Articles and Interviews from our editorial staff.
COLUMN: This week Cakewalk announced the latest update to their venerable DAW platform, SONAR. While it’s been updated annually with full incremental versions, sometimes to the criticism by users (e.g., “why not fix all issues with current version before launching a new one?”), Cakewalk’s team have chosen this year to do a .5 upgrade, since […]
REVIEW: I’m a big fan of Open Labs’ music workstation instruments, so I was pretty excited when they announced the rebirth of their XXL model this spring, which was not available last October 2008 when I bought the NeKo TSE (previously reviewed for this magazine). The XXL is not technically their flagship, if you ask […]
COLUMN: Applemania 2009. In one of the most anticipated tech stories this week, Apple’s visionary leader Steve Jobs took to the stage at the Yerba Buena center in San Francisco. The initial announcements included a new version of iTunes with Genius mixes, a cleaner look and better navigation (iTunes 9 was not available for download […]
COLUMN: The kind folks at Best Service today offered our readers a free “demo” version of TITAN, their new virtual instrument which contains samples from over 200 classic synths and modern gear. Unlike most demo apps, the TITAN demo provides a full copy of the ENGINE application (their streaming engine, co-developed with the Yellow Tools […]
COLUMN: Access Music has announced that their latest non-beta OS for their Ti line of keyboards is available for download. They are also formally announcing their new website is live, however it’s still a bit buggy as of today when I visited the English version. The page gives me a red drop down telling me […]
COLUMN: Sonic Charge announced this week the update to their nifty “organic” virtual synth, Synplant. Version 1.0.1 fixes some minor things, including Cakewalk Sonar support (a problem I experienced, and which held up my review, which will appear here around Labor Day weekend). According to the company, “The version number is 1.0.1 and it will […]
COLUMN: Roland’s new “keytar” (guitar-like keyboard) is now shipping. The AX-Synth is a remote shoulder keyboard with onboard sound generator, ribbon controller, D Beam, modulation bar, and more. With specs similar to the current “Juno” keyboards, the AX is a long-awaited successor to Roland’s older strap-on controllers. The new AX promises to provide a better […]
Humble, Texas (MuseWire) – It’s official! As rumored this past week, MySpace has entered into an agreement to acquire iLike. The folks at iLike, founders Ali and Hadi Partovi, have sent all registered users the following update: We’re sure you have a ton of questions, most importantly: How will this affect me or the artist/band […]
COLUMN: It always is entertaining to look at Warner Bros.' financial results. Throughout its various permutations and incarnations it has remained a diversified entertainment conglomerate with interests in both music and films. It always has been subject to the financial reporting requirements of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, which has tended to make its […]
REVIEW: Two fast-paced and entertainment documentaries in the same week? Yup, and both saturated with superb music from fade-in to fade-out. “It Might Get Loud” has the pedigree (director Davis Guggenheim won an Oscar for “An Inconvenient Truth”) but “I Need That Record!” has the street credibility (Brendan Toller’s stimulating flick is so underground that […]
REVIEW: Jazz. Wait! Don’t stop reading. Sure, the very word frightens some people. But there are all kinds of jazz. Smooth jazz is pleasant, bop is pulsating, West Coast jazz is cool, and free jazz is way out there. But all of it can be exciting when well-played. There is nothing that compares to being […]
COLUMN: Best Service has announced a new massive virtual instrument sample library containing over 200 classic and modern music instruments. Claimed to be the “biggest and most extensive synthesizer sound collection of all time,” it truly appears to be a step-up from past efforts like “Nostalgia” and similar projects, and has a huge sample set […]
COLUMN: Busy savoring that new, close-in parking spot? Well you'd better read this if you want to hang on to it. Hollywood long has been known for its cunning business tactics, callous ruthlessness, cutthroat entrepreneurialism and all-around gleeful back-stabbing. OK, Sammy Glick gained the world but lost his soul, so what else is new? No […]
COLUMN: You have heard music from the clients of Jan Linder-Koda many times in your life. Today’s music scene features several artists who have worked with Linder-Koda and her Angel Diva Music firm (angeldivamusic.com), including DJ Ashba (Motley Crue, Guns ‘n’ Roses), Penn Badgley (“Gossip Girl”), Taryn Manning (“Hustle & Flow”), and Tim Fagan (who […]
COLUMN: As a long time fan of Open Labs, I’ve been watching pretty closely the development of their new “MPC Killer” (they don’t use that term, but I do), since it’s a truly remarkable bit of kit, dubbed the DBeat. Officially it began shipping this week (June 10, as promised) and it now comes in […]
COLUMN: People have been sharing my music ever since I released my first album in 2002. True, I offered free tracks from “Grin Groove” to DJs, producers and remixers, but those efforts garnered publicity that led to revenue. Plus, it introduced “The G-Man” to other musicians around the globe. This sharing was my choice. In […]
COLUMN: People in the movie business historically view people in the record business as some kind of inferior beings. Just ask David Geffen when he became Vice-Chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures after a successful career as head of Elektra/Asylum Records. As described in Tom King's book “The Operatorâ€: “Geffen, who had succeeded stellarly at everything […]
COLUMN: The conflict between CBS Records and the Warner Music Group is the stuff of record business legend. During the 1970s – 1980s they dominated the U.S. record industry. Walter Yetnikoff was head of CBS Records from 1975 – 1987. Mo Ostin was head of Warner Bros. Records, one of the three labels then comprising […]
COLUMN: My previous post on sales of Beatles albums in the U.S. seems to have precipitated a lot of interest so I thought I'd briefly discuss the history of the Beatles contracts. If you're interested in reading them, copies of the pertinent agreements are posted at deconstructingpopculture.com. These are a matter of public record having […]
COLUMN: I thought I would make a list of propositions that everybody in the music business can agree on, regardless of their stance on various philosophical, economic and theological issues. In other words these are supposed to be completely neutral and not biased towards any particular ideology. If anybody disagrees with any of these, please […]
INTERVIEW: Music does not hook up with money very often these days. In fact, they’re not even dating. Piracy, both personal and corporate, affects the creators of music in many ways, none of them good. But there is a glimmer of hope that is currently hiding as close as your mobile phone. A company called […]
BOOK REVIEW: Punk meets metal, punk loses metal, punk gets metal. That is one of the themes of Steve Waksman’s “This Ain’t the Summer of Love” (University of California Press, ISBN 978-0-520-25717-7), a sometimes down ‘n’ dirty but always scholarly examination of the flashpoint where those two powerful rock music genres smash up against each […]
COLUMN: The Fab Four once again is in the news with the announcement that remastered versions of their catalog will be available in September 2009 (source: Allan Kozinn, “Beatles Fans Await Re-Releases,” New York Times, April 8, 2009). The Beatles were Capitol Records’ most famous recording artists. Although their mercurial career spanned but a few […]
COLUMN: The most effective approaches to arguing, communication and problem solving for artists is crucial in this business…I can do a better summary than that…No, lets try this…Fighting and arguing sucks. How’s that for a summary? Much better. Whether you are in a band, running a business, in a relationship or any other type of […]
COLUMN: On any given day you can find that critic who is pushing his or her opinion on craigslist, a forum, some website or anywhere online where he or she can make a loud, brash and often harsh statement. This statement is generally incredibly opinionated, usually rude and brazenly offensive. Funny thing: while the author’s […]
COLUMN: The answer is $5.1 billion pre-tax operating income on $83.6 billion of operating revenue, which is about how much people spend on French fries during one year in the U.S. I went through all of the Warner Communications, Time Warner and AOL Time Warner annual reports since 1968 and pulled the segment financial data for the Warner Music Group or its predecessor companies.
COLUMN: In this hurting economy, many people are finding their bank accounts, wallets and savings a lot leaner lately. These same people are finding their credit card debt and their bills mounting. If money makes the world go round, the world’s been turning a lot more slowly lately for most people. It is hard enough […]
COLUMN: Hardship spurs many people to work diligently to fulfill their goals and stride closer to their dreams. The struggle becomes a daily battle, complete with minor skirmishes and obstacles, as well as the succulence of victory. Those victories add up and when they do, they create momentum. Momentum is precious and needs to be […]
COLUMN: The Recording Industry Association of America (“RIAA”) is the trade association for the U.S. record industry. The Motion Picture Association of America (“MPAA”) is the trade association for the U.S. film industry. One of their pretend jobs is to compile and disseminate statistics pertinent to each of their respective businesses. Their favorite hobby, however, […]
COLUMN: How many times have you put off a challenge, a job, a plan or an assignment and claimed you would get to it when the time was right? We all have, but a sad fact still remains: it's never the right time and it never will be. Do it anyway, even during the tough […]
COLUMN: With the creation of the updating and micro-blogs such as Twitter, Rejaw, Plurk and Kwippy, as well as the status updates featured on sites like MySpace, Facebook, Imeem and other social sites, getting a quick message out to the masses is easier than ever. People can send a text from their phone or update […]
COLUMN: Lets say you have a great website, a whole bunch of secondary and social networking sites with strong content, a consistent logo and accessible music samples as well as music available for purchase. Now, as far as new fans, you are giving them a great deal to look at and listen to. But what […]
COLUMN: How do you reach out to fans, industry professionals and everyone else on the web? Most people think the answer is a website, a MySpace account, maybe a blog, a YouTube page, a Flickr account. While these pages are necessary, many artists don't even have these few pages, let alone all the others they […]
COLUMN: If you want to hear new music in the future, good luck. Musicians and songwriters are being pushed out of the marketplace. Take a look at this simple but unassailable logic: “When you turn on your tap, water comes out and you’re billed for it. When you turn on your computer, music comes out […]
COLUMN: When was the last time you videotaped or digitally recorded yourself on stage? When was the last time you watched yourself perform, scrutinizing the playback for performance issues, pros, cons or just an overall review of your stage performance? Most people never have. Or, if they have recorded themselves, the footage was taken by […]
COLUMN: The band is coming around the corner as far as a song is concerned. The overall mix is just about there for the song. All the levels are right, all the instruments are balanced the way they are desired and the song is basically done. Is it time to save that mix and move […]
REVIEW: Thank you, Grammy Awards, for not entirely embarrassing the music business this year. Sure, there were problems with the presentation, but this show had fewer eyeball-rolling moments than any awards program in recent memory.
COLUMN: The ignorance, the arrogance and the unprofessional nature of the solicitous emails I receive on a daily basis from artists or their management never ceases to amaze me. I’m told this goes for overall basic email etiquette in any and every profession. Still, the lack of effort is jaw dropping; professionalism, style, and basic […]
COLUMN: Well, I took the plunge this week and decided to upgrade about 50 or so albums in my iTunes library to the updated “DRM Free” option now offered by Apple for many popular albums/songs found in their store. Unfortunately, this has turned into one of the worst ecommerce experiences with Apple outside of an […]
COLUMN: Everyone is tired of that same old phrase “you only get one chance to make a first impression.” It is repeated ad nauseum from business schools to beauty pageants and everywhere in between. As much as I would rather say to throw away the stuffy old phrases, parables and sayings, this is one that […]
REVIEW: Creating a song can be joy or toil, art or craft, pleasure or pain. What it cannot be is free from effort. Certain aspects of human existence must be utilized in the making of music: your brain, your heart, your soul. Otherwise, noise is the only result. We have all endured noise masquerading as […]
REVIEW: I would probably have liked this album more if it was comprised of personal friends, or the brother of my girlfriend, or fronted by the lads working part-time at the local Auto Club, but coming in cold I found the album “The Butterfly Net” to be a bit tedious and lyrically annoying. While there […]
COLUMN: People in the business of presenting live music bear some responsibility for the current turmoil in our industry. Bob Lefsetz has written passionately about the outrageous overpricing going on for arena shows, but there are also problems on a smaller scale at local shows. Witness a current practice at many clubs. Here’s the situation […]
REPORT: First of all, let me say that attending the NAMM show is a great experience. It seems to feature hands-on displays from every manufacturer even remotely concerned with music. The only gear maker I could think of without a booth was Apple, but one trip down the software aisles and you saw Mac computers […]
COLUMN: Many musicians labor with such meticulous effort and attention to detail when it comes to the production, recording and creation of a song or an album in the studio, but then abandon that work ethic once the album is done in exchange for instant gratification. These musicians make sure that when it comes to […]
COLUMN: American Idol began its eighth season last week with two-hour episodes airing on both Monday and Tuesday. That’s four hours of people with severe delusions of grandeur, and completely unrealistic hopes and expectations, all rooted in a profound misunderstanding of the music industry. All of this, plus the contestants’ lack of understanding of what […]
COLUMN: Have you ever picked up one of those weekly magazines you’ll find in any given city and seen all of the bands listed for performances all over that paper? You see them playing sometimes three nights in a row in a radius of less than 15 miles, and then they wonder why they have […]
COLUMN: Inevitably there are those of us who seem perpetually busy and end up finding gifts at the last minute, regardless of any plan to start early. The holiday just creeps up, and time flies when least wanted. So, what do you get your friend(s) for that last minute gift, or perhaps a stocking stuffer […]
EVENT REVIEW: There used to be a big difference between a concert that sold out and a band that sold out. But for many artists, that difference no longer exists. Many examples of this new economic reality were examined at a fact-packed expo entitled “Bands, Brands & Beyond” produced by the National Association of Record […]
REVIEW: The concept of the so-called workstation keyboard is certainly not new; with a wide range of current such products on the market from big guns like Korg, Roland and Yamaha, stretching back in time to the Korg M-1. These products seek to fill the needs of the “one keyboard does all” set-up, for composing, […]