Thursday 29 April 2010

Beyond Oblivion - beyond the download ?

I sadly missed a tweet (or trick yesterday) on another interesting twist in the whole music download saga. Indeed, if you were preocupied with the Spotify announcement which was big news in itself, this may well have passed you by.

So, if you also missed it, News Corp has made an interesting, if surprising, investment in a digital music start-up company whose stated aim is " shifting the burden for paying for music to device manufacturers and broadband providers, giving consumers free, legal access to an unlimited number of tracks."

Let the cheering commence amongst all digital downloaders - but hang on, this must live in the land of 'too good to be true' right - whats the catch

Well, according to Beyond Oblivion's founder Adam Kidron, there isn't one. Content is essentially 'licensed' to devices and services from which unlimited access is provided thus making the actual cost "pretty much invisible to the customer". Beyond claim this approach will will stimulate the device sales and they will also tier their charges based on the device and market types (presumably a smartphone is cheaper than a PC and South America is cheaper than Europe). The Beyond system can also create protected versions of any file already on a customers device and in a surprising statement "essentially legalise pirated tracks wit the rights owners". “There is no illegal music in the Beyond world because we pay royalties no matter what its source,” Mr Kidron said.

Beyond will pay monthly royalties from its licence revenue based on the number of times tracks have been played with guaranteed minimums for the record companies and maximum caps to avoid unexpected usage spikes.

Beyond told the Financial Times they "expected to pay out well over $100m in royalties to music companies within five years, but believed it was ultimately possible, via its potential agreements with device manufacturers and the music industry, to add $10bn or more to last year’s global digital music revenues of $3.7bn."

So this is kinda like pay per use but not quite .... frankly it all sounds a bit confusing and I'm never entirely convinced by claims to make price "virtually invisible" but its clearly a market move to keep an eye on.

What d'ya think ?

Sunday 25 April 2010

Chelsea 7 - 0 Stoke

A crunch home game against Stoke, following a disappointing defeat to Spurs, would normally be a banana skin for the Chelsea of old but not today as the mighty Blues ran in 7 goals for the 3rd time this season to go emphatically back to the top of the league.

Having seen Man U turn over Spurs the previous day, the pressure was on but it didn't show as the Blues played with great tempo from the start and bludgeoned Stoke with a text book lesson in attacking football. No doubt some nit pickers will claim that Kalou's second goal was two footed and should not have stood but that would really be harsh. The questions were asked and the Blues answered them with a hat trick from Kalou, two goals from Lamps and one each for Malouda and Sturridge (his first premiership goal)

The 'in game' tweets went like this

  • When was the last time a home game with Stoke prompted such nerves? Ash is back, Bran replaces JT, Ballack holds & Kalou joins the front 3
  • Stoke start with 4 centre backs as their back 4 - this will be tough. Lamps drives on 11mins & the block falls to Ash whose shot is parried
  • Bennett waves away a stong penalty shout & 2 blatant free kicks on the edge of the box. Drogba has a gr8 header saved by Sorensen on 20mins
  • Its all Chelsea but some nervy finishing is the problem tho on 23mins the Drog controls with a back heel & crosses for Kalou to head home
  • Anelka's crossfield pass finds Drogba on 30mins & he flicks 1st time 2 Lamps whose drive is parried by Sorensen but Kalou follows in for 2-0
  • Ballacks having one of his better games in the holding role. Huth hauls Kalou down in the box on 43mins & Lamps slots home the pen for 3-0
  • No change @ 1/2time. Kalou & Cole wriggle into the box on 55 & 57mins to no effect. Kalou whips in a cross on 62min but it misses Drog & Nic
  • Kalou beats the offside from a Lamps thru ball on 68min & takes two attempts to get his hat trick - his reward to to be replaced by Joe Cole
  • Joe Cole crosses on 72min but Malouda misses from 1yrd out, Ballack blasts over 4mins l8r and Malouda misses again from a sweeping counter
  • Hutchinson & Sturridge replace Paulo & Nic on 80mins. Joe Cole finds Lamps with a great cross & he side foots home 4 his 20th of the season ..ed. It was actually Hutchinsons cross !!
  • Sturridge is played in by Drogba on 87mins & he rounds the keeper for our 6th. Malouda makes it 7 from a beautiful first time Joe Cole cross 2mins later
Now comes the small matter of a trip to Anfield next week. A win is essential (unless ManU drop points at Sunderland please g-d) and you'd like to think that Rafa's boys would fancy taking things a bit easy to not give ManU the upper hand again. Well ..... you'd like to think that but back in the real world ........

Monday 19 April 2010

Spurs 2 - 1 Chelsea

This was the first of the more difficult games in our run in and inevitably it ended in a defeat that actually could have been much heavier. To say the Blues didn't turn up (which we didn't) would be harsh on a Spurs side who were at it from the off. They were hungrier, quicker and should have put the game out of sight at the start of the second half when leading 2-0, Defoe was clean through and missed - shades of a certain FA Cup quarter final.

Tweeting this shambles was difficult but here you go

  • After ManU's injury time escape earlier today thoughts turn to WHL. Deco, Malouda and Cole all start. Ash makes the bench
  • Spurs start brightly using plenty of width to stretch the play. Malouda draws a good save from Gomez on 6mins but Spurs are on top.
  • Spurs have a pen shout waved away on 13mins but get one for a JT hand ball a minute later. Defoe makes it 1-0 and its a huge goal to concede
  • Replays show the JTs handball as a bit suss but the Blues were too deep & got punished. Pav' draws a great save from Cech on 24mins.
  • Bentley misses a sitter on 30mins. Mikel is struggling so Ballack's on & Deco holds. Malouda rolls Dawson to net on 38mins but its offside
  • Too many Blue passes getting blocked thru the middle & we're caught by a quick counter on 43mins as Bale skins Ferreira to drive past Cech.
  • Carlo makes a double sub at half time with Nic & Bran on for Ferreira and Cole. All subs used but Drogba is hurt in warm up - wot now !!
  • Defoe breaks clean thru on 48mins 1on1 with Cech who makes a gr8 save. This is really ragged. JTs booked on 60min & then sent off 2mins l8r
  • The title charge is unravelling. Bently trys a wonder chip on 74min but Cech tips over. Bran drives just over on 77min but its all Spurs
  • Cech saves from Bale on 81mins & Dawson makes a gr8 block on Drogba a min l8r. Bale & Pav miss 2 more easy chances as we go into injury time
  • 5mins of injury time & Lamps connects with a cross from Bran for 2-1. Alex misses a header, the Spurs fans panic but its too little too late

To equalise would have been a travesty. we were well beaten and now have to face an inevitably bruising encounter with Stoke at home without JT.

Tuesday 13 April 2010

Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton

It was always going to be tough to play a Tuesday fixture following a hard fought FA cup semi final victory and anyone who thought Bolton were likely to just turn up and roll over were living in 'cloud fergie land'.

Carlo rang the changes starting with Anelka and Drogba at the expense of Malouda and Cole. Ballack (fast picking up the new mantle of Captain Slow) replaced Deco but these changes only served to break up the fluent and flowing Chelsea of late. Build up play was laboured and the lack of pace combined with a resilient and tough tackling Bolton side made for a nervy game that was settled by a solitary goal from Anelka. Only Zhirkov, playing his best game for the Blues, and with stitches in a head wound following a bad clash in the fist half, offered any real pace or gile. Indeed, it was only once Cole and Malouda had been introduced late in the second half that we looked like the Chelsea of recent games.

Still, in the end its all about the points at the business end of the season and the result leaves us 4 points clear with 4 games to go

The nervous 'in game tweets' went like this

  • Home to Bolton and a chance to open a 4pt gap. Nic & the Drog up top, Cole and Deco are rested so in come Kalou and Mr Slow (Ballack)
  • Early chances go to the Blues but JT picks up a knock on 10mins & is struggling. Another 10mins gone and Zhirkov is felled with a head wound
  • A Drogba freekick is parried by Jaaskelainen but bounces wide off Kalou on 25mins. With 3mins to go he turns provider for Nic to heads home
  • More tempo needed in the 2nd half & perhaps an 'appearance' from the invisible Ballack - we get neither as Kalou squanders 2 good chances
  • With 15mins gone there's a bit more zip. Zhirkov (our best player by a mile) has a shot well saved on 64mins. Malouda replaces Nic on 66mins
  • 15mins to go & Bolton are still in this so Cole in on for Kalou. Lamps hits the post 2mins later. Coyle throws on 2 strikers for the last 10
  • There's 4mins of nervy fergie time as Zhirkov finds Cole but he cant convert. The Blues see it out to go 4points clear with 4 games to go.


Saturday 3 April 2010

Man U 1 - 2 Chelsea

A massive game that was overshadowed by the injury to Wayne Rooney (which was certainly over hyped by the media) ended in a well deserved victory for the Blues. Carlo took a, some might say, huge gamble by leaving out Diddier Drogba and sticking with the side that thumped Villa 7-1 but in reality he could do little else after such a result.

There will also inevitably be lots of talk about refereeing decisions and the "offside goal" from the Drog to make it 0-2 but few can argue that in the first half Chelsea were far the better side. Man U came out frighting in the second half but never really troubled Cech and the Blues ran out deserved winners.

The frantic 'in game' tweets went like this

  • Its a lively start from both sides - Park is like a man possessed closing down everywhere. Wot odds on a dodgy Mike Dean penalty decision?
  • Chelsea have settled the better and it shows on 20mins as Malouda bursts into the box and his cross is back heeled home by Joe Cole for 0-1
  • Mike Dean has a look as Park goes down in the box but his hands stay down. Neville then similarly bundles over Anelka so that's one each
  • Chelsea have dropped the tempo & Man U are getting more possession. JT clatters Berbatov in the last min of the half but it comes to nothing
  • United start the 2nd half brightly but the 1st chance goes to the Blues as Ferreira scuffs a 1 on 1 with VdS. Its all Man U since then
  • Berbatov heads wide on 60 & 67mins as pressure mounts on the Blues so the Drog replaces Anelka on 70min. Nani & Macheda on 4 Park & Scholes
  • Kalou replaces Cole on 72min as the Blues freshen it up. Its a gr8 change as Kalou finds Drogba on 78mins who lashes home. it looked offside
  • Hang on 10mins 2 go & the other subs Nani & Macheda combine to bundle home a Man U response. Ballack comes on for Deco to face the onslaught
  • My bum is squeaking - this is tense stuff. We're into 4mins of Fergie time as Berbatov scuffs a volley
  • VdS rushes the Blues box in the final minute but Cech collects from the free kick. The Blues collect all 3 points in a vital 1-2 victory.
The title wasn't won or lost today - Arsenal still have the easiest run in and Spurs will have a big say as they play us both - but its good to be back on top and have the matter in our own hands.

COME ON U BLUES !!