If Intel's gold-lam� dancing astronaut campaign wasn't clear enough, the company is getting more "extroverted." Long the silent partner in PC technology, Intel - along with its spiffy new Pentium II processor - took center stage at the Intel New York Music Festival in July, and its newfound exuberance is winning friends in an unlikely place: the Apple-allied arts community. The rock concert and cybercast series has been sponsored by Apple for two years, but technical glitches and Intel's "progressive" approach with artists convinced festival co-executive producer Andrew Rasiej to make the switch. "Intel's mantra is to never own media," he says. "Any tech company with that idea will find a friendly reception from artists." This is not Intel's first effort to woo artists. It established a media lab on the Creative Artists Agency lot, cosponsored Geocities' Best Unsigned Bands contest, and runs Mediadome.com with CNET. Rasiej admits that while most artists are loyal to Apple, they'll follow opportunities. "Do you know who makes your phone? No, it's just a tool," he says. "Artists are interested in tools, not platforms."
- Austin Bunn
ELECTRIC WORD
Intel Swipes an Apple
