Verian Thomas - video

Verian Thomas releases the Massive follow up to Miniatures. Get the music at the Negative Sound Institute net label. The Fireflys video reminds me a little of Picnic at Hanging Rock...

The Silent Ballet - Volume 3

Another great compilation from The Silent Ballet on the Lost Children net label. Some samples:

Jatun: The Temptation of Joy

Miaou: Anything Goes

Blocsonic: netBloc Volume 2

Another Creative Commons compilation from Blocsonic. A few noisy ones on this release:

Microtonner: Frequency

Giraffe: A lot of history in a very short time

The week in news

The RIAA has sent complaints about illegal downloading to 15,000 students at 25 schools. We didn't have illegal downloading when I was a student -- but we did have great independent radio. And thanks to the internet, I can listen to that radio anywhere I have an internet connection.

Not for long, if the RIAA and SoundExchange, have any say. They have bureaucratized internet music streaming so heavily, that this form of music enjoyment is also at risk: If you stream digital music, you must file 11 pieces of information about each track played with SoundExchange. For that effort a musician receives about a penny in royalty for every 12 tracks played. The catch is musicians can't claim until they have $10 in credit -- or, about 12,000 tracks played. There probably are some bands out there that can lay claim to $20 or $30 from all the independent radio stations out there, but isn't that the point of independent radio, to hear things you don't hear anywhere else?

DRM-free music sales continue to get buzz, and if this study has any merit, it appears illegal downloading has nothing to do with declining music CD sales after all. RIM (the blackberry people), known more for corporate email than music, have created more DRM-free music buzz... expect to hear the music on your blackberry soon.

But! Don't start hammering nails into the DRM coffin yet... Widevine, in a new twist on DRM, sees opportunity in their "device agnostic platform." The MP3 format itself may be at risk: Alcatel/Lucent have just won a copyright infringment case against Microsoft for the MP3 playing capability built into Windows XP and Vista. I expect that ruling might one day affect the little play button right here on earhead#101111.

Time.Space.Repeat

Another Lost Children release... Time.Space.Repeat is a London/UK post-rock band (myspace). Loved the opening anthem... These tracks are from Early Transmissions:

Joy / Sorrow

Meditation #1

Apple, the new Microsoft

I would never choose an iPod over my AAA battery, removable storage SanDisk MP3 player. And I suffer considerable indignation because artists make only a couple of pennies from a track sold at the iTunes Music Store, while the RIAA sues "illegal downloaders" $1000's for each of their lost pennies. So I was happily surprised to see Rolling Stone's opinion on Apple, the new evil empire. The comments make an entertaining read, as the Apple faithful leap to it's defense.

Transit

I'm still listening to Lost Children releases... Transit is a Belgian post-rock band (website, myspace). I love how they blend simple quiet melodies and big noisy sounds. A track from their first EP:

Harmattan: Maza

From their second EP,

Broad Leaves vs. Conifers: Reflections Upon The Asfalt

Music business challenge

RJ Eskow writes about Steve Jobs' recent proposal to consider selling DRM-free music, and suggests a new free market approach to develop artists... maybe something like sellaband.com, where bands raise money from fans who buy a share in ad revenues from the bands' music download sites.

Phonocake compilation

Electro chilled and ambient sounds from Phonocake, a net label based in Dresden (Germany). There's something for everyone on this release:

Graf: Ein Muehlstein Wird Nicht Moosig

Bad Comfort: 060727 (steps)

Aphex Twin - Monkey Drummer

I stumbled upon this video -- I've always wondered how this drum'n base sound was made:

Recent news in music

The RIAA was in the news again recently. A teenager has accused them of violating antitrust laws, conspiring to defraud the courts and making extortionate threats, and has counter-sued them for damaging his reputation, interfering with his school work, and for legal fees.

Prince performed at the Superbowl and made news for some questionable shadows cast onto a huge screen on the stage.

Worried about drivers operating cell phones while they drive? What about iPod users crossing the street? New York state is considering banning gadget use while crossing the street. Apparently three pedestrians have been killed in Brooklyn by listening to music. They obviously haven't read about my four laws of pedestrianism.