Brand Noise

Profile of a Music Pirate

It makes for some interesting dinner conversation when when one of your friends is an intellectual property lawyer (he used to represent Apple Records while going through the DJ Dangermouse fiasco).  The topic certainly gets people's blood going.  It represents the shift into a whole new way in which companies and consumers relate to the value of goods and services.  And like other industries before them like cars and tobacco, reveals an attempt to dictate control over how the market functions. We must go through them.  The consumer sees things differently. The struggle to change gets ugly - and often results in singling out folks for litigation. In this week's BusinessWeek an article focuses on a 45-year-old single mother who, after being sued by the record industry, is now taking the record industry to court. Tanya Andersen is going after the recording industry under conspiracy laws. She argues the Recording Industry Association of America, the industry's trade group, and its affiliates worked together on a broad campaign to intimidate people into making financial payoffs.  Read more

Joy Division Zune

Cool Gen X news.....Microsoft is readying a Joy Division edition of its Zune MP3 player to coincide with the June 10 release of an eponymous DVD about the band.

A Moment of Zen (Imogen Heap)

Thinking about open source and making process transparent to consumers seems to be part of almost every recommendation we make as planners today. I like to see how that unbundling and transparency feels emotionally. This clip of Imogen Heap sums up the joy and passion for me. Enjoy.

The Eyes of Amy Winehouse

I have spent much time deconstructing Amy Winehouse both with clients and my students.  There are many layers to explore that speak to an evolution and remixing of subculture trends.  The roots of her big eye makeup makeup are touched upon in this interesting clip from Herald Tribune.

The Method Behind Pep Band Music Choices

Who knew to ask? It can seem that the pep bands are forever behind the times, playing from song lists borrowed from classic-rock radio stations and wedding-reception D.J.s.

But there is a method to their madness — “We try to play songs that not only appeal to the blue-hairs in the crowd, but also to our students,” said Jim Hudson, director of athletic bands at Arizona State.

Updating the songbook is an annual tug-of-war. Most bands hold year-end votes for band members. At U.C.L.A., the bottom five songs are dropped. Five new ones are added.

Most pep-band arrangements, designed for timeouts, range from 100 seconds to 2 minutes. Raps, with their repetitive hooks, are increasingly used for 30-second timeouts.

Choosing the right mix has legal complexities, too. Music is copyrighted, so bands typically cannot simply choose a song and start playing it — although many do.

Read the whole story.

iTunes/BBC..."Computer says no"

I love news of internet media partnerships that seem like they are going to be great and yet...NOT.  The news of the BBC/iTunes deal seemed great until I learned that it is only in the UK.  The BBC says it is Britain's first broadcaster to offer television programmes on iTunes for download onto Apple's video iPods and iPhones. I need Little Britain and Alan Partridge  on the go more than tired repeats of CSI Miami.  Work it out people - I'm waiting.

Liberace Legacy Needs Simmering

The caretakers of the Liberace legacy can't stomach the idea of the pianist becoming a footnote. (He died in 1987.) But if his devotees have learned anything from a man who branded himself Mr. Showmanship, it's how to fine-tune an image.

In aiming for Hip Hop’s high rollers, they've retooled Liberace as the originator of ostentation and trademarked him as the King -- and Queen -- of Bling.

Last summer, the foundation rolled out $99 sneakers named Liberace Kicks made by Kashi Kicks.

Read more.

Our question: Will this work? Not so sure. The element of surprise and discovery is missing which is so critical nowadays.

Funneling is Not Sustainable Branding

Mekanism recently announced the launch of the Rockband.com social network. We first heard about the plans for the network back in October. We were hoping for a bit of evolution in that time. Rock Band is a great game. Rock Band as a social network is not. Not to say there is anything wrong in its execution, but the premise of a destination channeling people is not the direction to head in. Conde Nast came to that realization with Flip.com, which is now available as a widget on Facebook. And American Greetings approached its Kiwee brand from the get-go as one to work in tandem with existing, fabulous properties. Even Second Life only becomes something interesting when it becomes part of things outside of itself. Hmmm...maybe Guitar Hero is getting a handle on that now that it has launched Guitar Hero 3. Sustainable branding means working with resources that exist and function well among their users.

(Photo: 'Rock Band' set-up with 110" screen from a Panasonic PT-AX100 Projector. Onkyo 605 feeds the sound from the Xbox 360.)

What's in a name, Engelbert?

What happens when a name gets co-opted? Does the co-opter gain the credibility of the original name owner? Or does the co-opter taint the name? All depends on which side of the fence you’re sitting on.

Take Engelbert Humperdinck, for instance.

Engelbert Humperdinck (1854–1921). German composer, best known for his opera, Hänsel und Gretel (ca. 1891). Humperdinck was greatly influenced by Richard Wagner, and worked as his assistant. In his melodrama Die Königskinder (1897), Humperdinck became the first composer to use Sprechgesang, a vocal technique halfway between singing and speaking.

Hmmm…which Engelbert were you thinking of?

British-American pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck (born Arnold George Dorsey, 1936) who rose to fame in the 1960s with his deceptively easygoing casual style after adopting the name of the famous German opera composer. Prior, his impression of Jerry Lewis prompted friends to begin calling him Gerry Dorsey, a name he worked under for almost a decade.

You tell me...

Reinvented Keyboard Gives Musicians Visual Control

Electronic musicians like Norman Fairbanks have a new ax to wield: the Tenori-on. Meaning "sound in your palm" in Japanese, the eight-inch-square instrument lets would-be techno artists make beats and sequences by sliding and tapping their fingers around the touch-sensitive surface—kind of like finger painting.

Matrixes of LED buttons cover the front and back surfaces and light up as you touch them, so you can visualize the music while you're composing. If your buddy or bandmate also has a Tenori-on, you can connect the instruments for synchronized jam sessions.

Yamaha is test-launching the Tenori-on in the UK at tenori-on.co.uk for about $1,200.

Read more.
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