Surroundablog

NIN Ghost of what it could've been

And now for something completely different. As previously reported, the hard release of Trent Reznor's instrumental opus ships with the double cd...an additional DVD and Blue-ray. Earlier descriptions of content were somewhat foggy...but after careful examination it looks like the Blue-ray disc is a 96-24hz STEREO release with a slideshow. See HDAD....with a slideshow...curb my enthusiasm...

The accompanying DVD contains the multitracks for the release in wav form...in English; you too can deconstruct and restructure the elements into your own nifty creation. But where is the multichannel mix ala "With Teeth" and "The Downward Spiral"? Reznor was pissed when "Pretty Hate Machine" was remastered as a stereo-only product....so why didn't he master "Ghost I-IV" with multichannel in mind?

How to Make $750,000 Overnight, by Trent Reznor

Editor's note: It's looking like this experiment in artist-direct is an absolute success...albeit a slow download. I finally managed to pull in the 36 tracks yesterday after 1 and a half hours of cachunk ca-chunk ca---ch-unk. I went for the 75 buck option that will ship with a multi-track dvd...I suspect Reznor will better his take-home revenue from "With Teeth" many times over. The following is from digitalmusicnews.com

Trent Reznor is already counting his money from an online, direct-channel sales initiative. Reznor is now packaging music from the latest Nine Inch Nails albuminto a mix of free and paid options. And according to the page, the high-end, $300 premium packages of Ghosts I-IV are already sold out. The top-tier option was limited to 2,500 copies. "We have SOLD OUT of the 2500 Limited Edition Packages," the site declared in bold red.

The development is the latest twist in a quickly-unfolding, do-it-yourself sales experiment, one initially spearheaded by Radiohead. Radiohead also offered a high-end option, albeit at a far cheaper price tag.

Reznor has not disclosed early-stage results on other aspects of the initiative, though the artist businessman has been fairly open with results in the past. If the Radiohead experiment is a guide, Reznor will experience a high volume of free downloads, though paid transactions are already sending serious paychecks to the artist.

NIN Experiment Gets Off to a Slooooow Start

Trent Reznor is enjoying his post-major label freedom, but independence carries its own baggage. On Sunday, the NIN creator launched an experimental album release, one that includes both free and paid elements. That echoes an earlier, groundbreaking concept by Radiohead, one that yielded mixed results.

The offer was godsend for die-hard NIN fans, though the site started buckling under the pressure. By Monday evening, the site was pulled down for maintenance reasons. "We thought we bought enough beer but too many of you showed up for the party," Reznor apologized.

But fans have other options for grabbing the content. That includes Amazon MP3, which nabbed a semi-exclusive on the album download. The complete album, available for $5, was fed to Amazon via TuneCore. Elsewhere, Reznor also seeded BitTorrent with the first part of the four-volume collection. And a traditional, physical release is slated for April 8th, according to one knowledgeable source.

Stop the presses...NIN download doesn't work

I just tried to download the latest NIN album...the site is incredibly busy and the subsequent download completes immediately and is completely corrupted. Everyone is to stop downloading NOW...so I can get it...

NIN Injecting Steroids Into Radiohead Model

I just received this from digitalmusicnews.com...now I'm going straight to the download site...Inch Nails identity Trent Reznor is now injecting steroids into the Radiohead, name-your-price sales model. Reznor started offering copies of his latest release, Ghosts I-IV, on Sunday night with a range of free and paid options.

Fans can download the first nine MP3s of the collection for free, complete with a 40-page, PDF booklet. The larger, 36-song collection is $5, a package that includes various formats.

A number of physical configurations are also offered, coupled with digital versions. A double-disc digipak, which includes a 16-page booklet, is available for $10. A four-disc version, which includes a data DVD and Blu-ray video content, is positioned for $75.

An ultra-premium version is also available for $300, in a limited edition. The numbered top tier is a four-vinyl, four-disc collection, and includes special prints, packaging and a Reznor autograph.

More information at ghosts.nin.com.

Recession Keeps Knocking, Implications Await Music Industry

Editor's note: I just received this bit from digitalmusicnews.com. Expect the worst...especially for the future of multichannel audio. Although the U.S. Federal Reserve has dropped the prime lending rate by 75 points to 3.5%...futures forecast an additional 500 point loss. Incidentally...75 basis points is the biggest reduction since 1984....which further fuels the recession arguement. The Bank of Canada shaved 25 points to a 4% level. It's gonna be another rough ride...for everyone...including the prestigious parlour labels who will follow suit by cancelling future releases and projects.

Americans are now bracing for a potentially serious economic recession, one sparked by a housing and sub-prime mortgage lending meltdown. During the recent holiday season, consumers displayed healthy purchasing levels, though household incomes may suffer more pressure ahead.

So how does that affect the music industry?  Within the recording sector, disruptive changes are already well underway, though a broader economic downturn could exacerbate existing drops.  Already, US-based album sales are 10 percent below 2007 figures, potentially part of a rocky ride in 2008.  "This could be an incredibly tough year," one major label executive admitted.

On the digital side, investment in newer startups could cool, though smarter, bootstrapped companies may proliferate.  And the live performance sector may also feel a hit, thanks to reduced levels of disposable income.  The last major recession in 2001 lasted roughly eight months, though economists are projecting a more severe downturn ahead.

Just recently, the White House floated a $150 billion stimulus proposal, and the Federal Reserve has been steadily lowering interest rates to spark spending.  But Wall Street remains unimpressed by the recovery prospects.  This year alone, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has dropped nearly 10 percent on bearish sentiment.

Grammy Awards 2008

The Grammy's are just around the corner. I figured it was time to single out the only category that surroundoids care about and hope to open up a dialogue on which one is deserving and which ones were missed. Remember: the eligibility period  is from October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007.

Best Surround Sound Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)

• At War With The Mystics 5.1
  The Flaming Lips & Dave Fridmann, surround mix engineers; The Flaming Lips &
  Dave Fridmann, surround mastering engineers; The Flaming Lips & Dave Fridmann,
  surround producers (The Flaming Lips)
  [Warner Bros.]
  
• Fear Of A Blank Planet
  Steven Wilson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer;
  Porcupine Tree, surround producers (Porcupine Tree)
  [Atlantic Records]
  
• Grechaninov: Passion Week
  John Newton, surround mix engineer; Jonathan Cooper, surround mastering
  engineer; Blanton Alspaugh, surround producer (Charles Bruffy, Kansas City
  Chorale & Phoenix Bach Choir)
  [Chandos Records]
  
• Love
  Paul Hicks, surround mix engineer; Tim Young, surround mastering engineer;
  George Martin & Giles Martin, surround producers (The Beatles)
  [Apple/Capitol Records]
  
• Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5; Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis; Serenade To Music
  Michael Bishop, surround mix engineer; Michael Bishop, surround mastering
  engineer; Elaine Martone, surround producer (Robert Spano & Atlanta Symphony
  Orchestra & Chamber Chorus)
  [Telarc]

HD AUDIO DOWNLOADS IN 5.1 SURROUND AND STEREO SOUND

HD AUDIO DOWNLOADS IN 5.1 SURROUND AND STEREO SOUND…iTRAX.COM LAUNCHES!

(Los Angeles) November 10, 2007 – Mark Waldrep, Ph.D., the man behind the only all-HD Audio label AIX Records announces the launch of iTrax.com, the world’s first digital music download service to offer REAL HD Audio in multiple mixing perspectives.

According to Waldrep, “iTrax.com is a sort of an iTunes for people that care about sound quality, surround music and don’t want to be restricted in the use of the music they download. This new web site allows music lovers, home theater owners and surround music fans to access music that has actually been recorded, mixed and mastered in high-definition – most “so-called” HD Audio downloads are really standard definition tracks delivered through the web. iTrax.com delivers better than CD quality digital downloads for the first time, without copying restrictions…and in 5.1 surround.”

The Tape Project Launches Audiophile Series

The Tape Project's inaugural release is The Number White by jazz singer Jacqui Naylor.

San Francisco, CA (November 15, 2007)--As reported in Pro Sound News (July 2007), Paul Stubblebine Mastering and valve electronics experts Bottlehead Corp. have introduced The Tape Project, a new label and music delivery format. The Tape Project is presenting a series of analog releases on reel-to-reel tape that aims to offer an analog listening experience that comes as close as possible to that of hearing the original master tape.

Slated for 10 releases per year and sold primarily on a subscription basis, the 15 ips half-track stereo, reel-to-reel recordings encompass a range of musical styles, the first of which include classical, jazz, blues, Americana and roots music. The company is recommending tape machines and specifications for playback, as well as offering its own specially modified tape decks with custom valve components from Bottlehead Corp.

"The only two requirements for the music that we release are that the master must exist on analog tape and that the music be great," says Stubblebine, who founded the company with mastering engineer Michael Romanowski and Bottlehead Corp owner Dan Schmalle. "That it be music that moves the listener. That it be music that can stand the test of time, and continue to bring satisfaction for years."

The company has secured the rights to release a variety of extraordinary recordings. The first 10 titles are:

1) The Number White by jazz singer Jacqui Naylor

2) Dave Alvin's Blackjack David

3) Arnold Overtures, original music by Malcolm Arnold with the London Philharmonic Orchestra recorded by Grammy-winning engineer and audiophile equipment designer Keith Johnson

4) The album that established Robert Cray as a strong new voice in the blues, False Accusations

5) Raphael Fruhbeck de Burgos with the New Philharmonia Orchestra performing Albeniz - Suite Espanola

6) David Oistrakh and the London Symphony Orchestra with music by Bruch and Hindemith

7) Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra performing Exotic Dances from the Opera (Saint-Saëns, Strauss, Rabaud)

8) Bill Evans Waltz for Debby live at the Village Vanguard in 1961

9) Mose Allison in 1959's Creek Bank, engineered by Rudy Van Gelder

10) The incomparable Sonny Rollins in Saxophone Colossus

There are two tiers of subscription costs for The Tape Project: $1,200 US for a selection of six of the ten releases per year, or charter subscriptions of $2,000 US per year to get all 10 releases. Each album will also be sold individually for $329 US to non-subscribers. Each tape release comes in a custom-designed box with full-size color artwork and custom tape flanges inscribed with serial numbers for charter subscribers.

Michael Romanowski, revealing the tech behind the analog says, "We have assembled the highest-quality duplicating system that has ever been attempted. The result, for those with ears to hear, is the most involving and satisfying experience that has ever come from reproduced music. I work with master tapes everyday, and these releases are sonically everything that a master tape has to offer. And now listeners get to have this experience in their own home."

Noting specifics about the playback systems, Dan Schmalle adds, "In order to play these tapes correctly, a machine must meet the following requirements: It must play 15 ips half-track stereo, and must be set to the IEC curve--formerly known as the CCIR curve. There are many machines that meet these specs, but many that don't. We have looked at the various machines made for home use and decided to adapt the Technics RS1500 family." The company offers an on-line database of tape machines that meet the requirements.

The tape machines offered by The Tape Project, approximately $7,500 US each, are supplied with a custom playback head designed by Flux Magnetics. Schmalle asked Flux Magnetics to design a head strictly optimized for 15 ips, with no compromise for other speeds.

The playback head is mated with the latest generation playback electronics, developed by Paul Joppa and Dan Schmalle of Bottlehead Corp. exclusively for The Tape Project. There is an optional wireless remote control for the Technics RS1500 offered by The Tape Project.

The company has started an online forum for customers to request albums they would like to own at
www.tapeproject.com/smf/index.php#1

The Tape Project
www.tapeproject.com

Paul Stubblebine Mastering
www.paulstubblebine.com

Michael Romanowski
www.michaelromanowski.com

Bottlehead Corp.
www.bottlehead.com

Radiohead makes labels' history...but don't hold your breath for Paranoid Surroundoid

Just 38 percent of Radiohead fans paid for the latest album, according to data recently supplied by comScore. The band allowed fans to name their price for the downloadable release, "In Rainbows", a closely-watched experiment. While most fans grabbed the album for nothing, a significant percentage paid modest amounts. According to the data, 17 percent paid an average of $4 for the album, while 12 percent paid between $8 and $12.

The result deflates the excitement surrounding the effort, heralded by many as a groundbreaking model. It also challenges the levels of loyalty that established bands can expect from longtime fans. But 38 percent still represents a meaningful number, and earnings appear respectable. Radiohead sold well past one million units on the album, and the band no longer pays a label cut.

Elsewhere, large numbers of fans continue to grab the album outside of the Radiohead website on free file-sharing networks, another unexpected development. In related Radiohead-room..

Radiohead has already said goodbye to EMI and its subsidiary, Parlophone. But the major label is now jumping into the energy surrounding the latest Radiohead release, "In Rainbows". Just recently, the group reissued a number of Radiohead classics and bundled them into a convenient box set. The albums - Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail To The Thief, and I Might Be Wrong - are now being offered for pre-order on radioheadstore.com.

Parlophone is also taking the extra step of offering the entire back catalog in the form of a 4GB USB stick. The stick contains WAV files and digital artwork, and looks like the Radiohead bear logo. Alternatively, fans also have access to the catalog in a bundled pack of 320kbps MP3 downloads. "We are particularly excited about the USB stick, which gives fans an easy and portable way to carry the box set and provides another way of bridging the world between on-line and off-line content," said Miles Leonard, managing director at Parlophone. The various configurations start at £34.99 ($72.83), but unlike In Rainbows, consumer cannot name their own price.