Watch this video case study of The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s digital development journey. They undertook the AmbITion Approach (designed by Hannah Rudman), beginning the process 2 years ago with AmbITion Scotland. With all changes fully and implemented and embedded in practice by March 2012, they have launched their fantastic new online showcase, broadcast.rcs.ac.uk.

(If you’re considering applying to the AmbITion ScotlandMake:IT:Happen Fund ‘s AmbITion Approach strand, then this video is especially relevant to you!

Two of Rudman Consulting’s AmbITion Scotland programme organisations launch ambITious digital experiments this month – Stellar Quines and Woodend Barn.

Can 3D film offer an artistic and commercially viable alternative to the live theatre experience?
This is the question Stellar Quines has been grappling with in conjunction with the Federation of Scottish Theatre‘s (FST) Action Research Group, facilitated by Rudman Consulting, set up to experiment with the digitization of live theatrical content. Stellar Quines’ contribution to the FST project has been to create a 3D recording of a live theatre performance – a first for Scottish theatre and film!

To achieve this Stellar Quines commissioned Freakworks to film a live performance of ANA in 3D at the Traverse Theatre. We are now hosting a presentation and initial screening of the recorded show and would like to invite you to come along, see what we’ve done and give us your feedback.

read on >

It’s that time of year again for Hannah Rudman to sum up the 2010 digital developments in the cultural sector. Generally, we’ve seen more audience participation online and in venue, and digital access to culture becoming a mainstream activity.

Here’s my pick of the main developments in each art form: for more detail on what individual arts organisations have been up to, especially in Scotland, visit the AmbITion Scotland website for video case studies.

read on >

This is the most amazing mash up: a new piece of music called ThruYou created from existing YouTube videos – amateurs and professionals play together! Arts funders, IP gurus and arts organisations take note – this is what can be organised without the organisation!

Last night my favourite classical musician of the year Peter Gregson of Coffeeloop (an Edinburgh music and technology start-up) performed some microconcerts at Twitter HQ in San Fran yesterday: the Twitter staff were buzzing with it, and so were a global audience who tuned in via a Mogulus streaming channel. Follow his Twitter stream: @petergregson .

Early October has seen a rash of exciting pieces of news in the music sector. The Royal Opera House made their first streamed opera available online, and you can watch it here.

Their YouTube Channel contains great 3 minute trailers, where the creatives and dancers explain the story and some of the decisions made in the rehearsal process. Tony Hall’s aim to get the ROH into every living room seems an achievable aspiration! They’re also beginning to use digital media to attract new audiences to participate with their brand, recently commissioning Blast Theory to make a piece of work for them that encouraged young audiences to participate in an online social chase game called You Get Me.

Knocked for giving away their music for free last year, it turns out that Radiohead’s artful album packaging is so popular with fans that some are paying £40 for the ‘discbox’ of an album they can download for free. This reflects the findings in Entertainment Media Research’s latest Digital Music Survey, now in its fifth year, launched yesterday.
“Despite the ubiquity of free music, there’s a real willingness by consumers to pay for music products if the package is right,” said Alexander Ross, music partner at the media law firm Wiggin, which co-authored the study. The poll surveyed 1500 people, and pointed towards the music video being the opportunity for record labels to make money: particularly with the impending launch of YouTube’s new e-commerce shop, that will allow users to purchase high-res music after watching it for free.

Clive James has been advocating the opportunity that the internet and a webcam has given him to become his own broadcast channel. Working with newspaper The Times, James experimented with interviewing high profile guests  – chat show style – in his study at home. They work really well – watch here. James particularly notes that on the web, “content matter more than gloss”, and suggests that interviews work better as guests are in a more relaxed format, and don’t have a chance to plan what they’re saying and get nervous about it (they’re not sitting around in makeup and back stage for half a day, they’re in Clive’s front door and on camera!)

The contenders for the Turner Prize have been affirming my theory that art forms and ways of interpreting them are beginning to have far blurrier borders because of the impact of digital media. In their work, digital native artists such as Runa Islam are beginning to pose questions such as “Do you look at a film? Do you read it? Do you illustrate with a camera, or do you write with a camera?”

Last Thursday, the Guardian’s Victor Keegan considered the impact of cheap computers on silver surfers – particularly those just about to retire, part of the “baby boomer” generation. Claiming that cheap PCs will make connectivity available to even poor pensioners, and noting their proclivity to want to stay in touch and be up-to-date, we should make sure that our digital offering speaks in the right tone to our audience members as well as the digital natives.With offerings like the ROH’s opera online, and high quality Medici.tv, older people who can’t get out as much, or who don’t have as much money coming in can still enjoy engagement with high culture.

Vic also reported an interesting site that arts organisations might be able to utilise for projects with silver surfers – thetimesofmylife.com encourages people to upload photos and record video and audio of their memories.

Nokia has announced that it will be launching pre-pay and pay-as-you-go base model phones that will carry its unlimited music service. In a bid to compete with Apple’s iPhone and iTunes, Nokia’s “Comes With Music” pre-pay phone will allow the download of up to 2.1m tunes – onto the mobile deveices and computers. After a year, users have to buy a new Nokia device to keep the ability to download, but the older devices will still play all the tracks downloaded. The idea behind the service, which is being launched first in the UK, is to put some revenues back into th music industry. The Comes With Music marketing is aimed at parents who want to legitimise their childrens’ music – expect a few demands for the Nokia 5310 to be under the Christmas Tree. However, don’t expect to be able to have the phone on contract – all 5 UK operators have refused to carry the phone, so pay as you go SIM only are the only options.

New, unexpected sales channels and evidence of niche markets buying niche products are emerging.  Live events are also being hosted off the back of online activity. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette today reports how sales of classic rock music tracks have soared due to new online sales channels in online versions of video games such as Rock Band, Sing Star and Guitar Hero. Motley Crue’s new album sold 5 times more tracks on Rock Band than on iTunes, and overall track sales via Rock Band have just exceeded 12m. Get your plastic out and polish it up – Rock Band are planning live tours starring the most popular bands, and no doubt YOU, off the back of this surprisingly popular way to njoy new music.

Check out the Globe’s latest efforts to stage the whole cycle of Shakespeare’s plays in Second Life. Victor Keegan’s All The World Wide Web’s a Stage Guardian article from 3rd April 08- http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/apr/03/internet.shakespeare

You can also now buy music for download at MySpace, as the social networking site seeks to become a one-stop source for all incarnations of digital music. Four major record labels and MySpace will spin off the venture, MySpace Music. You’ll still be able to listen for free first.