Pink Floyd - "Moonhead"
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"
Pink Floyd - "Moonhead"
Friday, August 10, 2012
Addicted to Music
We are all drug addicts! YouTube scientists ASAPSceince get into why we love music.
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
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?
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| If you've ever downloaded one of these... |
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.
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."
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.
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| It's just a giant green boombox? |
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Google Empire
Is Google becoming the real life incarnate of the super computer? You know, the one that becomes smart and cocky and powerful and outsmarts all of us humans? Or are the Google-ites just really smart people? What do you think?
A recent addition to Google, one in which you can see service updates for NYC subways on Maps, had me thinking about this question more and more. Everybody uses Google. If you've ever used a computer, you've probably used Google. In fact, I can't even name someone who hasn't used Google. Bing? No good. Ask.com? No good. Google, ladies and gentlemen, is the king of the Internet castle. So what does all this mean? With a healthy dose of cynicism and just the right amount of paranoia, maybe we'll find out.
Google, in fact, is not a product. It is a service and one that, in all honesty, merely points you in the right direction. It is a giant map of the web, as well as the world (see what I did there!). Think about how many times, daily, you turn to Google to help you: settle an argument! or find a band you like, or find a video you saw at a friend's house, or find a resource for work or school, and on and on and on. It is a (almost) limitless engine, one to which the human population is now forever bound. With the advent of Google glasses, this could be even more true in the coming years. You will never be able to leave your house without Google in your head (think about that) because it is just such a useful service. So is Google outsmarting us? or are the Google employees the ones that are really smart?
Because Google is such an innovative company, they are always pushing the limits of their services and aren't afraid to try something different. They've competed well in the mobile industry with Android, and obviously online they are almost everybody's first stop. With the amount of services Google offers (think YouTube, Google+, maps, books, news, calendar, docs, syncing with your phone) does this mean that Google is going to outsmart us? Is Google smarter than us? Or do we give the smarts to the creators and curators of these great services?In my opinion, no, Google is not necessarily outsmarting us. Google is still a service first. The services it provides are useful, innovative, and engaging. I like to give the people working on these great initiatives more credit than Google because they are the brains of the operation so to speak, and Google is just the vehicle for their visions.
In another direction, though, I do think Google (among other things) is making human beings very tech-reliant. While not necessarily a bad thing - these new technologies and innovations make things that were once fairly time consuming take almost no time at all - this great reliance on technology to solve everything is not good for the human psyche. While humans are the ones providing the answers behind the scenes, the fact that we rely on Google for a good wealth of our information is disconcerting.
The Age of the Internet encourages less personal interaction, the thing that makes us human. Call me old school, but it's kind of fun, challenging, and interesting to figure things out yourself or find something new yourself, or even read a map to find your directions instead of using a GPS. Google allows us to NOT use our brains, something we are lucky to have (or unlucky depending on your view of evolution). Let's keep the world our own, in all its beauty and not let Google become our brains.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
A recent addition to Google, one in which you can see service updates for NYC subways on Maps, had me thinking about this question more and more. Everybody uses Google. If you've ever used a computer, you've probably used Google. In fact, I can't even name someone who hasn't used Google. Bing? No good. Ask.com? No good. Google, ladies and gentlemen, is the king of the Internet castle. So what does all this mean? With a healthy dose of cynicism and just the right amount of paranoia, maybe we'll find out.
Google, in fact, is not a product. It is a service and one that, in all honesty, merely points you in the right direction. It is a giant map of the web, as well as the world (see what I did there!). Think about how many times, daily, you turn to Google to help you: settle an argument! or find a band you like, or find a video you saw at a friend's house, or find a resource for work or school, and on and on and on. It is a (almost) limitless engine, one to which the human population is now forever bound. With the advent of Google glasses, this could be even more true in the coming years. You will never be able to leave your house without Google in your head (think about that) because it is just such a useful service. So is Google outsmarting us? or are the Google employees the ones that are really smart?
Because Google is such an innovative company, they are always pushing the limits of their services and aren't afraid to try something different. They've competed well in the mobile industry with Android, and obviously online they are almost everybody's first stop. With the amount of services Google offers (think YouTube, Google+, maps, books, news, calendar, docs, syncing with your phone) does this mean that Google is going to outsmart us? Is Google smarter than us? Or do we give the smarts to the creators and curators of these great services?In my opinion, no, Google is not necessarily outsmarting us. Google is still a service first. The services it provides are useful, innovative, and engaging. I like to give the people working on these great initiatives more credit than Google because they are the brains of the operation so to speak, and Google is just the vehicle for their visions.
 |
| Brains are shrinking as Google is growing. |
In another direction, though, I do think Google (among other things) is making human beings very tech-reliant. While not necessarily a bad thing - these new technologies and innovations make things that were once fairly time consuming take almost no time at all - this great reliance on technology to solve everything is not good for the human psyche. While humans are the ones providing the answers behind the scenes, the fact that we rely on Google for a good wealth of our information is disconcerting.
The Age of the Internet encourages less personal interaction, the thing that makes us human. Call me old school, but it's kind of fun, challenging, and interesting to figure things out yourself or find something new yourself, or even read a map to find your directions instead of using a GPS. Google allows us to NOT use our brains, something we are lucky to have (or unlucky depending on your view of evolution). Let's keep the world our own, in all its beauty and not let Google become our brains.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Playlistism
Okay, so this is a blog written by someone who is working in the music industry right? Yes, so shouldn't there be some kind of MUSIC on this blog? YES! Every once in a while I'll shoot out some playlists and depending on the type of day, or what I'm feeling that day, and that's the direction the music will take. It's also an opportunity to take some music I like and that I've been listening to - spread it to the masses. Today I'll start with five songs, but how many do you think I should do per post? Let me know in the comments below! Happy listening.
1. The White Stripes - "Black Math"
2. Grouplove - "Chloe"
3. Led Zeppelin - "What Is And What Should Never Be"
4. The Lumineers - "Ho Hey"
5. Bruce Springsteen - "So Young And In Love"
BONUS! Fool's Gold - "Surprise Hotel"
It's a rainy Thursday in New York and I'm feeling the vibe that people need a pick me up, so I'm gonna do my best here and give you some rainy day music that'll fit the vibe of the dark skies but still give you some energy to keep on keepin' on.
Click HERE to listen on YouTube.
Will also be expanding this to Spotify in the near future for any Spotifiers out there!
Leave me a note in the comments and let me know what you think!
2. Grouplove - "Chloe"
3. Led Zeppelin - "What Is And What Should Never Be"
4. The Lumineers - "Ho Hey"
5. Bruce Springsteen - "So Young And In Love"
BONUS! Fool's Gold - "Surprise Hotel"
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