Much has been said about Web 2.0, social networking, and or course our friends at the RIAA. Love those folks - yeah, not so much really. You see the RIAA (or the Recording Industry Association of America) has pretty much outlived their usefulness. Traditionally as middle-men in the delivery of music, they have enjoyed near monopolistic power over the industry and the consumers of it’s content (that’s you and me). I won’t go into the evils of the RIAA and how the industry is rapidly changing blah blah blah, as many others who know much more than me are much better at explaining it than I, which isn’t to say I haven’t tried. I think most people are slowly coming around and understand that it’s a New World and the game it is a-changing. That’s great news for you, me, and especially the artists that have been held hostage by the RIAA since the invention of the phonograph.
Bum Rush the Charts (BRTC) is an example of how we can take back control of our media. At it’s core, BRTC encourages everyone to buy a specific song on a specific day from iTunes. The point? to illustrate that consumers don’t need the RIAA and neither do the artists that have been beholden to them. Interested in this social experiment? Head on over to iTunes on March 22, 2007 and purchase the song ‘Mine Again’ by Black Lab and let’s see if we can’t take back our music and make it Mine Again.
On Thursday, March 22 - click here to purchase the song and help make your voice heard. It will only take 2 minutes and .99. Thanks!
To hold you over until then, enjoy the latest video from Black Lab for free (take that evil RIAA!) Enjoy.
Hey there guys and girls, here we go again! Wine Blogging Wednesday! This month’s contest is alternative wine packaging. For most people that means boxed wine. In fact, the Boxed-Wine-Guy is hosting this months’ event (Thanks Roger!) but Pam & I are not your average wine drinkers. Nope, not us. We have to be different. We went out and found some wine in a can. With a straw. The horror! Although it is wine, technically speaking it is sparkling wine in a can, and comes to us from Francis Ford Coppola and the wine is his daughter’s namesake, Sofia. The Sofia Mini comes in a package of four cans, neatly packaged in a hexagonal box, and retails for about $12.99. Following the hip trendy set, you can also find the cans for purchase at your local disco. We wonder out loud if Karen and Karla from the Rumor Girls are listening as this seems like a product right up their alley. Listen now as we give you are impressions of this marketers dream product. Have you tried Sofia? Let us know! Give us your thoughts on the wine-in-a-can concept.
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This just in, Wine Blogging Wedenesday #31 has been announced! We’d like you to help us out and play along this month. The theme for WBW#31 is ‘Box Wines & Non-Traditional Packaging’ (thanks to Roger, The-Boxed-Wine-Guy for hosting!). What does this mean? Basically any wine that is packaged in anything other than a standard bottle. (We won’t be allowing Stelvin or other screw tops, that’s too easy!) Simply visit your local wine shop, and seek out some wines that come in alternative packaging. Taste the wine and either drop us an email, or better yet, leave us a short voice mail at 408-627-7796 as to what wine you sampled, the price, the type of packaging and your impression. For participating, we will randomly select someone and send them a prize of some sort. We have two different wines that we will try out, but one pretty unique package that I think we will wind up using. Want to know what it is? Well for that, you’ll have to come back and listen to our podcast on Wednesday. (Better yet, subscribe and you won’t have to remember to visit our website, our report will be delivered directly to you on Wednesday evening.
Ernest Gallo, founder of what eventually became the worlds’ largest wine making operation (by volume) passed away on Tuesday. Ernest and brother Julio (along with Ernest’s Wife Amelia) founded the E. & J. Gallo Winery, in 1933 with $5,900.00 and a borrowed wine making recipe from the Modesto, CA public library. Today E. & J. Gallo Winery has more than 4,600 employees with wine and other products sold in more than 90 foreign countries.
Always an innovator, Ernest pioneered modern techniques of merchandising and brand management to the wine industry, including such techniques as: a dedicated sales force, point-of-sale displays, outdoor billboards, television advertising, and RFID inventory management.
The company also grew through acquisition of vineyards, continually expanded its wineries as well as distribution facilities, and eventually built its own glass plant. The Gallo brothers also established the Gallo Research Laboratory, which focused research on all facets of wine production.
Today the Gallo tradition continues with wine being produced under more than 40 different labels.
Wine Blogging Wednesday #31 - Alternative Wine Packaging
alternative wine packaging. For most people that means boxed wine. In fact, the Boxed-Wine-Guy is hosting this months’ event (Thanks 
This just in, Wine Blogging Wedenesday #31 has been announced! We’d like you to help us out and play along this month. The theme for 
