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)

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)

Snoopfoot.com is ready to rock

We've just finished to update the site for Snoop Loves Football - and downloads have already started. Hope people will found interest in the original twist we tried to bring through the videos.

There's also a nice feature on UK's top music news site ILikeMusic.com - which is also a premier news source for Google ! Thanks to the lads over there. The site's design also got revamped, and it's really a great place to consume music news and special features.

Oh...and the last update - The Snoop world cup package will also be available on Vodafone Live! - the 3g portal of the cellular giant, across UK, Germany and other places in Europe.

(Tags: snoopfoot, snoop dogg, world cup, mobile video, warren g, street football, urban music, digital music)

Skype/EMI deal - where are they going?

So the new collaboration deal between Skype and EMI Music Publishing raises again the speculations about the reachable horizons for the "SkypeTunes" store. The new Personalise Skype area would probably be exposed soon.

Phil at Skype Journal has written a great post on the possible avenues for Skype to progress with a compelling music downloads offering to its users, harnessing its unique social and VoIP abilities to introduce an attractive new user experience.

Contemplating also that Skype just can't let this colossal potential to slip aside, I shared my thoughts with Jessie from the Mercury News (thanks again Jessie).

However, it's clear that for now, Skype's moto is ringtones, and I'll follow up shortly how I see the ringtones and ringbacks arena for Skype (I tend to think that ringbacks are more relevant).

SJ also issued a short post later citing Skype's insider that at the moment they are focusing on ringtones, and aren't looking to challenge iTunes. So it's a matter of time, then?

My guess is that yes (and honestly I know nothing about their plans), and the interesting question would be:

• How Skype (by itself or maybe even through the developers community) will eventually decide to shape this essential new music experience, by presenting new "Skype-driven" ways for users to interact, share and get excited with music?

Phil's ideas are right on for that, and I hope I could share some more concepts here soon.

(Tags: skype, music downloads, ringtones, digital music, iTunes, EMI)

MoS new site misses on usability

I'm a great fan of the shows on the Ministry of Sound radio. They got some great dj's there (and some are good friends), a versatile line up of shows and quality music.

We were lucky to get some heavy rotation there to couple of our productions, and I even think we were the first to be hosted twice at the same week in 2 of the most popular shows (Fuf was visiting MoS Express and Funktional).

But their revamped web site really brings the nerve.

Not that the graphics are bad, it's actually cool. But two decisions made a long scratch on my usability experience:

• You must sign in to listen. What? are you trying to be totally silly? It's your best front-end to listeners, and you force them to register. Such a big no-no.
• Tracklisings and shows from the past archive are gone! Now that's a big frustration for me. 2 weeks ago I listened in great pleasure to one of the latest "Ministry of Sound Chill Out" sessions. And I had the tracklisting. Now - niether the show, nor the playlist. Very dissapointing.

And if I needed another proof for the bits of carelessness behind this new site design, there's a terrific flash advertiment to none else than...BBC Radio 1 (MoS biggest competitor) - on the front page!

(Spare me the explanations etc. I know the current status of radio in the UK. Radio 1 at least preserves tracklisting).

Ok - there's a good point - their podcast. But again they don't provide a direct link to d/l.

(Tags: ministry of sound, internet radio, user interface, radio 1, tracklisting )

Fancy a viral gimmick for your video clip? How about Skype?

So it's the age of information deluge, and everyone's seeking the trick that will shroud them with buzz, public curiousity and blogosphere presence.

Especially if you are an anonymous dance artist who really wants to break out with your fresh trancey video clip.

Use sex elements? create wierd animations? get some product placement sponsorship with a big brand a'la Black Eyed Peas?

Ah c'mon - Why not just open the clip with a Skype conversation?

My brief take - silly clip, nice idea, does skype know?

Via The Collective #246 (heb)

Label's newsletters should be musical!

Save words and use audio streams.

Like many others, I'm subscribed to several newsletters from preferred labels and music download services (just a few names  - GoGo, City16, Freerange, SexOnWax, Compost).

I like to receive updates on new releases and mixes, simply because the fun and excitement of hearing new music. The process of getting to hear those fresh sonics is, however, quite cumbersome, and in fact I feel many of the newsletters are  impractical at the bottom line.

Even if the newsletter glows with a stylish design, scrolling through paragraphs of suave track overviews, dj's comments and tour tales, without a single direct link to listen - is useless, at least to me.

I'm obviously not the typical dj/shop owner/vinyl freak. In this age of unstoppable information deluge, we are all bombarded with emails each day, at least around 40-50. No need to elaborate here that only a few seconds are given to B/C priority emails - where many hobby and culture newsletters are placed.

So all the nice promo info and spectacular words are skipped through/aren't read. If I can't find quickly some link to an audio source, it's most likely that I'll leave this email behind and forget the track names by the evening.

The newsletter editor could say - "nah, he's not a real listener. The true ones dig fervently every blurb we issue and are so into it, that they just find the samples by themselves".

So here's my view - I want to hear your new music and your recommended new tracks for sale. And the best way to present them in only through an audio stream. I'll read the words later if it interests me, and maybe even write some comments.

What doesn't work:

• No links to audio streams/downloads at all - don't have time to find it myself.
• Hidden links in the end of the issue - I won't get to them.
• 20 links to 30 sec. samples - tiresome, cumbersome and annoying.

What works:

• An eye-catching  "click to listen" button in the upper third of the issue
• One long audio stream with all the tracks previews, instead of many 30 sec. samples.
• Dj mix for download within one click - save those tweaked flash players for other things.

Again, the reason is very simple:

Music needs to be heard, and today audio streaming isn't a hard-to-get solution. The effectiveness of promoting your music with a simple one-click interface is much higher. Our eyes are tired from text, and if you can trigger other senses to deliver your message, you get a better exposure. Ne need to write further how sound is a multitaksing-favor medium. 

It's hard to find time for clicking 20 links. But I still want to hear them all. So with a one combined preview stream of all the releases I can put it in the background and move on with other things. If the music works, I can't skip it. I'll go back and hear this tune again, click on it's link and read the reviews. Still without capturing my eye instantly with an audio link, it could be lost.

Eventually links to streaming files aren't the only way. You can even be innovative and make use of VoIP clients like skype - but that's a subject for another post :)

Hearing your tune in a dj mix...

Is always nice

In an embarrassing late, I've found some very nice dj mixes from New Orleans top dj Tony Estrada, who plays a unique style of jackin-tech-progressive house beats instilled with ethnic sounds.

The DragonRadio 4.9 session (direct audio link), beautifully weaves murky breaks, progressive and analogue dripping punk-acid jackin house tunes.

It's a bit hard (to me at least) to find the words for defining the latter, currently one of the hottest genres.  You just need to listen and sense the vibe (on this mix from around 35:00).

"Eclectic" is probably the all-encompassing and sheer description for this music. The tiresome year 2000 prog house has been stirred aggressively, stretched, and been injected with a hefty dose of grungy roughness. To conclude, various retro sonic-crumbs are scattered above.

Our soon to be out remix is featured on this mix as well as track 4 ->  "The Askew - Invisible" (Wilson remix), and Tony's mix-in and mix-out are wicked. Mixing is not just "fading in, fading out" tracks. It's the art of moulding independent tunes into one diverse composition, with changing atmospheres.

It was quite cheering to find this dj mix and listen how Tony adds his delicate "hues" to the track, smoothly painting the edges with a different feel.

Music (formerly "Record") Labels tales - Preface

Starting with a delicious appetiser,

This series of "Music Labels Tales" will focus on some stories, views and spikey comments about the inescapable shifts the music industry is facing and will face, and how labels decide to react to them.

The purpose is really not to impale the music industry with a conquering "you morrons!" honks (though some can hardly escape them).  Being also in a way on the industry side, I hope I can shed some light on current issues, struggles and outcomes that surround the label honchos.

As a preface, I picked quite a known news item, which is still relevant and can serve as a nice trigger for thinking. It's of course the story of rock band Wilco, as portrayed by Lawrence Lessig on Wired mag. The digital music weblog has also noted about this extremely mind-0pening article, that shows how much a label can miss by automatically taking a sheer counter position against anything that is shared over the web.

Onward to part 1 -> I'll get into the irritating trend I'm constantly finding in recent contracts to set quite long terms for exclusive rights...something I'm not sure is good, and in fact discloses some panic.