Blu-ray fails to make gains
By Jason Latimer
Verizon inches further into music industry
Verizon recently announced a new program, called Mobile Producer in Residence, which will allow artists to record music on the road in their traveling recording studio — a tour bus outfitted with computers and other recording equipment. This comes as the latest move in their use of major recording artists as a way to make money via cell phone usage.
The idea is that Verizon will save record labels the money it costs to fly musicians to certain cities and put them up in hotels while they spend time in the studio, which can also be very expensive. It will also provide musicians an advanced marketing tool, as Verizon customers will be able to see in-studio videos with their V-Cast phones, and potentially even download ringtones and songs before the full album is released.
Timbaland has reportedly signed on to be the first producer in residence, and even worked on several tracks from the new Madonna album, “Hard Candy,” on the bus. Verizon, of course, also maintains the ability to command a whopping $2.99 for a ringtone, $1.99 for a ringback, and another $1.99 for a standard phone download for any song, regardless of whether it was recorded on the bus or not. Only time will tell if Verizon’s Mobile Producer in Residence program will be a success, or just another hackneyed marketing scheme.
Blu-Ray struggles to increase sales
According to a recent study by the NPD group, a global marketing research group based in New York, Blu-Ray, has not seen any major sales increase after recently winning the format war against HD DVD. Their study found that between January and February, Blu-Ray sales dropped 40%, while rising only 2% from February to March, after Toshiba’s announcement that they would stop manufacturing HD DVD products.
It seems most likely that the format hasn’t caught on yet, largely in part because of the economy. While gas and grocery prices are near all-time highs, Blu-Ray players and discs remain fairly expensive, and many consumers seem to prefer DVDs for the price, at least for now.
Wal-Mart Pushes Wii Fit for Moms
In our current economic slump, economists and retail experts rely on holidays such as Mothers’ Day as a time of year when people are likely to pry open their wallets and spend generously. And one particular merchant is hoping that a new video game will be the hot new item for moms. Wal-Mart is currently hocking Nintendo Wii’s upcoming Wii Fit as “the perfect gift” for Mothers’ Day.
With a pressure-sensitive board for a controller, players can use it for running, pushups, step aerobics, dancing, and more. Players can also use the motion-sensitive Wii controllers to enhance gameplay, for example, in boxing scenarios. The game, which will cost approximately $90, would prove to be a nice sale for Walmart, which has seen an increase in higher-dollar tech-related presents as gifts for mothers over the past several years.
Shoppers who pre-order the game through May 11 will also receive a $10 Walmart gift card, presumably as a consolation, since the game will not ship until after mothers’ day. Still, a word to the wise: Beware the unintentional message Wii Fit may carry as a gift to mom. You wouldn’t want mom to think you’re saying she’s fat, now, would you? After all, you love her just the way she is.
Originally Published: Issue 647 - May 7, 2008
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