Many years ago, I bought my first MIDI capable music synthesizer and realized that the MIDI standard was essentially the glue that would attach computers to musical instruments, opening up a world of new possibilities for musicians. Not only did it allow a computer system with a full-screen monitor, keyboard, and mouse to become the library of customized sound patches for the synthesizer, but it also became the preferred way to interact with it when you weren’t actually trying to play it. (Who wants to look at a small 1 or 2 line LCD screen and navigate layer after layer of menus with keypad buttons and sliders or a dial, when you can see all of it in full color on the computer screen?) MIDI also became the preferred way to save a musical performance for exchanging with other owners of the same (or compatible) music gear. A MIDI file was small enough to attach to an email or easily save on a floppy disk, enabling some of the first long-distance collaboration on music compositions at an affordable cost. With the growth of the Internet, popularity of broadband connections, and explosive growth in cheap storage space, far more is possible today.
One new trend involves music recording software with integrated collaboration tools. Popular software packages like ProTools or CuBase allow musicians to become their own recording engineers, but the process is centered around that one computer, to produce an end result targeted for a CD or DAT. Of course, that doesn’t prevent individuals from uploading individual tracks of incomplete projects to web sites designed for music collaboration. Digital Musician, for example, offers such services, including a message forum and free software for members to use, for up to three musicians to collaborate in real-time on a project. Well-known electric guitar effects-maker, Line 6, offers their Riffworks product, enabling guitarists to easily collaborate on musical projects and even handles the drum tracks for them. Currently in beta testing stages, is Ohm Studio, a digital audio workstation for PC or Mac designed around Internet collaboration.
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Another interesting spin on collaborative music-making can be found at InBFlat, where contributed music and spoken-word segments can be played simultaneously and individual volume levels adjusted, so the listener can make his/her own music mixes from them.
Of course, this same technology allows advances at the other end of the process too; Internet-based concerts filled with online participants. One of the earliest successful experiments with this was inside the Second Life virtual reality world. In Second Life, users explore a 3D universe where they can interact with each other, purchase homes or cars, teleport their avatars to exotic locations, and enjoy many forms of entertainment. This includes the ability to attend shows at virtual nightclubs, concert halls, and other venues (over 3,500 of them) where performers are paid in Linden dollars, the virtual currency of Second Life. Not only do they collect entrance fees, but fans commonly tip performers as well. Linden dollars can be exchanged for real U.S. currency at many web sites, with an exchange rate that varies but is typically somewhere around 265 Linden dollars to 1 U.S. dollar. Indie artist Craig Lyons says he typically earns between $100 – $200 per show and performs as many as three times in a day to audiences signed in from different time zones.
“It feels really nice to reach people who wouldn’t be able to see these shows otherwise,” Lyons says. “Be it single parents, physically handicapped people who can’t get out of the house, or people who can’t afford a $15 cover charge and drinks at the bar.”
The latest attempt at hosting virtual concerts over the Internet comes from Turntable.fm, where to be invited in to listen, you need to have a Facebook friend who already uses the service. Once in, you enter one of many available listening rooms as your cartoon avatar, where up to five people at a time can take turns manning the virtual DJ booth, attempting to please the crowd with their music. The listeners can, in turn, vote particular compositions up or down, as well as chat with each other about what they’re hearing. A D.J. who pleases the audience can even receive avatar upgrades (such as special clothing items). The site is new, but interest has been surging and a few celebrities have even paid the site a visit already, including rapper Sir Mix-a Lot and science-fiction author Neil Gaiman. Unfortunately, it’s unknown if Turntable will ultimately struggle with legal issues. Many of the DJs create tunes using pieces of copyrighted songs that they haven’t obtained permission to use first, and major record labels have historically been unfriendly to such scenarios. However, at least some of the smaller labels see potential in the service. Director of Paper Garden Records, Heidi Greenwood, has been inviting musicians to participate in a listening room they created. She says she’s excited about the possibility of hosting listening parties on Turntable.fm for new musicians they’ve signed, as well as finding potential new talent based on the response to new performers in their listening room.
Given all of these recent changes, it certainly looks like the future of digital music involves much more than shopping for songs online. Every aspect of music from its creation to its live performance now has a virtual counterpart.
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