Steve Jobs' June 7th Big Stories -- I Predict iTunes in the Cloud, Two-Way Mobile Video Chat & Apple TV on Steroids

Steve Jobs will take center stage at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on June 7th. And, Jobs has promised big things.

Here are my "big story" predictions -- I anticipate at least 2 of the 3 following announcements (now, we all expect the iPhone 4G announcement, so that one doesn't count!):

(1) iTunes finally will move to the Cloud! And, it's about time. Now, you will be able to access your music anytime, anywhere via a browser. No software needed. And, accordingly, it won't be strictly about downloads anymore (despite the fact that Jobs' definition of "ownership" for years has been downloads) -- now, a la its recent acquisition of Lala, music will be offered additionally in one or two (or both) of the following flavors: (a) web-only-accessed music "ownership" where you purchase any songs for perhaps something like $.29/song and can access those songs forever from any browser; and/or (b) subscription access where you can access virtually any song for a set monthly or annual subscription fee so long as your subscription is active;

(ii) iPods, iTouches and/or iPhones will come with video cameras on both sides so that users can engage in two-way live video chat, among other things;

(iii) Apple TV will finally take the stage front and center. Although Apple has touted Apple TV for a long time, Jobs has not given it the care and feeding it has deserved. This may change at the Conference, especially as Google makes an all out assault into the living room with its recently announced Google TV initiative. It goes without saying that there are billions of dollars at stake in the living room, and Apple can't let that go.

In fact, ultimately -- not on June 7 (but not that long from now either) -- expect a true seamless iTV hardware big screen for the living room. Think of the iPhone, iPod, iPad -- but bigger (essentially your flat screen TV) -- that seamlessly combines the hardware and software experience to easily access your "television" content without the need for any separate set-top box of any kind (unlike today's Apple TV).

Why is Sony hooking up with Google for Google TV? Because this is war from Sony's perspective. They see iTV as being inevitable. And, Sony lost its Walkman dominance in the digital music era to Apple and the iPod -- the rest is history (they have never recovered). Sony cannot let that happen in its last bastion -- the living room. Otherwise, Sony truly would be toast.

Make no mistake, an iTV is inevitable -- an Apple branded seamless hardware and software experience.

Let's check my score-card after June 7th ...

Google's "Free" VP8 Gift to the World -- $mart! Very $$$mart

Last week, the online video world went gaga over Google's big VP8 announcement -- i.e., that it was gifting this high quality video codec to the world, royalty-free, without asking anyone anything in return for it. Quite a gesture, considering that Google paid $132 million to acquire the VP8 codec in the first place.

But, these folks at Google are smart, very smart, don't you think? They've done alright with their core ad revenue business, oh so I hear. And, they believe that they ain't seen nothin' yet. Sure, driving ad revenues on computers has already led them to the promised land -- there are 1 billion computer users worldwide after all.

1 billion -- is that all?

That number is dwarfed by the 4 billion TV viewers worldwide. And, Google wants to reach 'em. How? By accelerating the proliferation of high quality video over the Internet so that video becomes pervasive in the living room. And, Google believes its royalty-free VP8 codec can be a critical driver to make that happen -- by reducing the confusing cacophony of multiple competing codecs in the online video world as relevant industry forces unify under its cost-free umbrella.

That is why it was no coincidence that Google last week also announced Google TV. Google TV is designed to give us all the power to easily navigate all of that wonderful "television" content that will be delivered over the Internet -- in a very familiar, Google'ian fashion. No electronic programming guide needed. Just your father's everyday Google search box.

And, voila. QED. Res Ipsa Loquitur. That's what it's all about. If Google controls the TV experience in a world flush with high quality video content accessible anywhere, then Google gets its nifty little ad money machine to print out evermore heaps of cash.

You think Google is everywhere now? Just wait. Oh, it may take some time -- maybe even a couple years. But soon, Eric Schmidt will be sitting right there, on your couch, in your living room, next to you.

And he'll be smiling with that "don't be evil" grin on his face ...

Oh No She Didn't! Doh! Bart(z) Did! Yahoo! Investors Take Note

The tech world is filled with giants. Great minds! Great personalities! Great intellectual discourse!

Case in point -- the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in NYC. Oh sure, Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal has his All Things Digital "D" Conference in Southern California this time of year. But, Michael Arrington's East Coast affair featured Yahoo!'s CEO Carol Bartz front and center this morning. And, boy was that enlightening.

What did Bartz have for the young impressionable techie minds in the crowd? Tales of entrepreneurialism? Tales of working as a team? Tales of working passionately to change the world? Well ... uh ... not quite.

She did add this little nugget of wisdom for those in attendance though. She dropped the "F" bomb directly on Arrington. Unapologetically. And, with extreme prejudice. In fact, she said it proudly -- with great satisfaction -- like she had won some kind of contest. If you don't believe it, click on this link to watch the video (and go to the 25 minute 40 second mark).

But, note to Bartz -- this ain't about you! It's not about your personal wars. It's about the company and shareholders you represent! Don't they deserve better? The answer must be a resounding "Yes!"

Sad, sad, sad ... If that is indicative of the style of leadership now at the formerly great destination site, then it ain't too surprising that talent keeps walking out those doors ...

Expect blow-back on this one.

Google's New VP8 Video Codec Free, Right? (Not If MPEG LA Can Help It ...)

Google last week announced -- with great fanfare -- its new royalty-free WebM/VP8 video codec initiative in an effort to accelerate the proliferation of video over the Internet. We at Sorenson Media supported it with our entire suite of products.

All good, right? A high quality video codec that is available to all -- for free!

Whoa! Not so fast. MPEG LA -- the licensing body that oversees the current high quality video codec H.264 -- is making waves. Big waves (for a good discussion of this, click on this link to CNET). The rumblings are ominous -- VP8, in its view, likely impacts patents not owned by Google. And, you know what that means. MPEG LA is setting the stage to seek its pound of flesh from those unwitting souls who plan to use VP8. At a minimum, the organization is sowing the seeds of uncertainty and doubt in order to keep H.264 in its place as the high quality video heavyweight.

And, who is a member of MPEG LA? Well, there are many -- but, perhaps most interesting in this case, are our good friends at Apple. That's right, Apple.

And, as everyone is painfully aware, Apple and Google aren't exactly friends these days, as Apple feels that Google is starting to invade its turf (with Google phones, Google TV ... and on, and on).

So, just when you thought you were out of the spectre of royalty-bearing codecs, they pull you back in!

Other OVPs May Say They "Support" VP8, But Read the Fine Print - What That REALLY Means

As I reported earlier today -- and as the whole world has reported throughout the day -- Google open sourced its VP8 video codec for the world to see as part of the new WebM format. The goal ultimately is to accelerate the adoption and proliferation of high quality video across the Internet. But, for many, the current reality is simply more confusion. VP8, H.264, Flash, HTML 5, Apple, Adobe -- what does it all mean?

Businesses need solutions now -- this noise is deafening. They need to get back to what they do best -- building their business -- using online video to better showcase and sell their products and services and, therefore, drive more revenues.

Virtually every online video platform (OVP) jumped on the VP8 bandwagon today -- pronouncing that they are here to provide VP8-related solutions and solve such confusion -- in their own frequently used words, that they "SUPPORT" VP8.

But, take a look at that word -- "Support." It is a funny thing. It means different things to different people. And, for virtually all OVPs, "support" apparently does not mean the same things as providing their customers with real working VP8 solutions today. They don't -- plain and simple. "Support" is a strategic word chosen to ride on the coat-tails of Google's press wave today. It is NOT a word that is used to connote that they are problem-solvers for their customers on day 1.

Take Brightcove for example -- a company we greatly respect as a leader in our industry. They are one of many OVPs that issued a major press release today in connection with Google's VP8/WebM game-changing announcement. But, what does the company's press release say? While the headline reads "Brightcove Announces Support for WebM Video Format", read the fine print in the body of the release itself. If you do, you read this -- "Brightcove ... today announced PLANS to support WebM ...." (emphasis mine). In other words, not today -- but at some point in the future.

They are not alone -- read the fine print with virtually any other company in the encoding and OVP space. Yes, the press releases were flowing. But, the live VP8 encoding solutions weren't.

And, that's where I am very proud to report, yet again, that Sorenson Media out-innovated all the rest. When we say "support", we mean it. And, we mean it on Day 1 -- that means today, out of the gates, we were fully live with VP8 supporting solutions -- across our entire product line -- as soon as Google announced to the world. That truly is remarkable.

How did that happen? Because Google reached out to us several weeks ago and asked us, as industry leaders, to develop in advance of its announcement. And, for the sake of being good partners -- and for the sake of innovation and providing world class video solutions -- we did. My team worked literally days, nights, weekends -- whatever it took -- to make this happen. To make our VP8 solutions available to businesses now -- today. To clarify the confusion now.

To be problem-solvers.

So, just because we and others use the same word -- "support" -- that doesn't mean we are saying the same thing.

We likely aren't.

Just read the fine print ...

Google's WebM/VP8 Open Source Initiative is Live -- And So Are Sorenson Media's VP8 Solutions!

Okay, everyone anticipated news at today's Google IO Developers' Conference. And, the big news just announced is that Google, as anticipated, has open sourced the VP8 video codec to the world! What does this mean? Very simply -- game changing for the online video world. High quality video -- wrapped in the new WebM format -- and available now. Here is the new WebM website. Here's surprising news -- Adobe's CTO just announced that Flash will support VP8!

And, I am very pleased to announce that, at Google's invitation, Sorenson Media is one of the few partners with live solutions right now (check out this link from the WebM website) and is immediately giving VP8 encoding solutions available RIGHT NOW and for FREE to developers. Come get it here by clicking on this link.

And, we are further supporting VP8 across our entire video solutions product line -- now only Sorenson Squish VP8, but also Sorenson Squeeze 6.5 (accepting invitations to private beta right now). But, wait, there's more ...

Based on popular demand -- this has been requested for a long long time -- we are announcing new Sorenson Squeeze Server Edition (click here for our press release). Yes, all the differentiated power of our award-winning Squeeze engine now available for enterprises in two flavors: (1) on their own servers; and (2) as a service hosted by us. And, of course, with full VP8 support.

Others today are announcing "support" for WebM and VP8. But, take a close look -- that does not mean that their solutions are live and available right now.

We put our money where our mouths are -- our form of "support" means that our VP8 solutions are available right now.

Come and get it!

What Do Andy Abramson & Justin Bieber Have in Common? Both Hot Right Now!

Justin Bieber. If you have a 10 year old girl (like I do), then you'll know who he is. He is one of the hottest things in music right now. He is today's pop idol for millions of screaming young teens and tweens. Not sure if it is more about his music ... or his hair though. Oh well, I like him because my girl likes him (took her to the Staples Center in LA to see him this past Saturday night ... thankfully Usher was on the same bill).

Then there's Andy Abramson. If you have digital media or technology company (like I do), then you'll know who he is (if you don't, you should). Andy is part of the digerati. He is an influencer in the world of digital media and technology. He runs his own PR and consulting company. And, he too is hot. Not necessarily because of his music or his hair, but because he has the Knack! (by the way, they too were pop idols to screaming teens and tweens now 30 years ago!). Okay, a different kind of knack, but still the knack.

Andy's knack is that he picks "winners" in the technology world time and time again. This time it is voice and video technology company Global IP Solutions or GIPS. GIPS is the 18th company with which Andy has worked closely that has seen a successful exit (fortunately, my former company SightSpeed was one of those successful companies -- we were acquired by Logitech in November 2008). As I blogged yesterday, GIPS has just been acquired by Google for $68 million in cash.

So, which came first? The chicken or the egg? The successful company or the Abramson? I think both. There are no coincidences. Andy can help drive real successes. Sorry Bieber, Andy is hotter. He has proven that he has staying power in his industry. Will you be able to do the same?

Google's Shopping Spree -- On2, Gizmo & Now GIPS -- Keepin' It Real(Time)

First, On2. Then, Gizmo. And now, GIPS (Global IP Solutions).

Google is on a tear -- on a real-time video and voice communications shopping spree.

Everyone in the video biz knows about On2 -- the deal was announced in Q3 2009 but only closed earlier this year. Gizmo -- a VoIP start-up founded and overseen by serial entrepreneur Michael Robertson -- was a Q4 2009 acquisition. And, Google has just announced that is acquiring GIPS -- one of the leaders in technology powering real-time video and voice communications -- for $68 million in cold hard cash.

All names I know well from my days heading up real-time video and voice chat pioneer SightSpeed, which is now part of the Logitech family. And all now in the loving arms of Google.

Even for Media Companies, Selling Ads Only Ranks 4th in Reasons to Feature Online Video

I have blogged several times about how businesses should think of the online video monetization question -- i.e., contrary to most press, the relevant monetization question is how best to showcase your your goods, your services, your brand and how to better engage with your customers and drive more sales through video, rather than how to monetize your video content itself.

Brightcove and Tubemogul recently issued a research report that confirms this viewpoint EVEN FOR MEDIA COMPANIES! Yes, you heard that right. Even media companies -- whose very business IS content -- only rank ad inventory fourth when asked why they use online video. Increasing customer engagement ranked first (76% of respondents); strengthening their brand, second (60%); increasing site visitors, third (55%); and increasing ad inventory came in a distant fourth (33%).

So while ad serving is an important feature and option for enterprise customers of online video platforms, it is far less important than other features (especially for non-media companies, which represent 90+% of all businesses). In particular, for the enterprise customer, quality online video is of paramount importance, since the quality of your video reflects directly on the quality of your goods, your services, your brand ... and ultimately your business.

(For a White Paper from Streaming Media that discusses these realities, click on this link.)

Best Reason to Attend Conferences? A Black Swan May Await

I am literally on a plane right now flying back to San Diego from New York after attending this week's online video industry version of Coachella -- Streaming Media East -- one of the premiere trade shows. Plane time is always a great time to read ... and reflect. And, my reading this time is Nassim Taleb's thought-provoking book "The Black Swan". It was highly recommended to me -- and I, in turn, highly recommend it to you.

Here's the connection to the title of this post. Sometimes, I question the time and financial commitment to attend an industry trade show -- especially since there are so many. And, frequently, we see the same people (insiders), have the same conversations (with insiders), and hear the same pitches (from insiders). I am not discounting the importance of that -- or building relationships via scheduled meetings with partners and potential partners -- but, we all do a cost/benefit analysis in our minds about our decisions "To Attend, Or Not To Attend?" Yes, THAT is the question.

But here's the best reason to answer this question in the affirmative -- and the best reason I have found to attend these shows. (And here's where I tie it back ... rather inelegantly ... to Taleb's "The Black Swan"). The answer can be found in one word ...

Serendipity.

The chance meeting. The chance conversation. The chance discussion with a reporter that sets off a chain of positive events.

By attending such events -- by simply getting "out there" -- you maximize your exposure to potential events that may change the course of your business ... and ultimately your life. As grand as that sounds, I really believe it. And, I have seen it.

So, back to the Streaming Media East conference. Yes, my company, Sorenson Media, had a major presence on the show floor -- good visibility for sure. Yes, we also were a major sponsor of the event this year -- again, good visibility for sure.

But, the most compelling moment for me was a serendipitous encounter at the event. As I was awaiting a car to take me to a night-time sponsored event (a Mets game ... which was great, by the way), I noticed a man next to me and naturally assumed he too was waiting to go to the event. So, I asked him if he wanted to enter the car taking us there. But, he wasn't standing there at all to attend the event. He wasn't even aware of the event. He simply was outside having a smoke. So, we had a good laugh. And, then -- and here's the great part -- we introduced ourselves to each other (since we had never met before) ... and realized that we had in fact previously emailed each other about a potential business opportunity (although that was quite some time ago and was on neither of our radar screens -- but, it now was)! Why? Because we both simply were there!

So, what happened next? I, of course, invited him to join us at the event. He serendipitously had no plans, so he did. We got to know each other and each other's business goals at the event -- because we could. And we also met earlier today for continued follow up discussions -- because we both see the possibilities.

Now, nothing may come of this from a business perspective. And, it is highly improbable that this chance encounter will lead to a company-changing positive black swan event (i.e., a black swan is, by definition, a highly improbable event). But, because both of us were "out there" at this conference, and because we had this chance encounter, there is the POSSIBILITY that something may come of it. And, in fact, there is a POSSIBILITY that something very interesting may come of it. In other words, a black swan.

If you put yourself in a position to have a higher frequency of black swan opportunities, then you are more likely to experience that black swan event.

And, that's how much business success happens. From putting yourself out there. From reaching out to many. From trying to make things happen. From being open to seemingly random events in your life.

From serendipity ...

I firmly believe that THAT is an essential ingredient of any successful story in life (both professional and personal). Maybe someday I'll write about how serendipity thankfully led me to my wife (that was the essence of my toast to her on her recent milestone birthday).

So, as Taleb exhorts us, "Go to parties!" (trade shows and conferences, in our case ....) Go chase the black swan!

USA Today Features New Sorenson 360 v2

Yesterday, we officially launched Sorenson 360 v2, our new online video platform (OVP) with the enterprise's needs directly in its sites. I am pleased do to say that the reviews to date have been universally positive if not downright effusive. And, as I drink my coffee this morning in NYC, I am looking at page 2C in today's USA Today, I am reading an article that features Sorenson 36o v2 front and center as a compelling solution for video on the iPad, among other things. And, take a look at the accompanying graphic (click on this link).

Not a bad way to start the day ...

OVPs Are NOT Commodities! (At Least We Don't Think So ...) Announcing Sorenson 360 v2!

Some online video platform (OVP) providers believe that cloud-based enterprise-grade video services are commodities. That they are fungible.

We at Sorenson Media do not.

We believe that quality online video services are never a commodity -- that quality matters -- and that offering high quality online video solutions is ever-more critical to the mission of every business, no matter what size.

To that end, today, we introduce "Sorenson 360 v2" -- our differentiated OVP that is a full frontal assault on the enterprise market. It re-imagines what an OVP should be. It is s a total video solution. It ain't me too. And, it launches precisely one year to the day we introduced our OVP to the SMB marketplace. Click here to read our press release.

This is not your father's Sorenson 360 -- this is significantly redesigned, significantly expanded, significantly enterprise-grade ... and we believe significantly differentiated from the scores of other OVPs in the marketplace.

(1) First, only Sorenson 360 v2 boasts Sorenson Media's long-recognized award-winning video quality. How do we do it? Among other things, our famous Sorenson Squeeze encoding engine. While virtually all others use open-source FFmpeg and treat video encoding as an afterthought, we do not. We know how critical encoding is to video quality. But, that does not mean added complexity. There is none. You simply get the highest quality video ... every time;

(2) From the time you visit our re-designed website -- to the time you first use Sorenson 360 v2 -- we believe that our new OVP boasts the best overall enterprise user experience. We sweat the details -- both by significantly enhanced "under-the-hood" performance, as well as by overall aesthetic, intuitive navigation, and ease of use. As we like to say, "easy is hard" -- to make things easy-to-use takes ingenuity and innovation. Just because Sorenson 360 v2 comes packed with enterprise features doesn't mean that you need to wade deep into a deep morass of confusion. We think we got it right -- but, you be the judge ... put us through the paces;

(3) Speaking of mission-critical enterprise features, Sorenson 360 v2 boasts a significantly expanded and differentiated overall feature enterprise-ready feature set. Because we have a rich decade-plus history meeting the needs of the enterprise market (we have served the enterprise market for years both with our Sorenson Spark video codec and Sorenson Squeeze video encoding application), we listened to our existing customer base of tens of thousands of enterprise customers to integrate and prioritize those features that they want and need. These new features include complete sub-account functionality, a rich robust and fast CMS, auto-generated playlists, RTMP streaming with unlimited data rates, fully customizable players, social media sharing, automated SEO tools, Drupal and WordPress plug-ins, ad network plug-ins and so much more (click here for an in-depth discussion of features);

(4) Mobile, did I hear you asking about mobile support? Absolutely. And, we think we do it right and differently. We were the first to be iPhone and iPad compatible -- working in the field on day 1. How do we do it? Intelligent embed codes. We generate a single short embed code so that your videos playback on virtually any platform and device. So, relax -- don't be confused by all the noise out there. We got you covered. Our single embed codes automatically detect what device users are using and use the appropriate player accordingly for a seamless experience. Because of our innovative approach, you can also be sure that we can support virtually any other new device that comes on the market ahead of the pack -- that's how we were able to do it immediately with the iPad;

(5) Here's more great news for businesses of any size. Just because we pack all this in does not mean that we cost more. In fact, we don't -- we cost less! We now further differentiate ourselves from the pack by offering "pay-as-you-go" pricing and all of these features to all. Other OVPs force business users into tiered buckets of features, storage and bandwidth that THEY define -- and escalate pricing accordingly. We do not. We offer significantly expanded baseline features. And, we charge only for storage and bandwidth that you use. But, if your specific business needs more customization -- or more industry-unique video solutions like our Sorenson SquishNet "Youtube-in-box" solution, we can design and develop essentially any video solution you want using our rich and robust APIs;

(6) We add even more by leveraging the strengths of our world-class partners -- several of which we announce for the first time now. First, our cloud solution uses Amazon Web Services -- just recognized for being the leader in innovation itself. But, we also now partner with industry leaders ProKarma for expanded mobile video solutions; YuMe for ad network integration; SEO.com to augment our overall search engine optimization tool set; Digitaria to augment our customization capabilities; and many more. And, expect us to continuously announce new partnerships to uniquely serve the needs of enterprises.

That's a lot, but I haven't covered it all. You need to check it out for yourselves -- and let me know what you think.

And, all of this comes from the most trusted name in online video -- Sorenson Media. We alone in the OVP market have innovated for over a decade, being a significant driver in the mainstreaming of Internet video (the first video technology used by Apple Quicktime, Macromedia/Adobe Flash, YouTube; and the gold standard video encoding application for years. We alone have built a long-term profitable business with our portfolio of best-in-class products and video solutions. We alone have long-recognized differentiated technology that enables us to offer solutions that give the enterprise the highest quality video experience (and let's face it, unlike others, we believe delivering the highest quality possible matters -- because, for the enterprise, quality is credibility; it reflects on your products, your services, your brand, your company).

We believe all of this matters. Enterprises should feel safe when they entrust their video assets with an OVP. With Sorenson Media, you're in good hands (hope you don't mind me using that line Allstate). You are with innovators of best-in-class video solutions. And, we will be here in the future.

Ultimately, we at Sorenson Media are passionate about meeting the video needs of the enterprise, as well as the needs of businesses of any size. And, we are passionate about developing the best possible and most innovative high quality video solutions.

But, enough about what we believe. You tell us. Take us out for a spin against anyone else -- put us through our paces.

And, let us know what you think.

Skype Hypes Upcoming Multi-Party Video Chat ... Finally!

Skype soon will launch multi-party video chat, which has been one of its users' most requested features for years. Specifically, Skype apparently will enable up to 5 video chatters at any one time, rather than limit users to one-to-one video chat as it has to date.

This is an important development for the service -- and one that is long long overdue.

You see, other services -- such as my former company, SightSpeed (the video chat leader that was acquired by Logitech in November 2008) -- have offered multi-party video chat for years. In fact, SightSpeed launched up to 4-way video chat at least 5 years ago and introduced up to 9-way video chat in the first half of 2008. With Skype up to now, the inability to video chat with more than one other person has been a gaping hole in the service's feature set. Yet, still 36% of all Skype-to-Skype calls apparently utilize video chat as-is.

Those numbers -- if accurate -- should dramatically increase with introduction of multi-party video chat. Remember, Skype is heavily used by businesses worldwide in addition to consumers. And, inexpensive 5-way videoconferencing -- which initially will be offered for free to beta users (but ultimately is likely to be a paid upgrade feature) -- will be a big plus for the business user.

Pandora and Clorox Don't Mix!

Yesterday, David Dudas -- Sorenson Media's Product Dev expert extraordinaire -- asked me to recommend an artist to him to plug into his online music service Pandora -- so that Pandora, in turn, could create a music station based on that recommendation. Broken Bells -- the new project by The Shins lead singer (James Mercer) and Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) -- was my choice. I asked David to take "The High Road."

So, here's what happens. David plugs Broken Bells into Pandora -- and, voila! Out comes a Broken Bells-ian music listening experience programmed by Pandora's experts! Good so far, right?

Unfortunately, no -- not right -- actually, wrong ... very wrong. Imagine the horror when -- right there, in the heart of David's Broken Bells radio station UI windows -- was a prominent ad for Clorox (you know, Clorox bleech?). That's right, Clorox -- right there, front and center on the main stage -- more prominently displayed than the artists themselves!

First, when was the last time you heard, let alone saw, Clorox? The 1960s? I mean, c'mon.

Second, I know David -- and, let me tell you this. Clorox has absolutely no meaning to him whatsoever (not saying he ain't a clean guy). There is no linkage of any kind to David's musical tastes, or to anything relevant in his life (except for, perhaps, white socks on occasion -- although he isn't really a white socks kind of guy). The point is this -- yes, we understand that Pandora's "free" (i.e., non paid-subscription) version must try to monetize in some way. So, yes, we understand that advertising fits the bill. But, c'mon -- at least have some relevance either to the listener, or at least to the service itself! Whatever happened to the concept of contextual advertising? The last time I saw such jarring advertising was in the last century -- web 1.0!

And this brings me to my third point. Apart from relevance, at least have some elegance! Pandora -- you are supposed to be a purveyor of cool. The digerati praise you as being one of the best and brightest. Even I am a paying subscriber for god's sake! So I am one of you (although I find the overall depth of your catalog to be quite limited). Yet, you allow your ad-driven music experience to be taken over and over-run by an ad network that blindly throws meaningless and completely irrelevant ad inventory directly into the faces of your users? And, you expect them to be enamored with that "experience" and, as a result, upgrade to your premium service?

That won't happen -- certainly, not that way. Note to Pandora -- and all other ad-driven services -- please don't add Clorox! Don't try to whiten our online music and media experiences -- we want our music to be bold and beautiful -- not bland!

Clorox and Pandora don't mix. And, the overall experience didn't wash ...

David's jarring experience is precisely that which will drive away users -- that single moment

Come Together, Right Now -- At Streaming Media East

Next week is one of our online video industry's most important annual conferences -- Streaming Media East in New York City. We at Sorenson Media will have a significant presence at this year's show -- held on Tuesday and Wednesday -- and we will make some significant announcements. I will be there all day Tuesday and Wednesday (reach out to me at bizdev@sorensonmedia.com if you would like to meet).

Among other things, we are partnering with Amazon Web Services and Adobe to bring a free workshop to attendees titled "The Easy Way to Encode, Manage, Publish and Deliver Video Online." Click on this link to read the press release that just hit the wires earlier this morning.

See you there ... and stay tuned for our major announcements. Suffice it to say, we have a few things cooking over here ...