[Manic Monday] Perception Of Value For Digital Music

We live in times when actual value and perceived value are rarely the same thing. Even that piece of paper you use as money, has more relation to perceived value as to actual value, as the number written on the money is almost definitely more than the actual value of the paper it was made with. Money is represented by specially-printed pieces of paper as a form of guarantee from the government, that it represents the number printed on it; harking back from old times (as recently as the 20th century) where every piece of money was guaranteed its value in gold, kept safe in government safes.

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[Manic Monday] Why The Universal Music Purchase Of EMI May Turn Out To Be A Good Thing

The music industry was abuzz late last week regarding the approval from the European Commission and the US’s Federal Trade Commssion, regarding the planned purchase of EMI’s recording arm by the already-dominant Universal Music Group International. Many groups, including indie bands and indie labels, have stated opposition to the deal from the start, saying that Universal will have too much power in the market, and of course articles here and there have claimed that this is the day that the music died.

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[Manic Monday] Rethinking The Movies, With A Digital Twist

The movie and cinema have been around for at least 100 years already, and by principle it remains largely unchanged. A camera records sequential images upon a medium, which is then duplicated, and spread to locations with projectors and screens. The sequence of images is projected onto a screen. The technology has definitely progressed light years from those old hand-operated cameras. The medium is in a major shift from celluloid to digital and the ‘locations’ are now highly-specialized buildings, with comfortable seating, optimized screens, and powerful cinema projectors. But the essence remains the same.

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[Manic Monday] I’m Addicted To SongPop

This past Ramadhan holiday, I have finally surrendered and accepted various invitations – no, challenges – to play SongPop. At first, I didn’t want to invest myself in yet again another ‘versus’ game platform which I would be neglecting (sorry, Draw Something friends who have been nudging me for the past month), but I finally relented and have been playing ever since. My wife has also started playing (she’s a fellow music geek) and I must admit that I haven’t the slightest clue about ‘Today’s Hits’ or ‘Punk’.

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[Manic Monday] Where Next For Ramadhan-Themed Digital Entertainment?

I don’t think anyone can deny it anymore – Ramadhan, aside from being the holiest month for Muslims around the world, is also a big month for businesses. Businesses can initiate special Ramadhan packages and discounts (especially food and beverages), and the clothing stores break out Muslim-themed collections and capitalize on the fact that most people (in Indonesia, at least) want to buy something new for Lebaran. And of course, Lebaran cakes are everywhere!

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[Manic Monday] Pendapatan Anda Selanjutnya Mungkin Tidak Akan Datang Dari Digital

Saya adalah penggemar biasa White Shoes And The Couples Company. Saya suka musik mereka dan mencoba untuk mengkoleksi albumnya, tetapi kesukaan saya tidak sampai mencoba untuk memperbarui pengetahuan saya tentang semua apa yang mereka lakukan. Album mereka selalu bagus dan menyegarkan, dan pertunjukan live mereka tidak pernah mengecewakan, selama saya bisa menonton mereka tampil live. Dan setiap mereka mendapatkan kesempatan untuk pergi ke luar negeri dan bermain di sana, mereka selalu menyempatkan diri merekam beberapa audio atau video untuk penggemar mereka.

[Manic Monday] Would You Rather Pay For Content Or Access?

I almost always start my articles with an “old world” comparison – you know, when the only media you consumed was in pre-defined formats from the producer’s choosing (and obvious profit). And then I would go on that since the Internet age, things have turned more or less upside down, changing the game, with or without the producer’s consent. And then I’d go on to explain the various possibilities of making sure this “Internetz” thing works for you, your band, your movie or your business.

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[Manic Monday] Strategi Multi Layar

Sebagian dari kita tumbuh dalam dunia yang mengenal hanya satu layar – layar TV. Di Indonesia sendiri, sampai dengan akhir tahun 80-an, hanya ada satu stasiun TV nasional milik pemerintah yang menghiasi gelombang udara, yang kita tonton dengan patuh karena tidak ada pilihan lain untuk ditonton. Memiliki TV menjadi semacam keharusan, terlepas dari apakah kita menontonnya atau tidak – dengan memiliki TV membuat kita terkoneksi dengan dunia, meski hanya satu arah (dengan setiap konten sesuai arahan pemerintah). Bahkan bagi mereka yang beruntung memiliki alat pemutar video sendiri, mereka harus memilih: menonton TV atau menonton videotape.

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[Manic Monday] The Multiple Screen Strategy

Some of us grew up with only one screen – the TV screen. In Indonesia until the late 80s, there was only one national, government-owned TV station that graced the airwaves, which we watched dutifully since there was nothing else to watch. Having the TV on was somewhat of a necessity, whether or not we watched anything – it somehow connected us to the world, even if it was only one way (and any content was tamed first by the government). Even for those fortunate to own videotape players, you had to choose: watch TV, or watch a videotape.

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