I’m on the road this week, which means I don’t know when I’ll get to add any "live" blog posts. So, in the spirit of Jason Kottke’s "Last 100 Posts" series, I’m going to spend the next few days reviewing some of the most vital tips we’ve presented here at spinme.com in the last six months.
If you’ve just joined spinme.com recently, it’ll give you a clue to some of the great stuff lurking in the archives. If you’ve been with us for years, this is a great chance to catch up on some posts you might have missed.
Back in January, I took a mini-sabbatical to help my wife recover from surgery. Though posting was light, I leaned on Bob and David for some excellent insight.
- Bob was stirring up some debate about "The Future of Music," a compelling book that argues (from the European perspective) for a future where music flows like water. Since then, we’ve seen subscription services like Napster, Rhapsody, and Y!Music offer subscribers the ability to pull streams of new music from the reservoir under a very radio-like royalty scheme.
- Many of my clients have been brainstorming with me over the idea of creating sponsored compilations. They’re great ways to collaborate with community businesses, who might be inclined to support music around a theme instead of music by just one artist. My clients have been pitching their ideas to car dealers, schools, and restaurants. We’ve got one successful model out there: a hip-hop compilation that helps kids learn challenging vocabulary words.
- In Host Your Own Concerts, I wrote about the ways that dedicated music fans are helping return our community to the kind of direct patronage model that artists have enjoyed for centuries. We uncovered a NYT piece that shows patrons are eager to commission personalized songs, especially tunes that commemorate a special event.
- My year-long rant on the necessity of health insurance began.
- Instead of a to-do list, could you use a "stop doing" list?