incessant Waffle

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[tzndk]

The Future of Technology Is In Your Ear — Backchannel

A $13 experiment shows how bionic hearing devices will shape our interactions with people, bots, businesses, & ourselves

Technology isnt something that really gets me mega wet, so to speak. However after reading this article the other day (thanks to @ Gemma for the heads up, via @ Joe Sparrow ) and the bits of blogging i’ve done previously regarding the new features we could see appearing in Spotify in the near future.

The blog above relates to a new in-ear, bluetooth earbud from EGRD that retails at a super affordable $13 in the U.S., basically looks like a small hearing aid but acts as so much more. Could it be to augmented audio what Oculus/Google Glass are to vision?

The possibilities for this pairing up with other, already available technology (think: audio recognition software, voice activated commands a la Siri etc, text-to-speech app bots) all via bluetooth and smart phone. This could further pair up with the advances in augmented reality we see from Google Glass, and perhaps later a slimmed down version of Oculus rift. The results could be utilised by bands for transmitting gigs worldwide simultaneously to multiple venues, so we can still share in the collective experience whilst the band gets to play to multiple locations.  Could this make tours a thing of the past?!?...perhaps not, but it does open up the field for innovation and experimentation! Erring more towards the previous post I did on WeChat, and apps within messaging apps. The possibility of connecting your audio recognition tech up, with those advances in messaging. Subscribing to a channel that plays recommended music daily to you, you say “more”, “buy” or “skip” and you’re able to instantly explore, move on or purchase the new music at the speed of voice commands. No more needing to touch your phone, swipe through, click or search, just think, say, hear, buy.  By removing the steps needed to get from thought to process are only going to make it easier for people to discover and get what they want. If artists can keep a eye on these sorts of developments and push to understand how it can help them if they invest time in working WITH these companies, we may just see some incredibly interesting things happening in the near future.

[tzndk]

WeChat, Artists, & how you're going to make some well deserved dollah from this...

This link is a bit weighty, but its WELL WORTH your time if you’re into the possibilities of making £££$$$ as an artist/musician in the future.

If you want the succinct points and you bore easily, we’re talking about WeChat (think Whatsapp but with SO MUCH MORE in the way of options for news/purchasing/connecting with people). Here are a few of the highlights I’ve pulled out for you:

- Intergrated messaging platform, its a messaging service at its core, but with lot of connectivity to other functions all within the app - Lightweight apps within the main WeChat app - Brands/Artists can create 'Official accounts', which are channels that users can subscribe to for updates - Room to customise the look/feel of your app/channel without taking the user out of the main app - Integrated payment systems already in place and functioning, which once you authorise is a simple way for you to pay for anything within the app - Can delineate & target users specifically for offers/customise frequency of notifications updates - Real world payment options via QR codes/barcode scanning (think ticket/merch payments @ gigs) using the same payment system for online transactions - Real world connectivity with auxiliary peripherals (More on this later) So if thats piqued your interest, we’ll continue (I’ll be simplifying a lot of the stuff as we have a lot to get through!)

A brief history... WeChat originally started as a simple messaging app developed by Tencent in China. It currently (as of early 2016) has 1.1 billion user accounts, with 650 million of those being active monthly users.

It has mutated somewhat for its simple origins to become something of an ‘all in one’ app for users. Functionality in its native China means you can access (via small lightweight apps, or official channels, within the WeChat main app) doctors appointments, bank statements, payment for utility bills, on-line shopping, offline shopping, ordering taxis....the list goes on and on.

Potential uses for bands/artists... The great thing about WeChat, and its implications to artists/bands, is its integration of payments within the app, coupled with the ability for any user to set up an official channel. WeChat want you and the user to stay within the app, thus making it a mini-platform. They have made it incredibly easy for you to set up and start “trading”, with all transactions being funnelled through their platform. This has great potential for artists, imagine having people subscribed to your official channel, you can customise the look (like a mini website within the app) to give it a real authentic brand look. You can set up merch areas, along with links to your music, which users can really easily share with each other, pushing people to interact with your official page. You can send out deals and discounts on tickets or music to your subscribed users...or even QR codes that they can reclaim items if they show up to a gig and present them at the merch table.

All this is happening WITHIN the app, so no annoying “please wait while we load up the web page” a la twitter/Facebook linking to outside web pages. No annoying signing into internet banking to have to authorise a payment, no having to sign up to a website to buy merch or music. All this done with ease because youve registered your payment in the app, so it works whether you’re buying a cd or paying a phone bill.

The possibilities for real world interaction with fans is also vast. Chinese company Dan Dan Man developed a stuffed toy with Bluetooth capabilities so parents could send voice messages to their children( and vice versa ), which the toy would then play back. If we extend this specifically to the realm of audio technology, so for example, you hook up your Sonos to WeChat, or it can connect with Spotify. So you’re listening to a playlist or album from your favourite band, and at the end of it theres a personalised message to you because you signed up for their channel. The band are speaking to YOU telling you and those subscribers about a special set of gigs that you can only get to through your WeChat code which is being sent simultaneously via message. This adds so many layers of personalisation, connection and value to you as a band, and to fans as they feel you’re doing it just for them. It bypasses the need for mass mailouts, scattershot marketing through promoted posts, youre targeting the people who WANT the connection and that value. Admittedly WeChat isnt the only messaging service that is diversifying its M.O.(Facebook messenger....occulus rift connectivity. 3D gigs...YES PLEASE!), but WeChat seems to be the one that is 3 steps ahead. Using the instant connectivity we so desperately crave, and build around that many many options to make life that much easier for people. I am very interested to see how this plays out. What are your thoughts. Please comment below!

[tzndk]

Silent vinyl: Buying records without a record player - BBC News

Sales of vinyl are up by more than 60% this year, but almost half of those who buy records never actually listen to them.

I’ve seen this pop up on a few social network feeds today with a suitable amount of snarky comments and scorn poured on the chap in question.

And to a vinyl aficionado, it seems like such a ludicrous state of affairs, buying a record without even having a record player to listen to it! Vinyl is ‘supposed’ to be bought to be enjoyed in all its warm, sonic, glory. Sure, artwork is great, and add to the experience, but “don’t just buy it because it looks good!” 

But consider it from the other side of the fence for a moment... Just because you apply a certain contextual worth to something, doesn't mean someone who has no prior concept or assumed value other than it’s aesthetically pleasing to look at, should view or use an object in the same way that you do. Kids/young adults of a certain age have grown up with the internet, streaming platforms and YouTube. So why would they look at a vinyl and say "oh yeah, i'll get a much more fulfilling experience from that than Spotify" when they just think it looks great. The age old arguments about vinyl’s superiority, were that it looks better as a package (arguable, given some of the naff artwork in any genre you choose to select) and it sounds the best (again, incredibly subjective as a method of sound reproduction it actually pretty rubbish when compared to WAV or CD quality).  Just because somebody chooses to devour their product in a different way to you (He's still checking out the music online by the way, and states he buys things he has a connection with on some level) does not mean its enjoyed any less. Berating someone who is just getting into buying vinyl and being a snob about people who are contributing financially to the growth of something you love shouldn't be the way to approach this. Yeah it seems silly, and you may think its weird, but perhaps we should be celebrating the fact that a younger generation are interested in what was almost an extinct format not so long ago. What do you reckon?

[tzndk]

Music maps? Instant messaging? What Spotify's new acquisitions could mean

We're definitely not clutching at straws

Really interesting piece on the recent acquisition by Spotify of a couple of tech companies that could find new features being integrated into Spotify. Anyone fancy Spotify meets Whatsapp? So its easier to share music you love, and find other like minded users whilst still staying within the Spotify app. How about a Shazam style feature whereby you open Spotify instead and IT identifies the track for you to listen to immediately? Its all speculation at the moment based on Spotify’s buyout of Cord Project and Soundwave, however it shows that Spotify is maybe keen to increase the interactivity and community aspect of its platform which is currently lacks somewhat. What do you think?

[tzndk]

Amazing. They faced death and still music brings them together and bridges that gap between life, pain, and death. Sounds like hippy bullshit, but fuck knows how John managed to get through that dark period by focusing on family and art. Beggars belief!

[tzndk]

Bands Called Atlas (and Other Year-End Stats)

Since tweeting about the most popular band names, it seems that the number of bands called “Atlas” on the site has increased at an even higher rate than the historical Atlas Signup Rate (A.S.R.) wo...

69 band’s named ATLAS, and other brilliant stats from Bandcamp.com. Interesting to see some of the ways in which music (beyond the actual playing) is affected by industry wide “accepted practises” even down to the DIY level i.e. with release days changing to Fridays. Have a gander, some really interesting stats in here. http://blog.bandcamp.com/2015/12/11/bands-called-atlas-and-other-year-end-stats/

[tzndk]

My task this week was to peruse this stunningly EXCITING document and pull out some bits that interested me in my quest to become a "MUSIC PROFESSIONAL OF TOMORROWLAND". http://www.slideshare.net/ActivateInc/activate-tech-and-media-outlook-2016

Have a gander at it yourself, its RIVETTING!  .......*tumbleweed*.

Actually for the utter desolate dryness of the subject matter, with all its facts and figures, its quite interesting to see just how much time and money Americans spend on new technology (a lot more than you'd like to admit you probably do, but i'm guessing its pretty similar in the UK/Europe).

Well anyway my interest was piqued by the rate of growth in use of messaging apps, and basically how those platforms are now enabling you as a user to do pretty much anything you care to, all within the comfort of said app.  Apps within Apps, all very 'Inception' you might think, and you'd be right. With rates of growth of people using Whatsapp/Facebook Messenger et al booming, its predicted within the presentation that there will be a move away from social networks, towards smaller, more personal messaging communities. With content being shared in a more "word of mouth" kind of way.

Courtney Harding's follow up piece over at Medium was interesting in the respect that she suggests that integration of music services into messaging ones may serve as a death rattle to library based, streaming services such as Spotify. She goes on to highlight some of the inherent problems with policing and remunerating artists if such Peer To Peer sharing in-app did happen.  Going so far as to say the traditional gate keepers of "what's cool" and the beloved Billboard charts may become a thing of the past as a more democratic way of influencing your peers becomes the norm, thus truly levelling the playing field for artists and musicians.

My thoughts on the subject that it may not be either one app or the other that manages to break first.  We as a global consuming, internet society (wordy i know, I need a better name for it....) are content consumers, and we do so at a voracious pace. If you look to someone like Buzzfeed who have a canny knack for finding the latest and even INVENTING the latest viral trends. They're a content providing platform, with an app of their own. They already have you checking out their lists, videos, Buzzfeed news....the list goes on. Coupled with their promoted posts ($$$), they're already monetizing content on their app, so why not make a move towards integrating a messenger service as well.  Its a few short imaginary jumps from what theyre doing now, and would make a massive amount of sense, as they have an ingrained fanbase and a shedload of content (with access to licenses for content too I would imagine). Its always the ones you least imagine making the biggest waves.

...we shall see. What do you reckon? Who's going to be the big players in the coming years?

[tzndk]

is the music industry becoming a hobby for the upper classes? | read | i-D

After the argument between shadow culture secretary Chris Bryant, and privately educated singer James Blunt, i-D investigates the decline in working class musicians.

I think this is a really interesting article, and on-going discussion that musicians below a certain class are having to deal with every day. I know that certainly my ‘artistic output’ (if we’re going to be pretentious about it) is certainly hampered by the day to day constraints of life e.g. money/time/energy and my standing in “society”. I am a working class musician, who works a bar job, and attends university. Both of these things take up a lot of my time, and sadly, although my job is reasonably well paid (for a bar job) I dont earn enough per shift to only work a few shifts a week, thus i’m in a situation whereby i’m too exhausted by all the other bits of my life to even consider getting in from work at 2am and strumming a guitar. Not such a problem for the musicians who come from a wealthy background, who can just work a part time job because their family can afford to pay for them to pursue this passion.  I have nothing against said musicians/artists etc doing this, theyre lucky and good on them. However it does tend to wipe out the activities and thus the voices of a working class artist. People who might not have it so great, who want to express their discomfort and disdain for their harsher way of living (mine isnt harsh, its mildly tough but i’m not dying. I’m aware of this.) but theyre too knackered or cant afford to pursue this beyond the 30 minutes or couple of hours a week they can be arsed to, or the hour of practise space they can pay for to rehearse in. With arts funding being slashed, job seekers allowance being reduced (the previous generation’s financial refuge/crutch as aspiring artists) and devaluation of artistic output, we’re seeing a lot of people struggling to be able to afford to make things unless theyre supported beyond their means. Alas, yes, you can do art for love not money, but love doesnt pay the bills or put food on the table and a job does. So are we looking at a future (or present) where the artistic landscape is dominated by ruling class ideals and ideas? Or is there a way in which we can push past this and truly invest in artists who have the burden of real life to deal with as well as the urge to create something?

[tzndk]

Watch People in Other Industries React Hilariously to Being Asked for Free Spec Work

People in other industries don't provide their would-be clients with "spec work" for free. That would be asinine. So, why do advertising agencies continue to do it? It's not a new question.

Another brilliant example of what i’ve posted previously. What is it about the creative industries that makes people feel they can ask you to work for free? Any ideas? I think the situation is that as we cannot “see” and and particularly “quantify” hard work in a creative endeavour, good art/ music etc are all subjective. Maybe its an ounce or two of people trying to take advantage of the classic artist’s self doubt in their own work, which can be exploited for a third party’s monetary gain. The end result has been that we see creative work as a whole devalued by outsiders trying to make a quick buck.

[tzndk]

(via you can't pay your rent with "the unique platform and reach our site provides")

An interesting debate that has been raging since the dawn of “content creation” (aka making things creatively for others to consume). An interesting piece from Will Wheaton, and i’m really glad he’s brought this sort of thing to the attention of his readership. Luckily as he says hes in a position of (relative) power over his career and how he makes money from writing etc.  It does bring up some interesting questions about how we value content, whether thats art/music/writing/videos, and how devalued a creator’s efforts have become that we offer “exposure” as compensation.

[tzndk]

Trojan Horse 2014 Tour

I am currently booking for the next epic amount of work i'll shove into one project, that being the next Trojan Horse release/tour.

We've still got some dates to fill, so if you know anyone that likes weirdo rock/mathy/proggy music and puts on gigs, it would be nice to send them our way as this is the biggest one we've attempted thus far! You can, as always, download all of our material for free/Pay What You Want on the downloads, OR BUY STUFF from http://trojanhorse.bandcamp.com

Help some brothers out!

[tzndk]

incessant Waffle: Market Thatcher nicholasjduke: My two penneth: If you think making grievous and ‘disgusting’ jokes/comments about a dead former Tory PM is out of order and horrible. 1. Shes fucking dead, so she cant give a shit what you say anymore 2. She spent the better part of a decade and a half pushing people into poverty, practically… People had their turn to be awful to her when she was alive but now she’s dead so let her family grieve in peace you despicable excuse for a human being.

In reply, be it as it is, her immediate family consists of an outspoken racist, an arms dealer, and a failed reality TV celebrity. So i'm not going to lose ANY sleep over my despicable human being status, thanks. Also just for reference: REASONS TO HATE THATCHER 1. She supported the retention of capital punishment 2. She destroyed the country's manufacturing industry 3. She voted against the relaxation of divorce laws 4. She abolished free milk for schoolchildren ("Margaret Thatcher, Milk Snatcher") 5. She supported more freedom for business (and look how that turned out) 6. She gained support from the National Front in the 1979 election by pandering to the fears of immigration 7. She gerrymandered local authorities by forcing through council house sales, at the same time preventing councils from spending the money they got for selling houses on building new houses (spending on social housing dropped by 67% in her premiership) 8. She was responsible for 3.6 million unemployed - the highest figure and the highest proportion of the workforce in history and three times the previous government. Massaging of the figures means that the figure was closer to 5 million 9. She ignored intelligence about Argentinian preparations for the invasion of the Falkland Islands and scrapped the only Royal Navy presence in the islands 10. The poll tax 11. She presided over the closure of 150 coal mines; we are now crippled by the cost of energy, having to import expensive coal from abroad 12. She compared her "fight" against the miners to the Falklands War 13. She privatised state monopolies and created the corporate greed culture that we've been railing against for the last 5 years 14. She introduced the gradual privatisation of the NHS 15. She introduced financial deregulation in a way that turned city institutions into avaricious money pits 16. She pioneered the unfailing adoration and unquestioning support of the USA 17. She allowed the US to place nuclear missiles on UK soil, under US control 18. Section 28 19. She opposed anti-apartheid sanctions against South Africa and described Nelson Mandela as "that grubby little terrorist" 20. She support the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and sent the SAS to train their soldiers 21. She allowed the US to bomb Libya in 1986, against the wishes of more than 2/3 of the population 22. She opposed the reunification of Germany 23. She invented Quangos 24. She increased VAT from 8% to 17.5% 25. She had the lowest approval rating of any post-war Prime Minister 26. Her post-PM job? Consultant to Philip Morris tobacco at $250,000 a year, plus $50,000 per speech 27. The Al Yamamah contract 28. She opposed the indictment of Chile's General Pinochet 29. Social unrest under her leadership was higher than at any time since the General Strike 30. She presided over interest rates increasing to 15% 31. BSE 32. She presided over 2 million manufacturing job losses in the 79-81 recession 33. She opposed the inclusion of Eire in the Northern Ireland peace process 34. She supported sanctions-busting arms deals with South Africa 35. Cecil Parkinson, Alan Clark, David Mellor, Jeffrey Archer, Jonathan Aitkin 36. Crime rates doubled under Thatcher 37. Black Wednesday – Britain withdraws from the ERM and the pound is devalued. Cost to Britain - £3.5 billion; profit for George Soros - £1 billion 38. Poverty doubled while she opposed a minimum wage 39. She privatised public services, claiming at the time it would increase public ownership. Most are now owned either by foreign governments (EDF) or major investment houses. The profits don’t now accrue to the taxpayer, but to foreign or institutional shareholders. 40. She cut 75% of funding to museums, galleries and other sources of education 41. In the Thatcher years the top 10% of earners received almost 50% of the tax remissions 42. 21.9% inflation Thanks. P.s. read a history book.

[tzndk]

She might be dead, but the nightmare lives on. Start giving a fuck and mobilising. Get involved in real life activism. Likes and reblogs dont mean shit.

[tzndk]

Market Thatcher

My two penneth: If you think making grievous and 'disgusting' jokes/comments about a dead former Tory PM is out of order and horrible.

1. Shes fucking dead, so she cant give a shit what you say anymore

2. She spent the better part of a decade and a half pushing people into poverty, practically committing mass cultural and actual indirect manslaughter of millions through her misguided, very specific and absolutely selfish policies whilst in office, profiting off the backs and blood of the people of this world we call Earth

3. She was a fucking(and I use this in the most vitriolic and heinous sense of the word) CUNT. Thank fuck she's dead, now if only we can all muster the collective anguish and hate, to direct it towards the current bunch of Tory fuckwits and kick them the fuck out of office instead of just whining about it and doing virtually fuck all.

[culturedown]

Visit Original Link

Mare - Tropics.

A couple of years ago someone posted a video of Mare in a rubbish old forum and i totally loved it. Of course i forgot what they were called and until a couple of months ago someone posted the same video on the Facebooks! This was of course Mare and their beautiful music.

[sightsoundrhythm]

NEIL TURPIN (Polaris/Bilge Pump etc) Interviewed by Dave From HUMANFLY

Neil Turpin has been a fixture of the Leeds DIY music scene for close to twenty years or so, playing in a multitude of bands including Bilge Pump, Polaris, Baby Harp Seal and Quack Quack.

The last two years have seen him touring on and off with the French musician/songwriter Yann Tiersen and also performing as part the chamber pop trio Felix.

In addition to this he has also been involved in projects including the Doug Scharin led group HiM, as well as Enablers and Damo Suzuki, on more than one occasion.

He has recently returned from playing his first solo drum performance in Madrid as one of eight artists (alongside Seb Rochford and Chris Corsano) asked to compose and perform music written entirely for drums.

SIGHT/SOUND/RHYTHM spoke to Neil about his involvement in DIY music, his recent performance in Madrid and the many projects he’s been involved in over the last twenty or so years.

Read More

[tzndk]

I was first introduced to Polaris through Liam Stewart who plays in the excellent NASDAQ, when he owned the now defunct, and sadly very much missed, record shop Roadkill Records, on Oldham Street in Manchester.

I can't exactly remember how it came about, but the usual thing for me was to go in, kind of nod in acknowledgement to Liam, and start some ill thought out conversation because I didnt really know that much about the underground scene beyond Salford. After me essentially verbally fumbling around, i would finally say something along the lines of "so what have you got in thats good and sounds like [insert band name that i probably now cringe to think about even mentioning here]?" Suffice to say on one occasion the answer was "Check out that Polaris CD there, I think you'll like it." As luck would have it, I REALLY liked it, so much so i listened to it loads and eventually lost the cd, and ive never been able or maybe just that im too lazy to REALLY look for a replacement copy. Anyway, after some trawling of the 'net this eve i found that its been put on bandcamp, which is amazing to the incredibly lazy man that i am.

Polaris for me evoke all those emotional melodic vibes that post-hardcore/early emo does so well, but without all the whiny vocals. The post rock riffs, themes, and scope without rehashing Godspeed, Mogwai, or Explosions. They capture all the right elements and make them into something recognisable but give it a freshness a lot of other bands ive heard in this ilk lack considerably.

I had the great fortune of playing on the same line up as Bilge Pump, an offshoot/sister band of Polaris, at SUPERNORMAL Festival in 2012. It was an absolute honour, and stupidly i didnt realise the connection at the time, probably for the best as no doubt i would have ended up fawning in a highly embarrassing way, had i known at the time :/

You can stream/buy the digital download for £6 from their bandcamp or head over to their page at Gringo Records and buy the 12" or CD version i suggest you do at least one if not all.