Virtual Recording Studio Forum

The Future Is TRANSPARENCY - Dave Stewart

TheNetStudio — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:37:33

Interesting article by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics.

" In other words, provide fans a deeper, richer experience, by giving them a glimpse into an artist’s world and work, which benefits all those with a stake in the business."
- Dave Stewart

http://www.eurythmics.me.uk/blog/?p=1657

Great Music Videos

TheNetStudio — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:14:40

Canon in D
Amazing guitar work by FunTwo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNXtjSx71pY

U2 album leaked - Thoughts

TheNetStudio — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:00:07

U2's upcoming album has been leaked onto the Internet.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/159904/u2_album_leaks_online.html?tk=rss_news

It's not really that surprising.  Nor is it an unusual story.  But it did remind me of some ideas that we have been batting around here at TheNetStudio.com.

I have been thinking for a long time about this very issue.  That it takes such a long time to really create a masterful multi-track recording project, such as the ones U2 is known for.  And that this extended period of time increases the likelihood that the recording project could be pirated before it is even officially released.  And that once that happens, the great copy machine known as the Internet will make countless exact replicas of it in a very short time.  And that once that happens - It cannot be undone.  It is a horrible but stark reality that, at least for now, does not appear to have any foolproof, technological solution.

We do think there are technology solutions that would make it harder for someone to leak an album.  And we have begun testing some new ideas at TheNetStudio.com to see how effective they are.  But in the final analysis, we think things like encryption, hashing, and watermarking can only reduce, but not eliminate the problem.

So we thought about it...  And we wondered: What if we could take ADVANTAGE of the fact that recording an album takes so long, and that it has hundreds of tracks associated with it?  What if we looked at each track, or each reference mix, or each stem, as a different song?

What if the artist could sell each one (or a selected group) of those tracks as a separate unit?  Could that turn a single song into dozens of songs?

Now, you probably couldn't (or wouldn't) charge for each track.  But what if you could allow fans to "subscribe" to a song.  And to receive updates to that song.  What if they could follow each song's progress and could connect with the artist as they go through the creative process and discovery of multi-tracking each song on an album?  Then a single leaked stem, mix, or track might have a more limited impact on the whole project.

We thought: If we could make this work, it might even help artists forge a deeper relationship with their fans.  One where the fans become intimate witnesses to the process of recording the song.  This process might even make the songs more meaningful to them.  The final version of the song would then, not be the only piece of the recording process that generated sales.  Rather, the entire life-cycle of the song could provide ways for the fan to connect with the artist and with other fans.

This is an idea that we are considering exploring on TheNetStudio.com.  The problem is that it would fundamentally change our focus.  And we are not sure that is the direction we want to take.

We know the idea is new and different, and we think it might work.  But before we launch into something that complex, we would like to know what you think.  We'd like to get your feedback.  And see what we might have missed.

Please post in this forum your thoughts about this idea.

Track Downloads asking for a Plug-in

Administrator — Thu, 7 Feb 2008 18:59:41

Q: I am trying to download some tracks in a VRS Project, and my browser is telling me that I need a Plug-in.  Which Plug-in should I download?

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A: We have seen this on IE5 under MAC OS9 - But it could happen under other browsers.

The problem is that your browser thinks that mime type application/force-download requires a browser Plug-in, when it is actually supposed to be a file download.

The instructions will be slightly different depending on your computer and your browser.  But here are the instructions for IE5 under MAC OS9:

Go into IE, then select:

Edit>Preferences>File Helpers>Receiving Files.

And see if there are any entries for application/force-download.

If there are, write down their settings - so that you can go back if anything horrible happens - then change the Handled By "Application" to "Save To File" or whatever the equivalent is on your version of IE.  Also - make sure you select Binary and Incoming only (not Outgoing).

If there are no entries for application/force-download, add one for both MP3 and WAV file types (Extension) to "Save To File".  Then restart your browser, and your Tracks and Mixes should now download without asking for a Plug-in.

Why do you limit only VRS users to view projects?

TheNetStudio — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:30:09

Q: I want my project(s) to be indexed by .  Why do you limit viewing projects to just people that signup for VRS?

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A: We know that some of the other music collaboration sites allow a greater amount of access to non-members, and they do it well!  We are VERY impressed and excited by the levels of music collaboration that exist today.  When we started the VRS project there was nothing like it, and no-one we talked to even thought it was a decent idea.  Indeed, we took some heat from people that thought it was a terrible idea.

But we wanted to create a system that allowed people to meet, and work on music projects together.  And to keep the process of creating that music private, until they were ready to release it.  This is why PRIVATE projects, which can only be seen by their participating members can still make their "Final Mixes" public, and available to anyone on the Internet.

VRS does allow PUBLIC projects that all other VRS users can see, and participate in.   But you are correct: We have limited the participation to only people that have signed up for VRS UserIds.

We do hope to eventually partner with other web sites to allow VRS users to automatically upload finished songs to web sites that are better at music distribution than we can be.  Rather than re-invent the wheel, we would like to participate in a network of web sites that can work together to allow music collaborators to meet, collaborate on new music, mix and master their music, connect with their fans, distribute their music, and advertise their live performances.  We are not there yet, but it is a future goal that we hope to accomplish, with other web sites that focus on the different parts of the music production landscape.