mjzee

Wall St Journal

EMI Mulls Lifting Online-Music Restrictions By ETHAN SMITH and NICK WINGFIELD February 9, 2007 In a move that could signal a shift in the music industry's antipiracy strategy, EMI Group PLC has been holding talks with several online retailers about the possibility of selling its entire digital music catalog in the unprotected MP3 format, which can be freely copied and played on virtually any device, according to numerous people familiar with the matter. If EMI strikes such deals, it would become the first major music company to embrace a burgeoning effort to expand the digital marketplace by removing restrictions on the ways consumers can listen to music they purchase online. Earlier this week, Apple Inc.'s chief executive, Steve Jobs, endorsed the idea of selling music without copy protections, arguing that they have done little to slow the piracy that has beset the music industry. The idea is that removing such barriers will help boost digital-music sales, because consumers would be able to play music purchased from any online store on any digital music device. Currently, for example, music purchased at Apple's iTunes Store can only be played on the company's iPod device, a problem that has caused much griping from record companies and competing music services. One person familiar with the matter said that several major music companies have floated the idea of scrapping copy protections in recent months. However, none appears to have gone as far down the road as EMI, and others are clearly still opposed because they say that copy-protection software is critical to stop piracy. On Thursday, Warner Music Group Corp. chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr. said his company continues to believe that such protections are essential. The London-based EMI is believed to have held talks with a wide range of online retailers that compete with Apple's iTunes. Those competing retailers include RealNetworks Inc., eMusic.com, MusicNet Inc. and Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks. People familiar with the matter cautioned that EMI could still abandon the proposed strategy before implementing it. A decision about whether to keep pursuing the idea could come as soon as today. An EMI spokeswoman declined to comment on what she called "speculation." For EMI, the move represents a chance to shake off the notion that it has been a laggard in developing a digital-music strategy. While other music companies have experimented with different online endeavors, EMI, for example, is the only major music company that has not struck a licensing deal with Google Inc.'s YouTube. EMI is the world's third-largest music company by sales. While the company is home to acts ranging from the Beatles to Radiohead and the Beastie Boys, not all of its acts -- notably the Beatles -- sell their music in any digital form yet. With a few minor exceptions, the major music companies so far have insisted that their online music offerings come with copy-protection software. That software -- known as digital-rights management, or DRM -- is not always compatible between music players. For example, the DRM software in Apple's dominant iTunes Store isn't compatible with other companies' digital-music players, causing some to wonder whether it might be hampering sales. Continued growth of digital-download sales is generally viewed as a key to the music industry's ability to survive the ongoing decimation of sales of its core product, compact discs. CD sales began dropping in 2000, when the original Napster file-sharing service made it simple for people to access free digital copies of songs online. CD sales represent about 85% of U.S. music sales, but they have fallen more than 20% this year alone, compared with the same period in 2006, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Sales of digital tracks continues to rise, but the rate of growth has cooled in recent months, and has not kept pace with the decline in CD sales. That is a source of concern for the music industry. The argument in favor of DRM holds that, with CD sales quickly fading and digital-track sales still on the rise -- albeit more slowly than in the past -- it is critical for the music industry to protect itself in the new digital age. According to people familiar with the matter, EMI initially began exploring the issue in earnest in late December, when it circulated proposals to online music retailers. Part of its proposal was a request for a one-time, multimillion-dollar "risk-insurance" payment that would not be tallied against future sales. Three people familiar with the talks said online retailers generally balked at the request. EMI then returned with a new proposal in late January, around the time of a music conference in Cannes, France. EMI asked the online retailers to tell it what size advance payments they would offer in exchange for the right to sell its music as MP3s. Those proposals were to be submitted yesterday, said one person familiar with the matter. This person understood that EMI would decide whether to forge ahead with the MP3 strategy based on the offers' aggregate worth. The music industry's trade group, the Recording Industry Association of America, has continued to call for copy protections. It endorsed one alternative that Mr. Jobs outlined but dismissed, in which Apple would license its own DRM to competitors. RIAA chief Mitch Bainwol said in a statement that this would "enable the interoperability that we have been urging in the marketplace for a very long time." People within the music and technology industries believe Mr. Jobs might have written his essay after learning of EMI's proposed plans. But a person familiar with the matter said Mr. Jobs began work on the essay three weeks ago in response to actions by European agencies to pressure Apple into making its music products work with hardware and online music service made by other companies. In his essay, Mr. Jobs encouraged those groups to turn their attention to major music labels, several of which are partially or wholly owned by European companies. "Perhaps those unhappy with the current situation should redirect their energies toward persuading the music companies to sell their music DRM-free," he wrote.

Any word on the new Bob Brookmeyer additions - are they worth downloading?

Here's an attempt: Music that isn't jazz but is somewhat sophisticated and that appeals to adults. Many of the vocalist reissues that have been released under the Blue Note imprint recently can be seen in this way: Julie London, for example, isn't jazz but does appeal to adults. In a more contemporary way, Phyllis Hyman might qualify (though she has more than enough compilations already). In a different light, think of the Leo Kottke compilations released under Blue Note: not jazz, certainly, but interesting, intricate music.

This month's downloads: Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit Cat Power - The Greatest Cecil Taylor - Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come Stacey Kent - Love Is...The Tender Trap Lester Young in Washington, DC (Volume 1) Larry Levan's Classic West End Records Remixes Jackie McLean - McLean's Scene Kenny Burrell with John Coltrane Cecil Taylor & Buell Neidlinger - New York City R&B

I notice that they have 3 Sherman Irby titles on Black Warrior Records (I have his "Big Momma's Biscuits" CD and enjoy it): Black Warrior http://www.emusic.com/album/10990/10990506.html Organ Starter http://www.emusic.com/album/10990/10990577.html Faith http://www.emusic.com/album/10990/10990594.html I haven't heard them, though.

Thanks for sharing this, but as a guy who's devoted his life to randomness and statistics I can tell you that the iPod random feature is as close to random as can be without using physics or astronomical methods. Hmmm. For now, I respectfully disagree. Remember, I'm referring here to the iPod, not iTunes (which is very satisfying from a random selection perspective). Although I had suspected the iPod's limited randomness for some time (why does it always play Louis Armstrong/Fred Astaire/Sil Austin, but some other artists almost never?), what really ticked me off was that I purchased from iTunes "The Bob Dylan Collection"...literally every song Bob recorded and released, almost 800 songs. I did a wipe of the iPod's hard drive and reloaded using iTunes to select the songs at random, and not a single Dylan song from the Collection loaded. That's when I reviewed what did load, and noticed that it transferred whole albums only.

I think there's a label currently filling this niche: HighNote/Savant. Artists like Arthur Blythe, Fathead and Houston Person would easily fit into the concept decribed by Mosaic/Blue Note. While I wish that HighNote's productions were a little more creative, and that they "pushed" the artists to stretch a little more, their mode of presentation is very similar to what BN was. Even their cover artwork has improved!

For a while now, I've suspected that the "random" feature on my iPod wasn't really random. Why did it seem to play the same songs again and again, when my collection is pretty large? It would frustrate me that I wouldn't be hearing the new albums I've downloaded from eMusic. It seems to me that when iTunes selects a subset of songs to sync to the iPod, it follows some rules. The one I noticed is that it syncs entire albums, not, say, 4 songs from a 12-song album. I suspect there are other such rules programmed into the logic. But I've found a workaround to create a true® random selection: First, I create a Smart Playlist, selecting at random 13 GB (I own a 15-GB iPod). Then, within iTunes, I specify that the iPod should sync to only this playlist. Voila! I'm hearing songs I haven't previously heard. If the songlist start to get stale, I'll just repeat the process. I just wanted to share.

Does anyone even know if he's still alive?

I saw Pat in Minneapolis in June. First-rate, he was really burning (pet peeve: the pianist was very McCoy Tyner-ish; I so wish young pianists would take inspiration from Sonny Clark instead!), and told an interesting story about hanging out on a Harlem street corner in the early '60's with Wes, George Benson and Grant Green.

Just got the Lou Donaldson and Bennie Green sets. Haven't listened to them yet, though. Re the Bennie Green: Does anyone know what were the tracks from the Congo Lament session that were left off this set? I'm wondering if I have them on the Ike Quebec 45s Sessions.

Sonny Rollins

Good point, Allen.

The New York Post reported that the first song the Dead played was Shakedown Street, perhaps appropos considering the surroundings!

Was just listening to this in the car. Very nice stuff! Upbeat, tuneful; reminded me a little of Horace Silver. I like Tapscott's comping and solos. And the sound is just gorgeous! Even in the car, I could clearly hear the bass, and the piano sounds bright. I liked the arrangements - even on familiar songs (Delilah, Dear Old Stockholm, Samba De Orpheo), they've rethought the approach, and don't sound like other versions. I like the interplay between trombone and trumpet - heck, I like the whole thing! Picked this up at one of the Tower closing sales, and am glad I did.

I thought this was on Prestige, not on Blue Note!

I rip mine at 192 kbps.

The collection includes I Ain't Got No Home and The Grand Coulee Dam.

Very cool. Thanks!

Does anyone have graphics of the original covers (Jazz Frontier and Two-Note Samba) that they can post here?

My first boxed set was a $3 promo box put out by Warner Bros./Reprise called "Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies." At the time, they had a great way to introduce new music to the public: a few times a year, they'd release $1 a disc compilations of their new releases. Most were twofers, but LT&MM was the first (and I think only) 3 disc set. While it was handsome, I didn't think it wore as well on the shelves - any air in the box made it collapse in spots. I came to really dislike boxed sets - I knew I just wouldn't dig to play, say, the 8th disc in a 16-disc set; it would just remain unplayed. Which, I guess, is why I truly love the "random" feature in iTunes - every song has an equal chance to get played. My first jazz boxed set? I think "The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve" lp import from Japan. Massive box, with most of the booklet in Japanese. I think when the U.S. CD box came out, it had alternate takes not included in my version.

The collection does include "Dylan"! He actually does a nice version of Elvis's "Can't Help Falling In Love." Also, the bonus songs include the songs performed in Masked and Anonymous. There's a hardass version of Cold Irons Bound!

Decided to start a Bob Dylan corner, as I've really revived my interest in him over the past year. Let me know if you think this belongs more in the "Miscellaneous Music" section (but I figure if the Grateful Dead and Roger Miller can reside here, well...). Just went for "The Bob Dylan Collection" on iTunes. Couldn't believe it: $200 for EVERY Bobby D. album released, including "Modern Times." (Well, almost every one: it doesn't include the live 1962 date sold at Starbucks last year). I got it for $180, since Costco is selling $50 iTunes gift cards for $45. Took about 5 hours to download it all. Includes about 45 additional tracks. I'm so glad I get the chance to get reacquainted with such quirky albums as "Down In The Groove," "Knocked Out Loaded," "Self Portrait"; also included are some I never owned, such as "Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid." And I'll get my first listen to "Good As I Been To You," "World Gone Wrong," and "Love And Theft." Downside is that they're encoded at a bitrate of 128. Upside is a beautiful 119-page booklet (Adobe Acrobat) containing all original liner notes. It seems like a real treat.

The Sound of Unheard Melodies By PETER PESIC December 29, 2006; Page W6 Do you ever worry about your piano? Not how to pay for it or whether the kids are practicing or why it may sometimes sound out of tune -- but what it means for your piano to be "tuned" at all? You may consider this on a par with worrying about the shape of the Big Dipper -- the notes on a piano seem inevitable, as if determined by nature itself -- but the keyboard is a deeply human device. In "How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony," Ross Duffin, a musicologist and performer of early music at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, presents a delightfully informative and provocative argument that we should rethink our common musical habits at the most basic level: the way we tune musical instruments. He is not happy with the current way we divide up the musical scale -- what we call "temperament." It all began when Pythagoras discovered that the most pleasing musical intervals -- that is, the sonic distance between two pitches -- correspond to simple whole-number ratios. Thus two taut strings whose lengths match a 2-to-1 ratio (one string twice as long as the other) when struck will sound an octave, the interval between middle C and the next C above it. A 3-to-2 ratio of string lengths will sound a perfect fifth -- what we imagine to be, say, C to G on a piano. A 4-to-3 ratio sounds a perfect fourth (C to F). A whole step -- the interval between a fourth and a fifth (F to G) -- requires a 9-to-8 ratio. For Pythagoras, these primal intervals were the cosmic harmonies or ratios regulating the planets' relative motions, the mysterious "music of the spheres," as it came to be called. Missing the Octave But an odd thing happens when you stack up perfect intervals -- a kind of imperfection shows up. If you begin with a low C and go up by perfect fifths -- C-G-D-A-E-B-F#-C#-G#-D#-A#-F-C -- you will miss returning to an exact octave of C by a tiny but definite interval, called the "Pythagorean comma." (Expressed as a ratio, it comes to exactly 531441:524288, if you are curious.) In short, the first C and the last one will sound slightly, but painfully, "out of tune." This minute but audible discrepancy threatens to wreck music: If you begin on one pitch and keep singing perfect intervals, you might never be able to find that starting pitch again. The comma inevitably sneaks in. Theoretically, God himself should have to confront this problem, which imperils celestial harmony. HOW EQUAL TEMPERAMENT RUINED HARMONY (AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE) By Ross W. Duffin (Norton, 196 pages, $25.95) What to do? "Temperament" is a (human) solution. It means redefining musical intervals so as to avoid the comma problem, smoothing its harshness by distributing that unruly remainder somehow throughout the scale. Pythagorean temperament does so by dividing the whole step into two unequal "semitones," one having an extra comma in it. This works if you are singing while strumming your lyre but becomes increasingly problematic when several melodic lines intertwine. A different kind of temperament was eventually developed in the 16th century, offering a draconian, ruthlessly egalitarian solution: Divide the octave into 12 mathematically equal semitones. Such a division requires that the semitone "ratio" be a highly irrational quantity, the 12th root of 2. So much for the Pythagorean dream of simple, whole-number ratios. Distributing 'Impurities' Equally tempered instruments are equally out of tune throughout. In contrast, other Renaissance temperaments (such as "just" or "meantone") kept some intervals pure and concentrated the comma "impurities" in others. By the time of J.S. Bach -- who flourished in the first half of the 18th century -- ingeniously constructed unequal temperaments were common. Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier," a tour de force of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys, was written for such an unequal temperament, not the equal one of modern pianos. Most of us have never heard Bach's music as he himself heard it. Mr. Duffin is bothered by this -- by what he sees as a wrong turn in the history of music, leaving us today stranded in the arid precincts of equal temperament. He makes his argument forcefully and tells his story well. He has an eye for the whimsical and includes thumbnail biographies of some interesting characters, such as the 18th-century composer Johann Joachim Quantz, who added a key to the bottom of the flute so that players could make a distinction, on the instrument's lowest note, between D-sharp and E-flat. To us, these are the same note; to Quantz, E-flat was an important comma higher. Pitch Changes, Please Naturally, Mr. Duffin emphasizes that medieval and Renaissance music ought to be heard in the unequal temperaments appropriate to their times, just as we now try to use authentic instruments and performance practices for that repertoire. When it comes to Bach, he believes that we should insist on the genuine, well-tempered article. (He mentions in passing the scholar Bradley Lehman's recent discovery that Bach encoded his own favored temperament in the apparently ornamental doodles and knotted squiggles he put on the title page of his "Well-Tempered Clavier." I would have liked to hear more about this remarkable claim.) Mr. Duffin's call for pitch changes, however, goes well beyond the 18th century. He argues that equal temperament only became prevalent after 1917, drawing evidence from texts and historical recordings by violinists like Joseph Joachim, Brahms's friend. Thus we really ought to be hearing the familiar 19th-century repertoire in the appropriate temperament, even though this would require an enormous "retooling" of the way that musicians are trained to play and sing, not just revamping our ill-tempered pianos. As plausible as the argument sounds, the real test will be how the music sounds. I wish that somehow Mr. Duffin's book could have done more to help its readers hear what it describes. (This may be one case where an accompanying CD, folded into the book, would have been really essential.) Mr. Duffin's Web site, one discovers, gives Bach chorales and fugues electronically synthesized in different temperaments. The unlovely, though precise, pitches made me uncomfortably conscious of the artificiality of all such temperaments. Indeed, I realized anew how human are the temperaments of our instruments, how varied the results of different piano tuners, how expressively cellists or singers can shade intervals. Mr. Duffin offers a striking critique of Pablo Casals's idea of "expressive intonation," in which string players are urged to raise certain pitches for additional expressive effect. He also cites Enid Katahn's interesting CD "Six Degrees of Temperament," which includes four different versions of Mozart's D minor Fantasy, each played on a Steinway grand in a different historical temperament. How much difference will temperament make, next to all the other aspects of musical style and performance? We need to hear for ourselves. One aspect of Mr. Duffin's argument is especially intriguing: In nonequal temperaments, each musical key has a distinct, individual character because of its particular distribution of commas. Many composers have alluded to such key differences over the centuries, though they make little sense to us today. For us, a C-major prelude transposed to C# sounds essentially the same, not fundamentally changed if played one semitone higher. But if pitch practice is allowed to follow Mr. Duffin's unequally tempered path, we may soon be able to hear for ourselves what Beethoven really meant when he called B minor "black."