Rocknerd

Streaming links: Spotify, Netflix versus Android, the return of the undead Live365.

18 May, 201719 May, 2017 Film, Links, mp3, Radio 0

Why buy when you can trust other people’s computers? I’m sure services will never suddenly disappear or block paying customers.

Master Quality Authenticated — “high-resolution” audio with … lossy compression.

17 May, 201721 May, 2017 Audio, Opinion 8

An audacious innovation in the “high-resolution audio” field: hi-res audio that does lossy compression. And the record companies love it.

Lester Bangs on Brian Eno.

16 May, 201717 May, 2017 Esoterica, Musician 0

“It’s not a hard instrument, actually. People think synthesizers are difficult and mysterious, but in about a day you can understand how to use it. In about five years you can understand how not to as well.”

Links: a critic turned artist, the soothing power of noise, Kim Dotcom outdone, Herman’s Hermits.

15 May, 201715 May, 2017 Links, Metal, mp3, Rock, Writing 0

A pretty chill selection on the joy of art. And some schadenfreude for Kim Dotcom.

Soundtracks replaced with extruded substitute music product. If you’re lucky.

14 May, 201715 May, 2017 Film, Games, Television 1

Licensing is hard. Why not use some bulk filler instead.

(sex, uh, sex uh, crime, cry cry cry cry crime, crime)

Video: Go-Betweens, techno in six steps, a pop hit in four minutes.

13 May, 201713 May, 2017 Indie, Musician, Television 0

Some telly to finish your day.

Copyright troll links: Norway, Rightscorp, Perfect 10, police investigating BPI anti-piracy chief.

12 May, 201712 May, 2017 Links, mp3, Your rights 0

There’s a lot of money in trying for a few hundred quid out of home Internet users. Well, sometimes.

eMusic returns! Or something of that name.

11 May, 20178 April, 2018 Industry, mp3, Record 10

Remember eMusic? I was a happy customer back in the day.

Industrial reviews: Lorelei Dreaming, Eli Van Pike (2017).

10 May, 201710 May, 2017 Industrial, Metal, Record 0

Most of what hits the Rocknerd inbox is industrial, prog, metal or industrial prog metal. I have no idea why.

Links: Blockchain BitTorrent, Kim Dotcom movie, my Blockchain book interview.

9 May, 20177 June, 2017 Film, Links, mp3, Rocknerd, Your rights 1

Bram Cohen, Kim Dotcom and David Gerard. Only blockchains bind them.

Warner does a deal with YouTube. The record industry is outraged!

8 May, 20179 May, 2017 Industry, mp3, Opinion, Your rights 0

Warner has signed a completely expected deal with YouTube, because they do great business with each other and fully wish to continue. The music industry is hilariously outraged that Warner did the obvious deal with a fantastic and essential publicity outlet.

Links: How to rig the charts, musicians’ vending machine, a malware music player, Internet Archive.

7 May, 201718 May, 2017 Audio, Industry, Links, Musician 0

I’m sure Harry Styles will categorically deny that anyone from any of his teams paid anyone to do anything whatsoever toward this chart rigging effort. Any moment now.

Reviews: Mr. Kitty, Stars Crusaders, Missiles of October (2016, 2017).

6 May, 2017 Industrial, Pop, Punk, Record 0

Vaporish synthpop, sci-fi concept EBM and punk rock heavy on the rock.

Alixandrea Corvyn, Amongst Animals, Near Death Experience, Tangerinecat — Dublin Castle, Camden, Thu 4 May 2017.

5 May, 201710 May, 2017 Esoterica, Goth, Indie, Live, Rock 1

I automatically staked out my life-long spot at stage right, leaning on the PA. I grabbed this spot in 1985 and shall not relinquish it.

The music industry’s sense of entitlement. How to get the money rolling again.

4 May, 20175 May, 2017 Industry, Opinion, Writing 0

Eamonn Forde opines at The Quietus that the reports of the record industry’s rebirth are greatly exaggerated.

You’d almost think there’d been some sort of horrifying plummet in people’s financial circumstances.

On “data-driven” discovered genres, artistic conversations and faces in clouds.

3 May, 20179 May, 2018 Opinion, Writing 0

I am sceptical of the “data-driven approach” to cultural discovery. It reifies statistical artifacts, filter bubbles and faces seen in clouds.

Links: Studio 54, Rage, The KLF.

2 May, 20172 May, 2017 Dance, Industry, Links, Television 1

And Rocknerd’s wise words on Blockchain reaching a wider audience.

Various artists: Audio Antihero Presents: “Unpresidented Jams” for SPLC & NILC (2017).

1 May, 20171 May, 2017 Record 2

A benefit compilation of indie pop delights.

There’s drum machines, then there’s a machine drummer.

30 April, 201730 April, 2017 Musician 0

Our robot friends move into the acoustic version too.

Links: Audible now DRM-free, the Great Vinyl Scam, no pirate website blocks in Mexico.

29 April, 201711 November, 2018 Links, Writing, Your rights 0

It’s not like people want the (literal) tons of old editions of these records on vinyl.

The Glass Eyes: Prime Record (2016); The Oceans Over There (2017).

28 April, 201728 April, 2017 Record, Rock 0

Folky songwriter guitar rock that’s excessively fond of Neil Young and knows it.

Why Spotify wants some Blockchain; how music industry Blockchain dreams work.

27 April, 20179 May, 2018 Industry, mp3, Opinion 6

A detailed examination of why music industry Blockchain (capital B) dreams are not going to work out.

Followups: Free money from YouTube, windowing and piracy, totally not Pono.

25 April, 201728 April, 2017 Audio, Industry, Links, mp3 0

Ongoing sagas that remain perennial bad pennies of stupid.

Links: uTorrent, bogus RightsCorp DMCA notices, International 8-Track Day.

23 April, 201724 April, 2017 Audio, mp3, Rocknerd, Your rights 0

Ignoring the previous National 8-Track Day, of course.

Patti Smith’s last Australian gig, Festival Hall, Melbourne, 20 April 2017.

21 April, 201721 April, 2017 Live, Punk 2

Patti Smith is giving up long haul touring on medical advice. But at Festival Hall last night, which she called a “shitty little club” for all the right reasons, Smith looked anything but frail.