Musician's Web Keeper

PLAYMA photoshoot backstage: less words, more images with Webdoc

Playing with Webdoc today, which recieved quite some buzz on MIDEM this past weekend (a dedicated blog post is coming up today on Dotted Music).

Not fully convinced with how everything is organized there, but it is cool and very useful service without a doubt!

Check out a video my wife Katya did from a PLAYMA photo session in December 2011 (the photographer is Vika Konovalova).

Posted by Andrew Apanov 

Getting the most out of Twittering with Buffer

This is a post I sent out to my adorable newsletter subscribers a couple weeks back. Wanted to share it with the world, since Buffer actually saves me a lot of time each day.

Twitter can be awesome. Twitter can be dull. Twitter can be exhausting and confusing. How do musicians and brands make the most out of this essential social network, not spending hours on it each day?

I’ll share one of the tips on how I do it.

My little secret is a service called Buffer, and for me it’s one of the best free Twitter services out there.

Here’s how Buffer creators describe the app:

Work out all your tweets at one point in time during the day. Then fill up your Buffer with your tweets and Buffer schedules them for you. Simply keep that Buffer topped up and you will then be tweeting consistently all day round, all week long.

Being more specific, here’s how to start saving time with your Twitter promotions, and reaching as many fans as possible in the next ten minutes:

1. Sign Up here (there are paid plans, but the default free one is absolutely satisfying).
2. Install a plugin for your browser at the Goodies tab.
3. Go to Settings and choose at what time of the day your Buffer tweets will be sent out.
4. Once you are on any web page, hit the bookmarklet / plugin button (or press Alt + b) and add to Buffer either a link to the page you are viewing, or any message you want to Tweet.

That’s it, your Tweets will be published at the set time, making your Twitter activity look way more systematic (leads to more followers and retweets).

If you want more, here’s a decent Buffer review I just found. If you decide to give the service a try, sign up here (and get a free space for an extra Tweet in your Buffer).

If you’ve tried it already, let me know in the comments!

Posted by Andrew Apanov 

Band Bluebrain Releases Album as Location-Based App

Posted by Andrew Apanov 

Ultimate Guitar Tools featured in App Store Canada!

Hooray, we are featured in Canadian iTunes App Store!

More on this ultimate iPhone application for guitarists (it's been launched not so long ago): http://app.ultimate-guitar.com/ugt/ugtools/

Posted by Andrew Apanov 

Becoming A 'Rock Prodigy' With A Single Mobile App?

(download)

Click here to download:

becoming-a-rock-prodigy-with-a-single-iphone-app-fynantIpphAggHvItBmB.zip (338 KB)

All guitar players, from beginner to advanced, can now reach prodigy status with the launch of a new mobile application, Rock Prodigy™, that teaches users how to play a real guitar, any guitar, with the help of an Apple® iPhone®, iPad® or iPod® Touch. Using polyphonic pitch-recognition, Rock Prodigy allows all guitar players to learn, experience and absorb the music from legendary rock guitarists including James Hetfield of Metallica, Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead and Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy.

The app immerses users in original master recordings of popular guitar-centric songs, while simultaneously providing real-time feedback as players strum along with a real guitar. The interactive app also has the ability to auto-pause and uses tab-like performance cues for all four levels of play, which show precise rhythm, timing and note durations with real-time interaction and performance evaluation.

Allowing players to learn on the go, Rock Prodigy requires no additional hardware as guitarists can play directly into their mobile devices using the built-in microphone, a standard headset with microphone or a basic line-in guitar input adapter.

Posted by Andrew Apanov 

Ultimate Guitar Tabs iPhone app beats I Am T-Pain out of the #1 spot

We made it. Ultimate Guitar Tabs is the most popular app in the Music section of the App Store.

Here's the official press release for the app, I haven't posted it before:

Ultimate-Guitar.com officially announces the launch of Ultimate Guitar Tabs, an easy and convenient application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that allows guitarists to access guitar tablatures, bass tablatures and chords from the world's largest online database of tabs.

In just over a week since its debut, Ultimate Guitar Tabs has rocketed to the number one spot in the iTunes App Store’s top paid music downloads category, and is in the top 50 paid downloads overall, earning four and five star ratings and rave reviews from users.

The app is the latest offering from Ultimate Guitar’s mobile applications division, which designs and develops music-related, multi-platform gaming and music applications for Ultimate Guitar, its network of sites and third parties.

"We are pleased to offer musicians a vehicle for accessing tabs via their mobile devices, and excited by the immediate success of Ultimate Guitar Tabs," said Ultimate Guitar’s founder Eugeny Naidenov. "We are building a media company that includes a mobile platform to connect musicians with music and each other - anywhere, anytime."

With over 10 million visitors per month worldwide and more than two million messages posted, as well as the largest library of licensed guitar tabs on the web, Ultimate Guitar is the Internet’s largest and fastest growing social media site for the guitar enthusiast community.

Ultimate Guitar Tabs allows users to browse Ultimate Guitar’s collection of more than 300,000 tabs with an array of search tools and features including:  

• Simple Search. Find Tabs quickly by entering artist name or song title.
• Advanced Search. Search by Tab type (guitar Tabs, chords, bass Tabs), part of the song (intro, solo, chorus), difficulty level, tuning, and rating.
• Favorites. Add any Tab to your favorites to make them available for offline browsing.
• Tab Packs. Collections of pre-loaded, pre-selected such as skills level (Easy, Medium, Advanced), music genres (Rock, Metal, Punk), and special occasions (Love songs, Xmas songs). Tab Packs are frequently updated.
• Top 100 Tabs. Listed by Tab type (Guitar, Bass, Chords and overall).
• Auto-scroll. View Tablature in the text viewer using the handy Auto-Scroll functionality - The App will scroll Tabs for you!
• Portrait and Landscape modes.

Posted by Andrew Apanov 

Noisia spread the Infection, a rhythm-based game

Dutch producing trio Noisia has released a Flash music game to coincide with the release of their new single ‘Machine Gun’ this week. I yet have to figure out how to play it properly, but this thing kicks ass! Check out the game here.

An excerpt from the press release and a trailer are below:

"Having already been featured heavily in major computer games such as Gran Turismo, DJ Hero and WipeOut HD, the producers are aware that the use of a song in such high-profile games guarantees millions, maybe even billions, of plays worldwide. Figuring that the concept of music supporting computer games could be reversed, they teamed up with developers Flavour for an online game based entirely on Noisia’s music.

The game is all about the music. Through each level you 'play' the songs and fire on the beat. The better your rhythm is, the higher you eventual score will be. The boss battles are based on remixes of the original. After more than a year of development Flavour is launching the first level on March 8th. This level is designed around the first single, 'Machine Gun'.

Speaking on the ‘Noisia Infection’ game, Emily Jacometti, commercial director of Flavour said: "This playful way to bring people into contact with music is a logical next step in online trends. In the '80s MTV revolutionised the music industry with the introduction of music videos. Games are the interactive videos of the future."

The full release of the album ‘Split the Atom’ on April 5th will be paired with the release of new levels with new tracks. The game will continue to innovate with extras and upgrades and by doing so Flavour expects to gather a large group of repeating visitors with Jacometti stating "Noisia is the first band to implement a game of such a big scale, but other artists are already at the door."

Games are the interactive videos of the future? Can't agree more!

Posted by Andrew Apanov 

Gibson releases its own free iPhone app

Gibson Guitar has announced the launch of the Gibson Guitar App. This free App is available exclusively for all Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users directly from the Apple App Store. "This is one App every guitarist and fan of Gibson Guitar must own," the press release says. "Over the past two years over 3 Billion Apps have been downloaded around the world, the Gibson Guitar App cements Gibson’s reputation as the industry’s leader in innovation and music technology.

"The Gibson Guitar App includes a number of special features, such as a traditional chromatic tuner which starts in “All Notes” mode that tracks whatever is played. Owners of the App can choose a tuning on the “Mode” page so the tuner will only track notes for that particular tuning. Also included is a standard chromatic tuner, a simple tuner which allows less advanced users to tune to Standard tuning Open G, Open D etc by touching the key. For iPhone users, the Gibson headstock inlay will automatically change color indicating if the string is sharp, flat or in tune. For iPod Touch users they can turn the “Play Notes” option on so they can hear the appropriate tuning since they do not have a microphone facility.

"The Gibson app also features a standard metronome that allows users to choose a specific BPM or tap the screen three times to automatically set the tempo. Other key features of the app include over 30 chord charts with finger markings to help the user with mastering the chord. For those who prefer to learn new guitar riffs, licks or chord sequences via video tuition can now have that option from their Gibson App. The app will be updated frequently with new video content so users of all guitar ability can improve their technique from the comfort of their home."

What can I say - well done Gibson!

(download)

Click here to download:

Gibson_Releases_Its_Own_Free_i.zip (123 KB)

Posted by Andrew Apanov 

A music mobile app trying to prove that it can actually be used for creating music

Rockstar Games has posted "a previously unreleased" Beaterator produced track by Jay Electronica, which could leave one wondering if we should expect exclusive iPhone or PSP records from established artists in the nearest future. The producer created the tune at the Rockstar Beaterator House of Hype Lounge at the MTV Video Music Awards late last year using Beaterator for PSP (I covered the iPhone version on Dotted Music back in January). Jay's original track with "a hypnotizing bass line and an innovative electric crescendo" was made "in mere minutes". Here it is:

 Wait, OMG, this sounds like... A crappy track created on a modern sophisticated toy!

And the thing is that it is totally fine, a PSP is a toy. And I'm pretty sure the guys at Rockstar are having a good time promoting this game as a serious music creation tool (I would!)

Posted by Andrew Apanov 

EMI & David Guetta release an iPhone App

"EMI Music and Grammy Award winning DJ/Producer David Guetta will launch the first official David Guetta iPhone and iPod Touch application in the U.S. on March. 2nd. Through the app fans can follow David as he moves from city to city around the world, receive an ongoing feed of updates, photos, videos and tweets directly from David.

The app also contains innovate features such as Tour Tracker, an interactive world map that allows fans to see in real time where David is mixing and DJing.  Tour tracker enables fans to connect by sharing their own location, pictures and comments on Guetta's DJ sets from around the globe. The app also contains an additional feature developed by the leading interactive music solution company MXP4 which transforms the iPhone and iPod Touch into a miniature mixing deck, allowing fans to remix and play with Guetta's smash "Sexy Bitch" featuring Akon.

The app has been developed by Redshift, a technology company specialized in creating high-end mobile platforms and will be available for $1.99 at the iTunes store."

Seems like a part of a new wave of musician branded mobile applications I've been talking about. Will see if it's worthy in March.

Posted by Andrew Apanov