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Seapunk: The New Web and the Evolution of the Visual Music Genre

posted October 6th, 2011 & filed under digital trends, Fun Stuff, insightful, technology

Way before MTV started showing videos around the clock in the early 1980s music was primarily an aural medium. There was always the visual element of magazines, posters, and sparse television programs, but for the most part unless you attended a concert the only visual element you had of your favorite band was their album cover and if you were lucky maybe a few page spread in Rolling Stone. MTV completely changed this concept and from there on the visual aspect became just as or even more important then what the music sounds like. In the new web era of unlimited bandwidth and non-stop visuals from YouTube, Tumblr, and every other media platform (twit pics I’m lookin’ at you buddy) music has become just as visual as movies or television. So much so that there’s been micro-genres sprouting up where the visual element is almost more concrete and substantial then an actual unified musical aesthetic.

The extremely recent Tumblr incubated micro-genre of Seapunk is definitely the best example of this concept. Witch House, the micro-famous / micro-infamous genre that had some critical fanfare in 2010 has a real definitive visual aesthetic that accompanies the sound, but the sound itself is also really specific and pretty easy to nail down. Seapunk honestly seems like the first musical sub-genre that’s invented for and by the Internet where the visual element is more concrete then the sound itself.

Seapunk is kind of an inside joke of a joke which isn’t too surprising considering it’s fiber optic origins. Web celebrity and all around digital hooligan Lil Internet said he came up with the term from a dream he had and from then on, as most Internet concepts seem to do, it became viral in a matter of months. Seapunk can be loosely described as the 90s early Internet cyberpunk culture filtered through a utopian glossy gif aesthetic of dolphins, yin yangs, CGI rendered dreamscapes, and everything aquamarine you could possibly cram into an animated gif. It’s kind of like if that Kevin Costner box office bomb Waterworld was shot on the Internet with a 4D camera and then turned into a elaborate Tumblr theme.

Actually the visual element is easier to describe then the musical aesthetic if that even seems possible. Part of that is due to the extremely short time span it’s been around for. Only a handful of artists are producing music under the Seapunk umbrella, and out of those there’s only been a handful of label releases besides for the abundance of web only Seapunk mixes, which is definitely a parallel to the witch house movement. The first official release was the Coral Records compilation Seapunk Volume 1. There’s definitely a similarity in the sound across the whole compilation, but more then anything it’s a genre where the visual element is a much more concrete tangible concept.

The sound on the compilation spans everything from old school jungle, rave, and breakbeats you might have found in London in 1995. There’s also some aspects of the lo-fi chillwave sound, but with an overall aquatic kind of shimmery vibe. If you sat down and listened to the whole compilation you could probably pick out 15 – 20 genre elements which are then rearranged and put back together in a familiar but decidedly off kilter fashion. As with so much other new web culture, Seapunk takes the last 20 or 30 years of electronic music history and even visuals and completely Cuisnarts them into an entirely new sound and visual aesthetic.

That’s one of the most interesting aspects of Seapunk which is definitely become a common theme for new web culture in general. It’s a musical genre that’s based more on the visual then actually how it sounds, which is something you can really only pull off on the Internet. It’s like when a new brand launches or an esteemed company releases a new product. Before you even use it or have a chance to buy it you’re introduced to it through the visual element; the type of the package, the logo, the actors in the commercial representative of the potential audience’s demographic. Before you actually make a purchase the visual element is the first thing that gets you to the store to even contemplate buying it.

That’s kind of what Seapunk has done. In the last few months there’s been so many Seapunk Tumblrs popping up, Seapunk photos where everyone’s hair is turquoise, Ecco the Dolphin screen captures, and enough yin yang animated gifs to fill an aquarium. Before you even have a chance to listen to the music you’re already so familiar with how the music looks that it changes and affects your perception of how the music sounds.

That’s one of the concepts the new web culture has accomplished that’s extremely hard to pull off in other mediums. It’s the visual abstraction of the genre that personifies the music, instead of people’s perception of it being defined by it how it sounds. It literally sounds like how it looks, but unless you’re online or familiar with new web culture, that concept is extremely confusing. That’s what the Internet has accomplished over time almost by accident. No matter what creative endeavor someone is working with, the Internet has the capability of merging all the preexisting mediums into an entirely new blurry amalgam that’s made from the parts of the old model but looks nothing like the history it was conceived from. Seapunk may be only the beginning of a cultural evolution where all of our senses could potentially be engaged in a medium instead of the conventional aspects we’re used to. In a few years people might be talking about how a new song tastes or smells instead of how it sounds, and considering what’s happening now, that really doesn’t seem too surprising.

Note: We want to credit the seapunk graphics and images to artist Kevin Heckart who is the main artist behind the Seapunk aesthetic. We’re sorry that we didn’t give credit earlier to Kevin Heckart for his artwork. Thanks.

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Pluggedin TV: The New Interactive Video Debate

posted October 5th, 2011 & filed under digital trends, projects, Serious Stuff, technology, Videos

I’m so happy to share with you my new project Pluggedin! Pluggedin is a new web series where we invite our colleagues to debate digital platforms, relevant issues and new technologies affecting the New Media landscape. The audience decides the winner, and the winner gets a 30 second video plugging anyone or anything they like courtesy of thenewpop.com. Pluggedin is shot entirely on laptop cameras using Google + Hangouts. It definitely looks like nothing you’ve ever seen before!

In this week’s pilot episode we’re debating WordPress vs. Tumblr and which is the better blogging platform. Everyone has their own reasons for liking one platform over the other and our guests make great cases for each, and your vote determines the winner.

Which platform do you prefer? Tweet your comments @pluggedin_tv – The person with the most @ tweets will appear as a guest on an upcoming episode. This week’s featured panel of debaters include:

Igor Smith – http://drivenbyboredom.com

Kristina Marino – http://thedowntowndiaries.com

Sara Martinez – musingsinfemininity.tumblr.com

Nasa Hadizedah – http://culturedproductions.tumblr.com

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Remix Culture & The New Web Transformation

posted September 29th, 2011 & filed under digital trends, Miscellaneous, technology

One of the things the Internet has accomplished more then any other medium is the extent of interactivity possible. Almost every other medium elicits a passive process where we ingest visual or audio content but it doesn’t usually allow us to alter or change it. The Internet and the rapid expansion of technology has truly created an almost universal remix culture that has increasingly become more interactive and easier to accomplish as time goes on. Literally the same week a rap album comes out the chopped & screwed version pops up on YouTube and mixtape sites, sometimes even with more acclaim then the original. YouTube itself is literally overflowing with every type of “remix” you can fathom, from Funny or Die esque meme parodies, to video mashups and collages that could span 50 years of visuals in 3 minutes. The more technology advances, the more established and advanced this remix culture becomes.

The interactive element of the Internet is one of the main reasons people are so attracted to it. Television, films, and to a lesser extent music has always been almost entirely passive mediums where the viewer is never allowed to alter any aspect of the original content. Before digital audio software became so affordable and easy to use, even music remixes were relegated to professional musicians or at least serious music hobbyists. Now because of the way culture exists on the Internet the passive nature of all these mediums has become completely reversed. Not only do some companies and artists encourage interpretations of their creative output, but some aspects of culture are entirely based on this concept.

Rap music is probably the genre most associated with the remix. It’s literally the only genre based on sampling, which is inherently a version of remixing. The earliest rap songs from the late 70s were for the most part based on breakbeats from disco records, and from then on rap culture has engulfed every other genre into a seamless melange that sounds distinctly like itself while still resembling aspects of every genre it’s based on. The Internet has created an environment for every single medium that rap could only achieve with music. Now instead of sampling old funk or some obscure idm record, people sample TV shows, movies, webcam snippets, images; literally anything that can be replicated and reproduced in byte form.

One of the most widespread current trends within remix culture is the new-web Tumblr aesthetic. Tumblrs are very similar to a concept of a blog minus the inherent structure and organization that comes with regular blogging. When a Tumblr is really executed well it’s a perfect pastiche of anything and everything you can imagine, very often with little to no explanation of the context or an inferred cultural message. Very often you’ll see YouTube clips next to a soundcloud demo underneath some 70s fashion advert and then a collage of webcam images superimposed over the exact time stamped dialogue of the webcam exchange.

That’s why the Tumblr aesthetic is such a great example of the new remix culture and the almost universal sampling that takes place in every facet of the web. They encompass everything the author is thinking about or wants to think about all in one place without needing to be placed within the canon or properly contextualized for the audience. I think that’s one reason Tumblrs and remix culture in general is so attractive to the web audience; people don’t need or want to have these cultural mashups explained to them and its possible the explanation might even ruin some of the mystique behind them. Just like a song or film or piece of art that you might enjoy on a visceral level, sometimes the unanswered questions that Tumblrs often propose are the most exciting and innovative aspects about them.

Another facet of the new-web remix culture is defintely video collages, and the homemade music videos that currently populate YouTube. Video collages are new videos specifically cobbled together from the remnents of old clips, whether they’re derived from dusty VHS tapes, a DVR archive, or even old scratchy Super 8 transfers. Video collages are one of the best examples of the current remix culture and a definitive cousin / accompaniment to the Tumblr aesthetic. Video collages have almost become the defacto visual element for the qusasi-nostalgic aesthetic of certain Internet based music genres, especially the tongue in cheek “chillwave” and some dream pop (or even dreamwave) and ambient electronic sub-genres.

That’s what the new-web culture has become; people that sample sounds from old songs and then make a video for their track sampling old videos they found in a thrift store or even some rubbish bin. The new remix culture is creating an entirely new medium based on the detritus of the old. Even record labels and media conglomerates can benefit from this recent massive trend of remix culture. By letting people put their own spin on a record label’s hit single or maybe even remix a television skit or commercial, it gives them a more direct and personal relationship with the media that’s impossible to create from passive participation.

Instead of thinking about remix culture and audience reinterpretations of media as a threat to the original concept, some companies can actually benefit from these ideas and very often people will develop a much deeper and more visceral appreciation for the media by personally interacting with it. Remix culture provides a level of interactivity that can potentially benefit everyone that’s involved, but most importantly it helps to advance and perpetuate the experimental nature of creative mediums which has become one of the most important tenets of new-web culture and the Internet as a whole.

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Social Media & Separating Yourself From the Pack

posted September 27th, 2011 & filed under marketing/advertising, Serious Stuff, social networking, technology, tips

As a digital marketing consultant, I’m fully aware of all the “social media” gurus out there and individuals preaching that “social media” is the holy grail for all of your marketing problems. Truth be told, social media is a great technology that has enabled the democratization of content, and it allows smaller entities to broadcast and rally their communities without having to knock at the doors of “big media”.

Sometimes what they don’t tell you though is advertising, marketing, and PR concepts still apply when using social media. People don’t just blindly engage with your ideas or concepts, they must be given a reason to care. Tweeting or incessantly Facebook posting about your brand & not engaging in conversations is still considered spamming. One of the most important aspects of this two way conversation is you still need to give people a reason to care.

People buy things based on a feeling or on a story. It’s important to always think about your community and the consumer. Once you understand what they want & figure out ways to provide it to them your job will become a lot easier. It’s also important to be original when marketing through social media. The attention span of Internet users keeps getting lower and harder to please the more we get bombarded with information left & right. That’s why it’s so important to consider how your company will get noticed through marketing. It’s necessary to think about your direct community and exactly how you’ll have an impact.

A great example of this concept I want to share is an article I read about a year ago and I still remember it to this day. It was about a teen who posted online that he would give people private concerts at their house as he trekked around the US. He would travel to a city and tell people he was in town and they would book him to get serenaded at their homes. I thought it was such a great concept, especially considering the out of the box method he used to approach marketing a concert in this day and age, when everyone’s Facebook inbox is overloaded with potential events. It even got him enough press to the point of being published in Ad Age. This is a great example of thinking outside the box and finding ways to separate yourself from your competition. I would love to hear your thoughts on different ways you can use social media for marketing and promotion.

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My Webinar on How To Make Your Brand Internet Famous

posted September 22nd, 2011 & filed under marketing/advertising, Serious Stuff, social networking, technology, tips

Thanks so much to everyone who joined my “Internet Famous” webinar yesterday presented by Accion New York. Special thanks to Accion for for hosting the event.

I realized that I tried to fit a lot of information into 1 hour so I hope you were able to take away some valuable tips. In a nutshell these are some key things to keep in mind to be successful with social media:

1. Research where your targeted demographic spends time (which blogs are they reading, which Facebook Fan pages are they following etc…).

2. Be consistent; this is easy to achieve by having an editorial calendar in place and creating content in advance.

3. Be unique and create content that is not widely available (example: restaurants and web radio stations).

4. Share rich media content and make it available on various platforms like Instagram, Flickr, YouTube, and Vimeo.

5. Make sure you start conversations instead of just spamming your message.

6. Consider partnerships as a way to expand your business in the future.

7. Make sure everything you do drives traffic back to either your Facebook Page or Website.

If you missed out on the webinar, here’s the link to it on Slideshare

http://www.slideshare.net/edorn/luna-vega-webinar-9363842

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The Evolution of the Internet and How It Changes Culture

posted September 22nd, 2011 & filed under digital trends, Fun Stuff, insightful, Miscellaneous, technology

I think its safe to say that the Internet has effectively altered every aspect of culture that’s conceivable. I would almost go as far to say that a definitive dividing line exists between pre-internet and post-internet culture. Every aspect of all creative mediums has changed and is continuing to evolve due to our use of the Internet. One of the most important aspects of this evolution is the way the internet actually changes culture. The paradigm used to exist that being in a magazine or on television carried a certain cache with it that inferred certain qualities about whatever is featured. Now that the internet has created a level playing field in all creative mediums, the old platforms and models are viewed in a different context. Certain websites might even have more sway then a magazine covering the exact same thing. Especially with people in younger demographics the old print mediums and even to a certain degree television is viewed as old hat or nearly obsolete. The most interesting thing about how culture has evolved since the inception of the internet is that the context that’s created by being “on the internet” actually changes the information and its inferred message / values.

The word meme has existed for literally centuries, but only once the internet became commonplace did the idea of “memes” actually spread as a cultural concept within society. I almost can’t think of memes before the internet existed; of course there were cultural touchstones and specific historic events but a meme takes an inside joke or abstraction and elaborates on it to the point of mass consumption. It’s an idea that’s easily identifiable across such a large cross section of people that they can easily and with little effort apply their own personal stamp or inside joke to it with the initial concept still intact.

Memes are something that almost seem invented by and for the internet. You could take your funny cat photo or embarrassing family portrait and share it in your workplace for a few laughs but the internet creates an even playing field where these personal concepts or ideas become universal messages. Lil B literally has an entire catalogue of memes that surrounds his lifestyle / philosophy / movement known as “Based”. His aesthetic and inside jokes and overall inferred cultural values have been constantly shaped and remolded by internet culture. Without the internet I’m not even sure his movement would have taken off at such astronomical rate, and even if it did, how would a magazine or television show perpetuate a world of inferred memes without a multitude of worldwide platforms to expand upon them?

Teamm Jordann – “Stadium” from Haunted Internet on Vimeo.

As the internet changes and shapes our culture, the internet itself is perpetually going through its own transformation. We’ve mentioned in passing the concept of “the second internet” which is rapidly becoming a more tangible and actualized concept. A handful of the most progressive artists, musicians, programmers, cultural dilettantes and numerous undefinable entities are changing the way the internet looks and feels on a daily basis. The Second Internet loosely has to do with reinterpreting the old model and sometimes the aesthetic of the Internet’s mainstream infancy in the early to late 90s. These completely obsolete graphics, programs, and platforms have become heralded by some as the personification of a specific almost idyllic internet aesthetic.

Ryder Ripps created the website Internet Archaeology with the specific intentof preserving the long barren digital world of Geocities. ScannerJammer takes the earliest most gauche internet graphics conceivable and turns them into an almost cyber totem of sorts, where participants can virtually “pray” and give “offerings” to the internet gods of yesteryear through sharing videos, audio, and other visual mediums. Dump.fm, another Ryder Ripps creation, takes the most wretched and trashy aesthetics of internet culture and concentrates them into a pure visceral mush of animated gifs and glitter ensconced CGI renderings.

These are only a small example of the new internet movements that are for the most part bubbling under the surface. One of the most interesting aspects is that the internet is now old enough where cyber nostalgia has become a prevalent concept online. Especially due to sites like YouTube where the entire history of the moving image is literally at everyone’s beck and call 24 hours a day, the rapid rise and early onset nostalgia which seems common in the millennial generation isn’t hard to understand. When talking about internet trends its important to remember that the internet changes culture just as much as it’s a place for culture to exist. The more we take this concept in mind when analyzing internet trends the easier it becomes to predict and gauge exactly where and how culture is evolving. The internet is never really a static platform or medium; it perpetually alters what we add to it based on how we engage with it; it’s really become just as much of its own entity as the very people that have helped to shape and form it.

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The Positives of Failure in the Entrepreneurial World

posted September 20th, 2011 & filed under entrepreneurship, projects, Serious Stuff, tips

Failure is definitely a word we’re all terrified of but within the entrepreneurial world its something we have to learn to embrace. No matter what type business you’re in, no one is successful without a few failures along the way. The preconceived notion that entrepreneurs become successful overnight is a fairy tale or pipe dream. It takes dedication, headaches and a lot of hard work to bring any initial concept to the final stages of fruition. Let me share my experiences and bumps in the road in shaping my own entrepreneurial career.

In 2008 I decided to create a photo device called Fauxcialite which would take animated picture of folks at events and simultaneously broadcast them at the event and social media platforms (back than it included MySpace and Facebook). The main focus behind Fauxcialite was to extend the lifespan of the event beyond a single evening and provide brands with the ability to drive traffic back to their site through these pictures. I pulled some strings, got a small business loan and started production with the immediate interest of some major brands. Unfortunately, the recession soon followed and I quickly learned that my business had too many “costs” and not enough of a margin, and based on how quickly technology was moving, I learned that building a physical component wasn’t going to be the best option.

This was an essential entrepreneurial lesson I never would have learned if it wasn’t for trial and error. It was a simple but necessary business lesson to have learned; you always need to make sure your profit margin is high, and this is one of the main reasons software technology has become so viable. Software like iPhone and iPad apps for example are extremely cost effective when it’s a good product. Building an iPhone app has a much higher profit margin than building a physical product (unless you invented the next great thing).

This experience made me a much more confident and wiser business woman.
We very often get blinded by our own entrepreneurial concepts without really thinking enough about the potential returns; how will we charge for the services or how much will customers plan on paying for the services etc. is extremely important when considering new entrepreneurial ventures.

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Lil B & How Social Media Created Based World

posted September 15th, 2011 & filed under Serious Stuff, social networking, technology, tips

You must have been under some sort of Internet rock in the last year or so to have missed out on the meteoric ascension of the rapper Lil B. He’s probably the best example of how the Internet and Social Media can transform a burgeoning avant garde bedroom artist into Fader magazine covers and sold out concerts around the world. Lil B has successfully utilized every aspect of social media to not only promote his brand, but to develop an almost cult-like following by perpetually using Twitter and other outlets to connect and interact with his fans. Although Lil B and his decidedly avant garde movement may seem like a fly by night phenomenon or an isolated case of Svengali posturing, he’s actually implemented many specific tactics through social media that have served to solidify his ever growing movement and reputation. Let me breakdown some of his social media tactics that have given this diy artist worldwide recognition and a devoted international following.

1. Live on the Internet

Even though the concept of living on the internet seems unrealistic or too Avatary, Lil B has literally single-handedly developed his empire through this idea. He said in a recent Fader interview that he’s online 22 hours a day. If I wasn’t aware of his prolific output, I would almost think he’s speaking in hyperbole, but 22 hours a day seems like it make sense when you assess the sheer volume of his output. He literally puts out a new album every two weeks; there’s at least one new music video or maybe two on his YouTube every week, and he updates his Twitter feed every few minutes while responding to as many fans as humanly possible. Lil B is the best example of how much time and effort it takes to not only build a substantial fanbase, but also what it takes to maintain those fans and develop a real connection with them.

2. Show the fans how much you care

Lil B is one of those artists in the realm of Web 2.0 culture that literally interacts with his fans on a micro level on a daily basis. There’s no such thing as Twitter ghostwriters or a behind the scenes Svengali running his Facebook; when you talk to Lil B online you’re only talking to Lil B, and that’s a main aspect in the creation of his cult-like fanbase. There’s literally countless memes online that have incorporated his slogans, dances, colloquialisms, or just his overall transgressive persona. People are devoted to his creative output because he takes the time and attention necessary to personally interact with as many fans as possible on a one on one basis. This concept is what could separate an up and coming bedroom artist from one who’s selling out clubs like Santos Party House and appearing on the cover of magazines like The Fader simply from pursuing a real and authentic connection with your fanbase.

3. Use Social Media to set yourself apart from “The Pack”

One of the most important aspects of Lil B’s seemingly overnight segue from diy to 40 million YouTube views is how he’s utilized social media to set himself apart from other artists. Lil B’s cult-like following is actually a completely literal concept; at his concerts men literally genuflect in his presence while simultaneously offering their girlfriends as an esteemed dowry of sorts. He even invented “The Cooking Dance” which became an online meme-parade and has even crossed over to professional sports, with football players adopting it for their end zone showboating rituals. Sure, Lil B puts in endless hours and energy to maintain his social media presence, but a lot of the fanfare and attention he’s received is due to the progressive and avant garde nature of his movement.

The way he uses social media transgresses every cultural norm conceivable whether it’s his absurdist, non sequitur tweets, his “alter-ego” fashion / style Tumblr Dior Paint, or his endless stream of mixtapes with bizarre titles, and artwork, which has helped him establish a strong visual presence for his “brand”, which is an extremely important aspect of differentiating himself from the thousands of other rappers / mixtapes on the web. If we can learn anything from Lil B’s incessant social media tactics, its equal parts old fashioned elbow grease mixed with a true innate sense of experimentation that has garnered him a such a large fanbase primarily through his innovative and persistent use of social media platforms.

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The Importance of Work Experience

posted September 13th, 2011 & filed under Serious Stuff, tips

Making the transition from the corporate world into the entrepreneurial realm is an arduous task, but my career in advertising left me with an indispensable knowledge on how to become my own business woman. Within the entrepreneurial world, I always felt it was frowned upon to have had a more conventional “job”, but more often than not, I’ve seen entrepreneurs fall on their face because they don’t have business or marketing experience. Very early on, I always knew I wanted to have my own business, but it only became a realistic venture once I had professional experience under my belt. By first focusing on my career as a producer in the advertising industry, I was able to learn some essential lessons which I implemented once I began my own business.

Here’s a list of some of the most valuable things I learned from my day job:

1. Value and rates on creative services – One of the most important aspects of a successful business is creating a concrete pricing model that allows you to offer quality work while still maintaining a realistic profit margin.

2. The Business Process – It’s always important to have a process in place when you start your own business and to make sure you stick with it for every client.

3. Writing a statement of work & contracts – Keeping an organized and structured business is one of the most essential aspects of running a functional, productive, and fiscally sound company.

4. Keeping astute and detailed notes – You never know when a tidbit of informal conversation could lead to a huge creative breakthrough or new marketing strategy. Keeping track of these exchanges gives you tons of ideas for future clients and future projects.

5. Making my client understand what they’re getting for their money – Everyone wants to be aware of what their spending their money on and the exact value you’re bringing to each client; doing this lets everyone know they’re on the same page with each and every financial aspect of a project.

6. The Invoicing Process – Without invoices no one gets paid, right? This is so important both for your company’s fiscal status and so the client can see in detail exactly what services your company provided.

7. Outsourcing – Don’t feel like you have to have to handle every minute detail in house; some of the most successful businesses know that outsourcing lets everyone focus on the tasks they’re most suited for without worrying about a time crunch or stringent deadlines.

8. Learning to say no to projects – Not every project or opportunity that comes your way is necessarily a good fit for your company. It’s important to understand what your potential clients’ needs are and to make sure you can deliver exactly what they’re looking for. If for any reason they’re being unrealistic, it’s important to let them know right away before you take a project you might not be right for.

I’m thankful I learned all these valuable lessons through my experience in the corporate world. In retrospect starting my own business after getting some working experiencing under my belt was the right decision instead of jumping into it head first. I can only imagine the roadblocks I would have encountered if I had ventured into the entrepreneurial world right after college. Thoughts?

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Archive for the ‘Serious Stuff’ Category

1. Live on the Internet

2. Show the fans how much you care

3. Use Social Media to set yourself apart from “The Pack”

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