This was supposed to be about Henry Flynt. And I swear I’ll get back to Henry Flynt in due time. But just before I settled down to tell you about this fascinating fiddler from North Carolina who in 1961 made his musical debut in Yoko Ono’s famed New York loft, then proceeded to blow the ass-end out of the Greenwich Village avant-guard scene, I got a little email from Free All Music.
I signed up for their emails a month or so back. And it’s been radio silence ever since. Then suddenly, GAME ON! Free All Music says that I’m one of 250 beta tasters (sic), and hell fire, ain’t I flattered? Hell yes, I am. Wouldn’t you? Be?
Free All Music aims to change the way we acquire music online. Heretofore your options lay in theft (Bit torrent) or rental (Rhapsody streaming audio) or some hacked up, quasi-legal concoction of the two. FAM basically said, “Let’s make it so stupid, it’s simple!”
The result is a twist on the old terrestrial radio model where listeners hear some songs for free, then enjoy “a few words from our sponsor.” FAM flips the model, requiring you to first watch a thirty-second commercial before you download a song. The upside is that once you’ve fulfilled your obligation to watch (users can choose their commercial) the downloaded song is yours to keep forever. No copy protection, no embedded advertisements, no strings attached…anywhere.
To be perfectly clear, I think this idea is Tha Shit! Advertisers cover the costs; artists GET PAID! And you get a quality, virus-free, spy ware-free, LEGAL copy of your favorite song! That’s free enterprise, baby. But, as my man Axel Rose said, “every rose has its thorn(s).”
Right now, users are limited to 5 downloads per week. At that rate, snagging Pink Floyd’s The Wall will take nearly a month. Look for a more liberal weekly tab in the future.
I haven’t confirmed the bit rate on FAM’s downloads, but a song-to-song, headphone comparison between Rhapsody’s streaming audio and FAM’s downloads left me with the clear impression that you get what you pay for. Through five songs, Rhapsody consistently delivered a richer, more “real” sound, while FAM was slightly – and I do mean slightly – hyped on the high end. Not enough to quibble about, especially considering the cost. Rhapsody is about twelve bucks per month. Free All Music is…uh, free.
And with Free comes the Tale of Two Henrys. The issue is catalog, and I shall know thy catalog by searching it. My search for Henry Flynt rendered a list of twenty (standard for FAM) discombobulated hopefuls. Henry Flynt, being as obscure as an iceberg off the coast of Cuba, didn’t show at all. In fact, nineteen of the Henrys on the page meant nothing to me. But there was one Henry that rang a bell: Henry’s Dream, the 1992 album from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. That’s a damn good record. I’ve mashed up its front cuts with a few from our original subject, Henry Flynt. Flynt’s Back Porch Hillbilly Blues Vols. 1 & 2 are simply not to be missed.
Sorry I didn’t really make a case for either Henry. Each is well deserved.
Here’s hoping the mashup plays well, late at night, on a Christmas Eve, 2009.
Merry Christmas.
JH
Posts
