In a survey of over 200 record label managers, PR agents, producers, artists and promo companies, UK website, DanceTrasmission.co.uk reports that 74.3% of all respondents surveyed cited downloading as having a negative affect on their business. While this is expected, this report uncovers sentiments from a segment of the industry that is rarely polled.

77.6% of respondents said that piracy is hurting dance music more today than it was 5-years ago, with 18% responding that they are not sending out promos in the hopes to stem piracy of their releases. 17.4% and 16.1% use methods like voice overs and low bit rate promos to limit the effects of file sharing and only 18% employ secondary companies to issue take down notices.

Over 65.8% generally take action against sites by issuing take down notices, with 65.5% reporting those efforts are effective some of the time. 65% of respondents surveyed believe that Google should block torrent and pirate sites, but 61.4% said they don’t know how to file a copyright infringement claim with the company. Google’s copyright infringement policy is listed on their web site here: http://www.google.co.uk/dmca.html. Google also owns YouTube, which has a different infringement policy page listed on their web site here: http://www.youtube.com/t/dmca_policy. Both websites state that you must send a written communication of your infringement claim. For legal and process reasons, they don’t offer web forms. If they did, it would be easier for some to make false infringement claims or duplicate claims. At the end of the day, issuing take down notices is labor intensive and only effective half the time. How effective is difficult to measure, because once you issue a take down that to a site, your music can pop up somewhere else. 34% said they take no action, which implies that they either don’t have the resources to deal with the issue or they let it go with the knowledge they are getting some promotional value out of piracy.

62.8% think the UK government should target ISP’s and download sites in an attempt to limit piracty, while only 5.1% think they should target users. But, users are not off the hook. 50.6% think that the UK government should implement a “3-strikes” rule for those who are caught file sharing. What that would look like, we can’t say. The question is then, how much file sharing constitutes one strike? Is it 10 files on one-day or 100 files an hour? It is very difficult to define a law prohibiting file sharing by users, because it’s hard to agree on when to take action.

Sending out promos to blogs and music journalists has always been an important tool to get the word out about new releases. 65.6% say they allow blogs to post their files, but 49.3% report it’s harder to get reviews from links to downloads than from physical copies. 37.5% report it made no difference, but the fact that a majority find it harder can possibly be attributed to the level of email spam. It’s much harder to differentiate spam than it is a physical CD which arrives at your door. At Netmix, we get a ton of digital promos via email, but rarely open or listen to them, mainly because some PR companies and labels send promos through services like MediaFire, which ask you to pay for faster download speeds, or YouSendIt.com, who’s links expire after a few days.. While those services are excellent for tracking open rates, journalists can’t subscribe to all of them for obvious reasons. SoundCloud.com provides a much better solution, and we see the industry moving in that direction.

57.4% saying the no longer send out CD promos. For most independents, it’s not cost effective to invest in CD promos. It’s much easier to use SoundCloud and forward links, but what we see lacking is aggressive follow up. We get a ton of email, but rarely do we get anyone following up with us to see if we posted their music. The reports states that 37.8% of respondents in the survey cited expense as the underlying factor in not using promotion services. In this era of do-it-yourself (DIY), many label upstarts don’t see the benefit if independent dance promotion services. But, it could mean the difference between a hit record or something that falls on deaf ears.

We’d love to get your feedback. Leave us a comment.

To view the poll, please visit http://www.dancetransmission.co.uk.

The tool of the DJ trade are constantly in flux. From turntables (Technics 1200 MKII’s)  and CD players (Pioneer CDJ’s) to digital hardware (Pacemaker DJ), DJ hardware and software devices are getting smaller, while packing in more features than anyone ever thought possible. Today’s digital DJ has at their fingertips the ability to mix beats, set cue points, create loops and apply a myriad of effects that 20-years ago would take up half the rack space in a recording studio. Walk into any club or lounge today and the laptop with DJ software from companies like Rane (Serato), Native Instruments (Traktor Scratch Pro), Atomix (Virutal DJ), and M-Audio (Torq) reigns supreme.

Just when we thought the laptop, which disrupted CD decks that disengaged the turntable market, would be here to stay, along comes the Apple iPad. Weighing in at under a pound, it’s much lighter and more compact than a laptop. The iPad’s multi-touch capability brings vinyl emulation directly to the screen.

Until the recent appearance of touch-screen technology, digital DJs emulated the old school way of spinning records by employing the turntable to control the playback of an MP3.  Using special digitally encoded vinyl plates and a MIDI hardware interface connected to a laptop running DJ software, information about the location of the turntable’s needle is sent to the software, which then plays back the MP3 based on the needle location.  Since most laptops do not have touch screen technology, the screens face you, and are not flat, it was improbable to create an effective vinyl emulator without resorting to hardware controllers.

That is all about to change with the advent of Mixr, a new vinyl DJ emulator from Noe Ruiz & Ben Stahlhood II at iPadMixr.com. The ipadmixr.com web site states that they hope the Mixr app will become the first iPad DJ application in the iPad app store.

You can see from the screen shots below, Mixr features two turntables, cue, play, pitch, and volume controls. There is a cross-fader and switches to reverse the direction of the fader and controls for effects processing. We’re anxiously awaiting release of this application to see it for ourselves. There are a few DJs who are using two iPads to control currently available loop and beat creation software, but this is the first vinyl emulator we’ve seen so far.

We’ve got a tip from DJ Ming that his new remixes of Lady Gaga’s Telephone track were posted to Soundcloud. Check them out, right here on Netmix! You’ll find extended, dub and radio mixes from Ming and an extended and instrumental mix collaboration with Chad North.

I received an email reminder today about this video from Brooklyn indie-rock artist, Ariel Aparicio; it’s a cover of the Psychedlic Furs punk classic Pretty In Pink. The original rock number featured on his latest album, All These Brillian Things, is a beautiful ode to a friend stricken with cancer. Pocketknife turned that sweet, melodic version into a synthetic house number with a noticeably darker, tougher,  yet resonant flavor. Ariel’s guitarist from his back up band provided a few licks over Pocketknife’s sublime, moody electronic instrumentation.

Funny, I was thinking, Ariel, hmmmm? Do I know this guy? I dug a little deeper and found out that yes, I do know Ariel! He and his partner co-own two of the hottest Thai restaurants in Brooklyn, JOYA and SONG.

When I lived around the corner from the JOYA in Carrol Gardens, I was a regular. The food…fantastic! The atmosphere is modern and industrial with exposed brick that is softened with local artwork and floral arrangements. Both restaurants feature DJs on the weekends. In fact, I loved the place so much, I even had my wedding reception there. The marriage didn’t last, but the memories of all my great friends from Brooklyn and others who came in from around the country to celebrate, as well as the inspirational sounds of DJ Ray Velasquez, will live with me forever.

That being said, Ariel is one of the sweetest, most genuine human beings I’ve ever hard the pleasure to meet. Although his first album didn’t catch my fancy so many years ago, it’s great to see that he’s kept at it and is hitting his stride. Like that spicy thai cooking emanating from the kitchens at JOYA and SONG, this one is just is as spicy.

The video is currently being spun on MTV’s LOGO channel. It held the number one spot on the channel’s The Click List program, and has since been nominated to The Click List Top 10 of 2009.

Download the House Mix of Pretty In Pink from

After a long break, I’m back with a new 180-minute Netmix Global House Sessions Podcast. Has it been a year already? I guess so. Life kind of got in the way. I’m brushing off the laptop cobwebs and putting together a hot mix for the holidays.

There are 29 tracks in this mix, which is approximately 3 hours and 8 minutes. I inadvertently used Lukas Greenberg’s “A New System” twice. I don’t know what I was thinking, but enjoy it two times around, because it is a slammin track!

1. No Turning Back – Original Mix – Gui Boratto – Kompakt
2. Libellules – Original Mix – Agoria – InFine Music
3. Praise You – Fatboy Slim vs. Fedde Le Grand Remix – Fatboy Slim, Fedde Le Grand – Skint Records
4. Feels Like I’m Dancin – Ahmet Sendil Remix – Ahmet Sendil, Sivana – Bazooka
5. 73 Tomtom Avenue – Jimpster Mix – Jimpster, David K – Tsuba
6. The Rhythm Track – Jimpster Remix – Jimpster, Milton Jackson – Freerange Records
7. A New System – Lukas Greenberg ‘Drift’ Mix – Ross Couch, Lukas Greenberg – Body Rhythm Records
8. Stoppage Time – Reshuffle Remix – Guy Gerber, Niv Hadas – Bedrock Records
9. Dance Bits – Original Mix – Tek DiLuxe – Overline Records
10. Acid – Lost In Acid Ausfahrt Mix – David Tort – Strictly Rhythm
11. Good Life – Original Mix – Kim Fai – Size Records
12. I Like House Music – Original Mix – DJ PP – Soulman Music
13. I’m Gonna Get You – Remix – Bizarre Inc. – S2
14. Rhythm Is A Dancer – Tee’s Mix – Snap – Arista
15. Rhythm Is A Dancer – Armand Van Helden Remix – Snap – N/A
16. Balearic – Original Mix – Submission DJ – Tribal Spain
17. Can I Get……?! – Matthias Meyer Remix – Matthias Meyer, Alex Niggemann – Supernature
18. That Feeling – DJ Chus 2010 Revisited Mix – DJ Chus, The Groove Foundation     Defected
19. Amalfino – Original Mix – Kaiserdisco – MBF
20. Wobble Night – Original Mix – Remerc – Greelpound
21. Je T’aime – Carlo Lio Mix – Kolombo, Carlo Lio – Hotfingers
22. Empty Trash – Original Mix – Joris Voorn – Rejected
23. A New System – Lukas Greenberg ‘Drift’ Mix – Ross Couch, Lukas Greenberg – Body Rhythm Records
24. Matter – Original Vocal Mix – Matteo Marini – Deeperfect Records
25. To The Six – Original Mix – Boom Jinx, Andrew Bayer – Anjunadeep
26. Who Dares To Believe In Me? – Martijn Ten Velden Remix – Martijn Ten Velden, The Believers – Strictly Rhythm
27. Joy – Original Mix – Butch – Bangbang!
28. Celebrate – Original Mix – Manuel De La Mare, Matteo Matteini – Hotfingers
29. Hidden Source – Original Mix – Daniele Papini – Break New Soil

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Or listen by choosing a play icon below. You can also right click on the download link and Save As, but we prefer that you subscribe to the podcast, so that we can keep tracks of downloads and plays. Thanks!

 

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Looking for something to do on Thanksgiving Eve next week? The Bowery, Pacha NYC and Terminal 5 have teamed up to bring you and evening of hyped beats and funky sounds from everyone’s musical maestro of the moment, Deadmau5. Alongside will be U.K. funkmaster, BURNS, who’s Parisian-style funk melded with UK disco-filtered house is rocking dance floors around the world.

BURNS has been busy remixing the sounds of Ladyhawke, Jack Spalsh feat. Missy Elliot, Passion Pit, The Gossip, Kasabian, White Lies, FrankMusic, and Calvin Harris.

Take a listen to BURNS Pre Party Jamz set recently featured on NickyDigital.com.

NickyDigital_Pre_Pre_Party_Jamz_ BURNS

Now for something we didn’t know…Birmingham U.K. producer/dj, Kim Fai! He’s listed on the bill along with Sleepy & Boo. This cat is sick! We just checked out his tracks on his MySpace. What! Yo…crazy! His remix of the balearic classics Inner City Good Life and the Paul Thomas & Myke Smith remake of Atlantic Ocean Waterfall are incredible. He’s got a bunch of tracks out, including Drug Music 2009 with Mark Knight from Toolroom Knights on the vocal. We hadn’t heard his remix of Funkagenda’s “What the F*@&k.” We found the YouTube track and it’s served up in this post. Very deep, dark and certainly underground.

In this viral video, Europe’s top House music DJ, David Guetta discusses his involvement with Activision’s DJ Hero franchise. Get DJ Hero for Christmas for your aspiring DJ. Choose from the product links below. DJ Hero Renegade editions for Playstation and XBox 360 were not available for online purchase at the time of this posting.

DJ HERO Renegade Edition – Nintendo Wii – $199

DJ Hero Bundle – Wii – $119

DJ Hero Bundle – Xbox 360 – $119

DJ Hero Bundle – PS3  – $119

DJ Hero Bundle – PS2

If you don’t know Dubspot, the music production and DJ school has quickly entrenched itself as the defacto spot to learn the tools, tips and techniques for the DJ trade. Whether it’s making music with Ableton Live, scratch classes using Serato, or DJing with the Pioneer DVJ mixing console using DVD’s, the school has a class for you.

Dubspot’s 2009 Summer registration is under way and you’ll need to jump on it quick, because I hear that classes are filling up. According to a recent NYTimes article about DJing in the dowturn, Dubspot enrollment has doubled to 300 since last year. Since the economy took a turn for the worse, it’s always good to use the time to pick up a new skill. While some are transitioning to nursing and health care or other sectors, you might be thinking about leaving the corporate carer behind to do something infinitely more creative than crunching spreadsheets and building Power Point presentations.

Recently, Dubspot celebrated its two-year anniversary with a weekend long event from June 25th to the 28th. I wasn’t able to attend, but the folks at Dubspot and Plexi PR were able to provide this wrap up:

DubSpot, New York City’s home for dynamic electronic music production and DJ education, celebrated its 2 Year anniversary with a long weekend June 25th-28th.  In addition to hosting three individual birthday parties, DubSpot also brought its Live 8 U.S. Sessions Tour in for its home stop, with Ableton Live 8 production and performance workshops.  An abundance of high profile artists were involved throughout the events, and the weekend has received enthusiastic praise from all participants not only for its ingenuity, but also its originality and high standard of quality.  Full workshop videos with techno auteurs Richie Hawtin & Ambivalent, Dub pioneer Scientist, Peter Kirn of CreateDigitalMusic.com and much more to be made available online soon.  Check out the DubSpot blog here for updates.

The first of DubSpot’s 2 Year Anniversary parties was the Funk Aid for Africa NYC release party.  The album, and the fundraising effort in general, had been riding high already from a 4 star review from Time Out New York, and DJ sets from OBaH, Reborn and Ticklah carried the party late into the night. The second of DubSpot’s 2 Year Anniversary Parties was held at Love, and saw Minus’ Richie Hawtin take to the decks for a special 4-hour set.  Hawtin set the place ablaze in an all too rare club appearance in New York.  Working with our partner, NYC techno promoters  Blk|Market Membership, DubSpot packed the house with instructors, students and friends, and danced until dawn to the banging beats of world-class techno. Sunday night’s Hi-Fidelity DubSpot Sessions kept the momentum going late, as Scientist mixed Dub Is A Weapon live, plus sets from Badawi, DJ Kiva, Matt Shadetek, and DJ Rupture.  The show was widely enjoyed and appreciated as a world-class night of music and community.

Below are a list of classes and dates. I’ve included the recent July dates just in case there’s an opportunity to join in late, since they only started a week ago. Click the links for more information.

DubSpot Upcoming Class Start Dates : Summer 2009
Registration is open for DubSpot’s summer sessions. Get started on bringing your musical ambitions to life.

July 21: DJ Beginner & Extensive packages Tuesdays will begin with DJ OBaH at 7:15pm.
July 21: Turntablism classes meeting on Tuesday will begin with 2007 DMC World Supremacy champ DJ Shiftee at 5:15pm.
July 23 Music Production package B: encompassing Reason Ableton & Logic Thurs 6:15 taught by Chris Petti of the Reason Users group.
August 2nd Ableton Live with Jon Margulies: Sundays at 4:00pm Can be taken separately or as part of our year long Ableton certificate program
August 7th Ableton Live with Jon Margulies: Class will meet Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:15pm. Can be taken separately or as part of our year long Ableton certificate program
August 14th  Logic Intensive with Matt Shadetek of Dutty Artz – Mondays Wednesdays Fridays 10:15am
August 18th Ableton Live: Class will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:15pm. Can be taken separately or as part of our year long Ableton certificate program
August 18th DJing with Video class with Lars of DVJ Vision begins Tuesdays at 5:15pm.

In just two short years, DubSpot has fully emerged as a force in the electronic music world.  The Live 8 U.S. Sessions Tour will continue this Fall in Los Angeles in October, then move on to 5 other cities including Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Austin and Washington D.C.  And that’s just this first round.  The tour will continue to grow, and continue to be the ambassador of DubSpot’s devotion to excellence in electronic music.  By providing unique opportunities for established and aspiring artists alike to develop their knowledge, careers, and production and performance abilities,DubSpot will secure and advance its position on the cutting edge of electronic music education! – Quote courtesy, Plexi PR

DubSpot 348 West 14th Street New York, NY 10014
212.242.2100 // info@dubSpot.com
www.dubspot.com

- by Tony Z.

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