Arts and Entertainment

Songreal official promo video!

2012-02-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

Experience the music like you never experienced before!

Share this with your friends!

- Stathis

My top 5 for 2011!

2012-01-27T01:33:00.000-08:00

Music ''shot'' part I - Freedom of Speech:
http://stathiskassios.blogspot.com/2011/07/music-shot-part-1-freedom-of-speech.html

A very brief analysis of the so called Greek problem:
http://stathiskassios.blogspot.com/2011/09/very-brief-analysis-of-so-called-greek.html

The next new thing by Silicon Valley's strategist Sheridan Tatsuno:
http://stathiskassios.blogspot.com/2011/09/next-new-thing-by-silicon-valleys.html

Music ''shot'' part II - Aspa Tsaoussis:
http://stathiskassios.blogspot.com/2011/10/music-shot-part-ii-aspa-tsaoussi.html

Punk Capitalism:
http://stathiskassios.blogspot.com/2011/08/punk-capitalism.html

Which one is your favorite?

- Stathis

After UK, US is next!

2012-01-24T06:36:00.000-08:00

Some of you probably remember an older post of mine where I wrote about online ads surpassing TV ads in UK for the first time (http://stathiskassios.blogspot.com/2011/10/advertise-online.html).

I'm not trying to sound prophetic but take a minute to read about the situation and forecasts about the ad industry in US right now. Online ads have surpassed print ads for the first time (http://mashable.com/2012/01/19/online-advertising-surpasses-print-2012/).

No wonder how the ad future will look like...

- Stathis

Social media buzz

2012-01-18T00:08:00.000-08:00

Too much social media buzz these days don't you think? Many analysts predict that 2012 will be a turning year for companies as they have started convincing themselves for grasping the delicate fruits of social media. What this means is that there is a growing noise about choosing the right strategy for your start up or established firm in order to lead customer engagement and boost sales. I spotted a very interesting opinion which I have been implementing in my online marketing tactics in order to save time and money.

''Social media is a dialogue vs. a monologue and if a brand is able to collect opinions real-time in high volume via social channels like Facebook polls, they can save a great deal of money on formal research studies'' - joseph puopolo (techcrunch.com)

Read his full article here: http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/15/some-key-social-media-trends-to-look-for-in-2012/

- Stathis

Blog intermission - A Scanner Darkly

2012-01-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

Lots of new media business analysis taking place lately in this blog, therefore I would like to chill things down a little bit and share with you one of my all time favorite movies based on the 1977 novel by Philip K. Dick, one of my all time favorite sci-fi authors. Hope you can find this movie & watch it! Pretty addictive!

A powerful new media tool - SoundCloud!

2012-01-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

Karmic Link on SoundCloud!

Click on the link above to stream Karmic Link tracks on SoundCloud!

SoundCloud is a very powerful new media & digital music distribution tool!

My predictions for 2012!

2011-12-31T09:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Thank you for following & sharing this blog! I would like to post my personal predictions for 2012! Here they are:

Smartphones will lead the mobile markets all across the globe. More and more mobile apps will be competing for our daily needs & activities
Video on demand services will be the new norm while traditional media companies will have to quickly respond & adapt to the changing ecosystems otherwise they will lose more audience and ad revenues
The tech industry (sitting now on 200$BN cash) is going to be the least affected by the recession thus will retain its competitive advantage over other troubled & unsustainable industries
China & other fast developing Asian countries will have a significant say for the global economy & trade policies
"Harness the web" will be the new unexplored map & mission for every firm or professional willing to survive in the long run
I am not sure if my country Greece will eventually collapse even though I am pretty sure that the crisis will change the mindsets of more individuals who will start setting up businesses of their own, detaching themselves from past working conditions. The government has to step back in order to liberate the market, enforce less bureaucracy & corporate taxes. The promising age of start - ups popping up around the country will welcome new funding opportunities from abroad
The world won't end in 2012

- Stathis Kassios

Free Songreal wallpaper giveaway!

2011-12-22T05:36:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank everyone for joining the official Facebook group of SONGREAL!

To show our appreciation here is a free Songreal wallpaper giveaway for you to download!

Look closer...

Please select a size that best fits your screen resolution!

1920x1080: http://www.songreal.gr/Downloads/1920x1080.jpg

1440x900: http://www.songreal.gr/Downloads/1440x900.jpg

1366x768: http://www.songreal.gr/Downloads/1440x900.jpg

1280x800: http://www.songreal.gr/Downloads/1280x800.jpg

1024x768: http://www.songreal.gr/Downloads/1024x768.jpg

Iphone: http://www.songreal.gr/Downloads/iphone.jpg

New social media

2011-12-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

“New media is a matter of digital Darwinism affecting any and all forms of marketing and service. In the world of democratized influence, businesses must endure a perpetual survival of the fittest. Engage or die!” - Brian Solis

I am not sure that the slogan ''Engage or Die'' is Darwinian though. It's very easy to misinterpret the Darwinian theory of evolution or misuse it as a methodological tool for our subjective uptodate explanations of the dominant online technological ecosystem. The ones not adapting to new social media won't necessarily "die"...

Would like to read your comments too!

Cheese!
Stathis

SONGREAL.gr

2011-12-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

Songreal means free culture!

Experience the music with Songreal.gr!

For the first time in Greece, Songreal will embrace listeners & lovers of Greek music in a brand new & innovative way!

If you support our global vision, join our group & learn all about the latest SONGREAL updates!

http://www.facebook.com/groups/songreal/

From Super Creeps to Scary Monsters

2011-11-19T04:56:00.000-08:00

David Bowie related posts have been hosted in this blog. Recall his album "From Scary Monsters to Super Creeps"! Make a - mind - time leap forward of about 30 years and see what happens in the other side of the Atlantic!

"From Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites"? Sounds similar. I wonder where has the rising dubstep/electro house star Skrillex hidden his David Bowie influence? Can't be a pure coincidence. He sure knows how to subliminally hide other things too like his voice saying "You don't need to hide my friend, for I am just like you". His EP was produced in his apartment using a laptop, surely raises some suspicious eyebrows when thinking other artists that spend huge studio budgets to deliver sh*tty productions!

This is one of the most innovative music clips & tracks I have experienced since a long time. The new Trent Reznor of the music industry? Time will tell...now get the music dope of Skrillex!

Click here - Skrillex!

Cheese!
S.

Understanding the Digital Music Customer: Attributes of Satisfaction

2011-11-08T01:34:00.000-08:00

Record companies are suffering due to a downturn in recorded music sales. Innovative firms have developed digital music services that offer recorded music products to customers in new ways, yet sales are not what they used to be. Web 2.0 technologies have changed the customer’s tastes, expectations, and desires. Thus, a deeper understanding of the new “digital customer” is needed in order to better offer services in a way that he or she prefers most.

Read or download the full text of my master thesis here:
http://hj.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?searchId=1&pid=diva2:324539

Your comments are welcome!

Cheers!
Stathis

Infocom World Athens 2011 - review

2011-10-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

When I first learned about "Infocom World Athens" I realized that Greece has still something valuable to offer in the domestic and international markets. Established companies in the field of technology, telecommunications & informatics were present to show that they are able to lead the way out of our problems and towards a brighter future. These significant players seem to have defied the dominant logic of crisis, thriving with their business in Greece and beyond while strengthening their customer base and profits globally.

It was the ideal environment to visit with the Siteland team as we first and foremost occupy ourselves with the latest events occuring in the aforementioned fields more and more.

All the speakers stressed the need for drastic changes and focused on their sector as the promising carrier for change. New high-tech networks, more efficient electronic government for the public, new - business to business - platforms that diminish various costs and increase productivity and control over managerial aspects, cloud computing software as service for data protection, etc.

The problem for this great sounding innovative infrastructure is the well known a-synchronization with the government's general stance on doing business in Greece. Corporate taxes should be decreased and inelastic bureaucracy abolished too. If the government continues to asphyxiate the private sector, all the plans presented in "infocom world athens" about funds & angel investors that will help new start ups to capitalise on the technologies mentioned above, will probably fail.

Don't miss the next infocom world!
http://www.info-com.gr/en/home.html

Cheers!
S.

Music shot part II - Aspa Tsaoussis

2011-10-11T02:57:00.000-07:00

S.K. - Please introduce yourself and update us on your latest activities!

A.T. - Greetings readers! My name is Aspa Tsaoussi and Ι am a Lecturer of Law in the Faculty of Law, Economic and Political Sciences at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. I teach Sociology of Law, Law & Economics and General Sociology in the School of Law of the aforementioned Faculty. I was indoctrinated into the world of music in the colorful and musically vibrant environment of New York City, where I spent my childhood and most of my teen years. My current research focuses on social norms and culture-based differences in social and human capital. When I was younger, I did empirical doctoral research in Sociology of Law at the University of Chicago (from 1994-2000), under the supervision of Nobel Laureate Gary S. Becker. I am very happy to give this interview to Stathis Kassios, who was a student of mine in one of my Sociology classes at the University of Athens years ago. Stathis was very bright and open-minded – and certainly one of the most gifted critical thinkers I ever had the pleasure to teach.

S.K. - People around the world have never enjoyed so many different styles and genres of music before. Do you perceive this as a new social phenomenon, as a bridge towards connecting different cultures, thus the term world music? Internet plays a pivotal role of course.

A.T. - Without a doubt the World Wide Web and online social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have globalized musical genres in ways that were never before possible. Global networks now connect individuals and social groups according to their musical preferences and varying musical experiences. The globalized environment has something for everyone: for the easy listener and the connoisseur, for the amateur and the professional. Global markets allow for an unprecedented boom of what some theorists (e.g. Timothy Taylor 1997) have called “Global Pop”.

S.K. - At the same time it is easy to observe that people distinguish and tag themselves according to the music they listen to. Different dress codes, different attitudes, different codes of communication, hip - hop, punk music, etc. What do you think is going on? What if people get attached to certain kinds of music according to the social group they want to belong to? Is this some sort of self-afflicted trap (e.g. people's protests in the French suburbs)?

A.T. - This is the flip side of globalization- the fear of different cultural or religious groups that they will lose themselves in an ocean of musical uniformity, perhaps imposed by the music-producing multinationals. This fear incites growing differentiation and may actually lead to a growing emphasis on local or national music (e.g. folk music, national popular music, etc) or even religious music (held to be “sacred”), which are meant to signal resistance towards transnational music trends. We have plenty of historical examples: rap music bloomed in American inner-city ghettos, hip-hop originated in West Africa, and of course punk rock in its glory day in the late 1970s (expressed by bands such as the Ramones in New York City and the Sex Pistols and the Clash in London) became known for its “signature” anti-establishment, subversive lyrics. Goth music is associated with distinctive ways of dressing, behaving and socializing. The 1969 festival at Woodstock, attended by over half a million people, was the culmination of the pacifist “hippies” anti-war movement in the US. The music one chooses to listen to defines his or her leisure time, and thus to a large extent, his or her lifestyle. It is not surprising that different musical genres have become the flagship for cultural and political movements. But I agree that it can become some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, if e.g. the cultural values passed on by a family to its children or by a community to its residents must include allegiance to a particular musical genre.

S.K. - Does music unwillingly create different social "classes" and social groups of people? You can pick some personal closing remarks.

A.T. - Music in previous centuries certainly functioned as a mechanism of class distinction. The prime example here is classical music which was identified with “high culture”, whereas a genre such as “rhythm and blues” was deemed as “popular culture”. For example, the taste for Beethoven or Bach was a privilege of the wealthy and later on the upper middle class. Access to opera houses was limited to the few that could afford the ticket, the formal evening wear, and all the other details meant to separate the bourgeois rich from the lower social classes. The children of the poor could never hope to develop a liking for opera music nor ever hope to learn how to play a musical instrument. It was unthinkable and it served to separate the classes in an inexorable vicious circle (here we can compare with Jerzy Grotowski’s concept of a “poor theater”—Grotowski was one of the fathers of contemporary experimental theater, declaring that actors should aim to co-create the event of theater with its spectators).

The rock music “revolution” of the late 1960s and early 1970s erased many of the preexisting class divides. Music started being produced for the masses. This need to open music to wider audiences changed the core philosophy and the goals of music engineering and production. With the advancements in technology of the past 15 years (free online music sharing, Napster, YouTube, podcasting, etc), new conflicts have arisen stemming from the divergence of interests of three different groups: creators, the music industry and the consumers (see McCourt and Burkhart 2003). At the same time, new categories of active listeners have emerged, e.g. the culture of mobile listeners that has developed around the iPod. Finally, the Internet has enabled the formation of virtual communities that have grown through online music collecting and trading (Peter Nieckarz 2005).

My personal sense and at the same time hope is that music in coming generations will continue to serve as a binding force rather than a dividing line. Music unites, appeases and exalts. In the words of Billy Joel: "Music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity.”

Thank you for your time and for sharing this music "shot" with me!

Steve Jobs

2011-10-09T04:33:00.000-07:00

In the featured video you will watch Apple's co-founder Steve Wozniak arguing that the loss of Steve Jobs is like the loss of John Lennon.

In my personal view Steve Jobs was the modern Prometheus who stole the knowledge from the Gods and spread it to the world. He bit the forbidden "Apple" of technological knowledge and offered it to everybody.

Advertise online!

2011-10-05T03:24:00.000-07:00

It has been a well known marketing story. Where to spend most? Commercial companies have been shrinking their marketing budgets choosing measurable results instead for their money spent on advertisements.

Latest news on UK announced that online ads have surpassed TV ads for the first time. Actual figures were 27% and 26% respectively.

These are strong signals for the troubled advertising industry and the various digital firms that want to achieve a sustainable living out of their display or search ads.

Use your marketing budget wisely.

Check out the full article here (Google translate for non-Greek speakers):
http://www.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_kathremote_1_05/10/2011_409454

A very brief analysis of the so-called Greek problem

2011-09-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

I wanted to repost here an analysis of the Greek crisis by Nightfall's singer Efthimis Karadimas. The reason for doing this is not just because he is my bandmate as someone would argue, but because more people should be aware that Nightfall is not all about aggressive guitars and grotesque melodies. Nightfall is a philosophical artistic ship. I will let Efthimis now continue this introduction with his views on the economic turmoil that has been devastating this "land of holy grace"!

"Many things are said the last few weeks about the Greek debt problem and the attitude of the Hellenic State and its citizens collectively. As an artistic vehicle of Greek origin Nightfall take the opportunity to offer music people -who may lack proper information about the political and financial matters ruling everyone’s life these harsh days- a brief view of current events.

Firstly it is worthy to mention to everyone abroad that there is a massive pressure lately towards a financial reform. People become poorer or losing their jobs while a terror cloud of uncertainty regarding tomorrow’s state of events is haunting the skies. The effort is great and the majority of Greek people stands for the European Unity, and understands the urgency of the times who demand vast changes right here right now.

It is pity however reading comments and hearing voices about a supposing lousy Greek respond to the problem or total ignorance of the very difficult situation the Western world is experiencing nowadays. Moreover it is unfair to blame Greece only for all the evil deeds in the world’s economy, which are many.

To understand the problem we must accept that European Union is an experiment unique in the history of man. Never again so many different races and cultures with such a deep past have decided to come together in free will.

The Union includes all the great elements of the continent’s civilization starting from its monolith, the ancient Greek states, then the Roman Empire, the East Roman Empire aka Byzantine Empire and all the way to our fellow French and Germans among others.

The experiment seemed to be working with global prosperity being the most important supporter of it all. Then the common currency was introduced. That was a brave step. But without a central government, a sole Ministry of Finance to conduct everything, it was doomed to cause trouble sooner or later. That omission is what politicians and economists try to fix now. But it is a very difficult task as manoeuvres and ideas about solving it crush onto the wall of global debt crisis. That is the main problem here.

That infamous crisis was spawned in the US banking system and brought the entire financial mechanism to its knees on September 15^th, 2008. Lots of leverage, lots of “cheap” money to everybody for a serial of years and absolute lack of regulation soon led to lots of loans being red and the Cult of Credit being shaky. Lehman brothers blew the heart of that devil in angel’s face by its collapse that literally shook the foundations of the entire world. The outcome is heavier debts, massive unemployment, and less cash to spend. That is a shrinking economy known as Recession.

Greece, a small market, could not react alone. Usually in such cases currency is depreciated to keep domestic economy floating. With Euro that is impossible. Hence other, new measures required, which are nothing but new experiments with unknown results. Corruption, on the other hand, and mismanagement exist and take a heavy toll too. But even without “black” economy and political mistakes things would not be that different to the grim reality of today.

Modern theories about a completely free market to boost global trade are deteriorating weak societies. That is not an excuse. It is a fact. You produce something I don’t have the monies to buy, but once you give me a loan or two, I will buy it. Good marketing is part of good strategy too. Who adds wins. Nobody doubts about the materialistic world we, the Westerns, live the last decades. So, you keep producing more and you are making more and your customers borrow money to spend more and the economy grows in numbers making everybody happy in this carnival of spending pleasure. Until the day the borrower cannot pay you back. You knew it that day will come. Lender and borrower have been together in this since day one. It always takes two to tango, and many more this time.

As this systemic crisis was not enough, illegal immigrants have made it worse. Greece, the eastern lighthouse of European civilization has been trying its best to block the ways to the waves of immigrants trying to go to the wealthier European countries. Efforts on this purpose made without serious support by fellow members as it never been taken seriously enough the fact that Greek boarders are also Europe’s ultimate frontier. And all those illegal immigrants finally settled in Greek territory with the negative effects such massive intrusion can cause to a fragile society.

Regretfully when the biggest part of Europe lived the Renaissance, poor Greeks had to secure their heads on their shoulders (there was specific tax for that purpose precisely); Ottoman Empire was an endless source of wrongful taxes anybody could come up with and demand it on the spot or you were dead. Struggling about four centuries in absolute injustice and fear can really change the way one faces “state” and the security it provides. That fear is maybe the reason of the crazy expenses for military means that cost a fortune too as Greece is number one spender among EU countries in terms of GDP percentage.

The above is considered as a very brief comment for an observer with no financial background to use in his or her effort to understand the whole mess named world economy these days.

For those wishing to go further, the issues of the ageing population in Europe and in the USA (the Social Security enigma or how the shrinking working force will succeed or fail to support the expanding retired masses), or the Chinese impact to the western world (with the millions of new mid class individuals increasing the global consumption of food and energy and their prices while minimizing the cost of labour and push western competitors out of the game) may secure endless hours of intense reading and wondering about tomorrow’s status.

Apparently we are reaching the end of times as we know it. Theoretically we are at a point similar to the pre World War II era where the situation described here above was horrifically alike. After all, when a society has movie or music idols as its prime role models in life what else can you expect?

Things change through suffering. But we all are obliged to move on. It is not Greece to blame but greediness and the wrong hierarchy of our priorities as civilised human beings."

Thank you for your time!

Efthimis Karadimas on behalf of Nightfall!

The next new thing by Silicon Valley's strategist S. Tatsuno!

2011-09-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Arts & Entertainment followers,

I recently had some very interesting thoughts exchange with Silicon Valley's strategist S. Tatsuno! I was lucky and honored to meet him in personal and attend his lectures, project set-ups and class discussion contributions, while studying at Jonkoping's International Business School in Sweden.

Here's what he says about the next new thing happening around the globe right now...

"The Next New Thing will be global networks where billions of smartphone users create new content (photos, videos, images, text, etc.) in unlimited new ways that we can’t even imagine right now, just as Internet developers created new Web businesses and groups that we couldn’t imagine at Stanford in 1993 before Mosaic and Yahoo! showed up. The future belongs to visionaries who find useful services and market needs, then build and share them. That’s the role of Silicon Valley Global Network: to connect emerging visionaries."

The world really needs new companies and industries to create jobs since the old, dying industrial model will never be able to provide enough to meet the booming growth of young people, especially in developing nations. We’re moving into a globally-connected Service Economy or Creative Economy where consumers become producers too, a bottom-up model that is the opposite of the old top-down industrial model protected by Big Government, Big Business, Big Labor and Big Universities. Unless the world moves quickly to this new, emerging bottom-up model, we face serious social and political unrest among the hundreds of millions of frustrated, unemployed people around the world. Silicon Valley has the vision, tools and money; we need users worldwide who can use them to create hope, jobs and communities.

It would be great to post and reflect your personal comments here so that I can exhange those with S. Tatsuno. Your business plans and creative ideas are also welcome in order to get connected with the Valley!

More info here:
http://svgnetwork.com/

Cheers!
Stathis

Punk Capitalism!

2011-08-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Punk Capitalism! I am pretty sure the word ''Punk'' still irritates a lot of people as it used to extensively in the past when the Punk movement/art started rising in the US, UK and beyond, altering societies old school hierarchies and way of thinking and doing things. The book by Matt Mason is a must for those that worry about their business models being threatened by modern ''Pirates'' and for those that Piracy represents the new wave, the new wind of change both for the digital and physical worlds and markets. Here's an interesting excerpt from the book that I chose to share with you for your personal introspection:

''Throughout the time I've been groping around cyberspace, an immense, unsolved conundrum has remained at the root of nearly every legal, ethical, governmental, and social vexation to be found in the Virtual World. I refer to the problem of digitized property. The enigma is this: If our property can be indefinitely reproduced and instantaneously distributed all over the planet without cost, without our knowledge, without its even leaving our possesion, how can we protect it? How are we going to get paid for the work we do with our minds? And, if we can't get paid, what will assure the continued creation and distribution of such work? Since we don't have a solution to what is a profoundly new kind of challenge, and are apparently unable to delay the galloping digitazion of everything not obstinately physical, we are sailing into the future on a sinking ship''

Music "shot" part 1 - Freedom of Speech

2011-07-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hello there people! I have decided to change and renew the very nature of this surrealistic blog. Therefore, I will start offering you music "shots"! Yeah, this is how I will call the short interviews that I will be conducting from now on. Short interviews featuring artists and interesting creative people from all around the globe, answering to questions which reflect the content and the scope of this digital space. Here's music shot part one featuring the Athens (GR) based trip - hop band Freedom of Speech. Hope these music shots will give you a proper head buzz to accompany your summer nights!

1) Hello Emilios! You may introduce yourself and your band Freedom of Speech!

Hello Stathis. As you know I' m a graphic designer. I have worked in different advertising companies but for the last three years I've been working alone as a freelancer. This is my main occupation but as you know I have the best hobby - music - and during the last years this hobby evolved into something bigger. I always remember my self being in small school bands or trying to compose little songs. Anyway, after all, I found my new family called Freedom of Speech. I joined the band in 2007 when they started recording the album "S' Alli Hora" and they wanted a guitar player. Iʼm very proud to be in this team because from the very first moment I had the freedom to work as a composer, musician, guitar player and graphic designer. F*cking awesome!

Freedom of Speech is a trip hop band, formed at the end of 2000. Within a musical journey that began with hip hop, the sound of Freedom broadened in the way and flew over different genders of music, such as trip hop, electro, industrial and rock. They made their debut in 2004 with the LP "Timorimenoi". In November 2006, the band qualifies to the finals of Thessaloniki Song Festival and wins the "Best Lyrics" award for the song "Poso melagholise aftos o topos". In May 2007, Freedom of Speech sign the soundtrack for a staging of Dario Fo's "Archangels Don't Play Pinball". In June of 2009, they collaborate with Dimitra Galani for a cover of "Apopse Pouthena", included in her latest album "Pixel", featuring numerous Greek alternative acts. On February 1st, 2010, the new album of Freedom of Speech, "S' Alli Hora" is released. And last but not least, the last days we released our new video clip for the song "Sinxisi".

2) Do you believe in the freedom to say what you want without censorship?

This is a very tricky question. Many years ago people fought with their lives so that today we can all enjoy this right. The problem is that, nowadays, both government and media donʼt show any respect for this right, applying censorship to any voice that is against them. Fortunately, these voices are many, especially lately, so this type of propaganda games do not succeed.

Freedom of expression is one of the most fundamental rights that individuals enjoy. It is fundamental for the existence of democracy and for the respect of human dignity. It is also one of the most threatened rights, because governments all around the world constantly trying to curtail it.

3) What is the current situation as regard to freedom of speech in your home country Greece?

Most people in Greece seem not to realize this right. Since the economic crisis knocked on their doors, at the same time realising how much they have been deceived all these years, I strongly believe that theyʼve finally woken up from their really deep sleep. Strikes took place at the square of Sindagma, and the good think is that most of the people really believed in the great need for a change. It' s a really big step towards for the people to be all together again under no specific labels trying to offer solutions instead of laying on their sofas watching TV.

This situation happens in almost every country facing the same problems as we are, like Spain, Portugal or Ireland for example. Human rights like freedom of expression are international, applying to all countries and their people.

Thank you for your answers Emilios! Keep up the good work!

Stathis K.

Distribution games part II

2011-07-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I had analysed the troubled logistics chain between the distributors of media content and media companies producing the content on the other edge of the spectrum. These problems constitute a harsh reality in the digital world as well. The difference is that media distributors online are evolving in a - catch me if you can - pace that media companies find difficult to adapt or follow. This means altering the latter's business models all the time. The intellectual property of the media companies is the question and the dilemma here. How do online distributors handle media content? In what extent do distributors have the right to exploit media content as they see fit without asking legal permission from the producers everytime a new distribution model appears? Not that these questions didn't exist before in the physical markets but the Internet is the new boxing arena where the aforementioned players fight hard or prepare for new rounds of boxing for their own interests. Take Amazon's users for example. Since April 2011 they have the option to upload the unlimited music they purchase or download to Amazon's cloud services, having unlimited access to their favorite music whenever, wherever. This worries the big music firms as they feel somehow threatened by the Cloud which lets music fans stream music, without knowing if they will have a revenue cut for sure. Amazon doesn't have the right to stream music they argue. Thus Amazon as a digital distributor, is trying to establish people's rights to unlimited streaming of music without the consent of the media firms. A raging battle is on the rise. I can't really predict the winner but your bets are welcome...

Suggested summer tunes: David Bowie - Young Americans

Cheers!
S.

Experience the music - Songreal

2011-06-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Songreal is my new business endeavor in co-operation with the incredible Siteland team! Coming soon...keep your eyes on our official website: http://songreal.gr/

Hip - hop economics!

2011-05-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

The world economic crisis goes hip - hop! Follow the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk&wl_token=hLc-pjPlK63tn5Ya4RnRYTjt_a98MTMwNjQ4Mjk5MEAxMzA2Mzk2NTkw&wl_id=d0nERTFo-Sk

All about the Web! And the winner is S...

2011-05-06T05:28:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been following news - all around the Web - on how the big players like AOL, Yahoo, Youtube, etc. keep investing big money in the content of their web media platforms! The content is the king undoubtedly, otherwise the aforementioned companies would not exist as we speak. It is very exciting to have personally found a young team of latest internet technology followers/experts/entrepreneurs for whom I will discuss further on!

I currently cooperate with the Athens based web company Siteland! A well established company with a proven and remarkable record of business clients (take a look at the company's portfolio here: http://www.siteland.gr/#portfolioModuleGrid ). I am happy to announce that from now on I will be handling their marketing and business development campaings.

Our services range from standard web design to the creation of an enhanced e-shop for your online business to sell, promote your products and reach new customers globally. We offer a secured and certified transaction system (SSL).

Web marketing is a growing field where the visualization of your small or medium sized business plays an important role in attracting customers. Therefore we provide the necessary tools to develop your company online, increase your visitors, optimize your website's performance and prestige. In addition we handle other marketing activities too like logos design, posters, professional cards, etc. You don't have to worry for expensive advertising anymore. Our web creations are Google affiliated (Google AdWords and Apps) and the advertising tools that we offer efficiently target your customers while increasing the search results for your company!

Visit our website and feel welcome to personally contact and ask me how Siteland is able to help you build and expand your website or web company!

We also create websites for solo artists, bands and musicians. The aggressive competition in today's music industry should motivate you to boost your image and gain a significant advantage with a professional online presence that Siteland guarantess!

Copy and paste:
http://www.siteland.gr/#homeModule

The content is the King and the winner is...Siteland!

Stathis Kassios
Marketing & Business Development Manager
Email: s.kassios@siteland.gr

Old media

2011-04-13T00:17:00.000-07:00

For today's tag I have chosen the following comment:

Welcome to the 21st century, where the old rules of content and distribution no longer apply.

-By Jon Friedman, Marketwatch

To read more, copy and paste:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ipad-and-old-media-a-shotgun-wedding-2011-04-13?link=home_carousel