Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Customized Love Songs



For romantics that can't hold a tune, Canadian TailoredMusic.com now offers the perfect service: customized love songs performed by professional musicians. Customers pick a vocalist and genre, ranging from experimental to folk waltz. The website then shows the default lyrics for the song they selected. While a demo of the song plays in the background, customers edit the lyrics in an easy to use online word processing tool. Some lyrics must be customized (the love object's name), while other fields are written for easy customization, allowing users to add personal experiences, locations, events, colors, etc. Any words or lines can be changed, and TailoredMusic's singers can adapt to varying numbers of syllables and different rhyming schemes.

Once the right words have been selected, a customer can choose to receive the song as a web download (compressed MP3 and CD-quality WAV), or a gift-wrapped CD in a metal case with a printed lyric sheet. Delivery time is 1 to 2 weeks, and songs are priced from USD 99-249; ordering the 'premium' physical product adds one week to the delivery time and USD 20 to the price.

Behind the scenes, studio musicians get to work on the order, working through rhythmic changes, rehearsing and recording new vocals, re-applying digital effects and remixing. TailoredMusic is actively seeking musicians and songwriters to add to their portfolio, offering musical minipreneurs the opportunity to work from their own (home) studios, whenever it suits them. One to partner with if you're in the gift-giving business. (Valentine's Day is just around the corner...) Of course there's also plenty of room for localized versions, offering songs in languages other than English. Get lyrical! ;-)

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Innovative & Technical Excellence

That's my acronym for ITE because that's the kind of impression I get from ITE students on the programmes that I work with them.
After the previous experience with ITE College East, ITE College West (Dover) approached us to do a InnoWorks™ programme to help their students generate new ideas for the Tan Kah Kee Young Inventor's Award.
And after a quick briefing, they got to work pretty quickly! Great ideas like a stackable tray with a drinks slot for the canteen, stackable auditorium chairs and even milk bottles with soothing music for babies!
Any student can be creative, but the ITE student temper imagination with practicality, thinking of practical ideas that applies to everyday life.