With their contract at Capitol expired, and no new label signed to, Radiohead is selling their new album, In Rainbows, out 10/10/07 only through their website. The price, whatever you feel like paying. That's right give them whatever you feel the music yr. downloading is worth. Even zero dollars will get you the download. I think this is a bold move for them, but given the fan base they have I think they will still move lots of "units". They had an album debut at number one on Billboard with no radio singles after all.
So will the success of this album prompt other artists who would rather not be on a label, but possess large devoted fan bases to throw off the constraints of the music machine and sell their art for whatever people are willing to pay. I could see R.E.M. doing something like this in the near future, although they seem to need a producer present to make the most of their music, and those will usually take corporate money to hire.
This also raises the question of sales tracking, will the album be on the Billboard charts? Will these sales be tracked? Could this be the future of digital music? Will bands start making music in their own studios and then distribute it online in form of pay what you want DRM free MP3s? Would such a thing be good for music in general? Image would start to play less of a factor. A band would have to establish a fan base through touring, or the wonder of myspace music.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah did this very thing with their first album, which is quite good by the way. They built a fan base through myspace and other online "salons" and released an album that was self published and sold only through their website. They were able to move 50,000 units simply through live shows, online word of mouth, as well as real life word of mouth. Quite a feat in this day and age of mass produced and prepackaged garbage music.
I am quite excited to see what will happen with this Radiohead launch, I think they will do quite well. The industry will ignore it, and in 3 or 4 years when CD sales have reached even new lows, and the disposable music they are trying to cram down yr. throats no longer excites even the preteens that they are trying so desperately to get hooked on it. They will say how much illegal downloads of music and all sorts of other BS is killing the industry.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Foot Foot Gamers Retreat 2007
So what began as a half baked idea to spend a weekend by the water with no one around but gamers, playing games, drinking, eating, and having a general good time has just ended it's second year.
I never thought in a million years I would be able to pull the first retreat off, and when I did I thought for sure it was a fluke. Something that happened purely by luck. There was no way that a bunch of grown men with jobs and kids and SOs back home could ever get away from it all and blow off some steam for a whole weekend doing something with such a perceived juvenile air as gaming. Who in their right mind would let us all do that? And, now after year 2 I must say that the people I have decided to game with, are some pretty dedicated fellas. We had guys who came all the way from New York and Virginia to come to this thing. And, I cannot thank enough the people in their lives that let them get away for a half a week in August to play games with me. You are all very, very generous and understanding people.
Last year Paul wowed us at one point during the stay with an amazing piece of Salmon that he cooked up on the grill. This year he really took the bar that he set and raised it well above, I think, every one's expectations. Not only did he provide large meals on the scale of pork loin, and prime rib roast, but he also cooked eggs, bacon and fried up some very yummy cheese sticks, jalapeno poppers, and coconut shrimps.
Jake was also a superstar on the food front, he was able to convince his mother-in-law to make us some homemade tortilla chips, salsa, and mosticiolli. All were far and away the best of each that I have tasted before.
Everyone who came provided something special though, whether it was food, or drinks, or just the simple act of playing a game with someone. I just couldn't stop thinking of how lucky I was to be there with all of you doing something that we all enjoy. Many laughs were had, and I hope that everyone is looking forward to the '08 retreat as much as I am.
When we started this thing up we decided that it would be a good idea to award a prize to the player that gave the best overall gaming performance during the whole stay. So I went to a sporting goods store, and had them make up a plaque, quite a fancy one at that. And I made sure that the plaque had space for at least 10 names on it. I wanted this thing to be like the Stanley Cup of the Foot Foot gaming world. I wanted there to be stories that went along with it, to make it almost mythic. Paul set about generating a scoring system, one that would help take into account various anomalous gaming situations. We all agreed to the way he set it up and went about our business, not really giving to much care to the overall score.
The winner the first year was Jake, he had some really good victories with some very long games that had many players, thus the point rewards, according to our system were high. Jake also just seemed to have a mojo going that year almost like he couldn't be beat no matter what we did. This year it was Paul that had some very strong wins in some of the biggest games of the weekend. This combined with a very intimidating Care Bear tshirt was all it took for him to carry home the prize.
I think in the end, I was able to get about 20 games in. Some of my favs got played much to my delight, and I was also able to get in some new games that I had been very excited about. The only down side is that it still seems like the stars will not align in the right way to get A Game of Thrones to the table. I have owned that game for 2 years and it just seems like it will not get played. I know our group would like it. Maybe soon, I hope.
I managed to not come in dead last this year. By 2 points, I really need to win more games next year. I'll work on that, I was on a bit of winning streak leading up to the retreat, I think that all the drinks, and the good times just won't let me focus my attention for long enough to win.
It was a really great weekend though, I feel like everyone enjoyed themselves, and that people were able to do whatever it was they wanted to do. The cabin that we use for the purpose of our modest gathering is on the shore of Lake Huron, and sits on a bluff that over looks the beach. So whenever the whim hits you, you can simply put on yr. swimsuit and dive right in. I think that the water has a very big calming affect on people and that helps the atmosphere of the whole retreat. It makes everyone feel stress free, and allows all a little time to decompress from the stress of the real world for just a few days.
I think this retreat was great success, and I look forward to seeing all the same people, and maybe more, next year. I just want to say a great big thank you to all the people that came this year, I hope you had fun and are very excited to attend next year. And, thank you all for making this little hobby of mine all that much more enjoyable, because it's not really about the games, it's about the wonderful people that we all get to play them with.
I never thought in a million years I would be able to pull the first retreat off, and when I did I thought for sure it was a fluke. Something that happened purely by luck. There was no way that a bunch of grown men with jobs and kids and SOs back home could ever get away from it all and blow off some steam for a whole weekend doing something with such a perceived juvenile air as gaming. Who in their right mind would let us all do that? And, now after year 2 I must say that the people I have decided to game with, are some pretty dedicated fellas. We had guys who came all the way from New York and Virginia to come to this thing. And, I cannot thank enough the people in their lives that let them get away for a half a week in August to play games with me. You are all very, very generous and understanding people.
Last year Paul wowed us at one point during the stay with an amazing piece of Salmon that he cooked up on the grill. This year he really took the bar that he set and raised it well above, I think, every one's expectations. Not only did he provide large meals on the scale of pork loin, and prime rib roast, but he also cooked eggs, bacon and fried up some very yummy cheese sticks, jalapeno poppers, and coconut shrimps.
Jake was also a superstar on the food front, he was able to convince his mother-in-law to make us some homemade tortilla chips, salsa, and mosticiolli. All were far and away the best of each that I have tasted before.
Everyone who came provided something special though, whether it was food, or drinks, or just the simple act of playing a game with someone. I just couldn't stop thinking of how lucky I was to be there with all of you doing something that we all enjoy. Many laughs were had, and I hope that everyone is looking forward to the '08 retreat as much as I am.
When we started this thing up we decided that it would be a good idea to award a prize to the player that gave the best overall gaming performance during the whole stay. So I went to a sporting goods store, and had them make up a plaque, quite a fancy one at that. And I made sure that the plaque had space for at least 10 names on it. I wanted this thing to be like the Stanley Cup of the Foot Foot gaming world. I wanted there to be stories that went along with it, to make it almost mythic. Paul set about generating a scoring system, one that would help take into account various anomalous gaming situations. We all agreed to the way he set it up and went about our business, not really giving to much care to the overall score.
The winner the first year was Jake, he had some really good victories with some very long games that had many players, thus the point rewards, according to our system were high. Jake also just seemed to have a mojo going that year almost like he couldn't be beat no matter what we did. This year it was Paul that had some very strong wins in some of the biggest games of the weekend. This combined with a very intimidating Care Bear tshirt was all it took for him to carry home the prize.
I think in the end, I was able to get about 20 games in. Some of my favs got played much to my delight, and I was also able to get in some new games that I had been very excited about. The only down side is that it still seems like the stars will not align in the right way to get A Game of Thrones to the table. I have owned that game for 2 years and it just seems like it will not get played. I know our group would like it. Maybe soon, I hope.
I managed to not come in dead last this year. By 2 points, I really need to win more games next year. I'll work on that, I was on a bit of winning streak leading up to the retreat, I think that all the drinks, and the good times just won't let me focus my attention for long enough to win.
It was a really great weekend though, I feel like everyone enjoyed themselves, and that people were able to do whatever it was they wanted to do. The cabin that we use for the purpose of our modest gathering is on the shore of Lake Huron, and sits on a bluff that over looks the beach. So whenever the whim hits you, you can simply put on yr. swimsuit and dive right in. I think that the water has a very big calming affect on people and that helps the atmosphere of the whole retreat. It makes everyone feel stress free, and allows all a little time to decompress from the stress of the real world for just a few days.
I think this retreat was great success, and I look forward to seeing all the same people, and maybe more, next year. I just want to say a great big thank you to all the people that came this year, I hope you had fun and are very excited to attend next year. And, thank you all for making this little hobby of mine all that much more enjoyable, because it's not really about the games, it's about the wonderful people that we all get to play them with.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
It was forty years ago next month
June 1st will mark the 40 year anniversary of the UK release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. And my friend and fellow Beatles geek Wedgehead just laid a copy of the mono LP converted to CD on me. I have to say that unless you have heard the mono Sgt. Pepper's in my opinion you haven't heard it all. Yes there is that much of a difference. You see when Capitol released Sgt. Pepper's in the US they took the Beatles mono tapes, that they helped mix, and, without help from any band members, or George Martin, made their own fake "stereo" version. This, when listening to the mono reveals, seriously changed not just the tempo of almost all the songs but also the pitch. When listening to the mono, the album has a more serious sound to it, songs like, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite, and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds have an almost sinister sound to them.
So, in honor of the 4 decade anniversary of one of the most paradigm shifting moments in pop culture, I'm going to have a mono listening party. The party will be Friday June 1st. Cool how that worked out to be on a Friday huh? Almost like they knew that 40 years later we could all have a listen I mean a real listen, and not have to worry about getting up for work the next day.
So, in honor of the 4 decade anniversary of one of the most paradigm shifting moments in pop culture, I'm going to have a mono listening party. The party will be Friday June 1st. Cool how that worked out to be on a Friday huh? Almost like they knew that 40 years later we could all have a listen I mean a real listen, and not have to worry about getting up for work the next day.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The Jordan Rules
It would appear that David Stern is giving one of the NBA's favorite sons a big advantage on draft day. When Stern set up the guidelines prior to the 2006 draft about age limits, a player must be 19 or one year away from High School graduation before he can be drafted into the NBA, he also set some rules about underclassmen scouting. According to the guidelines no NBA scout or team representative is allowed to speak to or watch a game involving any player not eligible for the NBA draft. "This keeps our scouts out of high school gyms," Stern said when enacting the rule.
Micheal Jordan has been running his Jordan Brand All-American high school game for a number of years now. He takes some of the best high school kids from around the country and has a sort of East v. West game. There is also many days of practice and meal time and the families of these kids get to come along as well. Well now that MJ has become the owner of the Charollete Bobcats he is continuing to conduct these games. So not only does he get to see these kids play he gets to see them practice. All the other owners and scouts are only allowed to come see the game. Jordan also gets to interact with these kids and see if they have the level of maturity needed to make it as an NBA player, and observe their social skills. Exclusive knowledge of this type gives him a huge advantage on draft day when it comes down to 2 or 3 different picks of nearly equal playing skill.
The league thus far has looked the other way in regards to Jordan's high school game, and related festivities. But, in other cases of violations of these new prospect guidelines the league has been rather harsh. Danny Ainge was recently fined $30,000 for talking to top prospect and future lottery pick Kevin Durant. Jordan also runs Flight Schools on the east and west coast which offer basketball training to pretty much anyone that wants to learn to play better. Jordan hires top prospects from high school and college to work as counselors at these schools giving him even further access to them. All this interaction can only help when it comes to free agency as well, when the only difference between 2 teams isn't money but instead is a comfortable relationship with the ownership. Jordan has gone as far as playing one on one games with these prospects.
This is all giving the Bobcats a very big advantage not only in the immediate draft but also a longer term advantage in future free agency. And, thus far the league has done nothing about it. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Micheal Jordan has been running his Jordan Brand All-American high school game for a number of years now. He takes some of the best high school kids from around the country and has a sort of East v. West game. There is also many days of practice and meal time and the families of these kids get to come along as well. Well now that MJ has become the owner of the Charollete Bobcats he is continuing to conduct these games. So not only does he get to see these kids play he gets to see them practice. All the other owners and scouts are only allowed to come see the game. Jordan also gets to interact with these kids and see if they have the level of maturity needed to make it as an NBA player, and observe their social skills. Exclusive knowledge of this type gives him a huge advantage on draft day when it comes down to 2 or 3 different picks of nearly equal playing skill.
The league thus far has looked the other way in regards to Jordan's high school game, and related festivities. But, in other cases of violations of these new prospect guidelines the league has been rather harsh. Danny Ainge was recently fined $30,000 for talking to top prospect and future lottery pick Kevin Durant. Jordan also runs Flight Schools on the east and west coast which offer basketball training to pretty much anyone that wants to learn to play better. Jordan hires top prospects from high school and college to work as counselors at these schools giving him even further access to them. All this interaction can only help when it comes to free agency as well, when the only difference between 2 teams isn't money but instead is a comfortable relationship with the ownership. Jordan has gone as far as playing one on one games with these prospects.
This is all giving the Bobcats a very big advantage not only in the immediate draft but also a longer term advantage in future free agency. And, thus far the league has done nothing about it. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
RS Iggy SXSW interview
Rolling Stone sat down with head Stooge Iggy Pop at the South By Southwest music conference and the cameras were rolling. Some pretty good stuff.
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/03/20/exclusive-video-interview-see-iggy-pop-as-youve-neer-seen-him-before/
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/03/20/exclusive-video-interview-see-iggy-pop-as-youve-neer-seen-him-before/
Wilburys Reissues
It looks like the 2 studio albums that The Traveling Wilburys made will finally be getting the reissue treatment thanks to Rhino. The 2 albums will be released together along with bonus tracks and a DVD in a linen bound boxed set. There will also be a vinyl set. I can't wait to get that vinyl set.
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003560481
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003560481
The Dark Side of OZ
For those of you that have never done it. Here is a link that shows some of the more creepy sync ups when watching The Wizard of Oz, while listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I have done this many many times, and I think this link misses some of the more eerie sync ups, but it's nice to look at anyway. My personal favorite one is when the cash registers that open Money kick in right when Dorothy opens the door to reveal the technicolor wonderment of Oz. The one that I like very much that was missed is when we first see the Scarecrow is when the song Brain Damage starts, and that's on the second time through the disc. I don't subscribe to the belief that the members of Pink Floyd made their album to go along with this movie, but I do think that the stuff that does sync up is pretty cool. Anyway here is the link.
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/03/20/video-mashup-dark-side-of-oz/
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/03/20/video-mashup-dark-side-of-oz/
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