Gig starter

As a music fan this story immediately caught my eye.  A simple idea made possible through the power of web and a loyal but untapped fan base.  London-based Songkick has just beta-launched Detour - described as a 'Kickstarter for gigs'.

Do you perhaps live away from the bright lights of the big city?  No-one half decent played in your neck of the woods in living memory?  Do you reckon that there's maybe enough fans of your favourite band to make it worthwhile them coming up your way?  In days gone by, you'd be out of luck.  Chances are that you would have to travel hundreds of miles to see them.  Detour puts the fans in charge and hopefully will help bands to reach more of their base.  Get enough people to pledge on Detour and they'll get in touch with the band to see if it can become a reality.

I don't suppose this is going to appeal to the really big bands but for all those up-and-coming or yesteryear's artists, this could really help.  It could be a godsend for an overseas artist on their first foray into new territory where they know little about their fan base locally. Think about how an idea like this could work in a geographically large area but sparsely populated country like New Zealand.  Through Detour or perhaps a similar service, you may well find that an artist has a previously untapped fan base scattered around the Manawatu.  Get enough people to pledge and you could see that band booking a gig in Palmerston North.

Maybe Thea will visit NZ?

It's a great idea that puts power back in the people's hands.  Managed well you could fill town halls up and down the country with all manner of acts. Expect to see a whole bunch of copycat services springing up all around the world.

'Kickstarter for gigs' (BBC)

Songkick's London site

Songkick Detour (Wired)

Music wars ten years on

Take no prisoners, spare no-one

It was 10 years ago that Apple spied an impotent and vulnerable music industry and unleashed a bombardment that swiftly won them the war and made the rest of the music world their unwilling slaves.

Napster had shown big business the way forward by harnessing peer-to-peer file sharing services to distribute music to the world, albeit by using intellectual property without permission.

The incompetence of the big record labels is hard to fathom but they all failed to recognise the power of this technology that allowed music to be digitally distributed.  They had ample opportunity to embrace this new channel and to hold on to control of their intellectual property but they failed miserably.  Instead of understanding what digital services could do to save their debt-ridden companies they tried to stamp on it and pretend it wasn't there. If ever there was a side that deserved to be well and truly trounced, it was the music labels.

Apple was totally merciless in this war and they emerged as the undisputed conqueror.  There was no ceasefire, no clemency, no return of prisoners.  It was an unbridled massacre.  The white flags hoisted by the record industry were a pitiful site.  They had little choice but to let the victor enjoy the spoils - the right to distribute and take the lion's share of profits from the world's treasure trove of digital music.  Physical music media died on that battlefield.  The future was in digital, not physical distribution.

Streaming services offer hope

Now that memories of the carnage are fading into history and the smoke is finally clearing, there is some hope for a fairer digital future. New providers have emerged from the rubble,  prepared to provide a vast catalogue of music to subscribers, either for a very reasonable monthly charge or totally free if listeners are prepared to listen to few adverts.  Spotify, Rdio and Pandora, amongst others, are the bright lights of this new breed of streaming digital providers.  They have the potential to redress the balance and give consumers some modicum of choice in where they get their music fix.

I don't know if these companies will compensate the artists any more equitably than they are currently but they will surely provide the consumer with a much fairer way to enjoy music.

Losing ground to the streaming services (BusinessWeek)

Twitter Music

It seemed that not so long ago New Zealand was a forgotten group of islands in the South Pacific, at least as far as the big internet music services went.  As a music fan I was pretty miffed that streaming services like Pandora and Spotify were freely available in North America and Europe yet we had a few pitiful local offerings that don't cut the mustard.

Bricks and mortar records stores are all but gone in New Zealand, the commercial radio selection is frankly so awful I avoid them for fear that my brain may atrophy.

Twitter launches #music

Then all of sudden, Spotify arrived, and Pandora, Rdio too.  What a treat for music starved Kiwis.  There's been a flood of music possibilities recently.  We're no longer forgotten.  Now we also have Twitter launching their #music service.  It's not even like we're getting it later than the rest of the world - from what I can see it's launching in NZ at the same time as in the major markets.

I like the idea of Twitter music.  They've teamed up with Spotify, Rdio and iTunes to  help their followers find the music they like best.  It makes use of your Twitter profile to identify music artists that you follow - it's common for many Twitter fans to follow at least one music artist.  Although other outfits have tried to use social media for music Twitter has the vast established user base to actually make it work.  An instant audience in the hundreds of millions.

Currently Twitter #music is available through your favourite browser or on your smartphone (unfortunately only on iOS as a dedicated app, not Android yet).

With all of this great music waiting to be heard there's really no need to make do with the swill coming over the commercial airwaves, is there?


Spotify or iTunes for Twitter music followers? (TechRadar)

Early review of Twitter music (Telegraph UK)

Helping fans to find their favourite music (Guardian UK)

Top of the social media charts - who is most popular?

Pandora or Spotify? Both please!

I couldn't be happy without music.  I can go without TV for prolonged periods but I need music for my soul.

I've long envied the substantial music services available in North America and Europe and wondered why a little island at the bottom of the world didn't deserve them, too.  So imagine my delight when I heard that we were going to get two of the best down here in lil' ol' New Zealand.  

Spotify

Pandora Internet Radio

I've been listening to Spotify for a while now and I'm a big fan.  If you know what you want to listen to, it's excellent.  Got a sudden craving for some obscure King Crimson track or fancy the latest Ministry of Sound mix before you head out clubbing?  It's there for the taking at Spotify.  Search by artist, album, song and you can be listening to it in crystal clear audio within seconds of the thought popping into your head.  If you're trying it out for free then you may have to endure a short advert first but on the very reasonably priced subscription service there's nothing to interrupt your listening pleasure or to keep you from that instant gratification.

Spotify

It's a stunning concept that's well executed.  You would have to spend a lot of money to purloin even a fraction of this library to put on your CD shelf but you can do it for no outlay other than the cost of your broadband data stream.  Marvellous value really.

Where Spotify doesn't maybe work so well is if you are short on ideas or simply can't remember the name of that band you used to like when you were 17.  Well maybe you should give Pandora Internet Radio a try instead.

Pandora

Kate Walsh

Pandora is like your very own automaton DJ ,who simply exists to please you.  OK, I want to listen something pleasant, some angelic voices, nothing too jarring but something that will pull my heartstrings.  I'm doing that now as I write.  On invoking Pandora.com I was asked to create my personal radio channel and name an artist or genre that appeals.  So I picked one of my favourite angels of folk, Kate Walsh.  Immediately Kate's dulcet tones washed over me with a track from her iTunes topping album, Tim's House.

I may have selected Kate Walsh but Pandora found me a bunch of complementary artists and proceeded to play them to me - Ingrid Michaelson, Tristan Prettyman, Laura Marling.  Bliss!  I was getting into this so I thought I'd mix it up with a quirkier choice - Tori Amos.  Now it's getting a lot broader.  In case you're not familiar with Tori, she attracts people who listen to all kinds of stuff.  She grew up listening to Led Zep and Deep Purple.  She has covered Nirvana's Smells like Teen Spirit, REM's Losing My Religion and so on.  Even a hardcore rock fan can admit to loving Tori Amos.

Tori Amos

Adding artists with a harder or softer edge or specifying more than one genre can really make for a truly personalised radio channel.

To really get the maximum benefit out of this endless music stream, take a note of artists that Pandora selects for you and check out their whole back catalogue via Spotify.  Talk about an excellent way to broaden your musical horizons.

Just in the time it's taken me to write this post I realise that, courtesy of Pandora's impeccable song selection,   it's a while since I last listened to the Cranberries and that I should avoid early Portishead when I'm feeling maudlin.

Deezer coming to New Zealand

Deezer is a new arrival in NZ

I recently discovered that another international player in the music streaming market is setting up shop here in New Zealand.

Deezer boasts a more customised experience for the listener's geographic location, with an added focus on local artists