Site of the Minute Profile- Shuffler.fm

During the past few years several great websites have popped up that change the way internet surfers discover new useful websites, and music listeners discover new music.  Today's post is a look at the first site I've found that does both simultaneously.  That's right, we are at the intersection of Pandora + Stumbleupon.  World, say hello to Shuffler.fm

Pandora:  This week happens to be the fifth birthday of Pandora.com, the home of the great music genome project.  Pandora revolutionized the way consumers listen to music.  Operating as a radio station where the listener does not have control over what songs will play next, the user interacts with the station to shape it over time so that familiar and new music fitting the listener's taste is delivered to their ears. 

Stumbleupon:  How does one discover new websites?  If you know what type of site you are looking for, a cursory google search can be great.  For the more adventurous soul, stumbleupon.com is the way to go.  Users of this site select a general category of site they are interested in finding (ex: music, ancient history, cyberculture) and the site delivers you to a random website withing your selected genre.  Users get to skip to a new site when desired, maximizing your control and ability to find new information fast.

Shuffler.fm:  Alas, meet Shuffler.fm.  This site is an absolute gem for music junkies with free time on their hands.  Shuffler is a hybrid of Pandora and Stumbleupon, delivering users new websites and music simultaneously.  The site works by categorizing music by genre.  Once the user selects a genre they are delivered to a random music blog and Shuffler streams a song mentioned on that blog.  Each time a song ends you are then delivered a new song and a new blog.  Of course, you can choose to bookmark blogs or stay at a site if you are really digging it.
The Shuffler project was launched on August 17, 2010 out of Amsterdam.  Already the site offers a wide array of genres to select from, including: hip-hop, indie rock, psychedelic, alt-country, funk, punk, dubstep, mashup, jazz and much much more.  Shuffler definitely requires the user to have time on their hands.  Unlike Pandora, you will want to be visually engaged with your streaming music as blogs are also being delivered.  I can't think of a better way to hear and learn about new music.  This site is particularly useful if you are interested in delving into a genre of music you aren't familiar with.  Give it a try and roll the dice- see what comes up on an eclectic channel like trip-hop, or even "Canadian" (wacky foreigners). 

Jenny & Johnny the Upcoming Album

Disclaimer: I have high expectations for any new music put out by Jenny Lewis whether its solo or with Rilo Kiley. Forget these other female pop-stars (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry...) who always seem to put a desire to be in the spotlight ahead of the primal urge to make amazing music and write inspiring lyrics. Lewis is the real deal American Woman hero.

Disclaimer: I'm a married man, but for Jenny Lewis there is an unwritten contract between my wife and I that given the opportunity I'm allowed to make out with her. How did I stumble upon this luck? (I married the right woman...) Lewis is simply so talented at what she does and so confident that she can make both men and women swoon in awe of her talent. That's right, if given the opportunity I think my wife would also make out with Jenny Lewis. All of this is gratuitous and about as likely to happen as the Yankees becoming a non-profit organization with the lowest payroll in baseball. The new album "I'm Having Fun Now" (released Aug 31, 2010) by lovebirds Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice shows that their romantic chemistry is strong as can be. Frankly, I'm not bitter about their romance. If a healthy relationship between Jenny & Johnny brings more music like that found on this album, he can have her!

I recently listened to the album which is currently streaming until on NPR until the release date. The big song stuck in my head at the moment is "Big Wave" which has all of Jenny's signatures. A great pop hook over snarling melodic guitars and a canvas of backing vocals. This is the classic Jenny Lewis song that makes you want to play drums on the steering wheal as you drive, and make your hair swing around as you move your head (I'm bald, but in my fantasy there is hair, and I'm swinging it shamelessly).

Throughout the album Jenny & Johnny trade roles taking the lead vocals while the other provides backing harmony. These two have voices that really compliment each other well. There is a fearless chemistry between them. Give a listen to the short and sweet "While Men Are Dreaming" which places Jenny Lewis lead vocals (double tracked for texture) over re-verb heavy guitar and a-Capella style punctuated backing vocals by Johnathan Rice.

Prior to this album I was not familiar with Rice, but it has not taken him long to convert me to being a fan. On the opening track "Scissor Runner," Rice and Lewis trade vocals and douse each other in beautiful harmony. Rice has a smooth voice and delivery similar to that of Lewis. Both artists are masters of going from soulful to edgy on a moments notice, and they each have a fun pleasing way of playing with syllables and the delivery of particular vocals.

This album gets a big enthusiastic thumbs up. I imagine it will be a mainstay on the Deutsch family stereo for some time. More info available at jennyandjohnnymusic.com

Album Review: Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs

The reclusive beard sporting man of the woods Ray Lamontagne is finally starting to sound as though he's enjoying life as a musician. Hooking up with The Pariah Dogs as his backing band, the album has a little more funk and groove than Lamontagne's early work. Overall, the move is a good one. Lamontagne has qualities that remind me of early Neil Young records where the brilliance of songwriting and singing came from a painful place. Both artists at times shine in their music when it sounds as if they are singing out of a physical pain too difficult to communicate by any means other than singing from the gut.

Opening track "Repo Man" swings with funk that could be written by Dave Mathews sans saxophone. The song exudes joy, and you can tell Lamontagne is thoroughly enjoying himself singing with a great rootsy country band. This music is truly worthy of the north-east wilderness a-la music from Big Pink (not to mention Ray's vocals are always reminiscent of Levon Helm). Moving on, the album has some tracks where Lamontagne falls back into his comfort zone. The insignificant "New York City's Killing Me" sounds as though Lamontagne was going through writing without emotion just to add another track to the album.

Other standouts include the first single "Beg Steal or Borrow," and "Old Before Your Time." Here is to hoping that Lamontagne keeps The Pariah Dogs around long term. By adding lap slide guitar, banjo, and a little bit of funk, lamontagne has found a group of musicians that bring strengths to his writing and singing that have not been so visible in the past.

Hide Your Kids and Hide Your Wife: YouTube's Accidental Star of the Minute

Folks, it happened once again. YouTube has birthed an “accidental” musical sensation. The unlikely star is Antoine Dodson (commonly misspelled as Dobson) of the dangerous Huntsville, Alabama. If you have not yet come across the song on the internet or terrestrial radio morning drive shows, you can see the video here "Bedroom Intruder".

Dodson's song was produced by the Gregory Brothers, (Twitter: autotunethenews) who have prior YouTube success by producing videos that remix tv news stories to hip-hop music and the auto-tune effect. Using their successful formula, the Greggory Brothers edited a local news clip of Dodson explaining how he saved his sister from a life threatening rape. Horrifying and dangerous yes, but Dodson adds flair to the original interview that results in pure comedy. Dodson is equal parts hero, thug, flamboyant queen, with a third grader's command of the English language. Amazingly, the song has become so viral that it has bee reported on by the BBC, ABC News, and others. Google Antoine Dodson and the following articles appear: " Antoine Dodson: Riding YouTube Out of the 'Hood' (NPR)," "Antoine Dodson is an Internet Star But at What Cost? (Clutch Magazine)", and dozens of websites with postings titled "Homo-Thug is Back- Antoine Dodson."

Dodson has embraced is sudden fame despite being the butt of many jokes and having nothing to do with production of the song. Perhaps the reasoning is that Dodson has suddenly turned a tragic event into a small goldmine. Bedroom Intruder is available for purchase on iTunes and has sold enough copies to be listed at 89 on this weeks Billboard Hot 100. Dodson and the Gregory Brothers are splitting the proceeds of the song 50/50, and Dodson has set up his own website www.antoine-dodson.com where he sells t-shirts and solicits donations. Dodson has embraced his inner "ghetto" by posting the following on his site: "Hey guys! I just want a real talk session with you guys on why I'm doing the fan line. This fan line will help me and my family move out of the hood and a percentage of the earnings of the fan line will go to a Juvenile diabetes charity."

Accidental success, butt of a joke, 15 minutes of fame. We can all debate the good and the bad, but for the Dodson family tragedy may be their ticket out of the ghetto and into the American dream. Viva la YouTube.

Lala RIP

Its amazing what can happen in a day. On May 1, Lala posted a notice on its website that it will be closing down on May 31. Yesterday's post is now only a glimpse of what people could have experienced.

I hope to get more details on why the sudden close is occurring. Sit tight and keep the musing streaming.

Lala, Apple Owns its Stiffest Competition

Cloud computing is going to change the way we consume music. The revolution begins with Lala.com, a site offering ownership in place of streaming radio. Unique features offered by lala include the ability to try music before purchasing it, and the ability to purchase two different licenses that offer more or less user control over the music being purchased.

Step one; try your music. The days of the local music store are essentially gone. I recall going to a local chain store at the mall that allowed customers to listen to an album in store before purchasing it. Good luck doing this at a big box store like Walmart or Best Buy. Lala restores this feature by enabling users to listen to any song once in its entirety before acquiring a license. You can even listen to an entire album straight through without making a purchase. If you like what you hear, move to step two.

Step two; listen online. Particularly useful to persons who have internet access on their mobile phone, or who generally live their lives within reach of internet devices, lala offers a cheap license for unlimited lifetime internet streaming of its songs. For only $0.10 a song can be acquired. In most cases, the internet license for an album will cost less than a cup of coffee. As the internet slowly creeps into our on the go lives, from car stereos to mobile phones and tablets, this feature may be the best deal available for legal ownership. The only real downside of this feature is that you must have an internet connection to access your music account. Lala allows users to up their license, thus if you acquire the limited internet use license you can always splurge to buy full ownership of the music for ten cents less than it would otherwise cost.

Step three; take your music with you anywhere because you own it. If a limited internet only license is too hi-tech or too limiting for your lifestyle, go all out and buy the full use license. Lala charges $0.89 per song, remarkably less expensive than the iTunes price. At this price, you own the mp3 track and download it to your hard-drive. You will also have access to listen to the song online remotely, if you are away from home.

Apple, Inc. acquired Lala in late 2009. iTunes is currently the largest music retailer in the world (in sales), yet Apple offers lower prices through Lala. It is unclear whether the full purchase price of $0.89 will last, perhaps it is being used as a short term effort to boost consumer use of Lala. Since being acquired by Apple, Lala has expanded its music offerings and has licensing agreements with the big four record companies, EMI, Universal Music Group, Sony-BMG, and Warner Music Group. With several smaller labels on board, consumers have the opportunity to acquire lots of music for very little money. For the tech-savvy individual who likes having tangible ownership, Lala was practically made for you.

Benjamins, Dead Presidents, Mullah....

Billboard Magazine recently released its list of the top 40 money making artists for 2009. As usual, the top earners made their living money by touring. This trend is one of the primary catalysts pushing record companies to seek "360" contracts with their artists. The 360 deal allows record companies to keep a piece of the action not only from record sales, but also from tour income and other ventures such as sponsorships, publishing and merchandise sales.

This year the top 40 earners took in between $9,421,947 and $108,601,283. The nearly $100 million difference is remarkable. At the bottom end of the spectrum is Bette Midler. The aging diva has an ongoing 90-date Las Vegas engagement at Caesars Palace. The top dog on the list is U2, whose 360 tour was the most expensive tour project ever. U2's cost to run each show was a staggering $750,000 but the band more than made up for this cost by performing stadium concerts in the round. The band was able to sell more tickets at each venue by rotating the stage and playing to all angles. Remarkably, U2 earned nearly twice the amount of runner up Bruce Springsteen ($57,619,037). The top ten was rounded off by Madonna, AC/DC, Britney Spears ($36.4 million of 38.8 million was earned from tour), Pink, Jonas Brothers, Coldplay, Kenny Chesney, and Metallica.

Year after year, data shows that live music touring generates the greatest incomes. This has notably kept hip-hop artists off the top earnings list. The top earning hip-hop artist this year was Lil Wayne, ranking at number 30 ($12,855,174). Musicians looking to build a sustainable and profitable career should start by honing their skills as a live performance act. Album sales have been hurt by piracy and the growth of on demand internet radio. One principle remains: No matter how much technology advances, the live concert performance experience cannot be replaced.