copyright

Today’s Digital Consultant Links for October 19th

These are my links for October 19th from 09:20 to 15:28:

Just 11% of Brits pay for online content – Bad news for online content makers/publishers: only 1 in 10 Brits is paying for any online media (including music), a trend that has worsened from the recession, with users seeking out free online content to replace spend on traditional media (e.g. magazines). But without online advertising increases, this is a vicious cycle – how long can producers sustain the free lunch?
Music Week – Pirate Party founder meets fiery reception – Wow, looks like there was some hot discussion going on at the In The City music convention in Manchester this week. The attitude from the music creators against the libertarian Pirate Party (anti copyright campaigners) suitably extreme: “You talked about the middle ages but if this were the middle ages I would burn you at the stake.” Touche.
Digital marketing in the Midlands: have we got what it takes to become a leading part of the sector? – Very interesting commentary by Clarity Marketing on whether the Midlands (in this instance essentially talking about Birmingham) has the right structure, investment and advocacy to be a leader in digital media. The discussion on the strengths of Birmingham's social media activities and how that relates, or not, to commercial agency activity is very interesting.

These are my links for September 23rd through September 30th:

Lily Allen ‘quits music’ after abuse over file-sharing fight – A sad and mixed story, heady with pop stars and government spin doctors…Lily Allen, the supposed MySpace heroine, blogger and Twitter, claims to be knocking music on head due to abuse to her support of Peter Mandelson's 'three strikes and your out' policy regarding illegal downloading. Her siding with the music biz and government probably hasn't done her fanbase much digital-indie cred, but that's the problem with making file-sharing illicit – it's an industry built on getting into trouble with authority.
Thompson signals review will reduce size of BBC – Looks like the Beeb are publicly planning for the savage budget cuts likely to follow in what Director General Mark Thompson describes as a move from 'both-and' to 'either or'. The additional digital channels and web services, I wonder, if will be likely to be viewed as less essential. I suspect younger audiences will keep their digital, olders shows will see web tie-ins cut back.