Tech News June 2010
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1. Music piracy unstoppable, Universal admits
Francis Keeling, the head of digital at Universal Music Group International, world's largest music company, has admitted that piracy cannot be stopped. "To try and set that as an objective is just not going to succeed.” He suggests a better strategy is to make piracy socially unacceptable. (Source: BBC News)
2. New York Philharmonic Uses Viral Marketing
The New York Philharmonic marketing department’s lead-up publicity to its May 27 through 29 concerts of György Ligeti’s opera, Le Grand Macabre, included mysterious emails with “Alan Gilbert” in the subject line and the word “Nekrotzar” in the return address. The messages linked to three humorous, newly created YouTube videos featuring New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert and a mysterious figure in black with the titles “The Maestro,” “The Hero,” and “The Ice Cream Man.” (Source: YouTube)
3. Royal Opera House goes 3D
The Royal Opera House announced that it will be the ''first opera house to film and distribute full-length productions in 3D for a mass audience.'' The first work to get the 3D treatment will be Bizet's Carmen, which will be filmed in June for release this autumn. (Source: The Telegraph)
4. 9 Ways Nonprofits Can Excel Using Social Media
Beth Kanter was the keynote speaker for the recent Bay Area Microsoft/TechSoup Global Connection Day and has shared her presentation on the most effective ways fpr nonprofit organizations to use social media principles to achieve institutional objectives. (Source: Beth’s Blog)
5. Cory Doctorow: Publish books free online
In an essay in The Guardian about the impact of digital technology, author and blogger Cory Doctorow suggests that “the problem for artists isn't piracy – it's obscurity.” He says “it's very hard to monetize fame, but impossible to monetize obscurity. That's not to say that if everyone's heard of it, you'll make a fortune, but it is a necessary precursor that your work be well-known to earn you a living. If you are building a business model that says that people can only copy things with your permission, your business is going to fail because whether or not you like it, people will be able to copy your product without your permission. The question is: what are you going to do about that? Are you going to call them thieves or are you going to find a way to make money from them? The only people who really think that it's plausible to reduce copying in the future seem to be the analogue economy, the people who built their business on the idea that copying only happens occasionally and usually involves a giant machine and some lawyers. People who are actually doing digital things have the intuitive knowledge that there's no way you're going to stop people from copying and they've made peace with it. (Source: The Guardian)
6. Apple Is Said to Face Inquiry About Online Music
The Justice Department is examining Apple’s tactics in the market for digital music, and its staff members have talked to major music labels and Internet music companies, according to several people briefed on the conversations. The antitrust inquiry is in the early stages, these people say, and the conversations have revolved broadly around the dynamics of selling music online. But people briefed on the inquiries also said investigators had asked in particular about recent allegations that Apple used its dominant market position to persuade music labels to refuse to give the online retailer Amazon.com exclusive access to music about to be released. (Source: The New York Times)
7. Audiences, and Hollywood, Flock to Smartphones
As Hollywood shrinks its films and television shows for the small screens of cellphones, its assumptions about mobile viewing are being upended by surprisingly patient consumers. The assumption was that mobile phone users would not be willing to watch more than short video clips on their small screens. Owners of iPhones and other smartphones, however, are actually watching long episodes and sometimes complete films, so a growing number of media companies are vying for people’s mobile attention spans. Some TV shows, like “The Office” on NBC.com, are streamed at no charge now, but there is a gnawing fear among media companies that they may be leaving money on the table by relying solely on revenue from advertising. And there is always the concern that the new platforms could cannibalize the companies’ core businesses. Accordingly, much of the mobile TV experimentation is happening on the paid side, through packages sold by individual carriers like AT&T and Verizon and through subscription services that will be coming soon. (Source: The New York Times)
8. Will the Internet Kill Traditional Car Radio?
Internet music services like Pandora, Slacker and Last.fm, already popular with computer and smartphone owners, are being tailored by software developers, consumer electronics companies and even automakers to work more seamlessly with car stereo systems. So, while video didn’t end up killing the radio star, this time the Internet might just succeed.
The devices responsible for this trend are smartphones like Apple’s iPhone, RIM’s line of BlackBerrys and phones using the Android software developed by Google. These handsets all have free applications that play customized music channels streamed over the Internet using the phone’s 3G wireless data connection. The services are generally free, although smartphone owners typically pay about $30 a month on top of regular voice service for unlimited data usage. The attraction is that rather than being shackled to the same old hits from local radio stations, listeners can customize the music channel to suit their tastes. But using such a service on a phone in the car usually meant looking away from the road to switch channels or skip a song on the phone — a major distraction. So companies are marrying these services to existing in-car controls, essentially making it no different than switching between 1010 WINS and Q104.3. (Source: The New York Times)
9. Remaining Canadian Opera Company Performances Broadcast On CBC Radio 2
In fall 2009, the Canadian Opera Company reached an agreement with the artists of the company and the various unions and associations to record all seven operas in its 2009/2010 season. As producer of the broadcasts, and in conjunction with its Broadcast Partner, CBC Radio 2, each opera in the COC’s 2009/2010 season will be aired nationally on CBC Radio 2 and Radio-Canada’s Espace Musique. Through CBC’s Concerts on Demand, select operas from the 2009/2010 season will be available for internet streaming on the COC website, coc.ca, and the complete season on CBC Concerts on Demand, cbc.ca/radio2 and Espace Musique, radio-canada.ca/espace_musique. As a special treat, online listeners of the Carmen (June 12) broadcast on coc.ca can participate in a fun and interactive live chat session beginning at 1 p.m. This chat is designed to enhance the listening experience by connecting opera fans with each other. (Source: Canadian Opera Company)
10. Europe to Offer 5-Year Plan for Telecom Industry
Neelie Kroes, the new European commissioner for the digital agenda, plans to introduce a five-year plan for the telecommunications industry in Europe, encompassing issues like digital copyright, data protection, net neutrality and e-commerce. Her goal, she has said, is to create a functioning single European Union market for telecommunications, one that will let people speak, send text messages and use the Internet from anywhere in the bloc’s 27 nations without paying exorbitant fees to mobile operators. (Source: The New York Times)
11. New Sirius XM radio Classical Crossover Show
Peter Cummings, a real estate executive, philanthropist and passionate lover of classical music, has been working with the staff at Sirius XM radio to create a show linking classical music to other more popular and contemporary music forums. The show is called Linked and will be heard on Sirius XM Pops, Channel 77 on XM and Channel 79 on Sirius. Cumming’s guest for the inaugural show is Sting, who is soon to embark on his first world tour backed by a symphonic orchestra. New shows will be broadcast monthly and will be supported by a new website, www.linkedonline.com . (Source: LinkedOnline.com )
12. Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra offers free streamed recordings
The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra has launched a site that allows fans to listen to a handful of SPCO recordings free and on demand (no downloads). (Source: StarTribune.com)