There are a couple of interesting examples of the emergence of Twitter as a tool for creative collaboration.
Mike Skinner- a UK musician and the man behind The Streets, is actively using Twitter as a tool for song ideas and inspiration as The Guardian reports.
"The new Streets website - which is more of a blog, really - principally contains odd videos of swans dying and badly edited pieces about why Skinner doesn't like owning a phone. But it's also become a dumping ground for ideas - many of which have started out in the minds of Streets fans, not Skinner's.
Skinner, you see, has taken to replying to his followers' tweets in the form of a video blog. Some of these tweets have become songs, the most recent being Cinema Barz, which was posted last Tuesday, the result of Skinner answering followers @shetlandshaun, @bec_brough and @glory55, and incorporating their call and responses into the song.
It's likely just a way to pass the time, but it shows Skinner isn't using Twitter as an extension of ye olde subscription list, a platform from which to shout information. Skinner isn't just telling fans what he's up to; he's effectively writing music with them, including them in the creative process and creating an ephemeral rehearsal room of sorts. Admittedly, he's the keyholder - but it's an open-door policy. It's obvious the internet is what really excites him these days - on Sunday, when @clairethornhill asked if he thought he should be included in the "walk of stars" in Birmingham, he replied, "yes, but I want one in cyberspace first"."
Then there's Tim Burton, who's encouraging Twitter followers to contribute and add story ideas that build on each other. It's a technique favored by artists and called-"Exquisite Corpse". This is an idea that's designed to support his art show, rather than lead to the creation of an entirely new Burton product.
Twitter clearly has a "plasticine" like property which is it's appeal- it allows users to configure and construct ideas around the parameters of the technology.
This is the stuff that makes great brands, but one critical component here is that the brand gets out there and showcases this stuff and in so doing, encourages others to participate.
The opportunity for Twitter to become a very interesting creative platform, but it's going to require awareness and understanding.
The beauty of mobile is that it unshackles people from their desks and lets them roam the real world and still have real-time access to their interactive world.
This is going to be an area where we will see artists and brands try to mine. This is not about just simply running ads on mobile devices, but creating new experiences by merging the real with the interactive and mobile.
One nice example is Musicity, a project from Jump Studios in London, that encourages users to experience buildings and architecture in a new way. Users access Musicity through a mobile application that shows them the geographic location of MP3 files they can play.
These locations are famous and important buildings and the tracks will only play when the user is at the location. It's basically a self-guided walking tour with a twist.
This is just the tip of the iceberg; the ability of mobility to reach users with unique content and experiences, based on their precise geographic location is going to be a gold mine for those with the imagination to exploit it.
Posted by Ed Cotton
The idea of dropping tracks in geographic locations brings a whole new way of thinking about how music can work in physical space.
Great for bands wanting to tie tracks to venues or to areas of inspiration and therefore give fans more of an experience/story around the creation/inspiration for the music at hand by attaching it to a physical space.
TrackDropper from Yves Raimond on Vimeo.
Beyond bands, think of how brands could use this to tell their stories, or offer specific geo-cached type rewards for learning and discovery?Perhaps something interesting happens when you mash-up this idea with a check-in service like Four Square to get audio tags and files layered on top of basic text.
Posted by Ed Cotton
(1) A great example is how Arcade Fire, them again!, thought about the integration of art for the digital format. Understanding that the richness of the LP experience had long gone, they wondered how there might be greater interaction between music and art in the MP3 world. Their designer came up with a smart solution that has the potential to continually enhance the experience.
While the "sexy" thing might have been to develop on iPad application, this solution demonstrates an understanding of the "gap" that exists with existing technology in the user experience that can easily be enhanced with a little thought.
Via Creative Review
Posted by Ed Cotton
In their time, Hatch Show practically invented the poster and created art like objects for some of the legends of the music world and more recently their craft has been demanded by the likes of CNN, grocery stores and wineries.
Hatch Show seems right for today- a time when most things aren't made, they are digitally replicated and the only thing the human operator's hand touches is a key board. The place is real and raw, in a way it's a shrine to the old school world of craft and manufacturing. At Hatch Show you see people happy in their jobs, working things out with their hands and tinkering with machines that are decades old. It's a powerful reminder of the power of human-powered craft.
Hatch Show was one of the stops on the recent road trip and images from the studio can be seen here.
Posted by Ed Cotton
As the demographic axis of the Western world has shifted, those who made music an integral part of their lives, now have the cash to enjoy their passion with style.
This means they can eat, wash and sleep in a comfortable bed all in sight of the concert stage.
This is a trend that's happening at all the famous music festivals around the world, but Bonnaroo seems to be selling the ultimate experience
Total Access from Bonnaroo on Vimeo.
Via Uncrate
Posted by Ed Cotton