Does anyone buy compact discs anymore?

[SammyJames]

Ah, screw it. It doesn't matter that much. Frankly, I would be happy if I could just find a good RADIO station!!! Those are in short supply too, these days.

I guess that the one problem that I have with music now is that all of these acts are trying to do live what the studio has done for the last fifty years. Maybe they will get it, and maybe they won't. I'm betting that they won't. And when they wake up and realize how crappy they sound, they will come running back to us (the producers) and a good, old-fashioned recording studio, updated with the latest technology of course.

I'm inclined to agree as well that the CD is an old-hat format. It is wasteful too, because the discarded ones end up in landfills. We should probably retire the mo-fo, and just use other recording media like hard drives and flash cards, et cetera.

- Sammy

Sammy James has been approved for use by people who need approval.

http://www.sammyjames.com/music.htm

[Patrick_]

Actually, I think the future of music has been in the control of the record companies for too long, and that the digital download format takes quite a bit of the realm of distribution out of their hands. We were all raised on the same paradigm. The company signs, the company records and distributes. In the digital realm, the company becomes obsolete.
Logic would tell you that you need a major distributor in order to get your music heard, but I think it's way too soon to really understand what the internet is and isn't capable of in terms of music distribution.
The internet does have the potential of putting distribution much more into the hands of the individual artists than any other medium to date.

I write music and record music and perform music for the sheer joy of doing it. That keeps my creativity alive. I think that alot of musicians dream about making a living purely from their music, and for that dream to be alot easier, reality often dictates a larger audience. But look at the bands/artists who have "made it," and ask yourselves whether their newer releases have captured anything of the genius of their first releases. I think that success can often be the death knell to innovation.

I know that there's alot of generalization in this, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let ambition rob me of the only reason I ever had for playing music in the first place. Because if I lose that, what do I have left besides the money?

[SammyJames]

Eh -- maybe you're right. Tell me if I'm on the right track...

http://www.sammyjames.com/music/violinthingy.mp3

http://www.sammyjames.com/music/guitarthingy.mp3


- Sammy

Sammy James has been approved for use by people who need approval.

http://www.sammyjames.com/music.htm

[RedEye]

mp3 technology is convenient - but nothing yet compares to the sound quality of a 16, 24, or 32 bit WAV audio file. And other than PC storage, these files can only be stored on CD's efficiently.

Cheers, RedEyeC
www.myspace.com/redeyec

[SammyJames]

Yes. You are correct. The problem these days is that the kids who are buying music seem to care little about said sound quality. Of course, when *I* was a teenager, I used to listen to my favorite artists on cassette tape. Those were the days...

CDs always sounded way better to me. I started buying them at the age of 15, and I stopped buying cassettes at the age of 16 or 17. Actually, I think that I only bought a cassette tape if I was, say, on vacation, because at that time portable CD players were incredibly expensive (if they existed at all, and I can't remember when the first of these hit the market).

Anyway, this was a good discussion. I'm sorry that I kinda freaked out there at one point, but I've grown a bit since then. I have had a lot on my mind; thankfully, what is on my mind now is my music.

- Sammy

"Wake Up the Sponge"

http://www.sammyjames.com/music.htm

[RedEye]

Hi Sammy,

Everytime I take out and dust off an old vinyl LP and play it for memories, I am amazed at how better the sound quality is today. I learned from a professional sound producer just how much better a 1411 kbps 16 bit WAV is compared to a 128~320 kbps mp3 - the more parts played in a particular song, the more distinct the difference is. But to the average music lover, this is something that would never be detected.
IMO, for portable cheap / mid priced players mp3's are great, and you can store more songs in your average ipod than you can listen to in a day. But through an expensive system like Bose or the equivalent - a WAV file is quality unsurpassed.

Cheers, Bob

[SammyJames]

Hi Bob:

Yes, I couldn't agree more. We can keep on preaching at each other, but we are clearly on the same page here.

The only other problem that I'm having is wrapping my brain around what to do with an "album" anymore. It is tough for me to comprehend what an album even is now. Is it 30 minutes? An hour? TWO hours? We humans have locked ourselves into certain rhythms. I don't think that this is a bad thing; the LP was always 44 minutes, give or take. And even the CD, at 80 minutes maximum, offers a way to limit the output that you can, well, put out!

So, any ideas on what to do these days? I'm inclined to release about 50 or 60 minutes of music everytime that I get ready to do this. On occasion I may release an "ep" that contains no less than 30 minutes of music.

Look -- I know that a lot of albums have tons of filler tracks. How many times has each of us been disappointed with buying a seemingly-great CD, only to find that the lead-off track is the only GOOD one. The rest are so-so or are horrible! But this doesn't excuse the artist, from my standpoint, and open up the single as the only viable way to sell music. I still believe in creating several songs that all interconnect.

Maybe the best way to ensure that your artistic needs are met by creating songs that sound great, period. Maybe if you are savvy enough, you can create program music that relies almost entirely on hearing the WHOLE thing. If you can do that, then you are well-on-your-way toward doing great things musically. This is what I WILL be striving to do from now on.

- Sammy

"Wake Up the Sponge"

http://www.sammyjames.com/music.htm

[RedEye]

A definition of LP was 25 minutes (short, I know) and up - extended LP was over 60 minutes. The EP was under 25 minutes - I have one of each. A Christian CD (EP of 7 songs just under 27 minutes) I put out for a benefit for my local Catholic church: www.soundclick.com/bobforbes (I don't know how to link here).
RedEyeC Collaboration has 12 songs and is about 60 minutes long for LP size; RedEyeC Mengerie has 16 songs and is a CD jammed 78 minutes long to qualify for extended LP (you wonder when it's going to end ; )) Some of the songs are here: www.soundclick.com/redeyec
You're very right in noting most song lists usually start with the bands hit at the beginning, and maybe another at the end. I try to position my songs in a "feel" for the CD - starting off with a bang, mellowing out, then a finale. Kind of like a Beethoven's symphony performance.

Cheers, Bob

[SammyJames]

Maybe I'll be able to create about 10 minutes of good music. I'm working on it. I'm kind of ripping my hair out at the moment, but then again -- it doesn't rain -- but it pours.

- Sammy

"I don't suffer from insanity; I love every minute of it!"

http://www.sammyjames.com/music.htm

[RedEye]

Forgot to say - you have some great music Sammy, I visited your site. I've collaborated with a bass player named Robin James - any relation?

Cheers, Bob

[SammyJames]

Hey Bob:

No relation. My real last name is not James. My first name is not really Sammy either. It is a professional name. Thanks for your comments anyway! And I'm always interested in learning about others who are in the music industry whose last name is James. Bob James comes to mind...

- Sammy

"I don't suffer from insanity; I love every minute of it!"

http://www.sammyjames.com/music.htm

[RedEye]

Could be Robin James is his stage name too - not sure - but he's the one who wrote "Pumped" for M3. Awesome bassist -

Cheers, Bob

[Igglethorpe]

Sammy,

With regards to what the official definition of an album is and the size it should be... My take on this is to do what you want. Go where your heart takes you and **** everyone else. Some of the greatest artists just went their own way casting off all preconceptions. That is what made them original and new. I can see by some of your comments that you are already thinking along this vein.

If this is the case, you will go far.

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[SammyJames]

Igglethorpe:

Thank you.

- Sammy

"I don't suffer from insanity; I love every minute of it!"

http://www.sammyjames.com/music.htm