Who is really using the internet creatively?

[A Lark Ascending]

Distributing music by the internet has been around for a decade or so. Yet, as a rule, non-pop music still gets assembled in the traditional album format (I'm not complaining, I like the album format).

Leaving aside issues of sound quality, piracy etc that get a regular outing elsewhere, who have you come across who is doing more than issuing their annual album by the net?

Just brought to mind by Greenleaf Music and the way it is putting out Dave Douglas' music. A few years back he put out an entire Village Vanguard residency within a few days of recording. And he's started issuing music that might not add up to a 'signature' release but which he thinks might be of interest. Whatever you think of Douglas' music (again, other threads for that) he does seem to be looking at the new distribution methods as opportunity rather than threat.

Lots of musicians have things downloadable from their sites, some with extensive live repertoires. I'm really thinking about anyone who might be thinking beyond the 'key album' approach that has been around since the late 40s.

Edited November 29, 2011 by A Lark Ascending

[Jazzjet]

Interesting post, Bev. In the rock field, bands like Muse are going into the studio every couple of months and releasing over the web a few tracks at a time rather than storing them up until a conventional album release schedule comes along.

This raises an interesting point to do with what we might call the integrity of the album. In the rock and pop field there are numerous examples of albums which are designed as self-contained entities. Albums like 'Sergeant Pepper', 'Tales of Topographic Oceans' and many, many others. I would suggest that jazz is a field where this 'album integrity' is less relevant, ie they are more collections of tracks rather than a fully sequenced album. Obviously there are jazz albums which we are used to hear in a certain order, eg 'Kind of Blue', but most could probably be listened to in any order. So, you would have thought that jazz was a field ideally placed to take advantage of this deconstruction of the album format.

The other point I'd make is that, as there seems a wider acceptance of the compressed audio format - mp3's etc - and their means of distribution, the almost immediate release of live music recordings definitely seems to be the way forward.

[JSngry]

http://www.m-base.com/give_away.html

[Quincy]

The Flaming Lips started the year with the intention of releasing an MP3 single each month. I think they strayed from that goal into more weirdness. They ended up releasing music on USB devices inside of gummy skulls and gummy fetuses. (Imagine the collector & resell-for-a-profit people trying to preserve a gummy skull. ) They also released a 24 hour long song. I don't know if this is necessarily creative, but it's different.

[Ted O'Reilly]

I would suggest that jazz is a field where this 'album integrity' is less relevant, ie they are more collections of tracks rather than a fully sequenced album. Obviously there are jazz albums which we are used to hear in a certain order, eg 'Kind of Blue', but most could probably be listened to in any order.

.... (T)he almost immediate release of live music recordings definitely seems to be the way forward.

Geez, Jazzjet, I don't know about that. I think there are many, many jazz albums that have 'album integrity', a la *themed* music choices -- whether standards or originals -- or as suites.

I produced a record with the late singer Trudy Desmond which followed a love affair beginning to end via the songs selected and the mood of the tune. They were all *just standards*, but I heard it on a 'shuffle system' once and it all seemed wrong. (Maybe I was too close to it).

As to the second point, why not go out and support music in person? No recording matches being in the room when the sounds are being made, it seems to me. And I know that's not always possible, for many reasons, but I've often regretted buying a recording, but rarely hearing it live...

And I hate MP3s, and the way most music is recorded these days. I like a bit of air around the sound.

[mjazzg]

http://www.m-base.com/give_away.html

always respected his approach (music's pretty special too, which i guess helps) and he's been doing for some time now

[A Lark Ascending]

Some 'innovations' strike me as 'gimmicks' - some classical labels are offering the equivalent of boxed sets on USB sticks.

http://www.chandos.net/USBCollections.asp

Seems to negate one of the great advantages of the net - you hear something, you like it, you have it ten minutes later to listen to.

I think back to when I was 17 and went to see the then new line-up of King Crimson in late '72. It was astounding but nothing like it was on record for another six months. By that time they were somewhere else. With today's technology, had they so chosen, a selection of that music could have been available very quickly. And in some cases, the whole studio part would be unnecessary; as subsequent live tapes have confirmed, the KC were a much more fiery affair than the relatively restrained recordings of Larks Tongues in Aspic.

I'm not writing off the studio - lots of scope for the carefully layered and sculpted album. But a lot of groups don't need that (and most can't afford it!). In fact it is arguable that the curse of recorded music from the mid-70s was excessive studio frippery (no, not you Robert!).

You'd have to listen differently, accepting a greater variation in quality/inspiration, the reality that chance taking leads also to failure. It might simply create audience boredom - too much product, too tiresome waiting for the gold to come along.

*******************

Here's Douglas' rationale for recent recordings...it also shows there's life in old formats yet:

In the year of 2011, Greenleaf launched a new series of releases dubbed the Greenleaf Portable Series. These three recordings found Dave Douglas leading recording sessions with different groups and players harkening back the shorter, more informal sessions that were the backbone of jazz recording for many years. GPS releases were designed to be digital-only releases to be distributed quickly here at the Greenleaf store, on iTunes, and through the Greenleaf Cloud Player. Due to the overwhelming response for the series and after multiple requests for a physical format issue, we present Three Views chronicling the three GPS releases from 2011.

http://www.greenleafmusic.com/threeviews

Edited November 29, 2011 by A Lark Ascending

[A Lark Ascending]

http://www.m-base.com/give_away.html

Making your music free!

That is innovative!

Joni Mitchell could write a song about him.

Edited November 29, 2011 by A Lark Ascending

[JSngry]

http://www.m-base.com/give_away.html

Making your music free!

That is innovative!

Joni Mitchell could write a song about him.

Don't know that it's so much "making" it free as it is "allowing" it to be free...a fine line, to be sure...but it's definitely a leap of faith, and it defintely requires integrity on the part of the consumer end (if you get something for free, don't think of it as a gift, think of it as an offering, and find a way to offer something in return, in some form or fashion), but there's a certain grasping of the basic realities of digitality (as it now exists) there that I find to be quite refresh and direct. It's almost like, "if I can't build fences any more, I might as well breed more cattle".

To that end, Anthony Braxton is doing something similar but not identical: http://tricentricfoundation.org/

Not sure how that ends up, exactly, but also not sure but that a performer in control of their own music (or wanting to be in control of it) has any real alternative other than confronting the means of distribution head on and establishing their own terms, unless the goal is to only play live and only attract what audience can be attracted by word of mouth. Either that, or else just create entirely for one's own pleasure and not be concerned at all with anybody else sharing in the result.

[JETman]

Some 'innovations' strike me as 'gimmicks' - some classical labels are offering the equivalent of boxed sets on USB sticks.

http://www.chandos.net/USBCollections.asp

Seems to negate one of the great advantages of the net - you hear something, you like it, you have it ten minutes later to listen to.

I think back to when I was 17 and went to see the then new line-up of King Crimson in late '72. It was astounding but nothing like it was on record for another six months. By that time they were somewhere else. With today's technology, had they so chosen, a selection of that music could have been available very quickly. And in some cases, the whole studio part would be unnecessary; as subsequent live tapes have confirmed, the KC were a much more fiery affair than the relatively restrained recordings of Larks Tongues in Aspic.

I'm not writing off the studio - lots of scope for the carefully layered and sculpted album. But a lot of groups don't need that (and most can't afford it!). In fact it is arguable that the curse of recorded music from the mid-70s was excessive studio frippery (no, not you Robert!).

You'd have to listen differently, accepting a greater variation in quality/inspiration, the reality that chance taking leads also to failure. It might simply create audience boredom - too much product, too tiresome waiting for the gold to come along.

*******************

Here's Douglas' rationale for recent recordings...it also shows there's life in old formats yet:

In the year of 2011, Greenleaf launched a new series of releases dubbed the Greenleaf Portable Series. These three recordings found Dave Douglas leading recording sessions with different groups and players harkening back the shorter, more informal sessions that were the backbone of jazz recording for many years. GPS releases were designed to be digital-only releases to be distributed quickly here at the Greenleaf store, on iTunes, and through the Greenleaf Cloud Player. Due to the overwhelming response for the series and after multiple requests for a physical format issue, we present Three Views chronicling the three GPS releases from 2011.

http://www.greenleafmusic.com/threeviews

You could do much worse for yourself than snapping this up immediately!

[Chuck Nessa]

somewhat related

[Shawn]

somewhat related

somewhat interesting

[A Lark Ascending]

The Coleman model is clearly not sustainable for most musicians (he is very well established so clearly has other ways of earning).

Sticking to the creative use of new technology, I spotted a good example yesterday. UK folk band, The Unthanks, have built up a huge following over four albums and regular touring. But they are outward looking enough to be trying projects live that don't meet the main trajectory of their career. A recent one involved some concerts based around the music of Robert Wyatt and Antony and the Johnsons. They've just put out 'Diversions 1' with some recordings from these concerts.

Not unique - you could argue that Sun Ra was doing this sort of thing 50 years ago. And I recall both Virgin (Caroline) and Island (Help) having budget labels where side-projects from their main artists could get released. It just seems much easier to do now.

[Jazzjet]

I would suggest that jazz is a field where this 'album integrity' is less relevant, ie they are more collections of tracks rather than a fully sequenced album. Obviously there are jazz albums which we are used to hear in a certain order, eg 'Kind of Blue', but most could probably be listened to in any order.

.... (T)he almost immediate release of live music recordings definitely seems to be the way forward.

Geez, Jazzjet, I don't know about that. I think there are many, many jazz albums that have 'album integrity', a la *themed* music choices -- whether standards or originals -- or as suites.

I produced a record with the late singer Trudy Desmond which followed a love affair beginning to end via the songs selected and the mood of the tune. They were all *just standards*, but I heard it on a 'shuffle system' once and it all seemed wrong. (Maybe I was too close to it).

You clearly have more experience than me, Ted, but speaking as a consumer a lot of jazz albums don't seem to have the same sort of thematic unity that the Trudy Desmond album had. I'm not talking about sequencing but about developing a theme throughout an album. Maybe because it's a largely instrumental form? I would be - genuinely - interested in some examples of themed albums, other than suites perhaps.