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Same old

You’d think that getting a new computer with a new operating system would be a wonderful new experience.

It isn’t.

No Comments | Permalink | General Musings
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Other Windows

  • Fog Creek’s excellent Copilot remote assistance tool has gone to Version 2 and is now available for Mac OS X. The Windows version works in almost all circumstances – there’s no fiddling with firewall settings, ports etc. Provided that the person you’re trying to help doesn’t have a totally screwed computer, it works fine.
  • On 31 January Vodafone is going to launch a Mobile Web Portal, named Betavine. Users will be able to download and test applications, interact in forums and blogs. Developers will be able to create projects and host applications. Sounds interesting, but I fear that the evolution of the mobile web – which I just like to call ‘the internet’ – will make this venture obsolete in, oh, about 9 months.
No Comments | Permalink | The Others
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Singled Out

In recent weeks, new music chart rules launched in the UK allowing all music downloads to count even when there is no accompanying physical release. This allows any downloadable track to appear in the charts. The BBC has now changed its playlist methods to include tracks three weeks prior to download release date. As a result, its possible for tracks to disappear from the BBC playlist in advance of the physical release date.

The upshot of this could be that physical single releases become marginalised to the detriment of physical record stores (regardless of genre or sector), driving the music world even further into the digital realm.

HMV has already ditched the official singles chart (what’s the point of having a chart in a physical store, when that chart includes tracks that are only downloadable) and profits are down.

How long will it be before a major record chain collapses?

No Comments | Permalink | Music
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Spiralling Frog

I wrote about the launch of SpiralFrog last August – an online music store that provides free music through advertising supported downloads. I didn’t think it had a chance. I still don’t:

2006’s launch target was missed and it now hopes to launch in February 2007. It still only has Universal Music Group on its roster of major music labels although some independent labels are signed too. Critics may well scoff at the “puny” library, but the main problems are..

  • It’s a subscription service, even though you don’t pay anything. Users need to visit the SpiralFrog website every month to validate their music.
  • The music cannot be transferred to a CD.
  • The music can only be listened to on one PC and two mobile devices.
  • According to this report from CNET News, customers will have to wait 90 seconds for each song to download. Company managers deny this is to ensure people look at the ads.

Infighting between SpiralFrog’s management and board members lead to SpiralFrog CEO Robin Kent leaving on 26 December 2006, followed soon after by half of the board directors and 5 company managers.

And what about these other major labels? Well, last summer EMI teamed up with Qtrax – a start-up which is also to provide free ad-supported music. Universal Music Group has signed a distribution deal with Qtrax so it surely can’t be long before SpiralFrog folds.

No Comments | Permalink | Music
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Sophie Ellis Bextor: Catch You

When I was a child, we had a pet Airedale Terrier. Amongst her usual doggy traits – some of which weren’t suitable for polite company – was her habit of being bored. She used to traipse around the house in circles, up and down the stairs, in and out of the kitchen and lounge. Then when she got fed up of that, she’d spend 10 minutes outside, before coming back into the house and repeating the exercise.

This song doesn’t make me feel like doing any of these things, but it does leave me similarly frustrated. There are approximately three songs here, each trying to break out: the usual pop song – play ‘spot the influences’ with this – the bolted-on chorus (which is annoyingly catch-y) and the hideously out of place break (ignore the drums and you’ll see this) which almost drags the song down into X Factor blandness. Given another couple of sessions in the mix, all these issues could be sorted out and you’d have one truly great song – it’s in there somewhere: the last twenty seconds are fabulous. Maybe the remixes will be better.

No Comments | Permalink | Music of 2007
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Ah yes, but…

For popular operating systems we want to make sure that our video can be seen by non-expert users who would be unwilling or unable to install extra software or plug-ins. People in offices are also often unable to install extra software

One of the reasons given in this BBC Editor’s blog entry for not using Flash to deliver audio and video content.

Certainly, Windows users don’t need to install anything, because they get Windows Media Player by default. So what about the European antitrust ruling? As for Mac users, well we have to download and install Real Player, or download and install Flip4Mac.

So if we don’t get Flash, what else is there? What do Mac users get for free, out of the box? QuickTime. If you’re a Windows user, and you have iTunes, you too have QuickTime. Um… then we get H.264 support – and let me tell you H.264 is a superb codec (it’s what BBC HD television and Sky HD uses) – and iPod support. Ah.

1 Comment | Permalink | General Musings
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Accounting for Pleasure

Why do I love running my own business?

Because I can listen to this whilst I do our monthly accounts:

01. Peter Martijn Wijnia: Float
02. SonicEther: Nucleus
03. Adore & Devote: Forever (Urban Lea Mix)
04. Remidi & Stranger: Guides
05. Se.Ra.Phic: Follow Me
06. Stuart C Presents Reconstruct: Flyin High
07. Tranceforms: Hi! (Long Mix 2007)
08. TGL vs Elements: Palermo Stone (Tragida Presents Afterstar RMX)
09. E.V.O.K.: Glime Of Sorrow
10. Heatbeat: Another Loud Thought
11. Solarscape: Resonate (Protogen Remix)
12. B.E.N.: Raised (The Digital Blonde Remix – B.E.N. Edit)
13. Superti: Southek (Superti Tech Mix)
14. Substorm: Arashi (Moonrising Club Mix)
15. Re-Ward: Parzival
16. Michael Angelo & Jim: Reload (Digital Nature Mix)
17. Persequor: Nombre (Mindsoundscapes Remix)

As heard on Giorgio Ponticelli’s freQuencies, 21 January 2007. The right balance of tunage and progressive trance – ideal for number crunching, and dancing around the office whilst filing invoices.

No Comments | Permalink | Music of 2007
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Star born

This is what you get when music is available via the internet: simultaneous release dates. Kristin Hersh’s Learn To Sing Like A Star is out today on iTunes. I however will be waiting for the CD to come out next week. Why? Oh, you know, minor things like liner notes, lyrics – there had better be lyrics! – and sound quality.

No Comments | Permalink | Music of 2007
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