According to the Zune Insider website, Universal Music Group will receive a device royalty on every Zune sold. Specifics of the deal are not forthcoming from either Microsoft or Universal, but the article suggests that a portion of the royalty revenues will be relayed to recording artists. This makes me wonder how the sharing will take place and whether it...

Today's download suddenly switched from a simple URL to a big-old-complicated one, suggesting that Napster is going to be a little more protective about its new free download program. If the link I provided does not work for you, visit the download page directly. Before: http://www.napster.com/mds_daily_download/media/110606/Mandrake.mp3 After: http://condir.napster.com/gf/Get_on_with_Your_Life.mp3?mob=AQEAT2MAAABDSwUAAJ4BRQCaTUWLzoC7gIDk.0l3d3cubmFwc3Rlci5jb20vbWRzX2RhaWx5X2Rvd25sb2FkL21lZGlhLzExMDYwNi9HZXRfb25fd2l0aF9Zb3VyX0xpZmUubXAzmRb8ATBEnQpRRWsYn74iK2.RomXvyJMTuec-&ext=.mp3 "Get on with Your Life" by The PurrsThese Seattle alt-rock vets have...

"Mandrake" by Chrisopher BlueCompared to the likes of Tom Waits and Bono, this singer-songwriter describes his style as "American road music tied into a noose knot swinging in the wind." What does that sound like? Download this song and find out. [Nov 8] More freebies after the jump....

I recently found a 90-year-old digital recording in my library. Titled Elite Syncopations, it's a CD from Biograph featuring modern recordings of piano rolls played by ragtime pioneer Scott Joplin in 1916, a year before he died. The recordists played back the rolls by pumping the pedals on a 1910 Steinway player piano. Firing up the disc, I was shocked...

You need to sign up for a (free) Napster account in order to access these free MP3 files. "The Young Idealists" by Lloyd ColeA sharply observed look at youth and politics from the journeyman singer-songwriter and former Commotions leader. One more reason Cole's understated approach continues to win fans. [Nov 7] More freebies after the jump....

Zune Website Zunerama put together a nifty graphic of the Zune menu structure. It based its tree on the various reviews, demo videos and so forth floating around the net. As you'd expect, Music, Video and Picture playback functions predominate, with additional options for Settings, Radio and Community. Of greatest interest to many of us is the sharing portion:...

It is my honor and privilege to announce a breakthrough in audio technology, a miracle of modern science, and the most important thing to happen to game music since MIDI got promoted to General -- introducing the Homunculonic Aestheticator, an interactive audio mixing engine with real-time Haptic Applicators, capable of producing multiple adaptive soundtracks encoded with True Human Emotions™, using...

Audioforce.net is a directory of free online audio-production tutorials. The external links call up everything from single-sentence tips to digitized magazine articles to movies....

One of the most interesting technologies at the recent Audio Engineering Society show wasn't accompanied by pulsing LEDs or Bavarian vacuum tubes. In a simple booth, CEntrance was showing its Universal Driver (UD), a $79 piece of software that enhances FireWire audio and MIDI on Windows. In addition to low latency (reportedly 5ms roundtrip), UD supports device aggregation, which...

I realize that there are some podcasters who feel very strongly about keeping the dream alive of an inexpensive platform, driven by social media and ready access to affordable technology. But I think that soon, (like it or not) the podcasting community may have to re-assess its opinion of what constitutes "affordable" and what level of quality the audience will come to expect. I'm not saying I want this to happen. I am predicting it will happen. Please note the difference.