Articles by Mark Zip

Music Technology June 27, 2012

Is this the very first DJ system?

In 1903 French engineer Leon Gaumont was granted patents for loudspeaker systems to go with his sound on disc talking films, which used one of Berliner’s Gramophones. In 1910 Gaumont demonstrated his Chronophone system, which synchronised sound and film, at the Gaumont Palace in Paris. The compressed-air amplifier, whiuch he called the Eglephone, was just a part of the whole system. The volume was enough for an audience of 4000. Initially the longest moving picture that could be made with synchronised sound was only 200ft, due to the limited playing time of the Gramophone record. (Projection was at 16 frames…

Music Technology June 25, 2012

The Great MP3 Bitrate Experiment

PoOPlist readers may or may not agree with Merlin Mann’s hatred of the mere existence of CDs, but even if you buy physical artifacts carrying your music, you probably also rip them into a more portable and virtual realm. So, how best to do it. The Great MP3 Bitrate Experiment. (Coding Horror) I use LAME 320 VBR for mp3 and then if I really really like the disc I’ll put it into FLAC.

Live Shows June 18, 2012

Top Ten Awkward Electric Daisy Carnival Dance Move GIFs

The proverb may say “Dance like nobody’s watching…” but I’m sorry to say that we all take that advice too seriously at times. And some of these folks just don’t care. Bless their hearts. See a bunch more delights at Top Ten Awkward Electric Daisy Carnival Dance Move GIFs – Village Voice – Sound of the City.

Uncategorized June 17, 2012

The Talking Heads song that explains Talking Heads

Interesting look at how a song retreats and advances in the cultural consciousness: The Talking Heads song that explains Talking Heads – " This Must Be The Place" The New Yorker.

Music Industry, Music Technology June 1, 2012

If I see one more story about how cool vinyl LP records are, I’m going to scream

Of course, I might be a little bit jaded. Thanks to all who came to the Huge! Insane! Memorial Day Weekend Music Yardsale, it was much appreciated. I sold 3 turntables and might have sold many more had I had more available. Stories like this help, of course, but calling things cool seems to imply that they were once uncool. The Secrets of a High-Quality Vinyl Record – NYTimes.com. (possibly paywalled)

Music Industry May 24, 2012

David Lowery says “Meet The New Boss, Worse Than The Old Boss?”

David Lowery (Camper Van, Beethoven, Cracker) has a very interesting, and only somewhat self-aggrandizing post where he explains that there are plenty of ways that musicians are *still* getting ripped off, even if they believe in the new paradigm. Meet The New Boss, Worse Than The Old Boss? -Full Post | The Trichordist.

Uncategorized May 1, 2012

John Peel’s Record Collection, the first 100 records are up

Yup, It’s pretty damn cool. There’s the great man’s home studio! You can click on various items to find various resources. But the thing most of us will go for first is the record box. When you click the record box you are taken to his record collection. From the blog about the site: After some deliberation we decided that the best way to start the process was to release the details of the first 100 albums, listed alphabetically, from each letter of the alphabet each week. So on 1st May we will release the first 100 A’s, on 8th…

Live Shows, video April 16, 2012

Now this is a guitar wankfest I can get behind

Ben Lapps was in his mid-teens when this was made. There’s a few things I really like about it. The first is the way he hears the request, pauses, thinks about it, looks down at the guitar and kid of shrugs his shoulders and begins. The second is the fun he’s having, most guitar wankers are so serious and look as if they are passing gas or something worse. The third delight is the apparent obliviousness of the roadies setting up the equipment behind him. Ben Lapps playing Going to California via YouTube Most music fans are sensible enough to…

Music Industry, Releases April 9, 2012

Is Jack White mad, clever, or just trying to fuck with record collector scum worldwide?

From the YouTube page: Three weeks before his “Blunderbuss” album hits the streets, Third Man Records decided to make the Jack White album track “Freedom at 21” premier exclusively via flexi-disc records attached to helium balloons launched from the label headquarters in Nashville on April 1st, 2012. Envisioned as an experiment exploring non-traditional forms of record distribution and a way to get records in the hands of people who don’t visit record shops, the label was sure to use biodegradable latex balloons and all-natural twine in the process. Accompanying the balloons were custom post cards with instructions for the finders…

Music Industry, Music Technology April 8, 2012

Who Cares When Your Record Was Digitally Remastered?

Excellent screed/rant by Dave Mandl over on Rumpus.net. Neatly explains the sore point of incorrect dating on music streaming and download sites. Who Cares When Your Record Was Digitally Remastered? – The Rumpus.net. Interestingly, one of the commenters says that the reason why the labels feed this incorrect information to the streaming databases is so that they get the (tiny) payment registered to the more recent release. Presumably this make accounting easier for the labels. From a cursory look around a few other services, it appears that those using the All Music API do get the dates correct.

Music Industry, Music Technology March 16, 2012

Dynamic Range Day: Inside the Loudness War

It seems that today is “Dynamic Range Day”. I think that perhaps the effort needs a better publicist or marketer, I went to Hallmark to look for a “Happy Dynamic Range Day” card and the lady gave me very odd look. No matter, it’s an interesting and necessary effort. The Dynamic Range Day site has a number of useful and informative resources. And if you’re that way inclined, you can win a whole bunch of cool gear. Dynamic Range Day: Inside the Loudness War – CE Pro Article from CE Pro.

IP, Music Industry March 9, 2012

Long Reads: The Global Songwriter Shell Game: Why The Major Music Companies Are Getting Your Royalties

Major music labels tell us that it is bad that people “steal content”, so they’ve come up with another revenue stream, accepting royalty payments which thay are not due, from people who are not authorised to collect them and then not giving it to the people for whom it was collected…. The Global Songwriter Shell Game: Why The Major Music Companies Are Getting Your Royalties | TuneCorner Music Blog.

IP, Music Industry February 29, 2012

Do You Sell Used Items? – Trans-Pacific Partnership Proposes the End of the Doctrine of First Sale

IANAL, but I was fascinated by this in-depth history of the Doctrine of First Sale (which allows me to sell used records to anyone willing to pay) and analysis of the most recent attempt to blow it up. It’s slightly heavy going, with quite a bit of law jargon, but the thrust of the piece leads to the remarkable conclusion that the TPP proposal, in an attempt to protect US industries which rely largely on copyrighted works, will actually drive then to make all copies abroad. At the same time it will finally kill the market for used books, records,…

Covers February 6, 2012

Today’s Cover Tune: Oh Minnows cover JAMC

“Just Like Honey” by Oh Minnows Oh Minnows have contributed a fine cover of “Just Like Honey” to a charity album. Proceeds go to breast cancer research. Click the picture or the player box to “buy” the MP3s. Hat tip: TVD

PoOPlists, PoOPlists 2011 February 3, 2012

Extra PoOP!

While Bernadette Lange’s PoOP did not get to us in time for inclusion in the annual pooling of swill on paper, we’re happy to add her bloviations to the rest of the upchuck. Plus, she’s a girl…. So there’s that. Benadette Lange Poop ’11

Music Industry, Music Technology February 1, 2012

Alan Lomax’s Global Jukebox Goes Digital

The music Lomax collected has been available in 45-second snippets on the Cultural Equity web site for several years but is now being digitized in its entirety for streaming… Folklorist’s Global Jukebox Goes Digital- NYTimes.com.

PoOPlists, PoOPlists 2011 January 26, 2012

Kent B Poop ’11

A lot of good new stuff, but nothing great except in the Jazz and Reissue bins. Highest marks go to Disco Inferno (we weren’t ready for them in 1992), George Jones, Fania Retrospective, Craig Taborn, Ambrose Akimusire and almost all African compilations. Formidable Fourteen Charles Bradley – No Time for Dreaming / Bombina – Agadez / M & A – things yes / Frank Turner – England Keep My Bones / White Denim – D / The Black Keys – El Camino / Tom Waits – Bad as Me/ Bomb the Music Industry – Vacation / Siberia – Lights /…

IP, Music Industry January 25, 2012

The Pirate Bay puts up “The Promo Bay” – Does your band want to be in front of a billion eyeballs?

The Pirate Bay has many many many people looking at it every day. And now they are suggesting that perhaps it might be good for your band to be seen by those eyeballs. As Masnick asks “Would You Rather Fight Piracy… Or Have A Billion People Know You Exist?” – – See the easy-to-fill-in form here: The Promo Bay.

PoOPlists, PoOPlists 2011 January 22, 2012

Mark Zip Poop ’11

Buy New or Used via amazon Katie B – On A Mission (Rinse / Columbia) Among all the BRIT School graduates who made waves this year (Adele, Jamie Woon, Rizzle Kicks, Amy Winehouse), Katie B was by far my favourite. Last year’s contribution to the Magnetic Man album (featuring the brilliant lyric “something, something, something…”) and the “On A Mission” single had given us reason to expect a strong debut and we were not disappointed. The combination of pop, UK funky, dubstep and drum ‘n bass (hell, there’s even an Amen break on a coupla tracks) was addicting and served…

CD reviews January 19, 2012

That other list is out…

Even though there are lots of reasons to not support the Village Voice, there is a PoOP tradition of noting the arrival of the granddaddy of POmpous and OPinionated Music Lists. So there you have it.

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