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TikTok is an essential promotional tool for music artists and record labels.
Songs can naturally go viral on this app even if they’ve been forgotten for decades. Marketers can also hire influencers to help make a song popular, creating a wave of posts created by users who are fans of the singer. And some artists are even setting up demos with influencers on TikTok in the hope that it will help new songs gain traction on the app.
By contrast, TikTok also has a dedicated team to work with artists and record labels globally to negotiate licensing agreements with owners and build new ways for TikTok to transform capabilities. its influence into recurring revenue.
Of course for some record labels and other copyright holders, TikTok’s impact on music can be frustrating, especially as the company is asserting its influence as a lever in the industry. licensing negotiations.
But the music industry’s attention to TikTok is not unfounded. Trending songs on TikTok often hit the Billboard 100 or Spotify Viral 50 charts. And 67% of app users are more likely to search for songs on music streaming services after listening to them on TikTok. TikTok.
TikTok has become a hub for studios to promote both new releases and tracks in the old catalog. And a new group of social music marketers has sprung up to support the app’s advertising efforts.
Here are the ways this short video platform is impacting the world music industry.
Paying creators to promote songs on TikTok
Song promotion deals between music marketers and influencers have become an important source of income for TikTok creators. Some users can earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a video where they promote an artist’s track.
“Music marketing on TikTok is huge,” Jesse Callahan, founder of marketing agency Montford Agency, shared. “It’s been a great way that studios have brought many artists into the spotlight over the last few years. It’s also a great way that creators have made a lot of money.”
Hire influencers (KOLs) to support song launch campaigns
As TikTok’s user base grows and content becomes more saturated, marketers are turning to working with KOLs instead of superstars for music campaigns.
“The prices of superstars are extremely high”said Zach Friedman, co-founder of emerging record label Homemade Projects. “As for how the TikTok algorithm works, it’s hard to know what will succeed. Instead of paying a high fee for a big star, you can pay a KOL only 200 USD but can get 10 in return. million views.”
Works with non-KOL accounts
While the strategy of hiring influencers to spark music trends has been tried and proven, record labels also regularly pay other types of accounts to be able to include songs. video background music.
For example, music marketers say they often pay channels to have high-view videos with content like “squeeze pimples” or even a channel that specializes in the scene “hydraulic press crushes objects.” random” using their work as background music. The results show that this is also an equally effective way to attract interest in a song. It’s no coincidence that you often see “song name” comments in videos with a lot of views.
“Using accounts of this type is very helpful in giving an opportunity to an upcoming song to be exposed first and making the algorithm aware of that.” Dan Asip, founder of Acrophase Records, shared.
Create music challenges on TikTok to spark user-generated videos
Some marketers are opening the door to social media users, who are traditionally not considered influencers, to receive money to promote music.
You can think of this as lighting small fires everywhere, instead of lighting a big bonfire by paying KOLs. Sometimes with attractive rewards, challenges can attract the attention of a huge number of users.
How record labels track performance on TikTok
Many record labels have teams that specialize in monitoring TikTok so they can help “Blow the Fire” for a trending song when it started to become popular.
“Our entire music catalog is effectively watched on a daily basis,” Andy McGrath, senior vice president of marketing for Legacy Recordings, a division within Sony Music that focuses on a catalog of songs dating back decades. “We’re constantly monitoring the actions, reactions, and trends that happen on TikTok.”
Tarek Al-Hamdouni, RCA Records’ vice president of digital marketing, said the studio relies on a range of signals such as an increase in streaming on Spotify or a change in audience numbers on YouTube to track its performance. results of the song campaign on TikTok.
“If I find that within a week, our audience [trên YouTube] mostly males aged 25 to 34 and a week later, mostly females aged 13 to 24, that’s a pretty easy sign to start making connections between those two platforms.” Al-Hamdouni told Insider.
Write songs exclusively for TikTok
While TikTok is often the right platform to promote a newly released track, some artists incorporate the app even earlier in their creative process.
Canadian rapper Tiago Garcia-Arenas has built a community of 4.2 million fans on the app by writing songs that are directly related to the app’s popular memes and trends.
“I’ve been trying to understand the platform,” this artist with the nickname Tiagz said. “I will continue to do this because I find that it works.”
Using remixes and mashups
The remixes are extremely popular on TikTok. Whether speeding up or slowing down, inserting clapping beats, or mixing with another track, songs are seamlessly remixed on the TikTok app.
Jacquelyn Schwartz, director of music partnerships for marketing agency Creed Media, said: “A song can have a completely different feel, application, audience when it’s remixed, which really gives it a whole new life.”
To keep up with the trend, record labels and music marketers are working with artists to remix and combine mashups of works as part of their song release strategy on TikTok. This expansive tactic builds on what the artists themselves have long done to get their songs to a wider audience.
But TikTok also makes artists tired
Not all performers are thrilled to spend time on TikTok.
The app’s grip on the music industry has prompted some artists to speak out about the pressure they feel as content creators.
“TikTok has now become a completely different part of our work, taking up a significant amount of time,” performer Taylor Upsahl said. She said it is not easy to have enough time and energy to be both an artist, a content creator and also a KOL on this social network.
The silent influence of TikTok’s internal music management
Not all song trends on TikTok happen by accident or through external music marketing campaigns.
TikTok also has an in-house music department that tracks music trends on their app. Led by former Warner Music chief digital officer, Ole Obermann, the company’s music management team handles artist-record label relationships, licensing deals, and new products. .
TikTok’s music executive team also has a series of “promotional levers” to use to increase the popularity of songs. The company can add new tracks to the playlist in the “Audio” section ofapp, or apply keywords to optimize song discovery in the app’s search interface.
Host private music sessions with TikTok creators
Some artists and record labels work with TikTok’s team to hold private listening sessions with creators to promote songs prior to release.
In the summer of 2020, when Miley Cyrus was preparing to release her single “Midnight Sky,” her team teamed up with TikTok to schedule two private meetings on the Zoom app with about 15 creators to let them know. listen to music early.
Other artists like Khalid, Demi Lovato and Marshmellow also attended similar events. Holding a preview session with creators can help an artist’s marketing team understand which types of videos or song snippets can disrupt TikTok.
How the broadcasting industry reacts to the rise of TikTok
For decades, the radio industry has had to adapt to changes in the way music is consumed, as platforms like MTV, Spotify, and YouTube frequently pop up and change user habits.
With the arrival of TikTok, many radio stations and their talented staff have used short-form videos to promote and find new music products.
“I started using TikTok because I was looking for another way to connect with listeners of my show, and I was also looking for ways to expand my audience,” he said. Jeffrey Ramsay, a radio broadcaster shared.
SiriusXM, an American broadcasting company that provides satellite radio services and online radio, recently launched its own TikTok channel.
Steve Blatter, senior vice president and general manager of music programs at SiriusXM, said:What we do at SiriusXM is complement some of the experiences that are available with digital music.”
Refer to BI, TikTok


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Makani Creatives bags Panasonic TV's creative mandate
Panasonic has appointed Makani Creatives to handle creatives for its range of televisions. The agency has already released a film featuring Ranbir Kapoor.
Nikulsan bags Somany Ceramics' digital mandate
Nikulsan has bagged the digital mandate for Somany Ceramics following a multi-agency bid. The mandate includes social media marketing (SMM), search engine optimisation (SEO) and online paid marketing campaigns.
Sanjay Gandhi National Park gets Raveena Tandon as brand ambassador
Maharashra Forest department has announced the appointment of Raveena Tandon as brand ambassador of Sanjay Gandhi National Park. A programme is tentatively scheduled in the first week of September along with inaugurations of New Sanjay Gandhi National Park website and a Jan Dhan - Van Dhan shop.
SPN retains UEFA broadcasting rights
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has retained the broadcast rights to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Europe League in the Indian sub-continent until 2020-21. The deal also includes exclusive live-streaming on SonyLIV. The group stage matches are set to start on 18 September 2018.
Nargis Fakhri to endorse Cadini
Cadini has signed Nargis Fakhri as the face of Cadini in India. Cadini is an Italian fashion brand.
Vega ropes in Sonam K Ahuja
Sonam K Ahuja has been roped in to endorse Vega - a beauty accessory and appliances brand in India. The association begins with the TVC appearing in Vega's hair styling appliances portfolio.
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Had joined the company for his second stint in July 2021
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PayProp: Regulation could benefit the short-term lettings market
The fast-growing short-term lettings market could benefit from regulation, according to lettings payment automation provider PayProp.
Neil Cobbold, chief operating officer of PayProp UK, said that professionalisation of short-lets, akin to that seen in traditional lettings, is needed to provide the necessary protection for all stakeholders.
Cobbold said: “The fast growth of this market shows there is a clear appetite for this type of accommodation, but short-lets could benefit from regulation in order for the sector to be sustainable.
“There is currently no mandatory regulation of short-lets, which is concerning when you consider that landlords now have to comply with 156 regulations to let a property long-term – a rise of 32% in just nine years, according to the Residential Landlords Association.”
Cobbold said that there have been several high-profile cases where regulation of the short-term lettings market could have protected landlords, tenants and agents from rogue operators.
The Apprentice star Lord Sugar recently claimed that scammers had used images of one of his London properties to create a fake Airbnb listing, costing a group of American tourists $600.
This follows the news that Airbnb has promised to review all of the properties on its platform after a Vice News investigation found many misleading or false property listings on its site.
Cobbold added: “The number of stories of short-term lets being mismanaged or used to scam people appears to be growing.
“The unregulated nature of the sector is likely to be a contributing factor to this as fraudsters see a fast-growing market where there are opportunities to make large sums of money quickly and very few rules to comply with.”
A new industry-specific trade body, The Professional Host Alliance, launched at the end of last month.
The body claims that its mission is to ‘accelerate the professionalisation of a sustainable, global short-term rental sector and build trust in the home-sharing economy’.
Cobbold said: “The launch of a trade body for short-lets firms is welcome and hopefully it can build momentum by signing up some of the industry’s biggest names.
“Introducing more rules for short-term let landlords and agents to follow, as well as minimum standards for hosts to meet, could represent the next steps of progress.
“Managing short-lets undoubtedly provides letting agencies with a huge opportunity, but there needs to be more parallels with traditional private rentals for this new revenue stream to be ultimately safe and successful.”


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With several new content initiatives, Cartoon Network Enterprises is poised to offer a broader portfolio and more opportunitites in licensing and events.
Contemporary sportswear company Z Supply has launched a new brand, called Icons of Culture.
Marvel Studios and Doritos, one of the marquee brands from PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division, have teamed up to feature Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on its packaging to promote the release of the movie’s soundtrack.
Universal Brand Development has partnered with Anki, a robotics and artificial intelligence company, to feature Fast & Furious in the Anki Overdrive game.
Hasbro and Lionsgate have tapped Viz Media to publish a new art book inspired by My Little Pony: The Movie, which hits theaters Oct. 6.
How Disney’s franchise-focused content strategy has shaped the evolution of the film industry.
Marvel and Dairy Queen have teamed up to feature Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 with the launch of the Guardians Awesome Mix Blizzard.
“Magic Mike Live,” the live show based on the film Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, opened in Las Vegas, Nev., last night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Movie star and internet cult hero Chuck Norris has released a new mobile action game, titled “Nonstop Chuck Norris.”
Universal Brand Development has revealed a host of fan events and activations at U.K. retailers to support the new film The Fate of the Furious, in theaters now.
Marvel and Build-A-Bear Workshop have joined forces to release a new line products inspired by the upcoming film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Rainmaker Entertainment has released the new film Ratchet & Clank, based on the PlayStation video game series of the same name, on 2,890 screens across North America.
Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures have partnered with the snack brand Tastykake for limited-edition packaging featuring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of Shadows, which premieres June 3.
Rovio and the Alibaba Group have entered into a licensing agreement to expand the Angry Birds consumer products program in China.
Rovio Entertainment has partnered with Microsoft for a new range of emojis for Windows Skype messaging, Mac, Android, iOS and the Internet.
The Roald Dahl Literary Estate has unveiled a new, robust licensing program in anticipation of Disney’s The BFG, in theaters July 22 in the U.K.
Striker Entertainment has the corner market on edgy properties. License! Global sits down with its co-founders to discuss the history of the company, itsp ast successes and its red-hot future.
Saban Brands has announced a roster of new global partners for its Power Rangers franchise across a variety of new and established categories.
The Estate of Humphrey Bogart has appointed Beanstalk to represent the late actor for licensing.
Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios have partnered with Bazooka Candy Brands to feature the upcoming film Ice Age: Collision Course in a co-branded advertising campaign and online game.
IMPS, the Smurfs’ brand owner, has tapped PMS International to launch range of products in anticipation of Sony Pictures’ new film, Smurfs: The Lost Village, in theaters March 2017.
©2017 UBM. All rights reserved. A UBM Company.


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August 2016. California.
EDITOR’S NOTE: When I wrote this GM made no mention of DC charging the Bolt EV on their website. Instead they had a large graphic saying “9 hours to fully charge”. Thankfully that has changed, and the Bolt is on the road in big numbers where I live. I now have 2 friends who drive the Bolt and they love it. But, interestingly enough the day that Chevy announced the first Bolts were being delivered to new owners, Chevrolet dealerships placed ads on the radio saying if you get an EV, you better get a tent and prepare to camp out because it takes 21 hours to charge an EV. This revealed a lack of centralized effort and was the disappointing result of competing interests both within GM, and between GM and dealerships.
The release of the Chevy Bolt is quickly approaching. Continue reading


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The world we live in is becoming more and more heavily computerized with every passing day. Slowly but surely, each and every aspect of our lives is being ‘infiltrated’ by technology, as increased digitization begins to expand into areas of day to day life that have always involved a more human touch. Every device we use is not only becoming more and more advanced as time passes by, but they are also becoming a part of something called the internet of things. The internet of things is the phenomenon in which all electronic devices are becoming wirelessly connected through the internet, including everything from garage door openers to refrigerators. Everything is becoming part of this, in every area of our lives, from medical implants to the locks on our front doors. As a result of almost every part of our day to day lives becoming a sophisticated wireless device, each one of those things is now going to be something vulnerable to outside interference and cyber attacks.
By definition, a cyber attack is a term that refers to any effort being made to gain access to and potentially modify or display some kind of information found on a computer or a network.
More specifically, it is a deliberate assault aimed against personal home computers, infrastructure, or computer information systems through the process of hacking. Essentially, any individual or group or even nation that attempts to take advantage of a digital breach into a system that they are not authorized to have access to is guilty of this kind of cyber attack. The potential scale and impact of cyber attacks has increased drastically over the past three decades, as more and more information began to be stored digitally. The pace at which everything has become so heavily computerized has unfortunately outpaced the rate at which data security has been improving, leaving more and more people across the world vulnerable to cyber attacks.
In the first few months of the last year, tens of billions of digital records were stolen or otherwise affected by some kind of cyber attack. Some of the most well known instances of cyber attacks have been perpetrated by the governments of foreign nations, seeking to gain some kind of advantage over their enemies and allies alike. China has become particularly notorious throughout the world for their coordinated acts of global cyber warfare, a field in which it is arguable that they have indeed surpassed the United States’ capabilities. Because most individuals are so ill informed about cyber security and cyber attacks, it is almost shockingly easy for hackers to gain access to potentially dangerous information. By a very significant margin, the single greatest vulnerability in the security of computers and computer systems is the human element. No matter how sophisticated the security measures in place are, and how advanced the software that makes up the security is, the users of the computer make mistakes like using USB drives they found lying around or using the same password for everything. Cyber security and the threats we face in the digital world have already become more dangerous than most people imagine.


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Apollo develops autonomous driving solutions including Robotaxis, Minibuses, Valet Parking AI, and the DeurOS for Apollo open content & ecosystem. Additionally, the firm aims to optimize traffic signals through their smart traffic signals and V2Xmulti-sensor traffic information.
Missing: Apollo's Product Demo & Case Studies
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Jun 4, 2023
Readying to sell off, Reddit shuts off third-party clients Being the last source on the web where relevant information can be found and relied upon on any topic: you find it just by Googling with the term “reddit” or “site:reddit.com” in your question or the topic you search. This user interface, bizarre and brittle as it conspicuously is, stands in castigation of what Google has actually become and in praise of what Reddit still is: easily-indexed and searchable human content which is mostly free from advertisements, sponsorship, Amazon referrer listicles, SEO-optimized blather and other things. For the owners of Reddit, though, those are the hard to slide drawbacks about it. The company is to be sold, and that means amending it into the form taken by the rest of the modern web and app ecosystem. Credits: CNBCTV18.com Application programming interfaces have long been the way third parties access data from large internet companies and connect to their apps. Reddit has a thriving ecosystem of apps, plugins and services created by amateur and professional developers. The 18-year-old social media and news aggregation site, Reddit, is in need of developers to pay thousands of dollars to directly access the company’s data and content, a move that could help pull in a more extensive source of revenue. In late 2021, the company first disclosed plans for an IPO, is now asking developers to pay $12,000 per every 50 million requests, as per a post from the creator of a popular third-party app called Apollo. The developer said the number was highly disappointing. “Apollo made 7 billion requests last month, which would put it at about 1.7 million dollars per month, or 20 million US dollars per year,” the developer said in a Reddit post about the change. The developer also added that “making the app only available to subscribers” in order to reduce the number of requests would not be a solution, either, as the “average Apollo user uses 344 requests per day, which would mean the average user would cost $2.50 per month. That figure is over double what the subscription currently costs”, Selig said. Reddit is majorly owned by Advance Publications, the parent company of Conde Nast and a major shareholder in Charter Communications and Warner Bros. Discovery . Application programming interfaces have long been the way third parties access data from large internet companies and connect to their apps. Reddit has a thriving ecosystem of apps, plugins and services created by amateur and professional developers. API costs have gained wider attention since Elon Musk acquired ownership of Twitter and since new artificial intelligence-powered tools made their way into products used by a huge number of people. Modern AI programs use large language models, which train themselves on mountains of web-based content, comprising of user-generated posts on sites such as Twitter and Reddit. Users and developers were furious when Twitter declared it would charge $42,000 for 50 million requests. Apollo’s developer said in spite of Reddit’s promise to avoid that kind of extreme pricing, the company price is “still $12,000.” Reddit Targets Second Half of 2023 for IPO, According to Report from The Information Image Source: Yahoo News Apollo said it paid approximately $166 for the same number of API requests from the online image-sharing service Imgur. While many companies charge for API use, Reddit has historically derived the majority of its income from advertising. But relative to its peers such as Facebook, Snap and Pinterest, Reddit has struggled to make money from its active user base. With the digital ad market facing a plummet and with Reddit now 18 months removed from the notification of its private IPO filing, the company may be facing backlash to expand its revenue. 5 Reddit aviators making buzz in the NFT marketplace Reddit looks committed to the API pricing. The Apollo developer said the company had no problem with the post. Reddit didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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AutoX offers software solution for self-driving vehicles. The company provides a camera-first self-driving solution, autonomous driving technology-based self-driving vehicles, and more. It was founded in 2016 and is based in San Jose, California.
Cruise makes automated driving technology. It uses sensors and machine vision technology to keep users in their lane and a safe distance from the car in front of them. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in San Francisco, California. In March 2022, Cruise was acquired by General Motors.
Applied Intuition provides software solutions for autonomous vehicles (AV). Its software offers a suite of products that focuses on simulation and analytics and delivers sophisticated infrastructure built for scale. It was founded in 2017 and is based in Mountain View, California.
Parkonect provides IoT parking hardware, including full parking systems, add on barcode readers, LPR, cloud-based control, analytics, and a full suite of API integrations to help parking facilities increase profitability.
SensIT provides parking sensor technology based on IoT and enables cities with smart parking flexibility for drivers, merchants, and solution providers.
VUERON Technology develops light detection and ranging (LiDAR) perception software. The company's product features detection, classification, tracking, and prediction solutions for autonomous vehicles, and industrial safety and security systems. It was founded in 2019 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.
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The Sicilian comparison has long been made, and it isn’t difficult to figure out why. | R.I.
In summer 2013, the German magazine Stern caused an almighty stir when its latest edition hit the newsstands. The cover said it all. In translation this read - “Mallorca, the dark side of the holiday island”.


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| Last updated
Football Manager developers Sports Interactive have hinted that FM 21 could be hitting PlayStation and Xbox - stating it will be on "more platforms than ever before."
Studio director of Sports Interactive Miles Jacobson released a statement on Thursday updating fans on the future of the franchise.
Jacobson discussed developing the game during the coronavirus pandemic and admitted a release date currently isn't set.
He stated: "Our games will be on more platforms and available on more stores than ever before when they're released later this year but, with regards to features and release dates, it's a little too early for us to talk about the specifics right now."
An update on Sports Interactive and Football Manager from our Studio Director, Miles Jacobson.https://t.co/wuwecKJkyE
- Football Manager (@FootballManager) July 30, 2020
Fans have picked up on his comment of "more platforms than ever before" and they're ready to ditch FIFA should FM make it to PlayStation and Xbox.
FM just hinted that FM21 could possibly be on console , if that happens FIFA is finished
- Lee :herb: (@LeeJ____) July 30, 2020
it's game over for fifa if Football Manager comes to xbox/playstation
- CE (@chxrlie67) July 30, 2020
Football Manager *might* be coming to platforms such as PlayStation and Xbox toward the end of the year. This is it. Fifa is finished if this happens.
- Seán Connolly* (@Seanconno10) July 30, 2020
Sports Interactive have confirmed Football Manager 21 will be available on more platforms. It looks like the wait for FM on PS4/Xbox could be over.
- Football Manager Memes (@Footymanmemes) July 30, 2020
I don't think I'll ever buy FIFA again if football manager is on console
- Josh (@ftbljosh) July 30, 2020
Football Manager has gathered a huge following over the years but has mainly been played on PC.
The franchise was last on Xbox back in 2007 and has never been on a PlayStation home console.
FIFA fans have criticised EA Sports for not improving career mode while FM continues to tweak the single-player experience every year.
A jump to the next generation of consoles could spark a whole new wave of fans and provide FIFA with stiff competition.
Would Football Manager coming to PlayStation or Xbox convince you to try the series?
Let us know in the comments below.
Featured Image Credit: Sports Interactive, Microsoft & Sony
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Nokia D1C Expected To Launch With Android Nougat By The End Of This Year
The very first that tells about any new or upcoming gadget are generally called the leaks and rumors . As per a latest Geekbench spill says that Nokia D1C is not a phone but it is tablet having nice budget features.
We did take a look to a specs sheet available on twitter, it tells that the Nokia D1C sports a 13.8” Full HD display screen having resolution 1920 x1080 pixel resolution. The Nokia tablet runs on a Qualcomm octa-core processor running at 1.4GHz speed. The processor is sponsored by Qualcomm’s Adreno 505 GPU. Taking a gander at the specialized particulars of the CPU, it’s likely going to be the Snapdragon 430.
The Nokia D1C accompanies 3GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage capacity. The leaked picture marks inner capacity at 9GB, which we accept is the space sans Android and other framework documents. The tablet will launch with Android 7.0 Nougat OS.
On the back, the Nokia D1C accompanies a 16mp camera with self-adjust and flash as well. The tablet also sports 8-megapixel camera on the front. It’s yet not clear if the front camera additionally has flash and self-adjust features. Both the cameras are equipped for recording recordings at 1080P.
The Geekbench leaks affirms earlier reports furthermore adds more data to it. Passing by the specifications, the Nokia tablet ought to be a sub-Rs 10,000 phone since organizations like Xiaomi has comparative innards in its Redmi 3S cell phone. In any case, it won’t amaze to see Nokia try to cash in on its fanbase and value the phone higher.
Back in May this year, Nokia had reported that a Finnish organization HMD had “restrictively consented to obtain from Microsoft the rights to use the Nokia brand on feature phones, and certain related outline rights”.
Check Nokia D1C Price>> http://www.dlbgadget.com/nokia-d1c-price-specification.html


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The volume and value of rice exports from Uganda have registered a gradual growth since 2004.
According to statistics from the Uganda Export Promotions Board (UEPB), in 2007, Uganda exported 24.8 million kilogrammes of rice, which brought in revenues amounting to $7 million compared to last year’s $10 million on volume of 25 million kilogrammes. That translates to an increase of 50.14 per cent in value on the back of a 2.33 per cent rise in volume.
On the other hand, the revenue earned by wheat exports has increased although Uganda imports more than 90 per cent of the type it consumes locally. Reports from UEPB indicate that between 2007 and 2008, there was a 50.4 per cent increase in revenue and 4.37 per cent increase in volume.
Mr Samuel Mukwaya, a senior trade promotion officer Agriculture and Bio-trade at the UEPB, told Business Power that: “People buy final wheat products from the milling companies and export it to other countries like Juba in Sudan. However, the millers import the grains from outside and process the final products.”
Millers say the demand for wheat flour has been increasing with the growth of the baking industries in Uganda and that the supply is not enough to feed the local and the international markets.
“The Ugandan market grew at six per cent between 2008 and 2009,” Mr Dons Tibeijuka, the in charge of sales at the Unga Millers (U) Limited said last week.
Although wheat can do well on Uganda’s soil, there are few farmers who engage in its production.
According to Okaasai Opolot, the commissioner for crop production and marketing in the agriculture ministry, wheat is grown on a very small scale only in Kapchorwa and Kabale districts.
The strength of the dollar against the local currency would have been blamed for the rise in the price of cereals, but the local currency has recently regained strength against the American currency. Millers now attribute the rise in prices of wheat to piracy along the Indian Ocean.
This has made the ship owners fear allowing their ships use the Red Sea route. This delays the ferrying of the commodity so much that it takes longer to arrive in Uganda than it used to and hence creating the present scarcity in the supply with the consequent increase in prices.
Because of the scarcity, millers have intensified efforts to bring in wheat by road in addition to the rail but they are pessimistic that the high transport costs, which range between Shs186,000 and Shs195,300 ($100-105) will bring any relief in prices. This has seen millers pass on the increased costs to the local markets.
In 2008, a bag of 50 kilogrammes sold Shs55,000 but today, the price of the same bag stands at Shs71,000. On the other hand, millers sold 24 kilogrammes of home baking flour at Shs27,700 compared to today when the price is Shs.37, 700
Although sometimes climatic changes slow wheat processing, millers say the biggest challenge now is power rationing.
“The use of generators to provide power also forces us to hike prices because all the costs of production, which include use of a generator are passed onto the final product,” Mr Adams Amenya, the general manager of Unga Millers (U) Limited told Business Power.
Wheat grains are mainly imported from outside countries because the Ugandan production is at a very low scale. Such countries include USA, Russia, Argentina, Ukraine, Poland and Kenya.
Concerning rice, over the years, global rice markets have significantly impacted regional and domestic consumption and production patterns.
Major rice producing countries like Pakistan, India and Vietnam continue to be major sources of regional rice imports.
In Uganda, rice is becoming a primary food source for a bigger part of its population and enhancing the sustainability and productivity of rice based systems is becoming a priority.
This will require the commitment of both the civil society and the government to succeed.
However, trends point to a growing export tonnage of rice from Uganda to the regional markets of DRC, Rwanda, Sudan and Burundi.
Mr Hillary Rugema, the coordinator, crop extension Sasakawa 2000, says that the scarcity in rice supply was also a result of the drought that hit the country in the recent past. He adds that due to the global credit crunch, the farmers lacked enough capital to fund their schemes.
“They could not afford inputs like fertilisers that cost Shs250,000 per 50 kilogrammes,” he added. This led to low productivity that saw the price of paddy rice increase from between Shs500 and Shs1,000 per kilo gramme to Shs800 and Shs2,000 per kilo depending on the type of rice.
Sasakawa Global 2000 collaborates with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), and operates through the district and sub-county agricultural staff. It also collaborates with other NGO’s engaged in rural development. Mr Rugema adds that the government has played a big role in increasing the production of rice.“The Vice President’s office has promoted the growing of rice in the uplands and many people are doing it,” he said.
However, experts are optimistic that if villages specialised in production of given commodities, the quantity and quality would improve. He adds that formation of cooperatives through, which help groups can be reached can help increase productivity.
“We don’t have cash crops; most crops are grown on a subsistence scale. The market for cereals is there locally and internationally, the challenge is production,” he concluded.
SCOLA KAMAU & CHRISTINE KATENDE


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It should come as no surprise to hear the name World Of Warcraft whenever the term MMO is brought up. Blizzard has successfully nailed down a strong quantity of the MMO market and as such, has become an instantly recognizable name. We’ve known that eventually Blizzard would have to move on from their current behemoth in order to pursue a new MMO. For years, this successor has been under production, with little known of its nature besides its name: Titan.
While currently no one knows what to expect from Titan, being a Blizzard title, particularly an MMO, expectations will be high once solid details are revealed. Until then though, a new piece of information has been given by an analyst named Arvind Bhatia. Speaking on Activision-Blizzard’s games lineup for 2011, Bhatia took time to discuss the diverse nature of the company’s future.
Rather than simply relying on juggernauts like World Of Warcraft and the Call of Duty series, the company instead plans to make use of smaller properties like the upcoming Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure in order to draw in casual gamers on top of the hardcore audience.
Bhatia then went on to mention the potential exhibited by “a new casual MMO.” This casual MMO is none other than the title gamers have been referring to as Titan.
While there are more than a few complaints that World Of Warcraft is in itself becoming too much of a casual experience, news that the project which Blizzard at one point stated would “blow people’s minds” will be aimed at a casual audience will no doubt raise some eyebrows.
Generally when gamers think of a casual gaming experience, they aren’t immediately reminded of anything mind-blowing or bigger than World Of Warcraft. Instead, smaller bite-sized gaming experiences come to mind. As a company that has years upon years of experience that’s proven they know how to handle an MMO, it will be interesting to see how the Titan project is handled.
While this news may be unsettling for the average gamer, it remains to be seen what it means for Titan. With the current information being extremely sparse, gamers will have to wait before they draw any conclusions regarding the finished game. Even though the word ‘casual’ may strike fear into the hearts of many hardcore gamers, Blizzard absolutely has something planned and may just manage to break down the barriers between the two main categories of players.
What do you think is meant by Titan being a “casual MMO?” Do you think that Blizzard will be able create a casual experience that hardcore gamers will also be able to enjoy?
Titan is rumored to release sometime in 2013.


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The Kindle Fire tablet has only been available for a few days, but already Amazon is looking to launch a smartphone, a new report claims.
According to an investor note from Citigroup analyst Kevin Chang and obtained by All Things Digital, Amazon is currently working with well-known manufacturer Foxconn to develop a smartphone slated to be released in the fourth quarter of 2012.
So far, Chang doesn't know what the smartphone will look like, but he believes that it will use Texas Instrument's OMAP 4 processor. Amazon's Kindle Fire is also running an OMAP processor.
Chang believes the smartphone will cost Amazon between $150 and $170 to build. However, he said, rather than sell the device with a 30 percent gross margin, like many handset makers do, including HTC, he believes the e-commerce giant could sell the device at or near its cost.
Such a strategy wouldn't be unprecedented. In September, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said that he believes Amazon pays $250 to produce its Kindle Fire. The 7-inch, Android-based tablet is available for $199.
Chang isn't the only person who thinks an Amazon smartphone could eventually launch. Last month, CNET executive editor David Carnoy argued that it's not a matter of if Amazon will launch a smartphone, but when.
"Of course, any time you get cellular technology and carriers involved, things get much more complicated," Carnoy wrote in a column on CNET last month. "But I think it's only a matter of time before you see a Kindle smartphone; ultimately, Jeff Bezos knows that his company is going to have to compete directly against the iPhone if he wants Amazon to be Apple--or even beat it."
Amazon did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on Chang's report.


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PSA’s Peugeot brand will not be compulsory to compensate any emissions fines in 2020 as a CO2 targets for Europe have already been met, according to CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato.
“Our Oct prolongation which will spin in to registrations in Jan is already entirely agreeable with a normal of 93 gram per kilometer of CO2 a Peugeot code has to grasp subsequent year,” pronounced a exec in an talk with Autonews Europe.
Imparato additionally settled which Peugeot isn’t disturbed about profitable fines, given starting subsequent year they will check their normal CO2 emissions opposite EU registrations upon a weekly basis.
“We do not need to force self-registrations of high-emitting models by year-end since you have been already aligning prolongation with subsequent year’s emissions needs,” he added.
Some analysts hold which carmakers could be strike with billions of euros in fines if they skip a European Union’s swift CO2 emissions rebate target. One reason because automobile companies have been struggling to revoke emissions is a flourishing recognition of SUVs, which have been reduction fuel fit than not as big models such as compress hatchbacks or mid-size sedans.
Back in March, PSA Group trainer Carlos Tavares pronounced which a automaker would need electrified models (like a e-208 as well as plug-in hybrids) to comment for 7% of a sales, with motor fuel accounting for about 10%, in sequence to imitate with 2020 CO2 emissions targets for Europe.
However, final month in Frankfurt, Tavares combined which a decline of diesels isn’t as high as he feared, so he anticipates which oil burners could still comment for 20% to 25% of a PSA Group’s sales subsequent year.


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Google announced a partnership with Majorel, a global leader in customer service, to support the opening of a new Majorel office in Accra, which will provide specialised support for Google services.
This project will scale to 100+ open roles within the year and is part of Google’s ongoing $1 billion investment in Africa over the next five years—a commitment announced by Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai in October 2021.
“We’re happy to partner with Majorel as they create job opportunities in Ghana and help promote economic growth in Africa. Ghana has an expanding and talented workforce that we’re excited to work with and learn from at Google,” Nitin Gajria, Managing Director for Google in Africa said.
This partnership supports Google’s direct investment in Africa through jobs, infrastructure, products and skills programmes to help people grow their careers and businesses. As a global company, Google partners with businesses around the world to provide specialised services where the company doesn’t have appropriate in-house expertise or resources, often in fields that require significant specialised training. Google carefully selects its partners and staffing agencies and ensures they follow Google’s code of conduct for suppliers.
Recruitment and training are well underway in Accra and the new site is on-track to be fully operational by the end of January 2022.
Majorel designs and delivers next-generation end-to-end CX solutions for many of the world’s most respected digital-native and vertical leading brands. Its comprehensive east-to-west global footprint in 31 countries across five continents, with more than 66,800 team members and 60 languages, allows us to deliver flexible solutions that leverage its expertise in cultural nuance, which it believes to be essential for true excellence in CX. The outfit has deep domain expertise in tech-augmented front to-back-office CX. Additionally, it offers Digital Consumer Engagement, CX Consulting, and an innovative suite of Proprietary Digital Solutions for industry verticals. The company is a global leader in Content Services, Trust & Safety. It believes the ‘Majorel difference’ to be our culture of entrepreneurship.


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Is Seattle prepared for the best chain fried chicken in the country? Well, get ready — Jollibee, the Filipino chain acclaimed far and wide for its fried chicken as well as its hot dog– and banana ketchup–topped spaghetti, is coming to the Rainier Valley Square mall.
SEA Today had the news first, on Thursday, October 19, writing that the former MOD Pizza location in the mall was now plastered with a bunch of signs advertising the coming Jollibee location. The Philippines-based chain doesn’t list any Seattle branches on its website, but it confirmed to SEA Today that “the new restaurant is projected to open in late 2024.”
What makes Jollibee special? Here’s Eater’s own Lesley Suter writing about the chicken last year, when Eater held a bracket-style tournament to determine the best fried chicken from a chain in the U.S., which Jollibee’s Chickenjoy won:
The subtly seasoned skin is as tectonically crunchy as advertised, if loosely attached in such a way as to be able to slide off an entire hunk with one bite. (This actually proved to be a plus, when, two hours later, I dug in with my fingers for a skin-only snack.) But the real surprise here was the chicken itself: satisfyingly light, flavorful in a “tastes like chicken” sort of way, and supremely moist. That was the aspect my kids enjoyed most, too — my 5 year old won’t eat any meat with too dry or stringy a texture, and he plowed through two drumsticks of this stuff.
Jollibee’s signature gravy is more than just an optional dunk; it completes the dish, gelatinous in a way I can only describe as naughty, while proudly showing its Filipino colors with a hefty dose of sugar. On its own, the gravy is unremarkable bordering on weird, but slathered on a bite of Chickenjoy, the sweetish gravy brings out a whole other realm of flavor — bright, tangy, rich. It’s the chicken’s perfect complement.
But Jollibee is also maybe the only big chain known for its spaghetti, which uses a banana ketchup base rather than a tomato sauce base, so it’s both sweet and savory. Those who swear by the spaghetti are passionate about it, and the loyalty Jollibee inspires sometimes leads to long lines.
Until now, the Jollibee hive’s only source for chicken and ‘ghetti was the Jollibee in Tukwila. There’s a location opening in Tacoma (at 4502 S. Steele Street), and the chain told SEA Today that that opening was weeks away. We’ll have to wait a little while longer to get a Jollibee in Seattle city limits.


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Computer and data scientists globally have worried that all data - this century’s digital history — is at risk of never being recoverable.
The vice president and chief internet evangelist at Google gave the example of floppy disks which are no longer readable by current machines.
“There is a serious problem with digital content,” Cerf, one of the fathers of the internet, said during a webinar organized by Synergia Foundation, a Bengaluru-based think tank, on Wednesday.
“There are horror stories of people’s wedding photos which were lost because they were digitised. The hard drive crashed or account online expired. We are losing data all the time. We have no time left,” he said.
During the lecture, Cerf said future historians would not be able to find information on the twenty-first century as all digital correspondence and content would have evaporated and would not be accessible.
He said nations should allow free flow of information for preserving data, and that a recent trend of isolating digital transfer interferes with archival preservation.
Cerf’s statement came in response to a question by Ajay Prakash Sawhney, secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and IT, who sought to know what legal frameworks nations needed to adopt to ensure preservation.
“Regulations are required to ensure preservation of information deemed to be important,” Cerf said. “We will have to transcend competitiveness among nations so all information can be stored anywhere and can be accessed by everyone.”
Preservation of scientific data is essential for research, he added.
India is pushing for data localisation wherein companies collecting critical data about consumers must store and process such data within the country’s borders. The move has faced resistance from global technology companies, including Google, and banking institutions.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- Companies & Economy
- Indices hit Fresh Highs on Strong Liquidity Flows
Indian equities surged to fresh records on Wednesday as a spurt in the last half hour of trade helped the Sensex surpass 63,000 for the first time.Vi in Talks with SBI for up to ₹16,000-Cr Loan
Cash-strapped Vodafone Idea (Vi) has dialled State Bank of India (SBI) for a ₹15,000-16,000 crore loan to meet its immediate 4G capex needs, fund gear supply contracts for its pending 5G rollout and to clear some sizeable vendor dues, three people aware of the matter said.China Stir may Infect Key Sectors in India
The widespread protests in China against the strict restrictions under its zero Covid policy and the spreading pandemic could impact India’s consumer electronics, gold, diamonds, and engineering goods sectors, industry executives said.
ETPrime stories of the day
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As part of #Heineken100 – an exclusive seeding program that celebrates those who meet Heineken’s “Man of the World” title – the longstanding beer brand debuts its exclusive denim collaboration with Japanese clothier NEIGHBORHOOD. With #Heineken100’s creative director and owner of Union Los Angeles Chris Gibbs at the helm, these special edition jeans feature an indigo denim build, a narrow fit, Heineken green cross-stitching, a custom green leather label, and a Heineken-printed label with personalized packaging. “For this project, I wanted to use contrasting stitch colors to evoke different emotions—especially Heineken’s signature green,” said NEIGHBORHOOD designer Shinsuke Takizawa. “I am proud to share a product that not only showcases the brand quality, but also highlights a part of my culture with a niche audience that genuinely appreciates it.” Keep an eye out for #Heineken100’s final collaborative project with artist Eric Haze scheduled to premiere at Art Basel Miami in December.
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HYPEBEAST 100: The innovators from all realms of creativity in the spotlight.
Explore and be inspired by the latest women's fashion news and trends.


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It seems like only yesterday that Bob Hawke and Paul Keating floated the dollar. Australia, the so-called lucky country, made its own luck as our leaders opened up our economy to Asia and the emerging world. Back then, baby boomers began taking their business out of ‘Fortress Australia’; trying their luck on the world stage, often in new lands that weren’t as affluent or familiar as they are today.
Electronics retailer Bing Lee has caused a ruckus on the interwebs for pledging to donate $1 to the Queensland flood appeal for every user who became a member of the company's fan page. The strategy has been attacked on Twitter, with users adopting the hashtag "#charityfail". Brilliant marketing or worth a bollocking?


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ASTANA – Kazakhstan took 119th place in the annual ranking of the cost of living in different countries of the world prepared by Numbeo international information portal. The nation moved 57 positions from last year, as it was ranked 62nd in 2015.
The study involved 122 countries. The top 10 nations with the most affordable accommodations are India (122th place), Moldova (121th), Pakistan (120th), Kazakhstan (119th), Nepal (118th), Ukraine (117th), Georgia (116th), Algeria (115th), Azerbaijan (114th) and Colombia (113th), according to numbeo.com. Kazakhstan ranks ahead of other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, such as Uzbekistan, Belarus, Armenia and Russia.
The rankings considered a number of parameters, including rental prices, cost of products and services and prices for public transport.
According to the website, the average monthly rent for a studio apartment in a Kazakh city is 92,000 tenge (US$277). Experts used information from Krisha.kz, a popular online service for buying and renting real estate.
The monthly price of a fitness club membership is 14,000 tenge (US$42); a movie ticket, 1,200 tenge (US$3.60). A1.5-litre bottle of water costs 141 tenge (US$.40), a one-litre bottle of milk is 244 tenge (US$.73) and one kilogramme of potatoes is 115 tenge (US$.35). Bus fare is 80 tenge (US$.24).
According to the rating, the top 10 most expensive countries to live in are Bermuda, Switzerland, the Bahamas, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Singapore, Luxembourg, Kuwait and Hong Kong.
Created in April 2009, Numbeo was the first free database about cost of living with structured data and indices. Its experts announced other cost of living reports hid the data behind their research or it was expensive to purchase. The experts rely on user inputs and manually-collected data from authoritative sources such as supermarket and taxi company websites, state bodies, newspaper stories and other surveys.
Using the methodology, prices for clothes such as jeans, summer dresses, running shoes and leather business shoes are compared among different countries. The experts consider the average person drinks milk and eats white bread, rice, eggs, cheese, chicken breasts and beef. Apples, bananas, oranges, onions and lettuce are also included in the food ration and beer, wine and cigarettes are part of the product list. A Volkswagen Golf, with a small 1.4-litre engine or its equivalent, is considered to be an average new car.


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Uber’s losses top $1 billion, trumping better than expected revenues
Better than expected revenues couldn’t divert investor attention from the fact that Uber still managed to lose more than $1 billion in the most recent quarter as the company’s stock fell in after-hours trading.
There are bright spots in the latest earnings report, not least that the company managed to stanch the bleeding that had cost the company over $5 billion in the previous quarter.
Revenue grew to $3.8 billion, up from $2.9 billion in the year-ago period, representing a 30% boost. But even as Uber’s core business shows signs of stabilizing and its core markets continue to show growth, its other business units appear to be hemorrhaging cash at increasingly high rates.
“Our results this quarter decisively demonstrate the growing profitability of our Rides segment,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, the company’s chief executive, in a statement. “Rides Adjusted EBITDA is up 52% year-over-year and now more than covers our corporate overhead. Revenue growth and take rates in our Eats business also accelerated nicely. We’re pleased to see the impact that continued category leadership, greater financial discipline, and an industry-wide shift towards healthier growth are already having on our financial performance.”
This post was originally published on this site


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The company stated India being a priority market for global expansion. There is an increased activity off late from Indian businesses to come online while new e-commerce websites are being started every day. Governments are moving towards e-governance while educational institutions are moving admission procedures online. Go Daddy sells domain names, hosting space, the primary requirements for anyone to come online, along with SSL certificates, Domain names are website addresses, while web hosting is the space to store website contents that are sent over the Internet to be displayed to the users visiting the websites. SSL certificates are authenticators and identifiers for websites that need secure transactions like in e-commerce or banking.
Like in the US, the company is also looking to target and expand into the SMEs in India, where it expects to have its largest international office before the end of this year. "Go Daddy offers a one-stop shop for small businesses and consumers who are looking to grow their businesses on the Internet. From a simple domain name, or a mobile website, to cloud services, Go Daddy has it all," Sodhi said. Companies in India could already buy Go Daddy services, everything being online. With an office in India and a separate business centre, the company can now offer local products customised for Indian markets, with local support. "Our vision is to expand our footprint in India, hire locally and serve customers in India with people who speak their language," Go Daddy CEO Warren Adelman said.
Go Daddy is entering a market where a race for SMEs has just begun off late. Companies in the web domain and hosting have been aggressively pushing for SMEs to take their businesses online. In November last year, search giant Google and web hosting provider Hostgator started the India Get Your Business Online project to entice SMEs who never had a website to try one free for a year. Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises, Standard Chartered Bank and ICICI Bank are partners in the project. There is no disclosure yet on how many websites have been booked in this project. India has 26 million SMEs. IndiaMART.com an online B2B marketplace for SMEs, which allows them to list free business catalogs, has over 5 lakh SMEs on it.
According to INRegistry, India's official .in domain registry, 89 companies operate in India, in the domain name registration business. Go Daddy is currently ranked fifth in the order of sales in India. This registry only counts the sale of .in domains. Times Internet Limited, a subsidiary of Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd, which owns The Economic Times, is also in the business of providing domains and hosting services.
Wednesday, 29 Nov, 2023
- For More Capital, Byju’s Must Pass a Tough Test
Top shareholders at Byju’s have demanded the company meet certain conditions before they consider any future capital infusion into the beleaguered edtech firm that is battling a deepening fund crunch, people in the know of the matter said.Virtual Influencers Now Making Real Money? AI, AI, Sir!
As social media influencers, Kyra and Naina have hit the big time. Only thing is, they’re not actually real — not entirely anyway. Titan, Realme, MG Motors and Boat are paying a premium to advertise through 3D-animated humans, or virtual influences, who have become quite the phenomenon on Instagram with views of up to 21 million for their reels.Timing of Burmans’ Open Offer Fishy: Religare Ind Director Ahmed
Hamid Ahmed, an independent member on the Religare Enterprises board, has described the timing of the Burman family open offer to buy more shares as ‘fishy’ in the first such media comments by any of the independent directors at the financial services company the founder-promoters of Dabur are seeking to control.


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When an online video creator receives a notice instructing them to take down a video because it contains copyrighted material — such as a snippet of a TV show or, until recently, even the song “Happy Birthday” — they often have few options but to comply.
Copyright battles can often prove expensive and drag on for years, presenting a challenge for video creators and for video sharing sites, which have often cracked down harshly in a bid to stop the spread of pirated material.
Now, YouTube is offering an alternative, announcing on Thursday that it will begin providing “legal support” to a handful of users so they can fight claims from copyright holders. If the copyright-holder sues, the tech giant will assist users by paying up to $1 million in legal fees.
The site, which is owned by Google, is offering aid to the creators of four videos that it says meet the standard of fair use, an exemption to US copyright law that allows new projects that make use of copyrighted material in a way that goes beyond the copyright holder’s original intent, for example by commenting, parodying, or satirizing it.
The company says the move is intended to correct some of the power balance that can be directed against content creators in the wake ofthe controversial 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which implemented digital rights management software often used to protect music or downloadable movies from online piracy.
“We’re doing this because we recognize that creators can be intimidated by the DMCA’s counter notification process, and the potential for litigation that comes with it,” wrote Fred von Lohmann, Google’s copyright legal director, in a blog post announcing the move.
The videos YouTube has selected so far are wide-ranging, including a video game review, a UFO-debunking, a critique of state lawmakers in Ohio by a local pro-choice group, and a comedic commentary on the controversy surrounding former NAACP chapter president Rachel Dolezal.
The move is particularly significant as a symbolic "brushback pitch" against copyright holders, says James Grimmelmann, a law professor at the University of Maryland. "It’s a very strong warning that copyright holders should rethink their positions because a major company has said, 'We think this is fair use,' " says Professor Grimmelmann, who focuses on Internet law and intellectual property issues.
Providing a legal defense on fair use grounds may also assuage long-running criticism that YouTube's automatic system for responding to takedown notices does not always allow users to contest the decision to remove a video, he adds.
"Google hasn’t announced any changes to its larger practices, but they’re clearly trying to position themselves as more user friendly," Grimmelmann says. "You could almost read this as an offering, to a group that has had reasons to feel slighted."
Constantine Guiliotis – whose YouTube channel “U.F.O Theater,” focuses on debunking U.F.O. sightings by combining clips found online with his own commentary – was one of the users selected for the effort. His videos have been subject to three takedown notices, but after YouTube reviewed them and determined they would meet the definition of fair use, they were reposted, the New York Times reports.
“It was very gratifying to know a company cares about fair use and to single out someone like me,” Mr. Guiliotis told the Times.
The program is also intended as an educational effort for the site’s users about fair use, including creating a library showing successful examples of using copyrighted material lawfully, Google says.
So far, the site is taking a carefully targeted approach to what videos it chooses to defend, noting that the program will support only very small portion of videos that are threatened with takedown notices, and may not extend to some videos that would likely be considered fair use.
But Grimmelmann says the site could do more to educate users by closely tailoring its guidelines on appealing a DMCA violation to more closely follow the law. While there has been more awareness about fair use over the past few years, there are some misconceptions among users, such as a belief that posting a disclaimer noting that a video contains copyrighted material makes their own upload fair use.
"They’re pointing to features that don’t always make a lot of difference, but ignoring that one that does, which is transformativeness," he says.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has also supported the effort, although the group notes that an additional step would be to allow any user to enroll in the program, rather than hand-selecting examples that Google says are fair use.
"We think this is a solid and unprecedented step forward in protecting fair use on the site," wrote Amul Kalia, EFF's Intake Coordinator, in a blog post. "We commend YouTube for standing up for its users, and we hope the program will inspire other service providers on the web to follow its lead."
Despite its initially limited roll-out, the YouTube effort may be most valuable in its ability to appeal to a broad swath of users.
"There’s a very classic conception of fair use, which is people who need to work with raw materials, such as a book critic," Grimmelmann says. "This is the other extreme. This is about people who are making videos often using their home computers – people who are fans, people who are remixers, people who are making video that is personally important to them, that will never be part of the marketplace."
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The HiKu Mono modules use mono-crystalline PERC technology to achieve a conversion efficiency of up to 20.37% and offer greater resistance to hotspots and better tolerance of shading.
“(The HiKu’s) dual cell, dual module design ensures higher power in a cooler module for safer, more reliable and efficient PV modules,” the company said on Monday.
“Keeping their cool under the Australian sun, the innovative Ku module design ensures the HiKu modules maintain a lower module operating temperature.
Canadian Solar says the modules promise up to 65°C lower temperature than full cell modules, making them a “safer, more reliable choice” for rooftop solar in sun-rich Australia.
“The HiKu Mono is an exciting new addition to our product range in Australia, offering class leading technology, exceptional power and efficiency,” said Canadian Solar Australia country manager Haydn Fletcher.
“Our expert local team pride themselves on consistently delivering high quality products and services to meet the needs of our customers.”
The HiKu joins a number of new and higher power-yielding solar modules recently released in Australia, including JinkoSolar’s up to 460W Tiger module, which also promises an efficiency of just over 20 per cent.
Longi, in August of 2019, launched its Hi-MO X, which ranges up to 400W and has a conversion rate of 20 per cent.


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SAGINAW, MI — Seventeen-year-old Zach Nagel sits down to lunch in the cafeteria at Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy. His tray doesn’t contain pizza or a burger. Instead, it’s mostly heaped with a fresh salad.
It’s a typical school lunch for Nagel, supplied by the Saginaw School District's food contractor, SodexoMAGIC. The company offers healthy lunch options and welcomes students into the lunchroom with posters showing how to live a healthy lifestyle.
“I love fruits, I love vegetables,” Nagel said. “I try to stay away from sweets and stuff. I used to get a burger every day, but I feel like I have a lot more options now, and it’s just something I really love.”
Samantha Sowers, 17, is a junior at SASA. She said what she’s learned to eat at school has impacted what she eats at home.
“I got started on celery here at school, and I started getting celery at home,” she said. “My mom started buying stalks of it.”
Many students at SASA said learning about the food groups in their health class helped them identify what foods are healthy and which aren’t. Additionally, Nagel takes care of himself because of a project he did on health issues in his family.
“Both sides of my family are at risk for heart disease. That means I’m a ticking time bomb,” he said. “So if I don’t keep myself in good shape, I’m going to have a heart attack. At least, there’s that possibility.”
Saginaw schools subsidize school lunches, but students still want the most bang for their theoretical buck. They understand what is nutritious but know there’s more to choosing food, sometimes, than nutrition. Simply put, most teens eat a lot.
“Probably the nachos are the least healthy, but they’re also, I think, the most filling for us,” Sowers said.
Changing eating habits no easy feat
Michelle Maize, 45, of Saginaw Township, was part of a 10-week program at the YMCA in Saginaw that aimed to help adults eat better and exercise more. She said the class taught her some tactics to shop better, but the tastebuds of her children often dictate what she keeps in the house.
“I still buy a lot of junk,” she said. “I think that’s just kind of realistically where I am. They’re teenagers.”
Another participant in the Y’s class echoed that sentiment. Dalia Serrato, 43, lives in Saginaw and says her children are tired of eating high-protein, low-fat chicken. Her husband, who’s diabetic, doesn't like vegetables, she said.
“They want frozen pizzas; they don’t eat vegetables,” she said.
Parents and children in Saginaw can face other barriers than taste preferences when it comes to eating healthy food. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says much of the city is considered a "food desert" because low-income residents have limited options where they can find healthy food for sale nearby.
Happy Meals and healthy meals
Laurisa Cummings, pediatric care manager at Children’s Medical Group in Saginaw, works with patients who don't always have the knowledge or money to eat healthy. She said she tries to educate families about ways to eat well on a budget, but it is often more cost-effective to buy inexpensive, non-nutritious foods.
“It’s easy to go to McDonalds and have a three-dollar Happy Meal other than plan ahead and have healthy foods and healthy snacks,” Cummings said.
Cummings said this is one of the most difficult aspects of encouraging patients to eat healthier because household funds are a sensitive subject. She said she tries teaching patients about coupons and following sales at their grocery stores.
“We’ve also had parents who grow lots of vegetables,” she said. “We’ve had patients who have joined different sporting groups at school in an effort to become healthier or community groups through the Y to become healthier.”
Even a convenience store can have some healthy options, but it may take checking the store's refrigerators for fruit or sandwiches.
"7-Elevens have a refrigerator section with different types of prepared sandwiches that have vegetables. So, instead of choosing maybe a hot dog, you choose a healthier option, tuna or turkey sandwich," said Tiarra Wright, program instructor at Saginaw's MSU Extension. "There are different cups of fruit that you can also enjoy."
Cummings said she tells her patients the most effective way to eat healthier is to make small changes. For example, she suggests her patients limit themselves to a couple soft drinks a week instead of cutting the beverages out completely.
“The most important message is to make small changes and to make small changes over time, rather than make big changes that you can’t stick to,” she said. “Not to think of it as a diet, but to think of it as a healthy lifestyle.
“Because saying I’m never going to have a Coke again is not realistic.”


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-JaK- Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 People Try to Lose Weight at McDonald's RALEIGH, N.C. - Inspired by the documentary "Super Size Me," Merab Morgan decided to give a fast-food-only diet a try. The construction worker and mother of two ate only at McDonald's for 90 days — and dropped 37 pounds in the process. It was a vastly different outcome than what happened in the documentary to filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who put on 30 pounds and saw his health deteriorate after 5,000 calories a day of nothing but McDonald's food. Morgan, from Raleigh, thought the documentary had unfairly targeted the world's largest restaurant company, implying that the obese were victims of a careless corporate giant. People are responsible for what they eat, she said, not restaurants. The problem with a McDonald's-only diet isn't what's on the menu, but the choices made from it, she said. "I thought it's two birds with one stone — to lose weight and to prove a point for the little fat people," Morgan said. "Just because they accidentally put an apple pie in my bag instead of my apple dippers doesn't mean I'm going to say, 'Oh, I can eat the apple pie.'" Spurlock, who turned his surprise-hit movie into a TV show on the FX network, isn't talking about Morgan or the many other McDieters who have criticized his film and found success losing weight by eating healthy foods off the McDonald's menu, said his publicist, David Magdael. One person went so far as to make her own independent film about dieting at McDonald's. "Me and Mickey D" follows Soso Whaley, of Kensington, N.H., as she spends three 30-day periods on the diet. She dropped from 175 to 139 pounds, eating 2,000 calories-a-day at McDonald's. "I had to think about what I was eating," Whaley said. "I couldn't just walk in there and say 'I'll take a cinnamon bun and a Diet Coke.' ... I know a lot of people are really turned off by the whole thought of monitoring what they are eating, but that's part of the problem." As might be expected, McDonald's also objected to the impressions left by Spurlock's film. Walt Riker, the company's vice president of corporate communications, said Oak Brook, Ill.-based company is pleased — but not surprised — that some customers have lost weight eating only at the fast-food giant. Spurlock's film "really spurred a backlash based on common sense," Riker said. Morgan used nutritional information downloaded from McDonald's Web site to create meal plans of no more than 1,400 calories a day. She only ate french fries twice, usually choosing burgers and salads. Those choices are a stark contrast with those made by Spurlock, who ate every menu item at least once. At the end of the 90 days, she had dropped from 227 to 190 pounds. "It feels great," she said. "Because, the truth of the matter is that beauty is power, and if you're fat, or your overweight, then people don't really take you seriously." Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, agreed that a low-calorie, McDonald's-only diet can help people lose weight but said it may not offer enough long-term variety. Whatever an individual does to lose weight, they need to do for the rest of their life, she said. Morgan said she hasn't decided if she will stick with the McDonald's-only plan to reach her goal of 150 pounds. But she does have one complaint about McDonald's. "If I could suggest anything to McDonald's, I would suggest the McMargarita," Morgan said. "Dine-in only, of course." :stunned: I guess if you love McDonalds so much, Then this diet would be perfect (Soruce - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050811/ap_on_he_me/fit_mcdonald_s_diets ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Sony Ericsson committed to bringing out Gingerbread for the Xperia X10 (non-branded devices, anyway) and they look like we’re nearing a rollout date. It’s coming along nicely, they say. It’s coming along so nicely, in fact, that they felt the need to preview the update on video. It looks like the software will be in line with what’s found on the Xperia Play, Arc and more 2011 devices. Unfortunately, their stance on the X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro still stands – nothing past Android 2.1. Let’s hope carriers of the X10 work to provide the upgrade to their customers. [Sony Ericsson]
- Official: Gingerbread Now Rolling Out for the
- Sony Ericsson: Despite Earlier Reports, Xperi
- [Update] Android 2.3.3 Update Available for t
- Gingerbread Shows Up on SE Xperia X10 –
- Check out the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 forums, see the specs, or find news and reviews.
TAGS: Sony Ericsson Xperia X10


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NFC world reports that Canadian NFC and RFID specialist Wireless Dynamics has made its iCarte NFC case available for the iPhone 5. As a result, the device has been approved by Apple and Visa, thus enabling it to be deployed by issuers of the payment network’s credit and debit cards.
Ambrose Tam, chief executive officer of Wireless Dynamics, said: “Obtaining MFI [made for iPod/iPhone] certification and global Visa compliance on the iCarte 520 is very important for our customers, as it allows them to confidently deploy their mobile payment services to their iPhone users.
“We will continue to work with financial institutions, mobile network operators, and our partners to provide convenient and secure applications and services to their customers.”
There are more than thirty-five applications available from the iTunes app store which works with the iCarte. These include apps compatible with mobile wallets, access control and event management.
Barclays has signed contracts with six of the fintech startups that just graduated from its second New York accelerator programme.
Company card killer Pleo has raised $3m in new funding as it prepares for public launch in the UK and Denmark.
Cheques are become less and less common in the UK according to new research from global market research firm Mintel which claims contactless card use has overtaken cheque payments in the UK for the first time.
Payments for digital and physical goods made mobile operating system-based payments platforms like Apple Pay and Android Pay are expected to boom in the next few years according to new analysis from Juniper.


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Tata Motors will sooner or later launch the diesel version of the Nano, and here is some in-depth information concerning the car. Wheels Unplugged claims that the diesel version will be introduced in September 2009. Reports earlier suggested that Tata would announce the diesel variant later next year, but this is the first instance where there is a definite month or time reported.
Wheels Unplugged claims that it's sources, which are closely connected with the industry also claim that its capacity will be 690 cc. This is opposing earlier reports that proposed a 800 cc engine was being developed by a German firm FEV for the Nano.
Tata will retail this car across the globe and possibly the FEV engine is for a different market? There were rumors that the diesel engine employed on the Tata Ace commercial vehicle, the 700 cc Indica half-block would encounter application on the Nano. Only after the launch or an official statement from the company can clarify this doubt, which many Indian carry around. However, regardless of all that, we expect the diesel engine to return a mileage of 30 kmpl minimum on a combined cycle.
Source- Wheels Unplugged


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By THOM SHANKER
The United States signed weapons agreements valued at $37.8 billion in 2008, or 68.4 percent of all business in the global arms bazaar, up significantly from American sales of $25.4 billion the year before.
Italy was a distant second, with $3.7 billion in worldwide weapons sales in 2008, while Russia was third with $3.5 billion in arms sales last year down considerably from the $10.8 billion in weapons deals signed by Moscow in 2007.
The growth in weapons sales by the United States last year was particularly noticeable against worldwide trends. The value of global arms sales in 2008 was $55.2 billion, a drop of 7.6 percent from 2007 and the lowest total for international weapons agreements since 2005.


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Today is the release of the highly anticipated Star Wars Battlefront. Whether it’s ultimately as good as its predecessors remains to be seen, but for now publisher EA is already in talks to make a sequel. In fact, EA recently detailed their 10 year plan to make a ton of new Star Wars games.
Speaking recently at the UBS Global Technology Conference, EA’s CFO Blake Jorgensen discussed more in detail what their 10 year exclusive Star Wars deal would mean. “We struck a licensing deal with Disney a few years back that’s almost ten years in length”, Jorgensen said. “The game that comes out tomorrow, Star Wars Battlefront, is a traditional first-person style shooter game. Our goal is to make future Battlefront games as well as other style games around the Star Wars franchise, both on mobile as well as console and PC. It’s a huge opportunity for us.”
Star Wars: Battlefront is out now for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.


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LVMH BlockchainGiven the code name AURA, the LVMH blockchain is expected to go live this May or June. It will launch first with the Louis Vuitton and Parfums Christian Dior brands, and then extend to include LVMH's 60 luxury brands. If all goes well, then competitor brands will eventually be added to AURA.
Incognito ProjectThe company has reportedly enlisted a full-time blockchain team that has been working on the project for over a year. Kept under the radar, this team has worked closely with Ethereum design studio ConsenSys and Microsoft Azure. >> OKEx Blockchain: The OKChain will Test-Launch in June As such, AURA is built using a version of the Ethereum blockchain called Quorum—a blockchain developed by JPMorgan and which focuses on data privacy. According to CoinDesk, the platform will work as follows:
“To begin with AURA will provide proof of authenticity of luxury items and trace their origins from raw materials to point of sale and beyond to used-goods markets. The next phase of the platform will explore protection of creative intellectual property, exclusive offers and events for each brands’ customers, as well as anti-ad fraud.”


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Microsoft lately has been busy in changing the name of ‘Nokia Lumia’ to ‘Lumia’. It now will finally re-brand it as Microsoft Lumia. With its acquisition over Nokia last year, the software giant aimed to present a unique brand of handsets in the market, and the re-branding starts with the popular Nokia Lumia Windows Phone.
Late back in September 2013, Microsoft acquired Nokia for $7.2 billion, and announced that the company will be acquiring the entire range of Nokia’s devices, services business, award-winning team and license patents. Now, after an year of the procurement, the company is all set for the re-branding exercise.
The re-brading will also change the company’s social media accounts name from Nokia Lumia to Microsoft Lumia. The official Facebook page of Nokia France today posted on their timeline about the re-branding.
The page says, “In the coming days, you will receive a message from Facebook on the renaming of this page. We are about to become “Microsoft Lumia”!-Stay tuned to learn more soon…;)
The Finnish handset manufacturer according to the procurement contract, cannot make new phones for many more years and the removing the Nokia name from phone business ratifies the things. However, the Nokia company still exists and is working in mapping services.
Stay tuned to Nokia France Facebook page for more details on the re-branding.
UPDATE: You can read the official announcement here now.


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Check out Thursday’s top tech news:
1. The shares of a company that makes treatment devices for kids with autism went gangbusters on the ASX yesterday. The stock price for Neurotech International went up 60% after news broke of a successful preliminary trial of its Mente Autism device. The product is a headband that the autistic child wears for 40 minutes each morning and uses brainwave feedback to play audio that’s meant to regulate certain brainwaves. Read more.
2. One basic problem will immediately stop Australians from buying Fitbit’s first-ever general purpose smartwatch. Business Insider has tried the Ionic, which will be released next month, and found there’s a particular imperial measurement that can’t be replaced with a metric unit – and it will be really, really annoying for those relying on the watch for health data. Read more here.
3. An Australian rival to Skype has launched its IPO, aiming to raise $4.2 million. CRN reports the Melbourne startup, which makes both software and hardware for secure video, text and file communication through the cloud, wants the additional capital to scale up production.
4. Simon Hackett has stepped down as CEO at Australian battery maker Redflow. The local answer to Tesla batteries had the former Internode founder as an acting chief executive but that period has now come to an end, according to The Australian, with chief operating officer Richard Aird stepping up as permanent CEO. Hackett will remain on the board as Redflow moves its production to new Thailand facilities.
5. Amazon unveiled a whole bunch of devices that are mostly useless in Australia. Our US colleagues break down each of the announcements here, but the majority of the devices utilise the company’s voice assistant Alexa – a feature that is not available to users in this country. The gadgets may become more useful once Amazon sets up its local operations in the next year or so.
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The ‘new deal for workers’ commits Labour to:
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says:
- a minimum wage of at least £10 an hour;
- rights for all workers from day one, including holiday pay, parental leave and protection from unfair dismissal;
- the right to flexible working and requesting shifts that fit around family life;
- banning ‘fire and rehire’;
- an end to zero-hours contracts, replacing them with contracts that reflect the hours people actually work
- increased and guaranteed sick pay and
- more workers covered by a collective agreement.
“Keir Starmer has today set out a comprehensive package of reforms that will deliver security and opportunity for workers, alongside quality jobs that make work pay. This new deal for workers clearly demonstrates why our members need a Labour Government and that Labour is the only party that will deliver this much needed change.
“The coronavirus emergency has brought about a new understanding of the essential role retail workers have in keeping our communities fed, healthy and safe. Usdaw’s consistent calls for shopworkers to be respected and valued are being heard, but that must not fade into the background when this national crisis passes.
“There must be lasting and fundamental change to the way society views our lowest paid workers. We need Labour’s new deal for the workers employed in our supermarkets, distribution warehouses, food processing sites and home delivery operations.
“A new deal on pay, a real living wage, an end to insecure employment and action to ensure that retail jobs are no longer underpaid and undervalued. We welcome the commitment to guaranteeing and increasing sick pay. The pandemic has shown beyond doubt that current levels of sick pay are unacceptably low.
“This crisis has shone a light on the changes our society needs. We need a long lasting change in values. We cannot go back to the bad old ways of undervaluing workers. So we very much welcome this initiative from Labour, it shows that they are offering a real alternative to the Conservatives’ business as usual.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers)
is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 380,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades.
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news
and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion


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In June 2018, Ticketmaster UK warned that some of its customers — which it put at less than 5% of its global customer base — may have had their payment information accessed by an unknown third-party. Ticketmaster laid the blame on third-party provider Inbenta, who laid the blame on Ticketmaster, who in turn had been warned by online bank Monzo in April that they might have been breached. Clearly, there was more to this story than was being told at the time.
RiskIQ researchers Yonathan Klijnsma and Jordan Herman have now filled in some of the gaps. An analysis of the events suggests that the breach was bigger and over a longer period than previously thought — but it is only one part of a much larger and ongoing campaign to steal users’ payment details. The researchers go further — naming the unknown third-party culprit as the Magecart actors.
RiskIQ has been monitoring Magecart since 2015, and produced a report in 2016. Magecart uses a form of virtual card skimming, scraping payment details during online transactions and sending the card details to the criminals. Originally, the Magecart actors hacked retail stores directly. Now it seems to have evolved to breaching the suppliers of widely used third-party components.
This is what seems to have happened with Ticketmaster UK and Inbenta. Inbenta code was compromised with the addition of Magecart skimming software. “Inbenta explained that the module was custom built for Ticketmaster,” write the researchers. “To modify the source of this module, the attackers would have needed access to Inbenta’s systems in some way or form. We believe that Inbenta was breached, but there another possibility a Ticketmaster developer account was breached to access Inbenta. Unless the companies provide more transparency into the event, we will never know.”
Ticketmaster UK has said that the Inbenta breach led to subsequent ‘breaches’ at their Ticketmaster International, Ticketmaster UK, GETMEIN!, and TicketWeb websites. RiskIQ research say this list should include at least Ticketmaster New Zealand and Ticketmaster Ireland as well; and adds that Ticketmaster Germany, Ticketmaster Australia, and Ticketmaster International were compromised by Magecart via a different third-party supplier of functionality — in this case SociaPlus.
The Magecart campaign spreads far beyond just Ticketmaster and Inbenta and SociaPlus. “While Ticketmaster received the publicity and attention, the Magecart problem extends well beyond Ticketmaster,” said Klijnsma. “We believe it’s cause for far greater concern — Magecart is bigger than any other credit card breach to date and isn’t stopping any day soon.”
The report highlights three other major component suppliers that it claims are currently breached by Magecart. The first, PushAssist, provides web analytics similar to Google Analytics. “Their server has been breached and is still serving analytics with the Magecart skimmer. The service boasts having over 10 thousand websites using its analytics platform… This means any website performing payment processing on their website that uses PushAssist is, right now, within reach of the Magecart skimmer.”
The second is Clarity Connect, which provides a CMS for company owners to create an online presence with a website or web store. The Magecart actors have even left a message in the compromised code: ‘If you will delete my code one more time I will encrypt all your sites: you very bad admins.’ It seems, suggest the researchers, “the Magecart actors have broad access that they aren’t afraid to use if the administrator removes their skimmer again. Clarity Connect’s customers are affected by this injected skimmer code.”
The third example is Annex Cloud, another analytics provider currently compromised by Magecart — and again it appears as if the actors have broad access to the Annex Cloud servers.
“It appears that Magecart was able to access hundreds of other high-profile ecommerce sites during its credit card skimming campaign, which means the scale of this breach looks set to be unprecedented,” comments Ross Brewer, VP & MD EMEA at LogRhythm. He notes that like many other hackers, the Magecart actors have switched their attention to the supply chain. They are, he says, “redirecting their attention to smaller, third party suppliers that can act as a gateway to more lucrative targets. As the saying goes, you’re only as strong as your weakest link, which means if one of your third-party partners doesn’t have the same commitment to data protection, any tools you have in place are essentially rendered useless.”
Magecart, warn the RiskIQ researchers, “is an active threat that operates at a scale and breadth that rivals — or possibly surpasses — the recent compromises of point-of-sale systems of retail giants such as Home Depot and Target. The Magecart actors have been active since 2015 and have never retreated from their chosen criminal activity. Instead, they have continually refined their tactics and targets to maximize the return on their efforts.”
San Francisco, Calif-based RiskIQ raised $30.5 million in a Series C funding round led by Georgian Partners in November 2016. This brought the total funding raised by the firm to $65.5 million.


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Preview the next generation of UltraBoosts.
Adidas still has plenty of work to do with the UltraBoost 3.0, but it's never too early to take a peak behind the curtain and see what the three stripes has in store for the next generation of UltraBoosts.
According to YeezyMafia, Adidas already has 20 different UltraBoost 4.0 colorways lined up for next year including familiar colorways like the "Triple White" and "Core Black" in addition to brand new designs that haven't been explored yet.
The UltraBoost 4.0 sticks with the same overall silhouette that we've all become accustomed to, though the design on the primeknit upper has been slightly tweaked from the current UltraBoost 3.0.
Check 'em out below and stay tuned for more previews of Adidas' upcoming UltraBoost collection.


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Root’s growth struggles
At one point this year, Root Insurance was looking to fill 117 positions. Today, that number has drastically dropped to 7.
During last month’s Q3 earnings call, the company shared that sales and marketing expense was down 40% compared to Q2 2021, going from $111.7M to $65.4M. According to CFO/COO Daniel Rosenthal, this measure was taken to reduce cash burn, “especially in the face of surge in performance marketing costs and the current inflationary environment,” but in general the company is looking to take active steps to reposition its marketing investments and pursue more cost-efficient distribution channels.
For a digital insurance company that relies almost entirely on direct digital acquisition efforts, cutting marketing spending is like cutting oxygen. As a result of this move, Root’s website monthly visits went from a high of ~1.4M visits in June (Q2) to ~900k in September (Q3). This decline is continuing into Q4 and last month Root received around 400k visits, a 71% drop compared to the month of June.
Sales, especially in insurance, is a numbers game and when you get in front of fewer shoppers you sell less. And when you sell less, you start trimming down your expenses. Between December 2019 and October 2021, Root’s employee count grew every month. That streak has ended in November when for the first time in a long time, Root had fewer employees compared to the previous month. The decline isn’t significant – in October Root had 1,281 employees according to LinkedIn and today that number stands at 1,268. However, the reduced marketing spend combined with the new strategy of distributing through independent agents, is turning the once fast-paced startup into a sloth and when you aren’t that active, you don’t need that many people.
Root’s struggle to retain high-level employees is also worth a mention. In October, just four months after joining the company, Root CTO Anirban Kundu has notified the company of his intention to resign. Kundu, who was brought on to replace co-founder and CTO Dan Manges, forfeit the equity awards that were granted to him when joining the company. Prior to Kundu’s departure, Root lost Raja Chakravorti (GM and president of Root Enterprise), Annette Reavis (chief people officer), and Kumi Walker (chief business development & strategy officer). And while not an employee, Root recently lost another key individual. Chris Olsen, co-founder and partner at Drive Capital, the investment firm that incubated Root in 2015, has resigned from the company’s board of directors. Olsen had been a member of Root’s board since 2016 and his firm held a 26.1% stake in Root pre-IPO.
Root’s ability to attract customers, in the beginning, wasn’t because they offered a better product – they offered the same product for a lower price. Industry professionals like to highlight Amazon in regards to insurance but Amazon is about convenience and convenience rarely sells insurance. In reality, Root is proof that insurance companies should aspire to be like Costco, offering the same for less, assuming they can make the model work.