While every company is giving into the technology age, one is back tracking, or should I say trying to make a comeback. The record company.
As consumers now purchase many items on iTunes, ranging from songs, movies, pictures, lectures etc.. that are downloaded rite onto their ipod so they can listen at their convenience, it is a big hit. Convenience in key. I don't think that will ever change.
You can get access to almost anything you want or need these days with out leaving your home, if you have access to the internet.
Even books, you can download and have at your convenience without ever getting out of bed in the morning. It is becoming a big hit.
Digital downloads grew to 21 percent of the industry’s total sales in 2008, from 6 percent in 2004, according to the Audiobook Publishers Association.
Hachette Audio recently announced that the latest audiobook by David Sedaris, “Live for Your Listening Pleasure,” which features readings before audiences, would be available on the least portable of formats: vinyl.
With the small number of households still owning a record player, and the even smaller number of record consumers, I don't think this will be a success.
I think that this is targeting such a limited audience to ever make a decent profit off.
Even though sales for records have increased, posting $57 million in sales in 2008, more than double the previous year and the best for the format since 1990, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The format is so rare for audiobooks, however, that the Audiobook Publishers Association has never even tracked its sales.
If your not going to track the sales because it's not a big hit, then why produce it. In reality, who really wants to buy a book on a record and listen to it. If any one, maybe an older person. Not a huge target audience. As a college student, I feel the younger generation wouldn't even give it a chance, even if they did have access to a record player.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Writing a Sports Column Far From Print, and the Game
In 1998 Bill Simmons was 28 yrs old, making $50 a week as a contributor to AOL's Digital City Boston. With one goal in mind, to make the welcome screen.
Several years later, dreams came tru for Mr. Simmons. Now working as the sports Guy on ESPN.com, with his column reaching about 1.4 million page views a month, his weekly podcasts have been downloaded 21 million times this year via iTunes, and his new book, "The Book of Basketball" reached No. 1 on The New York Times notification best-seller list last week.
Recieving one of the higher salaries among all sports columnist, it is well desereved, and a tribute to his outstanding work ethic and fascination with his subjects.
Sports writers are changing roles these days. No longer being the reporter who follows a team on the road, and masters the catchy lead paragraphs, followed by a word limited word article reviewing the game.
They are now couch potatoes who have favorite teams, but follow entire leagues by scanning four TVs when they are not surfing YouTube for highlight reels of impressing dunks or obsessing over their fantasy leauge picks, says Bill.
Noam Cohen, the author of this article, says Mr. Simmons may be the first sports writer to see the games purely from the view point of the fan, and a very modern, unsentimental fan at that.
Currently, I am not too educated on the topic of Mr. Simmons, never coming across his name untill this article. I plan on learning more about him and I may even start to follow his column on ESPN's website.
It would be nice reciving information from a totally unbiased reporter.
Several years later, dreams came tru for Mr. Simmons. Now working as the sports Guy on ESPN.com, with his column reaching about 1.4 million page views a month, his weekly podcasts have been downloaded 21 million times this year via iTunes, and his new book, "The Book of Basketball" reached No. 1 on The New York Times notification best-seller list last week.
Recieving one of the higher salaries among all sports columnist, it is well desereved, and a tribute to his outstanding work ethic and fascination with his subjects.
Sports writers are changing roles these days. No longer being the reporter who follows a team on the road, and masters the catchy lead paragraphs, followed by a word limited word article reviewing the game.
They are now couch potatoes who have favorite teams, but follow entire leagues by scanning four TVs when they are not surfing YouTube for highlight reels of impressing dunks or obsessing over their fantasy leauge picks, says Bill.
Noam Cohen, the author of this article, says Mr. Simmons may be the first sports writer to see the games purely from the view point of the fan, and a very modern, unsentimental fan at that.
Currently, I am not too educated on the topic of Mr. Simmons, never coming across his name untill this article. I plan on learning more about him and I may even start to follow his column on ESPN's website.
It would be nice reciving information from a totally unbiased reporter.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
A Magazine Promises Ads Will Register
I really don't think that a magazine can promise a guarantee to advertisers, that a reader will remember their ad in it's pages more than other competitive magazines.
President of The Week magazine, Steven Kotok is promising this to advertisers.
“This is a way they can say when they buy The Week, they know it’s money well spent, because we’re guaranteeing it will be among the most effective ads they purchase,” Mr. Kotok said.
This shows a sign of confidence, on behalf of Kotok's side. With The Week’s guarantee, the magazine is saying that not only will it ensure that someone sees an ad, but no matter how the ad looks or reads, and no matter the editorial focus of The Week and competitive magazines for a given issue, it will perform at the top.
I just don't understand how you can be so confident on getting across to your readers with such a guarantee that, if you do not succeed as planned, The Week will run free ad pages for the marketer until it gets to that benchmark. That's money coming out of their pocket. They must have something unique in store.
The Week will measure ad effectiveness by using the research service Vista, from Affinity. Vista will measure “recall” — whether consumers in its focus groups remember seeing a certain ad in the magazines where it runs.
I am curious to find out the outcome of this. I feel that The Week is getting into something they can't succeed in. They must have some more insights their not letting out.
President of The Week magazine, Steven Kotok is promising this to advertisers.
“This is a way they can say when they buy The Week, they know it’s money well spent, because we’re guaranteeing it will be among the most effective ads they purchase,” Mr. Kotok said.
This shows a sign of confidence, on behalf of Kotok's side. With The Week’s guarantee, the magazine is saying that not only will it ensure that someone sees an ad, but no matter how the ad looks or reads, and no matter the editorial focus of The Week and competitive magazines for a given issue, it will perform at the top.
I just don't understand how you can be so confident on getting across to your readers with such a guarantee that, if you do not succeed as planned, The Week will run free ad pages for the marketer until it gets to that benchmark. That's money coming out of their pocket. They must have something unique in store.
The Week will measure ad effectiveness by using the research service Vista, from Affinity. Vista will measure “recall” — whether consumers in its focus groups remember seeing a certain ad in the magazines where it runs.
I am curious to find out the outcome of this. I feel that The Week is getting into something they can't succeed in. They must have some more insights their not letting out.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
DVR, Once TV’s Mortal Foe, Helps Ratings
When the DVR was introduced to the television industry, network executives were extremely timid at first. Worried that commercials would get cut out, and advertisers would loose interest in t.v. ad's.
Now days, networks have fallen in love with the former tormentor.
The reason is not simply that more households own DVRs, but they're helping some marginal shows become hits. It is also that more people seem content to sit through the commercials than networks once thought.
These factors combined mean DVR ratings now add significantly to live ratings and thus to ad revenue.
Against almost every expectation, nearly half of all people watching delayed shows are still slouching on their couches watching messages about movies, cars and beer.
Personally, If I have a show recorded, I will not sit through the commercials. It is a real convenience to me that I can fast forward the parts of live t.v. that I have no interest in.
Almost across the board, the gains for playback are growing. The best preseason estimate for the current season, said David F. Poltrack, the chief research officer for CBS, was about a 1 percent increase from playback over the live program for the networks combined. Instead, many are in the range of 7 to 12 percent, with some shows having increases of more than 20 percent when DVR ratings are added. The four networks together are averaging a 10 percent increase.
The supposedly struggling NBC drama “Heroes” jumped 22 percent, as did another apparently flagging drama, “Fringe” on Fox. And a new ABC drama, the appropriately named “Flash Forward,” looks even more like a hit than it did with its original rating because its rating increased 14 percent with playbacks.
I am a huge fan of the DVR. It allows me never to miss anything on t.v. that I want to see, regardless if I am away from the house or just watching another station.
Now days, networks have fallen in love with the former tormentor.
The reason is not simply that more households own DVRs, but they're helping some marginal shows become hits. It is also that more people seem content to sit through the commercials than networks once thought.
These factors combined mean DVR ratings now add significantly to live ratings and thus to ad revenue.
Against almost every expectation, nearly half of all people watching delayed shows are still slouching on their couches watching messages about movies, cars and beer.
Personally, If I have a show recorded, I will not sit through the commercials. It is a real convenience to me that I can fast forward the parts of live t.v. that I have no interest in.
Almost across the board, the gains for playback are growing. The best preseason estimate for the current season, said David F. Poltrack, the chief research officer for CBS, was about a 1 percent increase from playback over the live program for the networks combined. Instead, many are in the range of 7 to 12 percent, with some shows having increases of more than 20 percent when DVR ratings are added. The four networks together are averaging a 10 percent increase.
The supposedly struggling NBC drama “Heroes” jumped 22 percent, as did another apparently flagging drama, “Fringe” on Fox. And a new ABC drama, the appropriately named “Flash Forward,” looks even more like a hit than it did with its original rating because its rating increased 14 percent with playbacks.
I am a huge fan of the DVR. It allows me never to miss anything on t.v. that I want to see, regardless if I am away from the house or just watching another station.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
French Papers Aim at Younger Readers
Everyone knows that newspapers have been at a steady decline over the last couple of years. In France, their trying to come up with new ways to keep their newspapers in circulation. Their new idea is to get a younger crowd to start reading the paper. In regards to that, they are giving away papers to young readers in an effort to turn them into regular customers.
The government Tuesday detailed plans of a project called “My Free Newspaper,” under which 18- to 24-year-olds will be offered a free, yearlong subscription to a newspaper of their choice.
It may seem like a good idea at the moment, but in the long run if it doesn't turn out the way they hoped for it will cost them more money giving away free yearly subscriptions to numerous amounts of kids.
Even if I didn't read the paper, I would take a free subscription. Just so I could have the option to read it or not. Especially if it wasn't costing me a penny.
Readership in France is especially low among young people. According to a government study, only 10 percent of those aged 15 to 24 read a paid-for newspaper daily in 2007, down from 20 percent a decade earlier.
There are about 60 publications that are participating in the new project.
Costs of the project are being shared by the newspapers and the state, with the government allocating $22.5 million, over three years.
The government said 30,000 people had already signed up for free subscriptions under a preregistration program with individual newspapers; a special Web site will be available soon to speed the process.
I hope it works as according to plan. If it really boosts numbers, and ratings maybe it will continue over to the U.S.
Even though our newspapers are very inexpensive, who would not want a free subscription.
The government Tuesday detailed plans of a project called “My Free Newspaper,” under which 18- to 24-year-olds will be offered a free, yearlong subscription to a newspaper of their choice.
It may seem like a good idea at the moment, but in the long run if it doesn't turn out the way they hoped for it will cost them more money giving away free yearly subscriptions to numerous amounts of kids.
Even if I didn't read the paper, I would take a free subscription. Just so I could have the option to read it or not. Especially if it wasn't costing me a penny.
Readership in France is especially low among young people. According to a government study, only 10 percent of those aged 15 to 24 read a paid-for newspaper daily in 2007, down from 20 percent a decade earlier.
There are about 60 publications that are participating in the new project.
Costs of the project are being shared by the newspapers and the state, with the government allocating $22.5 million, over three years.
The government said 30,000 people had already signed up for free subscriptions under a preregistration program with individual newspapers; a special Web site will be available soon to speed the process.
I hope it works as according to plan. If it really boosts numbers, and ratings maybe it will continue over to the U.S.
Even though our newspapers are very inexpensive, who would not want a free subscription.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
As a TV Market, Los Angeles Is Staggering in the Playoffs
So what the Yankees are beating the Angels and the Phillies are beating the Dodgers, that's no reason for the nations second largest market (Los Angeles) to be ridiculously low in T.V. viewers.
Compared to New York and Philadelphia, Los Angeles is not coming close to generating the numbers that there putting up in reference to viewers watching the game at home on T.V.
Could it be the time zone difference? When they play in New York or Philadelphia, the game starts broadcasting at 8:00 P.M. When played in Los Angeles on the Dodgers or Angeles behalf it starts air time at 4:00 P.M. Many people could still be at work or completing their daily chores at that time. Or could it be because by the time viewers do get home to watch the game, their local teams are already losing, so they turn it off.
The Los Angeles market peaked with a 10.9 rating for the Dodgers’ Game 1 loss to the Phillies, according to Nielsen Media figures. That game showed substantial growth during the game, with the rating more than doubling to a 14.8 in the late innings from a 7.1 early on. But the Dodgers’ afternoon victory in Game 2 produced a 5.9, and Sunday night’s 11-0 loss generated just a 7.3.
A closer look at Game 3 reveals a well-earned dissatisfaction among hometown Dodgers fans as the debacle unfolded. The game peaked at a 9.6 locally (or 543,000 households) from 8:15 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern — it had barely begun — and as the Phillies took a 6-0 lead in the second inning, the rating tumbled until it finished with a 4.3 (242,000 homes).
One-quarter of all TV homes have been watching the games in Philadelphia.
It’s not easy for a market with 2.95 million TV homes to beat one with nearly twice as many, but that’s what Philadelphia has been doing to Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles market is losing to New York in the Angels-Yankees American League Championship Series on Fox, but not as sharply. For Game 1, the New York rating of a 17.4 (1.3 million homes) was 83 percent better the 9.1 (or 514,000 homes) in Los Angeles. For the 13-inning Game 2, which started in late afternoon on the West Coast, the Los Angeles market produced a 10.8 (610,000 homes) and New York a 19.3 (1.4 million).
I really think it has to do with the time zone difference's.
Los Angeles is huge, it takes a lot to make headlines. Maybe they need better fans.
Compared to New York and Philadelphia, Los Angeles is not coming close to generating the numbers that there putting up in reference to viewers watching the game at home on T.V.
Could it be the time zone difference? When they play in New York or Philadelphia, the game starts broadcasting at 8:00 P.M. When played in Los Angeles on the Dodgers or Angeles behalf it starts air time at 4:00 P.M. Many people could still be at work or completing their daily chores at that time. Or could it be because by the time viewers do get home to watch the game, their local teams are already losing, so they turn it off.
The Los Angeles market peaked with a 10.9 rating for the Dodgers’ Game 1 loss to the Phillies, according to Nielsen Media figures. That game showed substantial growth during the game, with the rating more than doubling to a 14.8 in the late innings from a 7.1 early on. But the Dodgers’ afternoon victory in Game 2 produced a 5.9, and Sunday night’s 11-0 loss generated just a 7.3.
A closer look at Game 3 reveals a well-earned dissatisfaction among hometown Dodgers fans as the debacle unfolded. The game peaked at a 9.6 locally (or 543,000 households) from 8:15 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern — it had barely begun — and as the Phillies took a 6-0 lead in the second inning, the rating tumbled until it finished with a 4.3 (242,000 homes).
One-quarter of all TV homes have been watching the games in Philadelphia.
It’s not easy for a market with 2.95 million TV homes to beat one with nearly twice as many, but that’s what Philadelphia has been doing to Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles market is losing to New York in the Angels-Yankees American League Championship Series on Fox, but not as sharply. For Game 1, the New York rating of a 17.4 (1.3 million homes) was 83 percent better the 9.1 (or 514,000 homes) in Los Angeles. For the 13-inning Game 2, which started in late afternoon on the West Coast, the Los Angeles market produced a 10.8 (610,000 homes) and New York a 19.3 (1.4 million).
I really think it has to do with the time zone difference's.
Los Angeles is huge, it takes a lot to make headlines. Maybe they need better fans.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Web Display Ads Attract Fewer Clicks
A big part of Internet advertising is the display, or graphical, ad. Just about all of online ad spending goes to these ads, but the amount of clicks they are receiving is significantly decreasing.
The research firm comScore, has been following this trend over a 20-month period. Concluding that the proportion of American Internet users clicking on display ads at least once a month fell to 16 percent from 32 percent.
Most hosting websites are paid by the click, witch means they're not making money if no ones clicking their ad's.
Andrew Lipsman, comScore's director of industry analysis, says “measuring the ad's success by the click grossly understates the importance of an advertising campaign”. He also stated that comScore studies found that merely looking at a display ad increases the likelihood that a viewer will later search for the brand or make a purchase.
Isn't that what an ad is made to do, build brand awareness. Even if it doesn't receive a click, it still gets the brand circulating in the viewers mind.
Maybe hosting websites should do away with some of the paid by the click ads, and focus more on another point of view, or attention grabbers to lure the consumers in.
The research firm comScore, has been following this trend over a 20-month period. Concluding that the proportion of American Internet users clicking on display ads at least once a month fell to 16 percent from 32 percent.
Most hosting websites are paid by the click, witch means they're not making money if no ones clicking their ad's.
Andrew Lipsman, comScore's director of industry analysis, says “measuring the ad's success by the click grossly understates the importance of an advertising campaign”. He also stated that comScore studies found that merely looking at a display ad increases the likelihood that a viewer will later search for the brand or make a purchase.
Isn't that what an ad is made to do, build brand awareness. Even if it doesn't receive a click, it still gets the brand circulating in the viewers mind.
Maybe hosting websites should do away with some of the paid by the click ads, and focus more on another point of view, or attention grabbers to lure the consumers in.
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