Commonly Creative and the Artistic User

One of the most discussed topics in intellectual property forums for musicians, artists, attorneys and corporations is "fair-use" and the use of the "creative commons license" for user-generated content.

 In today's digital world user-generated content is developed so much so that it becomes unclear at times who truly hold's copyright and who is a licensee. A perfect example of this is illustrated in a YouTube video posted by a "user" that uses a standard YouTube license which presents a remarkable account of the history of one of the most re-cycled samples. The inglorious "amen break" that has been re-used numerous times in original pieces of music.

You can view the video here:

Clubs...Clubs...and more Clubs...

Do you love to spend your money repetitiously? Do you love to get it in almost every night of the week and even more so on the weekends? Well New York City seems to think that you have an abundance of cash flow stuffed under a mattress somewhere just burning a hole and waiting to come out to play. 

Hurricane Sandy? Oh yeah that..it's a thing of the past. Recession? What does that mean? Yes New Yorkers - your fair city seems to think you're just rolling in the dough. And they want you to spend it away at these new illustrious sheek venues that are promising to pack out and give you more than you've ever imagined. 

There have been two articles published recently that have circulated a million times over by venue promoters, club-goers, fan sites, local DJs and just about anyone who has been jaded enough into believing that "omg this is just what i needed".

Bottom line - it's a jungle out there in clubland. Lions, Tigers and Bears OH MY! All of which at the end of the day aim to take your hard earned cash you generated by being miserable all week at your 9-5. The eluding promise to give you the Barnum and Bailey experience after work or on the weekends. Simply put - be careful what you ask for because not all medicine tastes good or is an overall remedy to an ill situation. 

And let's not forget about the established smaller venues that already provide you with an affordable experience who have suffered losses due to Hurricane Sandy. Seems to me that they could use an influx of cash. I wonder when the Great Oz of Emerald City will help them out. Hmmm - let's see what this yellow brick road leads us to...never never land maybe?

Media in Music vs. Music in Media

Media. The definition has so many variances in today's ever growing world. Collectively, it is used to convey a message. A media and music mashup? Let's take a look into the history of what this means to me, it's evolution and the impacts on the technological advances that are evident in today's electronic dance music industry and it's participants.

Music over the last two decades has been distributed in the form of vinyl, cassette, compact disc (CD) and in digital form under various file types. The ground breaker here is the cassette tape. The cassette tape is an older form of recording media that paved the way for the average listener to compose and distribute music. Anyone can compile their own music and distribute this to record labels to get a recording contract and provide music to their fans and followers.

There has been a recent insurgence of visual display of the cassette tape in today's marketing campaigns for music artists and for individuals who embraced the medium years ago. It is used as an iconic image and it's evolution has created a pathway to what is predominantly heard on today's internet radio stations and user created "mixes" that are distributed and often used as artist self-promotion.

There is a plethora of these mixes which can be found on web platforms such as Soundcloud, Mixcloud, Podomatic, Ustream and various other streaming methods. 

Even digital aggregrators such as iTunes, Spotify and Medianet and various others which are used by brick and mortar imprints such as Universal, Sony, and Virgin who have embraced this nostalgic digital medium to use it for marketing purposes. The user-created mix/playlist generates royalty income for rostered artists. Additionally, it is used to re-introduce the younger generation with styles and sounds that are re-visited, re-mixed and re-mastered.

Digital radio has also become prevalent with this old "mix" concept offering continuous mixes and eclectic collections to re-generate Scans of classics and compilations from yesterday and give them new life in today's digital world. Also providing an outlet for the average user created mix to be shared with the world.

So it seems that yes the once hard copy "media" has yet again shown us that music irregardless of hard media is media in itself - bringing us back to the Here and Now.

God Save the Queen and Never Mind the Bullocks

I want to marry Clive Martin. Yes. It's official.
The man who authored the most brilliant online article I've read in a significantly long time. 
Rave Culture A Handy Guide For Middle America 

A spot on depiction of how I have felt living in the United States for at least the last decade. I have been screaming "Bring Europe to the US" for years. This thought process fueled by my rekindled memories of good times abroad done by proper clubs, events and promoters that simply "got it" and understood that there was a movement that warranted music to touch your inner most emotional side. 

That sort of experience makes you want to come back for more and more until your ears bleed. You dance, rave and rage.

At any rate - a proper fucking article. Well done.