Stephen Fry, iTunes Live London Festival 09
Last night I was fortunate enough to attend the iTunes Festival in London, Camden at the Round House. As Stephen Fry pointed out as he came on stage, “It is indeed a house, and it is round, a round house”. The evening started off with a talk by Stephen Fry digressing into the history of print, history of recorded sound, revealed truths and copyright. In a digital age where it is almost easier, in some respects, to “illegally” download content such as film or music, the subject of copyright was going to be a big subject to embark upon. We must remember that the iTunes Festival is paid by the monopoly made possible by the creation of copyright, a legacy made feasible by the Berne Convention. So it was shocking to ostensibly hear Stephen Fry launch an attack upon the nature of copyright protection. For more information regarding the copyright aspects of his talk I recommend reading BBC Technology Correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones’s blog.
During the talk Stephen Fry also spoke about the nature of online communication. What many could call the ePR approach to promoting bands and artists. Internet communication was picked out as a broadcasting system but of an already present message. Although some would like to think that it is possible for a band to become known by a viral online marketing campaign, this still isn’t the case. Bands and Artists become known for the gigs they do at small venues. From this there might be an online campaign to follow suit but the internet campaign becomes second in the grand scheme.
Although this is a very small blog article I do think it holds a profound message. Does or should online promotion always come second in a campaign plan? How does the balance work between real world and online communication?
Posted: July 13th, 2009 under Student Life, ePR.