Because my music recommendations were getting a bit stale – I haven’t given you any new ones in five years (yeah, my bad)- we took the liberty of soliciting some actual talent for this year’s post. Herewith are your 2010 St Patrick’s Day Music recommendations, courtesy of my Irish passport-carrying lawyer. Enjoy.

- sog

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig!  Together with Steve’s excellent primer on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, we offer up the following selection of Irish/Celtic musicians and tunes needed to host your very own céilidh.  (Note: this list is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather offer a broad overview for neophytes or folks wishing to delve a bit deeper.)  

Traditional

1.  I would be remiss to not kick things off with my favourite, the Chieftains, who are long-recognized for not only preserving but popularizing (or “popularising,” if you will) traditional Irish folk music.  Do not be fooled (or deterred) by the term “folk music”:  the venerable guardians of traditional Irish music have recorded with the likes of Mick Jagger, Roseanne Cash, Ziggy Marley, Mark Knopfler, and Van Morrison, to name but a few.  For me, the Chieftans evoke many happy family memories:  Christmas spent in front of the fire and dancing with my father, whose special brand of “dancing” with my five year-old-self involved throwing me in the air in time to the beat of the music.  (Try this sometime with your favourite five year-old or a forty-pound weight; see if you’re still breathing afterward).  

If you’re new to the group’s vast catalogue of music, which spans forty years, I recommend the heart-stirring O’Sullivan’s March (from The Chieftains 7).  It is heavy with the powerful sounds of the bodhran (bo-rawn) and uilleann (ill-an) pipes.  From there, try Away We Go Again or bring it down a notch with the beautiful Ag Taisteal Na Blarnan from The Chieftains 9.  For advanced listening, nothing moves me quite like the gorgeously scored Year of the French. The whole album is worth a listen, although sadly, I’m not sure it is still in print.  If you already know you like the Chieftains, try Planxty (of Christy Moore fame), Altan, or Lúnasa.  

2.  On the other side of the folk music spectrum lie the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem.  O’Grady’s covered things pretty well with these guys, so I will just note that my favourites include: Finnegan’s Wake; Wild Rover; and Whiskey You’re the Devil.  If you like the Clancy clan, try the Dubliners.

3.  In the mid-1980s, lovers of Irish music were introduced to Cherish the Ladies. This all-female powerhouse group counts among its alumnae Aoife Clancy (her father is Bobby Clancy), Elieen Ivers (of Riverdance fame), and Winifred Hogan (Solas), Try Is Fada Liom Uaimi Uaimi (I Long for Her) featuring Aoife Clancy’s beautiful mezzo. 

4.  If you’re looking for something a bit more modern, try the “contemporary traditional” darlings, Solas.  Track recommendations: Pastures of Plenty (featuring Karen Casey) or On A Sea of Fleur de Lis (featuring Deirdre Scanlan), a tune by one of my favourite singer/songwriters, Richard Shindell (who is not Irish, but whom I love anyway. Also, he was carried on the celtic-centric Shanachie Records label for a time so that counts, right?).  If you’re partial to Solas, try Gaelic Storm, a band that first gained recognition as the “steerage band” in the movie Titanic, but have since proven themselves to be unsinkable.  Try their rowdy version of The Leavin’ of Liverpool (and try not to stomp your feet too hard).

5.  The lovely Boston-based trio Siúcra (Beth Leachman and husband & wife team, Matthew & Shannon Heaton) is sadly no longer making music together, but their lovely Here Among Strangers album (still available) was a welcomed contribution to an already well-stocked traditional music scene.  The trio’s beautiful compositions–Shannon Heaton’s in particular–and Beth’s light soprano makes this a worthy addition to any collection.  Try:  “P” Stands for Paddy.  (Note: their website is still live, but it appears to have been defaced, which is why I have not linked to it.)

6.  Perhaps stretching it a bit to call the Big Music boys from Dublin, The Waterboys, “traditional,” but this 1980s band was among the first to successfully blend traditional Irish folk and rock.  Try Fisherman’s Blues. And if you like the Waterboys, try the more contemporary Saw Doctors, who have a country-flavoured sound, but know how to bring it to the party.

7.  On this day of celtic/gaelic celebration, I think it only appropriate to raise a glass to our brethren to the East, the Scots, and their beautiful music.  The Tannahill Weavers are (at least in this context) perhaps best described as the Scottish Chieftains (being formed only 8 years after the Chieftains, and also for being primarily responsible for popularizing traditional Scottish music).  To hear the Great Highland Bagpipe in all its glory, try Geese In the Bog/Jig of Slurs or Johnnie Cope‘s anthem.  I defy you to hear the powerful swell of the bagpipe and not conjuring images of blue war paint, kilts, and William Wallace.  (Or Mel Gibson, if that’s your thing.)  

Celtic Canadian Cousins
1.  This section starts off much as before: the Chieftains.  No Irish music collection is complete without their Fire In the Kitchen album, which is a collaboration with some of the best celtic musicians Canada has to offer. 

2.  To wit:  Natalie MacMaster, niece of famed-fiddler, Buddy MacMaster, this beautiful Cape Breton fiddler finds her best sound somewhere between the traditional and the innovative.  Try her E-flat Set (from My Roots Are Showing) or Mum’s Jig (from In My Hands).  Also not to be missed, her gorgeous anthem Get Me to December with Allison Krauss.  If you like Natalie’s work, try the family group Leahy.  Try their tracks McBrides or Wedding Day Jig.  Incidentally, master fiddler Donnell Leahy is Natalie’s husband.  

3.  More controversial and experimental (if you do not know what I mean just google him) is Ashley MacIassac, Natalie MacMaster’s cousin.  Decidely less conventional in his later recordings, but no less talented, he’s not everyone’s cup o’ tea and that suits him just fine.  His electric take on the classics  Beaton’s Delight or Sleepy Maggie (the latter featuring the haunting vocals of Mary Jane Lamond) are more than worth a listen.

4.  Great Big Sea, or GBS to fans, are a rowdy group of Newfies with a penchant for sea shanties.  Do not let their vaguely frat-boyish image fool you: the boys of GBS offer beautiful harmonies and well-arranged, well-played favourites. Check out their version of Lukey/Lukaloney from the Fire In the Kitchen or I’m A Rover. 

5.  Admittedly more folk than celtic, Wailin Jennys‘ version of traditional The Parting Glass (from Firecracker) is particularly haunting and, for that reason alone, is deserving of a spot on the list.  Also try Saucy Sailor (from 40 Days)  (Added bonus: Maine native Heather Masse is now a member of the trio!)

If Thin Lizzy Is More Your Speed
For those who sooo over their parents’ Irish music and looking to explore the adrenaline-pumping, Guinness-sloshing side of Irish music, try the progenitors of Irish punk, the Pogues.  On this holiest of days–with the notable exception of U2‘s Sunday, Bloody Sunday–nothing gets my soul going like Young Ned of the Hill (sampling of the lyrics “You have robbed our homes and fortunes, even drove us from our land. You tried to break our spirit but you’ll never understand, the love of dear old Ireland that will forge an iron will).  If you need to kick it up a notch from there and favour the melodic offerings of Boston’s own Dropkick Murphys, try Blood & Whiskey‘s King of the Faeries/Western Junk or the Skels‘ Have A Drink Ya Bastards!  

Finally, for a few bands that are close to home, we like the sounds of The Milliners, Boghat, and our house favourite, the Napper Tandies, who can be heard live today at Bull Feeney (at 2pm) AND Ri-Ra (at 930pm).  And not to be leftout, The Pubcrawlers, who offer up their own blend of Irish punk with a full-band sound.

Have fun, be safe, and remember: friends don’t let friend drink green beer (or, more importantly, drive!). 

(link to the above spreadsheet)

In a year in which some of my favorite acts cranked out records that didn’t do a lot for me, you’d think I’d have a relatively easy time putting this list together. Not so much. It was, in spite of a few records not up to expectations, a bang up year for music. This year’s list has thirty-plus entries, and I’m quite sure there’s another ten or twenty that deserve to be on here but I’ve simply forgotten about.

Most of this list is courtesy of WOXY, the only radio station I’ve ever liked, which recently moved down to the music capital of the US, Austin. The few things that I didn’t hear there first, I was going to find anyway – e.g. Backspacer. Thanks also to Anthony’s Hype Machine, which makes following the bands so much easier. Which reminds me: their Best of 2009 is likely to be a lot better than this one.

Last year‘s caveats still apply, incidentally:

• This is not a list of the best tracks from 2008, but rather the best albums. Big difference. If you’re looking for a best singles kind of thing, I suggest listening along to my mixtapes.
• Most of these are indie rock acts. If you don’t like indie rock – if you are, say, a country music or a Top 40 person – please move along, there’s nothing to see here.
• Don’t get hung up on the sequence, particularly outside the top five, because frankly I didn’t really agonize over it myself.
• This is only music released this year: this is not, please note, music I started listening to this year. That list would look very different.
• I’m sure there are acts I’ve forgotten. I’m even more sure there are acts that I’ve missed. Sue me.

As always, I’ve tried to keep my reviews the opposite of what you find at legitimate music review sites: simple and to the point. Most of the reviewers I read care a hell of lot more about showing you just how much they know about music than telling you something useful like which tracks you might like to start with. Hence my approach, which may or may not work but at worst won’t take long.

Anyway, hope you enjoy. One last thanks to Jeff Cunningham, because without his email reminder, I probably would have forgotten to do this. Put differently, this is all his fault.

By popular request (read: three of you) I’ve labored to compile my selections for the best records of 2008.

Given my rather eclectic and obscure tastes – as compared to the average listener, many of the albums below may be unfamiliar to you. Depending on your own inclinations towards discovering new music, that will be either good (yay! new music to listen to!) or bad (who the hell are all these bands and why should I care?). I offer this with no endorsements other than the fact that I listen to a fair amount of music, and these are my favorites from the past calendar year.

Your mileage may vary, obviously.

A couple of caveats as you consider the list:

• This is not a list of the best tracks from 2008, but rather the best albums. Big difference. If you’re looking for a best singles kind of thing, I suggest listening along to my mixtapes.
• Most of these are indie rock acts. If you don’t like indie rock – if you are, say, a country music or a Top 40 person – please move along, there’s nothing to see here.
• Don’t get hung up on the sequence, particularly outside the top five, because frankly I didn’t really agonize over it myself.
• This is only music released this year: this is not, please note, music I started listening to this year. That list would look very different.
• I’m sure there are acts I’ve forgotten. I’m even more sure there are acts that I’ve missed. Sue me.

Oh, and before I continue, my thanks to Anthony for passing along the Wikipedia List of Albums Released in 2008 which started this whole thing. Thanks are also due to WOXY for introducing me to many of these, and the DJs there for sharing their own versions of this list.

Anyway, on to the list. One of the things I generally hate about music reviews is that they don’t tell you where to start: i.e. if you’re going to buy a track, which one? I’ve tried to fix that below, both via suggestion and via Favtape. More on that in a minute.

1. Sigur Rós: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust:
   No, I’m not going to translate that for you: just listen to it. This is the one band on the list whose appeal should be near universal. One other thing: I’m not asking you, I’m telling you: see them live. They’re that good, trust me.

   Try: Inní mér syngur vitleysingur

2. Cloud Cult: Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes):
   To be honest, this album is a bit up and down for me, but it places so highly because what’s good is really good. I am absolutely killing tracks like “No One Said it Would Be Easy,” which are all the more poignant if you know the back story. As an added bonus for the green folks in the audience, this band is seriously dedicated. Like “powered by geothermal energy and built partially from reclaimed wood and recycled plastic” and “tours in a biodiesel van” dedicated. So they’ve got that going for them. Which is nice. (Thanks to Shelly for this recommendation, btw).

   Try: No One Said It Would Be Easy

3. Ok, I’m going to cheat here and 1.) insert Greg Laswell after the fact b/c I forgot him and 2.) not bump anyone. It’s my list, dammit.

   A.) Greg Laswell: Three Flights From Alto Nido:
   Like a lot of the other bands on this list, there’s little to differentiate Laswell technically speaking. He’s your basic singer/songwriter type, but I’m nevertheless a big fan of this San Diego artist. Unpretentious, with a gift for poignant lyrics, I recommend him. In addition to this record, look for this year’s EP, “How the Day Sounds”; the track “Salvation Dear” is one of his best, IMO.

   Try: Days Go On

B.) Peter Adams: I Woke With Planets In My Face:
I love this album, not least because it’s self-published and made available at http://www.peteradamsmusic.com/ for a Radiohead-style “pay what you want” economic model. I valued it at $8 per album, as I recall, but it’s probably worth twice that.

Try: Conversations With the Moon

4. Pete & The Pirates: Little Death:
   Technically, I suppose it’s not much to listen to: just another punk-tinged act. But this ended up being one of five, maybe six albums that I took the time to burn onto a CD for the car. A catchy little act. If you like The Oranges Band, you’ll like these guys.

   Try: Come On Feet

5. Frightened Rabbit: The Midnight Organ Fight:
   A solid album end to end from these Scottish rockers. A bit emo-tinged at times, but I like it in spite of that.

   Try: Old Old Fashioned

6. Blitzen Trapper: Furr:
   This was an album I bought only after picking up maybe five of the tracks individually, which is generally a good sign. It’s got its highs and lows, but its Southern rock feel might evoke the Kings of Leon at times if you like that band. Furr, also, is one of the better tracks I heard this year.

   Try: Furr

7. Beck: Modern Guilt:
   Another year, another excellent Beck album. What’s new? Big fan of the man. And not just because he was awesome on Futurama.

   Try: Profanity Prayers

8. Noah and the Whale: Peaceful The World Lays Me Down:
   One of these things is not like the other…this is way more popish than anything else on the list, and I’d understand if some of you dismiss it as saccharine. That was my reaction at first. But it grows on you, and there’s no arguing that it’s catchy. I liked it.

   Try: Rocks and Daggers

9. Little Joy: Little Joy:
   Great little act with some Strokes pedigree. While that influence comes through at times, however, the sound is quite distinct and lovely, in its own way.

   Try: Don’t Watch Me Dancing

10. Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend:
    The biggest little act ever, most of you have probably heard this somewhere. Like last year’s Neon Bible, this one got heavy airtime in a variety of venues, but like that record, Vampire Weekend is well executed. The afro-pop rubs some folks the wrong way, but I enjoy its distinction.

    Try: Campus

11. Gnarls Barkley: The Odd Couple:
    I liked the last one better too. Still, this is an excellent, different album. And it’s Dangermouse: if you think I’d leave him off the list, you’re insane.

    Try: Run

12. Flogging Molly: Float:
    This Irish-punk conglomerate is one of my favorite acts going, and if it wasn’t for the presence of Sigur Ros on the list, I’d be tempted to claim they’re the best live. They are simply phenomenal. Float’s a good offering, I think, from these guys: it took a couple of plays, but I’m sold.

    Try: From the Back of a Broken Dream

13. Santogold: Santogold:
    Ok, this is even more pop than Noah and the Whale; it’s borderline Top 40, in fact, as Santogold tracks now play in frigging Old Navy stores. I know, I know. But give it a listen. I don’t like all of it, but what’s good is good. And girls tend to love it, as an FYI.

    Try: L.E.S. Artistes

14. Okkervil River: The Stand Ins:
    I’ve tried to listen to Okkervil River in the past and they simply didn’t click, for whatever the reason. The Stand Ins changed that; I get it now, I think. Borderline dissonant indie rock shown to good display.

    Try: Singer Songwriter

15. Thievery Corporation: Radio Retaliation:
    If you’re thinking, “hmm…Thievery Corporation – I know I’ve heard that somewhere,” you’re thinking of Lebanese Blonde, their (excellent) track that’s been in a bazillion movies and twice as many commercials. Radio Retaliation is, in my view, classic Thievery: weird ambient electronic rock featuring a variety of stylistic influences.

    Try: 33 Degree

16. Bound Stems: The Family Afloat:
    Took a little while with this one, and they don’t quite get to where I think they can. Tracks like the opener are Exhibit A: it’s listenable for the first two or three minutes, excellent the remainder. More consistency would place them higher.

    Try: Taking Tips from the Gallery Gang

17. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: Pershing:
    I’ve listened to these guys for a number of years, and this is their best effort – IMO – to date. Very listenable if technically not diverse rock.

    Try: Modern Mystery

18. Parts & Labor: Receivers:
    Not a bad little album.

    Try: Nowheres Nigh

19. The Black Keys: Attack & Release:
    The Dangermouse produced Black Keys effort was, frankly, not exactly what I expected or even hoped for, but it’s still very good. If you like your rock heavy on the blues, the Black Keys are your band. Enjoy, and you’re welcome.

    Try: I Got Mine

20. King Khan & The Shrines: The Supreme Genius of King Khan & The Shrines :
    For some of you, the directness of the King Khan & The Shrines approach will be, effectively, a bludgeoning. For myself, as a fan of vaguely similar bands in the Detroit Cobras, it’s refreshing. Give them a listen, and find out what camp you sit in.

    Try: No Regrets

And there you have it. I’m sure there are other more technically sound, more comprehensive, and generally better lists, but that’s mine. If you’re interested in actually hearing some of this instead of just listening to me talk about it, head over to the Favtape and drink deep of 2008. A couple of caveats: due to the limitations of Favtapes catalog, a.) I couldn’t always pick the track I wanted and b.) some of the albums (Thievery and Peter Adams, I think) didn’t have any available at all from the album and thus are omitted. My apologies.

Anyway, enjoy.

The Honorable Mention list for those seeking more punishment: The Avett Brothers “The Second Gleam,” The Dutchess & The Duke “She’s the Dutchess, He’s the Duke,” Electric President “Sleep Well,” Airborne Toxic Event “The Airborne Toxic Event,” MGMT “Oracular Spectacular,” We Are Scientists “Brain Thrust Mastery,” Portishead “Third,” Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s “Animal!/Not Animal.”

One more week in the books, and more importantly one week closer to my annual Christmas and New Year’s two week shutdown and overhaul. While this week was blessedly yet strangely travel free, we’re getting moderately crushed with a few end of year projects, contracts, and other fun stuff. Well, to own the truth, some of it is fun.

But while I stagger towards the finish line of Christmas week amidst the “freezing mist” here in Denver, something I haven’t done in a while: a Friday grab bag. Enjoy your weekends, everyone.

Boston Red Sox Tickets

I was planning on keeping the news to myself, but in a surprising twist, my conscience got the best of me: single game tickets and four game packs go on sale tomorrow at 10 AM ET. If there’s ever a good reason to get up early on a Saturday morning, this is it. Google Calendar’s set to start SMSing me an hour prior and not stop until they start selling; if I could have integrated it with Asterisk wake-up calls, I would have.

Also in Red Sox news, a couple of you have pinged me on the prospect of trading for Minnesota’s Johan Santana, and rather than bore you with a thousand tedious words of my own, I’ll simply point you to Seth’s piece on the subject as it’s more or less an accurate representation of my views on the matter.

Cell Repeater

Those of you that have been to the RedMonk home offices here in Denver – AKA my loft – know that due to the concrete and steel construction, cellular reception in here is virtually non-existent. In an effort to correct this condition and consolidate the number of phones I need to monitor, I purchased one these – a cell repeater. The hope was to take the reasonable signal that’s available near my window and repeat that within the context of my apartment. Thus far, however, I haven’t been able to correctly position the antenna and base station such that it works. Nor does it help that Az’s new favorite occupation is attacking the wire that connects the antenna to the base station. I’ll try Wi-Ex’s customer service this weekend, but mission outcome is doubtful.

Comments and Community

I’ve long maintained that my personal preference is to avoid the type of traffic and volume that accrues to higher profile blogs like Scoble’s or TechCrunch. While it limits the ad revenue potential, it disincents trolls and encourages higher value participation. Occasionally, I’m reminded of this, as was the case this week when this week’s Fedora piece was linked to by Linux.com, Linuxtoday, and Tuxmachines. Between them, they sent over somewhere just shy of 3,000 people in the past two or three days, which is nice from a visibility perspective but far less beneficial in a participation sense. The lack of context from the visitors leads to comments like this. this or this. Which I can do without.

Google My Location

While this is only working sporadically for me – see my response to the thread here – when it does work it’s magical. It’s certainly not a replacement for true GPS, but as a complementary technology it’s an excellent addition to the geospatial arsenal, bringing as it does location to non-GPS enabled equipment.

Mail Forwarding

Received some excellent suggestions – thank you – for potential solutions to my mail forwarding needs. In the lead at this point is Earth Class Mail, nee Remote Control Mail. If any of you have used them or know people that have, opinions are welcome. And before you ask, yes I’m aware of the fact that they are a Linux to Microsoft migration case study.

NPR’s Best CD’s of 2007

As seen in my del.icio.us links earlier this week, NPR’s currently holding a vote for the best albums of 2007 for All Things Considered. Though you can only vote for 5, there are better than a dozen albums on that list that I could have voted for. The five I ended up picking were Andrew Bird, Arcade Fire, The Avett Brothers, Beirut, and Radiohead. The Avett Brothers in particular have been in heavy rotation of late, and Radiohead got the nod over a couple of equally talented acts because of their decision to release their latest, In Rainbows, with a user determined payment system. It’s not the future, at least not for most acts, but it’s pushing forward.

Separation of Church and State

I’ve made it a point to not discuss politics in this space – mine or yours, and I’m not going to start campaigning now. But I must say that I am deeply troubled when I see signs pointing to the conflation of politics and religion. Leaving aside my personal feelings on either of those subjects, I think it’s absolutely critical that they remain separate and distinct from one another, but sadly the trending in this country seems to be the reverse. Adam’s warning rings more true every day.

Windows Licensing

Once upon a time, the Thinkpad X40 I’m currently working off was a dual boot machine, with Gentoo and Windows XP partitions. Then I did something I shouldn’t have, and it was time to rebuild the entire hard drive. Unfortunately, Lenovo – like many other manufacturers – no longer ships Windows media with its laptops, instead designating a portion of the hard drive for that task. As I’ve since been informed, you can create restore media yourself with that partition, but if you don’t bother to – as I didn’t – before losing the hard drive, getting it shipped to you will cost $45 plus shipping.

Blame for the situation, then belongs as much to me as it does to Lenovo or Microsoft. But nonetheless, I think there is something wrong with charging me $45 for a CD of software that I already own a license for. Your response might be: Microsoft needs to ensure that their software isn’t pirated, and this is one byproduct of those efforts. My response to that as a customer is: that should not be my problem. If I have a license for software, I should be able to obtain and reinstall it at no cost, in my opinion.

And just in case someone’s reading this closely, I’m not switching back to Windows; I merely require an XP instance for testing.

Following my arguments on behalf of the SaveNetRadio.org coalition and – indirectly thereby – the Internet Radio Equality Act, I received an interesting forward from a Friend of RedMonk. The original note was from Kill Rock Stars, a label notable for giving us both The Decemberists and Elliot Smith. I reproduce the relevant portion of the email below in full.

> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Editorial from Portia on Internet Radio
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> hi mailorder freaks,
>
> i wanted to tell you guys exactly what is going on with this Internet
> Radio Equality Act because it comes up before congress for a vote
> next week. this is a BIG issue for artists and independent labels,
> because basically this act is trying to cut webcasting royalties to
> artists by 70%. internet radio webcasters have ALWAYS been paying
> out royalties to artists, this isn’t a new thing. this bill is just
> trying to reduce the amount of money people get paid for their music.
> the sneaky thing is that the bill is being pushed by an organization
> called SaveNetRadio, which claims to represent small internet radio
> sites like Pandora, but which ALSO represents AOL, Yahoo, and
> Microsoft — companies which can EASILY afford to pay artists the
> fair market royalty for their songs.
>
> there is a personal angle to this story too: yesterday a lady from
> SaveNetRadio called me to ask if i’d come to washington DC next week
> and testify on their behalf. i’d be instructed by their legal team
> on what to say, and then i’d testify in front of congress. she said
> they’d been having trouble finding a representative from an indie
> label to testify for them. THIS IS NOT A SURPRISE! obviously, KRS
> is not the only indie label that thinks their artists should be paid
> fairly for their songs. which is great, but i’m afraid since
> SaveNetRadio obviously has money and are organized, that their side
> is going to be the only one that’s heard at these hearings. so i’m
> putting a link here to a site that SoundExchange set up for people to
> write to their congresspeople about this issue. i know we
> erroneously posted a link to SaveNetRadio itself a couple weeks ago,
> we apologize about that — it was a miscommunication! literally!
>
> Click here to make your voice heard in Congress:
>
> http://capwiz.com/soundexchange/issues/alert/?alertid=9500831&PROCESS=Take+Action
>
> take care,
>
> Portia

A dissenting opinion, to be sure – and one that certainly deserves to be heard and recognized. The question now for those undecided, whether they’re the artists, webcasters, or copyright holders or merely regular listeners like you and me is: who’s right?

I will make no claim that the side that I come down on still – SaveNetRadio.org – has the right of it here. I’m just another music fan, and have tried as best I can to understand the landscape with the information that’s available to me, but you should obviously take into account my bias (I’m a WOXY fan) along with my very light understanding of the economics involved.

But I do think Portia – and SoundExchange, the organization opposing SaveNetRadio – are wrong here. If you’re interested, the following Q&A might help explain why.

Q: Anything to disclose? Any relationships here to be aware of?
A: Aside from the mentioned WOXY link, I am a fan of both NPR and KCRW, which also oppose the royalty hikes.

Q: What about Portia’s claim that this is about “trying to cut webcasting royalties to artists by 70%?” Is that accurate?
A: No. The Internet Radio Equality act would basic nullify higher rates about to go into effect, returning it to the same model followed to date. For a description of how the rates would affect webcasters, here’s the (presumably independent) ars technica:

The current fee structure involved an annual fee plus a percentage of the profits. Given the tenuous profitability of Internet radio stations, the low fees undoubtedly helped ensure that many of them stayed afloat, but did little to ensure that money flowed towards those that hold the copyrights on the music they broadcast.

The new fee structure would change the basis of the payments to a flat fee for each song streamed on a per-user basis. Thus, in 2007, every song sent to every listener would net SoundExchange $0.0011, regardless of whether the broadcaster made any money by doing so. But that’s probably not the worst of it. The fees are scheduled to more than double over the next five years, and apply retroactively [emphasis ars technica's] to the start of 2006. Under this plan, it’s hard to imagine that Internet broadcasting will make much financial sense without a dramatic increase in commercial time.

Thus Portia’s claim, to me, seems to be at best a bit of hyperbole. Particularly since their assessments of rate increases don’t seem to include the per channel minimums. It’s possible that she’s merely regurgitating position information from SoundExchange without having examined it carefully.

Q: Who is this SoundExchange? Are they good guys fighting for small artists against AOL, Yahoo, and Microsoft?
A: That does seem to be what they’d like you to believe. Frankly, to me, SoundExchange’s positioning here is – at best – misleading. Portia’s quick to cite the big guys fighting the royalty hikes, as is SoundExchange’s own internet petition, the headline for which is “Stand up for artists’ right to be paid fairly!!!!”, and which includes the following text: reads “As you may have heard, the U.S. Copyright Office has recently set new royalty rates that have to be paid to you by Internet webcasters (such as AOL and Yahoo).”

Put that way, it implies that big companies – AOL/Yahoo/etc – are cruelly denying artists and small labels money. Setting aside the fact that AOL/Yaoo/etc would likely be the only webcasters left post a rate hike due to the immediate cessation of business for smaller players, it’s also – in my view – a false dichotomy.

Q: How so? Are there not big businesses backing SaveNetRadio?
A: Indeed there are. But there are also some large businesses backing SoundExchange, which they notably decline to mention. From SoundExchange’s about page, we discover that “Members of SoundExchange include major and independent record companies from Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group,” among others. Far more interesting, to me anyway, is the composition of SoundExchange’s board, which includes the following individuals:

• Alasdair McMullan – EMI
• Andrea Finkelstein – Sony BMG
• Mitch Bainwol – RIAA
• Michael Ostroff – UMG (Universal)
• Paul Robinson – WMG (Warner)
• Steven M. Marks – RIAA

Tiny companies, indeed. You’ll forgive me, then, if I’m suspect of SoundExchange’s inclination to position itself as fighting the good fight for artists against big, evil companies like AOL and Yahoo.

Q: Irrespective of the involvement of the RIAA – who is not likely to be on many people’s Christmas card lists after their litigation against individual consumers for exorbitant sums of money – isn’t it important that artists be compensated for their efforts?
A: Probably, although the point can be debated. What’s worth discussing is where the actual money goes. Portia argues that the “act is trying to cut webcasting royalties to artists by 70%,” but in fact the artists only see 50% of the royalties paid.

Q: Only 50%? Seriously? How much is that?
A: Seriously, at least according to what SoundExchange’s own FAQ tells us. It informs us that “half of the statutory royalties paid to SoundExchange go to artists…The remaining half goes to copyright owners.” As for the actual amount, SoundExchange for some reason declines to provide a figure for 2006, but “SoundExchange collected approximately $15 million in royalties from webcasters in 2005.”

Q: Above, you said that the point that artists should be compensated could be “debated.” Care to explain that remark?
A: Certainly. First, it’s useful to ask what the compensation rates are for terrestial radio, which for all of its limited range is still the medium commanding the bulk of the advertising dollars.

Q: And what is that rate?
A: They pay only the copyright holder, not the artist. From the SoundExchange FAQ:

Do traditional so-called terrestrial radio stations (AM/FM) have to pay the
same royalties for over-the-air broadcasting?

Not at this time. With every sound recording, there are two copyrights — one for the musical composition (the notes and lyrics) and one for the sound recording (the performance of the song by performers). When radio stations broadcast over-the-air, they do not pay royalties to record companies and performers; they only pay a royalty to the person or company who hold the copyright to the composition (i.e., the songwriter or the music publisher).

So it’s worth asking, I think, why artists should be compensated for performances delivered on internet radio but not terrestrial radio. A cynic might wonder, in fact, if it’s an attempt to subsidize a wealthy industry (terrestrial radio) at the expense of a poorer one (internet radio). But who’s cynical?

Q: Is that the only point that makes compensation debatable?
A: No, not in my opinion. To make the point, take a look at the SoundExchange’s answer to the question of whether or not their intention is to put webcasters out of business:

No. We want to see webcasters thrive. If they grow, we grow. Everyone in these proceedings is interdependent, and we are all in this business together. However, assuring fair treatment for all stakeholders in this dynamic landscape is critical. Webcasters and simulcasters are in the business of providing a unique product—music—to consumers. SoundExchange believes the CRB correctly recognized that the people who create the music—artists and labels—for these various platforms should be fairly compensated in a manner that reflects their gifted talents and the value of their contributions.

Seems reasonable, probably. But there’s another way to think about it, one that I think is important. Take me as an example: WOXY.com has introduced me to two dozen artists – at a minimum – that I could not reasonably be expected to discover in the course of my usual listening. Of these, I’ve legally purchased music from at least 20 (see here for a partial list). In that light, what SoundExchange regards as a “product” – the music being webcast – could also be defined, in my opinion, as “marketing.” Marketing WOXY has to pay for. In other words, WOXY is paying SoundExchange for the privilege of marketing their members product. While it’s a nuanced question, then, I think that at the very least the idea of whether compensating artists is “fair” or “right” should be viewed from multiple angles. Not just from the “victim’s” perspective.

Q: You mention your purchases, but isn’t that an anomaly?
A: Again, SoundExchange would dearly like you to believe that. They take strong exception to the idea that they benefit from the promotional exposure, saying that

The CRB stated in its ruling that the webcasters presented no “empirical evidence” that exposure on internet radio leads to increased sales. In fact, CD sales have slumped 25 percent since 2000, while webcasting audiences have grown dramatically.

Where to start with that one. First, they contradict that position later, saying that “If [webcasters] grow, we grow.” If there’s no evidence that promotion leads to purchase, why would that be true? Second, it simply defies logic – not to mention my own experience. Their claim that “listening is the consumption” is undone by the runaway success of the iPod; the most popular music listening device we’ve seen in decades, remember, has no ability to play or otherwise consume internet radio. Third, there’s the CD component to the argument. I have no doubt that CD sales have slumped since 2000, but the argument that that’s due – even in part – to internet radio is asinine. Consumers are largely departing the physical medium because it’s less convenient and less immediate than legal online alternatives like iTunes, or even illegal alternatives like the original Napter or Kazaa – neither of which have any relation to internet radio. Lastly, there are the economics. While web audiences for internet radio have certainly increased, their revenue has not.

Q: What would you say then, to those in favor of higher royalties for webcasters?
A: Two things. First, why don’t you follow the real money and go after terrestrial broadcasting. There simply isn’t a lot of money in webcasting. But more importantly, consider what the current course of action will ensure: killing off more or less all of the independent broadcasters, leaving just the big guys. If that’s the direction you wish to pursue – by all means, continue. But that’s obviously not in listeners’ best interests, and I’d argue strongly that it’s not in yours either.

If you’re anything like I was a year ago or so, prior to my discovery of WOXY.com, you probably could care less about the future of “internet radio.” If you’re anything like I am today, however, you probably could care less than that about just about anything on terrestrial radio, bland and homogenous as it’s become.

While the technologies around music have gotten ever better, from recordable CD’s to iPods, the challenge of discovery remains. Despite the ready availability and easy consumability of content, where do you find new artists? Where do you find new music actually worth listening to? For some, the answers are iTunes or other media players futures. For very few, I’d argue, it’s radio; when was the last time someone mentioned that great new song they heard on that medium? For me, for a while, it’s been WOXY.com, a four person internet broadcaster based out of Cincinatti, Ohio.

I won’t try to argue here with the market forces that have shaped terrestrial radio into the less diverse, anti-long tail medium it is today, because that’s capitalism at work and I’m generally a free market kind of guy. Astute observers might note that terrestrial radio is strongly influenced by an industry that is desperately casting about for purpose in a world that largely doesn’t need them any longer. Or that the perception that it is in fact free market may in fact be an illusion occasionally belied by the truth of payola scandals past and present. Whatever. The only salient point worth making, as far as I’m concerned, is that artists are negatively impacted by the lack of diversity. As are, necessarily, consumers.

The internet, fortunately for both of those constituencies, has been something of a refuge for those of us that love music and those that love to create it. While a lone singer/songwriter out of San Diego might not be able to crack the roster at a major label, and thus terrestrial radio, long tail outlets like WOXY.com give them a direct connection to me, the listener.

This connection facilitated by WOXY is financially rewarding connection for them, and culturally rewarding connection for me. Paging through a couple of weeks of my playlists on Last.fm, a partial list of artists I’ve discovered on WOXY.com and subsequently purchased music from either on eMusic.com or in shiny CD form includes Andrew Bird, Beirut, The Boggs, The Delgados, Devotchka, Editors, Elvis Perkins, Fields, Illinois, Page France, Pela, The Fratellis, Greg Laswell, M. Ward, Shout Out Louds, Silversun Pickups, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Stars, and the Tokyo Police Club. If you’ve never heard of any of these bands, well, that’s my point (if you’ve heard of most or all, we should talk). You might like them, you might not, but the fact that they have an outlet is, to me, an indisputably good thing.

Regrettably, however, that connection being made is rewarding to everyone except the folks making it. WOXY.com, like many other internet broadcasters, has yet to find the economic model that allows them to do more than cover expenses – or even, in this case, do even that much. But no one ever said life was fair, let alone free, so that is their affair and their responsibility. And none of the internet broadcasters, as far as I’m aware, is arguing anything but that. I’ve yet to see WOXY or any other their peers asking for handouts.

What they are arguing for, and I strongly agree with, is for the royalty rates to remain fair and market relative. That royalty rate hikes are not used as a lever to put all of the independents out of business and turn the vibrant landscape of internet radio into the barren wasteland of terrestrial radio.

It will surprise few of you, I suspect, to learn that the Copyright Royalty Board and their close friends the RIAA are seeking more money from the internet broadcasters. Apparently a rate double that assessed to satellite broadcasters was insufficient for the subsidizing of frivolous litigation against downloaders, so the rates are jumping by anywhere from 300 to 1200 percent.

Should these rates stand – and my Colorado Congresswoman Diana DeGette is cosponsor of a bill (The “Internet Radio Equality Act”) that would nullify the rate increase – the only ones that will be able to continue streaming music over the internet will be large conglomerates that can subsidize the medium from other lines of business. The economics of webcasting do not justify the rates being paid now, so they certainly will not bear the dramatic increases coming in July.

As one last appeal, lest you think this is a problem isolated to niche stations like WOXY, it’s worth noting that NPR may be among the most severely punished due to the assessments per channel. It tackled the issue on All Things Considered at the end of May, and has been a staunch opponent to the rate hike all along. As is, unsurprisingly, longtime public radio outlet KCRW.

These have all been my words, and my views, but if you’re interested in the subject it might be helpful to hear it from the horse’s mouth, as it were. If you’re curious about the impact, I highly suggest giving the video above a few minutes. WOXY’s Bryan Jay Miller lays out the case against the royalty rate hikes eloquently and succinctly for the House Committee on Small Business. It’s an eye opener, I think.

You’re just one person, you say, what can you do? Take a couple seconds – literally – out of your busy day, and try and help save the future of internet radio by filling out a form. How hard is that?

Gorgeous Day in CO

Originally uploaded by sogrady.

When I fell out of bed at the crack of dawn this morning (read: 7:30 AM), I had no real way of knowing that by noon I would have a.) caught only one fish in four hours, b.) almost stepped on a (poisonous?) snake, and c.) punched a pencil sized hole in the side of my foot. Ok, maybe I could have guessed at the lack of success. Well, maybe the snake. And I suppose my track record for fishing injuries is such that the foot thing could have been predicted. Fine, be that way.

Anyway, onlineclock.net (thanks, Simon) being kind enough to wake me at that unholy pre-8 AM hour, I was actually out in front of my building at 8 sharp as previously agreed upon – which happened to be five minutes before my friend picked me up on the way up to Loveland (I-25 North, off at the Loveland exit, left off the highway, 2 miles or so down, right at the trailers, ponds are off to your left). Which of course was irritating, as those were five more minutes I could have been sleeping.

Fortunately, said irritation was easily kept in check by a steady series of infant related anecdotes – my friend is the parent of a 1 and a half year old – and frankly, it was too nice a day to hold a grudge. Even if it was pushing 90. Which it was.

The ponds, much to our dismay, were a bit turbid, meaning difficult to fish. Twenty minutes in, having caught approximately nothing – with the exception of the smallest fish I’ve ever seen, caught not by me – we were forced to resort to “droppers” – essentially a fly tied onto another fly. The theory behind these is that when a fish takes the dropped fly – the one tied on – it moves the first fly, much as a bobber works in spin fishing, making it easier to set the hook and land the fish. The downside is that you’re more likely to foul your cast, particularly if your technique is less than perfect. As mine is.

This worked like a charm for my friend, who hauled in 10 or more fish in a half hour span, but 10% as well for me. But my lack of success was a small price to pay for spending the morning under a bright blue sky, wading through cool water, and heckling my buddy for catching nothing but water rats (AKA bluegill).

It was after a relative dry spell on both of our parts that we decided to circle around to the far side of the pond, at which point I almost put my foot down on this guy. If I knew more about snakes than I do about earnings announcements, I’d be able to tell you whether or not it was poisonous, but I don’t. Nature has its way of warning you, however, and although the color is leached out of the linked shot the snake was red. I had trouble with colors in kindergarten but even I know that usually doesn’t bode well.

Easing around the snake, the two of us fished the back ponds for an hour or so, until my brother called me as I was wading through the shallows of one reed filled pond. He was, it turns out, gloating from his seat three rows back of the Yankee dugout at Yankees stadium, ready for the start of today’s Yanks/Sox game (which I’ve kept my Dad apprised of via his Blackberry). Some choice words were involved in that particular conversation. Right after dropping my the phone back into my fishing vest, I felt a slight pain in my right foot, which apparently compelled my brain to crank out a low pitched bark of some sort.

Looking up, my buddy asked me what the problem was. Looking down, I said “there’s something sticking out of my foot.” As it turned out, it was an oversized thorn, about the thickness of a number two pencil at its base. Realizing that it didn’t belong there, sticking perpendicularly out of my foot where the big toe joins it, I removed the thorn easily, at which point blood sought to fill the void. And then some, filling up the bottom of my flip-flop. The problem wasn’t, of course, the wound (it’s pretty blurry, so not too gross) itself. It wasn’t even a flesh wound, as such things go, and my poor dogs are used to serving a secondary role as pincushions. The problem was – and probably still is – infection. While I washed it out in a restaurant bathroom on the way home, and got some antibiotics on it once I returned to the apartment, there’s no guarantee that I won’t wake up from my upcoming nap with a watermelon sized foot.

Even should that unfortunate circumstance come to pass, however, today is guaranteed to be a good day. Check that, a great day. Why, you ask? Amalie Benjamin is presumably only too happy to explain it to you. And if you’re link averse, the reflection in the inset photo is your clue.

On an entirely unrelated note, I’ve been enjoying Greg Laswell’s new album. The title is one for Ryan – Through Toledo. His WOXY.com Lounge Session gives you a chance to listen to a couple of my favorites – “”Do What I Can” and “Sing, Theresa Says” – not to mention hear the artist himself (sounds like a great guy). It’s nothing terribly groundbreaking or avant garde, but good solid songwriting and some creative use of the violin to compliment otherwise typical indie rock. If you like Laswell (or M. Ward), I also suggest giving a listen to Andrew Bird. Skip “Fiery Crash,” which isn’t bad but is what everyone plays, and try “Armchairs,” “Plasticities,” or my personal favorite, “Scythian Empires.”

A couple of music related updates for those of you that are curious and/or interested in such things.

Backup

While I was at Lotusphere a week ago, my backup of my entire music collection to Amazon’s S3 completed. It took a week, but I can’t tell you how much better it feels to know that responsibility for the collection now rests with someone else. Unlike on hicks, I used Jungle Disk to do the backup, and it’s set to mirror the directory up there every Sunday night at midnight.

CD’s

Because I’m no longer buying music through Apple’s iTunes store (with the exception of one Christmas giftcard which I used to buy new albums from Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins and The Oohlas), it was more or less inevitable that I’d be buying CD’s. So it was yesterday, when I visitied Denver’s Twist and Shout to pick up the the new Beck, the new Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and the new Shins discs. These are probably the first physical CD’s I’ve bought since Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief. It’s amazing how irritating the medium is still, with it’s difficult to remove plastic wrapping and that damn sticker at the top. At least they came without DRM like those awful Sony discs. All three albums are good, incidentally.

emusic.com

Remains my first preference for buying music, and I was very pleased to see in the recent NY Times piece that they’re actually the second most popular store behind iTunes – albeit by a large margin. Making my emusic experience even simpler has been the plugin for Songbird; it’s not without issues, but basically I browse emusic in Songbird, click download and everything shows up in my library. Very nice.

The Hype Machine

If you didn’t believe me when I first told you about cool The Hype Machine was, didn’t pay attention when they were named the best mashup of Mashup Camp 3, maybe Jason Calacanis’ description of it as Napster 3.0 will grab you. Oh, and for the Yubnub users in the audience, The Hype Machine is in there. Command is ‘hype’.

WOXY Vintage

Originally uploaded by sogrady.

Seriously? It can’t be recently, unless you’re a lot more hip than I think you are. But now that 90′s classic is back on the recently relaunched WOXY Vintage. I haven’t heard it probably since high school, and it just put a big smile on my face (despite the fact that I’m still working at 10).

If you’re more into the The Velvet Underground, The Clash, Talking Heads, The Smiths, and U2 than Beirut, Cat Power, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, or M. Ward, WOXY Vintage is for you. Hop on over, click on the link appropriate for your player (yes, they have iTunes), and enjoy. No cost, just good music.

To answer two other questions I’ve been begun getting, no I do not have any relationship to WOXY to disclose (ok, they did send me some cool stickers), and no I’m unlikely to stop talking about them. It’s too good a service. Apologies in advance.

I enjoyed Hanna’s 2006 musical summary, and thought I’d borrow shamelessly from it. So here are some of the bands I started listening to in 2006.

• Beirut
• Camera Obscura
• Cloud Cult
• Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
• David Bazan
• Headphones
• Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins
• MF Doom
• M. Ward
• Phoenix
• Scourge of the Sea
• Silversun Pickups
• Tapes ‘N Tapes
• The Easy All Stars
• The Mountain Goats
• The Oohlas

Favorites out of that group are Beirut (compared often to Neutral Milk Hotel, but w/ a Gypsyish flair), David Bazan (ex-Pedro the Lion frontman – I’m a big fan), and M. Ward (Tom Waits comparisons are a bit misplaced, IMO). All three of which are available on emusic.com, incidentally.