New Logo

The more attentive amongst the readership to this blog will have noticed something different. No, I haven't changed the colour of my hair. There's a new logo!

The header reads pretty much the same as before, except its handwritten. I know the standard of my handwriting is pretty similar to that of a doctor, but I really wanted to put a bit of individualism into this blog.

I've been thinking a lot about creativity recently, and if I'm going to be putting time and effort into this blog, I may as well make it reflect my personality. In the past people have mentioned that they can imagine me when reading my work (especially some of the music journalism) but I have neglected any sort of visual identity so far here.

Recently for Uni I designed a t-shirt for part of a presentation to Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service (HFRS) for a fictional PR & marketing campaign about 'Media Zombies' - people (often like I) who walk along listening to music, and sending tweets or updating statuses instead of paying attention to their road safety and surroundings.

Here is a nice photo of the finished article (with my friend Steph in the background!)

















After walking round Bath on the 27th for the post-Christmas sales, I thought about how much I wanted to have my own piece of clothing, something that couldn't be brought in Topman or H&M.

I know almost nothing about making clothes (or deciding what works well together, it could be argued) but if I can get a simple design made up, I can have it printed onto a t-shirt. So that'll be something to work on next year...

Finally, I just want to take this opportunity to thank anybody who has read this blog or commented on one of the entries. I've had over 1700 views since early October, which is many more than I thought I would have received by now!

I often like to check the stats / analytics on the Blogger Dashboard, and I always feel flattered when so many people read a post, especially as some of the views are registered from foreign shores.

So, yeah, a massive thankyou to you all. There's more to come, I promise.

Paul

Product Placement

It's been announced this week that TV regulatory body OFCOM has finalised its plans to allow the use of product placement in UK broadcasting. The rules are pretty strict though, and the following are the most prominent points:

• Broadcasters will have to 'alert' viewers to the use of product placement within any segment of a television show
  
• Tobacco, alcohol, gambling products / services, baby milk, and products with high sugar or fat content are banned from being featured (there are more prohibited products / services, but it's a long list!)
  
• Products cannot be given undue prominence, and must be editorially justified.
  
• Only four 'types' of broadcast can use product placement - films, entertainment shows, dramas, and sports shows.
  
• Broadcasters will be able to use product placement from February 28th onwards

So, without going into finite detail about every possible minutiae of the code, it's pretty easy for broadcasters to fall foul of the guidelines, but I have a feeling that many will embrace the changes with open arms, after all the reward is extra advertising revenue, which many channels (especially the BBC, who face cutbacks after not being allowed to raise the cost of the licence fee, as well as a post-Big Brother Channel 4) will gratefully receive.

I've always been somewhat interested in product placement, because of the close links to advertising and PR in terms of generating interest in a product or service. Its closer linked to PR because the targeted audience is almost oblivious to what products are being broadcast to them, instead focusing on the characters and action on the screen, whereas advertising is often seen in a negative regard - especially commercial breaks, where people stereotypically nip to the toilet, or stick the kettle on!

Product placement is mainly something associated with American television shows (next time you sit down and watch your favourite american cop drama see if you can spot logos or any sort of branding in the back of shot). The queen of product placement is arguably pop star Lady Gaga, who has been known to cleverly incorporate several products and services into the narrative of a music video, in order to generate increased awareness for the companies she associates herself with.

Watch the video for her 2010 hit single 'Telephone', which has nearly 35 million YouTube views below.



The PR challenge is now to raise awareness of the benefits of product placement to the companies they represent, and to promote the use of their products in the shows. In America product placement takes up around 5 percent of all money spent on advertising, but I suspect that once broadcasters and viewers become used to the idea, the figure will increase in the UK, purely because it will become the method of advertising de rigueur. The test will be if randomly sticking products into television shows can be a long-term money making success.

In a less serious note, heres a few product placement scenarios you WONT be watching soon:

• Eastenders' Phil Mitchell waving his GHD hair straighteners round in the Queen Vic
  
• X Factor contestant Mary Byrne (Tesco Mary) holding a Sainsburys carrier bag on stage
  
• Jeremy Kyle swigging from a 2 litre bottle of White Lightning
  
• An episode of Countdown using Birdseye's Alphabites
  
• Gary Lineker scoffing a packet of Walkers crisps during Match of the Day
  

If you have any more ideas of this kind, stick them in a comment below. Depending on the response, there might be some sort of "prize" for the best / most entertaining suggestion (see below).

Make sure you let me know who you are in the comments, so either sign up using a Google account (easy) or write your name in with the anonymous comment!

PRODUCT PLACEMENT BEGINS
















PRODUCT PLACEMENT ENDS

Do you think product placement is the future of television advertising? Why?
How would you feel if your favourite TV show suddenly was full of product placement?

Let me know

Paul

Heat Rash

As somewhat of an early Christmas present to myself, I've done something that I would never have considered doing before. I've joined a paid-for subscription model for a band.

I've signed up for Heat Rash, which is a fan subscription model by Los Campesinos! (deliberate exclamation point there) - who are one of my favourite bands, and their latest album Romance Is Boring recently topped my 2010 albums of the year list - which in a shameless plug, is available from the following places:

Part 1 - Numbers 30-21
Part 2 - Numbers 20-11
Part 3 - Numbers 10-1

So why have I subscribed, and paid a touch over £30 (£25 a year, plus mysterious shipping and handling fees)? Is it because I want the exclusive mp3 downloads, quarterly comics / 'zines with free 7" vinyls and exclusive access to gig pre-sales and merchandise deals?

Well yeah, kinda. I mean that stuff is all great, but its not the only reason. Personally I find an incredible amount of loyalty towards my favourite bands, LC! being one of them, as well as others - Muse, Arcade Fire, Johnny Foreigner amongst some of the others.

I first heard about LC! ages ago - back in the summer of 2006, when flicking through the "Off Topic" section of the Football Manager message boards, a video game several members of LC! also play on a regular basis. The thread that the band posted was a gentle introduction to themeselves, and asked the reader to check out their MySpace profile (anybody remember MySpace?), which I did - and I liked what I heard.

Fast forward four and a bit years, and I've seen the band live nearly a dozen times, met lead vocalist Gareth on a handful of occasions (who flatteringly actually remembers my name!) and have loads of signed 7" vinyl, setlists, and a signed copy of their latest record. So in a way I feel partially compelled to adhere to the cliche of 'giving something back'.

I've read enough band blogs to understand that touring, whilst being a great way to raise a band's profile amongst fans, is not the most financially lucrative way to live, and that any sort of different or unique creative outlet is often left to the band to undertake (Last week I spent the best part of an hour helping Birmingham-based Johnny Foreigner cut out pictures of ghosts for their latest single release / artwork project).

Anyway, are fan subscription models the best way for artists and musicians the best or only way to actually make any money? Possibly, but it depends on the size (in terms of mainstream popularity, not band members) and the ethos of what the band is trying to achieve. Get it right, and you have a stronger online community, but get the balance wrong, and accusations of "selling out" will quickly rise to the surface.

The only other way I can realistically see for bands to make money, is through various sponsorships and endorsements - and loads of mobile phone companies, car manufacturers, coffee retailers, lagers, have all been eager to get a lucrative "slice of the pie" in recent years - but thats a whole different can of worms right there.

Are fan subscriptions the best way for musicians to make money?
Would you pay to support a band you liked? How much - and for which bands?

I would be interested to hear what your opinion is, whether you're a fan, a band, or a record label.

Paul

Albums Of The Year - Part 3: Numbers 10 - 1

So yeah, welcome back and all that. Here is the bit where I go count down from number 10 to number 1 on my 2010 end of year albums chart (AKA the good bit).

Here's a recap of what's been before this ten: Part 1 or Part 2:

30. The Count And Sinden - Mega Mega Mega
29. Shy Child - Liquid Love
28. Sleigh Bells - Treats
27. Sky Larkin - Kaleide
26. Magnetic Man - Magnetic Man
25. Simian Mobile Disco - Delicacies
24. Four Tet - There Is Love In You
23. The Chemical Brothers - Further
22. Mystery Jets - Serotonin
21. The Knife, in collaboration with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock - Tomorrow, In A Year
20. Hot Chip - One Life Stand
19. Everything Everything - Man Alive
18. Chew Lips - Unicorn
17. Klaxons - Surfing The Void
16. We Are Scientists - Barbara
15. Marina & The Diamonds - The Family Jewels
14. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
13. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fanstasy
12. Best Coast - Crazy For You
11. We Have Band - WHB

Is the scroll button on your mouse still working? Jolly good!

Number 10

Surfer Blood
Astro Coast

UK release date: 7th June 2010
Kanine






There's been an abundance of American music in this list, and whilst I can't explain why this is, I will offer Surfer Blood as an example of American's making great music.

Astro Coast is a riff-laden, air-guitar-worthy record that more people should really check out, and Surfer Blood were one of my personal highlights at this year's Camden Crawl and Reading Festival.

Download: Swim / Anchorage / Floating Vibes

Number 9

Foals
Total Life Forever

UK release date: 10th May 2010
Warner Bros UK






Like so many of the bands releasing sophomore records in this list, Foals have found what they're good at, and then went ahead and perfected it, with great results.

Total Life Forever is the work who have developed an incredible amount in a short amount of time, and for making an album that pairs stripped-back emotion and dancefloor fillers worthy of their debut Antidotes, Oxford's second finest (behind Radiohead, obviously) are worthy of all the praise they receive.

Download: Spanish Sahara / This Orient / 2 Trees

Number 8

Hurts
Happiness

UK release date: 6th September 2010
RCA






I'd like to think that I have a keen ear for the ever-lucrative 'next big thing' and with Hurts, I can see a definite potential for greatness.

Happiness certainly has it's influences - namely being Depeche Mode and Joy Division, but this is a wonderfully unique record, and its melancholic edges with modern cultural references offer a level of sincerity unmatched on any 'pop' album this year.

Download: Wonderful Life / Sunday / Better Than Love

Number 7

Delphic
Acolyte

UK release date: 11th January 2010
Chimeric / Polydor






For quite a while I've been a keen fan of Delphic (since some of the early singles surfaced on the internet in Spring 2009) and even though Acolyte has been 'available' for over a year, it still feels fresh every time I listen.

Another band that have impressed me with their frenetic (and that's just the amount of retina-killing strobe lighting they use) live performances over the last year, I eagerly await the production of new material.

Download: Doubt / Acolyte / Counterpoint

Number 6

Two Door Cinema Club
Tourist History

UK release date: 1st March 2010
Kitsune / V2






When I first heard this album I really wasn't sure about it. Besides the singles, I thought it was a little shallow, with a lot of filler. But after watching them live at Reading Festival I decided to give this a second chance. And I haven't looked back since.

This is the highest debut record in the list, and if Two Door Cinema Club can continue on the path they've set out for themselves, then they will certainly feature on future 'end of year' lists in years to come.

Download: Something Good Can Work / Do You Want It All / Undercover Martyn

Number 5

These New Puritans
Hidden

UK release date: 18th January 2010
Angular






These New Puritans have left no detail uncovered in what is an challenging listen - even the sound of skulls cracking has been replicated by attaching crackers to watermelons with Sellotape.

Although this record was never initially intended for a live audience, TNP have began to tour, but only with the extensive support of orchestras around the world, which is a live experience that I really want to witness in the next year...

Download: We Want War / Attack Music / Orion

Number 4

Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles II

UK release date: 24th May 2010
Polydor






There's something quite alluring about Crystal Castles, despite all the criticism they attract for Ethan Kath skulking in the background or Alice Glass' going (literally) mental on stage.

Despite its unimaginative title, Crystal Castles II really allows the band to unleash their creative potential, and the result shows progress from their debut. The Robert Smith reworking of 'Not In Love' is well worth a listen.

Download: Not In Love (Feat. Robert Smith) / Baptism / Celestica

Number 3

Arcade Fire
The Suburbs

UK release date: 2nd August 2010
Mercury






Back in 2005, Arcade Fire's Funeral topped my end of year list on the basis that its quality was like a beacon, and although they have to settle for third place this year, it is by no means a lesser listen.

The Suburbs is a much darker record than anything the band have released to date, and if I had the money I would have brought this eight times over (once for every different cover artwork there is).

Download: We Used To Wait / The Suburbs / Ready To Start

Number 2

LCD Soundsystem
This Is Happening

UK release date: 17th May 2010
EMI






It's a shame that James Murphy has effectively called time on LCD Soundsystem, because even if the band don't wish to continue releasing albums or playing live, there's still a hell of a lot of people that would love it if they did.

Although it's not an easy a listen as the first two LCD records, the quality is still there, and therefore deserves more recognition than it was given in the UK music press.

Download: Drunk Girls / Pow Pow / Home

Number 1

Los Campesinos!
Romance Is Boring

UK release date: 1st February 2010
Wichita / Polydor






Those who know a lot about my musical tastes will probably not be surprised at this result, and may even have guessed a long time ago. But the truth is, predicable or otherwise, Romance Is Boring sits atop this chart because it is far and away the best thing I have listened to this year.

Thankfully in this modern era the mp3 doesn't wear out in the way that its predecessors the cassette tape and 12" vinyl do, because I would have needed about three or four copies (my Last FM chart page has Los Camp! at over 1200 listens in the last year or so).

I have been fortunate enough to see the band live nearly half a dozen times in the last 12 months, and the signed setlists, albums and 7" singles are kept safe for the sake of posterity (and hope of fiscal gain!)

In interviews the band have said the album is about "the death and decay of the human body, sex, lost love, mental breakdown, football, and ultimately, that there isn't a light at the end of the tunnel". Yet despite those mostly negative issues, the lyrics are sharp and clever, leading to songs that are still positively upbeat.

Download: In Medias Res / The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future / A Heat Rash In The Shape Of The Show Me State; Or Letters From Me To Charlotte

Don't feel compelled to just stick to those three tracks, the rest is still amazing...

Once again, I feel obliged to thank you (the reader) for bothering to scroll through all of my thoughts and musings, especially when for many people tweeting 140 characters about inane goings-on in their lives is hard enough.

If there are any records that you think I've missed out on, or overlooked, please let me know in the comments section - I'm always looking for new things to listen to!

Also, I'll now have to carry on writing about PR-centric stuff, as that's what this blog is supposed to be for!

Paul

Albums Of The Year - Part 2: Numbers 20 - 11

This (as the title suggests) is part 2 of my end-of-year albums chart... It

Here's a handy recap of what you might have missed in Part 1:

30. The Count And Sinden - Mega Mega Mega
29. Shy Child - Liquid Love
28. Sleigh Bells - Treats
27. Sky Larkin - Kaleide
26. Magnetic Man - Magnetic Man
25. Simian Mobile Disco - Delicacies
24. Four Tet - There Is Love In You
23. The Chemical Brothers - Further
22. Mystery Jets - Serotonin
21. The Knife, with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock - Tomorrow, In A Year

Anyway, on with part 2. Enjoy...

Number 20

Hot Chip
One Life Stand

UK release date: 1st February 2010
Parlophone / EMI






Hot Chip's fourth record is arguably their most complete record yet, despite not having an array of dancefloor-fillers like 'Over And Over'. Despite the content of the album being commendable, I still struggle to actually look at the artwork, as this is one of the worst album covers on this list, maybe of the entire year...

Download: Take It In / I Feel Better / Thieves In The Night

Number 19

Everything Everything
Man Alive

UK release date: 30th August 2010
Geffen






Manchester, despite all of its supposed musical history, doesn't actually have many good bands around at the moment. Everything Everything are one of the city's finest musical exports, and their debut Man Alive is certainly worth the acclaim bestowed to it.

Download: Photoshop Handsome / MY KZ, UR BF / Schoolin'

Number 18

Chew Lips
Unicorn

UK release date: 1st February 2010
Family






Back in January I watched Chew Lips play Hamptons (in Southampton) on a cold Sunday night, to a room with barely 50 people in. Despite this the band impressed me enough to seek out their record when it came out a few weeks later, and it's not a decision I regret. Plus they were signed to French label Kitsuné Maison, and for me that's a sign of quality like no other.

Download: Slick / Gold Key / Seven

Number 17

Klaxons
Surfing The Void

UK release date: 23rd August 2010
Polydor






I've got no idea how times Klaxons have scrapped, or been 'told' to scrap this, their second record. But in a similar way to how forced repetition helps people to learn, something eventually sunk in, and the knives many music publications were eagerly wielding remained sheathed in their reviews.

Download: The Same Space / Echoes / Flashover

Number 16

We Are Scientists
Barbara

UK release date: 14th June 2010
Masterswan Recordings / PIAS






We Are Scientists have for a long time now, built up a reputation as one of the funniest live bands on the touring circuit, and their irreverent banter between songs has generated as many fans as the content of their albums. Barbara offers some of their best work (in musical terms). My only WAS-related hope for 2011 is more music and maybe a stand-up tour.

Download: Jack & Ginger / Nice Guys / Rules Don't Stop

Number 15

Marina & The Diamonds
The Family Jewels

UK release date: 22nd February 2010
679






For all the media attention paid to female vocalists over the last two years, there appears to be a dearth of decent female-led albums in 2010, and this has also been reflected in this list. Marina Diamantis is amongst a very short-list of female vocalists with decent records this year, and The Family Jewels is a very listenable pop record.

Number 14

Gorillaz
Plastic Beach

UK release date: 8th March 2010
Parlophone






A record featuring not only Gorillaz, but a whole supporting cast including Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Kano and Lou Reed amongst others. A (perhaps) disapointing Glastonbury appearance aside, it's been a pretty good year for what started out as Damon Albarn's side project twelve (!) years ago.

Download: Stylo (Feat. Bobby Womack) / On Melancholy Hill / Sweepstakes (Feat Mos Def)

Number 13.0

Kanye West
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

UK release date: 22nd November 2010
Mercury






There's something fascinating, yet infuriating about Kanye West. This is a really good, if a touch grandiose record, yet his reputation will always be known as something of a meme, as if he takes one step forward, then a couple back. The "Number 13.0" is a satirical reference to the Pitchfork review, by the way.


Download: Runaway (Feat. Pusha T) / Power / Blame Game (Feat. John Legend)

Number 12

Best Coast
Crazy For You

UK release date: 2nd August 2010
Wichita






Best Coast appear to be one of the biggest winners on the blogosphere merry go round in 2010, and this has propelled their music into the conciousness of the larger music magazines and websites. Also - if singer Bethany Cosentino's cat, Snacks (who has his own Twitter page) doesn't dent the NME Cool List next year, I'd be very surprised.

Download: Boyfriend / Crazy For You / Each & Everyday

Number 11

We Have Band
WHB

UK release date: 5th April 2010
Naive






We Have Band could argue that they have been hard-done-by if they read back through the (lack of) critical acclaim they have been afforded from the music publications online. WHB won't ever see them adorn front pages of magazines, but it does show their craft for making dance music has been overlooked.

Download: Divisive / You Came Out / Hear It In The Cans

So that's the end of Part 2. I am trying to get part 3 out as soon as possible, but without a working laptop (at the moment anyway) and a 6000 word group report due in on Tuesday, there might be a bit of a delay...

Paul

Christmas Songs

I'm quite a fan of Christmas songs, provided that they are played in moderation. But I much prefer to hear new Christmas songs each year, rather than listening to Wham / Mariah Carey / Slade / Band Aid on a month-long loop.

So here's a rundown of some of this years efforts. Are they Christmas crackers, or cold turkeys? (Awful pun. Apols.)

The Killers - Boots

Every year The Killers churn out a festive single, and this year is no different. Even when on a supposed 'hiatus' Brandon Flowers et al put their heads together to put out another song. I suppose I shouldn't criticise too hard, it is for the AIDS charity (RED).

I couldn't find the actual video on YouTube, so its just a case of looking at the artwork. But for those who really want to see it, head to the Starbucks website. The rest of you can thank me for not looking hard enough on YouTube ;)



Coldplay - Christmas Lights

Even their Christmas songs have to sound like some sort of stadium anthem. Can't they just have a laugh? Still, this was a decent enough video, with satisfying shots that could pass for a panto stage, and some fireworks, because that will remind people of New Years Eve

At least they let the video up on YouTube..



Hurts - All I Want For Christmas Is New Years Day

This ticks all of the 'Christmas Single' boxes in my opinion. Sleigh bells in the background, snow in the video, and a middle eight with a piano and candlelight. Don't forget to keep an eye out for the obligaratory Christmas tree rising up out of a grave (Yeah, really!).

Although the video appears to be there, its not really - but only because Sony seemingly don't want people to generate good word of mouth through blog posts. Click here or on the embedded link for the actual video (Do it, its amazing!)



I wish all Christmas singles were this good. What are your favourite Christmas songs (new or old)?

Paul

Russia 2018

News just in. Russia has 'won' the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

In true English World Cup style, there's usually a shortlist of people / causes to blame for any failure. This time round there's been Lord Triesman accusing Russia of bribing referees, the media (more specifically Panorama, and The Times newspaper) and the lack of positive relationship with the FIFA delegates (more specifically Jack Warner / Sepp Blatter / Michel Platini).

But should we really blame a television show broadcast two days before the bid winner is announced? Granted that the timing of an episode featuring bribery and corruption within FIFA clearly isn't what anybody (FIFA or any of the bidding nations) wanted this week, but was it in the public interest?

The public interest is something that has been covered in my PR lectures this week (this is a PR-Centric blog, after all) and I'd be very interested to find out what people actually think should and shouldn't be reported.

If the undercover sting with the suspended FIFA delegates Reynald Temarii and Ados Adamu wasn't an expose by a British newspaper, but instead a bidding host nation, then that would have meant that nation, and not England would have potentially had two extra votes. So In my opinion it was worth uncovering the corruption, if only to draw attention to it.

Whilst the news is still quite galling and sensitive, it is too easy to lash out with accusations of more corruption, especially as Russia and Qatar (who won the 2022 World Cup) are known as quite powerful (in terms of money) nations. Or they could have just delivered a more promising FIFA World Cup offer. It's still far too early to tell.

Is anyone actually to blame for England not winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup? Who?

How far should the media go to offer the 'public interest'?

What do you think about the decisions made by the FIFA committee?

Let me know,

Paul

Albums Of The Year - Part 1: Numbers 30 - 21

Hello, and welcome. When I'm not writing blogs, or reports for university, I occasionally like to write about music. And whilst my words aren't likely to adorn the pages of the New Music Express, I still write in the hope that somebody will read what I've written, and they will check out the band I talked about.

Every year, like most of the music magazines - both in print and online - I work out my end of year "Albums of 2010" list (in this case). In the past this has just been for my own 'entertainment', but for the second year running, I've been asked to submit a list for the website I write for (Musos Guide). So here is my list, and the rules I try and keep myself to each year...

Albums must have been released in the UK in 2010
No compilation albums
No 'best of's / greatest hits / re-issues
Sales figures don't actually matter (unlike the Brit Awards)

It is incredibly hard to pick one album over another (if you don't believe me, make a list yourself!) and many hours have been spent with scraps of paper thinking about justifying my decisions. In the future my decisions may have slightly changed (they have in the past) or I may find something that I'll feel I missed out on. But for now, at the time of going to 'print' this list is final...

So anyway, feel free to read on, comment if you will, and maybe, just maybe check out some of the bands / artists you haven't heard of...

Paul

Number 30

The Count & Sinden
Mega Mega Mega

UK release date: 23rd August 2010
Domino






Whilst Mega Mega Mega is a pretty awful album name in which to start off this rundown, the musical content is thankfully much better. The Count & Sinden have been lauded remix-ers for a while now, and this record allows them the chance to truly create a name for themselves in the electro scene.

Download: After Dark (Feat. Mystery Jets) / Elephant 1234 / Hold Me (Feat. Katy B)

Number 29

Shy Child
Liquid Love

UK release date: 15th March 2010
Wall Of Sound






Three years have passed since the last Shy Child record, and its probably 18 months too long. Still capable of putting on a decent live show, the band have expanded their repetoire with a collection of songs just as catchy as their past material.

Download: Disconnected / Open Up The Sky / Liquid Love

Number 28

Sleigh Bells
Treats

UK release date: 21st June 2010
NEET Recordings






Signed as the first artists on MIA's new label, NEET Recordings, Sleigh Bells arrived on the scene carrying a load of expectation. Even a short listen offers the hallmarks of their label 'boss' but without the need to tip a toe into the muddy waters of world politics.

Download: Rill Rill / Tell 'Em / Infinity Guitars

Number 27

Sky Larkin
Kaleide

UK release date: 9th August 2010
Polydor






Sky Larkin are probably the only active and credible band in Leeds at the moment, which given the strength of the Leeds scene circa 2004, is a shame. Kaleide builds upon the critical acclaim from their debut The Golden Spike, and takes it to the next level.

Download: ATM / Kaleide / Year Dot

Number 26

Magnetic Man
Magnetic Man

UK release date: 11th October 2010
Columbia






I wasn't sure about this album at first. Dubstep (as a concept) isnt new, and a whole album of it seems like a horrendous idea. Yet somehow it doesn't feel like 'too much'. Add in some radio-friendly collaborations (with Katy B, Angela Hunte, and John Legend) and you're onto a winner.

Download: Going Nowhere (Feat. John Legend) / I Need Air (Feat. Angela Hunte) / Anthemic

Number 25

Simian Mobile Disco
Delicacies

UK release date: 29th November 2010
Smalltown Supersound






Delicacies is almost a 'side project' for Simian Mobile Disco, who have been releasing tracks from this album as 12" singles for a few months now. With each track named after a luxury foodstuff, I feel almost compelled to make a 'delicacies' pun, but I wont.

Download: Aspic / Sweetbread / Casu Marzu

Number 24

Four Tet
There Is Love In You

UK release date: 25th January 2010
Domino






This is an amazingly chilled out listen, and was arguably an album that shouldn't have been overlooked for the Mercury Music Prize shortlist earlier this year, purely because its so different to the rest of dance / electro music in the UK at the moment.

Download: Angel Echoes / Circling / Sing

Number 23

The Chemical Brothers
Further

UK release date: 14th June 2010
Parlophone






I'm not sure how many albums The Chemical Brothers have released now (wiki suggests 7) but this is the best in recent times, because they stick to what works (making decent music) and have stopped what doesnt work (collaborations with third-rate indie artists). Also, this album comes with a series of videos (from iTunes) which act as a reminder as to how good am audio-visual experience they are.

Download: Swoon / Escape Velocity / Wonders Of The Deep

Number 22

Mystery Jets
Serotonin

UK release date: 5th July 2010
Rough Trade






For a record with a title about a mood changing drug (hello wiki!) that improves happiness levels, the third release from Mystery Jets is abstractly bleak. Whilst there aren't any singles as instantly catchy as 'Two Doors Down' this is still worthwhile listening.

Download: Alice Springs / Waiting On A Miracle / Flash A Hungry Smile

Number 21

The Knife, in collaboration with Mt. Sims and Planningtorock
Tomorrow, In A Year

UK release date: 8th March 2010
Brille





So, er, yeah. This is an electronica based opera on Charles Darwin's 'On the Origin of the Species'. Honest. Made for Danish performance group Hotel Pro Forma, Tommorow, In A Year is a reminder (were it needed) of exactly how good The Knife are, and also how long its been since they went on a 'hiatus'. Fingers crossed for new material next year...

Download: Colouring Of Pigeons / Seeds / The Height Of Summer

Well, that was numbers 30 all the way down to 21.
The next part will be coming soon...

Guinness Area 22

Despite how much I would love to talk about Cricket and the Ashes (260 all out? Actually, forget it!) I'm going to be talking about rugby, and more specifically the Guinness Area 22 PR campaign.

The campaign recently won PR agency Smarts the following awards at the 2010 Northern Ireland CIPR PRide awards:

Gold - Best use of digital PR
Silver - Consumer relations

As part of my third year university course I recently had to give a short poster session presentation about the merits of this campaign. The campaign ran shortly after the end of the 2008 / 2009 rugby season, where Ireland celebrated with a 'Grand Slam' after winning all of their RBS Six Nations games


(Copyright of PA Photos, taken from RBS Six Nations Website)



The aims and objectives of the campaign were to build consumer awareness of Guinness' sponsorship of the Irish rugby squad, and position the Guinness brand as 'the font of all rugby knowledge'.

This is quite an ambitious aim, yet Smarts were able to work with two other agencies to create a digital hub, which comprised a microsite full of rugby news, stats, video highlights and interviews, a Facebook fan page to link with the microsite, and an iPhone app which had video highlights, results, photos and even the words to the national anthems of all teams in the Six Nations!

I believe the campaign did so well because it took an already popular subject matter (rugby) and presented it in a way that enabled its target audience the opportunity to engage with the campaign, which was fronted by 'Team Area 22', formed of Irish rugby players Tommy Bowe, Jerry Flannery and Jamie Heaslip. A launch campaign used some novel approaches including a press event at a local rugby club, where members of the media could meet and have a 'casual chat' with the players, and talk about the forthcoming rugby internationals and Guinness' Area 22.

Over 11 million impressions were achieved across 10 different opportunities, which considering the population of Ireland is around 6.6million people is very impressive! The campaign recorded 35,000 downloads from the iTunes store, achieved an AVE of over £286,000, which led to a ROI figure of £16 for every £1 spent on PR.

All of the journalists and media organisations approached by Smarts responded in a positive manner, with many agreeing that Area 22 was a 'one stop shop' for everything you needed to know about Irish rugby. To prove that the campaign can be sustainable, the Area 22 website is still running, and will be joined by an improved Facebook page and iPhone app for the coming rugby internationals this autumn.

After the presentation, I had to conduct a small group session, so I decided to get 'on board' with the Guinness brand and let my coursemates sample some, whilst filling out a short questionnaire and discussing the campaign's merits and weaknesses. I was actually quite surprised with the number of people who had never tried Guinness before, and although it wasn't popular with everyone, I felt that they all engaged well with the discussion of the campaign.

So what I'll be asking for now is COMMENTS. Lots of them, about anything you wish to discuss or were wondering about the campaign. Also if people have seen / heard the campaign in the past, I'd be very interested to hear what you thought about it all, rugby fan or otherwise.

Paul

Reading / Leeds Festival & Vodafone

Next year’s Reading and Leeds festivals will go on general sale on December 3rd 2010. Now this is a whole lot earlier than the usual March / April dates for general sale. But the real twist is the way the tickets will be released, and the channels for purchasing them.

Customers of Vodafone will effectively have ‘first dibs’ on purchasing tickets, as they go on an exclusive pre-sale on December 1st 2010. Vodafone were one of the principle sponsors of the festivals this year, but have seemingly ramped-up their efforts to get involved in the cash-cow that Reading and Leeds have become.

Taken from the Virtual Festivals website (click here for full story):

"Festival Republic is set to offer customers exclusive ticket pre-sales through Vodafone for all of their 2011 events.

Vodafone VIP will enable its subscribers to buy Reading, Leeds, Latitude and The Big Chill tickets on Wednesday 1 December, 48 hours before they go on general sale on Friday 3 December."

Thankfully I already have my ticket (my decision to purchase during September’s pre-sale even when I didn’t have money for food has now been fully justified) but I feel a bit disappointed by Festival Republic’s decision to distribute tickets in this way. In my opinion it won’t help the issue of touting, but would rather help those touts who purchase as many tickets as humanely possible on credit cards and put on eBay for inflated prices.

It seems more and more that mobile phone companies are muscling in on the live music scene – Virgin Mobile sponsor the V Festival, and O2 now has exclusive branding rights on the AMG (Academy Music Group) venues in the UK, as well as the O2 Arena in London. O2’s ‘Priority’ service allows their customers 48 hours exclusivity on gig tickets for events within their venues, often at the same time as the ‘fan pre-sales’ set up on the email mailing lists of the artists playing the gigs.

Also worth considering is the issue of ticket websites such as See Tickets, Gigs and Tours, Ticketmaster, Ticketweb, and “re-sale” agency Viagogo. Many people have been left disappointed by having to repeatedly hammer F5 (refresh on browsers) and repeatedly dial on the days when tickets go on sale. Surely all the extra money that customers pay on top of the ‘face value’ of tickets (are extortionate booking fees really necessary?) should be better spent on providing websites that don’t buckle when put under even the slightest duress.

I don’t really want to hark on about Reading and Leeds “selling out” because that’s not really new to anybody who’s either been, or knows a little about the 'state of play' in the UK live music scene. But I worry that the festivals are only a few steps (and a decent chunk of sponsorship deal) from being re-branded as the Vodafone Festival: Reading and Leeds – which is something I remember the organisers being keen to step away from when the long-term sponsorship deal with Carling ended in 2007.

I suppose I should point out that anybody interested in getting a ticket from Vodafone on December 1st should head to the Vodafone VIP website.

Anyway, I hope that this had made you (the reader) more aware of what’s going on, and any comments would be very gratefully received – my university dissertation is about the culture and culture change of music festivals in the UK – and any opinions you have would be really useful primary research to discuss as audience perceptions. So to conclude, some questions:

Will you try and get tickets to Reading / Leeds next month? How will today’s news affect you?
Should ticket sellers (Ticketmaster etc) spend more money on their website’s reliability?
Is the trend of mobile phone providers within live music a good thing?

Let me know,

Paul

Esprit Big Bang

This weekend I was in London, as I had tickets to see Paramore at the (rather expensive - £4.50 a pint!!!) O2 Arena.

During the day my friend James and I went shopping on Oxford Street and the surrounding area, to kill off some time till the gig, and so I could spend my student loan on updating my wardrobe. During our visit we passed the Esprit shop on Regent Street, which had a massive crowd of people outside.

Now a massive crowd outside a shop in this area isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but this was different. Passers-by were being handed pairs of drumsticks and being encouraged to go inside and join in with a live percussion session inside the shop. Walking round, drumming on rails of clothes is actually quite fun, and it’s for a good cause as well!

Esprit’s Big Bang campaign (more details on the website) aims to raise 500,000 Euros for the SOS Children’s Village in Alibaug, near Mumbai in India. Staff and the live band were joined by Marina Diamantis (Lead singer of Marina and the Diamonds) which generated local and national news coverage.

As far as PR stunts go, this is a nice campaign for a worthy cause, and I was lucky enough to be in the Oxford Street area on Saturday and now have a pair of red Esprit drumsticks as a ‘souvenir’ of the day. (Please excuse my messy room)


What are your favourite PR ‘stunts’?
Did you take part in the ‘Big Bang’ at the Esprit on Regent Street? What did you think?

Paul

30 Millbank

As I type this blog entry I'm watching the BBC News footage of the NUS protests at Millbank Tower in Whitehall (where the Conservatives are based)

And I'm a little bit horrified watching it. I believe that in the right situation, a protest or strike can have the desired effect, but this shameful protest is something I'm glad not to be a part of, and is almost making me feel ashamed to be a student.

My opinion on the matter of raising the tuition fees is unsurprisingly similar to the rest of the UK student population - in that we (as students) already pay too much for tuition at universities, so any increases would obviously not be welcome.

What I've been watching - students breaking into the tower, causing broken windows, reaching the roof of the tower and throwing missiles and fighting with police - isn't the right way to make the points that need to be made.

Obviously it could be argued (and this is the 'line' that many of the NUS leaders are using) that people who are not students have got involved in these protests, and used the opportunity to cause damage to the building as an act of 'defiance' towards the recently elected coalition government.

The reputation of students in this country is already pretty poor - the popular perception from the rest of the UK population is that students are lazy, drink too much, and are generally a nuisance to society, and this view has been created through the media coverage. Only last month a student urinating on the Cenotaph in Southampton during the Carnage night generated widespread condemnation of students and Southampton Solent University after it received coverage in most of the UK newspapers.

I'm not actually sure if there's anything that can be done to improve the reputation of students in this country, but as a PR student I know that becoming involved in violent protests like the ones shown in the news coverage certainly isn't the right way to get the message across.

Are students seen as 'second class' citizens in the UK? Is this fair?
Can the reputation of students ever be improved?
Is protesting (in a violent manner) the right way to get results?

Let me know what you think

Paul

Katie Waissel

So, there's been a lot of Twitter and Facebook hatrid unleashed last night...

And its mostly been directed at Katie Waissel and Cheryl Cole. Once again everyone's fallen into the trap of getting fixated on having the people that they dont like on X Factor hounded to the edge of the earth. Or worse.

The show has a very negative relationship with social media (outside of the official accounts) as people flock to Facebook and Twitter on Saturday & Sunday nights to post their opinions about who should have stayed, or went, or how the show is a 'fix'.

The same thing happened last year with Jedward, where they stayed in over other contestants who the majority of social network users argued was a 'better performer'. Cue a million (equally boring) Facebook groups about how Jedward shouldn't be on the show any more.

And then the Joe McElderry winning single was stopped from reaching the Christmas number 1 chart position by a Facebook campaign to get Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name Of' to number 1 to "Show Simon Cowell that he doesn’t control the UK music industry".

Or something like that. Too many people missed the point last year, and thought that a song with the line "F*** you, I won't do what you tell me" suddenly made them above the 'mainstream' X Factor single. Except that Rage were on a major label so any anti-establishment feelings should have been quelled by the realisation that money for both singles would likely have ended up in (pretty much) the same place.

Katie Waissel was never going to leave the show last night, especially not against TreyC Cohen. But yet people have been saying that they'd never watch the show again, how they hated Cheryl for not making a decision about which 'act' to send home, and how other contestants (Wagner was a unpopular survivor of the public vote again) should have gone as well.

But will anybody actually switch off? Of course they won't.

Like with the earlier 'Gamu-gate' (which seems so long ago now) people will tune in each week to see what new controversies occur, then post about it to their friends on Facebook and Twitter.

I quite enjoy it on a Saturday night when everyone posts their opinions about the performances, as it makes the show much more 'interactive' than anything else on prime-time television in the UK. People obviously have different opinions, but its the discussion and spouting of views that makes the X Factor so enjoyable for me.

Should Katie have left the X Factor?
Should Cheryl have voted?
Who do you want to win the show?

Also - If you don't want to add a comment, please feel free to click on the 'Good' or 'Bad' reaction buttons below - It’s nice to see what people think of this blog.

Paul

i Newspaper

This week, i - a new newspaper launched in the UK.

So today I decided to buy it, to see what I think about it. Previous blog entries have mentioned that I very rarely purchase print media (with the exception of a subscription to the weekly NME, and the occasional copy of The Telegraph when the uni shop gives away a chocolate bar with it for 40p)

But there was something that intrigued me when I popped into the campus "newsagent" at uni today. Maybe it was that I am fascinated by new things (I like to place myself in the 'early adopter' marketing bracket when purchasing things like consumer electronics) or maybe it was because it appealed to me at the time.

As newspapers go, it's decent value at 20p. Granted I won't be buying it everyday because until literally every other source of news output is forced behind a paywall (something which I think won't happen, ever) there are more news websites than I could ever read in a day.

That, and the availability of it will be an issue - it takes mere seconds to grab a Metro / London Standard on the way onto a train / tube, whereas people queuing up to hand over a few coppers will probably bring London and the other busy commuter cities to an even slower trudge.

There are some pretty novel ideas though:

• The 'news matrix' - where all the main stories for the day are shortened for easy digest.
• TV schedules are also listed in types of television - eg Sport / Drama / Comedy

The quality of journalism was also of a high standard (as you would expect from the makers of The Independent) but there was a few things that didn't sit quite right with me:

Layout - I did find it a bit cluttered, and there were a lot of pictures which kind of made me flick through the first time (if that was what the intended aim was then fair enough, but I doubt it was). There was a lot of advertising inside, which added to a sense of 'distortion' - (I counted 6 whole page ads, and countless other half-page ads) which kind of made i not really that different from its low priced / free competitors, who also generate most of their revenue from similar sources.

That print journalism is on a steady decline is not entropic information, but charging 20p for i (in its current layout / form) will not stem the tide. But in times as financially difficult as newspapers are experiencing, i and The Independent should be praised for at least daring to give print journalism another shot, instead of cowering behind the (pay)wall.

Have you read i? What did you think?
Is launching another publication a worthwhile exercise, or will it be a dead weight on an already flagging newspaper?

Let me know what you think (in the form of a comment, below)

Paul

Klaxons / Spending Cuts

I've decided that although I am advertising this blog as a "PR-Centric" product, that's not the only thing I'm going to talk about...

Last night I went to see Klaxons in Bristol, on the last leg of the BBC Radio 1 Student Tour. At the time I just thought of it as another gig, with the Radio 1 crew (Zane Lowe et al) doing an OB (outside broadcast) there.

But after that I thought about the 'bigger picture' regarding the freeze that has been put on the TV Licence fee (£145.50 for the next 6 years) and the fact that the BBC has to pick up the bill for things which were previously government funded (Like the BBC World Service and Welsh broadcaster S4C) and how much thinner the budget would be stretched.

In the future will events like the Radio 1 Student Tour be axed? Will the extensive Glastonbury coverage be scaled back? Will stations like 6Music and the Asian network finally be closed?

The answer is: probably. Which is a huge shame, and despite all the 'bad PR' that the BBC continually gets embroiled in (such as 'Sachs-gate with Russell Brand and Jonathon Ross) it still represents good value for money, offers decent programming and one of the best websites in the UK.

I'm finding it increasingly harder to become interested in all the talk of 'cuts' in the spending review. I watched footage from Prime Minister's question time, then hours upon hours of newsreaders picking apart the minutiae of what it would mean for "you at home" but the truth is, after watching looped coverage for a few hours, I didn't care as much as I should have.

I sometimes wish we in Britain were more like the French, who have been out rioting about (near enough) the same things. The retirement age has been raised to 62 (from 60) across the Channel, and everyone's up in arms about it, striking (they do love a good strike), storming The Bastille, throwing Molotov cocktails at riot police - actually going out and making themselves heard.

Over here we've quietly accepted these spending cuts, grumbled quietly about it, and just plundered along. Now I'm not saying we should be driving cars to Whitehall, torching them, and throwing missiles everywhere (although the idea of rioting is strangely alluring!) but it seems more people care about Wayne Rooney wanting to leave Manchester United? I don't understand this country (and I probably never will).

Anyway, thats enough of a rant there. I promised some Klaxons, so here's a nice little video of them performing 'The Same Space' from last night:



Thanks for reading what is probably a bit of a rant there! If you didnt read it, and just scrolled down to the video, go back up to the top and have a read please!

Feel free to leave a comment (about the spending cuts, or what you think of Klaxons)

Paul

Facilitated Discussion

As this blog is supposed to be (partially) about my degree course, I’m going to talk about one of the units in the course structure – Ethics, Issues and Crisis Management

Today (as part of the course) I (and a couple of my course mates – Steph and Maria) had to facilitate a discussion with other members from our course about a recent issue:

Should Universities be allowed to charge what they like for tuition fees?

This issue has come from the recently released Lord Browne (link to BBC article) report, which paves the way for university tuition fees to rise substantially (as high as £12,000 per year)

Now obviously I am against this, as a whacking great debt isn’t really fair on anyone (especially not students) but this is more of a “reflective” blog - writing reflectively isn’t something I am particularly that good at, which is a shame especially as it is something that I have to do for a different assignment this year.

Facilitated discussions are certainly not my speciality; but having taken part in one last week, and being part of a team that led one this week, it’s something that hopefully I will improve at. The only fault that let the discussion down was the issue of time-keeping (I had initially thought that we had only 20 minutes), so was keenly eyeing the stopwatch on my iPhone...

We were praised for finding ways to develop the issues within the main question (in a room full of students, rises in tuition fees was expectedly unpopular) and looked at the difference between different universities and courses, what effect the university league tables should have, as well of the issue of funding and tuition fees that overseas students pay.

It was an interesting discussion, which flowed better than I had expected it to - and we could have easily carried on talking for much longer, as it was a topic that would affect everyone in the room - both students and lecturer!

In a way I’m glad that I don’t have to lead another discussion in the coming weeks – except I do:
When is bribery or corruption acceptable business practice?

So that’ll be something to look forward to / worry about (delete as applicable). As my ethics issue assignment (4000 words!) is about the ‘Spot Fixing’ scandal from the Pakistan Cricket team this summer, I can understand that it would be worthwhile to take part. Plus I can also talk about the recent bribery scandals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup bidding process.

Thanks for those who took part today - both inside the "fishbowl" as well as those who asked questions. (this entry is mainly aimed at my degree coursemates)

If you have any questions about the facilitated discussion, or have suggestions for the next facilitated discussion I’ll be a part of, then please use the comments box below!

Paul

Theme Parks

I don’t normally buy print newspapers anymore (I have a selection of news based apps for my iPhone, including The Guardian, BBC News, Sky Sports News, The Telegraph and Metro).

But is it any wonder that print journalism is going down the pipes when the Daily Star runs with an “Exclusive” about the mine in Chile (y’know, the one which had those 33 miners trapped in it) being turned into a theme park.

Except this isn’t really going to happen, and the clever folk at the Daily Star have adapted this wonderful “exclusive” story from a post on popular satirical website The Spoof. As if the title of the website doesn’t set alarm bells ringing about the validity of the story, then a handy disclaimer stating that this isn’t really a real news story wouldn’t go amiss.






Oh.

I know lazy journalism isn’t a new sensation, but this has raised a smile on a Friday morning!

Paul

Delhi

Mere hours ago the last firework exploded into the Delhi sky at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The Delhi games has been dogged by a range of problems, including poor attendances, unsanitary conditions in the athletes village, talk of the ‘best’ athletes “pulling out” of their events, and fears over the endemic Dengue fever. Not exactly a glowing start, especially in terms of PR!

Despite all of this, events on track and field have meant that external opinions of the event have gradually become more favourable, and organisers should be praised for putting on a successful games, which hopefully will allow India the opportunity to build upon the hard work of current athletes - especially the womens 4x400m gold medal-winning relay team, the event which became the "Cathy Freeman moment" of the 2010 Delhi games (Image from AP Photo).

Now that the country has world class facilities, and a nation who have been eagerly watching (even if it was at home, not in the stadia) India has definite potential for future greatness, but the next big test will take place in less than two years in London.

I was at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002; my parents have always been avid athletics fans, and had saved up for over a year to get tickets to the majority of the athletics at the City of Manchester Stadium, the entirety of the Rugby 7’s tournament and some of the early fixtures in the Badminton tournament.

At the time I was almost passive about athletics, but being in the crowd watching as England (as well as the rest of the well-supported home nations) won a glut of gold medals is still an incredibly powerful experience, and the thought of 38,000 plus people proudly singing ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ (not Jerusalem as it is nowadays) a prominent memory that is giving me ‘goose bumps’ as I type.

In a similar way to what must be occurring in India now, it inspired me to show more of an interest in athletics – and whilst I’m nowhere near the required standard to be competing in London in 2012, I still want to play a part – which is why I have volunteered to be a “Games Maker” volunteer.

Ideally I would love the experience of working as a PR ‘specialist’ after finishing my degree next year, but even a ‘general’ role would be something to be cherished, as I want to be part of the legacy left by having the Olympics in Britain.

For more details about how to apply for volunteering at the London 2012 games head to the London 2012 Volunteering website. (Deadline is October 27)

Paul

Tweets

Today I've read an article (from Wired) about the social network Twitter, claiming that around 71% of tweets from users are 'ignored' and receive no response at all.

Canadian social media analytics company Sysomos scanned 1.2 billion tweets from August and September 2010 in an attempt to gain an understanding of the "conversations" that occur on the site.

Some stats from the report:

• Around 7/10 tweets receive no response (the report didn't mention whether they were read or not, as it would be presumably impossible to check)
• Of the remaining 3/10 tweets, only six percent are retweeted. 92 percent of those retweets occur within the first hour.
• 23 percent of tweets receive an @reply. 85 percent of replied to messages get just one reply, 10.7 percent receive two, and just 1.53 percent get three replies.
• 96.9 percent of all @replies are posted within an hour of the original "tweet"

So, after reading all of this, it's very easy to turn round and question what purpose Twitter serves, especially as a PR / MarComms tool. But I think that's missing the point - although it is possible to communicate with other users, the primary focus (especially in PR terms) is often to disseminate information to followers.

I'm also very surprised to find that most "tweets" could almost be described as having a "sell-by date" on them, especially one so short. In order to gain as much 'exposure' for what I post, i have my Twitter page syndicated to my personal Facebook page, so that I only have to post from one place to cover all the networks I use. (For those interested, this is possible through the Twitter 'app' on Facebook)

Still - at least now I don't feel so bad about not getting many replies to my #xfactor tweets on a Saturday night!

Are you on Twitter? Feel free to advertise your @username (I'm always looking for new people to follow / have follow me - mine is @paultays)
Do you think that Twitter is an essential communication tool, or just a celebrity folly?

Let me know - post a comment below!

Paul