Digital Minded:The Apple Takeover

Apple is preparing to make labels pull out the white flag. Phil Leigh, who is a senior analyst at Inside Digital Media discussed with Billboard about how Apple is going to change the landscape of how music is discovered, shared, and experienced. 


The iPhone and iPad, he says, will transform the nature of media consumption by driving discovery and sharing. These always-connected devices will make their way into consumers’ cars, he predicts, and fill the void left by declining radio listenership.



Most notably, Leigh expects the iPhone and iPad to be the vehicles through which to launch both ad-supported and premium subscription services. Apple’s acquisition of Lala has yet to bear any visible fruit, but Leigh thinks they’re on their way and will be crucial to record labels and publishers because of the sharing and discovery they will enable.


Here is an excerpt from the article:


So you envision the iPhone and/or iTunes eventually replacing radio for a lot of people. Is it going to be based on something similar to Lala now, where there is free streaming or limited free streaming and purchasing? 

The impression I get now is that the service cannot be put on to the iPhone because it’s not authorized by the labels and publishers. They are wary of permitting that because they’re concerned it will adversely impact demand for CDs. But, if they did give their OK, I think you’d ultimately see two types of Lala services and it would be much like it is today except there would be commercials interrupting like there is on radio. But it would be free and it would pay for itself with the commercial advertisements. That would enable people who didn’t want to pay anything to discover new releases and share them with their friends on Facebook, do searches to listen to these new songs and thereby discover new music. Those who want to avoid commercials can pay for a subscription service, which I think does have the opportunity to gain popularity now because of the change in paradigm. Connected online devices like the iPhone and iPad available in the car is like 30 or 40 years ago when HBO became part of the cable network. It was an added premium subscription service that most people didn’t get because they were willing to watch whatever was available on TV that was afforded by advertising. But a few people would pay because they wanted the content and avoidance of the commercials.

You’ve encouraged content owners such as record labels to work with Apple. Does Apple have so much innovation and so much value to provide to content owners that they can’t refuse to say no? 

With radio audiences in decline, I don’t think there’s much choice but to turn to the Internet. So, that’s the clear option. As you decide to turn to the Internet as a medium to popularize new releases, then you have to choose which companies can do that effectively. If you leave Apple out of the picture, then really you’re just shooting yourself in the foot.

Other than video, how do you see the iPad being used for music? 

The iPad is going to be a heavy media consumption device. But it’s not just going to be video. It’s going to be newspapers and music as well. Once consumers get accustomed to using the iPad for consuming music, they’re going to automatically discover that it’s easy to share the music and search for music on Google and get free playbacks. That is going to significantly stimulate the demand for new releases and popularize new releases because it will enable music to get shared in ways it never could. If you think of the iPad or the iPhone as a mutant form of a handheld radio, it’s kind of a radio that enables to say, “I really like that song, let me immediately share it will all my friends.” That’s the way music is popularized. There’s never been a way technically to do that before. Now it’s going to become routine because these devices are affordable, they’re always connected and about 60% of music listening is in the car and they can easily connect to car stereos.

Source: Billboard.biz

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

Start Your Own Scene

I always hear artist/bands complain about the lack of a particular music scene where they live. Rarely do I see people follow up and do something about it. If there is going to be a scene, someone needs to have the vision and initiative to start it. Sometimes we get caught up in looking for the next big thing instead of maturing a scene already on the rise. Here are a few things to keep in mind.





Start you journey by searching inexpensive venues. Three factors to consider are:

1)inexpensive
2)fun
3)willing to give you freedom to set up your own show

The other important factor is bringing in other acts to play with you. You’ll know you’re on the right track when you start putting together shows that you’re genuinely excited about. If you’re excited about the shows you put together then that excitement will translate to your fans. When you consistently put together fun and exciting shows you’ll see the beginnings of a new scene. Other bands will want to be a part of it and you won’t have to beg people to come to your shows. You’ll just need to tell them when they are.

When you put on shows with artist/bands who know each other and who have fun together then people will actually be interested in staying for the entire show. They’ll leave happy without having spent too much and the acts can actually make some money too. Its nothing but a positive movement at the end of the day for all parties involved.

Having total control of the show allows you to step outside the box. You can have a comedian or a magician open for you. Be creative and challenge the norm! It’s your show. Have fun with it!

The idea is to bring people together in a way that’s a win win for everyone. If everybody wins then everybody will want to be a part of your shows in the future. If you want to create a scene, forget about the big expensive venues that don’t care about you, book 6 unrelated acts a night, don’t pay you and that your fans can only afford to go to on special occasions. Instead, find a fun place that’s receptive to the idea of letting you come in and put on your own inexpensive shows. It’s an opportunity for everyone – the venue owner wants more customers, you’ve got fans and you know other bands who have fans (you just need a willing venue), and the fans have a few hours and a reasonable amount of money to spend, and they want good entertainment.

If you can create the scene, everyone will consider you the savior. There are no victories in complaining. Don't make excuses for the environment. Create and add to it. Amazing things can happen when you've got the vision to bring people together.


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


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

The Social Music Revolution

Music is playing such a critical role on fast-growing social networks that brand owners can no longer ignore it for brand-awareness strategies, says a new report by Heartbeats International, the Sweden-based international marketing agency.

Called "Social Music Revolution," the report will be unveiled at the Eurobest advertising festival in Amsterdam today (Nov. 25). It follows "Sounds like Branding," Heartbeats' survey on branded music projects published early this year.

The new report examines the role of music in social media and how brand owners can adopt recorded and live music to reach young audiences that have stopped using traditional media.

It analyzes several international studies by firms like SIFO Institute, Entertainment Media Research, and Millward Brown and concludes: "The same digital technology that changed the music industry is changing advertising as we know it."

It finds that, on average, consumers listen to music on five different platforms, including mobile handsets and PCs.

Moreover, "two out of five social networkers have music embedded in their personal profile." And the number of hours spent listening to music per day is growing.

"We want to open up more marketers eyes to the massive impact that music has on these networks," the report's author, Heartbeats' CEO/founder Jakob Lusensky, tells Billboard.biz. "There are definitely differences depending on the market and culture. But the digitalization and increased usage of mobile phones, iPod/MP3-players and Internet (in the developed world) have created a situation where more people then ever easily have access to more music then ever before."

As services like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Last.fm alone gain more than 500 million users, they are reaching consumers on a scale global marketers crave for.

Even the 140-character text limitation on Twitter has not stopped the service from making music sharing possible via add-on services such as imeem, Twittytunes and Blip.fm.

Heartbeats' report advises advertisers to work with the music industry on social network platforms by adopting the new marketing principles of the four Es (emotions, experience, engagement and exclusivity) - as opposed to the traditional four Ps (price, product, placement and promotion).

Brands should also consider three types of strategies, the report continues. The 'Association' strategy centers on connecting artists to audiences. An example is Bacardi rum's collaboration with dance act Groove Armada earlier this year.

The 'Involvement' strategy advocates co-creating to encourage fans to interact with music, such as remix competitions using legally licensed hits. Computer chip giant Intel worked with media-buying agency Universal McCann on its Intel Powers Music social-network campaign in Europe last year. The campaign resulted in 19,000 bands and performers adding Intel as a friend on their MySpace page.

The 'Exploration' strategy offers music discovery platforms and introduces fans to new music. Duracell, the batteries manufactured by consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, has set up Scandinavia-based music sharing Web site Ramp Music.

Source: Billboard.biz


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

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

iLike Myspace, Do You?

Earlier this week MySpace confirmed that it would be partnering with iLike, a music sharing application for social networks that allows users to share playlists and make song recommendations.

Owen Van Natta, the CEO of MySpace, indicated that the purpose of the purchase was to restructure and refocus the company.

In a recent interview Van Natta said, “iLike is an important part of a lot of different social networking experiences, and we’re excited to extend that experience to other areas of entertainment that MySpace has assets in.”

Although Mr. Van Natta refused to discuss the finances surrounding the partnership, some sources speculate that the purchase will cost the company over $20 million.

Since iLike began two years ago, the music sharing application has attained more than 50 million users. Most of it’s current users acquire the service through Facebook, one of MySpace’s leading competitors. It is unclear how the new deal will effect the partnership between Facebook and iLike. But Mr. Van Natta is confident that both partnerships will result in “making iLike an even richer experience within those environments.”


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"

Free Is Dead!

After Radiohead, NIN and Saul Williams introduced and reaped the benefits from allowing fans to download their albums for free, the music industry embraced this trend and the “free” or “pay-what-you-want” model became the standard. Overnight, artists felt that giving their fans what they wanted would be more valuable than making a profit from their albums. Two years after the “free” pandemic, industry leaders such as Seth Godin and Kate Bradley are beginning to question the effectiveness of the “free” model. The market is already oversaturated with new acts. To add to the matter, majority of the new acts are giving away their music for free and performing live for free. In their eyes, free giveaways and free performances equal more attention and more publicity. This is true; however, what they fail to realize is, if everyone around you is using the same technique for the same reason, before long, you will have to compete for attention. What does this mean? Artists will have to find creative ways to add more value to their “free” package to attract more attention. Or, artists can become more creative and add more value to their music to attract more fans to purchase their albums, tickets for their performances and merchandise. At the end of the day, supply and demand reigns supreme. The supply of “free” music is high while the demand for it is decreasing. The supply of “quality” music is low and the demand for it is increasing. Before you begin recording and mixing your album on Garageband or Audacity (free recording software), pressing up copies on your desktop or laptop for free and handing out free copies at your free concert, think about effectiveness, the strategy and the quality behind your “free” campaign. When Nas claimed “Hip Hop Is Dead”, I understood the underlying meaning behind his statement that we need to be more creative and bring quality to the art form. My words may not have the same impact, but I take the same approach by saying “Free Is Dead”.


Come out and experience "I dO Music" for yourself on the 1ST THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH @ Apache Cafe!




If You Enjoyed This Article Click Here to Subscribe


I dO Music!
"Empowering Musicians Worldwide"