Why You Should Be Paying Attention To Kevin Smith | Techdirt

Full Article on Techdirt:

Why You Should Be Paying Attention To Kevin Smith

from the where-the-puck-is-going-to-be dept

It was almost exactly two years ago this week that I did my presentation at Midem concerning Trent Reznor and his many fascinating experiments in reinventing the music business (for himself), and summarized it down to the simple formula of:

Connect with Fans (CwF) + Reason to Buy (RtB) = The Business Model

The idea, of course, was not that he had figured out "the one true model," but that he was doing a ton of interesting experiments, some of which worked better than others, but all of which seemed to focus around this basic concept of really making sure to build up a strong connection with the fans, and then figuring out ways to let those fans support him as directly as possible. While some have complained that Reznor could afford to do this given his previous success in the "old" industry, we've seen tons of other musicians, big, medium and small, figure out how to use the same basic concepts for their own careers. And, it's not about copying Reznor or just trying to do some sort of gimmick, but really figuring out the best ways to connect with their fans, and then offering up opportunities to buy....

'Sometimes you don't need a whole donut of funding, you need a timbit' « Genius MicroGrants. The Awesome Foundation – Toronto

From the site:

We are the Toronto Chapter of the Awesome Foundation.

Awesomeness-at-Large

The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is an ever-growing, worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of awesomeness in the universe.

The Foundation distributes a series of monthly $1,000 grants to projects and their creators. The money is given upfront in a paper bag full of cash by a group of ten self-organizing “micro-trustees,” who form autonomous chapters around geographic areas or topics of interest.

The Foundation provides these grants with no strings attached and claims no ownership over the projects it supports. (Detailed FAQ.) It is, in the words of one of our trustees, a micro-genius grant for flashes of micro-brilliance.

Since its humble beginnings, many Awesome Foundation chapters have sprung up globally to conserve, sustain, and support the worldwide ecosystem of awesomeness. Projects have included efforts in a wide range of areas including technology, arts, social good, and beyond.

Awesomeness-at-Home

As we are just getting underway, the Toronto group is open to any and all ideas. What would you do with $1000 to improve our city? Or to make it more fun? Or to prove a point? Or to solve a problem?

Themes that interest us are design, urban planning, art and science. The ideal project has elements of those mixed with a legitimate and important social mission.

Of course, all of this is subject to change on-the-fly for no better reason than we feel like it that day.

WOW. will.i.apps teams with Metaio to bring you BEP360 App for iPad, iPhone = 360-Degree Motion Control and Augmented Reality

Media_httpwwwwilliapp_djabu

As the press release arrived via email & I can't find the same release on the Metaio site, I'm reproducing it here:

PRESS RELEASE FROM METAIO AUGMENTED SOLUTIONS

THE BLACK EYED PEAS DEBUT IN WORLD`S FIRST 360-DEGREE MOBILE MUSIC VIDEO CREATED BY will.i.apps

New "BEP360" App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch Takes Fans Inside "The Time (Dirty Bit)" with 360-Degree Motion Control and Augmented Reality Developed by Peas Front Man will.i.am

LOS ANGELES January 24, 2010 - Music industry pioneer and front man of The Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, today announced the iTunes App Store launch of BEP360, an iPad, iPhone and iPod touch app that immerses fans in a 360 degree universe of the legendary music group. Featuring the world`s first 360-degree view music video ("The Time 360"), BEP360 features the song "The Time (Dirty Bit)," the first single from new CD, "The Beginning", now available on Interscope Records.

BEP360 is the first release from will.i.apps, will.i.am`s new digital media production entity dedicated to pioneering and producing application-based entertainment experiences. BEP360 is the first in a line of upcoming applications that will converge the worlds of creativity, music and advanced digital technologies.

Thirty years after the first music video aired on MTV, the will.i.apps team has reinvented how fans can be further immersed in the world of their favorite artists by pointing and swinging an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad around a 360-degree axis that then changes the point of view. An entirely new form of music video, BEP360 uses digital teleportation to take fans deeper inside the world of The Black Eyed Peas. A demo of BEP360 app featuring The Black Eyed Peas and the making-of behind the scenes video can be seen at: www.williapps.com.

"will.i.apps and the BEP360 app have been established to help artists tap into the potential of our hyper-connected mobile world and bring fans deeper inside the music far beyond a four minute audio recording. It`s a unique and completely new way to experience 360 degree music immersion that will bring artists and fans closer together," said will.i.am.

Key Features of BEP360

· Point iPad, iPhone and iPod touch device at the cover artwork of the band`s latest album, The Beginning (Interscope Records) and watch augmented reality take form with BEP avatars dancing to the beat

· Direct a virtual photo session with Fergie, will.i.am, apl.de.ap & Taboo allowing users to capture their own shots and share them.

· Stay up to date on everything about the Peas via an aggregated Twitter feed

· Play an addictive Peas-inspired puzzle game

· View pictures and comments posted by other BEP360 app users on a virtual earth

The BEP360 app is available for $2.99 from the App Store on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, or at: www.bit.ly/bep360app.

will.i.apps partnered with metaio to facilitate the cutting edge augmented reality experience bringing the Peas into the fans world. 3D360, the technology leader in 3D360 video was also part of the team that pioneered this ground breaking platform allowing capture, and then play back of the unique 360 degree video. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to allow fans to get closer to The Black Eyed Peas and realize will.i.am`s vision of the first mobile 3D360 music video," commented 3D360 CEO Myles McGovern.

Image: As soon as you point your iPhone onto the CD a virtual 3D character appears and the music starts.

About will.i.apps
will.i.apps (www.williapps.com) is a digital media company focused on delivering ground- breaking entertainment applications for mobile devices. Co-founded by music industry pioneer, producer and The Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am and Edo Segal of Futurity Ventures, a New York-based Innovation Engine, will.i.apps partners with leading artists to bring their creative universes to life by embracing the power of mobile apps. Fans can also visit www.blackeyedpeas.com/apps to learn about future BEP360 apps.

About metaio
As a pioneer in the area of augmented reality technology, metaio (www.metaio.com ) develops software products or systems driven by visual interaction in both, the real and the virtual world. Our Unifeye software platform not only lets you place 3D animations directly into live video streams, but also supports the seamless integration of images from the external user environment.Founded in February 2003, we currently employ 65 members of staff at three different locations. The company is headquartered in Munich. Our subsidiaries metaio Inc. and metaio Asia are headquartered in San Francisco and Seoul, respectively. metaio is currently involved in projects worldwide for over 140 well-known customers from a broad range of industries. Among them are: BMW, Daimler, LEGO, Toyota, Popular Science, adidas Originals, MINI, Focus Features and Volkswagen.