Latch Music's Ezine #43
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* "The Zine" content is contributed by Dave Latchaw and colleagues who use the Internet to promote their musical projects. You can check out previous issues at "The Zine" Archives.
- Article: "File Sharing" by Dave Latchaw
- Guest Artist: Bill Jackson - One of Cincinnati's coolest!
- Featured Web Site: newmusicbiz.info
- Featured Web Video: Club d'Elf
- CD Pick: Marc Johnson "The Sound Of Summer Running"
File Sharing
by Dave Latchaw
There is no doubt that the music business is in a digital dilemma. Right or wrong, file sharing is not going to go away, no matter how much the RIAA kicks, screams and sues John Doe. John Doe will keep right on developing and using technology that will allow them to keep sharing the music in more stealthy ways. The music industry has been dragging their feet with new technology because they haven't yet figured out how to control it. They still want to have their rather large portion of the pie. Technology is making them have to change their business models to try and still make the buckets of money they've become accustomed to. One intriguing business model the music industry and independent artists should look into is called Weed. It promotes a legitimate method of file sharing and respects the artists' rights. Respecting the artists' rights has always been a challenge for the record bizz, and illegal downloaders and uploaders are obviously not respecting artists and copyrights either.
The recent lawsuit brought by the RIAA against 532 illegal file sharers using their numerical computer address, known as an "IP" (Internet Protocol) address, will surely be a waste of time and money. There will be so many privacy issues to deal with that not much will come of the RIAA's efforts other than publicity. File sharers probably still won't think twice about what they are doing. Even if the court makes public the names associated with the Internet Protocol addresses being sued, it won't stop the sharing of files. According to the RIAA's website, the new lawsuits have targeted only uploaders of music or people that are sharing music. Uploaders are the people who make music files available for others to copy. Of course if there were no downloaders, there would be no uploaders! Check out the article describing the lawsuits on the RIAA's website. One thing is for sure - people want music!
The RIAA lawsuits will just make the uploader and downloader explore new methods of sharing. File sharers will stay ahead in the cat and mouse game by adopting encryption tools like WINW and BadBlue. To me, the whole file sharing thing is very similar to the days of prohibition. We all know how well that worked. When there are laws prohibiting a product that has a high level of demand, it just creates an underground scene which is not regulated. When sites like Kazaa and Gnutella lose the interest of people or are sued out of existence, there will always be next generation of sites such as eDonkey2000 - Overnet or BitTorrent to rise up. File sharing is not going to go away, but it is absolutely necessary to protect copyright and intellectual property. Downloading music without compensating the copyright holder is just wrong. There has to be a new approach to dealing with illegal music sharing on the Internet.
Consumers quickly embrace revolutionary technology, which makes it seem very normal in a short amount of time. Those in the entertainment industry have been fearful of technology. First it was silent movies with the talkies, then the film industry with television, television with VCR, and so on. After some time goes by with new technologies, we usually wonder what all the fear was about. You can see the Music Industry trying to get into the Internet music scene with such sites as iTunes, Rhapsody and others. The only hope for the Music Industry and artists is to create legitimate ways to get music on the Internet that are more appealing than the illegitimate ways. That will be the only way it will be useful for all.
Money is a big motivator. A web site called Weed has a brilliant plan for sharing music. Instead of trying to shut down file sharing, Weed thinks people should be paid for it. Instead of punishing fans who don't respect artists' rights, they think it makes more sense to reward those who do. You can listen to files that have been through the Weed web site process three times for free (on most computer's music software), then you either have to buy it or you can't listen to it anymore. Three free listens seems reasonable enough for the consumer to decide to buy the file or not. When the shared file is purchased, 50% of every sale always goes to the artist or publisher who owns the song, and 15% to Weed. The remaining 35% is divided between three more levels of sharers; 20%, 10% and 5% respectively, a tiered system. This system rewards the artist and the person sharing it, which I think is a very intriguing approach. Make it easy for all to share files and be legit.
In my first meeting with my former manager, Luke O'Reilly, he discussed how distribution is the key for the success with one's music. If the legitimate music business adopted a method similar to Weed, the illegal sharing of music could be greatly diminished. A person who is into sharing music would be motivated to share legitimate music files because of the possibility of making some money. Even if the record industry made only 15% of a shared file that is purchased, that is more than the nothing they currently make on illegal files. Letting someone listen to a music file three times before they decide to purchase it or not does not seem too much of a sacrifice for the artist or company. Many times when one buys a $16.00 CD there are only a couple of tunes they dig anyway, which inspires the music consumer to find illegally the few tracks they do want. The music business is beginning to realize that if a person can get the tracks they want for a $1.00 each, they will be more inclined to do that than to buy the $16.00 disc. iTunes, Rhapsody and other legitimate sites are on the right track, but if the distribution fees are shared with people who are into sharing music illegally, similar to the Weed model, it could make the whole process of illegal music go away.
Related Sites
- RIAA
- Weed
- WINW
- BadBlue
- Kazaa
- Gnutella
- BitTorrent
- iTunes
- Rhapsody
Bill Jackson
#1 Who were some of your earliest influences, and how have they inspired you to pursue music?
There are so many influences, beginning with my family members who all sang and played instruments. Once I heard my first ""jazz" records, Jaco, Stanley Clarke, Weather Report, Pat Metheny, I was very drawn to that sound. Dave Latchaw and other friends turned me on to those records. Brian Derek was able to show me how Jaco got his sound. Ron Barber taught me many tunes and encouraged me to pursue playing the acoustic bass. Throughout my career I've been influenced by a range of musicians in a range of styles including Paul Chambers, Cachao, Marc Johnson, Steve Kuhn and Jimmy Martin to name a few....not to mention the people I play with every day.
#2 What is it about the bass that makes it your main instrument?
You can work a lot on the bass so it is my main instrument. I just loved the sound and the role of it. I started playing it in my early teens and in addition to loving the sound, I was attracted to the rhythmic aspect of the bass and it's relationship to the drums (I love drums), and it's harmonic function. It was a fun place to be in the band.
#3 Which other instruments do you play, and how do they influence your bass playing?
I enjoy experimenting with drums, percussion, guitar, even the banjo and the dobro. I do this because it's fun and I like to learn about different styles of music. The by-product of that is that I may have a heightened awareness of what the other musicians are doing. You grow as a musician the more you learn about music on any instrument.
#4 What kind of educational experiences have you had that have allowed you to be successful in so many styles of music?
I had a solid High School band experience. Then I spent some time at Berklee College of Music in Boston. I was exposed to many great musicians and intense music classes. Returning from Boston, I completed my B.M.E. with a concentration on classical guitar. These formal experiences have helped me technically and stylistically. Being able to read music fluently has been a foundation of any success I've had. The variety of playing situations I find myself in motivate me to educate myself about the music I play. There is always something different to discover.
#5 What was your experience like recording on the CD "Split Personalities" with V2 recording artists, 12Rods?
These fine young musicians were students of mine in their early teens. They were always very talented and continued to pursue music as young adults. I was always interested to hear about their progress and experiences. After much hard work, song writing, and gigs, they signed a record deal with V2 records. I was very surprised when Chris McGuire (drums) called and said they would like me to play bass on certain songs on the recording. I knew it would be a stretch, stylistically, for me. I was never a rocker and suddenly I was to be paid to play on a rock record! I quickly found myself playing fender bass with a pick - quite different from my natural style. I learned a lot from them with their suggestions and direction. The teacher/student role reversal made for interesting recording sessions.
#6 What have been some of your most memorable performing situations, and why?
One early situation that is particularly memorable was playing with Louis Bellson in High School. During rehearsal he was giving suggestions around the band. When it came to me he said, "You are a good bass player. Keep doing what you are doing." That made me feel good and was very inspiring and motivating. Even though I was an inexperienced High School student, he heard potential.
Other memorable performances:
- with Red Rodney - to share the stage with someone so close to Bird - wow.
- with Cal Collins - it was always a privilege and memorable to play with Cal. I feel honored to have recorded with him on J Curve Records, "Cincinnati Jazz Collection, Vol. II".
- with Roland Vasquez - Composer/Percussionist. Recently I've enjoyed the challenge of performing his Afro-Latin Chamber Music.
I've also had the good fortune to play with saxophone greats Steve Wilson, Don Braden, and Jevon Jackson, drummers John VonOhlen, Kenny Arnoff and Ed Shaughnessey, guitarist Dan Faehnle, and steel drummers Tom Miller and Darren Dyke, to name a few. These are people who push you to play your best and rise to any occasion. Sometimes the most remarkable music is played with the local musicians for whom I have great respect.
#7 Where on the Internet can people find links to the various projects/groups that you work with?
Tropicoso
Award winning Latin Dance Band, popular on the Cincinnati scene.
www.mike-wade.com
Trumpeter Mike Wade leads his group with notables such as Steve Wilson and Don Braden as guests, as well as in
performances at Blues Alley in Washington D.C.
Bacchanal Steel Band
Besides performing regionally, this steel band quartet presents educational programs featuring the history, construction, and
stylistic versatility of the instruments.
Pacchia Jazz Room
Columbus, Ohio based pianist Eric Augis, leads the group at the Pacchia Jazz Room. With Tony Franklin on drums, this house trio in
Dayton, Ohio features a different guest artist each week. Two frequent guests are: Dan
Faehnle and Pete Mills.
#8 What future projects or events should people look for from you?
Tropicoso is currently recording it's first release coming out later this year.
I will be performing with Roland Vasquez at the Louisville Jazz Festival on February 25th.
You can always find me at my regular gigs: Mondays at the Mad Frog with Tropicoso, Tuesdays at the Blue Wisp with the Phil DeGreg Trio, Wednesdays at Jack Quinn's with Tropicoso, Thursdays at the Pacchia Jazz Room with Erik Augis and Guests. Fridays and Saturdays I'm at Kaldi's Coffee House, La Tradicion, Chez Nora, or various local venues. Sundays at Madiera-Silverwood Presbyterian Church, The Park United Methodist Church, or Mt. Healthy United Methodist Church.
newmusicbiz.info
The independent musician needs to gather information from a variety of sources to take control of their career. Bret Primack, who is behind newmusicbiz.info, started in 1977 as a music journalist, published hundreds of articles worldwide as well as writing liner notes for such artists as McCoy Tyner and Ella Fitzgerald, and was also director of Jazz Central Station web site. On the newmusicbiz web site there is an excellent resource page with a great variety of information for the Internet musician. Bret Primack also makes available his book "How To Make It Big In The New Music Biz, A Step By Step Guide", free to read here. The Internet is not going to go away. Check out newmusicbiz.info, you may get some new ideas for helping your Internet career.
Club d'Elf
Mike Rivard is leader and bassist for the very cool group Club d'Elf. Club d'Elf has a brilliant dub-trance-groove vibe with elements of electronica, hip hop, funk, and free jazz as well as Moroccan and West African trance traditions. The rest of the core band members are Jerry Leake on tablas and percussion, Jere Faison on sampler, and Erik Kerr on drums. Each show there may a different line up and approach, with a great collection of guest players that includes John Medeski, DJ Logic, Dana Colley (Morphine), Mat Maneri and Danny Blume (Liminal Lounge), Roger Miller and Duke Levine. Club d'Elf have a concert video at the Digital Club Network of their gig at the Cat's Cradle on 9/12/02. Click here for the Digital Club Network page featuring Club d'Elf, then click on the Cat's Cradle link under "WEBCASTS". Enjoy!
Related Sites
- John Medeski
- DJ Logic
- Dana Colley
- Mat Maneri
- Duke Levine
Marc Johnson
"The Sound Of Summer Running"
What a wonderful collection of tunes and musicians. "The Sound Of Summer Running" is a sonic adventure capturing the sounds of Americana. The performance on this recording is a wonderful example of monster players respecting the music and working as a team to bring the best interpretation of each composition forward. Any one person in this band could have over-played on this music, which would have destroyed the whole musical moment. "The Sound Of Summer Running" is a great example of what I think chamber jazz is all about. Jazz purists may not dig this recording because it is definitely "Jazz with a Twang", but those who can appreciate the music just for it's beauty and not for whether it conforms to this or that to be heavy, will find "The Sound Of Summer Running" in heavy rotation in their music collection. Get it today, you'll be glad you did.
Musicians for "The Sound Of Summer Running"
Marc Johnson - Bass
Bill Frisell - Electric and Acoustic Guitars
Pat Metheny - Guitar, Synclavier and Keyboard Bass
Joey Baron - Drums
Tracks for "The Sound Of Summer Running"
- Faith In You
- Ghost Town
- Summer Running
- With My Boots On
- Union Pacific
- Porch Swing
- Dingy - Dong Day
- The Adventures Of Max And Ben
Click here to learn more about "The Sound Of Summer Running"
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