There are many, many things that I wish I had time to write about.  Unfortunately, these days it seems that I only have time to drop a nugget and run off.  So here you go.

Radiohead has released the stems (mixes of specific instruments or groups of instruments in a song) to the song “Nude” from their recent album, “In Rainbows”, exclusively on iTunes.  With this kind of release, not surprisingly, is a remix competition.  The submissions can be viewed at radioheadremix.com.  I know it’s Radiohead but, having some experience remixing, I’m surprised that there have already been 212 submissions considering the stems were released yesterday.  Do people really have that much free time on their hands?  I’ve only listened to the most popular and, while it is interesting, I’m not that impressed.  Hopefully the Radiohead cult can crank out something more creative and gripping.

Also, there’s going to be a GarageBand file released on the 11th.  The site isn’t too clear on what exactly is going to be in the file but if you download all the stems you’ll get an access code on 4/11.  Curious …

I’ve been collecting bits from the web the past couple of weeks in order to completely overwhelm you with them. An entirely wrong approach, I know, but I can’t help myself. Please enjoy these brief glimpses of joy and know that I always save the best for last.

Places to get free music:

Get the first disc of NIN (Nine Inch Nails) new instrumental opus “Ghosts I-IV” for free direct from their website. I have only listened to the first disc and it seems like he took one idea per song (ranging from marginal to decent) and stretched it out to last the entire song. But don’t take my word for it - check it out for yourself.

A new kind of record label: RCRD LBL. They “buy” songs from artists (or some partial rights to the songs) and offer them for free download on their website. There are a few gems in there if you’re looking to explore the music of artists you’ve heard about but not heard.

QTrax is a new piece of software that, like so many others, is striving to legalize peer-to-peer (p2p) file sharing by having the labels give their consent for a portion of the ad revenue from the software they would use.  I have downloaded their beta and, right now, it’s a joke.  They advertise major label artists and then list their music as “coming soon” with no date or estimate on expected time of availability.  It may one day be awesome but right now it’s just ticking me off.

If you use bit torrent, then you have access to a “small” library of music from artists that performed at this years SXSW festival.  To help you wade through the ocean, one reporter has provided a brief review for each tune offered.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but you should check out eMusic.com’s free trial.  They have stuff from great artists like Spoon, Belle & Sebastian, Paul McCartney, Sufjan Stevens, Of Montreal, and other semi-indie gems.  It’s worth your time.

Now for Some Funny:
This is the funniest thing I’ve seen on youtube (or the internet period) in a while.  I would recommend watching them in the provided order.  If you’re interested in the information on the man behind the videos, read the articles below.
Eric Clapton - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_M9zWORBuA
Van Halen - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdFJTbaFcZ0
Slash - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHyl04-ytH8 *The best for sure
Article about him: http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/news/2007/10/shredders
More vids and info about being pulled from youtube: http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/02/watch-the-parod.html

They added a TON of content and opened it to the public. Invites no longer required : ) Enjoy!

http://www.hulu.com

Stephanie and I watch a good portion of our television online.  VCR’s make you fast forward through commercials and are typically lower quality.  We find the ease of use and short commercial breaks entirely do-able.  Hulu is a site that originally started as a partnership between NBC and FOX and has grown to encompass several cable stations, film studios, and other video providers.  There is A LOT of stuff on Hulu worth watching and their commercial breaks are typically shorter and handled better than other sites I have used (NBC.com, ABC.com, etc.).

I just discovered that I have 10 invitations for others to join Hulu.  So naturally I turn to my “faithful” readers : )  The first ten people to respond to this wanting an invitation get one.  Let me know!

Today I got giddy about technology and media. As most of you know, I’m getting my master’s in Recording Arts and as a result do a lot of thinking about the media market. I also think a lot about the market because I like movies, music, and games and am always on the lookout for cheap ways to procure quality media - which brings me to this post. This probably isn’t revolutionary and feel free to chastise me on being “behind the times”.

Redbox
Redbox is a DVD kiosk located … almost everywhere that lets you rent DVD’s for $1 a night. I first encountered this little wonder in Alabama, of all places. As usual, I looked and read the signage but reserved judgment until I had more information. A few weeks (months?) ago I found out that my good friend Stevo was an avid patron of the Redbox. He regaled me with tales of 3 rentals at a time for the low price of $3. I was impressed. What I learned online, and what Stevo failed to mention, are the two huge (in my opinion), and one less huge, features of Redbox.com: 1) you can check if your local Redbox(es) carry the movie you want in addition to exactly what they do have in stock, 2) you can pre-rent the DVD online so you don’t have to worry about someone picking it up before you get there and 3) you can return the movie at any Redbox nationwide. These three features make Redbox mighty appealing, especially because of the price. For anyone who has ever not wanted to go to the video store and check if they have the movie they want or rented something on vacation and brought the movie with you instead of returning it to the local store - you’ll get Redbox. I have yet to rent anything, seeing as I just found out these juicy facts tonight, but I will be doing so shortly. I know there are also some pretty price competitive (not to mention time/gas saving) online rental options as well. I’m curious, what do you use and why?

Amazon.com MP3 Downloads
There are a few things I have decided that I don’t like about most mp3 files recently: low bit rate, high price, and stupid DRM (Digital Rights Management). I’ll start with bit rate. The reason that mp3 files are so much smaller than wav files is that they are compressed, meaning reduced in quality. Wav files are so large because they carry a lot of information and mp3’s just use a clever algorithm to take certain information out and still make the music sound passable. The most common bit rate for an mp3 is 128 kbps - which is all of the regular song files on iTunes. Not distinguishable to the normal ear (and barely noticeable to myself) most people can’t tell the difference between a 128 kbps album and a CD but, I think, if you do you’re really cheating yourself. Also, DRM is evil. It stifles your ability to enjoy the music you’ve already paid for by limiting the number of CD’s you can burn as well as computers and mp3 players you can use with those files. There is nothing good about DRM. The same files from iTunes that are 128 kbps are also crippled with DRM. Every single one of them. Lastly, the price of most music online (*cough* iTunes) is too high. The industry is struggling to adapt to the new model of music delivery and using an extinct pricing system to prevent people from abandoning CD’s altogether. Online albums should not cost $10 - CD’s, yes, digital music, no. This brings me to my support of Amazon’s MP3 site. Amazon does not have any DRM on any of its music. None. Plus, everything is encoded at 256 kbps - double the norm for Apple. AND most of their albums are $9 as opposed to $10 … not to mention the constantly changing group of “sale” albums that feature new releases and music that you actually want for $6-8 (I’ve already bought two albums for $6). Now, in all fairness to iTunes they have started releasing “iTunes Plus” music that is also DRM free and encoded at 256 kbps. However, the pricing model is still old. It might just be one dollar but hey … it’s a dollar. The iTunes Plus catalog is also smaller than that of Amazon. There are other decent options I’ve come across as well like eMusic.com (mostly independent artists, uses a subscription model, recommended by Evan). I’m still curious, how do you get your tunes?

Hopefully, this has been at educational and will help you save some money and hassle in the future.

*UPDATE:  I have successfully rented my first (and second) Redbox DVD and I have a few extra bits of information.  The “end of the day” is actually 9pm, so if you’re only planning on only paying “one night” (i.e. $1) you need to have it back to a machine by then.  The cost is actually $1 plus tax so don’t be shocked when there are some extra pennies added to your cost.  You can also buy used DVD’s from them (not the newest releases but recent ones) for $7.

In Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution, Congress is granted the power to “…To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.”

At first, the length of a copyright was 14 years with eligibility for a 14 year renewal.  Next 28 years with a 28 year renewal.  Next 75 years or the life of the last surviving author plus 50 years without chance for renewal.  And finally in 1998, depending on the circumstances, 95/120 years or life of the last surviving author plus 70 years.

The question that was posed to me by my teacher I will pose to you: Assuming that the last surviving author dies 100 years after the creation of a work, is 170 years really what the writers of the constitution meant by “securing for limited times”?  As a songwriter it’s hard to choose sides.  My brain says that 170 years is a crazy long time and completely unwarranted.  My gut says that no one else should ever be allowed to make money off my hard work and creativity without paying me (or a surviving relative of mine).  Should we revert to a system of 14 years with 14 years renewal options so that creative works can enter the public domain and become a force of creativity for generations to come?  Or is the ownership of a copyright and inclusion/exclusion from public domain the measure of a works creative strength?  I value your feedback and thoughts - please share.

One interesting note - copyright law has been extended every time “Steamboat Willie”, the original Mickey Mouse cartoon, has been poised to enter public domain.  Consider that in the motives of our government extending copyright length.

Van Halen Sample Rate Issues
In this video Van Halen is playing to a recorded track of keyboards.  The keyboards, for some reason, are not being played at the normal sample rate and are therefore being played back in a higher key.  The band starts playing in the original key and … well, you’ll have to watch and see what happens : )

Amazing Cover of “The Final Countdown” (originally by Europe)
This tidbit title is total sarcasm.  While I don’t find this video quite as funny as my friends (Stevo and Nate), some of you might.  Let me know if it’s a youtube gem or piece of garbage … and if you managed to make it through the whole thing.

Right now I’m taking a class on the history of the recording industry. About half of our time is spent talking about the current state / downward spiral of the gargantuan. It’s awesome. Because most of the people who will read this will probably be interested in what I’m learning I have come to share.

A few recent happenings that signify a shift in the industry:
1. Radiohead releases it’s album, “In Rainbows”, online with a pay-what-you-want model. You’ve probably heard about this one already but some things that you might not know are: Radiohead hasn’t really released any sales data yet. Probably because they’re too busy burning the extra money they have just for kicks. Also, their CD went straight to #1 when it was released in hard copy. Proof that you can make free music online work for you.
2. Madonna signs with (no, not a label) a concert promoter. That’s right, folks. Who needs the big labels? Not Madonna … or anyone, really. While no specific details of distribution methods have been released she will likely make a deal with Wal-Mart, Target, and the like.
3. Paul McCartney signs with the Starbucks label. In a slap to the face that gets more vicious every day, the industry loses one of the greatest songwriters of the past 50 years … to people who make coffee.
4. The Eagles ink a direct release deal with Wal-Mart for their most recent album. What you might not know is that deal led to “Long Road Out of Eden” being the #3 top seller in America for 2007 with 2.6 million units sold.

Basically, everything is changing. Walmart is likely going to cut back their CD shelf space in 2008 by 30% (with other major retailers to follow, presumably). Labels are laying people off left and right because they aren’t changing their business models and trying to fight a losing battle against the digital revolution. The music industry as we know it will be dead shortly.

While it sounds like a grim, depressing, and terrible thing it’s actually not. What this means for the average consumer is that your music selection is going to grow exponentially - from old releases becoming available for the first time in a while to new artists springing up everywhere (including your neighborhood). Essentially, we are seeing the end of the “rock star”. There will still be some nationally known acts being promoted but everyone will turn to their niche rather than just accepting what’s being shoved down their throat.

Also, sometime in the next few years, I predict that radio will come back to the people. Right now Clear Channel owns like ALL of the radio stations in America. No offense, but only people with personalities and tastes more bland than vanilla listen to that kind of radio. It’s not good. It’s corporate manufactured garbage that isn’t being played because the DJ likes it or the industry respects it. It’s on the air because the labels think (they really have no idea, they’re just guessing) that you will like it. Music for the lowest common denominator. College radio stations, though often forced to play everything but the top 40, have programming created by students who (for the most part) are still passionate about what they listen to. Other stations, like WXRY in Columbia, are still pursuing the dream and playing what they actually like.

It’s a great time to be involved in music. But it’s scary too. Any comments, ideas, opinions, observations, etc. you’d like to share are more than welcome. Just out of curiosity, how do you get your music these days?

SUGGESTED READING:
- Our teacher signed us up for a free newsletter from Steve Meyer called “Disc & Dat”.  It can be a little lengthy but his rants at the beginning are priceless.
- Something that Mr. Meyer linked to from his newsletter: “The 7 Most Unforgivable Grammy Award Snubs of All Time” is hilarious.  The person who wrote the article is totally pissed and it makes for very entertaining reading.

At one point, I thought that people would read my blog just because I could find crazy little videos and “tidbits”, as I so cleverly referred to them. Now I think I realize that everyone has their own source of internet funny and weird and I just don’t have enough time to feed your habits.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that I’ve worked through caring about whether or not anyone reads this so, now as a liberated blogger, I can post whatever the crap I want. Especially all that personal life garbage that no one cares about because they have plenty of their own.

Things going on in my life: I got an assistantship at school doing web design. It’s pretty awesome. I get to listen to music and fix code all day and they pay for my school and then some. ‘Tis a good deal. I’m going to Michigan tomorrow for Stephanie’s grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. It’s going to be a long, cold drive but since it’ll give me many un-interruptible hours with my wife … it’ll be great. I am missing the season premier of LOST right now because I’m working in a computer lab at school … and there’s no one here. Actually, I would rather there be no one here and get paid to hang out with myself (basically) … but couldn’t they just pay me to hang out at home? : ) I have about two episodes left in season 3 of Battlestar Galactica. What a freaking awesome show. When we first got back into it with season 3 (we finished the first two in September) I wasn’t all that emotionally invested. Now, however, I’m so engrossed it’s ridiculous. Unfortunately, the magazine Rolling Stone managed to half-way ruin my excitement about the season finale. My brother told me that you find out who several of the other cylon models are in the last episode. In Rolling Stone’s recap of TV in 2007 they listed Battlestar as one of the best shows/moments of the year. They made some comment about the season finale being great and then proceeded to simply list several characters names with exclamation points. No disclaimer. No spoiler alert. No warning. Just names. As realization slowly dawned on me what I was reading I yelled aloud, closed the magazine, pushed it away from me, and looked at my wife with the saddest of sad faces. The people who wrote that section of that issue are BASTARDS. It’s just wrong to take something like that away from a fan. And that’s all I have to say about that.

I’ve added Andrew Bird into my music catalog from my new releases pile (see two posts ago). He has a pleasant baritone and a great indie-pop sensibility. Several of his songs have been lodged in my brain with all of their hook-tasticness. He does a good job of using instrumentation to his advantage and creating something rather unique out of a simple progression. I recommend checking him out. I have his “Armchair Apocrypha” album and the song “Plasticities” is catchy and pleasant.

Also, the songwriting is still going well with the band. We’re touching on some new and different genres for us in our exploration. Writing with cheap microphones/software and sending parts over email can get tiring and confusing though. I look forward to the coming weekends where we will have some face to face time to piss each other off, instead of via email : ) (That was a joke, in case you missed it) I’m excited to get to share what we’ve been working on with you all soon.

What I can share with you now are some funny videos that friends (Stevo, Evan) have showed me recently. I hope you find them as funny as I did.

In case you aren’t one of the 13 million people who have already seen this, there is a fantastic David Blaine spoof on youtube. There’s also a part 2 and 3. Almost as good as the first.

Here’s an energy drink “ad” for Powerthirst. It is one of the funniest things I’ve seen on youtube in a while.

CRASS WARNING: Charts that humorize hip-hop lyrics. The explanation/description makes no sense but it’s totally worth it.

I’d love to hear your comments on Battlestar, new music, funny youtube clips, and cool things going on in your own lives.

I must be getting popular because I get more spam comments all the time on this thing.

So I just read a preview of an upcoming mobile recording device that works with your iPod.  The thing looks hot.  Check it out here.

I wonder how many posts across the blogosphere start with, “I’m supposed to be doing [insert mandatory activity] right now but [insert lame excuse] so I’m blogging instead!”  Sometimes it’s nice to be like everyone else.

I have had such a huge influx of new music over the holidays that my mind has been blown.  Officially.  I’ve never had so much good stuff to listen to in my entire life.  I’m really going to have to pace myself over the next two months and (don’t tell my wife) really shouldn’t be allowed to buy anymore music until the summer.  One of the interesting discoveries I’ve made is that my listening habits are becoming a lot more experimental than before.  I think my tastes are evolving into something very … ‘egotistical’ is probably a good word choice.  I like music that I wouldn’t have appreciated not too long ago and, to my surprise, is not much appreciated by those around me.  But it’s getting my creative juices going for sure and that is the real gem.

The band music/songwriting is going fantastic right now.  I haven’t been this excited about writing/recording/performing for some time now.  I’m pretty gosh-darn lucky to get to rock out with some super creative musicians who are a constant reminder of how great everyone else’s ideas are.  I love it.

Now here’s the part where I talk about the albums I picked up and why the ones I’ve listened to are so awesome.

Yeah Yeah Yeah’s - Isis
This is guitar and drums rock at its best (sorry, White Stripes).  Karen O and her scraggly band of musicians churned out a sexual and groovy rock EP that gets my head and feet moving every time I listen.  Everything sounds so live that it’s wonderful.  Less is more, people.

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Electro-pop is what I call it and my first and only negative comment on the album, no acoustic drums, is starting to fade.  His heavy subject matter and light hearted musical treatment makes me happy.  Grooving bass lines, drum loops, and soaring melodies suck me in more each time.

Queen - Greatest Hits I & II
I show my novice music consumer side off with a “greatest hits” inclusion but I’ve made my peace with myself.  For obvious reasons Queen is fantastic but the first disc surprised me the most.  Part of the reason I wanted it was to educate myself and, I must say, I had no idea that they wrote all of the songs they did.  Freddie Mercury is undeniably one of the greatest frontmen of all time.  Their chord structures, variety, rhythms, harmonies, and powerful vocals cement them as a must have of any music collection.  My only drawback: I got really tired of the peace and love theme by the time the second disc was over.  A little more lyrical variation would have been nice … but maybe that’s what I get for getting a “greatest hits” : )

Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
He may be old but tired he is not.  While I can’t say I’m very familiar with his post-Beatles work this album is a perfect example of his songwriting genius translated into a modern medium.  Replete with classic acoustic instruments like banjos and organs as well as drum loops and synthesizers, it’s still sounds like Paul McCartney.  And it sounds good.  Drawback: the last song on the album, “Nod Your Head”, is the most inane thing I’ve ever heard.  Because I love everything else though I’m going to pretend it isn’t on the album.

Others that I’ve gotten and loved but haven’t had a chance to fully digest yet:

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Feist - The Reminder
Led Zeppelin - Mothership
KT Tunstall - Drastic Fantastic
Norah Jones - Not Too Late
Corinne Bailey Rae - Self Titled
Nirvanna - MTV Unplugged in New York
Red Hot Chili Peppers - By the Way
The Beatles - Rubber Soul
The Good, the Bad, The Queen - Self Titled
Brothers Martin - Self Titled
The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
And a few more …

Did I mention I have more new music than I’ve ever had in my life?