Week of October 6, 2008

Clear Channel, Mobile, the Iphone, and difficulties

Friday, October 10, 2008

Clear Channel has released an iPhone application that streams their radio stations via the iPhone. What is most interesting about this announcement isn't the fact that Clear Channel is streaming its stations on the iPhone but rather just how many hoops a radio group has to go through to make mobile streaming possible. As it is, Clear Channel has agreements with three different cell phone carriers, has created an iPhone application, and it STILL isn't streamed through over half the cell phone customers in the United States.

Certainly initiatives like the Google Android OS and the Apple iPhone will help, but the mobile carrier-driven space is still a ways from the holy grail of mobile streaming: The ability for a radio station to stream to consumers in a way that will work on all handsets and all carriers. It's coming but with all the hoops that Clear Channel is jumping through, it is clear it isn't coming fast enough.

Apple's Macbook Announcement

Thursday, October 9, 2008

In the midst of economic turmoil, is there still room for pure tech excitement? You betcha. Apple has announced that it will be debuting a new Macbook laptop computer on October 14, and-as with any Apple announcement-there is all kind of mania going around. Commentary generally is focusing on two potential announcements: A cheap $800ish laptop from Apple and/or a new laptop created by Apple's new mysterious "brick" process, which creates the case from a solid brick of aluminum.

Is there room for more music recommendation?

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

We have social networks like Imeem and MySpace Music and music recommendation platforms like Pandora and Last.fm. But is there room for more? Apparantly there is, as Mufin, an algorithm-based music recommendation engine has just launched. You can check it out at www.mufin.com. How is Mufin different? Well, it recommends music based on various technical aspects of music like tempo, rhythm, etc. The whole goal is to present you with music that sounds like your favorite music.

By the way, if this sounds familiar, it isn't too far from the company that former Gavin editors Kent and Keith Zimmerman launched in 2000 called Mubu (Music Buddha). Some things are just ahead of their time.

Nokia's Comes With Music

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Starting this month in the UK, consumers will be able to buy new Nokia CWM mobile phones. CWM stands for "Comes With Music." The handsets include a one year music subscription that allows consumers to download and listen to music on their mobile phones and their PC. Once the subscription expires, the user can still listen to the tracks. After that? No one knows for sure; it's not clear what consumers' options will be to extend the subscription, or how many might consider just buying another phone.

The other unknown is if this will end up being a good deal for Nokia. The phones will cost $230 and up. The record companies cut has not been disclosed, but it reportedly includes a set fee per phone with a minimum guarantee, as well as an escalating fee once subscriptions pass a a certain limit. Is this the salvation for the music industry? We'll know more after Christmas 2009.

Maybe See TV

Monday, October 6, 2008

The first week of TV's New Fall Season has been a disappointment. Ratings were off 4.3% from 2007, according to the Wall Street Journal. The "Biggest Loser" was NBC, off 16.3% from a year ago. Network execs site a number of reasons; the continuing impact of DVRs, online streaming of programming, high interest in the election siphoning viewers from entertainment programming and continuing media fragmentation. Another (self inflicted) reason is that the concept of a homogenous "premier week" no longer applies. Many networks routinely debut new shows in the summer, or string them out through the month of September and October.