NAMM 2014 Wrap-Up

The 2014 NAMM show has now come and gone, and I wanted to take a few moments to share a few of the highlights of my experience this year. Here they are, in chronological order...

The NAMM U Breakfast Sessions / Kevin Spears (www.kalimbaman.bandcamp.com)
I think one of the highlights of the show for anyone willing to get up early enough is definitely the NAMM U Breakfast Sessions at the Hilton. The Hilton staff deserves huge credit for being able to handle the logistics of feeding so many so well. Kalimba player Kevin Spears was on hand to share some music with us, and he really opened my eyes to some of the unique sounds the kalimba is able to achieve with the aid of modern technology.

La Luna Sound (www.lalunasound.com)
While in line for breakfast, I met a representative from La Luna Sound, makers of fine hardwood picks. I was graciously given a few samples to demo, and I'm honestly really enjoying them so far!

UVI (www.uvi.net)
I'm a huge fan of France's UVI software instruments. I follow them very closely and am always anticipating their next release. It was great to get to visit UVI's booth this year and chat with the staff. I also got a demo of Sparkverb, and it was fascinating to see. It's a unique take on reverb, and I think it has huge creative application.

Eiosis (www.eiosis.com)
I visited Eiosis again this year, and got to catch up on their upcoming AirEq. Having seen it at last years show as well, it looks like it's come a long way. They're done extensive beta testing over the past year, and have been able to implement a lot of new features and improvements to it. I believe AirEq is set to ship in February, and though it's been a slow wait, it's looking like it'll be worth every penny.

Abbatron (www.abbatron.com)
It was great to get to catch up with Charles and Chris of Abbatron! For the uninitiated, Abbatron makes cable components for some of the finest cable makers in the business (Mogami, Analysis Plus, Devine Noise Cables, etc.). They've been working on a new instrument cable, called the Genesis Pure. It's set to be released in next month or so, and will be distributed by Analysis Plus.

Strezov Sampling (www.strezov-sampling.com)
An unexpected gem I found at the show was Bulgaria's Strezov Sampling. George Strezov gave me a few demos of some of their Kontact-based libraries, and I was quite impressed! Their focus is mostly in the epic-score arena, and they have an impressive set of offerings so far, at very reasonable price-points. I'm excited to follow them and see what they come up with next.

Geoffrey Gee (www.vitalartsmedia.com/Play/geoffreygee.html)
The absolute highlight of my trip to NAMM this year was getting to correct a mistake I made at the show last year. I was at Synthogy's booth waiting for Jordan Rudess to make an appearance, and there was a pianist there before-hand demoing Ivory II, and he was probably the most expressive piano player I think I've ever seen live. As impressed as I was, I also failed to get his name, and kicked myself for many months after. This year, as I was on my way out, I went by Synthogy's booth and there he was, demoing Ivory II. It turns out that his name is Geoffrey Gee. I had the pleasure of talking with him for a bit and was very glad to have to have had the chance to meet him.

All in all it was a great show this year! I got to see a lot of awesome new gear, meet a lot of great people, and I ran into some good friends as well. 

Right now I'm listening to:
November (Geoffrey Gee)

Finale 1988 Promo Video

I recently came across this video gem on The Retroist, and have been fascinated thinking about it since. It's a promotional video for Finale from 1988. Finale is software primarily used for music notation and transcription.

In 1988, this technology was absolutely ground-breaking. Previously, sheet music had to be notated by hand, which was often a long, drawn out process. Finale allowed musicians to quickly notate complex parts, as well easily edit and transpose on the fly. It also gave musicians instant visual feedback, which added a new dimension of perspective to the composing process.

Ultimately, Finale was a time-saver, allowing musicians to spend more time creating, and less time with busywork. Computer technology is still a very new idea, when looked at in the overall history of music, but it's impact has been enormous. The speed and quality that we can create music with in the present day, as well as the creative freedom we often take for granted are worth taking a moment to reflect on. It's an exciting time to be a musician!

As a bonus, near the end of the video (25:00), we get a brief glimpse of the 1988 NAMM show, which is a blast to see, and also appropriate, as the 2014 NAMM show opened this morning...

Related links:
www.finalemusic.com 
www.theretroist.com

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Right now i'm listening to:

Road (Niky Nine)

Spotify Vs. Radio Vs. Beats Music - The Streaming Wars

A new phrase i've begun to hear a lot of lately is "the streaming wars." Streaming music services are still a bit of an up-and-coming, with services like Spotify and Rdio battling it out for dominance. The newest player to the game is Beats Music (also the makers of the popular beats headphones). With Beats Music set to launch January 21 (as a paid subscription service), Spotify and Rdio have have now countered by offering free ad-supported unlimited listening to their offerings, leaving listeners with almost no incentive to play for monthly plans (besides going ad-free)

The question this raises is what happens when these services begin undercutting each other? Undercutting, by it's nature seems to be a linear movement, where one can't go back and make changes back in the direction they were originally without a mass exodus of angry listeners. And where does it stop? And furthermore, who wins and loses here? The listeners win (at least short term), because they have to spend less, or even no money to still enjoy streaming the music they enjoy.

What happens to the bands/artists who have music available for streaming? It seems they would probably be paid on the ad-supported scale and make considerably less than the very small amount they are making currently through streaming. For those at the top, I could see this being an inconvenience, but musicians who are in the working-class category could take a big hit if undercutting goes too far. On a personal note, I have quite a bit of music available for streaming, and although it's not a significant source of income, it certainly does help fill in the cracks. If my streaming payments took a dive, I would definitely feel it.

And what happens to the streaming services themselves? It seems we're still a bit too early in the game to predict the final outcomes, but certainly the best services will rise to the top and the rest will dwindle down and fade away. But will the best continue to stay on top? If artists start losing too much money with streaming, will they remove their music from the streaming marketplace and try and find another way? Where will the streaming services be then?

It seems like really looking at the situation as a whole shows it's complexity and seems to raise more questions than it answers. There are a lot of different parties involved (the service providers, the investors, the artists, the labels, and the listeners) and each is trying desperately to contribute it's own point of view into the conversation. And so, I sit here listening to some music and wondering what in store for the great streaming wars of 2014. Hopefully, less questions and more answers.

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Right now i'm listening to:

Innocence (Electric Youth)