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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Getting Great Album Art On A DIY Budget.


Getting Great Album Art On A DIY Budget.

By Jhoni Jackson from the SonicBids Blog.

If you’re not a studied designer, the thought of commissioning an album cover may be a little overwhelming (especially considering how strongly we've emphasized its importance!). Nobody freak out, though. Simply by reading this, you’ve already shown some enterprising spirit – and that’s just the kind of moxie you’ll need to realize your cover art dreams.

Resourcefulness and networking are as crucial here as they are in booking, garnering press, and landing a label. But, hey, you’re an independent musician. You’re a go-getter by nature. Even for the newly indoctrinated, that mindset combined with this step-by-step guide will make the process relatively painless – and on budget, too.

Please note: For the sake of this story, we're focusing on covers made using graphic design, not solely photography. Sometimes you'll want a combination of the two, and if that's the case, keep in mind that, depending on the artist's skill set, you might have to handle the photo part first with a separate commission.

How to find the right graphic designer for you

You can Google design firms, sure. But if you want to keep this project within an independent musician’s presumably tight budget, you’ll need to muster up a little more DIY gusto and dig around significantly more.

Call upon your fellow fledglings

If you don’t know a qualified graphic designer pal willing to work for free, a pro bono cover is still a possibility. Just like you’re working to build your fanbase, there are artists looking to build their portfolios. Post on your personal social media account and see if anything turns up. Make some flyers with a few notes about your tunes and what you’re looking for, then post them in the graphic design wing of your local college, as well as nearby coffee shops and art supply stores. You might just snag yourself a novice but naturally talented designer who’s itching to work with a band.

Hold a contest

How's your social media following? A band or artist with even just a couple hundred likes on Facebook will have at least a few budding designers in the mix. Holding a contest is a fun and free option for any band, but it's best if you have music available online – otherwise, even if they've seen your live show, they'll be designing sort of blindly. This is an extra great move, really, because it also engages your fans. Be sure to offer prizes in addition to the bragging rights, and provide clear information about what you're looking for. (See below for information on image specs.)

Tap into a design hub

There are freelance marketplaces that charge a fee to post a gig, but there are a few, like Elance, that don’t. Take a gander at the type of folks available first, then decide if soliciting there is right for you.

Another route to try is a community like Deviant Art. Artists from around the world who specialize in practically every medium imaginable strut their stuff there, and a lot of them are open to commissioned work.

Discussing the design

It’s helpful to have an idea in mind, and examples are great illustrative tools. Peruse artwork in the review section of your favorite outlet, but don’t limit yourself to what’s already been done. Check out art publications too, like Juxtapoz or Hi-Fructose. Think about your favorite films or even fashion designers. Even a photo in a random magazine that caught your eye could serve as the inspiration for your cover.

Be sure to ask for a sampling to get an idea of their style if you haven’t already seen their work. Sending them your EP or LP should be common sense but, just in case: Yes, you should do that. Figure out if what you’re looking for is something they’re capable of and excited about. The optimal relationship is one of mutual super-enthusiasm and, while you might not be that lucky, a severe mismatch could end poorly for both parties.

If you are lacking direction for your artwork, you’ll have to hook up with a designer who's okay with starting from scratch. This involves putting a lot of trust in them, but if you’re into their work and they’re into your music, there’s a good chance that, after thorough discussion, you can find creative common ground.

Sealing the deal: payment and policies

Price is something to discuss before any work is started, of course. How long the project will take and other details should also be settled upon beforehand. There are no finite rules for any of these particulars, especially when working with freelancers. Any designer who doesn’t finalize the fine points before officially getting started is likely one you shouldn’t be working with.

Image specifications

Are you going to have CDs made? Vinyl? Will your release only be for sale digitally? Or are you going for a triple sales threat? Your artist will need to know how you’ll be using the artwork because each medium has its own specifications.

For images that will only be used online, you’ll want to keep the resolution at 72 DPI (good quality, but won’t load like you’re on dial-up). If you plan to print the artwork on any medium, a resolution of 300 DPI is standard. Both should be in the best quality RGB color mode – even if it’s a black-and-white image – and in JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg) format. It should go without saying that the image should be a perfect square – and, preferably, at least 1600 x 1600 pixels in size. (You can always make it smaller.)

Vinyl and compact discs require a few extra steps compared to digital, but the specs aren’t hard to follow. And, luckily, Disc Makers has a handy array of templates available online. (Always double-check with your manufacturer, though.)

Money talks

Strapped for cash? Can’t offer a single dime? In addition to credit for the work, try offering a slew of guest spots at shows or merch or both. Obviously, this won’t fly with everyone. Newer designers looking to beef up their portfolios are your best bet in this situation.

When negotiating with a more established designer, rates will vary. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who charges less than $50, though. The going rate for design work by a seasoned pro is closer to $200, and can soar upwards from there depending on how time-consuming your design will be and their level of experience. If you can swing it and you really love their work, by all means do it. It’s like show guarantees – the party in question has presumably climbed their way up to that fee, and the results will likely prove to be worth the cost.

What if I don’t like the design?

This might be the trickiest part. To avoid issues, here’s a few things to talk about with your designer – again, do this before they begin working.

Consider asking for a draft. A rough sketch of what’s to come will give you insight into the final product. Additionally, could the designer share with you how things are coming along around the halfway point? You’d have to keep in mind that it’s not finished, of course, but if something like the color scheme is completely off, correcting that issue at this stage would save both of you a lot of strife.

Be straightforward in asking what will happen if you're unsatisfied with the artwork. You know your degree of pickiness – if they’re going to refuse to make alterations once they’re done, you might want to seek out another artist. It is a service, however, so keep that in mind. Communication from the start is vital in avoiding this kind of situation altogether.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Musicians Fragrances Not Big Sellers.



Musicians' Fragrances Not Big Sellers.

Aparently the bond between celebirty and fan does not extend to the olfactory receptors. Cosmetics giant Elizabeth Arden reported their largest quarterly loss and laid the lion's share of the blame for said losses at Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber's feet.

The company lost $155.9 million in the three months ended June 30 while sales dropped by 28.4 per cent to $191.7 million for the quarter, losses in part driven by what the company says are declining sales in celebrity fragrances.


Total sales for the company dropped by 13.4 percent in the year ended June 30 with half of that loss from celebrity branded fragrances. “A steeper-than-anticipated erosion among most celebrity license brands contributed to” bigger-than-planned drop in shipments, Chief Marketing Officer Kathleen Widmer said on an investor conference call.

Elizabeth Arden makes about three quarters of its money from fragrances and the company featured five of the top 10 celebrity perfumes in the United States last year but it is a shrinking market. Analysts at research firm Euromonitor International noted that these celebrity fragrances are generally aimed at young consumers, a demographic that has less discretionary income with unemployment amoung youth remaining stubbornly high.

However, Widmer said that the company plans to continue its celebrity fragrance offerings, with a full line of new fragrances in Autumn 2014, as well as new products under its existing brands, including Britney Spears, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. - via Celebrity Access


How Hetfield relies on fans Metallica frontman tells how supporters get them through tough times.

How Hetfield relies on fans
Metallica frontman tells how supporters get them through tough times.
12/08/2014 ~ by Stef Lach
James Hetfield admits he isn't always in the right frame of mind for a gig and says he relies on the audience to help him through the show.

The Metallica frontman says he makes eye contact with a member of the crowd whenever he needs a boost – and adds that the trick never fails. Watch the full interview below.

He tells Hitradio 03: "I mean, we're all human, and sometimes we feel very communicative and sometimes we don't. But most of the time, if I'm not feeling good and then we get up on stage, I just look at somebody in the eye and just say, 'Hey, I need your help tonight.'

"I mean, I'm not asking them directly, but through the eyes I'm asking them, 'I need your help.' And they give it to me, somehow."

08/12/2014




Hit Writers Sherrie Austin and Will Rambeaux Inspire at Women in Lodging Workshop

BMI joined forces with the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association (OH&LA) recently (6/12/14) to present a very special performance by BMI singer/songwriters Sherrie Austin and Will Rambeaux at the organization’s annual “Women In Lodging (WIL) Connect” leadership workshop held at The Blackwell Inn in Columbus, OH. Austin and Rambeaux kicked off the day performing “Shotgun Rider” (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill), “Startin’ Fires” (Blake Shelton) and “I Didn’t” from Austin’s Circus Girl album, which was released in 2012.

The OH&LA is one of America’s oldest hotel associations. Founded in 1893, the mission of the OH&LA is to provide advocacy, information, resources, and education for Ohio’s lodging properties while promoting and assisting Ohio’s hospitality and tourism industry. Women In Lodging (WIL) is the first industry-wide forum exclusively for female hospitality professionals engaged in providing an opportunity to connect with top business leaders nationwide and gain career momentum. WIL is a catalyst with three important goals: 1) to enable the personal and professional development of women with strategies and actions focused on removing barriers and providing solutions; 2) to foster the development of women to obtain leadership competencies that contribute to the achievement of overall career growth; and 3) to engage women in the political process as it relates to the industry.








Friday, August 1, 2014

Musician-director offering masks from 'Halloween,' crosses from 'House of 1000 Corpses' and the chance to see singer in concert for life

Rob Zombie Talks Insane Clowns and Crowdfunding His New Film '31'

Musician-director offering masks from 'Halloween,' crosses from 'House of 1000 Corpses' and the chance to see singer in concert for life

Rob Zombie
Courtesy Rob Zombie
July 31, 2014 9:55 AM ET
Rob Zombie, who has directed movies like Devil's Rejects and two Halloween films, was uncharacteristically uneasy at first with the idea of crowdfunding a movie. But that went away once he realized it was a quid-pro-quo tradeoff. On Thursday, the director launched a campaign to fund his next movie 31, offering the sorts of rewards he knows his fans want. "People have come up to me over the years and asked, 'How can I get these props?' 'How can I come to the set?'" he tells Rolling Stone. "So I realized a crowdfunding campaign is not a guy on a street corner with a hat asking for money."
Over the next two months, Zombie is looking to raise funds for the film via his new website RZ-31. The director is offering up a variety of high-quality rewards to people who want to support the movie, including autographed posters, a chance for Zombie to follow a winner on Twitter, a winner's name in the credits, a lifetime laminate to see Zombie on tour at any show and a gig as an extra in 31. Zombie will also offer selected props from his movies, including Halloween masks and giant crosses from House of 1000 Corpses.
The movie tells the story of five people kidnapped in the five days leading up to Halloween and how they must fight to survive in a place called Murder World playing the game "31." The game's rules require the kidnapped person to kill his or her opponent – a group of clowns called "the heads" – in 12 hours to be freed.
"I've noticed with all of the movies I've made that so many people get tattoos from the movie," Zombie explains. "When you love something so much, you just want to be a part of it. And that's what I think about this crowd-funding campaign – you can be a part of it." Rolling Stone spoke to Zombie about 31 and coming around to crowdfunding.
How did you get the concept for 31?I was reading this statistic: Halloween is the Number One day of the year when people go missing for some reason. I thought, "What an interesting premise for a film." This is five people that go missing on each day leading up to Halloween and what happens to them on the 31st.
Clowns are a big part of that, apparently.In some fashion, yeah. Very horrible, disgusting, violent, despicable clowns, which people seem to hate.
Are you scared of clowns?
Maybe when I was a baby or something. I remember seeing this Super 8 footage that my parents made of me at the grand opening of McDonald's or something. I was a little older than a baby and Ronald McDonald was there, freaking the fuck out of me. I didn't even know it was a clown. It was just a guy with a white face and bright red hair, and a stranger. So I was not too happy. [But] I've never had a fear of clowns. I find clowns fascinating. On one level, they're very entertaining and on another, they're incredibly repulsive.
You've said you want this movie to be gritty. Why gritty?
With each film, I try to adapt the style that I feel is applicable to the story. A gritty approach didn't fit the story of my last film, Lords of Salem. I wanted to do something that was a little more grand; a little cleaner cinematically. For this, I feel like a very nasty, gritty, guerilla-style approach to the filmmaking fits the story and the vibe of the movie.
How far into the production are you? Is the script done?
Yeah, that's done. We're going to start location starting in about a week. We're moving along. Movies have only two speeds: painfully slow and "now you're behind schedule." Right now, we're in the slow phase.
Do you have a cast?
No, we haven't started that yet. But we'll get on that pretty soon.
What is the coolest reward in the crowdfunding campaign?
Getting your name in the credits. If there was a time where someone told me, "Your name can be forever in the credits of­ Star Wars," or whatever, I'd be like, "Fuck yeah." That's pretty rad.
You're offering masks from your Halloween. How many of those did you make?
They're from one scene in the film, and I don't know how many were made exactly. Maybe there were a couple hundred. Each one was one of a kind. They're all handmade. At this point, some were destroyed in the making. Some were lost. I gave some away to people, because it was a cool parting gift when we ended the movie. But there are about 50 that I have left over.
You're also giving away some big cemetery crosses from House of 1000 Corpses. Where do you store those?
I have a huge warehouse, because I need a place for my stage shows from the tours. We were cleaning it out and I found this huge crate filled with these crosses. They've been sitting there since 2001 at least. It's a cool thing to get. If I was a big fan of, say, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and someone said, "We just found the original chainsaw. Anyone want to buy it?" it would be like that for me.
Another reward is a painting you did of a clown. How much painting do you do?
I went to school for painting when I graduated high school. I paint now more than ever. I've just been doing a bunch of clown designs and trying to work out the makeup.
Beyond the movie, are you working on a new record?Yeah, I'm in the studio right now. I got off tour a few days ago, and right now I'm already working on the new album, which we'll have finished this year. I want to have it done before the movie starts. I don't want to come back to the record after the movie. It's too long of a break. We have a ton of stuff written and, little by little, we're finishing them up. We're more than half done at this point.
Lastly, are you at all concerned about giving away a lifetime laminate to your concerts?
It does sound funny, right? "Lifetime Laminate." I see so many people who come up to me and say, "This is the 25th time I've seen you guys." I figure that makes sense. We still have many, many years left of touring. You can go, "Hey, why rush to buy a ticket? I'm getting in anyway. It's sold out? Not for me!"
What band would you want a lifetime laminate for?
Well, at this point with the ticket prices, the Rolling Stones would be nice.


Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/rob-zombie-talks-insane-clowns-and-crowdfunding-his-new-film-31-20140731#ixzz39CC4SDMd 
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5 Lessons For The Music Industry From "Weird Al" Yankovic

5 Lessons For The Music Industry From "Weird Al" Yankovic

By Kevin Erickson from Future of Music Coalition.

Last week, beloved musical humorist “Weird Al” Yankovic dropped his new album Mandatory Fun. Propelled by a set of eight viral videos, it quickly rose to the top spot on the Billboard charts, his first ever #1, with over 104,000 album sales. Al recently told the New York Times, “I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, I’m on the bleeding edge of marketing, this is going to be a business model that will change the world.” But as a longtime (possibly obssessive?) fan of Al, I’d suggest there’s still a few things we can learn from him.

1. Exclusivity can matter.

Let’s say you are launching a new album with eight new videos. The obvious first place to go to premiere them would be the world’s largest video site, YouTube, right? Well, while Al’s new crop of videos will all end up on YouTube eventually, Al didn’t choose to launch most of them them there initially. Instead, he struck partnership deals with a bunch of different websites for exclusive premieres. As Al described in a somewhat bizarre interview with Fox Business’s Stuart Varney, Al got sites like Yahoo, College Humor, Funny or Die, and Nerdist to pay production costs of videos in exchange for the exclusives. These sites benefit from extra traffic and ad revenue, while Al gets their extra promotional muscle in a different corner of the online world. And getting these third parties to pick up video costs means that Al’s label RCA isn’t paying for it either, meaning the record will potentially recoup faster.

This runs counter to a currently popular notion that the best thing an artist can do is have all of their content in as many different places as possible as soon as it’s released. (To be fair, the album itself is on the major on-demand streaming services, but you wouldn’t know that from Al’s website, which is set up to direct fans to download stores and direct-to-fan physical sales, presumably because the value of those purchases is higher.) And, while most artists aren’t going to have the kind of leverage to be able to get a whole bunch of popular sites to pay for their videos, an artist’s ability to decide where and when his/her music is or is not used is something that can generate serious economic value.

(Incidentally, this is one reason that certain indie labels are reportedly angered by rumored clauses in YouTube’s contracts with indies for its new streaming service disallowing “windowing” and limiting exclusives. It’s possible that if Al had been constrained by these contractual terms, he’d have been unable to launch his album this way.)

2. Fair use is great, but actual permission can enable you to do more.

“Fair use” is a provision in US Copyright law that allows for the public to use portions of copyrighted works for comment and criticism. Every time a big fair use controversy comes up in the news, particularly when its associated with a new version of a song with altered lyrics, people start making references to Weird Al’s supposed invocation of fair use, in cases ranging from Frank Ocean’s rewrite of “Hotel California” to Goldieblox’s ill-advised appropriation of the Beastie Boys‘ “Girls.”

In reality, Al doesn’t invoke fair use, but generally gets permission from the artist and songwriters and negotiates a license agreement. The writers and publishers of the original song then earn a share of royalties on sales of Al’s version. (Indeed, TMZ recently stumbled on Al asking rapper Iggy Azalea for permission backstage after her concert.)

Some commenters have speculated that Al doesn’t need permission, but asks for it anyway, just because he’s such a nice guy. But while parody is explicitly protected in fair use doctrine, one could make the case that most of Al’s song parodies may not be entirely parodic but cross a line into satire, which doesn’t enjoy the same fair use protection. Technically, parodies are supposed to comment upon the original work, but in Al’s humorous rewrites, the object of the lampooning is often not the song or artist himself/herself, but some other sociocultural phenomenon that Al is commenting on. (Exceptions might include 2011’s “Perform This Way,” a perfect deconstruction of Lady Gaga’s persona, or 1993’s Billy Ray Cyrus parody “Achy Breaky Song.”) As the Supreme Court held in Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music:

…parody may or may not be fair use, and [the] suggestion that any parodic use is presumptively fair has no more justification in law or fact than the equally hopeful claim that any use for news reporting should be presumed fair…The Act has no hint of an evidentiary preference for parodists over their victims, and no workable presumption for parody could take account of the fact that parody often shades into satire when society is lampooned through its creative artifacts, or that a work may contain both parodic and non parodic elements. Accordingly, parody, like any other use, has to work its way through the relevant factors, and be judged case by case, in light of the ends of the copyright law.

And as attorney Rich Stim notes over at Stanford’s page on fair use, the amount of the original work that gets used has also been a factor in existing case law; Al usually uses songs in their entirety. Al’s original style parodies, where he writes original tunes but imitates the general musical style of the original acts are another matter entirely, and don’t require Al to obtain permission or any kind of license because nothing copyrightable is being appropriated. Examples include the new Pixies homage “First World Problems” or my personal favorite, the DEVO-spoofing “Dare To Be Stupid.”

3. Vinyl really is back.

You might be surprised to learn that Mandatory Fun is being released in vinyl LP format, as was its predecessor, 2011’s Alpocalypse. That was Al’s first release on vinyl since 1992’s Off The Deep End. By now everyone knows that vinyl sales are one part of the recorded music business that’s experience serious growth, reaching a 22 year record in 2013, and on track to set another record in 2014. Excitement about this growth has been tempered by an acknowledgement that it’s not enough to make up for digital declines, and it still only represents a small share of overall industry revenues.

Sure, it’s still a niche format, but it’s a niche with significant enough economic value that even singles-driven, mainstream-oriented artists like Al find it worth participating in. (Though this growth has created some challenges; the vinyl release was bumped back until August 5, quite possibly a result of the backlog at pressing plants created by all the new demand for vinyl.) Al’s always been willing to try new formats (2006’s Straight Outta Lynwood was realeased as a DualDisc), but it’s significant that even artists like Al who are deeply invested in a digitally-focused strategy see real value in analog physical media.

4. Every artist’s path is different.

Much has been made of Al’s recent speculation that this will be his last full length record—having fulfilled his contract with Sony, he’s likely to just release singles independently, so he can more quickly respond to pop hits with timely spoofs. It would be easy to extrapolate from this that “the album is dead” or “you don’t need labels anymore.”

But remember: Al is weird, and so is his career, so we have to be careful about using outliers to define “industry trends.” No one would have expected the kid with the accordion sending 4-track home-recordings to Dr Demento to have a number one album all these years later. While anyone can make a song parody and share it now, there’s not many people making a living off of song parodies, and there’s still only one Weird Al. For some artists, albums might not be the most important format, for others they’re vital. Some artists have a business model that doesn’t require label support; others find their assistance crucial. Most of the viral strategies that work for Al aren’t going to work for Godspeed You! Black Emperor, for example, even as they too are huge fans of Al’s work.

Every musician is different. Some, it turns out, are inimitable. And, yes, I’m kinda making a meta-criticism of my own blog post here. But here’s one thing that everyone can learn from Al:

5. There’s enduring value in being a really nice person.

Al is legendarily fan-friendly, and generous with his time and attention. Nearly every musician or journalist who’s ever encountered Al reports that he’s genuinely, disarmingly humble and kind, and treats his team exceptionally well, including his band and crew. (Amazingly, he’s worked with the same backing band since 1981.) He only plays all-ages shows, knowing that kids grow up into life-long fans. That accumulated goodwill pays dividends, as a generation of younger comedians clamor to make cameos in his videos, and aging fans bring their kids to shows. While only a tiny handful of musicians will have a career as successful as Al’s, that “nice guy” reputation is something anyone can aspire to e



Turning CDs Into LPs, With a Twist

Turning CDs Into LPs, With a Twist
AMY FREEBORN JUN 30 2014, 6:49 AM ET
Aleksander Kolkowski
London musician Aleksander Kolkowski is giving new life to a dying musical format—by turning it into an even older format. His idea: repurpose the compact disc to play like its musical predecessor, the vinyl record. “I’m taking the optical digital back to analogue,” he says.
Using a modified Wilcox-Gay Recordette—a 1950s home stereo and recording device—Kolkowski cuts grooves into a CD, making it playable on a turntable. The re-engineered CD plays at 45 rotations per minute for up to two minutes and 50 seconds. The audio result is “a nice, warm sound, like it’s been remastered through an overdriven tube amplifier.”
Any digital or audio input, including a microphone, can be connected to Kolkowski’s customized device—which means he can put whatever song, sound, or voice recording he chooses onto the CD to be played like a record. To do this, the input device sends an electrical signal to a needle on the Recordette which cuts an exact waveform representation of the sound onto the CD like the arm of a record player working in reverse. It renders the original data on the disc unreadable, but etches into the disc something new and often spontaneous.
At a handful of public appearances across Europe, Kolkowski has produced recordings of everything from throat singers to a marriage proposal. He says it's most fun to work with people performing live and off-the-cuff directly into the microphone, while some bring memory sticks with audio they've prepared in advance, and on one occasion he was given a CD from which he ripped a song to his laptop and then cut the song back onto the same CD.
This disc still looks like a CD, but it plays like a record. (Amy Freeborn)
“It’s transforming a disposable media storage device made for cloned copying into a one-of-a-kind cult object,” he states. But that’s not to say he’s too precious about the whole thing. “In a way, it's very tongue in cheek. There's a lot of fetishism about vinyl, but I see this as quite throw-away, really. I do it for free. People bring a CD and I give them one in return. On a few occasions people have asked me to go into commercial production, but that’s not really my intention.”
Kolkowski is making art, but he’s also toying with the nostalgia that swells around aging audio formats. In the United Kingdom, just over 780,000 vinyl albums were sold in 2013, the largest number since 1997. In the United States, Jack White sold 40,000 copies of the special vinyl edition of his latest solo album, Lazaretto, during its first week of release. It was the biggest week of vinyl sales since Soundscan began tracking data in 1991. (The previous record was around 33,000, for Pearl Jam’s 1994 vinyl-themed album, Vitalogy.)
In an age when ever-improving digital technology is available anywhere and all the time, why the persistent affection for analogue items from the past? (See also: Polaroid cameras, 35mm film, and typewriters.) Perhaps it's a desire to take back creative control from digital gadget settings, maybe it's down to pure aesthetic appreciation of vintage items and their output, or it could all be just a form of trophy gathering. Kolkowski thinks vinyl’s renaissance is a combination of its alternative status as a format, and our desire to own something tangible—something physical you can hold in your hands—at a time when music is becoming increasingly “invisible.”
“People still want something to cherish,” he said. “There’s something about sound being rendered into a physical object that has magic to it, and I think that’s why people get a thrill from what I’m doing. And the process, the fact it’s a recycled object, adds piquancy to it.”
His CD-Recycled 45rpm project is part of a larger series of work having to do with repurposing, remaking, and recreating, including an installation at the Science Museum in London called The Exponential Horn. For the exhibit, Kolkowski helped reconstruct a 1930s loudspeaker to broadcast newly-created sounds, music, and spoken word, in an exploration of its original intention to establish a benchmark in audio quality. He’s also recreating one of the first-ever recordings of a symphony onto wax discs in a project for the Royal College of Music. “In 1913, in Germany, one of the very first attempts was made to record a whole symphony. We are re-enacting that recording session using wax discs. No one has actually attempted a full orchestra using a wax recording lathe before, so it’s a serious research project, as well as a lot of fun.”
Kolkowski, who collects string and wind instruments as well as gramophone and phonograph players, says he’s always been interested in early recording formats and has “a fascination with the listening experience.”
“As a sound artist, I'm interested in using antiquated audio technology to challenge notions of obsolescence and, as well as making connections with the past, in giving a new perspective on our current relationship to recordings, amplification and digital sound.”
AMY FREEBORN
Amy Freeborn is a writer, web editor, and photographer based in London.