Motherboard has a really interesting interview with Christopher Kirkley from Sahel Sounds about his release “Music From Saharan Cellphones”. A remarkable description of alternate music distribution systems. Inside the Cell Phone File Sharing Networks of Western Africa (Q+A) | Motherboard.
“It is a supreme patriotic duty,” Mr N’Dour said of his candidacy. “It’s true, I haven’t pursued higher education, but the presidency is a function and not a job. BBC News – Youssou N'Dour announces Senegal presidential bid.
The first is that Jon Caramanica has written a very interesting and well-considered piece about the mainstream US* rock scene in 2011. I’ve had quibbles with some of his pet projects over the years, but here he hits a home run. It really is difficult to overstate the malaise in US mainstream rock this year. A worthwhile read. The second interesting thing about this article on the web is the SEO and page title tuning which the NYT has used for this piece. The article is called “The Year When Rock Just Spun Its Wheels” and it lists a bunch…
Dear leader and fearless PoOPmeister Mark Rosen writes: Yes, it’s time to POOP. This year’s list will be the 25th Annual edition of POOP. The rules remain the same: limit yourself to that which will fit on 2 sides of a page, leaving a small margin where the inside binding will go. send me an attached copy, preferably as a Word Doc. send me a few bucks to cover my expenses. I usually lose a bit of buckage on these and my losses seem to be slowly trending upwards. You no longer have to send me a hard copy as…
Techdirt and the NY Times both report: Louis CK: Over $1 Million In Sales In Just 12 Days For DRM-Free Download. This should be reported as yet another in the long list of projects which work because artists have used the CwF + RtB (“Connect with Fans and Reason to Buy”) model. Yup, Connect with your Fans and give them a Reason to Buy seems so obvious to us, but we still have to endure the content industry telling us that we should pass SOPA/PIPA because it protects artists. Connect with Fans + Reason to Buy.
Now that the NY Times is telling your parents about “Skrillex and dubstep taking over America”, it’s time for a little corrective action. (Dubba Jonny – “Not Another UKF Dubstep Tutorial” from the Various Artists compilation UKF Dubstep 2011)
Go to this site: You Have Downloaded, and see if they’ve seen you. Enter a title into the search box, see which IP address it’s gone to. See what else that IP sucked down. There’s a useful explanation of the system at the ZDNet blog
OR On his official site, Elvis Costello (or his minions) have posted a funny screed about the ravishing cost of his new recorded music fetish object (formerly known as “a record”). His point is that the Super Deluxe Edition is overpriced at $202.66, even if does include a whole bunch of extras in addition to the CD/DVD/10″. He goes on to endorse the 10 CD Louis Armstrong “Ambassador of Jazz” box, says that the component parts of his own set will be available cheaper in the new year and winds up acknowledging, in not very…
It appears that at least one of the major labels has found an innovative new business model. You just cannot overestimate the venality of these guys. From the article: … In other words, UMG put out albums without artist permission, held back royalties from these artists, and then finally paid out when faced with a much bigger legal threat. Now, even though the settlement money seems to cover what was claimed and acknowledged to be owed to artists, UMG is using the guise of a copyright claim to recover the money from its insurer… Why Universal Music Sued Its Insurer Over a…
To his eternal credit/shame, back in 2001 and 2003, Praveen Sharma contributed to the PoOP. Elevating himself from the muck and mire of the PoOP, he has since moved on to more constructive pursuits. He’s been part of the Percussion Lab massive for ever and his collaborative project with Machine Drum, called Sepalcure, has finally released the debut album. It is in stores today! You can get a streamed preview of the record here (Soundcloud) Sepalcure contributed a phenomenal mix ( playlist here ) to the Mary Anne Hobbs show on XFM on Saturday November 1th, 2011. Mixes from a…
Radiohead live at Roseland Ballroom – New York, NY 2011-09-28 – Core News. Via Core News. Not Thomas’s usual fare, but might be of interest to the mystifyingly large number od Poopsters who are fans. I have not listened to it, so I cannot speak to the quality. And who knows if it will still be up by the time they see this.
A picture and a discussion on Reddit about how to clean records using wood glue.
Fascinating interview with the ubiquitous Steven Goulding (drummer for Rumour, Mekons, Gang of 4, etc etc) in which he mentions that GP + The Rumour are rehearsing for a film, record and possible tour. Graham Parker and the Rumour are back, Judd Apatow’s got ’em (MusicFilmWeb.com)
Why does folk music collector Alan Lomax have a copyright interest in “Takeover” by Jay-Z? A fascinating step by step breakdown of just that question of on Ethan Heins Blog › Jay-Z and Alan Lomax. And a pretty persuasive argument for how screwed up the US copyright system is.
People’s Champion: Behind the Battle from Trent Babbington on Vimeo. Fascinating doc about the “Eli vs Envy” rap battle which blew up in 2008. “I’m the best, mayne. I deeeeiid it” Long pause Long pause
ISPs to Disrupt Internet Access of Copyright Scofflaws (Threat Level Blog, wired.com) And all on the say so of the content industry. ISPs have said that they will not cut people off, and we are talking about a “six-strikes and you’re throttled-or-something” regime… but even the French 3 strikes law eventually involved the judiciary. More coverage on ArsTechnica: Major ISPs agree to “six strikes” copyright enforcement plan. Ars also has a breakdown of The six ways you can appeal new copyright “mitigation measures”
The always excellent TechDirt has a breakdown and an embedded video from an entertainment lawyer about record label contracts. RIAA Accounting: How To Sell 1 Million Albums And Still Owe $500,000 I knew about some of these line items, but “reserves” and “breakage”? We should all keep these numbers in mind the next time a label boss says he needs legislation allowing him to charge copyright violators with a crime and not merely a civil offense. When label bosses whine about how “no artist will want to make music if they can’t get paid”, ask that boss if his artists…
One of my most looked-forward-to albums this year: From the record label hype: sbtrkt’s debut album pulls off a series of impressive feats: it’s bursting with fresh ideas, and yet it sounds immediately familiar. it’s sound-patterns and rhythms can easily soundtrack the ecstatic hands in the air dance floor moments as well as reliving the monotony of the morning commute. its influences are incorporated with subtlety and sophistication: dense enough to interpret, light enough to dance to. while he has had multiple releases in single and ep forms, this is his first full-length, and about that he says “this release…
Darryl Pandy sang the vocals on one of the first “proper” house record most of us ever bought or heard. It was Farley jackmaster Funk’s “Love Can’t Turn Around”. It was the commercial hit version of the earlier JM Silk track “I Can’t Turn Around” (which itself was a version of an Isaac Hayes track). Sure it was an important track because it was one of the very first house tracks to bust out of the Chicago scene and become an international hit, but for me it was important for a couple of more personal reasons. It was the first…