SeeqGeist

It’s been a wonderful, challenging, and fun year around here at SeeqPod. We’ve seen some pretty neat development, welcomed new team members, and sent world travelers off or back to college, out of our nest.

2008 started and ended with a bang. What’s great about technology is that it can be a powerful mechanism for change, and for the delivery, consumption, and enjoyment of great digital entertainment.

Just ask Larry Lessig, he displays a pretty interesting presentation of ideas here:

We released several new products, continued to grow our user base (thanks to YOU, our faithful customer) and continued to build more ‘Internet’. Two of particulate note, SeeqPod ECHO, a targeted advertising tool for discovery and recommendation, and SeeqPod for Windows Smartphones, both of which exist to expose more content to more people, while making it easier to find it, share and discover new stuff!

While the economic markets decided to blow themselves up, the technology industry decided to continue to plug along, doing what it does best in the face of shrinking investment dollars, innovate.

As we enter another year ahead, we will continue to innovate, create, and collaborate. We thank our partners, investors and team for the hard work and diligence and dedication required to push pixels, compose, refine our search and discovery algorithm and like Lewis & Clark, explore the Web, still a relatively new and uncharted territory.

It’s here!

SeeqPod Mobile for Windows Mobile is now available for download!

And from now through Sunday, December 21, 2008 it’s free! That’s right, free! Consider it our season’s gift to our friends. Let your Windows Mobile friends know as well!

Starting Monday we’ll be selling it for the introductory price of $9.95 US, which is about half the price of many of the most popular Windows Mobile apps. And you’ll be getting quite a lot for your ten bucks…

SeeqPod Mobile brings Playable Search™ to Windows Mobile powered phones and devices (and the upcoming the Windows App Marketplace). Now you can use SeeqPod’s award-winning* Biomimetic Search & Discovery technology to find playable search results, and Wikipedia articles all from your phone! Get instant playable access to SeeqPod’s ever-growing and daily updated archive of Featured PodLists!

Experience it all with a wide variety of color themes and one of the most amazing and gorgeous media players ever, with changeable skins in a range of styles.

Features

* Search the internet for individual playable search results including audio, text, PodLists, and related Wikipedia articles
* Easy access to thousands of SeeqPod’s daily updated Featured PodLists
* Media purchase links
* Best of class graphics, with interchangeable color themes and player skins
* Super easy to use, with one-handed controls (and touch, stylus, and gestures on PocketPC devices)
* Bluetooth ready for capable or adapted players, home audio, and car stereos

Check out http://www.seeqpod.com/mobile/gallery.php for some screenshots.

Requirements

* Internet enabled Pocket PC or Smartphone running Windows Mobile 6.0 or greater
* Broadband internet connection for best performance
* Compatible with the following display sizes: QVGA (320 x 240), WQVGA (240 x 400), Square QVGA (320 x 320), VGA (640 x 480) (Yes, that’s right! VGA!!! That means you, HTC Touch Pro and Sony Ericsson Xperia owners!)

Please make sure your phone is compatible before downloading. SeeqPod Mobile does NOT yet run on Blackberry, iPhone, Symbian, Android, or other non Windows Mobile phones. But stay tuned!

There’s a Help file that’s accessible via browser that you can choose from the Options menu in the SeeqPod Mobile application. You can also reach it via your desktop browser at:

http://www.seeqpod.com/mobile/wm/help

How to Download and Install SeeqPod Mobile for Windows Mobile

You can get SeeqPod Mobile installed onto your phone in two ways. Both begin by going to http://www.seeqpod.com/mobile and clicking on the “get it free!” button:

You can get SeeqPod Mobile installed onto your phone in two ways.

1) Using Your Mobile Phone Browser

Point the web browser on your Windows Mobile phone to http://seeqpodmobile.com where you’ll see three links:

* Windows Mobile Smartphones (non touchscreen phones) for QVGA Displays (320 x 240)
* Windows Mobile PocketPC (touchscreen phones) for QVGA Displays (320 x 240)
* Windows Mobile PocketPC (touchscreen phones) for VGA Displays (640 x 480)

Choose the link that matches your phone and tap or click. You may be asked if you wish to install software from an “unknown publisher.” Click yes to continue with the installation on the device. The application will be automatically downloaded and installed on your phone.

Go to your Windows Mobile Start Menu and locate the SeeqPod Mobile application icon. Tap or select the SeeqPod icon to launch the application.

When SeeqPod Mobile opens, it will display an entry field asking you to enter the email address with which you registered.

SeeqPod Mobile is now installed and authenticated. You’re in business!

2) Using Your Mobile Phone’s Email Application

Upon registering you’ll be sent an email that includes a link to the application’s download site. If you can access that email account via the email program right on your Windows Mobile phone, you can retrieve it and click or tap on the URL link. Once you arrive at that page you’ll see three links:

* Windows Mobile Smartphones (non touchscreen phones) for QVGA Displays (320 x 240)
* Windows Mobile PocketPC (touchscreen phones) for QVGA Displays (320 x 240)
* Windows Mobile PocketPC (touchscreen phones) for VGA Displays (640 x 480)

Choose the link that matches your phone and tap or click. You may be asked if you wish to install software from an “unknown publisher.” Click yes to continue with the installation on the device. The application will be automatically downloaded and installed on your phone.

Go to your Windows Mobile Start Menu and locate the SeeqPod Mobile application icon. Tap or select the SeeqPod icon to launch the application.

When SeeqPod Mobile opens, it will display an entry field asking you to enter the email address your registered with.

SeeqPod Mobile is now installed and authenticated. You’re in business!

And that’s it! For now anyway. We’ll be working constantly to update and improve SeeqPod Mobile. Stay tuned at http://www.seeqpod.com/mobile

While the nation bites its collective nails, I’d like to turn to one of my favorite moments of political analysis this election year. In July, Blender published Obama and McCain’s top ten song lists. Though there were some predictable choices (The Beach Boys for McCain and will.i.am’s “Yes We Can” for Obama), I was impressed that McCain chose not one but two ABBA songs for his top ten, while Obama’s number one song was “Ready or Not” by the Fugees. No matter what happens tomorrow, we can rest assured that our new president will be a devoted music fan. Have a listen:

McCain:

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Obama:

SeeqPod - Playable Search

If you prefer to remain Independent, here are some political tunes to keep the election day jitters away:

SeeqPod - Playable Search

It’s hard to tell whether Barack Obama likes the Internet or if the Internet likes Barack Obama.  Never before has a campaign gained so much traction via Internet technologies, including social media, and it’s an exciting time to be a voter.  Anyone with an Internet connection can organize a political group or club and have it be recognized by their candidate.  For the first time, the Internet is showing a hint of what everyone said it represented: democracy.

We all know how Wikipedia and other site with democratically created content have changed our lives by putting new discoveries at our fingertips, but none have given people a voice to such a degree as now.  The Internet is not just a way of staying abreast of the issues; it has become a way by which we can participate and shape the issues that affect us most.

Barack Obama seems to understand the burgeoning power of online political communities. It might not be what wins him the election, but it doesn’t seem to be hurting.  In this video, Barack talks in L.A. about how FaceBook has surprised him.

The third San Francisco Music Tech event and showcase went off without a hitch, once more. SeeqPod was pleased to be a part of such a venerable and upcoming bunch!

We think it is a particularly auspicious time for the music and technology community. When you put the two forces together in a place like the Bay Area, you get a very special space and time.

The SF Bay music scene has been nationally recognized for much longer than its Valley counterpart. The greatest recording studios and producers and artists are all here — even now. However, when we think about innovation, it is nearly impossible to not think about the deep technological roots in the Silicon Valley. These two powerful forces have now been brought together by the SF MusicTech organizers, Shoshana and Brian Zisk.

Highlights of Monday’s day-long forum include:

–The coffee service at the Kabuki Hotel
–The ‘Non-Traditional Licensing & Custom Deals’ panel with our friend Jon Blaufarb (and Matt Burrows from Apple iTunes, who was present in the audience and participated but did not sit with the panel)
–The ‘Building Social Networks Around Music’ panel was packed, not surprisingly. Too hot in the room though. And, we know its a necessary thing, now what?
–Lunch with old friends and new. Not a fan of kimchi, but Marc Canter sure can order!
–Third Eye Blind’s Stephan Jenkins waxed nearly poetic in his stream-of-consciousness keynote addresss. He revealed insights galore in terms of how he and his band and peers see the rapid change in the distribution model and recognize that it is important to understand why and then how to work with it.
–Demo presenter Tristan Harris, of Apture impressed the crowd. This is a ‘game-changing’ application. Period. It may sound like hyperbole, but it’s true.

SeeqPod happily enjoyed sharing the stage on several fronts this time around. Thanks to our partner streamSerf’s founder and CEO, Paul Mockenhaupt, the Data Feed panel was that much more informative.

And, of course, the cocktail hour included meeting up with new friends and old.

What was on everyone’s mind, besides the economy? How do we take this ridiculously rich intersection of artistic talent, inclination and energy and forge the new path to distribution, discovery and monetization? It’s about time we all started working together to effect some measurable ‘change’ (whether it’s the kind you can believe in or the kind you can trust ).

Here are some photos from the event to enjoy, share, re-post:

Skull rings are an indispensable component of the Rock & Roll image. Keith Richards wears one to remind himself how close death is and how beauty is only skin-deep, and Iggy Pop named a whole album “Skull Ring.” A good skull ring is absolutely necessary to the rock-star persona.

If you were anywhere near earth last year, you may have come across a website called Skull-A-Day, decidedly one of the most rockin’ blogs on the web. Skull-A-Day’s founder scored a book deal and even got to meet Martha Stewart.  (Just now, I found out that my own Skull Smiley is gracing the html of Skull-A-Day.)

I like skull rings so much, I’ve written poems about them. Some day, I am going to save enough money to buy a skull ring from the master, Tony Creed, but until then, I am going to use Buy & Sell to amass a ginormous collection. They might scare your mother, but then…they wouldn’t be Rock & Roll if they didn’t, would they?

Speaking of things that scare your mother, here are the top five best songs by Iggy Pop - free!  (and a coupla extras, too!)

SeeqPod - Playable Search

The growth* of green shows no signs of slowing, from the current presidential candidates’ debates over renewable energy to the #1 blog in the world rolling out a green section to an environmental cable channel to fresh green blogs galore. Even Apple is greening up its act. Discovery and recommendation on the web is going green, too. And we’re not just talking about the inherent eco-friendliness of digital entertaining, sharing, talking and working. You can go localvore without breaking a sweat using the power of the web, buy and sell green, or hey, check out green search engines and download the ultimate social browser, Flock, now available in a green edition. We’ll explore green web issues in future posts, but for today, enjoy a random sampling of musicians from all walks who are supporting green causes with their time, tunes and tours. A diverse list of musicians makes for an even more eclectic PodList to help you shake out the stress and feel the love this weekend. And if that’s not eco, what is?

Read up on rock stars going green and musicians making a difference. Then rock out!

SeeqPod - Playable Search

* monthly pun limit fulfilled

Image: dotted

When I first saw this photo from Zac, I thought, “somethin’s fishy here.”  It took a little bit to let the awesomeness wash over me; there’s a lot of awesomeness in this picture.  Of course, there’s the big guy with the big fish, but you should also notice that he’s wearing one awesome SeeqPod T-shirt.  I have that shirt, and it’s one of my favorite things to wear.  I am wearing it right now.

I hardly ever take it off.

I accidentally wore in the shower once.

I went scuba diving with it.

Discovering new music with the Internet is a lot like fishing.  You find a good pond, throw your hook in a promising spot, and hope for the best. Clearly Zac knows the best fishin’ holes; he casts his line at SeeqPod. In order to reciprocate Zac’s awesomeness, I’ve worked out a PodList filled with fishy songs.

I netted quite a catch of new artists with this search. I’d never heard of We are Scientists, DJ Fish Finger, Bubble Fish, Jelly & Fish, or the Coral Sea, and I thank Zac for luring me in the right direction.  There’s also some Beatles on there, some Otis Retting, some Reel Big Fish, and I put Country Joe & the Fish in there at the end because as dated as that song is, it’s never been more applicable than today.

Plus, here’s some fishing gear I found with SeeqPod’s new Buy & Sell Feature, just for you, Zac!

SeeqPod - Playable Search

New-on-the-scene Mufin is a fresh addition to the chorus of voices singing a smart tune: the internet is about discovery. Savvy web surfers are using powerful search tools to discover, share and blog the music and entertainment they love - and finding that search can be a dynamic tool for discovering the best in everything from wine to books to…cures for diseases!

Discovery

The Web is deep and wide and as digital reams of data become available in the cloud on a daily basis, how do we find what we are looking for? With Mufin’s launch this week, it’s just another indicator that discovery-recommendation is a key part of Search’s value in the growing social web, where people connect and create communities based upon their interests. We should be able to choose whether we want to be actively engaged with a discovery - or, if we wish, passively involved. Some of you SeeqPod users have shared with us that you dig the ability to search by PodList - a hybrid of passive and active engagement.

Recommendation: Trust

Discovery is only one piece of the pie (or cloud, if we’re sticking with our proper terms). Recommendation is equally important. Whom do we trust? Other users? A machine? Musicologists? The vital social element of trust is what SeeqPod is all about, with listeners able to recommend over 13 million tracks and files. (This is nearly four times as much data as our friends at Mufin and nearly twice what Apple’s iTunes store boasts.)

Getting the Most from Seeqpod

You are bound to find something you like in SeeqPod’s vast Internet index. Execute a search, and voila, pre-made lists (what we call PodLists) including content you’ll want to enjoy without looking any further. And, when you decide you want to own it, download it, and file it away, you are one click away from purchase. We suggest clicking the options box on the results page for PodLists. Instant gratification.

Puttin’ the Disco in Discovery

For fun, I queried ‘Staying Alive’. I checked the ‘Audio’ icon and the ‘PodLists’ icon. I got back 840 items (tracks as well as playlists) in the Search tab and 84 results in the Discovery Recommendations in the Discoveries tab. Here is one PodList with BeeGees results, all 330 (!) of them. Who knew there were even 330 BeeGees, anything?

SeeqPod - Playable Search

We were very pleased to be a part of Women2.0’s ‘Music Makers and Technology Shakers’ event at Slide in San Francisco last night. The ladies of Women2.0 assembled a powerhouse panel, including Angelina Moysov (Singer / Songerwriter, Persephone’s Bees), Lucia Iman (top-selling artist, SellaBand), Pim Betist (Founder and Creative Director, SellaBand), Celia Hirschman (Commentator, KCRW’s “On the Beat”), Cecily Mak (Senior Counsel, RealNetworks and Rhapsody) and Jay Durgan (President, Raiden Holdings; Former Head of Bus. Dev. at Warner Music).

Attendees enjoyed fresh-baked goodies and cocktails in Slide SF’s cool, speakeasy-styled lounge as they listened to panelists expound upon the impact of the internet on the promotion, distribution and monetization of music.

The panelists represented very different parts of the industry (legal, production/distribution, promotion, creation) but seemed to agree on a few key points. As Cecily Mak put it, consumers are used to free music, and want to avoid the “pain of the purchase.” European mobile carriers have had success with an “all-you-can-eat” monthly music subscription model, and so can the US market. The panelists spoke frequently of the subscription model, crowdsourcing, and the need to solve the “free problem.”

Other takeaways from the panel discussion:

* The future will be about building a community and rewarding fan loyalty and early adoption with sites like Amie St (which prices tracks progressively based on how many are sold) and Sellaband (which finds 5,000 fans to invest $10 each in an artist so that the artist can record a studio album)
* Not all artists aspire to be HUGE – some just want, as Lucia Iman put it, “to be able to make music for a living and feed my family.”
* The internet means more exposure for small artists, but also means that music tastemakers (bloggers, promoters, radio stations, etc) are “flooded by mediocrity,” as more and more do-it-yourself artists enter the scene. When anyone can produce music, finding the good stuff becomes harder.
* There’s no one best channel of distribution and promotion for artists. Today artists must combine self-promotion (on sites like MySpace) along with more traditional methods.
* Downloading will make way for streaming.
* It’s all about the long tail.
* “Let’s enjoy music, not focus on the problems we’ve created”

Other sponsors included Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Silicon Valley Business Journal, pillsbury, Slide, Gray Area Beacon, BirdyNumNum, Splurge-a-Licious Desserts, and Induztria Photography.