Clip: MP3 in Nashville
Money for No One, and your Discs for Free MP3 is Quietly Wreaking Havoc on Music Row BY REBEKAH GLEAVES AND SNACKBAR JENKINS Forget Y2K. What Music City needs to lose sleep over is MP3, a digital audio compression technology that allows music to be posted on the Internet and downloaded at near-CD quality for free. Is the gravity of this sinking in? All the music you want for free. Years of fat royalty checks might have left some Nashville songwriters too content to pen sad songs, but that hasnt stopped MP3 from lightening the loads in their wallets. If only the songwriters knew. While Al Gore was busy "inventing" the Internet, actual techies were forcing the medium into uncharted territory. Most likely the veep did not consider the effects of on-line pirating when he made his claims, but, recognized or not, the Internet is full of hackers, each waiting to cash in at Nashville's expense. Huh? What this means is that any 15-year-old with a Dave Matthews Band CD, a PC and a CD burner can perpetrate Internet piracy. In fact, the worst offenders aren't even old enough to vote. After "sex," "MP3" is the most requested term on the Internet, and pop-up ads on the most popular MP3 site offer links for those looking for information on "depression," "acne," and, of course, "barely 18 babes" and "teenage orgies." Gore presumably did not consider that the information superhighway would wind through a pre-pubescent red-light district. But thats another story. For those of you keeping score at home, MP3 (short for MPEG Layer3) is an audio compression algorithm that allows computer users to download free CD-quality songs. It was developed by the Moving Picture Coding Experts Group (MPEG) between 1988 and 1992, so its been around for a while. You do not have to buy it or attach complicated devices to your computer. It is something anyone can download at no charge. One year ago, 40 minutes of music required 400 megs of storage. Now, with MP3, 40 minutes of music can be compressed into 40 megs, depending on the translation. At that point, you burn a CD, clear the memory and start again. Some users with CD burners can fit up to 20 albums worth of material on one recordable disc. Taking Candy From a Baby Picture royalties as the world's largest candy machine. There's a never-ending line waiting to drop a quarter in the machine. But the people in charge took the day off, just in time for a couple of kids to knock the machine over, filling the streets with candy. Anyone with a sweet tooth can fill her arms with free goodies. Do you think shell leave a quarter when she's done? Many of Music Row's inhabitants hope so, but most remain wary. Even Tom Petty gambled on MP3 recently when he posted his new single in the format. Two days and 150,000 downloads later, Petty's single was yanked off the Net. "There's a lot of opportunity with [MP3]," says Mindy White, a marketing consultant with Thunder Call. "It opens up doors for non-traditional promoting and music marketing. But, no matter how badly we want to believe the opposite, the Internet is largely unregulated." This is something many industry types want to change. After significant candy gathering, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and some of the major labels gathered to announce the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI). Their goal was to protect copyrighted material in all existing and emerging audio formats and through all delivery channels. One such effort of SDMI is the incorporation of digital watermarking to prevent second-generation copying of material. "We are looking for ways to watermark music so we can keep track of it to insure that royalties are paid," says Page Kelly, senior director of business and legal affairs for Arista Nashville. "We have not authorized the release of tracks by any of our artists in the MP3 format to any site. The majority of the stuff out there is bootleg, and the artists and the recording companies are not making any money off of it. I don't know if people downloading it will take the place of buying the album. It's still too soon to tell." But is it? An annual survey commissioned by the RIAA reports that music sales in the ages 15-24 demographic, a mainstay in the market, are down about 4 percent since 1996. The report, issued just two weeks ago, speculates that MP3 piracy could be behind the decline. Blame It On Rio Until last year, no one in the industry really worried about MP3. Not until Diamond Multimedia Systems developed a device about the size of a deck of cards (2.4 ounces) called the "Diamond Rio PMP 300." The Rio is a shockproof, walkman-like musical godsend that everyone who reads this will probably rush out to buy. It holds about one hour of music and retails for under $200. The unit plugs into a port on the computer, which then transfers MP3
Re: Clip: MP3 in Nashville
Number 4 on the top 30 downloads at http://www.mp3.com is "James Alley Blues" by Roger McGuinn. He's really taken to this technology.
Re: Clip: MP3 in Nashville
Go, Roger!! g. Well, the man has always been into technology, that much is certain He was also a fairly early emailer on one of those Byrds websites, as I recall. When I first got hooked up the the web and started emailing and all, I remember being amazed by the fact that he'd replay to emails in a way that was rare 3 or 4 years ago but has become much more common now --junior
Re: Clip: MP3 in Nashville
At 11:40 AM 4/8/99 +, you wrote: Go, Roger!! g. Well, the man has always been into technology, that much is certain He was also a fairly early emailer on one of those Byrds websites, as I recall. When I first got hooked up the the web and started emailing and all, I remember being amazed by the fact that he'd replay to emails in a way that was rare 3 or 4 years ago but has become much more common now You're absolutely right...he was, and still is I gather, a big proponent of Technology. A buddy of mine is a gigantic Byrds head and had a dialogue via email going between he and Roger some time back... Damn, ain't this world a cool place sometimes? Morgan
Re: Clip: MP3 in Nashville
In a message dated 4/8/99 12:41:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Go, Roger!! g. Well, the man has always been into technology, that much is certain He's still emailing. I emailed him the other night for something for my book expecting to give him a few weeks and he responded within 15 minutes. He's got less of a life than we do g Just kidding. Anybody got the email addresses or web sites with email to other musicians (any genre) in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. I'm burning up the phone lines with publicists and fax machines. Email is so much easier. Deb Sommer
Abby Travis MP3's: Free music at the UBL!!
Hi everyone, Abby Travis here. Here comes an impromptu "newsletter" to keep you posted about some exciting stuff. First off- Check out this link to download 3 songs from "The Abby Travis Foundation" in MP3 format right now! http://www.ubl.com/rio/ Big thanks to Bernard Yin at the UBL for getting this happening!!! I am currently working on my second ablum with Kristian Hoffman co- producing. The ablum is tentitively titled "Blackmail" I'm very happy with the way it's turning out, despite the fact that I have been doing most of the engineering (oi vey). This record is going to be kind of Julie London meets Kurt Weill with several other spices and textures stirred in (huh) Look for a record called "Malediction" by Botanica to be released this June by Checkered Past. Botanica is Paul Wallfisch' bad that I play lots of fabulous bass in. I'm actually going to play some live shows in the LA area soon! Here's the short list. Thursday April 15th. I'll be performing one of those intimate solo shows on piano at Highland Grounds. This is part of thier Third Thursday series that features all kinds of LA songwriters. I play at 10:00. This show is FREE! Thursday April 6th. I play at lovely Luna Park at 9:30 pm in the cabaret room. If you want to be on the discount list email me back and you'll be put on it! (If you write a creative story about why you should get in for free we'll put you on the guest list:) T shirts now exist and are ready for purchase. They feature iron on's of the cover art from "The Abby Travis Foundation" and come in L, XL, and Baby Doll. You can buy them online at the KMFDM web site: http://www.kmfdm.net or send $10 plus $2 shipping to: You Seem Like a Nice Well Adjusted Person records P.O. Box 461105 Los Angeles, CA 90046 Feel free to also pick up a copy of "The Abby Travis Foundation" by sending $10. to the above address or going to CDnow.com, Amazon.com , Music Boulevard, or KMFDM.net If you are in Japan- you can get "The Abby Travis Foundation" through The Quattro label! Lastly- check out my web page at http://www.primenet.com/~feelmom Thanks for your time. To be removed or if you are getting multiples email back and sorry for any inconvienance. thanks Abby Travis http://www.primenet.com/~feelmom/
Clip: Mojo Nixon on MP3.com
http://www.mp3.com/news/205.html Mojo Nixon Sounds Off! By Mojo Nixon March 20, 1999 [Editor's Note: Mojo "Bring Me The Head Of David Geffen" Nixon stops by this week to let off some steam the only way he knows how (parental guidance suggested). For those of you not familiar with Mr. Nixon--first off, shame on you--he is a national treasure; one of rock's most profane and insane. As Rolling Stone wrote, "It's Nixon's crusading commitment to raw, stripped down rock'n'roll and his anger at all things that defile and dilute it that make such a bracing tonic in these bland and kingless times." Mojo and his new label Shanachie were kind enough to let us be the first to post "I Don't Want No Cybersex" (http://www.mp3.com/artists/14/mojo_nixon__the_toadliquors.html) from his outstanding new album, "The Real Sock Ray Blue" (due in stores March 23). If your MP3 collection don't have Mojo Nixon, then your MP3 collection needs some fixin'!] Mojo says: "A bunch of lyin,' cheatin' Record Company creatins are gonna start spewing a giant line of bullshit about how artists must be protected from MP3.com--about how the Internet is gonna ruin their criminal Spice/Hootie cash grab--about how there must be regulations and the Rio must be outlawed and that there must be "industry" consensus on how to keep ass-fucking the artists and keep those uppity cash cow kids in their place. People, don't believe The Big Lie from big brother NARAS, major record labels, the RIAA, etc.! The real question is not who the artist is going to get screwed by and how the artist is going to get screwed. It's is he/she gonna control their own their own exploitation or is some coke-snorting, L.A. shyster surrounded by scum lawyers gonna suck the talent dry from our best and brightest rock and rollers? I don't care what you make illegal--the future cannot be stopped. Not only is MP3 just the tip of the iceberg, but Internet radio, Rios, and even PC car radios are coming faster than Madonna. This ain't about piracy or bootlegs or artistic integrity. This is about monopolies, capitalism, and the man keeping us down. Fuck the man! Let freedom ring! Let 1,000 flowers bloom! I'm putting my song, "I Don't Want No Cybersex" on MP3.com for free to spread the word of the insanity that is me. Hell, you can still buy my CD if you want to or resurrect my former Web site Mojo World and become a Mojoholic or Mojonite. Alas, the guy who used to run it is currently residing in a state institution for the criminally insane. Anyway, you get the picture. Download my song, fight the power, cry havoc, and let rip the dogs of war as we proud, few nut jobs, begin to visualize armed insurrection."
Re: Clip: Mojo Nixon on MP3.com
MOJO!!!
MP3
Any recommended sites for MP3 downloads of alt.co?? _ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: MP3
Try MP3.com or just do a search for MP3 country and you'll find some sites. Mike Hays http://www.TwangCast.com TM RealCountry 24 X 7 Please Visit Then let us know what you think! Mike Hays www.MikeHays.RealCountry.net For the best country artist web hosting, www.RealCountry.net - Original Message - From: Jay Holdren [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: passenger side [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, March 21, 1999 8:29 AM Subject: MP3 Any recommended sites for MP3 downloads of alt.co?? _ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
SXSW meets MP3 (from Wired News; LONG)
Broadcast.com: MP3 Will Die by Judy Bryan 3:00 a.m. 15.Mar.99.PST AUSTIN, Texas -- Mark Cuban sees no good reason for MP3 to be the format for delivering digital music. He thinks distribution, not content, will be king, that pay-per-view services will eclipse free downloads, and that in everything digital a little babe will lead us. In the next several years, "MP3 will die," Cuban said. "The rate of change is accelerating to create an Internet dominated by digital media in shapes and sizes we can't even imagine." Animated and glib, and wearing jeans and a black company T-shirt, the broadcast.com president delivered the keynote speech at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival, which runs through Tuesday. Cuban's slight southern accent betrayed his non-Silicon Valley roots. Broadcast.com is headquartered in Dallas. Despite its popularity, MP3 is here to be replaced, Cuban said. When an audience member remarked the recording industry and IBM were working out plans to use the codec, Cuban replied, "So what? Disco was a popular culture." And it died, too. People want audio off the Net, but MP3 is not the best delivery system for it, he said. One strike against the format, in Cuban's view, is that MP3 files are similar in size to streaming files, and the average person can't distinguish the difference in sound quality between an MP3 and a streaming file. "The [music industry's] marketing infrastructure will change," said Joe Cantwell, executive vice president of new media for Bravo Networks. "But the movement surrounding MP3, where artists can affect a greater sense of control over their work, will not change," Cantwell said. "The desperate and the successful are the ones who shape new markets." Cantwell used Chuck D as an example of an artist using his success to shape the new digital-music market. Five years ago Bravo's Independent Film Channel could have been counted among the desperate. Cantwell said the channel was launched by people who were passionate about building an audience for independent films. Although some folks laughed then, the channel has spawned a competitor, the Sundance Channel. David Pescovitz of MTV online said Cuban only said what others were thinking. "Someone had to be the first to say it," he said during a panel discussion Sunday afternoon. The Recording Industry Association of America has created a red herring in its campaign against piracy, Cuban said. Pirates are going to find a way to distribute illicitly, no matter what defenses companies create to safeguard music. "I'm a pirate, I'll pay US$11.98 and buy a CD, then copy it as much as I want to," he said. Cuban said companies that focus on thwarting pirates actually lose money. Protection and profits are practically mutually exclusive. "The more effort you spend protecting, the less effort you spend promoting and selling," he said. It's no surprise that the broadcast.com president would back streaming media -- it's his business. And, while he won't say whether broadcast.com has its eyes on RealNetworks, he predicted that someone -- probably a telco -- will buy buy the company, if for no other reason than to eliminate a competitor from the market. People want audio and video on the Net, Cuban said, and anyone who doesn't deliver it will be left in the dust. Content's reign is over, Cuban said. Content managers and distributors -- like broadcast.com -- will profit from content, not those who create it. Cuban has some interesting -- and conflicting -- ideas about digital distribution. He advocates the Grateful Dead approach of using content as a promotional tool: giving it away for nothing, and charging users for something else, a concert, in the Dead's case. So downloading will remain free, for the most part, Cuban said. But hosting Web sites will one day cost a lot. In an apparant paradox, Cuban said the best distributors will target niche audiences that are willing to pay for their passions, such as WCW wrestling fans, who pay Broadcast.com $5 to $10 to view matches they can't get or can't afford on cable. Cindy Cashman agreed with Cuban's prediction that a 15-year-old who doesn't want to do his homework will develop the next major media app. Her son, Erick Nelson, is a 17-year-old hacker who runs Cues.com, a site where users can design their own pool cues. "He's 17, but he's one of the geniuses [Cuban] talked about," she said. Nelson echoed Cuban's notion that pay-per-view is on its way as the Web's next big business model. "I think that if people want content enough they'll pay to see it, even if it's five frames per second and choppy," Nelson said. He and his peers are avid Net-video watchers, and he's working on a project that could employ the pay-per-view model. Bob
Re: Clip: Geek alert: Microsoft's challenge to MP3 format
At 11:10 AM 3/12/99 -0800, you wrote: http://www.mp3.com/news/197.html Exclusive: Microsoft Prepares Breakthrough MS Audio 4.0! By Doug Reece March 11, 1999 Sources say that Microsoft will release MS Audio 4.0--a new file format that compresses audio files to half the size of an average MP3 file while improving sound quality--sometime in April. Is there any aspect to computing they do not feel entitled to be a part of? Geez. Jeff Miles of Music mail order http://www.milesofmusic.com FREE printed Catalog: (818) 883-9975 fax: (818) 992-8302, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Alt-Country, rockabilly, bluegrass, folk, power pop and tons more.
Clip: Geek alert: Microsoft's challenge to MP3 format
http://www.mp3.com/news/197.html Exclusive: Microsoft Prepares Breakthrough MS Audio 4.0! By Doug Reece March 11, 1999 Sources say that Microsoft will release MS Audio 4.0--a new file format that compresses audio files to half the size of an average MP3 file while improving sound quality--sometime in April. The company also plans to distribute free encoders for the ASF (advanced streaming format) audio. "It's a high-priority over there with 'The Owner,'" says one source. Sources say the format will have a security feature built in, but reports are mixed as to MS Audio 4.0's e-commerce capability. Some believe the format will launch with commerce functions built in; others say it's not clear how far along Microsoft is with commercial applications. According to another source in the music industry, Microsoft has been approaching the major record labels over the last few weeks to discuss the new format. Some labels have also been solicited for music content, which Microsoft plans on including on a demo CD that contains 10 hours of music in the MS Audio 4.0 format. Initially, MS Audio 4.0 can only play on Windows Media Player, which raises questions about Microsoft's strategic position. It will also play on Windows CE devices (hand held PCs). "They're not trying to squeeze out anybody," says yet another source. "They don't fancy this as another Liquid Audio and they're not looking at this as a means to extend their world domination. They're just providing you with another alternative." The launch of MS Audio 4.0, if true, also brings into clearer picture Microsoft's recent investment in Reciprocal Inc. (formerly the Rights Exchange, Inc.). According to a press release from Redmond, the equity stake in the digital rights management company is "the first step in a relationship in which the companies will work together to build the emerging digital content distribution and commerce industry." It's expected that Microsoft will tout the format at its Got ASF? web site (http://www.microsoft.com/sbnmember/osig/gotasf.asp).
Re: Clip: Geek alert: Microsoft's challenge to MP3 format
At 11:10 AM -0800 on 3/12/99, Brad Bechtel passed along an article that said: Sources say the format will have a security feature built in, but reports are mixed as to MS Audio 4.0's e-commerce capability. Some believe the format will launch with commerce functions built in; others say it's not clear how far along Microsoft is with commercial applications. Very far, I'd say, considering the headlines Microsoft has made about its invasions of privacy this week. Every document created by their applications has information about the user and the user's system embedded in it, and that information is sent to microsoft.com. I'd say doing the same for an audio player would be child's play to the company. Bob
MP3
Spinner.com to Offer MP3 Downloads; Leading Internet Music Service Adds Digital Download Capability to Its 100 Plus Channel Player * 02/22/99 Business Wire (Copyright (c) 1999, Business Wire) BURLINGAME, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 1999--Spinner.com, the first and largest Internet music service, announced today that it will expand its streaming audio service to let users download licensed MP3 or other digital song files, making Spinner.com the first Internet music site to offer a complete Internet music solution. Spinner.com's current site lets listeners hear its growing collection of 150,000 whole songs on 100 plus unique channels, get artist and CD information, rate songs and purchase CDs. TD "Spinner.com will be the first streaming music site to let listeners hear an extensive collection of whole songs, and download licensed songs at a click of a button," said Dave Samuel, CEO and founder of Spinner.com. "This preview before you buy option is the most compelling way for listeners to know what they want to buy before downloading." "Offering the most complete range of legal music listening and buying options on the Internet is good for listeners and good for record labels," added Samuel. "Spinner.com has strong and symbiotic relationships with the major and independent record labels, and we're working with them to ensure continued trust and support for our venture." Earlier this month, Spinner.com closed a $12 million round of financing, led by Sony Music Entertainment, Intel Corp. and Amerindo Investment Advisors, Inc. These investors joined existing investors Allen Co., Arts Alliance, IDG Ventures, and Phoenix Partners. Spinner.com will remain digital format agnostic, offering MP3 or another standard, dependent upon which format emerges as the industry standard. It expects to launch digital download service in 2Q99. About Spinner.com Spinner.com is the first and largest multi-channel Internet music service with a database of 150,000 digitized songs delivered over 100 plus highly specialized music channels. Covering an unprecedented depth and breadth of * music programming -- with channels such as 90's Rock, Bluegrass, British Invasion, Chicago Blues, Top Pop, Great Guitar, Jungle and Latin -- Spinner.com reaches 2.5 million listeners worldwide, broadcasting 1.5 million songs per day and delivering 31 million audio sessions per month. Based in Silicon Valley, Spinner.com combines the power of the Internet with advanced digital audio technology to raise entertainment to a new octave. The Spinner.com music players -- the Web-based Spinner and the stand-alone Internet application Spinner Plus -- display song information as music is played, while providing dynamic links that enable online purchasing and real-time listener feedback. New listeners can visit Spinner.com and download a free player at www.spinner.com.
Re: Compression in radio? (was MP3 article)
BARNARD wrote: BTW, following up on Joe Gracey's comments on the sound quality and nature of these files, I have a related question for Joe or others who know, regarding radio broadcast... That is: do radio broadcasts add compression to the recording being broadcast? In listening to various recordings on the radio, I've gotten this impression, but in technical terms I don't really understand what's going on. Thanks, --junior No shit they do. In the worst cases they compress and even peak limit it half to death, and they also use a lot of phase distortion and terrible stuff to try to be louder than anybody else on the dial. In the best of cases they just add a little touch of compression to make the station louder and more even, level-wise. It is really weird to hear a mix you slaved over for three days reduced to a flat, squashed dime-thin wash by a radio station using too much processing. In fact this is one reason that so much HNC sounds so funky on the air- not only are they mixing the records on consoles with a compressor on each track and a compressor over the two-mix output, but they compress it again in mastering and then the radio stations compress it about ten times more than any sane recording engineer would even consider doing once they broadcast it. This creates a sort of dull, overly-bright, boring final sound that really tires the ears in a subliminal fashion that you don't even realize is happening. On the other hand, in the great old days of Top 40 AM radio, of which I was privileged to attend the funeral as a kid DJ, the records weren't really compressed much if at all in recording or mastering, just peak limited to keep the needle from bouncing around in the groove, so we ran everything on the air through those old glorious tube compressors at a pretty hefty rate of speed and that's why the radio sounded so By-God cool in the sixties. Think of this: Jimmy Reed doing "Baby What You Want Me to Do" over the tube radio in a red '57 Chevy (mine) coming out of a huge-magnet 7X5 oval speaker mounted in the top of the dashboard at about 150 decibels on a Texas summer eve. It sounded very, very good. Can I get an amen? -- Joe Gracey President-For-Life, Jackalope Records http://www.kimmierhodes.com
Re: Compression in radio? (was MP3 article)
Can I get an amen? I'll go ya' one better, a BIG AMEN BROTHER! Mike Hays http://www.TwangCast.com TM RealCountry 24 X 7 Please Visit Then let us know what you think! Mike Hays www.MikeHays.RealCountry.net For the best country artist web hosting, www.RealCountry.net
Re: Compression in radio? (was MP3 article)
, in the great old days of Top 40 AM radio,.. the records weren't really compressed much if at all in recording or mastering, just peak limited to keep the needle from bouncing around in the groove, so we ran everything on the air through those old glorious tube compressors at a pretty hefty rate of speed and that's why the radio sounded so By-God cool in the sixties It sounded very, very good. Can I get an amen? Joe Gracey Amen, Joe! Even if I didn't have a readily-available tube Radio much past he early 60s!... The same stuff was still used at the low-power AM campus station I worked in '68-'71 in DC...that was the first place I'd ever heard of peak limiting or compression or any of the available tube-era sound processing --but, yeah, the point and result was actually to sound better on the air, given the "limitations" of the situation--and it did. I'd only add that this is one of the missing elements in less-informed comments on how "bad' all those old records sound in the primitive olden days --back before flaming every recording to hotter than hot than trebler than treble became the norm. You don't hear 'em now the way they most often sounded then. Hell, I've also heard 1930s 78s through a no-juice wind-up player with a resonator box and cone that sounded pretty good--and way louder than anybody would expect, too! (I happen to own one of those "Back to Mono" buttons--but, it's not a philosophical statement, just some ass-busting fun... it was a giveaway with the Phil Spector box set!) Barry M.
Re: Compression in radio? (was MP3 article)
Oh yes, Amen!! g And as Barry said, this is indeed one of those missing elements when people talk about how different older recordings sounded. It's not the just vinyl-vs-CD and analog-vs-digital matters once hears about most often, but also this habit of putting lotso compression on everything, at every level of the recording, from individual tracks, to mixes, etc to broadcast... --junior
Clip: MP3 article from today's Boston Globe
The prophet Chuck D, on MP3 By Patti Hartigan, Globe Staff, 02/12/99 In the words of Cornel West, he's ''a freedom fighter of his generation.'' In the words of Spike Lee, he's ''one of the most politically and socially conscious artists of any generation.'' But forget the superlatives. Chuck D, founder of the rap group Public Enemy, has roared about the Three E's: education, economics, and enforcement (as in law). Now he's aiming at another alphabetical trio, an Information Age version of the three Rs - record companies, radio stations, and retail stores. ''I'm the person who waves a flag for the artists to have a fair shot,'' Chuck D says during a phone interview from Atlanta. ''The record companies hide behind bushes when I talk because I'm the mouth that roars. They're full of `No comments.''' His latest rap condemns the music industry. ''If you don't own the master/then the master owns you,'' the song proclaims, comparing the artist-industry relationship to slavery. ''Dollar a rhyme/but we barely get a dime.'' Needless to say, you won't find record company executives touting the tune, you won't hear it on the radio, and you won't find it in retail stores. It's available only on the Internet at www.public-enemy.com. The provocative song is the latest salvo fired in Chuck D's dispute with his former label Def Jam Recordings and its parent company Polygram (now part of Universal Music Group). Now, you could write this off as a typical artist-management skirmish if it didn't involve a technological advance that is rapidly changing the way music is produced, marketed, and distributed. The record industry is facing its most monumental shakeup, more daunting than what happened when vinyl gave way to the CD. It's all thanks to a simple but groundbreaking computer format that rhymes with MTV. They call it MP3. The controversial format enables anyone with a modem and a mouse to download digital copies of recorded music that sound almost exactly like the originals. It's the hottest thing in cyberspace these days, and companies like Lycos and JamTV are racing to come up with products and services as fast as you can say, ''I want my MP3!'' Depending on whom you talk to, though, MP3 is either the beginning of a brave new world of artistic freedom or a return to the days when the pirates ruled the seas. Certain artists (including Public Enemy, Billy Idol, the Beastie Boys, and the surviving members of the Grateful Dead) are way ahead of the industry executives, who are scrambling to catch up with the chaotic, constantly changing world of cyberspace. Public Enemy, for instance, used the MP3 format to post recordings from its unreleased remix album on its Web site late last year. Def Jam demanded that the band remove the songs from the site, and Public Enemy eventually severed its ties with the label, which has produced every Public Enemy album since its debut in 1987. ''That was the straw that broke the camel's back,'' says Chuck D. When asked about the split, a Def Jam spokeswoman said, ''No comment.'' But the Recording Industry Association of America is hardly hiding behind the bushes. ''With the touch of a button, any 13-year-old can make music available to millions of people around the world,'' says Cary Sherman, the industry group's senior executive vice president and general counsel. ''We're talking about a whole new dimension of piracy.'' Chuck D, however, downplays these fears. ''They're trying to come up with a two-minute offense,'' he says. ''That's what we say in football when you're behind and you come up with some rush plays.'' Here's the play by play: The recording industry association has been scouring the Internet to shut down illegal MP3 sites, and in December, it launched the Secure Digital Music Initiative, or SDMI, a plan to develop standards to protect copyrighted music in cyberspace. When the Internet portal Lycos launched an MP3 search engine last week, the industry association forced the company to vow it would not link to illegal sites offering bootleg music. MP3 files, after all, aren't scratchy cassette tapes with gaps between tracks. They're high-quality recordings. Many Web sites, including www.mp3.com and www.goodnoise.com, offer legal MP3 recordings to download for about $1 a song; the files are compressed, so it takes only a minute or so to download a track using a high-speed modem. Browsers can then play the tunes right on their computer using one of the free players, such as Real Player, that are readily available on the Internet. MP3 is all the rage among today's technologically savvy college students, who can easily use ''ripper'' software to copy their CDs into the MP3 format and distribute it for free - or for profit - over the Internet. David Weekly, a 20-year-old Arlington native and a computer science student at Stanford University, put his entire music collection up on his Web site two years ago, and his site was so popular it almost crashed
Re: Clip: MP3 article from today's Boston Globe
On Fri, 12 Feb 1999, Brad Bechtel wrote: The technology is relatively easy to master, the sound is quite good, and the sizes are decent. For example, I made an MP3 of the song "Dwight's Blues" from Rob Ickes' new CD "Slide City" (for testing purposes, not for dissemination). The original 16 bit 44kHz stereo AIFF file was 36.3 Mb. The MP3 was 3.3 Mb. I have to admit some curiosity. One of the reasons Sony's MiniDisc has been met with disdain is that it uses a lossy format. MP3 doesn't strike me as all that different, and I do wonder why many people seem to feel so differently about the two. (I'm not implying you have, Brad, just taking off on your comments.) Bob
Re: Clip: MP3 article from today's Boston Globe
Bob Soron writes: I have to admit some curiosity. One of the reasons Sony's MiniDisc has been met with disdain is that it uses a lossy format. MP3 doesn't strike me as all that different, and I do wonder why many people seem to feel so differently about the two. (I'm not implying you have, Brad, just taking off on your comments.) My theory is that its popularity has to do with the fact that the technology isn't proprietary (that is, Sony, Seagrams, Panasonic, Microsoft, etc. doesn't get a cut of each sale) and that it's software-based, not hardware based, so it requires no outlay of cash, unlike MiniDisc, DAT, DCC, or the other digital consumer formats. The resistance from the major labels certainly hasn't hurt, either, giving the format a Robin Hood-esque aura. No one particularly minds seeing the majors squirm a little. --Jon Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wollaston, Massachusetts
RE: Clip: MP3 article from today's Boston Globe
Bob says: I have to admit some curiosity. One of the reasons Sony's MiniDisc has been met with disdain is that it uses a lossy format. MP3 doesn't strike me as all that different, and I do wonder why many people seem to feel so differently about the two. I don't have the specs in front of me, but I believe that the MP3 compression algorithm loses a bit less than the MiniDisc one. More to the point, though, I think there's a market positioning aspect here; Sony's positioning of the MiniDisc pretty well sucks (or sucked; maybe they're changing it), since it appeared to place it as a straightforward substitute for a combination of CD and CD-R. Around here, at least, most of the MD shelf space is given over to audio system component units - tabletop player/recorders, sometimes in packages with a portable player-only unit. That's direct competition of sorts with the Diamond Rio MP3 player, but the Rio doesn't have any moving parts, which renders it superior. MP3s are, I think, mostly played back on computer audio systems (duh), on which the difference between an MP3 and a CD is barely detectable, if at all. IMO, the MD's survival depends on the extent to which it's adopted as a portable recording format; I know a lot of musicians and radio folks who use them, for listening to mixes and dubs for the former (superior to cassettes) and for doing out-of-studio interviews, station promos from stars, etc. Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
Re: Clip: MP3 article from today's Boston Globe
I have to admit some curiosity. One of the reasons Sony's MiniDisc has been met with disdain is that it uses a lossy format. MP3 doesn't strike me as all that different, and I do wonder why many people seem to feel so differently about the two. (I'm not implying you have, Brad, just taking off on your comments.) The MP3 file format is different from the Sony MiniDisc delivery format, just as an Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file is different from a lined sheet of accounting paper. Both can be used for the same purpose, but in different ways. I couldn't see buying a MiniDisc player unless I were doing a lot of recording. I could see buying an additional hard drive (or a Jaz drive) to store MP3 files on my computer, if I were into that sort of thing, which I'm not. I would expect that bands will end up doing a lot of recording to hard disk in whatever format they see fit, but I wouldn't be surprised to see MP3 being the delivery format for a while. The Diamond Rio MP3 player is actually pretty cool (see http://www.diamondmm.com/rio). I don't see an MP3 recorder anywhere in the near future. You have to record in AIFF or WAV format, then translate to MP3 format. np: Nine Pound Hammer, by the Robby Robot Band (http://www.mp3.com/music/folk/7023.html) - featuring Stacy Phillips on Dobro, Tony Trischka on banjo.
RE: Clip: MP3 article from today's Boston Globe
I don't see an MP3 recorder anywhere in the near future. You have to record in AIFF or WAV format, then translate to MP3 format. If your CD drive supports it - and most do - it appears, judging by the elapsed time it takes, you can extract CD audio files directly to MP3 format; there's a huge variety of commercial, shareware and I think even a few freeware products that do this. That's a substantial part of the piracy concern; it's easier to copy a commercially-released CD than it is to record your own stuff. Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
Re: Clip: MP3 article from today's Boston Globe
Brad Bechtel wrote: I'll admit it. I downloaded the Other Ones' MP3 of ''Mississippi Half Step.'' It sucked, to quote Jeff Wall. There are a lot of decent MP3s out there (see http://www.mp3.com for legal ones; search for the others). The technology is relatively easy to master, the sound is quite good, and the sizes are decent. For example, I made an MP3 of the song "Dwight's Blues" from Rob Ickes' new CD "Slide City" (for testing purposes, not for dissemination). The original 16 bit 44kHz stereo AIFF file was 36.3 Mb. The MP3 was 3.3 Mb. I wonder when someone will come up with a way to translate RealAudio files into MP3. I think MP3 sounds pretty good, but I do hear artifacts from its compression- the high end sounds sort of swirly, but it is still pretty decent sound. I have one on our page if you want to check it out at: http://www.kimmierhodes.com/wonderfulsound.html -- Joe Gracey President-For-Life, Jackalope Records http://www.kimmierhodes.com
Re: Clip: MP3 article from today's Boston Globe
Brad Bechtel wrote: I would expect that bands will end up doing a lot of recording to hard disk in whatever format they see fit, but I wouldn't be surprised to see MP3 being the delivery format for a while. Yeah, MP3 is only useful as a way to compress an existing master audio file into a file small enough to be downloaded in a reasonable amount of time, which has been the holy grail of internet music dreamers for years. I think it is close enough to CD quality that some fans won't even notice, but the hard-core ones will notice and still want the CD. It is, of course, only the first in a series of these compression schemes and we are rapidly reaching the point where a lot of music is about to be sold and downloaded instantly. The record industry is scrambling to try to force people to put an encoder into audio files for the 'net which makes it impossible to clone the file. -- Joe Gracey President-For-Life, Jackalope Records http://www.kimmierhodes.com
RE: Clip: MP3 article from today's Boston Globe
On Fri, 12 Feb 1999, Jon Weisberger wrote: [...] MP3s are, I think, mostly played back on computer audio systems (duh), on which the difference between an MP3 and a CD is barely detectable, if at all. Well, here's another of those areas in which I get confused. Why do people use their computers to play back audio and, even weirder, video? I'd suspect a K Mart boombox is going to offer better sound than a typical computer setup (this was the problem, BTW, when I asked a couple of weeks ago about MP3 quality; it turned out to be the speakers). And you have the advantage of portability; the computer's CD drive isn't going anywhere, but you can take that boombox with you. As I say, I'm even more baffled by the huge demand for DVD players for computers. I can't imagine any less-comfortable way to watch a movie than sitting in a desk chair and staring at a computer monitor for a good 90 minutes. Bob
Compression in radio? (was MP3 article)
BTW, following up on Joe Gracey's comments on the sound quality and nature of these files, I have a related question for Joe or others who know, regarding radio broadcast... That is: do radio broadcasts add compression to the recording being broadcast? In listening to various recordings on the radio, I've gotten this impression, but in technical terms I don't really understand what's going on. Thanks, --junior
MP3 and MD
An interesting twist on MD and RIO. One guy reviewing the RIO somewhere on the Internet suggested that while it was a cool concept, a portable MD player was actually a better solution for listening to MP3 away from the computer. You just record them on the MD from the computer. If you can't go digital to digital you get a little added noise from the analogue to digital conversion, but probably nothing you couldn't live with through walkman headphones. The upside? Each MD holds 74 min music vs RIO's 30-60 min and you can bring more than one MD with you, so the capacity is actually even larger. I'm sure they'll solve this issue on the RIO side soon enough with ROM cards or something. But my guess is that MDs at $5 a piece will be cheaper for the foreseable future. In addition, a portable MD player/recorder is only $50-$75 more than RIO and much more flexible (especially if you're a musician like me). Don't think of it as replacing CDs. Think of it as replacing cassettes. If this is the comparison you make, you realize it's a pretty cool format. Jake L Jake London
RE: Compression in radio? (was MP3 article)
In my immense experience - i.e., 2 stations - some do, some don't. WOBO does, WYSO doesn't. When you don't, it's hell on those broadcasters who tend to use volume rather than pitch for emphasis and inflection - not that I know that from my immense experience, of course, but I have this friend... ... Could you further explan that last statement? A compressor reduces the dynamic variation in a signal; if, as I do, you have a tendency to raise your voice volume-wise to emphasize words or syllables, applying compression to the station's output presents a more consistent (though not flattened) volume level to the listener, which IMO is a good thing. I suspect that good announcers don't need it (at least, not as much), but that's only a hypothesis, as I have don't have any personal experience in that regard g. Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
mp3 sites
I'm getting tired of looking on the web for sites that have mp3 files for Jayhawks, Son Volt, Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, etc. songs. Just wondering if anyone would be kind enough to send me some good sites they know about. I'm not looking for sites that only contain songs off of released albums, rather unreleased material and live material. To keep down the congestion, you can e-mail any information you have to me personally at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks.
Mac (was Re: mp3)
At 21:48 +0100 on 1/12/99, George L. Figgs wrote: One thing that really makes a big difference in MP3 playback quality, in addition to 44khz/128kb encoding is the type of computer you are playing them on. I had a Mac with a 75Mhz 603 processor with only 22Khz sound output. needless to say, MP3's played back on that machine sounded terrible. now I bought a G3 and they do sound as good as cd's. Winamp or MacAmp seem to do a pretty go job playing MP3's. I use Sound Edit 16 for encoding. Based on the mp3 thread it seems like there are quite a few macers on the list. I don't know why that surprised me. Afterall there are several reasons why macers should be abundant here: 1) People on this list obviously have good taste and a sense of quality 2) Mac (Apple) is surperior over Intel on sound and image 3) Mac is alternative, Intel is mainstream. TWN Made on a Macintosh *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ * Tommy W. Nordeng * MCB, Institute of Biology, room 3102 * University of Oslo * PB 1050 Blindern * 0316 OSLO, NORWAY * * tlf. +47 2285 4421/4594 * fax: +47 2285 4605 * email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * URL's: http://www.uio.no/~tommywn/ * http://biomac24.uio.no/bakke/staff/tommy.html * *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
