Author: jamesdowell2712

by jamesdowell2712 on Business, Music

Taylor Swift vs Spotify

Here’s how I used to buy music (in chronological order):
1. Walk/bus to HMV to pay £13 for a single album from my favourite band (first album was three dollar bill y’all by limp bizkit)
2. Pay £0.79 for 1 track on iTunes for it to only work on Apple devices.
3. Free downloads

I love spotify. Here’s what I love:
– Subscription model payments (mine is integrated into phone contract). Roughly £12/month
– Track database is large
– Playlists – create your own, share others’, premade spotify ones – every need filled.
– Sharing capabilities – follow friends, see what they’re listening to now.
– Sonos integration – a little sluggish with updates but usable.

I believe the Spotify model is far superior and the future of music consumption lies here. However, it isn’t right in its current state and I support Taylor’s move to change it for the better. How can I used to have paid £13/album and 10 years on I pay £12/month for access to [millions] of albums. Perhaps Spotify is too cheap, perhaps they are making too much profit?

Spotify has 50 million users so it’s got the user base to make this work but I urge them to be more transparent and give revenue to the amazing artists, without which they wouldn’t have a business at all.

 
by jamesdowell2712 on Brentford, Food

Blend Cafe – Great fry up

This is a great spot for a fry up that’s above average. £4.70 for Classic English Breakfast. This is how it went down:

  • 2 sausage – decent cumberland job
  • 2 bacon – average/good, cooked to medium crispness
  • 1 fried egg
  • Heinz beans – jazz claps
  • Mushrooms (I swapped these in favour of an extra hash brown, for free)
  • 2 pieces of toast with butter
 
by jamesdowell2712 on Work

Goodbye and the why

This week I handed in my notice at Rackspace which has been the seed of my career and a place that I love and respect enormously. I first walked in the door at Rackspace over 10 years ago when there were 15 people and the DC was accessible via Micro Scooter. I leave behind an amazing group of 1000+ very smart people and a market leading brand which I’m sure will re-enter the acquisition rumour mill not long from now. I’m taking on a mega exciting role as the second employee in EMEA for WP Engine… Why?

  1. Personal growth – A long term goal of mine is to lead a business. The opportunity to build a company from 2 people upwards under the tutelage of Fabio Torlini is a perfect match.
  2. Industry changes – I want to stay in the value creation zone by going further up the technology stack, away from the commoditised world of IaaS.
  3. Fun – 120% YoY company growth in a sprinting technology that powers 23% of the internet will be one hell of a ride!