"We're rewriting the top of the charts for the new music business," says Eric Garland of BigChampagne in a New York Times piece by Ben Sisario (7/22/10). Eric has launched the Ultimate Chart, a new pop-music chart that challenges the Billboard Hot 100 by factoring in not only sales and airplay, "but also online streams and an array of social-networking services," such as "YouTube, MySpace, Last.fm, Twitter and Facebook." Billboard does include streaming reports from AOL and Yahoo, but the Ultimate Chart's sample is broader.

The resulting charts are quite different. While both put Katy Perry and Eminem in the number one and two spots for the week ending July 13 -- albeit in flipped order -- Ultimate's number-three song -- by Shakira -- is number 39 on Billboard. Ultimate's biggest winner is Justin Bieber's "Baby," which it ranks at number 5, exactly where it peaked on Billboard -- last February! Apparently the song is still popular on social networks even if it isn't selling or getting as much airplay. The extra attention suggests a different, and valuable, kind of equity.

"We need to be informed and have insight into all forms of data that isn't being tracked by any one entity," says Tom Corson of the RCA Music Group. "It's reflective of the disruption and fragmentation in this business." It remains to be seen whether the Ultimate Chart can top Billboard, which has been around since the 1950s. But it "taps into a common frustration in the music industry about how success can be measured at a time when streaming, ring tones and licensing for television commercials may have a bigger effect on the bottom line than record sales do."

"No one would let us headline their festival, so we made our own," says Jon Gutwillig of the Disco Biscuits, reports Seth Schiesel in the New York Times (7/22/10). That was more than ten years ago, when Jon and his bandmates grew tired of getting only the afternoon slots at music festivals when they wanted to close the show. Nine hundred fans showed up for Camp Bisco, their first "jamtronica" festival in 1999. This year, they drew "as many as 15,000" fans as well as corporate sponsors including Coca-Cola and Sony Electronics.

Peter Shapiro of Relix magazine says Camp Bisco is an idea whose time has come: "The big record deal doesn't really exist anymore," he explains. "All bands make their living by touring now, and what's the epitome of touring? Your own festival. Instead of you going to your fans, they come to you. You can invite your base and also invite other bands that are aligned with your audience and build that way." Fans paid $150 each to attend the weekend-long Camp Bisco, which reportedly took in "at least a few million dollars."

Coke was also there with a Coke Zero trailer offering "an elevated view of the stage, and a Sony PlayStation compound included dozens of game kiosks." Sony's Ginger Kraus comments: "Festivals like Camp Bisco provide us with the unique opportunity to interact with a diverse range of consumers who are passionate about music and entertainment, as well as our brand." Aron Magner of the Disco Biscuits explains: "We're not giving away shampoo to everyone or allowing in-your-face corporate marketing like that, but if sponsors are willing to deliver something that enhances the overall experience for the fans, that's something we can appreciate."

"Roofing really gets under your skin, and helps you break out of the daily routine," says Dmitri Yermakov, 18, in a New York Times piece by Anna S. Tikhomirova (7/28/10). Dmitri isn't talking about nailing shingles, though. He's talking about breaking and entering buildings for the sole purpose of enjoying the view from the roof. He's part of a subculture of young people, mostly in their teens or early twenties, who appreciate "the solitude of the roofs, far from the hectic streets of Moscow, which has more than 10 million people."

Oleg Muravlyov, 17, explains: "We aren't doing any harm to buildings ... We are driven by a wish to think about what's really important in our lives, outside the hustle of business." But it is illegal, of course, requiring roofers to pick locks or otherwise "bluff their way in." Naturally, this is part of the appeal: "I felt proud of myself that I managed to reach the roof and pleased that finally, I had an opportunity to be alone for a while," says Kseniya Nesterova, 19.

Perhaps ironically, or maybe predictably, this desire for solitude sometimes manifests itself in social networks (link), where roofers "exchange stories and photographs," using slang largely derived from English. Anna V. Tikhomirova, a psychologist, offers this insight: "They still have a demand for a fairy tale romance, and the vista of the twilit city meets their requirements perfectly." Meanwhile, entrepreneurs are capitalizing on the trend, creating tours and arranging "rooftop birthday celebrations and weddings," albeit with "formal permission."

"On a rooftop bar you indeed inch closer to heaven. But you can also wind up a whole lot closer to hell," writes Frank Bruni in the New York Times (7/23/10). Heaven, meaning the views at "Press, the rooftop bar of the new Ink48 hotel," which features "a completely transparent glass perimeter that makes you feel almost as if you're on a platform floating over the Hudson." And hell, meaning the treatment afforded at mad46 at the Roosevelt Hotel, where Frank says the staff is haughty, the food is lousy and the view is iffy.

Gaining access can also be a challenge. Some rooftop bars don't keep regular hours while others are hidden away. As Frank explains: "You have to find a special entrance, take a special elevator, follow a trail of bread crumbs from the last pathetic saps who dared to dream of drinks under the stars." One exception, he says, is the rooftop bar at 230 Fifth, where "the path to the elevator is so prominently marked and frequently mobbed that it calls to mind a ride at Disney World."

Somehow, even with the obstacles, Frank says that "the ratio of tourists to locals can easily reach 25 to 1." Service is usually bad too, says Frank, "in accordance with some managerial theory that open air obviates courtesy and efficiency." But, as Frank puts it: "Although you're in a city of tight quarters and constant confinement, seemingly removed from the natural world, the rooftop bar gives you a blast of the great outdoors, a reprieve from your usual tethers and an outlook that's suddenly expansive."

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Free fruit, fast check-ins and soggy towels figure into the future of Hyatt Hotels, reports Barbara De Lollis in USA Today (7/27/10). Hyatt is experimenting with new ideas in hospitality on both the high and low ends of its franchise. At the high end, its "five Andaz hotels, in New York (two), London, Los Angeles and San Diego, have a more casual environment that resembles a luxurious home." Each guest greeted by a roving host, who handles check-in, helps with bags and can make dinner reservations.

At Andaz, there is no front desk or concierge, but there is a "sleek, modern table decorated with a bowl of cherries," where guests can relax with their hosts, who generally have backgrounds in retail rather than hospitality. Internet access, in-room snacks and bottled water are free, and there's also free espresso and wine in public areas. On the banquet floor, guests enter through a kitchen area, where they "can grab a cocktail" and chat with the chef before starting their event. Cooks are hired based partly on how much they like entertaining at home.

Similar concepts are applied at Hyatt Place, which is stylish but "budget-sensitive." Its lobby is "operated by one person" and "combines a check-in area, Starbucks, sandwich shop and social area." Guests have "the option of declining daily room cleaning," or opt for simply "having their trash removed, beds remade with the same sheets and bathroom towels hung back on the racks." Hyatt says guests like this option partly because it minimizes housekeeping intrusions. "They want their privacy," says Gary Dollens, who runs the 156 Hyatt Place hotels.

The latest hotel amenity at a certain St. Paul hotel is a different kind of non-stop service, writes Bob Greene in the New York Times (7/27/10). It's not free wireless or 24/7 room service but rather a "gauzy bag" of "tools and advice on how to achieve that all-but-impossible dream, a decent night's sleep." It includes "a pair of noise-blocking earplugs ... A black mask to be worn through the night" and a "CD of a detailed lecture" by a sleep expert.

The kit also contains some big, plastic clips to keep your curtain shut, along with "an instruction sheet" that advises: "Remember the purpose of the bed. Avoid TV, eating and emotional discussions while in bed ... No drinks after 8 p.m. ... Opt for foods that promote sleep, such as milk, tuna, halibut, pumpkin ..." Perhaps most important of all, the kit comes with a guarantee "that wake-up calls would ring at the requested hour, and vowing that if the call were not to come, the night's stay would be free." The caveat itself might be enough to keep anyone awake.

But, as Bob notes, this sleep kit suggests that "in these nerve-jangling times, what we seem to really want, increasingly, is not 24/7 action and data, nor pride in our ability to endlessly multitask, but a night of sound, uninterrupted slumber." He writes: "In 2008, 56 million sleeping-pill prescriptions were written up 54 percent from 2004. Doctors say they are dealing with more than 80 separate sleep disorders. Something fundamental seems to have gone wrong .... And, wait a minute -- what if those hotel-issued earplugs prevent you from hearing your guaranteed wakeup call?"

"Walmart can move quicker than probably any government on the planet," says Jeffrey Hollender of Seventh Generation, in a Wall Street Journal piece by Ellen Byron (8/26/10). These are startling words from a guy who once said that "hell would freeze over" before he would do business with Walmart. Jeffrey's company, which makes "environmentally-friendly household products" may indeed seem to be a strange bedfellow for Walmart, but all that's changed now.

"What I realized is if you could get Walmart moving quicker and more aggressively in this direction, we'd be able to solve the challenges we're facing much more quickly and much more efficiently," says Jeffrey. And so, beginning "next month, Seventh Generation staples, including laundry detergent, dish soap and all-purpose sprays, will be sold in about 1,500 Walmart stores. By September, other cleaners, diapers and baby wipes will be available on Walmart dot-com.

"We've shifted dramatically in the way we see the world," says Jeffrey. Part of that shift includes adjusting its prices to Walmart-friendly levels, "so that its products cost as much or only slightly more than the leading national brands." The move promises to help Seventh Generation tap into the great American mainstream while giving Walmart perhaps a bit more "green cred." Both companies sense great growth potential: "Sales of green household and laundry cleaning products rose to $557 million last year, having more than tripled since 2005," according to Packaged Facts.

Apparel makers are using an "Eco Index" to go greener, but aren't quite ready to share their scores with consumers, reports Christina Binkley in the Wall Street Journal (7/22/10). The "Eco Index" is a software program that's been under development for about three years by "roughly 100 well-known apparel brands and retailers." It's designed "to help them measure the environmental impact of their apparel and footwear, from raw materials to garbage dump."

The garbage dump is a big one: "Americans tossed out 12.4 million tons of textiles in 2008 -- a number that has risen far faster than other sources of trash," according to the EPA. Levi's, in response, now uses its care tags to ask consumers to donate old clothes to Goodwill, which earns them some brownie points on the Eco Index. This doesn't necessarily make Levi's jeans any greener, and some question whether the Eco Index methodology -- which is based on information provided, but not proven, by the manufacturers and their suppliers -- is valid.

Another big question is if, and how, to communicate scores to consumers. The prevailing opinion is that the scores need to be presented in the same way by everyone, either by "a single number on a hang tag" or perhaps by posting information online. In the meantime, Levi's says that the program has prompted a streamlining of its transportation routes as well as packaging reduction. Timberland now awards gold, silver or bronze stars to suppliers who improve their environmental standards. "I now have tanneries fighting over the points needed to get a silver rating," says Timberland's Betsy Blaisdell.

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