Oliver Sacks, physician,
author and professor of neurology and psychiatry: "Music can move
us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something,
or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when
nothing else can. It can get us dancing to its beat. But the power of
music goes much, much further. Indeed, music occupies more areas of
our brain than language does - humans are a musical species."
At our upcoming event on
April 29 about
the
future of Music we are
having a dialogue about Music
& the Brain, Music
& Creative Projects - online and wireless
and Music
in Games.
Are you interested in the travel and tourism business, then don't miss
our LAB
on the future of TOURISM
- a 2-day lab in the Alt Emporda in Catalonia, Spain.
Date: May 25 & 26, 2010. Registration
deadline: April 15
by IFPI(International Federation of the Phonographic Industry)
“New licensing
deals help push digital music sales to 27% of global revenues
- but piracy is damaging investment in artists”
Global digital
music trade revenues reach US$4.2 billion, up 12% in 2009
400 services licensed
worldwide by music companies with ISPs, mobile and other partners
New figures show
local music collapsing in major markets as piracy bites into
releases, sales and investment in France, Spain and Brazil
IFPI Digital Music
Report highlights urgent need for legislation to curb digital
piracy on ISP networks
More than a quarter
of all recorded music industry revenues worldwide are now coming
from digital channels, as music companies license music in partnership
with ISPs and mobile operators, subscription services, streaming
sites and hundreds of download stores.
However, despite
the continuing growth of the digital music business - with trade
revenues up 12% to an estimated US$4.2 billion in 2009 - illegal
file-sharing and other forms of online piracy are eroding investment
and sales of local music in major markets.
In particular, three
countries known for the historic vibrancy and influence of their
music and musicians - Spain, France, Brazil - are suffering acutely,
with local artist album sales or the number of releases plummeting.
Governments are gradually
moving towards legislation requiring ISPs to curb digital piracy.
But progress needs to be much quicker. In 2009, France, South
Korea and Taiwan adopted new laws to address the crisis. Other
governments, including the UK and New Zealand, have proposed new
laws for adoption in 2010.
These are key highlights
of the IFPI Digital Music Report, published today. The Report
provides an overview of the music industry's changing business
models, outlines the impact of digital piracy internationally,
and reviews the efforts of governments to address it.
New models are
increasing consumer choice
The Report outlines
how music companies are diversifying their revenue streams, offering
new ways for consumers to buy and access music. These include:
subscription services; music services bundled with devices and
broadband subscriptions; streaming services with applications
for mobile devices; advertising-supported services that offer
premium services; and online music video services.
In the last year,
music companies have partnered with advertising-supported services
such as Spotify, Deezer, MySpace Music and We7; ISPs such as TDC
in Denmark, Terra in Brazil and Sky in the UK; mobile operators
such as Vodafone; handset makers such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson;
and online video channels such as Hulu and VEVO.
Sales of music downloads,
the dominant revenue stream in digital music, are seeing steady
growth. Single track download sales increased by an estimated
10%, while digital albums rose an estimated 20% in 2009. Recent
innovations in this sector include the introduction of variable
pricing, which has increased the conversion of track purchases
to album sales, as well as the launch of the iTunes LP and the
rollout of DRM-free downloads internationally.
New figures show
piracy is harming investment in local talent
Despite this progress,
piracy is the major barrier to growth of the legitimate digital
music sector and is causing severe damage to local music industries
around the world. Providing new evidence of this, three of the
world's biggest music markets, all heavily dependent on local
repertoire - France, Spain and Brazil - have seen a sharp slump
in the fortunes of their local music industries:
In Spain, which
has one of the highest rates of illegal file-sharing in Europe,
sales by local artists in the top 50 have fallen by an estimated
65% between 2004 and 2009;
France, where
a quarter of the internet population downloads illegally, has
seen local artist album releases fall by 60% between 2003 and
2009;
In Brazil, full
priced major label local album releases from the five largest
music companies in 2008 were down 80% from their 2005 level.
The report shows
that, while the music industry has increased its digital revenues
by 940% since 2004, piracy has been the major factor behind the
overall global market decline of around 30% in the same period.
Overall, global music sales in the first half of 2009 were down
by 12% (physical and digital sales) and full year figures are
likely to see a similar trend.
Third party studies
overwhelmingly conclude that the net impact of illegal file-sharing
is to depress sales of music. Two surveys confirmed this in 2009
- by Jupiter Research, covering five European countries, and Harris
Interactive, covering the UK. According to Jupiter, around one
in five internet users in Europe (21%) shares unauthorised music.
"Climate
change" for creative industries
The Report also shows
how digital piracy is causing "climate change" across
the creative industries. In 2009 the issue rose to the top of
the agenda for film and TV producers as well as book publishers.
TV programme piracy is estimated to be growing faster than in
music, according to research firm Big Champagne. Meanwhile, the
film industry estimates illegal film streams and downloads account
for 40% of its piracy problem by volume (MPAA).
The Report calls
for the urgent adoption of laws to curb P2P and other forms of
online piracy - including the "graduated response" by
which ISPs would cooperate with right holders in deterring illegal
file-sharing on their networks.
Introducing the Report,
IFPI chairman and CEO John Kennedy, said: "Music fans today
can acquire tracks and albums in ways not conceivable a few years
ago - from download stores, streaming sites, subscription services,
free-to-user sites, bundled with their broadband or a mobile phone
handset.
"It would be
great to report that these innovations have been rewarded by market
growth, more investment in artists, more jobs. Sadly that is not
the case. Digital piracy remains a huge barrier to market growth
and is causing a steady erosion of investment in local music.
The collapse in sales and investment in France, Spain and Brazil,
countries with traditionally vibrant music cultures, testify to
this and are a warning to the rest of the world.
"In 2009 the
mood has crucially changed. It is now accepted that this is about
the future of a broad base of creative industries that have huge
economic importance and employ vast numbers of people. Governments,
led by France, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK and New Zealand led
the way in 2009 by adopting or proposing legislation to tackle
piracy. It is vital these efforts are seen through to their conclusion
and followed by other governments in 2010."
IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) represents
the recording industry worldwide with some 1400 members in 66
countries and affiliated industry associations in 45 countries.
.Next
Event
the
future of Music
Thursday, April 29, 2010 Registration: 18:30-19:00, Conference: 19:00-21:15
Location: Hogeschool
van Amsterdam,
Auditorium, Singelgrachtgebouw, Rhijnspoorplein
1, 1091 GC Amsterdam
[corner Wibautstraat and Mauritskade] registration more
information
The speakers
are Tom
Pearce,
internationally
renowned producer, Owner, Practical Music
Music
in Games Making
our own future - Gaming as a promotion and distribution system
Theo Ploeg,
lecturer at HvA, journalist, sociologist Music & Creative Projects - online
and wireless Creativity, music & new media
Aaltje
Van Zweden-van Buuren,
Founder, The Papageno Foundation & Ria
Veldhuizen, Music Therapist,
The Papageno Foundation Music & the Brain
Moments of Musical
Meeting, playing with time and expectation.
moderated by GUsta
Lebbink,
Lebbink
Consult
.Regenerative
Medicine
Regenerative Medicine is the process of creating living, functional
tissues to repair or replace tissue or organ function lost due
to age, disease, damage, or congenital defects. This field holds
the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the
body by stimulating previously irreparable organs to heal themselves.
Regenerative medicine also empowers scientists to grow tissues
and organs in the laboratory and safely implant them when the
body cannot heal itself. Importantly, regenerative medicine has
the potential to solve the problem of the shortage of organs available
for donation compared to the number of patients that require life-saving
organ transplantation, as well as solve the problem of organ transplant
rejection, since the organ's cells will match that of the patient.
From bladder and trachea, to cartilage and heart – we’ve
successfully grown more than 20 types of cells in the laboratory.
We are an international leader in translating scientific discovery
into clinical therapies. Our scientists were the first in the
world to successfully implant a laboratory-grown organ into humans
and have achieved other world firsts.
In 2006, we reported
long-term success implanting bladders that were engineering in
the laboratory into young patients with spina bifida
Today, as the bladder
technology is being evaluated in patients with spinal cord injuries
and in women with severe cases of overactive bladder, we're working
to grow more than 22 other tissues and organs. More than 100 projects
are currently underway.
A research team from the National Taiwan University Hospital has
evaluated the efficiency of transplanted hepatocyte (liver) cells
in animal models severely damaged by two kinds of chemical toxicity
to see whether and how transplanted hepatocytes were able to efficiently
repopulate the toxin-induced, severely damaged livers.
The study was carried out in the on-going effort to evaluate hepatocyte
transplantation as an alternative to liver transplantation, not
only because of the current shortage of liver donors for transplantation,
but also because successful cell transplantation is simpler, less
invasive and less expensive than organ (i.e., liver) transplantation.
The researchers found
that animal model of livers with damage induced from combined
retrosine-plus-D-galactosamine (as opposed to animals infused
with single toxins) were subject to "massive repopulation
of the liver by transplanted hepatocyte cells and hepatocyte growth
factor genes."
"This is an interesting
model where massive liver cell death is imposed over a background
where the native liver fails to regenerate," said section editor
Dr. Stephen Strom, professor in the Division of Cellular and Molecular
Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh. "These are important
pre-clinical studies because of the similarities of this model to
Acute Liver Failure (ALF) in human patients. The enhanced proliferation
of donor cells following transplantation helps to explain why the
transplantation of even relatively small numbers of hepatocytes
can reverse liver failure."
CARMAT
SAS
In France, there is a new regenerative medicine medical device,
the CARMAT heart.
The company has been spun out of a collaboration between the renowned
surgeon Professor Carpentier and EADS on implementation of biomaterials
and cutting-edge technologies in the construction of an artificial
heart. CARMAT intends to market a fully implantable artificial heart
that will be able to provide renewed hope and quality of life to
the hundreds of thousands of patients suffering in the aftermath
of a massive heart attack or with late-stage heart failure and for
whom standard drug therapy, ventricular assistance and/or a heart
transplant have failed or are not possible.
The new design uses cutting-edge biopolymer materials that promise
to reduce the formation of dangerous blood clots - a persistent
problem with early artificial hearts - and may even spare patients
from needing to use nettlesome anticoagulant drugs. And feedback
sensors and software can adjust the heart's speed and pressure depending
on the exertion level of the wearer, permitting a vastly greater
range of physical activity.
The preliminary animal
trials and lab tests performed with the CARMAT artificial heart
have generated interest from the medical community in France and
worldwide, as well as from the health authorities. At present,
CARMAT's prototype artificial heart has been patented and is undergoing
preclinical testing. It meets the human body's biocompatibility
criteria. It is functionally similar to the human heart in both
anatomic and functional terms - notably via automatic regulation
of heart rate and blood flow according to the patient's physiological
needs. Following approval by the French Agency for Healthcare
Product Safety, CARMAT's prototype will be evaluated first in
life-threatened patients with no other available treatment options
and then (depending on the results of the initial clinical trials)
in patients with a better prognosis.
Strata SE1 is the first development in the world where wind turbines
have been integrated within the fabric of the building. The three
five bladed nine metre diameter wind turbines are anticipated to
produce 50MWh of electricity per year for the landlords supply,
approximately 8% of Strata SE1's estimated total energy consumption.
Strata SE1's sustainable
design will reduce carbon emissions for the development and enable
Strata SE1's residents to benefit from lower domestic operating
costs, lower service charges, healthier internal environmental conditions
and general improvement in their wellbeing.
China – In the short-term, China’s outlook is quite
good. The lagged effects of aggressive policy in 2009 will render
strong growth in 2010. However, China’s success in offsetting
the negative impact of the global economic crisis now sets the stage
for possible troubles down the road, including risk of inflation,
asset price bubbles, excess industrial capacity, and troublesome relations
with trading partners.
Japan – Following a deep recession in 2009, Japan is now
experiencing very slow economic growth combined with deflation. The
government’s reaction to the crisis, a combination of monetary
and fiscal stimulus, was successful in restoring growth, yet progress
remains quite slow compared to other developed economies.
Australia – While the overall outlook for Australia is
for moderate growth, there are some risks to the forecast, such as
the country's high dependency on global commodity markets and its
increasing dependency on China's economic health.
India – India is recovering nicely from a very modest
slowdown. This reflects strengthening demand for Indian’s exports
as the global economy recovers. In addition, domestic demand is strengthening
as business investment accelerates in line with a high level of confidence.
Consumer spending is accelerating as well. The result is that the
economy is recovering faster than expected.
Legendary R&B icon Ray Charles claimed that he was "born
with music inside me," and neurologist Oliver Sacks believes
Ray may have been right. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the
Brain examines the extreme effects of music on the human brain
and how lives can be utterly transformed by the simplest of harmonies.
With clinical studies covering the tragic (individuals afflicted
by an inability to connect with any melody) and triumphant (Alzheimer's
patients who find order and comfort through music), Sacks provides
an erudite look at the notion that humans are truly a "musical
species." -- Dave Callanan
.LAB
on the future of TOURISM
LAB
on the future of TOURISM
2-day lab in the Alt Emporda in Catalonia, Spain. A unique place.
Date: May 25 & 26, 2010
Location Alt
Emporda in Catalonia, Spain
Moderator Humberto
Schwab, Philosopher
The
language is English.
For 8 - 12 participants.
Who
should attend? Strategic leaders and innovators in the travel and tourism
business.
What will they
take home?
Output: strong validated future scenarios for developing new businesses.
Strong concepts to innovate. New services made concrete.
Outcome: new tools
to innovate and collaborate.
.Graffiti
in South Africa
Drive around Cape
Town and you're bound to spot Faith47’s
exceptionally visual and engaging graffiti on a wall somewhere.
Faith47: "I’m
from South Africa. [The country] has raised me and given me hidings
and heartaches. I’m rooted here but I’m no believer
in patriotism. Lines drawn on a map with a pencil are not in sync
with nature. Therefore I belong to this world at large. I breathe,
in the knowledge that death is certain [and] I am trying to fully
catch each breath."
"Shot over three
days in Cape Town while Faith47 put up her work. Quite a heavy
place so the video tried to convey what was felt as well as the
spirit of the work itself."
The Wall Street Journal calls Gerd ‘one of the leading
Media Futurists in the World’. He is the co-author of the
influential book ‘The Future of Music’ (2005, Berklee
Press), as well as the author of ‘Music2.0’ (2008) and
the blog-book ‘The
End of Control’. Gerd's background is in music;
in 1985 he won the Quincy Jones Award and subsequently graduated
from Boston's Berklee College of Music (1987).
Since 2002, following a decade as digital media entrepreneur and
start-up CEO, Gerd travels around the globe and speaks at conferences,
events and think-tanks on the Future of Media, Content, Technology,
Business, Marketing & Advertising, Branding, Telecom, Communications
and Culture.
Gerd is considered a leading expert on topics such as social media,
mobile content and mcommerce, innovation and entrepreneurship,
UGC and peer production, copyright, licensing and IPR issues,
next-generation advertising, marketing and branding, digital content
strategies and the development of next-generation business models
in the content, communications & technology industries.
Gerd's keynotes, speeches, presentations and think-tank appearances
are renowned for his hard-hitting and provocative yet inspiring
and motivational style. With over 300 engagements in 29 countries
during the past 7 years, Gerd has addressed over 25.000 executives
and professionals, and is considered a key influencer.
His diverse client list includes Nokia, Google, Sony-BMG, Telkom
Indonesia, Siemens, Kuoni, RTL, ITV, the BBC, France Telecom /
Orange, Deutsche Telekom, The Financial Times, TribalDDB, DDB,
Omnicom, the European Commission, Nokia Siemens Networks and many
others. Gerd is a member of the Club of Amsterdam Expert group..
.Agenda
Our Season Program 2009 / 2010:
April 29,
2010
18:30-21:15
the
future of Music Location:
Hogeschool
van Amsterdam,
Auditorium, Singelgrachtgebouw, Rhijnspoorplein 1, 1091 GC Amsterdam [corner Wibautstraat and Mauritskade]
June 3,
2010
18:30-21:15
the
future of CERN
Location: WTC
- World Trade Center, Metropolitan Boardroom of Amsterdam In Business,
D tower 12th floor, Strawinskylaan 1, 1077 XW Amsterdam
July 1,
2010
18:30-21:15
the
future of Bollywood
Location: Amsterdam
May 25 & 26,
2010
LAB
on the future of TOURISM 2-day
lab in Spain.
Location Alt
Emporda in Catalonia, Spain Registration
deadline: April 15
.Contact
Your
comments, ideas, articles are welcome!
Please write to Felix Bopp, Editor-in-Chief: editor@clubofamsterdam.com
Club
of Amsterdam Journal.
