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December 6, 2006
The Year in Music: Workflow
I said in my previous post that I bought a lot of music this year; more than ever before, in fact. Like a lot of people these days, I rarely listen to the radio. I hear a few songs here and there while I'm at work on 107.1 The Peak between the constant ads for Hudson Valley Lithotripsy (there must be a lot of people out there with kidney problems). So where do I hear about all this stuff? The same way any 20-something, indie music fan living in NYC does - the internets!
"Workflow" is a word often associated with digital photography (import, organize, resize, rename, etc.) but it fits for music as well. Here's my workflow:
1. Finding the Music
I'm subscribed to a bunch of music blogs (maybe I'll list them later) that post tracks and that's how I find out about nearly everything I listen to. RIAA take note: letting blogs post a song or two from an upcoming album is very, very effective marketing tool! Another site I read is Pitchfork - ha, just kidding! I hate Pitchfork and put absolutely no credence in what they think of an album. In fact, I don't pay attention to any of the "critics". The only people I trust are the aforementioned blogs, KEXP's "Song of the Day" podcast, KCRW, NPR, The Current (MPR) and anything that my favorite artists recommend.
2. Downloading and Exploring
So from all of the above sources I end up with a bunch of mp3 files of the songs that the blogs have posted. I usually download everything I see on these blogs by using an Automator workflow which scrapes the webpage for URLs ending in ".mp3". Once I have a healthy number of files, I import all of them into iTunes. Next, I select all the files I've just imported and fill in the Grouping tag of said files to read "Probation". Finally, these probationary files are placed into a smart playlist which automatically syncs to my iPod. Then, whether I'm on the go or at home, I have fresh tracks to listen to at all times. Anything I don't like, I delete. If it's good, it stays. If I find something I really like I'll often get a few more tracks from the Hype Machine before deciding whether or not to purchase the album.
3. Making the Purchase
After getting a flavor for the album and deciding it's good, there are several means I can use to obtain it. If it's mainstream and popular I'll watch for it to go on sale at Best Buy and I'll get it there, usually for $9.99. But since a lot of the stuff I'm listening to right now is on independent labels, I usually end up going to the internet. I highly recommend the following sites:
eMusic - $9.99 a month for 40 songs (30 now for new subscribers - thanks ADM)
lala - CD trades at $1 per disc (I've traded 45 discs so far)
Posted on December 6, 2006 at 10:00 PM
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