BLOG entries @ Progarchives.com

Us and Them?

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:45:47 EST

Blog posted by timburlane — I've been trying to figure out exactly how many copies of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" I've bought in my life. I know I've owned it at least three times on vinyl an then either worn it out, lost it or lent it to someone never to be seen again. When it comes to CD copies it's probably even more especially since the band, or actually their record label, like to re-master and re-issue it every fifteen minutes. Take the latest incarnation. Three different editions - "discovery", "experience" and "immersion" - have been released, the first being a pointless re-master, (yes ANOTHER one), of the album without any extra tracks, the second featuring an extra disc with a really interesting live performance from 1974 and the third being a multi-disc behemoth with surround sound, DVD, quad and stereo versions plus more extra tracks and some other bits of tat. The re-master is of value only to people with bionic ears as far as I can tell, certainly compared to the previous one. The sound quality is excellent but then it always was so why buy it? I don't have the gear to play quad or 5.1 surround mixes and I'm unlikely to be getting it anytime soon so that stuff is of no interest to me but there are some tantalising demos and stuff from the aborted "Household Objects" project which I'd love to hear. but not enough to pay eighty quid! Now Pink Floyd can't possibly need more money, (although I'm sure they won't say "no" when the royalty cheque arrives - I wouldn't), but EMI clearly find themselves in rather more straitened circumstances because it's the company which is behind the reissue campaign. Or should I say "campaigns"? These days they start as soon as an album is released and go on long beyond the working or even natural life of the artist. The way I heard it EMI's attitude can no longer be described as "so happy we can hardly count" as an increasingly bloated and moribund record industry struggles to appease it's shareholders and struggles with a massive change in how we procure and consume music. So what do they do? They get round their boardroom table and tut and shake their heads and then they come up with the brilliant idea of selling stuff they've already sold to people who have already bought it. "Which are the products that have kept us in fat bonuses in the past?" they ask. "Why can't they do more stuff? Or, even better, why don't we just save money on all those expensive production costs and punt the stuff they've already done and call it a 'heritage' or 'anniversary' or 'collectors' edition? The credulous public has always fallen for that gag, especially when we dress it up in pretty packaging!" And this is the point of this rant. I'm tired of it and I would like them to stop. Perhaps it's time that these big companies faced up to the fact that the WELL HAS RUN DRY and it's time to take some risks and invest in new talent or simply give up. In this day and age I don't believe that death of the majors would be a huge problem. Artists are already finding new ways to gain exposure and sell their music and small independent companies manage to make a living whilst also treating their artists with significantly more fairness and respect. It seems to me that the only thing we stand to lose is vast sea of mediocre drivel which has always been the stock in trade of popular music. Of course artists would have to rethink their expectations as well. I have no problem at all with the death of the whole culture of "stardom" because this is where the artist allows the record company to screw over both themselves and the public. It may not be a universal attitude but a significant number of young musicians in particular don't want to make a living they want to be "Famous" they want to be "Stars". They don't just rehearse their songs they rehearse their acceptance speeches and interviews. They don't just work on honing their performance skills and song craft, it has to be media skills and public profile and to some these fame-management skills are more important than the real business of being creative. Although I'm no great fan of their music, I'll take Radiohead and their wilful adherence and commitment to creativity at the expense of super-stardom over the self-satisfied self-regard of tired old acts like U2 any day of the week. I hope Thom Yorke and his pals never succumb to the temptation to give us endless re-mastered reissues and if they find interesting archive material I sincerely hope they put it out as such on its own merits, not as some add-on to an old album in new packaging. I'm not especially keen on latter-day pot-Fish Marillion but I have total admiration for the way they've kept the band growing and thriving by rejecting the old music business model and pioneering a new one of their own. They maintain a career and they have their artistic self-respect and credibility. Acts like these are craftsmen and women, not stars. So, here's to the collapse of the music industry, an end to stars and the re-emergence of the musician as a craftsperson.timburlane2012-01-30 12:47:24

Stephen's "Worth Listening To" blog

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:42:36 EST

Blog posted by TheGazzardian — In this blog, I will discuss artists who are deemed by software I use to be "worth listening to". Of course, that software is nothing more complex than iTunes and the LastFM Scrobbler. I have a few artists who are about to cross the 1000 threshold and a couple who just did, so I figured I would talk about those artists here. They will be mostly prog but some other stuff may slip through the cracks. (For reference: my last fm) The Dear Hunter (at this time: 1033 plays on last fm) The first time I heard the Dear Hunter was during the short period of time after I had just discovered prog and fallen so head over heels in love with it, I was pretty much a stereotypical prog snob. This was even though the only bands I really knew in prog were Yes, Gentle Giant, and Genesis. My brother and I were hanging out at a bus stop and I was talking about these bands and showing him some stuff, so he showed me some Tool and Dear Hunter in exchange. (Well not a prog-head, there's always been a number of prog-rock bands he's liked.) [TUBE]O_AgwXR1Los[/TUBE] I believe the song he showed me was "Life and Death" off of Act 3. I liked it enough that, when I got home, I bought it off of iTunes and another track from Act II. (Back then, I would buy individual tracks if I could before buying albums, to ensure I would enjoy the album.) Some research revealed that The Dear Hunter weren't just a band with cool songs, but actually a band working their way through a six album concept, following their protagonist (The Dear Hunter) through the adventures of his life until his death. (I also found out that, at that time,Casey Crescenzo, the band leader had the intention of recording a 9-album set about colours. I remember chuckling to myself that he couldn't do anything in small doses.) It wasn't long before I owned Act III. It came pretty nicely packaged for a CD - a digipack with, instead of a booklet, a bunch of postcards, one for each song with a picture on the front and lyrics on the back. I'd listened to the album many times before I properly listened while following the lyrics, and the tale somewhat blew my mind, even though I missed some of the details and didn't find them out until, I believe, I read Tanner (The Truth)'s review of the album. (To sum it up, because he was disappointed in his first love experience, the Dear Hunter went to war, where he got separated from his troupe and then almost killed in another battle before he was rescued by another soldier, who it turns out was his half-brother. It also turned out their father was their captain. After his brother gets killed in yet another encounter and the captain shows no sorrow, the Dear hunter kills the captain, then desserts to go meet his brothers mother with the intention of, I suppose, becoming a surrogate son to her). As it stands, Act III still has the most plays by The Dear Hunter in my last fm, being responsible for 448 scrobbles. I really was entranced by the music this band was putting out, which was very theatrical for a rock band, and was very much carried by Casey's intense vocals. They are really unlike most of what else is out there in prog, partially because Casey's prior band was some sort of core band. So he brings that influence into prog. Tracks like Mustard Gas and The Tank really demonstrate how this style really adds a lot of intensity to the music. [TUBE]t0K2pxn62B0[/TUBE] It would be a year before I would hear any new Dear Hunter though; various other discoveries, other bands, other genres of prog, etc. would push the Dear Hunter to the back of my mind until my next birthday, where my brother bought me their first two albums. This was just a month before I got married, and I remember, at my stag party, playing Act I while we all played poker. (I don't think anyone at the stag liked the music but me. But it was my stag so I didn't care.) I liked Act I, but it didn't really move me as much as Act III, so I never actually moved on to Act II for some time. The sound of Act I was a bit more cabaret-like than Act III, probably because it follows the life of the Dear Hunter growing up with his mother, Ms. Terri, who was a whore. Honestly, I've followed the lyrics, and I'm still not 100% sure what the plot of this album is. I get sense of scenes and scenarios but not the connections between them. [TUBE]HDbUzmLD_t[/TUBE] Earlier this year, Casey announced that in the two years that had passed since Act III was released, the Dear Hunter had recorded the entire Colour Spectrum and it was coming out as a box set of 9 EPs on vinyl. I couldn't believe it, I figured that we would never see this because it was simply too ambitious and their main project would take precedence. But nope - they'd already done it! It was to be a set of 9 EPs. My first reaction was to finally listen to Act II. The story of this one follows The Dear Hunter as, in the wake of his mothers death, he goes to her brothel house to learn more about her. There he meets Ms. Information, a whore, whom he falls in love with. But jealousy soon kicks in and he and her have a very acrimonious breakup (and honestly I think it's mostly one sided - he fell in love with her but was just a client to her is how I interpret it) - which leads to Act III and him going off to war. The music in this one surprised me. I didn't think that The Dear Hunter would top Act III, which was part of why I put it off, but here they did. Tracks like The Bitter Suite, Smiling Swine, and Red Hands captured the emotion of the Dear Hunter so well that I was really pulled in, the music was catchy and memorable, and in the end this one ended up surpassing Act III by just a small amount. [TUBE]34u_Umpa_Y[/TUBE] At this point in my life I was not very well off, but I scrimped and saved and pretty much my entire music purchase for the month it came out was The Dear Hunter: The Color Spectrum on vinyl with Acts I-III on vinyl as well. Well, as luck would have it, Canada Post went on strike at this time and it took forever to get here. (Tanner probably remembers me complaining about this in the shred, which I had just started visiting around this time. ) It finally arrived, and my brother and his best friend came over and we listened to random discs of it in my new music room. I remember Black, Indigo and Blue making the strongest first impression and Green and Yellow being surprisingly plain on first listen. Over time, I came to enjoy the whole thing, and the variety of flavours that the band was able to try out, such as folk, country, post-rock, and electronic, while still remaining a recognisable sound. It's their most song oriented release to date. The packaging was also quite gorgeous. Vinyls one major advantage really is the packaging - it came in a large box with 9 10" vinyl discs in 9 different colours inside, each of course matching the colour the music was to represent, and a gorgeous booklet with the lyrics and artwork inside. 36 tracks boosts a lastfm pretty qiuckly, but this still wasn't quite enough to push me over the 1000 mark. I'm bad at actually listening to vinyl because I only have the turntable in my music room, which despite its intent is not where I get to do most of my listening. I listened to the digital album every once in a while, but wished that the band had released the entire spectrum on CD so that I could listen to it anywhere in the house. Well, I guess I wasn't the only one with this wish, because the band did release it on CD, with a bonus DVD, for less than half the price of the vinyl set. (If I knew that was coming, I'm not sure if I would have bought the vinyl, despite how beautiful it is). It arrived earlier this week, and my first listen-through yesterday while I was working pushed me from 997 to where I am at now, 1033. It was also the most I've enjoyed the album thus far (I think more because of familiarity than format - also, I listened to it in the middle of a huge classical binge, so it sounded pretty fresh). It really is beautifully packaged as well - The Dear Hunter put a lot of effort into the packaging of their works. TheGazzardian2011-11-18 13:33:52

Frippism's Spectacular Middle Eastern Blog Zone

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 06:03:42 EST

Blog posted by frippism — Yay! So I'm starting a blog and stuff... After a long consideration and many nights looking at the moon and sighing heavily and dramatically I've decided to do the deed. So this is what's gonna happen. I think. I, being the one with the greatest music taste IN THE UNIVERSE am going to share some of the music that I think I find interesting with you puny commoners, possibly rant about the current state of prog, what I like about it and what I don't like about it, talk about shows I've been to, and possibly talk about unrelated stuff like life in the Middle East and such and share some stuff from Israel, my HQ. I'll also probably just drool over anything Cardiacs and Cardiacs-related, just because I'm the biggest fanboy in the world and really can't help it. So I'll start with what I'm generally just listening to at the mo: I've just started really getting into Book Of Knot's 2011 album "Garden Of Fainting Stars". For anyone not in the cool crowd, Book Of Knots are a freaky avant-rock-sludge-folk-americana outfit consisting of two former Sleepytime Gorilla Museum members and husband and wife Carla Kihlstedt and Matthias Bossi, along with Tony Mamoine and Joel Hamilton (who also play music and stuff). The group has recorded 3 albums which have included a million billion guest artists. In the new album we can "big" names from the Californian avant-rock-metal scene like Nils Frykdahl, Mike Patton (damn he kicks ass in his guest track), Trey Spruance (biggest musical genius of the 21st century honestly), Dawn McCArthy and other people. The album carries in the very heavy, sort of lush waves of this amazing distortion and heaviness. It's so thick at times you really feel like you can eat it. The guests provide disturbing appearances as they should with freaky narrations and awesome singing by Mike Patton (I ain't his biggest fan but the dude can sing). So far I like it as much as their second album, the absolute deranged and powerful "Traineater"- an album all about the American Rustbelt. The only problem I feel the album has is that its missing some flow- I can't really explain why, maybe just the order of the songs, but all of them are fab. Have a listen: [TUBE]/watch?v=sF-clJA6aAs[/TUBE] [TUBE]/watch?v=JOIX2A1vi-s&feature=related[/TUBE] Enjoy! And now to a very big event important to any Israeli that might be reading this: Last night it has been decided by the Israeli gov't and the Hammas, the freedom organization, or terrorist organization (depends really from which side you look at it) have came to agree to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. Now I think this deal looks a bit extreme in many ways. One soldier for 1,027 prisoners, some of them responsible for the deaths of many innocent Israelis looks a bit extreme to me but I can't help support the decision. This one soldier has been in captivity for more than 5 years, probably suffered some extreme psychological damage. On the other hand, the freedom of many of these prisoners might put Israel in the same spot again, when Hammas might try kidnap more Israelis- as you can see it has been pretty valuable for them so far. I know the whole Israeli-Palestinian subject is a tinny-tiny controversial, but y'know just though it's important to share this and also I want to hear some other opinions. So first post, woohoo! Enjoy the music! frippism2011-10-15 03:22:46

Alan's Free [Prog.] Electronic Blog

Mon, 3 Oct 2011 18:53:46 EST

Blog posted by colorofmoney91 — Blog post index:: 2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/ My name is Alan, and this is my blog. In this blog I will be sharing with you, fellow members of ProgArchives, free electronic music from across the internet. I will try to keep my suggestions as prog as possible but, since I am a fan of other genres under the electronic music umbrella, I will also be posting some not-so-prog electronic releases as well. Look forward to very amateur-ish Berlin School, ambient, experimental, kraut, noise, and probably dubstep and techno somewhere along the line. By "progressive" I am not only referring to "progressive electronic" as per the ProgArchives definition, but also electronic music that can be viewed as progressive compared to the popular selection. These free releases will all be available legally. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 1. My first pick for this blog will be dedicated to the artist, a fellow member of our ProgArchive forums, Vompatti. His new album, In the Distant Solitude of the Weak and Passive Water Where Evening Decays, was released on July 28, 2011 and follows the same path as his previous album I Am a Great November Garden (also released earlier this year), albeit a bit more minimalist in style and earthy in tone. It's quite possible that, at 41 minutes in length, that this single track release of ItDSotWaPWWED might be too "noisy" or "wtf" for a lot of listeners who may be new to this type of music, but once you develop a taste for this minimalist noise it become very addicting k Vompatti - In the Distant Solitude of the Weak and Passive Water Where Evening Decays Stay tuned for my next week's pick for album of the week! colorofmoney912012-01-21 22:31:34

Ngram Research and Prog

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:38:54 EST

Blog posted by friso — Today I was watching some presentations on TED.com and I found this talk about the use of Google Ngram. With this method you can find how much specific words are mentioned in an immense collection of books throughout our history. As a result you get a nice graph. So I though.. let's do some research for our beloved progressive genre. I've made some graphs using ngrams, but I would like to invite every-one to make some of you own and post them here. Google Ngrams 1. Was the term 'progressive rock' really used in the seventies? This graph shows conclusive evidence that such a thing as 'progressive rock' existed, though the term became more usual since the prog revival of the nineties. What about psychedelic rock? This graph shows nicely when the genre started and it's peak. What about specific genres? The possibilities are great, take for instance folk rock: and Jazz Rock? And what about Disco? (whahaha) When did people began to use the term 'heavy metal'? Does it also work with specific bands? The problem with many band names is that the words are commenly used. For instance; the word 'Genesis' has been used since biblical times. But some bands give nice graphs. For instance: Hawkwind that was at it's peak in the mid seventies: And what about our instruments? For instance, our beloved mellotrons? Or the electric guitar? Conclusion Go to Google Ngrams and post your findings in this blog! M@X2011-09-22 13:58:57

2011 - the year of prog

Sun, 7 Aug 2011 09:41:03 EST

Blog posted by DrumSolo — Hi all I posted this blog about how many amazing prog releases there are this year - probably the best year in a long time Be great to know your thoughts and what you think are the best releases so far this year! www.birdsrobe.com best, Mike

Bandnames of famous progressive rock bands

Thu, 4 Aug 2011 09:49:14 EST

Blog posted by friso — The way bandnames are chosen differs from band to band. Some bands want to have bandname that communicates about the intention or idea behind the music (for instance; Oresund Space Collective), other bandnames are chose 'because they sound cool, strong or perhaps even mystical'. Some professional bands choose names that fit into 'the unwritten laws of bandnames of a genre' (for commercial purposes), we get to see much of that in progressive metal and power metal. There are also bands that choose bandnames that don't say a lot about the music, or a bandname that is just strange for the sake of it (for instance; Godspeed You! Black Emperor). Of some progressive rockbands the meaning of the band name isn't mentioned to often, so my intention was to make a blog about the meaning of the bandnames of some well-known bands of our beloved genre. Feel free to add information about bandnames of other famous progressive rock bands! King Crimson It is said the band was named after it's famous composition 'In the Court of the Crimson King', rather then using the bandname for the main composition of the debut album. Early King Crimson lyricist Peter Sinfield is said to have coined at this bandname, which is said to be a synonym for 'Beelzebub, prince of demons'. According to Rober Fripp 'Beelzebub' translates to 'The Man with an Aim', or 'Man with a Cause'. When looking at other sources this 'Beelzebub' is also being called 'The Lord of the Flies', 'Lord of the (heavenly) Dwelling' or 'High Lord' and is referred to as the original god of the Philistines. In the bible the name 'Beelzebub' is however mentioned in the new testament as being that of a synonym of Satan. In later Christian text Beelzebub is called a part of the 'unholy trinity', consisting of Satan, Beelzebub and Leviathan. Van der Graaf Generator The bandname of this Brittish eclectic/psychedelic progressive rock ban was coined at by Smith, who would leave the band after their first single (that was only available for a week) and before their first studio album. A Van de Graaff Generator is actually a scientific instrument that can be used for several causes. In is noteworthy that the instrument is spelled differently then the band itself. This instrument (invented by Robert Van de Graaff in 1929) can be used to accumulate an electrical charge on a metal globe. In science the instrument is used to sterilize food and process materials as well as an accelerator of protons for nuclear experiments. In a practical sense it is used to create to create 'lightning' or make peoples hair stand up (hairs repels each other when electrically charged). Both practical uses could be seen as helpful to understand the music of the band (attempt at being funny). On the 'The least we can do is wave at each other'-cover the band is depicted inside of the metal sphere of a Van de Graaff generator. Soft Machine It is highly likely that the bandname of this English Canterbury band is derived from the novel 'The Soft Machine', by William S. Burroughs (1961). It is a fictional book that describes how 'control mechanisms invade the body', as explicitly mentioned in the appendix. Besides that, the term Soft Machine was perhaps mentioned earlier in scientific circles. As the duality (body and spirit) of humanity started to be debatable again, there was a first generation of biologists and other scientists that saw the body as a complete, intricate and highly sophisticated machine that could be recreated if one would have the proper tools and knowledge. All attributes of human life and consciousness were attributed to the brain. Till this day there is no definitive conclusion in the debate on duality. Pink Floyd Though a lot of, especially young people, think of the bandname of this English psychedelic/symphonic progressive rock band as a description of a visual flood in pink, it is actually based on a silly concept. Founding member Syd Barrett had named the band 'The Pink Floyd Sound', after two blues musicians of Piedmont Blues Records named Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Earlier, the band had chosen 'The Tea Set', but that name was already used by another band. Before releasing their first album the band-name would be shortened to Pink Floyd. friso2011-08-15 10:41:46

Value in Your Listening Experience

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 20:37:31 EST

Blog posted by Xanadu3737 — Value in Your Listening Experience: A Collector's Case for Buying Music - Nicholas R. Andreas Let's start by saying what this is not. This is not a legal case for why you should buy music. This is not a moral case for why you should buy music. I will refer to illegal downloading in this piece simply because it is unquestionably illegal, and whether it should or should not be legal is a moot point when discussing current realities. I say this to explain that I do not use the term not as a guilt trip, but I simply believe calling it anything other than what it is helps lead to the act being even more socially acceptable than it already is. This is a case for music lovers everywhere to embrace their passion and help add value to music by supporting the art they profess to love. It's important to note that when I speak of value throughout this piece I do not mean personal value or sentimental value, but rather true economic value which can not only invigorate the music industry but give individuals a greater satisfaction and appreciation of the music they enjoy. Let's start with a bit of my story. Like many of today's music listeners I grew up in an age of Napster, Limewire, and other new and exciting file sharing programs. Those programs quickly became known for several things; porn, viruses, and perhaps most of all "free" music. I can remember at a young age I was given CD's such as The Division Bell, Dark Side of the Moon, and Breakfast in America. As a kid around age 7 I would look through the booklets, try making sense of some of the lyrics (and failing miserably) and often fall asleep to a lot of music I still love today. From then on for a number of years I just listened to the radio whenever I need music until a point when I decided I wanted to have all my favorite songs together on mix CDs. I would download 15-20 tracks at a clip and burn them onto a CD, and I continued doing this till I had at least a dozen of those mix CDs. Eventually I became more serious about music and I wanted to start learning more about particular artists, hearing more tracks than just those that I heard on the radio. I would salvage some listening experiences from my father's music collection, but rather than simply downloading a few artists' discographies my musical life would take a much different turn in October of 2003. I can still remember heading out to my local Best Buy, and after browsing the CD selection I decided to purchase best of collections from Blue Oyster Cult, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Rush. The Rush compilation was The Spirit of Radio and it would change my life forever. A week or two later I scraped up some more money and decided to return to Best Buy to see what other Rush I could find. As luck would have it there was a display set up for a brand new release from the band, Rush in Rio. After taking those discs home and listening I truly became a Rush fan. I was able to get the albums Fly By Night, Moving Pictures, and Counterparts from my father, and quickly had the rest burned for me by a friend. Despite having the music I worked over the next few months to get more and more of the actual albums, each one costing me money that could have gone towards movies or anything else a high school senior might do. While I became obsessed with Rush I also started checking out and purchasing some other music as well. A major breakthrough came after graduation in '04. I decided to take some time off before college, got myself a nice full time job, and started making some serious money. While I should have been saving up for college I instead used a ridiculous amount of my paycheck on music. I was buying Rush and Dream Theater rarities off of Ebay and Amazon while buying oodles of new music both locally and online. Since then my financial situations have shifted for better and for worse, and there have been many other changes in my life, but through it all one thing has remained quite constant; I've always managed to set aside some money for music. I tell you all this because it will tie into many of the points I hope to make. In the end buying music is not only the right thing to do, but it can be an incredibly rewarding experience, and one that will certainly allow an individual to value the music they love so much more. Let's hit on a subject that everyone seems to love, bashing record labels. I will begin by saying that record labels have made a lot of mistakes over the years. While it is fine to hope for an ideal world in which music is as hard to steal as a pair of pants the fact is that is simply no longer the reality, and the labels were certainly late in acknowledging and adapting to that reality. Another huge mistake was how they originally chose to prosecute a select number of people an insane amount of money. Sure it may have delivered a large dose of fear to people but it was in no way fair. But let us face some facts. For decades it has been most bands dream to get signed to a major label, and that is because they can be very beneficial for a band. For decades a label was the major vehicle for finances and promotion for a band, and they still play that role for many bands today. Many accuse labels of hogging the money from record sales, for short-changing artists, but I don't believe that to be the truth. Don't get me wrong, as with anything there will always be a few bad deals and in this case a few horrible record execs, but for the most part labels serve a very important business function. I see them as a specialized bank that invests money into a band in hopes that they produce music that can be successfully marketed for a profitable return. Is there anything truly wrong with that? As with any contract I think that as long as an agreement between a band and label is understood then both parties can benefit. Labels today are not what they used to be, major labels seem more and more interested in big name big money superstars while smaller labels seem to reach out to most bands. While some see this as a victory for artistic freedom it's important to understand that everything comes at a price. These smaller labels cannot provide nearly the financial or promotional means that a major label can. We continue this decline in resources when we talk about bands who have taken to releasing material themselves. Bands like Marillion, Spock's Beard and Nine Inch Nails, to name a few, have funded releases directly through their fans. While this may on the surface seem like a trend every band should pursue one must realize what nearly all bands having success in this manner have in common, they have all built up their current fan base with label support. Most bands going this route have little success generating new fans and instead are simply riding out the wave created by successful past deals with record labels. But why does any of this matter to you, why does any of this mean you should purchase music? Because independent, minor or major label music is fueled by money, plain and simple. In an ideal world musicians and artists could make as much art as their hearts desired without a care in the world, and people could have and enjoy any art they wanted for free. Of course we don't live in that world, not even close. Some artists are wealthy from other endeavors and truly don't worry about money. Others have already made enough money that more may not be a major concern of them. But let's face facts, for every artist like I've just mentioned there are hundreds that cannot come close to supporting themselves through the music they make. When it comes to artists making music, one side of the equation is their ability to write music, but the ability to be able to get that music out to fans and new ears is just as important. The more money a band and their associates (labels, most notably) make, the more demand there will be for that band and their music. If a band sells fewer albums than expected, makes less money than expected, then it will be harder for that band to continue to produce new music. When we look at the musical economy as a whole we must understand that it works under the same general principles as any other type of industry. For example, for several years now nurses have been in high demand in the United States. Many find that the work of a nurse is highly rewarding and somewhat of a payment in its own right, but we have still seen money spent on nurses go higher and higher over the past few years and the result has been that more and more people are going back to school to fill the demand present in the health care field. In much the same way we as a musical industry must create demand for music. Simply really looking forward to the new album from any given band does not put food on that artists' table. Much like many nurses find their work rewarding, many create music naturally and wish to continue for the sake of the music. However it is one thing to create music and it's another completely to get a quality recording of that music and to tour and play that music live. There is no question the music industry has suffered a lot in the age of illegal downloading, and now it is growing increasingly difficult for bands to get the kind of money they need for quality recordings, tours, and promotion. Up to this point we have discussed practical economic reasons people should support the music industry and put their money into it, but now let's look at how the decision to do so can generate personal satisfaction. Many people can claim to love music, but at the end of the day I ask them to put their money where their mouth is, and here is why: A dollar is nothing more than a tool for bartering; we use it to determine where to spend the fruits of our labor. We decide what is important to us and take our hard earned cash and use it on those things that matter. When we purchase music we are making a sacrifice, we are foregoing other goods and services we could be purchasing. What this does, in quite a simply economic sense, is give value to the music. Let's consider a scenario. When all else is held equal, Person A has $15 to spend and chooses to illegally download an album and go see a movie in theaters that night. Person B buys that new album with his $15 and waits a few months to catch that same movie on TV. While I will not claim that person A can't love the music he has illegally downloaded, I think it's clear in this scenario, with all else held equal, that Person B clearly values the music more. It's important to remember that every time we illegally download an album, whether it is out of convenience, habit, or lack of funds, we are making a decision that other things are more important than supporting music. Of course it is at times the case that people have to make a choice between basic necessities of life and music, and in those cases one certainly shouldn't fault people for valuing food over music. On the flipside, how many people know college kids who get by with little income, constantly downloading music? Surely if they truly valued music they could find work part time and support the artists they claim to love. As I said earlier, many fault the record labels unjustly for all that is wrong with the music industry today, but quite simply it's the consumer who is to blame. We have by and large turned our back on the industry, said it is not deserving of a portion of our income, and it has moved towards death as a result. And where are we now? We still see genre leaders, icons, and pop stars doing just fine while lesser known bands stand nearly no chance in working hard to achieve success in today's world. Those who find success are often commercially fabricated stars such as Justin Bieber or Hannah Montana. The industry has always had this type of star, but today the money seems to flow to them and little else. Our investment in music reflects what we see in music today. Often it is the background noise, the commercial pop radio and the American Idol singers. Rarely can bands in today's market work hard, and go through tough tours and actually come out of it all with much to show for it. Thankfully some of the same technology that is causing problems is also making recording and marketing easier and cheaper as time moves on, allowing lesser known bands to have some chance in this mess. But let me be clear in saying that bands being able to record par-quality albums at a reasonable price is far from a justification for illegal downloading. A stronger musical market will help everyone. It helps big bands do even more over the top tours, but it also helps smaller artists get their name out and other artists produce better sounding albums than they otherwise would have. The adage goes that you get what you pay for, and while prices might be getting cheaper thanks to technology we must realize that if we all pay nothing then no matter how far technology comes we'll eventually find ourselves getting exactly what we paid for. Perhaps I digress from the point this half of the paper is trying to make. The industry can die or rebound, but what does that mean for you when you purchase music? While many will consider some of these comments to be materialistic, egotistic, or elitist, as someone who has been buying music for many years I can't imagine someone who has downloaded an equal number of albums having such pride in their music as I do. I sit here knowing how many countless hours I worked in order to obtain the wall of CDs at my back, and I can't help but chuckle when someone with a full hard drive of stolen MP3s claims to value music as much as I do. Steven Wilson, whose comments in the Insurgentes movies were a large part of the inspiration for this piece can be paraphrased as saying that music that can be downloaded at the click of a mouse can be just as easily thrown away and disregarded. I fully agree. When I buy a CD I may not like it at first, but I'm certainly going to give it a shot, listen to it a few times, hope it grows on me and search the booklet for anything that might spark my interest. In my entire collection I've maybe considered trading or selling 5% of it. So much of it, even that which I'm not in love with I feel the sacrifice and experience that went into buying it and truly love my collection. On the off chance I get to meet an artist I love I consider it fortunate if I have a booklet of theirs with me to be signed, as that album then becomes something I will treasure even more. I ask, how many of those with a hard drive of stolen MP3s will walk up to some of their heroes and ask them to sign it? I take great personal pride in my collection, and it makes perfect sense that I should. It is a basic fact of psychology that we value more those things we work to obtain. Generally speaking the same item given or worked for will always be valued more by the person who worked for it. I ask, how many of you toiled at a low rate job when you were 16 to scrape together enough money to buy a decent car? And then how infuriating was it to see someone you knew have their parents buy them a brand new Mustang for no apparent reason? There is no question there is some envy in play in this example, but I think we all understand that those who have worked for everything they have value what they have more than those who have had everything handed to them. And not only is satisfaction generated by working for and buying music, but I also find great satisfaction, as many do, in having the actual physical CDs. It's one thing to have the music, but it's another completely to have it in a high quality format that comes as a complete package. Unlike those who illegally download their music and can make it an invisible part of their computer, my CD collection has become a part of my d�cor, a part of my life and who I am and it is a visual representation of my love of music. While I personally will never buy digital music I fully applaud those who do. It is a true show of supporting the artist without any materialistic perks attached. The difference between illegally downloading music and legally downloading music is usually clicking one site as opposed to another and putting out $10 for the exact same digital music files. By doing this you forego the physical collection myself and many others enjoy but you still support the artists and the industry. While I think certain value benefits are lost when acquiring music digitally I understand there are those who don't find value in those elements. What is truly important is supporting the artists and the industry and so I find the entire digital buying market we've seen grow over the years, and those who buy that way as a great thing. It is simply one more option, and I for one am always up for a bit more choice. I would like to take a moment to address two questions that were presented to me in the course of discussing this paper with people. One friend asked me why so many who champion the buying of music find it perfectly acceptable to illegally download something like porn. While it may be a crass subject it's a good point. While there is no moral grounds on which to stand here there is a good reason for it and it gets straight to the heart of the matter I am presenting. Quite simply put people who are buying music and illegally downloading porn value music more than they value porn. I can say that if the illegal acquisition of both was impossible and I had to choose just one I would be saying a sad farewell to porn, and so would many others who truly love music. Another question that was brought up, paraphrased, was, "So you're saying that if I buy music and don't donate money to poor starving African children I value music more than those children?" And my answer is unquestionably yes. It may sting a little to phrase it in this matter but don't worry, music lovers are not alone in this type of greed. Every day millions of people show with their wallets that they value music, other entertainment, vacations, and everything else over the suffering of people either close to them or a whole world away. For the most part we all are concerned with our own self-interests, and perhaps the interests of a few very close to us. There are a few truly great people out there who value the health and safety of people they don't even know over their own personal luxuries, but truth be told these folks are few and far between and I can't look into the mirror and tell myself I'm amongst their ranks. So for me and majority of people like me we see what we value by looking at what we have bought for ourselves. Finally, I would like to say that I have often taken this paper to extremes at times, but I would like to acknowledge some grey areas. If you spend your money going to shows and buying band merchandise even though you don't buy music traditionally I applaud you. It's not ideal, but at least it shows some initiative towards supporting the artist and is certainly better than nothing. The same can be said for those who "sample" music by downloading everything under the sun and buying what they enjoy most. While I think the wealth of samples, free (legal) songs, and reviews on the internet can lead anyone to smart buying decisions when it comes to music this once again is far better than completely foregoing the buying of music at all. If I have tried to explain anything here it's that buying music will add value for the listener and also benefit them tangibly by improving the market for music. Some like to live in magical world where art is completely pure, but the truth is engineers need to be paid and performers have to eat. While some may end up eating caviar every night I'm okay with it as long as it means other artists can focus more time on making the music we love in nice settings and less time in other endeavors scraping together the funds to put out another home recording. Next time you think of how you will get that brand new album, I just want you to ask yourself, "Where do my priorities lie?" M@X2011-06-17 08:10:00

The Meaning of Prog

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:46:00 EST

Blog posted by friso — This is my first try to write a blog, so I hope you will like it. My English isn't perfect. Thursday-morning; I wake up at 06:45. Quickly I get dressed, I eat something, gather my stuff and lock the door behind me as I live around 07:15. All are trivial matters, but then the first moment to break the daily happenings arrives. I put my headphone (which also functions as ear-warmer) on and I put on my mp3 player. I dislike my mp3 player, because it's quality is nowhere near my stereo playing nicely cleaned vinyls. Still, on this early moment of the morning it gives me an opportunity to choose. The city, the bus, the train, the fields, the stations - non of these things interested me too much (except with abnormal weather). Furthermore, I can't choose for what I see an how I travel - no - it's the music that reflects my inner world. Of course, an assortment of progressive rock albums is digitally available on my mp3-player. Magma? Perhaps a bit to heavy for 07:15 in the morning. Arena? Listened tot that quite a lot already. Van der Graaf Generator? Mwah.. should listen to it on a vinyl when I get home, otherwise I would one day forget their brutal seventies sound. Perhaps I just should try Magma's K.A. again, didn't quite understand the 'hallelujah' ending-section the last time I listened to it. The faces of the Dutch working class are strait or tired, they can't even imagine what I'm listening right now in this train that now crosses the big bridge near Nijmegen - giving us a tempting look at the red sun rising. Delusions of grandeur, or just mystifying music. There are lot of ways to interpret Zeuhl it's haunting vocals, it's terrifying bass-lines and above all it's unconventional rhythm-section. What is it that made me pick this album? Escapism? I don't want to join the tired looking crowd boarding and leaving the trains; this time can be spend discovering new worlds. All music with depth and atmosphere is like a short vacation for me, it takes me somewhere (albeit the technical parts of my brain). Now it's time for me to leave the train and start my ten minute walk through the semi-forrest with lot's of small buildings. I work at a big terrain of the Dutch mental health institution - I'm learning to become music therapist and have to a practice period for a year (four days a week) with real professionals. I work with forensic psychiatric patients, traumatized asylum-seekers and older psychiatric patients. I've learned a lot about the importance of music and how it can be used to help people cope with problems or the even solve them. Making music (improvising, singing/writing songs) is very personal. Through the way clients improvise on any given instrument I can get to know them. I can help client with their musical wishes, but I can also invite them in trying new behavior. First in the music (for instance: learning to socially function in a group of people), then without music. Music also has a representative nature. Knowing this, it's possible to let clients improvise with personal themes so they can deal with these matters in a safe environment. Often it's interesting to get to know the clients musical taste; it tells a lot about them. If so - my musical taste must probably tell a lot about me.. Magma reflects my search for a deeper understanding of the universe (I love doc's about the cosmos, social developments, etc.). Van der Graaf Generator uncovers my wish to show my emotions in a extrovert way, and the lyrics also deal with some existential themes. King Crimson reveals my urge for innovation and thinking out of the box. Also I love to think about abstract matters, and the word 'abstract' is well put to music by King Crimson. As soon as music is released it's artistic cause is completely stolen from it's creator. We interpret what it means to us, we tell each other what it is about, we tell which emotions it represents. We tell why it should be there in our lives. We give it a meaning, and in a way - it gives meaning to us. We all have music that we accept as representative for certain aspects of ourselves. We often feel touched (or 'seen') by music, accepted by it, invited by it. Prog has a lot offer, for it has so many dimensions, sub-styles, philosophical lyrics, concepts, ideals. Some have argued that it's far away from the common man - may be so - but it's often close to such distinctive aspects of ourselves that it can suddenly become very personal. And by the way; ever met some-one who thinks of himself as a common man? At 17:00 I go back home. Same train, different direction. No rising sun, I now witness the sunset. I've dealt with a lot of musical wishes of clients (my own musical wishes should not be apparent during music therapy, unless when asked for). Now it's time for me again. Back home the diamond needle is quickly summoned to lower its position in order to touch one of my precious vinyls, now smoothly turning round 33 times in every minute. In the Wake of Poseidon - I reinvent myself and wake up in my student chamber. Before I forget, let's listen to some Van der Graaf Generator as well. I decide to take a look at PA.. hey.. why shouldn't I myself write a blog? friso2011-02-24 13:59:46

Defining Prog- The Eternal Question

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 23:52:00 EST

Blog posted by sararocksprog — DEFINING PROG- THE ETERNAL QUESTION The inspiration for this article arose out of the unexpected controversy I encountered while marketing my band's first album, Total B.S.' "2 the Core," to the progressive rock community. I was surprised to discover there was a question as to whether we qualified as 'Prog' due to some unconventional influences that are prevalent in our music. When I joined up with Blair to form Total B.S., I was sure I was getting into a serious "Progressive Rock" outfit. if not even fusion. At the time I was going through a bit of an identity crisis with my singing but was absolutely thrilled with my new association. From my perspective, being in a 'Progressive Rock' band. making progressive rock music was the best thing that could've happened to me short of actually being Robert Plant fronting Led Zeppelin. I soon came to learn that Blair was a self proclaimed "Progger." I had never considered myself a progger specifically. Yeah, I loved Progressive Rock. "YES" had a major impact on me. and the few songs I had heard from ELP, Dixie Dregs and King Crimson prompted me to pick up their "best of" releases... but ultimately, I considered myself more of a rocker than anything. Bottom line. this whole progressive rock movement. the community and of course... all the subsequent bands and sub subgenres that spawned from those greats that had left everlasting impressions on me and ultimately started the movement were all foreign and new information on me. In our efforts to promote the band, the progressive rock community seemed an obvious starting point. Now. call me na�ve, but I had no idea this was such an exclusive club. I've been around a lot of musicians in my time. and there is certainly an inherent attitude among those in the club. metal heads can be very difficult. but I have to admit. it's been a little tenuous navigating my way. I've concertedly utilized every shred of diplomacy, finesse and political correctedness, in my power, to gain favor. Regarding the progressive rock phenomena and all the related subgenres... it has come to my attention that Progressive Rock didn't exist as a musical category until years after it's forefathers had forged the music that would define the genre. At the time when the late 60's were bridging into the new decade. any song that was played on AM radio was considered pop music. where FM radio played the underground artists. Singles from Yes, ELP, and Led Zeppelin were common fare on the AM radio station alongside Elvis and Beatles hits. I'll take the liberty of coining a new term I'll call "Pop Prog" as it relates to music that's played on the popular radio station. The way I see it. progressive music has bridged the gap between pop music and underground music. fostering the path to more sophisticated music that may or may not be embraced by massive sectors of the population. These days, to define Prog seems to be akin to finding the holy grail. that which is elusive if not unattainable.but always worth the chase. I see forum topics addressed over and over again bearing titles like "Is Pink Floyd prog?" So. I think to myself, what IS Prog?". and. what makes Me more qualified to define Prog that the next analytical mind? Nothing. but I'm going to take a swipe at it. Let's analyze the term first. "Progressive Rock" What does it mean literally? Webster defines 'progressive' as characterized by reform. so. in essence. constant change. I always thought of progressive rock as unconventional and constantly changing, happily absent of the "verse, chorus, verse, chorus" monotony ever prevalent in most pop music arrangements. Classic Prog might be characterized by classic synthesizer sounds; the Moog with its haunting tones, the Prophet 5. shrill and precise, the crass howl of the leslies spinning on the Hammond B3, the pristine and poignant tones of the Fender Rhodes. they all smack of the progressive rock of old that once defined the genre. What about the Concept album?... the side length epic track?... the long intro, solo, and outro sections?... all signature progressive movements. When I think of progressive rock music I think of the dynamic shifts and bursts of strategically engineered sound. the surprise changes, the sudden starts and stops. I analyze for form and sense circular arrangements with beginnings, middles and endings. sections characterized by multi segment passes, parts bridged by dramatic transitions and turnovers. Cerebral, thought provoking song themes, concepts and lyrics float across sophisticated and highly orchestrated harmonic cacophony. It's not so much about style, but about adventure and surprise. So. dare I say. I am a Progger. because I love adventure and embrace change. Whether my band will be embraced by the progressive rock community as a whole remains to be seen. but that's truly a side note to an even larger question. Is Pink Floyd PROG???