There is a subject that comes up in the digital music world all of the time, and I’ve had many discussions with many different people about it. I recently found myself in a position where I able to argue my case… a case that I had previously been unable to argue for real – - that is, I was on the other side of the table from the digital retailer – - now I WAS the digital retailer, and I had the opportunity to make things “right”.  The “controversy” in question was whether or not to expose “Record Label” as a data node in a music e-commerce site. The data typical feeds coming from the labels, distributors, and content aggregators certainly contains the information, and the question that comes into play is whether or not it is worthwhile to display the data as part of the meta-data for albums and tracks, and also whether to index it for search and linkable to display all albums and artists within that label.  The contents herein are from an actual internal email where we were discussing this feature for the site we were building at the time.  Special thanks to Dick Huey who got me all riled up so that I would spend too much time writing this… well, at least I get to reuse it for a blog post.  I did redact some stuff that probably isn’t appropriate for a public post, but most of it is here – feel free to use my arguments should the necessity ever arise

Why Label?

Ok… so I’ve put it out there that I have a strong opinion about this, and I don’t want to spend a lot of time stating my case, but I do think it’s useful for folks to understand where I’m coming from.  This is a philosophical AND a technical/ User Experience position, but suffice it to say, my time in the industry has led me to see this issue quite clearly.

Introducing the concept of “label” is, IMO, the cheapest, simplest, and most effective filter for everything “south” of major labels.  It is also the most glaring omission from iTunes, Amazon, and others.

My philosophical bent on digital music retail goes well beyond just this label issue… I believe that online music stores, for the most part, don’t even come close to taking advantage of the data and technology available, and they could be so much more to the consumer… they could increase the average amount of music purchased by the average user, but they don’t, because they are content to feature the same over-saturated crap and rehash the same merchandising and discovery approach as every site before them.

Long Tail, Blah, Blah…

Say what you want about the “Long Tail” – frankly, I don’t think it’s a relevant discussion anymore, as there is no agreement as to what constitutes long or what constitutes a digital phenomenon or just noise – doesn’t matter and here’s why.  The reality and the numbers show that there is a lot of music being sold in the thick part of the tail that is below the biggest major label acts – - no one can dispute this, but those who haven’t been exposed to this sector of the market in an intimate way don’t understand it.  Catalog (i.e. older stuff) sells… Classical Sells… Jazz sells … World Music sells… Regional Music sells…  The interesting truth here is that a lot of the music that people want to buy in some of these less “omnipresesnt” sectors isn’t even available (or at least easily or handily available) on P2P networks – a lot of it can only be found on legitimate services!

Sell, Sell, Sell

Make no mistake – - I understand our mission, and that is to sell lots of music to lots of people. I have heard it said “let’s just have something better than iTunes + our unique twist on the business model”.  Well, having record label displayed, browsable, searchable, etc is one damned easy way to have at least one useful thing iTunes doesn’t.  We aren’t going to match their editorial staff or probably even their recommendation technology (Genius took a ton of development, I’m sure), but we can be nimble and smart – - zig where they zag.

We cannot be all things to all people, but we also can’t just rely on users coming to our site to buy the latest Beyoncé single – we need to leverage the entire marketplace and create a lifetime customer value that exceeds iTunes.

My Argument

Again, not trying to spend too much time on this, but here is a quick list of reasons why to include “label” in our data model in a meaningful way.

■        Labels are incredibly important brands in the “indie” world and even major too (Def Jam, Blue Note, Motown, etc.)

■        it is a cheap, easy, and effective recommendation engine, because all of the albums (and subsequently artists) associated with labels are categorically tied together, regardless of AMG data linkages

• AMG data does not even come close to keeping up with the flow of releases from content partners, but new and catalog releases coming from content partners flow in with complete meta-data, including label, all day long

• If we get a new release from an aggregator, you have only a fleeting chance that AMG already has the data, and only a small chance they’ve already put in the editorial work to assign similar artists, etc.  But, we  HAVE label as a common data node to tie the new release to all other artists and releases within that label – that means we can immediately surface a meaningful filter that associates the artist and album

■        Catalog sells – a lot.  We’ve all seen the stories in the past couple of years about the success of Classical, Jazz, and World music online – - I’ve seen it firsthand at IODA.  Our “cool, popular, hip” sales paled in comparison to the evergreen titles coming from our classical and catalog labels.  Most of the labels representing these catalogs have a history and a common thread that ties all of the music together.

■        Classical labels, for example, have reputations based on era, recording quality, genre, etc.  BIS was one of our biggest selling classical labels, and many afficionatos will only buy from “reputable” labels.

■        There are many labels who represent large evergreen catalogs, and without their guidance as a filter, it would be impossible to make recommendations

■        The Industry will be disappointed if we don’t point to label, but they will be happy if we do – simple as that.  Including label will open up not only good PR from our partners but also merchandising opportunities and the ability to coordinate merchandising with our partners better – this does lead to higher sales when done well – I’ve seen the results.

■        When we get down to merchandising and the editorial work that we will do, having label as one of our data points gives us many more options and creative ways to drive sales.

■        eMusic does this well.

■        Labels define grouping of artists and albums that are unique and cannot be achieved any other way.  Labels represent musical movements defined by geography, artistic collaboration, time period, sound, cultural ties, etc. Labels are based on people in their element, and so are musical movements.  Before grunge broke, Sub-Pop represented “that thing”. Every college DJ knows that IRS was THE alternative label of the 80’s, focused, originally, around the jangle-pop of REM.  Those of you who’ve seen 24 Hour Party People know the history of Factory records and how it almost single handedly made Manchester, England ground zero for a time.

■        the iTunes staff laments the lack of label (don’t quote me on this)

■        AMG will not always keep pace with the content flow – in fact, it rarely can… but you can tie new releases to a label and thus to other artists simply by label association without having any new editorial data from AMG

■        Many independent labels are artist run and represent the musical taste and proclivity of a single artist of note.  There are many, many example of this (Riteous Babe, Quannum, SST, Merge, etc.)

■        Labels will often have one or two bigger artists, and AMG will show other artists of similar popularity, but the other artists on that label will have very close affinity, and the label association might be the only way that users will discover those other, completely relevant artists.

■        Genres like world music – the label IS the binding factor – its one group of people going to Africa and finding these artists all from one region and musical style

Implementation

■        I don’t think we need a “browse” functionality right out of the gate, but ultimately we’ll want core nav for all labels…

■        I do think we should surface labels in search results if there is a match

■        I think label should be displayed as a link associated with albums whenever possible

■        I think that we should be using label to recommend similar artists and albums – we can create a “more albums from this label”, which is easy, or we could combine with the AMG similar data  – - as I said, many times, we won’t have anything from AMG

■        Yes, there will need to be some level of editorial intervention, and our tools can leverage the label data to help us along

Don't bring a knife to a gun fight, but you don't need a nuke, either

I believe that I have reached the saturation point with regards to news, commentary, and punditry regarding the financial crisis, the war, our botched foreign policy, and a litany of other ills – - I think we are all there. The “never waste a good catastrophe” faux-optimistic cliché isn’t much help, but it does ring true for me, and I figured it was an opportunity for me to put it to good use.  Other than taking time off from working in order to have the leisure time to sit around and think about this stuff, I figured it was also a chance to examine the relevant life and professional lessons that might be gleaned.

I watched President Obama’s inaugural speech, what I was most impressed with was his pragmatism, and I think that America is seriously jonesing for a healthy dose of pragmatism (as opposed to blind faith, dogmatism, etc.).  The other night on 60 minutes, again, I was impressed with his pragmatism – - at one point, Steve Croft gave him a bit of a hard time for laughing, but I would argue that in the face of partisan bickering from all sides, what could one man do but laugh. A lot of people talk about Obama’s competence as a major reason for their affinity to him and his message, and here’s to that, but pragmatism, I feel, is always a key ingredient in building competency.

So what do I mean by pragmatism?  Well, in general, it seems the consensus is that there are two major definitions: the dictionary definition of the word (“a practical approach to problems and affairs”) and the philosophical movement surrounding the work of men such as Charles Pierce, William James, and John Dewey in American in the late 19^th century. The two meanings, while different in terms of the level of complexity and provenance, are quite similar in practical terms (yes – practical… forgive the sort-of pun).  The definition I like the best is the first line on the Wikipedia Page for Pragmatism – a quote from William James: “Pragmatism is the philosophy of considering practical consequences or real effects to be vital components of meaning and truth.”

Competence and pragmatism seem linked to me, and I often think that pragmatism is a prerequisite for competence.  Once in a while, you may encounter someone who seems effortless in their competence and success without showing any signs of pragmatism – - they seem to float above any need for a pragmatic approach and they forge their reputation and empire on ideals and brains alone – - they appear to never to have to make a trade-off.  I’m not saying they don’t exist, but my feeling is that they are just very good at making it look easy (the best at anything always do).

Its always so easy to look at a problem or a challenge through the lense of emotion, religion, cultural bias, or even superstition – we are wired for that.  Real competence is to look ahead the reality of consequences and understand that principals are very important, but only if positive results are ultimately achieved.  If there was ever a time for pragmatism – - man, this is it.
“I want to conquer the world, Give all the idiots a brand new religion…”

-          Bad Religion

Geez, for a guy who likes to talk about himself a lot, I am downright sheepish when it comes to blogging.  I really thought that given my leisurely lifestyle these days, I would be posting more, but alas, somehow I am always just a little bit too busy, uninspired, or utterly apathetic.  No matter – here I am, and I’m blogging like the wind.  My last (ok, only) blog post did garner a fair bit of attention, so in order to safely make my way back into the good graces of my many thousands of readers, I will follow a similar theme.

So, first – some bad news.  I will not be attending SXSW this year, interactive, music or otherwise.  It is the first time in a while, and I have to say I’m pretty glad because my doctor said that every year I don’t go to SXSW I live another 5 years… I should make it to 45 no problem now.  Anyway, for the rest of you, some more bad news… my absence will create a void that no amount of queso or Shiner will be able to fill (believe me, queso can normally fill the hell out of a void – - and holes in dry-wall in a pinch).  SXSW should probably just cancel itself and spare itself the embarrassment of my absence, but if you must still attend, then let me warn you – - ok, here’s the 10:

1.       When I check into the Omni, they always try and get me to sign the “No Partying” waiver, and I immediately reach for my bullhorn and verbally slay them with an emotional, yet eloquent tirade about the violation of my rights as a citizen and an Asian American.  This always causes them to suspend the “No Partying” rule, even though most people don’t know this to be true or that I was the impetus.  Sorry – all you suckers staying in the Omni this year – no partying for you.

2.             The quality of the performances will go down – - why?  I generally attend a lot of shows while there, and almost every one I attend, I perform the following service for the artists and audience.  I position myself in clear site of the band and proceed to cross my arms and make the “my god, this may be the worst music I have ever heard” face.  Some may feel that this is cruel, rude, or negative, but by creating a situation whereby the artist is then compelled  to try and please me, I raise their game.  After that, everyone wins.

3.             All of those private parties that offer free booze will have a surplus of drinks, as they probably factored in my attendance in advance.  This will throw off their game, and through a downward spiraling series of events, the party will end up sucking. I have proven this mathematically, but its really advanced non-Euclidean stuff that’s way over the head of the average blog reader.

4.             The absence of my warm and generous personality will drop the temperature at least 10 degrees.  Bring some gloves.

5.             My loud booming voice is a great asset at this cacophonous event, and the lack of my vocal powers will mean that many people will have their heads down with their Twitters and texts and missing all the real action. Perhaps if one of you brings a bull-horn, you may be able to replace me in this regard.

Well – that’s it.  I know many of you will go ahead and go anyway, but you’ve been warned.

This  will be the first year in 5 that I will not be attending the MIDEM Conference in Cannes, France.  It takes place every January as it has for over 40 years, and while I am by no means a grizzled veteran (I personally know people that have attended over 30), I do feel that I have good experience and handy tips to share with all of my friends and collegues who will be attending this year.  Alas, I cannot assist you this year with my good cheer and in depth, on-site analysis of the confernce, but I feel as though I should do my part, so here goes:

• Remember that Cannes is a tourist town, and as such, nothing is as it seems.  Your hotel lobby may be quite nice, but your room is not.
• Getting an internet connection is either insultingly expensive, impossible, or both.
• If you rent an apartment, at least one of the following things will happen: the keys won’t work, the hot water will not work, the heat will not work, the toilets will not work, the beds will be 14″ wide.
• If you are in charge of your company’s booth, well, first of all, good luck.  It definitely won’t look like you thought it would and getting someone to fix it will require all of your Jedi skills, so train well, young Skywalker.
• Bring lots of these (trust me, they come in handy for all kinds of things):
• Everyone you meet with will hopefully be as hungover as you are.  If they aren’t don’t trust them.
• Never, ever, sign anything at MIDEM – - not even your credit card receipts.
• Forget breath mints — you’ve got bigger problems.
• Everyone will tell you to drink lots of water.  Don’t listen to them.
• Sleeping will be difficult and not very restful, so you may want to just forget it completely.
• Make sure and take copious notes during all meetings in a fresh, spiral bound notebook.  Burn said notebook on the last day of MIDEM.
• Don’t ever schedule or go to a meeting at Cafe Roma.  Just don’t.
• Don’t even think about eating oysters.  Oh… you just did – well, you’ll probably get sick now.
• I’ve heard the pharmacies have codeine Tylanol.  Just something I heard – you may want to take advantage of this if you sprain your ankle or something.
• People who tell you they are having a great time are lying.  People who tell you they hate MIDEM are also lying.
• Take at least a couple of hours the first day to find all of the stands with free booze.  Take the next couple of hours retracing your steps.
• Don’t point and laugh, no matter how hard you want to.
• N’essayez pas de parler francais… jamais!
• If you want to play it safe, eat pizza – - if you want to live on the edge, go to the “American Club”.

Well, there is much more, but this is all I can muster for now.  Have fun, be safe, be productive, and enjoy the ride.

As I embark on this blog,  …  Indeed, over the years, I have started and then proceeded to almost immediately quit many blogs.  This doesn’t even begin the number of blogs I’ve started on various platforms for testing purposes (code snippets, widgets, SEO research, ad integration, etc., etc.)

Putting your world “in the cloud”, as it were, is not a bad thing, and in fact, it is an area of interest for me right now that delving into quite a bit.  The problem – or challenge – is that one must decide for oneself, and I do believe it deserves a bit of thought, what to leave to the cloud, why, and how much effort to put in.

I have decided that my own domain (timjmitchell.com) should be a base, if you will, where my personal and professional lives merge,  while leaning mostly towards the professional.  I have started two other blogs, one uniquely personal about a hobby of mine, and one that will be uniquely professional in nature.  I’ll cross-post all posts from those blogs here, and there will be posts here that cover a wide range of topics.

Feel free to contact, comment, and communicate.