Completely Conspicuous Episode 140: OK Computer
Part 2 of my look back at the rise and fall of the dotcom era with special guests Dave Brigham (http://backsideofamerica.blogspot.com) and Jay Breitling (http://clickyclickymusic.com).
Topics:
- Brigham joined Webnoize full time in May 1997
- He quit a paying gig as a proofreader
- Eventually, Webnoize started paying him
- We were given stock options
- At the time, seemed like a good opportunity
- Kumar was hired in October 1999, but had done work for site for a few years
- Dave bought guitar with first check
- First office was in Stoneham, Mass., home of Nancy Kerrigan; later moved to Cambridge
- At first, only four people in office
- Webnoize received funding from "angel investors"
- Meanwhile, other dotcoms pulled in huge sums for barely an idea
- It was all about buzzwords
- Saw pattern of companies with no entertainment or tech background getting into online entertainment space
- These included an oil and gas exploration company, Arthur Treacher's fish and chip restaurant
- Webnoize had good ideas but no business savvy
- MusicPhone.com offered voicemails from celebs like Whoopi Goldberg; t-shirt lasted longer than the company
- The big entertainment companies were just as clueless about the Web
- We got early versions of MP3 players: Diamond Rio, Nomad Jukebox
- Lessons learned: Need to know your limitations
- We went from Macs to a Sun Solaris computer system
- Breitling joined Webnoize after getting master's degree in journalism
- Started as intern in December 1999
- Eventually, he went back to his old job as paralegal
- Post-Webnoize, he worked for Listen.com and AOL Digital Cities
- AOL's now pumping money into local journalism sites called Patch
- The futility of journalism school
- Breitling: Dotcom era ended with many losers, few winners
- The "celestial jukebox" idea still hasn't happened
- Licensing is still a major obstacle
- Bonehead of the Week
Music:
Jesse Malin and the St. Marks Social - Burning the Bowery (live)
No Age - Glitter
The Delta Spirit - White Table
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The show is sponsored by Budget, the country's premier car rental service with 900 locations. Go to http://Budget.com/CompCon and save 10% off any reservation or $30 off a weekly rental.
The Jesse Malin and the St. Marks Social song is on the band's Daytrotter session recorded in May. Find out more at http://www.jessemalin.com and download the session for free at http://www.daytrotter.com.
The No Age song is on the album Everything In Between on Sub Pop Records. Find out more at http://www.myspace.com/nonoage. You can download the song for free at http://www.subpop.com.
The Delta Spirit song is on the album History From Below on Rounder Records. Find out more at http://www.myspace.com/deltaspirit. Download the song for free at http://musicinducedeuphoria.blogspot.com/2010/08/video-delta-spirit-bushwick-blues.html.
The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Find out more about Senor Breitling at http://clickyclickymusic.com and http://www.keepingsomedarksecrets.net. Additional music used in the show is by Me and Boris the Bull, which is the brainchild of the mighty Mark Campbell; find out more at http://www.myspace.com/meandboristhebull. Thanks to Bob Durling for the album art; find out more about his photography at http://bobdurling.blogspot.com/.
Completely Conspicuous is a Tan God Production. Word.
