Coldplay Denies Plagiarism!

As the Coldplay Vs. Satriani plagiarism debate rages on, the heat is also starting to rise between the musical artists. Grammy nominated Coldplay is starting to fight back the allegations with a public announcement on their website made yesterday:

"With the greatest possible respect to Joe Satriani, we have now unfortunately found it necessary to respond publicly to his allegations. If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental and just as surprising to us as it him. Joe Satriani is a great musician but he did not write or have any influence on the song Viva La Vida. We repectfully ask him to accept our assurances of this and wish him well with all future endeavors. Coldplay."

Even with the creepy similarities, I'm going to have to side with Coldplay on this. I don't think there's enough to make a case out of this. It's cool to listen to a mash-up of the song, like many youtube videos have shown us. What if this is all a set-up to have Joe Satriani and Coldplay play together at the Grammys?!?!

Greatest punk'd ever.

Coldplay Sued for Plagiarism

Uh-oh.

Seems like Coldplay's Grammy nominated smash hit "Viva La Vida" my not be even theirs to begin with... Veteran rock guitarist Joe Satriani has sued the widely popular British band Coldplay this past Thursday, specifically for plagiarizing one of his songs. Satriani has said that "Viva La Vida" (2008) incorporated "substantial original portions" from his 2004 instrumental song "If I Could Fly."

MSNBC reported that Satriani is seeking a full jury trial, recovery of damages and "any and all profits" from the success of "Viva La Vida."

Before you make an opinion, listen for yourself:

Here's Coldplay's "Viva La Vida"

Now listen to Satriani's "If I Could Fly"

Hmmm, definitely sounds fishy. Is it plagiarism, though? I think that's the tougher question. Having the same chord progression isn't enough to win and although the chorus is similar, it's not an exact copy. Another weird coincidence, I think. 

What do you think?

Cooking With Snoop on Turkey Day

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and leave you guys with a special video. Along with the usual turkey, have fizun while making some mashed potatoes, Snoop style with Martha Stizzle. (?) These two worlds colliding together make for some hilarious moments.

Happy Thanksgizzle my nizzles!

Songs in the Clouds - Streaming Music

10 years ago, if you told me that the general public would prefer to download music digitally instead of buying CDs, I would have thought you were crazy. Now imagine 10 years from now, we wont even need to own digital tracks- everything we'll want to listen to will be streamed through the internet. Sounds pretty crazy, right? That future is already turning its wheels.

Lala, an online music service, revamped its website introducing a new business model, which lets users listen to a full tracks for free the first time and then gives them the option of buying the track for 10 cents to be able to stream it anytime they want as long as they have access to the internet. Also, for 79 cents more, users can download a DRM free version of the same track for portable devices. Think Myspace Music, except a lot more music and without all the annoying advertisements. Record labels are gambling with this new model, because it's all new territory in the digital world called, "cloud computing."

Billboard referred to this as the "concept of information and content stored on the internet and temporary delivered to computers or other access devices rather than being permanently downloaded." This new model could potentially change they way music publishers function and force a change in the way music gets licensed. According to Billboard, 35% of the average major publishing company's revenue comes from mechanical royalties. 

What's the likelihood of this happening? Very high.

Wireless internet is becoming more and more widespread throughout America, with more wifi spots popping up everyday. In less than a decade, America will be blanketed by wifi networks. Already, our MP3 players and cell phones have continuous access to the internet. With complete access to the internet so we can stream music anytime we'd like, will we need to digitally download music anymore?

It's a complicated concept to grasp. Personally, you could call me old school because I like to buy albums as opposed to downloading music. This new model could completely wipe out any need for albums and that would be a sad day for me. Consumer-wise though, this model could be very successful. It'll makes it easier and more affordable to listen to music. But at what cost? Technically, we wont "own" the music per-se. Rather we'll be continuously "borrowing" it to listen to. Is this the future?

House Cleaning!

I just updated my blog with a new header/logo, using Fireworks. I think it looks pretty damn spiffy. 

What do you think?

Facebook Wars: The Presidential Menace

It's been a little over a week since the nation witnessed history as Senator Barack Obama was voted as our 44th President of the United States with, by electoral votes, a landslide decision. It'll be one of those moments that I will never forget. People shouted out in celebration and in agony, and did so through the help of our era's way of connecting with people:

Facebook.

Specifically, through their Facebook statuses. Weird, isn't? For one night, statuses completely exploded with updates, which took on the form of mini blog posts, not unlike Twitter. To watch history as the first black American be elected as president quickly went from happiness and excitement to shock and disgust as I saw the things posted on their status. Here's just a few of the actual updates from last Tuesday night:

"-is leaving the country"

"-thinks that America is stupid"

"-thinks Georgia should just secede again... I got guns and ammo, and enough cigars to last a long time."

"-What has america done?"

"-hates everyone for only liking Obama because he is black... what ignorant fools."

"-...guns in hand, ready to secede. Let's do it Georgia. So why was Jessie Jackson crying? A little gay..."

"-Congratulations America, you got it wrong... and you will be sorry."

"-is going to become a drug dealer so she doesn't have to have a real job and 'spread the wealth.'"

"-is thinking that only in America can a man with ties to terrorism and a non-existent birth certificate become president. Good job guys."

"-is disappointed that the new national bird will be fried chicken."

"-is wearing black tomorrow to mourn the death of our country to a black man.."

I don't think this is what the guys at Facebook were thinking this tool was going to be used for during election night. Facebook, something used to connect friends and family together, was used as a tool to bring people apart. Countless comments to statuses littered news feeds everywhere, making for an entertaining read. I, myself, managed to get tangled into a heated debate over Obama's economic plans. 

I don't mind talking intelligently about opposing views of mine, as long as people present themselves and their argument rationally and they also respect opposing issues. I'll talk to you all day! The problem is when people make ignorant comments and act self-righteous with their beliefs. This one person told me I was irresponsible for voting for Obama. 

Bad idea.

The debate turned into a pointless argument where I finally had to stop replying because this other person couldn't respect my opinion and could care less to educate himself with views he didn't agree with/understand. I can't have conversations with people like that.

America has come a long way in the past 50 years. Be that as it may, Facebook proved to me that there are still issues in America we still have to deal with: racism, stereotypes, understanding each other, and working together. Who knows if those issues will ever go away, but I think we're taking good steps in the right direction. 

Oh, and to the people who are saying they want to the leave the USA now: let me know- I'LL HELP YOU PACK!

:D

Angels and Demons Go Viral

Seems like the new fad in the movie industry is online viral marketing, with past awesome viral marketing for Cloverfield and The Dark Knight. Now we can add Angels and Demons to the growing list.

The prequel to The Da Vinci Code written by Dan Brown, Angels and Demons is an action packed story of an ancient, secret brotherhood, called the Illuminati, who's been planning to destroy the Catholic Church for hundreds of years and finally sets it's evil plan in motion and it's up to Robert Langford to unravel the mystery to save Vatican City.

Sony quietly started it's viral marketing campaign with the release of the Angels and Demons teaser trailer last week. In the trailer, the ambigram "Illuminati" twists on screen and if you look a little bit closer, you'll see a hidden message: "alters of science." If you go www.altersofscience.com, you find a very familiar sight, if you've read the book. It's a "live streaming" video of the anti-matter that's ticking away to go off somewhere in Vatican City. Subsequently, the timer is ticking down to the release of the movie on May 15, 2009.

Angels and Demons is one of my favorite books and when I found out they were going to make it into a film, I went crazy. I think it'll be a much smoother transition from book to film than The Da Vinci Code. If Sony keeps up with this marketing campaign, I think this movie could be a box office hit! Read the book if you haven't already! 

...wow, seeing a "real-life" image of the antimatter bomb gives me the chills.

I Played On Stage With WEEZER!

That's right. I take the award for "best weekend ever." Last saturday, I had the opportunity of playing my tenor saxophone on stage with Weezer for their Troublemaker Tour 2008! Weezer has been having fans come up on stage to play with them, calling it a "hootenanny." All you had to do is record yourself playing one of their songs, email it to the local radio station (in my case, the Project 96.1), then they chose the lucky players. Weezer played an awesome show with everyone's favorites and a good amount from the the Red Album that came out earlier this summer.

My friends and I made our way to the Gwinnett Arena in Duluth, GA for the concert of a lifetime and had a quick rehearsal with Weezer band member Brian. 

After the short rehearsal, they let us loose with floor/backstage passes and I had to grab something to eat.

I was still hungry after this. And yes, that's a whole dill pickle slice. And tomato slices. And peppers. And a baby.

Tokyo Police Club opened up for Weezer and it was great seeing them again after an awesome show opening up for The Whigs a few weeks ago in Athens.  After Angels and Airwaves performed, Weezer finally started the party.

"Say It Ain't So" was the most EPIC thing I've ever seen live.

A couple of my favorite pics.

Around 10:30, we had to report back to the practice area to warm up. There were a couple of Redcoat Alumni there too, so we played some UGA tunes. (Beating LSU only made the night better:)

Afterwards, we headed backstage so get ready to take over the stage! While we waited, Weezer played a couple tracks of their new Red Album.

As I was walking on stage, it was SURREAL. I freaked out a little bit, but then got more excited than anything else. At first, the stage peeps tried to put us behind two rows of people but (thankfully) moved us front center right behind River Cuomo!! Here are some videos and pics! (my friend who got on stage with us recorded, and as you can tell with the shaky camera work, he was really excited:)

Here are my favorite pictures of the night

I WAS SO EXCITED.

Man.... I wish I could have played the solo:)

After we finished playing, I got to shake his hand before leaving the stage. What an awesome idea to let your fans play with you on stage at a concert! Pure GENIUS. How many opportunities do you get to perform with your favorite band? Most likely never, but I can say I have. They've been doing this "hootenanny" for the whole Troublemaker Tour 2008 and by having fans play on stage with you, you pump up about 20-30 Weezer fans per show from mere fans to crazed fanatics who will do anything to spread Weezer music now that they've played with them. Other bands should take note, if this style fits theirs.

 I just wish I could have said hello to the whole band and chat with them for awhile, but nonetheless, this is coolest thing I have ever done:) 

Weezer, if you guys are reading this:

Thank you, you guys fucking rock. It was an experience I will never forget!

My Music Playlist is now live!

I love my new media productions class:)

I've been having a blast working with many web development programs like Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Flash to name a few. I just completed one of my assignments and it's up and running free on the internet! It's a cool flash page that I used to make a jukebox using some of my own music. Check it out and tell me what you think!

Bryan's Music Playlist

Also, here's a link to my class portfolio with all my fun assignments I'm doing. 

www.mynmi.net/student/bhiga

do it.

No More Pesky Charger Cords!

Here's my daily ritual of getting ready for the day.

-Wake up.

- ...

-Okay, now really wake up.

-Brush teeth

-Put on clothes

-Unplug my iPhone

-Unplug my MacBook

-Tie charger up and put in backpack.

Man, I wish I could cut this routine in half. And no, don't tell me to wake up the first time. That's just too much to ask. But what about the last part- the whole "unplugging and tying" bit? Can't there be something that makes the process of charging our phones and iPods easier (lazier)? 

Have no fear- WildCharge is here!

WildCharge is a new device that lets you simply set your electronic devices on top of a small, thin pad, and you sit back and watch your phone charge automatically. It can charge up to five of your whatchamacallits and only uses one power outlet! Amazing! After a long day, all you have to do and put your phone on top of it and it magnetically connects to the pad, and then you sit back and smile. Best of all, it's only 60 bucks!

WildCharge works by attaching four tiny raised dots on the back panel of your phone/iPod, which finds the the necessary path to your device's power source. Since nothing we have today has these, you'll have to put on a jacket on your stuff that acts also as a protective jacket. Unfortunately, it's kind of ugly. 

Also, the only things that WIldCharge will charge at this time are BlackBerry Pearls, BlackBerry Curves and Motorola Razrs. New updates will also include iPods and iPhones in the near future. 

Just think about the doors that could open because of this technology. WildCharge has already had talks to license and spread its technology to other parties, like incorporating this technology with Wii and Xbox controllers. Done playing Halo 3 or Smash Brothers? Just set your controllers on the mat and it'll be ready for you when you get back. Soon, we'll be able to charge all our electronic stuff, like laptops, wirelessly with ease.

Maybe I'll be able to add a couple more minutes of sleep to my morning routine too:p

Labels Vs. Game Developers... Fight!

In this corner, we have the developers of "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero!" These games have been responsible for 15% of video game sales this year and 32% of the gaming industry's year-over-year growth! This industry has been booming this year with profits rising to $9.5 billion in the first seven months of 2008!

And in the other corner, we have the major record labels, who are infamous for not thinking forward and shooting themselves in the foot! They are going to try to put up a fight to obtain more revenue from the success of "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero," which they lend they catalogs to. 

Ladies and gents... LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

...well, this is how I see the fight will start anyway. And it might get a little ugly.

Only a couple years ago, back when "Guitar Hero" was still being developed, major record labels underestimated the success that the gaming franchise would achieve and settled for a standard soundtrack licensing which provides a royalty based on the sales of units for all music included in the game at purchase and certain percentages of songs downloaded afterwards, according to Billboard. Interestingly enough, this amounts to less than the 70% split labels receive from iTunes. Bad move, labels. Now labels want more of a partnership to receive more of the percentage of total revenue. 

Too late, guys. "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" has become way too powerful to mess with now. You definitely underestimated a sleeping giant. Not only has these games offered a new way to distribute music, they also serve as a promotional device for the music that is featured in its games. According to Nielsen Soundscan, after "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" was released, Aerosmith's catalog sales shot up 40%. These games make a huge difference in music sales.

Yes, labels get less revenue than than the 70% split from iTunes, but that's because game developers have to spend more time programming each song for each title. There's no way you can compare this to the simple job online retailers do and ask for. 

The way these games are evolving, it's only a matter of time that they will feature an iTunes-like store built in the game, so then not only can you play the music in the game, you can also listen to it on your iPod. 

That is, if this inevitable fight between the labels and game developers doesn't prevent it. The problem is each side has a case to fight for and each side is able to flex their muscles at each other. But like many other times before this, labels continue to be stubborn and missing the success train, and when they do, they pout and try to find ways to make up for it. Wake up, labels! These games are going to help your sales! With the incorporation of a music store, these games can provide another awesome way for users to connect and buy music.

C'mon, labels! Learn from your mistakes and cooperate! 

iTunes Not Closing After All!

If there is one thing that everyone can agree on about the music business is that it is going through a very uncertain, transitional phase even as we speak! Take for example this past week:

Apple threatened to call closing time for iTunes, the world's leading online music store.

According to Times Online, The Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, D.C. held a meeting to decide whether to grant American music publishers to increase royalty rates on songs sold through online music stores, like iTunes and Amazon. Their request was to up the rate from 9 cents per song to 15 cents, a large 66% increase. iTunes, who has been adamant about not increasing song prices over 99 cents, didn't take the news lightly and threatened to pull the plug on iTunes. According to Apple, 65-70 cents of each song usually goes to the artist with the rest going to Apple. Take network and transaction fees, Apple only makes about 10 cents per song. If the request were to be granted, they'd only make about 4-5 cents per song, basically making iTunes non-profitable.

But don't worry guys, The Copyright Loyalty Board decided to leave the fee unchanged.

Nonetheless, this week had me on the edge of my seat for a couple days eagerly awaiting the decision. Do I think iTunes would have closed down? From a strategic stand-point, I think Apple may have been bluffing to some extent. Just look at how widely popular iPods and iPhones are now. Do you think they really would have hung all its customers out to dry? If anything, the iTunes stores is a driving influence for iPod and iPhone sales. Just like the new App Store that opened during the summer, Apple uses these items to sell more of their products.

But at the same time, I don't blame iTunes for making such a serious threat. It would make running the iTunes store too expensive and they would end up losing more than gain, especially with free streaming music sites out there now. Also, if the price did get hiked up, what would stop music publishers or labels from requesting another increase. Certainly, more money also breeds more greed.  Where will it end? In the near future, music is probably going to be free. What are labels and publishers going to do then?

It's amazing how close the industry came to closing a legit alternative to pirating music. Will we ever learn? Like the saying goes for love, it's like a handful of sand, the tighter you squeeze, the more you loose.

Discovering New Music At Atlantis 2008

Whoa! What an incredible week it's been! I spent most of the week in Atlanta, GA attending Atlantis Music Conference and Festival, which is one of the top music conferences in the nation. By day, I was able to attend amazing music business panels, meet and build relationships with peers and business executives and meet the people who wrote some of my favorite songs. But by night, I felt like an A&R discovering new bands and musical artists with a beer in hand, traveling all over Atlanta to different venues like the Masquerade and Smith's Olde Bar. With over 200 bands and artists performing at the conference, it was impossible to catch all the awesome acts. Here's just a few that I was able to make it too, in no kind order (check out their myspace!):

Death on Two Wheels

This Atlanta band was a blast to see live! It was indie rock mixed with fun with a dash of southern rock making a rocking night at Smith's.

Ponderosa

Headlining thursday night a Smith's, Ponderosa put on an impressive show. This Athens native band features a mix of classic rock, psychedellic, and soul.

Jackmove

Man, it's been awhile since I've heard a really good ska band, so Jackmove was like chillin with an old friend. Jackmove takes influences from ska, punk, and reggae, which will make everyone's head bopping and going crazy in the pit. 

Greedy White Citizens

GWC, from Atlanta, knows how to work a crowd! The grunge rock band had a great balls to the wall, in your face sound. Had my head banging to the max! The lead guitarist was shredding some crazy shit! He was awesome!

Jennings

What a breath of fresh air. Mary Jennings's voice is so soothing to listen to, you'll forget where you are. Her music is a cool mix of soulful pop and electronica. "If Moby and Alicia Keys had a child, I believe it would be [Jennings]." - Chris Watson 

Emily Kate Boyd

This singer/songer-writer offered a nice and chill sound, influenced by folk, country and jazz. Made we want to grab some coffee and listen.

Gareth Asher

Man, this guy's voice is amazing. Gareth was probably my personal surprise hit of the week, since I don't think he was scheduled and was just playing for fun with the Vagabonds. His acoustic sound has some soul, some funk, rock, and pop, making it fun to listen to. This guy is a musical genius live, hope he can make it to Athens sometime. 

The Amend

So I didn't get a chance to see these guys live, but I did get a chance to listen to them online and I had to give them a shout out. This alternative rock band sounds awesome and I regret not being able to catch them. They aren't signed yet, but I think it's only a matter of time. Check them out before they get huge!

It was such an awesome weekend that starting this week is going to be hard and very boring compared to the week I just had. I'll make due and go see more bands downtown this week. Anyway, give these guys a listen because they were all pretty awesome.

Facebook More Popular Than Porn?

In a twist more shocking than anything M. Night Shyamalan has thought of, internet analyst Bill Tancer has reported that people visit social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace more than pornographic sites on the internet. 

Shocking, ain't it?

"As social networking traffic has increased, visits to porn sites have decreased," said Tancer, who also indicated that the 18-24 year old group particularly was searching less for porn. "My theory is that young users spend so much time on social networks that they don't have time to look at adult sites."

I remember when these social networks first came out and how many people thought it was a simple fad that would fade away in time. Now look at the affect it's having on young people! Less time on porn sites and more time socially interacting with one another and networking. How much more will Facebook and Myspace influence us?

I did not see this coming by a long shot. (get your mind out of the gutter.)

Marketing Boost or Selling Out?

1990's: "Is that MC Hammer on a Pepsi commercial? Man, what a sell out."

Flash forward to 2007: "BlackBerry is the official sponsor for John Mayer's Summer Tour? I HEART JOHN MAYER!!"

The music industry is changing so much each week, it can be hard to keep up. What was once thought to be "selling out" to be associated with corporate brands is now becoming an industry standard. Or is it? This past summer, many brands like Bud Light Lime, Converse, and Caress incorporated musical promotions on their websites with exclusives downloads from artists to push their products. Who's next to follow the trend? You favorite sugar-maxed greeninator, Mountain Dew. They seem to be taking a slightly different, yet interesting, approach though.

Mountain Dew recently launched its singles-only label called Green Label Sound, with the first act being Chicago-based rappers The Cool Kids and their single, "Delivery Man." As stated in a Billboard article, Green Label Sound's goal is to take emerging artist artists and plug them into [their] system to help them break through, according to Frank Cooper, Pepsi-Cola North America VP of portfolio brands. "We are not trying to compete with or replicate the models of the traditional labels."

Really? Pepsi owns Mountain Dew. Mountain Dew owns Green Label Sound. I think it's fairly obvious that Pepsi's main focus is to push their product and rake in revenue. That's what they're in the business for! To sell for soft drinks. Anything they say otherwise can't be the whole truth. But with that aside, I do have to say, Mountain Dew is taking steps in the right direction to help emerging artist make it in a struggling industry. 

The Cool Kids are in a really good situation! Although Green Label Sound has exclusive licensing rights for a period of time for "Delivery Man," The Cool Kids, and all artists on the label, will retain their ownership. Also, even though songs are written for Green Label Sound, they are not about Mountain Dew at all. The coolest bit of incentive is that Green Label Sound artists have access to to Mountain Dew's extensive promotion network, according to Billboard, like street teams, MTV2 time and radio ad time. 

I think Pepsi can see that the only way to attract new artists to become part of a legit brand promotion contract is to actually cater to the artist. In the past, contracts like this may have screwed over artists in favor to boost sales for the brand. What am I saying? It still happens to this day. But Mountain Dew's new Green Label Sound seems to be more legit to indie artists and I think it will definitely help start up some really cool acts in the future. 

So, are they selling out? Nah, I don't think so. In today's industry, to be successful, you have to create new ways to ways to get your music to people's ears, whether it be Youtube, radio, or Mountain Dew commercials. There's a difference between finding new ways to get your music out there and changing your message because someone else owns you. 

Authenticity is becoming the new business model. 

The Whigs Hometown Show in Athens!

Local Athens band, The Whigs, are coming back home to play an awesome show at the 40 Watt with Tokyo Police Club this Wednesday, September 10th!

The Whigs recently got back to the States after a month long European tour, spreading Athens Rock across the world! Their sophomore album, Mission Control, was released this past January under ATO Records and they have been on the road/in the air touring since, promoting the new album. Also since then, they've been featured on Late Night with Dave Letterman, The Conan 'O Brien Show, and various publications like Modern Drummer and Esquire Magazine.

While they were still college students, The Whigs independently recorded and released their catchy, hit debut album Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip in 2005. Their manager, Josh Rifkind, insisted that the guys tour relentlessly to promote the album and promote they did. Sometimes, they would have to drive to a show in New York City for the weekend and drive back to Athens for an exam on Monday. Intense! The were recognized for their hard work by Rolling Stone Magazine naming them one of their "Top 10 Artists to Watch" and also calling them one of the best unsigned bands in America. Their relentlessness payed off when they signed on Dave Matthew's record label, ATO Records in 2006, who re-released their first album under the label.

The Whigs first single off Mission Control, Right Hand On My Heart, has been featured on MTVU.com and Youtube. It's pretty kick-ass, check it out. Their second single, Like a Vibration, will be released very soon. It's catchy as hell and will no doubt be a hit!

If you're going to be in Athens on September 10th, you have no excuse to miss this show! Tickets are available at Schoolkids Records, but hurry! The show is expected to be sold out, if not close to capacity.

See you there!

Video Gamers- Your Future Surgeons?

With all the scapegoating of the correlation between video game violence and real life violence in the past couple years, even more recently with Grand Theft Auto 4, I thought we needed some good news for you video gamers out there.

Don't stop- you could be a surgeon when you grow up.

According to AJC.com, researchers from the American Psychological Association have concluded that some types of video games can help improve kid's problem solving potential and even improve the skills needed to be laparoscopic surgeons. One of the games they studied was "World of Warcraft" to see if it improved young mind's scientific thinking.

In a study done with 122 fifth, sixth, and seventh graders, kids were told to think out loud while they played video games. What was concluded? The younger kids were more strategical and analytical in their thought processes than the older children.

"The younger kids are focusing more on their planning and problem-solving where are actually playing the game, while adolescents are focusing less on their planning and strategizing more on the here and now," Fran Blumberg, Fordham psychologist, said in an interview. 

Not only will surgeons will be asked "how many surgeries have you performed" but they may also be asked "are you a video gamer?" One of the studies concluded that out 33 laparoscopic surgeons, those who played video games regularly were 27% faster at advance surgical procedures and made 37% fewer errors than those who didn't.

I've been a proud supporter of video games and their educational qualities in more aspects than just science. Most RPG's (Role-Playing Games) feature a butt-load of text to go along with amazing stories that could rival anything on the New York Times Best Sellers. Of course, this facilitates reading and problem-solving. I'm really glad a study like this one featured in the AJC was made because it's time that the public started to see video games in a better light. Video games are good for kids. It's the parent's job to regulate what their child plays- but that's a whole 'nother can of worms.

Since I am sort of biased on the subject, I guess I do have to give some bad news. Children who played video games tended to be more hostile and believed violence to be normal. Also kids are more likely to perform poorer in school and more likely to be obese. 

Eh, who cares?

;)

The Olympics Are Over = Life Sucks Again

If you had the opportunity to train for any sport for a full year, would you be able to become a world-class athlete?

I could. 

Maybe? Now that the Olympics are over, I think I may be delusional and having withdrawals. What am I going to watch when I get home now? I've watched all 4 seasons of LOST and Heroes doesn't start until next month! Yeesh.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics came to a beautiful conclusion last night with the closing ceremonies. Not only was this a particularly special year for the Olympics to the Chinese and their world resurgence, but this 29th Olympiad was also special for the world of digital entertainment. NBC Universal, the official sponsor of the Olympics, made ambitious plans to provide thousands of hours of live and on-demand broadcasts of all the athletic events this summer, but they needed some help. MSN's work with Control Room providing comprehensive online coverage of last year's Live Earth concerts caught NBC's attention enough to form a partnership with MSN. The ending result was the largest online broadcasting event in history.

For the first time in Olympic history, viewers could watch their favorite games anytime and any where they had access to the internet. In an interview with Billboard, Perkins Miller (NBC Sports and Olympics senior VP of digital media) said that "if you spend any time hanging out in a room of 25-year-olds on the weekend, you'll find laptops all over the place," and that it's important for the network to "deliver the content to them where they want it."

With more people watching TV shows online (me included!), NBC chose wisely to use the internet to broadcast the Olympics. Now more than ever, people have more opportunities to watch the Olympics, root on their home country, and in my case, feed a growing addiction. It's going to be interesting how this will affect other sports coverages now that the Olympics are done and future Olympic games. 

So, Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals, eh? Puh-leeze, I got that. Excuse me while I start my year-long training.

Major Labels Team Up With Myspace

It's coming...

It was announced last April, but in just about a month, Myspace Music will officially be open. Myspace Music is a partnership with Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group- three of the major record labels in the industry. For those of you that haven't heard, this partnership will allow Myspace users to purchase DRM-free music digitally, offer free streaming music, and offer a place to buy music-related products like tickets and merch. It'll basically be your "one-stop source for all music, in all its various digital incarnations," according to The New York Times.

Looks like the major labels are finally catching up with the rest of the world and embracing the digital music age. But with digital downloading powerhouses like iTunes, are they too late?

Major labels have been feeling the harsh decline of physical CD sales for the past couple years, so this deal with Myspace comes to no surprise. Probably the most interesting piece of news is a proposed subscription-based downloading service. Would you pay a flat rate per month for all the music your happy finger can click? It's definitely an awesome feature that sets it apart from other music downloading services. Unfortunately, not many details have been released about it, including a price.

I think they are taking good steps in covering all their paths with the deal too. Not only is the deal going to offer digital downloads, but users will be able to buy tickets to concerts, buy merch from bands, and eventually watch live concerts online.

Myspace Music has a lot of potential to be an actual threat to iTunes when it opens up later this year.  Unfortunately, this is just another nail in the coffin for the life of albums... but I'll leave that subject for another blog post.

Olympics Ratings Kicking Some Ass!

I have something to confess. I have a bad case of Olympic Fever. My eyes have been glued to the tube for the past 5 days rooting for various countries in a variety of sports. Who knew badminton could be an exciting sport? 

Seems like America has caught the sickness too.

According to Yahoo! News, during the first two days of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, an average audience of 29.1 million tuned in, making it the most highly rated broadcast of the Summer Olympic Games held outside of the United States since 1976.

NBC Universal paid an unbelievable $900 million for the exclusive rights to broadcast the Summer Games, which will consist of 3,600 hours of coverage between August 8 through August 24.  

Before the Olympics started, many critics predicted that Americans would be to consumed with other entertainment like music, movies, and video games (three of my specialties;). How wrong they were! They also criticized NBC for taping the Opening Ceremonies and broadcasting it during prime-time, which was 12 hours after the actual event. I don't blame them- they promised a lot of sponsors air-time, and more viewers would be able to tune in at night rather than the morning. 

The Opening Ceremonies pulled in an average of 34.2 million American viewers, so NBC made a wise decision. If you were not able to watch the opening, you definitely missed out. The four hour performance was absolutely beautiful. It featured many performers displaying the rich Chinese culture and also an enormous LCD screen that sprawled the field and another screen that wrapped around the stadium ceiling. 

Right now, USA is in the lead with the most medals, adding to 22. China is not far behind with 20, but has 13 gold medals while USA has only 7.  It's going to be a close match!

And who can't resist the adorable Pokemon-like mascot... things?

SEE?!

Two Entertainment Icons Dead This Weekend

While most of us have been glued to our TV's watching the 2008 Olympic Games, we may have missed the sad news of the deaths of two great entertainment icons: Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes.

One of the "Original Kings of Comedy," Bernie Mac passed away Saturday at the age of 50 after a struggle with pneumonia, according to CNN.com. 

The comedian-turned-actor was most famous for his "tell it like it is" comedic style. He won a Peabody award for his hit sit-com, "The Bernie Mac Show," which was on air from 2001 to 2006. Later in life, he decided to concentrate solely on acting, starring in "Oceans" films,  "Charlie's Angels," and "Transformers." Other movies scheduled to be released this year featuring the late actor are "Soul Men" with Samuel L. Jackson, "Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa," and "Old Dogs," with Robin Williams next year.

Grammy Award winning soul singer, Isaac Hayes, who is famous for his Oscar winning theme from the 1971 movie "Shaft," has died at the age of 65, according to CNN.com. He was found unconscious laying next to his still-running treadmill in his home. Paramedics tried to revive him and took him to a Memphis, Tennessee hospital where he was pronounced dead about 2 p.m. 

Hayes was greatly known for his soulful crooning which won him many awards and many weeks on the Billboard charts. He was more recently reintroduced to a newer generation as the voice of "Chef" on Comedy Central's hilarious animated TV show, "South Park." He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

I can't think of anything recent where we lost two very important entertainment icons in a weekend. Bernie Mac was one of my personal favorite comedians and I'm very sad to hear about both of their deaths. They will surely be missed and their contributions to the entertainment industry will never be forgotten. 

I'll forget about Hayes' Scientology thing for today, though.

Twitter Can Save Lives

Not surprisingly, a 5.4 earthquake hit the greater Los Angeles area this morning, sending people to panic and clogging phone networks and making it unable to get in touch with loved ones. What would you do if you were caught in the shake?

How about "twittering" about it?

Some of you may chuckle, but that's what one Twitter account holding member did only minutes after the earth shook. As reported by CNET News, a woman by the name of Verdell Wilson was in the middle her gynecologist exam in L.A. when she decided to twitter about it. 

"As soon as I got dressed, I twittered my experience from my cell phone," Wilson said. "I usually twitter to 80 friends, but I have 274 messages from people commenting on it."

Twitter has gained a lot of press attention lately and is increasingly being recognized as a personal news-wire, with this earthquake event proving that point. With the ability to text twitter to update your status in a mini-blog format, it's becoming one of the most popular ways to stay in touch with family and friends. And yes, it could save your life:) CNET has reported that in times of emergencies, phone networks can be heavily congested, making it harder to make phone calls. They also state that texting may be the best way to communicate with others. John Britton, an AT&T spokesman, said that "if you're on a wireless network and you can't get through, often texting won't be as congested."

I'm loving Twitter more and more each day. 

Why So Serious? The Dark Knight Delivers

It's out and it's breaking box-office records as we speak. The Dark Knight has finally arrived this weekend and if you haven't seen it already, please stop reading and go right now. I'll be here when you get back. 

If I had to describe The Dark Knight in one word, it would be simply- wow. The cast and crew of The Dark Knight have not only made a superior movie from the original Batman Begins, but have also made a masterful artwork of a movie- something superhero films have yet to accomplish. Easily one of the most clever, ambitious, and horrifying comic book adaptions ever filmed.

Not since the Star Wars prequels has there been so much hype for a movie and The Dark Knight delivers on all counts and serves the viewers so much more. Christopher Nolan, director and screenwriter, manages to keep the audience enthralled in the movie with many surprises but at the same time making everything believable and grounded.

It's true. Heath Ledger steals the show as the Joker. In fact, The Dark Knight feels less about Bruce Wayne and Batman and more about the "secondary" characters that make up Gotham City's world. The thing is, it's not a bad thing at all. Instead of the Batman-centric role of Batman Begins, Wayne/Batman should be considered of equal importance with the other few characters in the film.

Simply, this action-packed, thought-inducing, morality play will rock your world for 152 minutes and leave you thinking about it for days... no weeks after you see it. No doubt this movie will be considered the best superhero film of all time.

I have to see it again on IMAX. Who's with me?

The "Big 3" at E3!

E3, the invitation-only trade show for computer and video games industry, is well underway, which started earlier this week! Thousands of journalists/bloggers are having the time of their lives at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles. (Not me, unfortunately) For those of you that don't know of this awesome convention, this is where video game developers show off their their upcoming games and other related products to the public. 

Many developers and publishers utilize the event to make ground-breaking announcements and get us gamers excited with anticipation. The "Big 3," or the top 3 gaming giants, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony, have already had their press conferences earlier this week and here are the highlights:

Nintendo

After watching Nintendo's press conference, I was a little under impressed with what they had to offer compared to the other two power houses. They are definitely honing in on the "casual gamer" market, but what about the hardcore guys? Nothing groundbreaking, but they really don't need something to get the crowd excited because of the Wii's success, something Sony desperately needs. Even with the feeling of wanting more, there is some definite potential from the announcements. 

-Animal Crossing: City Folk will be released Holidays 2008. It will feature Wii Speak, which will allow players to speak with each other during game play.

-Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be released exclusively for Nintendo DS

-Wii Sports Resort, the sequel to Wii Sports, will come with Wii Motion Plus, which connects to the Wii remote for added motion sensitivity. Available next spring!

-Wii Music is officially announced! Much like Wii Sports, Wii Music will let players be able to play a variety of musical instruments like piano, drums, and string instruments.

Microsoft

What a press conference! Microsoft showed off many of its upcoming games for the next year to get many people excited and threw in a couple of surprises...

-NBC/Universal teams up with Microsoft to sell tv show/movie content on Xbox Live.

-Showed off demos of Fable 2, Gears of War 2, and Resident Evil 5.

-Resident Evil 5 is delayed until 2009 :(

-Microsoft announced a totally new interface for the Xbox Dashboard. This new interface will include "Avatars" which are Mii-like characters you can customize and take online.

-A new Geometry Wars game will be released exclusively to XBLA next month!

-New Banjo-Kazooie footage from Rare.

-Microsoft partners up with Netflix so you can rent and download movies through XBLA

-Guitar Hero World Tour announcements: more than 85 songs with many of them being master songs, exclusive songs from R.E.M., Van Halen, and Metallica.

-Rock Band 2: 84 master track songs, old Rock Band tracks will be able to play on Rock Band 2. Over 500 songs to be playable on Rock Band 2. Whoa.

-The biggest announcement: FINAL FANTASY XIII will be released for Xbox 360 alongside the no longer exclusive PS3 version. 

Sony

Sony has some hefty work cut out for them, with the success of the Wii and Microsoft's great press conference. While Nintendo and Microsoft's press conferences were littered with smiling faces having fun while playing video games, Sony's show had a totally different feel. Much more geared toward the hardcore gamer, featuring flashing screens, video shots of games like Metal Gear Solid 4 and The Force Unleashed, and the faint sounds of gunshots in the background. Overall, I was impressed but not sold that this year is the so-called "year of PS3."

-Preview of Resistance 2- the video was really impressive! According to the host, the scale of the game will be "huge."

-A new PS2 bundle for $149, including Lego Batman and the Justice League movie.

-Ps3 Greatest Hits games for $29.99: Resistance: Fall of Man, Assassin's Creed, Oblivion, and others.

-Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty will be released over the summer exclusively through the Playstation Network for only $14.99. It's a downloadable shorter game featuring the pace of a blockbuster movie.

-Downloadable movies and TV shows through the Playstation Network from Fox, MGM, Lionsgate, Warner, Disney, Paramount, and Turner.

-Playstation Home - the ultimate social experience for gamers, much like Xbox Live.

-Sony's news and weather service for the PS3, Life with Playstation, will be available at the end of the month.

-Resistance: Retribution for the PSP was announced and a trailer.

-God of War 3 officially announced and will be released this holiday season! Also with played a trailer for the game.

-80GB PS3 will be $399 beginning in September.

-MAG: Massive Action Game is announced. Developed by Zipper Interactive, this game with pack 256 players into eight-man squads in one map for an ultimate free-for-all. Hmm.. sounds very interesting and awesome.

E3 will be going on until tomorrow, check out G4tv.com for nonstop coverage of E3 2008. If there is any earth-shattering announcement, I'll be sure to blog at my best:)

Apple's App Store Now Open!

As reported by Gizmodo, Apple has opened the Apple Application Store a day earlier than expected as it was thought to be released tomorrow to coincide with the release of the iPhone 3G. The much-anticipated store will be compatible with the iPod Touch and the iPhone, and with 500 new applications to browse, there's something for everyone. 

Steve Jobs recently told the New York Times that out of the 500 new applications, a third of them will be games- great news for iPhone gamers. Also, 25 percent of the 500 apps will be free and the apps that have a price will be $9.99 or lower. Teh  awesome.

Once you open iTunes, you'll need to download an update, so go check it out. I've started looking around and I've already downloaded 8 apps. Can't wait to try them out!

EDIT: The OS X 2.0 update for the iPhone will not be available until tomorrow, to be released along side the iPhone 3G. I was a little confused as to why Apple would open the store a day early and not being able to play with anything along with many people on many different message boards. After some thought, it makes sense to let users browse around and buy applications now instead of waiting until tomorrow when servers are going to be packed with hungry iPhone users wanting apps. 

The Wii a Fad? Two Years Later...

As Nintendo's Wii continues to dominate the next-gen video game console war, their competitors continue to downplay the Wii's success. In an interview with video game site Gamasutra, Aaron Greenburg, director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, comments that casual gamers on the Wii will soon "graduate" to the Xbox 360 experience. 

"...there's a difference in the type of customer that is buying the Wii. When you think about it, there's a difference trying to be the number one console with nine year old gamers, and being the console that offers the most experience from 13 to 33.

Everyone says that eventually the novelty will wear off, right? ...[The Wii] is like something they break out when people come over, and it's maybe a fun thing, but it's almost like the same people that buy a karaoke machine, you know? They're not really buying it for games, they're just buying it as a novelty."

Wow, Mr. Greenburg. Way to insult generations of gamers who own a Wii.

To say that the Wii is aiming to be the number one console with "nine year old gamers" is just an ignorant statement and degrading to more mature gamers that also own a Wii. Maybe Mr. Greenburg made these comments to downplay the success of the Wii for the past two years. Before and after it's release in November 2006, many critics remarked how the console was gimmicky and soon the novelty would wear off. Let's take a look at a sales chart from this past January to May provided by local market watcher NPD:

The numbers speak for themselves. The Wii out sold the PS3 and Xbox 360 combined with around 675,000 consoles sold in May. Wii's are still being back ordered almost two years after its release. Is this a fad? Some analysts don't think so.

David Cole, analyst at DFC Intelligence, reported that the Wii "does not appear to be a fad and it has the chance to be one of the best selling systems of all-time." Pretty bold statement, but again, the numbers don't lie. This is definitely getting Microsoft and Sony's panties in a wad, who have been predicting the Wii's eventual lost interest since day one. The thing is, Nintendo has cracked into a bold, new market with its Wii, and interest will only grow.

The Wii introduced video games to the more casual market, ushering the popularity of the "casual gamer," or the gamer who plays video games more as a recreational past time, usually playing games in a shorter time period than hardcore gamers. Gone are the days that only nerdy fanboys were the only ones enjoying themselves. Now our girlfriends, parents, and grandparents are joining the fray. This whole new demographic is being introduced to the video game industry and their interest will only grow. Think about when you started playing video games. More than likely it involved mostly sprites and simple games. Now look how your interest in video games has grown from simple platformers/shooters to complex mechanics and novel-like story lines. I'm not saying your grandma is going to want to  bust a cap in some aliens in a first-person shooter soon (although it would be awesome), but a whole new world is opening up for many people.

I personally own both the Wii and Xbox 360 and I will admit, most of the time the Wii is pulled out when I've got friends over. This is something Nintendo has excelled at for the past decade, the "party game" genre, or playing with several people in a room together. From Mario Party to Smash Bros., they know how to bring people together. But their online presence is non-existent compared to Xbox Live. If I want to play with friends across the nation, there's no other service that provides the awesome quality and care in its online community. Also, no one can deny the awesome graphical power that both the Xbox 360 and PS3 hold. But graphics aren't everything.

Nintendo has been innovating the video game world for years. It was the first company to fully jump in the 3D world, it introduced the rumble feature to controllers, has been dominating the hand-held market for years, and after each new innovation, its competitors have fallen suit. Now Nintendo has reinvented the way we play video games with the Wii remote, sending shock waves through the industry. Mark my words- Microsoft and Sony will incorporate the same technology in their systems at some point in the future. 

No, Mr. Greenburg, you've got it all wrong. The Wii is not a novelty, it's the future of gaming.

Quality Over Quantity

I've been reading an awesome book called Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and it is jack full of amazing insights about building and managing relationships, networking (or in his words, connecting), and making the most out of every relationship you have. I'll post from time to time things that really stick out to me or things I remember while I'm on my mac. 

"Friendship is created out of the quality of time spent between two people, not the quantity." - Keith Ferrazzi

When I read those words, they rang so well with me and some things I personally have learned in the past couple of years. From a college student point of view, there are some good friends from high school that I tried to maintain a couple of years ago, but for one reason or another, I was unsuccessful. It was by no means malicious, or me giving up friendships, I was just on different tracks than others. Some friends grew angry with me, even when we did hang out, often complaining to other people. But then there were friends I wouldn't talk to for almost a year and when we met up, it was like we never parted ways. Those are the friendships, I realized, that were the ones that were going to stay true years from now.

Outside of your family and co-workers, you can probably count on two hands the amount of days in a month you get to see the people you truly care about. Surely, you don't gauge your relationships on the amount of times you chill with each other, but the quality of the time you have with them. That is why you should make the most of the time you spend with friends and family. Share your passions with them, whether it be working out, food, Guitar Hero, Grey's Anatomy- whatever brings you and your loved ones together. You'll gain more than you ever thought you could out of your relationships. 

Over and out!

Stop the Capitol Records Scam

Happy 4th!

Bert Hart, a friend of mine and amazing blogger, recently posted about Capitol Records and the contest they are holding for indie bands to win an opening act for Cold Play's upcoming tour. Looks as though Capitol Records is trying to scam and cheat local acts around the nation with this contest. It's a prime example that you always have to read the fine print. No more wasting time, check out his blog for more details and spread the word about this awful and ridiculous scam by Capitol Records.

[grab this banner]

Click the banner the sign the petition!

Shame on you, Capitol. 

UPDATE: Looks like we stirred up some of the folks at Capitol Records- in the past couple of days, they have since changed the rules of the contest to make it more legit... But I'd still be cautious of them. Check out Andy's blog for the complete update of the terms or Bert's blog for 

a nice overview.  Much love to everyone that helped! Aye aye, matey!

The Importance of the Live Show

Amy Winehouse has gone completely over the deep end.

Check out this video of her performance of "Rehab" from last week's Glastonbury 2008 where she is obviously uncontrollably under the influence and actually hits a fan in the audience!

As funny and ridiculous it is to watch, it's really sad to see such a successful Grammy award-winning musical artist slowly waste any talent or hard work she's already accomplished. She can't even start the song correctly and tries to blame it on her drummer. Watching this video inspired me to think about the importance of the live show for musical artists.

With CD sales dropping by the year, musical artists rely more than ever on touring and their live show. It's where they'll find the money to sustain being an artist in a very competitive industry, selling tickets, merchandise, music. At the center of all this is the fans and their support of their favorite artists. Major labels have started realizing this in the past couple years and are trying to cash in on artists with their 360 Deals- agreements that the label takes a percentage of tour/merch sales in return for having artists on their labels. Some artists have completely left their labels in favor for concert promoters. Last October 2007, Madonna announced that she was leaving Warner Music to be the founding artist for the new music division Live Nation Artists. Now more than ever, the live show is the most important part of being a musical artist. 

So then why are some of the highest top-charting artists completely disregarding this?

Remember last year's incident with Akon tossing a kid off stage which caused another kid to have a concussion? Let me refresh your memory:

All that because the kid threw something on stage at him. Akon was in trouble again earlier this year for pulling a 15 year-old girl on stage and started simulating sex and molesting her. What is he thinking?

When I pay to go to a concert, I'm expecting to see the best performance possible from the artist performing and nothing less- I mean, it's their job, right? In 2003, the band Creed was sued for ticket refunds because members were to stoned to finish multiple songs. Now flash forward today and we have performances like Amy Winehouse's stumbling show at Glastonbury 2008. I would want my money back- especially if she elbowed me in the face!

I want to thank all the musical artists out there that work hard- in the studio and on stage. That is what being successful and respected in the industry is all about. Hopefully Ms. Winehouse can regain control of her life soon or we'll have more videos to laugh at on Youtube. (On second thought, maybe it's not that bad of an idea:)

The Beatles on Guitar Hero/Rock Band?

That's right folks. Looks like representatives of The Beatles from Apple Corps and EMI have been in discussions with Activision and MTV Games, makers of Guitar Hero and Rock Band respectively, to bring The Beatles catalog into the video game world, according to yesterday's report in the Financial Times. 

I find this news story very interesting. The Beatles catalog is considered the Holy Grail of digital licensing, with people waiting for the day for Beatles music to be released on iTunes. If and when it is released on iTunes, there's no doubt in anyone's mind that billions of downloads will result.

Then why release it digitally through Guitar Hero and Rock Band first?

There's also no doubt in my mind that it'd be a huge success if released on those video games, but at the same time it'd be riskier than releasing them through iTunes before. Guitar Hero and Rock Band have options to download music, even full albums, to strum to via guitar, but fans cannot transport the music to a music player. It'd also wouldn't be as successful as releasing them through iTunes because of the amount of people (and age/sex group) who own Guitar Hero/Rock Band compared to those who have iTunes accounts. Is there some plan we, the public, are not in on yet?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I'm excited. I just find it a very interesting move.

Maybe Apple Corps and EMI want to introduce The Beatles to a newer generation in a completely different way than it has ever done before. It will definitely work. The Guitar Hero series has been introducing new and old, almost forgotten, music to fans since 2005, reviving the rock genre from it's sleepy existence. Not to say that The Beatles music is living a sleepy existence. Not by any means. But it is an interesting way to bring music to the masses.

I guess I am just surprised and excited to see that someone is taking a risk in the industry. We'll have to wait and see what comes of these reports... I have to say, Playing While My Guitar Gently Weeps on Rock Band would pretty much rock my shit.