OK GO’s most recent music video, “Upside Down & Inside Out” is pretty stunning. Seriously, watch it now: What makes the video particularly interesting is the fact that it premiered on Facebook, not on YouTube. In fact, a visit to the band’s YouTube channel yields only a snarky prompt to watch the video on Facebook. Devoted … Continue reading The Stars Aligned with Facebook
Yesterday, HBO announced that it had 800,000 subscribers on its standalone streaming service, HBO GO. CEO Richard Plepler was optimistic: “I wouldn’t say only 800,000 subs,” Plepler said in a response to an analyst who had used the word “only” in his question. “We’re just getting started. … I think we’re going to make a lot … Continue reading HBO’s Numbers
In 2003, my father used the CD-RW burner on his computer to make me an MP3 disc of all 217 songs in The Beatles formal canon. “That’s right,” I remember telling my friends, “200 songs, one CD.” I took a distinct pride in my amalgamated collection of the Fab Four’s recordings, scoffing at those who only … Continue reading The Fab Four, Now Streaming
As a die-hard Stones fan, I was thrilled to hear that the band had put out a previously unreleased version of their earbud-shaking “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’,” off of the band’s 1971 ‘Sticky Fingers” album. Stones re-releases and alternate versions can be a lot of fun – think of the newly-released acoustic “Wild Horses,” or the … Continue reading You Can’t Really Hear Me Knocking
Jay-Z recently revealed his plans for Tidal, a high-fidelity music-streaming service. The key differentiators are: Tidal will have no free tier Tidal will have a $10/mo compressed quality option, and a $20 CD-quality option Tidal will offer equity stakes in the company to artists I’m a little skeptical that Tidal will succeed. Spotify and Pandora are … Continue reading Tidal
So, House of Cards has clearly struck a nerve in the Twitter advertising world. It’s actually a little clever. Is @Frank_Underwood the man for the job? #HouseOfCardsSeason3 https://t.co/wvblf8aPKy — Monster (@Monster) February 27, 2015 Welcome back, Frank. See you in 10 hours, Twitter. #HouseOfCards #bingewatching #GoCommando pic.twitter.com/S1qzKd3Syd — Cottonelle (@cottonelle) February 27, 2015 Just knock … Continue reading Twitter Advertising Goes HoC
Netflix dropped a new House of Cards trailer on us yesterday. As expected, it features the Underwoods presumably involved in various nefarious acts, and, perhaps, facing the consequences. Based on the trailer, here’s what we know for sure: 1. As in previous seasons, House of Cards will feature motorcades of black SUVs and flashing sirens, generally … Continue reading An Ad for HoC
I recently completed a 16-month immersion in The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Robert Caro’s sprawling biography of our often-overlooked 36th President. Between April 2013 and August 2014, I buried myself in the 3,500 pages – and thirty-five years of research – that comprise a series of books that is not just a biography of a man, but the … Continue reading Reading Johnson
In light of Ben’s recent post about NPR’s new NPR One app, I figured I’d chime in on my own public radio listening habits. I really love NPR and APM (American Public Media). NPR tends to have more human interest stories, whereas APM has a strong tech- and finance- bent. I enjoy NPR’s Religion podcast, as … Continue reading Podcasting
Last week, NPR released NPR One as the official National Public Radio mobile app (Android and iphone). I’ve become a big fan of theirs (David has too!) as I now spend much more time in a car than I did in Manhattan and don’t always want to hear the same five songs on repeat on the … Continue reading NPR One Review
Silicon Spatula 