All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Photo Gallery: Mayday at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre
What Does A Cochlear Implant Sound Like? Here You Go.
Cochlear implants don’t generate sound like a hearing aid would. Instead, they zap your cochlea.
How Artists Could Benefit from the Next Music Revolution
Source: pixabay.com
It seems like the music industry has been in a perpetual state of crisis for the last 30 years or more. Every time a new wave of beta-technology is thrust upon the world, it is hailed as the death knell of the trade. Those involved in the business are accused of being stuck in their ways and unwilling to evolve but, somehow, the industry finds ways to survive despite its apparent rigidity.
The tape machine, the music video, the CD, the internet, the iPod, and online streaming have all had an effect on the way the industry operates but none have fully put the system to sleep. In fact, it could be argued that music companies have had to change their ways more than businesses in any other industry due to their reliance on the latest technology to market and supply their product.
So, what is the next digital evil lurking in the shadows waiting to fire a headshot at the music biz?
With royalties and artistic credits harder to track and monitor in the digital age, and with streaming services paying fractions of a cent per play, it is true that many artists at the lower end of the spectrum are struggling to make ends meet. But some have suggested that new technologies such as Blockchain could actually improve things for those currently struggling to earn a decent living from their trade.
Source: pixabay.com
Blockchain technology is used to power bitcoin, the popular cryptocurrency that has broken into the mainstream via certain online retailers such as Expedia and Overstock. Betting companies such as Bitcasino are also attracting customers to their bitcoin-only platform with welcome bonuses. Bettors who claim these promotions are given extra bitcoins with which to wager on the site. As a result, more and more people are becoming familiar with the technology and it looks like it is here to stay.
Blockchain acts like a super-secure online database of peer-to-peer transactions for systems such as Bitcoin and there are some who see it as the future for online music platforms. By embedding unmodifiable data such as licences, rights holders, terms of use etc. into digital tracks, the Blockchain system can maintain an accurate and highly secure ledger of what has been played and who should get paid. This would solve the issue where music or videos are uploaded by a user online but it is unclear who holds the rights and, as a result, nobody gets paid. With a Blockchain format, all the information would be permanently stored in the metadata. And it appears streaming giants such as Spotify have been quick to get in on the act.
This type of system would also allow transactions to be carried out in real time, with payments triggered as soon as a track is accessed. This would transform the current royalty system which still relies on a huge amount of paperwork. What’s more, if the terms of use are embedded in the track, anyone wanting to use the music could enter into a digital contract in a matter of seconds, making sampling and covering much easier and nipping any legal disputes in the bud.
To implement this new system, a new file format has been developed by dotblockchainmusic and alternative streaming services have already entered the market. The transition into the digital age was always going to be a tricky one for the business but, for the artists who previously felt excluded from this musical revolution, there is a reason to be positive about the future.
TEAC Open Cassette Was A Brilliant Idea
Check out this cassette tape which defeated the entire purpose of a cassette, making you insert into the player a tiny reel of tape.
Queen guitarist Brian May talks about building The Red Special guitar
Queen guitarist Brian May chats to Absolute Radio about how he built the famous Red Special guitar with his father many years ago, how important it’s been to him and to Queen’s work, and lots more detailed guitar-geekery.
Kevin Costner Talks About What He’ll Miss When He Dies
“If you weren’t as good as the next guy then work longer. Work faster…You know when I die, I’m gonna miss a lot of the great books that are written and I’m gonna miss a lot of the great music that I’ll never hear, and I’m gonna miss seeing my children’s children. That’s what I know for sure, but what I know, who cares?” – Kevin Costner in 2012, as told to Cal Fussman, now turned into this animated video.
OK Go’s “Obsession” Uses 500 Individual Printers To Create An Animated Backdrop
Obsession, the latest video from OK Go sees the band use 500 individual printers, each spewing out sheets of Double A paper to create an animated backdrop.
This video has a lot of flashing colors. If you’re susceptible to seizures, be careful, please.
Rudy Mancuso Writes A Sad Song
“I know a nice bar that has great booze… I’m a big fan of Tom Cruise.” Musician and YouTube star Rudy Mancuso has a bit of trouble writing sad lyrics to a new song.
Benjamin Booker Performs At NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert
From NPR:
Benjamin Booker has a deeply tender voice that, at times, can feel like a whisper But it always cuts to the heart. “Believe,” his opening number at the Tiny Desk has a yearning for something to hold on to, something to understand. It’s a timeless desire which can be about the personal or the political. But on the second song, “Witness,” the title track to his 2017 album, the 28-year-old New Orleans-based singer bears witness to both the racism he’s experienced and the hatred still prevalent in our culture and reflected in the daily news.
The title cut is sung here with Saundra Williams (you may recognize her singing alongside the late Sharon Jones on a previous Tiny Desk Concert). The song reflects on two main questions: Will we be a witness to the wrong in the world and is that enough?
It’s a potent message that questions the meaning of Booker’s own life, but also asks listeners to question the meaning of theirs. The music bears the same sensitivity as the message and that’s felt most powerfully in the restrained guitars that punctuate this heartfelt performance.
Vice Doc: 6IX RISING: Toronto’s Rap Ascendence
It’s no secret Toronto has recently placed itself amongst North America’s most buzzworthy music cities due to the blockbuster ascents of Drake and the Weeknd. But that attention has also turned the city’s local rap scene into a hyper-competitive, prolific, and highly creative environment where young artists are fighting for attention on the world stage.
Noisey’s latest documentary feature is set in the middle of this vibrant scene, to profile some of its most exciting artists who are potentially on the cusp of international success, featuring Big Lean, CMDWN, Friyie, Jazz Cartier, Pressa and Prime Boys.