Obviously Subliminal

Written by Portia Jay

There was once a time when consumer products couldn’t be shown in movies and television. They were often replaced by a made up brand. Apparently times have changed the product placement in movies and television now is so obvious it’s kind of annoying. Tyler Perry’s most recent film, ‘Why Did I Get Married Too’ featured just about every top rated product in America.

Will this extend to music videos as well? Music videos have always been a great avenue to display clothes, shoes, alcohol, and cars; but these featured items are being displayed a little differently. Instead of just being an item in the video they are being highlighted. Christian Louboutin shoes can be easily identified by the signature red bottoms, which for some reason will be showcased in the video. Liquor companies like Nuvo are surely enjoying all the extra exposure in music videos by just about every R&B and rap artist out now.




Vehicles aren’t as easily accessible by the regular consumer, though many wish they could just go and buy the new Bentley just because. However technology is something a little different. All the new phones, Ipods, and headphones are just at the local Best Buy.

I suppose this is great for the artist, being sponsored by a company will cut cost for the artist and record label. Should viewers expect to start seeing an artist singing with a Coke can or box of Cheerios in their hand? Honestly there are enough commercials on television to reduce an hour long show to less than 40 minutes.

What's your take... leave your comments below.

Facebook Has A Gift Service For You

Facebook has launched a new content gifting service that will allow members to, among other things, buy and give digital music tracks to their friends.

The music element will be powered by Lala, which is the exclusive music vendor. Lala’s service allows users to stream any song in its catalog in full for free once. After the free taste, users must either buy the full MP3 for 89 cents or a “Websong” streaming-only version of the song for 10 cents.

All of these options carry over to the Facebook gifting service. Facebook users can buy either MP3s or streaming-only songs through the gifting system, paying a fee for each Facebook friend to whom the gift is sent. Facebook will handle all the billing via a credit system. Web-only streaming songs will cost 1 credit (the equivalent of 10 cents) or 9 credits for an MP3.

Once gifted, the action will appear in members’ news feeds, where other friends can see what song was gifted and have the opportunity to sample it in full for one time at no charge.

Web-only songs can be played on either Lala.com or via the gifts section on Facebook, while MP3s can be downloaded and played in any fashion and on any device.

Facebook will make the gifting service available to a small segment of Facebook members as early as today, with plans for the full membership to have access in a matter of weeks. Facebook typically rolls out new services very slowly in this fashion.

Facebook revealed details on the broader gifting program on its blog late Wednesday afternoon. In addition to music, Facebook users can gift charity donations, e-cards and other things. A company spokeswoman said it looked at a number of digital music providers, but ultimately settled on Lala. It’s possible other music services may be involved in the future, but there are no immediate plans for including them.

This is the first real stab that Facebook has taken into the music space. The popular social networking service has been rumored for years to be interested in adding a music platform, but licensing issues and data reporting requirements have been said to stall the deal.

Source: Billboard.biz

We Want to Know Your Opinion... Leave Your Comments in the Comment Box Below!!And don't forget to come out and experience "I dO Music" for yourself on the 1ST THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH!


If You Enjoyed This Article Click Here to Subscribe and Keep Up With All "I dO Music" Blog Posts


Or Enter your email address here:

I dO Music!..."Empowering Musicians Worldwide"

Utilizing The Podcast

The other day a friend of mine was talking about his new podcast show when I realized I didn't know what that was. Pretty lame of me but I did the knowledge and gotta drop the jewel on you. What is podcasting? You don't have to have an ipod or radio to utilize the technology. Its your alternative to listening to your programmed radio station. Your able to tune into stations all over the world that accommodates even those with the oddest of musical taste. You can use your mp3 player or IPOD and listen to the program simply by download. Don't get it twisted though. If your not on the move then your can listen from your PC as long as you have a sound card and Internet connection. The software that is needed is available via shareware and if you utilize Itunes there is actually a category for you to shop through. Podcasting combines the freedom of blogging with digital audio technology to create an almost endless supply of content. The revolution will not be televised. Its coming through your speakers! Pay ATTENTION! Some say this new technology is democratizing the once corporate-run world of radio.

Unlike Internet radio, users don't have to 'tune in' to a particular broadcast. Instead, they download the podcast on demand or subscribe via an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, which automatically downloads the podcast to their computers. The technology is similar to that used by TiVo, a ­personal video recorder that lets users set which programs they'd like to record and then automatically records those programs for later viewing.

An MTV video jockey Adam Curry created the podcast in 2004. Curry wrote a program, called iPodder,that enabled him to automatically download Internet radio broadcasts to his iPod. Several developers improved upon his idea, and podcasting was officially born.Right now, podcasting is free from government regulation. Podcasters don't need to buy a license to broadcast their programming, as radio stations do, and they don't pay attention to anything coming from the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) broadcast decency regulations. Like Digital Underground you can dowhatulike! -- Anything goes down from four-letter words to sexually explicit content. Copyright law does apply to podcasting, though. Podcasters can copyright or license their work -- Creative Commons is just one online resource for copyrights and licenses.

Although several corporations and big broadcast companies have ventured into the medium, many podcasters are amateurs broadcasting from home studios. Because podcasters don't rely on ratings as radio broadcasters do, the subject matter of podcasts can range from the refined to the silly to the extremely ordinary. Podcasters typically cater to a niche group of listeners.

By podcasting consistently on one subject, podcasters not only flex their expertise on the subject matter but also draw a loyal and devoted group of listeners.

Once again the ways to get your music to the masses is unlimited. You make the decision.