Last Pitch Effort is an occasional look at media relations strategies gone awry.
Subject: Anti-Smoking Story and Poll Questions
Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 13:34:03 -0500
From: Gary Zavoral
To: Shane Schick, Editor, ITBusiness.ca
Dear
Shane,
Polls have become popular items on the Internet. With the news of a new Web site about to be launched that lights into smoking in movies, here are a few intriguing poll questions that would be topical for your online readers, especially in conjunction with the news story that follows:
Do you believe that tobacco use in movies encourages young people to start smoking?
Should movies that glamorize tobacco use receive an automatic R rating?
Do you think movie characters can be portrayed accurately without the use of tobacco?
The following is the press release on SceneSmoking.org, which is dedicated to educating the public on the dangers wrought by tobacco use in the movies. It is a one-stop online resource for parents, teens, educators and health professionals on the latest in tobacco research, especially when tobacco and the Silver Screen meet. We encourage you to run this story in advance of its launch on Monday. (The site is live right now, however.) And don’t forget the poll. We’re sure it will hit some hot buttons.
Also, we hope that you’ll help educate your readers more on this issue by placing a link on your Web site. Please e-mail me a reply and we’ll get you a button or link.
Thank you,
— Gary Zavoral for the American Lung Association of Sacrmento-Emigrant Trails
Subject: Press Release – Don’t Call Them Bedroom DJ’S
From: Jennifer Karkar
To: Paolo Del Nibletto, Editor, Computer Dealer News
DON’T CALL THEM BEDROOM DJ’S
New MixMeister Studio software targets emerging class of mix producers
SEATTLE – October 7, 2004 – DJ Ed Hornsey is a dance music enthusiast who spends most evenings creating DJ mixes at home. But the popular term “”bedroom DJ”” doesn’t apply to him, he says.
“”Bedroom DJ implies that I’m a wannabe, that I’m somehow less than competent. But the mixes I create are as good or better than what you can buy in the shops,”” says Ed.
Hornsey is one of a growing class of music buffs who take their music mixing very seriously. Known as “”mix producers,”” they have a passion for creating commercial-quality music mixes, in a wide range of genres. But while bedroom DJs are typically practicing in the hope of landing a live performance gig one day, mix producers prefer the delight of completing a studio project to the thrill of being in front of an audience.
In response to the growing trend towards mix production, MixMeister Technology, a developer of music mixing software for DJs, recently introduced a product specifically aimed at this market. MixMeister Studio allows users to manipulate the tempo and key of any song, add special effects and beat loops, and apply precise control over the way that songs are mixed together. Mixes can be assembled on a computer, played back and refined again and again, and then recorded when the user is completely happy with the results.
“”We’ve traditionally sold our software to DJs who perform in front of an audience, or to those who aspire to do live performances,”” said Aaron Higgins, MixMeister’s CEO. “”But the fastest growing group of customers has no interest in the performance side of DJing – these guys are motivated by their finished product alone.””
Hornsey says he usually spends a couple of hours each day engaged in producing the next great mix. He uses MixMeister software to blend songs together into a seamless mix experience, and then burns his mixes to CD or broadcasts them on Internet radio streams. For him, it’s an opportunity to contribute his own creativity to the world of music, and a way to make the music he loves sound even better.
MixMeister Studio costs $169.95 and runs on Windows XP. Users can download a free trial copy from MixMeister Technology’s website at www.mixmeister.com.
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