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BLAST! Magazine Online
www.blastmag.com
December 1999
MP3 Audio Technology FeaturePaying sound engineers, recording engineers, producers, and renting studio time can quickly empty a struggling musician's bank accounts. One independent band from Athens, Ga., has combined the latest audio technology with the Internet to make their dream album a reality. Day by the River released a four-and-a-half-hour live album, with 25 tracks, several graphic files, computer software and a Web page on a single compact disc. The album, "Watermarks," can be purchased over the Internet from the band or direct from the project's producers at Lauan Records in Boston, MA. Using Moving Picture Expert files (MP3), they were able to record anywhere, anytime using a digital recorder, and then send the recording over the Internet to their manager, Reis Baron, who lives in Boulder, Colo. Baron began experimenting with MP3 technology last November on the band's Web site, www.daybytheriver.org. He posted digital recordings sent to him by fans so that other fans could download the files, which are usually 14 megabytes and take about 20 minutes to transfer. "Once we did that, we looked at the hits on our site and 90 percent were downloading MP3's," Baron explains. "We went from 12,000 hits to 50,000 hits in a month." Their site features 17 MP3 tracks, seven of which will appear on "Watermarks", the first album produced completely in MP3 format. Unlike the RIAA, which reported last week that the popularity of MP3 and free music is causing a slump in record sales, Baron believes posting music on the Internet is an easy way to promote a band. RIAA announced its concerns with the MP3 format following a drop in sales among the 15-to-24-year-old age group, the major consumer group for albums over the past 30 years. Completing the album happened faster than Baron could imagine, especially since they had no time-tested plan to follow. The band discussed putting together a live album in early February. The project took a month and a half, which is seven months less than it took to produce "Fly," their previous release. Michael Robertson, an executive at www.mp3.com, created the site where viewers can download music files ranging from zydeco to garage house music. He sees the MP3 format as the next frontier in the recording industry. ³Day by the River is a trend setter for sure. Others will follow, but most bands don't have the volume of quality content to work with that Day by the River does. Not to mention the on-line savvy," Robertson said in an e-mail message. For Baron, the choice was simple. He gathered all the music he could, via the Internet or snail mail, transformed it into MP3, format then posted it onto a file transfer protocol site for Lauan Records to download and record. Seth Goldberger, technical engineer and founder of Lauan, said recording the MP3 album is less expensive than the standard way. They didn't have to rent a studio, find a place to live while they recorded, rent equipment or stop touring, which brings in the majority of Day by the River's income. "We found it rather amazing how this CD was put together in a way different than the way any CD has been done before," Goldberger said. "Due to technology, we were able to work in many states like Colorado, Georgia and Rhode Island without having to leave our offices." Baron noted that, without a record label sponsoring the project, there is no better way for an independent band to produce an album. "They can record on the road, from a show or anywhere where it's convenient," he said. "As long as they can send the file, or someone posts it, we can grab it, add it to the library and eventually put it on an album whether it's a CD or an MP3. Day By the River mp3 downloads and information are available at www.daybytheriver.com