Saturday, December 29, 2012

Sponsored Video: Wreck-it Ralph gone missing?

When you need someone to wreck things up, count on Wreck-it Ralph! Problem is Wreck-it Ralph has gone missing! Check out the video to find out more clues on his disappearance below.



Samsung attemps to show how its NOTE II mobile phone is related to the movie. 

Multi-window: You get to see Wreck-it Ralph as well as watch movie videos! 

Easy clip: Cut and paste Wreck-it Ralph picture. Wonder if you can draw, cut and paste music notes into the note? 

I guess it could be better on how the phone features can make Wreck-it Ralph disappear rather than just showing what it does with Wreck-it Ralph video? Guess I will have to see if I can get one in my hands to test its features serving as music entertainment/tool in future. 
"Sponsored by Samsung"

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Be the Next Special Heineken agent in James Bond SKYFALL film!

Have you guys watched James Bond SKYFALL film?
Envy to be the next special agent to crack the case like James Bond in the movie?

Well I had the chance to be the special agent in an interactive Heineken campaign video.
Not in real life haha...but online!

About the Heineken campaign video

Music in the campaign:
Iconic James Bond movie motif sound plays at the beginning! It shows how sound can prepare everyone that it’s James bond coming to take us for an adventure ride. Then you heard the famous Danish pop band The Asteroids Galaxy Tour song “The Golden Age” from Heineken advertisement. 


SPONSORED CONTENT




You learn to identity it with Heineken whenever you hear the song. Then I was brought to play the interactive game.

Gameplay:
I choose the option of identifying myself without facebook and upload my own pic. It was funny to see myself pointing a gun in the video.





U basically need to complete two missions. The missions wise were a bit boring. Not as exciting as I thought. All you need to do was just to find the two suitcases. No time limit and the suitcases were easily spotted in the missions.

I recommend giving a time limit and cracking the number code through puzzles or shooting. That could really spice up the game. Or perhaps the videos can feature some interactive games between facebook or twitter users.

Check out the campaign yourself! I believe you will have a good time watching all the action and laughing out! :)





Saturday, December 8, 2012

PennYo Croons You on Hit Songs of Jay Chou (周杰伦) & Wang Lee Hom (王力宏)!

Remember those popular songs of Huo Yuan Jia (霍元甲) of Jay Chou (周杰伦)? PennYo from USA is coming to croon you these popular songs in Singapore!

Listen and watch their recorded songs and live performances as well as their trailers! 

What are you waiting for? Catch their performances happening on 5 Jan 2013! More details: Contact Shu-en Wee: wees@sas.upenn.edu or 98581388.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Sounds of Shopping (SOS) Series: Fashionable enough to catch that Top Hit Song?

In this week’s Sounds of Shopping Series,
we look at the sound-scapes of fashion outlets in Singapore.

A general consensus is given that music is significant
for the shopping environment as music is played in
most shops which we visited.


Fashion and Music
Fashion and music thrive on creativity and reflect ever-changing social and cultural trends.
It is no wonder why both industries often serve as complement to each other:

Musicians like Lady Gaga and Madonna seek to set new fashion trends to gain popularity
while fashion labels like Hugo Boss often engage musicians to create songs that specifically cater to their brands.

Check out Hugo Boss podcasts: http://www.hugoboss.com/de/en/blog/hugo-tracks-podcast-17/
http://scps.heardis.com/download/242/55728523/s-fFBUz (click to download the track)


The Reality: Different Fashion, Similar Music
Given the creativity of both fashion and music industries,
we were a little disappointed to hear almost 60% of
the fashion shops playing regular chart songs on 98.7FM.

These shops failed to leave an impression or
differentiate themselves from their competitors
through their soundscape since their music played
sounded too similar to each other.

About 75% of shops play the English pop music.

Other music genres played were K-Pop (Samuel and Kelvin),
Mandopop (Clarks), Spanish Ambient (Massino Dutti)
and Dance (Forever 21, Mango). 


Sound-scapes: The Admirables and The Much-Left-To-Be-Desired 
We rate their sound-scapes based on 3 factors:

1) Their choice of music
2) Control the management has over the music played in outlets (specially designed music for their shops played at specific times and days by store staff)
3) Legal licensing awareness


1. BERKSHA
Berksha
The Music
Berksha, a Spanish brand, has invested big time in
enhancing the audio experience of their outlets.

The big boom boxes and electronic mixes of chart songs
have created a club feel to their own outlets.

Shoppers feel pumped up and the line of clothes speaks “trendy”.
It is pretty common for staff to be asked by shoppers the music played
in their stores.

Listen to their music at http://www.mixpod.com/bershka

Control of Music
CDs are distributed from Spain to each individual outlet, ensuring a consistent audio strategy. 

Licensing rights:
As Berksha owns the rights of their music, the tracks played are fully licensed.

We rate their sound-scape 4.8 out of 5.
Excellent sound-scape!


2. CHARLES AND KEITH

Charles and Keith
The Music
Charles and Keith plays original, upbeat and exciting songs, making the shopping experience enjoyable.

Control of Music
Charles and Keith uses streaming music technology.
This technology allows the head office to have control over the music being played in stores.

Licensing Rights:
We understand that the company provides streaming music technology
to Charles and Keith in covering proper music licensing rights.

We rate their sound-scape 4.5/5. Excellent technology is in place to ensure proper sound-scaping.


3. CLARKS

Clarks
The Music
We were taken aback when we heard Mandarin oldies played in one of the Clarks outlet.

Control of Music
Despite this outlet being a franchise outlet, the owners played music that they like.
The owners told us that they would usually tune down the music when customers enter.
Their Sound-scape needs to re-adjusted!

Licensing Rights
The owners were aware of the requirement to pay COMPASS for broadcasting music
but they seem deeply apologetic for playing CDs, leaving one to wonder if they did pay COMPASS.

We rate their sound-scape 1 out of 5.
Clark owner needs better understanding that music plays a significant role in affecting the shopping experience.


4. GAP
Gap
The Music
The Soundscape is pretty decent in the two outlets we visited.

Music is obtained from the principal store at California
and is generally aligned to the brand.

Control of Music
Staffs are instructed to play only CDs provided by Gap Headquarter.
Music volume is controlled to ensure that the sound-scape is perfect in reflecting
the shop brand.

Licensing
The staff we spoke to were highly aware of licensing rights
and the need for measures to ensure their sound-scape alight
with the shop brand image.

We rate their sound-scape 4 out of 5.
Staff has excellent knowledge of licensing music rights and music is rather appropriate for shop.


5. CRUMPLER
Crumpler
The Music
Rock was the choice for the outlet we visited.
We feel that it is appropriate since Crumpler bags are quite hip and
matches the store layout.

Control of Music
Music was being played via iPods with songs downloaded by the store manager.
As the store manager gets to decide what songs to play,
we suspect that there is no consistent audio strategy set by Crumpler headquarter.

Licensing
The store manager commented that he has never heard of regulations
requiring shops to pay licensing fees for broadcasting music.

He added that most shops are doing the same by simply playing music from their MP3 players.

We rate their sound-scape 3.5 out of 5. Staff needs better understanding of licensing rights.


6. LASENZA

LaSenza
The Music
Music was disappointing in one of the LaSenza outlets we visited.
It was almost inaudible and certainly unexciting for a shop
selling bold and seductive lingerie.

The store manager couldn’t provide an answer about the soundscape
when asked upon the type of music usually played in the store.

Control of Music
Each LaSenza outlet receives CDs from the headquarters once in a while.
Staffs are instructed not to play their own music.

Licensing
Headquarter ensures the proper licensing of music.

We rate their sound-scape 3.5 out of 5.
Music should be played at audible volumes for shoppers. 
Store manager should have better awareness of the music played in stores.


That’s all for now! Stay tune next week to find more about other shopping categories! 
Don't forget to join our twitter page and leave your comments with the hastag #sosbrand

Or u can subscribe via email or our facebook page. See u soon and happy shopping!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Sounds of Shopping (SOS) Series: Sound/Audio Branding Affects U!

Did you know that 90% of shoppers are more likely to
shop and recommend a store that plays music?

Did you know that 25% of retail businesses agree that
they will lose business if music1 is not played in their stores?

MusicArtLifeSG presents “Sounds of Shopping” (SOS) - A series on
how music is used commercially to create great marketing, sales and shopping experiences.

The series aim to look at the sounds of shopping from three perspectives
1) Retailers
2) Consumers
3) Musicians


Relationship between Music and Shopping 
Retailers are increasingly recognizing the importance of sound/audio branding.

What exactly is sound/audio branding?
Here's a little insight from the video below:



Music has the ability to shape the behavior of consumers to generate
higher sales and better brand recall.

Consumers have spent more time “window shopping”
(shopping without the intent of buying) than ever.

Why is music so important in shopping?
Check out the video and listen to what some people say in the street.




Music Boost Sales and Productivity
Music has the ability to boost the morale of workers
thus improving the sales and productivity for businesses
and employers.

Throughout the series, we will be looking at 

some common problems from stores in managing 
their "Sound-Scape" from the retailers' point of view.

We will also be sharing some good sound/audio branding

practices that retail owners could possibly use for their stores. ;)

Imagine this store without music playing in the background!

Nowadays modern shoppers/consumers are no longer viewing
shopping as simply getting what they want.

Rather they pursuit a greater sense experience and relationship
with shops they visited.

Consumers command higher service expectations on retailers when faced
with so many choices than ever before.

As such, having the best products may not be sufficient to attract customers.

Sound/audio branding could be your key in unlocking more sales,
connecting with yr existing customers and attracting more potential customers.



Consumers are more likely to enjoy shopping and
make positive recommendations when they hear good music.

My Music PLAYED but not PAID?
As a site for musicians, we have a stake in protecting the interests of fellow musicians! 

The trend of using sound/audio branding is a good sign. 


Musicians should be able to earn more royalties 
since shops have to pay for public broadcasting rights 
for the music they play. 

However there may be retailers out there who want to avoid 

paying such rights and take the risk of getting fined or jailed. 

Some retailers are also not aware of such licensing rights. 


This is indeed a “SOS” call-for-help situation for musicians 

when their efforts in creating music are not acknowledged.

Ahh...now I can pay my bills and make more great music for people and business!

Stay tune for more!
Our team has visited more than 100 stores in Singapore to
find out their choice of music.

From fashion outlets like Berksha, LaSenza and Gap to
beauty and wellness shops like Faceshop and Bodyshop,
we reveal our findings and share with you what
we and others think about their "Sound-Scape"!

Last but not least, a quiz for u to listen and identity your favorite brands.



Stay tuned as more surprises will be revealed in the upcoming entries. :)

Have something to say about your shopping sense experience or want to know
more about audio branding?

Join our twitter page and leave your comments with the hastag #sosbrand.
Or u can subscribe via email or our facebook page

Until then, take care and ROCK the SOUND in U! 

1 Statistics from www.musicworksforyou.com


Thursday, July 19, 2012

Hear your inner voices reach out to u! (22 July 12)


Hear your inner voices reach out to u through this trailer below:



Vanessa Faith's cover version of the song "Safe & Sound" (Taylor Swift ft. The Civil War)



Her performance of her original song "Peek-A-Boo" in her EP "Inner Voices"


Her original song "Green-Eyed Monster" in her EP "Inner Voices"



If u like what u have heard so far, u can get her tixs at www.crazyworldcafe.com/vanessafaith/


"Local Indie Artist Vanessa Faith Releases Debut EP "Inner Voices" Press Release





Monday, July 16, 2012

Gary Chaw 曹格 "Project Sensation 1. JAZZ" Showcase - Courvoisier 'LIVE & EXCLUSIF' Series (19 July 12)


Stand a chance to win a pair of tickets today to attend the event! Check the link:
http://www.beamglobalasia.com.sg/blog/eventspromotions/gary-chaw-project-sensation-1-jazz

Songs from his previous released albums below:





Some songs in his Project Sensation 1. JAZZ album are shown below:

Cover version of " All I Have To Do Is Dream" - Original Song written by Everly Brothers (www.everlybrothers.net)



Cover version of "(They Long to Be) Close to You" - Original Song written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David / Best known cover version is by "The Carpenters")


Friday, June 29, 2012

Kong Hee Charged for Misuse of City Harvest Church funds in Sun Ho's music career!

Recently City Harvest Church founder and pastor Kong Hee and a few other related
City Harvest Church (CHC) personnel were arrested in June 2012 for alleged misuse of
church funds.



"According to a statement from the Commissioner of Charities (COC), 
the funds were believed to have been used to finance the music career of  Kong's pop-star wife, Ho Yeow Sun." (http://sg.news.yahoo.com/city-harvest-founder-arrested-for-allegedly-misuing-church-funds.html)

If the source in funding Sun's music career is investigated to be true,
I cannot imagine the hard-earned money of CHC Christians
to be spent on an individual singer in the name of spreading the faith in Christianity.

Your $$$ could have gone into making the music video of "China Wine" below!!! 



Personally I feel that the music video is just hyped up with all that 
silly "China Wine" rattling words and fast catchy beats.
Yea...lots of sexy dancers in the video...which I believe is to

sustain the viewers' attention.

Nope...I would not pay $$$ to buy this song 
and torture myself with Sun Ho's vocals in this song. 

If u look at the lyrics of the China Wine song, it's hard to
find any evidence of the lyrics conveying the message of
Christianity faith to anyone. Link of China White Song lyrics:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/china-wine-lyrics-ho-yeow-sun.html

Somehow I cannot understand the relationship in
spreading Christianity faith towards non-Christians
in this video.

Is it just me who cannot understand it? Share your views in our twitter or facebook page!

I would think that Shinggay Gay (rapper from Singapore)
does a better job in making his own music video "Let's Roll"
without a 23 million fund budget!

               

Yea... ShiGGaShay is also launching his own album launch party soon!
Location: HOME Club
Date: Friday 13 July, 8pm
Cost: $13 (with a drink)
More details of his launch party: http://bit.ly/KxG9hl

If u like his music, come watch him live at HOME Club! Haha...am I invited to HOME Club for his album party?
Not at the moment! :|

But in any case, it should not matter as my site aims to feature quality music in Singapore. :)

More from MediaCorp TV Channel 5 news on the CHC misuse of funds matters in 2010:



More news links on the matter:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1209942/1/.html

For those who just can't get enough of the lasting impression on Sun's videos, the video below is for u!
She may have literally KILLED MR BILL with the hard-earned $$$. :P



Thats all folks. Till then, subscribe and stay tuned to more SG music affairs in my site!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Music Matters 2012 - Interview with Minor Soul (Hong Kong)

Another interview with Minor Soul for Music Matters 2012 is out!

Check out their music video of their song "Beneath My Skin":

 

 If u want to get to know them better, check out our interview with them below:

 

If u haven't watch our other interviews with artists/bands in Music Matters 2012,
check out the links below: 

1) Interview with Dustin McGahee (USA): http://bit.ly/JZR5dn 

2) Interview with Early Rise (Israel): http://musicartlifesg.blogspot.sg/2012/06/music-matters-2012-interview-with-early.html 

We will be bringing more music interviews from Music Matters.


Get to win a pair of the latest Sony XBA-1 Headphones in our site below!
http://bit.ly/LhCS6x

Monday, June 11, 2012

Win Yourself A Pair of Sony XBA Headphones! - Brought to U by MusicArtLifeSG

Woah...Stand a chance to win a pair of Sony XBA-1 Headphones from us!!!

The XBA-1 Headphones Could be Yours! :)


In Singlish: "How come got such free gift?"


Well MusicArtLifeSG had the privilege to be
the few selected ones invited to a Sony sound clinic
on the new XBA headphones in May 2012.

We have captured some interesting details

on the sound clinic to share with our readers
in this month. Stay tuned for future updates!!!

So what's the big deal about Sony XBA earphones?

Apparently these headphones consist of

the balanced armature drivers designed to
let you experience your music in full audio
range with exceptional detail and clarity.




Time to find out "HOW MUSIC SOUNDS TO U" with the Sony XBA headphones!

Sony have kindly provided us a pair of XBA-1 headphones for u guys to win!!! 

Check out the details below on how u can win the headphones:

In not more than 60 words, write

Question: How XBA-1 headphones can improve/enhance your own music experience
when listening to your favorite music tracks? (Your own pictures may be included).

Entries to be submitted with subject head: "MusicArtLifeSG - Entry Post on Sony XBA-1 Headphone Contest". Please also include:

1) Your full name
2) Contact Number
3) Email address


Terms & Conditions:
1. Open to residents living in Singapore including those with student pass or work permit.
2. MusicArtLifeSG Team will select one amongst all eligible entries as the winner. 
All decisions made by MusicArtLifeSG are final and binding. No correspondence will be entertained on
MusicArtLifeSG's decision. 
3. MusicArtLifeSG reserves the right to disqualify all entries failing to meet the conditions and regulations of the contest. These include submitted entries with invalid or incorrect information.
4. The winner must collect the prize personally from MusicArtLifeSG.
5. The contest will end on 2359 Hrs (1159pm SG Time), 24 June 2012.

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