June 2007
June 29, 2007
MySpace is dead, long live Facebook
Like everyone else, it seems, I've joined Facebook.
I've been a member for about 3 or 4 weeks, and in that time I've been silently cursed, had a sheep thrown at me, been turned into a Zombie and been poked more times than I care to remember. I've baked cakes, thrown a few sheep back, written and drawn grafitti on various friends' walls. I've also found myself updating my Facebook status by mobile on the bus while on the way home from a big night out (not recommended).
You might surmise that there's been a bit of time wasting, and you'd be right, although I'd claim that participating fully is an essential part of my research.
But it's not all fun and games. I've joined some groups and taken part in group discussions. Today I set up a group for some ex-colleagues to share some of the fun times we had working together. I've searched and found a few old friends and although I don't necessarily want to keep in close contact with all of them it's nice to see what they're up to.
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June 27, 2007
Rudyard, I salute youI've been so busy on facebook that I almost failed to notice that one of my old colleagues is upping the ante on Virgin Digital's blog.
Writing under the moniker rudyard, my ex-compatriot (whose identity must be protected) has been providing some ace musings in the name of customer service. Check out the latest here.
June 14, 2007
Less control, more customersFollowing its foray into unprotected music files, Apple has now entered into a deal with Bebo that allows Bebo's members to purchase iTunes tracks directly from artists pages in Bebo.
After a period where not much happened, the music industry is on hyperdrive, with other labels considering joining EMI in removing DRM, Amazon announcing an MP3-only music download service, Peter Gabriel's new We7 venture offering ad-supported music and 7Digital re-launching its service with 1 million of its 2 million tracks in MP3 format (and from 50p).
The common theme is that all of these services are giving their customers more control over what they do with the music they buy. And this is just the start. I keep harping on about it, but while the subscription model hasn't caught on yet, the day will come when someone comes up with a model that offers free access to a couple of million tracks on a subscription basis - then watch it fly.
June 12, 2007
Apple movie rentals - music next?The FT reports that Apple is in discussions with Hollywood movies studios on making films available to rent over the Internet via its iTunes Store.
A film would cost $2.99 for a 30 day rental and could be transferred to an iPod for viewing during the rental period.
Mark my words, this is another step on the way to an iTunes subscription service for music.
