Syllabus

Hip Hoppin' Hamsters

2010-05-28T01:50:00.000-07:00

Now, I know a lot of my blogs recently have been about the latest adverts and yes, I understand I should vary things a little. So please believe me when I say this week I was going to do my very best to find something serious, something industry related and something that wasn’t flaunting any products what so ever.

Well the best laid plans don’t always pan out. I was doing so well until my attention got drawn away by one of the most bizarre and funny adverts I’ve seen in a long time!! I would have turned away from the story had it not been the fact that said advert is unlikely to be aired on UK television, and seeing this as an absolute travesty, I thought I would serve the British public by bringing it to their attention.

The advert in question is Kia’s new Soul – A New Way To Role ad campaign that has just been launched in the US. Now normally I hate any kind of attempt to humanise animals. Doctor Doolittle; no thank you. Alvin and The Chipmunks; oh god no! But this advert genuinely did make me laugh.

Not only has the ad been awarded with numerous industry accolades including a "2010 Automotive Excellence Award” and "Automotive Ad of the Year" but the hamsters have a forthcoming fashion range www.hamstarclothing.com and chart success at their feet with the campaign extended online with free track downloads www.kiasoul.com/#/downloads

It’s bizarre and I’m not sure where the choice between a car and a toaster comes into it, but who cares!! Personally, I think its genius!!

We Made A Film!

2010-05-24T01:43:00.000-07:00

Well, that's not strictly true.

However, Lauren and I did find ourselves at St Pancras International at midnight last Thursday, with a whole bunch of lights, cameras, and a lot of musical instruments. Luckily three very competent people came with all of this equipment who actually knew what they were doing. Phew.

So why St Pancras at midnight? Well as you may or may not already know, we are just about to launch The Station Sessions, Live at St Pancras International. We've got an amazing lineup of great new artists that will be playing, starting on the 3rd June at 6pm.

So come on down to the station, and check out some great new exciting artists!

Captains Log: the year is 2010...

2010-05-23T03:58:00.000-07:00

As a child (and still as an adult) the gadgetry in the Star Trek Series completely amazed me. Just like in the James bond films the gadgets were a serious highlight, and more often then not, they were crucial to the survival of the main character.

Today it seems that a great number of those very gadgets have been created in our world: Earth.

I always wanted to use a Combadge, the ones that all Starfleet personnel wore and just had to touch (no dialling necessary mind) to speak to any of their mates. Well I guess the closest modern day version of that would be the Bluetooth Headset. Then there was the computer tablet that that Scotty the engineer used to make insane calculations at warp speed; we now have the IPad. Touch screens, lasers, digital wristwatches and computers that speak and are apoken to are all here today to make our missions more successful. (Someone just needs to hurry up and invent teleportation cos I’m seriously sick of TFL)

Undeniably, the most essential modern day sci-fi interpretation has got to be the Mobile Phone, and more specifically the Android enabled mobile Smartphone. These perform all the essential functions of the average Smartphone but recently Google announced the release of software that enables android users to access their entire home music and photo libraries, stored on their desktop computers, from their portable Android Smartphone. www.readwriteweb.com

This is clearly the next step in lifesaving technology, and I think it’s about time we start making Starfleet Enterprise cronies jealous of some of the cool gadgets we use on missions to save our social lives from falling into the hands of the Borg... Suck on that Picard!

M

The role of the brand in the digital music age

2010-05-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

There’s no doubt that any forward thinking brand understands the importance of using music in at least some aspect of their marketing activity. Whether its simply syncing tracks for ad campaigns, aligning themselves with artists through traditional endorsements or by going further and developing more creative music properties or sub-brands. Whichever route a brand does go down or gets advised to take, with the waning of the traditional music business model and the boom in digital music services, the music marketing landscape has changed.

Arguably, the changes we’ve seen and that we continue to experience in the music industry are largely a result of the shift in power from labels to the technology they have failed to embrace. Over the last decade, the majority of the industry decision-makers have been desperately clinging on to an outdated system and have been hell-bent on legislating against progress and essentially alienating their consumers. In rejecting the advances and possibilities of the Internet, the music business has left a gap in the market. In my view, this gap stems from the same concept that has led to the success of Radio over the years… music fans need direction and actually want to be told what to listen to!

So who is capable of utilizing technology and filling this gap? The music media has always influenced what we listen to and continue to do so relatively well in the digital age with blogs, podcasts and the music press having developed their online presence. However this is by no means a closed shop and it presents brands with a novel opportunity to really engage with the consumer. Marketing in general is at its most effective when it builds a relationship with its audience and what better way to build a relationship than by recommending a great new band or an amazing gig!

Blogging, Blogging Blogging!

2010-05-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

This one is for Leo our official in-house blog police!

Blogging began in the late 90’s. The word “blog” is a shortened form of “web log,” and it stands for a web site that keeps a log (much like a diary) of people’s thoughts, their actions, and their reactions to other people’s thoughts and actions. Today, there are millions of blogs on the Internet.

So do Blogs really achieve better corporate/organisational communication?

Many would argue YES! – Blogging has caused the blurring of lines for mass media, after all a blog is open to the entire online world!

Politicians and News channels were both early adopters of blogging, using blogs as an ‘unofficial’ and grass roots way of spreading their message. Now it appears that Blogs are used by the masses, spilling out their inner most thoughts or ranting about their pet hates – The free flow of information is rapidly changing the way in which we exchange information and communicate.

Blogs have allowed for the receiving of information from places we would not ordinarily be exposed to, this information is much more than what we can receive from a social networking site or a company website. Blogs have the ability to change the way in which consumers view a product/company/organisation given their more open nature. Obviously, consequently this has both a positive and negative effect, but in my opinion blogs allow for truthfulness that you would not normally get.

The disintegration of communication lines caused by the internet have no doubt broken down distance and boundaries, but just how far can we go? And is the closing distance for information discovery a positive thing? Or is it safer to keep to our bubble?

What do you think? Is a blog really capable of all of this?

L

In with the old, out with the new

2010-05-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

Well what do y’know, an old song is covered by a new artist, featured in a £6m ad campaign and it’s suddenly everywhere, getting hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube, and likely to become a chart topping hit. Sound familiar at all? It’s certainly not the first time this has happened, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

On the 23rd of April John Lewis launched its new ad campaign featuring Billy Joel’s “She’s Always A Woman” performed by Fyfe Dangerfield from the Guillemots. Within two days the ad had already gained over 320,000 views on YouTube and it looks like John Lewis, Billy Joel, Dangerfield and all record companies involved will substantially profit from the enormous success this simple syncing has had. Dangerfield’s version has already rocketed up this week’s UK singles charts to number 7, been added to 108 radio stations playlists and has just broken the record for the most tagged track in Shazam’s history.

Although it wasn’t used in an advert, at the end of last year Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing also experienced similar meteoric fame thanks to X-Factor’s Joe McElderry and fox’s musical comedy, Glee. Personally, I can’t fault the call to rejuvenate old songs and give them a new lease of life. Ok, so I know a lot of people whinge that the remakes aren’t as good as the original, and to be fair in a lot of cases I have to agree, but I can’t help but think that without the rehashing of these old classics, entire generations will never be exposed to a whole host of amazing songs, and I personally feel that’s more of a travesty. So, for those who aren’t acquainted with the original, here’s Billy Joel, doing what he does best....

Katie

Virgin Perks.

2010-05-08T03:02:00.000-07:00

Let’s face it, at one point or another we’ve all wanted to live the lucky life of a rock star. You know the one, being treated like a complete god, pampered by your minions, waited on hand and foot. Then the fantasy vanishes, the bubble burst and we rocket down to earth with a thud, waiting in line at the usual cues at Tesco’s and hoping not to be trampled over on the tube.

Well all is not so according to Virgin Holiday’s new Rockstar Service. Their forthcoming ad campaign follows ‘The Danke Schöns' a Spinal Tap style band created by Virgin Travel, who believe the service and attention they receive is all down to their self proclaimed success, when actually they’re being treated like every other Virgin customer.

Virgin loves to market itself as a friendly, youthful and hip company so by emphasising the personal care its customers get with the tag – “everyone gets treated like a rockstar” I guess it successfully ticks the younger market boxes. Whether the campaign works at attracting the 18 – 30 year olds is yet to be seen, but thank god they got rid of Charlotte Church is all I can say!!

http://www.virginholidays.co.uk/info/about/rockstar_service/offers.aspx

Katie

Is The Music Industry Trying To Be Taken Seriously?

2010-05-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

So, it was announced today that UK Music, as part of their Liberating Creativity report, has launched a skills audit for the music industry. The idea is to get as many people as possibly working and running companies in the industry to complete the survey to make sure that:

- music companies have the required skills to be able to compete in the market

- companies can attract a diverse and highly-skilled incoming workforce

- the Government adopts a proper internship scheme

- that music business courses meet standards established by an industry accreditation programme

- a general code of practice is developed

Let's just hope it's not too little, too late, and that the industry can finally start to be taken seriously once more.

Bahh to politics...business as usual!!

2010-04-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well it seems the race is well and truly on for the top spot in British Politics. With the leaders of the big 3 all over television, press and billboards it seems we will be hard pressed to find much else to entertain ourselves with over the next few weeks. What strikes me is that everybody seems to have something to say this year. Even our entertainers are making entertaining us a secondary pastime...It seems that the Music entrepreneurs that brought us IeMusic, and 24-7 Entertainment amongst others have taken a stand against a Lib Dem/Labour coalition (that many people have high hopes for)because of the reduction in funding for new business this partnership would ensue. Ah hell what’s all the fuss, face it we're stuck between a rock and a hard place; it wouldn't be entrepreneurial unless you were faced with adversity! I say stay out of politics and do what you do best - finding new ways to make music work!

We are certainly keeping the axe to the grindstone with plenty of interesting stuff in the pipeline...and we'll keep going regardless of who’s in parliament!

This is a woman's world...

2010-04-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

So a day to be English eh? Apart from landlords and me, I'm yet to see an England top or flag anywhere... Still, a leaked article on the fortunes of England's (well, Britain's) young and affluent in the music business seems appropriate for the day in question!

So the Sunday Times 2010 Rich List for Young icons in Music is already out... It would appear that the fellas need to up their game somewhat! With Craig David (?!) the first male name you see on the list, one has to wonder just where the lads are going wrong...

Now I know what you're thinking: 'How did Craig David get so far up that list?!' My guess is property development. And just how old IS Craig David?! The answer is 28... I guess we can't take this sort of thing too seriously...

But moving on from Craig David, it has to be said that the solo act is almost exclusively the realm of the women in the UK these days. You can't get away from it, we have no Jay-Z's or Eminems over here (keep it up Plan-B), I suppose the nearest we have is Dizzy Rascal, but where is he on the list? Nowhere, someone call his manager and ask him for a loan. Jamie Callum is a footnote and Buble is nowhere to be seen!

No, the list clearly shows that being in classical music (Church and Jenkins) or reality TV (Leona Lewis, The Cole) is a pre-requisite to the big money, but most importantly, that you can grab both markets, male and female, and it appears that guys just don't manage this as well as the girls in the UK. My contention would be that the male consumer (a) has been known to concentrate on aesthetics before content at times, and (b) tend to look down upon the male solo singer in general unless they have a guitar in their hand. Unfortunately the guitar usually means that the money is split at least four ways, hence no inclusion on the list...

Have a look for yourself:

http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/823028-who-is-on-the-sunday-times-rich-list-2010-of-young-music-millionaires

The full list is of course out on Sunday so we can all be collectively jealous and bitter come Monday.

Happy St George's Day!

The power of music advertising

2010-04-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Light And Day by The Polyphonic Spree has just been announced as the most performed song in advertising having appeared in Sainsbury’s Try Something New campaign.

The survey, which was carried out by PRS, revealed the most frequently used songs in adverts over the last five years. Nina Simone's I Got Life from the Muller yogurt commercials came in a close second to the classical piece Eliza's Aria by Elena Kats-Chernin, from the Lloyds TSB's advert in third.

It still truly amazes me how a song can have such strong ties and connotations to a specific brand and become so synonymous to the products they are used to sell. For instance I now find it impossible to listen to Take That’s Shine without thinking of dear Richard Hammond traipsing through the British countryside with his Morrison’s shopping trolley! Likewise, the image of bouncing balls and Sony Brava inevitably come into my head as soon as I hear Heartbeats by José Gonzalez.

Having done some research online I found an interview with Roger Greenaway, who co-wrote I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing, the tune used in the now iconic Coca-Cola campaign. He explains: "Music makes an emotional impact upon people and a well-crafted song can lock in the listeners' mind for life, making it the most powerful marketing tool in existence."

The fact that songs like Roger’s and Etta James, I Just Wanna Make Love To You (used in a similar Diet Coke Advert) stay in our minds many years after the adverts first aired, just goes to show that these songs will forever resonate the brands they represent. The power of music really is huge and can in no way be underestimated in terms of its selling capabilities.

Top 10 Most Performed Songs in Advertising
1 Light And Day by The Polyphonic Spree - Sainsbury's Try Something New Today
2 Ain't Go No/I Got Life by Nina Simone - Muller
3 Eliza's Aria by Elena Kats-Chernin - Lloyds TSB's For The Journey
4 Shine by Take That - Morrisons
5 Left Bank Two by The Noveltones - Waitrose Essentials
6 All Possibilities by Badly Drawn Boy - Comet
7 Knickknack by Bobby McFerrin - Bupa
8 Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield - Pantene Pro-V
9 Send It On by Sean Paul - Vauxhall Corsa
10 Epoca by Gotan Project - Finish Dishwasher Tablets
Source: PRS for Music

Katie

How Much Do Music Artists Earn Online?

2010-04-15T03:36:00.000-07:00

The digital world has changed the music industry almost beyond recognition, and very much for the better if you ask me. TheUK government recently passed The Digital Economy Act which which aims to combat online music piracy and protect artist earnings. But one burning question remains, how much do music artists actually earn online? Well here is the answer.

To read the full article, and for futher information check out www.informationisbeautiful.net

M

The Mobile Phone’s next-of-Kin, and Syllabus’s very own ‘Pete and Carl’.

2010-04-15T02:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday saw the announcement of Microsoft’s new all-conquering mobile phone line entitled ‘Kin’ – a set of two handsets designed specifically towards focusing on social networking over pretty much anything else.

Anyone old enough to have witnessed the development of Mobile Phone technology over the past 15 years would probably agree that the option to actually make phone calls has become less and less important. From text messaging, to camera phones, past MMS and making a quick stop at mobile internet, the ability to speak to someone has been pushed to the back of the queue, and Microsoft’s Kin range appears to represent the final nail in the coffin. A (frankly, pretty messy) interface combining all of your various social networking presences seems set to keep you up to date with absolutely everything in your world without ever verifying the information through human contact. That aside, both phones look like Blackberrys, simple as that… But the focus on net-based communication is undeniably important as all European mobile phone networks are currently bidding on the up-and-coming 4G phones available in the near future. I’d love to see the figures on actual phone calls being made over the past 10 years on mobile networks, as I’d wager the rise in ownership of handsets hasn’t been matched by rise in phone calls made. Either way we’ll have to wait and see the overall effects of these new phones on the market - will it kill the phone call, just as Facebook killed the High School Reunion? Will I ever need to actually speak to a relative again? Man alive do I feel old and grumpy…

In other news, tensions ran high last night in the Syllabus office as our very own, in-house Rock Band had their first jam!

Spirited rock-chick Lauren and the 5th member of Coldplay, Leo set out to make sweet music on our newly purchased ‘Guitar Hero: World Tour’. The inspirational moment in music history however quickly turned into a battle of artistic integrity and petty fighting as Leo blamed his utter incompetence on the guitar and drum kit “not bloody working”. Lauren let her hands do the arguing by donning the guitar herself and making it sing like a North Wales kitsch sensation who’s actual age appears highly questionable. The pressure got too much for Leo and he eventually stormed out viciously defending his skills and blaming his tools – Super Hans style. He was quoted as stating an arranged meeting at a print shop as the reason for his fast exit – we all knew the real reason Leo…

Sixth Sense technology...

2010-04-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

This really is unbelievably amazing. Pranav Mistry demonstrates the future - better get used it!

http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html

The gloves are off!

2010-04-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

Spirits have definitely been high in the Syllabus office today. The catalyst was the great news that we’ve been nominated for a CIPR Speciality Award for all the hard work we put into last year’s Station Sessions at St Pancras International. The awards ceremony isn’t until June so we’ll have to wait with baited breath for a while but we’re certainly all very excited about it.

This sparked a day where creative juices were flowing and competitive behaviour was at an all time high! Joe’s infamous movie music quiz was hotly contested, but no matter how much I shrieked answers at a pitch only known to small dogs and dolphins, Jon still won hands down with a record 6 points to 2! Me... a bad loser... no!! Then at the end of the day came a seriously nail biting challenge between Gideon and Joe who battled it out in a ruthless game of Wii bowling.

All I can say is that judging by today’s performances, no one at Syllabus likes to lose so our fellow CIPR nominees better be ready for some seriously determined competition!

Katie

The Power of Social Media

2010-04-12T01:58:00.000-07:00

During my usual surf of the internet, I stumbled upon this little nugget, I thought.... blog it!!

Social media has transformed advertising and has given the consumer complete control of how they interact/embrace brands. Brands need to tread carefully when interacting with consumers in their own space. Coca-Cola is a great example of a brand that has embraced the limitations of communicating with consumers on a social media platform such as Facebook.

Coca-Cola found a popular fan page on facebook that had been created by a couple of 29 year old Coca-Cola fans. Rather than sue them, they flew the two fans out to Atlanta to continue working on the page for the company. The creators became an intimate part of the continued development of the page. Coca-Cola had the savvy to grasp the benefits of a Facebook group, and understood that Facebook was a site created and used by customers, a valuable lesson to be learnt for social media success!

http://www.facebook.com/cocacola?v=app_161193133389

Milton

Parachute into Glade and get in Free!

2010-04-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

Everyone here is very much looking forward to the Glade Festival in July this year and they have recently confirmed that they will be allowing festival goers in for free to the event if they parachute in, provided they are dressed as Elvis wearing a sound system strapped to their back and hit the ground dancing! http://www.gladefestival.com/news/?p=35 - if your feeling brave.

On a side note, 90% of the much anticipated line-up has now been released... follow the link for full details http://www.gladefestival.com/music/ looking good!

Not sure I'll be taking them up on the parachuting but it could be interesting none the less!

Music from the masses

2010-04-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

I’ve come across a pretty cool and initiative website today that caught my eye. It’s a bit quirky and I’m not 100% sure how accurate it is but I still think it’s a pretty original and fun way for people to share and interact with music.
It’s essentially a Google map with locations you click on to discover what genres of music people are listening to all over the world. Just click on a certain location, anywhere, from Kent to Kazakhstan, and you can instantly play tracks that people are listening to. It basically works through a download site called SoundCloud, so let’s say when Boris from Bulgaria downloads Britney’s greatest hits, it shows up on the map and you, the user, get to have a listen. Ok so it’s a bit gimmicky and there might not be much point to it, but I still think it’s a clever way to expand people’s music taste to a whole load of random world music that they’re unlikely to be exposed to elsewhere. So far my favourite has to be from Hamburg, where they’re currently rockin’ out to Alain Monnet - Und Endlich (Hochzeitslied). Very bizarre indeed!

Have a look by going to www.tracksonamap.com

Katie

NME Relaunch

2010-04-06T03:56:00.000-07:00

So our 'beloved' or not so 'beloved' as it would seem with its drastic declining weekly circulation NME Magazine has had a major facelift with a new design, logo and editorial content.

NME is to now display ten different covers featuring stars Jack White, Rihanna, Kasabian, Foals, MIA, Magnetic Man, Florence + the Machine, LCD Soundsystem, Laura Marling and Biffy Clyro.

New regular features “First Night, On The Road” and “In The Studio” are designed to demonstrate NME’s “unrivalled access” to bands,

It has also overhauled its “Radar” section with more new band news, live reports and regular columns from Tim Westwood, Simian Mobile Disco and Mary-Anne Hobbs.

The overhaul is the first major change NME under its first female editor Krissi Murison, the Magazine has suffered large circulation falls, dropping 20.6% year on year, and this is an attempt to regain it's kudos among music lovers.

Krissi Murison said: "When I took this role I had very clear ideas about what I wanted to do with the magazine. The new NME is significantly different, with a much more mature and aspirational design, and content which focuses on being in-depth, opinionated and above all knowledgeable."

So what do we think? - Are we really going to start picking up more NME Magazines because of the more 'Mature and aspirational design'? - It looks more like a magazine supplement to me!

Feedback so far:

http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/music/4252915

From our friends at Coke...

2010-04-04T04:36:00.000-07:00

Our good friends at Coke have finally come up with a REALLY great piece of student marketing...well done to the boys and girls in red!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqT_dPApj9U&feature=player_embedded

April's Fool....

2010-04-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

Well I couldn’t do my blog on the 1st of April without mentioning a few classic pranks on this all holiest of days, April Fools.
A few classics so far include;

- The Sun’s revolutionary lickable paper where apparently "hydrocolloids collide with each other to spread over your taste buds creating a sense of taste”. To my amusement I saw a number of trusting people on the tube today subtly placing their tongues on the paper to test it out... fools!!!

- Gillette’s new Miracle T-shirt which contains a “unique neutralizing agent” that prevents BO. http://www.miracleshirt.co.uk/

- Virgin Media and Ferrets – Virgin announced that for years they have used Ferrets to lay their cables for their broadband service. Jon James, director of broadband for Virgin Media, said: "For hundreds of years, ferrets have helped humans in various jobs. Our decision to use them is due to their strong nesting instinct, their long, lean build and inquisitive nature, and for their ability to get down holes.” Hmmm

- The AA and their Jet-propelled servicemen – AA have stated that their servicemen will be fitted with jetpacks (costing £42,000 each) to help beat the traffic and get to their customers far quicker.

- London Waterloo and City tube line to be pedestrianised – Transport for London have drawn up detailed plans to pedestrianise central lines to assist with pavement congestion and encourage fat Londoners to burn the equivalent of 6 million calories a week walking instead.

- Google Translate have branched out into the animal kingdom and now promises it can translate your pet’s mutterings into English.

Just a few classics there for you, but my favourite must be that Pete Doherty and Carl Barat are to reform to play at the Reading and Leeds festivals this year. Surely not!! When did they become all pally again!! Whether fool or not, if it happens then hell must have frozen over, all differences must have been put aside and I might just have to eat my hat!!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2916229/Pete-Doherty-reunion-with-Libertines-will-pay-tax-bill.html

All about the Music

2010-03-31T08:42:00.001-07:00

The poor weather has bred a rant I'm afraid, all apologies.

With the announcement of her new book entitled My World, England’s Nu-Rose, Cheryl Cole has confirmed her intention to coat every single element of media available with her own terrifyingly thin layer of hearing-aid beige branding. Should this be aloud? Should I care? Does caring make me part of the problem?!

Now as a disclaimer I should note that I realise this is not a new process. Modern day pop acts are required to apply themselves over a multitude of different platforms. This is a given. However with our Cheryl, I can’t help but think it’s a bit more disturbing than most, since she honestly can’t seem to apply herself on more than one – namely being rather photogenic.

We’ve had Cole’s music, best described as a gruelling exercise in validating the term ‘collaboration’.

We’ve had a TV show; the inexplicable ‘Cheryl Cole’s Night In’, during which Cheryl mimes her way through her flagship ‘collaboration’, and is then interviewed by the actual presenter of the show; Holly Willoughby for perhaps 3 minutes.

(We mustn’t forget about Cheryl’s contribution to The X-Factor at this point, namely her L’Oreal smile and a contractual obligation of 6 visible tears per episode. Credit where it’s due Chezza.)

We’ve all bore witness to Cheryl’s almost total domination of the tabloids from the moment she was announced as the ‘hot one’ from Girls Aloud, through the charge of Racially Aggravated Assault and Actual Bodily Harm of a club toilet attendant [please note for legal reasons that Cole was only successfully charged with the latter]. Right up to her phoenix-like rise from the flames of her failed marriage to Ashley (or ‘The Key Defence Witness’ as I like to call him).

But it is with the up-and-coming release of her new book that I finally reach the end of my tether. My World will doubtlessly jump off the shelves for at least a few weeks only to prolapse from the charts before any consumers can think the word ‘Shenanigans!’ A short, sharp shock strategy exercised to perfection. I just hope the publishers can sleep at night.

Will My World let us all into the world that is Cheryl Cole; what makes her tick, what spurs her on etc? I’d wager that it manages this with the greatest of ease – it’s a book entirely composed of photographs… Can anyone suggest a more accurate way to portray the life (so far) of a young woman who has got where she is today through being pretty in front of a camera, and genuinely nothing more? I can’t either, other than not making the book in the first place… Hang on, wait a moment, I’m on to something here…

Joe

He'd Lose His Head If It Wasn't Attached

2010-03-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

I just saw this and couldn't help but laugh. I mean, I'm all for stopping illegal downloading, artist's getting paid fairly and all of that jazz, but when Simon Cowell is involved, somehow it just ends up being amusing:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2909733/Simon-Cowell-suffers-fresh-attack-from-internet-thieves.html

Jon

First time blogger....

2010-03-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hello all fellow followers and bloggers. Having only started on Monday I’m new to the Syllabus crew so think it’s best to get introductions out of the way first. So, I’m Katie. I love music, I love being creative, and although I initially hadn’t thought about a career within music marketing, after four days with the team this definitely seems like my kind of thing!! Not only do we talk music all day and come up with some seriously exciting campaigns, there’s also a cracking lean, mean coffee making machine in the office and our lovely, if not slightly gender confused goldfish Jay Z / Beyonce. All in all, a seriously inspiring workplace to be in.

So that’s a teeny bit about me. I’ll be blogging a fair bit keeping everyone up-to-date with all that’s going on in the world of Syllabus, so keep your eyes peeled for interesting articles and exciting news.

On a slight tangent from the above, if anyone saw some unassuming Londoners being bundled into the back of an MGMT promo van last Thursday (as my rather bemused housemate did) don’t panic. It was all part of a rather elaborate and innovative PR stunt to promote the band’s new album Celebration. Thankfully the chosen few knew they were going to be abducted as it meant they had just won a treasure hunt entitling them to “a very special MGMT experience” according to the bands website. Hmmm not quite sure what might have gone on in said van, or where they might have ended up but if it sells a few more albums and encourages fans to interact with the band then I guess there’s no harm done. Good job I say! Check out more details at www.whereismgmt.co.uk

Katie

Oi Darling! leave our cider alone!!

2010-03-25T02:14:00.000-07:00

If, like myself, a high proportion of tramps and the Wurzels, your a cider drinker, then please join this inevitably futile Facebook 'petition'. This is in response to Alastair Darling's 10% increase in the duty on strong Cider products as revealed in his 2010 budget yesterday. It's a significant rise in comparison to tax increases on other alcoholic drinks which apparently levels out a long-term tax disparity. The people this will really effect are the small local producers of 'real' cider despite the rise clearly being aimed at the larger companies producing 'White Lightning' and alike, in effect, a completely separate market.

So join the group, sign the petition and fight the power!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=108529325839226&ref=search&sid=508054454.298915647..1

Downing street petition... http://bit.ly/9BCStp

Just the Facts?

2010-03-24T04:35:00.000-07:00

And so my morning cup of coffee was today accompanied by the cutting-edge crew of BBC1’s Breakfast, as they delved into the veritable minefield that is music file sharing for all of 4 minutes… It would appear that a new website is being created to highlight legitimate download sites (i.e. those that come at a per-purchase price or subscription fee) and ‘red flag’ illegal sites offering free downloads or file-sharing. Please don’t ask for the site’s name as I’m pretty sure they failed to mention it.

Whilst the topical hot potato of illegal file-sharing should be highlighted more, and BBC1’s decision to touch on it this morning does signify that at least someone is taking it seriously, a couple of questions spring to mind. Firstly, is the Breakfast Show is the right platform for the issue at hand? But more importantly, isn’t this a story a not a drop in the ocean compared to the real issue here, namely the Digital Economy Bill?

I’d wager that I was in a very small percentage of viewers who didn’t switch over or run off to the kettle at this point of the show. To counter balance the Breakfast presenter’s collective inadequacy when addressing this ‘story’, the Beeb managed to pluck a youthful spokesperson from NME out of the sky, and an even more youthful radio deejay/born-again illegal downloader, who both managed to put across their opinion that nothing like this would stop people illegally downloading music online. Job done people, initiative successfully discredited and now lets move onto the ever-fluctuating daffodil market, currently suffering its worst season in 20 years…

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this website is the way to go, and no amount of promotion will ever make this type of solution viable. The very idea of a website promoting ‘safe’ sites for legal music purchases seems to me to be missing one vital point: it relies on the notion that people want to pay for their music and avoid breaking the law. Even if this issue were covered properly, reaching millions of illegal file sharers, on a platform they watch regularly or subscribe to, I doubt you’d see them thanking the powers that be for finally emancipating them from this file-sharing slavery.

Not only is the concept fundamentally flawed, but given the inevitable passing of the DEB before the next general election, it also has the approximate shelf life of fresh basil. The House of Lords passed this bill through with a resounding ‘aye’ at a terrifying speed (perhaps they thought they were voting for roast lamb instead of pork that evening?) and the House of Commons look set to do the same. Soon enough we won’t be able to access these sites anyway, so why on earth would anyone want to visit a site telling them not to visit sites that they can’t actually visit in the first place? Should the DEB be passed, sites such as YouTube are as much at risk as LimeWire or Vuze. Surfers of the web face the very real threat of being disconnected if even suspected of copyright infringement. The blanket rules of the DEB are scary to say the least, but far too big to get into here and now - I witter on as it is.

The Digital Economy Bill is the real story here, and I personally don’t see enough information being released about it on more effective platforms. A pre-emptive website telling visitors (with no real authority) not to visit certain sites will be as effective as an NHS tourniquet at the source of the Thames, it’s a distraction and nothing more. The potential repercussions of the DEB being passed are huge, and not only should it really be directed towards those it might actually affect, but it should also be given the time of day that it deserves.

Now has anyone got a spare Spotify invite I can nick???

Joe

Are the Music PR's Days Numbered?

2010-03-24T01:08:00.000-07:00

I think not.

However, there has been a lot of debate about this since a new site appeared recently. The Men From The Press is a site asking bands to sign up and pay to be reviewed by journalists. Now I guess if you think of the fact that an artist will usually pay anything from £500 a month/single release for a PR, then the price of this site isn't really that bad.

One of the selling points is that it helps bands who can't get a press officer. I would think however, on the whole, if they can't get a press officer, it is likely that they're just not good enough.

Anyway - see for yourself here: http://www.themenfromthepress.com

Jon.

Creative Vs. Corporate

2010-03-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in two minds...

We're a creative company...an agency that prides itself on designing and implementing innovative and creative strategies and campaigns. However, I also understand that we are a business and have to conduct ourselves accordingly, take our work seriously and treat our clients with respect - an agency is nothing without its clients (I think that's a Don Draper quote but anyway...)

So, what the fuck am I getting at here, I hear you ask?!

I want the companies I work with to understand this reasoning - I want them to be creative in the way they produce work but also act as though they are a serious business and actually show me they give a shit.

Having said this, if your job is to produce creative content all day long, DON'T turn up to a meeting looking as though you are trying to sell me some insurance!

Take a second to think about the impression you are giving off - I mean really...basic.

I'm incredibly amazed that some businesses (especially small up-and-coming companies trying to make a name for themselves, no names mentioned) don't think about these things and then expect us to part with our hard-earned money when in actual fact, they couldn't have even sold me a bloody pencil let alone a valuable creative service.

Rant over.

Online Music sales overtake CD sales for the first time!

2010-03-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

So are CD's becoming a thing of the past?...

http://www.brandrepublic.com/DigitalAM/News/990252/Growth-online-music-sales-overtakes-fall-CDs/?DCMP=EMC-Digital-AM-Bulletin

To re-brand or not to re-brand...

2010-03-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Re-branding is one hell of a headache!

Everyone wants a great looking brand with a slick and meaningful logo, a beautiful colour scheme, website, newsletter, business cards, letterheads, stamps etc. etc. etc. but in reality, how important is it to the success of your business?

One thing I think everyone agrees on is that uniformity is extremely important - whatever you do or look like, make sure everyone does it the same...this shows a 'together' company and one that has the same set of goals and objectives.

It's the little design things I don't fully understand - the curve of a certain letter, a shade darker blue in the top corner, the width of your underline...Do people really care? Designers tell me they do! Funny that...

I think at the end of the day, of course I want my brand to look incredible...mainly because we are a marketing agency and I wouldn't trust an agency who can't get their own marketing right! However, I want something solid, something reliable and something eye catching - not something that sub-conciously makes you think of positivity, creativeness or financial benefits at the end of the day, people like nice colours and pretty pictures...

Trust me, if the quality of your work is high enough, easily accessible and presented in a great light, you're going to be successful...regardless of the degree of upwards slant in your logo!

RIP Beyonce or Jay Z

2010-03-09T05:03:00.000-08:00

It's a dark day here at Syllabus HQ. Beyonce or Jay Z has died. I am unsure as to which is which. The other is now moping around looking suitably depressed. I think it is becoming apparent that perhaps we should have listened to the pet shop dude.

I'm thinking of trying to get hold of some of this magical stuff:

although I have to say, I'm not entirely convinced by it.

In other, more cheerful news, the work that we've been doing with Glade Festival has been mentioned in Music Week which is very nice indeed. Have a look here for the article: http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1040332&c=1.

Jon.

Jay Z and Beyoncé join the family...

2010-03-08T07:16:00.001-08:00

So last week we welcomed two new additions (in the form of Gold Fish) to the Syllabus Family....

Gideon had previously expressed his desire to house a shark tank in the Syllabus office, so for his 25th Birthday we made a start on his aquatic collection and surprised him with Jay Z and Beyoncé the Gold Fish.

Now seriously how hard can two Gold Fish be to look after?.... You would be surprised!

The first problem began when the man in the nice fish shop up the road told me that I needed to have a 'mature' tank (not bowl) to put them in with a working filter, greenery and water that has been in there for at least 2 weeks! - Now in true Lauren style I had left this to the actual day of Gideon's birthday and could not wait 2 weeks! So I thought quick on my feet and pretended that I already knew this and had a fully working fish tank already housing a couple of fish (I even named the pretend fish... quite worrying really)...

Anyway so after persuading the nice fish shop man I left with my two fish, Jay Z and Beyoncé, and headed back to the office where Joe, Jon and Leo had their new home waiting for them.

On arriving back I discovered there was a slight issue with filling the tank, of course the Syllabus office has to be on the 3rd floor and the only tap is in the basement, Hmmm... This was a job for Joe!

With Gideon happy and me happy, having two new additions to talk to who would actually probably enjoy my rambling the fish swam happily around in their new tank.

However it would appear that we hadn't (or I hadn't) quite thought this through properly, who is going to feed them on the weekend? So on Friday we over fed them hoping that they would survive...

On arriving into the office this morning Gideon expressed his regret that Jay Z and Beyoncé had sadly passed away from weekend starvation :-(

AND THEN....

A miracle happened, Jay Z and Beyoncé took another fishy breath and came back to life (they had obviously had enough of the boys and decided to play dead until they heard my voice)

We have now come to the conclusion that our Gold Fish may be depressed, so have filled their tank with pretty green things in an attempt to revive their spark for life...

And so the story of Jay Z and Beyoncé continues, lets see if we can make it through another week...

L x

The Big Move...Goodbye Bill, hello Steve!

2010-03-05T03:40:00.000-08:00

I've finally done it! That's right...the picture you are looking at is my brand new Macbook, beautiful even in its packaging.

After dillydallying around for far too long I've moved over to the good side, and what a side it is - Just the experience of the Apple shop was enough to lure me in...

However, even with all the good looks, flash designs, slick feel and smooth operating, PC could still compete if only they spent a tiny bit of energy on one small detail - making a computer that doesn't break all the f**king time!

Let's be honest PC, your computers are cheaper but once you've bought three in two years and still spent half your time in repair shops, I'd rather invest in something that works.

I'm looking forward the experience...

Gid

Glade Festival - The Glade Union

2010-03-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

This year we are all very excited to be working with the Glade Festival, the UK’s leading arts and electronic music festival. Having originated as a stage at the mother of all festivals, Glastonbury, the Glade has been running independently since 2004 and has blossomed into a haven for dance music fans. This year (15-18 July) looks set to be the biggest yet with the headliners having just been announced as recently reformed acid-house pioneers Orbital, electro-house duo Simian mobile disco and Bristol legend Tricky.

Have a look at this video for a taster of what the Glade Festival is all about… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW8HXbJZDxE

To help promote this year’s event, we have created The Glade Union – a specially selected network of student representatives who are tasked with marketing and promoting the Festival and selling student discount tickets. We are working with the Universities of Bristol, Bath, Exeter, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth, Plymouth, Birmingham, Cardiff and Oxford Brookes. We’re giving Glade Union students commission on tickets they sell, a free ticket to the Festival and a £1000 prize to the top seller! As well as general promotions, Glade Union members are going to be throwing amazing Glade endorsed student parties and putting on campus events whilst always keeping a blog of the efforts…

For more info visit http://www.gladefestival.com/students/student.php?id=1

The Sounds of Christmas at St Pancras International

2010-02-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

As Part of St Pancras International's Christmas celebrations, we here at syllabus were challenged with the task of designing the perfect festive calendar of live music events to enhance the station's atmosphere. So The Sounds of Christmas was born. Spread over 19 days and 32 hand picked groups of musicians, St Pancras was Brought alive by The Sounds of Christmas an eclectic mix saw a variety of choirs, Jazz bands, Big Bands and Classical ensembles perform their own take on Christmas music.

The feedback we got was overwhelmingly positive with commuters and passers - by alike often commenting on how much they loved to hear the music being played through the station. A personal highlight of the campaign was when a selection of musicians for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra came down and performed popular Christmas tracks to the delight of the herds of Eurostar passengers. We were also lucky enough to have the opportunity to tie many of the performances to charitable causes and invited all of the performing groups to collect for the Charity of their choice. On one particular day we had a number of choirs associated with the Royal National Institute of the Blind perform and collect over £2000!

All of us here at Syllabus would like to thank the groups and musicians who helped make The Sounds of Christmas at St Pancras International such as success as well as St Pancras for recognising the benefits of having live music in the station. A special thanks also goes to BOSE and Roland for supplying us with world - class audio equipment to enhance our sessions. Have a look at the footage collected for a snapshot of the events and keep an eye out for the long awaited return of The Station Sessions and further musical collaborations between Syllabus and St Pancras International during 2010.

Leo
The Sounds of Christmas Coordinator

2009-11-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

Brands brands brands...a word you can't easily miss in today's music industry. But what makes them so special now?? Large corporate Brands have been using musical culture as a marketing tool for years; partnership endorsements, festival sponsorship, TV advertising...the list goes on.

As with many things 'music' these days, the decline of the record industry has a lot to do with this sudden Brand obsession.

Traditionally, it was never 'cool' to work with Brands...musicians thought they were too corporate and capitalist and turned down major income for the sake of protecting an important reputation with their fans. However, don't forget that this was in an era when CDs were selling in mass quantities and musicians were actually making enough money to be able to turn down these deals.

This now answers our first question: what makes Brands so special NOW?

EVERYONE NEEDS MONEY!

It's sad but true...The music industry has become a place where it is extremely hard to make money. Sales are down, advances are minimal and marketing budgets have been cut. Brands are the only ones with any money AND resources to help market and promote musicians (especially on the emerging music front where it is increasingly difficult to get noticed amidst the mass of other artists)

'Cool' bands and artists no longer have a choice and although there are still a few, stalewats of the last generation who turn down opportunities with the 'capitalists', most musicians welcome the chance to work with companies that are happy to pay for their time.

A final thought to leave you with...

In this piece, we have been talking about Brands and music in a general sense however there is an interesting model which is being established in which Brands gain more from working with Emerging Artists. This is, on the surface, strange as you would've though established, major label musicans would bring the Brand more benefit...Have a look at major artist-brand campaigns happening at the moment and see whether that's case...Let me know your thoughts!

Gid