Category: Radio

Amazon’s Cloudy future

The new Amazon Cloud Player works only with a web browser or on an Android device. Before making it available on other platforms, perhaps Amazon is waiting to see how the music industry reacts to its otherwise bold move. An article on Ars Technica has the headline, “Music industry will force licenses on Amazon Cloud Player—or else,” but I hope Ed Bott on ZDNet has it right, explaining “How Amazon has outsmarted the music industry (and Apple).” There are laws, and there are contracts, and I don’t know if Amazon’s lawyers advised Jeff Bezos that he would be in violation of one or the other by introducing the Cloud Player, but so far none of the big music labels or the RIAA have filed for a cease and desist order.

Back in the early 80’s, when cassettes were an essential audio component, many LP’s came with a warning on the sleeve that said, “HOME TAPING IS KILLING MUSIC… and it’s illegal.” And that was before CD’s! Well, neither claim turned out to be true. I remember when Disney wouldn’t allow its pre-recorded video cassettes to be rented. They could only be purchased, and they even came with a message saying that, embossed into the cassette. Eventually, Disney had to relent to the reality of the times and, of course, video rentals became a huge revenue source for the studio and helped to fund its resurgent animation department.

Time and again, the music and movie industries have had to react to new technologies. Silent movies didn’t survive talkies, but movies survived the competition from radio and, 20 years later, television. The only way to succeed is to find a way to take advantage of the new technology. As I’ve pointed out before, Napster was predicted in 1972, so the music industry had plenty of warning of what was to come:

Since huge quantities of information can be computer-digitalized and transmitted, music researchers could, for example, swap records over the Net with “essentially perfect fidelity.” So much for record stores (in present form).

Stewart Brand
Rolling Stone
December 7, 1972

The controversy over this latest music distribution method will be fun to watch, because Amazon isn’t a lone college kid sharing MP3’s with friends, who can be easily intimidated. If pushed, Amazon can push back very, very hard. Similarly, the movie studios want to squeeze Netflix, but the question is, without Amazon and Netflix who’s left to distribute audio and video — Wal*Mart, Best Buy, and Target? None of them are still committed to selling physical media.

Belles of Belgium

NPR has a feature about the Scala And Kolacny Brothers.

[audio:http://s3.amazonaws.com/dogratcom/Audio/2011/Mar/NPR_Scala.mp3|titles=NPR Morning Edition: Scala and Kolacny Brothers]

I first blogged about the Belgian brothers’ girls choir nearly three years ago and featured its interpretation of radiohead’s song Creep, which was used last year for the movie The Social Network.

I wonder how many of the girls who have been in the Scala and Kolacny choir wanted to sing because of K3?

Musical Massachusetts

Tim Rice’s American Pie series on BBC Radio 2 has finally reached home, here in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts has Boston — the city and the 70’s supergroup — and Aerosmith, The Cars, and the J.Geils Band. On the softer side there’s James Taylor and Arlo Guthrie. Tim Rice covers all of them, but he makes no mention of Jonathan Richman, drivin’ past the Stop & Stop (a supermarket chain that’s still very much a presence here). This clip is from England’s Top of the Pops. That sounds like Steve Wright doing the voice over at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_eLgvTDLIg

I’ve become something of a fan of the old Ames Brothers act, with Ed Ames singing lead. They’re from Mass., and Rice plays this fun 50’s tune by the bros.


The Ames Brothers – Rag Mop-1950 by CASVI_Factory

The return of Barnes?

Barnes Newberry has been off-the-air for going on a year, after ten years of hosting his “Highway 61 Revisited” show on WUMB (UMassBoston). Barnes had what can be termed a “falling-out with management,” and I’ve really missed listening to him on Saturday mornings. I’ve been told there is the possibility of Barnes returning to the airwaves sometime in the Spring. Here’s hoping he can put it together. Stay tuned!

BBC World Service petition

Prue Bury sent this note to her friends today:

Think this is worth while.
Thank you

http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/savews

There’s a daily radio news program based here in Boston, called The World, that’s co-produced with the BBC World Service. They explain the cuts that are being implemented:

[audio:http://media.theworld.org/audio/012620113.mp3|titles=The World: WGBH Boston]

Internet access in Egypt has been cut. Whether or not the protesters intend to overthrow the government in favor of a Muslim-based system, the fact is that the value of radio is obvious in these situations.