There’s something wonderful about being able to link to to things like this. It’s 1970 and The Band is playing King Harvest in their studio in Woodstock, New York. It’s just a different vision of what rock and roll should be.
Comments closedAuthor: cgerrish
Unemployed philosopher
NBC comments on the iTunes contract negotiation. NBC doesn’t seem to understand the ecosystem of the internet. And they clearly don’t understand who downloads shows to watch on iPods and Apple TV. Jeremy Horwitz, of iLounge, does a good job of explaining the situation to NBC.
Apples iTunes allows customers to legally download content for a small fee. Previously, content was downloaded for free. Apparently NBC prefers that we return to the good old days. It’s amazing that, even at this late date, people don’t understand what it means to live in the Age of Digital Reproduction (the Age of Mechanical Reproduction has been surpassed, see Walter Benjamin). The means to reproduce the digital thing are contained in the thing itself. Companies like NBC don’t want anyone to know that. Or better yet, they’d like to change the nature of the digital.
Note to NBC, the time isn’t right yet. Take something rather than nothing. Keep pricing simple, take the money.
Comments closedYuri Lane performs beatbox harmonica in this short video directed by Marty Nowak. Harmonica and beat box, a natural combination that’s completely new.
Yuri tours, so be sure to catch him when he’s in town. Check the JCCSF, he’s played there a couple of times. And check his tunes on CD Baby.
Comments closedFrank Quattrone made a lot of people a lot of money. He was the i-banker of Web 1.0. Now he’s beaten the charges related to the IPOs he ran for CSFB during the Internet boom. Of course, those who actually remember ancient history (back around the turn of the millenium), would know that Quattrone was never charged directly with the securities violations everyone knew he committed. He was charged with the cover up. He beat that rap.
So now in this new era of Web 2.x, Frank’s back. But things have changed, there’s Sarbanes Oxley, start ups are trying get by without VC funding, and the “first day IPO pop” has been revealed to be the most expensive advertising a company could possible do (as well as an opportunity for the kind of securities violations that Quattrone was originally suspected of). It was the difference between the IPO price and the first trade price that traditional bankers like Quattrone were able to parlay into a network of favors, and a pipeline of deals.
Here in the Bay area, we think the new crop of Web businesses are probably due for a shake out. But it’s also acknowledged that there are some better business models out there that really organically fit into the Web. If there’s a bubble today, it’s a much smaller one. It’ll be interesting to see how Frank will emerge. He wants to get back into the scene, maybe it’ll be M&A this time.
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