Gawker: valleywag, american idol

David Cook wants me to pretend his new single got leaked

Paul Boutin — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:40:00 EST

Remember when the music industry said MP3s on the Internet were going to destroy music? Here's an inside glimpse at how much things have changed since Napster. Today, publicists contact me to try to arrange stories about songs their clients have intentionally "leaked" onto the Internet. American Idol David Cook is the latest in a long line. David, I love your act, but next time bypass the "mobile-only social network" and upload yourself straight to YouTube. Here's the pitch, minus the name of the hanger-on tech company trying to ride along with Cook's fame:

From: Andrea Boone
Date: November 14, 2008 9:07:06 AM PST
To: Subject: Music-mobile partnership serves up industry artists

Hi Paul...MySpace has given millions of users the inside scoop on hot new artists and the next big single. But interest has plummeted, and with the cell overtaking the computer as a user’s ‘first screen’, the mobile industry is the next promotional frontier.

SRC Records found the solution in a unique music-mobile partnership with mobile-only social networking site, [REDACTED]. [REDACTED], the largest mobile social network in the US and third most trafficked site on the web, turns a user’s cell phone into the only source for exclusive unreleased demo tracks and interviews by Def Jam artists. Holed up in a tiny NYC hotel room with a video camera, [REDACTED] asks the artists questions keyed in by members from their cell and streams the interview to chat rooms and the site. Love it? Hate it? Users key in feedback- the power to ultimately determine if or how the song is released.

Today—American Idol David Cook has ‘leaked’ one of his tracks for his album slated for release on the 18th—

Do you have time to do a quick call?

Thanks,
Andrea

——————————————————————-
Andrea Boone| Account Executive| SSPR

(photo by AP/Jason DeCrow)

Paula Abdul to get her game on at D6 conference

Owen Thomas — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:00:00 EDT

CARLSBAD, CA — The hot gossip this morning at the Wall Street Journal's D6 conference: American Idol judge Paula Abdul, seen here in the video for "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," is in the building. My bet: something to do with Activision CEO Bobby Kotick's appearance, since his company's music game, Guitar Hero, was advertised heavily on the show's final week. Could a new American Idol videogame — one that's not utterly horrible, like the one released last year — be on deck? Update: A tipster inside the ballroom reports:

Lame lame lame Guitar Hero world tour demo ... Paula Abdul is judge

So much for that theory!

The success of the startup Obama, the 100-word version

Jackson West — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:00:00 EDT

Barack Obama's campaign for president has raised a staggering $200 million from contributors through the Web, tapping Valley talent like Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and Mark Gorenberg, a VC with Hummer Winblad. Obama has surpassed fundraising efforts by his primary opponent Hillary Clinton, even though she's raised more money for her campaign than her husband, former President Bill Clinton, ever did in winning an election. And he's doing it under the rules put in place by the Republican candidate, John McCain, under the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law. You can read all the details in The Atlantic's 5,243-word feature by Joshua Green, but a summary, 98-word paragraph is all you need to read.

"If the typical Gore event was 20 people in a living room writing six-figure checks, and the Kerry event was 2,000 people in a hotel ballroom writing four-figure checks, this year for Obama we have stadium rallies of 20,000 people who pay absolutely nothing, and then go home and contribute a few dollars online." Obama himself shrewdly capitalizes on both the turnout and the connectivity of his stadium crowds by routinely asking them to hold up their cell phones and punch in a five-digit number to text their contact information to the campaign.

That's right, text short codes. Because armed with a phone number, the campaign instantly knows nearly everything they'd need to reach out to potential supporters to solicit donations as well as remind them to vote in primaries and, eventually, the general election — from voter registration status to address, contribution history to demographic data. Obama isn't the social network candidate, he's the American Idol candidate.(Photo from Steve Jurvetson)

"American Idol" airs Fox, Apple lovefest

Owen Thomas — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:07:33 EST

As many do for the Super Bowl, I find the ads on American Idol more interesting than the show. It's among the priciest prime-time real estate around. Last year, ads cost $600,000 per 30-second spot. So it raised my eyebrows to see Apple purchasing multiple spots for the MacBook Air in tonight's broadcast. I counted two in just the last half-hour. Did Apple shell out more than $1 million for a couple of ads?

Unlikely. Fox is also partnering with Apple to feature Idol downloads on iTunes. The two companies, which also collaborate on movie downloads, could well have bartered promotions. An unfair advantage over the likes of HP and Dell? Of course. Steve Jobs's Hollywood ties are paying off on the bottom line.