Album Cover Mash-Up
Topic: Videos

It's been awhile since we posted a video here, but this one was just too good to pass up.  It's a mash-up of various classic album covers violently interacting with each other at a frenetic pace.  Evidently, the Ugly Pictures-produced video was originally shown as an introduction to the "Battle of the Ad Bands," an event held at Irving Plaza in which bands made up of ad company staffers compete against each other.

(Thanks, Troy)

 

Songbird: One Foxy Music Player
Topic: News

Like Seeqpod, a new program called Songbird allows you to scrape MP3s from blogs, among other things; people are calling it the FireFox of music, because it's built on the same open-source code base. But a more striking analogy comes from Songbird's Rob Lord, who said that Apple's iTunes is "like Internet Explorer, if Internet Explorer could only browse Microsoft.com." Ouch.

I've been playing around with the Windows-only "developer preview" (there are Mac and Linux version too) of the program, and have been really impressed so far. Within a few minutes of downloading the installer, Songbird had imported all the music on my computer and added extensions for Audioscrobbler and Wikipedia.

Then I was ready to dig into some Web-based music. I clicked on one of the included blog links (I chose Sean Michaels' Said the Gramophone, of course) and a browser panel showed the blog, while a pane below that listed every MP3 on the site. You can download or stream any of them, or even subscribe to a blog so that every MP3 posted there gets downloaded to a specified folder on your hard drive (one might describe this technology as "when push comes to shove").

This thing does much more than I can cover in a blog post, but suffice it to say that their slogan ("Play the Web") is well deserved. Install Songbird and tell me what you think.  I think the hype is justified.

Dedicated Devices Do It Better
Topic: Things

The mail today brought something that takes the idea of a device dedicated only to one function about as far as it can go: the Playaway digital audio book. This device ignores the ability of a digital audio player to load new content, and instead, comes preloaded with one audiobook ($30-$40 or so), which is the only thing it will ever play. That's right; you cannot load new content onto this player.

This limitation comes with its advantages. Playaway gets to cover the Superman version of this Ideo-designed device with colorful Superman graphics, rather than leaving the design content-neutral. But a more important factor is the way you can unbox the device, press play, and hear the story right away. The folks over at Engadget made fun of the Playaway when it was announced last year for the potential of these devices to end up in a landfill next to other single-use devices such as the one-play DVD and the single-use digital camera. They have a point: it's a bit absurd to carry a device that plays one audiobook when you can load 100 audiobooks onto your iPod.

But on the other hand, this device does what it does very well, and minimizes user frustration (aside from the "louder only" volume button). I see the Playaway as sad commentary on the fragmented state of the digital music market, which is still too complicated for technically unsophisticated users. If you're looking for a gift for someone whose eyes glaze over when you say something innocuous like "USB cable," you can give them a Playaway volume safe in the knowledge that you won't be spending the next six months doing tech support.

The Playaway also demonstrates an important principal of device design: devices dedicated to one function tend to handle that function better than multi-featured devices do. The Playaway has dedicated buttons for bookmarking up to 50 spots and altering the speed of the narrator's voice between three speed settings (try that with your iPod).  [Sorry... iPods do in fact support the variable speed playback of audiobooks -- thanks for the reminder, Scott.]

(image from sacbee)

Lyrics To Become More Prevalent
Topic: News

The Harry Fox Agency, which collects licensing fees for music publishers (the people who own rights to lyrics and melody, as opposed to the actual sound recording itself), announced an arrangement with LyricFind which will allow any of Harry Fox's thirty thousand member publishers to enter and edit their song lyrics into a database. LyricFind will then license this database so that new lyric-driven applications can be developed (I think some kind of online lyrics quiz could be a hit, for instance), and so that online music services will be able to integrate song lyrics.

Does this mean you'll have to take down lyrics you've posted on your fan site? According to Darryl Ballantyne of LyricFind, you won't.  "There are no plans with us or the HFA at this point to target small sites, fan sites, or other minor infringers. While technically they are violating copyright, they aren’t really much of a concern to either us or HFA. We’re more concerned with the larger sites that host hundreds of thousands of lyrics and generate significant traffic."

Whew.

I also asked Ballantyne whether this will mean the end of those cheesy, annoying, traffic-grabbing lyrics sites, and the beginning of "legit" lyrics services that will provide new applications for lyrics.

He responded, "Yes, hopefully! We want to license as many sites as possible and provide them with high quality content and metadata, and elevate them to a point where... [they can] can start dealing with legitimate advertisers and get rid of the adware... In fact, as a general rule, we won’t work with sites that install adware/spyware unless they agree to remove it."

Existing lyrics sites won't disappear; instead, they could change, becoming less annoying in the process: "We’re also working with a number of large portal sites to integrate lyrics into their existing music data. We definitely want to keep the existing sites around, though, and capitalize on their traffic – and hopefully clean them up in the process!"

Among other things, the existence of LyricFind will probably mean that aside from displaying artist bio text, certain MP3 players will start displaying lyrics as songs play.  My vote is for a "follow the bouncing ball" type interface.

About 20% of Sony BMG's Sales Now Digital
Topic: News

At a forum in West Hollywood yesterday, Thomas Hesse, the head of Sony BMG's digital music division said that digital sales and service now account for around 20% of the company's music sales -- a number that's sure to increase significantly if someone figures out how to sell music that's compatible with all digital music players.

Unfortunately, Hesse also said that Sony BMG's experiment with offering a Jessica Simpson song as an unprotected MP3 was "mostly a promotional play, and not part of a larger strategy," according to Digital Music News, confirming that we're unlikely to see major label music offered in such a way that any device can play it.

One promising development is a new Rhapsody feature that can clone your iTunes library, including purchased tracks, into the Rhapsody format.  If every service did this, at least that would provide a semblance of cross-compatibility, and help digital music sales increase faster.   (I thought Microsoft was going to try this approach too, but apparently they are not.)

Sandisk and Rhapsody Announce New Service, Player
Topic: News

Rhapsody, Sandisk, and Best Buy made a series of big announcements today at a joint press conference in New York hosted by none other than his royal puffness, Sean "P. Diddy" Coombs: Rhapsody 4.0, the Sandisk Sansa Rhapsody e200R (3GB, 4GB, 6GB), and a new, 4.0-powered version of Best Buy's Rhapsody clone.

Rhapsody 4.0, which I previewed here recently, overhauls the service with even more ways to access the 2.5 million or so songs currently offered. The biggest new deal is the addition of Rhapsody Channels, which are chunks of five or so hours of music. A channel called "My Rhapsody Channel" gives you about five hours of music Rhapsody thinks you will like, based on your activity.  The experience feels sort of like listening to satellite radio, except you can fast forward (no rewind on Rhapsody Channels due to a licensing deal) and there are no signal dropouts.

The new version also includes Dynamic Playlists, which are 15 or so tracks in genres such as "alt country." Each Tuesday, Dynamic Playlists are updated with the week's new releases, so subscribers can stay on top of the latest music from their favorite genres. Of course, you can still transfer your own MP3s, albums, Rhapsody subscription songs, etc., but these new options expose you to much more music and might help you discover your new favorite band.

If you have iTunes, you can have Rhapsody 4.0 clone your music collection -- including purchased tracks (!) -- into Rhapsody subscription files. It does this by examining the file headers and resupplying the song in the new format, rather than converting the DRM-ed iTunes file.

Rhapsody 4.0 lets you drag-and-drop any group of songs (tracks, albums, Rhapsody Channels, Dynamic Playlists, user-created playlists, etc.) directly into your library or onto your connected Sandisk Sansa Rhapsody e200R.

This new line of MP3 players (2GB, 4GB, 6GB) is identical to the existing Sansa e200 except for the fact that it features new firmware with "Rhapsody DNA" (the same API responsible for Sonos's new Rhapsody integration), developed by Real itself. The main attraction this Rhapsody DNA adds is the ability to interact with your subscription songs on the player itself (although certainly, the player's compatibility with Rhapsody can only be helped by the fact that Rhapsody designed the device's firmware).

The Sansa Rhapsody e200R processes subscription song licenses in a new way. PlaysforSure devices verify each song license before they play a song, adding a couple of seconds of silence before a song can play and resulting in error messages when you try to play a song which hasn't had its license updated.

The e200R, on the other hand, ratifies licenses for all songs on the device every time you connect it to your computer (you have to do this at least once a month, which is easy to do, since this is also how the device recharges). An indicator light on the device turns from green to yellow to red as you get closer to the day when the licenses need updating (Rhapsody 4.0 indicates this date on the bottom of the screen, which is a nice, transparent touch).  The e200R also uses USB mass storage mode rather than MTP, meaning that songs transfer onto the player about twice as fast as they do onto a PFS device -- and faster than from iTunes onto the iPod, according to Rhapsody.  This speed is key, considering how much music Rhapsody 4.0 encourages you to load onto the player.

On the Sansa Rhapsody e300R, you can tag songs from any Rhapsody Channel or Dynamic Playlist for addition to your library, add it to your 'To Go' subscription, or set a rating from 1-5. The next time you sync the player, your that info syncs back into Rhapsody and shapes the content they give you in your own personalized Rhapsody Channel, called My Rhapsody.

Here are some other new tidbits about Rhapsody 4.0 and the Sandisk Sansa Rhapsody e200R:

• I detected a little squiggly sound before some tracks on a Sansa e200 that had been flashed with the new Rhapsody firmware.
• The player appears to have a built-in semi-Sleep mode; if it's been awhile since you've pressed a button, you'll need to press it twice.
• The Sansa Rhapsody e200R comes with two months of a free Rhapsody subscription.
• You can create your own Rhapsody Channel by specifying certain artists.
• Every artist has a Rhapsody Channel dedicated to it.
• I met with Best Buy once, and they told me that the most-stolen item from their stores is the MP3 player, which I found hilarious (steal the music, steal the song).  Now that Best Buy's offering such a strong (albeit DRM-ed) music service, maybe more Best Buy customers will stop stealing music as well as the hardware that plays it.
• By the end of the year, Rhapsody predicts that its subscription will offer a full three million songs.
• Rhapsody 4.0 will be able to post and update your listening history on a blog using RSS.
• Rhapsody adds between 30,000 and 50,000 new tracks every week, and should reach 3 million tracks by the end of the year.  The service originally launched with only 35,000 songs.

Audiophile Sound for Laptops
Topic: Things

Audiophiles, listen up! (And by audiophiles, I mean "people who love high-fidelity sound," as opposed to the common incorrect usage: "people who love music.") Creative has packed the same 24-bit sound enhancement it used for its X-Fi line of soundcards onto a small audio peripheral called the Creative XMod, which enhances sound of a computer's compressed audio on its way to speakers or headphones, adding much of what's lost during the audio compression process and creating a surround sound effect on two speakers or headphones.

The device has a big volume knob on it, reminiscent of the popular Griffin Powermate -- a nice touch. But does it deliver sound-wise?   I tested the X-Fi PCI cards when they came out, and can vouch for the way they improve the sound of MP3s; evidently this external add-on does the same.

The Creative XMod costs $80, works with Macs and PC, and doesn't require any software. Now that you can get Creative's X-Fi sound on notebooks and on desktops without the hassle of installing a PCI card, I expect more audiophiles to give it a whirl.

HHB FlashMic DRM85: A Wireless, Self-Contained Microphone
Topic: Things

When you're done wiring that Bluetooth headset into an old telephone receiver for making calls on Skype and your cellphone, take a look at this all-in-one microphone which contains its own flash memory. This self-contained portable recording tool is called the HHB FlashMic DRM85 (no relation to the DRM that locks down music; it's just an unfortunate coincidence that "digital recording microphone" forms the same acronym).  The mic's firmware was somewhat recently updated with new enhancements.

The HHB FlashMic DRM85 saves up to 1GB of audio as 16-bit WAV files (32 kHz, 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz) or in the MP3 format (128, 160, or 192 Kbps). It has an omnidirectional mic with an Automatic Gain Control option, solid sound  fidelity specs, a headphone output, an LCD, and large, simple to use buttons. Each recording gets a timestamp in its file name, and the whole shebang mounts as a USB mass storage device on Macs and PCs. Two AA batteries power the DRM85 for up to 8 hours, and it can fit over 18 hours of audio on the most compressed setting. Optional accessories include a wind shield and table stand.

At last year's Podcasting Expo in Ontario, CA, I heard a good piece of advice on how to get people on the street to respond when you ask them for a quick interview: use a "mic flag," which is one of those square label things that tells people which station (or podcast) you're with. This sounds like it works, and you can even make your own mic flag for cheap.

As for explaining to your interviewees why your mic isn't connected to anything? You're on your own there.

These pro-level specs and the utter convenience of an all-in-one mic come with a wallet-busting price -- about $1300 -- so you might be better off trying to make your own or perhaps spending a bit more for Sony's still-dazzling PCM-D1, pictured to the right.  The Belkin TuneTalk plus an iPod Nano is a sensible option for those who don't need broadcast quality.

Speaking of "broadcast"... if enough people subscribe to a podcast/netcast, does it become a broadcast?

Zune Store Will Accept Microsoft Money
Topic: News
The prices Microsoft announced yesterday for its Zune MP3 player and music service mirror those of the competition -- $15/month for the "To Go"-capable subscription, 99 cents per a la carte song, and $250 for the 30GB player. But only Microsoft will also allow you to pay for music using its own currency, which it developed for XBox gamers.

In case you don't own an XBox 360, Microsoft Points are a form of currency that you can buy in bulk, micro-spending them on a new sword for your character or just one level from a game. Microsoft Points also avoid the sales-crippling effect of kids not having credit/debit cards at the ready.

Microsoft plans to let users sell game-related content they created themselves to other users for these same Microsoft Points. This got me thinking... what would happen if this concept were translated over to the Zune? Most people don't make their own music, but the musical equivalent could be selling a version of a song that has your own original video, a particularly inspired karaoke version, or a remixed song. Of course, all you would get for these sales would be more points, so the system wouldn't make sense for artists trying to get paid in real benjamins. Not to mention that most of the time, adding a karaoke track severely devalues a song.  But maybe you could accrue points through referrals, the way people do for linking to their favorite albums on Amazon.

As far as what this means from a design architecture perspective, Gamespot had the same thought I did... If you can use the same currency, you must be in the same country, right?  (Aside from in the E.C. and probably some other places I'm forgetting, that is.) Does this shared support for Microsoft Points mean that the Zune and the XBox 360 might connect to each other somehow?

Microsoft couldn't comment on the level of future intermingling between the Zune marketplace and the XBox marketplace, or on what might happen down the road with these two devices, which were developed by the same team, but did confirm that users will be able to trade the same Microsoft Points for either XBox game elements or Zune songs.

At the very least, the six to ten million (by year's end) XBox 360 owners out there might be more likely to buy a Zune due to this compatibility, like the way the Mac-only iPod was said to have had a complimentary effect on iBook sales.

80 Microsoft Points cost $1, while 79 Microsoft Points get you an a la carte song in the Zune format. There's no bargain, just a new dilemma for the music fan: the invisibility cloak or the new Gnarls Barkley?

Chally's Statement about Apple's Attempt to Trademark
Topic: People

Mark Chally, creator of the PodPod portable device stand, currently faces the wrath of Apple's legal department due to his attempt to trademark the word "PodPod."  This is part of Apple's ongoing effort to trademark the word "pod," which could result in the company having an unfair advantage in the podcasting market -- assuming that's what it ends up being called.  (If you don't know what this is about, click here and here for some background.)

Here's his letter to me, minus the introduction:

In brief, I filed the mark "PodPod" September 8, 2004, having first used it March 18, 2003. I have since successfully defended it from other potential users. Thus, it appears I have the rightful "first use" claim. PodPod may be essentially the same as "pod," though I was initially unaware of that. Although obtaining "pod" was not the aim of the trademark, it may have led to considerable controversy. It would appear that Apple has subsequently asserted it wishes to own the "pod" mark, perhaps due to the success of the term "podcasting," which I have never used in any product context, nor did I anticipate would become an issue.

Owner of a newly-announced 2nd generation iPod, I chose to create the PodPod acrylic easel , which allows the user to tastefully display personal electronic components upright. I worked out of my garage to fulfill a demand for a product that I believed had not yet been supplied by the marketplace. This was before Apple had created the iPod dock, so it was then difficult to use in an office environment without scratching the stainless steel surface. Had the dock existed, I would not have created the PodPod--a product which adds value to any device which rests on it, and thereby, to the stock of any company which produces such a product. Since creating it, I have been forced to successfully defend the PodPod mark, which I believe I legally own and have the moral right to use.

In response to your query, I can say that Griffin Technology announced a product they called "PodPod" around summer 2004. I am libertarian, and had not been zealous to file for trademark protection, but had been advised by legal counsel that if I did not protect the mark, I could lose the right to use it, and might otherwise be forced to defend it in the opposition's legal venue. My legal counsel asked them to stop using the "PodPod" mark. As a result of discussion between my counsel and theirs, Griffin agreed to stop using it. I am aware of no "ill will" between our parties.

Much later, I received a letter from legal counsel for Apple, requesting that I abandon my claim to the PodPod mark. I have since repeatedly made generous offers to release my claim to the mark, in exchange for adequate compensation for the costs associated with developing the product, defending and transferring the mark, and destroying existing inventory. These offers have been refused. I believe common sense suggests that any company in their position would have already spent several times my offers--solely in compensating legal counsel in this matter--which I find disturbing.

Apple claims there may be "confusion" between the iPod and PodPod marks. I consider this claim absurd. No one would confuse my web site or my hand-crafted product with any endeavor by Apple. Apple has also sold products bearing the syllable "pod" in their names--online and in their retail stores--both well before and well after approaching me in regard to the mark. I doubt they approached any of the manufacturers of these and other products bearing "pod" in their marks, before approaching me. One might suspect that they were unable to obtain the "pod" mark because of the earlier application for the PodPod mark, as some have claimed the trademarks are essentially the same.

Why would a company whose executives believe it owns "pod" stock items from other companies bearing it in their trademarks? Why would they apply for the mark if they believed they already owned it? An astute observer might suspect that Apple themselves do not believe they own the mark--until its rightful owner is forced to surrender it. Apple similarly struggled with another word in the past. I doubt their claim to the syllable "Mac" was resolved to their liking, and other parties use it with impunity today, with no confusion that they are selling Apple products.

I find it disturbing that this matter was approached in the way that it was, and that it has not been resolved, even though I have repeatedly attempted to facilitate generous and amicable resolution. As the founder of an enterprise started in my personal garage to another which started that same way, I wish to appeal to Steve Jobs and Apple to reconsider their stance on this issue.

Sincerely,

Mark Chally

Creator of the PodPod acrylic easel