Put yourself in their shoes!

A great article about customer experience for The Retail Bulletin today by Retail Eyes.

Put yourself in their shoes 

Christmas shopping can feel like a stampede sometimes. Make sure that all of your most popular and
top selling items are easily visible and accessible in the store. By all means, play the classic
Christmas music to keep staff and customers in the mood, but try to mix it up with more modern music
to stop it becoming monotonous!

Christmas music shouldn't adhere to the same rules as Christmas merchansing. It is ok to have full on Christmas displays in November but full on 100% Christmas music can have a negative effect on both staff morale and productivity we suggest a gradual move into Christmas musically ensuring that 25% of your music being Christmas music means 1 in 4 tracks and not a full 15 mins every hour!

Use your music to build the Christmas promotion throughout November and December. One thing to remember is that Christmas music doesn't work after Christmas so make sure you have your exit plan in place!

Morrissey allows John Lewis to use Smiths track for Christmas ad campaign

His lyrics aren't usually associated with festive cheer, but Morrisey has permitted department store John Lewis to use the Smiths song 'please, please, please let me get what i want' for its Christmas advert.

Reports that John Lewis will be using 'Shoplifters of the World Unite' for a campaign in the new year are unconfirmed at time of writing.

Levi's® Craft of Music presents Primal Scream

LEVI'S

AIM Independent Music Awards

The first AIM Independent Music Awards is coming!

The UK’s independent music sector is home to some of the greatest artists in the world.  

The AIM Awards will recognise the real heroes of music; those who do things their own way, make phenomenal music, and inspire us all with their creativity, commitment and brilliance.

Taking place at Floridita in London's Soho, the ceremony will be hosted by BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and Radio 1’s Huw Stephens on the 10th November 2011.

Bjork has already been announced as winning the Outstanding Contribution to Music award and Lawrence Bell the founder of Domino Recording Company has won the Pioneer Award. Eleven other categories will be announced  on the night....

Who would your winners be?

Independent Entrepreneur of the Year (in association with The Orchard)
Rob da Bank (Sunday Best Recordings / Bestival / Camp Bestival / AIF / Radio 1)
Ruth Daniel (Fat Northerner Records / unConvention)
Martin Goldschmidt (Cooking Vinyl)
Julie Weir (Visible Noise / Wiseblood Management)

Best Difficult Second Album'21' - Adele (XL Recordings)
'Bon Iver' - Bon Iver (4AD)
'Helplessness Blues' - Fleet Foxes (Bella Union)
'Pala' Friendly Fires (XL Recordings)
'Watch Me Dance' - Toddla T (Ninja Tune)

Catalogue Release of the Year (in association with Rovi)
'Ninja Tune XX' - Various Artists - Ninja Tune
'The Wonderful & Frightening World of The Fall / This Nation's Saving Grace (Omnibus Edition)' -
The Fall - Beggars Group
'Coals To Newcastle' - Orange Juice - Domino
'Matador at 21' - Various Artists - Matador Records

Best Small Label (in association with Sound Performance)
Ambiguous Records
Naim Edge Records
Smalltown America
Stolen Recordings

Hardest Working Band or Artist (in association with Live Nation)
Beardyman (Sunday Best Recordings)
Bring Me The Horizon (Visible Noise)
Frank Turner (Xtra Mile)
Random Hand (Bomber Music)

Innovative Marketing Campaign of the YearNinja Tune - Amon Tobin 'ISAM' campaign
Ninja Tune - 'Ninja Tune XX' campaign
Radar Maker - Frankie & the Heartstrings 'Hunger' campaign
Warp Records - Flying Lotus EP ‘Cosmogramma, Pattern+Grid World, Cosmogramma Alt Takes’

Independent Breakthrough of the YearBring Me The Horizon (Visible Noise)
Caro Emerald (Dramatico)
The Horrors (XL Recordings)
SBTRKT (XL Recordings)

Indie ChampionTom Robinson, 6Music
Nathan Clark, Brudenell Social Club
John Robb, Louder Than War
John Doran & Luke Turner, The Quietus

Golden Welly Award for Best Independent Festival (in association with AIF and Virtual
Festivals)
Bearded Theory
Belladrum
End of the Road
Y Not Festival

PPL Award for Most Played Independent ArtistAdele (XL Recordings)
Arctic Monkeys (Domino)
Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings)
The XX (XL Recordings/Young Turks)

Best Live Act (in association with Sailor Jerry, voted for by readers of The Fly)
Bring Me The Horizon (Visible Noise)
Enter Shikari (Ambush Reality)
Frank Turner (Xtra Mile)
Warpaint (Rough Trade)

http://www.musicindie.com/awards

Apple is a "digital vampire", says Pete Townshend

The Who guitarist Pete Townshend urges Apple's iTunes to use its power to help new bands instead of "bleeding" artists like a "digital vampire".