Music

The hidden iTunes Store power search

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Fantastic find from Kirk McElhearn. I’ve been playing with this feature and it works incredibly well (on your Mac, not your iOS device).

The genius of Frank Zappa via his answering machine messages

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If you have even a tiny little taste for Frank Zappa, take the video below for a spin. These are a series of answering machine messages from Zappa’s home recording studio, the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen (UMRK). So very delicious.

Allman Brothers live at the Fillmore East – Smoking guitar work

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[VIDEO] When people list their favorite guitarists, an often overlooked name is Duane Allman. Allman was a brilliant blues guitarist, as evidenced by the video below. He died just a few months after this concert, killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24.

A little known fact is that Duane Allman played half of the guitar parts on Eric Clapton’s Layla. Clapton played all the Fender parts, Allman played all the Gibson parts.

Apple announces iTunes Festival SXSW

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Apple on Wednesday announced the very first iTunes Festival to be held in the US. iTunes Festival at SXSW will be held March 11-15, 2014 at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, which is the home of Austin City Limits. […]

Pandora suit may reshape the music industry’s century old royalty rules

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As the music industry races toward a future of digital streams and smartphone apps, its latest crisis centers on a regulatory plan that has been in place since “Chattanooga Choo Choo” was a hit.

Since 1941, Ascap and BMI, the two giant licensing organizations that dominate music publishing, have been governed by consent decrees with the Justice Department. These agreements were made to guarantee fair royalty rates for songwriters and for the radio stations, television networks and even restaurants and retail shops that play their music.

But with the industry struggling to make money from digital music, this system has come under attack. The streaming service Pandora is squaring off against Ascap in a closely watched trial over royalty payments. Big music publishers like Sony/ATV and Universal are calling on the government to overhaul the system, and technology companies are accusing the publishers of trying to skirt federal rules meant to protect them.

The outcome could reshape the finances of a large part of the industry.

Another potential game changer for an already disrupted market.

Theremin in a browser

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This theremin was implemented using the Web Audio API. Tried to play the Star Trek theme. I think I won’t quit my day job.

A lot of fun!

Using multiple guitar plug-ins for better sound

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Rich Tozzoli breaks down how best to use multiple guitar amp plug-ins to achieve unlimited sounds.

I love doing this. Using different sounds and a panning strategy can make your song sound so good.

SixString: The Social Network app for Guitarists

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I’ve been hearing a lot about this app in recent months, so I downloaded it and will give it a try. Everything I’ve heard is that this is a really great community with pros like Zakk Wylde contributing, along with regular guys like me.

Straptight strap locks

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Sometimes the best innovation is the simplest—that’s the case with Straptight. I’ve seen the inventor swing a guitar over his head with these on his strap and they didn’t pop off. Yet, you just twist it and it comes off when you want it to. They’re endorsed by Joe Satriani and are really inexpensive too.

50th anniversary of Beatles on Ed Sullivan celebrated with new Apple TV channel

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Earlier today, Apple celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ appearance on the The Ed Sullivan Show by adding a new Beatles Apple TV channel.

It was 50 years ago Sunday, on Feb. 9, 1964, that 60 percent of American TVs tuned in to watch The Beatles make their U.S. television debut on “Sullivan.” That event is considered a milestone in American culture, bringing about the “Beatlemania” craze that swept the nation.

Calling out Garth Brooks

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What do AC/DC, The Beatles, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Garth Brooks and The Rolling Stones have in common? Everyone, except Garth Brooks, are world class bands that have their music available for sale on iTunes. […]

Kemper Profiling Amp

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The Kemper Profiler enables you to do what generations of guitar players have been waiting for: to capture the soul of all your amps (and so many more) inside a lunchbox-sized amplifier.

So, how does it work? We use cutting edge technology to capture the sonic DNA of virtually any guitar amp. The resulting profiles are as living, vivid and dynamic as the original amps.

I’ve been watching this company for the last few years and I’m quite impressed. I haven’t tried one outside of NAMM, but everything I’ve read about the amp has been very positive.