Myspace.com

twistedtom · Post by **twistedtom** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:51 am

I set up a myspace.com and wanted to use Twistedtom as my handle but it was taken. When I went to see who he was it turns out he is very gay. I have nothing agenst gays but I want you all to know that is not me, I am not that kind of twisted.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:18 pm

Uhh... okay... I hear ya.

Personally, my problem with MySpace is something that in some ways is one of its strengths and that is the fact that it lets users post all kinds of garbage code on their pages and every so often I am guaranteed to hit a page that will lock up Safari requiring me to force quit.

mhschmieder · Post by **mhschmieder** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:02 pm

My brother (who is Director of Communications for New England Conservatory in Boston) forwarded me an article today from the Boston Herald, about how classical musicians are taking to MySpace.com as the best way of reaching out to younger audiences and getting a whole new generation interested in classical music.

Ever since my brother got promoted last year, I'm feeling more optimistic about the future of music, because he keeps telling me about all of the DIY efforts that are really paying off; whereas most of what we read about in the press is the downward trend in CD sales, which is not necessarily indicative of the health of music itself.

yofo · Post by **yofo** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:28 pm

I'm not sure which post to reply to so Twisted Tom , nobody thinks your gay- just look at your avatar but if you were, nobody here would mind . And James , I don't know what 'garbage code" is but mhschmieder talkin about being "optimistic about the future of music" and that "the downward trend in CD sales is not necessarily indicative of the health of music itself" , this is bitter sweet to me . On one hand , within the next 10 years , every kid will have a powerful computer / recording setup and they will all have their stuff on myspace or equivalent for free. There will be so much good music to come from this but IMHO , I don't think there will be the "masterpieces" that are the result of a record company putting up the big bucks to let great people work with great producers in great studios with great mics ,ect. I don't see how we will have any more Led Zepplin 4 or Dark Side of the Moon or Jeff Buckley's Grace or Blood Sugar Sex Magic or even It's time by Michael Buble . These were all done with BIG BUCKS . and the big bucks wont be around the music biz much longer.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:55 pm

What I meant by "garbage code" was not the music itself that one can find on there, but the fact that MySpace allows people to customize their pages with all sorts of HTML and Java stuff that can lock up your browser. There are sites devoted to customizing the look and feel of your MySpace page and there (as usual) is no thought whatsoever given to assuring any sort of Macintosh compatibility-- as if we have any pretense of expecting this any more.

Spikey Horse · Post by **Spikey Horse** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:30 am

yofo wrote: I don't think there will be the "masterpieces" that are the result of a record company putting up the big bucks to let great people work with great producers in great studios with great mics ,ect. I don't see how we will have any more Led Zepplin 4 or Dark Side of the Moon or Jeff Buckley's Grace or Blood Sugar Sex Magic or even It's time by Michael Buble . These were all done with BIG BUCKS . and the big bucks wont be around the music biz much longer.

That's an interesting view yofo. I think there's more to it than just the money aspect, too. With these 'big bucks' sessions time was still money and people, recording spaces and equipment was booked for a limited time. That meant recording was a hugely more focused experienced, for everyone involved, an event, just as much as any major live performance. And I think there is just something about having people coming together like that which makes everyone perform (engineers and musicians) at their best. And I think also the whole 'analog way of doing things' adds to this mood.... even if overdubs and multiple drop ins/ takes were completely possible then, which of course they were, and there was lots of spare tape - which they probably could afford to have! - still, there would have been more of a feeling of 'what you play on the day is what comes out on the record'... you know what I mean!?

I think this kind of really focused, 'hyped up' mood during recording is SO audible in the finished record.

Resonant Alien · Post by **Resonant Alien** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:59 am

yofo wrote:IMHO , I don't think there will be the "masterpieces" that are the result of a record company putting up the big bucks to let great people work with great producers in great studios with great mics ,ect. I don't see how we will have any more Led Zepplin 4 or Dark Side of the Moon.....

I hear ya, but ironically, the ONLY way we will have another Dark Side of the Moon, etc., is if someone does it in their home studio on a shoestring budget. Today's record companies are looking for ready-made, commercial, ready-for-radio acts that already have a finished product in hand. I don't think there are many record companies around today that would be willing to spend a pile of money for a group of talented musicians to hang out in a top notch studio with a top notch producer for 9 months putting together a masterpiece like that. If a band was making an album like DSOTM today, I bet most A&R guys would pass it up, saying it was not commercial enough.

billf · Post by **billf** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:15 am

Resonant Alien wrote:
yofo wrote:IMHO , I don't think there will be the "masterpieces" that are the result of a record company putting up the big bucks to let great people work with great producers in great studios with great mics ,ect. I don't see how we will have any more Led Zepplin 4 or Dark Side of the Moon.....
I hear ya, but ironically, the ONLY way we will have another Dark Side of the Moon, etc., is if someone does it in their home studio on a shoestring budget. Today's record companies are looking for ready-made, commercial, ready-for-radio acts that already have a finished product in hand. I don't think there are many record companies around today that would be willing to spend a pile of money for a group of talented musicians to hang out in a top notch studio with a top notch producer for 9 months putting together a masterpiece like that. If a band was making an album like DSOTM today, I bet most A&R guys would pass it up, saying it was not commercial enough.

Yeah, I have to agree. I think the problem with pop music today is big money. It's corrupted the system and made it cookie cutter-bottom line-instant profit driven, so there is little experimentation.

Another factor is that radio is not what it was back in the golden era. Gone are the days of DJ's playing what they liked, creating hits and playing album cuts and B sides. That doesn't happen these days. Radio has become like the Death Star in Star Wars - a big centrally managed homogenous top down mess.

So what the Internet is bringing is a democratization back to music. Production and Distribution can be DIY and still be pro sounding. You can produce a song and make money selling 10,000 copies instead of having to sell 10 million. Ultimately I think this is a healthy trend (that is until congress lets Verizon own the Internet, which they are very close to doing, then all bets are off. But that's another story.).

MT · Post by MT » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:03 am

yofo wrote:Michael Buble.

Yuck. I'm not saying that for the obvious reasons, but when is Sinatra not enough? Hell, even Harry Conick Jr. does a better job than that guy.

MT

yofo · Post by **yofo** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:30 am

MT wrote:
yofo wrote:Michael Buble.
Yuck. I'm not saying that for the obvious reasons, but when is Sinatra not enough? Hell, even Harry Conick Jr. does a better job than that guy.

MT

Yuck, I agree but have you listened to this cd ? The recording is amazing, the sounds ,the musicians, are the best money can buy and that was my point. No one can do this in their garage !

m2 · Post by m2 » Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:44 am

set up a myspace.com and wanted to use Twistedtom as my handle but it was taken. When I went to see who he was it turns out he is very gay. I have nothing agenst gays but I want you all to know that is not me, I am not that kind of twisted.

huh, how 'bout that. We all thought you were gay. . .

LOL[/url]

Resonant Alien · Post by **Resonant Alien** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:19 pm

yofo wrote:I'm not sure which post to reply to so Twisted Tom , nobody thinks your gay- just look at your avatar but if you were, nobody here would mind .

I would take it a step further......nobody here would even CARE if Twisted Tom were gay.......I think Tom is the only one who does

builder · Post by **builder** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:27 pm

yofo wrote:I'm not sure which post to reply to so Twisted Tom , nobody thinks your gay- just look at your avatar but if you were, nobody here would mind . And James , I don't know what 'garbage code" is but mhschmieder talkin about being "optimistic about the future of music" and that "the downward trend in CD sales is not necessarily indicative of the health of music itself" , this is bitter sweet to me . On one hand , within the next 10 years , every kid will have a powerful computer / recording setup and they will all have their stuff on myspace or equivalent for free. There will be so much good music to come from this but IMHO , I don't think there will be the "masterpieces" that are the result of a record company putting up the big bucks to let great people work with great producers in great studios with great mics ,ect. I don't see how we will have any more Led Zepplin 4 or Dark Side of the Moon or Jeff Buckley's Grace or Blood Sugar Sex Magic or even It's time by Michael Buble . These were all done with BIG BUCKS . and the big bucks wont be around the music biz much longer.

Not that I disagree as so much as I think that Grace would have been just as beautiful even with out the money and equipment behind it....Live at Sine was fantastic with out the big budget.

Talent goes a long way.....

Shooshie · Post by **Shooshie** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:25 pm

I'm with those who think the next big thing will be done by an individual or two in their back-room studio, "in the box." The CD posted by Ira Ingber, along with the song recently posted by someone else, demonstrate that people are really getting a handle on the state of the art. I don't care what anyone says, the final product is dependent on the talent of the people making it, not the equipment it is made on. DP easily competes with the most expensive SSL or Otari or Neve or any other console out there--in the hands of a gifted performer/engineer. I'm not saying that a golden-eared studio stud can't tell which one is which. I'm saying that both are beyond the quality threshold at which the public begins to notice a difference. Like the Stradivarius/Guarneri debate, in which a great violinist is still a great violinist on either instrument, you simply cannot fault anyone for using DP to produce their entire album, and I'll guarantee you there are those who could take it from scratch through mastering at home in the box, and nobody could do it better on more expensive stuff.

There will be another Dark Side of the Moon, and it will come from someone working in their house. I guarantee it. Moreover, there will be another Beethoven in the classical world, and likewise that person will do it at home.

Shooshie

mikebeckmotu · Post by **mikebeckmotu** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 7:28 pm

I agree with Shooshie. And while I have brought this up in other threads, I come from a graphics/printing background, and I now have three or four whole departments worth of production on my laptop. The same kind of work gets done faster and better, especially with an experienced craftsperson using the computer. Audio is still catching up, but getting there quickly. Some might argue that the degree of art involved is different, but not necessarily much. There is plenty of ordinary "commercial art" done in the graphics world, but also a lot of fine art as well. Same with audio, I'd say.