Archive for the ‘Music’ category

Listen to music online free & legal — or you can buy it, cheap

October 13th, 2009

No matter how good getting something for free feels, this is good news …

Remember Napster? It was a music file sharing site that caused such a stir a few years back because people were sharing music, free, which means nobody gets paid. Apparently it’s back as a subscription service. And free streaming sites (supported by ad revenue) are getting more and more use, which means they can charge advertisers more for their ads.

That’s all good news. Not paying musicians  for their work is a bad thing, no matter how much we (me included) like getting stuff for free — unless, that is, the artist really wants to give their work away. The free model that exists on the Internet today is great for a lot of things, but not music. Artists work too hard to create music not to get paid.

CNN recently reported on eight site that help you navigate the new world of online music. Here they are …

Subscription services
If it’s worth listening to, isn’t it worth paying for?

eMusic
Indie music, primarily. Monthly fee to down load a certain number of songs a month.

KaZaA
Used to be like Napster – basically illegal. No more. Now you can pay for unlimited downloads.

Rhapsody
Pay to play, not download?

Napster
BestBuy bought this site and made it legit.

Free online streaming
These sites let listeners stream music over the Internet, usually for free, instead of downloading it to their computers.

Pandora
Create your own “radio stations.”

MySpace Music
Known mostly for music, since Facebook stole its social networking thunder.

Social music
These sites combine elements of online social networking.

Blip.fm
Sort of like Twitter, but with music. Kind of.

Imeem
A revival of the mixtape. Make a playlist and send it to friends online.

And the beat goes on …

Read more here …

Man goes from being homeless to composing a symphony

October 12th, 2009

London — It came to him in a vision 35 years ago, during his darkest days. After Stuart Sharp’s baby son, named Ben, died, Stuart began seeing a musical masterpiece in his mind. He could not read or write music but the tunes were so vivid he was determined to turn the ‘imaginary’ sounds into a symphony in memory of his lost child.

His symphonic dream led to problems in his marriage, and ultimately divorce. He began drinking heavily, and Stuart eventually became homeless for 10 years.

“On the night of Ben’s funeral I had a vision of soothing, beautiful music and it gave me great comfort,” Stuart told the Daily Mail recently. “I could see the whole orchestra playing and as I watched I could see all the individual notes being played on the different instruments. But I came to understand that it was music for my son and I could see it on stage one day.”

A chance encounter with jazz musician Anthony Walde turned his life around. Stuart was playing notes from his symphony on a guitar (which he taught himself to play to give his music life), and Walde offered him both a place to stay and to transcribe the music.

Stuart eventually became a self-made millionaire, and finished his symphony.

The romantic symphony, which is filled with string instrumental sections, has astounded professional musicians.

“Stuart’s vision for his musical work was remarkable and it’s quite astounding that a non-professional musician has come up with something of this quality,’ Alan Wilson, conductor of the Philharmonica Orchestra of London, told the Daily Mail. I guess it’s a bit like someone attempting brain surgery without ever going to medical school – genius.”

There’s a simple lesson here, but rather than expound on it, I suggest you read the full article for yourself. It will inspire you and give you hope.

Read more now …