I worked for two summers as a rafting guide out in Colorado and was introduced to Melanzana. Melanzana is unique outdoor clothing company where the employees design, cut, sew, and sell everything out of their smalltown shop. Though it might sound small it is extremely popular in Colorado and the business has had offers from big name outdoor companies for rights to their name. Melanzana has refused all offers in order to stay a small “grass-roots” store. If you want to buy a “Zana” (as the locals call it) you either have to travel to the store high in the Rockies or visit their website.

I love this business and the product but they could use a revamp to their website (especially for all the business that they do online). A business like this that taps in to the outdoor culture so well and flourishes on its originality has tremendous potential online!

Check them out

http://www.melanzana.com/

Looking at top startups from 2010 yielded a lot of great results. The one that caught my eye? A plug-in called Rapportive. It’s a simple little gadget that you use with Gmail. It gives you all information from Twitter, LinkedIn, FB, and others. So when you are reading an e-mail from a possible job contact, you can quickly access all their information on the fly. It’s truly a great tool, and if the company releases more innovative products like this, they are sure to be around for a while!

Over the weekend I was thinking with my friend on how it would be possible to combine something I love to do–travel–and get paid for it. Then we remembered a show like “Amazing Race,” where the contestants have their travels paid for (and of course they are wanting to win the ultimate prize).

What if companies like North Face, REI, Clif, and others wanted to sponsor individuals who traveled throughout Latin America for example, simply roughing it and using their gear as positive PR. It makes sense to me, and it would work like this: 5 companies would need to give about $200 each in gear (some more or less, obviously, depending on what is needed). From there you as the traveler would catalogue all your travels, and be sure to tell about the products you are using (ie My North Face 70L hiking backpack feels so great! I have all my stuff in it and there is space left over!).

Then on their site (or you could create your own) you would document all these places and events; went on a 3 day hike through the Andes? Write a post about it and put up some picture!

The end result? Great PR for these companies (which translates to sold merchandise and positive image), and the trip of a lifetime for you!

Where do I sign up?

This week I want to focus on how CD sales (and lack thereof) affect artist income. There are a few points to make here, the first of which is that playing music professionally is rarely a steady or significant income. While there are some arguable ideas mentioned in this open letter from a mid-level metalcore band, the principle of a minimal income in this industry still exists. I worked at a small artist management firm last summer, and was surprised when I looked at some financial records at how low net income from tours was for relatively successful bands. The fact is that costs are very high and artists rely on whatever revenue streams they can get.

Second, let’s evaluate the general drop in CD sales. I could write forever about this topic (and many have), but let it suffice that they are in fact dropping steadily. This CNN article discusses the drop in CD sales, and regardless of how big a factor piracy is in this drop (digital song sales are another major cause), 20-30% is a scary decrease. Another indicator is Billboard’s popular Top 200 list. Breaking into the top 200 CD sales in a given week is no longer a noteworthy feat, as artists with only a couple thousand sales routinely appear on the prestigious measure. Bands in niche genres with no mainstream exposure are even seen in the top 50 relatively often.

Finally, how are artists affected by CD sales? While they may be biased and have certainly made some pointless moves in their fight against illegal downloading, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has an entire page devoted to piracy’s negative effects on the music industry. A slightly more fair assessment, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data and music sales numbers, shows that the two are strongly correlated, indicating unsurprisingly that higher music sales result in a higher number of professional musicians. Just as in any industry, higher demand for a product means more room for producers, as discussed in this Buzzgrinder article.

So what’s the conclusion here? After playing in independent bands myself and having many friends in them as well as researching this topic, I believe that every little bit helps. Next week we’ll look at some of the ethical issues behind illegal downloading. In couple weeks, keep an eye open for interview questions from individuals with different perspective in the music industry.

Have you ever gone out for a run and realized that you were keeping step to the music?  Studies show that listening to music during exercise improves performance both because it motivates and distracts from fatigue.  Why not find songs that fit your pace so you can stay in step with your desired split-times?

Jog.fm is a site that seeks to do that.  The site is quite simple to use.  On the homepage, there is an option to browse popular workout music that is categorized by its tempo.



You can pick music based on your pace and even browse playlists made by other users for specific workout times and split times.  Also, the site breaks up song categories by if they’re better for running, walking, or cycling!

This is just what I was looking for.  Time to run.