QR Code
There was a glitch at Rhino today.
I hauled my ass out to Burbank to record some podcasts. But when we set up in the Rhino studio, there was a sound in my headphones, kind of like gophers munching on grass, whenever I spoke into the microphone. Unfortunately, this distortion made it into the final recording, so it was a no-go.
So Celine called across the street, to Warner Brothers, to see if we could poach a studio for a while.
No problem!
Only it turned into quite a problem. They had a glitch with their digital to analog converter that just could not be solved. It was just one of those days. But as we wandered through the bowels of the ski lodge, Celine stopped at a poster. Which said "BeeTagg". Did I know what this was?
Kinda sorta, but not really.
I was savvy enough to know that this was that new two-dimensional bar code…but why was it in a poster, on a wall, with the WEA logo in the middle?
Celine said she would demonstrate. She removed her iPhone from her pocket, took a picture and..?
That’s how this QR thing works. QR stands for "quick response". BeeTagg is just one of the companies utilizing it. You download an app to your phone, you take a picture of the QR code and then you’re linked to an ultimate destination.
This did not work for Celine. Even though we were two levels beneath the ground, she said she had access, but the code just wouldn’t be translated. So she told me about it.
She said QR was already big in Japan. That in London she saw someone with a QR code on his t-shirt. You took a photo of it and were led to his Website! You know how they were texting for years overseas before it became big here? Celine said this was coming.
My pulse still quickens when I enter the ski lodge. Only problem is barely a dime has been invested in infrastructure in years. The carpets are worn, as is the wood. It’s got the feel of a New York record company, even though it’s in L.A. You’re used to run-down in New York. In L.A. you expect brand new. Then again, with the budget crisis…
Anyway, this is where all that great music was hatched. Well, if not exactly created, this is where it emanated from. And the profits were so surreal they not only paid for this edifice, but the Warner Cable System too. But those days are through. Popular culture no longer emanates from a corporate structure, where a team of people go to work, rather we’re enraptured by what comes from bedrooms. And to a great degree, we’re not enraptured by music. You see music isn’t cool, with everybody vying for success, selling out for exposure. But what if you could wear your exposure on your t-shirt, what if marketing was one to one as opposed to TV down?
Then again, some corporation made this poster.
It’s just that it’s so damn exciting. The way music used to be. Everybody’s got a camera in their cell. It’s like taking a photo and getting the toy in the Happy Meal. Hell, you’ve got no idea what you’ll get. Access to bonus material, ringtones… People are already utilizing QR to deliver goodies.
So be on the lookout. This could be the next big thing. Enticing people to photograph your QR code and being taken to…
P.S. Celine finally called in a professional engineer, who came with his own mic and cable and got the Rhino studio to work. Thanks James!
