Should pitching be a classical recital or a jazz improv?

I’ll avoid the layer of lingering suspense from the subject title by saying that it is a false dichotomy. Both can be suitable in different circumstances, though I lean more towards the latter. Over the past few months I’ve been involved in quite a few pitches – sitting on both sides of the table. The [...]

Content and Interpretation

Content and interpretation are the two primary components of a presentation or performance. The best performances incorporate both. The mediocre contains one but not both. The worst have neither. Content also requires context. Interpretation also requires passion. Both require relevance. Both need to create a connection. Both are subjective. At this moment of reflection, I [...]

Links – 17th January 2009

Aside from links, this blog probably won’t be updated for a week or so. I’m trying to stick to my quality over quantity aim, and my schedule is pretty full at the moment. Marketing Paul Isakson posits that weird and wonderful advertising works because of the prompt that our brain receives, irrespective of what the [...]

ATP – always in beta

The Nightmare Before Christmas, co-curated by Melvins and Mike Patton was fantastic. Musically, it was the best of the 7 All Tomorrow’s Parties weekenders I’ve been to. There are few places where you could find a bill diverse enough to incorporate Mastodon, Squarepusher, Rahzel, Os Mutantes, James Blood Ulmer, Junior Brown and Monotonix (pictured below) [...]

Live Nation’s monopoly

The advantage of having a monopoly, or near monopoly, means that you can pretty much do what you like without fear of revolt. If a customer wants the service, they have nowhere else to go. Take Live Nation for instance… They have been accused of using their dominance to artificially inflate ticket prices The 360 [...]

Eco-clubbing at Bar Surya

Club4Climate recently announced the launch of (according to their press release) Britain’s first eco-nightclub. It is located at Bar Surya in Kings Cross, with the press launch occurring next week on the 10th July. Among their initiatives include the use of poly-carbon cups, charitable donations, low-voltage lighting and a recyclable water system. However, the most eye-catching element [...]

Links – 22/03/08

A couple of days late due to the MRS Conference and Easter playing havoc with my scheduling. Blog-related IBM blogging policy NB: All companies should have one; few do Review of WARC Online Conference NIN make $1.6m in the first week (Wired) NB: A dedicated fanbase willing to pay for deluxe editions seems to be [...]

Measuring the success of free music

As an addendum to my prior post on free music, Kevin Kelly has posited a “true fan” model. He argues that having a core following of around 1,000 people per artist would bring in enough revenues to sustain a career. Nine Inch Nails appear to have managed this – their run of 2,500 deluxe ($300!) editions [...]

Nine Inch Nails and free music

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/mightymightymatze As the world and his blog is now aware, the latest Nine Inch Nails album has been released over the Internet, in a variety of formats and prices. Rather pointedly, Trent Reznor remarked, “I’m very pleased with the result and the ability to present it directly to you without interference”. However, the [...]

Hype machine

Photo taken by http://www.flickr.com/photos/evillorelei/ Last night I saw The Gutter Twins play at Koko. Opinion on the evening varied.  Person A: A long-time fan of Greg Dulli who had listened to the new tracks many times and participated in online chatter in the lead-up the show. Person A went to the gig with very high expectations and [...]