MUSIC NEWS - Iron And Wine have announced the release Around The Well (Sub Pop) for May 19, 2009.  It'll be a collection of rare, out of print and unreleased tracks from Samuel Beam and company. To promote the release, the group will play ten intimate dates around the country. And, fans can create the set-list for each gig by voting at the band's website !

I&W have also started work on their follow-up to The Sheppard's Dog  (buy CD here) for a spring 2010 release. The new, Around The Well, will span Iron And Wine's full discography, include tracks from as early as 2002 through material readied for The Sheppard's Dog in 2007. The first half of the record presents more intimate, raw acoustic material, with the second half will highlighting the band's fuller studio efforts. Also included are covers of songs by the Flaming Lips and New Order. 

Concert tix go on sale February 20 with show voting for set-lists start on March 6, 2009.  See Around the Well tracklist and full tour itinerary below-

Tracklist For Around The Well:

Disc 1:
01. Dearest Forsaken
02. Morning
03. Loud as Hope
04. Peng! 33
05. Sacred Vision
06. Friends They Are Jewels
07. Hickory
08. Waitin' for a Superman
09. Swans and the Swimming
10. Call Your Boys
11. Such Great Heights

Disc 2:
01. Communion Cups And Someone's Coat
02. Belated Promise Ring
03. God Made The Automobile
04. Homeward, These Shoe
05. Love Vigilantes
06. Sinning Hands
07. No Moon
08. Serpent Charmer
09. Carried Home
10. Kingdom Of The Animals
11. Arms Of A Thief
12. The Trapeze Swinger

Iron And Wine May 2009 Toour Itinerary:
05/04 - Seattle, WA - Vera Project
05/05 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door
05/06 - San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall
05/07 - San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall
05/08 - Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Hall At Hollywood Forever Cemetery
05/09 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
05/12 - Chicago, IL - Lakeshore Theatre
05/13 - Chicago, IL - Schuba’s
05/17 - New York, NY - Abrons Arts Center
05/18 - New York, NY - Abrons Arts Center

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Every week I will be bringing you what I think are the week’s biggest stories and articles. Let’s get started, after the break!

Who will buy a 2G iPhone?

Rumors are circulating that Apple will announce a $99 iPhone sans the 3G. I think this is good since most users don’t know the difference between 2G and 3G. 

Where do you sync?

There are many ways to sync your devices these days; your desk, the cloud, Web, etc. What is the best way? Rene takes a look at this in his most recent article!

Streaming iTunes to your iPhone rumor

Well, this would be rather sweet should Apple decide to do something like this, but I think it would require a lot of hardware on Apple’s end, and considering as how they can’t do email effectively, I put this one to rest.

20,000 apps in 7 months. Wow. 

If you were the competition, your jaw should be hitting the floor right about now. At this rate, it will be impossible for anyone to catchup with Apple. But then again, I am not sure of the competition needs as many fart apps. I was amazed one of my friends downloaded one the other day. Armageddon is upon us.

Push notification service delayed?

Well, obviously it is, it was supposed to come out in September 2008 if memory serves. However it looks like Apple might be waiting for their new Snow Leopard OS to hit the server market before unleashing thousands of notifications to iPhone users…

iPhone Blog Live! Podcast!

We talk Google and do a live Jailbreak during the podcast. I was dropped due to a power outage, but Rene and Dieter trucked on without me…

How can you find your car with your iPhone?

Brian attempts to answer this age-old question in his recent how-to article. Purple pins to the rescue!

Leaked iPhone backing?

Could this be? I posted on the 3G rumor, and it wound up to be true… oh yeah, April 4th 2008, I called it.

Android gets Tel-Nav GPS, where is iPhone’s?

Sure this can’t be that hard to make. My bet is there is some heavy, heavy negotiations coming. I hope it’s free, because if there is a fee involved, I am not signing up.

Google adds optimized spreadsheet functionality to Google Docs

This is a step in the right direction! You can now edit rows, sort and filter in Google Spreadsheets on the iPhone. Now, about that document part…

iPhone owns 51% of mobile market…

Oh yeah. Didn’t we already know this? I am still amazed that there is essentially one phone on one carrier in the US… imagine if it was on all carriers… ah, to dream.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

The iPhone Blog Week in Review for February 16, 2009

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Image by christophercarfi via Flickr

Chris 'LongTail & Free' Anderson has dished up another great op-ed in the WSJ. Note: this link keeps having problems... maybe try this one, instead, or this. Below are some of the best snippets - and my comments.

Chris writes: "Gratis can be a good business. How? Pretty simple: The minority of customers who pay subsidize the majority who do not. Sometimes that's two different sets of customers, as in the traditional media model: A few advertisers pay for content so lots of consumers can get it cheap or free..."

Back in late 2008, I wrote something very closely related to what Chris is saying, here: "To me, the bottom line is that most of what used to work just fine in a disconnected world of 'totally segregated consumers and producers' will simply not work in the future". In other words, the traditional media model will not work in Online Media, going forward - the mechanics are entirely different. And this is where Free or Freemium plays a crucial role - and it's a huge mission to figure out how this ecosystem will generate rivers of cash, not just data. And it will involve Collaboration between content companies and creators, telecoms, social networks, search engines and device makers.

Chris goes on: "With physical stuff, samples must be doled out sparingly -- there are real costs to be paid. With bits, the free versions are too cheap to meter and can be spread far and wide. That's why so many people businesses (expensive!) are turning into software businesses (cheap!), which is why your cranky tax accountant has morphed into free TurboTax online, your stockbroker is now a trading Web site and your travel agent is more likely a glorified search engine..."

Yes, indeed: this is why I think that the content business - starting with music - is turning into a software business, too - witness the explosion of app stores for mobile devices, and how much $$ people are paying for iPhone apps. Now imagine that content (starting with music) will be bundled into such apps, and people will perceive it as BUYING SOFTWARE or buying a cool app for their phone but in fact the content is included (yet paid for  i.e. packaged).  I think that if permitted by the rights-holders Pandora could easily sell a mobile device application that could include video, audio, feeds and images - I am dead certain people will pay for that.  I will have a separate post on this sometime later this week. 

Chris then hits the nail on the head:  "Expect the shift toward open source software (which is free) and Web-based productivity tools such as Google Docs (also free) to accelerate". 

Totally. Then, Chris warns (and I agree - that's why I am also hard at work on next-generation advertising models): "The standard business model for Web companies that don't actually have a business model is advertising...Two problems have emerged with that model: the price of online ads and click-through rates. Facebook is an amazingly popular service, but it also an amazingly ineffective advertising platform..."

And I also like his conclusion (and this is the first time that I see it spelled out like this, from Chris):  "Does this mean that Free will retreat in a down economy? Probably not... "Free" has as much power over the consumer psyche as ever. But it does mean that Free is not enough. It also has to be matched with Paid. Just as King Gillette's free razors only made business sense paired with expensive blades, so will today's Web entrepreneurs have to not just invent products that people love, but also those that they will pay for. Not all of the people or even most of them -- free is still great marketing and bits are still too cheap to meter -- but enough to pay the bills. Free may be the best price, but it can't be the only one"

I call this challenge the '21st century content economics' challenge (yes... borrowed from Umair Hague's brilliant post on this topic), and it's the main topic for my work this year. If we can figure out how to generate many new revenue streams based on Feels Like Free access to content, then we can start modeling the business plans for the next 5 years. More soon!  But what do you think? Comment below.

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With our editor-in-chief, Dieter Bohn off in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, the inmates site editors are left running Around SPE this week. So, while he’ll be breaking news and giving us some hands-on observations on all the new software and hardware on display, we’ll be keeping you covered here at home, starting with a quick recap of where we are right now:

CrackBerry.com

In the world of BlackBerry, T-Mobile customers were happy to see the official roll out of the next-generation BlackBerry Curve 8900 this week. With AT&T said to be dropping support for 2G phones, there has been some worry that this new Curve wouldn’t come to AT&T, but with the 8900 SKU now showing up on AT&T systems, it’s likely the device will launch there in the next month.

The BIG new this week comes from the CrackBerry Podcast. Kevin was in NYC on for a RIM Business Solutions Press Preview. While there, him and Craig recorded a podcast and for the first time had an employee from Research in Motion on the show. Joined by Mike Kirkup, Manager of Developer Relations, they tackle a bunch of topics from the upcoming App Store to OS 5.0 and whether or not Flash support will appear in a BlackBerry browser and more! Listen Here.

More after the break!

Android Central

This week Android Central reported that Android Market was leaving beta and finally receiving paid applications. Hopefully we’ll see even more amazing applications such as this recently announced TeleNav turn-by-turn GPS application.

We also wondered why Google would comply with Apple’s request to leave multi-touch out of the G1. Hint: It has something to do with maintaining a great relationship with Apple. Read: Google still wants to play nice with Apple to get iPhone eyes on Google AdSense.

Nokia Experts

News was a bit slow this week as everyone in the mobile space waits for big announcements from Mobile World Congress next week, including some announcements about devices and services from Nokia. We are in our third week of the the launch contest so make sure to get your entry in and look for week four’s entry task. Great input and information is coming in from the contest entries. Also, check out our SBSH Reminders giveaway for a chance to win a free registration code.

Some topics of interest this week on Nokia Experts includes the amazing Nokia Maps 3.0 beta update, Nokia 5800 firmware update, Nokia E63 availability in the US for just $279, and the announcement of the Nokia 5630 with 600 MHz processor.

PreCentral

Over at PreCentral this week, we learned that Bell Canada will be launching the Palm Pre. We heard conflicting launch dates of late Q2 or early Q3 and also the end of Q3-Q4. 

We also had more Touchstone details to emerge when Adam Kaufman, a Product Manager at Palm started answering questions on Facebook.  Plus, many people are wondering if the Palm Pre made an appearance on the TV show “Knight Rider”.  

The iPhone Blog

Is this the first glimpse of the 3rd Gen iPhone? Looks pretty much the same as the iPhone 3G, but then Apple brass re-affirmed that the iPhone market is strong, and they won’t be diluting it with an iPhone nano or keyboard slider any time soon. What with 20,000 Apps in the store, and the iPhone and the iPod touch now owning 51% of the mobile browser space… and growing, who can blame them?

Maybe jailbreakers, as the EFF asking the US government to grant it an exemption from the DMCA has Apple declaring jailbreaking illegal. (Oops, we just jailbroke live for xGPS on the last podcast!). Lastly, Google gave us Spreadsheet editing, but did Apple deny the Android multi-touch and… a 3.5mm headphone jack?!

TreoCentral

This week when Ed Colligan spoke to investors at the Thomas Weisel Partners Technology, Telecom & Internet Conference, he announced that there will be no more PalmOS devices released by Palm (excepting the Centro getting released on other carriers) as they’re focused on WebOS and Windows Mobile. He also said that not only will Palm have an app store when the Pre launches, but Palm isn’t locking down the device so you can only install apps from their app store.

We also learned this week that the Sprint Treo Pro is now targeted for a March 15th launch, and that some Sprint stores are now getting re-stocked with new Treo Pro’s with the new ROM on board. And even though the Sprint Treo Pro is delayed, it was great to hear that Palm’s stock has neared double-digits.

WMExperts

It’s been the calm before the storm over at WMExperts while we wait for Mobile World Congress to get under way, but that doesn’t mean it was a quiet week. We saw more information surface on Windows Mobile 6.5 including a new video, an updated version of Skyfire Beta released while Opera Mobile plans to go turbo. Google offered up contact and calendar sync and brought public-domain books to mobile devices. Mozilla’s Fennec mobile browser hit pre-alpha, and we got a sit-down with developer Brad Lassey. On the hardware side, new Windows Mobile devices were spotted from Garmin-Asus, Gigabyte, as well as the “Hummer” of Windows Mobile Devices from I-Mate.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Around SPE for February 15, 2009

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Filed under: iPhone, App Store

The tricks just keep on comin' for the iPhone. Magicard [App Store link] is a good head scratcher that is always ready to perform. Have your assistant cut the cards a few times and select a card. (The method to do this is provided with a built-in tutorial video.) You keep the selected card face down, and place it on top of the iPhone screen. When the card is removed, a mirror image of the card is on the screen. The card can be any number or suit.

The app normally starts up with a screen that includes a clickable link to a video tutorial that shows how the trick works. It wouldn't be good for people to see that, so in your iPhone settings menu you can tell the Magicard not to display any of that information when you are about to perform.

Magicard also lets you select a plain black background for the trick, or you can use something from your photo roll. You can even snap a picture with the iPhone camera and use that. Unfortunately, this menu comes up every time you try the trick, and it is an annoyance. You should be able to set the background from the settings menu and forget it until you want to change it.

The trick does not require a lot of skill, but you will need to do one common thing magicians know how to do. If you don't know how, the video tutorial will walk you through the simple steps. I don't think David Blaine will lose any sleep over you performing this trick around town, but it is worth the US $0.99 asking price to see some surprised faces on your friends when you pull this little effect out.

Note: This trick is iPhone only. It will not work on the iPod touch. You can see some videos of the trick in action at the developer web site, along with some variations on the basic trick.

Continue reading Magic for your iPhone

TUAWMagic for your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 14 Feb 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    MUSIC NEWS - British soul singer Alice Russell has garnered impressive critical recognition for her new album Pot Of Gold (buy CD here), out now on SF based Six Degrees Records. Alice and her band will bring their “hook-laden retro soul grit” back to the US with a 13-city tour beginning March 5th.  Alice Russell is in great demand as a vocalist and has gained an wonderful reputation as one of the UK’s hottest singers, having recorded with the likes of Massive Attack, The Nextmen and Quantic and performing with the likes of The Roots and The Quantic Soul Orchestra.

Blessed with a lavishly soulful voice, Alice manages to sound both timeless and up to the minute modern. Her live performances have a unique quality; the ability to captivate an audience and to hold their attention throughout, expertly tugging at the heartstrings. Alice has used her talent to great effect, gaining renown for her performances with the mighty Quantic Soul Orchestra and more recently her own band. She has also supported Lonnie Liston Smith, Femi Kuti, De La Soul and appeared on the bill with Amy Winehouse for the British showcase at the Midem Music Conference in Cannes 2007.

Give a listen to her Got the Hunger from the new release and catch Ms Russell live- 

Alice Russell March 2009 USA Tour Dates -

3/05/09 – Washington, DC – Bohemian Caverns
3/06/09 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe
3/07/09 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East
3/08/09 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge (LPR)
3/11/09 – Pittsburg, PA – Club Café
3/12/09 – Detroit, MI – Cliff Bells
3/13/09 – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
3/14/09 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
3/15/09 – Madison, WI – Café Montmarte
3/21/09 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
3/22/09 – Costa Mesa, CA – Detroit Bar
3/24/09 – San Francisco, CA – Yoshi’s 
3/25/09 – San Francisco, CA – Yoshi’s
3/26/09 – Seattle, WA – Nectar Lounge
3/27/09 – Portland, OR – Holocene

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The band might bring to mind reverb-heavy rock in the vein of My Bloody Valentine, but its spaced-out sophomore effort, Recollections of Memory, defies labels.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Software, Hacks, Odds and ends, Open Source, Apple, Jailbreak/pwnage

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has posted the news that Apple has filed comments with the US Copyright Office stating that the act of jailbreaking your iPhone is a copyright infringement and a DMCA violation, and therefore illegal. The EFF says that Apple is claiming that jailbreak apps still require modified versions of Apple's software, and Apple apparently believes that those versions are infringing on their copyrights.

The EFF responds, in turn, that "reverse engineering is a fair use when done for purposes of fostering interoperability with independently created software," saying that yes, even though jailbreakers are using Apple's copyrighted code, they are doing so in a way that allows them functionality that Apple doesn't provide access to on their own.

At this point, of course, this is just a complaint in the copyright office, and Apple hasn't made any legal moves yet against anyone responsible for jailbreaking. As the EFF states, it would be extremely hard for them to go after individual jailbreakers -- if you buy an iPhone, it should be your right to "get under the hood," as they say, and do what you want.

But (and keep in mind that this is TUAW, not The Unofficial Legal Weblog, and we are not lawyers) it seems Apple may be able to try and make a case against anyone offering software that does modify or otherwise "misuse" their copyrighted code. We'll have to see if they explore that position more in the future. You can read Apple's full response here (27 pages). You can see the EFF's initial filings here.

Stay tuned for more news and analysis on the issue.

TUAWApple says jailbreaking is illegal originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sirius XM Radio Inc's chief executive Mel Karmazin has approached DirecTV Group Inc and Liberty Media in an effort to fend off bankruptcy as well as a bid by EchoStar Corp's Charlie Ergen, media reports said.

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Finally, here is the video and audio version of my presentation at MidemNet 2009, in Cannes France. I put a ton of work into this presentation and, well, honestly... I think it's one of the best I have ever done on this topic.  Hope you enjoy it - and please comment, below, and / or spread the word!  Thanks to the Midem organization for providing the DVD with this video.

The topics: why the music industry needs to license the Internet just like it has licensed Radio (i.e. with a collective license), why criminalizing the users & fans will not work - and why those efforts should be re-directed to the creation of a new 'Music 2.0' ecosystem that actually produces growing revenues, where those new revenues will come from, and how the music flat rate - aka music like water - would work. See my previous blog post for more details and the PDF of this presentation. The MidemNet blog is here. My free book, Music 2.0, is here, btw;)

Youtube versions here.  MP3 file download: Compensation not Control Futurist Gerd Leonhard MP3

Audio via Soundcloud, below  

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