Surroundablog

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.

O.A.R. Live Releases Mixed On Blue Sky 5.1 Monitors

Editor's note: I just received this in my in-box.....its from Prosoundnews.com and I'm sure you'll chuckle at their new-found wisdom. We the faithful are dwindling....but hanging in there....up the channels for the 2nd Genesis box set! O.A.R. Live Releases Mixed On Blue Sky 5.1 Monitors

New York (August 23, 2007)--Jeff Juliano, an engineer/mixer whose dozen-year career includes credits such as Jason Mraz, John Mayer and Dave Matthews Band, recently mixed O.A.R.'s new live CD/DVD, Live From Madison Square Garden (Atlantic Records/Everfine) with the help of Blue Sky’s Sky System One.

“I got turned on to Blue Sky when we were getting ready to do the O.A.R. project,” recalls Juliano. “I’d been a [Yamaha] NS-10 guy for years, using them with a subwoofer. That’s what I trusted. I’d been reading a lot about the Blue Skys and a few guys that I really respect are using them. I hooked the system up and immediately liked what I heard. What’s funny is that I went back to mix the stereo version of the O.A.R. record after I’d done the DirecTV mixes--which I’d done with my NS-10s--and immediately heard some stuff that I didn’t like with those mixes. I had a little too much high end in my mixes and that shined through in the Blue Skys. So I finished out the stereo mixes on the O.A.R. record with the Blue Sky’s 5.1 Sky System One using it as a 2.1 system and then immediately flopped into the 5.1 sessions. The Blue Sky’s are the most true powered monitors I’ve ever used--and I’ve used a lot of these things.”

Working in 5.1 was a new experience for Juliano and he was admittedly intimidated by it. “But knowing that there are no rules in 5.1 freed me up to make it whatever I thought it ought to be,” he says. “I took the approach of mixing it like I was standing in the center of the floor for that concert. It was so easy to do that with these speakers because they’re not over-hyped and the midrange is solid. A lot of powered monitors I fear to use because they hype the high-end, duck the mid-range, and have a false low end.”

Mixing with a subwoofer was old hat for Juliano. “I don’t know how people work with the 6.5-inch speakers and not know what’s going on below that frequency cut-off of that speaker. The Blue Sky bass management system is spot-on. You can feel the kick in my room; you can feel the bass. It’s thumping but it’s real. There’s nothing worse than having a subwoofer with a system that doesn’t have a bass management system like this and is not calibrated correctly. Bands in the studio get to hear all the drums and the bass and it’s huge, but then when they get in the car it’s a complete disaster, because when they were listening with a subwoofer that was calibrated too loud, it’s basically giving them false low end. But the Blue Sky’s are spot-on. What you hear is what you get.”

Blue Sky
www.abluesky.com

Chicago Bluesfest 2007

I just got back from the festive Bluesfest in Chicago. What a kick....drank really expensive beer..saw the likes of Cadillac Zack, Sexy Sadie, Big Jay, Jimmy Johnson, Carlos Johnson, Billy Branch, Ronnie Baker Brooks and his brother Wayne. I also sat in Buddy Guy's Legends until all hours of the night drinking Jack, feasting on Catfish and Okra while being entertained by some 200 bikers on a poker run. The highlight had to be Alvin Younglood Hart's solo acoustic set....check out the photo gallery in the right hand index..

Is Apple Killing Off High-End Audio and Home Theater?

Editor's note: here's a nifty story sure to cool your cockles...or something or other. It's by Jerry Del Colliano and it just ran on avrev.com

The social impact of Apple’s iPod can’t be denied. In one modest handful of technology anyone can carry around and or play any one of 10,000 of their favorite songs, TV shows, movies and beyond. It has changed the way people listen to music as well as the way they buy it. Downloadable music has become a three billion dollar per year business as compared to nine billion per year for the domestic sales of Compact Discs. In fact the iPod is likely the most important thing to happen to recorded music since the CD.

But all isn’t well in the world of consumer electronics – especially at the high-end. Apple, known in the computer world as the high-end solution with entry level computers that start at $2,500 (without a monitor), have taken the idea of buying and viewing music and movies to the ghetto, and along with it has gone the profit margins for specialty dealers as well as many of America’s best independent record stores. Music from iTunes, even to the untrained ear, sounds significantly worse than it does on CD, yet an iPod seems to be the audio source of choice over DVD-Audio, SACD, Blu-ray or HD DVD. More importantly, the music from iTunes is recorded in stereo and not in any of the popular surround sound formats that tried to gain a foothold on the failed audio disc formats of DVD-Audio and SACD. Flat HDTVs are one reason to head to the stereo shop (one dealers can’t seem to make any money on), but why buy a new pair of speakers when all you listen to is stripped down music on your iPod? CONTINUE

Grammy Awards 2007

Congratulations to Elliot Scheiner for beating the Lynwood out of Weird Al Yankovic. Last night's Grammy Awards failed to capture any real attention in our household. I really couldn't care less...except for the surround sound category.

Given the cut-off date of the 2007 awards; watch for the Martins to be nominated (and probably win) for The Beatles "Love" in 2008.

Here's the nominees...

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

• Immortal Nystedt
  Morten Lindberg & Hans Peter L'Orange, surround mix engineers; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Ensemble 96 Conducted By Øystein Fevang)
  [2L]
  
• Long Walk To Freedom
  Martin Walters, surround mix engineer; Martin Walters, surround mastering engineer; Martin Walters, surround producer (Ladysmith Black Mambazo)
  [Heads Up International]
  
• Morph The Cat
  Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Donald Fagen, surround producer (Donald Fagen)
  [Reprise Records]
  
• Straight Outta Lynwood
  Tony Papa, surround mix engineer; Bernie Grundman, surround mastering engineer; Al Yankovic, surround producer ("Weird Al" Yankovic)
  [Volcano/Zomba Label Group]
  
• A Valid Path
  P.J. Olsson & Alan Parsons, surround mix engineers; Bob Michaels, surround mastering engineer; Alan Parsons, surround producer (Alan Parsons)
  [Immergent]

After scanning the list; I noticed a few peculiarities...

BT and Dolby perform live in 5.1

Editor's note: This article just came in from Prosound news. I haven't heard any of the BT stuff in surround so I'm a little curious....have any of you bought into the BT thing and is it any good? BT, Thomas Dolby Rock EAW Systems

New York (February 6, 2007)--Anyone walking by a club who saw "BT & Dolby" on the marquee might be forgiven for thinking there was a corporate event inside for British Telecom and Dolby Labs, but for those in the know, the BT/Thomas Dolby club tour was December's hippest ticket. The two keyboard whizes performed live across the country in 5.1 surround sound via a system headed by EAW NT Series two-way powered (bi-amplified), DSP-controlled loudspeakers.

Dolby/BT Tour FOH Engineer Scott "Goody" Goodwine at the Mackie TT24 digital console he utilized for his 5.1 surround mix.

The surround concept stemmed from BT's latest CD, This Binary Universe, recorded in 5.1 surround, which he sought to duplicate in the live realm. As plans commenced, Dolby--who appeared on the cover of last October's Pro Sound News--also joined the bill. An interesting caveat is that the stage was also supplied with 5.1 surround mixes, with the monitoring system also utilizing NT Series loudspeakers positioned as wedges.

Rumour Rumour on the Wall

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends....like reunion rumours. I just received a steamingly fresh reunion rumour involving Led Zeppelin....seriously.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2002471692,00.html

And now my 2 cents wort...

I'm skeptical. Afterall, there was 2 years of talk concerning a rumored reunion of Genesis with Peter Gabriel...when the announcement finally came that a Genesis tour was coming it was sans Gabriel. A class reunion of The Police is hot again...as is the enduring talk of Van Halen with David Lee Roth but without Michael Anthony.

On the other hand...tickets DO go on sale tomorrow for "Heaven and Hell"...the mark 3 version of Black Sabbath featuring Iommi, Butler, Dio and Appice. Rumours of these long-hairs reuniting first cropped up last year... anyways...

Let's look at this Led-ed rumour a little more closely. IMO Plant has put a stake into his own career with the release of his all encompassing solo box set....so I could see his participation....and Jimmy Page's. Afterall; he's been floundering since the demise of Zeppelin with only a modicum of fringe worthy commercial success. (Hey..Black Crowes' tribute albums featuring a sloppy Page augmented by the generous assistance of Audley Freed don't count OK?!) It's Jones who seems to be the odd symbol-rune-man out. He was happy doing his own solo thing and studio work. I saw him a couple of years ago as an opener for King Crimson....who were touring a new album. Jones was just ok...so maybe that means he's in too?!

Could this Zeppelin fly again....possibly. Don't hold your breath though...too much ego all around AND Jones would certainly expect a bigger share than what the predominant writing team of Page-Plant would offer. Another Page-Plant reunion is more likely....but I think Plant is perfectly happy with his own thing and is ecstatic with the privilege of guiding his own ship disparate of the notoriously control-freaky Page...

Either way....do yourself a favor...get the "How the West was Won" dvd and watch the band at its peak....and...just say no to old guys on reunion tours for the sake of finally getting some of that corporate-sponsored REAL filthy lucre that they missed out on in the '70's.

If; on the other hand, they release new music to tour then by all means go....but only if the new stuff is half decent, cause that's mostly what they'll play.

Better yet..go buy the real thing from the likes of Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, Son House and Howling Wolf who were essentially ripped off by Page-Plant..

Oh and another thing...this sportsfan will not be buying tickets for "Heaven and Hell"...some 20 odd years ago I waited all night in line in -30 degrees to get tickets the first time around...(they were great AND I got lucky in the 8th row during "Die Young"). Me thinks that lightning won't strike twice..

Ron Wheeler

Grammy Awards 2007

The Recording Academy announced this year's nominations for Best Surround Sound Album today. My 2 cents....its a tie between "Morph the Cat" and "Valid Path". "Morph" was presented in High Resolution which resulted in an edge over "Valid" in terms of clarity. However; "Valid" had a more ingenious mix of transitions and cross-channel fades and sweeps. Alan Parsons versus Elliot Scheiner...now that's a battle royale. Let's just give it to both of them.

Oh...and for any of you Weird Al Yankovic fans that may check in occassionally to make sure I'm not bad mouthing your boy...forget about it...Al doesn't have a chance in hell....

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

• Immortal Nystedt
  Morten Lindberg & Hans Peter L'Orange, surround mix engineers; Morten Lindberg, surround mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, surround producer (Ensemble 96 Conducted By Øystein Fevang)
  [2L]
  
• Long Walk To Freedom
  Martin Walters, surround mix engineer; Martin Walters, surround mastering engineer; Martin Walters, surround producer (Ladysmith Black Mambazo)
  [Heads Up International]
  
• Morph The Cat
  Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Donald Fagen, surround producer (Donald Fagen)
  [Reprise Records]
  
• Straight Outta Lynwood
  Tony Papa, surround mix engineer; Bernie Grundman, surround mastering engineer; Al Yankovic, surround producer ("Weird Al" Yankovic)
  [Volcano/Zomba Label Group]
  
• A Valid Path
  P.J. Olsson & Alan Parsons, surround mix engineers; Bob Michaels, surround mastering engineer; Alan Parsons, surround producer (Alan Parsons)
  [Immergent]
  
  

Kramer at it again

Editor's note: It would seem that Eddie Kramer has been called up once more to do some Hendrix catalogue fiddlin'. For those of youse who haven't been keeping track...Kramer's last Hendrix project was remastering Jimi's Woodstock performance for 5.1. It wasn't great....but I certainly enjoyed the alternate film angle and dug the entire live offering. I suspect this release will include many of the tracks from the unfinished "First Rays of the New Rising Sun".

The other projects mentioned...but not quoted, include Ella Fitzgerald and....gulp...Michael Bolton. Anyways...

Los Angeles, CA (November 3, 2006)--Over the past few months, quite a variety of special projects have been produced at Capitol Studios, including sessions for Jimi Hendrix - "The Last Experience," with producer Jerry Goldstein and engineer Eddie Kramer.

EMI Music Chief Addresses Sinking CD; Extras Ahead

Editor's note: Once again; a label fails to understand the audience. One of the largest growth sectors continues to be dvd. More and more...the audience is purchasing home theater set-ups to take advantage of surround sound, widescreen etc. Value added content to cds?! Smirk....put all your cds onto dvd and put value added content on it. Oh wait...I think they stallingly sort of tried that by allowing Rhino to put out DVD-A's of a few of their poncy titles way before a tipping over point was established.

Value added cds are only of use if the additions include mp-3's, a surround layer (not a poxy "better stereo" claptrap) and moving pics or at least stills. BRING BACK DVD-AUDIO WITH A RESPECTABLE NUMBER OF TITLES FROM ARTISTS OTHER THAN QUEENSRYCHE BEFORE YOU TRY ANY MORE HALF-HEARTED ATTEMPTS AT MARKETING A DEAD FORMAT...(catches breath...)...oh, and don't nobody release any Weird Al dualdiscs ever again...

Sales of physical formats have been declining for years, though recent half-year figures from the RIAA could signal a steeper drop ahead. Whisper numbers from major label executives have also pointed to potentially dour year-end tallies, though the all-important fourth quarter is mostly unfinished. Regardless of the eventual result, executives are now being confronted with a growing concern. Recently, EMI Music chairman and chief executive Alain Levy noted that the CD in its current form is "dead," while pointing to a fresh class of physical releases. "The CD as it is now is dead, but a new version with added value will live on," Levy said during a recent discussion at the London Business School. "By the beginning of next year, none of our CDs will come without added value of some sort, to be accessed when you put the CD into your computer."

DVDs are renowned for their navigation menus and content add-ons, and that could dampen movie piracy in the coming years. But CDs are different, especially within listening environments like the automobile. Labels have been layering extras into CDs for years, and it remains unclear if beefed-up discs will successfully stem piracy and drive retail traffic. Meanwhile, Levy pointed to continued demand for physical formats. "There will always be a need for the physical product," Levy said. "You're not going to give your mother-in-law an iTunes download for Christmas...we are not seeing a downturn from the supermarkets, I think sales are actually going up." A transcript of the comments were supplied to Digital Music News by an EMI Music representative.