There was a glitch at Rhino today.<\/p>\n
I hauled my ass out to Burbank to record some podcasts.\u00c2\u00a0 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.\u00c2\u00a0 Unfortunately, this distortion made it into the final recording, so it was a no-go.<\/p>\n
So Celine called across the street, to Warner Brothers, to see if we could poach a studio for a while.<\/p>\n
No problem!<\/p>\n
Only it turned into quite a problem.\u00c2\u00a0 They had a glitch with their digital to analog converter that just could not be solved.\u00c2\u00a0 It was just one of those days.\u00c2\u00a0 But as we wandered through the bowels of the ski lodge, Celine stopped at a poster.\u00c2\u00a0 Which said "BeeTagg".\u00c2\u00a0 Did I know what this was?<\/p>\n
Kinda sorta, but not really.<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
Celine said she would demonstrate.\u00c2\u00a0 She removed her iPhone from her pocket, took a picture and..?<\/p>\n
That’s how this QR thing works.\u00c2\u00a0 QR stands for "quick response".\u00c2\u00a0 BeeTagg is just one of the companies utilizing it.\u00c2\u00a0 You download an app to your phone, you take a picture of the QR code and then you’re linked to an ultimate destination.<\/p>\n
This did not work for Celine.\u00c2\u00a0 Even though we were two levels beneath the ground, she said she had access, but the code just wouldn’t be translated.\u00c2\u00a0 So she told me about it.<\/p>\n
She said QR was already big in Japan.\u00c2\u00a0 That in London she saw someone with a QR code on his t-shirt.\u00c2\u00a0 You took a photo of it and were led to his Website!\u00c2\u00a0 You know how they were texting for years overseas before it became big here?\u00c2\u00a0 Celine said this was coming.<\/p>\n
My pulse still quickens when I enter the ski lodge.\u00c2\u00a0 Only problem is barely a dime has been invested in infrastructure in years.\u00c2\u00a0 The carpets are worn, as is the wood.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s got the feel of a New York record company, even though it’s in L.A.\u00c2\u00a0 You’re used to run-down in New York.\u00c2\u00a0 In L.A. you expect brand new.\u00c2\u00a0 Then again, with the budget crisis…<\/p>\n
Anyway, this is where all that great music was hatched.\u00c2\u00a0 Well, if not exactly created, this is where it emanated from.\u00c2\u00a0 And the profits were so surreal they not only paid for this edifice, but the Warner Cable System too.\u00c2\u00a0 But those days are through.\u00c2\u00a0 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.\u00c2\u00a0 And to a great degree, we’re not enraptured by music.\u00c2\u00a0 You see music isn’t cool, with everybody vying for success, selling out for exposure.\u00c2\u00a0 But what if you could wear your exposure on your t-shirt, what if marketing was one to one as opposed to TV down?<\/p>\n
Then again, some corporation made this poster.<\/p>\n
It’s just that it’s so damn exciting.\u00c2\u00a0 The way music used to be.\u00c2\u00a0 Everybody’s got a camera in their cell.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s like taking a photo and getting the toy in the Happy Meal.\u00c2\u00a0 Hell, you’ve got no idea what you’ll get.\u00c2\u00a0 Access to bonus material, ringtones…\u00c2\u00a0 People are already utilizing QR to deliver goodies.<\/p>\n
So be on the lookout.\u00c2\u00a0 This could be the next big thing.\u00c2\u00a0 Enticing people to photograph your QR code and being taken to…