The Google Glass era is over. Last week's announcement that the company has put the kibosh on the product means that the revolution will not be enacted by middle-aged white men wearing oddly-shaped, internet-enabled spectacles after all.
As you'd expect, Google have done their best to blah-blah-blah that the product is still a going concern and new iterations will pop up later this year. But the truth was already out there because no one was truly interested. The gadget was a dead duck from the get-go because it was ugly, it made its users look like eejits, and it caused those around the wearer to be very wary about their intentions. Farewell Google Glass.
Tech obsolescence moves in mysterious ways. You can be on top of the world today and a footnote alongside Bebo tomorrow. From hero to zero in less time than it takes to rewrite your mission statement.
Tech moves so fast that there are often new initiatives that don't even receive the time to get off the ground. Look at Ello, the social network that last year set out to woo users who'd grown uncomfortable with Facebook and Twitter over data protection and privacy issues. Ello is still in beta mode, but some have already dismissed the service out of hand and are searching for what's next.
All of which means headaches for anyone attempting to use tech and social media to flog their wares or spread the word about their activities.
If you’re in a band or working with acts, you’re probably already spending a lot of your time updating or automating the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter about your activities. If it’s music, you’ve probably also got Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Vevo and other sites on the go. You could be one of the 300 million users with an active Google Plus account or you might be poking a toe in the water with Snapchat.
Do you really want to add Ello to that list? And let’s not even get started on what you could be doing when it comes to messaging apps like Whats App and Line to promote your act. At least MySpace is not coming back anytime soon, right? Well, maybe wrong. It turns out that MySpace still has around 50 million active users a month so perhaps it’s time to see if Tom is still your friend.
No wonder bands get exasperated by the amount of marketing activity required to sell their act. All of this is time that keeps them away from writing new songs and rehearsing or recording existing ones.
Yet the conventional wisdom is that all of these communications are necessary to keep your fans onside. It stands to reason then that if your fans are using a service or site, you probably should be there too.
The trick is to know which services to go all in on and which to regard with a pinch of salt.
YOU'VE GOT TO HEAR THIS
Sleater-Kinney
No Cities To Love
(Sub Pop)
The women are back in town. Unlike many who decide to get the band back together again, Sleater-Kinney are not on some nostalgic, let's-pay-the-bills buzz. Instead, their eighth album (see our review here) is a thing of fury and power, a record that reminds you of how joyous it is to hear a great band tower and power above everyone else. They play Dublin's Vicar Street on March 26th.
TEN YEARS OF TRADFEST
Dublin's Temple Bar Tradfest marks 10 years in the fiddles and accordians business next week. The Trad Against Racism gala concert takes place at St Michan's Church on January 28th as part of the festival. The night will feature performers such as Mundy, Lisa O'Neill, Loah, Conor Byrne, Leonard Barry, The Young Folk and Hare Squead. All proceeds from the night will go to Sport Against Racism Ireland.
