MUSIC for NEW MEDIA
Newsletter March 1998, Issue 11
A free monthly editorial service. 
More than 37,000 subscribers.

Published by Felix Bopp
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Is the web ready for a new area of music publishing? The newest
achievements in developing streaming audio, copy protection, audio
watermarking and in offering complete business solutions for music
distribution are very promising! If you want to be in touch with this
extra-audionary new world - stay tuned, listen to this free monthly
Newsletter. Feedback, recommendations, suggestions etc. are very
welcome! And - thanks for promoting < MUSIC for NEW MEDIA >!

< MUSIC for NEW MEDIA > is also available on Jim Cara's < Prodigy
Digital Music >!

This edition includes:

- Extra-Audionary Site: MacroMusic, Inc. 

- Extra-Audionary Resource: NetGuide's Interactive Music

- Audio Distribution: Liquid Audio, AudioSoft

- Streaming Audio: RaveSound Technology, by QDesign

- SoundRaider - making music from the world's junk!

- Audio Watermarking

- Historic Flash: < Configurability (II) >, by Joel Chadabe

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Extra-Audionary Site: 



MacroMusic, Inc.
Interesting site with extensive Shockwave applications.
< The web's best source for everything musical! Information about the
history of music, a great interactive online community and great games
to pass the time...it's all here at MacroMusic, the site for you. >
Plug-in: RealAudio, Shockwave http://www.macromusic.com/

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Extra-Audionary Resource:

NetGuide's Interactive Music 
A good starting point.
Including Music Site Reviews, Features, News and comprehensive
"Hands-on guides": "How to Listen to Music Online", "How to Build a
Virtual Recording Studio", "How to Understand Digital Audio and MIDI
Music". http://www.netguide.com/special/primers/music/home.html

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Audio Distribution: 

Liquid Audio
Liquid Audio's goal is to replace music distribution through CD-Audio
and allow consumers or shops to download songs through the Internet,
play them from hard-disk or record them to CD-Recordables and play it
on any CD player. Music Shops will be able to download songs on-demand
and full-fill any customer wish by compiling CD-Recordables from
servers all over the world. The Liquid Audio system is a turnkey
solution ready for large music publishing ventures, but also
affordable for bands who want to independently publish their music. A
high degree of security as well as an excellent sound quality is
guaranteed. Liquid Audio offers a full set of tools: Liquifier Pro
supporting Dolby Digital, Watermarking and Anti-Piracy, Liquid
MusicServer, Liquid MusicPlayer CD, the Liquid Passport and the Liquid
OperationsCenter. http://www.liquidaudio.com/

AudioSoft
A similar solution is offered by the French company AudioSoft. Their
package includes: Webcasting and downloading of tracks over digital
networks, management of financial transactions, complete protection of
copyrights against piracy and illegal home copies and a complete
reporting system. http://france.audiosoft.com/

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Streaming Audio:

RaveSound Technology, by QDesign
< RaveSound represents a fundamentally new approach in audio coding
that enables it to reduce an audio file to as little as one percent of
its original file size while maintaining audio fidelity. Unlike MPEG
or Dolby AC-3, RaveSound is optimized for producing full bandwidth,
44.1kHz stereo sound for delivery over a 28.8K modem. Delivers 44.1kHz
Stereo over 28.8K Modem. The technology behind the QDesign Music Codec
("QDMC") has been licensed by Apple Computer, Inc. and is integrated
into QuickTime 3.0. > http://www.qdesign.com/files/ravesplash.htm A
developer preview version is available at:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/preview/

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(I did not test this application. Please let me know your results. FB)

SoundRaider - making music from the world's junk!

< SoundRaider is a music creation tool that works by scanning your
hard drive for WAV format sounds and uses them to create
industrial-ambient sound. Leave SoundRaider running on the desktop and
listen to your hard drive muttering to itself. SoundRaider starts
working as soon as it's loaded - the best way to use SoundRaider is
simply by launching it and leaving it to look after itself while you
work. However, in the latest version you can also take control of the
sound by muting or locking one of the five sound channels, 'shuffling'
all five channels at once, selecting the refresh speed, or selecting
between the use all folders and use local folders modes. >
http://www.andyw.com/raider/

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Audio Watermarking

Copyright protection is discussed and implemented in mainly three
areas: copy protection, file property data and audio watermarks. Copy
protection prevents from copying an audio file or the storage medium
itself. Copyright information are stored in the file properties and/or
in the audio watermark. The audio watermark is embedded in the
original audio data and even survives some analogue copy processes.

MusiCode 
< MusiCode provides music performing rights societies, record
companies, music publishers, recording artists and composers with a
simple and accurate way to identify, monitor, and in some cases,
control the use of their musical recordings. These copyright
watermarks can survive multiple analog tape generations as well as
radio broadcast without altering the fidelity of the recording. In
fact, David Moulton, producer of the recording engineer training
series, 'Golden Ears', says "After extensive tests, we were unable to
detect any coloration or artifacts in the encoded music." MusiCode
also can facilitate "Pay Per Listen" and digital download
transactions. > http://www.musicode.com/

Other resources:
Giovanni 
< The Giovanni audio application is currently available for licensing.
> http://www.bluespike.com

Intersect Inc. 
< The leading provider of monitoring, research and strategic analysis
of intellectual property distribution on the Internet. >
http://www.intersectinc.com/

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Historic Flash: < Configurability (II) >, by Joel Chadabe
(jchadabe@xxxxxxxxxxx, Electronic Music Foundation:
http://www.emf.org)

Throughout history, musicians have bought instruments and played them.
And even now, you can buy an electronic instrument and play it. But
one of the most important and interesting characteristics of an
electronic instrument is that you can invent it before playing it.
What kind of sounds will it make? How will it be played? You can
configure the instrument to behave as you'd like it to behave. But
how, you might ask, do you configure an electronic instrument? Well,
configurablility typically results from modularity. To my knowledge,
the first example of modularity in electronic instrument design was in
Music 3, a software instrument developed by Max Mathews in 1960.
Mathews called them 'unit generators' and used them to construct
virtual 'instruments' and 'orchestras' by connecting the unit
generators in different configurations. Music 3 led directly to Music
IV, Music V, and eventually to Csound (which is widely used today),
but it also led to a general way of thinking about flexibility in
instrument design that influenced everyone who came later. How did
Mathews think of the idea of a modular system as a way of configuring
an instrument? The idea may have been in the air at the time, but that
makes it no less original. To be continued ...

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Felix Bopp is a Composer, Publisher and Consultant specialized in New
Media. Address: Nassaukade 171/II, 1053 LM Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Phone +31-20-689 6289, Mobil +31-653-295 700, E-mail felixbopp@xxxxxxx

Copyright c 1998 Felix Bopp. All rights reserved. Reproduction in
whole or in part in any form or medium without written permission is
prohibited. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for the
accuracy of information supplied herein or for any opinion expressed.


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