Found this whilst digging around on my PC.

It’s from December ‘07, found it in Zavvi.

It’s slightly ironic how music companies believe that creating an official MySpace channel for artists is helping to promote their music.

Usually, most MySpace pages that I visit (which I try and avoid to if I can) contain large and bloated graphics, autoplaying music with flashing cursors and an assortment of irritating scripts, followed by a long string of comments  generally resembling something like “hey… uu iz well fytt”. And recording companies think that it promotes music? To some, yes, but to those like me who already detest MySpace, no, oh no.

And do the record labels not realise how much using the MySpace Music Player is hurting their bands? One knowing the right online tools could easily rip the MP3s off the pages, and nobody would know; it’s like MySpace is becoming the new Napster 2000, DRM free music practically given away by favourite bands.

Excuse my pessimism, but I really think that MySpace isn’t an appropriate medium for the music industry. Got any comments? I wish somebody would try and show me the good side to it all, ‘cos I’m really failing to see it.

Following suit from Nine inch Nails, new kid on the block Severed Fifth have released their new album, Denied by Reign, completely free under a creative commons licence.

What can you expect from Jono Bacon’s creation? Eight high quality tracks of heavy metal, all available gratis from their website. I’ve had a listen, and the album is well worth a spot on my iPod – anyone who likes Slipknot or Bring me the Horizon for example, it’s bound to me a major hit with.0

There’s an official review with the creator of the project, Jono Bacon, here. Check it out, send it to your friends.

[http://www.severedfifth.com/]

The amazing (and somewhat lyrically scary) Nine Inch Nails released a new collection of songs called “Ghosts I-IV” under a a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license.

What does this mean for us? Well, we get a collection of high quality, DRM free songs. I think the music industry should treat us to this more often. Not only is it good for us, it’s good band promotion and good practice to not use DRM.

[http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/8095]

I was reading the inlay cover of Scream Aim Fire by Bullet for my Valentine, and it said it was an OpenDisk, “creating a unique link with the band”. I suddenly reminisced of the final puzzle of Simon the Sorcerer 3d (If you’ve not played it, don’t ask).

I came home and popped the CD in my drive. iTunes didn’t spring to life like it usually does, instead I was greeted with an OpenDisk window, with a player embedded into it. I registered with OpenDisk, and got an activation email.

So after verifying my address, the OpenDisk opened a website with a message recorded by Bullet. I could watch some videos online, view an album commentary, see some pictures and ask the band questions.

OpenDisk is a good idea, but I feel that it’s lacking a little in features, and also I’m a bit worried about privacy whilst using it.

OpenDisk is Windows & Mac compatible.

The Golden Compass had some pretty awesome music, especially the end song, Lyra.
This was preformed by Kate Bush. She’s been out of the public eye for a while.

The couldn’t have chosen a better person for that song. She sounds amazing, and the lyrics – although written for the film – make it an obvious Kate song.

A while ago, I posted about the (now defunct) iTunes Artwork Grabber.
A new tool has surfaced, Albumart.org, which does exactly the same job as before, although I personally think that it works faster.

[http://albumart.org/]

Stumbled across an MP3 on the net that you want on your iPod? Tunestor is a browser extension that does just this, with a single right-click, the song will be downloaded and sync’ ed to your iPod, all in the background.

http://www.tunestor.com/

There are some things that I just can’t leave alone, for all the right reasons. These things have made every day run smoother, easier, and more organised.

Graphic Novels

In addition to my current book, I’m liking graphic novels. They’re easy enough to take in my bag with me, and I can read them anywhere – on the bus, between lessons, at home – without it being too ‘heavy’. It doesn’t matter what page I open it at, I can still get a great story.

My iPod

My good old iPod Nano has seen me through so many long journeys, chores, and trips down town. It may just be a first gen iPod, but it still works great. iTunes & CD borrowing have ensured that it’s always ready for me.

Mozy
Intelligent, free, automatic online backup. And it’s cross platform. What more could you ask for? [Link]

Splash Plastic
I don’t have a credit card, and I’m not allowed to access my bank ’til I’m older. Splash Plastic is like a top-up credit card, and I use it to shop online and in the high street.

iMAP for Gmail
Now I can read my email on my phone!

Schoolhouse + VoodooPad
These Mac apps are amazing, they keep me organised with just about everything. Schoolhouse does an excellent job of managing assignments.

Most people have some kind of knowledge of Linkin Park. Granted, not everybody likes Rapcore (Rap-Metal), but a band that’s been going from 1996-now would have crossed a lot of people’s paths.
The science behind their music is one that has gained them many an audience. Consider this: each one of Linkin Park’s best songs are meticulously crafted so that they apeal to our brains. Unconvinced? Follow the link below for the intruiging article, writen by Des McKinney.

[http://www.hometracked.com/2007/05/29/all-linkin-park-songs-look-the-same/]