Friday Music: Hyper than the rest

There's been an interesting and useful change at TheAudience: the site has moved to a daily voting chart as a default view, which makes it more like a proper hype site -- and thus worth visiting more frequently. The Focus Chart (which I never really understood) has also been renamed the Wildcard Chart, which makes more sense.

Of interest there right now, 'Rome', by The Wyld, which puts me in mind of Theophilus London:

Another slinky number from Steph Brown, aka Lips:

This sweet, instrumental "witch house" (it says here) track from the impossible-to-Google Auckland act whose name is, um, three spaces:

They have a whole album for free download on Bandcamp. I wish them much luck with their innovative branding strategy.

And Moyenah's atmospheric 'Don't Play Dumb With Me':

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I think it's a safe bet this is going to be played a lot this summer. Fat Freddy's 'Silver and Gold', from their forthcoming (next year) album Blackbird, is a bluesy dub monster -- and it's a free download!

And also local -- although you might not know it -- this thunderous new track from Dub Terminator. I love this quite a lot right now.

And because I'm pretty much a sucker for any remix of Aretha's 'Rock Steady':

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We were supposed to be in the post-iPod age. Our music is supposed to be in The Cloud. Everybody was supposed to have a pony by now. But this story on Digital Music News quotes an industry analyst who makes the case that digital music revenues have been an extension of iPod sales. And when iPod sales started to dip in 2009 ...

And then sometimes I think the industry deserves to die. I've linked to the odd remix by RAC in the past -- and was really pleased to see that remixes of tracks by Foster the People, Mayer Hawthorne, Tegan and Sara and more finally been bundled up for iTunes purchase. So I clicked through from their Soundcloud stream ...

... to discover that this compilation is not available in my territory. So -- not for the first time -- the social media marketing brings me in, and the shop throws me out. This is fucking stupid.

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But to end on a happier note: Public Enemy's DJ Lord cuts up 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' at a gig in London last week. Fuck yeah!

The Hard News Music Post is sponsored by:

Rich of Observationz, 13:20 Nov 9, 2012

not available in my territory

Now I've been working on the fringes of publishing, I'm kinda understanding the reason. Those artists will all have record/publishing deals that segment by territory, with overseas rights having been licensed elsewhere. To make the compilation available, the record company has to square away all the rights. If they want to do it for NZ, that means someone's got to go through all the contracts, contact management and licensees and generally muck around, all for a few thousand dollars of revenue (at a high estimate, I think). Not viable.

Maybe as time goes on, most artists will sign global deals (or maybe not - possibly one makes more money in e.g. Japan if handled by a local company).

I don't see a way of cutting this knot (apart from moving to acceptance of file sharing and a levy system).

Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

peter mclennan, 13:25 Nov 9, 2012

couple of 90s kiwi reggae cats, Jules Issa, and Mighty Asterix, w DLT

AK Central • Since Nov 2006 • 159 posts Report

peter mclennan, 13:27 Nov 9, 2012

oh, and this IV with Asterix, by the one like Stinky Jim

George Darroch, 13:50 Nov 9, 2012

Many things will never be available in this territory.

Thankfully we still have Soundcloud. Here's the biggest, warmest, grandest, hands-in-the-air-and-head-in-the-clouds Daft Punk remix I've ever heard. Superheroes - Solidisco remix (with download).

WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report

Russell Brown, in reply to Rich of Observationz, 13:54 Nov 9, 2012

I don’t see a way of cutting this knot (apart from moving to acceptance of file sharing and a levy system).

Yeah, I know. I just went with my initial reaction. But I thought I should end on a happier note, so I've added a video clip to the post that makes me go "FUCK YEAH!" instead of "fuck this!".

Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

Dave Patrick, 20:47 Nov 9, 2012

Can we post The Audience embedded tracks as well? I tried to do one but in the preview it didn't really work. I just wanted to plug a young lady called Isla Norman from Christchurch, who sings whimsical, slightly cynical pure pop ditties, and wanted to post her track "Florence Nightingale" from The Audience

Rangiora, Te Wai Pounamu • Since Nov 2006 • 261 posts Report

Russell Brown, in reply to Dave Patrick, 21:00 Nov 9, 2012

Can we post The Audience embedded tracks as well? I tried to do one but in the preview it didn’t really work.

We share a developer, so yeah. We could do that. Leave it with me.

Dave Patrick, 21:40 Nov 9, 2012

Cheers, Russell

Peter Darlington, 08:53 Nov 10, 2012

DJ Lord and Public Enemy make me happy.

Nelson • Since Nov 2006 • 949 posts Report

Robert Catto, 15:00 Nov 12, 2012

So here's a thing - the link to iTunes you posted for that compilation brings up the 'not available in your territory' error, yes; but if you actually search for the album in the NZ iTunes store it's there. (I just bought it.) So, it's a broken link / redirect fail issue, rather than a territory one...

Wellington • Since Nov 2012 • 1 posts Report

Russell Brown, in reply to Robert Catto, 15:17 Nov 12, 2012

So, it’s a broken link / redirect fail issue, rather than a territory one…

Oh! Usually these things redirect. I'll go and get that thing.

Hard News by Russell Brown

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