According to a study done by Edison Research called, "Share Of Ear," terrestrial radio is still very popular. The results of the study were announced in June 2014 and revealed that AM/FM radio still maintains 52.1% of listening done by music fans and consumers. 20.3% of all listening was considered to be of the, "owned," variety, (CDs, cassettes, vinyl, or mp3s).
The study was done by asking 2,000 respondents, age 13 and older to keep a 24 hr listening diary of an assigned day. Diaries were completed both online and by mail. The study found that the break down for other forms of listening were as follows: streaming services, (Spotify, Pandora, iTunes Radio) made up 11%, satellite radio, (SirusXM) made up 7.7%, TV music channels, (Music Choice) made up 5.2%, podcasts made up 1.7%, and the category of other, (audio books) made up 1.5%.
Edison did the study as a response to requests from all corners of the audio industry and investment community for, "total share of everything, " figures, which up until the study, did not exist. The study not only pointed out that radio makes up for half of all listening that is done in a household, but it also revealed that the average American spends 4 to 5 hours a day consuming audio.
Proponents of streaming may find the numbers hard to fathom, given the increase in the use of tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices. However, in my opinion, the growth in overall internet usage is being attributed as on the rise, due to the vast amount of media attention that is being given to new and emerging technologies. More focus should be placed on the consumers ability to actually purchase and/or adopt these technologies. Not everyone is "wired," at this point in time. It is still much cheaper and easier to listen to the radio.
When real purchasing power is returned to the, "mainstream," consumer, it will then be in their hands. Only then will it truly be possible to know whether changes in technology will create a change in listening habits.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
New Release
I've just released a new single. It's a "summer friendly/" mid tempo R&B/Pop/Funk groove that's available on iTunes, Google Play, Rhapsody, and my others. Click the Tunecore widget to the right for a full stream preview. A video clip from the song is also available at YouTube, or click the video player below. Thank you for listening.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Tesla Patents Free For Fair Use
In a bid to accelerate the adoption of the all electric car, on June 12th 2014, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced that all Tesla patents would be shared with other automakers. Musk made the move because he believes that the major car manufacturers are lacking in their electric car programs.
Musk feels that holding on to his patents will only mean growing competition from companies that make combustion engine vehicles. He is opting for a "fair us," approach that he hopes will encourage other car makers to not only make more electric cars, but perhaps in return, share their ideas with Tesla.
Noting that the current rate of electric car production is only 1% of current overall vehicle production, Musk said that it would take about 20 years to replace all of the fossil fuel cars on the road today, with electric cars. He sees the rate of Co2 emissions as a "carbon crisis," and thinks that an accelerated rate of electric car production could only be carried through if the other car manufacturers were to step up their programs.
As for share holders worries that Tesla is "giving away the store," so to speak, Musk believes that by creating an open source platform, Tesla will also "attract and motivate the world's most talented engineers to become involved." Problems with the development of more improved lithium-ion batteries or increasing the range of electric cars, could be solved with greater speed and efficiency, with more minds committed to the task.
Sales of all electric cars were up 288.88% in 2013. The transition has begun. Will this move by Tesla Motors be the spark that ignites real growth in electric car production? We will see.
Musk feels that holding on to his patents will only mean growing competition from companies that make combustion engine vehicles. He is opting for a "fair us," approach that he hopes will encourage other car makers to not only make more electric cars, but perhaps in return, share their ideas with Tesla.
Noting that the current rate of electric car production is only 1% of current overall vehicle production, Musk said that it would take about 20 years to replace all of the fossil fuel cars on the road today, with electric cars. He sees the rate of Co2 emissions as a "carbon crisis," and thinks that an accelerated rate of electric car production could only be carried through if the other car manufacturers were to step up their programs.
As for share holders worries that Tesla is "giving away the store," so to speak, Musk believes that by creating an open source platform, Tesla will also "attract and motivate the world's most talented engineers to become involved." Problems with the development of more improved lithium-ion batteries or increasing the range of electric cars, could be solved with greater speed and efficiency, with more minds committed to the task.
Sales of all electric cars were up 288.88% in 2013. The transition has begun. Will this move by Tesla Motors be the spark that ignites real growth in electric car production? We will see.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Quantum Teleportation Breakthrough
On May 29th 2014, physicists at Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, which is part of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, announced that they had sent quantum information concerning the spin state of an electron to another electron that was about 10 feet away. Quantum teleportation has been reported before. In fact I posted a blog on results of experiments done by physicists in Australia in September 2013.
In this particular experiment, the results of the study have a replication rate of 100% at the above distance. This was made possible by means of what is known as entanglement. This is a quantum state in which two or more particles can simultaneously communicate their attributes to each other, even when they are separated by vast distances.
The information or data that was teleported in this experiment was not that of a classical sense, such as ones and zeros. The physicists at Delft University had to use quantum bits, or what's known as qubits, which can simultaneously describe a number of values.
In their experiment, the physicists trapped electrons in diamonds at very low temperatures, separated at about 10 feet apart. When the spin of an electron was taken in one location, the physicists observed that the same was true of the corresponding electron that was 10 feet away.
While this is not what one would expect wen you hear the word teleportation, such as being beamed up to the Enterprise as they do on Star Trek, is a very important step in the development of high speed communications. There are five or six groups that are in a race to catch that elusive "big one," and perhaps win a Nobel prize as well.
In this particular experiment, the results of the study have a replication rate of 100% at the above distance. This was made possible by means of what is known as entanglement. This is a quantum state in which two or more particles can simultaneously communicate their attributes to each other, even when they are separated by vast distances.
The information or data that was teleported in this experiment was not that of a classical sense, such as ones and zeros. The physicists at Delft University had to use quantum bits, or what's known as qubits, which can simultaneously describe a number of values.
In their experiment, the physicists trapped electrons in diamonds at very low temperatures, separated at about 10 feet apart. When the spin of an electron was taken in one location, the physicists observed that the same was true of the corresponding electron that was 10 feet away.
While this is not what one would expect wen you hear the word teleportation, such as being beamed up to the Enterprise as they do on Star Trek, is a very important step in the development of high speed communications. There are five or six groups that are in a race to catch that elusive "big one," and perhaps win a Nobel prize as well.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
SpaceX Presents Its Dragon V2 Reusable Spacecraft
SpaceX, the private space flight company, unveiled its new spacecraft, the Dragon V2 on May 29th, 2014. In a press conference, Elon Musk, the company's founder, announced that the Dragon V2 will be a manned, reusable vehicle, capable of landing anywhere on Earth, after its return from space.
SpaceX made history in 2012 when its Dragon 1 became the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and then return safely to Earth. Since then, Dragon has flown many successful unmanned, automated resupply missions. However, the Dragon spacecraft was always intended to be used to carry humans into space.
Enter the Dragon V2. The spacecraft will lift off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It can seat up to a seven member crew. After docking with the International Space Station, the Dragon V2 is capable of making a safe, controlled landing back on earth by means of eight SuperDraco rocket engines. These engines are placed in four pairs mounted around the sides of the spacecraft.
The SuperDraco engines are capable of producing 16,000 pounds of thrust and should enable the Dragon V2 to land via its landing struts, just like a helicopter. There's also a back up parachute in case of engine or other malfunctions. The spacecraft can then be refueled and readied for flight right away. It is capable of being reused up to 10 times before it needs serious servicing.
SpaceX, Boeing Co, and Sierra Crop all have received about $1 billion from NASA to develop a replacement for the retired space shuttle. Currently, NASA pays the Russians $70 million a seat on a Soyuz capsule. SpaceX expects the Dragon V2 to bring that price down to $20 million a seat. Flights could become even cheaper if the rate of flights increases.
On March 17th 2014, NASA announced that the first test flight of its Orion spacecraft will be moved back from a September/October launch to a mid December launch. Orion is NASA's own multipurpose spacecraft designed by Lockheed Martin. The Orion is intended for future missions to the Moon, the asteroids, Mars, and beyond.
SpaceX made history in 2012 when its Dragon 1 became the first commercial spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and then return safely to Earth. Since then, Dragon has flown many successful unmanned, automated resupply missions. However, the Dragon spacecraft was always intended to be used to carry humans into space.
Enter the Dragon V2. The spacecraft will lift off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It can seat up to a seven member crew. After docking with the International Space Station, the Dragon V2 is capable of making a safe, controlled landing back on earth by means of eight SuperDraco rocket engines. These engines are placed in four pairs mounted around the sides of the spacecraft.
The SuperDraco engines are capable of producing 16,000 pounds of thrust and should enable the Dragon V2 to land via its landing struts, just like a helicopter. There's also a back up parachute in case of engine or other malfunctions. The spacecraft can then be refueled and readied for flight right away. It is capable of being reused up to 10 times before it needs serious servicing.
SpaceX, Boeing Co, and Sierra Crop all have received about $1 billion from NASA to develop a replacement for the retired space shuttle. Currently, NASA pays the Russians $70 million a seat on a Soyuz capsule. SpaceX expects the Dragon V2 to bring that price down to $20 million a seat. Flights could become even cheaper if the rate of flights increases.
On March 17th 2014, NASA announced that the first test flight of its Orion spacecraft will be moved back from a September/October launch to a mid December launch. Orion is NASA's own multipurpose spacecraft designed by Lockheed Martin. The Orion is intended for future missions to the Moon, the asteroids, Mars, and beyond.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Google Edges Out Apple As Most Valuable Brand
Some may have been shaking their heads while still others might have been saying that it isn't so, when the news was announced on May 20th 2014, that Google was now the worlds most valuable brand. According to market research firm, Millward Brown, Google's brand value rose by 40% to $158 billion, while Apple, who came in second, fell by 20% to $147 billion.
The unseating of Apple as the top brand is being perceived by some as a lack of innovation. Google has given us, Google Glass, Google Package Delivery, Google Fiber(broadband internet access), and Google Driverless Cars. Apple, on the other hand has yet to give a definite release date for the iPhone 6, which could appear in September 2014.
Apple is currently in negotiations to buy Beats Electronics for $3 billion. Many have questioned this move and believed that this is being done in order to acquire Beats Music, in an effort to improve the stature of iTunes Radio. On the surface, it might appear that Apple is skidding towards an innovative slump. Apple, however files a lot of patents.
It is from this wealth of patents that new ideas from Apple come. One such idea is the Smart Home, which is expected to be announced at Apple's WWDC(Worldwide Developer's Conference) coming up in June 2014. While clearly this represents only one new advancement in the past several years, there's no way to know just what else Apple may have up it's sleeve for the years that follow.
The unseating of Apple as the top brand is being perceived by some as a lack of innovation. Google has given us, Google Glass, Google Package Delivery, Google Fiber(broadband internet access), and Google Driverless Cars. Apple, on the other hand has yet to give a definite release date for the iPhone 6, which could appear in September 2014.
Apple is currently in negotiations to buy Beats Electronics for $3 billion. Many have questioned this move and believed that this is being done in order to acquire Beats Music, in an effort to improve the stature of iTunes Radio. On the surface, it might appear that Apple is skidding towards an innovative slump. Apple, however files a lot of patents.
It is from this wealth of patents that new ideas from Apple come. One such idea is the Smart Home, which is expected to be announced at Apple's WWDC(Worldwide Developer's Conference) coming up in June 2014. While clearly this represents only one new advancement in the past several years, there's no way to know just what else Apple may have up it's sleeve for the years that follow.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Spotify Reaches 10 Million Paid Subscribers
Hot on the heels of Apple's announced purchase of Beats Electronics, on May 21st 2014, Spotify announced that it had reached 40 million users and 10 million paid subscribers. This marks a 66% increase of both paid customers as well as over all users.
Spotify was created in Sweden in 2008 as a streaming alternative to illegal downloads. Since then the company has become very popular. It made it's debut in the U S in 2011 and has been increasing in popularity here as well.
As download sales continue to slump, the streaming wars appear to be only just beginning. While clearly Spotify is the industry's current front runner, there is still room for growth. In my opinion, the question is, is whether or not this means that streaming will become more important to music consumers than purchasing and owning their own copy of a song or album.
What may actually be happening is an increase in smartphone and tablet usages, which may include a bundling of services. In some cases, such bundling may give hand held users access to apps like Spotify. Trying the free service may cause user to subscribe to the paid service.
If this line of thinking is correct at all, it may well mean that streaming will at some point reach a peak before it too begins to level off. As more of the population adapts hand held devices, they will no longer be viewed as trendy. It's at that point that users may once again become more diversified in their listening habits.
Meanwhile, speculation continues as to what Apple will do with Beats Music Service. Some bloggers have suggested that the electronics division is Apple's sole reason for the purchase. Others believe that Beats Music will become a ready made paid subscription version of iTunes Radio. Both reasons sound highly likely. With Spotify's latest announcement, I think that the latter is a very good idea.
Spotify was created in Sweden in 2008 as a streaming alternative to illegal downloads. Since then the company has become very popular. It made it's debut in the U S in 2011 and has been increasing in popularity here as well.
As download sales continue to slump, the streaming wars appear to be only just beginning. While clearly Spotify is the industry's current front runner, there is still room for growth. In my opinion, the question is, is whether or not this means that streaming will become more important to music consumers than purchasing and owning their own copy of a song or album.
What may actually be happening is an increase in smartphone and tablet usages, which may include a bundling of services. In some cases, such bundling may give hand held users access to apps like Spotify. Trying the free service may cause user to subscribe to the paid service.
If this line of thinking is correct at all, it may well mean that streaming will at some point reach a peak before it too begins to level off. As more of the population adapts hand held devices, they will no longer be viewed as trendy. It's at that point that users may once again become more diversified in their listening habits.
Meanwhile, speculation continues as to what Apple will do with Beats Music Service. Some bloggers have suggested that the electronics division is Apple's sole reason for the purchase. Others believe that Beats Music will become a ready made paid subscription version of iTunes Radio. Both reasons sound highly likely. With Spotify's latest announcement, I think that the latter is a very good idea.
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