New Model for the Old Model Recording Boys

It seems like YouTube is finally emerging with a business model, well, I don’t know if its for YouTube, or for others. Universal Music seems to be generating a substantial piece of change from its partnership with YouTube:

“(YouTube) is not like radio, where it’s just promotional,” said Caraeff, who heads up Universal’s digital group. “It’s a revenue stream, a commercial business. It’s growing tremendously. It’s up almost 80 percent for us year-over-year in the U.S. in terms of our revenue from this category.”"(YouTube) is not like radio, where it’s just promotional,” said Caraeff, who heads up Universal’s digital group. “It’s a revenue stream, a commercial business. It’s growing tremendously. It’s up almost 80 percent for us year-over-year in the U.S. in terms of our revenue from this category.”

This is encouraging for the recording industry, as the old model of CD’s are dying, and record labels need to find creative/new ways to market their products. For 2008, Universal Music artists dominate the most watched viewed videos on YouTube; and Universal shares the advertising revenue with YouTube. Last week, Warner Music canceled a partnership agreement with Youtube over copyright issues. What Warner music needs to understand is that in this day of age, vigilantly trying to protect the availability of ‘free music’ will have adverse side effects; labels need to embrace the digital technology, as Universal Music is saying that Youtube is actually increasing its album sales.

Hopefully, the other record labels will get hip to this trend, and find better ways to market their music than on an oddly shaped plastic disc.

.:: LiBM ::.

The Aspirator

Dealing with Negative Energy

Been in a creative slump for a minute; projects that I want to finish, I keep putting off.  I don’t know why I do such things because it only leads to an increased level of aggravation and disdain for the world around me.  I find myself at times scared to act, creating excuses to not act – I am troubled.  And I think I know why; my procrastination is a fear of failure; fearing that my works will not live up to the expectations – internal and external.  Internally, I have supernova expectations for myself; I should be running this web 2.5 (yes 2.5, not 2.0) game, but I find myself trailing to keep pace with other candidates.  I have been a part of companies that have seen its depths and valleys, but I guess the most recent valley has some soggy, wet mud that restricts my forward movement.  I tell myself that I am over such debacles, though not understanding fully to why it ‘fell apart’, but I have enough closure to realize that going forward is the only option.  In the same breath, I have been a team player in a league, while also developing my own league – I have put off my own creative projects for others.  Saying to myself that I will find time for my own league, but I keep putting off, and off, and off.  And when I do have time for my own projects; we go back to the beginning of this therapy blog – the creative slump. 

Several things affect my mood, I could list several, but I think the main one that affects me is ‘energy’.  Not energy in the sense of stamina/concentration, but those around you; negative people, people always complaining at you, criticizing you, as an adverse affect.  On the one hand, it has made me resilient, and has allowed me to handle/deal with certain people and situations, but for creativity, negativity is definitely not advantageous – I have not found any way to channel the negativity into a positive form.  I’ve tried mentally reframing the negativity, and other psychological techniques, but it has not worked.  So I guess the best thing is to move away from such ‘energy’, as it really is ’sucking’ the life out of me (creatively speaking), or to try to work it out with the energy source.  And that is where ‘aspiration’ comes into play; and the interplay between my strong, desire, and longing to get ‘creatively busy’ and my foe (negative energy).  I truly think that my goals, my objectives are stronger than any negative force out there, but putting a timeframe on when such goals will crush the negative energy, well, that time duration seems to be dragging. 

However, I will find a catalyst to speed it up – internally or externally, or else I will go maad. 

.:: LiBM ::.

Ads are now watching You

Measuring Advertisement Effectiveness

Starting in January in Japan, an advertising firm will place an interesting piece of technology above an advertisement in a public place.   NTT Communications will use a system to track the effectiveness of ads; a representative said that the system will “… automatically measure the effectiveness of the advertisements we can put a camera and PC nearby, and by using the image from the camera we can estimate how many people are looking at the monitor.”  With facial recognition technology, the system can detect how many people are actually engaged with the advertisement; which is an interesting concept because up to now, advertising rates were based on estimated viewership/traffic in a certain area, this technology could easily change how advertising rates are structured because now, advertising agencies can actually measure the effectiveness of an ad, and can now give accurate number on how many people actually were engaged with a specific advertisement.  The privacy groups will cry foul saying that this is another example of ‘Big Brother’ watching over us, which they may have a valid point, but as long as the technology is only being used to detect faces, and not being transferred to government agencies for other uses, then I say that the technology should flourish as it gies a whole new dynamic to measuring effectiveness of advertisements.

.:: LiBM ::.

The eternal battle with ‘time’

 
I don’t like time, it sits there ticking and tocking – second after second, minute after minute. Throughout the day, I have to consult with time to do every and anything – to see if time agrees with my proposed actions. I have pervasive feeling that time is not my friend, it is my ‘frenemy’; when times are tough it is against me, when I got deadlines approaching it is against me, and when I need more time to do something, it shows no mercy. Furthermore, time always seems to make good times go by fast, and for excruciating events go by at a turtle pace – time has a dynamic way of being sadistic (and not in the S&M way). Because of you ‘time’, I don’t know how to really relax – I always feel that there are a bunch of things behind me that are chasing me; things that I have to deal with, resolve, and rectify. Even in my sleep, I can not escape these things that chase me, and the chase only really ends ‘in a matter of time’, when I deal with the situation; but that is not the end of the chase, because where one thing stops, another one continues, or in my case, a new problem is created. Oh time, you create a burden on me that leads me to believe of ‘impending somethingness’, of which I must deal with.

I disdain you time, last time that I enjoyed time was …. I really got to think far back, but I remember a time around this summer where I went up North in the woods to a cottage. Nothing but clear skies, open lakes, and endless rows of trees – I remember really enjoying it, and I remember that for awhile, time was not my enemy, it was my friend, as I was with friends, throwing down beers and eating BBQ food. To me, time literally stood still; as wireless devices were turned off, watches were abandoned, and all the worries I had were left on the dirt road that we rode upon to reach our relaxing destination. Its funny, all the times were I recall that I enjoyed time was when I was out of my city, on vacation; I guess I need to reassess my perspective on not how time is against me all the time, but how I can make better usage of my time.

But as with most things, ‘easier said than done’, but I am a work in progress, just like the Mona Lisa, and perfection will yield itself in a matter of time.

Custom Out-of-Office Replies

Something to make you laugh for those times at work when you went to send your superior’s head throught the TFT monitor display.

Suggestions for next time you’re out of the office and need to set up an Auto-Reply e-mail:

“I’m not really out of the office. I’m just ignoring you.”

“You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn’t have received anything at all.”

“Thank you for your email, but I am busy ‘poking’”

“When I am finished watching my pirated movie, I will respond to your inquiry”

“Sorry to have missed you but I am at the doctors having my brain removed so that I may be promoted to management”

“Your e-mail will be responded to in priority sequence, enjoy the wait”

“Thank you for your message, which has been added to an email queueing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks and 3 days.”

“I am on holiday. Your e-mail has been deleted.”

“Hi! I’m busy negotiating the salary for my new job. Please don’t bother to leave me any messages.”
“I’ve run away to join a different circus.”

“I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.”

.:: LiBM ::.