Multitouch makes “sense.”

The idea of multitouch sensors has been around for years, but multitouch has yet to see wide-spread implementation in computers. I think it’s coming. I think a wave of multitouch operating systems is going to redefine how we interact with computers. But I think they’ll be touchscreens and gesture-based systems too. I mean after getting used to the iPhone’s touchscreen, I’ve noticed that I want to touch my computer screen sometimes to move things etc. Anyone else catch themselves doing that?

Touch by chrisevans

Computing needs to be intuitive.

Computing needs to be more intuitive. UI advances will address that. Our brain’s hard wiring is capable of a lot more that pointing a mouse—we need to give it the chance to be more creative and boundless. By using our hands differently, with more intuitive movements, we’ll be helping our mind work more naturally. It will make a better fit between the brain and the computer by way of the body. One day we might we have chips that connect to our brain energy, right? Our brain is a super computer, right?

It all relies on intuitive design. Pranav Mistry talked about intuitive interface design in his SixthSense technology presentation. It virtually connects us to the computer via our gestures. According to Mistry, “We are looking for an era where computing will actually merge with the physical world.” Think about the games and apps we could make with that. While not nearly to the extent of SixthSense technology, Nintendo’s Wii is somewhat based on gesture recognition but the player has to hold the controller which recognizes movements in 3 dimensions. The Wii is essentially a wireless mouse with an extra dimension—it’s fun but I wouldn’t characterize it as intuitive. Even still, it’s extremely popular.

Carey is pioneering a new business model for music. She’s cutting deals with the kind of partners musicians have traditionally shunned, pushing herself into new areas such as publishing, tourism and food and drink. … “A lot of big powerful music-industry executives made a giant mistake,” she says. “They gave the music business away on the internet. If they had just sat back and said, ‘Maybe let’s figure this internet thing out, it could be something cool,’ we could have found a way to distribute music online on our own terms, not somebody else’s. … Musicians have long promoted non-music products. The Rolling Stones marketed Windows 95 with Start Me Up. Michael Jackson did endless Pepsi promos. And rappers such as P Diddy and Jay-Z have moved on from name-checking other people’s fashion and luxury-goods brands in their songs to create their own brands, usually in partnership with their record labels, and promote them instead. But Carey is breaking new ground in three areas. Mariah Carey: The gloves are off | Times Online

The internet has leveled the playing field. It has proven that content is king, and that those who work hard at delivering content can build a following. Artists have channels with live streaming video content and direct connection with their fans through mobile applications. The same opportunities exist for everyone, and they’re almost all free. You may think that endorsements and partnerships are only for megastars—but I don’t. I believe that indie musicians with smaller niche fan bases can make the same types of product endorsement deals and partnerships with brands or services that the megastars can. The trick is finding the right brands and companies to match up with. But if you have—for example—a Ustream or YouTube channel that’s getting hundreds of views on a daily basis then I don’t think it would be hard to pitch to a company that relates to your audience. Ideally your audience would be a target market for the endorsed product or service. Think big but also think local.

flickr.com/photos/eyesofrc/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

There is no single exact solution for indie artists, but the best solutions revolve around leveraging social media and video streaming to maximize fan engagement. Visual content is a must. Video content is supreme. YouTube serves well over 1 billion views per day. Live videos are easy to stream with ustream.tv, stickam.com, or justin.tv and a decent webcam. For recording non-live videos I recommend HD pocket cameras like the Zi6 or Zi8, or smartphones that enable mobile uploads like the iPhone. Video is becoming more interactive by the second and mobility is always important. Each musician has their own unique style and identifying that will help you see opportunities. Keep an open mind and be willing to adapt.

It seems that we truly are at the dawn of a new era. Opportunities abound at every corner. Music is more alive than ever, consumers listen to more music in more ways than ever thought possible, artists interact and build connections with fans in new and unique ways, music and other entertainment content can be delivered via multiple platforms for a fraction of the cost of traditional methods, and artists can form business relationships with many different partners—including consumer brands. (Music Branding Gets All Grown Up | Talent Zoo)

A lot of businesses still don’t get the internet, but a lot of them do—these are the ones that you can work with. Realize that a band’s physical merchandise is a product line, and there’s nothing stopping bands from partnering with companies to sell their own non-music products. Smart companies would likely jump at the chance to sponsor bands that have built active communities around the internet and are accessible via mobile phones. They see the meaning in social media—for business.

The types of products that will work for indie musician endorsements will vary greatly and be determined by each musician’s personal style or brand. A middle-man service that helps musicians match up with consumer brands and vice-versa might be viable—don’t you think? It would probably be pretty easy for Google, Facebook, or MySpace to implement such a service. However I’m a fan of DIY and I usually like to cut out middle-men. I think the best approach would be to directly contact companies that you’d like to partner with. Don’t be afraid to fail. You can’t get anywhere without trying things. Remember to focus on the dopeness—see Part 1: Music Dopeness and Bands as Brands.

Paramore.net is more than a website—it is a community and social network for Paramore fans. We need to see more music sites like this. Paramore fans can upload their own photos and videos to the site for everyone to view in an easily navigable fashion. Fans can connect with each other (and with the band) through the community, and they can subscribe to the fan club for exclusive content.

This video clip shows Paramore’s tight Monday night live TV performance on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. Paramore’s third studio album Brand New Eyes was officially released this week. Rock.

Music SOTM Series: Do you know a band, DJ, or musician with an ace website? Please let us know: contact RVE and we’ll consider it for Music SOTM. Entries are based on interactive content, fan engagement, and mobility. Visit virtualmusic.tv/msotm/ to see more MSOTM artists.

• When: October 3, 2009 at 3:00 PM PT
• Where: Second Life » Metverse Island

Above: SpaceJunky and Metaverse Island
Below: A video taste of SpaceJunky. [url]

Click to play

Above: A closer look at the architecture on Metaverse Island. VirtualMusic.tv/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

• When: September 18, 2009 at 7:00 PM PT
• Where: Second Life » SpaceJunky Island » Planet 7

Above: The Newly Renovated SpaceJunky Island

Description: On September 18th the Australian band SpaceJunky will have a big celebration at Planet 7 on SpaceJunky Island. The whole sim has been redesigned as a beautiful floating crystal city and SpaceJunky will perfom a concert at the main stage at 7pm. There will be other events that night too, and special freebies from the stores—including fashion designs exclusive to the island from Bare Rose and Solanges.

Source: spacejunkyinsl.blogspot.com

Cosmic Vision Music Video

Cosmic Vision is a music video featuring Shakti Cianci—from the band SpaceJunky—at the piano. It is from her solo, piano meditation album, “7 Tears of Tara”, by Crystal Gypsy. The video features a cameo by Avenue CEO Rusch Raymaker, as well as other AlphaCrew members.

SpaceJunky: RL Band in SL

SpaceJunky is a real-life band who have been performing live shows in the virtual world of Second Life. SL is about creating your dream, and the ability to creatively visualize a music concert is wonderful, as you can do things here you cannot do in RL.

Inside the Jumbo Hostel in Stockholm, Sweden.

In Stockholm’s Jumbo Hostel you can stay the night inside a jumbo jet. What will be tomorrow’s transportation? Teleportation? Will the future bring transportation to our fingertips?

A confluence of entertainment and transportation will likely occur. They will converge into one. They will mesh and coincide. Enter the Manhattan Airport Foundation and its proposed project to build an airport in New York’s Central Park.

3D panorama of the hoax airport plan by parody advocacy organization Manhattan Airport Foundation.

Evidence points to the project being a hoax. But after hearing the concept, thinking about its potential, and reading more about it, I would say they do deliver some interesting points. The environmental argument sounds sound, and the park’s landmarks would be converted to attractions inside the airport. Innovative design and engineering could make a project like this a huge success for New York City. Maybe I’ve seen The Fifth Element too many times, but I’ll tell you that I can even see radically broadening the project’s scope. Artistic attractions and inventive modes of entertainment could be immersed within it. The airport itself could become a cultural center. Local artwork could be featured in the terminals. Digital technology would be everywhere. A live music venue could be built under the airport. Imagine flying into Manhattan to see a concert right in the airport. I expressed that live music is the most entertaining music when I first covered music’s future evolution, and I think an airport music venue is absolutely viable providing it would be open to everyone—not just upper or business classes.

What creative forms of art, culture, and entertainment could you see being built in modern airports? Where else might entertainment blend with transportation? With our basic survival needs met, what do we seek in and beyond entertainment?