sampled + sorted

First listen. Think I’m gonna love this.

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:21:29 -0500

First listen. Think I’m gonna love this.

Great remix of the last track on my last mix. Still sad I missed...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:42:00 -0500

Great remix of the last track on my last mix.

Still sad I missed his shows in both NYC and SF.

Apple tops $200bn market cap and continues to close in on...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:20:23 -0500

Apple tops $200bn market cap and continues to close in on Microsoft. As SAI puts it:

Unless Microsoft manages a miracle and produces an unprecedented run of amazing growth-driving products, the only question is when — not if — Apple’s market cap will surge ahead.

Fantastic.

Retired the old Nike ID trainers.

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:43:44 -0500

Retired the old Nike ID trainers.

Finally watched The Last Picture Show tonight.

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:02:56 -0500

Finally watched The Last Picture Show tonight.

nevver: “Right again, Robin!” Duo (ver. 1.0) Loved Batman.

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:48:08 -0500

nevver:

“Right again, Robin!” Duo (ver. 1.0)

Loved Batman.

jstn: This product recommendation site Svpply is...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:46:52 -0500

jstn:

This product recommendation site Svpply is awesome.

Beautiful.

Check out Justin’s gorgeous photo site while you’re at it.

(via architectureblog)

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:39:21 -0500

(via architectureblog)

fascinated: The Hard Candy Shell pitch is excellent. Fits on...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:10:15 -0500

fascinated:

The Hard Candy Shell pitch is excellent. Fits on one page, is succinct and clear and projects confidence.

Hot.

And HCS even sounds to be channeling Gordon : )

Malcolm Gladwell reviews Dan Pink’s new book, Drive: In...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:21:12 -0500

Malcolm Gladwell reviews Dan Pink’s new book, Drive:

In “Drive,” he tackles the question of what motivates people to do innovative work, and his jumping-off point is the academic work done over the past few decades that consistently shows that financial rewards hinder creativity…What the research shows, instead, is that the great wellspring of creativity is intrinsic motivation—that is, I do my best work for personal rewards (out of love or intellectual fulfillment) and not external motivation (money).

Fascinating, though not entirely surprising. Just ordered this.

The 8tracks T-shirt.

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:39:14 -0500

The 8tracks T-shirt.

Four Tet at the Independent in SF, 26 February 2009.

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:43:11 -0500

Four Tet at the Independent in SF, 26 February 2009.

screamingdreamerjon: (via worth1000words)

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:00:46 -0500

screamingdreamerjon:

(via worth1000words)

My new mix.

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:07:48 -0500

My new mix.

fascinated: hypem: snow day in NYC! (made by...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:06:56 -0500

fascinated:

hypem:

snow day in NYC!

(made by Anthony)

Awesome

Only 2/3 of mobile phone users text, and only 1/4 use the web.

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:49:28 -0500

Only 2/3 of mobile phone users text, and only 1/4 use the web.

Brian Eno on making music, innovation by "leaving things out," & nomenclature [brilliant]

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:35:00 -0500

“A way to make new music is to imagine looking back at the past from a future and imagine music that could have existed but didn’t. Like East African free jazz, which as far as I know does not exist. To some extent, this was how ambient music emerged.

“My interest in making music has been to create something that does not exist that I would like to listen to, not because I wanted a job as a musician. I wanted to hear music that had not yet happened, by putting together things that suggested a new thing which did not yet exist. It’s like having a ready-made formula if you are able to read it.

“One of the innovations of ambient music was leaving out the idea that there should be melody or words or a beat… so in a way that was music designed by leaving things out – that can be a form of innovation, knowing what to leave out. All the signs were in the air all around with ambient music in the mid 1970s, and other people were doing a similar thing.

“I just gave it a name. Which is exactly what it needed. A name. A name. Giving something a name can be just the same as inventing it. By naming something you create a difference. You say that this is now real. Names are very important.”

From this most excellent interview in the Guardian.

My thoughts on on-demand streaming

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:52:00 -0500

I generally don’t write much about the sector anymore (too busy trying to make 8tracks work while paying the bills), but I thought worth re-posting my response to The Key to Making Free Music Services Work here.

/ / /

Keep in mind that the largest category of music service today is — by far — ad-supported radio, which generates ~$39bn in revs globally, about TWICE that thrown off by recorded music.

On-demand streaming at today’s royalty rates ($.005/stream at the low end) requires direct consumer payment to be sustainable. As Pandora has shown, an internet radio service taking the compulsory license can, despite rates that are still really expensive ($.001/stream), achieve profitability.

Fundamentally — and as Jobs has noted in the past — music is different from video content in that its utility continues over time; as such, it lends itself to an ownership model. Cable TV works just fine as a subscription b/c you don’t have much need to “save” the programming.

While I think music acquired illegally (P2P, iPod-swapping, CD-burning) will likely always remain the largest component of the market, and internet radio may well take over from iTMS and other a la carte download services to become the second-largest category over time, an on-demand subscription could gain some traction if it also incorporates downloads at a reasonable price/track, e.g. either eMusic incorporates something like Rhapsody, or vice-versa.

afutureinnoise: New Order - “Love Vigilantes” (Live) Still my...

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:00:56 -0500

afutureinnoise:

New Order - “Love Vigilantes” (Live)

Still my favorite band of all time.

Looks like ~1 in 3 Twitter users are <25.

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:09:00 -0500

Looks like ~1 in 3 Twitter users are <25.