Saturday, August 25, 2012

Moonhead

If you haven't heard - Neil Armstrong of the famous lunar landing died today. The BBC did a feature that day with Pink Floyd live soundtracking the event. How frickin' cool. Check it out.

Pink Floyd - "Moonhead"

Friday, August 10, 2012

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

#NOWPLAYING 8/8/12

Feelin' irie! Recently, I've been pretty into a certain band called the Dirty Heads. If you haven't listened to their new album "Cabin By The Sea" yet, you should. RIGHT. NOW. One of the best albums of the year in my opinion. That said, I watched an interview from fuse with Duddy B and Dirty J, the band's frontmen. At the end they discuss their favorite reggae artists besides Bob Marley. I checked some of these guys out afterwards. WOW. This is some good stuff.

Click HERE to listen on YouTube.
Click HERE to listen on Spotify.
Happy hump day!! Stay irie my friends...






BONUS 
(not the best take, but you've got to love the way they rip into this song live) The Dirty Heads - "Mongo Push (live)"


Friday, August 3, 2012

The Pirate's Paradox

If you've ever downloaded music, or any other media, illegally, check out this article from TorrentFreak.  #TheTimesTheyAreAChanging

If you've ever downloaded one of these...
It makes you realize how ridiculous the whole file sharing debate is. Why were these guys regarded as a social problem, when, in fact, they were the ones getting the most business by giving out free waffles? If there is really a free market, then why shouldn't those who wish to give their content or product for free be prohibited from doing so?

I don't agree entirely with the premise of this article, but it does shed light on the controversy between the music industry and the people at large because it points out a contradiction in the way the business is handling the ordeal. I like that these guys went out and did this little experiment because it can help people understand the debate between file sharers and the industry. They CHOSE to share their product for free, whereas most bands or artists probably don't CHOOSE to give their music for free (i.e. the file sharing dilemma). That said, it does shed light on a different way of doing business, while holding a principle that file sharing zealots hold dear, but it is not necessarily better. That answer, my friends, remains to be seen.

What do YOU think about free waffles?

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Spotify Hits The Road

Expect to see a giant green bus come to a city near you in the upcoming months as Spotify announced it's new initiative yesterday, Spotify on Tour. The tour bus will be making stops Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, St. Louis, New Orleans and Miami, with others to be announced soon. If you dig Spotify, this is an even bigger chance to get into the streaming music service as the bus is equipped with a giant boombox that you can sync with your smartphone. For those 21+, Bacardi will be sponsoring the bus and feature a VIP bar.

This is an exciting initiative for Spotify. The company's numbers indicate that there are four million subscribers and about 15 million active users worldwide. With this tour initiative, their numbers could grow even stronger, especially with the recent release of streaming radio for Android phones. The tour should help to boost the radio users as well.

It's just a giant green boombox?
If Spotify uses this mobile bus for more than just expanding its service, it could be a great thing for artists. The tour will be showcasing up and coming artists like Grouplove, Kendrick Lamar, YACHT, and The Henry Clay People. I can almost see this type of thing working kind of like a Warped Tour, but expanded online more so than Warped - i.e. the streaming syncing boombox! Spotify also plans to release a Facebook app called, you guessed it, "Spotify on Tour." With the amount of exposure bands will get through the tour association with Spotify and the app, it could be a new way of artists breaking out and really getting that exposure they need to make an impact on the public. The app will feature tour diaries, Instagramming, artist sessions, and other ways to engage with the tour online. Because Spotify is so social savvy, I think this will be a great hook for new users, as well as a cool opportunity for rising acts to be seen. I hope that Spotify recognizes the amount of power it has with this as well, and works to bring good music to all, not just "what's hot."