Although he will not change the team’s designation for the 2010 season of Formula One – at least not for now – Peter Sauber announced his new management team for the upcoming campaign. With the BMW people out of the way, the team will have new leaders starting 2010 onwards, most of them being promoted to new roles within the Hinwil organization.
As far as Sauber is concerned, the Swiss businessman will now be president of the board of directors, while also coordinating the action … (read more)
My vote-PJ
Dulha Mil Gaya is regressive and stale. The most creative aspect of the film are the characters names- apart from Shimmer, we have a flamboyantly gay cook named Lotus and a butler named Valentine.
The Boston Globe critic Wesley Morris once said that the only highlights in Oliver Stone’s Alexander were in Colin Farell’s hair. Well, the only highlights in this film are in Fardeen Khan’s hair.
The song also has a remix version, which might find place at DJ consoles.
Next in line is the title track Dulha mil gaya sung by Daler Mehndi. It is currently doing the rounds of television channels and is one of the better songs of the album. The Bhangra-based song is catchy and doesn’t lose its tempo.
The remix version adds an edge to the original.
Then there is Aaja aaja mera ranjhna with newcomer Sunanda behind the mike and later joined by Anushka Manchanda. It is very typical and reminds of tracks of the early 90s owing to its orchestration and vocals. In today’s time, it doesn’t appeal at all.
Up next is Magar meri jaan with Anushka. It is a fast-paced, foot-tapping number. However it lacks punch and doesn’t offer anything fresh and out-of-the-box. Strictly an average number.
Then we have Tu jo jaan le, a soft love ballad with touches of rock. It is sung by Sonu Niigaam and picks up tempo after a few minutes into the song. A nice track that will be liked.
Rang diya dil is a Shreya Ghoshal song. It is a slow-paced romantic outing and Ghoshal’s honey-tucked voice makes it pleasing. It is a melodious track and strikes a chord with the listener.
Next is Dilrubaon ke jalwe, an amalgamation of Indian qawaali and western hip hop. It is crooned by Amit Kumar and Monali Thakur and does have the potential to be a hit. The shifts from western to Indian and back to western music is interesting. The song also has a remixed version that adds zing.
Finally we have Shiri farhad in Neeraj Sridhar and Tulsi Kumar’s voice. This one too boasts of psychedelic beats with Hindi and English lyrics. The song is very ordinary and has a heard-before feeling. Same beats and not many alterations in the lyrics makes it a routine affair.
On the whole Lalit Pandit disappoints big time. There is nothing worth noticing in most songs. The tunes and styles are ordinary and lack freshness and punch.
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Dulha Mil Gaya is regressive and stale. The most creative aspect of the film are the characters names- apart from Shimmer, we have a flamboyantly gay cook named Lotus and a butler named Valentine.
The Boston Globe critic Wesley Morris once said that the only highlights in Oliver Stone’s Alexander were in Colin Farell’s hair. Well, the only highlights in this film are in Fardeen Khan’s hair.
The song also has a remix version, which might find place at DJ consoles.
Next in line is the title track Dulha mil gaya sung by Daler Mehndi. It is currently doing the rounds of television channels and is one of the better songs of the album. The Bhangra-based song is catchy and doesn’t lose its tempo.
The remix version adds an edge to the original.
Then there is Aaja aaja mera ranjhna with newcomer Sunanda behind the mike and later joined by Anushka Manchanda. It is very typical and reminds of tracks of the early 90s owing to its orchestration and vocals. In today’s time, it doesn’t appeal at all.
Up next is Magar meri jaan with Anushka. It is a fast-paced, foot-tapping number. However it lacks punch and doesn’t offer anything fresh and out-of-the-box. Strictly an average number.
Then we have Tu jo jaan le, a soft love ballad with touches of rock. It is sung by Sonu Niigaam and picks up tempo after a few minutes into the song. A nice track that will be liked.
Rang diya dil is a Shreya Ghoshal song. It is a slow-paced romantic outing and Ghoshal’s honey-tucked voice makes it pleasing. It is a melodious track and strikes a chord with the listener.
Next is Dilrubaon ke jalwe, an amalgamation of Indian qawaali and western hip hop. It is crooned by Amit Kumar and Monali Thakur and does have the potential to be a hit. The shifts from western to Indian and back to western music is interesting. The song also has a remixed version that adds zing.
Finally we have Shiri farhad in Neeraj Sridhar and Tulsi Kumar’s voice. This one too boasts of psychedelic beats with Hindi and English lyrics. The song is very ordinary and has a heard-before feeling. Same beats and not many alterations in the lyrics makes it a routine affair.
On the whole Lalit Pandit disappoints big time. There is nothing worth noticing in most songs. The tunes and styles are ordinary and lack freshness and punch.
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Dulha Mil Gaya is regressive and stale. The most creative aspect of the film are the characters names- apart from Shimmer, we have a flamboyantly gay cook named Lotus and a butler named Valentine.
The Boston Globe critic Wesley Morris once said that the only highlights in Oliver Stone’s Alexander were in Colin Farell’s hair. Well, the only highlights in this film are in Fardeen Khan’s hair.
The song also has a remix version, which might find place at DJ consoles.
Next in line is the title track Dulha mil gaya sung by Daler Mehndi. It is currently doing the rounds of television channels and is one of the better songs of the album. The Bhangra-based song is catchy and doesn’t lose its tempo.
The remix version adds an edge to the original.
Then there is Aaja aaja mera ranjhna with newcomer Sunanda behind the mike and later joined by Anushka Manchanda. It is very typical and reminds of tracks of the early 90s owing to its orchestration and vocals. In today’s time, it doesn’t appeal at all.
Up next is Magar meri jaan with Anushka. It is a fast-paced, foot-tapping number. However it lacks punch and doesn’t offer anything fresh and out-of-the-box. Strictly an average number.
Then we have Tu jo jaan le, a soft love ballad with touches of rock. It is sung by Sonu Niigaam and picks up tempo after a few minutes into the song. A nice track that will be liked.
Rang diya dil is a Shreya Ghoshal song. It is a slow-paced romantic outing and Ghoshal’s honey-tucked voice makes it pleasing. It is a melodious track and strikes a chord with the listener.
Next is Dilrubaon ke jalwe, an amalgamation of Indian qawaali and western hip hop. It is crooned by Amit Kumar and Monali Thakur and does have the potential to be a hit. The shifts from western to Indian and back to western music is interesting. The song also has a remixed version that adds zing.
Finally we have Shiri farhad in Neeraj Sridhar and Tulsi Kumar’s voice. This one too boasts of psychedelic beats with Hindi and English lyrics. The song is very ordinary and has a heard-before feeling. Same beats and not many alterations in the lyrics makes it a routine affair.
On the whole Lalit Pandit disappoints big time. There is nothing worth noticing in most songs. The tunes and styles are ordinary and lack freshness and punch.
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Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Dulha Mil Gaya is regressive and stale. The most creative aspect of the film are the characters names- apart from Shimmer, we have a flamboyantly gay cook named Lotus and a butler named Valentine.
The Boston Globe critic Wesley Morris once said that the only highlights in Oliver Stone’s Alexander were in Colin Farell’s hair. Well, the only highlights in this film are in Fardeen Khan’s hair.
The song also has a remix version, which might find place at DJ consoles.
Next in line is the title track Dulha mil gaya sung by Daler Mehndi. It is currently doing the rounds of television channels and is one of the better songs of the album. The Bhangra-based song is catchy and doesn’t lose its tempo.
The remix version adds an edge to the original.
Then there is Aaja aaja mera ranjhna with newcomer Sunanda behind the mike and later joined by Anushka Manchanda. It is very typical and reminds of tracks of the early 90s owing to its orchestration and vocals. In today’s time, it doesn’t appeal at all.
Up next is Magar meri jaan with Anushka. It is a fast-paced, foot-tapping number. However it lacks punch and doesn’t offer anything fresh and out-of-the-box. Strictly an average number.
Then we have Tu jo jaan le, a soft love ballad with touches of rock. It is sung by Sonu Niigaam and picks up tempo after a few minutes into the song. A nice track that will be liked.
Rang diya dil is a Shreya Ghoshal song. It is a slow-paced romantic outing and Ghoshal’s honey-tucked voice makes it pleasing. It is a melodious track and strikes a chord with the listener.
Next is Dilrubaon ke jalwe, an amalgamation of Indian qawaali and western hip hop. It is crooned by Amit Kumar and Monali Thakur and does have the potential to be a hit. The shifts from western to Indian and back to western music is interesting. The song also has a remixed version that adds zing.
Finally we have Shiri farhad in Neeraj Sridhar and Tulsi Kumar’s voice. This one too boasts of psychedelic beats with Hindi and English lyrics. The song is very ordinary and has a heard-before feeling. Same beats and not many alterations in the lyrics makes it a routine affair.
On the whole Lalit Pandit disappoints big time. There is nothing worth noticing in most songs. The tunes and styles are ordinary and lack freshness and punch.
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Angie’s got a big dark secret — actually, her hair does!
Hollywood bombshell Angelina Jolie has revealed that her signature chocolate tresses are naturally dirty dishwater blonde. The Changeling actress has been dying her hair dark for more than a quarter century. When Ange, now 34, was introduced to hair coloring by her late mother Marcheline Bertrand, who didn’t like the star’s goldielocks.
“My natural color is dark blonde. But when I was four or five, my mother dyed my hair dark brown, and she decided to keep it that way. And I stuck with that,” Jolie reveals in a new interview with German magazine Das Neue.
Details (in Chinese only)
http://house.jrj.com.cn/2010/01/0614356759326.shtml
http://money.fivip.com/realestate/20…6-2087137.html
http://www.chinaref.cn/zbyy/zbdx/201001/331361.html
I don’t think this is the final design anyway.
PETALING JAYA (Jan 7, 2010): A national cemetery, Pusara Negara, is being created as a final resting place for the countrys national figures and heroes. But the chosen location near the National Monument is becoming a matter of debate as it will be carved from one of Kuala Lumpurs diminishing green lungs.
The 6ha site for the RM18 million project is located just behind the Administrative and Diplomatic Service Association Club and secretariat building along Persiaran Sultan Salahuddin (see map).
The site, which is now secondary jungle, overlooks the city and the new police headquarters. Checks showed there are signs of clearing work, and two old government quarters have been demolished. Green hoardings and no-entry warnings have been erected to prevent illegal dumping at the site.
When asked about the location of the project, a spokesperson for Kuala Lumpur City Hall said the present recreational areas at the National Monument will not be touched. "The Pusara Negara will actually be an extension to the present park surroundings," he said.
The project comes under the purview of the Prime Ministers Department, and City Hall was assigned to identify a suitable site and to design the landscape.
In a written reply to questions from theSun, senior deputy secretary-general in the PMs Department Datuk Zainol Othman said the aim of this project is to provide a respectable resting place in honour of the nations statesmen and leaders befitting their venerable service to the country.
He clarified that the burial plots are not for sale and that it is up to the government, which will bear the cost of the project, to decide on who are to be laid to rest there.
Zainol gave an assurance that the project will be designed to be in harmony with the environment.
"The green zone around the Tugu Negara will be retained, given that the project is based on the concept of National Mausoleum in the Gardens," he said adding that the burial areas of Muslim and non-Muslims will be segregated by a buffer zone planted with big trees.
Zainol said the whole area will be complemented with various tropical landscaping, complete with suitable water features. "This combination would be presented in fluent harmony, establishing the National Mausoleum as a heritage that will be the pride of all Malaysians," he said.
Asked if the public can voice their views and opinions on the project since it is near a public recreation area, Zainol said: "They can do so through their Members of Parliament.
"Any such views and objections especially, would be brought to Dewan Rakyat or Negara and debated for its appropriate resolution and solution."
In November, Machang Member of Parliament Saifuddin Nasution brought up the issue in the Dewan Rakyat, saying: "There is already a lack of open spaces and green area in Kuala Lumpur and now the public will lose another recreation spot for them and their families."
"We already have a monument to honour our heroes. Is this cemetery necessary?" Saifuddin questioned.
The Federal Territory and Urban Well-Being Ministry in a written reply to Saifuddins queries on the matter had said the site will house 250 plots for Muslims and 250 plots for non-Muslims. Saifuddin claimed that based on his own calculations, each of the 500 graves on prime land in the city has a value of between RM35,000 and RM40,000.
The countrys two former prime ministers Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn and two former deputy prime ministers Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba are buried at the Warriors Mausoleum behind Mesjid Negara in Kuala Lumpur.
First prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, a member of the Kedah royal family, is buried at the Royal Mausoleum in Alor Star.
this project is in the RMK-9 under the purview of JPM^^^^^^
Dulha Mil Gaya is regressive and stale. The most creative aspect of the film are the characters names- apart from Shimmer, we have a flamboyantly gay cook named Lotus and a butler named Valentine.
The Boston Globe critic Wesley Morris once said that the only highlights in Oliver Stone’s Alexander were in Colin Farell’s hair. Well, the only highlights in this film are in Fardeen Khan’s hair.
The song also has a remix version, which might find place at DJ consoles.
Next in line is the title track Dulha mil gaya sung by Daler Mehndi. It is currently doing the rounds of television channels and is one of the better songs of the album. The Bhangra-based song is catchy and doesn’t lose its tempo.
The remix version adds an edge to the original.
Then there is Aaja aaja mera ranjhna with newcomer Sunanda behind the mike and later joined by Anushka Manchanda. It is very typical and reminds of tracks of the early 90s owing to its orchestration and vocals. In today’s time, it doesn’t appeal at all.
Up next is Magar meri jaan with Anushka. It is a fast-paced, foot-tapping number. However it lacks punch and doesn’t offer anything fresh and out-of-the-box. Strictly an average number.
Then we have Tu jo jaan le, a soft love ballad with touches of rock. It is sung by Sonu Niigaam and picks up tempo after a few minutes into the song. A nice track that will be liked.
Rang diya dil is a Shreya Ghoshal song. It is a slow-paced romantic outing and Ghoshal’s honey-tucked voice makes it pleasing. It is a melodious track and strikes a chord with the listener.
Next is Dilrubaon ke jalwe, an amalgamation of Indian qawaali and western hip hop. It is crooned by Amit Kumar and Monali Thakur and does have the potential to be a hit. The shifts from western to Indian and back to western music is interesting. The song also has a remixed version that adds zing.
Finally we have Shiri farhad in Neeraj Sridhar and Tulsi Kumar’s voice. This one too boasts of psychedelic beats with Hindi and English lyrics. The song is very ordinary and has a heard-before feeling. Same beats and not many alterations in the lyrics makes it a routine affair.
On the whole Lalit Pandit disappoints big time. There is nothing worth noticing in most songs. The tunes and styles are ordinary and lack freshness and punch.
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Japanese carmaker Toyota debuted this week its Prius hybrid on the Indian market. Despite a somewhat low sales expectations (some 200 units are believed to be sold this year), Toyota says India is worth the investment, as it shows a good growth potential.
"Through the launch of Prius, Toyota is keen to demonstrate its commitment to offer the latest eco-friendly automotive technology to its customers in India," Toyota Kirloskar Motor Deputy Managing Director Sandeep Sing… (read more)
Google’s interest in translation technologies is well known and the company offers several tools based on those technologies and has also integrated them in many of its services including the search engine. One of the less known tools, yet one of the most important for developing and improving Google’s machine-translation algorithms, is the Transl… (read more)
Just a few months ago we wrote about two separate lawsuits involving “browserwrap” or “clickwrap” agreements and whether or not they were enforceable. In the first one, an agreement was found to be enforceable even if the user on the website wasn’t forced to view it, but it was just a link away. That seems to be the same view held by the court in a new ruling, that says that even if the agreement is on another page and the user never reads it, the fact that there’s a link to it makes it enforceable. Frankly, I have a hard time seeing how that makes much sense, but it seems to be the way the courts are leaning. Of course, it’s not all courts, though. Because the other case we wrote about a few months ago found exactly the opposite, saying that such a “browserwrap” agreement is not enforceable because the user was not adequately notified.
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Natalie also has a comedy on her plate – medieval marijuana romp “Your Highness,” slated for October.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do comedy,” Natalie said. “It’s just just that I would only get offered girlfriend parts in guy comedies where the woman has to have a job in fashion so that she can have nice clothes, and her goal is always marriage. I’m more interested in finding characters that make me laugh.”
“I’m not prudish about nudity. I think it’s beautiful in films, and sex is such a big part of life. My issue is that I feel it takes something away from what you’re doing when the focus is put on the wrong thing. My picture ended up on porn sites, and that’s the dilemma,” she added.
The experience left Portman shaken and now she has decided not to do such a scene again. “I just don’t want to do something that will end up as a screen grab on a porn site,” she said.
London, Jan 8 (Inditop.com) Natalie Portman has decided not to strip on screen because she doesn’t like seeing her pictures on porn sites.
The actress partially stripped for a lovemaking scene in 2007 movie “Hotel Chevalier” and it ended up on porn sites.
“It really depressed me that half of every review on the film was about the nudity. It made me think I shouldn’t have done it,” imdb.com quoted Portman as saying.
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With the internet at our fingertips and dozens of cookbooks on our shelves, we still call our parents on a regular basis simply to ask, “Help! What do I do?!” Nothing like Mom and Dad to bail you out of trouble, right?! When is the last time you called home for advice? What did you ask for?
Are you rich? Have a great job? That won’t make you happy. But taking the time to engage in artistic pursuits will, according to a new study.
The University of Science and Technology in Norway surveyed 50,000 people and found that men who participated in cultural activities were less likely to suffer from depression.
Researchers found that there is a positive relationship between cultural participation and happiness for both sexes. But they also found a positive relationship between cultural pursuits and depression in men.
Listening to music, exercising, going to the theater, and painting can all be good ways to ward off mental illness, say experts.
The study researchers speculate that participating in cultural activities means that people are involved in a community, which tends to make people feel better.
So if you’re feeling depressed, move away from the computer and pick up that paint brush.
photo credit: moriza
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What some call America’s most notorious hidden fee is about to be dealt a serious blow, as new rules kick in that will eliminate many of the booby traps that lead to bank account overdraft fees.
Already, in advance of the Federal Reserve regulations coming in July, many banks are allowing consumers to opt out of the "courtesy" overdraft coverage and associated, cascading $35 fees.
But it should come as no surprise that there's a catch. In fact, there are lots of them. Topping the list: Consumers who opt out of overdraft protection now may find themselves in the worst of both worlds. Their transactions will be denied and they will face a $35 insufficient funds fee anyway.
"My card is being denied and checks are being returned, but the fee remains, “ wrote Ginnie Logan, who banks at Elevations Credit Union in Colorado and recently opted out of what the organization calls courtesy pay. "Essentially the issue hasn’t gotten any better. In fact, it has gotten worse."
Logan’s sentiment would sting consumer advocate groups who spent years fighting high bank overdraft fees. Expect a new round of consumer frustration this year as insufficient funds fees make a comeback and consumers try to understand why. We'll try to explain.
Much of the frustration with overdraft fees came from the element of surprise. While most consumers understood the danger of writing a check that might send their account balance into the red, few realized
that they could overspend their balance by swiping debit cards or withdrawing cash at ATMs. The new regulations are designed to end those surprises: Beginning in July, banks will not be able to honor the last two kinds of transactions charges and assess the overdraft fee unless those consumers have opted in to a overdraft protection program.
Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and a number of other institutions already have announced that consumers may call and opt out of overdraft coverage now. Most consumer advocates, including Consumers Union staff attorney Lauren Bowne, recommend that account holders immediately do so.
That, however, can lead to an unnerving conversation with your bank. During a recent call to Bank of America, an msnbc.com reporter was told, "You may still incur overdraft charges in some cases," even after opting out. That’s because lags between credit and debit transactions and the time they are posted to your account can still cause headaches.
It's possible, for example, that an online bill payment could be sent when a checking account balance is above zero, but not debited until later, after a series of other withdrawals have sent the balance to zero. That would still result in an overdraft fee, because the bank could not have known the "true" balance of the account would dip below zero when it initiated the e-payment.
In addition, there are numerous circumstances under which opting out would cause transactions to be denied, triggering an insufficient funds fee.
Wire transfers or checks would bounce the old fashioned way, for example. At Bank of America, the insufficient funds fee is $35 – same as the overdraft fee.
Still, the Bank of America operator gave assurances that opting out would eliminate the possibility of debit card purchases leading to overdraft fees.
That should reassure consumers who aren’t so sure. Several have e-mailed msnbc.com recently suggesting they are still seeing overdraft fees related to debit card swipes after opting out. The confusion is understandable, given the complexity of the systems involved. It doesn’t help that Bank of America operators won’t provide paper documentation of the procedure, its terms and conditions, or confirmation of the account change. The only way to confirm overdraft protection had been removed is to call after five days and ask another customer service representative to check, she said.
An operator at Logan's credit union gave a less black-and-white answer to the debit purchase/overdraft question.
"From what I've seen that's not happening," he said. "But it is possible."
He described some potentially thorny time-lag situations. Not all merchants immediately process transactions — many transmit transactions in batches every hour or two, for example — so it would be possible for a consumer to swipe their debit card four or five times in different stores during a day before the bank realizes the account holder's balance had gone south of zero.
Consumers who use ATMs outside their own banks' network could also face this problem, as some ATMs perform what are called "stand-in" authorizations, and don't transmit transaction information until later in the day. That could also result in an overdrawn account.
Still, he said such situations were extremely rare.
The American Bankers Association offered several warnings about this kind of confusion last year while arguing against overdraft reform. But Nessa Feddis, spokeswoman for the trade group, said much of the confusion should be cleared up by the time the new Fed rules kick in this summer.
"The rule is very consumer-oriented,” she said. “… The Fed did a lot of testing and the rule forces banks to do things the way consumers would want them in each situation.” After July, she said, banks will not be able to charge a fee because of a lag in batch transactions, for example, because the Fed decided that consumers could not be expected to know about merchant transmission procedures.
The new rules aren’t perfect, however. Many consumers would want small debit card transactions or ATM withdrawals denied when their balance is at zero (saving a overdraft $35 fee), but prefer that checks be honored (since they would result in an insufficient funds fee anyway, and they would also lead to additional fees from the jilted merchant). But many banks' systems can't handle such a split decision, Feddis said. Overdraft protection must either be on or off.
Consumers who misunderstand their overdraft protection has been removed may wind up bouncing a lot of checks.
"There are a lot of operational issues that still have to be solved," Feddis said. "Some of these things will be resolved, but it might be through a different kind of product.” One possibility: banks will offer incentives to customers to keep larger minimum balances in their accounts to avoid overdraft situations, she said.
Despite the confusion, and the "worst of both worlds" possibility, the Consumer Union’s Bowne said she's sticking by her initial advice.
"Overall, I still think it is sound advice to opt-out of overdraft, when possible, as we wait for the rule to go into effect," she said. "I cannot envision a scenario where a bank would charge a consumer for ‘attempting’ a debit or ATM transaction in which the consumer never completes the transaction. … That being said, nothing much surprises me with respect to these bank practices and without seeing the actual terms and conditions from the different banks it is hard to be certain."
Red Tape Wrestling Tips
You should opt out of overdraft protection now if you bank allows it. The end goal here is to avoid overdrawing your checking account through debit purchases or ATM withdrawals. You never want to pay $40 for a $5 hamburger, as has happened to many people in recent years. But there are hazards.
If you have overdrawn your account in the past year, think before you opt out. A bounced check can have more far-reaching consequences than an overdraft fee. You might end up in the ChexSystems database and lose check-writing privileges, for example. So don't opt-out until you are ready to stay out of the red.
Consumers who live near a zero balance will find that so-called “account holds” placed on debit purchases by gas stations and some other businesses can cause headaches in a post-overdraft-fee world. Holds, which exceed the transaction price, can freeze funds for days and cause confusing time lags. Be cautious using your debit card for purchases at firms that place holds. One tip: If you must use debit, use a PIN instead of a signature. PIN-debit transactions generally are processed faster than signature-debits, so that will help you keep your account balance up to date.
When July comes, look for a mandatory notice from the bank about the new procedures. Don't fall for comes-ons advertising "courtesy" protection. If you do nothing, you won't have it. And that's probably your best choice.
After you opt out, and the fed rule kicks in, when might you be hit with a fee? When the bank has to “return” an attempted payment to you – a bounced check, for example, or an e-payment that can’t be honored.
The safe way to protect yourself from overdrawing your checking account is to link it to other accounts – your savings account, a credit card, or even a line of credit. Everyone makes mistakes. Yours will be less costly if you borrow your own money through linked accounts than if you borrow the bank’s money through a “courtesy.”
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Just what is the appropriate price for a B2B magazine’s mobile app? That answer is still being thrashed out in the industry – and United Business Media’s MusicWeek is so uncertain that it’s already changed it’s mind, less than 24 hours after launching its debut app.
The music-biz mag introduced an iPhone app Wednesday with a hefty £9.99, renewable price tag for 30 days’ access to new issues, news, data and the archive. Some raised eyebrows at what is a steep price for a mobile mag – though it’s a decent enough discount on the print/online subscription, which, at £225 a year, works out to be double the iPhone rate, £18.75 per month.
But the offering has already changed, we’ve now learned. Exact Editions, the digital-replica vendor that made the app, said that it had been talking with MusicWeek about lowering the price while the app was with Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) for approval.
Now the app itself has magically become free, sort of. Readers will be able to read some of the content – specifically, the last three issues from a month ago – for no charge. But the £9.99 price tag has also remained: readers who want the current month of MusicWeek, plus any archived content beyond the month before still need to pay £9.99 for 30 days of access.
Experience may have been the tipping point for UBM: Exact Editions has developed digital editions for a number of magazines, and, more recently, mobile apps for the Spectator, Opera Magazine and Athletics Monthly – priced at around £2.50 per month.
“We are dealing with quite niche markets, but the publishers would agree that the take-up has been surprisingly good,” says Daryl Rayner, the MD of Exact Editions.
UBM declined to comment on the MusicWeek app. A spokesman for the company said that it does not keep tabs on individual publications’ mobile strategies. “We are in so many markets, and there are so many different pricing sensitivities, that it makes no sense to have a centralised view on it,” he said.
The MusicWeek app highlights some of the key issues with magazines moving into mobile apps: they are all hungry for the additional route to monetising their content. But they are still trying to work out the best pricing to get there.
There is also the question of what is offered in the app. Try-before-you-buy is used in other kinds of apps, such as games, and might become more prevalent as more niche trade magazines move into apps. The MusicWeek app lets subscribers download a copy of the current issue, to browse while offline, with the rest of the content needing an internet connection for access. It’s a service that is also available with the Spectator’s app, and Rayner says other publishers are interested in the part-download/part-streaming model, too.
Update: Since publishing the article, a spokesperson for MusicWeek has been in touch to say that the change in pricing for the app wasn’t down to uncertainty over how to price it. The last-minute change (in the words of Exact Editions) was made because they wanted to incorporate Apple’s in-app pricing feature, and changes the app to a try-before-you-buy model. As reported before, users can download the app for free, and get some free issues, but they can also subscribe to recent and archive content for the fee of £9.99/30 days.
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