talis_kimberley ([info]talis_kimberley) wrote,
@ 2008-03-05 12:50:00
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 Tuesdays rush on apace and I start to fill some gaps in the archive project; I keep surprising S by coming out with scratch tracks of things he's never heard before. Always entertaining.

I do believe I saw the benefit, yesterday in recording, of even just one singing lesson; there were certainly points at which I think I was better able to produce a strong and pleasant noise as a result. We shall see. So, yesterday, I laid down scratches for 'Candledancing' and the long-ignored 'Tom's Picture' (which went very well), we did vocals for 'Lights', and I pulled out 'Pretty Damn Proud' and the never-heard 'Between Two Moons', which latter I also felt quite pleased with. All in all, a successful evening, and very slick on the setup and teardown.

So this morning I find myself going through lists of songs, by turns emboldening and italicising and asterisking, to denote 'performed' and scratch track recorded' and 'should one day be recorded for release'. After that I played games with sets of songs to reconfigure what shape future alba might take. Some interesting results appeared, but I'm hopeful about quite a lot of it. 

Now to break out the bouzouki and work on the next set for recording...

Of course, it's quite possible that within a very short time, we'll no longer think in terms of alba, as music will be downloaded as single tracks rather than reproduced physically in sets of twelve or so. Some may say we've already reached that point... I'm not so sure. Anyone have any views on this? I'd be very interested to hear!
 

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[info]kathy_songbird
2008-03-05 01:15 pm UTC (link)
Oh I do hope the physical in sets of twelve continues. Downloading single tracks - yes that means I can target particular songs if I don't like any others by the artist. However I usually go for the whole package and I want the whole lot - I just want it all!

(pssst! hoarse whisper) - every time someone mentions bouzouki I go all weak at the knees. I am like a -----aholic. I keep thinking I am *over* bouzoukis but a little person inside me say "oooh I want to play one". Is there a clinic where I could *dry out*? :-)

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[info]talis_kimberley
2008-04-03 10:51 am UTC (link)
Hee - you're a lost cause! There's no getting over bouzoukis!

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[info]highstone
2008-03-05 01:33 pm UTC (link)
Your mention of 'Tom's Picture' reminded me that I recently uncovered my own example of same. Much to my delight, as I did a clearup of stuph around the recent redecoration, I came across a stash of original artworks I had put aside for framing...

One of these was an ink sketch Tom had made of me at Briavels in medieval garb, playing the recorder. You could imagine how pleased I was to make this re-discovery, so I promptly had it framed - the real challenge now is find a suitable space on the hall/stairway walls!

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[info]talis_kimberley
2008-04-03 10:53 am UTC (link)
Oh, fine... Hm, I have things that need framing somewhere. I keep filling walls with shelves and furniture.

His 'Sky/Toad' picture was rather good, too, wasn't it?

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[info]highstone
2008-04-03 11:10 am UTC (link)
Yes indeedy. Funnily enough, I *also* have a print of the Sky/Toad art which was framed a few years back, and hung in the hall until the recent redecoration - have to find a new space for it now...

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[info]occams_pyramid
2008-03-05 01:50 pm UTC (link)
There's some discussion of CDs v downloads here http://singingpatient.livejournal.com/18511.html
(also posted to FILK_UK)

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[info]talis_kimberley
2008-04-03 10:53 am UTC (link)
Thanks for that!

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[info]oreouk
2008-03-05 02:13 pm UTC (link)
I don't think the time has come quite yet - CDs can be played in the house and in the car - downloads are rather trickier to do the same thing. We could do it with the stereo in the hugemobile (because we specifically bought one that could) but not in either car.

And at the numbers we're talking about selling in filk I suspect that if we eroded the selling base of CDs by making the tracks available for purchase online we'd be more likely to end up with 5+ boxes of unsold CDs cluttering up the house for each CD

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[info]talis_kimberley
2008-04-03 10:56 am UTC (link)
Hmm... I tend to view my audience as being wider than one single subculture, though, however dear that subculture is to me!

I think it's an age thing, too. I don't do downloads myself yet, but friends who are ten years younger than me receive their music in quite different ways from me.

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[info]oreouk
2008-04-03 11:12 am UTC (link)
Looking at my answer now I'm not sure even I agree with the last part!

If you released tracks gradually and individually online I'd be liable to buy them as they came available depending on cost and on how that interacted with any physical alba you later released (eg if I'd already bought all/most of the songs on an album on a piecemeal basis, would I get a discount on buying the hard copy such that you don't lose out but that I'm not buying the songs at full cost all over again?).

Just rambly thoughts there - that kind of thing might be harder to organise/prove - fine for friends (and a small subculture fanbase) but trickier for the wider base for those as have it.

But whichever way you look at it, I think we haven't quite reached the point yet that thinking in terms of hard copy alba is passe, though it may be on the horizon.

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[info]bardling
2008-03-05 02:35 pm UTC (link)
I personally *like* having a physical CD album available. I like reading the liner notes, seeing the artwork. Sure, downloading single tracks is useful in theory for things where I only like a few individual tracks by an artist, but for music I really like, I usually like most/all of the album (certainly true with yours, wouldn't want to miss a single track there!). And if I want the whole album, I'd MUCH rather have a physical CD than just a download. I can always copy CD to comp, too, if that's relevant for carting around mp3s on a player or suchlike, but I can also equally easily pop the CD into any player in the house I might want to use, or a rental car stereo - even the cheapy ones usually have a basic radio/CD player, not necessarily anything nifty to allow mp3 player connection. Plus... I just like *having* the real physical thing.
Oh - and I can lend it to a friend to introduce someone to something, also a big bonus. :)

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[info]talis_kimberley
2008-04-03 10:57 am UTC (link)
Like you, I enjoy the physicality of the images and the text and so on... and you make a good point regarding lending. You've always been good at introducing your friends to new music!

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[info]placeofhonour
2008-03-05 10:40 pm UTC (link)
Oh, so this is where you've vanished to recently :)

I'm a great lover of albums, provided they're not full of awful filler tracks; the only reason I download single tracks is lack of funds to *get* albums. I find an album is like a long conversation instead of a brief chat; it's a much better window onto an artist.

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[info]talis_kimberley
2008-04-03 11:00 am UTC (link)
Here and there, here and there!

Ah, the filler track! That's a whole 'nother thought. One person's filler track may be another person's specialist/less accessible/not everyone's favourite/utter gem.

I do like your analogy of the long conversation. Even the pauses between the songs, and certainly the song order, are part of the whole experience.

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[info]decadentdave
2008-03-05 10:58 pm UTC (link)
I think that the CD will be around for a generation yet. It is the younger generation who are living in and accepting the virtual world which includes downloaded music. Heck, there are still lots of us old folks who don't even know how to download music effectively. The market share for physical media will slowly decline over the next ten years but there will always be some of us who cling to the "old ways" and our old CDs. Hell, some of us still have cassette tapes and, gasp, vinyl records.
This said, there are some strong economic reasons to consider the virtual marketing options available today along with the physical CD production ones. We will be considering some of these ideas as the new D.W. album slowly moves from the status of dream to one of reality, emphasis on "slowly". :)
It comes down to that old saw, "you pays your money and you takes your chances". There are some futurists who are now saying that the day of anyone maintaining their own library of material is coming to an end. Some day you will be able to get any music you want "on demand" by having it beamed instantly to your player if not directly into the chip in your brain. We are still a ways from this level of technology but I don't doubt that it will come and when it does, there will still be old kermudgeons who will cling to their computer disks or memory sticks of MP3s.
Hugs.

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[info]talis_kimberley
2008-04-03 11:02 am UTC (link)
Hugs to you too! I think that's a fair sum-up of the current situation, Dave.

I guess there's life in the CD album format for a while yet. As part of a raft of different media.

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[info]pbristow
2008-03-06 12:11 am UTC (link)
"Of course, it's quite possible that within a very short time, we'll no longer think in terms of alba "

I promise, I will *never* stop thinking in terms of Jessica Alba! =:o}

Besides, an album isn't just a collection of tracks you happen to buy at the same time. (Well, *some* albums are, but in general, no.) It's a creative work in its own right: It places each of the tracks in the context of the *other* tracks, and with an "introduction" or parallel meta-data in the form of packaging, artwork and liner notes. It's a like a well-planned concert in your own living room. A downloaded track is more like having the artist show up and play one song, before disappearing on their way elsewhere.

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[info]talis_kimberley
2008-04-03 11:04 am UTC (link)
Yes!

I'd like to maintain some degree of chronological cohesion for projects as well - songs written mainly around a certain time-frame, when certain issues or events are uppermost in the writer's mind.

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