Southern Culture on the Skids (San Francisco)
October 19th, 2007
Don your polyester pants and John Deere hat and saunter over to the Great American Music Hall this Sunday at 7:30 PM for a little Southern Culture on the Skids (”SCOTS”). For those “undst-familiar”, the SCOTS sound is best described as surf-a-billy, a mix of rock, surf guitar, and “y’all guessed it”…hillbilly. Always a zany lowbrow time, tickets are still available. $18 total — a true surfabilly bargain. View videos from recent concerts, the Conan O’Brien Show, or sample SCOTS music online (more on iTunes).
Beat Box Cooking Lesson
October 10th, 2007
Devo on Saturday Night Live (1978)
October 9th, 2007
Scott Beale posted this on Laughing Squid back in September and it’s been stuck in my head ever since — Devo covers “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones on Saturday Night Live (1978). Full credit to Scott for the find. 
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devo, satisfaction, music, laughing squid, scott beale, mcnitt
Amazon’s New MP3 Music Store
September 30th, 2007
I finally checked out Amazon’s new MP3 music store today and have to say that I was pretty impressed. The main attraction of Amazon’s MP3 store is that all music, much like regular CDs, is DRM-free which means you can copy and share the music without technical restriction. (Of course, traditional music copyright and use laws still apply.) Another advantage is that most songs are $.89 per download, compared to the industry standard $.99, and most albums are $1-2 dollars cheaper as well.
Amazon’s audio interface has also improved. Gone are the old Windows Media Player and Real Audio “listen now” links replaced with Flash audio playback which improves performance on all browsers without the need for extra plugins.
The Amazon MP3 music selection is still small compared to iTunes due to the fact that the four largest record labels have yet to agree to release their catalogs without DRM but it’s a great start. And in fairness to iTunes, Apple has openly stated that they want to offer DRM-free music but it’s the major record labels that are blocking them from doing so.
I enjoy the convenience of iTunes but from now on when it comes to buying music my approach will be to check Amazon first, then only buy from iTunes if what I am looking for is not available in a cheaper, downloadable, DRM-free format.
PS - I’m still unable to buy “Crash” by Matt Willis from any legal source.
iPhone Update - New iTunes Wi-Fi Store
September 27th, 2007
Apple just released Update 1.1.1 for the iPhone which includes a host of new features including the new
iTunes Wi-Fi Store. Music search, preview, purchase, and download at the touch of a button. Amazing. And dangerous.
(Sorry for the blurry image. Seems my Cannon digital camera decided to go bad today.)
UPDATE: People with hacked iPhones beware. There is a lot of chatter about hacked iPhones bricking under the update. Steve Jobs promised to crack down on the hacks. As they say about messing with a bull…
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apple, iphone, music, itunes, trendmedia, mcnitt
Matt Willis vs. Outdated Entertainment Industry
September 5th, 2007
Here’s evidence that music licensing laws are completely outdated. The movie Mr. Bean’s Holiday currently playing in theaters probably won’t win any Oscars but I believe that one of the title music tracks, “Crash” by Matt Willis is pretty good. I learned about it through a Mr. Bean video released on YouTube earlier this year and figured that I would purchase the song. Unfortunately, due to botched licensing agreements, there is no legal way to buy the song if you live in the United States. In the era of iPods, iPhones, and music enabled mobile devices, it’s absolutely absurd that these archaic geographic-based licensing agreements continue to exist.
Matt Willis on YouTube…
Apple has suggested to major record labels that similar restrictions and DRM be dropped from future offerings, and Amazon has decided to offer digital music downloads, but only from record companies who agree to offer DRM-free music. This week NBC announced that they are pulling television content from iTunes because Apple would not support raising the price of downloads from $1.99 to $4.99 per television episode. Clearly, the old media providers are failing to adapt to the times, are attempting to assert their force on technology companies like Apple, and the consumers and artists are losing.
Today, I tried to purchase “Crash” from iTunes, Amazon, Wippit, and Mercury Records (Matt Willis’ own record label!), and none would sell it to me. (And you wonder why illegal file sharing has a bright future?) The following are screenshots from my stymied shopping experience.
Can’t buy from Amazon…
Can’t buy from iTunes…
Can’t buy from Matt Willis’ own record label, Mercury Records!
Sorry, Matt Willis — I tried to buy your music but no one representing your interests would sell it to me. Bummer.
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mr. bean, matt willis, crash, apple, itunes, mercury records, mcnitt
Alanis Morissette - “My Humps” Cover?
April 3rd, 2007
Alanis Morissette covers the most ridiculous song ever created. If I didn’t hear it on Energy927 this morning I wouldn’t have believed it…
Original Black Eyed Peas, “My Humps”.
Right. OK then.
Technorati tags:
alanis morissette, energy927, music, mcnitt
Apple Unveils “iTV”, New iPods, iTunes 7
September 12th, 2006
Lots of new announcements from Apple today at it’s “It’s Showtime” event including a new line of iPods, iTunes 7 ready for download, and “iTV”, Apple’s new move into your living room. View Steve Job’s complete keynote address.
Depeche Mode (Still) Powers My Workouts
August 16th, 2006
Yes, YouTube could be my downfall. I recently stumbled across this funny interview of Depeche Mode, then the 80’s concert video below. You have it all going on here — the real musician, Allen Wilder (in black) still in the band, Dave Gahan with the “People are People” two-tone flattop hairdo, up-tempo Vincent Clarke (Yazoo/Erasure) inspired disco beats, Martin Gore in leather, plus Dave’s signature whirling dervish dance move.
Depeche Mode used to be one of my favorite bands back in the day and fueled long winter indoor cycling workouts when I lived in Chicago during high school and college. Seeing the video again reminded me how important Depeche Mode was to me at the time and how closely music was and continues to be tied to exercise. I recently went to iTunes to find some Depeche Mode remixes I could add to my workout playlist. (Here is the playlist I created; a bit dark for everyday but great when the mood strikes.)
