just got an email from indie screenings, they are the climate film 'Age of Stupid' more news to follow http://ping.fm/W8roY

michael jackson media entertainer and business man, invented the modern pop video check out this moonwalk http://tiny.cc/rTSlK

music labels to profit from online videos

Labels aim to profit on videos online

Majors band with YouTube to push content

By STEVE CHAGOLLAN, MARC GRASER

The major music labels used to give away musicvideos to promote their acts — so much so that MTV used that largesse to build a cable network — much to the ire of music publishers.

But as their other revenue streams struggle, the labels are eying the Web as a way to make those promos more profitable for themselves, either by charging viewers to watch them or by selling advertising around the productions.

Enter Vevo, the brainchild of Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Doug Morris, which launches later this year. Plans are to turn the website, backed by UMG and Sony Music Entertainment, into a premium musicvideo and entertainment service that will lure the millions of fans who currently get their musicvids from YouTube and MySpace.

The idea is to turn Vevo into a Hulu for the music biz. Hulu has been able to drum up ad dollars by streaming familiar network and cable TV shows and studio movies. YouTube will provide the platform for the site, which will include a special Vevo-branded videoplayer. And while it’s is not one of Vevo’s owners, YouTube’s ties to the new service should provide it with the kind of professionally produced content it’s been coveting lately.

UMG already has a presence on YouTube, with its dedicated music channel generating 3.6 million streams each month.

Vevo would showcase musicvids from artists on UMG’s labels, which include Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Universal Motown Republic Group, MCA Nashville and Polydor, as well as those from SMG’s Columbia, Arista, Epic, RCA, Jive and J Records, among others.

“We see this as a total, immersive music experience,” says once source, citing the labels’ “incredible library of content.” The UMG roster includes U2, Amy Winehouse, Diana Krall, Elton John and Lil Wayne, while SMG boasts Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Justin Timberlake, as well as popular catalog artists like Jimi Hendrix, the Who (with U) and Miles Davis (with Sony).

YouTube, like the record labels, has been trying to identify more ways to monetize its video programming. Its library of mostly user-generated vids may attract millions but advertisers have mostly shied away from having their marketing messages wrapped around that kind of content.

UMG and SME have yet to disclose whether Warner Bros. and EMI, who have been approached by Vevo, will add their own videos to the site once it bows. (The partners are also in talks with indie labels.) But that’s pretty likely, given how Hollywood has paired up for Hulu and video services like the one on Sony’s PlayStation Network.

Spokesmen at UMG and YouTube (the latter did not respond to calls or e-mails) were unable to comment on talks due to nondisclosure agreements.

As one insider put it, “a lot needs to happen between now and the launch date.”

In addition to musicvids, Vevo will offer everything from webisodes to “making of” minidocs. Previously unreleased archival material also no doubt will be mined for hard-core music fans.

Having content will be key to Vevo’s success, but that won’t guarantee profitability.

Yahoo Music’s two-year partnership with Nissan, which sponsored a series of intimate ad-supported concerts filmed in HD on a Fox lot soundstage to the tune of $30 million a year, provided a model for original music content on the Web. The venture, however, quietly died in December, with the economy in freefall.

Recently revamped MySpace Music also has most of the major record labels onboard but has struggled to establish itself with music fans.

While users will be able to access Vevo directly, YouTube, which according to Internet traffic tracker comScore attracts 60% of U.S. video watchers on the web, will also link to the site, as will other music-heavy destinations like MySpace, AOL and Yahoo.

Northwestvision and media av just blogged short film funds, but you need to be a team, cum to our event - funding here http://tiny.cc/cq2oO

Future Artists event meet film makers for funding

Northwest Vision and Media are launching their next set of short film funding, 'Broken Britain' my short film was funded by a scheme of theirs last year, they are looking for teams of people to apply, and the future artists event 3 days before, could be a great place to hook up, see you then  July 11th at the urbis CALLING ALL SHORT FILM MAKERS - SOME DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES AND UPCOMING SCHEMES! GREEN SHOOTS 2009/10 NWVM'S lower budget scheme for emerging filmmakers is launching soon! Green Shoots will support up to 6 short film projects. Full details will be available on the NWVM website from early July. In the meantime, please sign up for our related activities: 1) WHAT MAKES A GOOD SHORT FILM Date: 14 July 2009 Time: 17.45 - 19.45 Venue: Revolution, Manchester Oxford Road. M1 5WH Award winning writer/director Andy Ross will be coming to Manchester to lead a fantastic session on writing for short film. This session will be extremely useful for any writer considering applying for either Green Shoots or the Digital Shorts Scheme later in the year. To register visit Eventbrite

2) FILM NETWORKING EVENING   Date: 14 July 2009 Time: 20.00 - 21.30pm Venue: Revolution, Manchester Oxford Road. M1 5WH This year we will be asking people to apply to our short film schemes in teams made up of at least the following: - Producer and writer and director - Producer and writer/director To give people the chance to make new contacts and form potential application teams we have organized a networking evening to encourage emerging writers, directors and producers from across the region to come together and network.

been watching and buying VHS tapes just recently 50p each from charity shops, classic films and cult stuff. http://ping.fm/ioOCs

someone has just said the july 11th event in the most important ever, check this http://ping.fm/6hQIV

has figured out how to put video and cool stuff on his event blog if you are into film/new media go here http://ping.fm/3wGck

Future Artists July 11th FULL LINE UP tickts £5 ADV

Future Artists would like to invite you to join in with the independant film makers of the North West. SATURDAY 11TH JULY 2009 URBIS | MANCHESTER | UNITED KINGDOM 7:30 PM - 1:00 AM All tickets are £5 if purchased online via pay pal at link below, this is almost sold out, so please buy in advance. Sponsors : Asha-media.com , Smith&Smith PR , AirplayAV , Urbis , Notpartof.org , DJschool.org Order tickets now http://www.futureartists.co.uk/ What is Future Artists? Storytellers are nothing without an audience, media city will be lonely buildings without us? Future Artists are not part of media city...yet? Film-makers, actors, writers, crew, artists, new media and film lovers are coming together on one day, July 11th, to create a network of professional indy film makers and establish the North West as a leading light across the world. We where inspired by Power to the Pixel http://powertothepixel.com

Power to the Pixel 2007: Adventures in Self-Distribution Panel Play video on Bing

and The Work Book Project http://workbookproject.com , 

and felt in this age of revolution that Salford and Manchester needed to be at the forefront of the digital age, they are building us a nice media city arn't they, but are we going to be part of it? SO WHATS IT ALL ABOUT!!!!! please take some time to follow the links and watch the videos, then go buy a ticket... You want to be an ACTOR, well we have a room full of directors, some like film-maker Mark Ashmore, who is looking for actors for two of his fourth-coming projects 'City of Football' and 'Big Boys Don't send Postcards' your chance to hear from Mark on how he auditions, what he is looking for, and how he met and works with his cast on his previous film 'Broken Britain' ( http://www.yourstate.co.uk ) he will be in conversation with Darren Gorden of Morello Cherry Acting Agency, and he is looking forward to seeing actors, their CVs and showreel's on the night. http://www.actingclass.co.uk

Broken Britain EP1 Intro (1 min version) Play video on Bing

You want to be a WRITER, Great films are nothing without GREAT Screenplays, and these are hard to come by, everyone has a story in them, and every story has an audience, is your story feature film material, or is it a short, or is it convergence, 3D, new media, interactive, come find out what we mean, we have a room full of Directors and Producers and a project wall aimed at writers looking to get their stories made!!!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom You want to be a FILM-MAKER well we have lined up Writers/Producers/Directors from the Northwest that have made their debut Feature films, from budgets of 3k shot over two years, to half a million shot in 6 weeks, you will be able to listen to, network and ask questions to those that have made it!!!! http://www.futureartists.co.uk Highlights In conversation with Rachel Jones: Producer @ NotANumber.co.uk Rachel produced the first indie feature film shot on REDONE cameras right here, in Manchester (Splintered - The Movie) http://www.notanumber.co.uk Fan Film Extravaganza with Sky Wilson from Inside Report Showing and talking about fan films, Star Wars: Revelations and LOTR: Hunt for Gollum. Check out the videos here http://http://www.insidereport.co.uk

Star Wars: Revelations (Trailer) Play video on Bing

The Hunt For Gollum (HD version) Play video on Bing

Lookin' For Lucky Play video on Bing

Joe O'Byrne - Salford Writer and Actor in conversation

How he made his debut feature film for £3k and got it distributed. ReelNorth producer Paul Barron said of the film, "it will be regarded as one of the most important feature films to come out of Manchester in the last 20 years", come see why... come see how... http://www.lookinforlucky.co.uk Plus many more speakers, workshops and films... see FULL LISTINGS at http://www.futureartists.co.uk/notpartof.php After show network event & party, meet all the above and everyone in the audience 10pm till 1am at the Urbis. Unwind, network and party to our special film score mash-up. If you are an indie film-maker bring your film and sell it at the market. If you love film bring some cash!!! ADV tickets £5 (Limited to 120 tickets) For more information visit: www.futureartists.co.uk Order tickets now http://www.futureartists.co.uk/

Mark Ashmore

Tel: +44 (0) 776256 3552

Mark.Ashmore@asha-media.com

ASHA-MEDIA Unit 403 Islington Mill James Street Salford M3 5HW United Kingdom ****FUTURE ARTISTS EVENT****  FUTURE ARTISTS PRESENTS A RADICAL NEW APPROACH FOR WATCHING AND MAKING FILMS... http://www.asha-media.com/yet FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=80143316942#/event.php?eid=80143316942 TWITTER http://twitter.com/notpartof ****FUTURE ARTISTS IN THE NEWS****  http://www.britflicks.com/Lists/Film%20News/DispForm.aspx?ID=379&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebritflicks%2Ecom%2FLists%2FFilm%2520News%2FAllItems%2Easpx. 

 

www.asha-media.com

Future Artists July 11th FULL LINE UP tickts £5 ADV

Future Artists would like to invite you to join in with the independant film makers of the North West. SATURDAY 11TH JULY 2009 URBIS | MANCHESTER | UNITED KINGDOM 7:30 PM - 1:00 AM All tickets are £5 if purchased online via pay pal at link below, this is almost sold out, so please buy in advance. Sponsors : Asha-media.com , Smith&Smith PR , AirplayAV , Urbis , Notpartof.org , DJschool.org Order tickets now http://www.futureartists.co.uk/ What is Future Artists? Storytellers are nothing without an audience, media city will be lonely buildings without us? Future Artists are not part of media city...yet? Film-makers, actors, writers, crew, artists, new media and film lovers are coming together on one day, July 11th, to create a network of professional indy film makers and establish the North West as a leading light across the world. We where inspired by Power to the Pixel http://powertothepixel.com and The Work Book Project http://workbookproject.com , and felt in this age of revolution that Salford and Manchester needed to be at the forefront of the digital age, they are building us a nice media city arn't they, but are we going to be part of it? SO WHATS IT ALL ABOUT!!!!! please take some time to follow the links and watch the videos, then go buy a ticket... You want to be an ACTOR, well we have a room full of directors, some like film-maker Mark Ashmore, who is looking for actors for two of his fourth-coming projects 'City of Football' and 'Big Boys Don't send Postcards' your chance to hear from Mark on how he auditions, what he is looking for, and how he met and works with his cast on his previous film 'Broken Britain' ( http://www.yourstate.co.uk ) he will be in conversation with Darren Gorden of Morello Cherry Acting Agency, and he is looking forward to seeing actors, their CVs and showreel's on the night. http://www.actingclass.co.uk You want to be a WRITER, Great films are nothing without GREAT Screenplays, and these are hard to come by, everyone has a story in them, and every story has an audience, is your story feature film material, or is it a short, or is it convergence, 3D, new media, interactive, come find out what we mean, we have a room full of Directors and Producers and a project wall aimed at writers looking to get their stories made!!!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom You want to be a FILM-MAKER well we have lined up Writers/Producers/Directors from the Northwest that have made their debut Feature films, from budgets of 3k shot over two years, to half a million shot in 6 weeks, you will be able to listen to, network and ask questions to those that have made it!!!! http://www.futureartists.co.uk Highlights In conversation with Rachel Jones: Producer @ NotANumber.co.uk Rachel produced the first indie feature film shot on REDONE cameras right here, in Manchester (Splintered - The Movie) http://www.notanumber.co.uk Fan Film Extravaganza with Sky Wilson from Inside Report Showing and talking about fan films, Star Wars: Revelations and LOTR: Hunt for Gollum. Check out the videos here http://www.insidereport.co.uk Joe O'Byrne - Salford Writer and Actor in conversation How he made his debut feature film for £3k and got it distributed. ReelNorth producer Paul Barron said of the film, "it will be regarded as one of the most important feature films to come out of Manchester in the last 20 years", come see why... come see how... http://www.lookinforlucky.co.uk Plus many more speakers, workshops and films... see FULL LISTINGS at http://www.futureartists.co.uk/notpartof.php After show network event & party, meet all the above and everyone in the audience 10pm till 1am at the Urbis. Unwind, network and party to our special film score mash-up. If you are an indie film-maker bring your film and sell it at the market. If you love film bring some cash!!! ADV tickets £5 (Limited to 120 tickets) For more information visit: www.futureartists.co.uk Order tickets now http://www.futureartists.co.uk/

kids turn to even more gizmos

Study: Devices distract kids Kids tuned in to even more gizmos By MARC GRASER Hollywood is already struggling with ways to grab the attention of consumers distracted by too many screens. But it's about to get worse. Kids age 4-14 are glued to cell phones, digital music players, laptop computers and videogame consoles more than ever before, according to a study released by the NPD Group. While television and computers remain the top two electronics devices used by kids, those in the study's age bracket own, on average, 11 of the devices that were measured in the report, reflecting just how many screens are competing for their attention. Indeed, kids are viewing so many screens now that they have to allot how much of their time is spent using each device. In the past, the big decision for kids was which one device to adopt. There's no sign of the trend reversing anytime soon, the research org said, considering that one-third of parents plan to buy a consumer electronics device for their child in the coming year. Those include everything from educational learning toys for younger kids to cell phones and digital cameras for the tween and teen set. The report also found that computers are being shared less by families and that more kids now possess their own laptops. For showbiz, there's bad news and good news. Marketers at studios and television networks will have to work overtime and spend more of their ad dollars to promote new properties to an increasingly distracted audience. On the other hand, increased usage of various devices means there's an audience on more platforms via which content creators can distribute their projects, thus creating a greater opportunity to generate revenue -- at least eventually. A previous NPD study had found that kids spend most of their leisure time watching or interacting with entertainment, with 34 hours each week spent playing videogames, listening to music or watching movies. "Consumer electronic devices are great, but content is the key driver that will help continue the growth of the kids market, particularly digital content, which goes hand-in-hand with portable devices," said Anita Frazier, an industry analyst with NPD Group. "The increase in usage of portable devices opens up more opportunity to distribute digital content." Kids are gravitating to digital music, or watching TV shows, musicvideos and online video clips on YouTube and Hulu, NPD said, adding that there's a growing opportunity to produce more high-definition TV programming for kids and digital music fare for preschoolers. Other findings in the study: n Some 46% of kids using cell phones are text messaging or sending photos; When it comes to digital music, 30% of kids own a personal digital music player like an iPod or Zune, vs. 6% in 2005; n Use of instant messaging is on a decline because of texting on cell phones and more time spent on social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook; n As for gaming, more than 37% of kids own a portable gaming device like a Nintendo DS or PlayStation PSP, while 26% own their own videogame console like Nintendo's Wii, Xbox 360 or a PlayStation. They're spending less time playing software-based games on their computers, opting for online and virtual games instead. "The activity which drives two of the three most-used consumer electronics devices, computers and videogame console systems, is gaming. Playing games is an activity that kids enjoy across most of these devices," Frazier said. NPD conducted the study online in April, surveying 3,212 adults age 23 and older with children 4-14 in their household.

Future Artists July 11th event TELL 10 PEOPLE

hi all, future artists is one hell of a ride, let me tell you, 24 hours ago we nearly lost the event as our major sponsor did a runner, lucky for us we had the support of some future artists friends to pull it back round, 24hrs is not much time to do what we did, but we pulled it back, a big thankyou to http://www.airplay.co.uk and http://www.smithandsmithpr.co.uk for being so supportive and also the team at Asha-media (Rob and Ian R) without you guys me and Jenny would be heading for the hills!!! so lets have it, we are undertaking something quite revolutionary and we get to do it at the urbis, check out our new site http://www.futureartists.co.uk full listings is up and info on the future artists project can all be found here, so tell your friends. ok guys, what i need from you is this, we need to sell 150 tickets to break even, this is a not for profit event, so we just need to sell that amount of tickets, to stop me from having panic attacks, i would like these all to be sold in advance, so what i would love you to do, is simply invite 10 people to come to the event and meet with you, and you to introduce them to someone new, who may be able to help them with their career!!! simple, once we have sold 150 tickets any extra tickets sold the profits will go to the lads serving in our armed forces, via help for heroes. use word of mouth, text, ring someone up, post it on your facebook, write it on a wall, tweet it or blog it, but make sure its aimed at someone and you are not just shouting across social media, i do this alot!!!! ask 10 people, maybe you have been promising to meet up with someone for ages (i have been promising my cast and crew that i would meet them for a drink for 4 months- urbis guys 11th july!!) well say, hey i like your film, i like your writing, hey i aint seen you since school, invite them to meet you at the event, ask 10 people and if they are free they might come!!! i have asked 15 people to ask 10 people, to see if i can sell my event, its now only £5 a ticket if you buy online (it was £7 but i will be refunding those that have already brought) july is a busy time for festivals and the arts in manchester and we thought £7 for a new type of event was too risky!!! we listened to our audience and we altered the price!!! so please when you have read this, tell 10 people, to go here this weekend only tix for the futureartists event at the urbis july11th are £5 here http://tinyurl.com/n8ymcg http://www.futureartists.co.uk could you tell 2 people about this for me, cheers me:) (its 140 characters so you can tweet it) go fourth and lets see if we can do this, if you need promo material jpegs of the flyer etc let me know, if you got this by e-mail you will already have it!!! if you want something to happen you actully have to DO SOMETHING

this weekend only tix for the futureartists event at the urbis july11th are £5 here http://ping.fm/csah3 http://ping.fm/r1pT5

Is just about to leave the office!!! www.asha-media.com

movie studios unite

Movie Studios Unite, Create a Hulu for Films June 8th, 2009 | by Ben Parr10 Comments It’s no secret that the Internet TV service Hulu has been on the rise in recent months. Its rapid growth can be attributed to many factors, but the fact that Hulu is owned by News Corp (FOX), NBC, and most recently Disney (ABC) has provided it with a huge edge in content. Now it seems that Hulu’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed by the movie industry. Quietly, Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM studios have been working together on a new project that will create a new TV channel and sister website for streaming movies: Epix. And while Epix is in private beta (for now), it promises to offer hundreds of full-length movies for your viewing pleasure, but with a few important caveats. The Epix Project Epix comes in two parts: a television channel and a Hulu-like website. The television channel will show recent and popular movies from Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM. This means you could watch Iron Man, Cloverfield, or even Raging Bull. Movies will air uninterrupted on the channel - no commercials. It may sound a lot like some premium movie channel offerings already on the market, but it differs from HBO and Showtime in one major aspect: they don’t want you to pay for it. Epix’s intent is to strike deals with cable and satellite providers to bring you the channel as part of your standard TV package. The Epix channel is only half the story, however. Epix has a fully-functional sister website, EpixHD.com. This website has hundreds of movies from the libraries of the three movie studios. As long as the movie is available for airing on the TV channel, it will be available to stream online. And since most movies have a lifespan of about 2 years on TV, it adds up to a lot of movies. Epix’s functionality So what about the website itself? Is it any good? Does it really act like a Hulu for films? Well, we were provided early access to EpixHD and took it for a spin. The first thing that strikes the eye is its straightforwardness: a panorama of movie choices greets you when you first land on the website. Selecting one will immediately take you to the movie’s web page, where you can watch the film, check out movie information, download wallpapers, and read plot details via Wikipedia(). Now, of course, what you care about are the movies and their quality, and on both fronts this beta website is already stellar. The quality is, as the site’s domain suggest, HD-level (720p at 3 megabits), and the movie selection is nothing you can laugh at, with more to come. The movies available tend to be on the newer side, but has a selection of older films as well. Regardless, being able to watch Iron Man in a legal stream puts a smile on our faces. While there are a lot of social features included in Epix, the one that caught our attention was the Private Screening feature. This spiffy little addition allows four people to watch a movie simultaneously and discuss it via a real-time chat. As a bonus, the chat is designed like a movie theater (a la Mystery Science Theater 3000). This can be a very easy way to enjoy a film together virtually. Caveats and what’s next for Epix While EpixHD is sleek and provides all the functionality you really need, the website will not be accessible by all. Yes, this is where the caveat comes into play. EpixHD is free, as long as you have the Epix TV channel. This is different than Hulu, which is geo-restricted to the U.S. If your cable provider has the channel and provides you with Internet, you will have access. There are also some accounts available that don’t require access to the TV channel, but for now it doesn’t seem like accounts will be available to all. This also means that there is not embedding feature for these full-length films. However, we don’t think it’s time to lose hope yet. Epix is still very early stage and could go in a lot of directions. Consumer demand for the product could create a pay-access version or an ad-supported version. It’s clear that they want Epix to be part of a TV package, but access can be independent of the TV channel. As a standalone website, though, Epix is content-rich and easy to use. It really is a Hulu for films, minus the embedding. We hope that as the movie studios develop the website and the plan, they’ll find ways to support the service and provide access to all. We believe that the movie studios providing online and TV access to full-length films could be a game changer, if they follow a smart game plan. In the meantime, Epix may be providing additional invites after they fix some bugs and improve the user interface. If and when that occurs, we’ll try to come back with invites.

Roger Corman Film School

If you like this kind of thinking, check out our july 11th 2009 event http://www.asha-media.com/yet