Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Right here, right now

"No matter where we are, no matter what we do and what we face, we have to take care of this moment. That's all.

This moment is not the idea of this moment. If you see it as a concept, it becomes frozen. But the real moment is not frozen. The only thing to do is to see and deal with this moment as it is - right now, right here."


Dainin Katagiri

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Copyrights soon a thing of the past?

Not too long ago, Trent Reznor of the band Nine Inch Nails announced his decision to start releasing his music independently, without the "help" of record companies. Prior to that, Radiohead, pioneering the concept, released their latest album online, giving you the choice between downloading it for free or donating the amount you think they deserve for their efforts.

In my eyes, music is art. To the record companies it is first and foremost a commodity, and I, for one, would love to see the demise of this greedy and shallow business. I hope, and truly believe, this is the beginning of the end for the sort of mass-produced drivel that has dominated the music world for years and years.

Get Trent Reznor's new project here.
Get Radiohead's album here.

The most beautiful part about it, is this method ensures that the artist himself gets the full amount, instead of the 5% or so they usually get.

A different approach is taken by Mark Erelli, who offers his fans the chance to support and participate in the recording process from day one. By pre-ordering his album, you give him money towards studio-time rental and other expenses, and give him the chance to experience complete artistic freedom in the process. Kris Delmhorst has done something similar. Check it out here.

To top it off, one of my favourite bands of the past few years, Glossary, decided to give away their latest album. Do yourself a favour and check it out here.