The James Kilgour BlogA Life Blog.

I haven’t been a very good blogger recently, but I will be back!

JK

Qtrax, the fledgling free music download service has finally announced its intention on launching… this time for real. I’ve written about the company previously, regarding it’s many failed launches and missed deadlines. However, this seems like the real deal.

I’m excited.

Yesterday, I listened in on an online press conference with the CEO Allan Klepfisz.  I also posed my questions on the upcoming world launch to him. The first country to launch will be Australia/New Zealand on November 5th, with a new Asian-Pacific country launching every Thursday until Christmas. According to Klepfisz, the decision to launch in  this region first is down to the high illegal download rates; over 95% of music downloads are illegal. I asked Klepfisz regarding his US and UK/European launch plans; he responded that the US would be live in Q1 next year, and the UK by February. He also noted that Qtrax had music licenses for 77 Countries worldwide; more than any other global music service. Notably, Japan has not been included in this, although India  and other majors will be.

Klepfisz also announced a partner deal with Baidu search; China’s largest online search engine, with a 70% market share. From the Chinese launch (17th Dec), visitors to Baidu’s Entertainment Portal and Qian Qian Music Online software will be redirected to Qtrax artist pages; thus providing huge numbers of traffic. Klepfisz highlighted that Qtrax would work with other local partners in other territories to gain similar deals, as well as viral marketing to gain users. The motives behind this deal seem to be China’s tightening up on Copyright Laws. Klepfisz predicts that this will further aid Qtrax in gaining users and thus revenue. Baidu is notorious for linking to millions of illegal music downloads, something that has been a major source of criticism and investigation from the copyright bodies.

Obviously revenue in an important issue to Qtrax. Spiral Frog was another free download service that failed to gain revenue, and collapsed several months ago. Klepfisz revealed that the company had managed to acquire sufficient funding, and hopes to raise a further $50 million through their financial partners in China. Lance Ford, Chief Marketing Officer highlighted their plans to utilise ads for revenue; he “forecasts good advertiser pickup” with “high quality revenue from day 1”. Both Ford and Klepfisz believe that they will “hit the ground running” through a mixture of network ads and premium ads from blue chip advertisers; they noted that the two types of ads will integrate seamlessly into the Qtrax software to engage users, not repel them. 

I was also interested in how Qtrax is different from other services, such as the massively successful Spotify. Klepfisz responded that Qtrax would use Local Music to attract visitors. Other global services are very western, and do not utilise regional music. He highlighted that only 15% of music sales in China were for Western Artists. He also pointed out that Qtrax is a download site, and not just another Spotify. He did however preach his like for the Streaming Service, but also mentioned that Qtrax is “the ultimate step”. Furthermore, he identified that Qtrax will be easy to use with Social Networking features built around Music (as opposed to Facebook/MySpace etc, which uses music as an add-on).

Next, Klepfisz talked on the ability of Qtrax to attract users from illegal services, such as BitTorrent. His argument was that Qtrax will provide a superior user experience; a highspeed browser with “10 second downloads”, a good quality site and a full music catalogue. Another feature shows was the link in with other sites; Qtrax will link artist pages to sites such as TicketMaster and Amazon, providing users with the ability to buy merchandise and concert tickets from within the software; something that will also serve as an additional revenue stream. Next Klepfisz mentioned that Qtrax will have more than just downloads like a BitTorrent site; ie. Artist Information (nothing groundbreaking).

A final point I asked the Australian CEO was about DRM and Portability. Unfortunately Qtrax will use the system to track music usage. In addition, music will only be playable within the Qtrax player, (in order to keep users within the environment). A good piece of news on this subject was however that Portability would be available up to two weeks after each territory launch. Unfortunately, iPods won’t be supported at immediately, however Klepfisz promised that Qtrax will investigate possible deals with Apple on the issue. He promised that an iPhone App was in the pipeline. 

It’s great to hear that Qtrax may finally be coming. The service has been several years in the making, and has always been hope that free, legal music would happen. My only concern now is on uptake. If the company can do a ‘Spotify’ and capture the youth market, then may have a hope. A large user base would be the necessary bargaining chip for the company to survive and ultimately succeed in a notoriously tough industry. After all,  that’s Show Business.    

JK  

After analyzing three dramatic monologues by Robert Browning; ‘My Last Duchess’, ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ and ‘Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister’, I will determine whether ‘Mr Browning has the power of a great dramatic poet’, as John Forster believes in the extract from ‘Robert Browning’s Poetry Critical Edition’.

‘My Last Duchess’ is a Dramatic Monologue by Browning, which uses the Speaker to create drama. The speaker is a selfish, ostentatious Duke, who has had his wife killed: “I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together.” He tells the reader this, through the dramatic monologue, in which the Duke is speaking to a messenger who has come to arrange a Dowry for the Duke’s future wife. The speaker treats his Duchess as a possession: ‘That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall’. The personal pronoun here emphasizes the ownership the Duke felt towards the woman. This technique emphasizes the selfish, egotistical and dominating personality of the speaker to the reader, which makes the poem more dramatic. Browning also uses enjambment throughout the poem; ‘Fra Pandolf’s hands… worked busily a day, and there she stands’. This technique creates a rhythm, which drives the reader through the poem. It creates the atmosphere of the Duke being very self-indulgent and one sided, informing the messenger of his story, without allowing comment, question or response from the messenger. This again makes the poem more dramatic and powerful. The monologue reads like a one-sided conversation: “A heart – how shall I say? – too soon made glad”. The parenthesis here creates the effect that the Duke is speaking directly to the reader; including rhetorical questions which makes the piece seem very current. This atmosphere is similar to that created by live drama, as it “reaches out from the page”. In the monologue, the Duke is particularly egotistical, as he says “as if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old-name with anybody’s gift”. The use of the hyphens here is particularly effective, as it emphasizes the line, making him seem very self-important. From this line, the Duke is feeling unappreciated and jealous, as if she ranks him the same as anybody else. The end of the monologue reads “Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!” The line is particularly poignant as it moves on quickly, as if the Duke feels no regret for his actions, as is simply showing the messenger his art collection. The line is also boasting, which matches the character’s ego. Importantly, the monologue ends in the word ‘me’. This suits the Duke’s unashamed self-absorption. The exaggeration and emphasis on the speaker’s character in the poem makes the monologue more dramatic, and entertaining.

‘Porphyria’s Lover’ is another dramatic monologue by Browning. It starts off by creating a sinister atmosphere: “The rain set early in to-night, the sullen wind was soon awake, it tore the elm-tops down for spite.” The opening acts as a bad omen, personifying the wind which creates the imagery of evil beings, such as witches. The last word, “Spite” also involves harsh consonance, which matches the “bad omen” atmosphere. When Porphyria arrives in the monologue, the atmosphere of the piece changes to one of comfort; “When glided in Porphyria; straight, she shut the cold out and the storm, and kneeled and made the cheerless grate”. The rhyme which appears here creates rhythm, which drives the piece on and makes it fast paced. This leads to the monologue seeming very urgent and dramatic. The monologue moves on to become more sensual: “Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl, and laid her soiled gloves by… and let her damp hair fall”. This unveiling of herself to the speaker is very intimate, and shows that Porphyria is comfortable with her lover. As we learn how from the speaker, the relationship is unstable: “And all her yellow hair displaced”. This line creates a garish ugly imagery, which surprises the reader, and alludes to something odd. This creates a lot of drama for the reader. The speaker is obviously obsessed with Porphyria; he says “Porphyria worshipped me; surprise made my heart swell, and still it grew… That moment was mine, mine, fair, perfectly pure and good”. The speaker is “surprised” to find that Porphyria loves him. This alludes to the fact that he has a self-confidence issue. The repetition of “mine” and the alliteration of ‘perfectly pure’ also leads to the imagery that the speaker is obsessive over Porphyria; perhaps he has been hurt before? This obsession with her leads to her murder: “And strangled her. No pan felt she”. The murder is particularly gruesome as it comes without much warning, and seems entirely without real motive; she loves him after all. The short sentence structure of the physical murder also emphasizes the shock of the situation, and when he says “I am quite sure she felt no pain”, it’s almost as if he is trying to justify himself, which increases the readers idea that he is obsessive. This response to the character of ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ is similar to that of ‘My Last Duchess’, which also features an exaggerated, “evil” speaker.

Finally, ‘Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister’ is another dramatic monologue by Browning. The main speaker is again exaggerated, being a monk who hates his fellow Monk, Brother Lawrence, because he is envious and resentful of him. He starts of saying “My heart’s abhorrence!” which uses the personal pronoun, making the poem very personal, and the powerful word “abhorrence”, here meaning extreme disgust. The speaker also uses angry sarcasm throughout the monologue, or Soliloquy: “What’s the Latin name for “parsley”? What’s the Greek name for “swine’s snout”?” This again is very personal, as it shows private, angry thoughts. This Monologue is very different to the other two; it features anger as a main theme, instead of ego or obsession, and is direct to the reader as to the speaker’s intention: “Or, my scrofulous French novel, on gray paper with blunt type! Simply glance at it, you grovel”. Here, the speaker is plotting to trick Brother Lawrence into looking at a “French Novel”, a form of erotica, for which Monks are not permitted. This however brings up the question, as to how the monk himself knows of such content. The plot of the monologue makes the piece incredibly dramatic: a monk who wants to condemn his fellow to hell. This coupled with the Soliloquy’s irony; a monk of all individual’s should not have such amoral feelings, makes the piece very powerful in demonstrating morality to the reader, a feature of all the poems. In ‘My Last Duchess’, the moral is the pitfalls of a big ego (losing your wife to it), and in ‘Porphyria’s Lover’, the moral maybe to avoid harming those who really love you.

I believe, after analyzing these three Dramatic Monologues, that Robert Browning has the power of a great Dramatic Poet. I believe the vividness of the imagery he creates, and the exaggerated characters mean that the three Monologues could easily be translated to a dramatic performance. I also believe that the three pieces convey meaningful morals and ideas through hyperbole. As John Forster says in the extract, “We never think of Mr Browning while we read his poem: we are not identified with him but with the persons of whom he has flung his genius”. I agree with this, as in all three monologues, Browning has created characters of whom the reader becomes interested in, and who entertain the reader; thus meaning we need not think about the piece’s writer. Forster also says “In the agitation of the feelings, sight is given to the imagination”. I think this is especially true of Browning, because in all three monologues, we wish to know more, thus using our imagination, of either the events that take place before the Monologue, or in the case of ‘Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister’ after it. (The poem ends with the Monk being interrupted, being called to Vespers). Overall, I think Browning is a poet, who without the slightest hesitation we can name “at once with Shelley, Coleridge, [and] Wordsworth”.

JK

Here is a little art project I have been working on!

Don’t forget to follow me on twitter for loads of updates:

http://twitter.com/jmkuk

JK

Hi Guys,

Sorry I’ve not been a very good blogger recently…! Been very busy, living life etc etc. Anyway, will post soon!

JK

Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson has hit out about airbrushing, a common practice amongst the Rich, Famous and Beautiful, in the world of Media Perfection. She is asking for such photos to be banned if aimed at under-16s, and if not, carry warnings and disclaimers. Victoria Beckham’s appearance in a recent Armani Underwear ad has been highlighted:

‘She doesn’t look real,’ she said of the Armani ad. ‘One suspects work has been done in the photo suite. There is an obvious danger with thinking this is an easily achievable and healthy body image.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After seeing this picture, I have decided to create my own designer advert. Using a homemade Blue Screen Studio, (and a ton of lighting), I have put together my own super enhanced retouched ad. And I look a little silly.

You can see me here in front of a blue screen. I created this using a Blue Bed Sheet, propped up on my wardrobe doors. I then used a variety of household lights to light the Screen, and then a second set to light myself. The coat is DKNY and my red hoodie is Hilfiger. (Thought I would mention that… I don’t own Armani Underwear).

I then put the picture through some software called Portrait Pro, to airbrush my face, and then through Photoshop to retouch my shape. Following this, I used FXHome Photokey to change the background to a stock photo. Finally, I used Photoshop to change it to Black & White, and I enhanced the contrast. I also made a few other changes; (like removing the DKNY tag off my coat: I forgot!)

So. Here is the finished article:

This doesn’t look much like me.

I think the majority of people would say that Airbrushing and Retouching is wrong: it gives a false impression and aspirations to the impressionable. Young Girls (and Boys) are especially vulnerable, with 40-60% of western girls being on a diet, with 5.7% women (usually around 17 years old) being classed as Anorexic. (This compares to 3.2% in LEDCs, where airbrushing is less prevalent.) Stats. here.  

However, I regularly retouch my photos: yes, I only do slights adjustments such as Skin Enhancing, and Spot Removal. But I still do it. Why? Insecurity… Vanity? I’m not really sure, but perhaps this comes from the media culture of Retouching and false “Perfection”.

JK

Big Brother has been running for 10 years now, bringing into existence a whole new genre of TV. Big Brother is firmly one of the connotations of summer for many people. But after 10 years, is Big Brother still able to draw in an audience?

This years series has been the lowest rated since the beginning of the franchise, with as low as 2 million viewers each episode, and a low 10% viewing stake. The eviction of Angel on June 12th only attracted 1.6 million viewers; a franchise low.

Having watched BB10 from the beginning, I have to admit that this series is the worst. The show brings nothing new to the franchise, with boring housemates, and a complete absence of any memorable tasks and any good twists. Even the “10 Years of Big Brother” Task was dull, with past housemates barely being the house for more than 10 minutes a time.

Another major issue with this years series is the lack of a lovable housemate: the one everyone wants to win. At this point in the show, day 60, a lack of such a key housemate is a major flaw. Housemates are critical to the format. Three housemates have now left; if their bored, then so are we.

The glossy magazines also seem to have abandoned this year’s series, with Big Brother front covers at a minimum. Their support was one of the key factors behind the shows massive growth and influence.

The production team need to shake themselves up and make the series more exciting. I would recommend a dramatic twist: maybe split up the existing housemates, and make them fight each other for survival. They should also send in 5 new housemates again: this time some interesting ones. Avoid further Hiras. Putting the live feed back on would help too. This is the first series not to have the feed. Funny how it’s also the least successful.

Channel 4 are dependant on Big Brother. It seems they have put all their eggs in one basket, paying Endemol 180 million for three years up to Big Brother 11 (2010). They need to bring back the sparkle.

JK

Qtrax, a service hoping to offer unlimited free music downloads in exchange for ads, is being sued by Oracle USA, in a lawsuit filled in the California Northern District Court, on July 21st.

The service, which has been riddled with setbacks and delays, had finally announced a Global Launch on the 22nd July 2009. However, the company failed to reach this, with the site still advertising it’s Preview version, with downloads suspended since the 21st: the date of the lawsuit. Are they related?

Qtrax uses Oracle software to power it’s music database. The exact reason for the lawsuit,  is as yet unknown, and Qtrax has kept tight lipped. Unfortunately, it looks like Qtrax will yet again fail to launch.

JK

Blyk, the fledgling MVNO offering free calls and texts to young people in exchange for ad messages, has denied that it will shortly be terminating service, and moving consumers over to the Orange Network. In a conversation with myself and Blyk Member care, I was given the following response:

James says
    Hi
4421421 / Kyle says
    Hi you are through to Kyle at Blyk, how can I help?
James says
    Hi. Is it true that Blyk will shortly be terminating service and licensing to Orange?
4421421 / Kyle says
    No it is not. If you want company changes you are best off checking the corporate website, Blyk.com.

 

I was myself a member of Blyk for around a year (see here), in which time I experienced numerous problems with the service. Recently, rumours have been spread of a possible Licensing Deal with Orange, for them to provide a free, ad-supported service, basically a repackaged Blyk, see here.

I do however still see this happening. In this recession, startups like Blyk are in danger. Their recent reduction to £15 a month free credit indicated a poor financial situation. Joining leauges with a major player like Orange would be hugely benneficial. We’ll have to wait and see.

JK 

Yesterday I watched the new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter an the Half Blood Prince. Other than getting a Concession ticket, saving 30p, there were a few good moments. However they mainly revolved around the fact that I didn’t take the film very seriously. 

Actually on balance, I enjoyed this film more than any of the others. Now that was not expected.

One moment in particularly was funny: when Ron wakes up in the hospital wing, he starts saying "Hermione",  Hermione". However, me being incredibly dim thought he was saying "my knee", "my knee"!

However, I immensely disliked the fact that half of the film bared no relationship to the book; what was the point in that scene where Bellatrix set fire to the Wheasley’s field? Also how come the house looked completely different from when it appeared in the second film?

Overall though it wasn’t bad. And I spent my saved 30p on a Curly Whirly

JK