Napster is in a tough spot: Still losing money, unable to get any traction for its core subscription service, hoping against hope that selling DRM-free downloads will somehow give it a lift. Perry Rod think he has the solution: Put him and two of his buddies on the Napster board. Well, good luck with that. But if Perry and pals do get on the board, here's what Napster CEO Chris Gorog can expect to hear about -- "specific areas of immediate concern include, but are not limited to":
- positioning, developing, and perhaps transforming, the Napster brand with a strategy that better explains and promotes the value proposition,
- further development of an in-home music solution with additional AV hardware manufacturing partners
- capturing the attention of adult music consumers who wish to avoid piracy and could benefit from multiple family members on subscription,
- utilizing the viral effects of social networking combined with streaming to promote the brand and the value proposition,
- better utilization of relatively inexpensive but creative marketing opportunities available in today's internet marketplace, and
- cost effective outsourcing opportunities.
Reading the E-Leaves With Amazon's Bezos
Condé Nast Portfolio contributing editor Kevin Maney interviewed Bezos before a packed auditorium at New York University's Stern School of Business. The following is an edited transcript.
Apple Daydreaming: Report Predicts Move Toward Home Devices
Forrester's conclusion: While much of Apple's great successes have been mobile products such as the iPod and the iPhone, the company will seek to colonize rooms throughout the home.
Among the new products Forrester predicts Apple will create are wall-mountable digital picture frames with small high-definition screens and speakers that wirelessly play media, including photos, videos and music, stored on a computer elsewhere in the home. Such products already exist, but Apple could put its own twist on them -- for example, by adding its design panache and a touch-sensitive screen that lets viewers flip from image to image with a finger swipe, a la the iPhone.
Forrester also thinks Apple could extend into the home the technical assistance currently offered by "Genius Bar" personnel in Apple retail stores. Apple in-home installation services will become especially important as its array of products for the home grows. "The complexity level here can be quite daunting if you have five or six of these different devices," says J.P. Gownder, one of the Forrester analysts who wrote the report.
Peter Gabriel's new audiophile subscription site
Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios has launched a download service with high-end British speaker manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins. It's called the B&W Music Club, and it offers exclusive monthly albums to members, recorded at Gabriel's Real World Studios in southwestern England and downloadable in a "loss-less" file format with CD-quality sound. Subscribers pay just under $67 for a year (that's about $5.60 per recording), or about $47 for a six-month run. Subscribers can download one album per month.
Recordings are dedicated live sessions and they're DRM-free. Two months after the music is offered to Music Club members, B&W will return the album rights to the artists. Right now, you'll find Skip McDonald's Little Axe album on the B&W site. B&W is also offering free trial memberships. Check the site for more details. Gabriel commented, "This collaboration with B&W is unique as far as I know. It's going to allow a lot of interesting projects to happen. For artists, Music Club is a dream proposition because they get some great time in the studio, access to really good recording facilities, and can experiment without being committed to anything or anyone beyond a month with B&W."
JamBase Adds imeem and Fuzz.com to Growing Roster of Syndication Partners: Powering Live Music Show Listings Across the Web
Fans, musicians and promoters alike require a new set of tools to accommodate this shifting business and entertainment model. In response to the increased demand for live shows and the need of music fans to find information about shows and musicians, JamBase (www.jambase.com), the largest database for live music show listings and ticket information, announced today that imeem and Fuzz.com are joining the roster of content syndication partners who will carry live show information provided by JamBase.
Through its syndication partners—which also include iConcertCal, Rhapsody and Zvents—JamBase expands the reach of its content to more than 35 million monthly unique visitors. With JamBase’s open API, developers and users can share JamBase data in various formats and locations online, making JamBase’s comprehensive live music data pervasive across the Web. Together with JamBase, these syndication partners drive a shared mission to support live music by making it easy for fans to connect.
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