The Toll Men

While news articles over the past few weeks have been providing suggestions on umpteen ways to tackle online piracy, Charles Dunstone, CEO of Carphone Warehouse, has come up with a different, rather eccentric approach to solving the problem.

Dunstone recommends broadband customers to choose age ratings for their internet connections, similar to those used by cinemas. His TalkTalk network plans to implement this method, and for the subscribers, it will mean introducing parental controls within the network. This will enable a household to decide whether it wants U, 14 or 18 certificate or unclassified connections. For information on UK ISP’s, click compare broadband, for an insight into the broadband providers offers and performance.

Households selecting the U or 14 options would not only be able to block access to file-sharing sites on each computer in the house, but also block gambling and pornography. This will enable parents to stop their children from accessing sites that may put their broadband connection at risk.

Dunstone is convinced that this strategy will help to reduce access to file-sharing sites considerably. This way, the content industry will be empowered to blacklist sites with BitTorrent on them.

This proposal comes after previous week’s discussion among 100 British musicians to tackle the problem of illegal music downloading. It had concluded with a general consensus that slowing down the speed of broadband was the best deterrent.

The Parlotones tour kicks off whne they visit Plug And Play in Reading. The Parlotones kicked of their professional career in 2003 rising to the forefront of South African music by 2006 when they signed a European license deal on the back of their debut single beautiful being used in a Fujifilm commercial.

Since then The Parlotones have become the biggest selling band in South Africa and have delivered over 200 shows in 2008 across SA, UK and Europe with key performances including Live Earth, Coke Fest and V Fest.

The band released their single “Overexposed” back in March on Sovereign Entertainment, and both song and video were quick to attract positive reviews from those who love music.

The site raves: “The Parlotones are world-renowned for their imitable music videos. New single - ‘Overexposed’ - a catchy melodic pop rock track is accompanied by an extremely unique and boundary pushing animated video and follows in similar fashion from their debut single ‘Dragonflies and Astronauts,’ which made the selection for the Res Fest 2006 - an acclaimed film festival - and was screened in 60 countries worldwide. It is certain to give the Parlotones the recognition they finally deserve in this country.”

Audiences watching The Parlotones are swept up in a whirlwind of energy and rock orchestrated by front man Kahn Morbee. Not adverse to experimentation, the band merges innovative and authentic ideas into a comprehensive sound, which lends itself to mammoth live performances, the likes of which audiences have rarely seen.

It’s Forever been tough to get your hands on a ticket for a sports event of music gig. For example, the entire Manic Street Preachers tour of the UK in 2007 sold out in under and hour. So how on earth can someone who’s in full time employment get their mitts on a ticket if they sell out so quickly?

Go online and buy one.

In the dismal days prior to the internet, you had to get your second-hand ticket through a ticket tout at the event itself. This meant getting ripped off, or even perhaps given bogus tickets which would likely be recognized as such as you entered the event - meaning you not only miss the sports event or music gig, you’ve lost a load of cash in the process.

Nonetheless, things have improved for sports and music lovers. The secondary ticket marketplace has cleaned up its act in the last decade or so, thanks to the internet. These days there is so much competition to resell tickets online, the marketplace has actually become self-regulating. You’re selling the ticket for HOW much money?! I’ll buy cheaper on another website. And so many ticket sellers offer insurance if the sports event / music gig is called off. And with stiff competition online, resale tickets have dropped in price to the stage that it can sometimes be you’re not spending much more than the actual initial value of the ticket.

Nowadays you can get tickets for all kinds of concerts and sporting events. From soccer to basketball matches to cricket, to getting your mitts on front row seats for your favourite band; resale tickets offer a second chance to go to the event you want to go to. How can you get tickets online? Use a search engine like Google and key in your phrase like X Factor tickets, and you will see a large range of secondary ticket agents who have the ticket you’re looking for.

Not everyone is happy with secondary tickets however. For example, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails calls secondary ticket agents “parasites”, and he’d like to see an end to the resale of event tickets. However, he’s missing the point of resold tickets : people simply do not have the time to queue up for tickets. They’re more likely working when the tickets are on sale, and physically cannot be in the right place at the right time to get hold of the ticket they want in that precious 60 or so minutes it takes for an entire tour to sell out.

While there is strong competition between secondary ticket agents, we believe this is a much needed service for true fans who were unable to buy the tickets the first time around.

Many “How To Hire A Disc Jockey” articles overlook one of the most important criteria for choosing entertainment. Your ears.

Forget checking for a business license (anyone can get one), or endorsement by some far removed, “official” DJ association. Send them their fee and you they will endorse you too.

Whether your entertainer is “certified” on paper or not, how his or her system sounds is critical. Most DJs are not experts in the technical realm of sound specifications. They may not even know what signal to noise ratio, total harmonic distortion or frequency response is. The truth is, DJs often put together a sound system that is limited by how much they can afford to spend. The resulting sound may turn out to be shrill (too many highs), unclear or “muddy” and even distorted.

This is where your ears come in. Ask for a live audition so you can gage for yourself how the DJ’s equipment looks and sounds. We always offer a live listening experience to our clients. This is the only way to know if you like it. If your DJ is not willing to “audition” for you, it may be because he is embarrassed by the look or audio quality of his rig. This is a red flag.

Have your prospective DJ play a song you know. Think of one that that incorporates bass, drums, keyboards and vocals so you get a full range of sounds. Dance songs are usually good. Ask the DJ to turn it up for a moment. Now close your eyes and listen.

You don’t have to be an acoustic expert to know if you like it. Is it full and warm or hollow and “tinny”. Does it sound like an AM radio or more like what you might hear in a movie theatre? Is the base “punchy” but not overwhelming, allowing room for the mids and highs? Are the highs too brassy, making dogs howl and babys cry? Are the mid-range (vocals) present enough? Is the overall sound flat or is there “depth”?

Remember, this is what you and your guests will be hearing all night long.

While the sound can be enhanced by the use of equalizers and sonic enhancers, the right speakers are key. Whether it’s JBL, Yamaha, Mackie or others, speakers have their own sound characteristics. And off-brand, budget speakers are often lacking in sound quality.

Ask the DJ why he chose the speakers he has. Often great sounding, name brand speakers are not much more expensive than low-end, budget cabinets. If the DJ is scrimping here to save a couple of bucks, what else is is he cutting corners on?

I personally dislike “hissing” brass or cymbal sounds (highs) or too much bottom end (bass). For me, the midrange is where the melody is and I like to hear it. Warm and full vocals, keyboards and guitar with the highs and lows serving as complimentary bookends. For example, I’d rather hear emphasis on Sinatra’s voice over his bass player.

Now go find the sound YOU like. You’re already an expert as you’ve been listening all your life. Do a little homework and you will feel confident as your event approaches, knowing your guests will experience complete sonic satisfaction!

-DJ Craig

http://www.djcraig.net

Craig has performed in clubs, on the air and now works exclusively for private parties. Upwards of half a million people have enjoyed his sound and lighting at special events for the past 15 years. He has been a guest speaker at classes on wedding and event coordination. Craig has been featured in the Los Angeles Times and has written articles for many wedding and party related web sites.

So you still wanna be a star?
Part 2

Whatever genre of music you’re in, you need to define your definition of success. If your definition is ‘being a rich and famous superstar’, then, well ‘good luck’… but if your definition is ‘being a creative artist doing what you want to do in life by sharing your music with those who will listen’, then you should succeed. And if you’ve got the bottle to stick to your own sound and style, your own beliefs of how your music should sound, then you’ve even more chance of success in the long term.

But be warned - flying in the face of convention, of what is current, is always difficult. But trends fade and die - original talent and music does not!

If you’ve recorded an album yourself then get independent feedback, both musical and technical. Friends and family will always say your music is “great” (and hey, that’s fine, you need that support). But, the person who tells you everything you do is great may be good for your ego, but they’re of no practical use at all! The harsh reality is that you need good constructive criticism from independent sources who know what they’re talking about. Okay, easier said than done, but there are publications like “Sound on Sound”, for example, who provide demo reviews.

Another tip is seek out your local recording studio and pay for a studio engineers time (or better still the studio owner if you can), just to listen to your recording. Pick their brains and ask their advice on all aspects of your recording. I did this myself and it was invaluable. You’ve got to make sure you can relate to the studio engineer and that they can relate to what you’re doing. But at the end of the day, you’re paying them just to listen and to give you the benefit of their experience. Believe me, many studios will be glad to do this when they realize you’re serious about accepting constructive criticism and you’re willing to pay the going studio rate for it. But I reiterate, ensure you find someone who has experience and some empathy with the music you’re doing.

The reason that this is so important is because often, when starting out doing a first album you wont have the knowledge or equipment to make it sound anything more than a demo. Unfortunately, so many aspiring musicians get so close to their “creation” that they fail to hear that the music isn’t as good as they think it is, particularly on the technical side!

It’s always good to remember that there are probably tens of thousands of people around the world (maybe millions, who knows?!) doing the same thing you are. There’s no shortage of home studios turning out music and no shortage of organizations, particularly on the Internet, telling you how to “Make it Big”.

So, the trick is to stand out as being ‘different from the rest’ while achieving a standard that is ‘professional’. How do I define professional? Where someone has taken the time and effort to take the recording beyond a home demo. Okay, I know that may seem a little opaque, but the truth is that it’s difficult to define, you just “know”.

Music is very subjective - we all hear different things in it, indeed, we all need different things from music to make it acceptable to us, whether as a composer or a listener. There are great musicians who are technically amazing playing various instruments but record music that is devoid of soul or passion and restricted by self imposed musical constraints. Conversely there are musicians with little or no training who can blow your mind with fabulous and inventive music because they are not constrained by formal musical training. It’s also worth pointing out that being a competent musician doesn’t make for a competent composer of music! And even a competent composer can’t necessarily imbue the composition with that special ingredient that make people sit up and take notice.

It’s also true to say that a good musician/composer is not necessarily a good studio engineer! This is a fact that in my opinion, is often overlooked. Too many composers think that because they have access to an all singing, all dancing workstation and/or computer, they can turn out a great recording. More often than not, nothing is further from the truth. Composing is a talent, and engineering an album is another, very different talent. Mastering an album is yet another, very different talent. I’m not suggesting an individual cannot do all these things well. Of course they can, with years of experience, and even then, with input from other sources.

Too many times I’ve sat listening to a demo where the composer is convinced that the music and the recording is “great” when in fact it isn’t. The recording and use of sounds is cheesy and naff, but the composer can’t hear it because they haven’t “stepped outside the box”, as I would say. They haven’t stood back from the music and really listened to the recording and compared like for like against professional recordings of the genre.

It’s a hard lesson to learn, to be self critical of your own creations and sometimes to realize that your creation is actually far from perfect and that sometimes, the best place for the creation is in the bin and that you need to start again on another idea. But this is probably one of the most important lessons to be learned on the musical journey.

It also important to consider this one unpalatable fact. Your album may be great. It may have nice songs, be well recorded etc. etc. but it simply may not be good enough to be anything more than an inde album that sells a few hundred copies. That’s Life!

It’s a simple fact that record companies will listen to the first 20 seconds of a demo and then switch it off and consign the demo to the bin if it doesn’t make an instant impression.

That’s not just A/R men either. Some years ago, a major label had so many demos that its A/R department couldn’t handle them all so it gave piles of demos to everyone, even the cleaners to sift through. Everyone ended up doing the same thing - if the CD didn’t make an instant impression, then it was “on to the next”.

Sure, that may seem unfair, but if you’re the record label exec trawling thru thousands of demos, how would you do it? Again, I run a small inde label, so I know what it’s like.

I’m not suggesting you record your demo to send to a big label. I’m relating the story to hammer home the point that with so many people making music, all thinking theirs is “the best album ever”, that you have to be realistic - you probably have more chance of winning the UK lottery and the Euro lottery in the same week than getting a record deal!

But that shouldn’t stop you!! Your demo should be well recorded and recorded well enough that you could press it and sell it yourself. In this day and age, that’s probably the best way forward. Sure, still send copy to record labels, but also remember that record labels will be looking for a lot, lot more than just the music. They’ll be looking for experience, an image, a malleable artist and lots more besides for today’s music industry.

Your music should have an identity that stands out from the rest and it should have an emotional presence. Achieving this is very, very difficult and in truth, it cannot be taught or learned. I truly believe music either has that magic ingredient to make the listeners hair stand on end, to perk people interest, or it doesn’t. And that comes from the musician - not the production, the engineering, the mastering the record label or anywhere else - it is the defining essence of the artist.

So, what am I trying to tell you here? Well, to summarize, embark on the road of being a musician with passion and belief but accept that the chance of major success thru a record deal is virtually impossible. Understand that you must listen with open ears to what you do and learn to be critical of your music. Make constructive criticism your closest ally through people whose opinion you value and trust. And however hard you think it’s going to be to have any measure of success, realize that it will be even harder!

David Wright is a solo keyboard player and recording artist, composer and producer who founded the electronic music label AD Music in 1989. Also founder member of the electronic band Code Indigo and has released 24 solo and band albums over an 18 year period, with performing and production credits on many more. www.admusiconline.com