Radiohead got great coverage of their "In Rainbows" album that you could download and pay what you feel like.

Funny that 2008 saw the album was released in record stores around the world and you can no longer download it. Early adopters only thanks! Record labels rejoice as we all realize there still more money to be made with physical CD's.

But don't let Radiohead's PR train fool you into thinking they were the only ones. It wasn't just Radiohead doing this there were other examples all with seemingly positive results.

Steal This Film part I & Part II asked the P2P users to pay a small donation and it seems to have worked out OK.

Revolution let people into theaters for free and had them pay at the end. In the Fox interview below the producer says "we've made over $5 million" which is great for a independent film.

Even comedians are getting in on the act with Steve Hofsetter making triple his normal royalty if he released he latest album on a label. This article quotes "In the first two days of sales, Hofstetter says he has made more money than he did in the first two weeks of his last album."

Trent Reznor and his pet project "Niggy Tardust" had 28,000 people pay $5 for the new album. That equated to 18% of the total downloads.

After reading Trent's quite honest report on his site he seems disappointed. Sounds like he spent quite a bit of money actually producing the album. Also he set the price $5. All the other efforts asked people to pay what they felt. So people may have paid more. Also he could have brought in more smaller donations.

These successes show you don't have to be one of the biggest bands on the world to make this work. In fact the gimmick might even expand your brand beyond your initial fan base.

Will any major brands trial this idea in 2008. Pay what you want for a pair of Nike's? I guess it's easy for digital distribution. You not actually at a lose if 1,000,000 people take you up on your offer and don't pay. But with psychical products there is a production cost.

I guess the Hare Krishna's have been doing this for a long time with their free food in exchange for a donation of some kid. And I know there have been many "Pay what you feel" restaurants in the past that get by the same way.

Posted by Ashley Ringrose at 9:35 AM | Link to this Article | Comments
Archived in: Interesting Articles

Britney Spears locked herself in out server room and started causing havoc. So the site was down for 12 hrs today. We apologize for the inconvenience.

You'll need to clear your cache and reload if it's looking a little funny still. We have moved it over to a new (Britney Proof) host. Those in Australia will notice a significant speed increase in page loads.

Posted by Ashley Ringrose at 7:56 PM | Link to this Article | Comments
Archived in: BB News

With over 920 examples of the best in online advertising we thought it might be interesting to focus on a particular subject and showcase the best exmaples. Sex in advertising has been a staple of traditional advertising and it seems digital has it'd fair share. I present below 26 of the sexiest ads on Bannerblog. They range from blatent sexual imagery to innuendo to the down right sexist. Although all good examples of online advertising and many of them award winning. These are presented in their sections in no particular order.
Sex sells so use it
Sexy but in a creative & fun way
Sexy in a subtle way (all require audio)
Sexy or sexist? This is a male dominated industry
Something for the ladies
In bad taste but for a good cause
If we've missed any let us know and we're always open to submissions. Also feel free to suggest the next topic of focus.

Posted by Ashley Ringrose at 10:42 PM | Link to this Article | Comments
Archived in:

An interesting technology from the Australian Centre for Visual Technology called VideoTrace. You can download the paper describing the technology here

The simple models it generate are perfect for Google Earth 3D models, low poly video games and Michael Gondry film clips.

With the huge coverage multi touch screens, photosyth and other international based technology has been getting lately it's nice to see some Aussies doing something interesting too.

The next Siggraph is in LA during August with the first Asia Siggraph being held in Singapore in December 08.

Posted by Ashley Ringrose at 9:53 PM | Link to this Article | Comments
Archived in: Technology

AMC are premiering a new original drama series on Jan 20 called Breaking Bad. If it's half as good as their first effort Mad Men then we are all in for a treat. After checking out the first 5 minutes online I have to say I'm intrigued.

View the experience here. An interesting fact is that all the graphics are shot as video. There's no 3D which is very evident with the test tube section. Also the experience is random giving you a different experience each time you visit. Although the random element isn't really sold into the user.

It reminds me of the early Hi-Res sites where you are taken through a journey rather than left to navigate freely. The sound design is top notch. Actually follow the instructions and turn your speakers up as this really heightens the mood.

Also it took me 3 minutes to realize it's the dad (Bryan Cranston) from Malcolm in the Middle. My fav character from the show. I had no idea he has been in so many different productions.

The online experience is by Mono and Unit 9. Mono reflecting AMC's success with everything they touch turning to gold and coming from no where to be a major player in the last 12 months.

Posted by Ashley Ringrose at 1:04 PM | Link to this Article | Comments
Archived in: Site Launch