Author: JD
Apple Introduces iOS 9
During today’s WWDC conference, Apple unveiled the new iOS 9 update. The beefed-up software allows devices to become more intelligent and more proactive. Siri will be sporting a new look come this fall, providing users with new ways to search photos and videos. The revamp will provide with suggestions of actions and apps determined by the owner’s previous patterns of usage. This even applies to music at given locations and times of the day, utilizing automatic playback controls. Another noteworthy update comes to the iPad, which will now be showcasing a dual app feature and picture-in-picture to enhance multitasking. The split-screen option will even let you FaceTime while using other tools. And thanks to the Shortcut Bar and Multi-Touch, typing and texting is now faster and easier. Some of the most used apps have also been retooled, such as Maps, which will feature support for metropolitan transit systems and schedules and subway station entrances and exits. When using the new Notes application, you’ll be able to draw quick sketches, easily create checklists and save information from other apps. Additionally, the brand new News app will also feature automatic suggestions upon learning your tendencies and preferences, then compiling a selection of your preferred articles and information. Apple Pay will be welcoming Discover on board as well as new merchants Walgreens and Kohl’s Department Stores and participating store-issued credit and debit cards. Furthermore, Apple Pay will also be available in the UK beginning next month. Quite possibly the biggest attraction for iOS 9 will be enhanced battery life, as an additional hour of usage will be awarded to users, as well as a lower power mode to help conserve juice. iOS 9 will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 4s and later, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2 and later, and iPad mini and later.
Apple Is in Talks With Kanye West About Exclusively Releasing His New Album ‘Swish’
Contrary to various rumors, Apple will not be announcing an exclusive partnership with Kanye West in regards to his upcoming album, expectantly titled Swish. Multiple outfits expected the company to officially detail the news today during their annual WWDC conference, as much of the talk surrounds Apple’s new music streaming service. As reported by BuzzFeed, courtesy of sources from the tech juggernaut, they along with Jimmy Lovine have been in talks with Kanye for some time now, regarding the exclusive roll-out, but no final decisions have been made yet. Other high profile artists are expected to participate in such releases with Apple Music, providing limited or “windowed” deliveries. For more, stay tuned.
Apple Unveils Streaming Service, 24-Hour Worldwide Radio Station
Apple Music is announced at the June 8 Worldwide Developers Conference. The service will cost $9.99 a month with the first three months offered for free. Although rock star and Beats chief creative officer Trent Reznor had a front-row seat at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center on June 8, music took a backseat to tech announcements at the event. The first mention of music came 30 minutes in during a presentation of new iOS 9 improvements like a “now playing” function that operates on the iPhone lock screen. Some 45 minutes later, CarPlay earned its first mention. “We’re pulling the cord,” said Apple’s svp of software Craig Federighi, demonstrating that such music apps as Spotify and iHeartRadio will be able to operate without having to pull your phone out of your pocket or bag. It took another hour for Cook to tease the conferences’s signature “One more thing…,” a carryover from the Steve Jobs era. “We’ve had a long relationship with music at Apple and music has had a rich history of change,” he said in introducing a video to the soundtrack of “There Is No Light” by Wildbirds and Peacedrums. Said Cook: “Today we’re announcing Apple Music. It will change the way you experience music forever.” He then introduced Jimmy Iovine, who’s still title-less at Apple but is a music industry veteran if ever there was one. The founder of Interscope Records went on to explain: “I’m here because of 2003, the record industry was a ball of confusion. Technology was this giant invader from the North. So I went to Apple and see Steve Jobs and Eddy Cue and they showed me a simple, elegant way to buy music online — iTunes.” “Now in 2015 music is a fragmented mess,” added Iovine of his desire to “build a bigger and better ecosystem.” Speaking of his tech partners, Iovine said, “They can help move culture the way art moves culture. Tech and art can live together. … All the ways you love music all in one place. One single app on your iPhone. Apple Music is a revolutionary music service curated by the leading music experts who we hand-picked.” In a video played just after Iovine’s introduction, Reznor provided the voiceover which declared Apple Music “not just for the top tier artists, but the kids in their bedrooms too.” The music service will feature three modes: My Music, For You and New. “All human-curated and available by genre or activity.” Another Apple svp, Eddy Cue, was next to take the stage where he tackled Internet radio. Said Cue: “Internet radio isn’t really radio, we wanted to do something really big, a worldwide radio station. That’s why we hired Zane Lowe.” Reznor is credited with coming up with the idea of a global radio station fully curated and broadcast from three cities. “It’s a music lover’s dream,” said Iovine of Apple Music Beats 1. British DJ Lowe also appeared on video speaking of how what he played as a DJ on BBC would trigger debate among friends and listeners. “Apple has been a singular force in the digital evolution of music,” said Warner Music Group CEO Steve Cooper in a statement. “The launch of its subscription service is a milestone moment for our industry. Right now, accelerating the global proliferation of paying subscribers is one of our most important goals, and Apple’s massive resources and huge customer base will make it a powerful player in turbocharging that growth. The increased competition in this space is also a big positive, and will help unlock as much value as possible for our artists and songwriters.” Finally, a music star appeared on stage in San Francisco. Drake, who was supposed to be an equity partner in rival streaming service Tidal, took the stage and spoke of “The dream of being a new artist like myself and connecting with a real audience has never been better than now.” Cue’s demo of the music service was impressive, allowing attendees to see functions such as search, song identity and even the ability to call up a top hit from a specific year. A new function called “Connect” also allows unsigned artists to get their music out. The service will cost $9.99 a month with the first three months offered for free. For $14.99, up to six family members will be able to share the account. “It’s an incredible value,” added Cue. As previously reported by Billboard, the service will launch at the end of the month. Finally, for the grand finale, a performance by the Weeknd, who premiered a new song and signaled a break from previous criticisms that the tech company was out-of-touch, music-wise. Competing streaming service Rdio issued a statement on the announcement, writing: “Welcome, Apple. Seriously. Welcome to the most exciting and important frontier since the digital music revolution began 16 years ago. We look forward to responsible competition in the massive effort to make music available legally for anyone to enjoy anytime, anywhere.” The WWDC event kicked off with a five-minute opening film starring Bill Hader that seemed to take its comedy cues from HBO’s popular series Silicon Valley. Tim Cook, Apple CEO, followed with an introduction of the WWDC which celebrates its 26th year in 2015. Some 1,000 Apple engineers are on hand to work with developers from 70 countries on new apps and state-of-the-art technology. Among the announcements at the top of the talk were improvements to operating systems OSX and iOS, the former in the way of an upgrade named El Capitan which was demoed for the group. Boasting speed, ease-of-use and architectural improvements, such qualities also carry over to the new ApplePay, the renamed Wallet (formerly Passbook), maps, notes and, of course, Siri. A new News app was also debuted which will deliver articles from such partners as The New York Times and Conde Nast. Apple’s App store also got a big look during the presentation in the form of a video that featured such iconoclasts as Neil deGrasse Tyson and J.J. Abrams.
Netflix’s Amateur Porn Industry Documentary “Hot Girls Wanted”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=23&v=qTkEIGsNXu4
Is Electronic Dance Music The Ticket To Reach Millennials?
Being in my forties, I can’t say I have a favorite DJ. I still think of music as something coming out of a guitar. But being in marketing, I can’t ignore the ferocious upswell in popularity of this little thing called “electronic dance music” (EDM). It’s the fastest growing genre of music, leaving hip-hop and rock in the dust. I had read that Millennials are driving the EDM surge and, let’s face it, Millennials are an important nut to crack from a marketing standpoint. So I contacted an acquaintance, Joshua Erenstein, who I remembered was in the EDM space from his response to a previous Forbes article I wrote. Joshua is the Co-founder and CEO of LEDM Group, a new agency of sorts organized to help brands navigate the EDM space. I sent a few questions to Joshua and his partner, Matthew Spitz, Co-founder and COO, to help me (and hopefully you) better understand the EDM phenomena and, more to the point, perhaps unlock a new channel to the elusive Millennial audience. So here are my questions and LEDM’s responses. What is “electronic dance music” and how is it different technically and musically from other genres? LEDM: “Electronic dance music is a genre of music generally created on computers using production software and comprises many sub-genres ranging from the slow and soulful to the fast and heavy. Technically speaking, regarding creation of the music, other genres of music like hip-hop and rock use similar computer production software and studio tools to make segments of songs or tinker with their music whereas EDM producers use computers to create a song from inception to completion. Although the term ‘DJ’ is usually the descriptor for EDM artists, the artists in this space are both DJs and producers. Due to the computer generation of music, the number of songs released by EDM acts in a given year tends to be much higher than the number released by artists in other genres. In their own mixes, both on the radio and live, EDM artists play each other’s music, thus filling these mixes with unexpected content and bringing novelty to performances not seen in other genres. As for live performances, electronic dance music artists perform live by deejaying, playing their own songs and, again, the songs of other artists, at a range of events held at stadiums or clubs around the world. They are not playing an instrument or singing a song, but instead controlling the crowd’s emotions through expert song selection and sound mixing.” Why is EDM so popular with Millennials? LEDM: “Millennials needed a genre to call their own – rock and hip-hop have run their course. Electronic dance music provides a new sound, a fresh energy, and a clean space that needed the attention of the youth generation in order to bring it to prominence. Millennials grew up in the emerging age of social media and they live online, as does EDM, which enables Millennials to consume EDM content via media platforms they are already passionate about. Due to the computerized nature of electronic dance music, the easy ability to share new music from artist to fan and fan to fan is one of the main reasons EDM and Millennials go hand in hand. Discovery is a key attribute Millennials possess and no genre fuels this more than EDM. Millennials crave life experiences on a global scale, and EDM culture nurtures that desire with its worldwide fan base, magical and spectacular festival moments, and the constant flow of content.” How can brands participate in this movement? LEDM: “Brands can participate in this movement by aligning with the EDM culture, not exploiting it. If brands can stir up the emotions naturally generated by EDM, then they have the best chance of succeeding. For instance, the campaign Heineken did with Armin van Buuren to encourage responsible drinking worked on multiple levels – it was organic, reflected a sensible alignment, and had a positive message. Other brands that gratuitously feature an EDM artist in a TV spot without any rhyme or reason, are missing the mark. It’s important to understand that at the foundation of this movement is an underground fan base, who will not receive brand involvement well if it does not provide value to the culture. Aligning with the wrong artist or event and/or deploying a non-authentic creative strategy for a campaign could upset your current and future Millennial consumer. Add to all that the fact this genre is still emerging, so the “business” of EDM is not as easy for brands to navigate as established genres. Which is really why we started LEDM.” What is LEDM’s goal in the EDM space? LEDM: “We exist to help brands navigate the EDM space while simultaneously protecting the culture we’ve personally been a part of for many years. When we fell in love with dance music over a dozen years ago, we knew we wanted to help the community mature and grow.