The music biz is in the slump, as we all know. The ever so accessible, sharable and convenient, yet often illegal, and prior to official release leaking MP3 created a new and challenging environment for bands and their marketers. One that is mainly fought by shutting down music sharing sites and fan posts as well as promoting live acts and merchandise while upping ticket prices. Not an option if you are the ‘it’ band of the moment, like the – maybe as of today still Indie rockers – ‘Of Montreal‘, who launched their new release titled ‘Skeletal Lamping Collection’ 4 days ago in several innovative ways. Next to the digital download, the (extremely ‘cutting edge’ packaged) CD, as well as the LP, the ‘album’ can be purchased in these four formats: Wall Decals, Button-set, Tote Bags & T-Shirts.

All these unconventional items include a cool car-freshener-lookalike that features a download code of the MP3′s. A smart way to get fans to collect one – or all – and to offer merchandise before actual live dates. Also an innovative way of creating a more personal and artistic ‘brand atmosphere’ for the band, as well as making a statement of re-inventing how music can be published, packaged and monetized, while making fans ecstatic and creating a buzz.
Thanks to our ex subleasee and current client (we are currently working on a re-design of their web site), the ever so wonderful pals at blik, for sending over samples of the wall decals, which you can, among other items from the series, view below.

For another in-depth write up, as well as the band’s thoughts and imagery of all pieces of the release-bundle, go to pitchfork, where I found the photos.

Today in the morning, in a conference call with my german design-team, I learned that the ladies went to see a live performance by some circuit bending kids Saturday night. Priding myself in being up to speed on popular music, I was baffled, but Stella quickly brought me up to date on the art of circuit bending. As described in this entertaining little YouTube offering: ‘These things exist that aren’t supposed to exist that you can bring into existence just by touching it, putting some switches on it and attaching some wires.’ Minimal electro just got Micro-electro i suppose. Quite inspiring. But for now I’ll keep my neighbors sane and the house from burning down…

First logos in the sky, now music on the road. Honda tested what they call a ‘Melody Road’ in Lancaster, CA. You can get a feel for it in this video. The concept was developed by researchers in Japan and it utilizes grooves that are cut into the road at different intervals creating the ‘soundtrack’. Quite intriguing, but of course Lancaster residents complained and soon there will be asphalt trucks pulling in and it will be the day that music died. At least on that part of the road. A different kind of road kill, but an intriguing idea which I am sure will resurrect in different ways in the near future.

Watching the first 70 seconds of the Dior Homme Summer/Spring 2008 Runway show is a treat. An amazing reveal of a great location paired with a custom soundtrack (titled ‘Planisphere’), appropriately composed (or maybe better put ‘altered’) by french electro hipsters Justice, make this an amazing brand enhancer. You can view it on their web site, even though you will have to navigate to find it (deep linking would be a nice feature), or download the entire show as a whooping 87 MB file courtesy of the nice folks of Ohh Crapp here.

As of this season’s style, I have a feeling that I will be more impressed by the new John Varvatos collection, which we have the pleasure of rolling out via their (Geyrhalter Designed) web site within a week.

I made the pledge to not write about music on this blog since I am focusing on design, brands and Geyrhalter Design’s Brand Atmospheres, but this one is riding such a fine line between the arts of music, film, fine art and graphic design that I think it has a right to appear here.

Anyone who knows me personally knows about my near-pathetic admiration of electronic pioneer band Depeche Mode. A band that had a lot to do with why I became interested in graphic design to begin with. I started collecting their records (Quite passionately, I think my collection reached over 1,500 items, many of which are completely unique) mainly because of the captivating graphic design and packaging. I picked up their 12″ Singles because of the beautiful colored vinyl editions, not the music. After a couple of listens I turned into a passionate follower, so passionate that by 1993 I have thrown an after-concert party in Vienna, Austria, with over 1,000 paying guests. I was 18, I met the band backstage, had a radio interview on Austria’s largest station Ö3, and I of course had to design the posters and flyers for the event based on budgetary restrictions, which in turn contributed largely to me being where i am right now. When I was asked who my biggest artistic inspiration was when I entered Art Center College Of Design when I was 20, I noted Anton Corbijn. Although I am not as impressed with his freeform graphic design work, I am very inspired by his amazing black and white photography and music video work, for my graphic as well as my photography work. Corbijn was responsible for many videos and cover shots of important bands like Depeche Mode, U2 and R.E.M., most notably U2′s legendary ‘Joshua Tree’ cover and Depeche Mode’s classic video to the song of the same status ‘Enjoy the silence’.

Coldplay’s recent ‘video cover version’ of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy the silence’ is a quite funny and well done tribute to the band as well as ‘the genius of Anton Corbijn’, and how appropriate that it is a video to a song that already is known to have the same legendary status in years to come.

Time to revisit Anton Corbijn’s work, best done through the amazing DVD that was released a couple of years ago as part of the brilliant Director’s DVD Series.

As a sad side note, and since we talk about music, I just learned about the death of Isaac Hayes. Another legend that deserves revisiting, even if on a very tragic note. Rest In Peace.

The indie band Deerhof found a creative new twist on promoting their soon to be released record. They uploaded the sheet music of the (not yet available, soon to be released) single ‘Fresh born’ and let the public record it solely based on the notes, which will limit the participation, but guarantee the hype, not only for the site that hosts the ‘cover versions’, but also for the new single, once it can be compared to the user generated versions. A very creative, hands-on intellectual and fresh approach to use the accessibility of the web to work to your advantage. You can find the project mini site here.

(First read about on Cool Hunting)

Los Angeles has a lot of bad things about it, but it also has something most cities do not have: An extremely influential and innovative radio station. I am talking about KCRW of course, and when you think KCRW you immediately think of Nic Harcourt, the influential host of ‘Morning becomes eclectic’. Nic broke acts such as Coldplay, Norah Jones and David Gray (heard of them?) by giving them a chance to perform in KCRW’s basement studio in Santa Monica. Last Sunday I caught the weekly show ‘Sounds Eclectic’, which basically is a show highlighting the best music of the past week. I caught it half way through as Nik was interviewing an unknown band by the name of ‘Salt & Samovar’. I was tuning in and out as they were chatting about the band’s line up, their influences et cetera, when suddenly he told them the naked truth about how they actually made it onto the show that so often transforms fairly unknown acts into stadium bands: Their CD Packaging stood out from the hundreds of submissions he received that week. It was a different format, and then it was very well designed, so he picked it out and gave it a listen. He liked it. He invited the band. Voila. I am sure the music rocks, but it is a nice little story of how crucial of a role design can play, even, or especially when you don’t expect a return in your investment. Rock on to the power of design.

I am sure by now everyone read about how Nine Inch Nails released their latest album/CD/MP3-set á la Radiohead. What really strikes me, and i have not seen that done so far, is that each of the 36 songs has its own ‘record cover’ assigned to it in iTunes. A creative photograph that matches the emotions triggered by the particular piece, which helps tremendously, especially since it is an instrumental album. It gives me hope after still mourning the days where the album or CD cover was a big part of the purchasing process, and together with the booklet, a big part of the all-around brand atmosphere that each artist created by releasing a new album.