Is upscale business travel back?

After the global economy fell into a tailspin in 2009, most companies tightened their purse strings when it came to business travel. Management required additional approval levels for trips, and travellers flew coach, stayed at moderately-priced hotels, rented compact cars and teleconferenced when it made sense.

But as luxury hotels experience spikes in both rate and demand, there's increasing evidence that business travellers are returning to the front of the plane and to their favourite upscale hotels.

"Officially, business class flying is still banned at our company. But unofficially, I'm seeing a lot more authorizations for exceptions to this rule approved by the top brass," said a Fortune 500 company corporate travel manager who requested anonymity. Several other managers I've spoken with over the last month have said more or less the same thing.

Last week, I spoke at a conference at the super-luxe, five-star Resort At Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, California. (This area was ground zero for the well-known AIG effect, when US bankers who'd just accepted a government bailout participated in what appeared to be a boondoggle that forced companies everywhere to cease most upscale meeting and incentive trips.)

In addition to the shiny Lamborghinis and Range Rovers sparkling in the southern California sun by the resort's porte cochere, the hotel was buzzing with activity. The front desk clerk said the entire 332-unit, $600-per-night resort was sold out... on a Monday night (as it is through much of April)!

Luxury hotel brands are once again coaxing back business travellers with upscale offerings. In London, both The Savoy and The Four Seasons London at Park Lane recently re-opened their doors after being shut during the downturn for complete overhauls. The lowest rates at both run between $600 to $700 per night in April. The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong is trumpeting its 29 March opening as "the world's tallest hotel", with introductory rates in the $500 per night range.

The same phenomenon is creeping back into the airline business, too. This month Lufthansa unabashedly trotted out plans for a new first class cabin on board 10 of its Boeing 747-400s. The new concept offers first class passengers a seat and a separate, full-length, lie-flat bed. While fares for the new service have not been announced, current first class fares between New York and Frankfurt range from $12,000 to $15,000 roundtrip.

Lufthansa's upgrade comes a few months after British Airway's recent revamp. The airline's rich new First product now offers special touches like electronically controlled window blinds and a personal wardrobe for hanging clothes. As the product rolls out across BA's fleet, the only route it's guaranteed on is the business-travel heavy New York-London Heathrow route. BA's first class fares on the route run about $10,000 round trip.

What about you? Have you noticed any official or unofficial loosening of business travel purse strings at your company? Is posh business travel making a comeback? Or not? Share your thoughts on Facebook.

The $70,155 Cognac

Rémy Martin The Louis XIII Grande Champagne Très Vieille Age Inconnu

Two weeks ago, a bottle of Rémy Martin cognac — called the Louis XIII Grande Champagne Très Vieille Age Inconnu — sold for 50,000 euros (US$70,155); it was the highest price ever paid for a Rémy Martin.

The Rémy Martin cognac, a brand owned by French winemaker Rémy Cointreau, was on display alongside other fine spirits and wines such as a bottle of Royal Salut Tribute to Honour whiskey, which went for 278,000 Singapore dollars (US$219,964).The buyer was unidentified, but the bottle fetched its list price at a first-ever invite-only sales exhibition of alcohol in Singapore, “Master of Spirits,” organized by DFS, the Hong Kong-based duty-free retailer. Lynn A. Arce, a DFS consumer-marketing vice president, said the company plans to hold more such sales exhibits in the future.

Augustin Depardon, a global marketing director at Rémy Martin, says that the company decided to open its heritage cellars — a rare cache of its “oldest and most refined” eaux-de-vie (fruit brandies) — for the Singapore sale because it is “a cosmopolitan city known for attracting passionate collectors.” Apart from a 2005 exhibition in Shanghai, this is the only time that Rémy Cointreau has sold a heritage-cellar bottle of brandy in Asia.

He tells us why the Louis XIII de Rémy-Martin was valued at 50,000 euros.

A true cognac: In the world of alcoholic spirits, only a specific kind of brandy, which is made from white grapes, can be called cognac. Mr. Depardon, who is based in France, says the term refers to brandy from the French region of Cognac that has been distilled twice in copper stills made in the French region of Charente and is then blended by a cellar master. It must be aged for at least two and a half years and possess an alcoholic content of at least 40%. Regular brandy is typically aged for at least six months and contains 36% alcohol.

Provenance and age: The Rémy Martin cognac was marketed as consisting of “a century in a bottle”: It was one of a series of cognacs bottled for a 1938 royal banquet at the opulent Château de Versailles that King George VI and Queen Elizabeth attended (parents of the current Queen of England). Mr. Depardon notes that some of the eaux-de-vie blended to form this particular cognac date back to the middle of the 19th century.

Timeliness: Mr. Depardon says he thinks it was a “fortunate coincidence” that the cognac went on sale shortly after the movie “The King’s Speech” won Best Picture at the Oscars in late February. Rémy-Martin’s marketing department played up the cognac’s link to the movie, which starred Colin Firth as the stammer-prone King George VI (the actor won Academy Award Best Actor for his performance). Even so, it is a stretch to suggest — as the press materials did — that the cognac “may have been what left George VI speechless.”

Exclusivity: Mr. Depardon says that the price reflects the cognac’s “value of rarity.” The carafe of cognac sold at the DFS exhibit was one of the few remaining in Rémy-Martin’s heritage cellars, which holds the “rarest and most delicate eaux-de-vie” in the brand’s collection since it was first bottled in 1874. He declined to reveal how many bottles remain in the heritage cellars.

Packaging: The crystal carafe of cognac comes with some history. It is based on the design of a 16th-century metal flask, says Mr. Depardon, discovered by a vine grower in 1850 in a battlefield near Cognac, the French town from which the spirit draws its name. For the sale, the decanter was placed in a jewelry box made from lacquered rosewood and leather embossed with an ostrich-skin pattern.

Ingredients: More than 1,200 brandies were blended to form this cognac. The ugni blanc,colombard and folle blanc grapes used to make them were harvested in the Grande Champagne area, which Mr. Depardon says possesses the “most prestigious” vineyards in Cognac.

Lil Wayne Wants To Bank $50 Million In 2011

Lil Wayne is hip-hop superstar, and arguably the hottest rapper in the game at the present time. But, there's one list he doesn't even rank on -- Forbes' "Hip-Hop's Wealthiest Artists". While his boss Birdman (Cash Money Records founder) is worth a cool $100 million, Weezy isn't exactly broke ... and in 2011, he wants to deposit a large amount into the bank. In an interview with Interview magazine, the New Orleans rapper explained. "I want to bank a cool $50 million, at least," Weezy told the mag. "At the end of this year, I want to be able to say that I banked $50 million. Not generated $50 million, but actually banked $50 million." If that's his goal, he's hard at work on making it come to fruition. The rapper has been treking across country on his anticipated "I Am Music II" tour, alongside protege Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, and Travis Barker. And also prepping the release of his long-awaited Tha Carter IV. If it's as successful asPart III, he could possibly reach his goal. According to Forbes, Wayne took in $20 million in 2010, ranking #74 on the magazine's "Celebrity 100" list of the richest entertainers.

Radiohead to Release New Song For Record Store Day

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By Matthew Perpetua

The Radiohead fan site At Ease has reported that the band will be releasing a 12-inch vinyl single featuring two unreleased songs – "The Butcher" and "Supercollider" – for Record Store Day on April 16th. The official number of copies that will be produced is unknown, but the site says that it may be limited to 2,000 copies per territory. Either way, the single will be one of the most highly sought-after new releases for the annual event, which is designed to drive music fans to brick-and-mortar record shops.

The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Radiohead

The song "Supercollider" is already known to hardcore Radiohead fans, as it was performed at a few stops on the band's 2008 tour for In Rainbows. Here is a video of Thom Yorke playing the song by himself on piano at a Dublin gig. Given how much Radiohead songs can transform from early live performance to finished studio recordings, the version of "Supercollider" that will be on this single could be very different. 

Rick Ross Arrested For Marijuana Possession

Rick Ross was arrested in Shreveport, LA on Friday night (March 25) for marijuana possession.

TMZ reports that he was arrested when police detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the rapper's hotel room. Upon investigation, police say they spotted approximately a gram of the substance in plain view.

The Miami emcee has already been released on a misdemeanor summons.

Rick Ross was reportedly in town to perform at a nightclub.

Recently, Ross' Maybach Music Group made a series of high-profile signings, acquirings the rapping services of Wale, Meek Mill and Pill. Additionally, the imprint moved distribution from Def Jam to Warner recently.

See Will Ferrell's First Appearance on "The Office"

Whenever two cast members from Anchorman get back together, it's cause for celebration -- especially when those two reuniting funnymen are Will Ferrell and Steve Carell. As such: Get excited for the next new episode of The Office set for April 14, because that's when Ferrell will head to Scranton for the first time.

NBC has done a solid and released a promo for Ferrell's appearance. You'll recall that with Michael (Carell) on his way to Colorado, a new boss is needed, and for the final four episodes of the season, Ferrell fits that bill. Of course, he won't replace Carell on the show next season, but when it comes to getting Ferrell and Carell together on-screen, beggars can't be choosers. Hug it out and watch the clip below.

Harman’s Lexicon Now Offers Digital Streaming For Apple iPad

Following the launch of Apple’s iPad2 and GarageBand for iPad, Harman’s Lexicon announces the Omega Desktop Recording Interface‘s capability for digital streaming and recording to Apple’s iPad. Lexicon’s Omega allows musicians to record directly with any audio recording application, including the newly released GarageBand from Apple. Omega's audio streaming capability gives users access to an increasing number of recording applications for musicians available from the Apple App Store.

The Omega contains all the necessary components to use an iPad as a 24-bit recording device. For the first time, a user can record, edit, mix and publish high quality audio using an iPad and the Lexicon Omega.

“We immediately recognized the power and relevance of the iPad platform for the recording musician, and were determined to integrate it with the flexibility our recording products,” states Rob Urry, vice president and general manager of Harman Professional Signal Processing Group. “Lexicon brings 40 years of recording experience to musicians and we are the leaders in providing high-definition audio streaming and playback capability with the iPad.”

The Lexicon Omega is designed and built around the same model as large-format recording consoles. An 8-input, 4-bus, 2-output USB I/O mixer with inserts, instrument input, MIDI I/O and complete metering and monitoring functions allows users to record up to four tracks at once and mix without the need for additional mixing hardware.

Ice Cube To Appear In Upcoming Coors Light Advertisements

The former St. Ides endorser will be clapping off "silver bullets" in the near future.

In 1993, South Central Los Angeles emcee Ice Cubeappeared on "King Tee's Beer Stand" from the rapper of the same name's Tha Triflin' Album. Endorsing St. Ides malt liquor, the iconic rapper proclaimed, "Ice Cube in the glass house, headed for the sto' . / To get a beer that's better than the rest / The S-T-Period-I-D-E-to-the-S."

Eighteen years later, the former N.W.A. member will be endorsing a new brand of beer in Coors Light. According to Advertising Age, Cube will appear in an upcoming campaign for the "silver bullet" beer, whereby the furrowed brow-emcee stares down several beers to see which is the coldest.

Eminem Expected To Gain Additional $30 Million From Royalty Lawsuit

UPDATE: The Supreme Court's refusal to hear Universal Music Group's appeal of an ongoing digital royalty lawsuit could boost the value of Eminem's digital catalogue.

Eminem was not a participant in the landmark lawsuit against Universal Music Group that named him as a plaintiff, but he will most likely see his net worth significantly grow after the Supreme Court refused to hear the case last week.

“As of now it’s worth $17 million or $20 million, but on a future accounting basis, five or 10 years from now, it could easily be a $40 million to $50 million issue,” F.B.T. Productions’ manager Joel Martin told the New York Times. After initially signing Em, F.B.T. continues to collect royalties on his music; the Detroit-based production outfit initiated the digital royalty lawsuit against Aftermath, Interscope and Universal Music Group.

Representatives from Universal stated the case would not set a legal precedent when UMG appealed the initial ruling in September of 2009. But older artists, who didn’t originally have digital royalty clauses in their contracts, are hoping otherwise.

“This is life-changing,” Joyce Moore, the wife of Sam Moore of Sam & Dave, told the Times. The song “Soul Man” is just one of the songs from Moore’s catalogue that is getting royalties at the old 12% rate. “If we were being paid a nickel a download, as opposed to 35 cents—that’s a huge amount of money for a guy that is on a fixed income or has to run up and down the road at 75 years old.”

Despite dwindling overall sales, many labels still bring in tens of millions annually from music contained in older catalogues. But the advent of digital downloads and the legal language over how their royalties are split has been a major sticking point. In addition to F.B.T.’s suit against UMG, The Allman Brothers and Cheap Trick sued Universal and Sony BMG over similar royalty issues.

What's New In The Maschine 1.6

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/maschine/?page=2146

iPad 2 Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts

While some might argue that it can almost replace a full-fledged computer, the iPad was designed to be simple. Even if you have very little tech savvy, you can probably pick up Apple's latest tablet and master most of the basic features in a matter of minutes. And the longer you spend swiping your way around the touch-based iOS operating system, the more you'll learn. Like it is with any OS, though, there are just some things that aren't obvious—and the OS is continually updated. You could (gasp!) pore through the 22-chapter iPad 2 User Guide (it's got three appendices too), to make sure you're not missing out on anything, but where's the fun in that?

After almost a month of testing and using the iPad 2, we've learned some cool tricks and we want to share them with you. In the slideshow, you'll find general tips that apply to multiple applications, along with those specific to Safari, Maps, iPod, and Photos. Whether you're a seasoned Mac or iOS user, or even an Apple newbie, there's something here to help you get the most out of your iPad 2.

http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/262354/1-ipad-2-tips-tricks-and-shortcuts

Plug A Compact Flash Card Into Your iPad With This Piece of Kit

Apple’s official Camera Connection Kit for iPad is pretty accommodating when it comes to sucking photos out of your digicam and into your iPad. Using the array of dongles, you can either suck content in through USB or just slap your SD card.

What about users stuck with that old stalwart standard, Compact Flash? Sure, you can slurp your pictures in by connecting your DSLR or video cam to your iPad 2 via USB, but what’s the fun in that when you can do it directly, thanks to this Compact Flash Card Reader for iPad.

The price is $30, which is the same as Apple’s official Camera Connection Kit costs, and comes with a built-in USB reader that can also suck in video and photographs from any thumb drive. If you’re looking to supplement your iPad with another photography-minded dongle, this looks like a good buy.

Eavesdrop App Lets You Squirt Tunes Over WiFi Between iPhones

When Microsoft’s own answer to the iPod debuted back in November of 2006, one neat little feature it boasted that the iPod didn’t was the ability to share a song on your Zune with a friend for up to five plays by squirting it through WiFi to them when both your Zunes were in range. It was a really neat idea that, like many mechanisms allowing a user to lend digital content, ended up being crippled by chintzy, overly protective publishers.

Perhaps for just those reasons, Apple never did come up with their own way to share songs between iPods, but now, there’s an app for just that: Eavesdrop, which allows you to broadcast your iPod’s music library to any iOS device within range over WiFi and Bluetooth.

It’s a really neat idea. Unfortunately, since the functionality isn’t baked into iOS, both you and your friend will have to pay $1.99 for the Eavesdrop app to listen to each other’s music… and I can’t help but wonder how long it’ll be before Apple pulls the app due to recording industry complaints. So get it while it’s hot.

Lady Gaga Donates $1.5 Million to Zynga’s Fundraising Campaign For Japan

Lady Gaga is apparently on top of it when it comes to donating money to those affected by the March 11 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Today, it was announced that the pop star donated $1.5 million to Zynga’s fundraising initiative with Save the Children, as well as to theAmerican Red Cross.

Gaga raised these funds via sales of her Japan Prayer Bracelets. “I’m inspired that my little monsters banded together to help those affected by the terrible tragedy,” she said in a release.

Last week, the singer also participated in a benefit album called Songs for Japan, which also features popular tunes in original, remastered, live or acoustic formats from Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Justin Bieber, Eminem, Katy Perry and more. Worldwide proceeds from album downloads will go to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Zynga, for its part, donated more than $2.5 million in the last two weeks for Save the Children’s Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund via its social games (Café World, CityVille, FrontierVille, FarmVille, Words With Friends, Vampire Wars, YoVille and Zynga Poker). Players donated 100% of the purchase price of virtual goods to the relief effort.

What do you think of these methods of fundraising? Would you buy a bracelet — or a virtual farm — to benefit charity?