Portability. Mobility. Accesss

Despite the slight awkwardness of the interview, this chat with the Internet's wild child, Sean Parker, makes for interesting viewing. Parker's thoughts on his latest investment - Spotify - are especially insightful. For him, Spotify represents all his hopes and dreams for Napster made real. And, although he had to learn the hard way, time and experience have turned Parker into the ideal spokesperson and mentor for the new way to consume music legally and profitably for all concerned.

"We get the user building playlists… they accumulate a library… they get the song stuck in their head... Portability, mobility and access - that's the point where we monetise it". Lesson learned.

Speaking of Spotify, All Things Digital recently laid its hands on some of Spotify's US-oriented marketing materials. Not that it's going to need much push - the Americans have been salivating over Spotify for as long as us Brits have been pining for Netflix. Swapsies?

Wolves in the Amazon

This (click here) has got to be the best example of consumer reviews gone viral. Give people a voice and a kick-ass product and they'll make their views known...



Some key quotes...

"So I'm looking for threads that say, "Hey baby...I'm real boss!" when I stumble upon this epic creation. The wolves spoke to me in a language all their own; it was like German, Mongol, and Bitchin all mixed together. I mean, one wolf howlin at the moon is major...but three??? "

"I arrived at Wal-mart, mounted my courtesy-scooter (walking is such a drag!) sitting side saddle so that my wolves would show. While I was browsing tube socks, I could hear aroused asthmatic breathing behind me. I turned around to see a slightly sweaty dream in sweatpants and flip-flops standing there. She told me she liked the wolves on my shirt, I told her I wanted to howl at her moon. She offered me a swig from her mountain dew, and I drove my scooter, with her shuffling along side out the door and into the rest of our lives. Thank you wolf shirt. "

And for the Spotify lovers out there, holla this... http://jonathanfromspotifyruinedyourplaylist.com/

Baby steps into the 21st century.

With so much of the internet buoyed by hype, rather than genuine usefulness, I have become somewhat jaded over the words "you simply HAVE to try this". But every so often, one's jadedness is unfounded as you guiltily discover the thing you simply HAD to try and didn't, is ultimately what has been missing so desperately from your sad little life.

First up is Skype. I tried it out a couple of years ago and, after attaching various cameras and mics and god-knows-what to my mac found the re-verb a total conversation killer. Yesterday, however, I gave it a second chance to chat to a friend in Austin, TX and rued all the cash I spent on calling cards that could have been more usefully used on shoes.



Secondly, Spotify, which makes itunes look like that box of vinyls in your attic. Spotify is not about ownership, it's about access. So you log in, create a playlist, and listen online. Thanks so Spotify me and my co-workers have been enjoying everything from 'The Best Music from the French' to 'I will always love you'. And, in case you're wondering, yes - that is a good thing.