" role for Daltrey
We understand that he plays an autistic bank robber who becomes a cult leader and sets up a bunch of "Public Enemy #1" camps. Chuck D guest stars.
Google seeks to defuse row over copyright
In which one company is doing its best to ignite a public discussion on copyright. Of course the public isn’t getting into the debate as of yet.
Warner Bros. banking on smaller films
Headline in October 2007: "Warner Bros. banking on larger films."

The Daily Loper – October 10, 2006

October 10, 2006 by Lopy

Today’s links of interest:

Getting Zuned
Michael Roberts proposes a new use for the word Zune. It’s what happens when you lose your music because of DRM.
RipeTV Casts Net for Young Males
Targeting young males with such fare as chicks in bikinis and in-line advertising. Also shorter programming to capture the ADD generation.
Some Quickie Thoughts On The Google Conference Call
DealBreaker reports that Google Video won’t be going away any time soon.

Turning DRM into a Dirty Word

October 10, 2006 by Jim Connelly

Last week, Kirk discussed why some companies don’t want consumers to be educated on DRM; why that’s a bad stance, and how you can get educated your own self. His article reminded me of a comment that was made during the whole controversy over whether or not Zune imposed its DRM on works that had no DRM. Someone from the site Zunemax made the following comment:

but there are at least a billion people out there that don’t give a damn for any of this DRM stuff.

Which on the surface of it, is true. Most people — not the people that you hang out with, of course, but most people — don’t know what DRM is. It’s just one more acronym in an alphabet soup of brand-new concepts that are being thrown at people as the entertainment world lurches towards a full-on digital age.

But that may change. For a couple of reasons.

The Daily Loper – October 9, 2006

October 9, 2006 by Lopy

Today’s links of interest:

Retailers pressure studios on Web deals
In which the retailers attempt to play hardball.
Google snaps up YouTube for $1.65B
Just think, the founders would have settled for $1.64B.
Their Crime: Playing iTunes on Devices Not Named iPod
French Digital Rights activists turn themselves in for illegally converting DRM’d media. If nothing else this protest should get the police’s attention. Anyone want to volunteer for iPod patrol? I didn’t think so.