Downloading

Copyright and illegal downloading is such a big issue in todays society. The internet has provided people with limitless opportunities in pirating, copying, downloading and stealing. Movies and music can now easily be downloaded and accessed before the cinema release. Because it is free and easy to get, it is so tempting and frequently done by a majority of todays culture. When many are faced with the choice of downlaoding movies/music free versus purchasing them and paying to see them at the movies, the obvious decision would be the cheaper one. As it basically proposes no risks either.

I am proud to say I am a non-downloader. A strict purchaser of music via Itunes or by buying CDs. Much of the music market rests on these loyal followers of bands. This is the reason that CD's and concerts are still surviving. Dedicated fans are still going to be willing to pay for CDs and to see bands live. The novelty of owning a hard copy of a CD has not worn off. It is a lot more enjoyable flicking through Real Groovy that simply downloading off your favourite music site. Although I think the illegal download of music is inevitable and cannot be stopped, i do not think it will overtake the industry. Mp3s may be dominating the market but there is still a substantial amount of society who are considerate in what they download.

The increase in downloading music can also have its advantages as it applies more pressure to the bands to perform live. This is one aspect we cannot complain about. Mp3s and downloading may be the way of the future but there are so many aspects of music that will live on forever - i hope.

Last.fm FTW!

So this past week I have been playing around on last.fm and its great! Now, not many of my peers know much about this site so for me this was entering new territory. To be honest I didn't know what to expect when I signed up though admittedly I was probably thinking it would be something akin to albumhunt.com, some kind of network of pirated music for the masses. Instead I found last.fm to be one of the more comprehensive libraries of music I have been to online. Essentially last.fm is a social networking site with the main focus on music of all kinds, it has all the main conventions of social networking; profiles, commenting systems, group, photo and forum systems all designed to make you feel part of a community. The main feature is the radio channels. These are organized in to musical genre as well as artist. For example on joining last.fm prompts you to enter a few of your favorite artists and each of these artists act as a radio channel. This a really cool feature because it surprises you constantly with new music based on the style of the artist you are tuned in to. Related to this is the ability for the user to contribute to the music thats there, this too is achieved with SNS features. Importantly you can "tag" artists according to what genre or style of music you think they play, this essentially means the users are responsible for labeling the music and thus creating the music channels. One of the key features of last.fm is a piece of technology called the "scrobbler". This feature syncs your music library on your computer, iTunes and the like, with last.fm which in turn gives you a more accurate look at your musical spectrum. On the whole last.fm is an enjoyable experience and a good example of successful collective intelligence. I definitely recommend this site to all music lovers.

Robots Centre Stage

It seems we're evermore relying on our technological products in everyday life that link us with this connotation of a cyborg, such as being plugged into an iPod consuming music, using lap tops and texting on mobile phones. As of recently though, you cant help but recognise the cyborg-esque identity 'artists' are adopting in their sound to create the current music of the 21st century market. With the aid of machines 'musicians' are increasingly leaning on and maybe even (no, they are) exhausting or abusing the use of many digital technologies in the audio world. For examples look no further than much of the mainstream RnB and Hip Hop. There main weapon of mass destruction: Auto Tune. Listen to much (if not all, although I can't) of 'Lil Wayne's material that is put across the airways. Bam! The listener is bombarded with a "cyborg-gangsta", or a hybrid of rapper-meets-Star Wars. It seems more focus is put on the sound of technology rather than a musical talent, or the lack of that is hidden behind a wall of... well, robot voices to move with the ever increasing speed of developing technology. This has been recognised and questioned by other musicians in the field such as Jay-Z with the track "Death of Auto-Tune" Cyborg music for the cyborg-human? Or maybe another dose of creative disaster for the masses following the digital emergence of the 1980s?