Today's media buzzword: Intuitive.
It is what separates the men from the boys, or, in terms of media, the dinosaurs from the techno-revolutionaries of tomorrow.
Today's media audiences expect whatever media they are accessing at the moment to be intuitive; to be in tune with their wants and needs; to anticipate their wants and needs; to redefine their wants and needs and to exceed their expectations.
Which naturally leads us to today's tip: Big props if you can bring the "Wow!" factor. Then redefine the "Wow!" factor. Then bring it again.
Many newspapers, reluctant to seek innovations, are struggling with that concept as are broadcast television and radio operations. Yesterday's "relevance" has been supplanted by tomorrow's intuitiveness. Hence the customization featured in "new media" - i.e. the Internet and digital television (a channel for every specific taste) and, now, satellite radio - has led to new, expanding, evolving mediums leaving some old standbys struggling to maintain audience share.
This has lead to concern over the very future of some traditional mediums. In newspaperdom, for example, there is a industry-wide debate over the balancing act between the need to invest resources for further customization (i.e. notions like "tailored" newspapers, improved online experiences, zoning and advertiser-desired zip-code-specific delivery) and pressures to cut expenses to balance decreasing revenue, which has lead to profit margins lower than expected in the board room. At the very point in time that newspapers need to be more intuitive, some companies are choosing to go another direction. Witness, for example, staff cuts at large newspapers from New York to Philadelphia to Chicago. Smaller, independent and family-owned companies have had a better go of it, but this debate is occurring at all levels. Progressive companies are choosing the correct path; to sow so they shall reap.
A good example of an intuitive medium: I have been having way too much fun playing with iTunes lately. When I popped into the iTunes store the other day, I discovered a new "beta" feature called "Just For You." Inside, I found some music that iTunes had decided I might be interested in based on my downloads. Keep in mind, I mostly have downloaded Elvis songs and episodes of "The Office." Actually, that's not quite true: I have over 150 downloads in my collection. However, I was stunned to discover these 15 suggestions. See what you can glean from my listening tastes based on this list:
1.) Easy Loving - Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
2.) Wherever You Will Go - The Calling
3.) Sunny Came Home - Shawn Colvin
4.) Only Wanna Be With You - Hootie and the Blowfish
5.) Rock 'n Roll, Part 2 - Gary Glitter
6.) Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix
7.) Every Morning - Sugar Ray
8.) Still Waiting -Sum 41
9.) School Boy Heart - Jimmy Buffett
10.) There It Go! - Juelz Santana
11.) Lonely No More - Rob Thomas
12.) Love Will Find A Way - Pablo Cruise
13.) Tangled Up in Blue - Bob Dylan
14.) Heaven - The Psychedelic Furs
15.) Armageddon - Eddie Izzard
In addition, iTunes suggested I download these six albums:
1.) Blink-182 - Greatest Hits
2.) Who's Next - The Who
3.) London Calling - The Clash
4.) Pocket Full of Kryptonite - Spin Doctors
5.) Let Go - Avril Lavigne
6.) Songs About Jane - Maroon 5
I'm not sure what to make of either list (other than, perhaps, I've given iTunes the gross misperception that I will listen to any damned thing!). What do you think?
From that list of individual songs, I have only previously downloaded Jimi Hendrix, Sum 41, Jimmy Buffett and Bob Dylan tunes. Not a lot of Conway, Pablo and Eddie in my collection... Hootie? Come on! I'm insulted. Gary Glitter? I think I am a bit old for him...
But it was a fun discovery and I spent more time perusing this list and sampling the songs than I did with the morning newspaper and, I guess, that is my ultimate point. And the ultimate point of this new media age.
Just be intuitive!
Me? I'm downloading more Juelz Santana... Turns out, I'm totally east coast... And, clearly, as jiggy as I have always maintained...
Hey, speaking of tunes, allow me to play DJ for you on this fine afternoon and spin a platter that truly matters! Straight from his home page at nicklowe.net here's my man Nick Lowe and his take on the Johnny River classic, "The Poor Side of Town." Enjoy!
The Poor Side of Town
More later,
Mark
8 comments:
Gary Glitter was one of the best Glam artists in the 1970s. Recent developments aside, he had some great songs.
I would be more offended by any list that put The Clash's London Calling (arguably among the five best rock albums EVER made) on the same list as The Spin Doctors. My God--that is criminal.
Pablo Cruise--uhg!
If you download that crap, why not "Magic" by Sky Pilot, "Life is a Rock and The Radio Rolled Me" by Reunion, or "Beach Baby" by First Class. Pablo Cruise--kill it and let the damned thing die!
Oh and by the way, Jimmy Buffet is among the most OVERRATED ARTISTS ever. I guess I missed the boat (or drunked up Carnival Cruise line trip) on that one.
At least the Dylan song is fantastic...
As far as the
(sorry--to finish) As for the rest--uh--take 'em or leave 'em.
You must get the Clash's London Calling, if you don't own it. I agree with batfan, probably one of the top five albums ever made. Back to homework. Beers soon?
I have "London Calling!" While intuitive, iTunes is NOT intuitive enough to know what exists in my non-iTunes collection... By the way, the cover of WHAT 1956 album is the cover of "London Calling" based? Anyone? And who just used the same design for his CD of tunes from his latest video game?
Mark
P.S,, iTunes changes its suggestions everytime I sign in. Today's album suggestions are: Beggars Banquet, Rolling Stones; Marquee Moon, Television; Greatest Hits, Blink 182; Best Artist of the Century, Elvis Presley; Home, Deep Blue Something; and Savage Garden, Savage Garden.
The Elvis Presley Album is the basis of London Calling cover, same print, black and white picture (Elvis is Elvis singing and the Clash have Simion (sp?) smashing his bass in a 1978 New York Concert, I believe the date and place is right--could be wrong) with the same lettering--although I think the Elvis is Pink and Green.
Marquee Moon is great. Beggar's Banquet, one of the last GREAT Rolling Stones albums--six years later, they would be a pale shadow of their former selves. Black and Blue? I rest my case--although Some Girls, Tattoo You, Undercover (personal bias), Steel Wheels, and Voodoo Lounge (again personal bias--Pam and I saw the show from row five at Soldier Field) have some redeemable qualities.
I highly recommend Marquee Moon, and also from that and the Clash Genre, Tonic FOr The Troops by the Boomtown Rats; Leave Home by The Ramones; The first English Beat album; One Step Beyond by Madness; Parallel Lines by Blondie; The first three Elvis Costello albums, All Mod Cons by The Jam; Candy-O by The Cars; New Traditionalist by Devo (no, seriously); Three Imaginary Boys and Primary by The Cure; Nobody's Heroes by Stiff Little Fingers; and any Sham 69 Collection
I don't think iTunes have any intuitive crystal ball. I think the lists are simply crap shoot result as they "Spin the Wheel"...or computer chip ...or something, as evidenced by the ever changing list. Makes for a fun game though.
I agree with Batfan - Buffet is overrated, some third rate bar act.
Hey Suzanne! You are NOT allowed to agree with my brother! :) Buffett is awesome and if you have never heard "A Pirate Looks At 40" then you ought to! His recording of "Pacing the Cage" on "Dark Side of the Moon" nearly had me overcome with emotion when Steve Dahl played it one afternoon during a particularily bad day... Much of it, like "Fins," is just fun! Ya gotta have fun...
By the way Daz, beers any time!
Eric is right about "London Calling" being a version of Elvis' RCA debut - and Tony Hawk just recycled it for a CD of music from his latest video game which is kind of insulting...
Mark
whatever you do, man, don't download anything of Gary Glitter's or the government will start bugging your cellphone and you'll notice black helicopters floating above on the way to pick up your newspaper. I'd say stick to the Furs.
Post a Comment