Frequencies

Every Unsigned Musician Must Read This

2011-07-17T12:02:00.004-05:00

I have broken my self-induced exile from this blog because I found this article on The Quietus, published back in May: How The Music Industry is Killing Music and Blaming the Fans. It is fairly long, but it is definitely worth the read. I would love to hear your thoughts after you have read it, but first, a couple of points.

In years past, I (and many others) had painted a rosy picture of a bright future for unsigned musicians. Sadly, the outlook is looking bleaker than I had imagined. A while back, I was savagely attacked by trolls on another website for sharing my optimistic views, which in turn led to my self-induced exile. Turns out the trolls may have been partially right, although I still maintain they could have been nicer about it. Seriously, there is simply no justification for acting like a troll. (I apologize if I offended any trolls with that last statement.)

It is also quite probable that the Quietus piece goes too far the opposite direction, although the author makes some great points. I hope the reality is somewhere in between the two viewpoints.

James Marshall Crotty of Forbes online wrote an analysis of the original Quietus post today, and made an interesting point: "One must also remember that for most of music history, musicians, en masse, made very little money. There was an anomaly in the sixties that convinced musicians and labels that they could all get rich. Not true. Never was true."

Maybe there is a glimmer of hope after all.

Sources:

http://thequietus.com/articles/06318-how-the-music-industry-is-killing-music-and-blaming-the-fans

http://blogs.forbes.com/jamesmarshallcrotty/2011/07/17/the-quietus-opinion-black-sky-thinking-how-the-music-industry-is-killing-music-and-blaming-the-fans/

3 Recent Books For Your Holiday Wish List

2010-12-14T09:31:00.003-06:00

I have been doing quite a bit of reading lately. Here are three books that I highly recommend:

1. "Life" by Keith Richards and James Fox.

The autobiography of the Rolling Stones resident pirate and bad boy is indispensable reading for any rock and roll fan. He even answered my most burning question: "Did they really replace all of his blood?"

Google Books Link

2. "Al Jaffee's Mad Life" by Mary-Lou Weisman and Al Jaffee.

I grew up reading Mad magazine, and always admired the work of Al Jaffee, especially "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" and the fold-ins. As it turns out, he has lived a very interesting life as well. The beauty of this book is the fact that he also illustrated it!

Google Books Link

3. "The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop" by Dan Charnas.

I'm currently only halfway through this book, but it's a great read. A truly comprehensive history of hip-hop, and highly recommended.

Google Books Link

BGV Tips

2010-07-09T16:05:00.004-05:00

(Note: I posted this answer to a question about rock BGV recording a few days ago on Quora.com, and I thought I should post it here as well. I added a few things for this post.)

I generally record my own backing vocals. I usually do either 3 part harmonies or 4 parts with the bottom note doubled up an octave. I overdub each part a minimum of 4 times, so there are at least 4 voices on each note. I then evenly distribute each part across the stereo field.

When I am recording other singers doing backgrounds, I typically have people switch back and forth, so one voice is not dominating any specific part. I usually ask for a very forward placement, with extremely bright vowels, especially for rock. Having a male sing high falsetto in unison with a female also produces a great effect.

I lightly compress each track, and I usually bus all the tracks to the same reverb I am applying to my instrumental tracks. As far as EQ, I usually apply a high pass filter, and boost some of the mids and some of the highs, but specific frequency choices depend on what else is going on in the track.

When you have that many tracks, things like ending consonants are not always together, so I often edit out any late endings, and use just a couple of tracks to establish the ending consonants.

One more note on track numbers: If you are limited on tracks, it's a good idea to record all 3 or 4 parts once, then bounce those down to 1 track, and so on. I've always felt like that fills the sound out more than bouncing all the takes of one part to one track.

(Originally posted at Quora)

Prince Vs. the Internet

2010-07-06T12:10:00.005-05:00

I have always been a Prince fan, and I have often found his eccentricity almost as interesting as his music. However, his latest pronouncement that "the internet's completely over" even has a diehard fan like me scratching my head. In an interview with The Mirror, he compares the internet to MTV, claiming that the web will become outdated just as the music channel did.

Even more odd, he is releasing his new album as a free CD for subscribers of the print edition of The Mirror. That's it - no iTunes, no CD's available in stores, and he has even shut down his website. In other words, if you don't happen to live in the UK or subscribe to The Mirror, he doesn't really want you to hear his new CD.

You can read the full interview at The Mirror.

On Musical Snobbery

2010-06-14T13:45:00.007-05:00

For much of my life, I have been a music snob. I have often looked down my nose at "those people" who like "that style of music." This goes all the way back to my youth. In 9th grade, I was a huge fan of Cheap Trick until "Live at Budokan" came out. Suddenly, everybody liked them, so I could no longer be a fan. Later, in college, I was a jazz snob for a while. Believe it or not, I was even an opera snob for a short time.

In retrospect, I realize this is all about exclusivity and elitism. We all want to feel like we are better than the masses. The idea that we belong to a select group of people who are "in the know" gives us comfort. Artistic people are especially prone to this, because we often tend to be insecure.

Interestingly, you can see snobbery from many different camps. For instance, educated musicians often have a strong preference for more complex music. On the other hand, punk musicians (and many rock critics, for some reason) prefer less complexity. And they often hate each other, by the way.

This brings up an important question: Who is right, and who is wrong? Sure, I have a doctorate in music, but is my musical taste more important than the average layperson? Many of the artists I love have little more than a cult following. On the other hand, does popularity trump all? Should I like Justin Bieber just because he is so popular?

Of course, in the end, these are all just opinions, and I believe our discourse on all matters of taste could benefit from that realization. I will refer to one of my musical heroes, alto saxophonist Steve Coleman. In his explanation of the concept behind M-Base (Macro - Basic Array of Structured Extemporizations,) he says:

...the concept of which style is better than another style has no place here. Since the goal is the expression of culture and philosophy, there is no "better". There is only the perspective of the person experiencing the music and what this person hears is largely shaped by his/her own experience. In other words what the listener "hears" depends on who that listener is. The same music can be experienced many different ways by different people.

He is discussing this in the context of musical composition and improvisation, but I think it can apply to music listening in general. This is a model I hope to follow one day. I am not there yet. My first instinct at the mention of Justin Bieber is to turn up my nose. I am still overly annoyed at the amount of auto-tune in mainstream popular music and the TV show Glee. However, I am learning to respect the opinions of others, rather than judge them. Now, if we could all just apply the same attitude toward politics.....

(Source: http://m-base.com/mbase_explanation.html)

(If you are a jazz aficionado, Steve Coleman has just released a new album, which can be found at: http://pirecordings.com/album/pi33. I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy free and avant-garde jazz.)

Off to La La Land

2010-06-02T14:32:00.004-05:00

Of course, I'm speaking of Lala, the streaming music service which Apple acquired several months ago. As expected, beginning June 1st, a trip to lala.com results in the following message: "The Lala service has been discontinued as of May 31st, 2010.

Next week is the Apple WWDC conference. I'm betting that the Steve Jobs keynote will include a new cloud-based streaming music service. What do you think? Please comment!

(Source: Mashable)

Final Thoughts on Lost

2010-06-01T16:38:00.005-05:00

I was planning to post a long rant on why I didn't like the series finale of Lost. Truth is, I no longer care, and I've decided to move on with my life.

The day after the finale, I posted this on Facebook: "I think I would like to travel to a parallel universe and see a different #Lost ending." I've changed my mind. I would rather use a time machine, travel back in time, and tell myself not to start watching the show in the first place! Of course, I can't be sure if this will affect my timeline or create an alternate timeline in which I never watched Lost. Will I exist in the alternate timeline or the original one? Perhaps I will forego time travel and interdimensional travel, and instead have all memory of season 6 wiped from my mind.....

Several other interesting posts relating to the series finale, before I forget about it and move on:

Never Raise a Question that You Can't Answer by Andy Inahtko

What Anime Can Teach You About Ending a Story by Madeline Ashby (io9)

Someone from Bad Robots take on the Lost finale (Lostpedia)

I would like to make one comment on that last post, by "Someone from Bad Robot." He or she claims that the writers knew how the show was going to end all along. However, check out this quote from James Parriott, creator of the short-lived sci-fi series "Defying Gravity:"

“I love the show [Lost], and Damon [Lindelof] and Carlton [Cuse]. I did a lot with Grey’s Anatomy during the first couple of years of Grey’s, and that first year of Grey’s was the first year of Lost, and I did a lot of dinners with ABC buyers with those two guys and Shonda Rhimes from Grey’s. Carlton is a really bright and funny guy, and he gets up, and the first question out of the foreign buyers’ mouths is ‘where’s it going to go? Do you know where it’s going to go?’, and he said ‘I haven’t a clue.’ And then he sits down across from me at the dinner table, and I remember saying ‘Damon, come on, that’s bullshit, right? I mean, you know where it’s going to go.’ And he says, ‘Jim, I haven’t a clue. I’m four episodes out; that’s all I know.’

Source: "How Defying Gravity would have progressed, straight from the creator" by Keith McDuffee (cliqueclack.com)

'Nuff said!

NPR on "Lost" and Alternate Universes

2010-05-24T23:08:00.002-05:00

I am probably going to rant about this in the next couple of days, but I wanted to share this article that my friend Dexter Edge shared with me. It hits the nail on the head for me with regard to my biggest pet peeve about the series finale of "Lost." (Warning: Spoilers)

'Lost' And The Science of Alternate Universes : NPR

Privacy 2.0

2010-05-11T12:31:00.006-05:00

In the early days of social media, social networks were walled-in gardens where you could connect with a select group of friends, and share your thoughts, links, videos and photos. You had full control over who could view these things, so you could maintain a certain level of privacy. Let's face it, this is no longer true! The entire world has access to your online life. If you want something to be secret, you might as well keep it off of your computer!

In today's job market, this is especially important. Make no mistake, prospective employers will peruse your online footprint if they are considering you for a job. In fact, your current employer may be watching you online as well. Given the recent changes many of the networks have made, particularly Facebook, your privacy controls may not keep you as safe as you think.

Here are some steps I would recommend:

Review your privacy settings - as I said, many of the networks have recently made major changes. However, you should also recognize that the garden wall is now very short, and even the things you think are safe may find their way over that wall.
Stay away from "Hot Topics" - It might be a good time to start following the old saying: "Never discuss religion and politics." If your online rhetoric is not particularly civil when it comes to those who disagree with you, a potential employer will most likely pass.
Keep your updates free of complaints - I see quite a few people complaining about their current job or boss, and even about their friends. The thinly-veiled complaint, where you make the complaint but don't name names, is really not much better. It all serves to paint you as a "complainer." A potential employer will be turned off by this, and you could even lose your current job if you're not careful!
Remove the incriminating pictures - You know the ones I mean: At the party, holding a beer, with a lampshade on your head. I would suggest you delete them immediately. If your friends have posted them, ask them to delete them. If they won't, remove any tags identifying you.
Above all, think before you type - The internet has given us a false sense of anonymity, where we feel like we can say anything without consequences. While this might have been true a few years ago, it is no longer the case. If you wouldn't say it in person, you probably shouldn't post it either.

In my opinion, there is no longer such a thing as privacy when it comes to life online. Assume that everything you say and do will be in the public record forever!

What Does Apple's Shutdown of Lala Mean for Streaming Music?

2010-04-30T14:56:00.003-05:00

It was announced today that Apple will be shutting down Lala.com by the end of May. When they purchased the music streaming service a few months ago, many speculated that they would use it to jump-start their own cloud-based music service. However, no such announcement has been made as of yet. This leaves us with even fewer streaming options here in the US. We still have Mog.com, Napster and Rhapsody, and Spotify has yet to grace our shores.

If this development means that Apple will soon be rolling the Lala technology into iTunes, this is great news! However, there is also a chance that the opposite is true, and we have just lost another option for free streaming of music. What do you think?

Related articles:
Wired - Apple Kills Lala Music Service
PC World - Apple's Shutdown of Lala Fuel Rumors of Web-based iTunes

Read Write Web - Apple Shuts Down Lala: Here are 5 Alternatives

Metal Machine Music Revisited

2010-04-07T10:58:00.004-05:00

The Quietus has an extremely entertaining and informative interview with Lou Reed regarding his noise masterpiece "Metal Machine Music." It's a must-read! (via New Music Reblog.)

The Quietus.com: Lou Reed Interview: Metal Machine Music Revisited

Is the iPad a New Musical Instrument?

2010-04-05T12:38:00.009-05:00

Below are two videos for iPad drum machine apps. I see great potential for the iPad as a music device, especially for live performance, and here are just two early examples (via iPad Studio Blog.)

I have no doubt we will also soon see more apps for interactive, improvisatory, or algorithmic music-making, and it won't be long before we start to see laptop orchestras using the device with customized software! Say what you will about the closed nature of the device, etc., but I believe that Apple has just created a new musical instrument.

It's Time to Stage a Coup!

2010-02-10T13:04:00.004-06:00

I don't know about you, but I'm growing tired of waiting for the old guard of the music industry to roll over and die. It's time we were a bit more proactive about this! Here's some things you and I can do to regain control of the music for artists and fans alike!

Support Local Live Music - You don't really need to pay for another Lady GaGa concert, do you? Save some money by heading to the club around the corner and supporting a future Lady GaGa.
Support Independent Music - Stop driving to Wal-Mart and buying the latest over-compressed and auto-tuned major label releases. Instead, stay right there in the comfort of your warm, safe home, point your browser to sites such as Bandcamp or ReverbNation, find some music you like, and buy it. While you're at it, become a fan on Facebook, and add your email to their mailing list so you can see them live. Your money will go to someone who really needs the money, the artist! The fat-cat major label execs have plenty of money!
Support Mom & Pop Record Stores - If you must buy the latest Ke$ha (if the dollar sign in her name hasn't deterred you, I suppose it's hopeless) please buy it from a local CD retailer, rather than Wal-mart or Target. Look, I know it's probably a foregone conclusion that brick and mortar music retailers will eventually go the way of the dinosaur. However, mom & pop record stores have always supported local music, and I have a soft spot in my heart for them. Besides, there has recently been a resurgence of interest in vinyl, and artists have been releasing new material on vinyl in the last couple of years. Maybe it's time to invest in a new turntable, get that record collection out of storage, put on your ray-bans and dance around the living room in your underwear! Or not, it's up to you...
Stop Watching the Music Award Shows - This is really just my personal pet-peeve, but after the most recent Grammy Awards show, come on! The industry uses these self-congratulatory spectacles to convince themselves they are still relevant. As long as you allow your children to continue their bad behavior, they will never learn! (While we're on the subject, I think we could hammer the final nail in the coffin if people would just quit watching Americal Idol. In my opinion, that is the last thing keeping the industry alive, but that's a post for another time.)

See, that's four simple things we can do to ensure a bright musical future for all of us. What have you got to lose? You might even discover some new music and help a young artist launch their career!

Eyes on the Pad

2010-01-29T11:11:00.005-06:00

As many of you know, I've been an avid Apple fanboy for about 20 years. So, as you can probably guess, I will visit my local Apple store sometime within the next year and walk out with a shiny new iPad. I'm disappointed about a few missing features, but just like the iPhone, I'm sure most will show up within the next couple of years. I hate the name just as much as the next guy, but in the grand scheme of things, I really think that's a minor gripe.

David Pogue has some great comments about the iPad on his NYTimes blog. It's especially illuminating when he compares it to the iPhone: "the bashers should be careful.....remember how silly you all looked when you all predicted the iPhone’s demise in that period before it went on sale." It's definitely worth a read:

The Apple iPad: First Impressions - Pogue’s Posts Blog - NYTimes.com

"The Music Biz Could Cure Its Ills In One Week" According To Radiohead

2010-01-22T21:32:00.002-06:00

Ed O'Brien of Radiohead had some amazing things to say at the Midem Conference. Check it out on the paidContent:UK website:

Radiohead: The Music Biz Could Cure Its Ills In One Week | paidContent:UK

(Via Well-Rounded Radio)

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-01T12:35:00.002-06:00

I don't know about you, but for me, 2009 was a pretty good year. For instance, I have always dreamed of teaching at Berklee, and now here I am, exactly 10 years after receiving my doctorate!

2009 was a banner year for indie music as well. Even though "indie music" has been co-opted by the mainstream to some extent, we are finally beginning to see the emergence of a "musical middle class." Artists are now able to reach an audience without the aid of a record label, and some are actually make a living without donning a paper hat!

I have recently seen several predictions stating that the major labels will finally "get it" in 2010. I don't agree. I think they have found their niche, and they will stick with it. As long as there are pre-teens consuming "High School Musical" sequels, and adults watching "American Idol," the labels will survive. They will have to learn to live with being smaller, and they will never again see the runaway profits of yore.

I predict that we will see the continued emergence of the musical middle class in 2010. I believe we will also continue to see new and innovative distribution channels for music, although we are probably several years away from seeing any of them achieve dominance.

It's an exciting time to be a musician, and I can't wait to see what the future brings. Happy New Year!

What I Listen For In Music

2009-12-16T14:15:00.000-06:00

I am an educated musician, but I am also an avid listener and fan. Ever since I discovered pop music, one of my favorite pastimes has been buying a new album, taking it home and listening to it for the first time. Of course, what I look for in a record may be quite different from the average layperson. As is the case with many musicians, I am an active listener. There is no such thing as "background music" for me.

I also feel that actively listening to music can be almost as creative as the act of making music. Listening to a piece of music I love opens up new avenues of creativity. It challenges me to create something that will surpass it! For me, this is not competitive. It is an act of admiration for the artist and composer. When I hear a great piece of music by another composer, I want to understand how they felt when they created it!

Of course, there is also the possibility of seeing the seed of an idea in the work of another artist, and taking that idea further than they could have imagined. That technique reaches far beyond art, for it is the cornerstone of invention. Thus, active listening may at times fall under the category of "research."

Over the years, in my own acts of research as well as creativity, there are a number of things I have searched for. One of my goals, for instance, has been to push beyond the accepted boundaries of music. This is done in a variety of ways, but the following have been of most interest to me, both as a listener and a composer:

Fusion - Combining elements of different musical styles and traditions, as well as the use of nontraditional instrument combinations. This also extends to the fusion of artistic mediums.
Tonality - Modal, atonal, polytonal, microtonal music, or any other method of moving beyond the major and minor scales.
Challenging the traditional definition of Music - The genesis of this idea was in the work of the great John Cage, who was interested in stretching the boundaries of what can be considered music. The use of nonmusical sounds in composition has especially been of great interest to me.
Elements of Chance - This includes improvisation, as well as effects or overtones caused by note combinations (especially in drones.)

In other words, I am often most interested in music which thwarts convention in one or more ways, no matter how subtle.

Now, don't get me wrong, I still love a catchy melody, an interesting chord progression or riff, or a groove that makes you tap your feet. However, if you combine that with one of the elements in the list above, you have pure magic, as far as I'm concerned.

How about you? What do you listen for in music?

10 Years That Changed Everything

2009-12-08T11:15:00.007-06:00

As we near the end of the first decade of the 21st Century, we're seeing the typical year-end and decade-end lists that tend to make the rounds. As I think back on the last ten years, I see it as a time of major change for the music industry. Here is my list of some of the changes I have witnessed in the past ten years:

Digital downloads surpassed CD sales
Independent labels became major players
Established artists like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails successfully opted to release their music independently, rather than sign a new record contract
The ever-shrinking major labels lost their mojo, desperately clinging to outmoded ideas and suing children, the elderly, and dead people
Numerous distribution avenues emerged, allowing independent artists to get their music directly to fans
Social media emerged, allowing artists to interact directly with fans
A new generation of music consumers emerged, ingrained with the belief that music should be free

I'm sure I could come up with many more examples, but we'll stop there. Feel free to post your additions and thoughts in the comments.

All of these changes have left musicians and music industry types wondering where we will be when the dust clears. How do we make a living? How do we "monetize" our product if the conventional means no longer work? In fact, what is our "product," if not our songs? Many have come to believe that the way forward is to think of the artist as the product or "brand."

Meanwhile, the major labels are floundering. Frankly, they have lasted longer than I would have anticipated. One lifeline for them has been the popularity of reality television. If you doubt that, just look at all the buzz around Susan Boyle with her recent album release.

At this point, it's anyone's guess what the future will hold. Judging by what has happened in the last ten years, though, I'm convinced it will still manage to take most of us by surprise!

Amanda Palmer is Not Afraid to Take Your Money

2009-10-02T16:58:00.001-05:00

Please read her blog post on this, and there is a link below to discuss it. However, I would also like to relate what happened to me this week. I was moving to another house in the Boston area, and we hired a moving company to help us. 3 of the 4 guys who showed up were musicians. Two are in "indie" bands that are currently active and fairly well-known (one of them recently performed on Conan and Jimmy Kimmel) and the other was in a band that was, until recently, on a major label. I'll let you draw your own conclusions from that.

blog « amanda palmer

Discussion on the blog post

Lily Allen Speaks Out on File Sharing

2009-09-23T10:33:00.006-05:00

Last week, British recording artist Lily Allen posted a blog entry on her MySpace page in reaction to a recent article about the Featured Artists Coalition, in the UK Times Online. I think this quote from Pink Floyd's Nick Mason offended her the most: "File sharing means a new generation of fans for us."

Allen's response to this is thought-provoking: "Last week in an article in the Times these guys from huge bands said file sharing music is fine. It probably is fine for them. They do sell-out arena tours and have the biggest Ferrari collections in the world. For new talent though, file sharing is a disaster as it's making it harder and harder for new acts to emerge." Later on comes my favorite quote: "the more difficult it is for new artists to make it, the less new artists you'll see and the more British music will be nothing but puppets paid for by Simon Cowell."

See the whole controversy unfold:

Original Times Online article

Lily Allen's Myspace blog post

Lily Allen's blog "It's Not Alright" created to discuss the issue further.

Response by the Featured Artists Coalition

Radiohead's Ed O'Brien agrees with Lily Allen

More New Songs, and Another Option for Indies

2009-09-03T11:54:00.006-05:00

In case you've been curious as to why I haven't blogged much lately, I've got a whole batch of new songs recorded. I am also trying out a new service called "Gimmesound" (www.gimmesound.com.) Fans can download songs for free, and artists share in ad revenue. It's an intriguing model, and I'm interested in seeing how it pans out. I will let my faithful readers know!

You can find my page at http://www.gimmesound.com/MichaelJJohnson. Take a listen, and download what you like!

There is a batch of new songs, as well as higher-bitrate versions of songs I did earlier in the year. The last seven songs on the player are a series of prepared guitar pieces I recorded. I am still mixing several more, and will probably have them posted by next week.

I have decided to collectively call this new batch of songs "Manifesto," after the "Artist 2.0 Manifesto" I posted several months ago. All the files are high quality VBR mp3's, which means a bit longer download times.

I've always been curious as to the effectiveness of an ad-supported model. We'll see.

Live on the Web: Matthew Ebel

2009-08-24T14:10:00.002-05:00

My Twitter friend and fellow Massachusetts resident Matthew Ebel has been performing a weekly live web concert for some time now, and has been quite successful with it. As further proof of this success, NPR recently did a piece on him, which is a must-read:

wbur.org » News » Live From The Basement: Geek Rock!

Conventional wisdom might tell us that an unsigned artist couldn't possibly garner an audience this way, much less make any money. Kudos to Matthew for proving the conventional wisdom to be wrong!

Prevent Your Bands Gear from Being Stolen

2009-08-22T09:15:00.001-05:00

This is a great blog post from yvynyl, for all my touring friends:

yvynyl - How to Prevent Your Band's Gear from Being Stolen

Gerd Leonard: How Musicians can Thrive in the "Link Economy"

2009-08-04T14:27:00.004-05:00

Berklee Today features an interesting interview with media futurist and Berklee grad Gerd Leonard. His comments are in line with what we have heard from several forward-thinking people, such as Trent Reznor (see his comments here.) I think his main point is that artists need to think in terms of their "brand" rather than their "product." Take, for instance, this quote:

"In the new music economy, you need to build an audience and energize them to act on your behalf and forward your music virally. Later, they can become paying customers. Don't ask them for their money first. Once fans are sold on you, you'll be able to 'upsell' them special shows, backstage passes, webcasts, a live concert download, a multimedia product, your iPhone application, a premium package for $75."

Read the full article here, and you might want to follow his blog as well.

Mr. Cluck's - Hurley's New Chicken Shack!

2009-07-30T06:52:00.001-05:00

Does this mean Faraday's plan worked?

Don't Be A Diva!

2009-07-28T08:47:00.003-05:00

Disclaimer: I hope this doesn't come off as a rant - there's nothing worse than someone who uses their blog as a platform for their personal rants! However, in my professional playing the past few years, I have come across a number of "teachable moments" (thanks for that phrase, Mr. President,) and I wish to share them.

The term "Diva" often refers to a female singer, but I have found that diva behavior applies to both genders, and it is not restricted to singers! So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here is my list of ways to avoid being thought of as a diva:

Be on time early to rehearsals and gigs - Yes, I said it! It wouldn't hurt to show up 10 or 15 minutes before your call time. You don't understand how stressful being a bandleader or contractor is, and you should never underestimate how much this simple act can improve your chances of working with a band for many years!
Know the difference between "rehearsal" and "practice" - In simple terms: You "practice" the songs on your own time, so that you show up completely prepared for the full band "rehearsal." In other words, have the song learned before you show up to rehearsal! I should also point out that since rehearsal is a collective experience, it is often wasted if one of the band members does not show up. Without the entire ensemble there, including the singers, rehearsal can often be a waste of time.
Help setting up the gear - If you are not yet a star, you probably don't have "roadies." Usually, this means that the band shares responsibility for setting up gear. This does not mean that you work until everyone has helped you set up your gear, and then sit around "noodling" while the rest of the band finishes setting up the p.a.
Realize you are not the most important person in the band - In other words, leave your ego at the door. This category encompasses many diva behaviors, but I'll just list a few, and they probably don't need more explanation: a) Watch your stage volume b) Don't step all over someone's solo c) If you wish to offer criticism, be prepared to accept criticism as well.
Be professional - Don't forget that this is a business, and you have clients. Try to avoid things like temper tantrums onstage, getting drunk during the gig, heckling the bar patrons, etc. Also (personal pet peeve here) if you have professional sound staff working with you, please treat them as equals. They have also had training and practice in their craft, and they deserve your respect!

If you have witnessed any diva behavior that is not covered above, please comment!

Mecca for Musicians

2009-07-27T13:24:00.006-05:00

Over the years, I have heard many of my students ponder the age-old question: "Where should I move after I graduate?" Ten years ago, the answer was "Los Angeles, New York, or Nashville." I think most people agree that this is no longer the only answer, but are there still certain areas that are music "Meccas?"

A new study has come out that provides some interesting data. The original article is here, and Hypebot provides an analysis of it here.

While this may not provide definitive answers, I think the results are intriguing. I was happy to see that Boston was in the top ten of the "Bands With Fans" list! Don't forget to read the comments on both posts as well. I'd be interested to hear your comments here, if you have the time.

Links:

Original Article

Hypebot Analysis

More Words of Wisdom from Mr. Reznor

2009-07-09T07:23:00.001-05:00

Several months ago, I posted a video where Trent Reznor gave some advice to new artists about how to "get heard." This morning, he posted his thoughts on the subject on the Nine Inch Nails forum. While he essentially says the same thing, he expands on it a bit, and it's worth reading. Watch the comments as well. I assume he will answer some of them as the day goes on.

my thoughts on what to do as a new / unknown artist

Blast From the Past

2009-07-07T08:04:00.001-05:00

One of my all-time favorite bands, Cheap Trick, is resurrecting the 8-track format for their new album "The Latest." Hmm, I wonder if my mom still has her old 8-track player.....

Cheap Trick brings back the 8-track - The Globe and Mail

The Loudness Wars: The Debate Continues

2009-06-03T18:50:00.001-05:00

I have commented before on the modern propensity to over-compress recordings, something which I am guilty of as well. My friend @mattsearles posted this on Twitter yesterday. I haven't had a chance to listen to the podcast yet, but the written post summarizes a discussion with some notable producers and mixing engineers, in which they share their thoughts on this phenomenon.

Bowers & Wilkins Lab

Theories on the Lost Season Finale

2009-05-15T20:07:00.002-05:00

*Spoiler Alert: If you haven't yet seen the season 5 finale of Lost, don't read any further!*

I personally enjoyed the season finale of Lost. I thought it answered quite a few questions, yet, in true Lost fashion, brought up just as many new questions.

One of the biggest questions, of course, is the identity of Jacob's enemy. I've seen a few theories on the internet, and one of the most prominent is that he is the Smoke Monster ("Smoky.") I think that is a credible one, and even if he isn't Smoky, it could be that Smoky is an ally. One thing that I think is pretty obvious is that he is the personage of Christian Shepherd seen on the island since the crash of 815, and he may well have been many of the other ghosts that have appeared to people throughout the show. Another theory floating around is that Jacob's enemy

(some people are calling him Anti-Jacob, some Esau, from the Biblical story) can only appear as people who have died, and the corpse has to be on the island, which is why Locke died and his corpse was put on the plane.

Anti-Jacob obviously went through some elaborate measures to orchestrate this "loophole," and it's interesting to go back and look at some of the things that could possibly be attributed to him.

I have another theory that I haven't seen discussed anywhere else. It is evident that Jacob knew at some point that Anti-Jacob was orchestrating these things. Otherwise, I don't think he would have asked Ilana to help him. I originally assumed that when Bram and several other people kidnapped Miles and tried to persuade him not to go to the island, this was Ben's doing. However, seeing him with Ilana convinced me that this was Jacob's doing.

If Jacob knew anti-Jacob was orchestrating something and suspected the connection with Locke, it's possible that he sent some of the losties back to 1977 in hopes that they would, in fact, change history, so that Locke would never even go to the island in the first place. Of course, we won't know if it even worked until early 2010! Anyway, it seems logical that this could be Jacob's failsafe, in case Anti-Jacob moved against him. He would basically be able to get a "do-over."

I know some of my readers are also Lost fans, and I would love it if you would post some of your theories on the episode here.

New Song: The Tempest

2009-05-06T11:57:00.003-05:00

I recorded a new instrumental rock song this week, called "The Tempest." It's a different style for me, but If you have read my "Manifesto," you know how I feel about that. This will soon be released as part of an "album" (if that term still has any relevance today,) but I was too excited about it to not get it out there now.

Download Link

If you are a Mac user, you should either option-click the link to automatically download it or Control-click and follow the instructions on the popup menu. If you are a Windows user, I think you right-click the link.

How I Learned To Beat The Music Industry

2009-04-16T14:09:00.007-05:00

Subtitle: The Method Behind the Manifesto

I want to briefly explain some of the reasoning behind my previous post, "The Artist 2.0 Manifesto" (here it is, in case you missed it.)

After years of trying to "get signed," I made the decision to concentrate on teaching, while still writing and performing on the side. However, I never let go of the "musical dogma" I had developed over those years. That is, the ideas pertaining to the commercial potential of a song, sticking to a certain musical genre, creating an "image" etc. Even though I no longer had a burning desire to get signed, these thoughts still colored my thinking and perception.

Over the past 3 or 4 years, I have spent quite a bit of time researching emerging methods unsigned artist can use to disseminate and promote their music. My initial motivation was that of convincing my students that they don't need to "get signed" in order to have a successful career. I've learned a lot, which is nothing new to readers of my blog, so I won't bore you with the details.

I have also developed a theory, for which I have little or no hard data, only my own observations. I believe that most people are much more eclectic in their musical tastes than the "Music Industry" would have you believe. For example, most of the people I know, whether they are musicians or non-musicians, have a wide variety of musical styles in their ipods and iTunes music libraries. I have also noticed a number of independent artists recently who are incorporating numerous genres into their music. This is most prevalent with artists in the Creative Commons movement (Jamendo,) but I'm even seeing it on MySpace. I've also met many people who are not musicians, but enjoy listening to more "challenging" music.

I also believe that the success of Susan Boyle calls into question nearly everything the industry has asked us to believe regarding "image" over the last 30 years. If you doubt this, go to allmusic.com and look at some of the artists who were successful before 1981 (the year MTV went on the air.) Some of those folks were not very pretty, but they were amazingly talented. In fact, many of them continually evolved as artists as well, and one album often sounded completely different from another. In fact, you might find a wide musical variety on one album. All of those things are "no-no's" by today's major-label standards. Here's a good example: Van Morrison would probably not get signed today.

I think we have quite a bit of ground to cover before we find a working business model for musical artists, but I do believe the old rules no longer apply. It's time to let go of old dogma!

The Artist 2.0 Manifesto

2009-04-09T23:04:00.018-05:00

Insofar as the nature of the transmission and dissemination of art and media has been irrevocably altered in the past 10+ years, it may also follow that the nature of the artist can and must evolve. Despite the best efforts of the Music Industry and the Entertainment Industry at large, the internet has uncorked the bottle, and the genie has been emancipated. The pigeons are no longer content to stay snug in their holes. We now live in a world where walls are being toppled, both physical and metaphysical. It is quite possible, in point of fact, that many of the aforementioned walls never even existed. Perhaps recent events have lifted the veil in front of our eyes, so that we may finally see that the walls were never there to begin with.

In our former life, the Music Industry would tell us what we liked, and we would dutifully hand over our shekels in exchange for their Product. When they sensed a disturbance in The Force, every so often they would allow an Alternative Product to emerge, only to quickly co-opt it for maximum profit.

The Artist, at the time, was a commodity, tightly controlled and groomed for maximum profitability. A Formula was instituted, and only occasionally tweaked until maximum profitability was summarily achieved. If maximum profitability was not quickly achieved after a few tweaks of the Formula, the Artist was quickly jettisoned, to be immediately replaced by a younger, fresher version. However, if the Formula proved successful, it would be milked for all it was worth over a period of many years, until the artist either self-destructed in a magical blaze of fire or was, once again, jettisoned.

If the Artist began to yearn for increased creativity or artistic evolution, he or she was quickly reigned in. Some Artists were eventually able to achieve a degree of manumission after a period of many years. Others were sometimes given their own "Boutique Label," or allowed to operate under a separate persona if they wished to create Product outside the bounds of the Formula. However, even these activities were tightly controlled, in order to achieve maximum profitability.

Despite all this, the patronage of the Music Industry, in the form of the Record Contract, was a gold ring sought after by almost every Artist. Yet, in exchange for this gold ring, the Artist usually gave up everything. The Music Industry owned the Artist, as well as the Product, with an ironclad contract. The Artist believed he or she was unable to function outside of the Industry, and this was often the case. The Industry controlled the distribution channels, as well as the flow of information and money.

Of course, the Music Industry relied heavily on the assumed naivete of the Consumer, who seemed willing to accept any Formula that was handed to them. Accordingly, they served as another wall, the wall between the Artist and the Consumer. They instituted the Filter, through which the Artist and Consumer would only see what the Music Industry allowed them to see.

Then came the internet, and we began to unplug from our matrix. The Consumer began to realize that it didn't necessarily like what it was being fed. Sure, maybe it liked Britney Spears, but it also wanted to listen to some country, and maybe some jazz. And, you know, this noise rock band it found on the internet was pretty cool. And hey, here's a really good ska band, and what about this salsa song and this rap artist? The artist, in turn, began to realize there was a way around the filter. A hole had been punched in the wall.

The Music Industry was flabbergasted. How were they going to control the Consumer and the Artist now? The internet didn't have nicely segregated bins like Sam Goode! Communication between the neatly defined segments of Consumer and Artist was now possible. Different Consumer segments could intercommunicate, and they could communicate with the Artist as well. The cat was out of the bag, and thus began the slow, steady, continuing decline of the powers-that-be.

It is a new order, a time for a new ~~business~~ artistic model. In a world without borders, we must assume that the Audience (formerly the Consumer) will be as sophisticated, and perhaps even as eclectic, as we are. In the early days of our movement, before we were all part of the collective hive mind, this was the case, and it seems to have returned to the spirit of those halcyon days.

In accordance, we the undersigned, artists, pledge the following:

We will no longer create art solely for a specific audience or demographic.
We do not need to create separate artistic personas for different aspects of our creativity.
We will allow our creativity free reign.
We will no longer refer to our art solely as a Product.
We will not allow our art to be governed by a Formula.
There is no longer a Consumer. There is only the Audience.
It is perfectly acceptable for an artist to release a country song and a freeform jazz exploration on the same record.
We will no longer use the phrases "is this accessible" or "could someone whistle this melody?"
We will no longer use the terms "single edit," "radio mix," or "commercial," and we will no longer use the phrase "is this too long?"
We do not necessarily want or need to "get signed" to a major record label.
We will never again surrender our artistic control to any person or entity.
As we are able to control our art, we are also able to control our commerce and our livelihood.
We will control our own "brand" or "image." This includes the freedom to completely reject those concepts if we so desire.
We summarily reject genre labels when possible, by labeling our music "other."
We are free to use any and every artistic medium available.
We will interact with the Audience without a middleman or filter. If we chose to allow the Audience to participate in the creation of our art, this is perfectly acceptable as well.
We are free to use new and emerging distribution channels, or create our own if necessary.
In short, none of the old rules apply. We are free to make our own rules, or declare that there are no rules if we wish. Furthermore, we are free to amend or emend this manifesto whenever we desire!

The Artist 2.0 Manifesto by Michael J Johnson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://michaeljohnson0664.blogspot.com.

Trent Reznor: Advice for Up and Coming Bands/Artists

2009-04-09T22:25:00.005-05:00

If you ever get a chance, you should watch all 40 minutes of this interview. However, I feel this particular segment is very important to new and emerging artists!

Update: The video was supposed to stop when he began talking about his favorite gadgets, but apparently it does not. Feel free to watch the rest, but understand that there are 20 more minutes. Also, look for @recdmavn's name and (briefly) her face while Trent is talking about Topspin!

20 Albums That Changed My Life, Part 3

2009-04-07T15:54:00.005-05:00

This is a continuation of my series on 20 life-changing albums. If you missed the first two, here they are:

Part 1

Part 2

Now, on to the good stuff:

5) Subliminal Plastic Motives - Self

I discovered this record literally by accident. There was one hit that was being played on the then-fledgling alternative rock stations, the song "So Low." At the time, I liked the song because it sounded a bit like Nine Inch Nails. I came to realize later that Self (which, like Nine Inch Nails, was actually one person, Matt Mahaffey) was actually poking fun at the morose and depressing lyrics that were dominating alt rock at the time.
When I finally found the record, it was so much more than I had bargained for. Here was a true original, an artist who was able to effortlessly and effectively blend elements from a wide variety of musical genres into his own unique, quirky style. There are elements of grunge, hip-hop, jazz, and more, with a healthy dose of weird noises and samples. Bridges tend to consist either of blasts of noise and samples over music or a foray into an entirely different musical style, and there is not a guitar solo to be found. Above it all, Mahaffey's voice weaves catchy pop melodies. It seems like it wouldn't work, but it does. Here are some of the highlights:

"Sophomore Jinx" - a humorous song about the curse of the sophomore album, blending hip-hop, grunge and powerpop, if you can believe that!
"So Low" - What begins with industrial mayhem suddenly breaks into a Beatle-esque bridge, and pulls it off nicely.
"Marathon Shirt" - What starts out sounding almost like a prog rock song with some Sting influences breaks suddenly into a cocktail lounge jazz bridge.
"Big Important Nothing" - A song about the marriage of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley. The verses are sung over a Thelonious Monk-inspired piano loop with a loping shuffle beat, and the chorus is plucked right out of the vocal jazz stylebook. The song also has the trademark Mahaffey blast of noise in the instrumental bridge.

"Subliminal" sounds a bit dated now, mostly due to the guitar sounds as well as a few of the lyrical themes. Still, it's one of those rare records that I can listen to without skipping over songs. The next full-length Self album, "Breakfast With Girls," is arguably even better, taking the genre-bending even further with higher production values. The 3rd and final Self full-length was "Gizmodgery," made entirely with toy instruments.
It's obvious to me and most of his fans that Mahaffey is a musical genius, and it almost seems like his lack of commercial success is intentional. He enjoys subverting and/or overturning pop conventions, both lyrically and musically. He is still working actively as a producer, did a recent collaboration with Jeff Turzo of God Lives Underwater called "Wired All Wrong," and does a bit of soundtrack work as well. I don't think we have seen the last of him.

20 Albums That Changed My Life, Part 2

2009-03-25T10:26:00.006-05:00

Here is the next in my series of 20 life-changing albums. I have a lot to say about this one, so I'm limiting the post to one album:

4) The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails
I could probably make a case for Trent Reznor's debut as Nine Inch Nails, "Pretty Hate Machine" (hereafter referred to as PHM.) To some extent, that was a life-changing one for me. However, in retrospect, I believe PHM and the followup EP "Broken" opened the doors for "The Downward Spiral."
I believe some context is in order. PHM came out in 1989, but I didn't become aware of it until a 1991 Spin magazine article about Trent Reznor, following his triumphant summer in the Lollapalooza tour. I wasn't the only one late to the game, either. The tour and the resulting press brought many new listeners to his debut album. This record was a revelation to me, a guitarist who loved the sound of a power chord, but also had a fascination with synthesizers that began with bands like Kraftwerk and Devo. Here was the best of both worlds for me. I'm not sure I even noticed at first that there were no guitar solos, which is surprising for me!

I was also struck by the dark tone of his lyrics. I had been criticized for many years for my dark, depressing lyrics, and I had finally found someone who was even more depressing!
When Broken came out in 1992, it was a completely different record. At first, I didn't like it, but it quickly grew on me. This was a guitar record, although there were still no guitar solos. The synths were there, but they were buried in a wall of distortion. I came to love this EP so much, I quit listening to PHM for a while. Lyrically, there was even more anger, spurred on by the problems he was experiencing with his record label.
After an agonizing two-year wait, "The Downward Spiral" arrived, and I probably purchased it on the very day it showed up in the stores. Here was the record I had been waiting for! I listened to the entire thing, from the brutal, sledgehammer opening of "Mr. Self Destruct" to the blast of distortion and feedback at the end of "Hurt." For the next several months, I listened over and over again, not just to individual songs, but the entire thing start to finish. This was that kind of record. You couldn't just listen to one song. I would hear "Closer" on the radio, and it just seemed weird that they didn't play "Ruiner," the next song on the album.
This was not just a collection of songs. It wasn't even a concept album or a rock opera, where the lyrics unified what was otherwise a collection of songs. This was almost like a symphony, which was probably why it appealed to me, an educated musician. Much like classical music, the album had extreme dynamic range. "March of the Pigs" is a great example of that, with a soft piano/vocal break in the middle, followed by silence, followed by a blast of noise. I know I was fooled by it the first time! There was also the recurring piano motive, heard most prominently at the end of "Closer," but heard several other times as well.
I was also struck by the production, and spent many hours listening with headphones, trying to pick out individual layers in the massive wall of sound that permeated the entire record. This album, more than any other, sparked a returned interest in the recording process for me. After being a recording major as an undergrad, I lost interest for a number of years. I had a home studio, but it was just there to facilitate the songwriting process for me. "Downward Spiral" reminded me that the studio is a musical instrument, capable of as much expression as any acoustic instrument! Here was a pop artist using the same "Musique Concrete" techniques I had learned when I studied electronic music in college.

As a Nine Inch Nails fan, this record combined the songcraft and production of PHM with the raw energy of Broken. To me, it was the perfect Nine Inch Nails record. There were synths and guitars aplenty, and he even brought Adrian Belew in to play a guitar solo! And the lyrics were more dark and depressing than ever.

"The Downward Spiral" was a turning point for me, both as a listener and as a musician. Of course, given the fact that Trent Reznor and I are close to the same age, and he was struggling with similar addiction issues as I was at the time, this is certainly no surprise. If I were to rank all my life-changing albums in order of importance, it would certainly be number one!

Google Friend Connect

2009-03-24T11:39:00.004-05:00

Google Friend Connect recently became available for Blogger blogs, so I just added it. I am interested to see how this service will enhance the blogging experience. If you are one of the 5 people who read my blog, please click the "follow" button in the sidebar to the right. Thanks in advance.

On a related note, I recently created a Facebook artist page. If you are on Facebook and you have a moment, please become a fan. (I promise I won't spam you - I don't even have any gigs lined up at the moment.) This is also a bit of an experiment. I am interested to see if this will be a viable platform for artists in the future. I think they still have a few bugs to work out, but it has potential. I think this will finally make Facebook a viable alternative to MySpace for musicians. We'll see!

Link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-J-Johnson/57634653044

How Do You Use the Internet & Social Media To Promote Your Music?

2009-03-23T10:09:00.004-05:00

I am preparing for an upcoming presentation I am doing, and I wanted to poll my musician friends on the following:

How are you using social media to promote your music or your band?

What additional internet tools are you using, including distribution methods?

Please post your answers in the comments. I may incorporate some of these in my presentation, but I won't use your specific sites unless you give me permission. I look forward to your responses!

20 Albums That Changed My Life, Part 1

2009-03-19T12:28:00.004-05:00

One of my Facebook friends, who hosts a radio show here in Boston and is somewhat of a musicologist, tagged me recently with this note:

Think of 15 albums, CDs, LPs (if you're over 40) that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life. Dug into your soul. Music that brought you to life when you heard it. Royally affected you, kicked you in the wazu, literally socked you in the gut, is what I mean. Then when you finish, tag 15 others, including moi. Make sure you copy and paste this part so they know the drill. Get the idea now? Good. Tag, you're it! >:) ha-ha-ha-haaaaa.....

Another Facebook/Twitter friend then inspired me to turn it into a blog post. So I took my original list, already posted on Facebook, added some commentary and 5 additional albums. I also decided to do a few at a time. Otherwise, this was never going to see the light of day! These were never in any order of importance, as I consider each of them equally important.

1) Revolver - The Beatles
This was the very first Beatles record I bought, as a teenager, and it did, indeed, change my life. Over the years, I have probably listened to "Sgt. Pepper" more often, but "Revolver" had a profound impact on my early development as a musician. I must single out "Love You To" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" for setting me on the road toward an appreciation for musical experimentation and non-western sounds.

2) Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick
My first Cheap Trick album was "In Color," their second album, which is much more polished and squarely in the power-pop vein. Of course, I then bought their eponymous debut thinking it would be more of the same. It was not, and in fact, it blew my mind! This record is equal parts punk, hard rock, and power-pop, and there is even a ballad! Even though the production is less refined, the Cheap Trick songcraft is already fully-formed, and the lyrics display Rick Nielsen at his sardonic best!

3) Now - The Tubes
This is another example of a band who drew me in through their more commercial work, in this case "Completion Backward Principle." Once I discovered "Now," which is probably their least accessible and most eclectic effort ever, it opened a door musically to avenues I have continued to explore to this day. From their collaborations with Captain Beefheart ("My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains") to the proto-New Wave of "Cathy's Clone" to their cover of band member Mingo Lewis' fusion classic "God-Bird-Change." This one has everything, which fits my weird eclectic musical tastes. However, the label suits probably had no idea what to do with it, and neither did radio!

At the time, the Tubes had 9 members, and almost all of them were contributing songwriters. Their more commercial efforts were helmed by producers who had a strong musical personality, specifically Al Kooper, David Foster, and Todd Rundgren. I think I love this album because it is an example of how the band sounded when they were given free rein!

More to come!

Should You Give Away Your Music for Free?

2009-03-15T19:48:00.001-05:00

TorrentFreak thinks so. I admit, they come from a position of bias, but you should read the article and make up your own mind:

BitTorrent Freed Music, and Now It’s Yours | TorrentFreak

New Video - Bay of Pigs

2009-03-04T13:55:00.001-06:00

This is my video for my song "Bay of Pigs," which I finally finished recording this week. I shot and edited all the video, and even did a bit of animation. Bonus points for anyone who can make sense of the lyrics!

Science of Watchmen

2009-02-26T08:50:00.002-06:00

I know, I'm YouTube crazy this week. It just happens that I found two geektabulous items on SlashFilm, and I just had to share them. This, the second one, concerns the comic book adaptation that I personally have been waiting for with great anticipation - "Watchmen." It's a great explanation of the science behind the graphic novel/film by the scientist who actually served as science advisor for the production.

On a related note, from everything I have read about the film, this is an extremely faithful adaptation. If you are planning to see it and haven't read the graphic novel, go pick up a copy and read it this weekend. You won't be sorry!

(via SlashFilm)

Back to the Future Alternate Ending

2009-02-26T08:28:00.002-06:00

This is what happens when "Doc Brown overshoots the future by a few years..."

(via SlashFilm)

Bjork TV

2009-02-25T12:48:00.001-06:00

Bjork shows us how the TV works. Most importantly, she warns us not to let poets lie to us!

Only A Test

2009-01-25T11:34:00.004-06:00

This is a video I put together for my song "Only A Test." I used Final Cut, and the footage is all public domain. Anyway, tell me what you think!

Update: I'm uploading it again, to see if I can improve the quality. Check back in a while!

Free Music!

2009-01-19T19:04:00.002-06:00

Download my experimental electronic music CD "Odyssey," plus a bonus track for free:

Odyssey free download

It's a 70MB zip file. Hope you enjoy it.

What I Have Learned About Twitter (So Far)

2008-12-29T12:44:00.011-06:00

Dr. J's Social Media Experiment Part 2: Twitter

(Obscure Music Joke Subtitle: Rockin' Robin on the Interwebs)

Happy New Year! Most of my readers are already using Twitter, but if you have lived in a cave for the last year and don't know what it is, look up Twitter or Micro-blogging on Wikipedia. Too lazy? OK, here goes: A social media/blogging network in which users post "tweets" of 140 characters or less. These tweets provide followers/friends with status info (similar to your Facebook status,) links, jokes, conversations (consisting of @replies,) etc. When referring to a twitter user, you use the "@" symbol; For instance, my Twitter handle is @docj1664. However, if you were to search for me on Twitter, the URL would be http://twitter.com/docj1664. For several weeks last month, I collected my daily Twitter feeds on the blog, so that should give you an idea of how it works!

I signed up for Twitter in early March of 2008. I was taking my high school vocal jazz group to France and Switzerland, and I thought it would be a good way to stay in touch with people while I was gone. I convinced my wife to sign up, and I already had a few friends who were using it. I used the service infrequently for the next two months, mostly because I didn't really understand it very well. Of course, I've found out recently that many Twitter users felt that way, and in some ways the "proper" use of Twitter is still evolving.

I really had trouble figuring out what possible use this could be to musicians. I think this area is still evolving, but people such as @carlalynnhall and @sivers (Derek Sivers of CDBaby) are beginning to figure this out. I think the best way to understand Twitter is to realize that it requires an entirely new approach.

When you sign up, the question is "What are you doing?" However, the type of self-promotion that is so prominent on MySpace and Facebook is anathema to most Twitter users. As cheesy as this may sound, Twitter is about community, and you often find users more concerned about helping each other than promoting themselves. I think this spirit of helpfulness really started this last summer during the hurricanes that hit the Gulf coast, and it has persisted.

Here are a few other things I've learned:

Link Spam - When a user sees someone whose every post consists of a link to their myspace or website, they will probably not follow you. Most users will post helpful links for their followers, as well as occasional blog post announcements.
Troll Behavior - This is absolutely not tolerated on Twitter. Most users even tend to stay away from asserting strong political opinions, and generally don't tolerate online flame wars.
Profile Names - Most users use their full real name, with no numbers. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this until I had a few hundred friends, but I'm banking on Twitter getting more popular, and people will begin having to use nicknames and numbers.
Conversations - Conversations between users are generally looked on favorably, as long as they are not too personal (you can DM or Direct Message another user when appropriate, as long as they are following you.) Many power users spend the entire day conversing with others on Twitter, almost like a public chat room. The idea is that this is usually information that will benefit other users as well.
Retweeting - When a user sees something interesting posted by someone he/she is following, they will often "retweet" it so their followers will see it as well. This is one of the most fascinating and useful aspects of Twitter, and perhaps why it was so useful during the hurricanes last summer. Information can spread very quickly this way.
Robots - Recently some accounts have started using 'bots which DM new followers. The community at large, however, seems to find this distasteful, so I would shy away from it.
Followers - When you follow someone on Twitter, they are not automatically your "friend." They must choose to follow you as well. It is generally considered a courtesy to follow those who follow you, unless you are a celebrity with tens of thousands of followers. It is a good idea to keep your "following" and "followers" numbers as close to each other as possible.

Twitter definitely requires some "outside of the box" thinking, especially if you are using it as a marketing tool. Many of the old social network rules do not apply, and new rules are being written as the service evolves.

I've barely skimmed the surface, so here are a few additional resources:

For more advice on how to use Twitter for marketing: pistachioconsulting.com/ and www.hubspot.com

For advice on how to use Twitter and other tools in support of your music career: rockstarlifelessons.com/

Twitter Posts for 12-23-24

2008-12-24T22:47:00.002-06:00

12/24/08 Twitter Posts

10:38 It's Christmas Eve. How many of you will be watching "24 Hours of A Christmas Story?" Come on, raise your hands! #
10:57 @mrdungbeetle That sounds like a good combination. #
11:51 @pj33322 Ouch - good luck. Having worked at the Apple Store last season, I know how crazy the malls can be on Christmas eve! #

12/23/08 Twitter Posts

00:49 @jthrash Happy birthday Jen! #
01:01 @darthvader "Winter" from "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town" is my favorite Christmas villain. #
01:07 @carlalynnehall Thanks for wishing me a great gig! It did go very well! #
01:13 @greggrunberg I just spent 5 minutes trying to see if your eyes would truly follow the cursor everywhere. #
01:23 @greggrunberg Seriously, though, I love the site. Kudos! #
03:44 New blog post: Twitter Posts for 12-22-08 tinyurl.com/9dogmc #
12:02 @elgincombs Happy birthday Elgin! #
12:10 Watching @theguild. #
12:23 @matthewgood congratulations! #
12:26 RT @repcor: I. Can't. Stop. Watching. This. tinyurl.com/3h8do4 :) #
13:28 @Omega13 Thanks for the retweet. Hilarious and cute, isn't it? #
14:12 @garagespin Thanks for the retweet! #
17:01 @repcor I just completed my second semester, and I'm really enjoying it. My wife teaches in the Music Business dept. #
17:03 Doh! Macbook power adapter cable melted. Now I have to use the Macbook Pro adapter. Hope the Macbook doesn't 'splode! #
17:06 @MattSearles I don't know, Matt...Seems to me you've gotten the real-world education. #
17:07 @matthewgood You're right! Abort! Abort! Danger Will Robinson! #
17:15 @MattSearles That's the key. I have a doctorate in music, but 50% of what I know I learned from the professional work I've done. #
17:16 @MattSearles And that includes the people I've worked with as well as the work experience itself. #
17:20 @MattSearles Not that I'm trying to talk you out of it. Of course, anyone can benefit from more education:) #
17:28 @jonduenas Have a safe trip. #
17:34 @matthewgood Good luck, drive safely! #
17:51 Hoping I can remember how to use the Roland VS1680, since it's been about 8 years since I last used one. #
21:46 New blog post: Social Media and the 40-Something Male - bit.ly/ILNb #

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Social Media and the 40-Something Male

2008-12-23T13:10:00.001-06:00

(Note: I have been wanting to blog about social media for a while, but I wasn't sure where to start. Therefore, it will now be an ongoing series, possibly even stream-of-consciousness at times. Consider yourself warned:-)

Dr. J's Social Media Experiment Part 1: Introduction

I suppose I first entered the online world in the early 1990's when I joined my first BBS. I think it was called the Gold Coast Macintosh bbs, and I was living in Miami at the time. I was also an early adopter of AOL, but I dropped it in 1996, which was coincidentally about the time it became popular. Next, in the late 1990's, I taught myself HTML, and created my first website, which I called The Jazz Vocal Resource (check it out at the Wayback Machine)

For a number of reasons, I had to drop the website, ca. 2001. For the next five years, my online presence consisted of a single page on the Greenville College website with a photo and bio that I never updated after it was originally posted.

Then, one fateful day in June of 2006, I opened my first MySpace account. Sure, it was a little late, but at the time, hardly anybody my age was on MySpace. I initially did it to promote my music and the music of my band, but I soon created a second "personal" page, and began to search for anyone and everyone I have ever known! Before I knew it, I was fully immersed in the world of social media.

In no particular order, here are all the services I have signed up for. I continue to use some of them, but some I have either cancelled or neglected:

MySpace
Facebook
Friendster
Tagworld
PureVolume
Bandspace
IACMusic
MacJams
Bolt
Photobucket
Xomba
Xanga
Linkedin
Last.fm
Pandora
Twitter
Jaiku
Digg
StumbleUpon
Delicious
Slashdot
Macslash
YouTube
Vimeo
12seconds
Musebin
Blip.fm
Friendfeed
Geni
iCrew
Hulu
Joost
Popego
BlogTV
Plaxo
Several random Ning networks, including NetNewMusic

I'm sure there are a few I have forgotten about. Of course, last but not least, I started this blog. My intent with this was especially to help independent artists, and I hope I have helped at least a few of my dozen readers!

If I have come away from this experiment with one overarching theme that applies to musicians, it would be that the old methods no longer work. Social media is not about promoting your music in the traditional sense. It is about creating a connection or relationship with your listeners. In fact, I believe it has more in common with the traditional idea of signings and "meet and greets" than it does with promoting a specific product. I also believe this will translate into career longevity and a more entrenched fanbase. However, even the "experts" don't yet know how musicians will be able to pay their bills in this new world.

Well, folks, that's all for now. Thanks for listening. In my next installment, I will talk about Twitter, which has taken up quite a bit of my free time for the past six months.

Twitter Posts for 12-22-08

2008-12-22T22:52:00.003-06:00

Recent Twitter Posts

00:36 @Ihnatko I never even knew they did a director's cut. The original was perfect the way it was! #
00:37 @markdejaynes Are you doing a lesson with Jorge? #
00:49 New blog post: Recent Twitter Posts tinyurl.com/7uar2k #
00:58 @matthewgood I told you I was worried about a potential feedback loop:) #
01:04 @markdejaynes You know I would have been glad to teach you! Jorge will be awesome, though, and I'm glad you're doing it! #
11:45 Have to venture out into the cold for another human pincushion meetup. #
14:55 @matthewgood Hey, that's in my bag of tricks as well:) #
14:56 RT @Mick_Shrimpton: What's the hardest three years of a drummer's life? ....Second grade. #
14:56 RT @Mick_Shrimpton: What did the guitarist do when told to turn his amplifier on? ....He caressed it softly and told it that he loved it. #
14:57 @matthewgood Oh, man, if they have dates in Mexico, we could even drive down! #
15:23 @matthewgood Understood! #
15:32 I just joined the musicians Twitter Group tgr.me/g/musicians and you can too. Please Retweet. #
15:34 @JaronDavis Actually, I've heard a version of Terry Riley's "In C" played by a very large ensemble. #
15:51 New blog post: Good News in These Bad Times tinyurl.com/92zm3a #
18:02 Starting my gig tonight as "house band" for "Live on Tape" on Malden's MATV. #
22:52 "Scientists discover new forest with undiscovered species on Google Earth - Telegraph" bit.ly/13QGv #

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Good News in These Bad Times

2008-12-22T14:10:00.003-06:00

I was listening to NPR this afternoon, and they were talking about retailers and the troubles they are having in the current economic climate. A gentleman from St. Louis who owns an independent record store called in and said that he has seen a 20% increase in sales this holiday season. He also said this included vinyl and CD's, as well as DVD's.

As many of you know, I have long sung the praises of mom-and-pop record stores. In fact, I credit them for much of my own musical education. I have been pleasantly surprised lately to see that, while many of the big chains have gone under, the indie stores have been able to survive.

To hear this particular story really warms my heart, especially since I used to frequent all of the St. Louis indie record shops, and I think I can guess which one it is (he didn't say.) I also know that many of my friends who still live in St. Louis also frequent those shops, and I know at least several who buy plenty of vinyl (yes, I'm talking about you, Jason, among others!)

So, I say a hearty "thank you" to my STL friends for supporting local music retailers, and I urge everyone around the country to do so as well!

Recent Twitter Posts

2008-12-21T22:48:00.002-06:00

00:46 New blog post: Tweets for Today tinyurl.com/8bkwl4 #
13:40 When driving in Boston, never underestimate the willingness of drivers & pedestrians to risk their lives as well as yours. #
14:31 @matthewgood True. I remember Chicago being that way, now that I think of it. #
17:13 The guy on the "Shamwow" commercial cracks me up! #
19:42 Still blizzarding here in Malden. #
19:45 @matthewgood What did you think of I Spy? I used to love that show as a kid. #
19:50 @karma_musings Actually, this may be sleet. It's hard to tell, and I'm not about to go outside and find out. It's very windy as well! #

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Tweets for 12-20-08

2008-12-20T22:49:00.003-06:00

Recent Twitter Posts

00:45 New blog post: Tweets for Today tinyurl.com/8mqar3 #
12:06 I think I may do absolutely nothing today. I need a day to decompress. #
12:19 RT @stevegarfield: Earring wearer's head is placed between "open" and "close" tags. snurl.com/8xe1z #
14:23 Round 2 of the storm is supposed to hit tomorrow, and I have morning church gig, afternoon recording session, evening band rehearsal. #
14:24 I'm guessing some of that might not happen:( #
14:25 @chasemacri Ooh...Langley figures prominently in several XFiles eps! #
14:35 @karma_musings It hasn't really stopped here either. #
14:51 @matthewgood Oops, did I have the wrong Langley? #
15:03 Holed up in the apt. during a snowstorm: bit.ly/3w1y #
15:38 Bet I'm the only person you know who can burn eggs! (Can't wait 'til @recdmavn gets back) #
19:43 @matthewgood Eggs are usually one of the few things I can do. However, this time I even set off the smoke alarm. #
19:45 Watching my DVD of the *original* The Day The Earth Stood Still. Ah, the genius of composer Bernard Hermann! #
19:48 Theremin FTW! #
20:02 @Ulrn2Twtr I suppose if I had never seen the original, I would think it is a decent movie. #
21:06 Klaatu. Barada. Nikto. #

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Tweets for 12-19-08

2008-12-19T22:49:00.003-06:00

Recent Twitter Posts

03:48 New blog post: Tweets for Today tinyurl.com/4pljk6 #
07:49 Last day of school. Hope I can get in and out of the back bay before the storm hits. #
13:39 Some Berklee offices have closed, but I don't see any snow yet. I'm still going home, though, just to be safe. #snow1219 #
13:53 OK, It's definitely snowing now near Berklee. Glad I'm going home. #snow1219 #
15:15 Safely at home in Malden, stocked up on groceries, internet and heat both work. I'm good:) #
15:17 Listening to @maronvseder #
18:20 @CMajor The two of you are hilarious together! #
18:43 @Mick_Shrimpton I'm glad to know your spontaneous combustion was faked. You were the best drummer Tap ever had! #
23:04 Can't believe it's still snowing. I think it's been at least 9 hours now. #snow1219 #

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Tweets for 12-18-08

2008-12-18T22:48:00.002-06:00

Tweets For Today

00:45 New blog post: Tweets for Today tinyurl.com/3k7ojm #
05:24 RT @reevesman: the official autotune Backlash video. tinyurl.com/4tgguw #
05:52 @springclock That was Al, right? I used to be in a band with his son. How's he doing? #
05:54 @docj1664 got a Twitter Grade of 95/100 from @grader. See: twitter.grader.com/docj1664 #
06:29 RT @reevesman: For anyone who hasn't gotten my first record, here it is. tinyurl.com/6reqtd. Pass it around. I love pirates. #
06:38 It's 6:38 and I've already been awake for 2 hours. Something wrong with that;) #
08:43 True story: On the train reading the paper. Liked an article I was reading. Looked for a "Digg" button. Where's my cyber-wifi & brain2text? #
08:44 @Sooz All I can say is "nonono!" #
08:48 @springclock I forgot that he was back in the band by that point. He had quit the band for a while, then he came back. #
09:18 @JaronDavis A month ago in class, I erased something on the board, realized I shouldn't have, and looked for an "undo" button! #
10:16 I love Berklee. I just got an email from someone, and it was written in the Finale Jazz Font! #
10:45 @joemcgill Actually, I just meant I love the fact that even most of the administration and staff here are musicians. #
11:27 @JaronDavis @matthewgood Maybe "Tronitis" or "Matrixity?" #
11:30 @matthewgood Hey, that's me, nerdy references always at the ready! #
11:40 @chasemacri What is the derivation of your use of the word? Does it have something to do with the movie? #
13:40 RT @reevesman: reposted album link for anyone interested. tinyurl.com/54mwwx #
13:49 RT @matthewgood: some more free-music love: is.gd/cmzU - my album. #
16:15 @chasemacri One of my Christmas break projects is to get all of that music available. #
16:22 @chasemacri Yeah, @recdmavn has been on my case lately about the fact that I've never properly released it, so it will happen soon! #

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Tweets for 12-17-08

2008-12-17T22:50:00.002-06:00

Tweets For Today

00:54 New blog post: Tweets for Today tinyurl.com/6oeq8h #
12:26 @joelgoodman @chasemacri @matthewgood You know what that reminds me of? "Big Blue Bastard!" #
12:49 RT @carlalynnehall: RIAA Bans Telling Friends About Songs www.theonion.com/content/node/43029 #
13:19 @carlalynnehall Oh, you know, finals week. Always a lot of fun! #
13:59 @davidhechler What happened to Jude? #
14:03 @davidhechler Oh, that's good. I was afraid something had happened to him. #
16:32 @chasemacri Yeah, Brian's band was amazing, and they were all great singers as well. The songs were OK. #
16:34 Two more days left until vacation! #
20:33 Nigel Tufnel was just named to the Berklee Board of Trustees. Awesome:-D #
20:35 Just in case you doubt me: bit.ly/yvjN #
20:39 Have to go to bed early so I can take @recdmavn to the airport at 4:30 am. Goodnight Twitterites! #

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Tweets for 12-16-08

2008-12-16T22:48:00.002-06:00

Tweets For Today

00:07 @joelgoodman I knew it!! #
00:10 Just finished writing an arrangement of Carol of the Bells for my choir. Going to bed now. #
00:52 New blog post: Tweets for Today tinyurl.com/5t87nn #
10:52 @joelgoodman @JaronDavis The guy who plays Hiro is a huge trekkie, so I'm sure he's been in heaven. #
13:30 One of my students wants me to help him start a Radiohead ensemble. Awesome! #
13:45 @MattSearles Thanks for stating it that way. I've been feeling a bit guilty about how much time I've been spending on Twitter:) #
14:55 @joelgoodman I'm surprised you can even connect. We're having a server problem at the edu today. Even our intranet is painfully slow. #
17:48 Listened to class projects all day, and so far they all rocked! #

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Tweets for 12-15-08

2008-12-15T22:50:00.002-06:00

Tweets For Today

00:48 New blog post: Tweets for Today tinyurl.com/5fkvf9 #
09:43 Good morning Twitterites! Only 10 shopping days until Christmas! Wait, do you include the current day or not? I'm so confused:) #
10:43 @smokingmole Glad to be of service:) #
10:45 @springclock I scoff at shopping, only b/c I can't afford to do any, which I suspect is the case for many people this year! #
13:15 @chasemacri I usually have to wait months to d/l an update. Since I don't have PT on my school macbook, I'm doing it!! Take that, digi!! #
13:17 Wow, it's 62 degrees in Boston right now! Gotta love the bipolar weather here! I'm going outside right now! #
13:22 @chasemacri I'm hardly even using PT anymore. Right now, it's mostly Logic, and I have made a commitment to myself to learn DP over break. #
13:28 @chasemacri I'm doing very little in the way of live recording right now. Mostly softsynths. #
13:30 RT @mvolpe: Twitter In Real Life: The Follow-Back [cartoon] tinyurl.com/6lulvz. Funny! #
13:33 @chasemacri an ipod is def easier than triggering samples, etc. #
22:01 OMG, I think that was Worf playing the president on Heroes. #

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Tweets for 12-14-08

2008-12-14T22:47:00.002-06:00

Tweets For Today

00:47 New blog post: Tweets for Today tinyurl.com/55u58q #
06:32 Now I can watch the 3 stooges with breakfast. Thanks Hulu! #
15:28 Just checked my Twitter grade (on @grader) and it was much higher than I expected. Wonder what I'm doing right? #
15:45 @repcor I'm glad someone is trying to spread some happiness! We need it these days:) #

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Tweets for 12-13-08

2008-12-13T22:48:00.002-06:00

Tweets For Today

00:49 New blog post: Tweets for Today tinyurl.com/5djm9b #
11:43 @joelgoodman I'll second that! #
11:47 @film_girl It must be administered by their management:P #
11:53 Sitting on the couch with @recdmavn, listening to jazzy Christmas music! Happy Saturday Twitterverse! #
22:09 Spent all day grading papers. Taking a break now. #
22:49 @jonduenas Speaking of that, at this very moment I am enjoying your library! #

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Tweets for 12-12-08

2008-12-12T22:48:00.002-06:00

Tweets For Today

00:53 New blog post: Tweets for Today tinyurl.com/5vwnb9 #
09:55 New blog post: 2008 Pitchfork Readers Poll Is Out! tinyurl.com/6a87c4 #
12:43 Heading to lunch, then back here for more grading of papers! #
15:57 Heading home...Glad the rain stopped! #

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2008 Pitchfork Readers Poll Is Out!

2008-12-12T06:37:00.001-06:00

I did not pay much attention to mainstream music this year, for reasons I will discuss in a future posting. (Of course, when I say "mainstream," I also mean indie labels, which have, in effect, become a mainstream phenomena.) Therefore, you will see no "best of 2008" lists on my blog.

Instead, I would like to direct your attention to Pitchfork's annual reader's poll. If you listen to indie music, you should bookmark Pitchfork and visit it daily. And don't be scared of the name; It has nothing to do with Satan or farming!

2008 Pitchfork Readers Poll | Pitchfork

Tweets for 12-11-08

2008-12-11T22:47:00.002-06:00

06:27 My morning ritual: eat, run around the house, scratch the rug, play with a paper bag...Wait, that's my cat's morning ritual! #
07:26 @Sooz Thanks. I realized that many of the people there had probably already met at the SMB event, which I couldn't attend. #
07:28 @smokingmole A meetup of Twitter users. You should check around, they are probably doing some in LA from time to time. #
08:06 60 degrees yesterday, 35 degrees today. WTF Boston? #
09:57 New blog post: Cut Your Own Record? tinyurl.com/63zmo6 #
13:03 @chasemacri Thanks for adding me. You have some awesome stuff in your library! #

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Cut Your Own Record?

2008-12-11T06:43:00.001-06:00

This company from Switzerland sells a home vinyl record cutter. If I remember my exchange rate correctly, it is extremely expensive, but I'm just amazed that there is a market for something like this!

dubplatecutter - Vinylium

(via Analog Apartment)

Mellotron Demo

2008-12-08T23:07:00.001-06:00

The best thing about this video is that they briefly show the inner workings of the instrument several times.

(via www.boingboing.net)

RIP Forrest J Ackerman

2008-12-05T20:06:00.003-06:00

Forrest J. Ackerman, the dean of sci-fi/horror fandom, is dead at 92. For those of us who grew up reading his words of wit and wisdom in "Famous Monsters" and elsewhere, this is a sad day!

Obits:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2008/12/forrest-j-acker.html

http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2008/12/rip-forrest-ack.html

Wikipedia Article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_J_Ackerman

A Must-Read for Indie Musicians!

2008-12-05T11:19:00.001-06:00

I'm not going to say anything else about this post, you should just go and read it. I do welcome your comments here, though, if you have the time.

Should the New Law of Music Absorption alter your music business decisions? - Music Think Tank - Music Think Tank

(via Yvynyl)

The Matrix Runs on Windows

2008-12-01T10:40:00.001-06:00

No comment necessary...just watch and laugh!

Read George Orwell's Diaries in "Real Time!"

2008-11-30T06:18:00.001-06:00

Since August 2008, The Orwell Prize has been presenting George Orwell's diaries in blog form, exactly 70 years since they were originally written! If all goes according to plan, the entries will continue until 2012. As the original diary was begun before WWII and ended several years into the conflict, this will be a very interesting experience to read in real time.
It's not all completely riveting, however. At the moment, the entries consist of a daily count of the number of eggs his hens have laid!

Link:
THE ORWELL PRIZE

(via BoingBoing)

The Future of Music?

2008-11-23T17:59:00.001-06:00

(two musicians are standing in the unemployment line. It is some time in the future. In order to protect their identities, we will call them M1 and M2.)

M1: So, here we are again.
M2: Yeah, here we are. How long has it been since your last gig?
M1: Quite a while.
M2: Me too!
M1: You know, it's funny. The other day the plumber came by and fixed my toilet. He handed me his bill, and I mentioned that I thought he should do it for free, since I'm expected to give out my music for free. He just laughed. He said something about having gone to trade school, and I pointed out that I went to college to learn music. He didn't like that answer.
M2: Yeah, I'm sure he didn't.
M1: Yeah, I ended up dipping into my savings again so I could pay the bill.
M2: Oh, man. Speaking of giving out music, can you believe it's almost been 2 years since congress abolished the copyright act?
M1: No, it seems like yesterday. One day I was making a living, the next day I was looking in the want ads for day jobs.
M2: You know, my kid asked me the weirdest question the other day. He said "dad, what's an album?" I had to explain to him that people used to get songs in groups, rather than downloading random songs one at a time. He also couldn't understand that people used to pay for it.
M1: Speaking of downloads, how many people have downloaded your newest song?
M2: I think it's more than 500,000 now.
M1: Oh, man! In the old days that would have been a gold record. You wouldn't have been standing in this line!
M2: That's for sure! Here I've got over 500,000 fans on Mybandspacebook, and I had to sell a bunch of my gear to pay this month's rent. What's wrong with this picture?
Announcer: Next please.
M1: Oh, that's me. Well, good seeing you. Take it easy.
M2: Yeah, good luck.

I guess it was too good to be true!

2008-10-26T23:43:00.001-05:00

According to a recent article on hypebot, a new study shows that payola is still keeping indie labels and artists off of commercial radio, despite a recent high-profile crackdown by the NY attorney general and the FCC. I probably shouldn't be surprised, but I still am.

hypebot: A2IM Study: Payola Still Keeps Indies Music Off Air

Take NIN's Survey

2008-09-26T06:02:00.003-05:00

If you bought or downloaded any of the recent Nine Inch Nails albums, you should go and take this survey: https://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=1049187. I think they are trying to determine the best way to release future albums, and I am very interested to see the results!

First Day of Fall Classes

2008-09-09T06:25:00.000-05:00

For me, that is. Wish me luck!

Proof That Some Tasks Are Better Left To Professionals

2008-09-05T06:59:00.003-05:00

For instance, beard trimming!

Are The Slackers No Longer Slacking?

2008-09-04T06:14:00.002-05:00

I just read this great piece in the LA Times Blog about how musicians from my generation have begun taking up political activism. Of course, traditionally, these causes would be taken up the youngest generation of musicians, but I think the irony here is that when we were the youngest generation of musicians, we didn't necessarily care that much about causes. That's probably one of the reasons we were called "slackers." As it turns out, however, there may be hope for those of us who are "past our prime." I think the original piece speaks even more eloquently to this:

Rage Against the Machine in Minnesota and the state of political pop | Soundboard | Los Angeles Times

Of course, Rage Against The Machine has always cared about causes, so they were the exception to this rule. In fact, when I saw Tom Morello on his solo acoustic tour a few months ago, I walked out of there convinced that he should run for office! In this video, which is also linked on the LA Times article, Rage performs several tunes a cappella when their performance is cut off at the "Ripple Effect Festival" in Minnesota protesting the RNC convention. I give you the video here, you know, in case you're too much of a slacker to read the article!

Dr. Horrible Soundtrack Is Available!

2008-09-02T07:10:00.004-05:00

Sorry to be a fawning fan-boy, but the Dr. Horrible soundtrack is finally available on iTunes!

iTunes link: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=289601562&s=143455

Liner notes: http://www.drhorrible.com/linernotes.html

I just bought it, and it sounds great! An actual physical CD is forthcoming, if you want to buy the actual physical product, but I'm too impatient to wait. I've been walking around the house singing these songs for weeks!

Two "Rock Docs" You've Gotta See!

2008-08-27T23:49:00.001-05:00

Over the summer, I saw several great documentaries recently released on DVD. You must rent or buy these asap - it's the punk thing to do!

"Joy Division (The Miriam Collection)" directed by Grant Gee. If you choose to watch the Ian Curtis biopic "Control" released by the same company, make sure you watch the documentary first! This great and short-lived post-punk band finally gets the historical treatment they deserve.

"The Future Is Unwritten - Joe Strummer" directed by Julien Temple, who previously directed the Sex Pistols documentary "The Filth And The Fury." I've always loved the Clash, but I never realized what an incredible person Joe Strummer really was. This documentary never pulls any punches, showing Strummer at his best and worst, but I admired him even more after watching it. Highly recommended!

Artist 2.0

2008-08-13T12:41:00.007-05:00

Over the past few years, there has been chatter about new media developments, for instance "Web 2.0," "Music 2.0," etc. I believe we are witnessing the emergence of a new type of artist, "Artist 2.0," who will cross traditional borders of media and incorporate old and new media in order to get his/her ideas across. Here are two recent examples:

Joss Whedon, during the writers strike, decided to produce an internet musical webseries (his brother actually coined the term "mushortio" to describe it) outside the traditional studio system. "Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog" turned out to be such a huge success that it crashed their server during the first day of it's release. It was streamed free for one week, but offered for sale on iTunes as well, and it continues to be in the top ten TV seasons now, 3 weeks later. It is currently streaming ad-supported on Hulu.com, and will be released on DVD in a few months. The soundtrack will also be released soon, presumably on iTunes. Whedon and company spent no money on promotion for the series. Instead, they used MySpace and Facebook, obviously to great effect!
Trent Reznor is in talks with HBO for a television adaptation of "The Year Zero" (see my earlier post.) This will reportedly be accompanied by another album, as well as an Alternate Reality Game (they also did an ARG for the original record.)

Now, just in case you think I'm grasping at straws, I Googled "Artist 2.0" and found an NY Times article published more than a year ago where they used the term. I guess I can't get credit for coining the term...

Zack is Back!

2008-08-12T12:01:00.001-05:00

An interview with Zack de la Rocha in yesterday's L.A. Times Music Blog:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/soundboard/2008/08/these-days-the.html

Trent Reznor Announces More "Year Zero" Plans

2008-08-10T00:17:00.002-05:00

Trent Reznor is now in negotiations with HBO to present a two-season "maxiseries" based on "The Year Zero." I have a feeling we will be seeing more of artists crossing traditional media boundaries to get their ideas out there, especially as they begin to untether themselves from traditional media conglomerates. I'm definitely interested to see how this proceeds!

Link: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2008/08/trent-reznor.html

Another Multitrack Audio Format - iKlax

2008-07-23T11:25:00.001-05:00

Somebody commented on my earlier post, so I checked it out, and it looks interesting. iKlax is a music-based social network which allows artists to offer their music in a multitrack format, and listeners can do their own remixes. Interesting concept, and it's free to join:

iKlaxmusic.com - HOME - Download multitrack and interactive music

Great Album Covers of the '70's

2008-07-20T10:39:00.004-05:00

I miss (vinyl) record covers. When I was growing up, there was something magical about record covers that I think has been lost since the advent of the CD. Many of us considered it to be an art form, as well.

I found this blog post, and I wanted to share it. I agree with most of his choices, especially "Maggot Brain," "Headhunters" and "Wire." I always loved the cover for Santana III as well:

Anyway, check out the original post. Are there any other '70's covers you think the blogger missed?

Outta Sight Album Covers of the '70s (from Punk to Funk) | JamsBio Biolog

Musicians Survey

2008-07-19T21:01:00.001-05:00

If you have a moment, pop over to hypebot and take this survey. It's very short, and should only take several minutes. I'm interested to see what comes of it:

hypebot: A Short Survey For Musicians

Act 1 of Dr. Horrible is Now Live!

2008-07-14T23:38:00.001-05:00

The first act has been posted! Check it out and report back here!

Dr. Horrible

Happy Birthday Woody Guthrie!

2008-07-14T06:30:00.004-05:00

Iconic American singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie was born on July 14, 1912, in Oklahoma. Best known for "This Land Is Your Land," one of his more than 1,000 compositions, Guthrie died in 1967.

To learn more about Woody Guthrie, read about him at Britannica: Woody Guthrie

Krofft Supershow!

2008-07-10T09:56:00.002-05:00

If you grew up with any of the campy creations of Syd and Marty Krofft, such as "Land of the Lost," "H.R. Pufnstuf," "Sigmund & The Sea Monsters," or "Lidsville," you will appreciate the new MySpace TV channel they have just created for them:

MySpace.com - Sid and Marty - 39 - Male - - www.myspace.com/krofft

Voicemail Is Dead!

2008-07-06T02:20:00.001-05:00

Over the past several years, I've become increasingly annoyed with having to check voicemail. I'm overjoyed to know I'm not alone:

Think Before You Voicemail

Who is with me? Can I get an "amen?"

The Internet Police

2008-07-04T17:36:00.001-05:00

Interesting article on TorrentFreak about file sharing:

Indiana Gregg to The Pirate Bay: The Internet Police Are Coming | TorrentFreak

sElf - HELLGLASS

2008-07-04T15:12:00.001-05:00

An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Matt Mahaffey working on the next sElf masterpiece. A must-see!

Hammer Time

2008-07-02T18:50:00.002-05:00

Get prepared for Dr. Horrible by reading about Captain Hammer on the Dark Horse Comics myspace page:

http://myspace.com/darkhorsepresents?issuenum=12&storynum=2f

I'm telling you, even if musicals scare you, this one is going to be good!

Dr. Horrible Trailer

2008-06-25T10:33:00.002-05:00

Check out this trailer for "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, the upcoming web-only musical by Joss Whedon, starring NPH, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. It's going to be awesome!

Teaser on Vimeo

Oldest Recording of Music Played by a Computer

2008-06-18T13:57:00.001-05:00

From BBC News (article includes an audio link):

BBC NEWS | Technology | 'Oldest' computer music unveiled

Throw Away Your DI Box!

2008-06-11T19:29:00.001-05:00

Somebody has come up with a phantom powered guitar cable that has it's own preamp. Why didn't anyone think of this before?

FET Preamp Cable

A New Audio File Format

2008-06-04T00:15:00.003-05:00

Korean engineers have developed a new digital music format with a file extension of MT9. The product name is "Music 2.0," and it seems to be a multi-channel format. According to what little info I can find, the interface will allow the listener to separately control the volume of guitars, drums, vocals, bass, and other mix elements. This leads me to believe the audio files will be imbedded with "stems" of each mix element, although I have been unable to confirm that assumption. It is expected that the format will be formally adopted at the upcoming international MPEG conference this year. The company which developed it is Audizen, and I encourage anyone who can read Korean to visit the site and find out more!

Here are also three articles I found on the subject:

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/08/05/25/music-20-engineers-unveil-mt9-format

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/05/133_24597.html

http://english.etnews.co.kr/news/detail.html?id=200805230009

We Lost Another Giant

2008-06-03T08:33:00.003-05:00

On June 2, legendary singer/songwriter/guitarist Bo Diddley passed away of heart failure. He was extremely influential, and he will be missed.

Read more about him on Britannica.com: Bo Diddley

Finally, a good use for multi-touch

2008-05-18T20:17:00.001-05:00

All I can say is, I want one!

Apple Mac Music Video

2008-05-10T22:36:00.001-05:00

This video seems to have been made almost entirely from the OSX desktop! Quite ingenious, and it looks like it took a bit of work!

The New Age of Marvel!

2008-05-05T12:30:00.002-05:00

After the impressive box office performance and nearly universal positive reviews of "Iron Man," Marvel Studios announced dates for the next spate of films. In 2010, "Iron Man 2" will be released on April 30th, followed by "Thor" on June 4th. In 2011, "Captain America" will throw his shield into the ring on May 6th, and "The Avengers" will be released sometime in July.

And, in case you've been living in a cave, we are scheduled for a reboot of "The Incredible Hulk" in June, and a "Punisher" movie in December.

Since Iron Man was the first independent effort for Marvel Studios, I think they were waiting to see how it would perform before they made any more announcements. I think I can safely speak for all comic book geeks when I say "Hallelujah!"

If you haven't seen Iron Man yet, get thee to a theater, and don't you dare leave the theater until the screen goes completely dark!

May 1 is "RSS Awareness Day"

2008-05-01T13:19:00.005-05:00

According to rssday.org, "only a very small percentage of the internet population is aware of the RSS format and its benefits." Accordingly, they have declared May 1st "RSS Awareness Day," in order to help spread the word about the benefits.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is most beneficial to those who follow blogs, but I've noticed that even some bloggers don't know what it is.

So, if you have no idea what RSS is, head to rssday.org and watch the short video they put together, or just look it up on Wikipedia. Then, come back here and subscribe to my RSS feed!