Allan F. Karl: Making Music

John Hiatt - Humphrey's By The Bay, Shelter Island - May 22, 2006

Wed, 24 May 2006 04:00:26 GMT

It was an idyllic southern California night complete with a burning orange and red sunset, gentle breeze swaying postcard palm trees and John Hiatt with North Mississippi Allstars (NMAS) tearing up the stage at Humphrey's By The Bay in San Diego. Toward the end of his 90-minute set Hiatt said "the weathermen said it was going to rain...I guess they were wrong like they always are," before ripping into his rocking set closing number The Tiki Bar Is Open where the synergy of Hiatt's 30+ years performing experience combined with the youthful energy of NMAS driving rhythm section brought the crowd to their feet. It's summertime in SoCal.

The rain actually came the night before clearing the air and washing away any doubt of bad weather reinforcing once more that Humphrey's By The Sea is perhaps the quintessential intimate California outdoor live music venue. And judging by Hiatt's perpetual smile and ubiquitous dose of facial expressions and grimaces, he was there not only to entertain the almost sold-out show but to have serious fun. To be sure, this is not the first Hiatt show I've attended. A couple years ago he did an interesting mini-tour with peer singer-songwriter guitarists Joe Ely, Guy Clark and Lyle Lovett. And just before recording his latest release, Master of Disaster, he performed a solo acoustic show where he tested some songs off the new album at the venerable Coach House in San Juan Capistrano - you can read my review of that show here. Humphrey's By The Bay on San Diego's Shelter Island is a waterfront hotel, gourmet restaurant and outdoor theatre. In the early 80's it started what was then a summer smooth jazz concert series. Besides Hiatt, the 1300-seat outdoor theater, now in its 25th year and thanks to California's endless summer sees more than 80 nights of music and comedy this year including Boz Scaggs, Lyle Lovett, India Arie, Blues Traveler, Queensryche and Emmy Lou Harris -- a wonderfully diverse and more interesting lineup than the smooth jazz Humprey's started with years ago. Tonight's show opened up with a short electric set by the North Mississippi Allstars, Hiatt's supporting band featuring Luther and Cody Dickinson on guitar and drums and Chris Chew on bass. The Dickinson brothers are sons of legendary Memphis record producer Jim Dickinson=. Ironic enough, the elder Dickinson produced Hiatt's 21st album Master of Disaster which this tour is featuring and promoting.

I was unfamiliar with the three-time nominated North Mississippi Allstars prior to attending this concert and based on reports from other dates on Hiatt's tour I expected an acoustic bluesy rock set from the up and coming NMAS. Instead, the youthful band delivered a mix of rhythm and blues and rock providing the perfect soundtrack to the setting sun. The set featured drummer Cody Dickinson playing his funky washboard to the driving beat of Chew's bass and brother Luther and helper on drums -- the most unique washboard solo I've ever heard. Luther Dickinson's slide guitar work was also a surprise but his vocals were lost in the mix and lacked punch and soul -- perhaps he's shy and not comfortable fronting the larger venue. And his lack of audience eye contact wasn't helped by the flap of hair hanging in his face. But judging from the sound and audience reaction this band is one to watch as they grow together -- and I'm sure several months on the road with legend and performing mentor John Hiatt will will help blend confidence and experience making for a tasty future for the Hernando, Mississippi trio. Commanding the stage after a short 15-minute intermission Hiatt delivered the goods throughout a 16 song set that blended songs from his latest release with a handful of amped-up versions of Hiatt classics proving that the 54-year old performer not only still has the song-writing chops but has the guts and energy to inject new life into his timeless songs. And keeping them timely is something Hiatt does best. During a rock n' roll driving version of his Memphis In The Meantime from his 1987 release Bring on the Family Hiatt brought the lyrics current by replacing Ronnie Milsap with Brad Paisley:

Not ‘till hell freezes over, maybe you can wait that long, But I don’t think Brad Paisley's ever gonna record this song

Still, sitting in the restaurant prior to the show I shared a taste of wine with the folks at the table next to me and the conversation quickly turned to John Hiatt. "When I told people I was going to see John Hiatt tonight, they all said 'Who?'", the gentleman in his early 40's said to me. And perhaps that's the good thing about John Hiatt. Though many may not know him by name, more people know his songs for Bonnie Raitt, Iggy Pop, Conway Twitty, Three Dog Night, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton have all covered his songs. Looking around at the handful of empty seats on the grass at Humphrey's I'm amazed that tickets for Hiatt were still available as he began his set yet Queensryche is sold out for a show two months from now.

Hiatt rock n' roll opener, the title track from his early 90's release Perfectly Good Guitar and driven by Luther Dickinson's masterful slide guitar work, set the tone for the rest of the concert: this wasn't going to be acoustic folk show playing homage to roots music. Instead, the band launched into driving versions of Buffalo River Home and Your Dad Did and then metamorphosing the normally folkie Howlin' Down The Cumberland into a rocking blues anthem. And taking the lyrics up a notch Hiatt jumped into his own take on Da Vinci code controversy lamenting the destiny and whereabouts of love and affection in Love's Not Where We Thought We Left It:

"The apostles were jealous Of Mary Magdalene and Jesus Said why do you love her more than us Jesus turned back in disgust Said why do I love her more than you The answer is a question Just ask yourself what can I do To gain my lord's affection Love's not where you thought you left it Who took the last of love and kept it Caged love in tried to protect it Love's not where we thought we left it"

After the crowd raising Tiki Bar Hiatt returned to the stage sans NMAS to sing the soulful Have A Little Faith solo on the piano then brought the crowd back to their feet and singing along to Slow Turning, perhaps his only top 10 hit in his more than 30 year musical career. So while Hiatt may not sit in the mainstream, his music, songwriting, performance combined with the amazing talent he surrounds himself with means he'll always have an audience in me and the other several hundred friends that joined me last night for a California night of rock n' roll and good wine.

The Worst Song of All Time?

Thu, 11 Nov 2004 07:44:23 GMT

BBC reports that a Beatles song from the White Album has been voted as the worst song of all time. I'd have to disagree. Take virtually any song by Foreigner or Journey and it'd score much lower in my book. What's your worst song of all time?

I'll Never Forget You Scott

Wed, 29 Sep 2004 23:28:53 GMT

I missed Scott Alexander's phone call this afternoon. His voice on the message was somber and monotone. "Big Al," he cracked. "The legend is gone. Scott Muni is dead."

Growing up in a small Connecticut suburb of New York City I spent hours and hours listening to Scott Muni on WNEW-FM. The low rumble and deep timbre of his voice flowed through my headphones as I learned and listened about the Rolling STones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead and many more rock legends of the 70's and 80's. Scott Muni died today. He was 74. You might call Scott the founding father of alternative radio. There's no question that WNEW-FM was responsible for creating a new format, a new genre of radio with Scott Muni its leader and icon. It was Scott who moved many of us from the top-40 bubble gum jingle of AM radio to the underground. The ethereal and mystic sounds of FM. My adolescent affinity and passion for music never faded. I can still hear Scott's's voice today. I later worked as a DJ in Hartford, Connecticut and Syracuse, New York. His cadence, casualness and immense knowledge of music influenced me and fueled my desire to learn about music and to fulfill my dream of being an FM DJ. It's sad that the days of DJs like Scott seem to be past us. Now we're pumped generic and homogenized payola pop courtesy of ClearChannel. Or, numb to the sterile corporate rock we turn to Internet Radio or satellite services like XM or Sirius. I do have hope. And maybe we'll see Scott's influence rise in these alternatives to broadcast radio. I'll miss you Scott. But your voice is in my ears forever. Thanks for the inspiration. Listen to Scott at Live Aid in 1985 - here.

Living Wirelessly: Airport Express Update

Sat, 24 Jul 2004 21:38:23 GMT

My new Apple Airport Express arrived earlier this week. Within 45 minutes I had it connected to my wireless network here and streaming music to my home theatre sound system. About the size of a cigarette pack, it compacts a Airport Base Station in a portable device that adds ethernet and USB ports for expanding the network or adding wireless printing capability to existing networks. Then I started playing. And soon I discovered the limitations of the Airport Express and WIFI in general. Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge WIFI fan and encourage everyone to untether themselves from ethernet cables and enjoy the freedom of wireless internet access. Apple has a technology built into its "Extreme" WIFI products and included it with Airport Express. Called WDS (wireless distribution system) it allows you the ability to create a larger network by placing Airport Extreme or Express base stations in proximity to each other. So this is a simple approach to getting beyond the 50-100 foot reach of 802.11x (WIFI). One base station picks up the signal of another base station and then transmits it even further. Kind of like cell towers in cellular phone technology: when you move out of the range of one cell tower, the next tower picks your signal up without a blip -- well, almost. When I first installed my wireless network Apple's Extreme products (802.11g) hadn't yet been released. But when I completed construction on my office/studio building in the backyard I bought an Airport Extreme base station. But this too was prior to the release of WDS. So I had to run a subterranean CAT-5 cable from my home (where the DSL Router resides) and my office. At this point I set up my wireless network to "ROAM". This means that like cell phones I can move with my laptop around my property and the strongest signal available will serve me my internet access wirelessly. The difference here is both base stations are connected to the router. Theoretically, with WDS I could have saved the hassle of burying the CAT-5 cable and making the physical connection. So with two base stations on my property you'd figure I could get great wireless access anywhere in the property. Wrong! In my bedroom (ok, so I shouldn't be on the computer when in the bedroom, but that's another discussion) the signal is barely intelligible. And if I do get a connection it drops as bad as my old Verizon cell service did (I'm a t-mobile fan now). So enter Airport Express. I figured that by installing a second Airport Express in my bedroom I would enable WDS and extend the range of my network and have a solid signal in my bedroom, plus I'd be able to stream any of my 14,000 songs and 20 some odd playlists to my bedroom speakers. Great idea. But nah! I've spent a couple days playing with WDS. First, I used my Extreme base station as the primary access point for both the Airport Express and the first generation Airport Base station in the house. While I was able to extend the network, the music streaming from my G4 Cube MP3 Music Server would hiccup constantly by playing about 10 seconds of music then dropping the connection for 2 seconds then picking it up again. Annoying. Then I tried it on my home theatre stereo with WDS. A bit better but it would still drop the music signal intermittently. Finally, I disabled the WDS, reconfigured the network for roaming, did not enable the Airport Expresses to "extend the range of my existing Airport Network. And even in the far reaches of my bedroom, I'm streaming my music without the hiccuping. Though I seem to find periodically the music simply stops. I think this happens when, like any streaming audio or video application, it loses a connection and attempts to reconnect. By simply selecting the stream in iTunes to play through the server then back to the Airport Express it reconnects and plays. This IS annoying and I'm not sure if anyone else is experiencing this problem. I'm chalking it up to the dead zone that my bedroom resides in relation to the Airport network here. While I have been using netTunes to control the music in the office/studio while in my home, I would love to control iTunes remotely without a computer. To be sure, I do have Salling Clicker enabled on my Sony Ericsson P900 smartphone. And with Bluetooth I'm able to control iTunes on my laptop - but not over netTunes. I could purchase a Bluetooth adapter for the Cube MP3 Music Server, but I'm not sure the range will extend beyond my office/studio. Now if there was a way to extend the range of Bluetooth???? Ahhh. The joys of early adoption and new technology. But aren't we having fun!!!

15,000 Songs and Counting. I Want To Access & Listen To Them Everywhere!

Sun, 18 Jul 2004 08:33:07 GMT

Using netTunes, Airport Express and AirTunes. Isn't this what the Digital Hub was supposedly to be all about? It was just about a year ago when I completed converting my more than 1,200 CDs into AAC/MP3 format where they now reside on a 2000 vintage G4 Cube. The Mac Cube is my Music Server. And since relegating this great piece of Apple technology for music, I've had big plans for music in my office and home. Originally, I had planned to use the cube as a headless (no monitor/display attached) server connected to my primary stereo/home theatre system in my home. With the ability to share iTunes music libraries over computers on the same network, I had planned to simply connect speakers in my office (which resides in a small guest house in my back yard) and I would have access to my 15,000 songs using iTunes library sharing. But this solution presented a couple unique challenges. First, my Cube isn't equipped with a Airport (WiFi/802.11) card. Not that this would be an insurmountable challenge, it was another expense. Secondly, space is a problem. The great thing about the Cube is that it doesn't have a fan and therefore is extremely quiet. It is also very small and given that I'd opt out of connecting a monitor to the Cube it would not require too much real estate among my other audio and video components. However, the power supply for the Cube is about 1/3 the size of the cube itself. Again these obstacles are not deal breakers, but they do increase the challenge and functionality of my planned solution. Finally, I do like to create and burn mix/collection CDs of music for my friends. And in 2000 CD burners were not standard equipment on Macintosh computers. So I've got an external CD burner that is connected via firewire to the cube. And even with the great library sharing capability of iTunes, it is not easily possible to burn CDs using shared music. So the CD burner would need to find a home in my audio/home theatre arsenal of equipment. Whew. Perhaps my biggest headache involves accessing the "headless server" to operate iTunes, create playlists , burn CDs and simply to search and find the music I want to hear for the mood of the moment. Of course, I had that figured out, too. I'd simply use either Timbuktu or Apple Remote Desktop. Both of these applications would allow me to use my PowerBook or other computer on the home network to connect to the Cube and control all operations of that computer. In other words, these programs would allow me to remotely administer and operate the Cube. Since I already own Timbuktu there would be no additionally cost. However, this technology while excellent does come with a bit of overhead and therefore operating a remote computer this way reduces performance and can create a sluggish and frustrating experience. But hey. It would work. The result? I'd have a music juke box with 15,000 songs at my whim. Plus I could access this music in my office in the building next to my house. Wow! But due to the issues and challenges mentioned I haven't moved on my ultimate plan since pulling it together a year ago. Now comes the good part. When Apple introduced the Airport Express about a month ago I immediately rushed to the Apple online store and ordered one. And I'll likely purchase one or two more. Why? Because With the introduction of this amazing technology I no longer need to move the Cube, the Cube's power supply and the CD burner to my audio/video component arsenal in the great room of my home. With the deck of cards sized Airport Express, I could simply connect a TOS-link optical cable from the Airport Express to my A/V Receiver and send the music from iTunes running on my Cube. And keep in mind, the Cube is still sitting in its very comfortable resting place among my home recording equipment in my office and studio in the guest house in my back yard. Which means that I still have access to another computer in my office which is great for clients and guests who visit and need to check email, burn CDs or do simply non-processor intensive tasks. Even with all this exciting Airport Express technology and functionality, I'm still not out of the woods. The challenge of controlling iTunes and choosing songs to play in my house has not been alleviated. Whenever I want to change a playlist, choose a different song or field a request at a dinner party for new music I'd have to step outside my house, into my office/studio operate iTunes on the Cube and then come back into my home. So you're thinking: "What's a little walk, Allan? Exercise is good!" Sure. But remember I could solve this problem using the remote control capabilities of Timbuktu or Apple Remote Desktop. But again, these programs are overkill for simply running iTunes. Plus, the performance hit as a result of the overhead would create that frustrating experience. Not fun for just choosing or creating a new playlist. But I was prepared to deal with this compromise just so I could access 15,000 songs and play them on my home stereo. Then I found Dave Nanian, Shirt Pocket Software and netTunes -- undoubtedly the coolest and best new program for the Macintosh I've see this year. Sure, a bold statement but check it out. netTunes is a client/server application that allows you to access and control iTunes running a remote computer on the same network. In other words, I can use my PowerBook anywhere in my house, office/studio, back yard, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen or neighbors pool to launch iTunes and create playlists, change the volume or simply search and play any of my 15,000 songs. Even better, netTunes simply launches the iTunes application Window on the client machine. That means it looks, feels and operates just as if you were running the iTunes program on your computer. But the songs and playlists are on a remote machine. And with Airport Express and its AirTunes technology I can use netTunes to send that music to any Airport Express equipped stereo or speakers on my home network. For me the options are endless. I also have outdoor speakers so I can play music in my back yard. I like to work on my patio wirelessly with my PowerBook. So I can control music while relaxing in the summer sun. Or for those summer outdoor parties and bbq's, I can easily choose and play music to fit those summer moods. All using netTunes on my laptop. Plus, netTunes places "transport" controls for iTunes in the menu bar on OS X. This means I can pause, choose the previous or next song without having the iTunes window open and active. For me, and anyone wishing to run an MP3 or music server netTunes is a must have. And at only $19.95 it's an incredible value. Dave offers a trial version that will let you run netTunes at full functionality for 30 minutes before it shuts down. So you're thinking what are the cons here. With so much raving about netTunes, AirTunes and Airport Express there has to be a down side, right? Not really. While I haven't used Airport Express, I'm very curious to hear it -- audio quality and any degradation that might occur broadcasting high quality audio across 802.11(x). As for netTunes? Installation is easy and it runs great. I had a little difficulty licensing the server, but this proved to be user error. The cool thing about netTunes licensing is Dave (netTunes developer) has decided to require licensing only for the server. This means any client computer can have netTunes installed for free. These clients can control any licensed netTunes server. The only odd thing about netTunes is that the iTunes window from the remote/server computer is resizable non-proportionally. So you can get some stretched and distorted views of your iTunes windows. However, Dave indicated he may include a shift-lock for those who wish to retain the original iTunes window proportion. So a year in planning and I'm almost there. Now if Apple would just ship my Airport Express. Then the fun really starts to begin. Hey, when it does. Come on over for a wine tasting -- and a full demo of all of this wacky stuff! I'm loving it.

All Music Sports A New Face

Wed, 14 Jul 2004 09:26:42 GMT

I noticed that AllMusic.com quietly updated their site and identity with a complete redesign. If you are a music fan and savour the history, discography, reviews, guest performers and nearly anything you could ever want to know about your favorite artists, then get over to AllMusic and see what you've been missing. For me, the jury is out on the new site design. I loved the simplicity of the previous design. The user interface was clean and nearly all the most important information was available on the artists "home page". With the new design AllMusic has resorted to the ubiquitous tabbed interface. So more clicks are required to dig into the information you want to know. Plus, now it appears that AllMusic is holding back specific content for "registered members." This bothers me a bit. But considering the content available at no charge registration is a small price. For me, I love AllMusic because it quickly tells me who else has covered a particular band or songwriter's tunes. In addition, it gives a basic overview of who the band was influenced by and who was influenced by that band. There are access to reviews and like a great site you can quickly explore and branch out and discover new artists that you might never have heard before. AllMusic is not a web newcomer. I was happy that The Mollusk turned me on to this site last summer. Since then it's my number one resource for music information. Everybody is listed here. Plus, if you are anal about keeping your iTunes Music Library clean and with album artwork, go no further than AllMusic to grab artwork and make sure you've got the correct information in your MP3 ID tags!

Gram Parsons Tribute - Santa Barbara

Wed, 14 Jul 2004 07:47:12 GMT

So the last time I checked in I was off to spend a long weekend in the sunny Southern California community of Santa Barbara. The draw? Good friends, good music and good wine. Left the laptop at home and headed up the coast. Highlight of the amazing weekend was a benefit concert paying tribute to Gram Parsons, the legendary musician who wasted his life away at 26 years old in Joshua Tree over a heroin and tequila binge in the early 70's. He left behind not only his music legacy which attributes the blending of rock n' roll and country music -- some now like to call this genre "alt country" or even "Americana". He influenced The Rolling Stones and from his short career with The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers he has inspired Emmylou Harris, Wilco, Beck, David Crosby, Steve Earle, Sheryl Crow, Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch and many others. The lineup Friday night was incredible: Keith Richards, Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Jim Lauderdale, John Doe and many others. Richard's attributes Parsons' influence to Stones' albums Exile on Main Street and Sticky Fingers. To me, the most amazing influence of Parsons' is on "Dead Flowers" and certainly "Wild Horses."

[...] Richards has said that Parsons "probably did more than anyone to put a new face on country music. He brought it into the mainstream of music again. ... I think I learned more from Gram than anybody else. ... Gram changed the face of country music without anyone even knowing it. He was just a very special guy. He was my mate, and I wish he'd remained my mate for a lot longer."

Rather than bowl you over with details on Gram Parsons live (I urge you to check out the website about the concert which occurred on Friday night in Santa Barbara and Saturday in Los Angeles at the Universal Amphitheater). Instead I'd like to point out a few highlights of the show in Santa Barbara. First, I was so impressed by the performance of Dwight Yoakam who belted out a high-energy version of "Sin City" that left me jaw-dropped and thinking that's Dwight Yoakam? And I thought I'd always prefer him as an actor (remember Sling Blade?) Heartfelt performances by siren's Lucinda Williams and Norah Jones left me yearning for more. Each artist performed only two songs. Lucinda and Norah both brought musicians from their respective touring bands. But perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening was Keith Richards when he rolled on stage just after Norah finished her last song. Grabbing the sultry and sexy youngster he shuffles up to the microphone and mumbles in a slightly alcohol induced (this is Keith Richards after all) English cockney something about how he gets to perform with Norah. With a cigarette dangling between his fingers and a beaded headband keeping his hair out of his face he goes on to say "I've got say a couple things about G.P.". Then he launches into "Love Hurts" made popular by Nazareth in the 1970's, and song Parsons' didn't write but recorded for his Grievous Angel album. Soon Richards is calling to the rest of the band for help on the vocals. We now know without question why Mick sings Richards' tunes. He just cannot sing. It's pathetic. Next he says "I haven't ever sang this song... and I'm not sure if I can remember it." The band jumps into Wild Horses and thank god after one verse Norah, Jim Lauderdale, Steve Earle and others help with the song. Not that I have anything against Keith Richards but he may have hit the nail on the head hear at a tribute concert of a true music legend who dies at 26 years old, "If only the good die young, where does that leave me?" An amazing show. And if you've never been to the Santa Barbara Bowl, it's perhaps one of the nicest venues I've ever seen a concert in Southern California. Check it out.

iPods Threaten Corporate & Enterprise Security (oh no!)

Thu, 08 Jul 2004 07:55:57 GMT

Ban The iPod On Campus! At Work! Good God. I see it coming. Even the driest of technical or trade publications aren't immune to the lure of hype that supermarket tabloids and Rupert Murdoch are famous for. In this article in the every exciting Enterprise Security Today, Esther points me to the article where the headline harps "iPods Pose Enterprise Security Threat". Good god I feel like I'm revisiting the Apple-bashing by the media of days gone by in the mid to late 90's where you couldn't read an article about Apple without the ubiquitous modifiers of "beleaguered", "embattled" and "doomed" -- take a trip (back in time) and see how many times Apple is described with such words) But for 2004, this article takes the cake. I'm not sure whether author Jason Lopez simple wishes he had his own iPod or would rather be writing for a mainstream tech publication that evaluates the not music toting devices. He even takes a shot at Apple by mentioning the new Sony MP3 player which can hold more songs than the iPod -- all under the guise of how portable storage devices are a threat to corporate enterprise security. Give me a break.

Sony Color MP3 Player?

Mon, 10 May 2004 16:54:01 GMT

A rival to the iPod? This is interesting. BTW, more updates from China later today...

RealNetworks Pleads With Apple To Go After Microsoft

Thu, 15 Apr 2004 06:50:16 GMT

Ok. So maybe my title is a bit on the tabloid side of media hype. But according to an article in tomorrow's New York Times Rob Glaser, Real CEO offered to create a "tactical alliance" with Apple in an e-mail message to Steve Jobs. Apparently there was a bit of "and if you don't" message in the e-mail indicating Glaser maybe knocking on the doors in Redmond next. I'm not sure what's happening behind the closed doors in Cupertino, Redmond and Seattle, but it's clear that Real is under Real pressure to perform. I've never liked RealAudio, Real Player, or Real anything. Except the reality that there are too many media formats on the net and there needs to be a shake-up. Real Networks has been struggling to find its position and has had mild success. However from a practical user point of view, the Real media that I listen or watch on the internet litters my desktop with a slew of .ram files. And maybe there's a preference or setting that would stop this annoying behavior, but as a user I shouldn't have to worry about such things. Both QuickTime and Windows Media Player run much more smoothly for me. Another problem with Real is that they gotta generate revenue from users. And while a free Real Player is available for Mac OS X, finding it on their website is nearly impossible. They do everything they can included the smallest possible font to lock you into a commitment to buy the non-free version. Sure you can buy a PRO version of QuickTime, but Apple doesn't try to trick you into the Pro version when all you need to do is download a player app to watch a movie trailer. As for Windows Media Player, I've got no clue. It works. Was simply to download and works transparently. Bravo. But what's really at stake here is the music sales online. Apple clearly nailed this market and developed a slick solution. And they're selling a boatload of music. And along the way Apple developed a beautiful Windows application and clearly has the best MP3 Player/Jukebox for both Macintosh and Windows. And key to the online music sales is Apple's Fairplay digital rights management system. This is how Apple got past the red herring that was plaguing the record companies and holding them back from online music sales. Instead of focusing on a solution for the problem the record companies and RIAA went after users with fear tactics and witch hunt like law suits. Moving in its shadows, Apple came up with a system that works and the record companies have bought into. And it's just want Rob Glaser wants. Glaser and Real want to be able to sell music through an online service that will play on the number one selling MP3 players in the business. In a licensing deal that Apple could ink, Glaser would then make the iPod the standard music device sold through the Real online store. I'm not sure what the traffic or revenue stream generated by Real and its online store. But if it's significant this could be a coup for Apple while forging a path toward defacto standardization. And we all know what's at the end of the proprietary technology path. Darkness and defeat. Ask Apple. Ask Sony. But if Jobs wants to keep his exclusive and be the only game in town for selling music that will play on the iPod, he won't ink a deal with Real. And it's here where it gets complicated. I think Jobs learned his lessons log ago. He has already established relationships relating to iTunes and the iTunes Music Store with Hewlett-Packard and AOL. Pundits will likely draw on Jobs past and predict he'll turn down Glaser's offer. And according to the Times, Jobs hasn't' responded. The fact that this memo was leaked caught Glaser by surprise. So he says. I'd bet that's not the case. No matter what this is going to be an interesting story to watch.

Anything But Clear. Poof. Howard Stern's Gone, Gone, Gone.

Fri, 09 Apr 2004 00:15:03 GMT

This just in. Clear Channel announced a few hours ago that it would permanently pull The Howard Stern Show from its airways and has been fined $495,000 for indecency stemming from the Stern Show. Clear Channel who last month temporarily pulled the show from its roster of stations after the FCC began its witch hunt for indecency, pointed to the fact the "congress and the FCC are even beginning to look at revoking station licenses, that's a risk we are just not willing to take." I've been outspoken about Clear Channel and how it is the largest contributor to the sterilization and homogenization of radio and the music we hear for well over a year. To be sure, I'm no fan of the Howard Stern show which I find sophomoric, silly and a waste of time, but personal taste aside, I think this is sad message communicated by both Clear Channel and the FCC about restriction of personal liberties, freed speech and is simply an end around move to censor. And for this I cannot sit silent. I'm not going to jump on the blog and mainstream press bandwagon that have been active since Clear Channel temporarily pulled the show in raising the conspiracy flog. Stern has publicly accused the Clear Channel folding under the pressure of the Bush Administration because Stern, a self-admitted republican, has been extremely harsh and outspoken about Bush and his performance as president. Yet one can't help but wonder why Stern's successful radio show that has been on the air for nearly 20 years is now the subject of such scrutiny about decency. Good god, did Janet Jackson inspire all this? Even The New York Post finds hypocrisy in Clear Channel's effort to clean up its act. Whether Clear Channel is spineless and not interested in fighting for personal liberties or free press or is a political gunslinging assailant or victim is beyond the scope of this post. But one thing is for sure, this is another nail in the coffin why Clear Channel ought to be taken off the air instead of Howard Stern. You can read my past posts and criticisms of the Clear Channel machine here, here, here and here. Plus, check out this good article from Reason on media consolidation.

John Hiatt - Solo Acoustic - Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, California

Tue, 16 Mar 2004 08:23:09 GMT

Another gig at the infamous Coach House in San Juan. The Coach House is one of those love/hate venues for me. I love the fact that they attract top artists such as Hiatt, Al Stewart, Adrian Belew, Peter Fripp, JJ Cale, Bruce Cockburn, Robben Ford, David Lindley, Norah Jones and many more. But the venue has questionable acoustics, they typically mix the music too loud and the food sucks. Yet the place holds less than 300 people, has good looking hostesses and is unmatched in Orange County for the artist line up and an intimate live music experience. John Hiatt is one of those great artists who has achieved more success having his songs recorded and performed by other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Eric Clapton & B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, and Emmylou Harris. A true singer-songwriter's singer-songwriter, Hiatt has more than 23 records under his belt. I've seen John play a half a dozen times and always at small to mid-sized venues such as The Belly Up in Solana Beach, The Warfield in San Francisco and The Grove in Anaheim. Typically John plays with a complete band and classically John gives his compadres in recording and touring their own name -- call it a brand. Most recently it was The Goners, who appear on his most recent release Beyond This Gruff Exterior. Other bands that have joined him include The Nashville Queens and The Guilty Dogs. But tonight he shed himself of excess baggage and took the stage at The Coach House naked, save a couple six-string guitars, a 12-string and an electric piano. The primary difference between catching a gig at a small venue versus a full-blown production at a bigger theatre or heaven forbid a hockey arena is the connection the artist makes with the audience -- on a personal venue. Someone in the crowd yelled out between songs "How's Rita?" John held off from launching into one of the 25 songs we'd hear that night and asked "Who?" "Rita!" John rubbed his brow with one hand muting the strings of his ax with the other. "Rita. Rita Farnsworth?" He looked puzzled but a huge smile came to his face. "I can't believe it. Rita Farnsworth, the first girl I ever kissed." The nerve racking thing for many artists playing this small intimate venues is the fact that either the confident, curious or obnoxious can and will yell things at the artist. And they will be heard. Many times these are song requests. Big productions and artists on long or never ending tours typically play the same core songs every night. The set lists are typically "set" in stone with some room for flexibility. But at the beginning of the show the 51 year old came clean with the audience announcing "I'm too old for set lists." So when the woman in the front yelled for "Georgia Rae", Hiatt simply changed the tuning of his guitar while telling a story how he and his 15 year old daughter watched these two local daredevil cats dart in front of cars near their home. One day they discovered that one of the cats had met its fate. Then he played this sweet melody he wrote about Georgia Rae when she was just an infant. Later commenting on how he just didn't know what to say to his daughter about the death of the feline. The beauty of watching Hiatt perform is feeling his raw emotion and soul as he makes the wildest facial expressions I've seen any artist make. These aren't simply rehearsed "trying to look cool" poses. Rather face winces, rolled tongue filling cheek, tongue out of the mouth and fang revealing teeth and bobbing head and winced face expressions. You get them all with Hiatt. No matter how funny that might make him look it shows that the audience, the music, the words and his presence have captured his soul and he is releasing in full force and giving it right back to the audience. Hard for me to explain, but seeing Hiatt bare bones on stage, connecting with his audience and delivering solid songs acoustically with a raw and powerful sensibility made my spine tingle. And that's no joke. I remember reading an interview earlier this year in which Hiatt discussed his approach to recording. He prefers to record live. That is he typically doesn't record his guitar track and then lay down his vocals. He feels that to truly capture the essence of his song is to sing and play it with the band -- live.

Recording live has "sort of been our modus operandi, roughly speaking, since 'Bring the Family' [in 1987], but in varying degrees," Hiatt says. "We just set it up so that I could play acoustic guitar and sing, and we could all play at the same time. If I go back and sing a vocal when I'm not playing, I don't sing the same. I'm not down in the music. It's different. It doesn't work. I don't phrase it the same. I don't feel it the same as when I'm flailing away on the guitar."

His 25 song set could have come out of my iTunes best of Hiatt playlist playing several songs from my favorite disc, Crossing Muddy Waters, including Take It Down, Gone Gone Away and a slow and soul drenched version of the title cut Crossing Muddy Waters. But perhaps the highlight for me and the other couple hundred fans that crammed the sold out venue was a couple new songs he's considering for an acoustic album to be released later this fall. Wintertime Blues is a funny song about being holed up with cabin fever when the snow is falling and freezing ice make it impossible to go anywhere. Though he commented that playing in Southern California we cry when it rains for more than a couple hours. He winded up the two and a half hour set with a raucous version of Memphis In The Meantime in which he successfully enlisted the crowd to "haw" and "haw, haw, haw" along with him. Then slowed down and laid back exchanging guitar strings for the keys of his piano belting out heartfelt versions of Lipstick Sunset and Have A Little Faith in Me. No question John had a lot of fun on stage that night. I hope his little acoustic experiment yields another great album and a chance to see him raw again next year.

Al Stewart - Live

Mon, 15 Mar 2004 02:22:36 GMT

It has been a busy week or so since I last was able to put some time into quality blogging. So I'll try to catch up with a number of posts today and tomorrow. Music. I'm going to do a little housekeeping on musical activities of the last couple weeks. Al Stewart - Live at The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, California Through our mutual passion for wine Al and I have become close friends over the years and whenever he makes it into Southern California we make a point to find time for dinner and sharing of excellent wine. I've enjoyed Al's music since the late 70's and early 80's when he penned Year of the Cat and Time Passages -- both reaching the number one position on the charts and giving Al two multi-gold and platinum albums. A consummate storyteller with charming British wit Al's catalog of over 20 albums gives him plenty of material to choose from. Throughout the 80's and 90's Al toured the world with a full 6 and sometimes 7 piece band. Beyond Al's voice, songwriting and engaging patter, the highlight of these performances perhaps was the guitar work of Peter White. Today, Peter has an extremely successful career as a soft jazz or new age guitar player. But today, Al prefers the solo acoustic gig where it's just him, his guitar and an engaging audience waiting for him to dole out his trademark songs about history. These include Nostradamos, Roads To Moscow (The Nazi's fateful march in World War II in the footsteps of Napoleon), Running Man (Nazi war criminals and those who hunted them throughout South America), Joe the Georgian (about Joseph Stalin), Antartica (about Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton's expeditions to the icy continent), Peter on the White Sea (Peter (I) the Great -- Tsar of Russia from 1682, Emperor from 1721) and more. You get the idea.

In 1995 Al released "Between The Wars" featuring ex-Paul McCartney & Wings guitarist Laurence Juber as producer and guitarist. Six years later the two collaborated on "Down In The Cellar" an album that was never officially released in the United States because the U.S. distributor filed for bankruptcy and the rights to the U.S. distribution were/are tied up in litigation. All of this is to say that Al is currently collaborating and writing new songs with Laurence for what could turn into an album that I hope they'll release next year. So this night at the Coach House, Laurence joined us for dinner and Al on stage for an evening of incredible acoustic music. But I have to admit, perhaps the highlight of the evening (save the Marcassin Chardonnay) was minutes before Al and Laurence took the stage when Laurence was warming up and played perhaps the most amazing version of Layla I've ever heard. You know the ending part of that song? You know the part that was played by Derek & The Dominoes drummer and Clapton co-writer Jim Gordon? Watching and listening to Laurence recreate this touching part of that song on a six-string Martin guitar was spellbinding. Everyone in the room urged Laurence to play it for the crowd gathering downstairs for the show. He did. If you don't own any Laurence Juber or Al Stewart music, I urge you to go to the iTunes music store and sample and buy a few. Or, here are my recommendations as an intro to Al Stewart and Laurence Juber at Amazon. Enjoy them!

Back to the show. Al hit the stage first and played a few songs including Apple Cider Reconstitution, on of my favorite and from his classic Modern Times album. Several songs later Laurence joined Al on stage where they played several songs from Between The Wars, most notably Night Train to Munich where the two shined and clearly demonstrated that while it'd been a while since they played live together, one could feel their recent collaboration that week recording demos in Laurence's LA studio was long overdue and they were enjoying playing together. Al plans to return to LA to work on what may be a new album in early April. Stay tuned. Photos: (1) Laurence Juber backstage at the Coach House performing amazing acoustic guitar arrangement of Layla; (2) Laurence Juber and Al Stewart on Stage at the Coach House in February 2004.

MacWorld San Francisco - Live Report

Tue, 06 Jan 2004 18:56:12 GMT

iPod iPod Mini Comes in 5 colors! Jobs is talking iPod success. The holiday quarter for the iPod, Apple sold 700,000 + iPods. This means now Apple has sold more than 2 million iPods. Apple is showing the iPod sales curve. Marketshare for Apple in MP3 market: 31% and 55% in revenues. (no December figures inlcuded in this market) The 10 gigabyte will now be upgraded to 15 gigs and keeping the same price at $299. New Apple in ear headphones will sell for $39. There's a new advertisement for iPod. Great! Hip! Jobs is talking about the 62% of MP3 markets which are cheaper using Flash memory -- called Flash Players. He's showing the RIO player that has 256 mb holds 60 songs and is about an inch thick. Terrible interface. Jobs is introducing a second member of the iPod family. iPod mini is introduced. IPod Mini

4 gigs
1,000 songs
1/2 inch thick
$249 price tag

The size of a business card. 1/2 inch thick. Garage Band Add-ons for Garage Band:

Jam Pack - more instruments and 2,000 more loops, 15 more amps. Only $99

How much will all this cost?

Only $49!

A major pro audio music creation tool -- for everybody! Per Gallup Poll 1/2 of all US households have at least one person who plays a musical instrument.
Digitally mix up to 64 tracks
Use over 1,000 professional loops
Plug your guitar directly into your mac and choose different guitar and amp sounds
Software Instruments - use any USB or MIDI keyboard

John Mayer joins Jobs on stage to demonstrate Garage Band.
GarageBand will record live Midi information from the Keyboard or any other MIDI or USB based instrument.
This looks so cool.
Jobs is now creating a groove song using loops. He's having a lot of fun. The crowd is patient as he creates. I love the way this looks and sounds. I hope its performance matches the great look.
GarageBand comes with built in guitar amps. This is like the original POD or SansAmp -- boxes you could plug guitars into to model old amplifiers.
Mayer is playing vintage 70's amp, surf, rock etc. Sounds great!
Now Mayer is recording lead guitar over loops directly into the Mac using GarageBand. I had no idea he could really play guitar. Great songwriter. But guitar player, too.
GarageBand supports direct export to iTunes creating a special playlist simultaneously.

iDVD

20 new themes
Enhanced menus
Enhanced slideshows
DVD navigation map
Pro encoding - 2 hours at higher quality
Wow. Now get 2 hours of movie on a single DVD
Archive projects so you can burn on another machine

iPhoto

Blazing fast performance for up to 25,000 photos
Time-based organization. Auto album generation by year.
iPhoto now supports rating photos.
Quick key for rating and rotating photos
Improved slide show
Enhnaced titling with new transitions in titles, too.
Ability to change transitions in slide show (yeah!) and have more than one song play so long shows don't just rotate the same song over and over again.
Rendezvous photo sharing: works like iTunes sharing only you can copy photos.
Now use your iSight camera to import directly from the camera.
Now supports direct posting of web-sized movie clips to .Mac accounts. Just like iPhoto.

Other Announcements

New Microsoft Office
Final Cut Express revved up to version 2
Jobs is talking about how Pepsi will give away 1,000,000 free songs. Buy a Pepsi and look under the cap you might win. Pepsi will advertise this including a spot during the SuperBowl on February 1st.
Jobs is announcing iLife 2. Wow looks like he's made major performance improvements

Thu, 02 Oct 2003 23:32:10 GMT

Years ago I saw Pink Floyd play live at Madison Square Garden. The real Pink Floyd, that is. The band that contained all members -- especially the brain child of the band, Roger Waters. I was a teenager naive, excited and alone in the Big Apple. Sitting in excellent seats while the band performed the entire works of both the Wish You Were Here and Animals albums. For encores they performed classics including Us And Them and Money. The city air in Madison Square Garden had a strange but familiar odor. My senses elevated as the endless stream of second hand smoke made contact with my olfactory organs. Ahhh. Pink Floyd. So when the band ripped into Pigs Three Different One's a giant inflated pig emerged from behind the stage and soared over the crowd. It's eyes glowing red, perhaps its eyes too sensitive for the smoke filled garden. Pig noises circled the venue through Floyd's massive quadraphonic sound system. The pig spun slowly on its axis, tilted and beamed its mug on the stoned crowd. My friend Rob and I sat transfixed on the huge flying pork. This effect was followed by floating a floating car, washing machine and husband, wife and two kids. A huge mirror ball at least two or three stories high rose from the stage during Shine on You Crazy Diamond. But none of this ancillary effects had the impact on me or the crowd as the flying pig. Years later I saw Pink Floyd again playing huge stadiums including Oakland Coliseum and Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Even a stint at the 100,000 + seat Los Angeles Coliseum. The band, sans Roger Waters performed the pseudo Pink Floyd album, Momentary Lapse of Reason. Imagine my confusion when during the bands attempt at Run Like Hell from The Wall when a huge swine spun out from the stage and hovered over the crowd. I thought to myself, "What the hell is this?" Run Like Hell and a Pig. Apples and Oranges. They just aren't meant to go together. I left the arena thinking that even though Dave Gilmour's guitar was awesome and the stage show entertaining, it was a farce. It simply wasn't Pink Floyd. Great David Gilmour concert. And very enjoyable. But the pig? Well when my friend John forwarded me an article about how the manager of String Cheese Incident purchased the Floyd Pig, I have to admit I was jealous. What if I wanted to buy it? I could fly it behind a plane along the Southern California beaches. Or, I could see if the any of the auto dealers along the 405 (San Diego Freeway) might need something different than inflated balloons, gorillas or banners.

[...] he got the prop, introduced into Floyd lore on the cover of 1977's "Animals," from a former Floyd stagehand. The first zeppelin was a female, but after Roger Waters left the group in 1984 and tried to block them from using the Pink Floyd name, the band created a male pig [...]

But I'm too late. I didn't even know the pig was for sale. And what's with String Cheese Incident? Are they trying to transition into being a Floyd cover band? Or simply a PR stunt? No matter what, I wish I could have seen how they used when they performed at Austin City Limits Music Festival several weeks ago.

[...] After a video of the pig's history was shown on the jumbo screen during the String Cheese set, break spotlights hit the reconstructed pig as an eight-man crew walked it through the disbelieving crowd. Then the band played "Another Brick In the Wall" to send the moment into the stratosphere. [...]

Apparently all was not well in the Pig's camp, however. It took quite the effort to revive the 1970's art rock icon.

[...] The band took it to the country's top hot-air balloon shop, which is in the band's hometown of Boulder, Colo., and was told it couldn't be repaired. "When pigs fly" went back to being a way of saying, "Not gonna happen." [...]

If you were in Austin for the show, then you'd see that Pigs Fly. But for me, some pieces of history are best laid to rest or put in museums. I'm steering clear of anything that resembles "fromage de chaîne de caractères" or however you want to translate "string cheese." Related Articles on The Digital Tavern: Gilmour & Quicktime | Floydian Slip And the gossip on Rog's departure is here.

Days The Music Died

Fri, 26 Sep 2003 17:48:44 GMT

Wow. I just found out that Robert Palmer died of a heart attack today. So we've seen Johnny Cash, Warren Zevon and now Robert Palmer. Both Zevon and Palmer in their 50's. Ouch.

Satellite Radio? Blogging?

Wed, 24 Sep 2003 21:34:23 GMT

A few things I found interesting this morning. First, Doc weighs in on his propensity to listening to satellite radio and his preference of Sirius over XM. But more important is his overview of a Times article than reviews radio options which ironically doesn't even mention AM and FM -- the old stalwarts.

[...] The truth is, licensed over-the-air broadcasting, which Michael Powell and the FCC made such a big deal about "saving" with their relaxation of ownership rules in June, is slowly dying in the "marketplace" where users continue to have approximately zero influence on receiver design decisions. The radio manufacturers gave up on AM a long time ago. There's almost no way to get a good AM radio anymore, even if you want one [...] So today, unless you get a high-end FM-only tuner, the FM section of your new home entertainment system can't compete on performance specs with a good analog tuner or receiver built twenty-five years ago. Back in those days, the audio stores and salons went out of their way to get good signals into the units on display. Today you're lucky if there's an antenna hooked up at all [...] But back then FM radio was still a living, vital medium. Now it's just a vending machine for ClearChannel.

My past ranting and opinions on Clear Channel's contribution to radio can be found here, here and here. On blogging, Halley points to Scoble's reply to Jim Blizzard's ubiquitous question 'Why Do you Blog?' What I found interesting in Scoble's answer was number two in his ordered list:

[...] 2) If I put them on my blog, I know that Google will be able to help me find them later on.

This is probably an overlooked benefit of Google and blogging. Today after reading Doc's post on Radio, I jumped to Google and quickly found my three posts I wrote about Clear Channel from month's ago. This saved me perhaps an hour of time trying to dig up old material, find permalinks and embed into my post. Secondly, i liked Scoble's number nine; number nine; number nine: [...] 9) I enjoy learning about conversational marketing. I really do believe that blogging will someday be a "new PR arm" of most major corporations. By blogging every day, I can learn a set of "best practices" that I can teach to others at Microsoft and at other corporations.
I've been long discussing the use of Weblogs in corporate America -- especially in the marketing communications department. It's only a matter of time.

It's All About Cash

Tue, 16 Sep 2003 08:47:37 GMT
Several years ago during the dawn of the internet I was asked to speak at a conference in Prague for the European Journalism Network. At the time my brother Jon was a working journalist in New York City. I was asked to speak about technology as it related to delivery of journalistic content while my brother was to speak on journalistic practices in a free world. So I arranged to take a flight that would stopover in New York City. This way my brother and I could fly together to Prague. A great plan and we worked the flight schedules accordingly. My flight arrived in the red eye early morning in New York's Kennedy Airport. I recall landing sometime after midnight. The international terminal was quiet and mysterious in its dim lighting with the caged storefronts bolted shut. Starbucks had yet to penetrate the airport market and there were no consumer services open at the time. The stopover was a couple of hours and my brother was already in the airport gate waiting area. I decided to journey into the darkened terminal to find the rest rooms and to explore the dead of a major city international airline terminal on a early May morning. As I strolled through the corridor toward the bathroom the tan speckled tie of the dated sixties airline terminal basked in the cold fluorescent lights -- complete with flickering strobe effects from dated ballasts -- when in the shadows a tall man dressed in a dark suit slowly emerged from an intersecting corridor. The sound of his boots echoed in the empty corridor as he walked closer toward me. There was something oddly familiar about him as he moved into the light. Then it hit me. My god. It's Johnny Cash. I had seen him play the Crazy Horse Saloon in Santa Ana California many months prior. His whole family played. June Carter Cash. And his daughter, Roseanne. Lip locked and stunned, but not in a star struck way, I didn't know what to do or say. As we started to pass like two ships in the night the only words that escaped the endless ideas swirling in my mind were "How's it going, John?" He looked up and our eyes locked. And a smile evolved over his hardened yet tender face. He nodded and said, "Alright." I quickly let a stream of words flow from my mouth without thinking as I explained the experience I had seeing him, June and Roseanne at the Crazy Horse. He continued walking and the echo of his boots provided a rhythmic yet minimal soundtrack to his Cashesque response, "The Crazy Horse. Yeah. I like that venue." He soon disappeared into the next intersecting corridor. For a moment I felt an opportunity missed. But then the reality hit me. Here I stood in the darkened halls of one of the busiest airports in the world alone with the man in black. My mind raced with the things I should have said. Could've said. Or never would've said. But the imagery is imprinted. Unforgettable. Unlike many of my peers, I owned a number of Johnny Cash CDs. This may have been right about the time Rick Rubin and American Recordings discovered him. I can't remember. But we walked the line in the ring of fire as I headed to Prague and he headed to Europe for yet another tour. When I arrived home on Saturday and through the faded plastic of a roadside newspaper vending machine read that Johnny Cash had died, I felt a pang of loss. Yet I remembered his performance. And I remembered the time we met. Alone -- in the big city. His first hit "I Walk The Line" could quite possibly have incubated the Rockabilly movement. His music transcended country, blues, pop and rock. It opened country music fans to pop, rock folk and blues, while paving the way for country rock and roll. His recent cover of Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails cut "Hurt" was nominated for 7 MTV music awards. Sadly, it only captured only one for cinematography. But even weeks before his death his influence and artistry is still recognized and respected by both fans and critics. I'll miss Johnny Cash. But his music will always find a home on record, CD, MP3 or whatever is next. Thanks John.
Past posts about Johnny Cash at the Digital Tavern: Circumstance | June

Update: Blogcritics has a load of comments and links on Johnny Cash.

Why Microsoft Is So Flattering.

Tue, 29 Jul 2003 19:15:32 GMT
Microsoft is considering selling music online through it's Windows Media Player application. Immitation & Flattery. Imitation is, after all, the best form of flattery. Or so the adage goes. Two other adages I hold closer to my heart are

The only things you regret in life are those that you don't do; rarely what you do.

Higher risk. Higher potential for reward.

So when I stumbled onto the new item "Microsoft considering music store", on c|net News.com last week I had shake my head a bit then poke myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I'm awake. And it's another case of deja vu. Seems Microsoft is considering developing an online music store (ala Apple's iTunes Music Store) and integrating it into Microsoft products.
[...] Gates indicated that any music store project would be more a matter of providing computer users with added convenience--and presumably, keeping people using Microsoft software--rather than a direct moneymaker. "It's maybe a feature your platform should offer, but it's not like you're going to make some (big) markup," Gates said. [...]
Of course, this could spell doom or boom for Apple's service. Just last week so ago Scott Blum (of Buy.com fame) announced and opened BuyMusic, a windows-only online music store. Validation of concept or market is a good thing. Competition is good for markets and customers. No question. But it's like the 10 year old boys teetering at the end of a tree branch 25 feel above the lake. Shivering and nervous no one wants to take the first leap. The brave soul who finally takes the plunge does more for his friends than simply experiencing the thrill of the jump and the notoriety of being first. He shows how to do it. And that it's going to be alright. Digital entertainment delivered through the internet via any number of boxes, including computers, is the future. We've all known this for sometime. Question has always been: when? So if Microsoft thinks it's time to jump. So be it. I just wish once in a while these guys would jump first. For the sake of their customers. And for the sake of innovation.

Love And A Thief. Bob Dylan Live. (sans wireless)

Mon, 28 Jul 2003 08:59:44 GMT

"I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love" - Make You Feel My Love
Just saw Bob Dylan perform tonight. By the energy of tonight's show, I'd have to say that Bobby pulls out all the stops to show his love for his audience. He loves to play. On the latest last stop of his never ending tour Bob Dylan stomped into the newly re-opened Pacific Amphitheater -- a mere and thinly disguised venue in a remote corner on the grounds of the Orange County Fair. Where else can you pay $75 face value to see a county or state fair 'has-been artist'. Later this week? See Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music) for just under $100. Only in Orange County. At the fair. But Bob Dylan is far from "has been". His 1997 Time Out of Mind swept the Grammies and his songs have been featured on a number of television shows and movies including The Sopranos and his "Things Have Changed" featured in the Michael Douglas film Wonder Boys garnered an Academy Award for best original song. On Friday "Masked and Anonymous" his attempt at screenwriting and acting opened in New York and Los Angeles to mixed reviews. But tonight Bob Dylan rocked. From a heart wrenching "It Ain't Me Babe" to a rockabilly crowd pleasing dance number "Summer Days Bobby D proved once again what a tight band and years of touring experience deliver: a show that connects with the crowd and the resulting artist/audience synergy rarely achieved with today's pre-packaged and homogeonized acts. Those like Dave Mathews who just the night before delivered a lackluster and poor performance at the new Home Depot Center in LA just north of Orange County. I got to share the experience with my buddy QMan, who happened to be in town and was motivated to check out his 15th Dylan "eventuality," QMan is the quintessential Dylan fan. As my guest blogger here's his take on tonights show:
I rate tonights Dylan concert based upon my past Dylan experiences a "B". Bobby brought us up, but he didn't take us over the hump which I have had the pleasure to know. The last time I saw him do the hump he rocked. Tonight he simply teeter tottered us. He'd bring us up. Then he'd bring us down. It was a good solid performance. The sound was excellent. His vocals were above average and he seemed to be in a chipper mood. I will say it the first time I'd ever seen him strut the stage sans instrument flailing his hands in an awkward and uncomfortable to watch way. By the same token, I understand Bob's shy nature and feeling lost without something to do. On top of all that, it's the first time I've seen him perform an entire concert without touching a guitar. He was quite content leading his band by pounding the keyboards all night. I'm always hesitant to choose a favorite song from any performance because it would be like trying to pick out your favorite bite of a delicious steak. But pressed, my favorite song of the evening had to be the big crowd pleaser, Summer Days. --Qman, July 27, 2003

"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke, There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke." -- All Along The Watchtower
QMan and I discussed the latest controversy surrounding Dylan where it is believed he "lifted" lyrics from a book by Dr. Junichi Saga, the physician and writer from Japan. We both agreed that the songs Dylan apparently ripped off would have been just as good without the lifted lines. Dylan has been quiet and to date hasn't commented on the accusations which I discovered when in Washington DC at Supernova in an article that appeared on the front page of The Wall Street Journal on July 8th. Another thing. Not a wireless intrument or microphone on the stage. Pure plugged-in rock and roll with a mix of folk, blues and country rockabillty thrown in.

"Everyone has been ripping off Bob Dylan for the last 40 years. Give the guy some slack." QMan, July 28, 2003 while looking for and finding The Giant Western Sausage at The Orange County Fair.

I've been trying to get as far away from myself as I can -- Things Have Changed
For the last 29 years Bob has relentlessly been crisscrossing the continent and the globe on what is affectionally referred to as his "never ending tour." Whether he's on the road trying to get far away or simply closer to his audience, one thing is for sure, Bob Dylan is a legend. Love him. Or hate him. You simply can't ignore him, nor his influence on music and culture. Damnit. And I just love the dude. Great show Bob. Thanks.

The Changing Face of Radio & Music Distribution

Mon, 07 Jul 2003 19:02:01 GMT
Catching up and increasing my news dosage after a well deserved time off with family, I just ran into Leander Kahney's article in today's Wired titled "Last.fm - Music To Listeners Ears." For regular readers of the Digital Tavern, it's no secret that I've been blasting the homogenization and sad state of radio today. Perhaps unfairly, but I've been particularly harsh on ClearChannel:

What Ever Happened To Great Radio?

Radio Robots Make For Cloudy Channels

Will TV & Newspapers Go The Way of ClearChannel?

Is It Too Late To Save Radio? Feingold To The Rescue...

That aside, I do believe ClearChannel is not alone, but it's perhaps the single largest contributor to the decline of good radio and therefore limiting our music choices. Kahney discusses British-based internet radio service Last.fm, and its use of collaborative filtering technology in order to tailor music streamed to listeners based on personal preferences and listening history and compares this to other listeners to its streams. This is not unlike Amazon's personal recommendations or TiVO's auto-record feature.
[...] If there's a high degree of overlap between what you and others like, it's a good bet you will like something they recommend because you have similar tastes [...] Here's how it works for Last.fm: Users can either fill out a profile or just begin listening. If a song plays to the end, the system logs this as a thumbs up. But if the user doesn't like a song and hits the Change button in the Last.fm player, it's marked as a thumbs down [...]
Also mentioned in Kahney's article is Clay Shirkey and the paper he authored earlier this year "The Music Business and the Big Flip" . In his essay Shirkey sees a new era in music publishing where artists can find new audiences and listeners can discover new music. He likens this future to what's happened with writing on the internet. Though Shirkey may avoid the word "blog" in his article, he poses the idea that internet tools like SlashDot, KiroShin, Blogdex and DayPop among others have basically eliminated the need for editors; editors in the classic sense where they filter then publish content. These new era publishers let readers and technology to publish then filter.
[...] The internet has lowered the threshold of publishing to the point where you no longer need help or permission to distribute your work. What has happened with writing may be possible with music. Like writers, most musicians who work for fame and fortune get neither, but unlike writers, the internet has not offered wide distribution to people making music for the love of the thing. A system that offered musicians a chance at finding an audience outside the professional system would appeal to at least some of them [...]
Shirkey is quick to point out there are holes in his analogy but he still sees the glass half full here.
[...] There are obvious differences here, of course, as music is unlike writing in several important ways. Writing tools are free or cheap, while analog and digital instruments can be expensive, and writing can be done solo, while music-making is usually done by a group, making coordination much more complex. Furthermore, bad music is far more painful to listen to than bad writing is to read, so the difference between amateur and professional music may be far more extreme. [...]

But for all those limits, change may yet come. Unlike an article or essay, people will listen to a song they like over and over again, meaning that even a small amount of high-quality music that found its way from artist to public without passing through an A&R department could create a significant change. This would not upend the professional music industry so much as alter its ecosystem, in the same way newspapers now publish in an environment filled with amateur writing. [...]
Last.fm is not exactly what Shirkey sees here, nor what I would like to see evolve on internet radio. There have been attempts at creating a users or "peoples' choice" system of unleashing and recognizing new artists. MP3.com and Garageband.com come to mind. Though MP3.com has a user experience that is convoluted and difficult for new users, though to its credit it has attracted quite a loyal following. Garageband, on the other hand, has had its degree of success but investors have pulled out, technology limitations and lack of publicity have hindered its widespread acceptance. However, I do believe that a decentralized potpourri of Garageband, iTunes Music Store and MP3.com would provide an environment that's not unlike the world of "professional" journalism and blogs. Perhaps the key missing element would be an RSS-type of distribution feed or stream that would be technology independent and provide for an easy manner to find, listen and provide input/comment on music and artists. This week I'm in Washington DC attending SuperNova. Ironically enough, Clay Shirkey is scheduled to be in attendance and speaking. Shirkey among other thinkers, writers, business leaders, technologists and opinion makers participating in this conference can be influencers in "what's next?" I'll report more on the conference and conversations later this week.

CD --> AAC & MP3 Conversion Completed

Wed, 02 Jul 2003 09:47:58 GMT
Whew. It took a while. But I've converted perhaps 95% of my entire CD collection (somewhere over 1,200 CDs) to digital format. And while the TiVO system doesn't yet support the AAC codec, I learned today that I can hook my Cube (which is now relegated to work as my Digital Audio/Music Jukebox) to an M-Audio Interface that provides an optical digital audio output that will connect to an optical input on my A/V Amplifier. Music Update: 12,792 songs; 38 days and 13 hours of nonstop and non repeated play; 73.92 GB

Piracy. Stealing. Copyright & Drunk Driving. Consequences.

Fri, 20 Jun 2003 21:33:27 GMT

Eric pointed me to the article in Tuesday's Washington Post about Utah Senator Orrin Hatch's testimonial in favor of "new technology to remotely destroy the computers of people who illegally download music from the Internet."

Needless to say, this is a classic Hatchism designed to roust the rabble rousers, incite controversy and give the good senator more visibility amongst the haven of controversy. And while Hatch may hardly be a harbinger consumer rights, let alone copyrights, he is quite effective in drawing attention to problems in search of solutions. I don't think Hatch as serious about his solution than he was about drawing attention to the problem. In fact, yesterday he clarified those remarks further here. Yet one blogger has nominated Sir Hatch as Douchebag of the Year [permalink wasn't working at time of post] for his comments. And this blogger thinks Hatch himself is in violation of copyright law by using unlicensed software on the Hatch website.

[...] "If we can find some way to do this without destroying their machines, we'd be interested in hearing about that," Hatch said. "If that's the only way, then I'm all for destroying their machines. If you have a few hundred thousand of those, I think people would realize" the seriousness of their actions, he said. [...] "There's no excuse for anyone violating copyright laws," Hatch said. [...] Sen. Patrick Leahy, the committee's senior Democrat, later said the problem is serious but called Hatch's idea too drastic a remedy to be considered. [...] "The rights of copyright holders need to be protected, but some Draconian remedies that have been suggested would create more problems than they would solve," Leahy, D-Vt., said in a statement. "We need to work together to find the right answers, and this is not one of them." [...]

While I hardly agree with Hatch's proposal, I do find the blatant ripping off of artists' material a breach of moral ethics. If artists have granted a license ala Creative Commons than so be it. Give the shit or art away. Any way. And every way. Just because something can be copied and distributed with little effort doesn't mean that we should be able to do such things. That's why I'm such a fan of Apple's iTunes Music Store. While the solution may not be perfect (where are the indie artists?) but it's a damn good start.

What I'm not in favor of is idiotic draconian measures to stop the massive ripping and cheating of artists. Think about it. What we need is the greatest motivator of all -- fear. But fear of your computer blowing up in the middle of the night is not what I'm talking about. Look what random check points did to drunk driving in the 80's and 90's. Thanks to a thriving group of Mad Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the awareness of drinking while driving hit incredible highs. Thanks to these and many other efforts deaths related to drunk driving are a fraction of what they were 20 or 30 years ago.

Granted, drinking and dying are a lot different than stealing music. But if you think about it, there was a time in this country that people didn't think twice about driving around with a beer in their hand as much as you see people slamming Diet Coke's while driving. Today, there'd be massive upheaval if you tried to get into a car with a beer in your hand.

Point is, it's too easy to copy and distribute music. And there are no consequences. There need to be consequences. To be sure, my comments are in support of the big record companies. No way. You can it seeing a bit of consequential action itself from its nasty habit of price-fixing.

For those who favor reward rather than punishment as a controller of behavior may appreciate Nikki Flemming, the matriarch of Kazaa which has the distinction of being the second generation Napster, and the notoriety of the largest peer-to-peer (ie. file sharing) network in the free world. Flemming wants to the official online distributor for the entertainment industry. Like Steve Jobs, Flemming believes that if you just make it easy for customers to access, try and ultimate purchase digital content, they won't steal.

[...] "Kazaa wants to put more and more titles on its digitally protected service so that over time, unprotected files get crowded out," the Post reports. "When users search for a particular title or artist, Kazaa produces a list with priority given to protected, for-pay files, which are marked with an icon. Even if the public willingly migrates to paying for music in this fashion, so much is available for free that few expect it to happen quickly" [...]

Now. If that doesn't sound like a designated driver concept, I'm not sure there is a better solution.

Other interesting takes on the topic: Volokh | Instapundit | just for good reading go here
photo: crowd cheering straight-talk presidential candidate John McCain in Los Angeles, March 2000.

Fri, 20 Jun 2003 11:04:09 GMT
If you've been following, I'm currently converting my massive CD collection into digital format. It's been going on for days, almost weeks. But anyway, I'm currently at 11,477 songs which according to iTunes yields me 34.5 days of non-stop, unrepeated music while consuming a mere 66.2 gigibytes of hard disk space. I think I've got less thean 500 CDs to go... wish me luck.
Have you visited these: Craig's W&P | Crimson Red Head | Jeff Porcaro

Dina & Syd

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 11:45:43 GMT
Ok. I'm going out on a limb now. But Dina. Yeah, you know. The infamous gal behind the "Conversations with Dina" is not only a marketing magnate, but she's a legend with great musical taste (IMHO). Well in many ways. It would be unfair to isolate a particular or singular legendary post. Though I have to admit I was taken back by her Syd Barrett mention in her recent post. To be sure, I recently added Dina to my blogroll. She's not only captured my attention but Marc Canter has similarily discovered her. A marketing mind, musical mandrox and insightful in many ways. Watch Dina. She's the next generation "A" blogger. Locke: watch out.

Floydian Slip & DSM IV

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 09:28:19 GMT

Oh my god. You know I pulled Christopher Locke off my blogroll months ago. I admit I was taken back by his whimsical and fearless writing, no nonsense sensibility of marketing concepts and ideals and his wacky sense of timing. But he dropped off the scene for awhile, never returned any of my more than 10 emails and his lack of consistency in taking his 'meds' took its toll on his blogger as rockstar syndrome. A fraction of the blogger he used to be. I mean the guy has issues. But who doesn't it. He's brilliant when he's on. And when not. Well, you can take a guess.
So when I stumbled onto his comparison of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb with the bible of psychology, pscyopharmacology and psychiatry DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV), I was taken back. Rage Boy was back. Well. Almost. Perhaps I was just a bit jaded by subject matter. Anyone who knows me knows that in the past I've been a bit evangelical about the music of Roger Waters and his alma mater Pink Floyd. But you gotta love Locke's Floydian analysis. So I won't rage on about this any further. instead, I point you to the Rage Boy post. And urge you to post your comments here. No matter what, it's amusing, fun and well, it's Locke. photo: crowd cheering Roger Waters or is it Christopher Locke? In Budapest June 2003.

Massive Audio CD Conversion Project Underway.

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 07:36:20 GMT
I've finally done it. Well. Committed to it, anyway. I'm converting all of my 1,200+ music CDs to digital files -- AAC's (at 192k for those who care). My old G4 Cube will become an audio/music server. I'll still keep 800 CDs online in two Sony 400 disc changers. These still can be operated via the headless (no monitor) Cube using Timbuktu when I really feel like being anal about audio quality. I used Dick Dinkelspiel's excellent TitleTrack Jukebox software which allows complete control in an iTunes like interface of Sony CD-changers that incorporate Sony's S-Link control. Dick has been beta testing the new OS X version. Used by many audiophiles and businesses that play large quantities of CDs (bars, clubs, restaurants etc), TitleTrack Jukebox is the easiest way to inventory your CDs stored in these Sony changers by accessing CDDB. Plus, it actually uploads artists and album information to the Sony changers. CDs converted to date: 388. I'm still a long way off.

Selling Music Online: Now It Gets Serious.

Tue, 03 Jun 2003 19:23:23 GMT
The New York Post reports that Amazon and Apple Computer are in discussions regarding offering Apple's iTunes Music Store selections to Amazon customers. This would greatly expand the audience for iTunes Music Store while adding further value and convenience to purchasing music online from Amazon. Reportedly Apple is working on plans to offer its iTunes Music Store to Windows users through its rumoured Windows version of iTunes. While all of this is still speculation and hearsay, it begs a number of considerations. For example, the AAC codec that Apple uses in iTunes Music Store brought two primary advantages to Apple and its customers -- both the artists and music listeners. First, at a 128k the sound quality is significantly better than music encoded using the MP3 compression at the same bit rate. Second, the AAC encoder offers Apple, artists and the record companies better DRM (digital rights management - copy protection) options than MP3. (download this pdf file for an excellent document explaining MP3 and AAC) However, in order to use the iTunes Music Store and to actually listen to AAC encoded music, users had to update to the latest version of QuickTime (6.2) which supports AAC. As far as I know, today the only widely distributed codec capable of playing AAC encoded files is QuickTime. This issue has surfaced recently for other home entertainment products that ultimately bring a bit of reality of the digital hub/digital lifestyle that Apple is so fondly promoting. The first is TiVO and it's home media option. The second is a niche player called Slimp3. Both these products allow streaming of music stored in iTunes to a home entertainment system. That means you could store music files on your computer but listen to them in your surround sound system in your living room, for example. But both of these 3rd party products don't support AAC -- yet. And while QuickTime is the second most used "audio/video player" on the web, it has a small window of opportunity to gain switchers from the other primary competitors, RealPlayer and Windows Media Player, if it can expand its audience beyond the core Apple iTunes users. I'm confident that both Microsoft and RealNetworks are considering the inclusion of the AAC codec in its players. And I'm sure each could be nimble and quick in releasing updating versions, I think that if Apple can close a deal with Amazon, release its Windows version of iTunes and the iTunes Music Store and even negotiate a similar deal with AOL, Apple and its music offering might be flanked Trojan horse Windows users will happily let into their domain.
Macintosh Blogs: switchblog | MacNetJournal | Daring Fireball

June Gloom. And Early Summer Reading.

Mon, 02 Jun 2003 08:59:52 GMT

Great weekend in Southern California. Though close to the coast today I can officially say I experienced the raison d'etre that June is affectionally known as "June Gloom". That is where the warm air from the desert and the cool air from the coast and probably a number of other meteorological phenomena that the fog or overcast cloud cover just blankets and hugs the coast. Go a couple mines inland and it's sunny and 80 plus degrees. Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road. It's a journal and very emotional and personal story that could easily been a blog in terms of its sequential and prosaic approach to life journey. Written by Neil Peart. Peart made his living as the chief lyricist and drummer of the Canadian rock-trio "Rush". In 1997 his 19-year old daughter was killed in a single vehicle accident just hours as she left her home to attend her freshman year at a Canadian college. Less than a year later Peart's wife died of cancer. A man who might have had everything a year before, heads out on a motorcycle to journey in hopes of leaving haunting memories behind and to do what many mother's do to put children and their restless souls to sleep: take them for a ride in the car. Peart embarks on a journey with nothing but his empty soul. I'm only 50 pages into it. But it's fascinating and interesting. And just another one of those stories that reinforces the simple fact that this isn't a dress rehearsal. Grab life. Live it. More later.

One Week & Nothing New?

Mon, 26 May 2003 21:11:53 GMT
Memorial Weekend. If you've been wondering why blogging has been void this week, you should know that I got a vacation. That is, after one year of blogging the good people here at The Digital Tavern granted me my ubiquitous one week vacation. Thanks for your patience. Back later tonight.

The Digital Tavern Turns One

Fri, 16 May 2003 20:45:38 GMT

Celebrating Our First Anniversary

For The Sake of Clarity - The Digital Tavern

Make A Wish.

Thank you to everyone who has read, commented, shared ideas and thoughts. I look forward to another great blogging year.
I'm off to Napa Valley for a special event happening tomorrow. Blogging will be a bit light, but I'll check in from the road and wherever I find a wireless hot spot.

In Memoriam: June Carter Cash.

Fri, 16 May 2003 12:05:37 GMT
Prayers and great memories for June Carter Cash who died today after complications relating to heart surgery earlier this week. Here's Johnny on what she meant to him and their lives together. I'll never forget seeing Johnny play at the old Crazy Horse Saloon in Santa Ana with June and their daughter Roseanne. You could see the love in this family. Especially in Johnny and June. They had a connection.

RIAA Blunder: Hey, Stop Stealing The Music!

Tue, 13 May 2003 21:19:12 GMT
If you haven't read this story yet, go check out the serious blunder made by the RIAA (Record Industry Association of America). I guess if you pay dues in this organization you are supporting computer development efforts aimed to crawl through internet servers scouring them for music mp3s.
[...] Last Thursday, the RIAA sent a stiff copyright warning to Penn State's department of astronomy and astrophysics. Department officials at first were puzzled, because the notification invoked the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and alleged that one of its FTP sites was unlawfully distributing songs by the musician Usher. The letter demanded that the department "remove the site" and delete the infringing sound files.
But there weren't any files on the Penn State server.
[...] Except, that is, when Soccio realized two things. The department has on its faculty a professor emeritus named Peter Usher whose work on radio-selected quasars the FTP site hosted. The site also had a copy of an a capella song performed by astronomers about the Swift gamma ray satellite, which Penn State helped to design. The combination of the word "Usher" and the suffix ".mp3" had triggered the RIAA's automated copyright crawlers [...]
Another tactic the RIAA is exploring would send offending code to the servers or the computers of those downloading illegal files. Though this approach might have serious consequences for the record companies.
[...] A more malicious program, dubbed "freeze," locks up a computer system for a certain duration ? minutes or possibly even hours ? risking the loss of data that was unsaved if the computer is restarted. It also displays a warning about downloading pirated music. Another program under development, called "silence," scans a computer's hard drive for pirated music files and attempts to delete them. One of the executives briefed on the silence program said that it did not work properly and was being reworked because it was deleting legitimate music files, too [...]
An organization that is expending its resources on this type of effort amazes me. Why won't the RIAA wake up and work with its members to develop and support an online digital music policy that flanks the moves of offenders and offers a better alternative. For example, the Apple developed iTunes Music Store. Who was the initiator in this effort? Apple. Do you think the RIAA is knocking on doors of companies that would have the ability to develop a service that would not offend those with an affinity to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act? I guess this must be the American Way. If you can't come to terms with your customers -- sue them.

iTunes Music: AAC vs. MP3

Tue, 13 May 2003 08:12:18 GMT
I've anxiously been testing and reading about the quality, performance and size compromises when switching from MP3 to AAC for encoding CDs. Apple's new iTunes Music Store has set a 128k bit rate standard using AAC. Some reports I've read claim that the music downloaded from the iTunes site seem to have been encoded using a higher quality AAC encoder than the one provided with iTunes 4.0 or QuickTime 6.2. I'm anxious to do some simple testing at this end. But a great, yet simple and easy to understand review by Gunnar Van Vliet reveals some interesting notes about the differences between encoders. Especially interesting to me was the fact that Gunnar finds that at higher bit rate the 128, the MP3 actually sounds better than AAC. Yet, at the 128 standard of the iTunes Music Store, the AAC is head and shoulders above MP3. For me, I've been encoding MP3s at 256 VBR using the iTunes encoder at highest quality. This yields significantly larger file sizes, but at least they're playable on my iPod. Gunnar suggests that the file sizes may be comparable to AIFF (CD-quality) are similar and that anyone encoding at this right may as well simply save at AIFF. But this is a moot point since I don't believe the iPod will play AIFF files. I'd be interested in hearing any readers' experience with the AAC, MP3 and other encoders and would like to post a follow up review here sometime later in May. Reply on the comments section at the bottom of this post or to my email here.

Radio. For Better or Worse.

Tue, 06 May 2003 06:44:50 GMT
Scott Andrew reports on another ClearChannel development: its public statement that it's severing ties with independent "payola" promoters.
[...] I don't think this change is going to help indie artists much. ClearChannel stations are not exactly known for diversity of programming, and I suspect that there'll be even more homogenization once the Big Labels and Big Radio start working together. Let a thousand Plasticine-faced kewpie doll R&B pop idols bloom [...]
I couldn't have said it better. Thanks Andrew. My previous reports on ClearChannel here, here and here.
---------
Later: Another Scott Andrew tip: Paste. Looks like a great magazine and website to source and find music ClearChannel would unlikely play. Another source is Performing Songwriter. Check them out.

Apple Sells Four Songs Every Second.

Fri, 02 May 2003 21:40:05 GMT
According to this bulletin at Billboard, Apple's iTunes Music Store sold 275,000 songs in its first 18 hours of operation. That's over 250 songs per minute. I can imagine the server horsepower and bandwidth they've got to handle this kind of volume. Looks like Ming's wife, Joi and Denise joined me in contributing to the first successful day of the service. Others are upset that it requires a credit card with a US billing address. Perhaps even more notable is that these are Mac users only and currently there is a limited selection of music - only 200,000 songs.
[...] the feat is especially remarkable when considering that the offering is available only to the limited universe of users of Apple computers. The launch thereby sets the stage for a race between a host of media and technology companies to create and effectively promote similar services for the much bigger Microsoft-equipped PC market [...]
Apple knows that it must broaden the base of its customers in order to get a return on its iTunes Music Store investment. That must be why it is reportedly developing a Windows version of its iTunes Software.

Apple's Music Service, DRM & The Future.

Tue, 29 Apr 2003 23:57:49 GMT
I made my first purchase from iTunes Music last night. A remix version of Bob Dylan's "Everything Is Broken". I tried yesterday in NYC to browse and purchase, but I think everyone had the same idea and Apple's site was slammed. I kept getting errors. No problems last night. The jury is out on the AAC code used for this purchased music. The bit rate is 128k where I'm used to encoding my MP3s at 256 or better. Of course my MP3 file sizes are enormous compared to an MP3 encoded at 128 or 160, but the lower bit rates sound like crap. AAC is supposed to keep file sizes lean while offering audio quality that matches or exceeds higher MP3 bit rates. If the promise is realized, kudos to Apple and Dolby for taking this leap. I read on a forum somewhere that while you can burn the purchased music to a CD with no problem. And you can even then re import that song using the MP3 code. This would be something someone would try in order to share the newly encoded MP3 file with others using Kazaa or something. I haven't done this, but the word is the audio quality sucks -- but then maybe that's what Kazaa users are used to. I prefer high quality. Joi still isn't sold on Apple's proprietary service and questions Apple's locking/authorization scheme. I'm less concerned. The music I purchase can be transferred to unlimited number of iPods, I can burn the music to CD unlimited times as long as my playlists change (there's a 10 CD-burn limit of the same playlist). And while Joi, like me, is an early adopter, philosophically he has something against the DMR approach Apple and the record companies are taking toward this service. Still at 99¢ per song, a typical album/CD of say 14 songs ( Norah Jones Come Away With Me disk, for example) the cost would be $13.86. Today you can buy this CD at Amazon for $13.49. With standard shipping the cost delivered is $16.49 plus tax, if applicable. With overnight shipping the cost is $24.47. Or, you could use Amazon's in-store pickup program and buy it for $14.99. My total cost here in Southern California would be $16.15. So by purchasing from Apple I would save $2.29 off the lowest cost. Of course, I don't get the jewel case nor the printed insert. So Apple's iTunes Music service doesn't save any money per se. But it does offer a convenience, instant gratification and for now, novelty. I think the important point to consider is the fact that Apple has convinced the record companies to do something that nobody else has been able to do. And that it wouldn't ever do itself. That is, stop whining and complaining about digital music and stop trying to protect your sacred ground as its being pulled out from under you by suing anything or anybody that impedes on its long over do virtual stronghold on music and other content. Or even today, the RIAA sent an instant message to Kazaa and Grokster users threatening legal action. And if were up to the record companies, I'm confident that they would prefer to simply offer hardcore copyrighted music that would be locked to a single computer with perhaps a single CD burn per song. One thing I'd like to see is the ability for new artists to get music posted to this or a branch of this service. Not unlike MP3.com, but even better. Problem is with the big record companies tied in with Apple the content that is featured on the site becomes much like a listening post at Borders or Barnes & Noble: paid for by the record company. The artists getting pushed get more play and more sales. I would like to see the smaller labels represented and even the DIY musicians where much of the great music is originating from. So my call to Apple is to open the door and let artists participate. With 30 seconds of free listening, let the market decide which music it wants to listen to or buy. The promise of better music, more interesting music and different music can be made by a service like iTunes Music. Let's do it. Dave has some similar observations here. In short, so while the service may not be perfect and it will still get the DRM opponents up in arms, it's sometimes best to look at the positive that comes from this infant called ITunes Music. It's the best option we have now. And like virtually everything else Apple has innovated, I'm confident we'll see copycats and other innovation. After all, competition is the spirit of the free market system. We can actively support, comment and get involved in what's next in digital distribution of entertainment. It's likely to get better and more interesting.

New Apple Products (live)

Mon, 28 Apr 2003 19:17:08 GMT
This is my live report from the SoHo Apple Store in Manhattan. Standing room only crowd here to watch Steve Jobs introduce new iPods and Apple's new online Music Service.
Listen.
Steve announces new iPods: 15GB, 20GB and 30GB. New iPods thinner and lighter at .62 pounds the 30GB holds 7,500 songs. - now has FireWire port on bottom
- new dock that will charge and has line out for home stereo
- no longer two versions (boxes) for Windows/Mac - ship in same box
- USB 2.0 with accessory cable for power $19
- All touch sensitive controls - no moving parts
- Software includes on the fly playlists (from your iPod)
- Backlighting
- New games including Solitaire
Steve is demoing new software and chooses Bob Dylan - his favorite artist. He is building playlist on the iPod beginning with Simple Twist of Fate. The Menus are now customizable by offering ability to turn on and off menus/features. Comment: I love this new dock and the iPod appears to have been rounded even more at the corners. The small size looks great. Can't wait to get one in my hands. 10GM iPod is now $299
15GB is $399
30GB is $499 (the 10GB does not include the dock, other models do)
Manage.
-iTunes 4.0 is released.
-Now includes AAC encoding,
-Rendezvous support.
-Now iTunes can share playlists across Macs.
-DVD archiving now included.
-Album cover artwork can be brought into iTunes now.
Wow. I'm impressed about how Rendezvous finds Phil Schiller's PowerBook and pops up on Steve's Mac. He illustrates that this is only streaming sharing and once Phil leaves the songs and playlists go away. This is all over Airport Wireless networking. Acquire.
Steve is talking about Napster and Kazaa. He shows benefits of downloading from these services - especially because it's free. He is talking about Rhapsody and PressPlay and how these downloading services aren't a good alternative to the free way via Kazaa or in the past from Napster. Steve shows a great quote from Hunter S. Thompson about the music industry and record companies. Must go back and find that. New music service already has 200,000 available for purchase at 99¢ per song. Service offers unlimited CD burning. There is an authorization scheme that allows music downloaded only available on max of 3 macs. Songs can be played on an unlimited number of iPods. He explains that for the price of a Starbucks Latte you could buy 3 songs. Now he explains how difficult Kazaa service is. Averaging that it takes 15 minutes per download due to complexities of finding right song, getting a complete download. He says four (4) songs would cost $3.96 on Apple's new service -- meaning that downloading songs you're working for less than minimum wage. Buying songs is now easy because you can browse through Apple's music store like an iTunes interface and one click shopping. Exclusive songs available only on Apple's service from Bob Dylan, U2 and eminem and 20 or more others. Wow. Differentiation. Downloaded songs now feature Album artwork. Steve is showing how the interface works. He shows how the interface features "breadcrumbs" to give you a trail where you've been in the store. He shows that the interface offers you the ability to find new music you might not have been exposed to in the past. Bob is showing the exclusive tracks. Now showing a Bob Dylan movie from Apple Music store website that has never been shown before - Tangled Up In Blue. Very cool. Showing artists pages to see videos. Doesn't cost anything. This is way for visitors to experience new music and ideally encourage them to make a purchase. iTunes Music Store is the official name. And it's open today. New iTunes is required and older iPods require a free update - both available from Apple's website today (within 30 minutes). iTunes Music Store is Mac only today. But available for Windows by the end of 2003. Steve is showing new video. Very cool. SoHo Apple Store employee (Ian Robinson) from the SoHo store (where I'm blogging from) made this video. Great video and the people in the store hear are cheering and very excited. Video features artists talking about iTunes and how excited they are about iTunes, iPod and iTunes Music store. Bono from U2, Wynton Marsalis and Alannis Morrisette AppleMusic.com I've just downloaded the new iTunes 4, the iPod update and QuickTime 6.2. Browsing the store is easy and fun. I think the site is getting slammed because I'm having difficulty accessing the Bob Dylan page. I want to purchase the new exclusive Dylan song to fully experience this new service from Apple. More on this later.

Nina Simone

Wed, 23 Apr 2003 09:20:58 GMT
What a great spirit. What a great singer. I never saw her live. But she and her music will live forever. Rest in peace.

More Hypocrisy. Where's The Music?

Thu, 20 Mar 2003 09:33:16 GMT

As bombs blast Baghdad, and the pro-war constituents cheer for the liberation of Iraq, the anti-war vocalists, those musicians who out of one side of their mouths shout anti-war epithets and out of the other provide nothing more than feed the media PR sound bytes that appear to do nothing more than promote theselves through the guise of making a public statement against the war. Where are the real songs?

Chicago Sun-Times' Richard Roeper's excellent piece today calls the musical elite out on the carpet.

[...] few of today's pop artists seem concerned with turning out peace anthems to counter the drumbeats of war Even the exceptions seem more like calculated career moves than passionate calls for peace. Madonna's upcoming song (and video), "American Life," might end up on Saddam's CD player, but the true chorus of the song is: "Forget about 'Swept Away,' I'm still relevant!!!" [...]

Roeper doesn't give anyone a break.

[...] George Michael appeared on the BBC's "Tops of the Pops" recently, with four female background musicians wearing T-shirts that said, "No War, Blair Out." Oooh, confrontational. But what does Michael have to lose? His post bathroom-arrest career options are pretty much limited to a Wham! reunion, a role on the next edition of "The Surreal Life"--or a "controversial" song that is stirring controversy only in the hearts of the publicists promoting it. [...]

And my favorite.

[...] So who will lead the pop charge against the war? Eminem dressed up as Osama bin Laden and clowned around on the video for "Without Me," but the song wasn't about international tensions, it was about Eminem's favorite subject, Eminem. Is the Emster furiously at work on an obscenity-riddled protest rap, or maybe even something along the lines of a song titled "F--- the French," or is he too busy vacationing and dodging the Oscars? Canada's Avril Lavigne is suitably young enough and perpetually pissed off enough to flip the musical bird to the White House, but is she too preoccupied with her lost "Sk8terboi" and her next photo session to get involved? [...]

And who wrote…?

[...] "Come you masters of war, you that build all the guns, you that build the death planes, you that build the big bombs, you that hide behind walls, you that hide behind desks, I just want you to know I can see through your masks" [...]

Bob Dylan. 1963.

Not one for trivia or nostalgia, but Roeper's got quite a few examples of real anti-war songs he suggests should be in heavy rotation this week. But don't count on it. To Roeper's point and to my earlier post on Safire's French Connection, follow the money. Many of today's artists are phony, self-dealing and hypocritical. Sure, there are many exceptions. Who do you think puts their money, career and passion where their mouth is today?

China Censors Stones. 4 Licks Short of 40

Fri, 14 Mar 2003 01:36:49 GMT

Maybe you saw them on the North American leg of their 40th (gulp) Anniversary Tour. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the rest of the Stones. Well a month ago EMI China released their Anniversary CD "Forty Licks" and the will be headlining shows in China starting in Shanghai next month.

But while in 1967 Ed Sullivan asked Mick to slightly change the lyrics of one of the Stones classics, the Chinese have told The Stones to forget, so to speak, 4 of the 40 licks. Thus, leaving only 36 licks.

[...] Cindy Tai, managing director of EMI China, said: "The songs were submitted to the Ministry of Culture a few months ago. They simply said 'no' to those four songs [...] the songs wouldn't be performed at the concerts either and suggested the reason for the ban was probably sex-related. "I think probably those songs have some rude words or something that does not fall into the criteria of the Chinese Government," [...] But there were 130 songs on the playlist for the concerts, "so we need not care about those four songs", said Wang Long, a spokesman for tour promoters Beijing Time New Century Entertainment Co." [...] The Australian 14 March 2003

The songs? 1) Brown Sugar; 2) Beast of Burden; 3) Honky Tonk Women;and 4) Let's Spend the Night Together. Funny thing is, Ed Sullivan asked Mick to sing "Let's Spend Some Time Together" during the Stones performance on his legendary variety show in 1967. Those were the days. These are the days. --thanks for tip, Jon.

Every Taste You Take

Tue, 11 Mar 2003 21:57:12 GMT

Legendary British Rocker Sting plans to get into the wine business. According to this article he purchased prime property in Northern Italy and plans to launch a wine under his name. And soon after, we'll have Sting-branded olive oil.

'I have a wager' the brave child spoke
The fisherman laughed, though disturbed at the joke.
'You will drink what I drink but you must equal me
And if the drink leaves me standing, A soul shall go free'

'I have here a cask of most magical wine
A vintage that blessed every ship in the line
It's wrung from the blood of the sailors who died
Young white body adrift in the tide'

'And what's in it for me my pretty young thing?
Why should I whistle, when the caged bird sings?
If you lose a wager with the king of the sea
You'll spend the rest of forever in the cage with me'

These are the soul cages…

Dead. But Not Forgotten

Sun, 09 Mar 2003 07:55:08 GMT

My blogless friend and adventure traveler cohort Johnny "A" points me to a cute story about an Alaskan who never heard of Jerry Garcia nor the Grateful Dead. Short but fun read. Check it out.

Fri, 07 Mar 2003 07:06:05 GMT
Associated Press has more on Apple's, as of yet unannounced and unconfirmed, foray into an online pay-for-music venture that would integrate with Apple's iPod and iTunes products. The LA Times broke the story earlier this week. Here's my original post.

Music Industry Endorses New Online Music Service From Apple

Tue, 04 Mar 2003 19:05:07 GMT
Though this hasn't been confirmed by Apple, the Los Angeles times reports this morning (free registration or username/password: digitaltavern) that Apple will launch an online music service allowing users to purchase music online and download into their iPods or iTunes application on their Mac.

[...] Apple offering won over music executives because it makes buying and downloading music as simple and non-technical as buying a book from Amazon.com. [ ... ] "This is exactly what the music industry has been waiting for," said one person familiar with the negotiations between the Cupertino, Calif., computer maker and the labels. "It's hip. It's quick. It's easy. If people on the Internet are actually interested in buying music, not just stealing it, this is the answer." LA Times 3/4/03

If this is true and the service is priced right Apple has found a revenue stream that could be quite profitable while continuing to build a solid case of differentiation for its computer and consumer electronic product lines.

Would I buy music online? Sure. But the bit rate must be user selectable. I just won't accept anything samples at less than 256 kbps. The problem with most current legal (Pressplay, MusicNet etc.) (and illegal peer-to-peer networks Limewire, Kaaza, Gnuella etc.) online/downloadable music is that it's sampled at 128 or 160. Might be likely to find a 192. According to the LA Times, Apple will initroduce a new version of iTunes that supports a new file format (using a new advanced codec) that be higher quality than MP3. Does this mean new iPods? Certainly updated software for the 100,000's that Apple has sold of the current iPod. But more importantly, apparantly the new format has an embedded lock that would allow the song to be playable on only one Mac or iPod registered with Apple. It's unclear whether the format would be burnable to CDs. And perhaps it's this lock that the record industry really is having a love affair with. Just another tool to strenghthen their grip on the market and appease their fear of digital music.

But there's more. We all know this is where the future of music is going. Problem is who controls what's available on Apple's online service. If it turns out to be just an online version of what you find at CD listening posts/bars at large retailers such as Border's, Tower, Virgin etc., then it's just another way the large record companies can force feed us music that we may or may not want to listen to or even consider buying. But if Apple opens the service to allow small independent labels and musicians (not unlike MP3.com) a chance to sell music online we will begin to see the rules change.

Is this a rumour? Don't know. I guess we'll just wait and see.

Dear Norah,

Mon, 24 Feb 2003 09:07:48 GMT
You rock, sweetheart. Congratulations. At a time when the lines between soulful expressive music and noise, harmonic dissonance, voice and electronics blur the lines of what is music and what is something else, I find it so encouraging the at 23 years old you are writing and playing music that is far from the mainstream. Even better, that it is recognized and rewarded. Congratulations.

I discovered you by accident about 14 months ago. I'd like to think I had a hand in promoting you. I must have recommended you to dozens, bought copies of your debut for others and included your songs on nearly every playlist or compilation CD I made. Still nobody had heard of you. Then you got popular. Not the jealous type, I was excited. Instead of some angry punk wining about his past and his mother, you played and sang songs from your heart. I think it was satellite radio where I first found you finally getting some airplay. And I used your songs in a home video/DVD project I made. I felt you were real. Motivated by your art, not your pocketbook.
Your voice makes me melt. Your piano makes me sway and smile. And your arrangements, simple, seductive and sassy. I love you Norah. I love you for awakening interest in music that barely rises above the noise. I love you for being young and true to your self and what you love. And damnit. You are beautiful. As a whole person. And nothing less. Congratulations. You're a winner.

[ norah jones won a bunch of grammy awards tonight including best new artist and album of the year, Come Away with Me ]

Will TV & Newspapers Go The Way of Clear Channel?

Thu, 20 Feb 2003 20:22:33 GMT
Clear Channel seems to be media consolidation's whipping boy. Hard to find anyone who doesn't love to hate Clear Channel. And like the bully in the schoolyard who went a bit too far, Clear Channel is losing its fellow media conglomerate friends.

[...] Today, broadcast, cable and newspaper giants like Viacom, Comcast and Gannett want a chance to expand their empires and enjoy the same large-scale efficiencies that Clear Channel has profited from. But they're frustrated. After years of intensive lobbying and with a Federal Communications Commission chairman, Michael Powell, who is widely considered to be thoroughly pro-deregulation, the havoc wrought upon radio by Clear Channel is unexpectedly offering ample proof of what can go wrong with media deregulation. Radio's current mess is having a significant impact on the debate over media concentration, and may even force Powell to water down his long-awaited ownership recommendations [...] salon.com

I've thrown my two-cents in on this issue on these pages here, here and here. And Salon.com's Eric Boehlert chimes in today with his sixth "Media Borg" essay titled Clear Channel's big, stinking deregulation mess.

To be sure, the current White House administration is taking a hands off approach to media regulation and the de-regulation enabled by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. But as Eric points out, Clear Channel is making deregulation look bad. And this just might be a good thing for the rest of us and for mass media overall.

[...] consumer discontent with broadcast radio appears to have finally gotten the attention of politicians. Appearing before the Commerce Committee in January, Powell received an earful from senators who for years were indifferent to radio. Suddenly, they were pressing him about the industry's runaway consolidation. In a rare move, Powell, an articulate free-market advocate who thinks today's ownership rules don't "reflect the realities of the modern media marketplace," conceded he was "concerned about the concentration, particularly in radio." [...]

Rock n' Roll Tape Sales Peak.

Wed, 12 Feb 2003 09:17:24 GMT
Got your survival supplies? I wonder if U.S. Fire Administrator David Paulison is holding any Home Depot stock under an assumed alias? Gotta prepare for emergencies. Like a microphone that just won't stay where it's supposed to? Or mic cables that are too easy to trip over? Or the curtain that just needs to be held back? In college and shortly after I did sound and sometimes lighting for a few rock bands. We could fix anything with Duct Tape. In fact, ever since those days I affectionally refer to this strong adhesive cure-all fabric as "rock and roll tape". Never did think of it as a terrorist defense, though. Have you bought yours? Keeping a few roles around just in case? Well... Never underestimate the power of television. It's selling like hotcakes. Even Maureen Dowd picked up on the Duct Tape Bandwagon. [thanks to rob for the link]

Want An iPod? Go To The Grammy Awards

Tue, 11 Feb 2003 02:52:49 GMT
Still haven't purchased your new 20GB iPod? No worries. If you're called on to present or perform at this year's Grammy Awards, you'll find one in the gift bag that's handed to each presenter. And at $499 it's not the most expensive goodie you'll find in your gift bag. [thanks to MacMerc for the pointer].

Jazz of the Word Kind

Mon, 10 Feb 2003 11:06:05 GMT
Wow. A new discovery for me. Word Jazz. I guess I've been aware of this art form. But I gotta admit that I've not really given it much attention. I guess lack of exposure. And lack of motivation to search it out. So when I followed Marc's pointer to Ken Nordine's Six Commercials In Search of a Client 6mb .mp3 file. Great stuff. The advertising guy in my was intrigued. My cynical side stimulated. And the creative artist exposed to a new art form to explore. It's likely you've heard Ken Nordine's voice. A top voice over talent. Which makes his "Six Commercials" even more ironic. The link about Ken Nordine and the Grateful Dead I found especially interesting.

Radio Robots Make For Cloudy Channels

Sat, 08 Feb 2003 07:18:29 GMT
There's nothing like a few blog posts on music and radio to elicit some interesting responses from those who've stopped by The Digital Tavern. For those of you tuning in, here is my first radio inspired post and here's the second.

While it's no secret that the state of radio is deteriorated over the last decade. Much of the angst, aggression and blame from nay sayers is aimed at Clear Channel, who has chalked up more radio station acquisitions in the last six years than Shaq has rebounds. And with its massive appetite, Clear Channel has virtually and single-handedly turned commercial radio into a homogeneous bland mixture of music and mush that represents largely what's wrong with the music industry and mass media today. Harsh and strong words? You betcha. Are there exceptions to this rule? Sure. But for how long?

Keep in mind that even though the Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed for the consolidation of radio that has led to its current fate, the legislation does require station owners to serve its local audiences. Thereby preventing Clear Channel from doing what it'd like to do: serve each of its 1400 stations with a single syndicated feed 24/7. Think of the $$$ they'd save on DJ's alone! So when I followed Scott Rosenberg's pointer to David Gallagher's piece in Monday's New York Times, I couldn't resist another poke at the Clear Channel megalopoly.

One of Clear Channel's subsidiaries is responsible for the syndicated countdown program "Carson Daly's Most Requested." Daly's producers work hard to simulate the effect that he is actually playing requests from and speaking to the local market where the program is aired. Fact is, Carson is a robot. That is, he's merely the manifestation of Clear Channel's technologists. Scott, explains the technology perhaps more eloquently than Gallagher:

[...] this radio mega-conglomerate has assembled a DJ from database parts. Basically, they've taken the recorded voice of Carson Daly, chopped it into little snippets and used those soundbites to re-assemble pseudo-local broadcasts -- so that listeners in, say, Atlanta hear a localized "top 40" broadcast, with Daly introducing each song in the particular order that applies to that market, yet Daly never actually said those words in that order. [...]

Don't get me wrong, I'm the first one to acknowledge and applaud advances in technology. For years, I've been an addictive early adopter. And this technology is slick. However, when used at the naiveté and expense of "local listeners", it's time to call foul play.

[...] It's hard to know whether to applaud the ingenuity required to create such a DJ-bot, or barf at the complete triumph of corporate homogenization that it represents. I think the gagging in my throat tells me which reaction predominates for me. [...] Scott Rosenberg

It's perfect. You can see the next phase. Simply by creating a database of phrases, vowel and consonant sounds, expressions, inflection patterns and through the use of a sophisticated voice modeling algorithm, Clear Channel will avoid forever the problems of emotional, idiosyncratic and wage and salary earning DJs. Plus, with the punch of a few buttons or simple web interface, programming changes can be made country wide. All from the comfort of Clear Channel's programming offices.

While I'm sure the labor unions have an issue with the likelihood of DJ jobs lost to Clear Channel's innovation, my issue is with the thousands of great artists whose songs will never have a remote chance of airplay. And while in my previous post(s) on radio and music, I suggested that perhaps the next millennium "underground radio" movement would take place on the internet. Even this possibility is in grave jeopardy by the efforts of the RIAA and its members.
Speaking in the LA Times this week, Janis Ian shows that "big media business" isn't always in favor of "new and innovative" technology. Her editorial begs industry "Don't Sever A High Tech Lifeline for Musicians." [via Doc via Archipelago]

You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling

Tue, 04 Feb 2003 21:41:03 GMT
Famed "Wall of Sound" producer, Phil Spector was just arrested for allegedly shooting a twenty something girl to death in his LA area mansion. Spector has already hired O.J. Simpson lawyer Robert Shapiro to represent him in this matter.
And I guess this isn't the first time Spector has yielded a weaon. In 1980 he collaborated with NY punk heroes, The Ramones to produce End of the Century. Dee Dee Ramone says he pulled a gun on the band during the recording session.

Is It Too Late To Save Radio? Feingold To The Rescue.

Thu, 30 Jan 2003 08:39:21 GMT

Right on the heels of my post last week on the sad state of radio, which was echoed by William Safire, yesterday U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) Senate Commerce Committee introduced the "Competition in Radio and Concert Industries Act."

Feingold's legislation would help consumers and small and independent radio station owners and promoters by prohibiting anti-competitive practices in the radio and concert industries. Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) is an original co-sponsor of this legislation. Tomorrow Feingold will appear as the lead witness in the Senate Commerce Committee's hearing starting tomorrow.

Feingold is certainly the most outspoken opponent of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This deregulation toppled the barriers to multi-station ownership by a single company. And perhaps Feingold's biggest target is Clear Channel which owns 1,200 radio stations and controls more than 70% of all concert ticket sales in the U.S. Clear Channel has recently been the target of anti-competitive litigation. CBS Marketwatch requires free registration. Perhaps Clear Channel is even more guilty of the thing I hate most about radio (Why do they always play the SAME songs?). Frequency baby. Like advertising. Sell. Sell. Sell. Hell, did you know that 46 of Clear Channels radio stations are called KISS-FM. Talk about a case of stolen identity.

As I've noted before, the result is sterilization, homogenization and fornication of radio. In other words, one company has direct control of the music and other programming content heard on the public airwaves today. In what I refer to the glory days of radio a DJ could discover and break a new musical act. A great example in classic Cohen Brothers satirical voice, was the Soggy Bottom Boys in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?. Stumbling into a country radio station George Clooney and his crew of chain gang escapees play "Man of Constant Sorrow" live. Before the boys get to their next destination, the song is a hit. Ironically enough, Cohen Brothers and the film's musical director, T. Bone Burnett tried desperately to get "radio stations" to play songs from the film. Despite virtually no airplay, the soundtrack album won top honors at last years' Grammies. Sales of the album were lackluster until it gained national attention through the grammies.

Speaking with Bill Moyer's on PBS, T. Bone had this to say about Clear Channel and Oh Brother:

"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, does not fit into Clear Channel's notion of country music. They're not up there saying, 'we want to build a community.' They're not saying, 'we want to help keep country music vital.' They're not saying, 'we want to champion great musicians.' That's not their business plan. Their business plan is to capture as much, as many, advertising dollars as they possibly can in that marketplace."

While deregulation is new, the downfall of the music we end up hearing on the radio isn't. In the 80's Neil Young vented his anger toward the excessive commercialism, cookie cutter music and overall abandonment of artistic integrity (selling out, anyone) by many of his peers in his famous parody of Anheuser-Busch's most famous slogan:

Ain't singin' for Pepsi
Ain't singin' for Coke
I don't sing for nobody
Makes me look like a joke
This note's for you

This summer Tom Petty unleashed his anger at the Clear Channel consolidation issue and the sorry state of radio where DJs simply do as they're told and play songs they're told to spin in his latest release "The Last DJ."

well, you can't turn him
into a company man
you can't turn him into a whore
and the boys upstairs
just don't understand anymore

the top brass don't like him
talking so much
and he won't play
what they say to play
and he don't want to change
what don't need to change

there goes the last dj
who plays what he wants to play
and says what he wants to say
hey, hey, hey
there goes your freedom of choice
there goes the last human voice
there goes the last dj

Point is, there's a lot of great music that the public never gets to hear because it gets no airplay. And while the legend of Alan Freed seems like a distant nightmare, pay-for-play or payola exists in its own unique form today. If you want your song played on radio, it's going to cost you. And that's why musicians across the nation are up actively pursuing support for Feingold's legislation. And if music isn't your passion, here's Hal Crowther on the sorry state of Talk Radio. (thanks for the pointer Doc)

In New Orleans, one of many birthplaces and nurturing grounds for American roots and blues music and home of Jazz Fest and many other exciting live music events, Satchmo.com reaches out to local musicians and New Orleans visitors to its online guide to the local music scene to write their Senator urging support for Feingold's bill.

And on the hill, The American Federation of Musicians is calling out to its membership to write letters too. And perhaps even more passionate and coming from a true grass roots position, this website is more forward in its criticism of Clear Channel.

I can see Senator Feingold pounding his fists on the table like Paddy Chayefsky's Howard Beale and screaming "I'm mad as hell and not going to take it anymore." From the classic film " Network" explored and took shots at television.

"The time has come for Congress to address the issue of consolidation in the radio industry," Feingold said. "Since originally introducing this legislation in June of 2002, I have seen a groundswell of interest both in Congress and among artists, consumers, independent radio stations, and local promoters in restoring fairness to radio. My legislation will reduce concentration and crack down on anti-competitive practices, such as the new pay-to-play system."

I guess there's another way to look at this massive media consolidation. Centralization. And if technology and information dissemination can ever realize the promise of decentralization and ideals of many of the speakers at SuperNova last December, then maybe we're reinventing the glory days of the new radio. The new broadcasting model. Yet this is a big "IF". In the meantime, perhaps we should pick up the phone or write a letter supporting Feingold and his efforts.

Paul McCartney Kidnaps Eleanor Rigby.

Tue, 28 Jan 2003 19:58:53 GMT
The Ballad of Paul and Yoko. The cat fighting continues. Can't they all just get along?

Ethernet Guitars. Are We Ready For This?

Mon, 27 Jan 2003 21:41:40 GMT

This technology thing is getting crazy. Did you hear Gibson will release electric guitars this year that don't have a traditional 1/4" phone jack to connect your instrument cable to your Fender Twin Reverb amplifier? More proof that you can't wax nostalgia for anything. Sure, we've had wireless guitars for years. But you still used that 1/4" jack to connect your transmitter. Nope. If the industry follows, guitars will have RJ45 jacks -- the Ethernet connector we've all come to love -- and hate. I just wonder if we'll start seeing 802.11(g) built into Fender Strats in the near future?

[...] "We expect some people to say 'No thanks,' they just want their 1957 Les Paul. But there will be a group of early adopters for this, and it will be a no-brainer for them," said Vallier, who is part of a three-man design team working on the digital electronics for Gibson's first networked guitar.

You can read about Gibson and its MAGIC (Media-accelerated Global Information Carrier Specification) technology in this EE Times Article (thanks Slashdot for the pointer) and on TechTV here. I'm not sure I'm ready for a digital guitar, but given the number of technologies that offer classic guitar amplifier modeling (mimicking) there are already a bunch of musician technoids playing with digital music. But as the article laments, will Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, B.B. King, Mark Knopfler etc be looking to create or recreate their classic guitar sound digitally?

Hey, maybe I should get one just so I can start using the dozen or so Ethernet jacks in my office/studio. Haven't really used them since jumping on the Wi-Fi bandwagon a couple years ago. And now with 802.11(g) even my server could go wireless. Let's keep an eye on this one. Or better yet, maybe the electronics for my Taylor 12-string which uses the Fishman Blender pickup system for amplifying the beautiful sound of finely crafted solid spruce, maple and ebony could simply be a plug-in to MOTU Performer of Logic?

But then again. Perhaps the beauty of an acoustic guitar is the ability to be mobile. Far away from electricity, ethernet, amplifiers and urban noise. Simply relish the sound mix of wind bristling through the grass and ruffling the trees. Or the surf pounding the sand and the pitter patter of the sandpiper looking for its next meal. Peace. Solitude. And vibrating strings.

Fri, 24 Jan 2003 21:37:31 GMT
I'm not sure this is the best way to fight, disagree, unleash anger or resent the RIAA.

Freedom of Music.

Fri, 24 Jan 2003 21:28:16 GMT
Last night I had a lot of fun. Sarah, Felisa and Jim joined me in my little studio for a night of playing guitar, singing songs and keeping rhythm with a plethora of percussion instruments. Mix that up with great wine, laughs and an easiness that I haven't felt in awhile. There's something about music and collaborative creation in a comfortable setting that frees the mind from its tendency to dwell, think and figure. Playing live music for the sole objective of joyful expression lights up faces and sparkles eyes. Of those playing and those watching. It's an energy. And it's damn fun. In an email this morning Sarah suggested we pull a group of singers, players and songwriters and play, perform, practice and write on a regular basis. I had suggested to Sarah and the others last night that we focus on playing more of our own songs, rather than rehashing cover songs. She looked at me with a bit of anxiety and said "I don't have any songs." She has a beautiful voice, is a gifted creative designer and soulful guitar player. She has songs. But she just doesn't know it yet. Or, she just hasn't unlocked the door in her heart and mind and let them out. She looked at me and said, "Next time let's play more of your songs." I said that would be fun, but suggested even better, let's write some together. The creative spirit needs fostering. It needs to breathe. And it needs to work without fear. So I'm going to nurture and provide the impetus to get a group of musicians together on a regularly. Much like my love of yoga. This time will be well spent. And very healthy.

What Ever Happened To Great Radio?

Thu, 23 Jan 2003 06:27:13 GMT

Earlier this year my brother Jonathan and I chatted at length about the poor state of commercial radio today. We reminded each other of our childhood dreams and passions. How years ago we dreamed and hoped that one day we would own a radio station. Passionate about music, writing, sharing and communicating ideas. And if it wasn't a radio station, it could be a newspaper or a magazine. Over the years that ensured we vicariously lived this dream. Jon started an underground (alternative to the school financed) newspaper in high school (censored, rather -- shut down -- by the principal). I published a family newsletter, both of us worked as DJs in college and I did a stint at a commercial radio station. I also wrote amd shot photographs for the college paper. Those were the days.

We talked and as we loaded our iPods with our favorite songs and created playlists for virtually every occasion we, in a sense, were creating our own commercial radio station for an audience of few. We realized that our source of new music, news and entertainment comes less and less from mass media outlets such as radio stations and television. The choices are few and in most cases uninteresting.

We reminisced about the great radio stations we grew up with from NYC area. WPLJ. WNEW. And even from Long Island, WLIR. Most of these stations are gone, or if they're still on the air their best days are over. I remembered fantasizing when listening to Alison Steele's ("the nightbird") smooth, breathy voice late night in high school. Or learning about new music and old from Scott Muni (RealPlayer required), Vin Scelsa and Pat. St. John. Even those radio stations I came to love when I first moved to Los Angeles (KLOS, KMET, KSCA, KROQ and others) are gone or are barely recognizable from the hey day of LA Radio. (the last two links above are audio files, take a moment and listen)

Truly all radio stations must attract listeners, raise ratings and lure advertisers. All of which makes for happy investors or owners. But radio, as we have known it, has changed. And not for the better. Fact is, in just over five years two companies have quietly gobbled up local radio stations coast to coast.

[...] Back in 1996, the two largest radio chains owned 115 stations; today, those two own more than 1,400. A handful of leading owners used to generate only a fifth of industry revenue; now these top five rake in 55 percent of all money spent on local radio. [...]- William Safire -

The result is typical of any industry consolidation, but for me and my brother the sad thing for us to experience is how radio has become sterile, homogenized and frankly -- too safe.

[...] Yesterday's programming diversity on the public's airwaves has degenerated to the Top 40, as today's consolidating commodores borrowing public property say "the public interest be damned." [...]

So when I read William Safire's op-ed in today's New York Times I let out a verbal and loud, right on. Safire, not one for government intervention, speaks not for pro-regulation but for pro-competition. And we're not talking protectionist measures either.

[...] Does this make me (gasp!) pro-regulation? Michael Powell, appointed by Bush to be F.C.C. chairman, likes to say "the market is my religion." My conservative economic religion is founded on the rock of competition, which [~] since Teddy Roosevelt's day [~] has protected small business and consumers against predatory pricing leading to market monopolization. [...]

As an advertising and marketing consultant I can't ignore the reach and power of the top TV, radio, cable and internet outlets. Sure, I'd like to show my clients creative ways to leverage the agile, innovative and otherwise alternative outlets. But at what cost? It's unfortunate. But these can be and usually are cost-prohibitive. Top that off with the massive spending by broadcast and entertainment lobbies and you soon realize that smaller and alternative outlets simply can't compete.

[...] the big bucks go into broadcast TV, with its unmatchable cost per thousand viewers. And stop to examine the highly hyped "competition" that consolidating media profess to fear: the leading 20 Internet sites and biggest cable channels are already owned by the expansive likes of G.E.-NBC, Disney , Fox, Gannett, AOL Time Warner , Hearst, Microsoft , Cox, Dow Jones, The Washington Post and The New York Times [...]

If my brother Jon and I were to dream today about our own station, the exciting developments are on the internet. Much like FM radio in the 60's, internet radio streams became the new radio underground. Many of these stations were forced to shut down last year because they couldn't afford to make hefty royalty payments. These payments (much more costly than 'traditional' media) the result of DMCA legislation -- which has been well documented, discussed and debated in the weblog community.

[...] The controversy stems from landmark digital copyright legislation passed in 1998, in which Congress said Webcasters would be required to pay labels and artists a fee to play their music online. This created a new type of royalty, as ordinary radio stations have long paid songwriters a small royalty but have never paid labels or artists themselves. [...] from c|net

For now there's a six-month reprieve thanks to the unanimous approval by the House and Senate of "The Small Webcaster Settlement Act" (H.R. 5469). Still, one must wonder what is the future of radio? All radio. For me? I can only dream again. I dream of Internet Radio. Like a child, today it's an infant. But I wish and hope for the brightest future for this youngster. Sure, I can see it becoming a raging adolescent screaming for attention. Complete with rage, angst and an identity crises showdown. As it begins to mature and refine, it reignites interest in diversity or music and message. New artists are discovered and find outlets for their music -- independent of the behemoth entertainment distribution machine -- and people like you and me discover them.

It's ironic as I write this story, I'm using a web publishing/content management system aptly named Radio. Dave Winer and his team including John Robb and others at Userland Software have created a tool that allows me and other bloggers to publish and ultimately give us the ability to reach millions of readers. Combine this with the ability to stream 'syndicated' content through RSS and I've got a blog broadcasting system. Readers of The Digital Tavern - for the sake of clarity send me feedback and comments from all over the world including Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, Bali, England, South Africa, Hungary, Australia, France, Spain and Italy.

Soon more advanced publishing systems and technologies will give you and me the ability to broadcast as well as publish. To be sure, we will be responsible to our own economic realities. But we'll also be responsible for being true to our ideals, passions, dreams and spirit. There is a silver lining in the clouds of challenge that temporarily obscure or dampen those passions and spirit. The community of weblogs (bloggers) that is the latest wildfire blazing through the internet gives me hope that radio will be reinvented right here.

Invisible airwaves crackle with life
Bright antennae bristle with the energy
Emotional feedback on timeless wavelength
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free

All this machinery making modern music
Can still be open-hearted.
Not so coldly charted
It's really just a question of your honesty, yeah,
Your honesty.

One likes to believe in the freedom of music,
But glittering prizes and endless compromises
Shatter the illusion of integrity.

From "The Spirit of Radio" by Neil Peart - RUSH

Getting More Out Of Your iTunes Library. And Your iPod

Tue, 21 Jan 2003 09:44:33 GMT
If you are a Mac user, use iTunes and exhibit some of the anal retentive behavior that would open the door to realizing the true potential of iTunes and the iPod, the you should read this twice. Your iTunes library will be thanking you in spades. Simply the best guide to cleaning up your MP3 ID tags.

The Doors On Jay Leno. TV?

Fri, 17 Jan 2003 10:11:43 GMT
For those that know me well, you can vouch for my distaste and therefore very restrained if never present, television viewing. But somehow I found myself bouncing off the walls of my living room with TV on and the Leno teaser says The Doors. As I previously blogged about this highly unusual reunion or rebirth, i was compelled to refrain from writing, blogging or playing my guitar and watch Jay big chin Leno promote The Doors. So they performed Light My Fire. Truly a classic. But truly a bit dated. There's Ian Asbury of The Cult Fame in his leather jacket. big rock necklace and dark wrap around shades to complete the I Wish I Was; or I'm Trying To Be, But I'm Not, Jim Morrison. Manzarek with some scarf tied around his neck from what I believe to be a reject of the Andy Warhol era; and Robby Krieger who I"m just not sure. I was indifferent. At one point feeling sorry. At another wondering what time warp I was reeling from. Hey. But give them credit. They're trying. To be sure. TV is not the venue for this tune; nor this band. So do I go to Universal Ampitheatre and see this band stumble or radiate through a live performance? Or do I wait for Elvis? God, if this is what's happening to early 70's bands, I just hope no one tries to bring back Journey or REO Speedwagon. Rather, maybe these guys are already relegated to the State Fair tour. I'm going to hold further judgement till I have a chance to see these legends play a real gig. Till then, keep them off TV. It won't sell concert tix or CDs.

Blogging Fervor And For The Sake Of Escape (from punditry, that is)

Thu, 16 Jan 2003 22:00:58 GMT
I followed Doc's link to the London Times this morning. And I read John le Carré 's "The United States Has Gone Mad". And for the sake of clarity, I tend to steer away from political punditry here at the Digital Tavern. There's more than enough blogging in that vein here, here and elsewhere. And frankly I don't have much to say about le Carré's opinion, except that it makes for a fun read. What interests me most is that it's the ideal type of piece that throws both the right and the left into a blogging fervor. Case in point, Sullivan thinks le Carré''s paranoid, Hawkin's claims it's diarrhea, Sean Kirby turns the gun around and calls le Carré the one who has gone mad and Lileks rants (and rants, and rants) the content is merely recycled fatuity.
So allow me to approach this article a bit differently and mix in a little music (lyrics) from another famous British gentlemen. In that way I hope my post will be less serious and more entertaining rather than painful and prolonged pontificating.
That's right, pontificate I will not. Today it's a merely ping-pong of quotes. Here's how it goes: I quote a bit of le Carré's Op-Ed piece, then I quote a lyrics from Roger Waters'1991 release " Amused to Death" Waters and his Amused To Death concept "album" was inspired in part by the Gulf War and in part by Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death.... So if you don't want to listen to Waters, nor read The London Times, then scroll down for my interplay of quotes.
[...] The religious cant that will send American troops into battle is perhaps the most sickening aspect of this surreal war-to-be. Bush has an arm-lock on God. And God has very particular political opinions. God appointed America to save the world in any way that suits America. God appointed Israel to be the nexus of America's Middle Eastern policy, and anyone who wants to mess with that idea is a) anti-Semitic, b) anti-American, c) with the enemy, and d) a terrorist [...]
What God wants God gets

God wants goodness
God wants light
God wants mayhem
God wants a clean fight

God wants peace
God wants war
God wants famine
God wants chain stores

What God wants God gets

God wants sedition
God wants sex
God wants freedom
God wants semtex
What God wants God gets

God wants voodoo
God wants shrines
God wants law
God wants organized crime
God wants crusade
God wants jihad
God wants good
God wants bad

[...] To be a member of the team you must also believe in Absolute Good and Absolute Evil, and Bush, with a lot of help from his friends, family and God, is there to tell us which is which. What Bush won't tell us is the truth about why we're going to war. What is at stake is not an Axis of Evil [~] but oil, money and people's lives. Saddam's misfortune is to sit on the second biggest oilfield in the world. Bush wants it, and who helps him get it will receive a piece of the cake. And who doesn't, won't. [...]

Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense
Expressed in dollars and cents
Pounds shillings and pence
Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense
Little black soul departs in perfect focus
Prime time fodder for the News at Nine
Darling is the child warm in the bed tonight?

[...]"But will we win, Daddy?"

"Of course, child. It will all be over while you're still in bed."

"Why?"
"Because otherwise Mr Bush's voters will get terribly impatient and may decide not to vote for him."

"But will people be killed, Daddy?"

"Nobody you know, darling. Just foreign people."
"Can I watch it on television?" [...]
The war has started on the ground
Just love those laser guided bombs
They're really great
For righting wrongs
You hit the target
And win the game
From bars 3,000 miles away
3,000 miles away
We play the game

With the bravery of being out of range
We zap and maim

With the bravery of being out of range
We strafe the train

With the bravery of being out of range
We gain terrain

With the bravery of being out of range
With the bravery of being out of range
We play the game

With the bravery of being out of range

Now. Wasn't that fun?

Quadraphenia: Townshend Deals With His Past, Sadly.

Tue, 14 Jan 2003 06:18:09 GMT
Legendary musician and leader of British supergroup The Who, Pete Townshend says he's not a pedophile. The news and tabloids are having a bit too much fun with this story. Yet Townshend admitted he used a child porn site once while doing research for an autobiography dealing with his own suspected childhood sexual abuse.

Choices.

Mon, 13 Jan 2003 10:04:33 GMT
"This is as true in everyday life as it is in battle: we are given one life and the decision is ours whether to wait for circumstances to make up our mind, or whether to act, and in acting, to live."
General Omar Bradley

MP3 Fan? Tough Break For Windows Users. Another Reason to Switch to Mac.

Fri, 20 Dec 2002 02:47:03 GMT
Using your PC to download and listen to MP3s? Glad I have a Mac. I wouldn't want to get one of these. Nasty stuff. I wonder when the conspiracy theorists call foul play at the DMCA promoters. Then again, this is not far off what could happen if copyright legislation is passed.

Doors Closed. For Now.

Sat, 07 Dec 2002 11:16:51 GMT
My earlier post on the new Doors? Well, it appears Stew has gone and thrown the whole rebirth into a tailspin. Thanks to Chuck for the link. I didn't really want to go to Vegas for my birthday (12/12) but it was almost appealing.

Jim Morrison Lives. New Doors.

Wed, 04 Dec 2002 01:13:05 GMT
Chuck Dolan enlightens me that The Doors are back. Ok. Maybe Jim never made it out of that bathtub. And the groupies still make a mess of the Paris cemetery where Jim rests.

[...] not recommended as a place to hang out and drop acid to commune with Morrison's spirit, as the line of Gendarmes keeping vigil are never amused. Graffiti abounds, candle wax has dripped everywhere and it's a really sad sight. from the Hip Guide To Paris Now his ex-bandmates won't let him rest in piece either. But original Doors Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger are teaming with ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland to pick up the sticks where John Densmore left off and Cult vocalist Ian Astbury as the next(?) Jim Morrison. They're performing live on December 8th in Las Vegas - an important date per the website as it marks the birth of Morrison, John Lennon's death and the enlightenment of Buddha.

I hear a very gentle sound
Very near yet very far
Very soft, yeah, very clear
Come today, come today
What have they done to the earth?
What have they done to our fair sister?
Ravaged and plundered and ripped her and bit her
Stuck her with knives in the side of the dawn
And tied her with fences and dragged her down
I hear a very gentle sound
With your ear down to the ground
We want the world and we want it...
We want the world and we want it...
Now
Now?
Now!
Persian night, babe
See the light, babe
Save us!
Jesus!
Save us!
from When The Music Is Over

Does Jennifer Lopez Make You Stammer or Stumble Over Your Words?

Thu, 14 Nov 2002 07:25:23 GMT
Rob Eccles pointed me to one of the funniest live TV bloopers I've seen in a while. Even if you don't care about Jennifer Lopez's new song or her heritage, just watch this. (requires Windows Media Player)

The Beauty of QuickTime. The Guitar Tone of David Gilmour

Sat, 09 Nov 2002 09:17:12 GMT
David Gilmour released a feature-length DVD (David Gilmour: In Concert) on Thursday memorializing his solo performance with a semi-acoustic band at the Meltdown Festival show held in June 2001 at the Royal Festival Hall in London. You can watch two full songs and a selection of clips here.

First, this little QuickTime promo is simply beautiful to watch and sonically brilliant. The custom skin complete with controls is just a tease into what we were promised with broadband. This is QuickTime technology at its best. And it will only get better.

As for Gilmour? Not quite at his best (looking), but I'm pleased that he has freed himself from the addiction and greed of touring under the guise of Pink Floyd. The massive Pink Floyd stadium performances in 1987 and 1994 were simply David Gilmour concerts. But masked comfortably through the guise of the name Pink Floyd, which former band-mate and leading songwriter Roger Waters went to court to prevent him from touring and recording under the Floyd name. Sadly, Waters lost. And the fraud began. As such, the thousands of people who saw these concerts didn't really see Pink Floyd. For without Waters, who wrote the bands most known rock epics The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon, there is no Pink Floyd.

Gilmour is looking much like a Grandpa in his new DVD. Contrast that to Roger Waters who I had the pleasure seeing live in Budapest this past June, and I think the effects of stadium after stadium after stadium gig have taken a toll on Gilmour. You see, Roger Waters refused and continues to refuse to perform in such venues.

So over the years Gilmour was able to bleed Pink Floyd fans of their money by releasing two studio albums and two live albums which. The live albums, for the most part, just captured the same songs from the studio albums in concert. How wonderful. Repurpose content over and over. It's easier than writing new songs -- for Gilmour anyway. Yeah. David Gilmour was addicted to the money and the applause.

But I'm encouraged by this new DVD and talk of an upcoming tour -- as David Gilmour. And certainly one that will find him unable to sellout stadiums, but rather performing in more intimate venues where a connection to his audience might be realized. His performance at this concert and on the DVD is really what the fans wanted. After all. I think Gilmour will ultimately find his artistry, integrity and happiness as a solo artist, rather than some cheap imitation of Pink Floyd.

The performances on the DVD are rich. Gilmour's guitar work is tasteful as you'd expect. Though his voice struggles on a few occassions. Nonetheless, he's pulled out all the stops. The band is tight. Including a hot female cellist dressed in red velvet, appearances by ex-Floyd keyboardist Rick Wright and choral arrangements of many classic songs. There's even Bob Geldolf (who starred as Pink in the Alan Parker directed film version of The Wall) trying to sing Water[base ']s part from the multi-platinum hit single, Comfortably Numb. It[base ']s so uncomfortably uneasy watching him read the lyrics scribbled on a paper he carry[base ']s on stage while lazily singing the words without a stitch of passion. Bad move, Dave. Gilmour seems to want to show off his guitar collection in this song by going through at least 4 guitar changes.

The DVD includes bonus tracks and interesting outtakes including rehearsing Shine On You Crazy Diamond with the choir at the Gilmour homestead. For Gilmour wannabe guitarists, the new DVD also includes a complete track of close ups of Gilmour's hands and the fret board of his numerous guitars. Wow. The Roger Waters DVD also includes a number of bonus tracks and extended features. I understand Roger will release a CD of new material in 2003 followed up by his French Opera "Ca Ira" (pronounced "sa-ira").

Participation. It's Your Community, After All

Fri, 08 Nov 2002 21:50:51 GMT
Through a wild string of events and blind circumstance, I was invited to attend a Songwriters Guild of America event at 14 Below in Santa Monica. In this cramped club that is haphazardly joined to its alter ego, a sports bar, on a small stage in a deep, narrow and dark room I joined the Songwriters Studio. The event included an open mike portion for aspiring singer/songwriters to test their craft on their peers and others who just showed up on a Monday night. The second part of the program introduced the audience to three Artists in the Round. Here award winning songwriters Mary Coppin, Niki Smart and Craig Lackey. Each takes a turn and plays a song. Finally, the evening capped an interview with and performances by Harriet Schock, a veteran songwriter who's string of hits have been recorded by Helen Ready, Johnny Mathis, Nancy Wilson, Roberta Flack, Smokey Robinson and many others. She wrote "Dreaming" featured in Disney's Little Mermaid animated feature.

I found it fascinating and exciting to be in a room with a bunch of talented and aspiring songwriters. All eager to learn, practice and improve their craft. After the event, I spent a couple hours after the gig where I learned more about the life of aspiring songwriters and a long list of songwriter jokes. "How do you know when it's a songwriter knocking at your door? Pizza's here." These writers ping-pong across the country from Nashville, to music festivals, to touring as headliners or back up to "big names." They co-write with peers. Attend workshops. And record.

I also thought of the cobloggaration that I noted here a week or so back. And I couldn't help but think about the community of bloggers I've found myself part of for the past several months. Even more, I think more the "connections" that happen online and offline. And how great to participate in forums where energy, ideas and even healthy debate are encouraged and rewarded throughout this community.

The business of music, songwriting and distribution is changing faster than the big record companies and studios would like. But doors open and opportunities unfold when you do one simple thing: participate.

End of the Line for a 'Free Bird

Tue, 29 Oct 2002 20:34:19 GMT
Music producer Tom Dowd, who died on Sunday, achieved prominence for making some of the finest recordings for Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers. But he had a hand in the atom bomb, too. Among his innovations were recording to tape when straight to vinyl was the norm, multitrack recording and sonic experimentation. What a legend. Morehere.

Music. Brothers In Arms

Fri, 04 Oct 2002 00:38:07 GMT
Old rockers inevitably end up exploring or returning to the roots of music and as such the Americana "movement" continues to grow. On Tuesday Mark Knopfler's third solo effort was released. Titled The Ragpickers Dream, Mark continues to explore songwriting and guitar wizadry inspired by his work with Chet Atkins and The Notting Hillbillies.

Brothers.
It's interesting to note that Dire Straits was founded by Mark and his older brother David. But after three albums, David left the band to pursure his own creative endeavors, while Dire Straits went on to much greater success without him. But who grabbed the domain "knopfler.com"? And who is a successful dot-com tycoon? David started the UK Mac news website MacLink So Mark's new CD is out and David's CD has been released to most of the world except the United States; but we should see it in stores and online sometime in November. A Mac fanatic, David's site has quite a number of computer based links, in addition to his creative expressions in art and music. Mark, on the other hand is self-described as lazy and a TV addict -- especially sports.

Big Business
Well my old company (the one I co-founded) and current nemesis -- its preferred investors -- are up to funny business as they've decided to use their preferential and voting rights to make a deal that would allow them to control 90% of the company while diluting the original founders to the point of making their shares worthless. It's dirty pool. Big business. And perhaps perfectly legal. So is taking candy from a baby, though. This story has yet to end.

Jaguar
It's been more than a week on OS X 10.2 and fully committed as a .Mac subscriber, I'm excited about most of the improvements. And I'm fully operational using the public beta of iSync and have moved off of Entourage to Mail.app, iCal and Mac OS X's Address Book. Though I think iChat's text entry area is much to small, I'm having authentication problems and overall the Mail.app while very nice to look at, it's tough getting used to some of its deficiencies such as moving forward and backward through message lists without going back to the mailbox, moving a nested mailbox to a non-nested mailbox is awkard and clumsy. And adding invitees to iCal is not intuitive. But it's publishing and subscription capabilities are amazing. This whole integration will only get better.

The widely reported outages and service deficiencies and overall controversy of the .Mac service surely makes one wonder if Apple's dip into the world of -- wait didn't we used to call this business model ASP -- what happened to ASP's? -- will be successful

Allan F. Karl: Making Music

John Hiatt - Humphrey's By The Bay, Shelter Island - May 22, 2006

The Worst Song of All Time?

I'll Never Forget You Scott

Living Wirelessly: Airport Express Update

15,000 Songs and Counting. I Want To Access & Listen To Them Everywhere!

All Music Sports A New Face

Gram Parsons Tribute - Santa Barbara

iPods Threaten Corporate & Enterprise Security (oh no!)

Sony Color MP3 Player?

RealNetworks Pleads With Apple To Go After Microsoft

Anything But Clear. Poof. Howard Stern's Gone, Gone, Gone.

John Hiatt - Solo Acoustic - Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, California

Al Stewart - Live

MacWorld San Francisco - Live Report

Days The Music Died

Satellite Radio? Blogging?

It's All About Cash

Why Microsoft Is So Flattering.

Love And A Thief. Bob Dylan Live. (sans wireless)

The Changing Face of Radio & Music Distribution

CD --> AAC & MP3 Conversion Completed

Piracy. Stealing. Copyright & Drunk Driving. Consequences.

Dina & Syd

Floydian Slip & DSM IV

Massive Audio CD Conversion Project Underway.

Selling Music Online: Now It Gets Serious.

June Gloom. And Early Summer Reading.

One Week & Nothing New?

The Digital Tavern Turns One

In Memoriam: June Carter Cash.

RIAA Blunder: Hey, Stop Stealing The Music!

iTunes Music: AAC vs. MP3

Radio. For Better or Worse.

Apple Sells Four Songs Every Second.

Apple's Music Service, DRM & The Future.

New Apple Products (live)

Nina Simone

More Hypocrisy. Where's The Music?

China Censors Stones. 4 Licks Short of 40

Every Taste You Take

Dead. But Not Forgotten

Music Industry Endorses New Online Music Service From Apple

Dear Norah,

Will TV & Newspapers Go The Way of Clear Channel?

Rock n' Roll Tape Sales Peak.

Want An iPod? Go To The Grammy Awards

Jazz of the Word Kind

Radio Robots Make For Cloudy Channels

You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling

Is It Too Late To Save Radio? Feingold To The Rescue.

Paul McCartney Kidnaps Eleanor Rigby.

Ethernet Guitars. Are We Ready For This?

Freedom of Music.

What Ever Happened To Great Radio?

Getting More Out Of Your iTunes Library. And Your iPod

The Doors On Jay Leno. TV?

Blogging Fervor And For The Sake Of Escape (from punditry, that is)

Quadraphenia: Townshend Deals With His Past, Sadly.

Choices.

MP3 Fan? Tough Break For Windows Users. Another Reason to Switch to Mac.

Doors Closed. For Now.

Jim Morrison Lives. New Doors.

Does Jennifer Lopez Make You Stammer or Stumble Over Your Words?

The Beauty of QuickTime. The Guitar Tone of David Gilmour

Participation. It's Your Community, After All

End of the Line for a 'Free Bird

Music. Brothers In Arms