We have welcomed many new users to MusicMaster in the past 30 years. For many of you, that meant having your data converted from other scheduling software. Your converted data was returned to you set up, and ready for you to schedule and export a log to your automation system. (more…)
Feel like you should set up Dataset Security in MusicMaster for your formats? It’s a wise idea and helps you protect your database from unknowing hands roaming about the radio station. (more…)
You likely already have (or had used in the past) some method to keep track of what songs were actually aired on your station that weren’t initially accounted for when you scheduled the music logs. (more…)
Listener Driven Radio is software for radio built on the concept of crowdsourcing. LDR makes it possible for your listeners to go online, or to their Smartphone or iPhone, and offer their input into what plays next on your radio station. LDR is constantly absorbing listener input, song votes, and comments on music, and automatically adapting programming in real-time. Your audience can control your station’s on-air product within the parameters set by the Program Director. LDR also automatically feeds the radio station’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, helping to increase your listener tune-in.
If you’re listening to urban or top 40 these days, chances are you’ve had that Pitbull song, “Calle Ocho” stuck in your head at least once. You know which one I mean: “one, two, three, four, uno, dos, tres, cuatro!” I can actually remember the first time I heard the song. I was listening to Ryan Seacrest’s Top 40 through an internet stream and after hearing him preface the track by saying how quickly it’d grown in popularity on the West Coast prior to its radio debut, I started paying attention. Back then, I assumed the song would take some time to filter through from both coasts to the midwest. Now, I hear it everywhere. While I’m shopping, while I’m at the gym, even while I’m trying to sleep at night and some kids are cruising by with their radio blasting and the windows down.
Since the debut of that song I’ve moved from the Midwest to the West Coast and have discovered some great Hispanic/Latino artists. One worth mentioning is Notch, an artist who I believe could be a significant contender to Pitbull if only he could get that shot at some syndicated radio play. Notch (“Normal Howell”) is an American born artist of Jamaican and Afro-Cuban descent. In the nineties, he was helping introduce reggae to North American while performing in the duo Born Jamaican. In 2007, he released a solo album “Raised By The People” – which happens to be the latest album that found its way onto my iPod. It’s a mix of hip-hop, R&B, dancehall and reggaeton with both English and Spanish lyrics. There are some truly solid tracks on the album. One of my favorites is the 200 mile per hour “Que Te Pica” which I’m certain I’ve heard before in my zumba dance class at the gym. The human body is not capable of sitting still while that song is playing. Other tracks of note include the rhythmically interesting “Layaway Love” which I think would make a uniquely exotic addition to a mainstream hip/hop or urban station. Or, for a station that’s playing to a primarily hispanic or afro-latino audience looking for something to blast from their car stereo while driving past my apartment at night, I’d recommend checking out “Dale Pa’Tra” or “Bailar Reggae.” I’ve got to say, while Pitbull is busy co-writing that new fight song for the Miami Dolphins, his worthy contender could make good use out of a shot in the spotlight. For more, give the album a test drive on iTunes or visit Notch’s official site here.
To accept my “Listen To Que Te Pica Without Dancing Foolishly” challenge, check out the YouTube link below. And seriously, if you know someone who takes Zumba, ask them about this song!
I can’t knock the choir nerds; I was one of them myself back in college. There’s something pretty unreal about fifty people weaving ten part harmonies together in perfect unison, grinding into some raw dissonant note against the melodic line of the tenors. But unbeknownst to me at the time, while we were rocking Americana and Mozart, our campus a cappella group was putting a new spin on the stuff that was on my iPod. Without any instrument accompaniment, these groups recreate indie rock with complex layers of harmony and a throwback to doo wap style (with a little beat boxing to cover the all-important drum track). It’s no wonder that a joke among these dedicated musicians is “All my friends think they’re instruments.”
From what I’ve discovered, most universities seem to have an a cappela group (more specifically, around 1200 exist in the U.S.). These bands have toured the country and even performed on Letterman, Saturday Night Live, and The West Wing. Remember Anoop Desai from this season of American Idol? Yeah, he sang in one too (The UNC Clef Hangers – see video below).
However, even with the help of the Internet, few groups are heard by anyone outside of the campus community. While many record albums, only a handful are available on the iTunes store. I myself might have never heard of the genre had it not been for musician Ben Folds. Along with covering their favorite music from bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Panic at the Disco, Regina Spektor, Muse and Rihanna to name a few, the a-cappellans have dipped heavily into the catalogue of Ben Folds. It’s no surprise; Ben Folds is a musician whose music is also a staple of the college curriculum. If you haven’t heard his work, you should. He can belt out a bitter rant about suburban hypocrisy one minute, then pull back into a stunningly poetic piece about a couple heading to an abortion clinic, or an old retiree being escorted out of his office. For a quick listen, I’d recommend “Brick” (I think this one even made radio play a decade ago), “Rockin’ The Suburbs” or “The Luckiest.” You might also ask your local college student/teenager to point you in the right direction.
In April of 2009, Ben Folds released an album that was a result of scouting some of the best college a cappella groups in the country that were covering his songs. The album features groups from Princeton to the University of Wisconsin -Eau Claire and delivers sixteen incredible tracks. Ben himself lends his vocals to two of the tracks, while the remainder are led by some astonishingly talented young soloists. In the background, Ben’s piano and modest backing have been transformed by a rich mix of harmonies and the mind-boggling fugue of non-vocal utterances (doh-dohs, ooh-wahhs, dongs, jims, joe-dahs, and Heaven knows what else). Some of the pieces are rendered tenderly in the lyrical choral style, while others resemble what you’d hear if the local Barber Shop Quartet was on an LSD trip. Whatever your tastes in music may be, this is one musical adventure worth checking out.
Here’s a YouTube link to the documentary Ben Folds created highlighting the project, which may give you a good idea as to what it’s all about. Or, for more immediate gratification, here’s one of my favorite selections from the album. It’s The University of Chicago Voices in your Head recording “Magic”
And of course, how could I let you go without a video of Anoop Desai back in his college a cappella days? This is the UNC Clef Hangers cover of Ne-Yo’s “Sexy Love” with soloing vocals by the “Noop-Dog” himself.
If you like what you’re hearing, I’d recommend searching for the University of Chicago’s “Voices In Your Head” album, the University of Wisconsin MadHatters, or the Freshen Fifteen on iTunes. You may also want to check out the annual collections of the “Best of College Acappella” or BOCA (2008 and 2009’s albums are also available on iTunes, but prepare for more beatboxing and studio rendering than you’ll hear in the others). There’s nothing quite like hearing one of your favorite hits reinvented this way!
We’re excited to bring you a new blog feature, a flashback to the past and your high school prom! Whether you sported the ultra-shiny pastel prom garb of the eighties or your prom queen balanced her tiara atop a fifties beehive, we’ll do our best to provide the soundtrack to your prom memories.
Today, we’re taking you back to 1959. The gymnasium is decked out with blue and green streamers and white balloons bob underfoot. Cut-outs of glitter-coated fish hang from the ceiling – the theme of the night, after all, is “Sea of Love”. There’s not a male head in the house that hasn’t been coated with half a jar of Brylcreem. The girls are lovely in satin dresses with full skirts, and have spent the better part of the day pinning and setting their hair to acheive that “natural wave.” The excitement in the air is electric – this bash is sure to be a blast. A juke in the corner is stacked up with the playlist of the evening, a mix of dance-worthy rock ‘n roll and the all-important slow dance ballads. Tonight’s young lovers may have a chance to sneak a kiss while the chaperones are busy refilling the punch bowl.
Our music for the evening begins with the prom’s theme, “Sea of Love” by Phil Phillips. Couples pair up, wall-flowers hit their posts. But when “La Bamba” begins to play, the tight formations come apart into a sea of hep teens swaying and jiving American Bandstand style. Now we’re cookin’! So don’t be a party pooper. Put on your dancing shoes, grab your dream lover, and follow along on a musical journey through Prom Night 1959…
On January 18, 2008, Pete Seeger joined Bruce Springsteen and grandson Tao Rodriguez Seeger to honor President Barack Obama in the finale of his Inaugural concert. With this patriotic gesture, Seeger celebrated a new chapter in American history and closed a chapter in his own. Out of the millions that watched his performance, few might have recalled that fifty years back, Seeger had been labeled anti-American and banned from public performances and radio airplay.
Sixty years before Seeger took the stage in Washington DC, he and three other musicians calling themselves The Weavers landed their first gig in the Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City. Shortly after, the group had landed a contract with Decca Records and by 1949 had a hit song with Lead Belly’s “Goodnight Irene”. Over the next decade, Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Lee Hays, Fred Hellerman popularized traditional folk songs, inspiring the “folk boom” that followed in the 50’s and 60’s which included The Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary. Hit songs included labor songs and folk classics like “On Top of Old Smoky” “The Wreck of the John B” “Follow the Drinking Gourd” and “Pay Me My Money Down.” Their inspirational performances were typically sing-alongs, with Seeger shouting out the lyrics before each line.
Led by the witch hunts of Senator Joe McCarthy, the Red Scare of the 1950’s included the investigation and blacklisting of many performing artists suspected of touting anti-American believes. As the Weavers had a history of singing protest songs and folk songs with a leftist and pro-Union slant, they soon came under scrutiny. When the group shied away from their more controversial material, they were criticized by the left-wing press for selling out. Meanwhile, right-wing and anti-Communist groups protested at their performances. Soon, the Weavers had found themselves under FBI surveillance and were blacklisted by the entertainment industry. No longer able to play large venues or get radio airplay, the Weavers lost fans. In 1953, Decca terminated their recording contract and deleted their songs from its catalog.
In 1955, the group reunited to perform a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. As a result, the Weavers were signed by the independent Vanguard Records and a recording of the concert was released. By this point in time, folk music was gaining popularity and the effect of McCarthy’s extremism was fading. While the Weavers found renewed success, however, Seeger left in bad terms. After the group was hired to provide the vocals for a cigarette commercial, Seeger – who was opposed to tobacco – left the group after fulfilling his commitments in 1958. Seeger went on to have a fulfilling solo career.
Given McCarthy’s history of exaggerating his accusations, it’s difficult to condemn Seeger and The Weavers. Though Seeger had become a member of the Young Communist League at the age of 17, he had drifted away from the Party after the war. While with The Almanac Singers, Seeger sang: “Now, Mr. President (Roosevelt)/We haven’t always agreed in the past, I know/But that ain’t at all important now/What is important is what we go to do/We got to lick Mr. Hitler and until we do/Other things can wait.”
Seeger spent a lifetime merging music and political activism and despite differences in opinion, he honored the American system by exercising the right to free speech. Whether or not Americans have become more or less forgiving of the uncommon viewpoint half a century later, today’s controversial artists are undeniably free from political persecution. Artists with agendas (think of recent statements by Eminem and Kayne) will continue to enjoy the freedom to strike a chord with some and discord with others. And a man who was once marked as a political enemy can play the stage at the inauguration of a president.
The Weavers were honored for their struggles during the 2006 Grammys. After receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, group member Fred Hellerman recounted the persecution for the crowd, declaring: “If you can exist, and stay the course — not a course of blind obstinacy and faulty conception — but one of decency and good sense, you can outlast your enemies with your honor and integrity intact.”
Just a little sampling of the artists that have been looping on our iPods this week…
1. Apollo’s Child
This yet-to-be-official young phenome first hooked me with one of his cover songs posted on YouTube, a heartfelt rendition of Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek.” In that moment, nineteen-year old Sean Ryan had earned another fan for his solo project. He calls himself “Apollo’s Child” and is responsible for, as he writes, “everything you hear.” Ryan, who describes his music as a mesh between rock and electronica, has found his way into the modern fanbase by spreading his music across sites such as Myspace, PureVolume, YouTube and Last.fm. Ryan was born into a musical family, inspired by his father’s love for The Beatles and by singing alongside his mother in the choir. Throughout his childhood and early teen years, Ryan perfected his musical talents, learning the arts of both performance and production. Using Apple Garageband, Ryan put together his first multi-track album, titled Masquerade of Aspersions. Though it was originally intended for friends and family only, Ryan later offered the music for free download online. Currently, Ryan is working from the ‘home studio’ in his bedroom to develop vocal tracks and collaboration projects for his upcoming album.
I recommend:
“Let’s Be Honest” – well-produced toe-tapping electronica
“Better Left Unsaid” – you don’t want to miss this meditation-worthy multi-part harmony
2. Bon Iver
Following a helpful suggestion from iTunes, I was fortunate enough to discover the “Blood Bank” EP from Bon Iver. What set these tracks apart from all the rest was the astonishing variability – each song off the EP could be in a different genre of music altogether. Bon Iver is the brainchild of indie folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. The band’s debut album “For Emma, Forever Ago” was released in 2007. Much of it was recorded during Vernon’s three month stay in a cabin in Northern Wisconsin, a frigid experience which ultimately led to the band’s name – a translation from the French for ‘good winter.’ Bon Iver’s debut album has been highly reviewed in publications such as The Village Voice and The A.V. Club and its tracks have been featured on TV shows “Grey’s Anatomy” and “House.” Rolling Stone ranked the debut as number 29 on the Top 50 Albums of 2008 and on January 26 2009, album track “Skinny Love” was announced as the #21 song of the year by Australian national radio station “Triple J.” “Blood Bank,” the new EP that iTunes brought to our iDoorstep, was just released on January 20 of this year. From what I’ve heard from these four little gems, I’m very much looking forward to what’s coming from Bon Iver this year.
I recommend:
“Woods” – a rich harmony of synchronized vocals that is masterfully a cappella
“Beach Baby” – the kind of music Dr. Meredith Grey and company would think to
3. Gonzales
Thanks once again to iTunes, a thirty-second sample of Gonzales’ piano soloing made the leap from my earbuds to my brain and got absolutely stuck in there. I have to admit, I wasn’t going to spend the money. But for some reason, I kept coming back. The music would not rest until it was tucked away on my iPod, and I think it’s because there something incredibly unique about this music. It’s hauntingly simple – just a solo piano against a fuzzy silence. But it feels as though Gonzales is discovering each track as he plays, showing me the beauty of something so casual as a well-placed triplet.
Gonzales, whose real name is Jason Charles Beck, is about as unbelievably unique as his music. Suffice it to say, despite being a gifted pianist who made his performing career as a jazz virtuoso, Gonzales is best known for his mic-jockeying and electronic albums. He has authored musicals, enjoyed a pop career in the nineties as the leader of alt-rock band “Son”, won an Emmy for soundtrack composition and then moved to East Berlin to become a “Jewish supervillain” as a lyric-spitting mic-jockey. His subsequent rap albums featured several instrumental tracks which highlighted his keyboarding skills, and in 2004 he crafted his first solo piano album (aptly titled “Solo Piano”) – which became his bestselling, and of course, the album I’m digging this week.
In 2008, having re-signed under Mercury Records, Gonzales shifted once again and returned to his pop vocal style. That is in addition, of course, to his continued role in the Berlin-based hip-hop band Puppetmastaz. (Seriously, I’m not making this up.)
I recommend from “Solo Piano”:
“Gogol” – if this were a movie soundtrack, someone would be sneaking around in the shadows
“Armellodie” – a slightly dark melodic exploration in the style of Schumann
