Since I’m unable to comment on the BusinessWeek blog entry, I’ll post my response here. Here’s the question posed by Heather Green:

Is there a way to track the growth of the creation and distribution online of music, videos, audio shows from individuals (outside the walls of the traditional studios, networks, and labels)?

I don’t see a way at present to track this growth (which means tracking the content itself), but this seems related to something I posted a few days ago: “Backdoor Content Channels“.

If virtual spaces (MySpace, CyWorld, aso) continue to morph into suites of hosted services, I suspect those services will wind up tracking the content users make available to others. Currently that would primarily be text, graphics, music, video. But as these virtual spaces become increasingly immersive, I see it including 3D content; files for use in 3D virtual spaces or for actual fabrication.

The real problem in my opinion is determining which content is original and which is copied or pirated. People already make lots of stuff “available” that they didn’t create. And I’d guess a significant portion of them would rather that no one know; look at the creative names people use for copied music in order to avoid anti-piracy efforts. So beyond the technical issue of tracking and cataloguing, there’s community resistance. It is a tough nut. And it’s going to get worse .

Having spent a large part of the day doing some programming, I was amused to get back to the site and find an interesting visitor: “http://portal.umbriacom.com/portal/urlClassification“. Turns out the link goes to a closed site (I got a session time out page). Being an inquiring mind I did the obvious: I went to http://www.umbriacom.com … which then forwarded me to this link. “Analyzing online opinions and perceptions“. I guess my comments on Burger King’s lame marketing efforts got more than BusinessWeek’s attention.

Imagine that. A marketing firm watching me while I watch them. Well, take this back with you, Umbria: Instead of your clients trying to be inventive with the marketing and advertising, how about someone telling them to improve their product first? See, all this internet connectivity and MySpace-Friendster-Buzz Oven sharing stuff is a BIG double-edged sword. So if the product isn’t as good as it should be, the negative reactions are going to fly just as fast if not faster, and sales will sink so much worse than they used to in the pre-Internet Age (think Tylenol circa 1982). Heads will spin before they roll. Be prepared.

I recently posted an entry about Chinese style after BusinessWeek posted an article on Shanghai Tang, and once again BW raises the international style issue. Only this time, they’re talking Central Europe. Rightly so. Some of the coolest stuff has for years come out of places like Zagreb, famous for its illustrators and animation. After the break-up of the Soviet Union and the splintering of the various states, Metropolis magazine carried the work architects from the region who were fusing so many influences they took the term “melting pot” and stretched it in ways the comfortable West hadn’t seen in a century. If there is any place to be looking for exciting new work – outside of China – it has to be Central Europe.

Read their short article (link), look at the accompanying slideshow (link), and be prepared for a wave of creativity. I can hardly wait.

(p.s. I went looking for the Istanbul-based design firm that was getting a bunch of press recently, but I’m coming up empty. Feel free to post a comment if you know the one I mean and I’ll update this post.)

Link to New York Times story (free registration required).

’nuff said.

via Future Feeder

{Image Copyright © 2005 The New York Times Company}

There’s an excellent article over on BusinessWeek called “The MySpace Generation” (link). Lots of relevance to my comment on an earlier post (link), but I have to admit that the part that got me smiling was when the article talks about “influencers” (see an older post – here – to understand why).