Hello world!

I would like to apologize to my loyal readers of my blog for not updating this space for a long time. I have received a lot of random emails asking me to update my blog and most of you guys were wondering whether my blog is still online and what is the outcome of my “quest” to quit smoking. Thank You but I have very bad news.

I failed.

My efforts to quit smoking lasted for two months. I suffered a mental meltdown due to stress at work and hate emails that I received from “Industry insiders” wanting me to stop criticizing their work. Well, note to all you wankers: Thank you! Your words have made me stronger!

Oh, did I tell you that I’ve quit my job at Metadome? I got offered by Pervert Designs (Now Pervert Music Group) to oversee their Business Development department and to tap into the mobile music market. We have very ambitious and scary projects lined up for this year. I like!

The career transition proved to be a very huge step, besides the fact that I started my first day in Pervert Music the same day I quit from Metadome, but since the company is going for a JV with an international partner and regional expansion soon, I am really really drowning under heaps of proposals and stuff. My girlfriend thinks that I am a hopeless work-o-holic and my friends gave up calling me for regular Indian food sessions. Note to self: I must talk less about work and concentrate on life more. Breath more air.

I am still juggling between my work, life and my Law degree, My mother thinks that I have to focus more on my degree. I don’t know, sometimes I really wish I have 10 mini “me”s running around and doing all of the things for me.

Aaahhh well.

Downloading update patch for Ash2.0 now!

Hi! How are you guys doing? I have not been blogging for a long time as you can tell as I was recovering from very extreme side effects of trying to quit smoking ( I have stopped for 7 days now, and I still have the withdrawals) and loads of pending paperwork and media planning. Seriously. More things are piling up and I really think that I should chill for a moment to ease my brains…So to start things slow, I am just going to share some videos that I amused me over the past few days:

The Air Guitarist:

Check out the Hello Kitty breast plate and the pants, was he really tearing it up or was he scratching his…well you get the idea.

Now check out this one, a classic Indonesian Dangdut song:

The hair and the pants are mindblowing!

But the winner of my weekly brains blender video award goes to:

Please…Just check out the lyrics!

So now we know where Michael Jackson ripped the song from!

Must…Not…Think…of….Cigarettes….

1- Bands should go Indie, and treat their music as water, yeah a resource which should be managed and marketed in volume, not per copies, bundling and cross selling their products as an “experience” is the way to go

2- Telcos and brands should start exploring the dance community as another untapped market, the demographics are just right for aggressive product cross selling

3- Mobile advertising is an interesting idea to explore

4- A flat music subscription fee for unlimited music downloads is another solution against music piracy in Asia

5- According to Gerd Leonhard, mobile devices are the new Internet platform, companies should harness this new territory NOW!

6- I strongly urge Major labels to work together to develop a competitor portal to itunes, this time, instead of developing another ipod, venture into mobile devices and interoperability

7- I think there is no passion in the music business anymore, well, at least in Malaysia. The executives don’t even know what the band sounds like, its just dollars and cents talk. So angry.

8- Events and concerts should start selling mobile content of their featured artist and bundle it with other merchandise. My personal case study on this is with the recent Global Gathering. 1146 ring back tone downloads in 2 days is not bad at all..

9- Mr. Sandy Monteiro, thank you for the new RBT model, now THAT new model really makes sense. I apologize for the bashing, I received info from very bad sources. As for Maxis, this new model makes more sense and on behalf of the music industry, I totally support it. I can only publish the new business mode after it is made public. Just watch out for this space!

*This is subject to changes from Maxis

** I might be removing this info if Maxis feels that it is inappropriate for me to publish this

10- I think Maliq & D’Essentials’ new album is totally AWESOME!!

Remember Parkdrive that I blogged about awhile ago? No? Let me refresh your mind, I discovered this band a couple of months ago by accident. I was blown away with their production quality and sound that I decided to contact them via Myspace (Yeah I know, that was so cliche’ and pathetic…) and we remained in contact.

Lo and Behold! God works in very very mysterious ways. Juno, the main man behind the band and the Managing Director of Gowamusic, was somehow stranded in KL while he was on his way to Melbourne, so he called me and we hooked up. I was kinda nervous at first, knowing that we have never met before, but hey, it’s natural selection, we became buds in no time at all. He was in tears when I told him that I was going to bring him for a ‘Teh Tarik’ and ‘Nasi lemak’ session, ( Note for the clueless: Teh Tarik is frothy milk tea and Nasi lemak is rice cooked with coconut milk served with very hot anchovy chilli paste. Mindblowing!)

So we chat and he came to my office the next day before flying to Melbourne.

I was in Jakarta sooner that I knew it, I called him at the airport and we met up later that night at his office. He returned the local delicacy favour thing by bringing me to a ‘Nasi Padang’ restaurant ( Nasi padang is a local Indonesian delicacy. You cannot miss it if you are in Indonesia, it is rice served with various accompaniments, the thing that amuses me that you may have like 20 accompaniments on the table but you only pay for which dish you eat, cool stuff!)

Indulgence….

I hung out at his studio the next day and he was very passionate about his music and equipment. Something which I long for in musicians, no disrespect! so here you go, some snippets I took from our session:

And here is part 2:

Notice that he uses a software called ‘Ableton Live!’ religiously, I strongly think that Live! have changed the way musicians from around the world play, compose and perform, its stable as hell and very easy to use, I got some tips from him on how to play Live!, tweaking your kick drum and a whole lot of good advice.

So here are some of ‘Parkdrive’s’ video clips, just in case you want some action hah!:

Really really cool stuff!

I went back to KL thinking about how you just can meet people, no, good friends in the weirdest of places and situations…

I’m missing jakarta already….

I arrived in Melaka at around 4 PM, and no, I didn’t manage to get a room in A Famosa as it was already jam packed after the 3rd week Global Gathering was announced. I brought some spare T-shirts and a lot of bottled water, as I received advice that one bottle costs around 12 bucks at the event. Crazy. So I went straight to the entrance and cleared myself in, in wasn’t too hard though, despite the strict security check, everything was good as fried chicken.

The weather was hot and icky, but the worst thing was the wet and muddy ground. I was lucky to bring a pair of flip-flops. People were starting to buzz around the area, inquisitive and very eager to party, but Lo! getting all excited under the hot sun is not a very good option. There were booths of all sorts, I was nearly in tears when I saw the ‘DjDownload’ and ‘Metamobile’ logo on all of the banners and buntings at the event. I heard that the flyers are going to be distributed in Don’t Panic! packs so I assume it’s sorted.

I went to the Global Arena first. Nothing. I believe that all the action is scheduled for the night. Godskitchen was quiet too. Only TQX, Freedom and the Foambar was alive. People were a bit curious about the foam bar. Tsk. The party is starting to warm up as inquisitive punters started jumping into the foam

Fast forward.

The event that night was really good I should say, watching The Shapeshifters and Sander Van Doorn was just mind-blowing, the only setback was the muddy ground and very stale tasting burgers which costs RM5. Dagnamit!

I ended up really sloshed and bugged the Don’t Panic! crew to offer me free shelter and some chocolate marshmallows at their tent. Hustling at it’s best! So we ended up chatting for a couple of hours and watching people getting drenched in mud, pissing off the authorities and looking at cigarette chicks in skimpy skirts. Ah well, I suppose everyone was having fun in their own way.

There were huge human catapults of some sort beside the other tents, watching em being shot to the sky really makes me nervous. Yeah, I have to admit, I am not a fan of extreme activities.

We headed back to KL around 3.30 AM. I was too tired to drive so I handed the wheel to my girl, and before I knew it, we arrived at my condo. Well, I dozed off, and my girl was kinda pissed..so yeah..

I dreamt of people looking like glow sticks. So scary.

p/s: Checkout the photos on my Flickr! Sidebar

Here ye, here ye!

I’m proud to present my latest project: djdownload.com Mobile.

Ok now for some brief history…

It all began when I found out that I had run out of stuff to play for my Dj sets…

I discovered DjDownload.com but the prices were quite painful for a once broke student like me, so I had a plan, to bring these guys available with prices adjusted to suit the local market, so there begins my journey

I’ve imagined Djdownload.com to come to our shores (Malaysia) 3 years ago and I have been emailing the guys from Djdownload for an exclusive Djdownload Asia site to be set up thus enabling us deprived Asians to buy Dance music at a cheaper “Asian” rate. Things were really slow as DjDownload felt that piracy was the utmost concerning factor, plus they didn’t see why they should lower down their prices, my angle was cheaper prices equals volume and the much cliche’ d ‘educating the public’ phrase written all over my plan. They requested tons and tons of marketing plans, business plans and sales forecasts, I was bashed up, but I soldiered on to convince those guys that there is still hope at the end of a very bleak tunnel.

Fast forward. The boom of mobile content in Asia marks a dawn of a new beginning to sales of music related products, Telcos were investing a lot in advertising, promotions and marketing initiatives, and the Major labels were still clueless as always. There! Thats my angle! I prepared a new marketing plan and proposed revenue shares between Maxis as the official Telco, DjDownload.com, Metadome as my mobile partner and myself as the consultant.

The rest is history….

So, I present you, my first pilot project with dance music, this time, with a partnership with Pervert designs for the Global Gathering event (Btw, the flyers will be distributed at the door of the event and mobile cards containing the download codes, so be a part of this history, you might never know whom you might charm at the event…HA!):

I want to believe that this is the first event in the world that features mobile content exclusively for a rave, well, at least in Asia. I don’t want to sound too excited, sheesh, I’m always excited with new stuff…To add more to my glee, Maxis is now offering DjDownload.com’s chillout selections for a new (well, not so new) product called ‘background music’, how cool is that!

O god, I need to stop this, my post is starting to sound like a marketing pitch!

p/s: Point to wap.musicunlimited.com.my on your phone’s browser and click on the music tab, you may not find naked photos of Angelina Jolie, but hey, gems come in all shapes, sizes, formats, bit rates, bla bla bla

I’m working on some secret technological advancement with Kenneth from Pervert Designs as their official mobile partner, so yeah, it’s worth the mention that this event is going to push my baby, DjDownload.com mobile to the masses, owh did I tell you that DjDownload’s background music is already available on www.musicunlimited.com.my? Owh that is another story.

Anyway, Global Gathering this year will be held at A’Famosa, Melaka and expected turnout of 30,000 party goers. Not bad. This is an annual event not to be missed, one word of advice: Bring your own bottled water!

Register yourselves here for goodies:

http://www.rechargeroom.com/

Next up we have Live and Loud! Kuala Lumpur 2007,

The biggest music festival in South East Asia. Expect 10 days of music, seminars and various activities to participate in this much anticipated event. Among the artists scheduled to come are Whitney, KCI and JOJO, Kool and the gang, Shaggy, Elliot Yamin, Dionne Warwick and many many more. To be honest, I’m really looking forward to check out Maliq & D’Essentials during the jazz session which is going to be in Zouk. 80 bucks worth spending people! Owh and tickets are available on the 15th October onwards so book early to avoid disappointment!

I’m not gonna spoil the fun, check em out here:

http://www.lnlkl.com/main.php

I so need to lose myself….

A new business model for ringback tones will be announced soon, word has it that 15th November is the official announcement to all record labels, content providers and the public. This is from a very heated and long negotiation between RIM and the local Telcos. The issue was subscription sharing of the service and hopefully, this should resolve some issues pertaining to the constant struggle of RIM to fight for a win win deal.

Initially, users would have to pay RM3.00 per ring back tone/ Caller ring tone and another RM3.00 for the subscription fee, regardless of how many ring back tones that users have purchased.

I heard that the prices of RBTs will drop to RM2 and users have to pay a subscription fee of RM1 for each subsequent song, so say you purchased 3 RBTs, u need to pay RM 4 per month. To be honest, I’m not really sure how far this is correct, but according to the Telcos this would ultimately mean a more steady revenue stream for content providers and record labels.

I shall keep you guys posted!

The music industry heads here wants the government to block internet users from accessing illegal download sites. Blaming the sites for the fall of CD sales in Malaysia.

“We are feeling the pinch from foreign websites offering illegal downloads to Malaysians,” said RIM chief executive officer Tan Ngiap Foo. (The Star, 21 September 2007)

The association has proposed to Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to look into this matter and they are currently preparing a list of potential sites that offer illegal downloads and plans to work closely in barring the sites, naming music.bluehyppo and bimbit.com as solutions to legal digital downloads.

According to Tan, nobody wants to buy CDs anymore, not even pirated CDs

Honestly…I think he must be out of his mind

My take:

1- Those illegal music sites that you were referring to, has got nothing to do with the plunge of CD sales

2- Digital music is the way to go, move on please

3- The more you weed them, the more they thrive from the free buzz, business case: When Russia decided to shut down AllofMp3, the site received more than a million hits in its final weeks

4- So are you saying that pirated CDs are one of Malaysia’s credible source of income for the music industry?

5- Why don’t we support more legal online retailers? Cut the dodgy MACP collections for a change

Pffft!

As I was busting my brain looking for more marketing solutions for my band, I discovered a cool medium called Don’t panic!. I first heard about Don’t Panic from a good friend of mine a couple of months ago and according to her, these packs are very popular in the UK. Wait, you said packs? Yup, you heard me right, PACKS.

Basically a Don’t Panic pack is the new age advertising medium, an evolution from the hey days of photocopied flyers and uncool swag. A Don’t Panic pack is similar to what we lesser humans call a goodie bag, or swag bag. The packs are usually filled with flyers, posters, advertising paraphernalia and various product samples. If you are lucky, you might find underwear in those packs as well, and no, I’m not joking. The packs are always tastefully designed and each pack is an individual.

And so… I embarked on to meet the guys behind this project to dig their brains and get a clear picture of what the fuss was all about.

“Each pack is unique and has its own character, and we want to maintain the character of the packs by coming up with new designs and concept for each pack,” Says Yamin Shafie, The Head of Sales and Marketing for Don’t Panic!

“We started this project just recently in Malaysia and we acquired the rights for the brand to be marketed in Malaysia, we want something which is fresh to the Malaysian masses to experience and collect, it has been proven to be a very affective advertising and marketing tool for big and small brands alike,” He added

The graphical design of the packs features work from local artists and designers, a philosophy that according to Yamin, is a move to support local talent, and not only that, Indie bands get a discounted advertising/insertion rates if they were to promote themselves in the packs.

The packs are distributed to over 200 spots which includes clubs, bars, art galleries, universities and colleges, cafes, Fashion boutiques etc. The best part is that the list is constantly expanding and the take up rate is usually 98%. The packs are produced up to 20,000 per month and there are major plans to increase production…Phew! Not bad for a company that operates from a humble 2 storey house in Taman Tun.

Their client list ranges from Nike to Zouk and more companies are starting to jump on the bandwagon in promoting their products and events.

“I see this because Don’t Panic! hits the right demographics and target market for urban brands, they are starting to see the packs are becoming an urban lifestyle accessory”

The way I see it, Don’t Panic packs are becoming a life saver….

For more info, check out www.dontpaniconline.com