Monday, April 23, 2012

I am trying to stay up to date on all of the release rumors and hype to bring you the release calendars. Keep track of who's going up against who on major album release days and see who I think you need to keep a look-out for.
I believe one of the most anticipated albums being released is...

The Ecology by Fashawn


Few debut albums in recent memory were as potent and honest as Fashawn's 2009 debut Boy World The independent release. Late this summer, when the Fresno DXnext alum announced that he was going to uphold the formula with Ex on the boards. Expect colorful sample-driven sounds and common-man themes as the Young Santiago helps expand his legacy as one of the more resonant voices of this time. As Common, Talib Kweli and Mos Def all began as independent artists in the '90s before reaching mainstream stature, Fash is another poised to have that kind of impact.
-Ryan-
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Sunday, April 22, 2012

Music Distribution in the Future

The methods in which we listen to media such as music has evolved. From cd players to ipods, and from radio to online streaming. What will the future have in store for music distribution and consumption? Music websites  such as Pandora, last.fm, Grooveshark, Spotify, and Rhapsody just to name a few have rapidly grown and become massively popular.

 Streaming music will become an integral part of the future of how we consume music. With the do-it-all smartphones being widely used, Ipods and other mp3 players might fade away. We’ve seen smartphones cut into the camera market, it can also cut into the mp3 player market. Music streaming services that are free get their money from advertisements during the stream. It will be very interesting to see if this business model can be sustained or will it crumble and require subscription fees. I would also like to see how the record companies and artists adapt to the rise of music streaming services. 

-John
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Thursday, April 19, 2012

My Favorite Female Artists: Madonna

                        Many of the female artists I've blogged about so far have been inspired by Madonna.  She has sold over 300 million records world wide and is in the Guinness World Records book for being the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time.  She has produced hits since the early 1980's with her defiant and unapologetic attitude she made some mind blowing songs such as, "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't Preach", "Like A Prayer", and "Vogue".  Her music video for "Like A Prayer" feature Catholic symbols like burning crosses and making love to a saint which the Vatican condemned.  Her goal was to be provocative and push boundaries, which she always does.   As Steven Tyler said she follows the motto that "you have to lose sight of one shore to see the other".  Meaning she is always looking for the next new thing, and never settles for what's popular.  She always finds new ways to "push people's buttons". 
               Madonna recently released a new album called MDNA on March 26, 2012.   The first single released was "Give Me All Your Luvin", featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.  Although I think this song sounds a little sugary sweet, if you listen to the lyrics she's still the same old Madonna.  One of the lines in the song says, "I see you coming and you're gonna have to change the game".  I think this one line represents her so well. She has stayed relevant in an industry that discards people constantly.   One of the songs I like from her new album is "Superstar", its set to a stomping drum beat and makes her sound once again like a virgin.  Thanks for reading.  Catharine
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Coachella 2012!

"Tupac Back" said Rick Ross and apparently he was right! The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Annual Festival  in California last week had a spectacular lineup and included a special guest. Tupac! Well, not in the flesh, but a hologram version of  him preformed along side Snoop. It looked spectacular, in my opinion. Only when Snoop was next to him did he appear fake. Many people were insulted by the performance but in my opinion, it was incredible. I don't see how people could be hurt by this! I think this is flattering for the rapper's family because it shows that he is still relevant. Aside from that, the lineup was full of amazing artists as well as new artists. 50 Cent, Eminem, Snoop and Kendrick Lamar are just a few rappers who preformed along with ASAP Rocky, Frank Ocean and Tyler The Creator. That sounds like a dream to me. I only wish I were able to go! Pictures and videos of the show flooded Instagram, Youtube and Twitter. It was impossible to miss this spectacle, if you follow any of the artists who were featured, that is. Who wouldn't want to see all of these talented artists preform all in one place?


Tupac Hologram performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uQ5Bs2XwTc
Take a look at some photos:
http://framework.latimes.com/2012/04/13/photos-of-the-2012-coachella-valley-music-and-arts-festival/#/0

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Saturday, April 14, 2012

How important is originality?



So I recently had a random discussion with a few friends about originality in music. The general consensus of the discussion was that artists nowadays are using recycled chords, riffs, beats, samples and parts that were already done by other artists. I argued that while these recycled materials sounded similarly in progression and that their interpretations are what makes them different and original. While a lot of songs do sound similar, they don’t have the same tempo, lyrics, exact notes, or necessarily use the same musical scale. You can even take the same song and re-compose it to be a totally different genre.

I agree that music is simply the arrangement of the 12 total notes that are available, yet these arrangements can be set with enough variances to create new songs. There are only so many chords and chords progressions that at some point everything original will be exhausted at some point. I think as time goes on, it will get harder and harder to recognize any new/original materials. Bottom line, does it matter if it’s original or not if it musically sounds good? Watch the vid embedded below just to see how many different songs can come out of the same typical 4-chord progression.


 

 -John
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