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Brendan Tompkins [MVP] » Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
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Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.

The city I live in just got a whole lot better.   The reason?  We finally got a real record store.  My amazing wife just took me there for the first time at lunch.  I mean, this is no over-priced corporate record store filled with bubble-gum chewing teenagers behind the counter who only listen to the latest crap that MTV jammed down their throats.  The kind that respond to questions with “Velvet Underwho?” and “Guided By Voices? you mean Sisters With Voices?”  You know the type.

Now I know this probably sounds snobby, but it's not hard to be a snob about record stores these days.   At places like Sam Goody and Best Buy, the prices are so high and the selection so bad, that illegal MP3 downloading sometimes seems like the only way to go.

Every metropolitan area has good local records stores, but up until recently, Norfolk didn't have anything close to a good, independent record store. Well, we had one place, which I'll refer to as “fatties” but the problem was that the owner “fatty” was such a jerk and his record selection so poor that shopping there was a complete waste of time. Nothing beats a Saturday afternoon perusing your local  record shop, but until now, I've had to find other activities to fill my weekend afternoons.

So, when I walked through the doors of Relative Theory Records I was in awe.  All of the records I've been listening to in the last year were prominently displayed.  The guy behind the counter was friendly, helpful and filled with knowledge about the latest music.  The prices were good!  Hooray!  Now if we could just the local venues to get some good bands to come play here, I'd be in heaven. 

-Brendan

Posted 05-04-2004 10:53 AM by Brendan Tompkins

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Comments

Mark wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-04-2004 7:33 AM
I guess my question is this:

Why are you spending money on albums? Why don't you use a pay service that Apple or Yahoo (the new Napster) provides for a fee? Then you only have to pay for songs that you want.

I use Yahoo's pay service (http://launch.yahoo.com/) and stream high quality music without commercials all day long. I only like to listen and not own so this 2.99-3.99/mo service suites me just fine. You can also rate and share the music that you listen too. This helps shape your channel. Yahoo then suggests music that fits into your style.

Here’s my channel: http://launch.yahoo.com/lc/?rt=0&rp1=0&rp2=1253862693


--Mark
Charles Fisher wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-04-2004 7:36 AM
Hmmm... I've been looking for one of those!!! I'll be sure to check it out this weekend!

Thanks B
Brendan Tompkins wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-04-2004 7:52 AM
Mark. I get a digital feed at home, and I have to say it's okay for music over dinner, but I'm not convinced. The same is true for these internet channels, and pay for download sites... The problem is that music for music's sake only gets you so far. I want a person to say, "Hey listen to this, you may like it because...." to get this, you have to have human involvement of some sort whether it's a DJ, a magazine, a friend or a guy in a record shop. I want to hear/read/take part in conversations about music. Your channel is a start, but it's really only a list of songs, right?

I have the same problem about the XFM radio stuff. I don't want a bunch of music thrown at me randomly, whether it's good music or not.

-B
Mark wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-04-2004 7:57 AM
Actually other people can listen to your station. Try it out. The basic service is free, you just have to put up with commercials.

You probably wont like my channel, but you can browse other peoples channels and tune in.

Try it, set up an account. What do you have to lose, 30 minutes of your time?

--Mark
Brendan Tompkins wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-04-2004 8:00 AM
Cool! See you there Anton!
Mark wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-04-2004 8:00 AM
As far as random goes, you can set moods. Say you only want to listen to country. Set up a country mood and pick the type of country you wish to listen too, i.e., Classic, 1970's, 1980's, Americana, etc. for that mood.

Mark wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-04-2004 8:12 AM
You make it sound very Starship Enterprise, Captain Picardish. :D
Brendan Tompkins wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-04-2004 8:13 AM
Ahhh. Sounds very futureiffic! I just tell the computer my mood and it does the rest. That sounds great. I'd like a referigerator that does that for me too. I'd set it to, say, "Mexican" and out come the beans and rice. Or I could set it to "Feeling Light" and presto! Cottage cheese! How Depressing.
Shannon J Hager wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-04-2004 8:48 PM
I've been a Launch.com (and now launch.yahoo.com) user for a few years now, Yahoo's buyout put a slight dent in the quality but it seems like they've actually been improving things again lately.
My station is here:
http://launch.yahoo.com/lc/?rt=0&rp1=0&rp2=1008345403

I don't use thier paid service, though, I greatly prefer Rhapsody. $10 a month for all the streaming on-demand music you care to hear. Not all the bands you want but damn near. They even have little obscure bands that I would never imagine them having. They also have stations and links to a band's related projects, similar artists and influences; I've found a lot of good/new artists that way.

I've been listening to Launch a lot more lately, though, because there is now a Launch tab in the new yahoo messenger.
Brendan Tompkins wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-05-2004 2:01 AM
So, am I the only one who doesn't care to hear just a bunch of songs? With all of the streaming radio stations like KCRW and BBC6, why anyone would want to listen to just a bunch of songs is beyond me.
Shannon J Hager wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-05-2004 4:31 PM
what do you mean "just a bunch of songs"?
Brendan Tompkins wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-06-2004 2:34 AM
Hi Shannon. By "just a bunch of songs" I'm referring to a list of songs, played without any rhyme or reason or other context.

When I listen to most of these digital feeds, there's no DJ. It's kind of like taking a hike in the jungle by yourself. It's fine, and you may see some cool stuff, but nothing beats having a guide to show you what to look for. To me that's what a good DJ does. They play songs in context, and give you information about what your listening to, and why you might like it.
Shannon J Hager wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-06-2004 5:53 AM
I see... when I listen to my launch station, it has rhyme (if not reason). It actually tells you at the bottom of the screen why it's playing the song (because I rated it, because fans of [insert band name] like it, etc). I've rated over 10,000 songs, artists, CDs, so I mostly get things I've rated highly. If you were to listen a pre-set station, say "Radiohead Fan Station", then I would assume that you knew why you were listening to the songs and why you might like them without having to be told (in this case, because the music is highly rated by users who rate Radiohead highly). I'm just talking about Launch here, Rhapsody stations are similar (you can make your own by choosing 5 or so bands, and thus you know why the songs are chosen), but most of Rhapsody's selling point is that it is music on demand, not streaming stations.

I don't need maps and guides personally, nor do I give them. When I make mix CDs, I don't make a setlist for it until about a week later. I think that knowing what song is coming next takes away the fun of the ride.

And if I need someone to tell me why I might like something, I probably won't like it.

Brendan Tompkins wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-06-2004 6:20 AM
Shannon.

I used to run a sort of internet radio station, www.wgbv.org. Problem was, I found that I was listening to the same old stuff. Now, I listen to real stations with real people who I can interract with, via email or in chat. It's just personal preference, I guess, but I like having someone say, "Pavement fans might like this band" I don't think it at all detracts from the experience. When I listen to a station like KCRW, I get turned on two two or three new bands a week. Plus I get told if they're on tour, and what the release dates are. There's a human component to it that I like. Like I said, personal preference.
Shannon J Hager wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-06-2004 9:15 PM
I understand what you mean, that's why I didn't understand the question, since the things we've talked about in these comments all have "this song is big with fans of [XXX]" or other disclaimers attached to them.
Reading my comments, I see I never got around to answering your actual question. No, I don't like listening to just a bunch of songs but I honestly don't really get exposed to that at all, ever. i don't listen to the radio, I don't watch tv. If I hear something, it is because someone said "Shannon, listen to this". If I trust someone enough to click the link they send, that's all the roadmap I need. That's how I see my Launch station, my mix CDs, etc: you trust my judgement enough to listen and you know that you'll hear some things you know and love, some things you have never heard, some things you might not be able to listen to again. For example, on my launch station, chances are high that you'll hear Minor Threat and the Butthole Surfers sometime in the first 30 minutes. You'll probably also hear Johnny Cash. You're basically tapping into my brainwaves for a while. Therefor, rhyme may be guaranteed but "reason" may be asking a little too much. ;)
Brendan Tompkins wrote re: Off Topic: The city I live in just got better.
on 05-07-2004 1:51 AM
Shannon,

I'm going to have to give your launch station a listen. I guess it's the human narration new releases and other band info that I miss the most when I listen to playlists via the internet. I'll give it a listen! Thanks!

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