Your iPie - is there harmony?

Fred Jacobs has stumbled across a study that has a very interesting find.

I keep preaching that your media 'pie' (radio, tv, newspaper, iPod, internet, cellphones etc) is getting smaller by the day. There is so much more out there today than there was 10 years ago for us to digest, but we have no more hours in a day to consume it all, so our media pie becomes smaller, and our chosen sources take a smaller share of the pie.

Future generations will be tech-savvy no doubt and will perhaps become less loyal and desensitized to shock antics by, billboards, tv, radio - any media that tries to target them. They will simply be less reponsive, as their needs are already met.

But, has everything already been done in rock n roll? No.

This new study by LPSOS has revealed that radio's place in our media pie has indeed shrunk, but with iPod users in the US, almost 50% of those surveyed would like a built in AM/FM tuner on their iPod. This is a surprise. Wether Apple responds favourably to this feedback remains to be seen.


I'm thinking it could be a positive addition, that is, if the record industry jumps on board. Radio can still be the promotional tool for them, and the 'sharing' and 'purchasing' will remain present for the consumer. If Apple include this, and perhaps develop a portable online capability, then on-the-go downloads and online streaming will add to this platform.

This is an American survey though, and things like digital radio are hard to compare and measure in relation to NZ's non-digital radio environment, however as NZ will have free digital TV uptake in the next few years, television will certainly be measurable against iPod video.

C4 goes down the gurgler

Oh dear, c'mon C4 - you're too easy to knock!
My case is simply this: Quality TV for your audience.

I was directed to watch C4's "Insert Video Here" where Dai Henwood was "hittin da streetz" asking people a range of cheese-infused questions "What's your favourite cheese", "Who is your favourite cheesy actor", trying cheesy pick up lines etc. I couldn't manage to discern which way Dai's humour was intended. Sorry, it wasn't funny. In between these segments, the music videos were allegedly the 'cheesiest videos'.

C4 is thick with bad grammar, Dai is not the only one introducing bleeped expletives and arrogance to the network - the major flaw (aside from the David Hasselhoff song) is that nearly every "cheesy" video played on this show was a former NZ #1 hit. Yes, some looked quite dated, but you cannot dispute that many of them shaped the music industry of the time, and the roll on effects are still echoed today.

Here are the clips I caught:
U Can't Touch This, When Will I Be Famous, Ice Ice Baby, The Way You Make Me Feel, Living On A Prayer, Faith, Centrefold...

Arrggghhhh the ignorance!

C4 were off base tonight. Perhaps to connect with your audience, why not work inside a time period they know something about.... say the last ten years?

Research may have had us eyeballing Aqua, Backstreet Boys, Rednex, Spice Girls, S Club 7, True Bliss, Las Ketchup or hell, even Crazy Frog again. Yes, they all reached number 1 (somehow), but at least C4's music vs audience positioning would have been accurate. Maybe I would have changed the channel much quicker, with an understanding of why I did so.

Thank god for intelligence at Sky's JuiceTV and J2. By all indicators, MTV is gonna bury C4 come August 18th.

Another movie about Michael Jackson?

Are we beyond the point of caring?

Firstly today, we get the news about George Michael, now I hear about a new movie in production about the controversial life of Michael Jackson.
"Smooth Criminal: The Michael Jackson Story" is said to cover his Jackson5 years, plastic surgery and solo success in the 80s and the legal battles, and decline of album sales that began in the early 90s, and still continue.

Whats interesting about his, is he plans to assist the movie, but has no control of the content. The "teaser trailer" is out now, although it offers little.

Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal ogg/2Mb/1988
Michael Jackson - Cheater ogg/1.9Mb/2003

Get off the pot, George!

MEGA-RICH pop superstar George Michael this week sank to new levels of depravity—trawling for illegal gay sex thrills in a London park.

Investigators caught the singer red-handed and red-faced as he emerged from the bushes after cavorting with a pot-bellied, 58-year-old, jobless van driver.

When challenged George, 43, was wild-eyed and trembling. Trying to hide his face under a baseball cap, he screamed:

"I don't believe it! F*** off! If you put those pictures in the paper I'll sue!" - News of the World

You landed on 'chance'. Go back 8 years. awwww crap.

George Michael - Amazing ogg/1.9Mb/2004
George Michael - An Easier Affair ogg/2Mb/2006
George Michael - Freeek! ogg/2Mb/2004
George Michael - Outside ogg/2.1Mb/1998
George Michael - Somebody To Love ogg/2.2Mb/1993

Fly Me!

Air New Zealand has upgraded its order for four Boeing 787-8 planes due for delivery in 2009 to four 787-9 planes – making it the launch purchaser for that model.

The first plane will now be delivered to New Zealand just before Christmas 2010 and is expected to be the first of the model out of the assembly plant.

Boeing, Air New Zealand and engine-maker Rolls-Royce, held a ceremonial signing yesterday in which Air NZ converted its order for four 787-8 airplanes to four 787-9 airplanes.

The 787-9 is the biggest version available of the 787 Dreamliner and has a list price of $183 million. The 787-9 is capable of carrying up to 290 passengers on routes of 15,900km-16,300km, according to Boeing.

In light of this news...

Dear Trademe,

I was just thinking - it would be awesome if you offered flights on Trade Me as well. We're all looking for the best deal around, and this would be a great addition to your awesome site!

Future flyer,

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Aeroplane (Clean Mix) ogg/1.9Mb/1996

Springdoo-it

Springdoo is going to change the way the world emails. It is going to revolutionize email in the way email revolutionized faxes, and faxes revolutionized the postal system.

They say Springdoo is talking email.

I find that in emails, its hard to put across your personal feelings. You have to carefully script what you say. Some people use emoticons but as you'll find out, this app should put all those annoying emoticon companies out of business. I sent myself a dummy message (in a Schwarzenegger accent too) and it worked really well. Too well.


Here's what you need. A webcam, and a mic. You don't need a video capture card and software, and you dont have to worry about file type, compression, codec and size. Grandma won't want to know that stuff anyway.

Go try it. Send yourself a quick hello. Then if you like it, send someone else a quick hello.

Adam Sandler

The trailer for Happy Gilmore has been playing for the last 4-5 days, and watching it again tonight was fun. This movie came out in 1996, and it gave us a twinkling to Adam Sandlers sense of humour, which was to break through in a big way two years later with "The Wedding Singer".

I've admired how he can star in a romantic movie the girls will like, yet be a rage filled maniac that guys will like, yet somehow its sweet to the girls. That's what's made him rich. I also like how he's the most non-80s personality out there, yet most of his movie soundtracks contain kick-ass songs from the 70s and 80s.

Click was a great film, even if the plot was thin ice. Why does radio not play these songs anymore?

Adam is working on his next movie which sees "the attack from 9/11 kill his family, and by chance he bumps into his old college roommate who helps him recover from his grief". I don't know if this will be his finest work, but its noble. Another movie he's working on is about two Philadelphia firefighters who "pretend to be gay in order to receive extra cash from the government" - now that sounds like a bloody funny movie. He starts filming next month.

The trailer that promoted Happy Gilmore all week on TV2 contained a groovy song by Pilot - the Scottish band who peaked around 1975. The song was "Magic" so here it is for you to download - just in case you were curious.

Oh, this weekend TV2 have gone nutso with Little Nicky on Saturday night and 50 First Dates Sunday Night.

Adam Sandler's Homepage

Pilot - Magic ogg/1.2Mb/1975

Deep Obsession

By 2003, Deep Obsession had parted company with both their founding producer and songwriting partner Christopher Banks, original member Vanessa Kelly, and record label Universal Music.

What a way to start this post.

I enjoyed their music, and saw them perform live at nightclubs to school events. Zara and Vanessa were a breath of fresh air to NZ's mostly rock based history. Their high-energy dance tracks fitted their modern club-chick image, and got them noticed by NZ radio quite quickly in the late 90s, thanks to the help of Kim Adamson at Auckland's More FM (its was very different to what it is today), gaining airplay nationwide on More FM and the ZM network. Most of the local HOT AC stations back then like KCC, Energy FM, Coastline FM, 4XO played their singles as well.

They had great success in New Zealand. "Lost In Love" was their first single in 1998 - a cover of the classic Air Supply song (from 1980), and upon first hearing it, I thought it was an international artist. It went #1 and was a great surprise to many as they were the first unsigned New Zealand group to receive widespread commercial radio airplay, let alone a numebr one single. They quickly became the first NZ group to sign with Universal Music. I would say 1999-2000 would have been the busiest time for Deep Obsession. Singles 2+3 came out in 1999. "Cold" and "One And Only". They both went to #1. Based on feedback I had through More FM while I worked there, I think most of New Zealand loved the songs, but had no idea they were two kiwi girls, nor did they know anything about original third member Christopher Banks who had left after the first single.

Then came the support singles "You Got The Feeling" in 2000 and "I Surrender" in 2001. Three years of music from one album would have been tough to promote, had they not released remixes of the singles to keep them fresh. If you find a copy of their platinum debut album "Infinity", all singles are different to the album versions except "Lost In Love" which is only longer in length. The singles were remixed for the UK and US radio markets. They do this, because production techniques change all the time. If a 1998 version of a song was released in 2002, it would sound dated. The remixes in my opinion are far superior to the album versions and I believe this was not only a wise move by the girls and their record company at the time, it also kept their music fresh without compromising their very "grown up" lyrics. That's one thing I really enjoyed about Deep Obsessions music. Zara Clarke's songwriting was awesome. Subject matter relates to a mid-30s woman, not a pubescent teenager, however their image and energy effectively kept them "cool" with the kids.

I was not keen on the new "DeepObsession" from 2002 onward. Apparently the record company did the nasty on them, Vanessa bit the bullet and left to release her own awesome single "Moving". Why did no-one pick THAT up? I will have a copy of that for you soon, in a separate post. Anyway, this left Zara bound to the contract with Universal, so she brought in Charlie, and opted to modify Deep Obsessions sound toward a more 'mature sound', also making their name one word "DeepObsession". Hence they've vanished into a chapter of NZ music history, likely never to be seen again.

I worked with their short-term manager around 2001 and assisted with four new demos for their 2nd album. I even spent my own time remixing one of the demos to "pop single" standard, as a xmas present which never got to Zara somehow. (It even had a guitar solo by Satellite Spies guitarist Deane Sutherland).

I hold hope for Zara and Vanessa to continue with what they respectively do best. Zara has an amazing voice, and can pen great lyrics. I believe Vanessa to be very savvy and an exceptional performer. Wikipedia reports Vanessa has moved into a jazz vein with her music and will be recording a jazz album in England in August. Kewl!

Deep Obsession - Lost In Love (Radio Edit) ogg/2.1Mb/1998
Deep Obsession - Cold (Radio Version) ogg/1.8Mb/1999
Deep Obsession - One & Only (UK Radio Edit) ogg/1.6Mb/1999
Deep Obsession - You Got The Feeling (UK Radio Edit) ogg/1.4Mb/2000
Deep Obsession - I Surrender (U.S Mix) ogg/1.3Mb/2001
DeepObsession - Miracles ogg/1.6Mb/2002

Mmm Mmm Yeah Yeah

Some things new!

The Competition [to Trademe] [to Flathunt]
Sick of Microsoft? Take the leap and go Linux for FREE:
(Ubuntu OS)(nz only download)
Madonna's "Chillout" (torrent)

Shapeshifter - Bring Change ogg/1.7Mb/2006

I Like Birds

She's become fond of her tuis, but they've flown away from Bic Runga on her latest pixie single - a cover of Marc Almond's "Somethings Gotten Hold Of My Heart".

Viva will play it as they have no format.
Kiwi wouldn't not with their new goals. Where is Kiwi by the way? its July already.

Bic Runga - Somethings Gotten Hold Of My Heart ogg/1.7Mb/2006
Marc Almond (feat. Gene Pitney) - Somethings Gotten Hold Of My Heart ogg/2Mb/1989