An emerging breed of mobile news apps offering a magazine-style experience with bolted-on social media functionality are jockeying for consumer love across mobile phones and tablets. Flipboard was one of the first of these visually-enhanced RSS readers, but there are several others such as Zite, Pulse and Yahoo!‘s Livestand. The newest entry making a splash is Google Currents which became available in the U.S. last December. The app is available for Android and IOS platforms on both mobile phones and tablets. (I took it for a test drive on my iPad2 and Infuse 4G Android phone.)
Each of the apps has various strengths and weaknesses, but to find the best fit for your needs requires a moment of introspection about what you want in a news app. Is recreating the visual magazine style experience important to you? How many news outlets do you want to consult on a regular basis? If the number of outlets is high but photos are less important, then you may be better served with a more bare-bones RSS reader.
Another apps feature that doesn’t seem to get discussed often is the ability to be used as a social networking tool. Large numbers of people are now consuming news via social networks. Why? Because that is where they are spending the majority of their time online. That means people are reading, commenting and/or sharing stories their friends and followers have posted that came from other news sources.
If you are a social networker trying to populate your accounts with engaging stories and information, posting news stories offers a great way to accomplish that goal. Especially when you consider the amount of content needed to keep up with your Twitter, Facebook (personal and pages), Google Plus, Pinterest, LinkedIn accounts and maybe a few others. Wow! So a major question also has to be, “Will this program facilitate posting to all my networks?” But first let’s see how the news part works.
My first reaction to Google Currents included a few ooohhs and ahhhs. The photos and fonts create an appealing visual experience and the icons and interface are largely intuitive. The graphical interface is nicely configured and respectful of screen real estate. An added feature, being part of the Google world, is that you can sign in with your Gmail account and the program will sync across all your other devices.
News gets divided into “Library,” which includes all the sources you have added, or “Trending” which is a breaking news feed. “Trending” is also unique because after you click on a headline you are shown a variety of headlines from different publications having to do with that topic. Ultimately, this can result in a lot of clicking as you track down stories on various sites that perhaps are not part of Currents’ 180 partners that offer full length stories on the app. However, it is a great way to make sure you aren’t missing anything, and I suspect many people don’t read past the sub-headline on a lot of stories anyway.
OK, so what’s not to like? Sharing. Firstly, the sharing interface is different between Android and IOS versions. It also does not make posting to G+, Google’s own network, especially robust. Facebook on the other hand works smoothly. Surely, these issues will soon be addressed.
Given the fact that Currents is free and represents a new type of app, I would encourage you, if you haven’t yet explored these magazine-style news readers, to at least give it a try,
As for me, I don’t want to swim against the Current, but there’s something I just love about the speed and simplicity of Google Reader which syncs across all devices, works on the desktop, channels hundreds of news outlets and has great sharing chops. If it ain’t broke…
Combustion Hosts Hit Songwriter Showcase
/by Sarah SkatesPictured (L-R) front row: Ashley Gorley, Matthew West, Chase Foster, and Kelly Archer. Back row: Matt Jenkins, Chris Van Belkom, Chris Farren, Kenley Flynn, Blair Daly, Brett James, Zach Crowell, Colt Chamberlain, and Will Bowen. Photo: Dan Dziesinski
On Tues., Jan. 24 Combustion Music hosted an intimate songwriter showcase at Gary Allan’s new clothing store, The Label. Combustion writers Ashley Gorley, Blair Daly, Brett James, Matthew West, Kelly Archer, Matt Jenkins, Will Bowen, and Chase Foster, as well as special guest Sarah Buxton, played to a room full of producers, record label personnel and artists including Allan, the JaneDear Girls, and Republic Nashville new signee Jackie Lee.
Combustion, a partnership with Warner/Chappell Music, has six singles on the country charts, including the No. 1 pop smash “Mr. Know It All” by Kelly Clarkson (written by Brett James), and Carrie Underwood’s new single “Good Girl” (written by Ashley Gorley).
The event was the brainchild of Combustion’s Creative Manager Kenley Flynn and newcomer Colt Chamberlain, and was executed with the help of Renee Layher of The Label, and Chaise Crosslin of Lytle Management.
Benefit News: Jimmy Wayne, Jo Dee Messina, Phil Vassar
/by Sarah SkatesJimmy Wayne will testify at the Tennessee Capitol on Feb. 8 in support of the Transitioning Youth Act—a program that provides assistance to foster children between the ages of 18-21 once they age out of the foster care system. It has been cited as a critical initiative that helps individuals bridge the gap from their teenage years to adulthood, in both educational and professional terms. Representative Mark White (R-Memphis) is guiding the bill through Legislature. Wayne, who was a foster child, founded Project Meet Me Halfway and walked from Nashville to Phoenix in 2010 to raise awareness for the cause.
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Jo Dee Messina is hosting a “Night Of Nostalgia,” a big band swing and casino night, on Saturday, March 3 at 7 p.m. in Nashville. The event at the Maxwell House Hotel will raise money for the non-profit Holy Trinity Montessori School. Tickets are $60 and include open bar, light fare and dancing. Messina and Cliff Notes will perform. Tickets at http://nostalgia2012.eventbrite.com.
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Stoney Creek Gains Loss
/by Freeman“Chris Loss has proven himself to be one of the leaders in country radio promotion through his tenacity, perseverance and creative thinking,” said James. “His accomplishments speak for themselves and we couldn’t be more proud to welcome him into the Stoney Creek family.”
Loss was most recently VP of Promotion for the Valory Music Co., following three years of serving as the label’s Director of National Promotion. Prior to that, Loss served as Director of West Coast Promotion for Lyric Street Records. In this new role, he will oversee the Stoney Creek promotion staff and initiatives for the roster which includes Thompson Square, Randy Houser, Parmalee, and Lindsay Ell.
“I’m so grateful and humbled that Benny, Jon and Carson have allowed me the opportunity to lead such a bright promotion team and to work with such an amazing label staff and artists,” says Loss. “I want to thank Scott and the entire Valory team for an incredible 4 years. I’m very proud of what we were all able to accomplish during my time there.”
Loss is officially on the job today. Reach him here or at 615-320-1372.
Making The Super Bowl Investment
/by Eric T. ParkerThe Nielsen report says brand awareness for ads aired during last year’s Super Bowl XLVI were 275% higher than awareness for the same products during regular programming.
In a report from sales data firm Kantar Media, over the past 10 years, the Super Bowl has generated network advertising sales of $1.7 billion from more than 125 marketers, and Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5 is expected to increase costs to record-breaking highs, upwards of $3.5 million for slots.
The top Super Bowl advertisers for 2002-2011 include Anheuser-Busch with $239.1 million spent, trailed by PepsiCo Inc. with $174 million, GM at $82.8 million and Walt Disney and Coca-Cola at $73.9 and $66.8 million, respectively.
Advertising from nine different automotive brands boosted the sector nearly double from the 2011 Super Bowl compared to 2010, and nearly four times over 2009. The change was apparently well-received, with an four auto spots making Nielsen’s annual 2011 Most-Liked list.
From 2008-2011, at least one of the top five highest grossing motion pictures had an ad slot in the Super Bowl line up, and Tortilla Chips have emerged as a popular spending category. Last year, three fan-made Doritos ads made Nielsen’s Most Liked and Most Remembered list.
Shelton Celebrates Certifications, Heads To Super Bowl With Lambert
/by Caitlin RantalaWarner Music Nashville Pres. and CEO John Esposito and his team surprised Shelton at his sold-out show in Duluth, GA this past Friday, Jan. 27 with three plaques to commemorate his success.
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert will share the stage at Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5. The couple will open the event by singing a duet version of “America the Beautiful.” Super Bowl XLVI will mark the husband and wife’s first TV performance since their nuptials last May. Their version of “America the Beautiful” will be available on iTunes beginning today (1/31).
Following the Super Bowl, Shelton will be returning to the second season of the hit TV show The Voice, premiering Sunday at 10PM ET on NBC.
On Friday he celebrated the RIAA Platinum certification of hit single “God Gave Me You,” and Gold certification of albums Red River Blue and Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton (pictured above).
In more news, Shelton and Lambert recently rescheduled tour dates due to the death of his father, and Lambert rescheduled a Feb. 3 stop in Tallahassee, FL due to the death of her longtime friend Mark Adams.
Google Currents Latest In Magazine-Style RSS Reader Offerings
/by bossrossAn emerging breed of mobile news apps offering a magazine-style experience with bolted-on social media functionality are jockeying for consumer love across mobile phones and tablets. Flipboard was one of the first of these visually-enhanced RSS readers, but there are several others such as Zite, Pulse and Yahoo!‘s Livestand. The newest entry making a splash is Google Currents which became available in the U.S. last December. The app is available for Android and IOS platforms on both mobile phones and tablets. (I took it for a test drive on my iPad2 and Infuse 4G Android phone.)
Each of the apps has various strengths and weaknesses, but to find the best fit for your needs requires a moment of introspection about what you want in a news app. Is recreating the visual magazine style experience important to you? How many news outlets do you want to consult on a regular basis? If the number of outlets is high but photos are less important, then you may be better served with a more bare-bones RSS reader.
If you are a social networker trying to populate your accounts with engaging stories and information, posting news stories offers a great way to accomplish that goal. Especially when you consider the amount of content needed to keep up with your Twitter, Facebook (personal and pages), Google Plus, Pinterest, LinkedIn accounts and maybe a few others. Wow! So a major question also has to be, “Will this program facilitate posting to all my networks?” But first let’s see how the news part works.
My first reaction to Google Currents included a few ooohhs and ahhhs. The photos and fonts create an appealing visual experience and the icons and interface are largely intuitive. The graphical interface is nicely configured and respectful of screen real estate. An added feature, being part of the Google world, is that you can sign in with your Gmail account and the program will sync across all your other devices.
News gets divided into “Library,” which includes all the sources you have added, or “Trending” which is a breaking news feed. “Trending” is also unique because after you click on a headline you are shown a variety of headlines from different publications having to do with that topic. Ultimately, this can result in a lot of clicking as you track down stories on various sites that perhaps are not part of Currents’ 180 partners that offer full length stories on the app. However, it is a great way to make sure you aren’t missing anything, and I suspect many people don’t read past the sub-headline on a lot of stories anyway.
OK, so what’s not to like? Sharing. Firstly, the sharing interface is different between Android and IOS versions. It also does not make posting to G+, Google’s own network, especially robust. Facebook on the other hand works smoothly. Surely, these issues will soon be addressed.
Given the fact that Currents is free and represents a new type of app, I would encourage you, if you haven’t yet explored these magazine-style news readers, to at least give it a try,
As for me, I don’t want to swim against the Current, but there’s something I just love about the speed and simplicity of Google Reader which syncs across all devices, works on the desktop, channels hundreds of news outlets and has great sharing chops. If it ain’t broke…
CISAC Global Economic Survey Shows Growth
/by FreemanThe findings reveal that gross royalty collections climbed €7.5 billion, a 5.5% increase from the 2009 totals. This marks a second year of growth for collections, as 2009 saw a rise of 1.7% over the previous year.
“These positive results show the solidity and efficiency of the international network of authors’ societies represented by CISAC,” said the confederation’s Director General Olivier Hinnewinkel. “Here is proof that collective management is the solution for today and tomorrow, generating wealth for creators while withstanding economic changes and supporting digital music markets.”
The data also shows that public performance royalty is still the bread and butter for creators and publishers, as it comprised 73% of collections or €5.5 billion. Radio and TV performance made up the predominant source of public performances at 56%, followed by the phonographic industry at 23.4%. Digital collection is still small on a global basis but is a growth area having accounted for 1.7% of public performances.
“IFPI recently reported that major international digital music services such as iTunes, Spotify and Deezer are now present in 58 countries,” said Mr Hinnewinkel, “compared to only 23 at the start of 2011. CISAC members are now well placed to develop this market as it expands.”
Trisha Yearwood Filming Cooking Show, Recording New Music
/by Eric T. ParkerYearwood off the cover of her most recent cook book (2010)
Trisha Yearwood has begun filming a daytime cooking show in Nashville for the Food Network, according to the singer’s website. The six episode as-yet-untitled series set to premiere in April will also feature her new music. Yearwood’s last studio album was 2007’s Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love.
The singer and two-time cookbook author will share food traditions with friends and family, and put her southern hospitality on display while hosting Sunday dinners and family reunion barbecues. Each of the six episodes will have a theme and allow viewers into Yearwood’s kitchen for her favorite meals and family stories. The series will be produced by former Oprah Winfrey Show executive producer Ellen Rakieten’s company and RelativityREAL.
“Fans know Trisha best as a music powerhouse, and through her new Food Network show audiences will learn first-hand what her friends and family already know – that Trisha is a talented, passionate rock-star cook too,” said Food Network GM and Senior VP of Programming and Production Bob Tuschman. “We look forward to sharing this side of Trisha with viewers, showcasing an intimate, entertaining look at her personal recipes, family traditions and warm Southern hospitality.”
“I’m having such a great time filming this show for Food Network!” said Yearwood in a Facebook status update, “Don’t worry, music fans, I’m working on a new record, too! There will be food and some music on this show…stay tuned!”
Randy Travis Sets 25th Anniversary Tour
/by Eric T. ParkerTravis remarked on the tour saying, “I’m surprised at how fast the first 25 years have gone by, it feels like only five. There’s no better feeling than being on stage and the connection with a live audience.”
In June 2011, Travis marked the official beginning of his 25th year in the industry with Warner Bros. Records by releasing a 17-track Anniversary Celebration album featuring a lineup of guests including Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Kris Kristofferson, Carrie Underwood, George Jones, Zac Brown Band and Jamey Johnson. In May 2011, Cracker Barrel exclusively released the 12-track album, Randy Travis, which benefited the national Wounded Warriors Project and featured three previously unreleased songs.
25th Anniversary Celebration Tour (more dates to be announced)
Feb. 10– Grand Ronde, OR
Feb. 11— Airway Heights, WA
Feb. 13— Boise, ID
Feb. 16— Denver, CO
Feb. 17— Colorado Springs, CO
Feb. 18— Greeley, CO
Feb. 19— Beaver Creek, CO
Mar. 3— Coachella, CA
Mar. 9— Winnie, TX
Mar. 10— Ft. Worth, TX
Mar. 18— Gainesville, TX
March 22— Dothan, AL
Apr. 7— Laughlin, NV
May 4— Biloxi, MS
May 5— Live Oak, FL
May 6— Melbourne, FL
Hall of Fame Sets All-Time Attendance Record, Offers Free Day
/by Sarah Skates“We would like to thank our local, national and international visitors for such strong support,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “Our attendance revenue last year increased nearly 30% over 2010, and our Museum Store and events revenues were up by 18% and 23%, respectively, over the prior year, as well. In today’s challenging economic climate, we don’t take this for granted.
“We attribute the strong year to multiple factors,” Young continued. “It was the final year of our major exhibition Family Tradition: The Williams Family Legacy, Presented by SunTrust, the most popular and acclaimed exhibit in our history. And it was a very good year for Nashville tourism in general. There’s really a fantastic synergy happening with the city right now. Music City is centrally located, a manageable drive from many parts of the U.S., and a great value. And, it’s an exciting city, alive with music and boasting an array of cultural offerings found nowhere else. We’re proud to be one of those ‘can’t-miss’ Nashville experiences.”
In more news from The Hall, the not-for-profit educational organization is pleased to partner with Ford Motor Company Fund for the fifth consecutive year to offer free museum admission on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. That day there will be a Songwriter Session with Erin Enderlin and Jim “Moose” Brown, a concert by Hunter Hayes, a demonstration by Hatch Show Print staff, a Musical Petting Zoo for kids, and “Live from the Museum Store, Presented by CMT” autograph signings with the Oak Ridge Boys and Hayes. Click here for details.