A New Player in Song Recommendations...

I discovered a new eur-centric BETA recommendation engine today called www.mufin.com, which comes as a free 27 MB download in 6 different languages.  The software app is available at MAGIX.net and according to the parent website, “Our goal is to personalize the Mufin music recommendation. Music on PC, Mac, online or on the move: All that counts is sound.” 

 

Initial reactions: too much advertising, incomplete catalogue, intermittent album artwork.  Streaming versions are available with some links to legally buy downloads from Amazon, Musicload and MusicShop…

 

Overall, a C+

 

 

Quote Of The Day

“Technology-led products are built around what's possible…Consumer devices are built around what people want."

            - Greg Brown, Motorola's new CEO

Sony Buys Gracenotefor $260mil !

http://www.sunherald.com/447/story/508780.html

That's the first smart move I've seen Sony make in years......So the question of the day is, how bumpy will Apple's inevitable metadata transition be...?

"Revenue Opportunities Abound In Online and Mobile Music Distribution"

Here are a few nuggets from In-Stat's latest research findings:

• Dollar sales of online digital music increased 48 percent between 2006 and 2007 to reach $3.05 billion last year
• Digital sales are expected to account for 40 percent of all music purchases worldwide by 2012, up from just 10 percent in 2007 and six percent in 2006
• Revenue for worldwide full track mobile downloads will reach approximately $4.2 billion by 2012
• The majority of respondents who accessed online video (72.3%) in 2007 did not pay for the video they saw from the Internet

http://www.instat.com/catalog/mmcatalogue.asp?id=212#IN0804027CM

FYI: Piper Jaffray's "Taking Stock With Teens" Research Survey Summary

Press release is HERE.

 

Total teen spending on fashion declined nearly 20 percent on a year-to-year basis, indicating a “discretionary recession”.  While the fashion category represents 41 percent of the total teen budget in the spring 2008 survey and teenagers continue to spend a significant amount of money in this category

Key findings from the survey in the fashion, beauty and personal care, home furnishing, video game, digital media and restaurant categories also include the following:

• Hollister remains the No. 1 preferred brand by teens, as ranked by mindshare, followed by West Coast Brands (e.g. Pacific Sunwear, Volcom, Quicksilver, Zumiez), American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch and Forever 21. Specifically among brands ranked by girls, Hollister maintained its “most preferred” position, while West Coast Brands continue to resonate as a favorite among young men.
• A bright spot in consumer spending trends points to an increase in spending from the fall 2007 results among teen girls in the beauty category. Overall, spending by parents was down in both the apparel and beauty categories. In addition, privately-held, Swedish-based IKEA was the top choice among teens followed by Pottery Barn/PB Teen in the home furnishing retailer or cataloger category.
• By gender, electronics represented 10 percent of total budget for young men and 4 percent for juniors this spring and 7 percent overall, up slightly from 6 percent last year. Spending in the video game system category increased significantly for young men to 13 percent from 9 percent last fall.
• In the digital media category, 86 percent of the students who own an MP3 player indicated that they also own some form of an iPod, which is an increase from 82 percent last spring. Although iTunes continues to dominate market share at 81 percent, 61 percent of the students surveyed indicated they download music illegally, compared to 64 percent at this time last year. In addition, 6 percent of the students surveyed indicate they own an Apple iPhone, which is double the market share found in the fall 2007 survey; 9 percent expect to buy an iPhone in the next six months.
• Starbucks continued to be the clear brand leader across the board in both the school and online survey. Premium coffee is potentially a growing category among teens as Dunkin’s Donuts appeared in the top ten brands for the first time in the school survey. Chipotle and McDonald’s remained in second and third places in the school survey, while Olive Garden and Applebee’s remained in second and third in the online survey. However, Chipotle continues to gain teen market share, ranking among the top ten brands in the online survey for the first time. In total, approximately 45 percent of the students surveyed believe they have spent more money this year at restaurants than last year.

 

Word of The Day: PERSEVERE

PERSEVERE:

"He failed in business in '31. He was defeated for state legislator in '32.He tried another business in '33. It failed. His fiancee died in '35. He had a nervous breakdown in '36. In '43 he ran for congress and was defeated. He tried again in '48 and was defeated again. He tried running for the Senate in '55. He lost.The next year he ran for Vice President and lost. In '59 he ran for the Senate again and was defeated. In 1860, the man who signed his name A. Lincoln, was elected the 16th President of the United States . The difference between history's boldest accomplishments and its most staggering failures is often, simply, the diligent will to persevere."

 

Internet Radio Scorecard

Click HERE to access a 9 page PDF of JP Morgan's latest internet radio research...

Key findings from The Infinite Dial 2008: Radio's Digital Platforms

·         The weekly online radio audience increased in the past year to an estimated 33 million.  Thirteen percent of the U.S. population age 12 and older have listened to online radio in the past week; up from eleven percent (approximately 29 million) in 2007.  On a weekly basis, online radio reaches more than one in seven 25- to 54-year olds (15%).

·         AM/FM radio continues to have a big impact on people’s lives.  The study asked consumers to rate the impact different digital audio platforms has on their lives.  More than one in five (21 percent) consumers said radio has a big impact on their lives; ranking second only to mobile phones (33 percent) as the audio platform/device that has the biggest impact on people’s lives.

·         iPod/Portable MP3 player ownership continues dramatic growth. Nearly four in ten (37 percent) own an iPod or other brand of portable MP3 player; up from 30 percent in 2007 and more than two and a half times the number in 2005 (14 percent).  Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of those ages 12-17 own a digital audio player.

·         Audio podcasting usage continues to increase along side the proliferation of iPod/MP3 player ownership. Eighteen percent have ever listened to an audio podcast; up from 13 percent in 2007.  Nine percent have listened to an audio podcast in the past month (an estimated 23 million).

·         More than four in ten weekly online radio listeners have a profile on a social networking Web site. Those who regularly listen to online radio are much more likely to participate in social networks; 41 percent of weekly online radio listeners report having an online social networking profile (compared to 24 percent of the total 12+ population);  more than one-third (37%) visit social networking sites nearly once per day or more.

·         The Internet is gaining on radio as the medium to learn about new music. In 2008, radio is mentioned as the medium “you turn to first to learn about new music” by about half of consumers (49 percent), with Internet at 25 percent.  In 2002, radio was mentioned by nearly two-thirds of consumers (63 percent) for this perception, while only nine percent mentioned Internet. 

 

http://www.onlinepressroom.net/arbitron/

 

WEBCAST: The Infinite Dial: Radio's Digital Platforms

On Wednesday, April 9th, at 2:00 PM (EST), the latest findings from the annual study The Infinite Dial: Radio's Digital Platforms will be presented by Pierre Bouvard from Arbitron and Tom Webster from Edison Media Research.   (Arbitron and Edison have conducted these studies since 1998 and they have become one of the most widely cited source of information about consumer adoption of digital radio.)

The panelists will provide fresh findings and answers to the following questions and more:

• What are the trends and demographics for Online Radio usage?
• How has awareness and usage of Satellite Radio changed?
• Do consumers "get" what podcasting is and how many are using it?
• Has awareness of HD Radio changed and do consumers show interest in the concept?
• What is the latest adoption rate of iPod/MP3 players and what impact do they have on AM/FM Radio?
• How much impact do these digital platforms have on AM/FM Radio?
• How do Internet video and social networking influence traditional and digital radio platforms?
• Which of these media/technologies do consumers say has the biggest impact on their lives: AM/FM Radio, Satellite Radio, iPod/MP3 players, social networking, online video?

Arbitron and Edison will also offer recommendations for broadcasters, webcasters and advertisers based on the findings. Presenters expect the presentation to be about 40 minutes, and they will also provide 20 minutes to answer your questions.  The webinar is free, but registration is required. Please go to http://www.register123.com/event/profile/form/index.cfm?PKformID=0x553053b5b2 to sign up. Once you've registered, they will send you log-on information for the presentation……See you online!

 

Quote of the Day

"If you give people content they want and you make it easy to use and share, they won't even know they're in a commercial environment."

- Forrester analyst James McQuivey