The Long Tail and What It Means to Your Career

I’m pretty sure this concept has been discussed but for those of you who like watching videos this is the one for you.
Professor, producer, and entrepreneur George Howard discusses the concept of “The Long Tail,” which describes how changing technologies and business processes are changing the long-term sales patterns of many types of products, and applies its lessons to the music business of today and tomorrow.

Here is the video

Read the article “The Long Tail” here:

I am fairly certain I have trashed Ms.Winehouse on this very blog in the past - I have issues with those displaying clear talent choosing to get twisted out of their trees instead and she has been an easy target for such attacks. I will digress on such attacks for now and support her stand on raising awareness about breast cancer with young women.

I lost my mom to breast cancer, and while not quite 24 [she was 42 when first diagnosed] I can speak to the need for for women of any age to be aware and take the time for regular self examinations and doctor visits when appropriate. Working for the Canadian Cancer Society I meet young girls [young children] to seniors fighting cancer - their is no age limit or requirement when it comes to cancer invading your body. And anyone’s odds when fighting cancer are greatly improved with early detection.

Moodily strumming a guitar in the nude, with only two pieces of duct tape and a strategically placed musical instrument to protect her modesty, Amy Winehouse is the epitome of rock’n'roll style in a new series of images taken to raise awareness of breast cancer among young women.

The black and white portrait shows the Rehab chanteuse performing one of her sultry sets in a basement studio. “I feel it’s so important that people understand breast cancer affects young people as well as older women,” says the 24-year-old.

Via Hello Magazine

Something a little lighter than the previous film post…..looking forward to checking this out - future gift for my brother-in-law perhaps as well.

This movie angered me, possibly broke a small piece of my heart and filled me with hope and awe over the power of music.

Set in Northern Uganda, a country ravaged by more than two decades of civil war, WAR/DANCE tells the story of Dominic, Rose, and Nancy, three children whose families have been torn apart, their homes destroyed, and who currently reside in a displaced persons camp in Patongo. When they are invited to compete in an annual music and dance competition, their historic journey to their nation’s capital is also an opportunity to regain a part of their childhood and to taste victory for the first time in their lives.

14 year old Dominic had this to say in the opening minutes of the film [which was also beautifully shot on location] on the importance of music:

In our daily lives their must be music. In everything we do, if there is music, life becomes good. That’s why I want to be part of music.

Watch the film and tell me you wouldn’t want to grab that kid [or any of them in the film] and hug the hell out of him and then have a mad jam!

The film reminds me of Daniel Levitin’s book, This is Your Brain on Music, from which the following quote comes from:

No known human culture now or anytime in the recorded past lacked music.

There is something universal and powerful about music and I feel fortunate enough to be part of it (and also not to have endured what these children and their families have).

I don’t want to give too much of the movie away but here is just one example of what these children have been left to deal with [copied from PopMatters review of the film):

The film illustrates a story told by Rose, a singer. Initially, the camera takes her point of view, running through a field in the sunlight, her hand trailing over the tall grasses. This pleasant perception is interrupted when Rose recalls LRA soldiers taking her to see a large pot, near a “big tree” swarmed by ants and flies: “It was so ugly,” she says, as the camera shows close-ups of bugs. “The soldiers,” she says, “removed heads one by one from the pot. I recognized my parents. When I saw my mother’s head being pulled from the pot, I felt like I was losing my mind… There is nothing more I can say.”

You really should see this movie.

Kudos to Th!nk Films for producing the movies they do - high quality productions that entertain while making you think and are almost guaranteed to get a response of some sort from you.

Have you heard the latest one about Nine Inch Nails…..
I understand if you might be confused, am I referring to his recent instrumental release Ghosts?
Or is it the singles he has released in the past week?
Well both good points but I am now listening to a brand new - complete album - we’re talking “real” songs here with lyrics that was just released for FREE - in every conceivable format you could want.
And after one listen through - it is solid. [Complete album details at end of post]:

as a thank you to our fans for your continued support, we are giving away the new nine inch nails album one hundred percent free, exclusively via nin.com.

the music is available in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE. your link will include all options - all free. all downloads include a PDF with artwork and credits.

for those of you interested in physical products, fear not. we plan to make a version of this release available on CD and vinyl in july. details coming soon.

Oh - and beyond that there is the spin on live shows he is trying:

Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails announced on Monday that the band has secured very limited allotments of “the guaranteed best possible seats” to every headlining show on the band’s upcoming tour, and will make them available for sale via NIN.com. Fans must register under their real names for the tickets, which will come personalized with the purchaser’s name that matches a photo ID presented at “designated will calls at separate entrances to be used exclusively by NIN.com pre-sale ticket holders.”