Author: Kelli Richards

Ziad Abdelnour, International Dealmaker and Author

Kelli Richards January 10, 2013

Ziad Abdelnour is President & CEO of Blackhawk Partners, Inc., a New York based private equity “family office” that focuses on originating, structuring, advising and acting as equity investor in management-led buyouts, strategic minority equity investments, equity private placements, consolidations, buildups, and growth capital financings in companies and projects based both in the US and emerging markets. …

Ziad Abdelnour, International Dealmaker and AuthorRead More »

Nick Adler

Kelli Richards January 10, 2013

Nic Adler single handedly saved the Hollywood Sunset Strip and saved way more than The Roxy. Listen here for the story!

HITLAB – Reinventing Music Discovery and Distribution, One Artist at a Time?

Kelli Richards December 27, 2012

What’s new in the world of Music and Technology? The world-renowned multi-platinum artist Akon and a key Canadian Internet Company have joined to create something new and very interesting: HITLAB.com. Hitlab is a new media company focused on reinventing the way music is discovered, produced, marketed and distributed.

Using their proprietary DHS (Dynamic Hit Scoring) technology algorithms to mine data from patterns existing music, and comparing these patterns to that of hit songs in the US (Billboard 100 Top Hits) from the past 6 years (using 76 variables including pitch, tempo, etc.), Hitlab measures the song’s “hit” potential. A score of over 70% means that the song is widely appealing because it demonstrates similar mathematical patterns to recent chart-topping hits by the industry’s biggest musicians.

For the unsigned artist joining the site there will be 5 stages to hit it big. Stage one is to upload their demo track. At stage two, they submit the demo track for DHS analysis for a fee of $30. Next, they submit the final demo track to the Online Audition. If the artist is selected for the Live Showcase, the winner will perform live in front of Akon and possibly be signed to one of his labels (Konlive or Konvict).

There are several advantages to the artist having his/her songs analyzed. To begin with it helps them to get a feel of the potential the song has to become a chart-topper. Second, the artist can use DHS as a learning tool to see what works and what doesn’t in an effort to improve their songs. The artist can also find out which of the songs stand the greater chance at becoming hits using DHS’s analysis and detecting comparisons. Lastly, getting a higher score can lead to a higher site ranking, which gives the artist a better chance at earning a spot in the HITLAB Live Showcase and getting a record deal with Akon!

Akon’s HITLAB also stores hits of inspiring artists for anyone to listen to for free or to purchase. What a wonderful way to support unsigned artists waiting to be discovered!

If you’re a musician looking for record contracts, you’ve come to the right place. If you want a part in the music business, you can join to be a Top Promoter (which creates your own web site and music store).

The Latest News is that HITLAB recently partnered with ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) in the Emerging Artist Competition. The Recording Academy (www.grammy.com) agreed to give the winning unsigned upcoming artist or band a chance to perform at the 3^rd Annual Social Media Rock Stars summit, an official Grammy® week event!

While there are many sources out there for new artists and bands, Hitlab is devoted to helping artists find their way to the biggest audience and to becoming the biggest hit possible simply by creating an easy-to-use algorithm for success.

Until next time,
Kelli Richards, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC

Happy Holidays from Kelli

Kelli Richards December 25, 2012

With so many wonderful things coming to fruition in the coming year, and so many beautiful friendships and great business alliances and success stories in 2012, I just wanted to stop and take a moment to say how much my friends and colleagues mean to me. I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing people on some of the most groundbreaking tech advances of the last decade, and as a consultant, I’ve been a thought leader and liaison across two industries. This work is still as thrilling to me as it was the first day I started All Access Group.Thank you for letting me share ideas, strategies, solutions and even inspirations. May this holiday season give you time to reflect on the many wonderful things still to accomplish in this rare gift, a beautiful life.

Best wishes, Kelli Richards
CEO of the All Access Group.

A Few Gifts…

If you didn’t get my holiday gift yet,
I have assembled some of my favorite
and most impactful interviews from
the last two years.

Just click through to my website
to download the 4 interviews, and enjoy!
https://bit.ly/AllAccessGift

(In January I’ll be releasing a CD set of the
most downloaded interviews of the last two
years that I’ve been doing the show!)

Have a safe and happy holiday season
from all of us at The All Access Group.

**********************************************************

Also, the Replay of my “Apple’s 12 Best Practices”
Webinar is now available – just register at https://appleinsidersecrets.com/webinar.php

for immediate access.

Something Special About Apple and iOS

Kelli Richards December 18, 2012

Kelli Richards - All Access Group The special needs community is rarely the target demographic for the tech industry. Many of the wonderful new gizmos and gadgets that come out simply aren’t designed for them. There are an increasing number of companies that are developing products and technology to make computers and mobile devices more accessible for the special needs community, however – and one of those companies happens to be Apple, Inc.

Apple’s VoiceOver technology was introduced with OSX 10.5 – better known as “Tiger.” It’s an accessibility feature that allows blind or visually impaired users to interact with a computer through sound. A user can use the trackpad or keyboard to scroll through the applications on the docked menu at the bottom of the screen. It can literally read the user any text that’s displayed on the screen and allows users to edit text where applicable.

VoiceOver is also available on iOS devices such as the iPad. Visually impaired users have been incredibly receptive and appreciative of this, especially considering the fact that it’s a feature many other tablets and readers lack. As more and more publishing companies, universities, and corporations look to switch to readers and tablets in the future, accessibility features for the visually impaired certainly help Apple market its products as the superior choice amongst the competition.

Another feature that benefits the members of the special needs community is a new feature in iOS 6 called Guided Access. Guided Access allows parents and educators to “lock” onto an app so that children can’t accidentally exit out of it by pressing the home button. While this may seem like a very basic feature, it’s incredibly useful for children with Autism or learning disabilities who may become distracted or lose focus on tasks. There are a number of educational apps available in the App Store but it’s often hard for learning disabled students to stay focused on them long enough to actually benefit. With Guided Access, the task of keeping a child focused has gotten a little easier for teachers and parents.

While full accessibility is an on-going battle as technology continues to evolve, Apple is certainly taking steps in the right direction. Many other companies in Silicon Valley are taking their lead and continuing to improve accessibility features for different technologies and we hope to see this trend continue.

My own time at Apple saw many of these technologies discussed and drawn out on desks and white boards under the tireless leadership and direction of my colleague Dr. Alan Brightman, who was Director of Apple’s WW Disability Solutions for 12 years; and is now a VP at Yahoo focusing on Global Accessibilty. To see these things come to life and create impact all around the world is simply astounding (then and now).

Kelli Richards,
CEO of the All Access Group, LLC

The Cupertino Connection: iTunes 11 and iCloud

Kelli Richards December 10, 2012

iTunes may be one of the best products that Apple ever developed, or at the very least, one of the smartest. Just a few weeks ago Apple released iTunes 11 with a myriad of visual and technical changes and improvements. iTunes will turn 12 years old in January, and in those years Apple has found a way to streamline, connect, condense, and centralize a user’s content and multimedia experience. With that in mind, I think it’s worth looking at a few of the existing features, the new ones in iTunes 11, and the future ones planned for next year to see just how they’ll continue to do that.

First let’s look at how Apple already connects users and their content across multiple devices. One of the earliest features that did this was the “Library Sharing” feature that enables users to share their library across 5 devices connected to the same network using the same Apple ID. This was great because a user could have a whole collection on their desktop computer and access that same collection on their laptop. With this feature, users can also share content with other people on their WiFi network.

A similar feature that’s been out for a few years is AirPlay. AirPlay allows users to stream media from one device across multiple devices on their WiFi network. For example, a user can start listening to an album or playlist in one room and stream it to their home stereo in their living room. Users can even adjust which devices are playing at what time and the volume of those individual devices. Apple TV even lets users stream a movie from their computer on their Apple TV. Of course, all of these devices are controllable with an iPhone, iPod, or iPad.

Finally, with iTunes 11 and the updated iTunes store, all of a user’s downloads are automatically synced to the iCloud and accessible by any other iCloud capable device. This means a song downloaded in the iTunes store on your computer will be available on your iPod or iPhone. A similar service, iTunes Match, was released last year and allows users to pay an annual fee to have any of their music in their library uploaded to the iCloud, whether it was purchased or available in the iTunes store or not. These services could prove to be interesting competitors for Spotify, Rhapsody, Amazon, and other streaming/cloud based music delivery services.

Lastly, Apple recently announced that it will launch its own streaming radio service to compete with Pandora in the first few months of 2013. Like the aforementioned services, it will be available across iPhones, iPods, iPads, Macs, and PC’s as part of iTunes.

With all of these developments that have made Apple products so seamlessly integrated into a person’s life, it seems Tim Cook is moving forward to fulfill Steve Jobs’ goal of having an Apple device in every home. Cloud storage and online streaming is all the rage right now, and Apple’s solutions could prove to be big problems for its competitors. With so many solutions to a user’s content needs, why would they bother going elsewhere?

Kelli Richards
CEO of The All Access Group

Beamz Interactive – Play Music with Ease and Add A Visual Element

Kelli Richards December 5, 2012

Beamz logo Are you one of those people who think they can’t play music or will never learn to play an instrument? I have heard people say things like “I’m too old now” or “I’m just not musically gifted.” Thanks to the great products from Beamz Interactive, you’ll never be able to use those excuses again. Beamz has created a great new interactive music system that uses lasers to enable users to create music. And I cannot think of a better stocking stuffer for anyone in your life….think DJ’s, musicians, educators, music lovers, kids – anybody. This is one of the most inventive, original products of this decade.

Beamz is a great tool for anyone who wants to make music; from the seasoned veterans to the newcomers. It has over 100 instruments that can be arranged and triggered by breaking the light path of each beam with different gestures. With over 20 presets for different genres, fans of any music will be able to create, mix, and remix their own tracks (or any number of the tracks that come pre-loaded).

With the spirit of giving so prevalent during the holidays, Beamz is giving away free interactive holiday songs as well as original songs created with their technology. They’ve got some great hardware and software bundles too. So if you’re thinking of buying a Beamz system, you can pick up Virtual DJ or Acid Music Studio as a nice stocking stuffer.

For more info on that, head over to https://www.thebeamz.com/free-holiday-songs and check it out.

Happy Holidays,
Kelli Richards
CEO of The All Access Group

Please click through and comment on my recent article on Fast Company

Kelli Richards November 28, 2012

Hi everyone, I am thrilled to share that last week my article, “How Apple’s Culture Seeped Into Silicon Valley’s DNA,” was featured in Fast Company. I would be grateful if you would click through and comment on Fast Company’s site and join the discussion there.

Apple’s culture has invaded the business world and had a powerful impact. As a supremely successful company that has risen above strife to become a market leader, competitors look to Apple for inspiration, adopting its practices to improve their own companies.

To read the full article go to: https://www.fastcompany.com/3003291/how-apples-culture-seeped-silicon-valleys-dna

Thank you,

Kelli

Cyber Monday – Digging for Digital Dollars

Kelli Richards November 27, 2012

The holiday season is upon us now that Thanksgiving has come and gone. If you’ve just surfaced from the post-Thanksgiving turkey overdose then you’ve already missed Black Friday, which is probably for the better. However, many e-commerce sites are extending Cyber Monday deals through the entire week. This blog isn’t going to tell you where to find the best deals or give you any general tips, but rather it will highlight the importance of Cyber Monday to the tech industry and its influence throughout the globe.

The term “Cyber Monday,” was first coined in 2005 by Shop.com as a parallel to Black Friday. Scott Silverman of Shop.com created the concept based on research that the Monday following Thanksgiving was the biggest online retail day of the year, presumably for anyone who missed out on Black Friday deals. In its first year, Cyber Monday generated over $600 million dollars in sales from U.S consumers. It has since grown to double that and is now “celebrated” in countries across the globe such as the U.K, Portugal, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia.

One of the reasons Cyber Monday has grown so steadily over the years is because the rapid advancements in tech. In 2005, few people were browsing Amazon.com on their cell phones, now however, more than 12% of Cyber Monday purchases are made from a mobile device. Similarly, the rate at which technology is released has sped up in every direction, meaning more cool new gadgets for people to buy. As online sales soar with Cyber Monday, some brick-and-mortar locations and small businesses have complained that the deals online are taking money away from local economies. The sad (and great) news is that really, as technology and e-commerce rapidly evolve, everyone along the retail trail will have to find a way to keep up.

So happy hunting! There are so many cool new products on the market – from the iPad Mini to the Kindle Fire to all the great new laptops that have come out. Hopefully you won’t go overboard and max out all your cards, though I know it can be tempting!

Kelli Richards
CEO of the All Access Group.

A Message of Thanks and Giving

Kelli Richards November 19, 2012

Greetings everyone, With Thanksgiving almost here, I’d like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday, abundant with loved ones. One of the many things I’m grateful for is your definitely your friendship this past year. 2012 has been amazing and successful for me, and that definitely doesn’t happen in a vacuum. I continue to work on new and exciting things to foster that same success and abundance in your own companies and projects.

I am launching a new coaching program to help companies and brands adopt best practices and implement them into their goals and initiatives. If you’ve read my latest book, “The Magic and Moxie of Apple: An Insider’s View” then you’ll be familiar with some of these best practices (but not all of them). If you have struggled to hit your goals, successfully launch your projects, or create the relationships you need to truly move forward, this is the program for you.

A new, updated edition of my bestselling book “Taking the Crowd to the Cloud,” comes out on 12/12/12. This eBook will feature new chapters on Pinterest, the new Myspace, and on funding sources for musicians (and any of us with a great project that the “crowd” could get behind. In addition to the new chapters, I will be updating all of the book’s topics to account for updates and renovations on the various social networks, such as promoted posts on Facebook – and the ability to share video on Linkedin. While this book does cover some very advanced capabilities, I always endeavor to approach each space with a beginners eye, for those of us who need that point of view as well.

Best wishes, Kelli Richards
CEO of the All Access Group.

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Author: Kelli Richards

Ziad Abdelnour, International Dealmaker and Author

Nick Adler

HITLAB – Reinventing Music Discovery and Distribution, One Artist at a Time?

Happy Holidays from Kelli

Something Special About Apple and iOS

The Cupertino Connection: iTunes 11 and iCloud

Beamz Interactive – Play Music with Ease and Add A Visual Element

Please click through and comment on my recent article on Fast Company

Cyber Monday – Digging for Digital Dollars

A Message of Thanks and Giving

Search Resources

Topic Areas & Guests

Join our mailing list

As Seen In:

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My Commitment to You

Now is Your Time

Author: Kelli Richards

Search Resources

Topic Areas & Guests

Categories

Join our mailing list

As Seen In:

Join our mailing list

Pages

My Commitment to You

Now is Your Time