I plan to take this blog in an altogether different direction. I will still be adding content for my Reporting 3120 class, but also relevant content about the Memphis Music Resource Center.

Memphis Music is one of my many passions. Artists such as the Bar-Kays, Booker T. and the M.G.'s, Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas, David Porter have always been among my favorites. Naturally when the assignment came down to tackle a beat I immediately knew Memphis music would be my topic of choice.

I chose to report on the wonderful benefits of the MMRC. The MMRc has its own blog site, but I wanna scratch beneath the surface of what they are trying to accomplish and find out more about the individuals involved and their motives.

First up is one week from tonight the MMRC will host an event with Tunecore founder and C.E.O. Jeff Price titled 6 legal copyrights that drive the music industry.

R.S.V.P. here: http://tunecore.eventbrite.com/

Brave New World

International concert promoters, Live Nation, are trying to change the way you buy concert tickets. Actually they are trying to do away with tickets altogether. Live Nation will experiment with smart-chip wristbands at a number of Uk Summer festivals this year. This is an attempt by Live Nation to cut down on ticket fraud.
In addition to concert entry the wristbands will allow concertgoers to purchase food and drinks. Currently each concertgoer would have to verify their identity in order to gain entry. Live Nation has not said anything about whether or not people wil be able to resell their tickets should they not be able to attend.

see story here:http://www.fastcompany.com/1597432/concert-promoters-aiming-for-chip

Yelp reviews: The customer isn't always right.

Social media review site Yelp.com, is being sued for extortion by several business because it offers a paid service that will move bad reviews to the end of a listing. This service also allows business owners to identfy any bogus reviews and have them completely removed.
The legal issue being debated is whether or not Yelps' service is a form of extortion. Yelp spokesperson Vince Sollitto recently said that Yelp needs this "review filter" system in place to protect businesses from reviews by people who just want to bash them because they had a bad day.

Full article here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1588083/yelp-law-suit-legal-extortion-social-networking-review-business-smartphones

Facebooked

This week's post deals with an article from fastcompany.com about prison inmates in the U.K. that were busted using facebook to continue their criminal activities from the inside. The article, written by Tyler Bray, can be found here: http://www.fastcompany.com/1547737/facebook-pulls-30-inmate-pages-uk-colin-gunn

British prisons place restrictions on inmates internet activity by blocking social networking sites and limiting internet usage. Some prisons don't allow any acces at all. Inmates have found a way around these restrictions by having cell phones smuggled in to the prisons and using the phones to access the internet. The inmates were then using Facebook to send threatening messages to their victims and accusers from jail. In a joint effort with the British government, Facebook has pulled the pages of 30 inmates.

One infamous prisoner, Nottingham gangster Colin Gunn, who is serving a 35 year sentence for conspiracy to commit murder psoted threatening messages directed to the people that put him in prison. Gunn was also the focus of a scandal that centered around a website that Gunn had set up, while in prison, to change his public image and discredit the press reports about him. the site can be found here: http://www.colingunn.net/. Police have since restricted Gunn's access to the internet so he must send letters to friends who then update his site.

Facebook spokesperson, Sophy Silver, issued this response to the AP:
"The World Wide Web can be a wild and unruly place. Facebook tries to put some rules and protocols on top of the unruly Web."

The future of media

I have developed a hearty interest in this topic after researching the financial state of the newspaper industry and what it means for the future of print media, for Dr. Arant's Media Ethics class. I looked at the trends in circulation decline in the cities with one or more major daily. I also read the opinions of scholars and media professionals who have been researching this issue longer than I had. What I discovered alarmed me.

Everyone had someone or something to blame. Some blamed the conglomerate culture that has permeated the media industry for years. They felt that once big business took over the industry, the focus of news media changed from delivering truthful accurate news to getting the most sensational story in order to attract advertising dollars. In their opinion money was all that mattered. While others blamed technology. I felt that this view was monumentally ignorant because media has always been evolving with technology. First came radio, then television, and now the internet. News is always going to be a commodity. The delivery method is what changes over time.

What is the future of media? Many people have asked that question repeatedly over the past two decades and from what I can tell no one really knows. Oh don't get me wrong there are plenty of opinions as to what the future media landscape will look like, but the truth is that no one really knows. Technology changes constantly and media will no doubt keep up with the changes. I guess the real questions I would like to know the answer to are: How will I make money? What are the skills I need to compete in the next phase of media evolution. What can I do to ensure that I remain relevant and employed? Let's be honest here this is what we really want to know. I feel that we as journalism students and future media professionals can only affect the direction of media's future through our integrity and objectivity. The big money guys will figure out how to get it to the masses. It's in their best interest$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Questions for Shirley Raines

What is being done to prevent a rise in tuition costs?
Are the rises in tuition linked in any way to the current economic crisis?
If Governor Bredesen does not receive the aid he is expecting from the stimulus package, what is your plan to keep the University prospering despite budget cuts?
Should drastic budget cuts occur what departments or services will likely suffer?

Follow the Leeder

Anecdotal lead critique

Remember the sensual dinner scene in the 1963 movie "Tom Jones"? Every morsel of food Albert Finney and Joyce Redman ate took on a seductive quality. And when you think of romantic food, the first thing that comes to mind is the oyster.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/feb/11/sexy-feast/

I liked the movie reference because it made me think of that scene and how I'd like to have a sensual meal with someone special similar to it.

The lead makes me think that the oyster or will be the focus of the piece.

Hard lead critique

The White House plan to rescue the nation’s financial system, announced on Tuesday by Timothy F. Geithner, the Treasury secretary, is far bigger than anyone predicted and envisions a far greater government role in markets and banks than at any time since the 1930s.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/business/economy/11bailout.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

I liked this one as well because if I was short on time and was just skimming through it gives me all the info I need immediately. I would then have the option to read further or move on.

I think the writer felt that the plan being larger than expected and the fact that the government will be more involved in financial matters was most important.