Posts by Pinky

History of Entertainment Technology

Posted by Pinky on Aug 31, 2010 in Blog | 2 comments

One of the great things about history is that it doesn’t change – it just grows. As excited as I am to be webcasting this semester’s class live, we ran into a little trouble with the wireless network for the History of Entertainment Technology presentation given 08/31/10. Fortunately, I had taped the same presentation last semester, so it’s very similar if not entirely accurate. Enjoy!

Back In Session

Posted by Pinky on Aug 26, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments

Today was great. Not only did it mark the start of my third year back at Belmont, but we live-webcast the whole thing. Don’t tell anyone, but I think it might become a regular feature on the site. Wanna see? Ok!

Video Link: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/9164600

It’s just a primer. A general overview of what to expect of the class.

Will there be more? (Maybe.)

Could this become the new Pinky Gonzales video blog??

If they’ll let me.

In the meantime, sit back with some popcorn and a can of whatever-the-crap they try to sell you on the opening commercial. Free video streaming, as it turns out, comes with lame advertising attached. In this case, freeloaders can’t be choosers.

Lemme know how it goes.

-Pinky

Facebook Places Just Changed The Game

Posted by Pinky on Aug 19, 2010 in Blog | 2 comments

So it turns out that starting a new business and blogging are inversely proportionate.  The more of one there is, the less room there is for the other.  But today I get to have my cake and eat it too. (And I love cake.)

Last night at 7:30pm EST facebook made a very big announcement.  They have entered the “location” space, meaning that anyone who uses their mobile application can now “check in” to nearly any commercial establishment with the click of a button.  Twitter has had a lesser version of the same thing since March, but it’s a little company that ‘could,’ foursquare, that has popularized the concept itself over the last year and a half.

It works like this…

Anyone with a modern smart phone, be it an iPhone, Android, Palm or Blackberry device, has a built-in GPS chip, so your phone knows where you are.  foursquare, and now facebook, tap into that functionality by displaying a list of places in your immediate proximity.  In simple terms, you select the place that you’re at and hit the “check in” button.  That’s it.  These services then deliver a status update to your friends, show you who has checked in to that particular place the most, and savvy retailers might even give their top customers a little gift of thanks, be it free guacamole or an icy cold brew.  It’s a pretty neat little system.

Enter Pinky Gonzales

So I started using foursquare sometime in March and it occurred to me that fans should be able to check in at concerts!  It seemed like a pretty obvious next step for the technology.  And then I thought that sponsors would probably see value in sending those fans a little note when they did so.  But the thing about sponsors is that they usually have locations of their own, such as the stores where their products are sold.  It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the combination of artist+sponsor locations can add up to a pretty substantial map, and every time a fan checks in at any one of those places, they can earn points.  Points that can be redeemed for just about anything, from gift certificates to concert tickets, merch, downloads… whatever.

There’s a much longer version of the story that I’d be glad to tell you over a beer, but to keep it simple, I hooked up with a couple of really smart guys that were working on a new system of their own called Carl Says.  (Think Groupon for location.)  We built a platform together that works WITH foursquare, Twitter and now facebook, that allows you to check in with any application you like while receiving messages directly from us.  Win-Win.  The big difference between our platform and any other is that it’s completely white-label.  It’s not about our brand, it’s about yours.  You own the data.  You control the messaging.  You build the promotions and you don’t even have to wait for a return call from the good folks at facebook or foursquare.  Pretty neat, huh?

So for the last three weeks I have been making the rounds, preaching the gospel of location-based services to artists, venues, sponsors, sports teams, politicians and major consumer product manufacturers about the joys and opportunities that place-based promotions have to offer.  It looks like we’ll have our first major partnership announcement shortly and I couldn’t be more excited.

So that’s where I’ve been since the last blog post.  Actually getting my hands dirty with a new startup rather than pontificating about everyone else’s.  It feels good to be back.

If you have any questions about this mega-trend in the making, drop me a line or leave a comment below.  I want to know what YOUR map looks like and what you might do with a tool like ours.

Happy travels!

Startups and Puppy Dogs

Posted by Pinky on Aug 5, 2010 in Blog | 6 comments

This dog is probably cuter than yours.

We held our lastest JumpStart Foundry meeting last night here in Nashville and I had the great fortune to win the “lead” roll with our latest company, Source Your City.  It’s similar in concept to Help A Reporter Out but will focus exclusively on local markets the size of Nashville and larger.  It should be a lot of fun to be a part-of.

On the way to our post-meeting hang, it occurred to me that my love for startups is a lot like a child’s love for puppy dogs.  They’re so dang cute you want to own them all.  The glimmer in their eyes, the innocent look on their un-jaded faces and their limitless hunger for the experiences the world has to offer is downright seductive.  If only they didn’t require so much care.  Ruined carpets and patent leather shoes, scratches and bites, sleepless nights… Sometimes you wonder why you thought it was such a good idea to get a new companion at all.  Thankfully, some of them grow up to be your best friends and proudest achievements.  Of course others may not make it at all… the victims of bad DNA or Darwin Award-worthy mistakes.

I’ve said it before, but if you ever have a chance to teach, mentor or otherwise assist someone with a dream, throw caution to the wind and give it your best shot.  Though I may at times commit more of my time than I should, the friends I have made and experiences I have had have been some of the most rewarding of my life so far.

And if YOU’ve got an idea you could use a little support for, click here to apply.  Some lucky sucker out there might just over-commit themselves for you.

Independent Radio Promotion: Investing in the Music Business Part VI

Posted by Pinky on Jul 15, 2010 in Blog | 4 comments

Larry Pareigis doesn’t just talk about a new music business model, he lives it.  Having spent years of his career at radio stations across the country, he transitioned into the major label world, where he launched a few folks you may have heard of, like the Dixie Chicks, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry and some redneck named Gretchen Wilson, before taking the leap into the exciting world of entrepreneurship and independent business ownership.  This interview covers a lot of ground and should be a reality check for anyone that thinks major labels have a monopoly on hit songs… although it comes with a price.

Quick disclaimer – I forced Larry to do this interview through Skype so we would have video as well as audio.  The audio sucks when I’m talking, as you’ll hear.  Accordingly, I tried to keep that to a minimum.  Click here for the complete interview transcription.