iand.net

It’s out and I’m enjoying it more than i thought I would although the bare bones Videotape from iTunes was better IMHO. The 160kbps was disappointing as was the lack of cover art. Tut tut. Step in Jon Hicks and friends with alternatives to the naked cover art. Some of them are fantastic.

The 160kbps will be sorted when the discbox is shipped although delivery will be dependant on the workshy communists getting their act together.

Piracy. It’s feared by major record labels who failed to see the potential of the digital market and instead tried to block it. Official downloading is taking off but so many now see music as a free commodity.

Radiohead announced last night that their new album would be available from October 10th as a download only. You have two ways of buying the new album, In Rainbows. You can visit the website, pay £40 and receive the discbox on or before the 3rd December which includes the new album, a bonus CD, 2 12 inch vinyl records, artwork and lyric booklets plus a code that allows you to download the new album on the 10th of October.

The second option is to visit the website, choose download only and pay…whatever you like to receive the download code for the October 10th release date. Yes, that’s right. Choose your own price. You can enter £0.00 if you like and get the album for free. Amazing. Now I’ve no idea whether the album is any good but with an offer like that can you really go wrong? Even if your not a fan it must be worth at least trying?

All this while Radiohead are free from any studio ties as they aren’t signed to any label. Could this be a new way of selling music? Surely this will remove any need to pirate as people will pay what they want for the album even if it is nothing? I can only see them making more money this way despite having to pay for their own server bandwidth. No labels, no distributor cuts and lot’s of people paying quite a bit for the download or like me ordering the discbox for £40. Never did I think I’d pay £40 for an album that I could get for free. Is this another nail in the coffin for the traditional large record labels?

Roll on October 10th. It’s been a long time coming.

A title I never imagined writing. A video I never thought I would see.

A marching band that I actually liked!

Shamelessly copied from elsewhere I present my iTunes signature - itsm.mp3 (2 Meg download). The program that generated the file can be found on at Jason Freeman’s site. It has a few options and will generate your own signature based on this. The only requirements are that you use iTunes and can run Java apps on your pc.

So can you name all the tracks in my signature? I couldn’t but the app creates a list of the tracks used….

1 - So I Begin - Galleon - I Believe
2 - Love Will Come Through - Travis - 12 Memories
3 - Landed - Ben Folds - Songs For Silverman
4 - Whatever, Whenever - Groove Armada - Vertigo
5 - Kiss This Thing Goodbye - Del Amitri - Waking Hours
6 - Fix You - Coldplay - X&Y
7 - 1 Thing - Amerie - Touch
8 - Don’t want to Fall in Love - Chris Issac - Chris Issac
9 - All I Need - Air - Moon Safari
10 - Toca’s Miracle - Fragma - Dogs Balearics Disc 2
11 - Creep - Radiohead - Pablo Honey
12 - Bad Day - Daniel Powter - Daniel Powter
13 - Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet - Get Born
14 - Vertigo - U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
15 - El Salvador - Athlete - Vehicles and Animals
16 - Somewhere Only We Know - Keane - Hopes And Fears
17 - I Can’t Be With You - Cranberries - No Need To Argue
18 - Shiver - Coldplay - Parachutes
19 - Further - Longview - Mercury
20 - Fake plastic trees - Radiohead - The Bends
21 - Drop The Pressure - Mylo - Destroy Rock ‘n’ Roll
22 - Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Greatest Hits
23 - Oh My Gosh - Basement Jaxx - The Singles
24 - Amsterdam - Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
25 - Go - Moby - 3 for 1
26 - Electric Mistress - Jamiroquai - Dynamite
27 - ‘95 aka Make Things Right - Lemon Jelly - ‘64-’95
28 - Catch - Kosheen - Catch
29 - Free - Estelle - RnB Essential Spring 2005 CD2
30 - Mr. Brightside - The Killers - Hot Fuss
31 - Between Angels And Insects - Papa Roach - Infest
32 - Run - Snow Patrol - Final Straw
33 - American Idiot - Green Day - American Idiot
34 - Girls - Prodigy - Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned
35 - You’re Beautiful - James Blunt - Back to Bedlam
36 - Leave home - Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust
37 - What Sound - Lamb - What Sound
38 - Any Day Now - Elbow - Asleep in the Back
39 - Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz - Demon Days
40 - Hush - LL Cool J feat. 7 Aurelius - Now 60
41 - Black And White Town - Doves - Some Cities
42 - TwoMonthsOff - Underworld - AHundredDaysOff
43 - The Blower’s Daughter - Damien Rice - O

Worthwhile playing around with the settings to see what different sigs can be created.

I would love to say it was great so keeping the message that was endlessly played throughout yesterdays concert (Live 8. G8. Be great.) but it wasn’t. Like the original Live Aid no doubt in a few years time people will look back and say it was amazing but for me it’s all about what happens over the coming week. Already it looks like debt relief for the poorest nations has been secured and that aid will be doubled. The third key measure is fair trade. The amount of money the US and Europe (in particular) subsidise their local producers is amazing. They also force developing nations to open up their markets while at the same time ensuring their own are protected. This has to stop.

Key for me also is the government in Africa. Many countries which are poor also have a concentration of wealth and armies fighting over small strips of land which leads to questions of “why should I donate”. I’m not sure how this should be solved - I definitely don’t support the idea of regime change where the west takes over the running of some of the worst countries. Maybe a half way house is required where aid,debt relief and trade rules are introduced only if key UN advisor’s placed in each African country can see that the money is being used wisely and that the poor really are getting the help they need. But to think that all countries in Africa are like this is naive - I was surprised at the amount of calls that yesterday was an ego trip for most taking part and it will make no difference. Even if this turns out to be true and not one thing will change surely people have got to try in the hope that their efforts, particularly in Edinburgh, will make a difference.

Finally - concert highlights - Coldplay & Richard Ashcroft even though their timing was way off, Madonna proving she’s still got it even in her 60’s, Travis who actually got the whole crowding moving, The Killers who were robbed and got to play only one track, Velvet Revolver…rooooooooooock and Robbie - Come On!! Lowlights - Elton, Dido, Mariah Carey - fuck off with your mike stand requests and Pink Floyd - yawn. Over 60 and don’t we all know it.

All in all an OK concert - hopefully by Friday we can say it was great.