There is a sense of inevitable satisfaction in the idea that we can get from digital platforms exactly what we want whenever we want it, right? We lean forward with Netflix and find precisely what we want or what Netflix tells us we will like because of what we have watched previously. We want that one song from Spotify, and so we find it and listen to it. We want to create a Pandora station that sounds just like one of our favorite artists so it hews as closely as possible t

“Only a feature.” What an odd phrase! Especially coming from an industry which too often works overtime to avoid anything personalized whatsoever. From my perspective, personalization is not “only a feature,” it is the natural state of things. It is the essential feature that all consumers demand. Think about it. What is your wardrobe but a personalized selection? Look in your driveway – even if that car is the same model your neighbor has, it’s personalized your way. Compare

Okay, so I have weird tastes.  I’m the guy whose favorite dishes in restaurants are discontinued for lack of interest.  And my music tastes are just as irregular. But thanks to the Internet you can find anything nowadays, and thanks to personalized radio services you can create what you want out of nothing if you so desire. It so happens that there’s a channel on SiriusXM that gets close enough to one thread of my weird tastes.  Also,  I created my own version on one of the p

(This is part 2 of the post.  For part 1, go here) Recently, the radio industry has obsessed on a few low hanging strengths relative to Pandora:  “We’re local,” “we’re big,” “we’re useful in an emergency.” I have already talked about the flaw in “we’re big.” Ditto “we’re local” (“local” is not a mailing address, it’s what you do that’s local. “Local” is not Lady Gaga.  By the way, Pandora is personal which in many ways is better than “local”). Ditto radio’s unquestioned value

When broadcasters take a break from diminishing Pandora long enough to recognize that they have to worry about it, how do they respond? More than a few broadcast companies are rushing to figure out how to manufacture personalized versions of their radio brands (yes, misbegotten “Pandora is a feature” crowd, I’m talking to you).  The idea is that this functionality has great consumer appeal, and Pandora’s success at offering it is a threat to the broader radio industry. This f

What’s the point in this, you might ask? The point is that value accrues to that which can be customized to my own interests and tastes. Indeed, it is the essence of digital technology in all its connected forms that my experience should be under my own control and will in all likelihood be different from yours. That’s not only a good thing – it’s the way the world is moving whether we like it or not. In other words, because it is possible it becomes inevitable, and it will i

Once upon a time media was something you consumed and somebody else owned, often because a license was granted to them. We talk a lot today about the new nature of media.  We talk about a 24/7/365 always on, you make it, you mash it up, you talk back to it and pimp it out, on-demand brand. Virtually all of us own mobile phones dripping in personalization, from what’s on the face to the sound it makes to the color of the case. And then we stand back startled when we discover t