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3 Sins of Free Music and How to Fix Them

REPOSTED FROM: http://neverheardof.me/

BY NORM

REPOSTED BY DJM

3 Sins of Free Music and How to Fix Them

By Norm on December 4, 2010 10:41 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

I'm the worst person to write this article. During my tenure as manager and recording artist for the netlabel New Bird Landowner, I've commited all three of the following sins. But if I don't write this, who will? Someone must state the obvious.

Free Music sucks. The shit passing for free music nowadays could suck boulders through a tiny tube.

We don't want to admit that we failed - that after a whole decade, our only accomplishment is keeping this shit off of CDs as not to clutter landfills. But we can't pretend like our music reflects well on the utility of Free Culture. We've failed to make music with staying power. Until we do, the public won't support Free Culture, and copyright law will never change.

It's painful to admit, but necessary to confess. So with my sin stained hands, I type these three crimes of Free Music and my strategies for suction reduction.

It's all ambient.

Excuse me, but what
THE FUCK is ambiental?

There's nothing wrong with ambient music. There's also nothing wrong with Fiddle Faddle. But if I had nothing but Fiddle Faddle to eat for the rest of my life, I'd tie myself a good strong noose.

Electronic musicians Nerds have stuffed free music collections with ambient music, IDM, and something called "electronica," which, as far as I can tell, is slang for music that no one can enjoy. Ambient and electronic already top the Jamendo tag cloud, and as of last Saturday, 3,001 free albums had ambient tags in the Internet Archive. This makes free music sites heaven for techno-snobs. Yet if the Free Music movement hopes to attract anything more than a niche audience, it must offer more variety.

Remedy:

Electronic music's popularity online shouldn't surprise anyone. You don't need fancy equipment to make it. You don't need to learn an instrument to get started. Thanks to the Internet and Free Culture, you don't even need fans or a record deal. Free audio software and music blogs take the place of three chords and the truth, and now everyone's an "artist".

And what's wrong with that? Don't we rely on amateurs to take the risks professionals fear taking? Don't computer companies start in some schmo's garage? Yes. Fuck yes. And I thirst for daring, digitally liberated hacks to usurp the future of music from the depraved despots who dare call themselves "musicians". But not if it means even less variety than what the big four push for. Not if it means a choice between "Ambient" and "Electronica".

So how does a populist music uprising put out such uninspiring garbage?

Perhaps the electronic music fan's obsessive-compulsive tendencies to mince music into microscopic, nearly identical subgenres encourages cooking sub-culturally correct music from recipies (hypnotic dance beat + squelched 303 + "trippy" dialog = Yeah, you're fuckin' Infected Mushroom now!). Musicians have always looked to the past for examples of what music can sound like. Today, electronic musicians can look to the Wikipedia entry for dubstep to learn the precise tempo-range used in dubstep and which LFO settings will make that same wobble sound in every fucking dubstep song (least the new ones, anyhow).

Well stop it! Electronic music can sound like whatever you want it to sound like.

We've made music with our hands and lungs for the last few millennia. Electronic music is still soaked with afterbirth. We haven't even begun to exhaust the possibilities of synths and samplers. So why have we surrendered to the stereotype that electronic music must merely pivot between hyperactive dances and repetitive drones?

Don't let the tools used to make your music define what it has to sound like. If Derek Bailey played the guitar like a guitar, would anyone still give a fuck about Derek Bailey?

You're an amateur. You don't have to worry about selling tickets or pressing CDs. You can afford to take risks. Instead of sounding like every other ambient artist, take a chance on a new sound. Maybe it's ambient done your way. Maybe it ain't ambient at all.

And would it kill you to make some music with your hands once in a while? Synthesizers ain't the only instrument... Just the best.

Part 2 of this article to come (ON http://neverheardof.me/) Tuesday @ midnightish (EST).

str8 stuff

review of experience, i.e. misspelled has the ill communication, & official release of MCDX3 - Violet Saliva

David McDevitt  to info

show details Oct 7

Hi 

My name is David McDevitt.  I record music & perform as MCDX3.

My friend Stefan Walz (Thickly Painted Walls)  told me you may be interested in hearing my newly completed album in consideration for releasing it under your Misspelled Records label. 

This would be very interesting to me because of the opportunity to expose my work to a new group of people.  Violet Saliva would be my 10th release, most of which have been through our VNR label with the exceptions of one thru Hobo Cult in Montreal and one thru You Dont Like It in Allston MA.

This album differs from some of my others in that it had a looser recording process where the songs were recorded with less of a predetermined intention to make one body of work. Although it wasn't a conscious decision, most if not all of the songs have some element of covering or sampling, or direct referencing to songs of other people.

Here is the link to a .zip file for the album.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/fldbey6groiuirs/MCDX3%20-%20Violet%20Saliva.zip

And also, if you're interested here's a video I made recently for a song i recorded in 2007.

http://vimeo.com/15517412

Thanks alot

and i hope you find something of interest in what i'm sending you.

Dave

-------------------------------------------

info@misspelledrecords.com  to me

show details Oct 11

i will take a listen tonight to the album, but judging by the music video which i really like, i would see no porblem to put it out.

i am also interested in blogging and featuring the video if it is of interest to yourself.

thanks mark

-------------------------------------------------------------

David McDevitt  to info

show details Oct 12

i am interested in all of those things.

djm

------------------------------------------------------

info@misspelledrecords.com  to me

show details Oct 20

primarilly we are a net-label.
a net label works in less traditional means to a label, cutting out physical publishing deals, and allowing the material to be released freely at no cost.
if you want to release your music for free we can provide you exposure, not limited to marketing online/offline, radioplay, possible cdr releases.

how does that sound?

please send any mp3's/wave/ogg files with relevant artwork for the album.
if you can send it to my email or i can leech from a website like megaupload/sendspace/rapidshare.

we will release the music as soon as we get it.

we also provide artists with the opportunity to buy cd-r's at cost so they can sell at gigs/give out for radioplay etc. if thats something you want to be involved in as well we can acoomodate that for you as well

please keep in touch, and look forward to the album

thanks
mark

-------------------------------------------------------------------

David McDevitt  to info

show details Oct 28

Hello

Here is the link where you can download the album:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/fldbey6groiuirs/MCDX3%20-%20Violet%20Saliva.zip

the art is included in the zip file.

Please keep me updated about the release

And I'd also love to have some feedback from from you as well.

Thanks a lot. 

David McDevitt (MCDX3)

---------------------------------------------------------------

info@misspelledrecords.com  to me

show details Oct 30

very interesting music, i like the new york song, lol.
illput it out soonish, thanks willlet you know as soon.

----------------------------------------------------------

David McDevitt  to info

show details Nov 23 (7 days ago)

hey, are you putting this out or not?

i see this:

http://www.discogs.com/MCDX3-Violet-Saliva/release/2526541

& then this "review" linking to music thats not by me:

http://3brainkarnakinterloper.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/mcdx3-violet-saliva/

and then my friend just told me that he messaged you on facebook and you said "it doesn't fit with what we do?"

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt based on prior communication and assume this is just a miscommunication, but if it is not a miscommunication will you please let me know so i can release it in another way.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

anyway i never heard anything back so, consider this post to be the official release of 

MCDX3 - Violet Saliva

http://www.mediafire.com/?fldbey6groiuirs

LATEST UPDATE:

info@misspelledrecords.com  to me

show details Nov 30 (1 day ago)

we initially put it out, but under consideration it doesnt fit within our context, sorry. we will update the discogs page as well.

mcdeaf mcdeath mcdead - dusty springfield

mcdeaf mcdeath mcdead - Dusty Springfield from VNR USA on Vimeo.

This is the music video for the 2008 song which is off the album Unabashed.



Also archive under Dance EP.



Recorded using vocal tricks and Chinese technology.

DBL MXTX - solo demos

::: Fallen Rock :::

::: 3:21pm :::




.

The Industrial Blight & Tragic - Money Devolve

The Industrial Blight & Tragic - Money Devolve from VNR USA on Vimeo.

VNR introduces the first single from The Industrial Blight & Tragic's Test EP.



David McDevitt is the singer for this track and stars in the video. The other band members Christopher Grud & Stefan Walz are referenced thru the inclusion of the video for No Doubt's Don't Speak.

behold

behold
the newest video from the mcdx3 video collection
new visuals for the little song Lightning Fever:
behold

mcdeaf mcdeath mcdead - Lightning Fever from VNR USA on Vimeo.

Lightning Fever, the momentary song from mcdeaf mcdeath mcdead album - religious undertoad set to video.



Are Lisa Simpson & Naruto a couple made in heaven; or in the stars?

Tombstoner VHS

"...although Tombstoner was short lived and nothing from them was officially released thru VNR, we were close associates to them. We also had much affection for them despite there brevity." -sfw/VNR

this video was edited by Matthew Ferrer

New Review of VNR

"I love VNR."
-"Nicole G Kearns

power station cooks newton's apple

UPDATE:
Also I find it remarkable how the slowed down version of the Reading Rainbow theme sounds like the beginning of the Kraftwerk song:

Words about: J Qosa - Abjures

for listening can be downloaded here: 1234567890

Track 1 - DVD 5
Not channel surfing, but distraction while watching TV.
Like you're drawing while watching TV. Playing with toys while watching TV. You know like you're half watching, half paying attention. I remember doing that more when i was young. I would usually be very involved in what i was doing, but sometimes I would be half involved in 2 different things at the same time.

Track 2 - Dialing Ended
Notes in a recorder for future novel to be made into feature length film with notes on soundtrack as audio backdrop to said notes. Also maybe some thinking noises? Well maybe i'm just dumb and relate staticy sounds to my dumb brain. ---OKOK--- So its a film about notes in a recorder for future novel to be made into feature length film with notes on soundtrack as audio backdrop to said notes.

Track 3 - Gettings Full
These are the illusions of rusty sound sampling or rusty sound sampling and also samplings of lives presented for our pondering minds to think about. Probably real, because hey who's a good actor nowadays? But I don't know that for sure.

Track 4 - Hawk
Multiple subsequent endings then meandering middle with a low bassy climax and then either an ending or a beginning

Track 5 - Old Cop
Heartbeat liquid in veins. Again more thinking, but like in & out of the brain. I am you and I am the viewer back and forth very quickly, listening & speaking. But less thinking about the present this time, more reflective or unconscious memory. I don't know what all that empty space is about but i keep finding myself getting up from my chair shortly before and then getting startled at the silence.

one day at a time

this ain't yr mother's blog

Thickly Painted Walls "wichsen vixen"

Thickly Painted Walls - Wichsen Vixen [mpr079]

1	01 jerking me around
2	02 future town and a spill
3	03 sleepy peepy
4	04 no chapstick
5	05 mushy machete middle
6	06 sock
7	07 basement song
8	08 out
9	09 sap

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NOTE: We are not able to offer a simple piece of HTML to show the playlist along with the player.

Your browser supports the new

There's no mystery that the guitar has been an instrument of derision within the experimental scene, and that this CD with its recognizably pianistic guitar sounds of strumming and vocal's is in a dimension, a kinda Syd Barret toning way. It is the musical picture of a musician looking toward the future, or could it be the past, one has to think for a moment.
This is indead a very interesting album full of "i guess" improvisations where all kinds of folk, avant styles come together, they meet and clash in their own very distinct way.
Nearly every track sticks to one formula, some slightly catchy guitar chords played over a nice chorus. The tempo's bleed well and individually, it's all pretty good.
Worth a listen to fans of kitchy guitar.


This audio is part of the collection: Misspelled Records

Keywords: guitar; experimental; vocal; avant garde;

Creative Commons license: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0

Individual Files

Audio Files	VBR MP3	Ogg Vorbis
01 jerking me around	8.0 MB	3.4 MB
02 future town and a spill	6.8 MB	3.1 MB
03 sleepy peepy	3.9 MB	1.6 MB
04 no chapstick	18.2 MB	4.9 MB
05 mushy machete middle	22.9 MB	5.7 MB
06 sock	15.8 MB	3.9 MB
07 basement song	13.2 MB	3.9 MB
08 out	7.3 MB	1.9 MB
09 sap	4.6 MB	1.1 MB

Image Files	JPEG	JPEG Thumb
wichsen vixen	71.8 KB	2.1 KB

Information	Format	Size
mpr079_files.xml	Metadata	5.9 KB
mpr079_meta.xml	Metadata	1.2 KB

Other Files	Unknown
TPW- Wichsen Vixen	603.0 B

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