Uber

Is single-handedly putting a dent in drunk driving in Los Angeles.

Do you know this service? Wherein you order up your car via a smartphone app? It's the rage amongst hipsters.

If you're waiting for established industries to change, if you're expecting an advertising campaign to break your new product, you're dreaming, that's just not how it's done these days.

Uber is the brainchild of Travis Kalanick. Who got his start in file-trading, via Scour... You don't hear much about this P2P site these days, it's been lost to the sands of early twenty first century antiquity, but once upon a time Kalanick was a junior Shawn Fanning, with more smugness than Sean Parker.

But then he got out. And looked for new businesses to disrupt. Yes, that's what the techies do that the musicians do not, they look for opportunities, unopened holes, to enter and turn the whole landscape upside down. Kind of like the Luddites who want to make albums... Do they not realize that the Beatles turned the whole singles paradigm upside down by refusing to put singles on albums, by making full length statements like "Sgt. Pepper"? Yes, once upon a time the Beatles led, today's acts just follow, even the biggest, as for the wannabes, they've never even heard of the road less travelled.

Did Travis Kalanick foresee problems. OF COURSE! Did he expect taxi companies to roll over and say fine? OF COURSE NOT! But musicians are just looking for a deep pocket to fund their me-too music, meanwhile complaining that nobody cares.

Want someone to care? Create an undeniable product that people can't stop talking about, like Uber.

I first experienced it in New York, back in May of 2012. That's how they told me to get from the airport. But I was using a BlackBerry, which the twentysomethings booking this gig couldn't fathom, and there was not a BlackBerry app. Which is why if you're using that antiquated POS from the north you should trade it in right now, because it's not about keys on a phone but apps, that's where the future lies, and once you get used to word prediction on an iPhone or Android...it's good enough.

But it turned out you could pull up Uber on your laptop. So I booked a car in the rain. It didn't come.

But Uber kept sending me discounts. Looking for my business.

Oh, what's their business again?

USING AN UNDERUTILIZED RESOURCE! All those black cars combing the city with nothing to do. Kind of like Napster unearthed all those out of print records. Physical retail couldn't stock everything, but online...suddenly albums you searched for for years were available.

But, you said the quality wasn't high enough, there was no artwork!

The artwork has sucked since the advent of the CD and progress always is a step back as well as forward. In other words, we need lousy quality to get to good, which is coming, with faster broadband, files/streams will sound as good as CDs.

And, of course, the New York cabbies and their San Francisco brethren woke up way too late. That's what's fascinating about the entrenched, not only are they unable to see the future, they don't even see it when it's here! And when they do become aware, they can't fathom that their business model can be replaced. It took nearly a year for record labels to see that Napster was a threat. Who'd want to download lo-res files on the Internet? EVERYBODY! Kind of like how hipsters want to pay a premium for a ride in a black car without stains on the back seat and a defiant driver, one that comes when you desire, that does not require you to risk life and limb by standing on the corner and trying to hail...the often unhailable.

Have you used a cab in L.A?

It's almost like they're doing you a favor. You call and they put you on hold and then can't spell your name and can't get your address right and you hope and pray the car arrives on time. As for hailing... Ever been to L.A? It's a giant SUBURB!

But with an app, the info is never wrong, unless you can't type yourself, and you're pulling someone who wants the gig right to your door.

Utterly amazing.


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