Caroline Kahl

MMM

Marriages between Mobile and Music:
the cards in the mobile game seem to be mixed every day in a new way, strategic alliances, JVs, take overs, just as rich as the Brazilian vocabulary for relationships (going deeper into this requires an extra post...rsrs)
1. Belgian Mobistar and Universal announced the launch of Tempo Music in Belgium for Feb 1st, a prepaid service called "Tempo" offering Universal content: real tones, voice cards and an own "Tempo Music" radiostation.
2. Sounds like Movistar in Argentina, the content cooperation between Universal and Telefonica.
3. MTV Germany will start a new 24h music channel for cellphones in cooperation with Vodafone. Read: MTV-Mobile
4. Universal Germany acquires a minority stake in German mobile service provider net mobile, with the objective to increase their participation in value added mobile services.
5. Verizon follows Sprint in the mobile download business. The second largest mobile operator in the US pretends to start its own mobile donwload shop in cooperation with Microsoft under the name of V Cast Music. with repertoire from the four majors. Target in spring: an offering of more than 1 million titles for download. What sucks: no mp3 format can be played, again the Microsoft predominance taking over. Users need to pass by a Verizon PoS to pick up a software.
6. MTV US acquires a 50 mio USD stake in Amp'd Mobile, a new US mobile operator which started ist services Dec 15th. With the strategic alliance the companies plan to produce exclusive content which will be marketed on the various MTV platforms like MTV, VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV2, mtvU and Spike.  Download service Urge, announced and developped by MTV and Microsoft will offer mobile fulltrack-downloads, ringtones and other products for Amp'd-clients.
7. European Cooperation between t-mobile and EMI: 60 million t-mobile clients will have acess to video clips, ringtones, images and full download tracks of sexy Robbie Williams (for the girls), Kylie Minogue (for the boys) and other artists like Norah Jones, Coldplay and the Gorillaz...
8. China: ringtone provider takes over music label. Western labels and publishers try to make their entry into the Chinese market while a first consilidation in the Chinese market is taking place. Ringtone provider Hurray! acquires a majority stake in Freeland Music.

Just a remaining question to all mobile operators: why can I download with my Motorola ROKR  a full track from iTunes for 99 cents with iTunes paying 15% to my credit card company and you guys charge me a price per download of up to 3 USD saving the credit card fee by charging me on your operator bill? What kind of value added service do you offer to make me pay a higher price???

50 anos JK

January 31st 1956, exactly 50 years ago, Juscelino Kubitschek (known as JK), became president of Brazil. 
What is JK mainly known for, besides the fact that he "inundou a alma brasileira de otimismo" (and a current telenovela on O Globo)?
It was his goal to achieve "50 years´s progress in five" but he was also being critized for "40 years´s inflation in four". Indeed, in his last year of presidency in 1961, inflation reached 32%.
He followed former president Vargas´ambitions in exploring economic and industrial opportunities for Brazil in the post WW2 scenario. He attracted foreign investors, and his large loans and deficit spendings funded many infrastructure projects (roads and hydroelectricity). It was also the start of the Brazilian automotive industry.
But what he will always and mostly be remembered for is the foundation of Brasilia. Clarice Lispector put its beauty into words:
"Essa beleza assustadora, essa cidade, traçada no ar. Aqui é o lugar aonde o espaço mais se parece com o tempo. Os dois architectos (Oskar Niemeyer, Lucio Costa) não pensaram em construir beleza, sería facil: eles ergueram o espanto inexplicado." Foto Congresso, Palacio Brasilia (c) Acervo Público do Distrito Federal.

Beachware and Gadgets

A friend told me the other day that he got almost banned by his friends at Posto9 because of the little Tamagotchi which acocmpanied him (a PDA).
Lesson 1: relax (at the beach). That spot is not a hot spot and it is about social networking (not software). You can make business at the beach, but do it the informal way!
Lesson 2: dress code for the beach is just wearing a sunga/bikini, a canga, some R$ for your beer and coconut water, a newspaper, sunglasses and a cellphone so your friends can spot you.
Lesson 3: you do not impress brazilian chicks on the beach with your gadget but your body. You pose, but do not need to expose your toys.
Further lessons: please consult "How to be a Carioca"

This little Japanese gadget from Konami is propably as useless as a Tamagotchi on the beach. Otoizm dancing and me dancing with them? No way, all I need here is a samba, um violão, old skool stuff, you know... But I respect cultural diference, no matter which beaches on earth I go to.
Via Gizmodo.

Electronic Sellthrough

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group and arvato mobile anounced a JV!
In2Movies is a new digital download platform for the sale of movies, TV content in Germany Switzerland and Austria. Launch in March.
In2Movies´s platform is based on Peer-to-Peer, offering the consumer legal downloads onto his PC parallely to release of the DVD. The company plans to offer more download options for mobile devices and the DVD recorder in a later version.

Cool, your baby is out - congrats M., you did it!
And pls put Brazil higher on the list of roll out countries, tá?!

Dancing Soccer

Famous Brazilian choreographer Deborah Colker openend last Wednesday in Hamburg the official Artistic and Cultural Programme for FIFA World Cup 2006 (the part dance, performance, theatre). The performance Maracanã shows "16 Brazilian and German dancers, inspired by the fascinating world of football to make virtuoso encounters, enter into a racy, choreographic match."
You have until Feb 5th to see it in Hamburg at Kampnagel, and later in Cologne, Luebeck, Dortmund, Frankfurt and Ludwigsburg, Germany, then in Austria (Innsbruck and Graz) and Croatia ( Zagreb).

And once you go to Hamburg do not miss another highlight in the Museum fuer Voelkerkunde, the exhibition Brazil´s Modernismo in the early 20th century. Many of the 80 artworks are for the first time shown out of Brazil.

Fashion Weeks Brazil

I came back to Brazil too late to make it to the major Fashion shows in this country (to be honest I would not even expect to get ticktes, would have to star in a Globo Telenovela to be invited). Nevertheless, here come some news :

Rio Fashion Week between Jan 9th and 14th showed with 31 fashion labels what is "hot" for next Autumn/Winter, including bikinis, yes!
The 21st fashion week in the city took place in the stunning MAM, the Museum for Modern Art. 3.500 people where involved working to welcome around some 70 thousand fashion professionals, victims,... and of course socialités.
Parallely took place again "Fashion Business", a fashion trade fair registering record numbers, sales numbers grew by 20% totalling a turnover of 304 million R$ with national sales and US$ 8 million for exportation in the following 12 months.
Three labels chose innovative settings for their catwalk: Alessa´s show took place in the supermarket Pão de Açucar, Tessuti invited their guest to beautiful Copcabana Palace and Walter Rodrigues´ new collection was seen at the Casa França-Brasil.
Besides last year´s new labels Chiaro, Layana Thomaz and Luiza Bonadiman this´ years  newcomer for menswear: Reserva.
Highlight was a panel that took place with famous style and trend Studio Edelkoort which was organized by Senai Moda (new concept of technology and fashion design from Senai Rio launched during Fashion Rio).
And even more important: Brazil is becoming a hot spot, The Very Style Guide announced during the event that it is covering (and coming) to Brazil.  Next cities after London, New York, Paris and Berlin are.. Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo!!!
And not forgetting to mention new talents: the 4th edition of Rio Moda Hype presented 12 new fashion labels selected from 200 registrations: Cordel Regional, Adpac, Laço de Fita, Athria Gomes, Charllotte, Felipe Eiras, Flesh Beck Crew, Koolture, Kylza Ribas, Marciana, Madre Santa e Soul Seventv.
I wonder if Daspu will ever be accepted at the big event, "o selo das prostitutas cariocas". But this is about politics in the market: "Templo do luxo contra boca do lixo" and the former one is a strong PoS for high class fashion brands.
What to say about last week´s SPFW?
FWHouse: new concept of collective showroom for upcoming talented designers.
FWBroadcast: powered by Tim and Motorola.
25 anos ID: that one I am sad I missed: I-Dentity, exhibition of the famous life style, fashion, music and art magazine, celebrating it´s 25th birthday during the São Paulo Fashion Week.
Fashion editors and portals like Terra and UOL will cover insights. Browse Brazilian designers and pick your dress of the season (and of course a bikini, that´s what you need even in winter in Brazil ;-).

O Maior Som da Cidade

Do not miss the Motorola Brazil promotion to win a MotoMix 05 CD!

Rio in the movies

Rio de Janeiro, its real and natural beauty or reconstructed in a studio was setting for inumerous movies. Here comes a small selection para quem está com saudades da cidade maravilhosa:
Flying down to Rio, EUA 1933. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing to the samba "the carioca", Rio constructed in the studio.
Notorious, US 1946. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant in a Rio Cinelândia studio setting.
Rio 40 graus, Brazil 1955. Documentary on the people of Rio de Janeiro by Nelson Pereira dos Santos.
Orfeu Negro, Brazil 1959. My preferred one. Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnaval in Rio.
The film won the 1959 Cannes Palme D'Or. Great soundtrack with music from Vinicius de Moraes, Tom Jobim, Antônio Maria e Luís Bonfá. A MUST to listen to.
L´homme de Rio, France 1964. Jean Paul Belmondo searching for his kidnapped sweetheart at beaches and favelas.
Una rosa per tutti, Italy 1967. Beautiful Claudia Cardinale taking a bath on Botafogo beach.
Roberto Carlos em ritmo de aventura, Brazil 1968. Has apparently a stunning felicopter flight scence of Zona Sul.
Moonraker, 1979. Nobody will ever forget the scence between 007 and Jaws on top of the cable car to the Sugarloaf mountain.
A Grande Arte, Brazil 1991. Directed by Walter Salles. Centro and Lapa seen from the point of view of a gringo fotographer.
O Homen Nu, Brazil 1997. "Nude businessman follows Murphy's Law throughout Rio".
Bossa Nova, Brazil US 2000. Nice comedy and romance between American English teacher and carioca lawyer.
Chica de Río, UK 2001. "Samba-obsessed London clerk, robbing a bank and boarding the first flight to Rio" meeting a samba dancer.
Cidade de Deus, Brazil 2002. Boyz n the Hoods of Rio de Janeiro.
Vinicius, Brazil 2005. Great documentary about the legendary Brazilian songwriter and poet.

Carnaval no Rio

Less than a month is left for the big Carnaval parades in Rio´s Sambodromo. Very little tickets are left over, but you can still get them last minute with tourist agents and cambistas, of course totally overpriced. Official prices range from R$ 10 up to R$ 25.000, e.g. for a camarote for 12 people. For the greater lifetime experience: pick a samba school on Feb 26th or 27th and pay for the costume and be right in the middle "da folia". The Liesa gives more info on oficial prices and links to the Samba Schools. Picture (c) Murillo Mereilles.

Image campaigns and toilet walls

Just wrote this morning about (the impact) on blogging and Brazil and now... becoming aware what is happening in Good Old Germany. After I came back to Brazil main news where complaints about the cold, but nossa amigos... I guess I really missed something. Compare webblogs to toilet walls on the internet, 30 million Euro image campaignes for a country à la US style?
How are German expats in Brazil feeling about that? Really strange, believe me. But I agree with Jens, I am proud to be part of the Klowaende des Internet.

"Du bist Deutschland" - "You are Germany"  or how an internal email of the head of an PR agency made it rank top of the searches on Technorati but did not fight grumpyness.