Wanna Be A Pop Star? Now (More Than Ever) You Gotta Have A Gimmick

“Even as publications such as Billboard lamented the lowest weekly music sales recorded since the dawn of Soundscan tracking technology in 1991 this past summer, a barrage of high-concept marketing campaigns unleashed in support of some of the year’s biggest albums demonstrated that people are still willing to invest a great deal of time, energy, creativity and (in some cases) money in the increasingly futile pursuit of huge chart returns.”

Netflix-izing Reading (Data On What/How/When You Read)

“The move to exploit reading data is one aspect of how consumer analytics is making its way into every corner of the culture. Amazon and Barnes & Noble already collect vast amounts of information from their e-readers but keep it proprietary. Now the start-ups — which also include Entitle, a North Carolina-based company — are hoping to profit by telling all.”