some feedback please...

[kirk]

i don't know if everyone's aware
(or give's a rat's ass) that the mighty
mp3.com is about to close, taking w/
it a library of around 250,000 tunes.

Q- does anyone one here seek out
new prog acts on the net, or do
you only support the established
(r.i.a.a. sanctioned) artists?

if you're not using the net for this,
i'd be interested to know- is it time,
quality, slow connections/d.l. time,
or lack of exposure?

it seems to me that many are missing out
on the development, "the ground floor"
of acts that actually choose to remain
independent.
there's only a handful of A&R people left
due to the mergers of what is now "the big 4"
(bmg, sony, believe it or not, seagram's)
and there's some great acts not being signed
due to age (the over 30 "brittany backstreet"
syndrome), being told they're "too eclectic"
(pink floyd wouldn't have a prayer in the current market).

just like in the "real world" the cream rises to the top.
for jazz fusion, have a listen to "onoffon" (do a google search
and take your pick, it'll return page after page).
www.1sound.com/onoffon

a.m. new member richard dunlap(sped blavio)
began posting 3 weeks ago, and went straight to the top
in multiple categories at broadjam, including the
"all earth" chart.
www.ic-musicmedia.com/richarddunlap
( fans of early floyd will love "zeno's...1.9999").

listen to bjorn lynne's "queen hantilla"
www.besonic.com/bjornlynne

there's a world of good music out there w/o
waiting for neal's next project, some of it
better than the stuff filtering through
A&R. and in some cases, at least demo-
level tunes are free!

kirk/zenpool

[roger]

nice links. I'm enjoying Bjorn Lynne's work. can't get to his site right now, but I'll check it later. also going to try more ONOFFON.
thanks!

[spedblavio]

Thanks for the mention, kirk!

I need to point out that "Zeno's Dilemma Part 1.999..." is no longer available at icmusicmedia though. I'm experimenting with paid downloads now, and that tune and others are now available at www.weedtunes.com

IC doesn't yet offer a streaming-only option, so I had to delete some songs from there.

But Zeno 1.999 and others can still be streamed at www.broadjam.com/richarddunlap

kirk's Zenpool is also worth everyone's attention!
My personal favorites are "This Lonely Corner" and "Bleeding Hearts and Artists".
http://www.ic-musicmedia.com/zenpool

I haven't had a chance to check out Bjorn Lynne yet, will do so soon.

I can vouch for ONOFFON though. To a Progressive Rock audience, I'd especially recommend their songs Opus, Shadowglass, The Gift Must Always Move, Remember Only and Rock Garden. These can all be downloaded free from MP3.com if you hurry!

[roger]

Richard, my apologies. I didn't mean to leave you off my reply, I just haven't had a chance to listen to any of your stuff yet... t-day vacation's coming up...

[kirk]

hiya richard-
thanks to you also for the good words re:zenpool.
steve hall's probably one of the best undiscovered
guitarists out there.

it's a bit aggravating at times to have such a following,
a presence on the net, and not be able to compete w/
the advertising of "the big guys".
on the other hand, it's not like the prog bands
get much coverage either.

btw everyone- the r.i.a.a.sux! arresting 14 yr.olds...
i'd much rather have a distribution/publishing deal
now than a recording contract.

the net's the new frontier for music,
it goes much deeper in some ways than
"the real world". itunes has sold over 7m
tunes in 7 months!

i'd be glad to make occasional recommendations,
take the guess work out.
it's the same as a large cd store,
you have to know which bin to look through.
sure, there's some crap. in the cd store, it's
called "the cut-out bin".

p e a c e
kirk/zenpool

[spedblavio]

Thanks Roger, it was nice of you to say that. Not necessary at all, but I appreciate it.

------

So, I'm sure kirk and I could easily turn this thread into mutual self-promotion...
But we both really are interested in opinions and feedback from everyone regarding kirk's original questions. Where's our prog community at with online distribution of music?

I agree with kirk that the net is a new frontier for music, absolutely. It feels like slow-going sometimes, but it really has come a long way in a few years. I can only imagine it continuing as the line between computers and stereos begin to blur, and as broadband access becomes more common. MP3 files leave a lot to be desired IMO, but Windows Media files at the same size and bit rate sound a lot better, so I know there will be new developments to bring higher fidelity with smaller file sizes and lower bandwidth.

Anyway, I'd like to throw something out for folks to check out.
"Weed" is a new scheme for sharing music files without depriving income from the artists. It's an interesting concept: to encourage respect of artists' rights and at the same time encourage legitimate sharing, it makes it possible for you to make money from music you share with others, if they end up buying it.

Right now, if you download the Weed software they give you $5 credit to start buying music with (weed files typically cost around a buck).
The software is not required to listen to the weed files (they are Windows Media files and can be listened to 3 times for free), it's only required to buy the files or to benefit from sharing them with others. And it's a tiny download.

It's in it's very early "preview" stages right now, so there's not a huge amount of music available yet. Some of you might like the Norwegian band "Gazpacho", they've got some prog flavors, comparisons have been made to Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Pink Floyd, and they cite Marillion and Kate Bush as a couple influences. They've opened for Marillion. Just an example. And then there's my stuff, of course (I can't imagine a better way to spend your $5 credit! visit the "weedtunes" and "You and Me" links in my sig below)

You can find out more about Weed here:
www.weedshare.com

[spedblavio]

By the way, you can also stream or download some of Gazpacho's stuff free, without the 3-play weed restriction at IC:
http://www.ic-musicmedia.com/gazpacho