HP building cloud-based digital library of Paul McCartney’s work

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It’s really exciting because even if I’m out on tour anywhere in the world, I will be able to say, okay, ‘Wings 1976 tour’ and instantly, it will come up. You’ve got all the information, all the photos from it. And you’ll have written accounts – personal accounts and critical accounts – of what happened.

Paul McCartney – From HP, May 26, 2011

From HP, May 26, 2011:

PALO ALTO, Calif. — HP today announced the launch of Paul McCartney’s private cloud-based digital library.

The HP solution provides MPL Communications, Ltd. with instant access to its diverse media assets on an HP Converged Infrastructure ready for future growth.

McCartney’s collection currently includes more than 1 million items, including photographs; video footage from live concerts; rolls of film, videotapes and reels; music recordings; original works of art; as well as memorabilia. With HP, McCartney’s personal assets are now digitized.

HP Enterprise Services experts worked with MPL Communications, Ltd. to plan, develop, integrate and test the library. The library is built on an HP Converged Infrastructure, based on modular building blocks of HP servers, storage, networking and management software. The assets are housed in a private cloud managed from HP commercial data centers.

Consumers today demand instant access, using a myriad of devices, from any location, at any time. With MPL Communications, Ltd.’s former technology infrastructure, finding specific assets from McCartney’s collection could be a complex and time-consuming process. HP Information Optimization solutions provide an optimized repository of the content, allowing the organization to be quicker, nimbler and smarter by gaining access to the right information when it is needed.

“It’s really exciting because even if I’m out on tour anywhere in the world, I will be able to say, okay, ‘Wings 1976 tour’ and instantly, it will come up. You’ve got all the information, all the photos from it. And you’ll have written accounts – personal accounts and critical accounts – of what happened,” said McCartney.

“Working with MPL Communications, Ltd., we are demonstrating how an Instant-On music organization can be achieved to create, manage and distribute engaging content to an increasingly connected world,” said Jan Zadak, executive vice president, Enterprise Sales and Marketing, HP. “This is an exciting journey as we continue to work closely with Paul McCartney to develop technology solutions that will preserve and extend his legacy.”

HP was only the global sponsor of the 2010 / 2011 “Up And Coming” and “On The Run” tours. Below an interview with Scott Anderson, VP Customer Communications at HP, from Sponsorship.com, July 11, 2011, that explains why this partnership:

IEG SR: Why has HP partnered with Paul McCartney? What does the company hope to accomplish from a marketing perspective?

Anderson: In September 2010, HP announced its intent to work with MPL Communications on the development of a digital library. In May 2011, we announced the launch of Paul McCartney’s private cloud-based digital library and highlighted MPL Communications’ journey to becoming an “Instant-On Enterprise.”

HP is delighted to help MPL design, plan, build and host McCartney’s cloud-based digital library. In doing so, we are not only helping to preserve and extend a priceless collection of assets, we are also demonstrating what can happen when business and technology become one and the same.

In a world where immediate gratification is the new norm and where everything is becoming mobile, connected, interactive and immediate, HP delivers a unique set of solutions to help businesses transform and succeed. HP refers to businesses or governments that embed technology into everything they do as Instant-On Enterprises.

Helping MPL Communications push technology boundaries in the entertainment industry offers a great opportunity to showcase an Instant-On Enterprise in action.

IEG SR: How did the partnership originate?

Anderson: MPL Communications reached out to the HP Enterprise Services organization with a high level vision of the digital library idea they wanted to pursue.

The goal was to design and build a state-of-the-art digital library for over one million priceless items. That includes more than half million photographs, including Linda McCartney’s iconic photos of ’60s rock musicians; years’ worth of video footage from live concerts; thousands of videotapes, roles of film and reels; hundreds of music recordings; a roomful of McCartney’s original paintings; and thousands of pieces of memorabilia.

IEG SR: So this is an example of cloud computing technology?

Anderson: Yes. Cloud computing offers on-demand access to an elastic pool of assets, including services, applications, servers, storage and networks. It’s the elasticity that makes a cloud a cloud. You scale up or down as needed and pay only for what’s used.

HP designed a hybrid delivery solution for MPL Communications that consists of an off-premise, cloud-based model, combined with the company’s redesigned and expanded on-premise IT infrastructure.

This solution provides MPL with the flexibility required to deal with its rapidly expanding library and ensure the security of McCartney’s priceless assets. MPL will house a copy locally of the digital library to reduce the organization’s dependency on the speed of the local telecommunications system to upload or download assets from the private cloud.

The private cloud enables MPL to extend its business operations beyond its data center in London and protects the library from the risk of natural disaster or unexpected downtime.

IEG SR: How is HP leveraging the partnership with business customers?

Anderson: Customers are interested in hearing about how HP has helped MPL Communications build the digital library. The conversation highlights many of HP’s unique solution areas, such as information optimization, cloud and hybrid delivery and enterprise security and converged infrastructure. It’s a great starting point to discuss those technology areas.

We have developed a Web site to tell the story and highlight the solutions used to build the digital library. On the site you can find videos of McCartney explaining why he is building the library, as well as a combination of McCartney’s team and HP’s team discussing how the library was delivered.

HP also has created a number of communications assets to build awareness of the site and get the story out to a broader set of customers. It is a compelling story for many customers, who are both McCartney fans and leading technologists.

IEG SR: How do the concert tour sponsorships factor in?

Anderson: The tour offers an excellent opportunity for HP to host a small number of customers at various shows. Customers get to see a legendary artist perform and learn how HP is helping MPL Communications transform McCartney’s media business.

McCartney’s tour team has supported HP’s hospitality program on all fronts and have created an environment that is fun and productive for everyone.

Our customers and partners also were provided with the rare opportunity to attend a private McCartney concert at the recent HP Discover event in Las Vegas.

Last updated on December 23, 2023