Experience Manifesto

YouTube - Lady Gaga - Poker Face (Level 01)

Just came across this game concept on youtube and thought that it was pretty cool. You actually do have to pay attention to the videos to score and move to the next level. It would certainly get me to watch more videos and it's the first program I've seen like this, I'm sure it won't be the last!

Everyone loves music videos. Artistry, vision, choreography, music. But are you really watching? Stop, pay close attention and find out for yourself. 15 Levels, 15 Challenges, and it gets tricky.

Presenting the first ever interactive music video challenge. With the latest and most popular videos from Lady Gaga, Soulja Boy, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and more, "Don't Miss A Beat" tests your attention to detail one music video at a time. So ask yourself again, are you really watching?The Game Starts Here:

YouTube - Lady Gaga - Poker Face (Level 01).

Radiohead tells fans to pay what they want for album - Yahoo! News

Radiohead, one of the world's most influential rock bands, plans to sell its new album from its Web site as a digital download and let fans choose what they want to pay.

With music sales in decline globally for seven successive years, the industry is engaged in a debate over how best to reverse the trend.

Radiohead said its seventh studio album "In Rainbows" would be available from Radiohead.com from October 10 in MP3 format, meaning it can be played on all digital devices. In the latest twist in the move to digital music, fans can choose how much to pay, or can pay nothing if they prefer.

Link: Radiohead tells fans to pay what they want for album - Yahoo! News.

Ikea -- Jonathan Coulton

I heard Jonathan Coulton for the first time at Pop!Tech and I love his songs. He does an interesting thing, which is release his music to let people create their own music videos. And his song Ikea is a hoot! Take some time and check out all of his songs. You'll really enjoy them!

Link: Jonathan Coulton .

Link: The Jonathan Coulton Project.

Mashup of the Week Podcast: JC Penney Mashup?

This seems to be a pretty big, missed opportunity for JC Penney's! Like many other folks, I like the music that's a mashup of Here Comes Santa Clause and Wonderful Night. It's one of my favorite commercials and tonight I decided to see if I could find the song. While there are lots of people talking about it and complaining that they can't find it, I couldn't actually find the song anywhere. That's a shame. Not only could they probablt have made some decent money if they wanted to sell it, but if they would've given it away, it'd be the hit of every holiday party this year. Maybe even a Christmas classic!

Years ago, of course, you never had to worry about things like this. You could create something for a commercial and you'd never really hear about people wanting it or liking it. But today, people ask about it right away. So hopefully someone at JC Penney's has been reading all of those requests and maybe we'll see it on iTunes before the holiday season is over!

Could JC Penney be the hippest retailer around? Well before you ask check this advert which Mashes up Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters with Fat Boy Slim. Here is the description from Penney's PR Dept. courtesy of Biz Wire.

This year's holiday television campaign pays homage to childhood Christmas memories, and underscores JCPenney's prominence in American culture, as the Company has been a part of helping families make great holiday memories for over a century. Created by DDB Chicago, the ads were shot in Super-8-style film, and feature families celebrating the holiday season while the traditional Christmas carol, "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters plays in the background. Much of the film shown in the commercial is from actual families celebrating Christmas 30 to 40 years ago. The commercial then morphs to modern day holiday celebrations - featuring the song "Wonderful Night" by DJ Fatboy Slim - and highlights the importance in creating new holiday memories for the next generation. JCPenney will also launch television ads focusing on the Company's gift card offering next month.

Link: Mashup of the Week Podcast: JC Penney Mashup?.

Microsoft Portable Music Player

I've been reading about Microsoft's venture into the world of the iPod for a few days, but this piece from Engadget had something that really blew me away! MS will scan you iTunes account and pay for you to add those songs to their new player. Ingenious, I say!

But it gets better. To attract current iPod users Microsoft is going to let you download for free any songs you've already bought from the iTunes Music Store. They'll actually scan iTunes for purchased tracks and then automatically add those to your account. Microsoft will still have to pay the rights-holders for the songs, but they believe it'll be worth it to acquire converts to their new player.

They’re adding WiFi and a social network play, which could also be very interesting twist on the music experience. The idea of using technology to create the same kind of social networking offline that we find online is pretty compelling to us. It’s a topic that we’re starting to explore this concept ourselves and applaud what they’re doing here. There’s lots more detail in the Engadget story, so make sure you read the whole piece.

Microsoft's new portable audio and video player will have a screen that's "bigger than that of the iPod video" (which isn't really saying much) and built-in WiFi so you can not only download content directly to the player (sort of like with the MusicGremlin), but actually participate in an Xbox Live-like social network that will help you connect with other people with similar taste and interests. Whether that's going to be the Live Anywhere service they introduced at E3 we don't yet know. But we do know the tag line they're pitching for the device combined with this new network is "Connected Entertainment."

Link: Microsoft planning WiFi-enabled portable media player, working on MVNO for next year - Engadget.

MIT Advertising Lab

I guess if I had a Cingular phone, I wouldn't have had the Best Buy experience that I had! This is a great use of cell phone technology and a smart way to engage the consumer, rather then just throw a marketing message at them.

Dying to know the name of that cool tune on the radio? Dial #43 on your Cingular phone, hold the phone up to the speaker, and the company will text you the name of the piece you have trouble identifying. All for $0.99. Wonder if it works with commercials.

Link: MIT Advertising Lab: future of advertising and advertising technology.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Legal downloads triple worldwide

I think they're also missing a key point here -- that the record industry created real ways to actually legally, download music!

Figures released by the international recording industry suggest the number of legal downloads has tripled to 180m worldwide in the first half of 2005.

The rapid growth of broadband has seen a surge in legal downloading and a decline in unauthorised file-sharing.

Illegal file-sharing has increased by 3% - 30 million tracks - since January.

More than one in three file-sharers surveyed in the US and UK cited "fear of legal action" as the main reason for stopping illicit file-sharing.

Since September 2003, 14,227 cases against illegal file-sharers have been announced in 12 countries.

"We are now seeing real evidence that people are increasingly put off by illegal file-sharing and turning to legal ways of enjoying music online," said John Kennedy, chairman of the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI).

"Whether it's the fear of getting caught breaking the law, or the realisation that many networks could damage your home PC, attitudes are changing, and that is good news for the whole music industry."

Link: BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Legal downloads triple worldwide.

New York Daily News - Business - The Ticker: Universal to launch video net

Following a court victory, the record giant is set to launch IMF: The International Music Feed, the first 24-hour cable channel launched by a music company.

The MTV-like network is set to go on the air as early as today on satellite giant EchoStar's Dish Network, which is carried in 10 million homes.

IMF will start out by featuring videos from Universal's roster, which includes superstars like Eminem, Shania Twain, 50 Cent and U2. But execs said they expect to eventually feature music from other companies.

Link: New York Daily News - Business - The Ticker: Universal to launch video net.

Jonathan Coulton Songs

Ran across Jonathan's site again while reviewing this years Poptech program. He's known as the "Poptech Balladeer" and his songs are quite a hoot. Check them out! Two of my favorites -- A Laptop Like You and Ikea.

Link: Jonathan Coulton Songs.

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE MOVES INTO MUSIC PROMOTION

Think of it as a David-and-Goliath battle with a dance pop sound track and a 37-cent stamp.

The U.S. Postal Service will promote the album of the band, Postal Service, as part of a new cross-promotional marketing agreement.

When the behemoth U.S. Postal Service found out that a young rock band had named itself "Postal Service," executives weren't happy. They sent a cease-and-desist letter to the band's label, Seattle-based independent Sub Pop Records.

But what began as an argument over name rights turned into the mail-delivering institution's first cross-promotional music deal.

The members of Postal Service -- Seattle rocker Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and Los Angeles-based electronica maven Jimmy Tamborello -- created their current record by sending tracks and lyrics back and forth to each other via the postal service. Hence, the name.

Sub Pop executives explained the back story and suggested that the USPS turn the musicians into marketing partners instead of adversaries. The USPS ultimately agreed to let the band keep using the name via a licensing deal, and will take advantage of the musicians' hipster cachet through some innovative co-promotions.

"We found a place in the middle where all our interests can be served," said Jonathan Poneman, Sub Pop's owner and founder. "There's a real spirit of cooperation."

AD AGE -- U.S. POSTAL SERVICE MOVES INTO MUSIC PROMOTION