Record stores still exist!  Dozens of the hardy survivors are participating in a national Record Store Day this Saturday.  The event’s site is loaded with video testimonials from musicians, an impressive list of celebrity in-store appearances and performances and information about exclusive giveaways.  A podcast, Twitter feed, YouTube channel and thorough press kit are part [...]

Along with millions of other enthusiastic baseball fans, the Locker Partner staff is excited about opening day.  One of us, in fact, intended to Twitter about his high hopes for his favorite team.  He was disappointed to discover that the franchise didn’t have a Twitter account.  Worse still, several individuals had created bogus Twitter [...]

Forget everything you knew about marketing.  Release dates, elaborate product rollouts and shock-and-awe advertising campaigns are things of the past.  At least that’s Seth Godin’s theory.   He offers keen insights today at his blog.
You can no longer market to the anonymous masses. They’re not anonymous and they’re not masses. You can only market to [...]

It’s become a bit of a cliche to talk about how customers provide a company’s best advertising. But that doesn’t make it any less true. This unauthorized video for Trader Joe’s is a perfect example. The genuine enthusiasm and affection the fan has for the chain of grocery stores is [...]

The Shins are the latest high-profile act to abandon the record label that helped them rise to prominence.  Observers speculate that the band will release future albums without a label.  Is this a wise move for The Shins?  Probably- they’re now firmly established and boast a loyal international fan base.  But is going it alone [...]

It’s come to this: NBA players are Twittering at halftime.  Charlie Villanueva and renowned Twitter-star Shaquille O’Neal have created headlines recently for failing to check their Twitter habits during games.  The development is great for fans craving the inside scoop.  It’s also a boon for players seeking to brand themselves.  It’s unclear how Twitter affects [...]

Is it really possible that this internet thing just turned twenty? Why, it’s not even old enough to drink a toast to itself in The United States.  Yet obviously, it’s changed almost everything. And we’re just getting started. What will tomorrow bring?  We have a few ideas, and a few wishes, but none of us know [...]

Locker Partner has a good friend in Omaha.  No, it’s not Warren Buffett.  (Personal aside to the Oracle of Omaha- we were insulted by your first offer.  Try again.)  Our pal Jimmy has created RockDex, a invaluable system that ranks artists’ internet buzz.  Jimmy’s proprietary process evaluates the level of excitement on blogs, MySpace, Twitter [...]

Should you give it away?  Just because No Doubt is bundling free downloads of their entire catalog of seven albums into the purchase of a ticket to their summer tour doesn’t mean that every business needs to give their product away.  Sure, times are tough, but just because the desperate remnants of the music [...]

Hackers, contrary to popular perception, can be fun. One of the most notorious members of that infamous breed is Virgil Griffith. He recently turned his attention from exposing the identity of Wikipedia contributors to creating a fun chart that correlates music taste with SAT scores. It’s incendiary but illuminating. Students claiming [...]