Yeah yeah, Led Zeppelin performed live….

The race for a ticket a ticket became such a reality show. Weddings rescheduled, funerals postponed, births put on hold. 20 lucky Israelis managed to get a chance to squeeze in between 20,000 lucky fans. The big prize? 4 old geezers (sorry, 3 and a decedent) recycling old records from the 70s.

I haven’t been to the show and it might as well have been a great show. I, too, grew up listening to Led Zep. I, too, felt the enlightenment when I was kicked out of a guitar store for playing Stairway to Heaven. But with all due respect, Led Zep were not a romantic band but a commercialized organization. I would have been happy to have seen them playing again, mostly for pure curiosity, but to me this specific concert is a big joke.

So what point am I trying to make?

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are aging musicians with more money than they will ever need. Their legacy was sort of ok just the way it was. Young teenagers still play ‘Stairway’, People in my age group still listen to ’Kashmir’ and ‘All of My Love’ and Baby Boomers can still name every track that was published on Led Zep I-IV.

Their new addition to that legacy is a single VIP concert followed by a DVD collection. Wow.

Led Zep is one of a few groups that can actually do whatever the hell they wish to do. They could have broadcasted the concert for free on the internet and to 180 countries on live TV. Why not?  They could have released the DVD on the official website. Make a wide impact on the industry. Why not?

But they chose more money instead. Whatever.  

      

OK, so the hysteria has somewhat calmed down. The reviewers are indeed mostly raving, but I can’t help being puzzled. The iPhone is supposed to change the industry, yet it uses yesterday’s technology.

1. EDGE is a different name for horrible browsing experience. The only equivalent I can think of is a scooter engine trying to pull a Rolls Royce.

2. Side-loading only? you mean I need to connect my phone to the PC again? wasn’t it all about mobility?

3. Camera without zooming? Are we back in 2003 and nobody told me?

Hats off the Apple and Jobs. Their marketing strategy belongs in the MBA hall of fame. I am sure the iPhone will be a great phone, eventually. Right now it’s a good looking iPod that gets you stuck with one mobile operator for 2 years.

      

Stuart O’brien reports that Groove Mobile is launching a direct D2C full track download service. The service will be based on the technology Groove has developed for SonyBMG and Vodafone UK will be the first to offer the service as a channel. Groove is busy recruiting additional labels and operator channels. From what I understand, Groove licenses the music and the operator agrees to put the service “on deck”, meaning that data charges will not be added to the full track purchase price.

This business model is significant in a number of ways.

From a user perspective the new service eliminates the hated hidden costs. As O’Brien reports, “Groove’s agreement with Vodafone means it can wrap the cost of the data up into the price of a £1.29 or £1.50 track, charged using premium SMS.” This is a key parameter; Evidence shows users won’t pay twice - for data and for content - it’s either one or the other.

The second significant factor is the fact Groove is moving up in value chain. From an enabler (Sprint, 3) to a service provider. In a perfect world, this is where companies like Groove should be - between the content provider and the operator, but as a service. This structure is key to user satisfaction, content richness and competitive pricing. Let’s hope other operators follow in the footsteps of Vodafone UK.