Be More Indie Research; Reading Notes

Noteworthy transcript excerpts from Ian Nagoski, owner of The True Vine, interview:

What is the idea or moral behind The True Vine?
"The idea of shop was mainly to be able to provide. There's a lot of music out there, and there was a lot of stuff that we liked that wasn't presented cohesively in one place. The idea of the shop was the represent the stuff we liked."

Is there an all-encompassing idea behind the Baltimore music community?
"I moved here largely because of the music scene. The music scene seemed to be so free and open, so much vital stuff going on. It was real egalitarian. Real non-hierarchical."

"My theory was, at the time, it was completely impossible for anyone to get famous here. There are lots of great musicians from Baltimore, but they all got famous because they left. Anybody who stayed here never really made much of a mark. It seemed to be place you could be free because there wasn't any golden ring to capture you."

"That certainly has changed some. There are a lot of musicians that have moved here, particularly in the past two years. There still tends to be a really great reaction between subcultures and a lot of collaborative spirit."

How does an indie record shop fit into this idea?
"The idea of record store to me has always been a place where there would be an exchange of ideas, and a physical place for exploration. They would be able to dig through things and find things they wouldn't be able to find otherwise."

What are your thoughts on digital music?
"The main difference between music as a file and music as an object has something to do with permanence. I'm actually a 78 collector. The records I keep are mostly made of a combination of ground up stone and shellac. The music that I keep is stuff mostly from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It's sort-of 60-90 years old. Those are actual memories of events that did happen. They did play this music in person, in realtime, and it's remembered by this object."

"With digital media, it's easily the most impermanent form that's come up. Each format that's come along is essentially more and more ephemeral so that we are getting back to a point where music is only there for a little while and then it's gone. The example I always use is, ask people how many computers they've owned in their life? How many files do you have left from the second computer you owned? Basically none."

"Baltimore Club began in 1993, and they were pressing tons and tons and tons of vinyl up until 2 or 3 years ago when it just stopped. So Baltimore Club is completely a digital genre. So the only way it's passed around is by digital files. So when the time comes that we go back, put it into context, research it and just look at it, after all the parties are over, they are going to have a really good record of what happened from 93 to 2003. But everything that happens from 2003 to 2008; there's no way to reconstruct who did what when, except by word of mouth. And a lot of that music is just going to be lost."

"There's going to be a lot of music that will come and go, and the cultural circumstance that surround them are going to be hard to archive and understand because there's no object."

Do you think that physical music will ever become obsolete?
"No. Maybe in the general culture sense, but as for people who are interested in exploration and interested in what has happened and the context of human creativity... it is going to remain permanently."

Modules:
1. Introduction/Welcome to Baltimore Music & It's Indie Record Shops
2. The True Vine
3. Sound Garden
4. Reptilian Records
5. Normals
6. The Impact of Digital Music on the Physical Music Lifespan
- Digital music sees sales double
- Music industry steps up search for digital revenue
- Digital Music Sales Explode, with Top Digital Track Besting Top Physical Album
7. But There's Hope: The Resurgence of Vinyl Sales
- Vinyl Frontier: Left-for-Dead Music Is Resurrected for the Digital Age
- U.K. Music Label Creates a Vinyl-MP3 Hybrid
- Vinyl May Be Final Nail in CD's Coffin
8. Conclusion - The Future of Baltimore Record Shops

On Briggs, Chp. 8 - Shooting and Managing Digital Photos
- Take as many pictures as possible
- Megapixel - one million pixels
- Resolution - "measurement of pixels that are available to the human eye"
- Lighting is important
- Fill the frame
- Capture moments
- Always edit copy, never original

Talking Apes, Digital Audio and Module One

On Exploring Language: A Voluble Visit with Two Talking Apes...
by Jon Hamilton

This is the story of two Bonobo chimps, Panbanisha and Kanzi, and how "they use language in many of the same ways humans do." This multimedia package includes the audio storytelling (the main focus of the feature), a transcript of the audio portion, and pictures. It is also part of a greater multimedia series, Exploring Language. Placed next to the text of A Voluble Visit... is a interactive guide to this series. It is an effective way to direct listeners to similar topics and other broadcasts.

What I've Taken From This Story:

1) The importance of a title. NPR has always thought up smart, sometimes witty titles, and like this one, I am draw into the story from our list of options. "Two Talking Apes," I read and think ... I'd like to explore this further. It also rolls off the tongue with alliteration.

2) This audio story works like an exchange of dialogue in a print story. Narrator Jon Hamilton will speak of an action or point that he is trying to make, and Dr. Sue or Bill Field's commentary will reinforce or make a point. It's a trade-off between narration and commentary, and I think this story showcases a great balance between the two. The story is kept active, almost interactive within an interactive. You also see techniques like this in traditional news reporting, the use of quotes to acquire a element of the story. Additionally, Hamilton incorporates clips of the two chimps, which also supports this idea. For example, Hamilton says Panbanisha "celebrates by playing her drums" and will them cut to the sound of Panbanisha actually playing her drums. I think of this as a sort of call-and-response. When Hamilton says something like this, I think that that would like to actually hear what it sounds like when Panbanisha plays her drums. Hamilton then delivers.

3) In this case, the reporter is IN the story, and the story revolves around Hamilton's visit. The action is a reaction of Hamilton being there; this IS the story. The question is when does this work and when doesn't it?

4) The interviewee's voice can be very powerful. When Bill Fields talks about his missing finger, and the chimp's sympathy, he uses emotive language in the word "hurt." This is a texture that I don't think Hamilton could achieve. NPR is typically more formal than other podcasts I've heard, even more so than WNYC Radio Lab - no laughing, professional tone - and this is a good way to add texture and interest in a piece.

5) Speed and pronunciation are VERY important. In Living on a Dollar Day in Malawi, narrator Suzanna Marmion is very clear, but her interviews are very hard to understand. Their accents are heavy, and while it adds texture and complexity to the story, it proves almost useless if I can't comprehend what they are saying. In the Malawi case, there is not a full transcript to reference, which is unfortunate.

6) In Living on A Dollar..., along the right side of the page is a daily balance sheet for the Phiri family. Even though it is plain text, it is a great addition to the story and helps to define a perspective. This made me wonder if I can find a way to use statistics in my project.

On Briggs, Chp. 7 - Digital Audio and Podcasting...

mp3 - most universal
wma - Windows Media
real - Real Audio
mpeg - Quicktime
mpeg-4 AAC - iTunes

- try to always use mp3
- record natural sound
- using Audacity
- vodcast - podcast with video

Be More Indie: Module One

Research CONT.

Potential Title: Be More Indie
Four record shops I will concentrate on, each with own module:

Sound Garden - called, redirected toward Adrian
True Vine - in-store interview set for 3/9 with owner Ian Nagoski
Normal's - call back tomorrow or Saturday
Record & Tape Traders - sent emails, waiting for response
- R&TT bought out by Value Music Concepts

Potential Modules - Reptilian Records: Blog, Label and Record Shop

Other interviews:
London Scalise (music fan, mild vinyl collector)
Music Fan 2 (Find someone with LARGE vinyl collection) MICA art students?
City Paper employee(2) (for "professional" opinion on inner workings of Baltimore indie)
*Update: Al Shipley @ City Paper - Also runs Government Names (contacted)
Venue owner - Craig from Ottobar? 8 x 10/Lofi Social Club (for "professional" opinion on inner workings of Baltimore indie)
Matt Davis from 98 Rock - Spokesperson on local music in Baltimore.

Topic of conversation:
Is vinyl making a comeback? (NPR Audio) (Article 2)
Making Room For Analog in a Digital World (NPR Audio)

Baltimore's Empire Records & More SG Research

Sound Garden Storyboard

Best of Baltimore "Best CD Store" Awards
Customer reviews
3 Best Record Stores in Baltimore
Baltimore Musician: Dan Deacon | Article about Deacon
Article about Sound Garden and how it's affected by Black Friday
Article about Fells Point

Danity Kane Signing at Sound Garden - 9/29/07

**parallels to Empire Records


On Briggs - Chapter 8 (Shooting and Managing Digital Photos)...
- Pixels - PICTure ELement - visual representation of data
- Megapixel - one million pixels - measures power of digital camera
- 3 ways to shoot photo w/ light - natural light, flash only, flash and ambient light
- Important to remember: correct lighting, correct background, steady camera, automatic setting, fill frame, focus on one thing, get closer, go vertical, shoot action, resize, only edit copy of photo
- "Blogs without art are lame."

Multimedia Story Research Part 1

Sound Garden in Fells Point Baltimore

Questions to ask:
How do you stay a float?
How do you distinguish SG in this digital music age?
Do you notice a difference in traffic now since before the digital revolution?
Do you notice a different in traffic patterns (type of consumers, ages, quantities, etc)?
DVD sales vs. CD sales

Ideas to roll with:
Baltimore and its special indie record shop - staying afloat among the big players.
Record and Tape Traders just got bought out?
City Paper's Best of Baltimore 10 years running
Keeping vinyl alive; in-stores

Official Website | Myspace | Press

Regina Spektor Live @ Sound Garden


Robin Thicke Live @ Sound Garden


Ben Kweller Live @ Sound Garden

Sputnik, Multimedia Packages & Storyboards

On Small Multimedia Package: Sputnik...

- The multimedia package is very involved for something so small, so it's interesting to see the planning (the storyboard) that is involved. You can really see how much work goes into a project like this.
- On the package itself, I thought it was very well done. The introduction - the old television screen playing the intro movie - was a great, innovative touch. It was immediately attractive to a first time "clicker" like myself. Also, even though it didn't have much purpose, the audio of the satellites was a clever way to keep the package interactive. There was a lot of text, more than I would have liked to see (example - the time line), but the creator still kept it interesting with moving graphics and a fresh layout. Overall, I enjoyed this multimedia packages.

On Ward - Online Research and Reporting - (Chapter 3)...

- "Bottom up" approach to online research
- Gathering & dissemination: two main tasks for online journalists
- Gathering: finding info, finding people, checking info, analyzing info
- Another category - CAR: computer assisted reporting - data capture and analysis
- URLs, bookmarking, domains (geography, purpose of organization) - examples: .uk, .org, .net, .int (international orgs), .mil (US Dept. of Defense), .ac.uk (UK higher ed.), .co.uk (UK commerical), etc...
- Deconstruct potential story & look at component parts - what data, info, opinion might I need? What sites can I find this on, and can they be trusted?
- Meta data - part of HTML code (dogpile.com, infind.com) - example: search for audio files to stream or download
- Specific subject search engines: findlaw.com, healthfounder.gov
- engine math: + (and)/- (not) symbols, quotations, * - all words with root or beginning of word
- search email address: bigfoot.com, worldemail.com, people.yahoo.com
- newsgroups & mailing lists

Storyboard: Now a Major Circuit: Local and Touring Bands Recognize Baltimore's Thriving Music Scene
--> to add to storyboard: talk about what it takes for underground bands to book tours (intro, perhaps?), how tough it is to book out-of-state shows, the basics of booking shows/tours

And here's three songs I adore (and listened to while posting this blog update), just for kicks:

Third Eye Blind - "Losing A Whole Year"


Andy Hull (of Manchester Orchestra) - "Badges and Badges"


Team Goldie - "Hairodynamics"

Homework - 02.13.08 (Ira Glass' Storytelling)

On Ira Glass' storytelling...

Ira Glass proposes two building blocks for storytelling: the anecdote and the moment of reflection. Anecdotes are a series of actions - one thing follows another - and this is where the meat of your story exists. When you jump from one action to another, the story keeps up its momentum so much so that even a boring story can sound interesting. Glass makes a poignant statement when he says that even the most exciting story can't be interesting if you don't know how to maintain this momentum. Glass also notes that it's important to maintain this by raising a question, and it's through the suspense of the answer that your audience pays attentions or "the bait," as Glass calls it.

The second building block Glass uses is what he calls the moment of reflection, which is like the conclusion to your story. If not done well, a moment of reflection gets lost and the story goes from engaging and exciting to bland. This moment needs to be GOOD. Glass also mentions that a story can have a great anecdote but a horrible moment of reflection, and vice versa. It is with the success of both building blocks that you have a good story, and this is what needs to be remembered when embarking on the storytelling process.

But even with these building blocks, Glass mentions that finding great stories is also part of the process. Time must be set aside to find interesting stories, and you have to actively pursue this goal. Good stories aren't always going to come your way, and this is something I see in feature writing and my column for The Towerlight. When pursuing a story, be "ruthless" and only bring about the good parts. Boring or dull (but perhaps partially important) parts of this story should be left out. Storytelling isn't about detail, it's about engaging the audience.

Practice makes perfect, Glass says, and he suggests working on a story a week until you get to a point where your stories are good, and not trying to be good (which is some I understand completely). This was also a great point. Starting off, your stories aren't going to be good (even with hard work), but your own taste - a taste that is refined and interesting - knows this. I see this often in my writing, and I think it's a great example of how even the most gifted of students aren't the most gifted of professionals. It takes practice and time.

On multimedia storytelling...

Key Points:
- Text, while not overwhelming, should be kept clear and concise.
- Navigation, interactivity and organization are hugely important to keeping your audience interested.
- Pick and choose what pieces of the story you tell, and your execution of their pieces is what collects interest.
- Find a way to keep your story deep and complex.
- It's important to let your users make decisions.

On Briggs - Reporting for the Web - (Chp. 4 & 6)...

Key Points:
- Data is OK. In fact, you can make it "thrive."
- Alternative Story Form - like The Oregonian - keeps the momentum of storytelling.
- Crowdsourcing and a strong reader network - community or collaborative reporting - is a great resource, and can often create its own story. This trend is used on many different faucets on the Web. Briggs used a good example with Proctor & Gamble website InnoCentive. The Internet reaction from music fans to big news about a band or a label can be a story in its own (example).
- Also important: time stamps and good headlines.

On Ward - Writing & Online Story Construction - (Chp. 4 & 5)...

Key Points:
- Write directly.
- Specific instead of generalized word choice, but simple words that are easy to interpret.
- Structure/lead is important.
- Clearly identify important elements of story and present them in effective way.
- Intro is crucial. Good intro is even more crucial. Same with headlines.
- Non-linear storytelling, embrace this interactivity.
- Operate in chucks and segments.
- Two-way model lets the audience respond and improve. Three-way model lets users contribute content.

Online Presentation of the Second Chechen War

Here we have two examples of online presentation: a Wikipedia article and a multimedia story. Both are well done - the Wikipedia article is stocked full of references and clean language, and the multimedia story is artistically sound - but both are spinning two different approaches to telling the Chechen War story.

The multimedia story is an emotional, more personal account of the Second Chechen War. Pictures and stories with young kids, kids that served the military during the war, kids that serve dramatic lines like "You become like a savage," create a touching, dramatic story. Audio clips and interviews, a somber music choice, and even the use of color (black, red and gray) create a full experience rather than a simple batch of information.

While both hold great amounts of information, Wikipedia is what it is, and that's a formal explanation of the Second Chechen War, and formal explanation that cannot always be considered a credible source. Separately, I think that neither Wikipedia or the multimedia story cover the full spectrum of this experience.

A multimedia story like this one provides a great supplement to the Wikipedia page because it stretches beyond the standard facts. This way, a student or party interested in learning about the Chechen War can read a factual account and internalize an emotional approach. To enter into a subject with an open mind is key, but this can only be achieved with an open mind. By only referencing the multimedia story, the audience risks trapping themselves too much in the emotional aspect of the presentation.

When I was in middle school, and fights with my little middle friends were everyday happenings, I'd reach out to my mother as a vent source. I'd rant and rave and tell her about my issues, and she would always say "Look at the situation from their shoes." This being said, a complete (or close enough to complete) understanding of a school subject, a hostile friend situation, or the Second Chechen War can only be reached if you explore several approaches.

This applies to different multimedia stories as well, even the ones that may not weigh in as heavy on the heart or mind. (Baltimore Sun German Bakery article vs. Baltimore Sun German Bakery slideshow)

Oh, and Moms are always right.

Projects I Am Interested In:
Well Connected
Supervolcano
Islam in Europe

VB 207 ... Kinda Like Home

This blog has officially been taken over by my Writing for New Media class. I'm OK with this though. It's not like I've been keeping up with this baby, anyway, even though I was doing well for awhile. Actually, I think it'll be nice to get this thing constant again. This blog is where I really house my thoughts.

I have some neat ideas for this class. Hope I follow through with them.

I Can See The Candle Dripping

Photo Credit: Proof of Purchase

My cat is keeping my right leg warm, and his gentle breathing is hypnotizing me. I breath in sync with the simple taps of the keys on my laptop, earphones in and the TV muffling in the background.

Tonight a new friend and I went to get Indian food, which is by far my most favorite food (I lied ... maybe it's Greek food, now that I think about it), and a food that I haven't had in a very, very long time. I used to roll with crowds that loved Indian food, and now my friends are I are all about the rotating sushi bar. Luckily, Sarah and I could wolf down some naan and samosas and other perfect morsels of overseas temptations. It was golden. She's interesting to talk to, but so is anyone that's their own person. Do more than meet new people - analyze them. Internalize their reactions and react to those reactions. And go on more dinner hang-outs.

While we are on the topics of dinner parties, Jac, Sara, Katherine and I gathered our parents (and London along for the ride) for a jolly night of Guitar Hero, dips and margaritas. It was great to see my main Baltimore meeting my parents; it was really important to me, and I was thrilled to see that everyone had such a good time. Pictures soon.

Do you ever laugh because you're happy? Or laugh because you didn't think you'd get to that point of pure bliss, a kind that wasn't forced on by some sweet nectar or fine substance or pre-determined anticipation. That's what I've sought out, and that's what I rarely find, but when I do, I wish I could hold onto it until my knuckles are bloody and tired. And even then, it's never enough.

I wish it was raining. That's all I'm thinking right now.