Changes & Opportunities

There have been some changes in the development of music; however, along with change can come opportunity. Today we’re going to discuss the demise of Activision’s Guitar Hero, new opportunities, and we’ll take a look at a fun interactive video.

Recently, there was a formal statement that Guitar Hero games would no longer be created by Activision. To put it simply, they felt it was getting redundant and often wondered, “What’s next?” More Rockband games may continue to be created and will sell well due to its reputation but it won’t change the fact that the market has gotten repetitive and uncreative as they allow you to buy more and more songs. The only thing to look forward to is motion censor control, which seems inevitable at this point.

Here is an example of what motion censor controlled music could be like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHTi8EBKNAQ

Despite the demise of Guitar Hero, there is an opportunity here to try something new – maybe Activision could begin designing apps for the iPhone or iPad (as they have been leaders in interactive music for the last few years). I believe that a lot of these game/audio/video companies need to explore the world of apps and innovative interactivity.

Now, let’s get interactive…

Though I normally talk about music being interactive, here is an interactive music video by the Arcade Fire (Grammy Winners, Album of the Year).

http://www.beonlineb.com/

In the past we have looked at videos where you can adjust the music but this is a video where you simply adjust the video. Interactive Music Videos can become a whole new market on its own (especially with the help of the iPad/iPhone). It remains surprising why more videos like this are not produced. However, as more interesting entertainment is demanded, more interactive audio/video will be produced. These fun music videos and customizable songs are the beginning of something new.

Sites:

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/sing+blues+over+Guitar+Hero+demise/4276306/story.html

Your Handy Dandy… Music Platform!

As I’ve mentioned over and over again, interactive music is the something that is continuing to grow in interest and will be a huge for of music in the not so distant future (thanks to smart phones, the iPad, etc.).

I recently read a small article where The Echo Nest encourages people to create interactive music application… however, what they creates is on a whole other level that what I usually talk about. In fact, it blew me away.

The Echo Nest creates interactive music applications, amongst other things. They recently created a music platform that has a large number of abilities and is all around the ultimate music tool. To put it simply, it breaks down music piece by piece.

A little bit about their business:

They are funded by Angel investors (three of which are co-founders of MIT Media Lab), Argos Management and Commonwealth Capital Ventures.

The Echo Nest has won the National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant four times – a big accomplishment for a small cause.

Here is exactly what this music platform does (automatically):

It constantly analyzed music – everything from audio to blogs, reviews, etc. It wants to know exactly how the world sees every artist, their albums, and their music.

It listens to the music – it breaks down everything about the song: tempo, instrumentation, time signatures, accents, harmony, keys. It learns how to understand all the simple ways that musicians talk about these song attributes.

It learns about all the trends – it analyzes the internet user’s “music behavior”. It learns who is talking about what artists and what songs have been downloaded and streamed. It distinctly knows what fans think.

In completely honesty, this is absolute genius by my opinion. Every musician wants a tool that can break down every song and tell you everything you want to know about it. However, the only downside here is how much gathered information is too much? Echo Nest needs to make sure they are maintaining people’s privacy. That always becomes something of controversy.

…but when all is said and done, this is a major advancement and another step forward into an innovative future.