Music industry shows us how to discover more value in our products

By Nial Adams

My close friends will tell you that I’ve a rather eclectic (or perhaps that should be eccentric!) taste in music.  I grew up as a young teenager on a diet of hard rock and heavy metal.  Then I discovered the beauty and complexity of classical music and fell in love with composers like Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Rachmaninov, etc. 

Broadening my tastes even further as young adult I went all retro and spent my time soaking up the likes of the ‘Stones, the Doors, Clapton, etc.  Now my tastes have changed even more and my iPod carries a complete mix of everything from indie, pop, dance, house, trance, blues and some very obscure ‘world-music’ but my real passion lies with ambient trance and in particular any of the amazing work by Simon Posford, a genius of acoustic/electro ‘ambient psy-trance’… no seriously!

So why am I telling you all this?  Well, here’s an interesting lesson in marketing that I’ve just been massively impressed by.

Younger Brother, a music project by Mr Posford and Co, are about to cut a new CD but have taken a very different route to market; you might have even become aware of it before.  It’s called Pledge Music and this is how it works; before the CD is actually recorded the artist asks their followers and fans (their community or ‘tribe’ in marketing terms) to pledge what they will commit to buying when the new CD is released.  It’s a form of pre-selling, if you like.  Read more...

Although the mainstream music world has often relegated accordions to second-class status, squeezeboxes are once again coming into their own. Making appearances in productions ranging from those of Cirque du Soleil to albums from top name rock stars, the accordion’s unique sound is getting some well-deserved attention.

Although most people can conjure up a mental picture of an accordian, many do not realize that there are several different kinds of accordions, developed over the years for specific musical genres. As free reed instruments, the opening and closing of an accordion’s bellows (or squeezebox) causes the air to flow over the reeds, which makes the sound. An accordion also has buttons, or both buttons and a keyboard. These serve to direct the airflow to certain reeds and not others, thereby controlling the tones played.

Some accordions have one row of buttons; some have two rows of buttons; and still others have three rows. Accordions with one row of buttons include the Hohner Concertina and the Hohner Ariette. The latter is often used for playing Cajun, Quebecois, Zydeco, and Irish folk music. These buttons typically play the diatonic scale, with each button able to play two notes: one when the bellows is squeezed in and another when it is spread apart. An accordian with one row of buttons is often tuned for the type of music being played. For example, certain reeds may be filled in order to produce the sounds typically associated with Cajun music. The Hohner Ariette, for instance, has ten treble buttons, two bass buttons, four sets of treble reeds, and three sets of bass reeds.  Read more...

Admittedly, some of them have a little musical help. In Celeste Boursier-Mougenot’s work, for instance, which appeared at the Paula Cooper Gallery in 2006, 13 vacuum cleaners were each fitted with a harmonica in the ‘mouth’ and connected to a modified guitar tuner. Now pay attention, because this is the science part. The microphone inside the tuner (or sound frequency analyzer as we shall call it from now on) identifies each note, however, when anyone approaches the installation, the movement disturbs the tuners’ analysis and it reprograms itself, resulting in unpredictable orchestrations of chords, all planned by the architect of the piece, apparently.

At an old hospital in Lille, France, meanwhile, Geert-Jan Hobjin used 60 vacuum cleaners for his creation Les Chants Mecaniques. These vacuum cleaners were turned on and used to provide the background music in a series of half-hour concerts – creating ambient music behind Edith Piaf singing, drum ‘n’ bass belted out of vacuum cleaner engines, or creating a techno beat with yelling birds!

Hobjin was also the creative genius behind the spectacular Flaming Vacuum Cleaners performance at the Brandenburg Music Festival, when a total of 100 vacuum cleaners, along with hairdryers, flamethrowers and countless bits and pieces too numerous to mention were brought together in a field to make beautiful music. Add cans of gasoline to the mix and you have the ingredients for a potentially explosive situation!

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During foetal development the auditory system forms extremely early, the ear is actually the first sensory organ to develop brain connections.

During the first weeks in the womb a baby’s ability to process sound and music grows stronger.

When a baby is born he or she is already able to recognise familiar tunes and distinguish between the voice of his parents and other peoples voices.

It’s been proven that babies prefer songs sung by their parents to radio or CD music, I would therefore recommend parents record themselves singing a soothing lullaby.

Babies show a preference for soothing classical music over heavy rock and studies done in Neonatal Intensive Care Units with premature infants show that soothing music from the Baroque period can lower the blood pressure and stress hormones of these young babies.

How Babies Respond to Music

Birth to Six Months: Bythis age most babies respond to music playing, they will move their body in time to the music. They will turn their heads towards sounds that catch their attentions and cry in response to unpleasant noises.

Six Months to One Year: As an infant’s eye hand coordination develops they become more mobile; babies will grasp and manipulate objects. This means that a baby can shake a rattle and understands that the shaking causes the noise to occur. Babies begin to clap their hands in response to music and parents should this behviour.

Songs to Sing with Babies  Read more...

Jogging is a popular and healthy activity which combines exercise and fitness with a visual feast of our route. Jogging in parks and scenic areas allows us a mini-vacation, with park ponds, chirping birds, quail families or a beautiful seaside vista, a respite for the mind.

If you’re not so lucky and your regular route takes you past the gas station and local middle school, ending back at your apartment in Brooklyn, you might want a different tact to keep yourself going with your jogging program. An excellent solution? Jogging music. Many people listen to music while they jog, to provide mood and interest to keep them keepin’ on. Jogging music can be powerful sensory stimulation.

You’ll certainly want to consider your equipment. A CD player won’t do. The CD will skip with each step! Better choices include an MP3 player or portable cassette player. You’ll also need secure headphones. Headphone clips are commercially available just for the purpose. These simply clip to your hair. Music is a wonderful thing. Everyone has their favorites, but when you’re looking for jogging music selections, consider more the mood you’d like to enhance to get the most enjoyment from your run.

If you’re feeling rushed, maybe a little classical music will calm you and take you to a romantic place, away from the noise, crowds, everyday worries and stress. Nights in the Gardens of Spain comes to mind. Ah! Handel’s Messiah might be just the thing on a brisk winters’ day. Maybe you’re trying to break your own record and want to push hard today. The theme from Chariots of Fire should keep you competitive.  Read more...