from CNET: Music publishers: iTunes not paying fair share

Without going into the other pieces, the one that really feels strange is that the music publishers want to collect royalties for the 30-second “preview.” They are claiming that the preview should be considered a performance.

The ability to listen to part of a track before purchasing sells music downloads. The sale is a much better deal for the composer or artist than the tiny fractions of a cent that they might earn by collecting a royalty on the preview.

What would happen if this goes through? First, the royalty costs would be passed to the consumer. Second, the length of the preview would be shortened and perhaps eliminated on those tracks that are less popular. In my opinion, the less popular artists benefit most from the previews, allowing people to sample music that they would have never considered or discovered.

Perhaps I should be paying royalties for singing songs in my head? That is the next step, isn’t it?

1. Miles Davis – ‘Round Midnight
What a way to get introduced to jazz music. As a kid I remember my father playing this for me. At first, it was the sound of the muted trumpet, but the improvisation with all of the instruments… well, if you know this song, you know.

2. Chick Corea Elektric Band – Rumble
I think this was the ultimate wake-up call for me. After hearing this song with Chick Corea, Dave Weckl (drums) and John Patitucci (bass), I think that I knew I was going to be going way beyond the radio. And I knew I wanted to write music like this someday or play in a group like this. Or both.

3. Sting – Fortress Around Your Heart
I had always been a fan of The Police and then Sting, but this song became a bit of an obsession. First I learned every possible nuance of the drumset part and practiced it until the record was toasted (ah, vinyl). I remember then purchasing the sheet music and working out all of the parts on the piano. Rhythmically, harmonically and structurally, this song just perfectly balanced everything.

4. John Adams – Harmonium
When my father played this for me in preparation for singing this with the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, it was like nothing I’d ever heard, and I related so much to the sound landscape. Much of my writing still calls back to this piece of music.

5. Joseph Schwantner – …And the mountains rising nowhere…
I was fortunate to have played in a great high school wind ensemble at Cherry Hill East under the direction of Bruce Yurko. (Side note, Mr. Yurko, thank you!) While we didn’t play this piece, I distinctly remember him pointing me in the direction of this piece when I started getting serious about my writing. And then I was fortunate to get into Eastman School of Music, and study with Dr. Schwantner, which in itself was amazing.

6. Peter Erskine – Boulez
Okay, so you have never heard this piece, I’m sure. But as a drummer and a composer who wrote my music using computer sequencers, notation programs and such, this song was a 3 minute encapsulation of so many influences. Cue the drum solo.

7. Dave Matthews Band – Grey Street
This track from the Busted Stuff album is a rhythmic feast. And of the modern rock artists, Dave Matthews Band is clearly my favorite. (Apparently a few others like him too.) Rarely do a loop one single song, but this would be it.

Now it’s your turn to write about the music that changed your life…

And just FYI, this is posted on Facebook as well, so feel free to copy the idea and post to your own Facebook profile.

Any questions?

Yes, everyone might have a song in their heart, but let’s avoid using Songsmith to extract it. Some things are better left unsung.

Sometimes the Internet brings you something that you didn’t realize that you needed. This time the magic came courtesy of Facebook. An old friend from Eastman, Alex Freeman, sent me a little message to see how I was doing.

And then I was looking through all of my bloggeries (or blog posts/stories, it’s a new meme) and realized that I rarely share some of the music that I enjoy. So today, I will change that.

Click on over to Alex’s site and hear his great new song, Connected.

Something to know about Alex: he has amazing musical taste and writes what he loves.

And yes, his wonderful ecletic blend of music, sound and words was exactly what I needed today. Thank you, Alex.

Known for his vignette operas such as Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal, and Der Ring des Nibelungen (a.k.a. The Ring Cycle).

One of my favorite memories at Eastman School of Music was when my composition teacher, Christopher Rouse, asked me to listen to the entire Ring Cycle (16 hours) over the course of two weeks to discuss as part of my studies.

So with that in mind, grab a nice glass of German Riesling and cuddle up to four hours of Wagner opera tonight.

I’ve been a huge fan of Salvador Dalí for years and his work has influenced my compositions, specifically two of the movements of Five Images.

• The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory (5:19, 7.3 MB) — In an earlier piece, Winter Octet, I had based the opening movement on the famous Salvador Dali work, The Persistence of Memory, known for its ant-infested melting clocks. For Five Images, Dali’s painted sequel, The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory, literally became the emotional sequel for the music. The crash of TWA Flight 800 and the Olympic Park bombing directly affected the composition of this movement. The emotional roots of Five Images come to the forefront in the form of the solo cello.
• Shades of Night Descending (5:01, 6.9 MB) — The fourth movement comes from another desolate painting by Dali, Shades of Night Descending. The quasi-passacaglia motion in this movement allows the continuation of the melodic outpouring of the third movement. However, any optimism that might have remained is lost in the corruption of the dark corners of the Dali painting.

So, happy birthday Salvador. Dig the mustache. You can see a collection of his works at VirtualDali.com.

This commercial from the Zurich Chamber Orchestra is just plain cool. My composer brain loves this more than my marketing brain!

Three specialists later and it has been confirmed that there is an actual piano inside my brain. It is a Steinway micro-grand, which is about the size of a book of matches. The micro-grand was a limited edition available in the late-60s and early-70s, and only 23 were sold to pediatricians looking for a solution to over exuberant red-headed children.

The experimental procedure was done without the parents knowledge or consent. To date, no long-term side effects (other than the ringing sounds emanating from the ears) have been recorded.

According to my father, this explains a few things. My mother was not available for official comment but unofficially she disavows any knowledge of the piano inside my brain.

I mentioned it before to friends and family, but something is brewing. And I plan to have something for everyone to hear soon.

But while I make progress, I’m going to post some “greatest hits” material. Stay tuned.