Head In The Clouds
The internet has changed music forever. So says web innovator and former Gang of Four guitarist Dave Allen ahead of a presentation in Galway
The Hot Press Newsdesk, 13 Sep 2012
“Brian Eno has famously said that the recording industry has the same problems that the whale blubber industry had when gaslights were invented – and I agree with him. It’s hard not to feel morose about the recording industry, but it was theirs to lose and they lost it.”
So says Dave Allen, an original member of influential Leeds post-punk act Gang Of Four and, as producer of numerous albums and founder of World Domination Recordings, a well-seasoned veteran of the music industry. On September 14th, he will be the keynote speaker at Cloudbusting: Dispelling The Myth Of The Cloud – a one-day web conference at the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT).
Having more or less hung up his bass guitar, Allen is now an influential technology expert. He’s Director of Interactive Strategy at Portland-based branding company North, Inc, a lecturer in Digital Brand Strategy at the University of Oregon, and a respected music blogger (www.pampelmoose.com).
“At North, Inc, I’m in charge of the online digital brand strategy for our clients, advising companies like Subaru whether they should consider responsive web design for mobile versus building Apps. I also advise them on user experience on mobile devices, and also the context of mobility.”
While the advent of the Internet has totally changed the business model for musicians and record companies alike, Allen sees the new online technologies as something to be wholeheartedly embraced.
“Just look at the tools that are now available to musicians,” he enthuses.
“YouTube is currently the number one method of listening to music by young people. You have blogging platforms such as Wordpress and Tumblr, digital music aggregation services like CD Baby, or BandCamp, that let artists post their music files, videos and images and allows for direct-to-fan sales. Facebook and Twitter are two very different platforms, but valuable in their own ways. We owe a big thank you Tim Berners-Lee for bringing the world the user interface we call the web browser.”
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