ktoddstorch @ business thoughts

iPods in Autos

Apple has deals with 15 automakers for iPod integration.

This is a serious push to control Drive Time Ear Time.

[link] to iPod - MyRadio for Your Car
[link] to MarketWatch.com article

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tags:  ipod | drive time ear time

Apple/iTunes Everywhere!

Get ready for even more press surrounding Apple and iTunes today.  Apple has a major announcement today that everyone seems to believe will a new Cingular phone made by Motorola with integrated iTunes.

Apple got a 5% bump in their stock price today just in the frenzy.

The race for "ear time" is at an all time high!  Read my "ear time" posts from January and April here, here and here.

**UPDATE**
Apple announces the ROKR ("Rocker") iTunes phone with Cingular and a suprise new iPod called the "nano".  The nano looks like a pretty cool extention of the iPod line with a small size, color screen and options of 2GB or 4GB.  The nano fits in between the 1GB Shuffle and the 5GB Mini, which has now been discontinued.

Apple also announce a new version of iTunes, 5.0.

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tags:  apple | iTunes | cingular | rokr | nano

WIFM - The Favorite Station to Listen to and Watch

My media consumption habits over the last few months have really begun to change.  As a "radio guy", you know how much I've been watching, learning and playing in the podcasting and technology realm over the last year.

As I thought more about this, I realize that all of us are watching and listening to only one station:  WIFM.

You know, What's In it For Me.  I've used this acronym for years with my sales people, but it is really true now as personalization and  customized content is here to stay (a la TiVo, podcasting, iPods, etc.)

As a guy making his living in radio, my radio consumption is a bit skewed because when I'm listening to radio, it really is a work function.  I haven't really "just listened to radio to listen" for over a decade.

Just a quick review of my recent media consumption:

TV - I can't remember watching a "live" show.  Seriously, dang near never. 
Why?

• TiVo - when Tara and I do actually sit down to "watch TV", we are watching shows we decide to watch and when.  Same thing for our kids.  No longer are they plopped down to watch TV, they are watching shows that Tara has saved on TiVo (and they skip the commercials...)
• Internet - there is just more compelling content out there via the Internet and, I would rather blog or do something more productive than just "watch TV"
• Television shows on DVD - Tara and I got hooked on 24 this season, so now we are catching up in the "off season".  We have rented and watched both season 1 and 2 already and look forward to 3 and 4 before the new 5th season starts. 

Newspaper - I only subscribe to Sunday's paper and have so for years.  Why?  Tara loves to go through the coupons.  I have no need for the newspaper because I get my info from a number of newspaper's RSS feeds, Google News and the blogs I follow.

iPod/Podcasting - I love podcasts.  I have a number that I subscribe to and I will mainly listen while I'm running or while I'm doing work at home.  I listen to shows that have content that interests me.  Triathlon, technology, cycling, music, business issues, etc.  I would say that listening to podcasts has replaced listening to CD's for me.  No longer am I hitting shuffle on my iPod music collection to fill that time.  I am specifically listening to content that has relevance to me.

So, what does all of this mean?  It means that traditional media (ie, TV, radio and newspapers) need to find ways to continually become relevant.  Yes, there are more choices than ever for content, but this is different than "57 channels and nothin' on".  Now, consumers have the choice of what and when.

Having the choice of "when" is more powerful that just the choice of "what". 

So, we (consumers) are becoming program directors of our own station, WIFM.  What, and When is In it For Me?

What about You?!

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tags:  tivo | ipod | podcasting | personalization

Change, Change, Change: Music Industry

We all know things are changing in the music biz (my posts here, here and here), but this post is a really good read with plenty of charts and numbers to really see the detail.

[read] via

Thx Droxy for the heads up!

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tags:  music business | ipod | satellite radio | itunes | radio

Adam Curry and Steve Jobs: Podcasting and iTunes?

Tons of speculation and rumors, but the news seems to be that the next version (4.9) of iTunes will integrate podcasting.

In my opinion, this will be the "one click" option that could take podcasting mainstream as a medium.  Currently, using an aggregator like iPodder to capture podcasts is very easy for me and plenty of other early adapters, but not for the everyday user.

Look for more and more on this in the upcoming weeks, days, hours....

[link] via WebProNews
[link] via Engadget

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tags: podcasting | itunes | adam curry | steve jobs

The Future of Music Distribution and Sales?

The following happened over the course of 5 minutes on Friday (5/6/05):

• heard a great song that Adam featured on the Daily Source Code
• checked out the show notes on Adam's blog to find the song and band name
• went to the band's website
• purchased the song for .99 via PayPal
• got an email from the songwriter thanking me
• had some great email communication with the songwriter and have a new friend of Business Thoughts

Wow.  Adam may be onto something, especially with his new large audience on Sirius.

Times, they are a changin'

By the way, the song's name is Say What You Will and was composed entirely on Garage Band.

It took zero radio play, zero ad budget and no retail store was necessary for this transaction.

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tags: adam curry | daily source code | paypal | sirius

The race for "Drive Time Ear Time"...

I wrote about this back on January 5th and coined the phrase "Drive Time Ear Time".  The race is on to capitalize (and monetize) the time all of us spend in our cars.

Motorola thinks it has the answer.  I have to admit, this guy at Motorola gets it.  It will be interesting if this type of cell phone/radio/home PC solution will actually work as easily as he describes.  To penetrate and be mass appeal, listening to content that was downloaded to a home PC, transferred to a cell phone and played back on a car's radio, needs to be "one button easy".

BTW, this is exactly what podcasting is, using an aggregator such as iPodder and an iPod with a FM transmitter in the car.  Why people would pay Motorola for this feature doesn't make sense to me, unless they make the cell phones that have this ability so cool that customers are willing to pay for this feature.

[read] via Engadget

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tags: podcasting | engadget | motorola

Reinvention...buzz word for laziness

If you didn't get a chance to read the guest blogging feature that Rosa hosted on Reinvention, I recommend you check it out.  Thank you Rosa for the opportunity to participate!

Here is the posting I wrote on the subject:

Reinvention...buzz word for laziness

I know, I know.  I'm taking the contrarian view to this topic, but let me explain.  The definition of reinvent is "to make over completely".

There are many processes and things that we and companies do that need to be improved dramatically (ie. customer service for one).  But when asked to write this post, I began thinking about "what needs to be reinvented" and how does this affect my life?

I could look at the radio industry, which is where I make my living; I could look at the world of blogging, which is where I contribute; I could look at any number of processes that I deal with each and every day.  But as I really challenged myself with reinvention, I began to realize that the word that fit the best is relevant.

Relevant.  Yes, that is it.  The radio industry and television, cable, newspapers, etc. need to be relevant.  Consumers are more informed than ever thanks to the Internet and being relevant is what is needed. Consumers are also demanding programming when ever they want it (thank you TiVo!).  All of us want relevant content when ever and where ever we are.

If companies spent more time making their processes relevant to how the customer will actually use or interact with a product or the company itself, there is a much better opportunity for success. iTunes and the iPod are excellent examples of this.

Many will say that iPod's "reinvented" .mp3 players.  I disagree. I've had a .mp3 player for years, but they were too difficult to use. Too difficult to really make listening fun.  iPod's made the experience relevant to consumers.  Like the definition of the word, the iPod and iTunes made a connection with the matter at hand, which is/was "I want to listen to what I want, when I want and it needs to be easy and fun!".

iTunes didn't reinvent downloads.  It didn't make over music downloads completely.  iTunes made the music download experience relevant.  It made it easy.  It made it fun.  It made it relevant to the lifestyle consumers want and demand.

What can each of us do to make our jobs, careers and lives more relevant?

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tags:  reinvention | ipod | itunes | relevancy

The iPod Shuffle Rocks!

I bought a 512MB Shuffle yesterday for Tara and wow!  What a great product!

Tara wanted a .mp3 player to listen to while she runs and exercises and after my great experience with my iPod and iTunes, I went straight to the Shuffle.

So easy to use.  I just plugged it in to the USB port, set up a name for the device in iTunes and moved songs over to it.  iTunes makes the experience so easy.  I had my iPod and her Shuffle both logged into iTunes at the same time with no issues.

There's been a lot of Shuffle bashing out there, but I love the product for these types of uses.

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tags: ipod | ipod shuffle

Motorola will force Apple to deliver an iPod phone

I believe its just a matter of time before Apple will have to offer an iPod phone.  Motorola and Apple are in bed together for a cell phone with integrated iTunes, but according to the CNN/Money article (2/16/05) there are restrictions to the amount of downloads to the phone.

Motorola's competitors don't have these restrictions, so guess what?  Consumers will want and demand it.  Cell phones and the networks continuously restrict the access to features (bluetooth, locking phones, etc.).

I'm sure the new Motorola "ROKR" phone will be in high demand and it will be a matter of time before hackers have ways to get around this restriction.

I applaud Motorola's new found creativity with the RAZR thin phone, but if you really want to deliver what consumers want, give them access.  However, we all know that this had to of been a restriction that Apple forced on Motorola for the iTunes deal.  They can't openly support an alternative to the iPod, now can they?

Apple, the rumors are abound on a phone.  How long until you satisfy this demand?

Thoughts?