Gogelmogel

Launching the MMS and Buy Service

So this week we thought we'd make a nice PR about the coming launch of the MMS & Buy service (impulse purchase with any camera phone, based on image recognition).

It's the first time I was sending a PR doc I wrote through the wire services, and it was kinda a trial to see how this works. We had to cut it to 400 words, which wasn't an easy task, but in the end we managed to come with a nice format that kept most of important info.

The results were quite impressive: mentions on USA Today, MarketWatch, The Street, Chicago Tribune, LA Times and other publications.

But probably the most important one is on the ringtonia blog. Thanks Emily for the nice words !

As a blogger, I was always very keen about direct and personal connection with bloggers to inform about new services and products, rather than using traditional PR. However, this was definitely an eye-opening learning experience about using PR wire channels. I know i'm not discovering here anything new though...

We're going to develop this service much more in the coming weeks, and hope to start some nice tease campaigns in the UK to raise awareness. The user behaviour model behind MMS & Buy still needs more investigation , so we hope to get some insights on how users can really use a camera-phone in the real world to instantly fetch information & media they want.

(Tags: mms and buy, mms&buy, camera phone, mobile 2.0, impulse purchase, music 2.0, mobile music, image recognition, craze digital)

Kinnernet 2007 #5: The Incredible Balls Organ (Xylophone) Machine

Aside from the Thinktanks camp, Kinnernet is also very much a Geeks Vaudeville -  something I never really had a chance to attend before, and was a great experience. The highlight event was the Power Tool Drag Race (will cover that later) hosted by Pablos, but what hooked me was This amazing music machine, built by Didi Vardi.

First play the vid to get a taste:

Quite a crazy thing, with a lovely glimpse of magic. Lots of things are moving, jumping and making sounds. Apparently they also presented it on The Burning Man festival, under the official name of "The Vibrating Laser Balls Organ".

Neat stuff. So I've been thinking what tune I can put for this item, and had to come with this killer live mashup from the Stanton Warriors (who recently played at the Barzilay Club here in Tel Aviv).

	Xpress 2 - Smoke Machine
	Mixed live by Stanton Warriors
Listen how they stitch the breaks into the edgy vocals

(Tags: kinnernet, kinnernet2007, incredible machines, laser balls organ, didi vardi, neat music machine, geeks vaudeville, twisted xylophone)

Thanks to Robert from Zickel (check out his cars!) for the video and some of the pics.

Craze debuts Visual Mobile Search for Music and Video

Fleck This Post - It's Fun

What if any visual image on a newspaper, print, web, TV ot even a t-shirt could become a clickable banner? Probably a very cool way for mobile content delivery and impulse purchase, but moreover, it could really evolve into a new paradigm for the advertising industry.

On the recent Telecom Israel 2006 we showcased this very cool Visual Mobile Search technology, which was developed by DSPV, and presents great opportunities for mobile music content, but also for mobile marketing.

Here's Tsvi from DSPV showing the technology used with our Sky Interactive Music Portal (video produced by IsraelHighTech.tv):

-> on 3:23 Snoop Dogg hits the screen :)

So it's about a more entertaining user experience (in some situations, like the fashion model selection, clicking an image presents a stronger incentive for the user to take an action), a tool for boosting impulse purchase, and also a great way to save on print ad space. The engine can be also activated through MMS (not just video call) - so the user takes a picture, sends through MMS and retrieves the content.

See also what MocoNews and GomoNews had to say on this exciting service.

We're about to launch this service with our Sky Interactive site, so every artist image on it would be clickable and immediately link the user with downloads. Innovative eh?

(Tags: mobile search, visual search, mobile marketing, advertising, mobile music, sky interactive, innovationcraze digital, dspv)

	The Spirals Vs. Orbital - X Vs. Halycon & On & On
	Balance 008: Desyn Masiello
Explosion of free spirit through guitars and beats

Music Production: Useful tips for pressing a Vinyl

Thanks to Robert Babicz (a great producer - check his stuff), I found this nice summary on the Secrets of optimising your production for Vinyl pressing.

As it says - it's a must have for any producer who still aims to release vinyls.

(Tags: vinyl, vinyl pressing, music production, sound mastering, production tips)

Web Karaoke will grow fast

Catching with the latest updates on SingShot and eSnips Karaoke contest, I begin to believe that Web Karaoke would certainly be able to attract many mainstream level web users, in the same way video sharing does (however not as stronger as usergen video). In other words - here's a consumer web service with a great potential to spread dramatically within a short time.

Reasons for this arise quickly when you think about it:

• Everyone knows what's Karaoke already.
• It's easy to engage in (mic + broadband).
• The "American Idol" / "Royal Academy" experience is a proven killer, people like to particiapte and to watch/listen to other "new talents" or better said funny mimics.
• It's quality content for embedding (in a blog, myspace page etc) - high "embeddibility" rank is a sign for hot stuff.
• Most importantly - it provides a distinctive and powerful way for self expression. Which is the basis for any killer consumer service / app in the digital world.
• The path to selling music/ringtones/videos around such services is quick and intuitive.

We are waiting to see how this initiative evolves, with a great intent to explore the business channels, obviously :)

(Tags: karaoke, singshot, esnips, killer app, web 2.0, digital music)

Dj Sasha previews a new music controller

Custom joystick for mixing and track manipulation

Finally I got some time to check out the new stylish music magazine www.365mag.com , which is an ambitious re-incarnation of former dance scene mega site xpander.nl.

The site is still undergoing some final tuning, however the new section is already kicking, and a week ago featured an interesting article about dj sasha and his new plans.

Sasha, a respected welsh mega-dj who seems to set himself for a new musical direction, reveals some details about a custom controller he has designed for his upcoming tour.  The non-standard joystick, dubbed "Maven" , should allow some nifty tricks for track mixing, loop programming and sample triggering.

Nothing is new about these techniques - they have been used and practised by many dj's over many years - but the Maven will probably present an easier and better way to perform these functions, opening a new horizon for real-time music sequencing.

Obviously there's more in that than just innovative enthusiasm - the dj scene likes to herald the pristine vinyl decks as the ultimate and "true to sound" hardware, never-to-be-replaced. Many a dj just can't imagine any solution that could digitally re-create the "vintage" sound of the acetate vinyl. Still, they will admit that CD players and systems like the Final Scratch do endow them with freedom and versatlity to meddle with complex mixing ideas.

Not being a dj, I'm quite convinced that sooner or later we'll see a quality plug-in that adds to any mp3/wav/other digital format the necessary "warmth" and "roughness" so it can be sounded exactly like a vinyl.

New gadget pieces such as the Maven, represent in my opinion, the decisive need to embrace digital music as the de-facto standard for dj's, and advance to the next level with creative ideas and new forms of experiencing a club mix. There's so much more to develop here, and this is really just the begining.