Indaba Music // Blog

 

Broke-ass bedroom recordists of the world: your prayers either have just been answered or else are in need of some serious refactoring: the audio conversion wizards at Apogee have announced the One, their new USB desktop audio interface. Everybody and their brother is making those things nowadays, of course, but this particular product is more exciting than most of its competitors because of who designed it: Apogee rules the roost when it comes to high-end professional audio converters. (To be fair, there are converters of marginally better repute made by companies like Lavry and Crane Song, but those are outlandishly expensive mastering-grade boutique devices -- to put things in perspective, I don't think I know anybody who has ever seen one in real life.)

As you may remember, Apogee turned a lot of heads when they released the Duet in 2007 because it made all their engineering prowess more affordable than ever -- it went for half as much as its predecessor, the Mini-Me, which had a four-digit price tag -- rather uncomfortable, since it was a junior device of sorts, and the same dough could buy you a mid-grade eight-channel workhorse from a company like MOTU. By all accounts, the Duet sounded phenomenal considering its $500 price tag, which was very low for Apogee, if perhaps a bit more than comparable non-primo equivalents. With the One, they've again cut the price in half, essentially chopping the Duet in half and adding a built-in condenser mic to create a barebones product clearly aimed at singer-songwriter types.

Thus, the same caveats apply as with the Duet: it's Mac-only, CoreAudio-only so it won't work with Pro Tools, connections are made through a strange breakout cable to keep everything looking pretty, there's no S/PDIF I/O so it's not really all that future-proof, and the outputs are unbalanced. It also has some new compromises: since it's a one-input interface, you won't be able to do any stereo recordings (you can still do stereo stuff in the box, of course, since it does have two outputs) and since nitpicky details are scant so far, I can't tell whether it will accept line-level inputs (if I'm remembering correctly, there was also some ambiguity about this with the Duet prior to its release; it turned out that the instrument inputs could indeed take line-level signals, but the impedance was switchable using a software control panel -- again, a strange but aesthetically streamlined solution).

There might be more as-yet-unannounced cool stuff under the hood, though. For example, the Duet included novel features like a multifunction control knob that could be used to as an input gain control, output volume control, and MIDI continuous controller, and also a cool reamping loopback mode that negated the need for a Radial. As somebody who doesn't need one of these things, that's the part that I'll be most interested in. But those of you who have lost your job and want to record forlorn songs about your woes that will stand the test of time may want to tighten your belts one more notch, save a few more pennies, and then start getting excited.

Today we launched a new contest page - we hope it will make it easier to keep track of all the competitions and artist programs that are happening on Indaba. Stop by often to see what's going on!

The Indaba Music crew is officially back in New York having returned from Austin for this year's SXSW. We're missing the warm weather, the BBQ, and we're still wondering how long the hangover is going to last. We did the whole thing this year - Interactive straight through to the end of Music (about a week and a half), and we can say with certainty it was a big success on many fronts. We met a lot of great people, ate a lot of great food, and saw a ton of great bands. What follows is a brief overview of the themes that we thought defined the conference, and of course, a few of our favorite artists and parties.

A few big themes that we thought defined the conference:

Whether you're a website or an artist, more connections need to be forged with customers in more meaningful ways.

There was a progressive mindset about how to treat customers and fans throughout all of SXSW that we think is particularly important for artists. During Interactive, a lot of talk about community and customer service boiled down to a shift from thinking about "users" to thinking about "members" or "customers" - people who make meaningful contributions to online communities and actually use web-based products in meaningful ways. This distinction is important because it reflects a more personal, focused way of looking at the people who actually use internet companies' products. The same concept was evident throughout almost every discussion we participated in during the music festival, although it was manifested in a slightly different manner. As the music industry changes and certain revenue streams dissapear, it is increasingly important for artists to treat their listeners as customers with a lifecycle - not people who are motivated to do one single thing...buy an album. Even the greatest traditionalists of the music biz seemed to agree that artists of the future will need to forge closer, more meaningful connections with there fans, and figure out ways to offer them value over a greater spectrum of interactions, beyond just the CD store shelf or iTunes download store.

The music industry is more aware of what is happening to it than it was last year.

In 2007, we were troubled by the Music festival's general lack of excitement regarding new technologies and changing business models in the industry. The attitude overall was one of resistance to change and sometimes outright disgust over the use of new technologies. This year, we noticed a marked change. Although still not as innovative as the Interactive participants, it seemed that the music festival overall was more open to change - from the participants all the way up to the most well-known panelists. Many new websites were represented at the tradeshow, and across all discussions there seemed to be a focus on embracing change to create the best outcomes for artists rather than fighting it. One panel attempted to teach artists the best ways to use the web to their advantage, and another even embraced the free distribution of music online as an enabler of different revenue streams (not that this is the answer for everyone).

There can be a better dialogue between the music industry and new media.

From our vantage as a music company that utilizes technology to serve artists, we're still dissapointed at the lack of exchange between the traditional music businss and new media. This cuts both ways. There were panels at the Interactive festival on music, for example, one on piracy - but it had no artists represented. During the Music festival, a panel on the best ways for artists to use the web didn't present the best, newest, and most forward thinking web technologies and ideas (e.g. YouTube isn't anything new, and suggesting that artists should upload their videos isn't exactly revolutionary). Discussions of music in the interactive world could benefit from the perspective of artists, and discussions of the internet in the music world could benefit from the latest technology thinking. This is true beyond SXSW.

Artists need to think about themselves as businesses if they want to survive in the music industry.

This is a tough thing for a lot of artists to grasp, but it's getting harder for a lot of people to make money in the music business in the ways that they used to. Part of continued success is going to mean that artists need to conceive of themselves as businesses - with multiple revenue streams, customers, operations, marketing, brands, etc. Most everyone at SXSW seemed to understand this - the Interactive folks because it is natural thinking for business-minded individuals, and the Music folks because necessity demands it.

Our favorite shows:

N*E*R*D (@ Stubb's & Perez Hilton Party)

N*E*R*D never fails to impress with their reputation for great live performances. SXSW was no exception and, although it sounds funny for a largely independent rock festival, there was pretty wide agreement on our team that N*E*R*D were the best performers of the week. The first time the Indaba crew saw them play was at Stubb's, one of the larger indie venues in Austin, where they proved their ability to captivate and command a larger audience (probably about 1,200), something that is more of a challenge to artists that draw hip-hop crowds. But it was their 3am performance to a packed crowd of 300 people at the Perez Hilton "One Night in Austin" party that was arguably the best performance at SXSW 2008. Pharrell and Chad Hugo's energy and ability to engage the crowd was impressive and the tightness of the band (2 drummers, bass, guitar, keys/synth, 2 singer/MCs and one guy that just hangs out, dances, and makes sure everything goes smoothly) was nothing short of amazing.

Brazilian Girls (@ Red Bull Moontower)

About a 15 min cab ride away from 6th street (the musical center of Austin with an incomprehensible number of venues lining both sides of long street), there was what seemed to be a big parking lot. Except that this year during SXSW that parking lot was transformed into a large venue with professional lighting, sound, and stage, and a two story indoor lounge that was constructed especially for SXSW. Sponsored by Red Bull and Facebook this lesser known party had great bands play each night of the music festival from around 11 to 4am. One of the best shows Indaba caught at SXSW was the Brazilian Girls at this venue. While it seemed that many people in the crowd were not familiar with their music, by the end everyone became a fan as the whole crowd moved and grooved together. Our very own Mantis even exposed his manly figure to dance shirtless in front of one of the giant light screens. This particular show was unique as two of the four Brazilian Girls had other obligations and couldn't perform at the show. Instead we were treated to an unusual trio version with guest drummer Shawn Pelton (probably best known as the Saturday Night Live house band drummer) joining Didi Gutman to back up frontwoman Sciubba. We found it especially impressive that Didi was able to create such a full sound behind his keyboards when he was essentially holding down the bass, keyboard, synthesizer, and electronics part of the show - simultaneously.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? (@ Emo's Main Room)

When they walked out on stage Friday night, no one knew who they were, and no one had any idea what was about to happen. They did their best to get the crowd cheering to mixed results, but by the end of their set they had the entire room jumping with arms outstretched begging for more. A very dancy group from the UK that mixes punk and house with Daft Punk-esque vocoded lyrics.

Crytsal Castles (@ Emo's Main Room)

Easily the group exuding the most mystique. Everyone in the group was shrouded darkness except for a strobe light carried by the singer. They were a half hour late to the stage, but they asserted their authority and rocked the hell out of their set like nothing we've ever seen. An incredibly short set too - a half hour late and five songs later they were done - but still one of the most memorable shows of the entire festival. Like Does It Offend You, Yeah?, they're another electropunk group, but they have an intense and sharp edge to their sound. Reminded us of a screaming-girl version of Ghostland Observatory.

Bela Fleck (@ Maggie Mae's)

When we stumbled into a smaller bar that couldn't hold more than a few hundred people we were incredibly excited to peek over the crowd and see Bela sitting with his banjo plucking away just 10 feet in front of us. As he weaved in and out of Paganini, favorites like New South Africa, some more recent compositions, and pure improvisation, we were able to see up close just how much of a virtuoso he is. As this was just an hour or two before he premiered his film "Throw Down Your Heart", we were treated to a few sneak preview scenes. The film is a documentary tracing the roots of the banjo back to Africa where Bela collaborates with several different groups of musicians across four African countries. After the intimate performance we shot across the street to see the official film premiere and a Q&A with Bela and the film's director Sacha (also Bela's brother). The movie had eruptions of applause throughout and had the audience feeling the highs and lows of exuberance and sadness as Bela and his crew travelled throughout the continent. Oh, and the movie theatre serves pitchers of beer and food as you watch - amazing!Black Moth Super Rainbow - chosen based on their name and the fact that they're from Pittsburgh (another of my favorite groups, sadly no longer active, Don Caballero is from Pittsburgh as well). They have a dreamlike, slow-motion sound like the musical score to things you can barely remember from your childhood. I'd describe them as Boards of Canada meets Air. Good mixed-media performance as well - mash-up videos of track runners and other athletes on what looked like super-8 film were being projected over the stage, adding to the nostalgic, bittersweet ambiance of their set.

The Most Serene Republic (@ The Parish)

One of the many mind-blowing groups from Canada we got to experience. This group is overflowing with remarkable musicians. Perfectly blended vocal harmonies layer over odd-time rhythms and intricately developed textures. Their songs tend to escalate to moments of critical-mass tension and intensity leading into incredibly satisfying moments of release. Reminded us of Broken Social Scene and Dismemberment Plan.

The Acorn (@ Habana Calle 6 Patio)

Carefully crafted songs and tight vocal harmony with insightful lyrics. One of the only groups PJ made a point of seeing while at SXSW (as they were not a random band he'd never seen or heard before). They have a focused, positive energy on stage, possibly the exact opposite of Crystal Castle's stage presence - they were very open and seemed like they were having a great time on stage. We always love it when the band is into the show as much as the audience is. It makes the music so much more accessible and enjoyable.

Cryptacize! (@ Okay Mountain Gallery)

Another group PJ intended to see before getting to SXSW. They're a collaborative group consisting of a very talented songwriter, Nedelle, and former Deerhoof guitarist Chris Cohen. PJ discovered the group by following Chris Cohen's work (in Deerhoof and his other project The Curtains, also a favorite group). Their sound is extremely minimal yet perfectly so - there's nothing extra and nothing missing either. We saw them play at the Okay Mountain Gallery while sitting on the grass in the backyard on Saturday afternoon. Their warm melodies and presence made for a memorable and relaxing afternoon after the insanity of Friday night.

Jukebox the Ghost (@ Lovejoy's)

Jukebox is a favorite around Indaba, but it was extra special to see them play at SXSW to a crowd that for the most part hadn't heard them before. We usually see them rock the house with a large contingent of friends present, but this time, most people in the room had never heard of them. We can definitively say that even with a seated crowd of newbies, JTG doesn't dissapoint. Ben's keyboards were as sick as ever, and Jesse didn't miss a single tambourine toss!

Black Moth Super Rainbow (@ The Thirsty Nickel)

Chosen based on their name and the fact that they're from Pittsburgh (another of PJ's favorite groups, sadly no longer active, Don Caballero is from Pittsburgh as well). They have a dreamlike, slow-motion sound like the musical score to things you can barely remember from your childhood. We'd describe them as Boards of Canada meets Air. Good mixed-media performance as well - mash-up videos of track runners and other athletes on what looked like super-8 film were being projected over the stage, adding to the nostalgic, bittersweet ambiance of their set.

Attention lovers...of music! You are hereby challenged to create an original song about Saint Valentine, the holiday that bears his name, or really anything at all that relates to our good (and sometimes not so good!) old friend Love! Free chocolate just for participating! Get started after the jump...

Happy Holidays from all of us at Indaba! Enjoy some nog, celebrate friends, listen to (or create) good music, and be content. A new year is nigh and we want you all to know we think the world of you. May the next year be full of great adventures and wonderful sounds!

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should we remix a classic tune, the one named Auld Lang Syne?

We think so! It's time to shed new light on this classic melody before it gets lost to the pages of history. This month the Indaba team challenges you to create your own original song using the Auld Lang Syne melody before the upcoming New Year. You can do it in any style or genre you like and you even get a little help, if you want it... Indaba member and previous contest winner JoLynn Seamen, has generously provided us with lead and backing vocal tracks to use however you like. Now, make the mid-18th century composer Robert Burns proud and create something new from something auld!

Click here to start your entry!

A conversation started in the Berklee Music Contest that we decided to move to our blog for two reasons: First, this seems like a more appropriate venue for this type of conversation (contests should be about the contestants), and second, we would love to hear opinions from the entire community about this topic, as ultimately we are building this platform to serve you.

So without any further ado, here is a *summary* of the thread that got things started.

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Mic Mell: I think there's a limitation on use as part of the terms of the contest. I'm not sure we're allowed to even broadcast the tracks outside of Indaba, let alone give it away. Moderator, can you weigh in on this?

Indaba: Thanks for the question. We're excited that the mixes are so good that everyone wants to download them! Unfortunately, we didn't include download functionality for this contest, although we will keep it in mind for the future. Allowing everyone to download every mix is not something that we can do retroactively because we have agreed to the terms and structure of the contest with Berklee, Greg Osby, Joe Lovano, Chris Han, and the other musicians involved. The contest terms stipulate that you can certainly promote your own mix elsewhere as long as you give proper credit to all musicians and it is for non-commercial purposes. However, none of the music may be used for commercial purposes. This was the only way all parties generously agreed to compose and record all the tracks for us to use. These terms can change with any new contest and it's very helpful to know that there is such an interest in downloading the files. Thanks for your involvement and support and we hope you understand where we are coming from here.

Dr Xnlb: Seems like a very backwards contract. Old Media thinking leads to DEAD communities. Next time, work a better contract, or don't do a contest like this. Makes you, and Berklee seem way behind the times. Wise up. Its a remix culture. No one can own the music. Even if you create it. You try to and you will die out like the "Big 4" are doing right now.

Dan Zaccagnino: dr xnlb - I have to say that all of us at Indaba respectfully disagree (pretty strongly) with your comments, although we welcome them. I'd like to hear what anyone else has to say about this. We thought it was pretty clear from our previous comment that you can share the music you've created with others for non-commercial purposes, which we wholeheartedly support. Suggesting that because we live in a "remix culture" it means that people should be able to sell remixes for personal profit without permission from the original artist feels very wrong to us and over-simplifies the challenges that all music creators are facing in a digital world. Moreover, I believe the Indaba community is one of the most progressive music communities out there. Those of us who work here spend all day thinking about where music is, where it came from, and where it is headed and I think our platform, and the community that has grown around it, is very innovative. Berklee is one of the most forward thinking music education institutions in the world and one of the only ones that teaches contemporary music and updates its curriculum to stay current. Again, I appreciate your perspective but would like to hear what other people think about this, although if we prefer to be positive and get back to talking about the submissions I'd feel good about that too.

Arnold Hugo Stolting: This topic of wether the remixes can be sold for profit and or shared etc could become a very interesting and active topic. Ofcourse If everyone starts to give their opinions, then ofcourse someone else may have another opinion as well. In order to delve into the issue the right way and to keep the conversation flowing properly without wars, one would have to keep it less opinion based and more factual according to current laws involving music and doing business. Allot of this issue can be addressed if one looks at the contract one signed when agreeing to do a remix for this track. If Indaba posted terms and conditions before you entered the contest, then you could look at those. However, as it has always been the case in the music business, people sometimes later on feel that they signed either a bad deal, or agreed to work on something thinking they were going to get a bigger chunk of income etc. Many cases could then end up in a court of law and depending on current laws this could end up determining what can and can not be done with a finished remix. Let's take Jolynns remix for example, She added her own lyrics to the track which added whole new life to what used to be an instrumental jam session in the key of G. This could have a very interesting result should the original composers choose to market and profit from Jolynns version. This is because Jolynn may decide to claim to have written the lyrics to the song and under normal circumstances could be found entitled to a percentage of songwriters royalties. Again, this would all depend on wether she signed or did not sign a contract with Indaba stating that her contribution would become property of the website, or not, etc. Also, if indaba decided together with the composers to market my Jazzy Reggae Remix, and because of that particular mix they were able to get radio airplay on not just Jazz Radio stations but commercial radio stations as well, or let's say I went to a movie next year and in the scene I heard my Smooth Jazzy Reggae Remix playing in the background in the bedroom late at night while the character was making sweet love to someone, (ok I'm getting sidetracked) well then well then ofcourse I would have a few questions about what I am entitled too as well. Again, unless Indaba had everyone sign some sort of contract stating that whatever is submitted, you lose any and all rights to, I think every situation would have to be dealt with on a case by case basis. Now to further respond to Dr xnlb and Dan Zaccagnino. Lets all do some research on remix agreements, and also on the different types of licenses that can be granted when offering to hold a remix contest, or when entering one. (creative commons,etc) You will find that many agreements can differ depending on the original creators intent. I remixed a Barenaked ladies track and have the separate takes such as the guitars, the vocals, the drums, etc all on my hardrive which I used to remix their "Easy" song. Do I own those recordings and can I market them for profit? Ofcourse not. But my remix I did for them (see my profile) I can share for example on this site. However NOT sell it. Only their Record label can make it available for sale (part of the deal). Now had I signed a deal that stated that I could sell it myself, then the contract would have stated that. Indabas recent response to the topic of sharing was that "The contest terms stipulate that you can certainly promote your own mix elsewhere as long as you give proper credit to all musicians and it is for non-commercial purposes. However, none of the music may be used for commercial purposes." So that should be pretty clear for most of us to follow ? Should I or anyone who did a mix wish to do anything outside of those terms, I personally would suggest to simply contact indaba and or the composers etc and discuss the details of your proposal. Anyone else have any input on this? Arnold Hugo Stolting.

Mic Mell: Regardless of what we can or can't do with the remixes, I learned a ton form this contest, and it's been a pleasure to hear the musical diversity represented in this contest. Biggest thing I learned: Master a track before submitting it. I'll be posting mine on my blog.as soon as the contest ends.

dr.xnlb +: Dan, you completely missed my point. If you had licensed the work specifically in that way (Creative Commons) then there wouldn't be any question. No one said anything about personal profit. If the work is still copyrighted under the old, antiquated regime, then you are supporting it. If you want to consider yourself forward thinking then, start to walk the walk.

 

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any and all thoughts on this matter are welcome!

 

It's over. Sighs of relief and sadness here in the Indaba office. Saturday night marked the end of the Indaba Music showcase for CMJ - it was a fun and wild week. 28 bands played here overall (29 if you count Dan), so there was a lot of great music going on. Special, special thanks are due to Rachel Darmanin (Underrated Magazine) and Seth Kallen (This Side Up Sounds). Not only would these shows not have been the same without them, but they probably wouldn't have happened at all.

If you're in the New York City area, come say hi! Indaba Music, Underrated Magazine, and This Side Up Sounds bring you free live music in NYC all week long.

Join us from 1-8pm Oct.16-19 and 7pm-12am Oct.20 as Indaba Music.com celebrates the CMJ Music Marathon with 29 of the hottest bands playing CMJ this year. It's FREE. Just walk down Bowery, south of Houston, and you'll spot us before you get to Prince. We'll be waiting for you!

 

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