Stax and SXSW

Okay, there's nothing even remotely high-tech about this, but as a soul fan—and a Stax Records fan specifically—I gotta post this. Number one soul man Isaac Hayes will be hosting a Stax Records revue at SXSW.

It's a celebration of many related events. The first is the reactivation of the Stax Record label, Isaac re-signing with Stax, and the 50th anniversary celebration of the label. Many thanks to Isaac Hayes, Stax and SXSW for working to put something like this together.

Thanks to Modern Guitars Magazine.

SXSW sampler torrent

Hey, music fans, the people behind SXSW have served up a tasty treat just for us. In order to help promote the event, the various showcases, and the artists involved, they've posted a giant torrent (direct link) in the SXSW Toolbox.

This the first torrent in what I suspect will be a two-part set. They did the same thing last year (and maybe the year before—does anyone remember?) and it was a pretty popular download. I grabbed it and discovered quite a few bands I like because of it, one of which is the beloved Sound Team, who I saw at the excellent Kuyahoga Music Festival last summer. Listen to new music!!

eMedia for education

For years eMedia has made it easier for computer-savvy individuals to learn to play music with their award-winning multimedia music method software. I've checked out a few of their titles and I have some friends who've used it to learn guitar and drums. It moves at a nice pace and is affordable, with a single title being comparable to a round of lessons with a professional instructor.

Now eMedia has gone and gotten all charitable while furthering the cause of rock 'n' roll at the same time, which in my book deserves some kudos. The company donated a bunch of music software, namely their Guitar Method, Rock Guitar Method, Bass Method and the super-easy-to-use Band in a Box music software app to the Seattle-area Rock School. Rock School is a non-profit school with several locations around Seattle that gives its students a chance to learn about music and creativity. And thanks to eMedia, their curriculum just got a little more high tech. If you're betwen ages 12 to 21, live in Seattle, and are ready to get in touch with your inner Angus Young, then there's a school just for you.

Better hearing through science

Now THIS is cool. Suffering from hearing loss? If, like me, you've spent most of your life playing music—LOUD music—chances are pretty good your ears have been damaged and your hearing has slipped a bit. Thanks to modern stem-cell technology and old-fashioned electricity, scientists may have found a way to reverse hearing loss.

The funny thing about this article though, is that the writer discovered it isn't the traditional sources of hearing loss which fueled this research. No, it's something much more recent: the iPod. It's the audio equivalent of teenage gamers with carpal tunnel syndrome, a medical issue normally associated with middle-aged office workers. Let's not forget, though, that just as in the case of CTS, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Let's turn down the volume, folks. Like the world really needs more noise.

Get educated on the tube

YouTube, that is. Seems you can find just about anything on YouTube.com. It's especially nice for musicians and music fans as there is a ton of musical content scattered across the millions of videos the site hosts. Now Cakewalk has joined the fray with their own dedicated music software channel.

The company's videos are mostly focused on SONAR and range from general overview type stuff to tutorials on things like setting up your PC for audio and MIDI recording.

Hopefully this encourages other music software manufacturers to start their own channels. I'd love to see it. If you feel the same, make sure you voice that opinion to your favorite manufacturers, even just by emailing Musical Machines. I'll try to make sure your message ends up in the appropriate hands.

Bonnaroo line up posted

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival (didn't know the full name, did you?) has posted their initial list of bands slated to play this summer. The 2007 line up is chock-full of musical goodness. Get your MasterCard or Visa ready, folks. You'll pay anywhere from $184.50 to $214.50, depending upon how quickly you buy. I'm not slagging the prices, either. Two hundred bones for three days of music and fun is a good deal. No pushing or shoving in line, folks . . .

Warner Loves Last.fm

Punknews.org is reporting that Last.fm has signed a deal with Warner Music that will allow users to listen to the label's entire music catalog online.

The music will be fed through a stream (no downloading, you naughty kids) and Last.fm account holders will be able to use the site's cool search tools to discover new music in the Warner catalog. Could be a win-win.

How to record good electric guitar sounds

There's a treasure trove of information stored on the various websites Musician's Friend runs which isn't very visible to the general public. Unless you know it's there, you'd probably never find it. From time to time I'll highlight some of these articles and help spread the wealth.

Guitar Miking: Getting a Great Guitar Sound is an article by the skilled Barry Rudolph. If you're unfamiliar with Barry, some of his credits include work on gold and platinum records by musicians such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Corrs, Waylon Jennings, Mick Jagger, Jon Bon Jovi, and The Beach Boys. Trust me, you're in good hands.

If you've ever struggled with getting the guitar sound you want for your recordings, check out this two-part article. It deals chiefly with speakers and mic positioning, delivering some basics on each and divulging some of Barry's favorite, tried-and-true techniques. There's a lot of voodoo out there on recording electric guitars but Mr. Rudolph slices through it with his practical, experience-honed take on the subject.

For more infomation on guitar miking and recording in general, check out Cherry Lane's DVD Miking Guitars In The Studio, Hal Leonard's Professional Microphone Techniques, or Hal Leonard's The Recording Guitarist.

For those just getting started in recording, check out books like Hal Leonard's Musician's Home Recording Handbook, Making The Ultimate Demo, The Desktop Studio, or Berklee Press' Recording and Producing In The Home Studio.

DRM Free Europe

This article has been causing quite a stir on the 'net and even sparked a few lively debates within our office. In it Steve Jobs airs his thoughts on Digital Rights Management (DRM), the iTunes store, the iPod, and music. He makes some good points and it's definitely worth a read.

I like the article because it abolishes the popular misconception that somehow Apple is the prime mover behind the iPod and iTunes store being a closed system. Using a DRM—in this case FairPlay—was simply the only way Apple could convince the major record labels to let them license their music for sale through the iTunes store.

I was shocked to discover that if Apple's FairPlay DRM encoding is hacked, Apple only has a short amount of time to fix it or the labels can pull out of the iTunes store without any recompense. Yikes.

Another point which Steve Jobs did not address is that the iTunes store and the music it sells don't make Apple any money. The music sold through iTunes is a loss leader for Apple, something they carry simply so they can sell iPods while avoiding the record label's wrath.

This excellent article by the esteemed Eliot Van Buskirk puts forth the proposition that soon all music will go DRM-free MP3 anyway. It's only a matter of time.

Indie Is The Future

This excellent article by the talented Eliot Van Buskirk neatly summarizes the state of the whole major label versus indie label dynamic as it exists today.

I think there are some really great changes taking place that will reshape America's musical landscape for the better: More creativity and diversity with less marketing and posturing. That's just my take on the situation, but it's always nice to find out someone agrees with you, right?

As with every situation, there's another side of the coin. With the muscle these independent record labels are suddenly finding through organizations like Merlin, A2IM, and the Association of Independent Music (AIM), who's to stop them from consolidating and moving right into the void left by the collapse of the major record labels? That little bit of postulation is complete conjecture, but it's not unreasonable either. Hopefully musicians, music lovers, and consumers in general have learned a little about letting giant corporations control their art and culture. With some luck and faith we just might come out of this mess with a bit of balance between music, creativity, and commerce.

iTunes issues for early Vista adopters

Some early reports indicate that Windows users upgrading to Vista may experience some clashing between iTunes and the minty-fresh OS. It seems music, movies, and television shows purchased from iTunes can't be authorized on a Vista PC.

The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs has a particularly funny take on the situation.

Thankfully Apple just released the fix. Good luck to all the iTunes and Vista people out there.

Fight the power!

Okay, I realize I probably can't say that with quite the conviction of Chuck D and his boys in Public Enemy, but that's how this story released by the Associated Press makes me feel.

Remember that litigation spree the RIAA and a few of the major record labels went on a few years ago where they brought lawsuits against kids and their parents for downloading and sharing music? Apparently one of the young boys the RIAA decided to sue has filed a counter suit. Robert Santangelo was only 11 years old when the four labels suing him claim the music downloading took place. Despite not having any proof of Robert engaging in any illegal downloading activity, the RIAA continued to prosecute him and his family for the past four years.

Santangelo has maintained his innocence and has now gone one step further by filing a suit against his accusers accusing them of violating antitrust laws, conspiring to defraud the courts, and making extortionate threats. Wow, that's a mouthful. I'll bet Chuck D could still make it rhyme.

Internet Jamming Part Deux

In the interest of competition, Sonoma Wire Works offers a similar service through their excellent RiffWorks software. The technology, called RiffLink, is built into RiffWorks. Although still in beta, I've heard second hand that it works pretty well.

The excellent Line 6 Guitar Port RiffTracker comes with a version of RiffWorks as well as a passel of Line 6's famous amp and effects models. In addition to hosting RiffLink, RiffWorks is an excellent computer recording and practicing platform developed especially for guitar and bass players.

Update: Apparently, RiffLink works really, really well because it's already inspired a band. I'm proud to present to you the RiffLink Junkies. Enjoy, people, enjoy.

Jamming comes to the Internet age

Tired of playing with the flaky musicians in your home town? Thanks to eJamming now you can play with flaky musicians in other cities, too! No, seriously, eJamming is a cool new online service company which uses peer to peer technology and good ol' fashioned MIDI to make playing with other musicians online a reality.



The technology is being demoed at the appropriately named Demo conference to generate interest and show off what they've accomplished. Which, if it works as advertised, will be pretty liberating for musicians. I mean, I would imagine that if you're a huge post-rock fan living in Tuscaloosa, you've probably had a hard time finding four or five other mates to come over and jam on the latest Sigur Ros record. eJamming to the rescue! The computer requirements seem reasonable so if you're MIDI and Internet equipped—and looking for new people to jam with—you should check it out.

If you're in need of a computer and MIDI-savvy instrument, you can pick up something small like the M-Audio Axiom 25, or the E-Mu Xboard 49. If you've got a keyboard with MIDI, you can just get the M-Audio USB Uno or the Yamaha UX16 and you're ready.

For guitarists, check out the Switch Wild IV MIDI electric guitar or the Brian Moore i8.13 MIDI electric guitar. You could also simply buy a special pickup like the Shadow Quick Mount guitar-to-MIDI converter.

Yeah, iTunes is that good

Music download startup SpiralFrog appears to be aborting before it even launches.

Despite my flip title, I don't think SpiralFrog is really an iTunes victim as much as it is the victim of a really, really tough market that's in bad shape right now. It's also tainted with a "me, too!" flavor. Previous variations of the ad-supported download model floundered and flailed as well and nothing tastes worse to consumers than failure.

Supposedly they've hired a new CEO and maybe things will turn around for the little musical amphibian but the pond is quickly drying up for music retailers and soon everyone will be forced to evolve.