Thursday, April 15, 2010

Jumping Ship To Better Lands

So there is legal and illegal downloading- obvious by this blog. But what about the middle man – that grey area that always exists in a world that is so not black and white. I would like to call those the free streamers of the music world and this topic in particular. They serve as alternatives to customers like me- who don’t want to steal – but don’t want to pay the price for music they don’t even know if they will like.

Pandora
http://www.pandora.com/

The first alternative I would like to explore is that of Pandora “It’s a new kind of radio- stations that play only music you like” they say. It was created to put the “Music Genome Project” in our hands- which is best explained by Founder of The Music Genome Project Tim Westergren:

The Music Genome Project®

On January 6, 2000 a group of musicians and music-loving technologists came together with the idea of creating the most comprehensive analysis of music ever.

Together we set out to capture the essence of music at the most fundamental level. We ended up assembling literally hundreds of musical attributes or "genes" into a very large Music Genome. Taken together these genes capture the unique and magical musical identity of a song - everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony. It's not about what a band looks like, or what genre they supposedly belong to, or about who buys their records - it's about what each individual song sounds like.

Since we started back in 2000, we've carefully listened to the songs of tens of thousands of different artists - ranging from popular to obscure - and analyzed the musical qualities of each song one attribute at a time. This work continues each and every day as we endeavor to include all the great new stuff coming out of studios, clubs and garages around the world.
It has been quite an adventure, you could say a little crazy - but now that we've created this extraordinary collection of music analysis, we think we can help be your guide as you explore your favorite parts of the music universe.

This music genome is put together in an easy to follow format packaged for its consumers. Pandora acts as a radio station where you are given the freedom to “create stations” based upon your input of a favorite artist, song, composer, or music genre. This provided information is then combined with the work completed by the genome project to offer listeners a radio station comprised of songs they want to hear. It’s sophistication at its finest. Consumers are able to bookmark songs they like, listen to 30 second samples of songs on their own and other listeners bookmarked tracks, read summaries of bands and songs, and add other listeners stations to their own.

I love Pandora- so in a way I will admit I am bias. Their rejuvenation of the radio spectrum is pure genius. Instead of listening to songs you have to listen to – you’re listening to songs you want to listen to. It caters to its listeners while also providing a platform for new music and new artists to be found and heard by the millions. I can honestly say that I have heard hand full’s of tracks that I ended up buying due to the exposure of Pandora. Just like a radio station- it helps the music industry as it promotes legal downloading, while also acting as a catalyst for old, current, and new music to be explored. Not only does Pandora provide free music- but it provides information. It gives consumers information as to music festivals, shows, and up and coming songs by bands of their liking- which all contribute to the music industry and their prosperity. It is an entity that is safe, easy, fun, and LEGAL and a definite breakthrough in the fight against music piracy.

Article: Pandora Releases Sharing Features Author: Michael Arrington
For more info on Pandora: Mashable.com/journal- Pandora’s Social Features

Spotify

http://www.spotify.com/int/
(check them out…. I’m serious!)


This is one I had never heard of before- and frankly I wish I would have. Spotify advertises itself as “All the music, all the time”. Spotify allows you listen to songs on a one time basis through your computer or phone. With 8 million tracks and counting they provide a library of genres and musicians- all for our very ears. Andres Sehr of spotify states, “This (their hybrid p2p system) allows us to deliver the long tail of music which may not be very popular, as well as quickly serve up the latest hits that the majority of users listen to.” Basically- it tailors to the masses, creating a system that provides the oldies but goodies, newbie’s, and the up and coming’s that could use a break. In this way it brings music that doesn’t have much exposure- and exposes it. The entity plays songs live- therefore there is virtually no download wait- because there is no download. Spotify works to bring you songs you want to listen to now- no saving of files is involved- which means no overcrowding to your iTunes library of songs you might not even want to keep. It allows customers to share everything you listen to- as you can pass along tracks and create playlists- continuing the exposure of not only legal downloading, but artists alike.

This idea is pure genius! I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of it before- and that its popularity hasn’t sky rocketed! It’s a Pandora made even more individual- you select the song- you listen once- you get your fix. Without screwing over the music industry (in my opinion). I believe this entity acts as a personified radio- if your phone has the ability to download and play music- create playlists, sing a tune, and continue your day with the music you want to listen to. It acts as a perfect “middle man” where songs are not being stolen, new music is exposed to listeners- the good listeners who would rather hear a song once than steal it forever- and who are most likely to buy songs if they find one they enjoy enough, and importantly- isn’t illegal. This alternative is tailored towards not only customers but the music industry- which I believe is an initiative we all can be thankful for.

Blog: TorrentFreak- Spotify, An Alternative to Music Piracy. Author- Ernesto
If you are interested in further info on Anti-Piracy check out the Anti- Piracy Organization at: www.BSA.org/reportpiracy

YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/


Everyone and their mom, and even grandma, is familiar with the YouTube website. YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload, share and view videos. It pertains to the music industry in particular in the way it allows individuals to search and listen to music, or music videos of their choice. Thus the site virtually provides free music. Although this is great and dandy- I would like to focus on how YouTube positively affected the indie rock band Barcelona, who caught the attention of nearly a million YouTubers. Following the post of their track on YouTube the band experienced a boost in their album sales (on iTunes), concert visits, and fan following. The band initially was put on YouTube via a fan, and now- following all of the benefits received from that post- the band itself continues to post new videos on YouTube.

As you can see- just because music is free doesn’t mean it’s bad. YouTube is a completely legal entity that is another one of those “grey areas” that is targeted for harming and hurting the music industry. My personal opinion- the music industry should be thanking YouTube over and over again. It allows listeners to get a taste of music- establish whether or not they enjoy what they’re listening to- and if so continue their exploration with the new tunes. All aspects point to the purchasing of music. It makes perfect sense- listen to a song on YouTube, enjoy it, and want to listen to it again- so you buy it. It can almost be considered a preview- where customers are able to see what they’re getting before they buy it- and as purchasers I think they owe that to us. It encourages legal buying behavior and an outlet for musicians and bands to promote their music online in a creative fashion that is reached by millions. Overall YouTube is a powerful mechanism that has been shown to change our culture! It’s huge! And not only is it powerful – it’s helpful- especially to the music industry and their continued efforts against music piracy.

Blog: TorrentFreak- ‘Pirated’ Youtube Clip Boosts Band’s Album Sales author: Ernesto
For more YouTube info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube#Playback



Lizzy Burkwald

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