Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape 19
UPDATE: They're back
up Their servers seemed to have died under the load for now -
guess they're having teething problems
The absolutely brilliant, FREE, Mercedes-Benz mixed tape 19 is out!
The team took a few months off as they re-designed what they were
going to do with the mixed-tape concept, and they've definitely
come up with a winning combo. Where the old mixed-tape was simply a
free downloadable album of new music, with a website available for
online listening, the new format is an entire video music magazine
show AS WELL AS the free downloadable album. There are videos from
famous, as well as up-and-coming artists, all tied together by an
overarching theme (Soul this month) and a brilliant presenter
adding background info to the music.
I was very worried, when these albums stopped coming out, that
Mercedes had simply stopped funding the project and it was going to
die. However, I'm now more than ecstatic to see it back in this
new, much improved format.
A small taste below:
Webkit first browser engine to score 100 on Acid 3
NIN: Ghosts I-IV
Radiohead started the trend, with
In Rainbows, of sidestepping the usual
music distribution model and releasing their album online first.
The added twist was that customers were given the choice of how
much they wanted to pay for the album. This sort of distribution
model is likely where most of the industry will turn as the
ever-greedy record labels continue to alienate their customers with
DRM'ed tracks and RIAA sponsored lawsuits against
file-sharers.
Nine Inch Nails has taken the model one step further by only making
their new album (Ghosts I-IV) available through
their website - Radiohead, on the other hand, shifted to a standard
distribution model after a few months. This new model allows money
to flow directly to the artists who produce the work. However, more
than being a simple example of where music distribution seems to be
going, this new album is actually fantastic. It is unlike anything
NIN has ever released, and should garner them fans from
demographics they've never touched before.
I'd definitely recommend giving it a try - there's a free 9 track
download (essentially the full first disc.) The entire 36 track
album can be had for $5 as a download in ridiculously high quality
320kbps (un-DRM'ed) MP3, FLAC lossless, or Apple Lossless formats.
It's only through progressive thinking like this by Trent Reznor that the music industry is going to
be able to survive the catastrophic changes that have been
affecting it so adversely. Other artists seem to be following suit,
with such big names as Madonna ditching
their labels. Now, if only those bloody record company execs
would catch on!
Either way, I'd recommend giving the free download a test-listen -
you've got nothing to lose.
Random Photo Stream
New Photos Gallery
The new gallery has lots of great features. If you're on a mac, you can subscribe to any one of the albums and have them automatically added to your iPhoto. That way, if I add photos to the album, they will automatically show up in your library the next time you open iPhoto. Pretty slick! If you're more old school, and want to download the photos, you now have a link to download either individual images, or the entire album as a zip file.
Finally, on some albums that are group related, I'll set it up so that others can add photos. The way it works is that I'll send you an email address. Any photos you send to that address will automatically be added to the album and show up in my iPhoto library, as well as the libraries of anyone else subscribed to the feed. Not too shabby!
Here's to slick technology to make our lives easier!
The gallery can be accessed directly at http://gallery.mac.com/greg.smithies#gallery
