That Eric Alper! - June 5, 2012

Stanley Cowell's debut as a leader, Blues for the Viet Cong, was recorded on this day in 1969, and features his piano (and on two selections rare outings on electric keyboards) with a trio also including bassist Steve Novosel and drummer Jimmy Hopps.

Today in 1941, Duke Ellington records Bakiff, featuring violinist Ray Nance. The Blanton-Webster era of the Duke Ellington band is often cited as the greatest phase of the most accomplished musical artist in 20th century America. Hypebole? Decide for yourself: http://youtu.be/yLvsi6VycWA

Teacher: “Why were you away yesterday?” Boy: “I was at the White House. Here’s a note from Obama.” http://wp.me/p26Qb8-22C

One of the reasons copyright owners (the big media companies) find themselves without many allies in their effort to protect their business models is that they often set their own customers up as enemies. Just for instance, the recording industry spent years filing massive numbers of lawsuits against people it alleged were illegally downloading music. Not a good way to win friends and influence people to support things like SOPA when they come up. Here are the costs of copyright enforcement: http://bit.ly/L0rRdF

The best wineries elevate scarcity to an art form, convincing you that something must be spectacular simply because it’s hard to get. Everything they do and say is based on this principle, from wine clubs and special allocations to appointment-only tastings — not to mention the pricing and bundling strategies. Of course, you have to have something great to offer in the first place, but scarcity techniques can create loyal niche communities and drive higher sales and margins across the board. What TV can learn about scarcity from the wine industry: http://bit.ly/LP39Zy

Terry Gilliam knows something about animation. For years, he produced wonderful animations for Monty Python (watch his cutout animation primer here) , creating the opening credits and distinctive buffers that linked together the offbeat comedy sketches. Given these bona fides, you don’t want to miss Gilliam’s list, The 10 Best Animated Films of All Time: http://bit.ly/L2CXNO

If you were attacked by pirates, who would you want by your side? A loyal horde of head bangers, gangstas and hard-core punks? Or a brainy clutch of bookish types? I'd generally advise you to go with the former group. But it turns out that in the swashbuckling arena of digital piracy, the publishing world is acquitting itself far better than the brash music industry: http://on.wsj.com/N4M1E1