The Technology Liberation Front: The Future of Music?

Link: The Technology Liberation Front: The Future of Music?.

But in a world in which there are a hundred major labels instead of 6, you worry more about obscurity than you do about piracy

Yes!!!

Music Download Service Unveiled for Digital Radio - New York Times

Link: Music Download Service Unveiled for Digital Radio - New York Times.

British consumers are set to be the first in the world able to buy songs instantly as they listen to them on digital radio, using a download service announced on Monday by UBC Media.

The London-based radio programming producer said it would begin testing the technology on Chrysalis Group's Heart station, with plans for a full roll-out by December.

Finally!

Flexible copyright to nurture a creative milieu - Technology - International Herald Tribune

Link: Flexible copyright to nurture a creative milieu - Technology - International Herald Tribune.

"We have an explosion of technology inviting people to be creative, but the way the laws are written, all this activity is presumptively illegal," said Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford University law professor and one of the originators of the concept. "We want to move away from a maximalist position to create a future in which creativity can occur in a protected space without taking away anyone's rights."

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) on Gerd Leonhard's Keynote at Radioasia 2006

Link: Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).

Media futurist: Radio broadcasters must go digital and interactive

Radio broadcasters have been urged to venture into High Definition (HD), digital and Internet radio or face the risk of being “tuned out” by listeners who are no longer just receivers of content, but senders too.

Media futurist Gerd Leonhard, while addressing delegates at the RadioAsia2006 conference in Singapore today, said that audience growth now lies in interactive services and broadcasters had to be quick to capitalise on this phenomenon.

He said technological advancements allowed users to create and even send their own content through the Internet, which has become more of a social medium and a cheap and effective means for them to find new music and content.

Mr Leonhard emphasised this point by saying that in just a few years, podcasting had outgrown the number of radio stations globally, as there were currently only some 30,000 radio stations in the world as compared with about 47,500 radio station podcasts.

“The people formerly known as listeners are getting involved and even co-creating content. They once were just receivers. Now, they are senders. They can now interact with you and make their own contributions,” he said.

Mr Leonhard also warned radio broadcasters if they did not provide on-demand content that can be recorded and stored by users, they risked losing 50 percent of their market share.

“It used to be that radio was the cheapest, easiest and preferred means of finding new music and content. But the Internet has taken over this role. People find new music on the Internet, and they are able to search and record stuff from the Internet,” he added.

Mr Leonhard said this in his keynote address at the second annual RadioAsia conference at the Singapore Expo, which was jointly organised by the ABU, the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) and Singapore Exhibition Services.

Sponsors for the event include Singapore’s Media Development Authority, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, UNESCO, DW-Germany, Nokia, Malaysia’s AMP Radio Networks, CRA-Australia, Nielsen Media Research and The Broadcast Partner.

Mr Leonhard said that traditional radio advertising was shrinking as more and more advertisers looked to the Internet for their promotional needs. He advised radio broadcasters to look to alternative sources of revenue, such as providing ringtones.

“The ringtone business is a US$5 billion industry. Every radio broadcaster should get into this as it helps listeners to personalise their own media experience,” he said.

Ten video sharing services compared - DV Guru

Link: Ten video sharing services compared - DV Guru.

Ten video sharing services compared

"The number of video-sharing sites has shot through the roof recently, as dozens of companies try to become the Flickr of the online video world. To this end, many video services have started offering new features like editing and remixability in an attempt to snatch a piece of the ever-expanding online video pie. But for the average user--who just wants to post a video on the 'net and share it with some friends--there are already too many options out there. All one really wants to know is, which site is going to work, with the least amount of hassle?"

Great reviews - worth a read!
Link provided by Jonathan Marks / Critical Distance

People's Daily Online -- PwC predicts change of tune for music, video

Link: People's Daily Online -- PwC predicts change of tune for music, video.

Radio2.0 and the Future of Radio: my presentation at RadioAsia 2006, June 23, Singapore

Great conference, lots of interesting people and discussions, and Singapore is well worth a visit, too (just did not have enough time to look around;).

This presentation is on the future of Radio
Download gerd_leonhard_future_of_radio_radio_asia_2006_june_23_2006.pdf

Please note: access to my presentations is free but please consider signing up for my newsletter, in return. Thanks!

"Radio's present market positioning is certainly challenged in many ways yet the future is also wide open for amazing new opportunities which by far outweigh the perils. By and large, radio already has the trust of its listeners (which is crucial in today's networked economy), so 'going digital' and swiftly embracing new technologies, expanding the rights grants wherever possible, getting the listeners (aka 'users') involved and engaged, and taking advantage of synergies of conversion with video, TV, print, wireless, and games is the only the beginning - Radio2.0 will mean a fully converged and multi-platform future.Time-and place-shifted digital radio entails entering the music business in an entirely different way, maybe even going head-to-head with online music retailers and wireless services. Licensing and copyright / usage right issues abound in this turf, and the traditional roles of most players are changing as we speak: record companies simply become music companies (and publishers, too), music managers become 360 service agencies, telcos buy (into) music companies, radio conglomerates start video services, public broadcasters will compete with itunes, handset manufacturers launch radio services...  In addition, the 'people formerly known as listeners' are no longer receivers - they are also senders. Witness blogging, podcasting, photo-and video-sharing - this is the advent of the user-creator, or what I call the "Usator".  Other megatrends that are impacting radio are the strong trend towards content-eclecticism and the rise of niche-markets and various 'long-tail' offerings, the trend towards decentralized selection of content (i.e. user-rated and tagged programs), the trend toward personalization and mass-customization, and the rise of the 'attention economy'.The  way forward for radio is maintain its traditional strength of high-quality programming and trusted editorial work while at the same time significantly shoring up its relevance in a digitally networked entertainment economy, where distribution (i.e. the frequency, the pipe, or the outlet) is a ubiquitous default but attention is scarce. What about the flat fee for digital music, as discussed in France? What will compulsory licensing for digital music distribution mean for radio? Will the previously illegal P2P file-sharing systems become licensed and grow into a major purveyor of cheap and legal music programs; i.e. will we once again see new technologies such as radio, the VCR and cable TV, being outlawed first but then come back fully licensed and significantly growing the market?”

from the EFF: funny animated video on the broadcast flag, analog hole etc - a must watch!!

Link: EFF: Homepage.

From the EFF site:  "Hollywood wants Congress to give it new super powers over your TV, radio, and computer. Find out more in this animation, and write to stop the
Broadcast Flag, Audio Flag, and Analog Hole laws...."

IMobiCon Korea 2006: Mobile Conference in Korea 26 / 27 Sept 2006

IMobiCon Korea 2006.

The iMobicon conference features over 80 expert speakers from around the world, keynote sessions, two separate tracks and over 13 interactive panel sessions to maximise your participation. The international programme covers:
Content: Mobile TV, DMB vs DVB-H, 3D gaming, music, adult entertainment
Technology: WCDMA, 3G, 1xEV-DO, HSDPA, WiBro, WiMax, Evolution of 3G, All IP
Handsets: operating systems, service delivery platforms, evolution of the mobile handset, WIPI....

I will be speaking at this event... more news to follow.

Bandwidth Conference & Shindig, The music | technology conference - San Francisco August 18 / 19 2006

Link: Bandwidth Conference & Shindig, The music | technology conference - Schedule.

Interesting... too bad I can't be there!

Wired News: Celestial Jukebox Falls to Earth

Link: Wired News: Celestial Jukebox Falls to Earth.

Another good Buskirk writing...

E-Commerce News: Music : Mobile Music Services Overpriced, Consumers Say

Link: E-Commerce News: Music : Mobile Music Services Overpriced, Consumers Say.

Consumers are saying that mobile music services are exceptionally overpriced -- at least 85 percent higher than they actually feel comfortable paying.

Publishing 2.0 � Web 2.0 Is Not Media 2.0

Link: Publishing 2.0 � Web 2.0 Is Not Media 2.0.

Very good article - highly recommend it. Favorite quote:
"For bloggers and other people with the drive to create their own media, Web 2.0 media applications give them the infinite control they crave. But for the average person, what pressing problem does Newsvine, Digg, or de.licious solve? (Don’t get me started on RSS — I’ll put on my body armor and do that in another article.)..."

iTunes guilty of breaking Norwegian law | The Register

Link: iTunes guilty of breaking Norwegian law | The Register.

The Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman has ruled that the Apple iTunes service breaks the law, and has given the company two weeks to fix the problem.

... just a matter of time!

LIFE CACHING | An emerging consumer trend and related new business ideas

Link: LIFE CACHING | An emerging consumer trend and related new business ideas.

good stuff!!