Product Description

In the 21st century we live with an Economics of Abundance in music, TV, film and games. People have access to vastly more music, video and other entertainment than ever before and can download it to their iPod or e-reader in a matter of seconds. In the case of music, record companies are releasing twice as many new albums per year. Not only that but they are rescuing old and deleted tracks for release in the digital marketplace. With all this material available, how do people find out what there is and what they might like?

When it comes to discovering new music, films or games, the tables have turned. Today's consumers cannot be herded towards some Next Big Thing. Modern audiences switch their attention in a heartbeat with just a few clicks. Mainstream TV and radio, press, even the iTunes Store and Google compete in a world where new fans forage for information, recommendations and playable media or swarm through word-of-mouth and social networking technologies. David Jennings examines the new media revolution and introduces the three pillars of digital discovery--TLC, standing for trying out, link and community--explaining how the history, culture and technology of media are interwoven with the rise of personalization and mobile players. He discusses the "My Generation" of audiences that now exist and how we can fill the gaps in our knowledge about their behaviors and the factors--regulatory, technological and business--that may affect them. He profiles groups of listeners and their different approaches to discovery, showing how new breeds of technology make automated recommendations based on expert coding. Blog culture, personal networks, collaborative webzines and wiki sites--all of these have changed the way we perceive, create and consume media.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1218179 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 258 pages

Review
"This book is invaluable to anyone interested in the science of digital discovery and particularly so to anyone needing to harness that for any business application. Even those not too interested in the science of it will gain a lot from getting an in-depth insight into a media revolution." -- Brand Strategy, Nov., 2007

"Web and software developers, music industry types, students, and fans who want to understand the big picture of how blogs, personalized radio, and other online music discovery methods are changing the music scene might want to check out Net, Blogs, and Rock 'n Roll, by David Jennings.... Jennings is spot on when discussing how people discover music today, and in recognizing that it has become impossible for tastemaking to revert to monopoly held by the few.... It's a comprehensive and enjoyable read." -- Wired.com, Nov. 1, 2007

From the Publisher
"David Jennings is the Christopher Columbus of digital discovery, and his pioneering book is an extremely helpful map of the complex new world of online music. Equally relevant for consumers and artists, this is the first book that gets beyond the rhetoric and professionally charts the cartography of the digital revolution."
--Andrew Keen, founder of Audiocafe.com and author of The Cult of the Amateur

From the Inside Flap
Today's consumers are turning the tables on traditional media. They cannot be herded towards the Next Big Thing, and will switch their attention in a heartbeat if they catch the buzz of something more exciting. Fans forage widely for new discoveries, pursuing personal interests while leaving trails and clues for others to follow, and pull what they want on demand rather than waiting for it to be pushed at them.

Given limited time and attention, discovery is the big challenge in a wiki, Web 2.0 world where blog culture, social networks like MySpace and personalized recommender systems have changed the way we discover, perceive, create and consume media.

In this ground-breaking book, David Jennings explains how discovery works and shows how creators can make it easier for consumers to find their material by maximizing the ways in which buzz can develop. He introduces the three strands of digital discovery - TLC: Trying Out, Links and Community - and explains how the history, culture and technology of today's media are interwoven with the rise of personalization and mobile players. He profiles groups of consumers and their various approaches to discovery, and outlines the pyramid of influence: Savants and Enthusiasts record their finds, express their opinions and lead communities of fellow consumers, while other groups are more passive participants.

Anything goes in this new world of discovery, which embodies a rock 'n' roll ethos that resists orderliness and values exuberance. Consumers make discoveries from any and every source. A variety of voices can co-exist, but no one retains gatekeeper status. Discovery mashes up professional expertise with amateur enthusiasm to offer a range of voices and routes, for the creators and marketers of entertainment, its consumers, and the services that connect them.

Net, Blogs and Rock 'n' Roll is the first book to dissect a new generation of discovery-oriented services such as Last.fm and MyStrands. It reveals the true role of consumers in the fan economy and outlines the latest technologies at their disposal. It shows the new breed of smart intermediaries how to support discovery by finding fresh ways of getting their material exposed to the potential audience, developing buzz, and encouraging people to exchange recommendations with their friends.