NAMM 2008
January 25, 2008
2 Comments
I snuck out of Boston for a few days and infiltrated the NAMM show as a buyer for Denver School of Music. I went with two purposes: to spend time at the Apple booth which blew me away last year and to test the Nord Stage Compact which I was considering buying. Well, since Apple decided not to present this year (Bad Apple!), I managed to get some quality time at the Nord booth and to walk around to see what I could find.
The highlight was meeting jazz legend, Herbie Hancock. I’ve transcribed dozens of his solos (to be released in the near future) and he’s without a doubt the most influential pianist in my life. Talk about a magic moment!
I spent a solid 30 minutes with Barry DeVorzon of MasterWriter discussing the new update coming out in a couple of months. I wish I was at liberty to talk about it because it’s going to be big!
Plus I made my decision to buy a Nord Stage Compact. After years and years of lugging around a few very heavy vintage keyboards, amps, and a Leslie 122, my aching back was longing for some relief. At just over 20 pounds, the Nord Stage is a dream come true. I’ll spare you all the details for now, but you’ll be hearing a lot of it starting early next week when it arrives. Can’t wait! 
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(2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)
Loading ...Most Inspiring 30 Minutes I’ve Invested In A Long Time
January 25, 2008
5 CommentsWith subtle accompaniment by longtime friend Herbie Hancock, and a slide show that has opened the minds (and pocketbooks) of CEOs across the country, artist and youth activist Bill Strickland tells a quiet and astonishing tale of redemption through arts, music and unlikely partnerships.
(4 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5) Loading ...Seth Godin Draws Some Lessons From The Sinking Music Industry
January 11, 2008
2 CommentsSeth Godin dishes 15 tips to musicians on the cusp between old and new media.
- The new thing is never as good as the old thing, at least right now
- Past performance is no guarantee of future success
- Copy protection in a digital age is a pipe dream
- Interactivity can’t be copied
- Permission is the asset of the future
- A frightened consumer is not a happy consumer
- This is a big one: The best time to change your business model is while you still have momentum
- Remember the Bob Dylan rule: it’s not just a record, it’s a movement
- Don’t panic when the new business model isn’t as ‘clean’ as the old one
- Read the writing on the wall
- Don’t abandon the Long Tail
- Understand the power of digital
- Celebrity is underrated
- Value is created when you go from many to few, and vice versa
- Whenever possible, sell subscriptions
The opportunity of digital distribution is this:
When you can distribute something digitally, for free, it will spread (if it’s good). If it spreads, you can use it as a vehicle to allow people to come back to you and register, to sign up, to give you permission to interact and to keep them in the loop.
This is a philosophy to commit to memory. There’s much needed explanation at his original post: Music lessons
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5) Loading ...Cool And Recent Podcasts From Around The Web
January 11, 2008
0 Comments
Here’s some recent podcasts from around the web that I’ve been inspired by musically.
It might seem hyperbole to claim, as many Wagnerites do, that The Ring Cycle is “The Greatest Work of Art Ever.” But the grandeur and power of this monumental work have permeated our culture from Star Wars to Bugs Bunny to J.R.R. Tolkien.
What is music? How does it work? Why does it move us? Why are some people better at it than others? In this hour, we examine the line between language and music, how the brain processes sound, and we meet a composer who uses computers to capture the musical DNA of dead composers in order to create new work. We also re-imagine the disastrous 1913 debut of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring…through the lens of modern neurology.
Songs can have an effect like no other art form. Great lyricists put in the heart and soul, and master interpreters add the flesh and blood, forging the combination of words and music that makes up the magic of songcraft.
MPR Grammar Grater Episode 20: Unfinished Business
Legend has it that Constanza Mozart, in an attempt to rouse her husband from bed during the late morning hours, would sit at the piano and play a C major scale. She’d get all the way up to the B natural. And stop.
Wolfgang couldn’t stand it. His ear was begging for some kind of fulfillment, so he’d leap out of bed, rush to the piano and bang out the final note, much to his relief.
(2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5) Loading ...
