Today the announcement was made letting the world know Verizon and Apple intend on launching the iPhone on the VZW Network February 10th. The excitement is shared by many but the question we want to know is how does this effect the music lovers?
We have listed a few key ares to make note of.
This is probably the most important item on this list where music fans are concerned, because streaming music from the cloud to your music apps can consume lots of data — and that means financial penalties, unless you have an unlimited data plan. Even if you’re not going to hit your limit, you don’t even want to have to think about it.
The Chicago Sun-Times confirmed early reports that Verizon would offer an unlimited data plan for the iPhone. even though Verizon didn’t mention unlimited data during its presentation, and no mention of the phrase exists in either Verizon’s or Apple’s press release.
Still, a Verizon representative confirmed that the company will offer iPhone users its unlimited data plan, which currently costs $30 per month. AT&T’s 2GB-limited data plan costs $25. If you want to download or stream lots of music to your phone without incurring overage charges, the Verizon iPhone is for you, unless one of the following areas is more important.
Verizon bills itself as “the nation’s largest” 3G network, and it’s right, by all accounts. If you spend lots of time in places where Verizon offers 3G service and AT&T doesn’t, you should obviously go with the Verizon iPhone.
Verizon also bills itself as the “most reliable” 3G network in the U.S., and it’s true, AT&T takes a lot of heat for the quality of its service. However, that’s partially the fault of all those iPhone users. These networks have finite capacity, so it matters how many other data-hungry people are using the network,, and iPhone users are notoriously data-hungry. A flood of new 3G Verizon customers in your area could cause problems in all of the network-related categories listed here, even though Verizon’s coverage map is largest.
The Verizon iPhone connects via CDMA, which drops the data connection should you receive a voice call, unlike AT&T’s GSM radio, which can keep both connections alive. Depending on how you use your phone, Verizon’s configuration could either be a minor nuisance or a major distraction (for instance, if receive lots of calls and like to stream music to your phone).
The speed of these two networks matters a great deal — not only for getting the best sound quality from music streams and downloading songs quickly to your phone’s local memory, but for caching music. Streaming services such as MOG and Pandora buffer music on the phone’s memory, so that your music doesn’t skip when your phone switches to a new cell tower — something that happens quite frequently when you’re driving on a highway, for instance. A faster connection not only saves time, but can help prevent skipping by allowing music to buffer quickly in areas with spotty reception.
Verizon exec Dan Dee called his company’s network “the nation’s most reliable” during today’s announcement. However, AT&T is considered the nation’s fastest, so it takes this round. (As just one example, it swept PC Magazine’s 18-city test last summer.)
Verizon could win this battle in a heartbeat by selling a version of the iPhone that worked on its faster 4G LTE network. We have a feeling you’ll have to wait for the iPhone 5 before that happens though — after all, the 3G model isn’t even on sale yet.
“This is just the beginning of a relationship between Apple and Verizon,” said Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook during the announcement, hinting at possible future collaborations to come, including the potential Verizon 4G LTE iPhone 5 that would dominate this field. “I’m very optimistic about what the future holds.”
Verizon wins this round handily. If you want to tether other Wi-Fi devices (i.e. connect WiFi-capable MP3 players, Wi-Fi cameras for uploading gig photos, internet radios, and eventually car radios) to your iPhone, Verizon is for you.
The Verizon iPhone can tether to up to five devices right out of the box, whereas AT&T charges iPhone owners $20 per month for the same thing. In addition, tethering renders AT&T’s legacy unlimited plan, available only to longtime users of the iPhone, null and void.
The two iPhones are tied in these categories. AT&T and Verizon both sell the 16GB and 32GB versions of the iPhone for $199 or $299 respectively. (Verizon lacks the 8GB model that AT&T offers, but music fans need more capacity than that anyway.)
In addition, you get the same apps with either phone — whatever Apple lets into the iTunes App Store.
Neither phone supports Flash audio or video, so if you want to play all of the web-embedded music you come across on your phone’s browser (music blogs, etc.), you should ignore both iPhones and probably consider an Android.
Finally, we don’t expect any real sound quality difference between the two models. Any audiophiles capable of discerning between the audio interference caused by AT&T’s GSM radio signal vs. Verizon’s CDMA radio signal would not be caught dead listening to music on a phone anyway.
AT&T’s speed is a necessity for a high-quality music experience, but Verizon’s unlimited data plan trumps just about everything else on this list where music fans are concerned. After all, that $10/month MOG subscription is pretty meaningless if you feel nervous about using it for fear of hitting your data limit. And while Verizon’s inability to maintain a data connection during a voice call will be a problem for some music fans, it’s unlikely to be a deal-breaker for most.
So, Verizon takes it — for now.
The real test will occur after the initial flood of iPhone subscribers appears on Verizon’s network. AT&T, too, once offered unlimited data to iPhone users, a policy it ceased in order to cope with iPhone users’ intensive data usage. Verizon had better be as ready for the iPhone as it says it is (and not as ill-prepared as AT&T claims Verizon to be). Otherwise, Verizon will either be forced to limit iPhone owner’s data as AT&T did or offer service so slow that it becomes all but useless, especially from a music perspective.
Source: Evolver.fm
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The Consumer Electronic Show held in Las Vegas, Nevada always has the latest in technology and this year was no different. It is amazing to see where technology has evolved today's dj. Numark iDJ Live is the latest hardware device utilizing for the iPad with two turntables and a mixer, which controls an DJ app on the iPad.
What appears to be a toy is actually quite a powerful device. It has the ability needed for scratching, cross fading, setting cue points and tapping the touch sensitive vinyl to stop it from "spinning."
The iPad acts as the brain, processor, and touchscreen of the system. All that is needed is the hardware which is being retailed at $99.
How do you feel about this new piece of technology? Will we have a league of iPad Dj's soon?
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I measure my success as a recording artist by the growth of my mailing list. The best way to get someone to subscribe is to offer something in return, and a great song is a powerful incentive. Here are ten techniques to negotiate that delicate exchange:
1. The classic squeeze page. You’ve probably stumbled onto one of these before: a fine-tuned infomercial-style pitch with a clear call to action and no exit links. The sole goal of the site, often just a single page, is to generate conversions. In our case, a conversion means “squeezing” an email address out of a potential fan. Seamus Anthony describes the method here and demonstrates it using his own music here. It may do the trick for first-time visitors, but returning fans have no clear path to explore the rest of your content.
2. The homepage squeeze. Identical to the classic squeeze page, except for a small link that takes you to the rest of the site. Returning fans are forced to opt out every visit – an annoying speed bump. Then again, if the free song is rotated often enough, it may encourage repeat visits. Theoretically, a site could use cookies to bypass the squeeze page for return visitors, but I don’t know of any service or WordPress plugin that does it.
3. The “free mp3 download” page. This is my current strategy, but there’s definitely room for improvement. An SEO friendly “yourbandname.com/free-mp3-download” URL and clever use of keywords can pull in traffic from Google searchers trying to freeload your music. While a simple “free mp3s” link in your site’s navigation isn’t distracting for repeat visitors, it’s easy to overlook. Still, I’m not going to force my fans to jump through hoops every time they want to post a comment.
4. The fan club. Thomas Dolby offers two full EPs exclusively to registered members of his forum. This soft sell approach encourages die-hard fans to join the conversation, but I doubt it pulls in much new blood. If your focus is to satisfy your existing fanbase, fan club exclusives offer a surefire way to retain their love and devotion.
5. The widget. Your mailing list service should provide a widget to gather fan addresses (I use ReverbNation’s FanReach, but FanBridge is another great choice). You’ll obviously need it for the squeeze page of your site. If you’re still sporting a MySpace page, you’ll want to embed it there as well. On sites where you can’t embed a widget, you can link directly to the signup form. ReverbNation and FanBridge provide every artist with a landing page to send potential subscribers to (for example, mine is here).
Click here to read the entire post from PassivePromotion.com.
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What do hit songs have in common that can unite soccer moms with club rockers and hipsters? Literally creating one nation under a groove!
Two Rutgers master degree candidates created a presentation called "Visualizing A Hit" that maps popular songs against some of their musical attributes in an effort to find out what they share, and how they have changed over time.
First, they tapped Billboard’s chart data to build a database of over 4,200 popular songs, their peak ranking, Billboard “Hit Status,” and number of weeks they were on the charts.
They then cross-referenced that data against detailed musical information for each song — its key, mode (major, minor, etc.), tempo, loudness, “danceability level,” and “energy level” using data from The Echo Nest. (Disclosure: The Echo Nest, a music intelligence platform, publishes Evolver.fm.)
The resulting study revealed a number of interesting findings – among them, that Madonna is the overall queen of pop, songs are getting longer, louder, dancier and (barely) more energetic, and the optimal number of beats per minute over the past few decades was precisely 119.8:
“Madonna has had 36 songs [in the top 10 and] The Beatles are right behind her with 34″:
Check out the presentation here.
Might be interested in what you discover!
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Are you looking to get signed as an artist? Come see the Presidents of the Indies and Major Labels explain how! Are you looking to make more money as an artist, manager, label or agent? See the 22 18-minute presentations from the CEOs of the top companies explain how! Visit one on one with 24 mentors at the NMS Mentoring Sessions or the Songwriting, Voice and Producer’ Workshops, and find for your next business partner. Then network with over 80 of the top CEO’s and others speaking over 3 nights and 2 days at the New Music Seminar in Los Angeles February 14-16.
For the complete schedule go to www.NewMusicSeminar.com. Register and get a special 2 for 1 discount by entering NMSLASE2322 when you select the Partner option on the registration page. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to take your career the next level.
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There is really no right or wrong way into this business however certain actions equal dead ends. Rick Goetz explains one of five below.
#1 Waiting
Waiting on our fellow notoriously late collaborators, waiting on getting things tracked right in the studio, waiting to load in, waiting on sound check. There are a million things that we have to hurry up and wait for before we even get to the business side of things. This is of course not the waiting I am talking about though.
The biggest mistake I have seen in the past year (although admittedly it is certainly not unique to 2010) is that people wait on outside help to starting their businesses. Anyone who has tried to raise money can tell you that it is easier to raise money when you have momentum with a project then when you only have a blueprint and some high hopes. This is in no way saying that I think people do everything themselves. DIY in my opinion is a condition of last resort but a condition that almost all of us are stuck with at some point or another.
Keep this in mind – when you are someone looking for outside help from someone like a potential manager or an agent you have to remember that you are asking someone for their time. Given that time = money – you are in fact asking someone to invest in you and your company. When you are preparing to approach someone for help of this kind ask yourself “What would make me invest in an artist’s career?” When I ask myself this question I almost always come up with wanting to see that my time and money would be going into a business is already showing signs of life. I would want to see that in spite of or in addition to what my eyes and ears tell me that real consumers are responding to this musician’s material. Generally speaking those artists who have a spark and have a fledgling business are people who didn’t wait on outside help to get those businesses going.
I will let you in on a little insider secret – since the un-bundling of the album EVERYONE is making this up as they go along. There is no hard science to the initial stages of breaking new artists – it is a series of best guesses. Since no one is ever going to care about your career more than you do (at least I hope not) you may as well give it a try for yourself. Even if you fail you will no more about the job and be better qualified to find the right person who compliments your strengths and weaknesses.
There will, of course, be times when you are forced to wait for circumstances to change. It happens to all of us no matter what business we are in but I urge you to find ways of making these periods productive. No matter what major event in your career is looming large – get out and play, meet people and record as much as possible and remember – there is never going to be a perfect time to start that next phase of your career. Something will always be in your way if you let it.
Visit Rick Goetz site for further articles.
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Give the gift of music to the one you love! For Valentines Day, Patchwerk Recording Studios is offering a gift package including two hours of studio time in our 1019 vocal suite, two copies of CD's from your session, complimentary snacks and beverage all for one low great price.
Call Patchwerk at 404.874.9880 and mention discount code: Vday 1019 for more details on this great offer. Expires February 14, 2011.
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Who is werking more than Red Bull? The 2011 Red Bull Music Academy will be taking place in Tokyo, Japan and the application process is now open.
Now some of you may be saying: "What Is The Red Bull Music Academy?"
The RBMA is a world traveling workshop, and a platform for artists, musicians, producers, etc. of various genres around the world who shape our musical future. It's a place to meet other artists from around the globe, learn, work on music, network, and hopefully become better at what you do. In a nutshell, it's every motivated musicians dream!
The Red Bull Music Academy has been gathering up-and-coming producers, DJs, and musicians with legends and pioneers of the music world since it began 13 years ago in 1998, every year choosing a new city and music scene to highlight. For 2011 the Academy has chosen Tokyo, Japan as its destination. There they will gather 60 participants with an assortment of music professionals (other artists, journalists, DJs, label heads, studio engineers, etc.) to share ideas, make music, perform, and do all the other things that fall in between. Starting February 2, RBMA will be accepting applicants until April 4, 2011 with the event taking place in Tokyo between October 23 and November 25, 2011.
If you are an musician, singer, emcee, DJ, producer, etc. I STRONGLY encourage you to apply for RBMA. It does not matter if your an artist who makes music from your bedroom for fun, or if you're a Grammy nominated musician, anybody is eligible to apply.
If you've applied before in the past and haven't been chosen, this is a great opportunity to apply again, it costs you nothing to apply and if your selected it's a FREE trip to Tokyo.
"So... How Do I Apply?" - Glad you asked. Feel free to check out this video below to give so some more information on the application process. If your ready to go, head over to RedBullMusicAcademy.com where you can download and print the application.
How To Apply For The Red Bull Music Academy from Red Bull Music Academy on Vimeo.
And I know many of you are NOT artists of any kind at all. Please do not view this as spam. I sent this too you today because we ALL know some very talented people who just need
that chance showcase their talent. This is a great opportunity to do just that, and see the world as well. Feel free to spread the word as best as you can whether it's via facebook or a text message.
If you have any questions feel free to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Don't miss out on an awesome presentation hosted by The Audio Engineering Society Student Chapter and Patchwerk Recording Studios on Saturday, March 5th! We will be educating you on the difference between Analog and Digital formats
We will record both and do listening comparisons. You decide which sounds better!
Call 404-874-9880 for registration.
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Looking to extend special offers or unique content to smart phone users? Perhaps familiarizing yourself with QR codes or "Quick Response" codes could be the answer. QR Codes are two-dimensional barcodes that can be read by most smart phones (via the camera function) and automatically link the mobile user to a marketing offer, website or video.
Consider this a low cost marketing tool musicians can utilize to provide exclusive content to their fans.
There are several free online tools for creating QR Codes including myQR.co and the ZXing Project. The process of creating a QR Code is remarkably simple. Just decide what type of content you want to share.
A unique QR Code image will then be generated and displayed that can be saved to your computer. This image will have the specified url embedded into it and can be scanned by any smart phone with a QR reader and camera functionality. It’s probably worth mentioning that Android based phones come with a QR reader built in but iPhone and Blackberry users will need to download a free QR code reader app.
Music Marketing Ideas for QR Codes
OK, so creating QR Code images is easy and cheap (free!). Now what? Even though some marketers use QR Codes in online campaigns I tend to think offline marketing applications are a better use for this tool. After all if a fan is already online isn’t just clicking a link easier then pulling out a smart phone and taking a picture? In short, any place music fans might be using their smart phone their primary point to access the web could potentially be a good place to use QR codes for music marketing.
Some of the interesting places QR Codes can potentially be used for music marketing include :
1. Tour Flyers / Band Posters
2. The Merch Table
3. Email Sign Up List
4. The Tour Vehicle
5. CD Jackets
6. Business Cards
7. T-Shirts
8. Stickers
9. One Sheets
10. Outside of any Mailed Package
From a fan engagement standpoint the content or offer that is delivered when a QR code is scanned is the primary driver for a successful QR code marketing campaign. Fans experienced with scanning QR codes are expecting to find unique content or a special marketing offer when they scan a QR code. Simply linking a QR code to your band’s website homepage or Facebook Fanpage will only leave your fans disappointed. Also, be sure to consider that when fans scan your QR code will be viewing your content or offer on a smart phone screen. Make sure the content or offer is formatted for easy viewing on a smart phone.
What sort of content or special offers make sense to offer music fans via QR codes? The options are almost endless! Just let creativity and common sense be your guide. Here are a few QR code content or marketing offer ideas:
1. New or unreleased band videos
2. A personal video message from the band
3. Discount codes good for X% off at the merch table
4. Discount codes good for X% off at the band’s webstore
5. Fan contests
Using QR codes can be a fun and unique way to engage your fans when they aren’t on their computer. If you have suggestions on new ways to use feel free to post in the comment section!
Source: Know The Music Biz
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Online music database AllMusic.com is changing its name and domain.
Rovi Corp., the company overseeing the site, is replacing AllMusic with a new website called AllRovi.com, which is designed to combine its music database with its TV and film databases for a one-stop shop for all things entertainment.
AllRovi.com launches today in public beta, following a private test period. It's not clear exactly when it will completely replace AllMusic.com.
Virtually every digital music service -- including iTunes, Napster, Pandora, Shazam, Slacker and Spotify -- relies on AllMusic.com to provide a range of information, from artist biographies at the very least to album reviews, catalog data and more.
According to VP of marketing Dave Jordan, those services will continue without interruption, but with some added features to choose from. Elements of the new site include a recommendation tool that lets users find music by mood, genre or time period. Recommended playlists based around themes like "exercise" or "dinner party" are also included. Additionally, there are original blog posts, reviews, streaming samples and links to buy directly on Amazon.com and iTunes.
While existing customers can continue to use the AllRovi data, the company is gunning to generate more Web traffic of its own. Together, AllMusic.com, AllMovie.com and AllGames.com draw a combined three million unique visitors per month, according to the company.
"We think there is a better entertainment experience out there and we want consumers to use our site to learn about it," Jordan says. "Once they experience the richness and features we provide, they might start looking for it in other devices and want to connect where ever they are. Of course that is on top of the benefit to Rovi which is to showcase our data and services as an inspiration to our customers and future developers."
Rovi was formerly known as Macrovision, but changed it to Rovi in 2009. In December, it announced plans to acquire Sonic Solutions for $720 million in a move meant to expand its interest into content distribution (Sonic Solutions owns movie rental and sales service CinemaNow).
Could a music content acquisition be far behind?
Source: Billboard
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MTV intends on teaming with XTREME MUSIC, the production music arm of Sony/ATV, today announced the launch of HYPE PRODUCTION MUSIC: a newly created, first-of-its-kind hybrid music production and licensing partnership fueled by the very best new and emerging independent talent.
Hype Production Music will empower MTV and Extreme to contract directly with unsigned artists and creatively help them produce new music with vocals that will enjoy first look consideration for key placements across MTV Networks' programming and feed music supervisors' appetites throughout the industry for blog-breaking freshmen bands.
Hype artists will benefit from their songs' inclusion in the Hype Music Library that will be licensed through Extreme's global client base of professional users with the copyright diligence of a major label, but the credibility of an indie. In addition, MTV will serve as music distributor for all contracted songs, delivering music to the artist's fans through multiple digital music services. All revenues from licensing and digital distribution of songs included in the Hype Music Library will be split with 50 percent going to the artist.
"MTV has always been in the business of championing artists on the cusp. With the launch of 'HYPE', MTV has a platform to bring those artists to the forefront within our programming and beyond," said Joe Cuello SVP, Creative Music Integration for MTV. "Day to day we search out the best emerging artists and songs to help tell a story and we are thrilled to be deepening those relationships. In partnership with Extreme, we are able to work hand-in-hand with artists from the start to create and distribute amazing original music."
"It's no secret that the music industry is gasping for air and struggling for ways to break new artists," said Russell Emanuel CEO, Extreme Music. "HYPE's hybrid model as an artist-friendly incubator leveraging its ability to license tracks directly in high profile shows will dramatically boost an act's profile. This is a new breed, second to none career jump-starting opportunity. It's production music on steroids!"
The initial HYPE offerings are slated for release early in 2011 and include : Daniel Chavez Wright (3D Friends), George Byrne, Locksley, Ginger Sling, The Midi Mafia, New Cassettes, Desoto Jones, Theft, National Skyline, Atlantic Line, Hell & Lula, Marc Robillard, The Diamond Light, The New FOs, Lego Johnson, Atlantic Connection and Heavy Young Heathens.
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Played with Aweditorium and Discovr? Here’s one more for the list. MTV has launched MTV Music Meter, an app for iPhone and iPad designed to help people discover new music. “The MTV Music Meter is a daily list of artists trending right now,” explains the blurb. “Discover these artists and others like them through audio samples, photos, recent tweets, news articles, and bios. Or chart your own discovery path by searching through over 1 million artists.” The free app is a spin-off from the website of the same name, launched by MTV last December. That ranks artists by a combination of social media buzz and online video streams, with an aim of spotlighting emerging acts rather than just big names.
Source: Music Ally
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