People thought it was pretty cool when I worked at one of the major record labels (EMI America) in the late 80s. And actually I can think of worse jobs to be honest; I did enjoy myself for awhile. But actually, the reason I left was owing to mass label consolidation (at the time there were five big major labels...

Yeah, yeah. The Zune may be a miserable failure according to some, but there are definitely some positive points about the Zune that Apple should take note of and consider emulating. Here is my list of six lessons Apple might consider learning from the Zune and implementing in their iPod line. 1. Be fingerprint resistant. The soft feel of the...

Welcome to another week's edition of Friday Napster Freebies. These free downloads are in un-DRM'3d MP3 format and can be accessed from around the globe. So load 'em up on your iPod or other portable music player and enjoy! "Weekend Warriors" by A Change of PaceThese Peoria, Arizona high-school buddies share a love for pop-edged alternative rock that has led...

While sifting through photos for tomorrow's NAMM show report, I saw this head-scratcher of a phrase near a pair of headphones: The Real Virtual Reality. The ’phones come from Beyerdynamic, a German company, and are designed to simulate surround sound. What makes them more real, I suppose, is that they rotate the simulated environment as you turn your head, thanks...

Welcome to another week of Friday Napster Freebies. Once again, here's a week's worth of free music you can download and enjoy on your favorite media player. "Time2hitdaclub (EXPLICIT)" by 8BallRepresenting half of legendary Memphis rap duo 8Ball & MJG, this solo outing does the legend proud: all downtempo boom, hairy synths, and lyrics devoted to everyone's favorite activity after...

Macworld 2007 was busier than I've seen in years, but it didn't feel like a computer show. Indeed, as I squeezed past everything from iPod toilet-paper holders to all manner of cases, bags, and enveloping speakers, I was struck by how many of the products were simply designed to dress up your toy. The ubiquitous music player has become a...

As many of you are no doubt aware, Second Life is a successful online 3D virtual world (developed by Linden Labs) which is built and owned by its 'residents'. Fellow 'residents' retain the rights to their works which they can then buy, sell, and trade with other 'residents' in a thriving e-commerce marketplace. Several notable musical acts (including Suzanne Vega,...

Welcome to the week of January 6 - January 12 edition of Friday Napster Freebies. As always, these freebies can be downloaded from around the world. So if you've got an iPod, a Zune, iRiver, Creative Zen, or whatever, get ready to enjoy another bunch of DRM-free MP3 files to feed your player. Here are this week's selections: "Buddy Bye"...

I recently listed my podcast at the iTunes Store and wanted a shorter way to give out the URL. The standard link you get by right-clicking the tile is this monstrosity: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=207870198 Note that the important part is the last nine characters, the iTunes numeric ID. Apple's Scott Simpson clued me in to this little-known shorter version of the...

People ask some revealing questions when they hear that I review music technology gear. "Do you get to keep it?" "Don't advertisers get better reviews?" "Do manufacturers ever tuck a $100 bill in the box to influence you?" Canadian music journalist Kyle David Paul wondered about these issues and more after reading my article "The Secret Life of a Product...