Did you know that Bowie started his own Internet service provider BowieNet in 1998. It was the natural progression for a man who in 1996 released his new song "Telling Lies" online with 300,000 downloads ... it took f*** half a day to download an mp3 song at that time!
His company, Ultrastar, did created Web sites for "just" three entities: David Bowie, the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. Internet was taking off around the time that BowieNet went live, but Bowie saw the true extent of the disruption that was coming.
BowieNet will not be considered among his greatest achievements in the coming weeks, but it was symptomatic of his restless, inquisitive genius and his instinct for image as a form of communication. He always saw the revolution coming.
“We’re on the cusp of something exhilarating and terrifying”
David Bowie, did quietly launched his own bank in 2002, BowieBanc.com. Want more of the Thin White Duke? Then get Bowie photo checks. You can get all the standard bank services BowieBanc.com.
The man who invented Ziggy Stardust also sold Bowie bonds, an innovative financial tool that promised investors a share of his future royalties. The securities, which were later bought by US insurance giant Prudential Financial for $55m, committed David Bowie to repay his new creditors out of future income, and gave a fixed annual return of 7.9%.
Bowie had himself predicted the decline in traditional music sales and companies like Spotify, telling the New York Times in 2002 that music would become "like running water or electricity".
Many people are writing memorials for David Bowie today, remembering how he gave voice and empowerment to the weird and unconventional among us who didn’t really have anyone else to look up to. For a lot of people, Bowie was more than a musician.
Approximately twenty years ago I lived near Lake Geneva in Switzerland and had a common friend with David Bowie.
My rather wealthy friend had just purchased 150 hard drives from Seagate Technology. This Barracuda HD was the first one's turning at 7200RPM and allowed high quality sound recordings. Then he hire the London Symphony Orchestra about 70-100 musicians... Yes, he did! And recorded every and each instrument playing every tone. The result was a wall with 150 hard drives, digitalizing the London Symphony Orchestra.
When David Bowie found out that our friend had the London Symphony Orchestra on a hard drive (or 150), he then came running from his residence above Lausanne to my friend, who said; No David! This is my tool and only for me... later he couldn't resist letting him in.
The collection of hard drives was installed in a top notch private studio build by STUDER in the basement of our friends Chateau near Geneva, just under the pool... those where the days...
During a short moment I had the chance to observe some amazing artists experimenting with the future, during two weekends.
A year later 1995, I bought my first Netscape licence for 1250.- CHF and installed it on my Compaq SystemPro 386...those where the days...
And FYI, Pin Ups from 1973 is David Bowie's best ever album, just so we're clear about this.
“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring”