Author: Kelli Richards

EOS 3D: A Radical Step Forward for 3D Technology

Kelli Richards December 16, 2013

3dIn recent years, Three-Dimension (3D) technology has seen a steady increase in quality as well as quantity in our everyday lives. Ever since Honey I Shrunk the Kids provided the first interactive movie experience by combining rudimentary 3D film with other sense-tickling technologies, 3D technology has evolved to the sophistication of James Cameron’s groundbreaking film “Avatar,” which revolutionized 3D film. (It is worth noting that the making of the film was delayed 10 years in anticipation of how this evolving technology would enable the film’s intended effects). 3D has now moved even further, creating more interactive experiences in an attempt to render inanimate technology more “life-like.”

Various advances demonstrate this progression: Leap Motion, which creates an interactive cloud that reads hand movements, gestures, and grabs, allowing total control of what you are researching or creating on your computer; indoor Google Maps, which creates a 3D model of the inside of buildings, allowing for a far easier, more interactive option for finding a doctor’s office or mail room; and Google Glass, which combines social media with 3D technology, in effect documenting your life in a 3D platform for all your social network “friends” to see.

However impressive all these innovations may be, they have achieved interactivity only in the abstract sense. The film industry creates 3D entertainment; Leap Motion creates some Star Wars-esque cloud of interactivity; and Google Glass records and shares what’s around you – but none of these 3D technologies succeed in creating something tangible that can be held and beheld, in appreciation of the true genius behind the creation.

But all this has changed with the introduction of EOS 3D – which literally prints 3D objects. These machines are capable of “printing” in plastic, metal, and sand manufacturing, and the appeal to various industries – ranging from aerospace to medical and lifestyle products – is undeniable. Working with tool-less laser technology, EOS 3D manufacturing can produce light-weight yet high-tech components – and for cheap. For those of you who watch Orange County Chopper, the “printing” works in a way similar to how motorcycle enthusiasts customize various parts.

This technology marks a very interesting point in the 3D technology industry. While it may be true today that e-manufacturing relies on clunky, massive devices, the first computer wasn’t exactly pocket sized either – and if you hadn’t noticed, change tends to happen a lot faster these days.

Just imagine owing one of these e-manufacturing devices in the year 2020, a time when they’ll have decreased to the size of a toaster, and being able to materialize whatever you want without leaving the house. Need a screw? Print it. A pen? Print it. A sandwich? … Print it?

Until next time,

Kelli Richards, President, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC

PS: Subscribe to my FREE All Access Group Newsletterhttps://bit.ly/AAGNewletter

PSS: Listen to an entire library of intimate discussions with industry visionaries https://bit.ly/AllAccessPodcastSeries (Priceless)

 

How to Start a Rabbl: Tell Your Favorite Bands Where to Play, and When

Kelli Richards December 9, 2013

Screen Shot 2013-11-22 at 2.46.06 PMWith the advent of various personal music-creating and editing programs (from Audacity, to Garage Band, to Logic Pro) it has become increasingly easy, and more popular for individuals to dive into the independent music industry. Success stories of amateur musicians, making it big from small, at-home “studios,” are rolling in daily.

Girl Talk and Pretty Lights are two recent examples of established artists who “sample” their own music through independent editing, but the method extends all the way back to Dr. Dre. Today, the growing number of “independent artists” and the increase in popularity of underground music is creating fiscal problems for hopeful musicians. Due to widespread legal and illegal music downloads, many musicians have opted to release mix tapes and albums free of charge, using these releases as a sort of promotion for live tours.

The trend of releasing free music in the hopes of generating ticket sales raises new concerns for aspiring artists with small but growing fan bases, such as: Where should I perform? How much should tickets cost? Who will come? Will I make money? In essence, these questions boil down to just one: is performing fiscally worth it?

Enter Rabbl, a new service for hopeful musicians that seeks to “Help Bands Play to the Crowd, Long Before the Show.” Rabbl describes its services in 6 steps: create, vote, reach your goal, find a venue, book the show, and perform. These steps allow artists to choose a town or city and set ticket prices, with a specific goal of selling enough tickets to cover expenses. Fans cast their yes-or-no vote by reserving rights to a ticket. If enough fans “purchase” a ticket, everyone is charged; if not, the show is cancelled. If the gig secures enough attendees, the band moves on to locating a venue, booking the show, and performing. Rabbl holds the money obtained from ticket sales until the performance of the show is verified- by fans, again, on Rabbl- at which point the band acquires the ticket sales revenue.

Rabbl combines a “crowdsourcing” survey machine with the services of Ticket Master, resulting in a promotional database and management tool for aspiring musicians. By equipping emerging musicians with a promotional platform integrated with business analytics – and enabling fans to cast their votes – Rabbl has provided the perfect way to accelerate the growth of “up and coming” independent artists.

Keep your eyes peeled for their success stories – we just might start seeing more of them.

Until next time,

Kelli Richards, President, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC

PS: Subscribe to my FREE All Access Group Newsletter https://bit.ly/AAGNewletter

PSS: Listen to an entire library of intimate discussions with industry visionaries https://bit.ly/AllAccessPodcastSeries

 

The Short Lifespan Of Twitter’s Ill-Fated Music App

Kelli Richards November 25, 2013

Depositphotos_3469497_xsMusic has been the lifeblood of many social media services, but it appears that Twitter will not be one of them. Social media music sites have prospered, with CNET reporting that Spotify recently topped $500 million in revenue. At the same time, however, Twitter has decided to fold its hand in the music business and get out of a hashtag-based sound promotion service. What proved to be the sour note in this social media foray?

In The Beginning

Launched in April of 2013, the Twitter #music platform hoped to connect users to music through hashtag searches. With this app in hand, Twitter allowed users to track Tweets from artists as well as search for popular tracks with hashtag searches of label, record, song, or lyrics. Stating that half of all Twitter users follow at least one musician, Twitter launched the mobile app with the hopes of gaining ground on their social media music competitors like SoundCloud. The app allowed musicians to promote new riffs and tracks with a simple update, while users could directly Tweet songs to followers. Twitter never owned any music itself, drawing its tunes from iTunes, Spotify, or Rdio, but allowed free promotion and distribution.

The High Note

Twitter’s music app enjoyed a brief spell of popularity when some celebrities picked up on the promotion. The New York Times reported that Ryan Seacrest hyped up the app as a means of finding new followers and contacts, going so far as to have a dance party with the streaming music function. Twitter #music peaked at number six on Apple’s downloaded app list, but quickly fell down into the mid-thousands. Competitors like Vine, which allow users to play short videos (including music) within a Tweet, enjoyed steady popularity between the 10th and 20th spot of the Apple app rating.

Lessons Learned

Why did Twitter #music prove to be a bust rather than a boom? Several factors contributed to the downfall. First and foremost, social media users preferred to stay with their established music platforms, and social music sites like Spotify never flinched from the release of #music. Users with slower Internet services can load Twitter easily, since the site has a bare minimum of graphics to slow down the latency, but it takes a stronger Internet service to launch the streaming music function. Some people need satellite Internet to stream videos if their local provider cannot keep up. By comparison, DSL and cable Internet may not reach peak efficiency needed to load Flash programs.

Twitter’s Next Venture

Though Twitter took a blow to the chin, the company is sure to bounce back. Mashable reports that Twitter founder Ev Williams has begun to spend “98%” of his time in development of a new site called Medium, a publishing platform with about 30 employees. Whether this new venture does better than #music remains to be seen, but since Alexa pegs Twitter as the 9th most popular site on the Internet, the social music app’s failure to launch will not keep the company down.

Until next time,

Tim Douglas, Blogger for All Access Group
Tim is a music producer and father of 3 young boys. He runs a studio out of his home (which he also calls his sanctuary).

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