“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results…”
Well, if that’s true, than the key to creativity may be disrupting one’s routine. That is the focus of Frank Barrett‘s new book, Yes to the Mess. In it, he describes how chaos can lead to incredible creative breakthroughs, such as when Miles Davis challenged his musicians for the recording of Kind of Blue. Check out this video of Barrett expanding upon this theory, both in regards to music as well as business leadership. Here.
The sprawling entertainment and sports conglomerate that is AEG is now for sale, according to information confirmed by parent Anschutz Co. The AEG umbrella includes Coachella, a partial stake in the Lakers, and more than 100 venues and stadia. The bidding process is underway, and a pricetag of several billion has been loosely anticipated. AEG Live is the second-largest concert promoter behind Live Nation Entertainment.
On the waiting list for the iPhone 5? Or, looking for speakers for your current smartphone? If so, a set of 5-ready speakers by Jawbone might be of interest to you. The Jambox and Big Jambox are two speakers that use Bluetooth to wirelessly play music from your smartphone or tablet. They are compatible with some of the most popular music apps, such as Spotify, Pandora, and Rdio, and are available in 100 colors. Check them out, here.
“92 million listening sessions a month proves there’s an audience for enthusiast-programmed online radio…”
On Tuesday, French online radio service Radionomy announced its US launch. Radionomy already boasts 13 million users and over 6,000 stations, and the company sees a bright future for its customizable radio service. The idea is that every person has a unique yet eclectic taste, so why not let everyone create and share their own content? Radionomy provides the tools for members to broadcast, promote, and monetize their stations. Like most similar services, it is free of charge and available in both app and web-based platforms.
Also, UK digital media platform 7digital announced several updates to its Android app. Artist pages now include full biographies, with links to similar music for improved discovery. Additionally, now-standard social network integration features have been brought up to speed. Lastly, some improvements have been made to the interface. The app can be downloaded for free from the Android Market, GetJar, or the Amazon Appstore.
Sick of plagiarism? On the academic side, PlagTracker offers to scan millions of academic works for a match. Extending this into the complex discussions surrounding music influences and borrowing, it’s hard to tell if technology will play a simplifying or complicating role (thanks to a DMN reader for the tip…)
And what really killed EMI? According to one epic-#FAILing Guy Hands, the failures around EMI were mostly attributable to risky-happy markets and the economic crash, not the fundamentals of the music industry. “The irony is that EMI could have been a good deal if the debt and equity market conditions had not changed so dramatically,” Hands wrote in a Financial Times op-ed. “Our problems stemmed from the timing of the transaction not the strategy. Our view of the music industry’s overall market decline proved to be largely correct.”
It’s the perfect addition for a retro resale. As part of Raekwon’s deluxe reissue of 1995’s Only Build 4 Cuban Linx, a purple cassette is a central goodie. Perhaps the longed-for cassette revival begins…