Inspire

Leona Lewis singing Run by Snow Patrol LIVE

This LIVE performance by Leona Lewis is so incredibly fantastic and out of this world that I stop trying to convey its impact with words. Dedicated to Maaike.

Benjamin Zander in action on PopTech 2008

Fantastic video showing us that thinking in possibility is the way forward. Benjamin Zander demonstrates that teaching can be uplifting and quick when having the right attitude. When you love your job, it shows.

Fantastic Video by Benjamin Zander from TED 2008 on Passion, Music and Deeper Connections

Some presentations just got it all: enchantment, passion, great insights, fabulous storytelling and flow from the start until the end. Fan-tas-tic video by Benjamin Zander below from TED. In my view this resonates strongly with the conclusions in the presentation by Jill Bolte Taylor. Both were present at TED 2008 and Jill Bolte Taylor's vid is the one of the Top 10 videos on TED. Now let's see if Mr. Zander will join her...  Finally, this weekend I saw my all-time favorite movie for the second time - La Meglio Gioventu. This 6 hour movie shows us the importance of (classical) music as well in a terrific way. Die Stille Vor Bach is one of my highlights during this years' international filmfestival Rotterdam and this movie is focusing on the importance of music as well.

Only when we are truly happy we are able to share and connect. And art in general or a stroke might boost this awareness in a positive or tragic way. Bottom-line: living with your heart.

Die Stille Vor Bach : One Highlight from IFFR 2008

Yesterday I saw a highly original, engaging and rewarding movie called Die Stille Vor Bach. If you like creativity, art, classical music and/or Bach, this one is not to be missed. It just blew my mind. Visually stunning, good conversations about the meaning and role of music in life, musical masterpieces and different references to the history of art.

Damien Rice - I Remember on Lowlands Festival 2007 (LL07)

I just returned from a great festival called Lowlands. Will be there next year for sure. Below an impression. 11 minutes of enchantment... no words left, speechless.

My Favorite Music : Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees

Amazon Sells DRM-free Music

Finally, the big players in the internet industry seem to listen to the internet audience. DRM is gone. A good day for the whole music industry. In my view all content wants to be free, to be social. Content spurs conversations and sharing. It is innate. This goes beyond Fair Use Policies. More in this link from Smart Mobs. Revenue models around music are already changing, more in this post by Yme Bosma.

"Amazon, the Internet’s most successful seller of physical CDs, today announced plans to introduce a music download store later this year, selling songs and albums in the MP3 format without the anti-copying protection used by most online music retailers."

On Free Digital Content, DRM, Bundling, Business/Revenue Models and Piracy

Chris Anderson and his readers with very insightful comments discuss DRM, piracy, (viral) marketing, digital content, cross media packaging, economics and more in this post on the Long Tail blog. I really digg the last quote below with the innovative audiobook bundle.

"As Tim O'Reilly puts it, obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy.

In principle, I'm in favor of free. Free digital products can be great marketing for a superior (or at least complimentary) analog version. In music, free digital songs can create demand for concerts. In my case, a free ebook can created demand for the actual print book or my speeches. Cory Doctorow gives away his books and says that it's a clear net positive, and even business authors such as Seth Godin have tried it for the promotional phase of a book release with success.

But an audiobook is not as clear a case for free as an ebook. Perhaps the best compromise would to be to have a code printed in each hard-copy version of the book that would allow the buyers to download a free audiobook, so they could choose whether to read the book in print or just listen to it in the car, saving the hard copy for reference. This would cost practically nothing and presumably there'd be very little overlap with the dedicated audiobook buyer, who usually don't buy the hard-copy version."

Offline and Online Data Storage: An Update

Below some quotes from The Wall Street Journal on the ambitions of Seagate and other storage companies to trade up the product portfolio and as a result to compete against different online storage providers and mobile devices like the iPod and smartphones. Nothing really special or new. Life Caching was already a trend in Asia three years (see this post from Trendwatching).

Personally I believe in the short term there is a big market for the different offline data storage solutions while in the long run (> 3 years) the online storage solutions will be the clear winners in most situations (perhaps even Gmail of Live Mail ?). Why ? Right now the bandwidth issue (speed in general and cost in terms of mobile access) stimulates the demand for easier, quicker and cheaper offline data storage solutions. More importantly, the online storage has the great benefit relative to offline solutions that it is eternal (or on most in cases ;-)) and without theft/loss possibility (leaving hacking as an option).

"Seagate will use next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to test whether users can form an emotional attachment to devices for storing their digital photos, movies and songs. Employing stylish design and useful software -- and hoping to borrow a page from Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod media player -- Seagate is hoping its new drives could even become a fashion statement for people who want to carry their data with them. It's your life, on the go.

Tom Coughlin, an industry consultant in Atascadero, Calif., estimates that the "tech savvy" home now has about 700 gigabytes of data stored on various media, including CDs, DVDs and disk drives. By 2010, the same household will have 4.5 terabytes of data on hand, he predicts. A portable model called FreeAgent Go allows users to plug into someone else's computer and immediately have access to their own personalized information, including Web favorites, contacts and passwords. When they unplug the device, they leave no trace of their private information on that computer, Seagate says."

Coldplay, Radiohead, commerce and authenticity

This post is interesting in many ways but I disagree strongly with the claim that Coldplay is changing its stance. Since the beginning (Parachutes) they are about the soul and the purity in my view is not an issue at all. The point about Radiohead might hit the mark. Nonetheless, both music groups are among of my favorites. I will be joining the London concert of Coldplay on the 27th of June, 2005. Can't wait the immerse my soul into their great sensitive music and inspiring song lyrics...

"Then, they decide that they are not being artistic enough, that they are not “pushing the envelope” hard enough. This makes them a little like medieval merchants. Once you’ve made your fortune, you start thinking about your soul. In the Coldplay case, it was time to get the "popular" out of culture. This is especially ironic because Coldplay rose to stardom because Radiohead went through the cycle. The latter committed celebrity suicide by releasing albums that were suddenly difficult, cryptic, and inaccessible. Coldplay stepped into the breach. They were the old Radiohead. Coldplay’s debut album Parachutes sold 5 million copies, and A Rush of Blood to the Head, released in 2003, sold 10 million. Chris is on the verge of a new album, X&Y. He is making those artistic noises that Radiohead made before they took their leave of the spotlight. Now that they have their capital, they are beginning to worry about their credibility."