Enthroned Within: Tool-like New Song, bass soloist Barcelona.I

Enthroned Within, a solo bassist from Barcelona, well I have composed a new tune. I think with this tune I really needed a guitarist.

It’s very Tool like… Anyway, rate and enjoy!

Use ReverbNation: Get 100% of your royalties via iTunes, Last.fm, Napster and a shed load more

I’m a member of ReverbNation . For musical  artists in Spain who dream of getting known and played outside, it’s quite a revelation. From my hard experience in Spain, the whole record industry distribution channel seems to be VERY expensive and for little advantage.

I quite like how ReverbNation’s approach the music industry. For a solo or not known artist  I’d love to find out more info from big bands who’re no longer signed and if they’d consider using the service. The cool thing is fans per channel are counted up. So, you don’t need a GOOGLE IQ university certificate to understand each channel.

Still I’d love to know what bands are using this service and have done well.  This would give me the big ups! As well, if any smaller band got signed. Hey, that’s probably the idea for us all right?

Anyway, the point of the article is to tell you about 2 packages for distribution. Now, it’s a 10 song album, so any ditties, you’ll have to enclose with a song before or cut them out… Ouch! But that appears to be the deal.

Here’s how to get 100% music royalty payment via different channels:

For $34.95/release per year

You get out to:

iTunes (Aus/NZ)    Spotify
iTunes (Canada)    iLike
iTunes (Japan)    eMusic
iTunes (Mexico)    Napster
iTunes (UK/Europe)    Rhapsody
iTunes (US)    Tesco
Amazon Mp3    Zune
MySpace Music    Last.fm
MOG      Guvera
Synacor      Fox News
GetPlaylists      GetGreenMusic
Immergent    Intertech Media
InMotion Entertainment      La Curacao
Secure Media      Moozone
WaTunes

+ the above & below for $59.95/release per year

Wal-Mart (Liquid)
Pandora
We7
Myxer
Puretracks (digital jukebox)
Think indie (CIMS/Junketboy)
Shockhound
Nokia
Amie Street
Lala

Note, it’s PER YEAR.

The up-side is that you do get paid for plays, downloads etc… hurrah

The downside is that there’s no promise that your recorded in a studio or 4 track is gonna get included*……… boooooooo

So, think Pandora… and with some channels you could be making some profit on the side!

In Spain, if you’re earning less than 5,000 it’s not necessary to declare it! It could be a nice earner!

This link gives you a great FAQ*

However, if you’re a solo artist I’d recommend representation or some way to not put in your home address [telling robbers where to get hold of your kit while you're out gigging]. Read here

Primark, Barcelona, Diagonal De Mar: You’ve saved us, and probably Spain!

In Praise Of Primark, Barcelona

It was near to the time when I was leaving the UK, a friend told me if I needed quality throw away clothing to check out Primark. I was indeed impressed. If I was without a plain black t-shirt, I could get hold of one for like £1.99. Presently a plain T-shirt will cost you 2.50 EUR! Not bad indeed.

Depending on the store type, the majority of the clothes are aimed at females.  A close friend said that the Primark in Barcelona has more bra’s than other similar department stores in Spain. This is indeed impressive. I would like to add, that whomever does the fashion design for their shirts and t-shirts seems to have a very good eye. The fashion is extremely up to date and there’s sometimes some rare gems that outshine Celio, H&M, and Pull & Bear.

Their prices are amazing. You can pick up a pair of fashionable and shall we say out of season classical ones for around 12 -17 euros. The same quality applies to other stores such as H&M, and Pull and Bear. Sometimes Zara’s own jean ranges, it depends on the fabric. However I would say that Zara clothes hold T-shirt sweat quicker than one of Primark’s.

What strikes me as most impressive about Primark, that even in the UK, with its over testosteroned males and females, there was rarely a fight at the checkouts. They were driven by efficiency.

Their check-outs, on the whole one gets through in about 5-7 minutes. I’m talking behind 20-30 odd people! Now compare this to H&M, Zara, Pull & Bear, Lefties, C&A, El Cortes Ingles and Celio where it takes 10-15 minutes to serve 3 people, one notes the difference.

Okay, with Primark you are check-out cattle, but do you really need to say strike up a conversation with someone, if you saw on the news tomorrow had died, would you really care?

Bottom line, I hope Primark cuts away at Spain’s enthusiasm for total lack of customer service. Additionally, their prices for clothing is a radical price reduction than their nearest competitor. Maybe this will wake people up to how much they are being overcharged for a Zara, GAP, H&M basic 6 euro black t-shirt.

Finally, checking out, I want my clothing now. I don’t expect nor want a prolonged family chat experience. I want it cheap and I want it now. Well, it seems Spain’s chains can’t satisfy neither cheap or efficient. Hey, I’m just getting started. Even Pull & Bear’s outlets and Lefties don’t sell stuff as cheap. Well, okay you can by a shredded shirt or crotchless jeans cheaper – maybe.

For this reason, I praise Primark. Maybe this chain’s soon to be priority place for shoppers in Spain. I hope they wake and shake up CEO’s from other chains to look at the basics of the experience they’re creating. Let’s compare, ‘zero customer service’, ‘check-out times 5 minutes per shopper’, ‘over priced goods’… to cheap, efficient and customer centric.

I think a chimp could oook it’s preference. I wonder how long it’ll take  Zara, H&M,  Pull & Bear and C&A. OOok… Oookkk..

Free Soulfly Mp3: Free Until Monday

Some best things in life are for free!

If you love Soulfly, you can get some of their new material for free. Well, you have to surrender some personal info, but hey it’s a free Mp3.

Soulfly‘s  free MP3 “Rise of the Fallen,” features Greg Puciato of Dillinger Escape Plan.

Get Soulfly MP3 Rise of the Fallen Free here.

Crash Test Dummies to release new album

Crash Test Dummies have taken forever to record a new album. Like 6 years!

Read something today on Exclaim news: http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=141&csid2=844&fid1=45276

They say, “The 11-song record was recorded with vintage analogue music toys, according to a press release. At some point before writing for the album began, main Dummy Brad Roberts and producer/album co-writer Stewart Lerman (Antony & the Johnsons, the Roches) apparently became obsessed with the Optigan, a ’70s Mattel toy/instrument, which shaped how the album was written and added a whole new layer to the band’s sound.”

Sounds interesting…. analogue toys! Sounds like something Psyhic TV has kinda done before. Let’s see how it pans out!

Enthroned Within: New Video

Alice In Chains Release SAP and Jar Of Flies on Vinyl

SoundStageDirect are re-releasing 2 great Alice in Chains albums: “Sap” and “Jar of Flies.” They both date back to 1992 and 1994 and are a probably sure bet for any fan.

I’m impressed, it’s coming on 180-gram vinyl and come  as a two-disc set.

Like the Front 242 blog I released earlier this is a collectors set with only 2,000 copies being pressed.

Using Riffworks: Ogg to Mp3 converter for free

I’m presently riffcasting. I’ve found quite a few products that you can use to convert your ogg to mp3. A lot of them are cheeky and only convert 60 odd percent. The rest you have to pay for. I agree, if the user interface, experience and speed is worth it, then buy it.

I’d say this program is FREE, very quick and seems to be really low on resources.

When converting from a MAX sized OGG, it does it pretty much within seconds.

A 12MB ogg took 3.5 seconds to convert. I recommend it!

The easiest and FREE Ogg to MP3 converter can be found here:

OGG to MP3 Converter

http://www.oggtomp3converter.com/

View Front 242 Moments in Budapest

Front 242 have released a trailer to their new DVD, “Moments in Budapest”. The DVD is limited to 4,000 copies.

Sounds really cool to be honest. You can buy it here:

http://www.alfa-matrix.com/shop_comments.php?id=1843_0_8_0_C

Eli Roth calls Sea World an Auschwitz for Orcas

I saw on Fangoria Magazine that Eli Roth has written a letter to Sea World explaining his thoughts on the state of affairs of the sea life.

Eli Roth states, “Showing visitors a more realistic version of what life is like for real marine mammals rather than displaying the captive animals’ unnatural and repetitive behavior patterns—which are linked to their oppressive environment—is actually more educational”.

He concludes, “You are sending a far more dangerous message to kids, whose lives would be just as happy and fulfilled without seeing a large intelligent creature jump around to music for their entertainment, and would probably take a more active interest in protecting whales if they saw them out in the ocean where they belong.”

Although he’s not really argued well for the ethics behind it, there are points of view that, as an entertainer, one need not go to. There now exists iMax and other great 3D tours of the animal kingdom that are probably more instructive than seeing them perform tricks.

His argument on the Auschwitz concept I believe is more on how we finally get to acceptance of situations as normal. After this, the acceptance breed complicity. What we do next is reliant on our perception of culture and acceptability.

As animals display pain and distressed behaviour it is clear they do indeed suffer.  Being a vegetarian, I too know that the arguments from both sides of the table often come to stalemate. If one comes to a stalemate, what then? Neither side is enlightened nor could continue without offending the other. The truth of the matter, at least how one could continue must exist between the two extremes.

I recommend you look at the Meatrix. This argument actually comes across as vegan. It’s not. Rather its looking at alternatives of more ethical food production.

Thus if solution is presented, as well as Eli presents, then taking steps to this end and not from it should show the ethics and logic of the defendant. With other forms of animal baiting, shows etc that have been seen as in-ethical, I think Sea World should think very carefully how they might reply.