ThisIsReallyNeat

eMusic turns into a steaming pile - Boing Boing

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:21:26 +0100

eMusic turns into a steaming pile - Boing Boing: Music Industry freaks out and trashes yet another viable rescue boat.

"The UK minister for communications, technology and broadcasting, Stephen Carter, has also welcomed..."

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:55:40 +0100

“The UK minister for communications, technology and broadcasting, Stephen Carter, has also welcomed the announcement, as have a bunch of UMG artists including Ronan Keating, the Sugababes, Duffy and James Morrison.”

- Music Ally | Blog Archive » Virgin Media and UMG launching unlimited music service

The poor starving artists at UMG approve of Virgin’s new promise to suspesnd the accounts of persistant file sharers.

Could someone remind me why I would want to sign-up to an ISP that has openly said it will cut me off, but if I behave (and pay up) I can use a half-arsed Spotify?

That seems like a pretty shit deal guys.

Topspin » Relapse Deluxe - How’d they do that?

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:50:34 +0100

Topspin » Relapse Deluxe - How’d they do that?: The guys at Topspin share a few tips on how they do what they do. It’s really nice to see “inside” the process.

Music Ally | Blog Archive » Travis Barker and DJ-AM launch Twitter mixtape giveaway

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:37:40 +0100

Music Ally | Blog Archive » Travis Barker and DJ-AM launch Twitter mixtape giveaway:

There is something unsetteling about force-tweeting. Making people do stuff is always going to to ruffel a few feathers. On Twitter, just like in real life, it would be a bit weired to say “hey, shout my name as loud as you can and I’ll let you download my mixtape.”

There are so many things wrong with this I’m not too sure where to start. I’ll pick an exaple - @spymaster. Even after making it as plain as the nose on your face that the app will tweet on your belalf, people got annoyed by it. People got annoyed that their account had been ‘hi-jacked’ and other peopl egot annoyed that people they were followinging were sending out moronic spam.

Another arguement against this is that, by lowering yourself to a cheap marketing trick, you remove all notion of value attached to your product. If you are prepared to be underhanded and sneaky to give it away, why should I not be underhanded and sneaky to get it?

As always though, it’s just a thought…

Spotify mobile demo for Google Android (via spotifydemo) Want a...

Thu, 28 May 2009 10:25:34 +0100

Spotify mobile demo for Google Android (via spotifydemo)

Want a iphone killer? There’s an app for that.

Ok, maybe not an Iphone killer, but certainly a massive +1 for Android phones like the HTC Magic.

Now That's What I Call Digital Distro | TuneCore/Amazon on demand CD production

Fri, 22 May 2009 10:46:57 +0100

Now That's What I Call Digital Distro | TuneCore/Amazon on demand CD production: via @seaninsound

Teebone feat. Sparks And Kie - Fly Bi (1999) (via...

Tue, 19 May 2009 15:36:58 +0100

Teebone feat. Sparks And Kie - Fly Bi (1999) (via Br0ther66)

Just a quick reminder that it is NOT 1999 ;)

"That stalwart of seditious thinking on the music industry, CBBC, has a breakdown of ‘how much it..."

Tue, 19 May 2009 14:07:27 +0100

“That stalwart of seditious thinking on the music industry, CBBC, has a breakdown of ‘how much it costs to have a hit single‘. Here’s their breakdown:”

- “Art First” - Why the ‘Present of Music’ is the Best it’s Ever Been for Musicians — Steve Lawson: Bass 2.0 — the soundtrack to the day you wish you’d had

Be Better | Micro-payments won't save Journalism.

Mon, 18 May 2009 16:05:15 +0100

Be Better | Micro-payments won't save Journalism.: @DrownedInSound tweeted this article from the Freakonomics column of the New York Times (a paper that I believe has actually managed to make a few quid out of the internet. As I understand it, their premium content is better).

The article questions if micro-charging users for access to news would help recoup some of the costs of hard hitting investigative journalism. I have no idea what papers are like in the states, but in the UK I think (my opinion, I’m allowed) there is precious little hard hitting investigative journalism. I have been saturated for the last week with the details of my local MP’s expense account.

I don’t give a fuck about my local MP’s expense account.

If newspapers want to survive there is one thing they need to do. Be better. Be better at actually seeking out news. Not copying populist dross, but actually going out and finding news. I can’t do that. I have no idea how to. I can read one hundred and one other accounts of my local MP’s expense account, so why would I pay for that?

But what do I care about journalism? I don’t really. I do care about music though, and I reckon the same problem is happening in the music industry. I can listen to 1,001 Britney-a-likes. Why would I want to pay for it?

Be better.

Dangermouse 1, EMI 0

Fri, 15 May 2009 12:36:00 +0100

Dangermouse 1, EMI 0: EMI Fail.

"The big elephant in the room here is that most of Blip.fm’ music catalog was being sourced from..."

Fri, 15 May 2009 12:16:00 +0100

“The big elephant in the room here is that most of Blip.fm’ music catalog was being sourced from SeeqPod, and by now we know what kind of trouble that company is in (although they might still be saved by Microsoft).”

- Trouble Ahead For Blip.fm?

Blip.FM used to plug into the seeqpod API to find it’s music, but with seeqpod hitting the rocks it looks like plan A is bust.

Plan B - a glorified interface for Imeem is not great. But what is the problem?

In my humble opinion this is yet another symptom of the music industry’s hell bent intention to self destruct. Clinging to ideas of territories, selling copies and exploiting intellectual property, it seems that the industry is willing to do anything to avoid having to man up and take on the web. By crippling a great music discovery tool they have shot themselves in whatever is left of their already shot to hell foot. Quite how potential fans are supposed to find out about new music without hearing it from a trusted source (like a real person rather than an algorithm) is beyond me.

@Thinking Digital: Blogging is so 2005 | Media | guardian.co.uk

Thu, 14 May 2009 17:48:00 +0100

@Thinking Digital: Blogging is so 2005 | Media | guardian.co.uk: @markjenkins posted a link to this article on Twitter. He writes FriedMyLittleBrain - a great MP3 blog. I think he was being facetious when he said “time to change how @friedmylittlebr (the blog’s Twitter account) works”, but has he has got a point?

Twitter forces you to cut the crap a get to the point. For a music blogger, this basically means saying “This tune is good, cheque it out”. Some would argue that this is all you need to know - It’s a recommendation from someone you trust suggesting where to spend your attention. I hate the idea of spending attention, but never the less this is what we now do.

But where does that leave the supporting culture of music? I would argue that you can’t get across what an artist or a genre is all about in 140 characters or less. I wouldn’t want to. I want a bit of opinion with my music - an insight into what it’s all about.

Topspin » Twitter Emerges as a Viable Direct Marketing Channel

Tue, 05 May 2009 10:50:05 +0100

Topspin » Twitter Emerges as a Viable Direct Marketing Channel: Topspin are so “on it”, it makes me cry. Jimmy Eat World are pretty safe too :)

Deadmau5 launches iPhone DJ app | Beatportal

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:39:41 +0100

Deadmau5 launches iPhone DJ app | Beatportal: I think this is a great idea. Not only is it an iPhone app that has the potential to actually be good, it is a great way to promote an artist. Clever, twice.

jamesthebringerofdeath: yvynyl: YourNextFavBand A neat service...

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:32:50 +0100

jamesthebringerofdeath:

yvynyl:

YourNextFavBand

A neat service that analyzes your Last.fm history vs. that of your ‘friends’ and lets you know bands you should be listening to (but aren’t yet).

I’m holding out for version 2, which will have a selection of musical gnomes who immediately form a band that smashes together all your favorites into one gloppy, deep-fried mush.

Also, I’m waiting until Canada learns how to spell “favorite”.

YNFB was built on the back of a Last.FM hack day by @philnash and @utku. They are based in England. They have a fairly comprehensive command of the English language ;)

The Golden Rules of Blog PR: 12 Music Bloggers Set It Straight | bigMETHOD

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:12:00 +0100

The Golden Rules of Blog PR: 12 Music Bloggers Set It Straight | bigMETHOD: It strikes me that there is a discord here. Bloggers want personal messages from PR’s telling them about the latest new thing that is relevant to them. PR’s want a quick-and-easy bulk send-out to every blog they can think of and keep their fingers crossed that someone somewhere will pick up the release.

This seems rubbish.

We (I anyway) live in a world where just about everything can be tracked and monitored. In the same way that Amazon will recommend me some pretty spot-on books or YourNextFavBand usually pinpoints something I haven’t listened to yet but will like, PR’s and bloggers need a resource where everyone benefits from sending/getting only relevant stuff.

But would such a recommendation engine then not meet the personal requirements of bloggers? Would preventing PR’s from spamming the hell out of bloggers seem unappealing?

I’d love to hear peoples thoughts on this…

(original article via Nick Crocker)

yvynyl: Tweet A Sound { sound + software } at { sound +...

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:57:31 +0100

yvynyl:

Tweet A Sound { sound + software } at { sound + design }

“Tweet A Sound is a desktop application that uses Twitter as a platform for sharing sonic tweets. Pushing the idea of “social sound design”, Tweet A Sound allows you to design a sound and share it in a community of like-minded folks. It is an opportunity for fun interaction with sound.”

(via tba:toner)

Okay, if you do this, send me a tweet @povertyjetset !

Radiohead to Testify Against the RIAA

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:35:12 +0100

Radiohead to Testify Against the RIAA:

artistspaid:

paulsingh:

roamin:

Torrent Freak/ Ernesto

“Radiohead, the band that made millions of dollars by giving away their music for free, has very little to complain about when it comes to piracy. On the contrary, in a landmark file-sharing case, Radiohead has responded positively to a request to testify against the RIAA.

Last month, Radiohead expressed its growing discomfort with record labels that abuse copyrights for their own benefit. In an attempt to take a stand against the labels, the band and several other well known artists formed the Featured Artists Coalition, a lobby group that aims to end the extortion-like practices of record labels and allow artists to gain more control over their own work.

In addition, the artists are unhappy with the fact that the labels, represented by lobby groups such as the RIAA and IFPI, are pushing for anti-piracy legislation without consulting the artists they claim to represent. Fans are unnecessarily portrayed as criminals according to some.

Now, in the case of…”

Record Labels Get Real

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:25:00 +0100

Record Labels Get Real :

via @mr_trick

It’s been a while since I last posted anything to TIRN. Not because there is nothing going on, but because WORK and THE WIRE are taking over my life.

This is a good little piece on how the album is dead and that Labels are coming to terms with the loss of their sacred cash-cow.

Torrent Droid: Scan Barcodes, Get Torrents | TorrentFreak

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:26:27 +0000

Torrent Droid: Scan Barcodes, Get Torrents | TorrentFreak:

open sorce, open mind and now (it would seem) open season.

However hard people work to protect IP, far more people are working on stuff that makes it impossble to protect.