Kevin Kelly (Wired)

Kevin Kelly (Wired)


"...we're geting into an era when we must share data..."

I like the fact that "socialsm 2.0" has a little typo on one of his slides. Even great nerds of his calibre can make little mistakes.

PPL - Fair Play

PPL

If you're a musician and are not familiar with this organisation go to their site. Read everything that you can. Register with them if you want.

The reason I mention them today is that they have a video on their site (i was sent the link through a confidential e-mail) which touches on an issue that was also mentioned a few weeks ago at NI Music's "Music: It's the Business" seminar/lecture (specifically during the speech/monologue by Feargal Sharkey).

Basicly the UK is doing things a little differently to every other country in the EU.



Have a look/listen. If you are involved in the creative industries what do you think? Is this the direction you would like to go in? Will you loose or gain from this? Is there an alternative? Just because everyone else in the EU is doing something else, should the UK follow suit? The US is doing something else also; is their way better or worse?

Are they to be seen as a bunch of old skool players trying to protect their future, or dinosaurs squirming in the face of extinction?

As someone who has only ever had minimal financial gain from years working in and around the industry, I can't tell if the current situation is going to change how I currently relate to creative work (mostly I try to get either food, drink and/or transport covered for gigs. If I'm lucky, I might get all three, or a few pounds to spend. All my AV equipment is paid for by my day job, ebay luck and skips).

There's a chance that if those that give me tokens or thanks, 'sharing the crumbs from their table' are affected it will have a knock on effect. I'm guessing fewer morsels to go round for all involved.

The PPL have the video linked to fair play. Has the music industry ever been 'fair'?

I'm always keen to hear attitudes and opinions about the future of the creative industries. Interesting times ahead.

Battery Powered

Got another new toy/tool this morning - I've bought several things to try to get me to create in different ways - some inexpensive bits of technology which I hope will bring some fresh ideas to the workshop.

Here's my current battery powered ensemble that I was jamming with this morning:

SONY TCM-20DV cassette-corder with a TDK endless cassette,
Remington RQ600 Clock Radio,
FM3 Buddha Machine 2.0,
Gakken SX-150 analogue synth.

History of Electronic Music

Anyone who has chatted to me about music probably knows that I started enjoying music from a young age. It started to become more important when I discovered heavy metal (thanks to a big sister playing tapes very loudly). I then became interested in electronic music (thanks to the Chart Show and it's various charts on Saturday mornings) which led me to taking unwanted bits of consumer electronics from skips and playing with the parts whilst drooling over a book (bible?) by Dr. Ronald Pellegrino and listening to records from Belfast's Central Library.

I know that there are a few who follow the links I post here so if you share my love of electronic sound you may be interested in the following.

The Tone Generation. - A series of twelve, half-hour-long programmes. Each focusing on a country or device that had a significant contribution to the history and/or development of electronic music.

Electrolight - A series of six, half-hour-long programmes. Each focusing on a different decade. programme one starts with the 1950's (WARNING - contains seductive sonovox).

Thanks to the contributors to the Microsound mailing list who brought these to my attention.

Otomo Yoshihide + The Thing 191108 / ramble

This show was a little treat. There were many indie rock shows and disco things around Belfast but I chose to attend a noise feast full of jazz things.

A good time was had listening to experts extract thoroughly odd and extreme tones from their instruments.



WARNING - Here's where the post goes off on one:
I took some footage of the show, but have decided not to put it straight on youtube. I was thinking about the value it would add to or subtract from the band. A number of questions popped into my head.

If people can see and hear a live show online, will that make them want to attend the show and buy merch, or will they be satisfied with (or turned off by) a recording thus informing a potential customer of what they might be letting themselvs in for?

It is particularly tricky when it comes to musicians who improvise and do not play standard songs with the same form each night. Is it more important to experience it as it happens, as opposed to listening to a recording of it?

How many 'live/bootleg' albums have I enjoyed? My listening experience wasn't marred by my not being in attendance/being born at the time. But then again flash media/mp3/tape/CD/vinyl don't offer the same thing as a show.

If I publish footage I've taken from a performance, do I own the mechanical rights to it? I think so; as I have hard copy, but it was taken wthout permission, and so could be seen as evidence that I 'stole' it. I have been asked to take down clips from youtube by a record company in the past; I did as they asked.

Now I intend to ask the people I record if I can post their material. Their word is not a contract, but usually a good indicator of how their business associates will react to finding their material distributed for free (and of dubious quality) online.

I wonder how many audioblogs have contacted the people whose material they post? I have seen the disclaimer (maybe cut n' paste jobs?) declaring that the mp3's are supposed to be promotional material, some even including links to sites where legitimate products can be purchased, with the 'if you don't want it posted here, drop me a line and I'll remove it' tag. Does this in some way suggest that the poster is aware that their posting of someone else's product might be objectionable?

I imagine training to be a lawyer dealing with online distribution and copyright must be a headache these days...

I'm gonna avoid posting material unless I've been in contact with the people who made it from now on.

November do far...

I've been busy making.
A small smoker building to slowly cook meat and fish.

Audio recording using some old equipment I hadn't taken out of storage for quite a long time.


Video edits of clips I hadn't previously had the time to view properly.

Live performances of my new material using my laptop recordings plus some of my old noisey hardware.

Watching and listening to other pieces of fierce music.




Hanging out with charming people.

Goodtimes.

Music It's The Business

Thanks Ni Music for another event where those with industry knowledge and experience spend time with "the great unwashed".

What I heard of the media panel was alright for conversation, but not a stage.

The managers panel only included one person who was actively a manager. The others had plenty of tales to tell though and it was quite interesting even if I knew most of it before, I imagine it would have been very beneficial to greenies.

I caught all of the presentation/speech by the final speaker, Feargal Sharkey. It was well delivered. He obviously has a passion for the subject.

I think the next 'Music - It's the Business' talk should include someone who can give people information on Creative Commons. Maybe someone from the EFF?

If you weren't there and want to hear what you missed, go here to hear Feargal.

Events you should consider attending...

This Friday the Ecker boys celebrate their first birthday!
Special guest Tim Wright(his website is choc-full of flash goodies; go smell for yourself).

This Tuesday there's yet another showcase of elctronic music from Northern ireland in the Black Box. Expect:
BEW,
Kinnego Flux,
RL/VL