The Future is Mobile

Years ago, I used to have this running debate with a friend of mine regarding which platform was going to be the dominant one in the future, Windows of Mac.  I was the Windows fan, because I felt that it was a superior business platform, and was far more ubiquitous than Mac (which I relegated to the world of artistic/design types).  My friend (the artistic/design type) was steeped in Macs (they gave them out at Princeton University), and believed that the people at Apple were on to something.

Every so often, we'd sit down and compare notes, and as the years progressed, we discovered we were both right.  Windows is still the dominant platform, installed on 95% of the world's computers.  But Mac is the dominant platform for media.  And so we called a truce to our ongoing debate, since virtually everything you could do only exclusively on one platform or the other (back in the day), could be accomplished on either today (and fairly interchangeably, read: Intel Dual Core).

The dominant platform today, as I see it, is not Windows or Mac.  Its not even computer based.  It mobile.  Period.  Full Stop.  There are more mobile phones in operation today than there are personal computers.  In 2006 browsing on mobile phones overtook browsing on PCs as the dominant way to surf the internet.  Today, virtually any task you can perform on a computer can be accomplished on a mobile device.  And smart phones, like the iPhone, Blackberry and Treo, are affording the types of business productivity, typically offered by laptops.

While there are still issues of interoperability, and lots of content, applications and functionality is not yet device or carrier agnostic, these issues are being addressed.  Unlike the clash of the titans, between Mac and Windows, mobile device manufacturer, carriers, aggregators and the like, are utilizing lots of different standards, thereby giving users lots of options.  What's more, its not likely than a single uniform standard is on the immediate horizon.

But what's of singular importance, is the fact that mobile is still a vast untapped, undefined horizon.  Its the wild wild west (Kool Moe Dee, not Will Smith).  I stay preaching about the virtues of mobile, and regularly encourage my clients to get up on it (Salt N' Pepa style).  There is soooo much money to be made by content creators and aggregators.  And there are few barriers to entry.

Mobile phones are inherently social networking tools, and so anyone interested in capturing an increasingly mobile audience, needs to start capturing mobile phone numbers (as well as email addresses) to truly stay connected.  Failing to adopt a mobile strategy, in addition to an internet or web strategy is a fatal flaw in any marketing or promotions plan.  The low price point for acquiring a mobile phone, means that an ever increasing audience is ripe for the picking for the really focused player.

At the end of the day, mobile is where its at, and where its going to be for the foreseeable future.  

The following was a public service announcement.

Coming Full Circle

I've been running into lots of former clients recently, that I used to represent before I closed my practice, who are increasingly seeking out ways to properly monetize their assets.  From producers to performance artists (rappers, singers, rockers), they are universally arriving at a stage of enlightenment that I preached back in the day.

Essentially, they have come to realize that "DIY" (Do-It-Yourself) is the order of the day.  Instead of chasing the brass ring, and holding onto the dream of a major record label deal (if you didn't get the memo, they're fairly hard to come by), I advocated putting in the work and reaping the fruits of their labor.  I could never reconcile the lopsided nature and the sheer inequity of recording agreements.  

I used to offer my clients the analogy of a mortgage when it came to signing recording or production deals.  You see, when you purchase a house and take out a mortgage, you're agreeing to repay the loan to the bank, with interest.  When your mortgage is repaid, you own the title to your house, free and clear.  But when you're lender is the record label, even when you've paid them back in full, plus interest (and the label is fully recouped), they still own your masters IN PERPETUITY (that means forever).  So there was always a negative incentive to entering a recording agreement, that never went away.

The few clients who understood my analogy were bummed, but felt that it was worth it to get the "exposure" that came with signing to a major label.  A lot of those folks are flipping burgers or telemarketing now.  Still others felt that they would be so famous and do so well that they would force the label to renegotiate their deal or they would 'find God' (as a means of forcing he label to renegotiate or lose their asset).  I don't recall getting any RIAA plaques from anyone...perhaps it got lost in the mail.  

The one group of people who got the message loud and clear were the ones who rejected those lopsided offers, and redoubled their efforts to go I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T (shout out to Webbie).  A few of those cats have sought me out for some more doses of the good business advice I was doling out back-in-the-day.  And I'm more than happy to oblige because they are well on their way to independent success.

Unlike those who think that success occurs overnight, these folks have been grinding it out, developing their personal and professional networks, tightening up their catalogues, researching publishing, digital media and distribution mechanisms, and generally honing heir business skills.  I find our interactions are light years further than we were when we first linked up, and incredibly productive.

So I'd say look out for Face Fashion, Dough Lo Entertainment, Omar Jermaine, U.G.O., and pretty much anyone else who's name gets dropped in this blog.  The mere fact that I am dealing with them is reason enough to follow my lead, but if you're looking for more, watch, wait and listen, and the proof will manifest itself right before your eyes.

Pro IP Act 0f 2007, Oh Please!

The House of Representatives just passed H.R. 4279, a bill whose stated purpose is to "enhance remedies for violations of intellectual property laws, and for other purposes."  This bill was actually borne out of an earlier Senate effort with the same stated cause.  This House bill now goes to the Senate for passage there, and its likely to pass.

The unfortunate thing about this law is that its too little too late.  Of course the RIAA and the Motion Picture Association will applaud loudly because it strengthens the penalties for anyone deemed to have infringed on the intellectual property rights of another.  And I am not one for violating anyone's IP.  I believe that content creators should eat from their labor.  But do you remember those cases, where college students (or their unsuspecting parents) were sued by the RIAA, these IP laws (and the RIAA's lawyer's unscrupulous use of the legal system) only served to severely punish the unsuspecting (and often innocent).  These enhanced penalties will only serve to drive people to be more surreptitious about how they illegally get content, not more fearful of the penalties.

Let's face it, for all of the suits brought by the RIAA, did it actually stem the tide of file-swapping?  Did people uninstall P2P applications from their computers?  Even after the Napster lawsuit, there was still Kaaza, Morpheus, Limewire, BitTorrent, etc.  There was not even a perceptible ripple in the rate at which 'illegal' downloads occurred.  Is this law, if enacted, going to stop all the unscrupulous cats who review Hollywood movies (and get digital copies in advance of theatrical releases) from making a quick buck or stop them from selling copies to bootleggers?  I think not.

I read over 4279, and its  a beast.  I'd be scared if I was bootlegging copyrighted works or other forms of IP, but thats just me.  The people this law is designed to deter and punish could care less.  They're not worried about getting caught in the first place, and they're certainly not concerned about 'enhanced' penalties.  Is it really going to make a difference to the dude in the Wendy's parking lot peddling "There Will Be Blood," or "300" that the penalties have all doubled?  Probably not.  Are mix tapes featuring copyrighted songs going to stop appearing on mixtapes?  Doubtful.

I'm not suggesting that copyright or trademark owners should simply throw up their hands in frustration or give up fighting to protect their work.  I do think that there should be more effort made to create disincentives for consumers to patronize bootleggers and less than legal means of obtaining content.  Everyone knows that the law cannot keep up with the rate at which technology is advancing.  4279 is already ten years late in my opinion, and its not even law yet!  I remember when they passed the "cybersquatting" law.  That thing had no teeth, and did it really stop the practice of people 'squatting' on domain names to which they had no valid claim (aside from the owner's misfortune of failing to renew?)?  No, not really.

I suspect that, if it becomes law, 4279 will be relegated to "too-little-too-late" status, like so much IP legislation.  Cats on Capitol Hill need to sit down with kids that are file-swapping on high school and college campuses to find out what's driving them, and then base their activities on addressing the causes, rather than wasting time 'enhancing' the penalties.

Basecamp, Get Organized

A few years ago, one of my business partners turned me on to this project management tool called Basecamp, put out by 37Signals.  For virtual businesses like mine, which rely upon multiple people in various locations always being up-to-speed, it proved to be an invaluable tool.

Basecamp is a web-based tool that lets you manage and track projects (or simply ideas) and quickly create client/project extranets.  Simply put, its a project management, collaboration and task software application.  According to their website, over 1 million people use it (and I wouldn't doubt it either).

Now I'm sure that there are other tools like Basecamp out there, although I have yet to come across them, but I felt like I was a caveman, carving messages in rock prior to my Basecamp introduction.  Simply put, Basecamp really helped me get organized, and enhanced my overall efficiency.

Not to say that I was some disorganized slob before, but its the difference between having my personal calendar, to-dos, appointments, files, emails, and various notes jotted here and there, and having all of these assorted loose ends in one place.  And the beauty of it, is that your whole organization can use it.

Basecamp is great in that it doesn't require you to learn anything new, and works with you where you are.  Alerts come directly to your email box (whichever email account you decide you want to use) and rather than having to log into some webadmin portal to respond or view messages, you can reply from within the email and your response gets posted in Basecamp.

Since being introduced to Basecamp, I've become a cheerleader for the web-based application.  I use it with all my clients and for virtually any project I take on.  It doesn't only aid individual organization, but groups as well.  We've got a network of over 60 producers world-wide.  Whenever an opportunity arises, we post up a message with all the necessary parameters, and within hours, we've got multiple submissions.

If you're already organized, then HOORAY for you, but if you're not, check out Basecamp and get organized.

You Didn't Hear This From Me

I heard through the grapevine that Kenyatta "Tally" Galbreth is moving beyond the entertainment/music industry fold into the content aggregation/distribution world.  Word on the streets is that he's been in numerous rounds of meetings with some heavy hitters and big money folks to set up his own content company.

Anyone familiar with Tally, knows that he was a former Senior Director of A&R at Sony, where he was responsible for multi-platinum acts including Jay-Z and Ghost Face Killah.  Since then, he formed his own entertainment company, Arsenal Entertainment, and has been involved in numerous major label and independent acts, including Jon B, Next and Adina Howard.

From what I've learned, the venture is called Gotham Jungle, and will offer content deliverable via OTA and the internet to PCs, mobile phones, hand held devices and gaming consoles.  So far, they've lined up deals with numerous independent artists, and they're amassing loads of content.  In addition, GJ will include some social networking and an  interactive media component as well.

There's a holding page up right now at http://www.gothamjungle.com/ with a notice that the site is being updated.  But you didn't hear it from me.

Obama vs. Hillary, What Does It All Mean

I spent most of yesterday glued to my television watching commentary about the primaries in North Carolina and Indiana.  To be honest, I think that Barak Obama is a shoe-in for the Democratic nomination, and Hillary Clinton needs to bow out gracefully.  

Throughout the day (when I wasn't in front of the set watching CNN or CSPAN), I was getting New York Times text alerts to my iPhone, with the latest tallies after the polls had closed.  I found my self oddly transfixed by the two contests, and worrying inordinately about the outcome.  Whether its Hillary or Obama or McCain for that matter (although I doubt the Democrats could flub it so badly as to permit another Republican to be at the helm), anything would be better than what we are suffering through right now (but I digress).

My point is that, instead of keeping up with Microsoft's failed bid for Yahoo (its not over, mark my words), or Qtrax's deal with UMG (allegedly its actually going down this time) or writing about the latest technology play by DJ Eddie F, Andre Harrell, James Dorsey and Lionel Ridenour (Musicwerks.com), I was transfixed by this ridiculous battle between Hillary and Barak. 

Needless to say, I shan't let that happen again.  But damn, Hillary isn't it really time to call it quits?

My iPhone Rocks!

Ever since the iPhone was released, people have been heatedly debating its virtues (and shortcomings).  One of its obvious flaws is that it just doesn't do everything that less sophisticated (and less expensive) smart phones do right out of the box.  For example, why can't I capture video with my iPhone (without a hack app)?  Why can't I create (or at the very least) edit documents on my phone?  Why can't I get a decent internet connection (and why is the Edge network as slow as molasses moving uphill on a sunny day)?

But on the flip side, its benefits are too numerous to drop here, so I won't bore you with effusive iPhone praise.  Suffice to say, while its no crack--I mean Blackberry, and doesn't support push email, its still one of the hottest devices out.

Now my comments are well out of time, in terms of anyone really caring about my iPhone two cents, but my iPhone really does rock, and I'm going to be on the iPhone bandwagon until someone comes out with something markedly better.  Now I say all that having been a die-hard Treo whore.  When the Treo dropped, Handspring/Palm could do no wrong.  I was pimping Treos from the gate.  I had the 180.  Then I copped the 270.  From there it was the 370, then the 600, then the 650 (am I missing one?)  

Needless to say, I was whipped.  I loved everything you could do with the Treos, the syncing with my Entourage over the air, typing with the full qwerty keyboard or using the stylus (when I was in the mood).  I was a wiz with the camera and captured some priceless vids with it as well.  I was playing mp3s and generally living la vida loca before I answered the siren song of the iPhone.

Once I got my iPhone, I dumped my Treo like a bad habit.  I was smitten, and my former love never again invaded my thoughts.  I was surfing the internet like I was sitting in front of my G4 (albeit with a really small screen) and I loved that whole two-finger expand/contract thing.  I was watching movies on my iPhone (MOVIES!!!!)  I mean, c'mon, really?  Can you really be mad at the iPhone?  I was texting, emailing, reading documents and pdfs, and I totally couldn't see how I had survived without the iPhone in my life.

Whenever I see Treos today, I think, "perhaps one day you'll graduate to the big leagues, poor sap."  I know that Treo owners universally long to feel the cool, sleek weight of an iPhone in their palms.  I feel their eyes gently caressing my iPhone whenever I pull it out to answer a call, check an email or simply watch a video.  They don't want to look, but they must.  But hey, what can I say?  My iPhone rocks!

Today was a HookUp day

HookUp.  HookUp.  HookUp.  Get the HookUp.  Its been my mantra for the past six months.  One of the companies I am involved with, DOT.TUNES, is preparing for the release of our latest product, HookUp, which is an application which allows you to connect to other iTunes libraries remotely.

HookUp enables streaming and downloading of music & movies directly through the iTunes interface. HookUp enables the user to play and download from every computer running iTunes in a remote network, and to download from every iTunes in a local network. 

HookUp also allows sharing with unlimited friends/users, and even remote iPhoto sharing. It has an intuitive interface that shows who’s connected, as well as all the libraries that you can access. In addition, it has an iTunes toolbar, from which you can initiate downloads, monitor activity and access available shares. HookUp shares show up in iTunes, in the same way that local shares do.

I'm going to be pimping HookUp until the chickens come home to roost, so expect to see frequent mentions of everything HookUp related.  If you're interested in what this HookUp hoopla is all about, you can check it out here http://www.dottunes.net.  Its also available at your local neighborhood download sites, 

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/27442/hookup, http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/34332 and http://www.download.com/HookUp/3000-2312_4-10838829.html?tag=lst-1&cdlPi, so you can cop it there as well.

We're probably slated for a few promotions in the upcoming months, so check those sites out for discounts on the download plug-in, which enables downloading from all of your connected shares.

What's the word?  HOOKUP!

Its Now or Never

I've been intending to put my thoughts down for years.  After several aborted starts, I've committed myself to sitting at this computer daily, and really pushing this agenda forward.  

Some background is appropriate.  I am a former attorney who has been in the entertainment/media/technology space for as long as I can remember.  In my youth, I used to hang out backstage at concerts with Nas, Biz Markie, Mary  J. Blige, Special Ed, A Tribe Called Quest, and countless others.  I'm sure none of these people, if pressed would have recalled meeting or even seeing me at any of the D.C. haunts, where they made their bones before hitting superstardom, but that's not my point.

I've worked on cybersquatting cases, filed a lawsuit against Funkmaster Flex, beta tested Russell Simmons' Global Grind, developed media delivery kiosks with Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center and created digital distribution platforms with software developers from Australia (and this is really a top-of-the-dome recollection of some of the things I have done or been involved with).

I offer that to show that my opinions (and those I will offer in the future) are grounded in experience.  A lot of bloggers, reporters (and really  people generally) will give their two-cents from a particularly detached perspective, leaving the reader no wiser.  My hope is that anyone reading my blog or anything else published by me is singularly informed, and can practically apply what they read about.

Most of what you'll read here will be about things that I am actually doing (to the extent that its not covered by some oppressive NDA), and/or things that are of particular interest to me.  You'll find, though, that I regularly interact with some of the most influential (and/or up-and-coming) personalities and businesses in the digital, technology and new media spaces.  Sometimes you'll know who I'm talking about, sometimes you won't.  But I'll always try to put whatever it is that I'm doing or writing about into some practical perspective.

What will I be talking about?  The iPhone, iTunes, iPods, DOT.TUNES, the Marksmen, Capitol Records, mobile phones and computing, recording artists, record labels, digital distribution, ringtones, the state of the music industry and why the RIAA is dying (or already dead), Live Nation, 360 deals, Gino Green, Omar Jermain, Selwyn Hinds, Russell Simmons, Global Grind, software, hardware, CEOs and CTO, virtually anything and everything relevant to the Digital Black Experience.

Oh yeah.  Why did I call this the Digital Black Experience?  Well, for starters, I wanted a name that I was certain people wouldn't forget.  I also wanted something that sounded great and had some brand appeal.  Since I am a person of color, I also wanted to be able to play with words, but not pigeon-hole myself into being perceived as a "black" blogger (although I do not eschew the association).  In the final analysis, I really wanted to call it 'digital black' full stop.  But that url was taken, so I decided upon the next best thing.