Music For Your Unborn Baby

A life in balance is a wonderful thing - that moment when the needle is slap bang in the middle and all is right with the world is certainly what I strive for and yet, in a dynamic world, we’re always moving from one side to the other – seeking that which will bring us back into harmony.

As new information comes along we examine it, learn from it and try to get the most out of it, often adopting the “More” construct; if 1 is good then 2 is better – and how about 3? Initially, this approach works really well: beer, chocolate, sex all leave you wanting more and there’s no denying that after 3 beers you’re feeling more energetic and ready for anything (maybe not so much with the other two!) However – take things a little too far and it all goes to shit – too many beers and you’re Mel Gibson, too much chocolate and you’re Mrs. Obama’s pet project, too much sex – Hello Tiger!

The point of this rather long introduction was to introduce you to the prenatal music market. Hat tip to Digital Music News for putting this on my radar this morning but if you have a moment go check out: http://lullabelly.com, http://www.bellybuds.com, http://www.bellysonic.com.

Bottom line – I think this is marvelous and is in line with pretty much everything I personally know and believe about the power of sound. I dig how Lullabelly present their information and make their argument as well as bellybuds’ straightforward approach. Not having a large extended belly (lost 20 lbs since Christmas!) I can’t write about the comfort factor but the pregnant models certainly look happy enough.

But here comes the caveat and the reason for the long introduction - there are already dissenting views from Pediatricians as they raise concerns over too much prenatal stimulus, and you really don't want to get this wrong. I'm guessing that a little bit of music, every now and then is great - lullabelly reckon no more than one hour at a time, two to three times a day - but please don't go overboard, remember - everything in moderation.

Of course it would now make sense for me to pitch music2work2 for your prenatal grooving – and although it is actually perfect music for this (calming, soothing, not repetitive or too percussive) I’m not sure if we really want to put our babies to work just yet!

Burger, fries and a download

According to Digital Music News' Daily Snapshot, November 13, 2007, it seems that the question at Wendy's will no longer be "do you want fries with that?" but rather "want a Rhapsody download with that?" Participating Wendys will begin giving a code that opens access to the Rhapsody collection for free downloads with the purchase of medium and large-sized combo meals. According to Ian Rowden, chief marketing officer at Rhapsody, the purpose is to "connect with consumers on more occasions through the things they feel passionate about." I can't think of any two things human beings feel more passionate about than food (fast food, in particular) and music.

As music2work2 grows and ventures out into other life activities for which music can be beneficial, perhaps we should think about "music2munch2?"

A New Year

Andrew will soon be back from his trip to Europe and he tells me he has lots of new ideas and plans for music2work2. I know there are plans for more new music, a change in the look of the web site, and who knows what else!

Prospects are encouraging from the business aspect for the sale of digital downloads. Digital Music News reports that according to figures published by Nielsen Soundscan, sales hit a new high of 30.1 million downloads the last week of the year – resulting in over 581.9 million for the year-end total.

So, things are looking good as we begin 2007 to continue our goal of producing and distributing beautiful music, music that helps - - background music that makes whatever task you are involved in more pleasant. We will be starting our second year in 2007- a little wiser and more skilled on my part, but no less enthusiastic.