As the hysteria around Daft Punk’s new album reaches fever pitch, I thought we should step out of the box and look at what has helped drive the Dance music world: Technology of course!!! Our favorite thing after music.
It’s a known fact that the whole musical landscape has changed as technology has evolved. The world of Dance music, more than most, has seen the influence of technology affect pretty much everything from the way music is made to how it’s played out. A number of glorious inventions over the years have created gadgets, software, hardware… but which one has made the biggest impact that over the course of history?
Since we’ve all got a bit of tech geek in us one way or another (if you love your iPhone you’re a tech geek), today we run down 5 of the most influential tech inventions for the Dance world.
5. Roland TB 303
A fairly standard bass synth, nothing too out there — to the point where the 303 would have been consigned to the dumper if DJ Pierre hadn’t discovered the alien acid squelch locked deep in its circuits back in ’85. He captured the sound on tape as “Acid Tracks” and the rest, they say, is history.
4. Pioneer CDJ-1000
Want to see a vinyl obsessive cry? Remind them of the day when Pioneer perfected CD decks. In 2001, the CDJ-1000 became the club standard and wrenched DJing away from the 12”s and into the hands of anybody who could burn a CD off their computer.
3. Roland TR-808
With its eerie handclaps, tinny snares and booming bass, the 808 single-handedly sent Disco into space. When it dropped in ’81, critics moaned that its distinctive ‘boom-tish’ sounded nothing like a real drum kit — but forward-thinking bedroom producers knew that was the whole point.
2. Rosie The Mixer
Francis Grasso may get the credit as the first DJ to mix two records, but he couldn’t have done it without little Rosie. Named after inventor Alex Rosner, this one-off design enabled Frank to seamlessly blend between two tunes (or cue up a car crash).
And the winner is…
1. Technics SL-1200
These are the original and still the best turntables, with their older brothers the 1210’s. See that DJ sheepishly fiddling with an iPad and a couple of leads? He’d much rather be cutting loose behind a couple of these. A high end record deck designed for Disco yuppies in 1979, the original ones and twos were hijacked by Hip Hop, supercharged House and provided lift-off for every Dance genre since. By offering push-button precision, they let DJs chop up records on a dime — and look good doing it. Technics stopped production in 2010, but whether future DJs choose to play off laptops, phones or whatever, these babies will live on in Dance music DNA forever.
So what will be next? The new ‘toy’ that is a box of tricks that promises to be a one-stop music making device. Could it forever change the way bedroom DJs bring music to the masses or the way a superstar DJ creates the next big tune? Could the Traktor Z2, CNTRL:R or OP-1 be the ‘one?’ Technology is forever changing; blink and you might miss it.
Two years ago, the online video streaming services competed for volume of titles and over the same potential users. The dinner table discussion over “Netflix vs. Hulu vs. Amazon” focused on which service offered the most shows and best movies for the price point. This year, the conversation has changed as Netflix has publicly shifted the way they’re programming the service. Now with more subscribers than HBO and a successful $100 million original TV series, House of Cards, in their repertoire ($3.6 million per episode), the service has stated that their main competitor is now HBO, not iTunes, Hulu or other internet streaming services. Most recently Netflix allowed 1,800 titles to expire, telling Mashable that it is working towards licensing titles “on an exclusive basis” and that their goal is to be an “expert programmer” and not a “broad distributor.” This strategy paves the way for a future where Netflix can more easily co-exist with other subscription services.
Consumers were hoping an $8/mo subscription could replace their cable bill (just as a $10/month subscription provides them with access to virtually 100% of music available). Unfortunately for consumers, $8/month will always only give us a small subset of premium video content. The dust is starting to settle and each service is presenting its unique value to the viewer in the marketplace. Netflix will increasingly be the place to go for their exclusive series (next up this month: Arrested Development) and for recently released movies — the same value consumers see in HBO. Hulu (owned by the major networks) will be your go-to for network TV series, indie films, classics and documentaries (what Netflix used to be). I’d expect old seasons of TV series to fall off Netflix over time as Hulu increasingly takes over this role in the market. The sports leagues have their own subscription options and many others will enter the market and find their niche. Popular music subscription service, Spotify, will supposedly be entering the video streaming market. Amazon Prime has launched Amazon Studios to start producing original series for release through Amazon Prime.
So just how many of these services would you have to subscribe to in the future to replace your cable TV package? If you’re spending $120 on your cable bill, odds are $50 of that is for your internet and $70 is for your TV package. To replace your TV package you would have to subscribe to 7 or 8 services to match the current amount you spend on TV. If this is the future, then there is room in the market for Hulu to co-exist with Netflix and others, just as cable networks can co-exist and are not necessarily competing for the same viewer. If you’re looking to cut your monthly TV budget and you’re hoping (legal) internet streaming is the solution, then you’ll have to decide what types of movies and shows you’re willing to lose. It will become increasingly clear over the next year which services are right for you as they will inevitably follow the footsteps of TV networks and program their services for a selected viewer demographic rather than the masses.
The name Caroline Bottomley may sound familiar to you on The Daily Rind. As Managing Director of our Marketplace partner Radar Music Videos, Caroline has already guest written for us to share the merits and best practices of her amazing platform, which connects artists and labels with talented music video directors around the world. Today, she gives us a timeline for promoting an independent single release, beginning 14 weeks from release date, and on an imaginary budget of £5,000.
A lot of promo people we talk to say artists and managers often don’t know what professionals do to promote single releases. So we asked for help from some real professionals. Then we made up an indie band with an established following and a few previous releases. We made up £5,000 to spend. And we wrote this rough guide.
14 WEEKS FROM RELEASE
TIP: “Commission nice/weird/cool COLOUR band photos, the brighter the better.” –David Laurie, SiC Records
NOTE: Social media work continues from here up to and after release date.
12 WEEKS FROM RELEASE
TIP: “There are very few print outlets for singles, a couple of dozen really. It’s ALL about online for singles.” –David Laurie, SiC Records
NOTE: Press work continues from this point up to and after release date.
TIP: “The press release needs to be straightforward and attention-grabbing. ‘Artist releases great new song/album’ just isn’t enough. What’s your story? What’s special about you/the song/album and why?” –Gillian, Million PR and Naked Press.
The concept of episodes has been generally associated with traditional cable television only. However, as the line between TV and internet continues to blur, more viewers are looking to internet streaming for their daily fix. It’s clearly apparent that video streaming services like YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix are all vying to compete directly with cable television giants. But what does that mean for musicians and labels? Time to adapt.
For musicians, YouTube has historically been viewed as a vault to hold music in a video format. A catalogue of MTV-style music videos is uploaded, maybe a live performance or two, and those videos sit until the next album or tour. That’s great if you’re able to bombard your fans with email updates each time you sporadically upload a video. But that’s not nice. It’s also not beneficial to your brand or your YouTube presence. Think pull, not push.
Instead of hoping viewers come back to your channel after a long break between albums and video uploads, make sure you give them something they can expect regularly. Enter “episodes.” If you can commit to a regular schedule with a new video update each week or so, your chances of engaging an audience are instantly improved. As YouTube predicted, its viewers are watching on a more regular, predictable basis (much like TV). This is a huge opportunity for musicians and labels to connect on a level that was much less available until now.
So how do you get started? Often, the toughest part for music companies and bands is coming up with content that is consistent. This is the time to get creative. Your episodes don’t have to be long. They don’t even have to be the best quality. The most important thing is consistency and creativity. Give your viewers something they can’t get from buying your album or going to a show. This can be as simple as an intimate performance of songs in a setting they’re not used to (Tiny Desk, La Blogotheque). If you’ve exhausted all of your material, a simple video blog or interview will suffice. Plus, these allow your viewers to get to know you on a more personal level. Some channels even go as far as writing and producing completely original web series.
The fact that YouTube and its counterparts are competing with TV isn’t necessarily news. The point is that users will have to adapt to take full advantage of the opportunities that this shift could bring. This is a bit more difficult for musicians and labels to grasp, but if you can pull it off, the potential is huge. Get started by checking out the YouTube Creator Playbook.
It’s official: Ant and Dec, aka PJ and Duncan, officially hit #1 in the UK singles chart, firmly holding off competition from the likes of P!nk, Justin Timberlake and the Saturdays. While older songs hitting the UK singles chart is not unusual since changes to the chart rules in 2007, very seldom does the original of a 19-year old song sell 84,000 downloads to reach the summit.
The details of how this happened have been widely documented, and you can bring yourself up to speed here should you have been outside of the UK, likely enjoying more pleasing weather, while all of this was happening. Basically, “Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble” became number one because the public wanted it to.
Much has been written in the field of Media Studies about digital media’s role in fostering democracy and whether it creates a more perfect public sphere, though not often in regards to music. The success of “Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble” serves as a prime example of the democratization of the music industry via digital media. Once upon a time, the power to have a song in contention for Number One was firmly in the hands of the music industry. The public ultimately had final say over what they would buy, but in order to have a chance at being a number one single, a label would choose the song, choose how to market it, choose how many to manufacture and distribute, and retailers would choose how many they took into their shops. The public only chose what they requested their favourite radio station to play and what single to actually buy.
The public holds the power now. Labels still choose singles and release dates, but ultimately, the public can pluck a song from out of nowhere and make it a hit. In the case of “Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble,” a moment on television jogged the nation’s collective memory. Every Christmas in the UK brings another campaign for a song with some indie-cred to beat the X-Factor single du jour to Christmas number one, with some success (“Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine in 2009). The singles chart has become more of an election as to what song is inspiring the nation’s collective consciousness.
The music industry’s job is now to listen to the people and react accordingly. With fast access to sales ands streaming data, we can quickly monitor the market and be sure we are giving the public what they want. In the case of “Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble,” it was evident the song was going to be a hit first thing on the Monday morning following the performance. Pricing adjustments were made to the album containing the song, playlists were quickly assembled featuring the track, special placements with services were arranged within hours and sales and trends were monitored continuously throughout the week.
When Sunday morning rolled around, there was no question as to what was going to be Number One that week; the people had spoken.
Check out more hits from yesteryear from Ant & Dec, currently featured at a very special Album of the Week price at Amazon.co.uk.
