Tag: music

Thoughts on the Podsafe Music Network

Post ImageI just finished listening to today’s Daily Source Code, in which Adam Curry introduced his latest project, the Podsafe Music Network. The site aims to pair independent music artists with podcasters looking for music that is legal to play in their episodes.

I signed up as a podcaster to check it out. The site is in beta, so let’s keep that in mind, but here are some initial thoughts:

  • I can’t seem to figure out how to download music! I see the play button, but no link to download. I tried adding it to my playlist, thinking I could get a download link there, but I get an SQL error everytime I try to load the playlist page.
  • The site really needs some introductory text, even just a small paragraph.
  • The first sponsor for the site is Absolut, which is kind of cool. Though they are not “sponsoring” the site, they are “flavoring” the site 😉
  • Umm two words guys: Creative Commons.

Why not license everything under Creative Commons? It’s entirely appropriate, and works perfectly for things like this. Seems to me that not including CC support is a major oversight.

I’ll keep an eye on the site, and see how it evolves.

Read: Podsafe Music Network

CC Mixter: sample, mash, and share music…legally

Post ImageThe popular Creative Commons movement has created some really interesting projects, one of them being CC Mixter:

This is a community music sharing site featuring songs licensed under Creative Commons, where you can listen to, sample, mash-up, or interact with music in whatever way you want.

It’s a really great site for aspiring artists and music fans alike. I have been browsing the site a little, and have found some great tunes. I especially like one called Cuckoo. The site is also featuring a contest:

CC Mixter is currently hosting a remix contest featuring the work of Magnatune recording artist Lisa DeBenedictis with the entire Magnatune catalog of over 1,700 pieces of music available for source material. The creators of the top 10 winning entries (up to two winning entries per contestant) will get signed to a Magnatune recording contract and appear on a commercially available remix album.

Check it out! And if you’re hesitant, here’s a FAQ answering such questions as “is it legal?”

Read: CC Mixter

Bif Naked's Superbeautifulmonster

Post ImageI dunno what it is, but for the last couple days now I just keep finding music I like! The latest is Bif Naked’s new album, Superbeautifulmonster. And damn, that’s a catchy album title, especially spelled the way it is.

The first single, which you’ve probably heard, is called “Let Down”, and it’s what I would call “classic” Bif Naked. Has the power and emotion that reminds me of “I Love Myself Today” from the Purge album. Some of the other tracks on the new album that stuck out for me are “Ladybug Waltz”, “The World is Over” and “Abandonment”.

One of the best songs on the album is actually a remake. Bif Naked does “Nothing Else Matters”, originally by Metallica, and it actually sounds really great! I hate it when an artist redoes a song and completely changes the way it sounds. Fortunately in this case, it’s evident that “Nothing Else Matters” a Metallica song. It’s interesting to listen to the original and the remake – same song, different gender for the lead singer.

I really enjoyed the album, and if you’re looking for some good girl rock music, you might too.

Read: Bif Naked

Have you heard…Anna Nalick?

Post ImageOne night before the trip to Seattle I was watching MuchMusic before falling asleep, and saw the video for Anna Nalick’s first single “Breathe”. I liked the song enough that I actually got out of bed to write it down.

Well now that I’m back I finally went and got her album, entitled “Wreck of the Day”, and I rather like it! Her music is very easy to listen to. To my very unmusical ear she sounds similar to Jewel, Vanessa Carlton, and Michelle Branch. Actually, there are a couple songs where if I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was the pre-razor-selling-song Jewel.

If you haven’t already heard “Breathe”, I am sure you will eventually. It’s a very good song, catchy and radio friendly, so I wouldn’t be surprised to hear it there later. A couple other songs that stuck out for me were “Catalyst” and the title track “Wreck of the Day”.

So if you’re looking for something new to listen to, check out Anna Nalick!

Read: Anna Nalick

Armin van Buuren

Post ImageLast night I went to Reds at WestEd with Greg, Josh, Andrew and Dickson to see Armin van Buuren who, we were told before he came on stage, is the number three DJ in the world. He comes from the Netherlands, and seemed very young to me. On the other hand, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. If you like trance music, then you would have liked last night’s show. Especially if you like it loud.

I was amazed at just how loud everything was. And the bass was so powerful – you could feel it everywhere. As Dickson commented, “it felt like your bones were vibrating.” There were quite a few people there too, probably a lot more than I anticipated, all having a great time.

I guess I was struck most by how different a trance concert is from a rock concert. Instead of absolutely everyone in the crowd having a beer in hand, the vast majority of people seemed to have bottles of Dasani, no doubt to keep themselves hydrated to continue dancing. So many people dancing, or even just moving, it was rather amazing.

I enjoy trance music (or rave, techno, whatever you want to call that general category) so I thought the show was great! Definitely not something I’d attend all the time (my ear drums would never survive) but entertaining nonetheless. Oddly, I felt at one point during the show that I should be writing code. I guess that’s what I get for listening to trance while coding. Sad isn’t it?

Read: Armin van Buuren

Yahoo destroys the RIAA, iTunes, Napster

All I can say is, thank you Yahoo. Your new $5/month Music Unlimited subscription service will be the end of the RIAA, as Mark Cuban reports:

The RIAA can no longer claim that students who are downloading music are costing them thousands of dollars each. They cant claim much of anything actually. In essence, Yahoo just turned possession of a controlled music substance into a misdemeanor. Payable by a $5 per month fine.

The Music Unlimited site looks nice, but sports this little warning on the right side:

If you’re an iPod user with a Windows-based PC, you can transfer music you already own to an Apple iPod using the Yahoo! Music Engine. Unfortunately, iPods are not currently compatible with the Yahoo! Music Unlimited subscription service.

Maybe the beginning of the end for iTunes too, though speculation of an iTunes subscription service has become more common lately. Even Hilary Rosen, yes the former head of the RIAA, who blogs at Huffington Post is calling for Apple to open up the iPod. With music that cheap available from Yahoo using Microsoft’s technology, it doesn’t look so good for Apple.

Yes, it’s interesting to note (or not) that Yahoo is using Microsoft’s DRM technology. Russell Beattie at Yahoo expressed concern about that, but Scoble replied “we only win if you do.” So true! Yahoo, Napster, and basically everyone except iTunes is using the Microsoft technology. I don’t see how iTunes and iPod can remain on top.

Speaking of Napster, things are not looking so good for them following the launch of Yahoo’s new service either, as techdirt explains:

Napster made a big deal earlier this year in advertising how much “cheaper” they were than Apple (though, many questioned the math). Of course, when you pitch yourself as the “low cost” alternative, you have to have a plan in place for the time when (not if) someone else comes in with lower prices. It appears that Napster’s plan is not to plan at all.

Pretty amazing if you ask me. With the launch of a single service, Yahoo has caused problems for three major players in the music space. And made things look very promising for Microsoft indeed.

Read: Yahoo! Music Unlimited

Nine Inch Nails: With Teeth

The new NIN album, “With Teeth”, dropped a week ago. You’ve probably heard their lead single “The Hand That Feeds” on your local rock station. I personally am really digging the new album, so I don’t agree that this is the “best review of the new NIN cd ever“, but it’s damn funny enough to link to!

Read: MetaFilter

Fanning's SNOCAP

Remember Shawn Fanning? He’s the guy who created Napster and as a
result, created the world of file sharing. Well now he’s back with a
new venture called SNOCAP:

SNOCAP offers the first end-to-end solution for digital licensing and
copyright management services through an innovative music registry and
clearinghouse. SNOCAP enables record labels and individual artists to
make the full depth of their catalogs available through authorized
peer-to-peer networks and online retailers.

Basically, SNOCAP aims to “create a central global clearinghouse for
digital music — a back-end system equipped with technology to monitor,
authorize, and monetize the swapping of copyrighted tracks.” So a
record label would register music with SNOCAP who would in turn work
with P2P applications. After first reading about it, Fanning’s new idea
seems like a good one. And he’s got a lot going for him – for instance,
it is widely reported that the record labels are unhappy with Apple’s
monopoly on downloading music.

At the same time however, I don’t think SNOCAP’s vision is the way
of the future for music. The problem with all legitimate file sharing
applications today is that they are not designed with the downloader in
mind. Sure, it’s great that I can search for a song, but why can’t I
search for that song with a certain bitrate? If I buy an album, why do
I have to download the tracks individually? And most importantly, why
oh why do all the legitimate services ignore BitTorrent?

Sure Apple has had great success with iTunes, selling over 100
million tracks. Yet I bet there are still a vast majority of iTunes
customers who would rather download the music for free, and would if it
was easy enough to do. I still think music’s future lies in giving the
music away for free, and making money off related products and services.

Read: Business 2.0

Linkin Park's New Business Model?

According to techdirt, Linkin Park has created a huge media frenzy lately by announcing that they want out of their contract with Warner Music, and want to release songs on the Internet instead. While techdirt seems to think that it’s all a ploy, and the band is simply looking for some free publicity, what if it isn’t? I think it would be great if a group like Linkin Park were forward thinking enough to attempt this “new” business model of giving away the music for next to nothing and making money on related products and services.

In fact, in a different techdirt post, this business model is described perfectly:

We don’t need new laws. We don’t need to sue people. We don’t need compulsory licensing. We don’t need to change much of anything, really. All we need to do is recognize the natural progression of economics. The music, itself, since it’s a digital good has a marginal cost of zero, and your basic economics tells you that competitive pressure will eventually drive the price of that good to zero. That’s not a bad thing. As things get priced at zero they become inputs, rather than end products themselves — and that can often mean more. In the case of music, free music becomes a promotion for something else, whether it’s concerts, merchandise, or something new entirely.

That my friends is the future of the music business, as far as I am concerned. I think the concept of a “record label” is becoming extremely dated. Dell eliminated the middle man, and look at the success (and profit) they have had. Maybe it’s time for musicians to do the same. I’m a big Linkin Park fan, but I think I’m a bigger fan of music in general, and I think music has a much better future with business models like this. I hope Linkin Park realizes this as well, and that techdirt is wrong about it being a stunt.

Read: techdirt

The extinction of the CD

When’s the last time you played music with from a CD? I don’t remember the last time, to be honest. I play music from my computer almost 24/7, and when I’m out and about, I’ve either had my iPod or my Zen Touch. The concept of a disc that only holds 20 songs seems so foreign to me now! And even if I have used a CD more recently than I can remember (perhaps in a friend’s car), I know for certain the last time I bought a CD for myself was eons ago. Any music I have bought recently has been purchased online.

I don’t think I am alone. There’s probably tons of other people who also never buy CDs anymore. Digital is the way to go, and so we are, but there are many problems that still exist. Mark Cuban has written an excellent piece on the topic, and offers advice on what the music industry needs to do:

MP3 players are changing peoples listening habits. We don’t carry folders filled with CDs anymore. We carry our library in our MP3 players. We don’t listen to CDs. We listen to playlists that we adjust all the time. We don’t burn CDs anymore, it’s too time consuming. We copy all our music to our MP3 players so it’s all available at our fingertips.

All of our music in a single device. Available to us wherever we are, for whenever we want it. Music how we want it, when we want it. Easy and breezy. That’s how we want to consume music.

That’s not how we are being sold music.

Makes you wonder what will happen to outlets like HMV, who sell hardly anything besides CDs. Why haven’t they done anything to move into the digital space yet? Or even WalMart or other retailers for that matter. What’s taking so long?

Read: Blog Maverick