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Computers to run the music industry

I am catching up (on my iPod) on the current series of In Business the wonderful BBC Radio 4 half hour show presented Peter Day.

The show was called Computers are taking on show business, and was about how Platinum Blue are using combination of databases of previous hits and an analysis of their musical components to predict future hits for record companies.

What annoys me is that these approaches seem to assume we all have narrowly defined musical tastes and forget there is such a thing as music for a particular mood.

My iPod collection ranges from obvious tracks from the likes of the Beatles on to Leonard Cohen and Regina Spektor, but also includes Queens of the Stone Age and System of a Down. So how is a computer going to successfully predict what I am going to like next.


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Stelios and global warming

Stelios was surprised that the question on global warming did not come until near the end of his question and answer session.

He had two reasonably effective responses:
1. Newer jets use considerably less fuel than the older ones, and easyJet have one of the youngest fleet around. They retire any planes over 20 years old.
2. Because easyJet pack more people into their planes (an average of 80% capacity vs 65% on conventional airlines) due to their low prices and efficient booking system, they consume less fuel per passenger.

His rather tangential answer to the issue of increased flights leading to increased emissions was to ask the audience if they thought that travel was a good thing (in general rather than air travel specifically). Not surpisingly the vast majority of people were in favour.

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Sir Stelios flies in

Unfortunately I missed the first part of of Stelios’ session on Wednesday evening, but the question and answer session was interesting and fun.

He came across as very straightforward and honest, to the extent that he freely admitted that Richard Branson was his inspiration. One interesting point he made was the importance of starting with an airline at the beginning of building the Easy brand. If people are prepared to trust you with their lives, they may well be prepared to trust you for other products. However he said that moving from a Pizza franchise business to an airline would not have been an effective strategy. He was also a fan of business coaches, and admitted having successfully used one for many years. As he explained, once you are the CEO everyone below you has an agenda (often hidden), whereas an independent person can truly be on your side.

Quite a few of members of the audience had ideas for ‘Easy’ business, but Karen Darby the founder of Simply Switch had by far the funniest. She suggested a fresh fruit juice business called ‘Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy’ and had the audience in stitches.

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Kings Cross Re-development

Tuesday 14 November

Roger Madelin CEO of Argent Group PLC the developers of Kings Cross came in to talk to a group of 14 and 15 year olds about the Kings Cross redevelopment. He brought his bicycle in to the library and was quite a character. Even so it was a surprise to hear that he was the inspiration for the character played by Jude Law in the recent Anthony Minghella film Breaking and Entering.

http://www.argentkingscross.com/frame.html

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Enterprise Week 2006

Monday 13 November

The start of a very busy week with the launch of Enterprise Week at Victoria Park Plaza hotel.

Something of an overkill session where we had to listen to over three hours of talks from:

Stephanie Flanders, Economics Editor at BBC Newsnight

Philip Beadle, Teacher of the Year, Channel 4’s The Unteachables

Shaa Wasmund, presenter of Channel 4’s The Day I Got The Sack

Lord Karan Bilimoria, Chief Executive, Cobra Beer

David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce

Kyle Whitehill, Director of Enterprise at Vodafone UK

Professor Richard Scase, author of Global Remix

Gemma Tummelty, President of the National Union of Students

Jeremy Crook, Director of Black Training and Enterprise Group

Stewart Wallis, Executive Director of the New Economics Foundation

James Murray-Wells, founder of Glasses Direct and 2005 Enterprising Young Brits award winner

Professor Zolta Acs – Why entrepreneurship works in the USA.

Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MBE MP, Minister of State for Industry and the Regions.

By then end of it my brain was thoroughly overloaded. I remember two keys points from morning.

1. Ed Balls informing the audience with a totally straight face that Rhubarb is the key industry of his Wakefield constituency. Surely two key characteristics of a politician are a sense of humour and a sense of the ridiculous.

2. Professor Richard Scase explaining the three components of business. 1. Design & creativity. 2. Production & manufacturing. 3. Marketing & distribution. Although we have lost no. 2 to China and India, we can still lead the world in 1 and 3.

During the session chaired by Lynne Brindley, Doug Richard of Dragons’ Den fame explained that a new business takes over you life so that your significant other becomes your insignificant other. Mandy Haberman the inventor of the Anywayup Cup http://www.mandyhaberman.com/ explained how important it is to have a simple but effective way of explaining your business idea or invention. She recalled a meeting with a business man who was not interested in her invention until she literally threw her cup onto his desk to show how effective her product was.

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City Business Library – Under One Roof with guest speaker Jo Fairley of Green & Black’s chocolate.

Wednesday 1 November 2007

Jo_FairleyWhat an inspiration Jo Fairley is. Not only did her partner found the Whole Earth but when he refused to sell chocolate because “it contains added sugar”, she set up Green & Black’s the worlds first organic chocolate.

Here is a snippet of their ground-breaking story:

It all started back in 1991 when Craig Sams, founder of Whole Earth – the pioneering organic food company – was sent a sample of dark 70% chocolate made from organic cocoa beans. His wife, environment columnist for The Times and confirmed chocoholic, Josephine Fairley, found the half eaten bar on Craig’s desk and sampled some for herself. The intense flavour was unique and unlike anything she had tasted before. Jo was convinced other chocolate lovers would appreciate it in the same way she had and they set about making the world’s first organic chocolate. The final product was a high-quality, bitter-sweet dark chocolate bar, packed with 70% cocoa solids – enough to make chocolate fans sit up and take notice..

FairTrade_logoAs the brand began to gain a loyal following, Maya Gold was added to the range in 1994 – the product of a holiday Jo & Craig made to where they discovered cocoa farmers were being penalised, as some larger confectionery companies tried to drive cocoa prices down. They agreed to pay the farmers a fair price for their crops and created the flavour of Maya Gold to capture the taste of the rainforests where the cocoa is grown. This way of doing business didn’t seem different to them – it was what came naturally but it subsequently earned them the UK’s first Fairtrade mark.

 

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End of the Road for World’s Oldest Firm

Sunday 22 October

Given that average age of a company is only 12 years, 1,400 is pretty good going.

The oldest company in the world, which was founded in 578 in Japan by a group of people from the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje, will go into liquidation in January. Kongo Gumi dates its foundation from the year when carpenter Shigemitsu Kongo built Shitennoji. Kongo had been invited to the island country by Prince Shotoku. His descendants continuously maintained the family business, and the construction firm was named the world’s oldest company by the Economist monthly.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200512/200512150009.html

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New trademarks equals new products

Thursday 19 October 2006

Keeping an eye on new trademarks can give a good insight into what might be round the corner in terms of products.

apple_logo_blueiPhone tantalisingly close as Apple register trademark. Dual model rumours start.

An Apple iPhone or two could be a step nearer as there are reports of Apple officially filing for the ‘iPhone’ trademark. An analyst from Prudential Equity also believes that his ‘sources’ and ‘recent checks’ suggest that Apple could release two models – one a smart phone and the other a slim music phone. At least one of them will have wi-fi connectivity, and a keyboard for messaging.

American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu has written “Our research indicates that an Apple-designed smart phone has moved from concept to prototype and recently has progressed to near completion as a production unit. We believe this smart phone has been in development for over 12 months and has overcome substantial challenges including design, interference, battery life and other technical glitches”. http://techdigest.tv/2006/10/iphone_tantalis.html

 

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Dragons’ Con – A Sunday Mirror investigation

Wednesday 18 October 2006

I just stumbled across this story on the Mirror newspaper website:

DRAGONS’ CON – Winners miss out on £1.3 million Investors back out of their deals
By Nick Owens And Louise Ford – 17 September 2006

HIT TV show Dragons’ Den is today branded a sham – where most of the winners never receive a penny.

The super-rich Dragons pledge tens of thousands of pounds to struggling entrepreneurs to help their businesses.

But a Sunday Mirror investigation reveals how 13 of the 19 contestants promised cash on the BBC show have not received any. The total amount unpaid comes to almost £1.3 MILLION.

In the meantime many of their businesses have floundered.

Today furious contestants lift the lid on what really happens – or doesn’t happen – when the cameras stop rolling. We can reveal how.

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