Treadless.com

So last week I started talking about a article I read about Treadless.com and the guy who started it, Jake Nickell. I realized that I was getting quite wordy in my entry so I've moved it to today. I hope that's not cheating.

As I said last week, I've been reading the marketing magazines that come into my work and I'm very fascinated by them. It so interesting to understand the why of people's purchases and how some campagines work and others don't. I think it's the psychologist in me that gets interested in this kind of stuff. Anyway, I read a cool article about Jake Nickell and Treadless.com.

He, unintentionally, started the company on the basis of 'user innovation'. That somewhat means that the people who use the product come up with the product as well. It's similar to what you see happening in shareware for computers. In shareware, someone wants something and designs it for themselves, then lets other people use it since it might help them too. Pretty cool.

So this guy was a part of an online community already that frequently bounced ideas back an forth between each other. He designed a t-shirt, just for fun in the community's annual get together. His design was chosen and it felt cool to win. So he started online competitions for people to design t-shirts with other people voting. Whatever one wins, then he prints up a bunch and sells them. Initially the winner won $100 but that prize has now risen to $2500 and he is a millionaire. Crazy.

What is so cool about the program is what I find exciting about American Idol. The reason American Idol works so well is that you spend the entire season becoming involved in the final product. You vote for who you like. You do all of the market research for the record company. You tell them, I'll buy David Cook's album if you make one. So, they make one. Instead of launching an unknown artist and spending thousands of dollars for you to get to know him, they do all of the test marketing as they go. They let you get to know all of the contestants during 4 months of 'marketing' all while they narrow down the final, most profitable product.

This t-shirt company is doing the same thing just on a smaller scale. They are letting people vote on which design wins so they are telling you 'this is the shirt I would buy.' In fact, the owner says, that was his main idea. 'Why wouldn't I let people buy something they like?' Now on top of that, he's not only letting you tell him what you want, he's letting you make what you want. So cool.

So now this guy who's a college drop out and makes t-shirts is giving lectures at MIT to teach them business principles that they only theorized about. It so exciting!

In Favor of Mothers

I'm tired and I feel lousy. I have work to do. Real work. Forget that. I gave up yesterday to the man and most of today. I've got a blog to write gosh darn it.

Mother's Day is coming up. Do you know the house had a vote yesterday in favor of mother's day? They voted "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mothers Day." Ridiculous. Not that mother's day in itself is ridiculous, voting on it is. Someone proposed it as a roll call vote in order to waste time and possibly miss voting on a bill to fund the war. Of course, no one voted against it. Who wants that on their record the next election - "And he hates mother's day! Hates mothers I tell you!" Tax dollars at work I tell ya.

I could make me angry but instead it makes me laugh. We have a very convoluted system of government, strange laws, that whole filibuster with phone book is silly too. But, I am a person of rules. And if the rules say you can do that, then you can do that. If the rules say you can waste time to avoid getting to something you don't want to do, then you're allowed to. (I watched tv last night to avoid dishes, nobody voted me out of my house.) If it's a valid way, within the rules, to speak your mind is by avoiding a vote, thereby saying you don't agree with a bill, then fine. If I don't like it, I can work to get a new rule in there that changes it. That's how it works. If you really care that much about it, then get them to change the rules.

On a related note, that cell phone commercial where the firefighters are voting for stuff using their cell phone that instantly talks to each other really bugs me. The guy makes the comment that this is easy (right easy to use the phone, easy to get things done, right, right.) Yeah, passing laws is easy when everyone in the room agrees with each other. Who would need government at all if we all agreed with each other? Our government provides us procedures to work out the best way to care and provide for our citizens while taking into account varying ideas of what best means. Why does this commercial vex me so? It's just a commercial. Maybe I should do more dishes and less watching of tv.

Conspiracy Week Continues...

First a random thought. I feel like jump roping today. Weird. Especially since I haven't in years. I think I will when I get home tonight. I do own a jump rope. And really, like I can't take 30 seconds out of my day to jump rope. Because I know full well that after jump roping for 30 seconds, I'll be completely out of breath and tired of it. Don't fight it then, man.

Now for the conspiracy.

They kicked off Carly instead of Brooke? Surprising but it only confirms my conspiracy that the voting is rigged, at least being rigged at the moment.

Oh, believe me, I am happy that American Idol fixed it's huge mistake of letting Carly, Michael Johns and Kristi Lee Cook compete in the first place. All three had signed record deals with labels in years prior to this competition but, in my book, that takes you out of amateur status. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/WinterConcert/story?id=4315159

So, finally, those three have been kicked off. Notice they've been kicked off in a row, all three one after another. I think Idol left them in there to make the show look more competitive. In past years, much of the pickin's have been slim. This way the show looks like it's attracting huge, undiscovered talent. Sorry that talent was discovered once before. Now Idol wants to make sure that none of them place too high.

The second argument (after the coincidence of the three former label contests being booted in consecutive weeks) is that Brooke so should have gone! She started an stopped in her performance. You never, never, never do that.

I found it funny that, for a change, Paula was harsh and unflinching on this point and Simon wasn't. She also said that you never, never, never start, stop and start. Here's the difference. She's a performer; Simon and Randy aren't. She has put in the hours on the road and on stages around the world. Performers know, you never do that. For once, her expertise shone through. It was nice to see.

Am I throwing stones from my glass house? You bet. Have I ever stopped and started? Yep. And I feel like the biggest loser in the world when I do. Because, in that moment, I am the biggest loser in the world. Just because you should never do it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It just should have a consequence when you're on a competition show like American Idol.

MTV broke it, we bought it

I officially signed up for Script Frenzy after posting the blog on it. I have 0 pages written so far. I'm not freaked out yet, though. Still learning the formatting thing.

So last night I watched American Idol. Right off the bat, don't tell me to try out, I would if I could but I've missed their age cut off. YES they have an age cut off. I'm cool with it, be cool with it too.

It was my first time watching this year. I refuse to watch the first episodes where they make fun of people. You know why those people who can't sing look so surprised when Simon tells them they suck? Because the producers tell them they're great and that Simon will love them. Because the producers hype them up and approve them going to the real tryout room with Randy, Simon and Paula so that they'll be upset and make great TV. That's just mean. I don't like that part. I wait until we're in the top 8 or so and then start watching.

Don't get me wrong, I watched almost every episode the first season it came out (excluding the making fun of tryouts) and loved it. I love Simon. I've learned tons from him. And he knows what he's talking about. He understands what it takes to make a rockstar. His business is selling CDs and he knows which acts will do that and the best ways to guide artists to that. I respect his knowledge.

Anyway, I decided today that American Idol is helping to fix what MTV broke. Since the advent of MTV, rockstars have not been judged on their chops or songwriting. They've been judged on their looks, image, style. You can list me hundreds of artists before the 80's (and right on the brink there) who would never have made it if they had to look good in a video. Admit it. But they had great songs and performances. Conversely, Milli Vanilli had a great look. They didn't even sing. And they're not the only ones. Hey I love and respect the performers of the last couple of decades who couldn't really sing but worked their image and/or dancing skills to have huge careers. They worked hard for their success. Absolutely. But, who did you miss out on hearing because they didn't fit on MTV? You don't even know.

I find it cool that, while none of the American Idol winners or finalists are ugly, many of them are not cover-of-a-magazine-hot either. They are there because of their voices. All that matters is - can you deliver the goods? Can you knock people's socks off week after week with your voice?

Hopefully this along with things like itunes (for another day) will help to change the music industry back to what matters. It's not a mystery why music companies are struggling. They've spent too much time and money promoting an image when all people want is good music performed well. What a crazy idea.