3.08.2006
let's mix it up
HD and I have been knocking our heads together and we've come up with a mervelous new thingie. Well, HD actually suggested it, I just enthusiatically supported the idea. It's a... get ready for it...
A Mix CD club!
Ok. We're not exclusive or anything. To join all you have to do is promise that you'll send out a mix CD to the other members when it's your turn. Oh, and have good taste in music. I don't want to listen to crap or anything. Maybe we should have auditions and a secret handshake. Maybe I should make everyone interested rush or something. I was never a Greek so I don't know. Is "rush" the right term? Oh, that's just too much effort. Just promise you'll send a mix and you're in.
Interested? I know you are. I know there's at least 3 of you who are going to be all over this like creamed spinach on toast. HD has volunteered to go first because she's got one all ready to go. So, hold on for a sec while I pop on over there and check something out... I'm back. Yup, there's an email address on her profile, so email her and let her know you're interested. Oh all right, you can email me too, or comment, I suppose. We'll get things set up. I may start a private yahoo group for this if people would be interested in such a thing.
Feedback, feedback, feedback.
Read or Post a Comment
I'm interested in LISTENING to mix CDs of uncrappy music, but I don't know how/do not have the means to CREATE such a thing for I'm just a cave man. Your strange and technological ways confuse and frighten me.
I am, naturally, a mix-cd-making GENIUS. I will join, humility and all.
Yeah, we have two computers that will READ CDs but none that burn anymore... Can I send an iPod mix when it's my turn? :)
well, there's two of the three, since I already knew Plimco is a caveman and so hadn't counted her. Maybe, Plimco, if you're very lucky we will include you for your witty banter.
Jen, can iPod mixes be sent places? I've got iTunes at home (Kristin has a nano) and can burn cds from it for those who are among the podless (stop laughing Merr!)
oooh! I wonder if we could do pod casts? would be cheaper than having to mail stuff. Trista- do you think it is doable? Isn't it free to download itunes? (even on PC's?) hmmmmmmmmm....hell, you could do a broadcast!
ok, sorry, went all Micky Roony on you.
but what do you think?
Aaaaaaand there's number three! Cali, I do know that it's free to download the program, but I don't know how to make a podcast or how much it'll cost to download OR if it can be transferred to a CD (since the nano is Kristin's).
Anyone know?
Oh, just cause you weren't one of my three doesn't mean you can't join (hint hint hint)
OK. I looked into podcasting. It seems it's not so so so hard to MAKE the podcast but iTunes does not actually HOST the podcasts - it just refers to the RSS feed on your own website. In other words, you have to have somewhere to PUT it and they just serve as a LINK. All of which means no - we probably can't easily do podcasts. Unless anyone knows about a site that hosts gigantic mp3 files like an entired CD-length podcast. For free, of course. It was a really cool idea, though.
Still looking. This is interesting:
http://www.upload.sc/
You can upload a file to store on their servers for one month. It is free.
If people can make their mix into one big file (using Garage Band or Quicktime - I'll look into that bit more), others could download the whole thing. Not perfect but interesting. I'm still looking.
OK. I think that's all too complicated in the end. Conceivably, we could use that free site to put each music file on individually, but techinically the site would consider that piracy and even though we might get by without anyone noticing, it's not exactly condoned by the very kind purveyors of this free service.
Sooooo... I think we should consider doing it as iMixes. Does everyone know how that works? It's really easy - you just create a playlist in iTunes and then publish it onto iTunes as an iMix. There are directions within the iTunes music store. Fast and easy.
This would mean two things, though:
A) we could only use music available through iTunes (possibly meaning one or two of your choices wouldn't be available - but I've only ever found a few things that I desperately wanted that weren't on there)
B) we would have to buy those songs of each other's that we wanted (.99)
The price might not be all that different in the end, since we'd have to pay to buy blank CD's and then pay to send them out. It also has the added benefit of exposing everyone to our favorite music but letting them decide whether they want to own it or not. As a New Yorker with limited storage space, I can say that any CD's I am sent would be listened to for things I like, I would upload those things, and then I would (eventually) toss the actual CD. So the end result would be the same.
BUT I know that not everyone loves to purge as much as I. THAT, my friends, is why not everyone wants to live in New York.
So?
To see an example of an iMix, open iTunes and go to the Music Store. In the left column, click on iMix. It brings up a search screen - search "unwell" and you will find a mix called, "A Little Unwell" which I made back when I was mentally unstable and newly out of the hospital.
Oh, alright. If you must know, the song "Rich Girl" is on there because it represents my relationship with my father and he is part of the source of my unwellNESS. OK? Plus that song just rocks anyway.
Sorry, Trista. I've totally commandeered your blog.
Ok... I don't have an iPod or anything related. I do have a cd burner on my pc :) I will love to enter!! but I don't know if I can.. you know... I'm in Mexico, so let me know if international members are allowed :)
That's ok Bri. I'm feeling a little well, techno unsavvy. heck, I was just proud that we were moving from mix tapes to mix CD's. But I hate leaving people out. So I like the iMix idea except for two things.
1) I don't like how you can't hear even a snippet of the songs without buying them.
and
2) I really really like getting things in the mail.
Hmmm. I can get over both of those objections, but what does everyone else think?
More to the point, what does HD think?
OH. MY. GOD. This is the coolest idea EVER. Almost as good as creamed spinach on toast. Count me in!
Hey! As I'm guessing that I'm not 1 of the special 3 I was wondering if I could get in on this ring of greatness. I'm even prepared to send internationally! That's of course if you guys are prepared to front the cost of sending to australia?
I totally won't be offended if its too hard for you but I am really interested and am quite the mixmaster if I do say so myself!
Trista,
I can't help with the mail thing and I understand.
But you can DEFINITELY hear a snippet of songs. That is what I like best about iTunes! Just double click on the song and it plays 30 seconds of it.
And I wanted to let anyone who was wary of Mac exclusivity know that iTunes is available as a free download for Mac or PC here: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
I am sounding like a commercial now so I'll stop. And I will totally start burning CD's if I have to. I just don't like the idea that not everyone can do that, leaving some out of the mixing fun.
I am in.
I love this, in whatever form comes to fruition. I can burn or do the ipod thing. Though I've never tried to burn a cd from itunes. But I should be able to handle that. AND I love getting stuff in the mail too.
Will all the mixes be round roblin like, so you only have to send 1 cd?
Ok, ok, I started the whole iPod/iMix thing but now I want to back off of it because it's .99 PER SONG and that would add up quickly. And it takes the fun and the mystery out of popping that CD in and finding out what goodies it holds.
My dad probably has an external burner I can borrow or have - he's a techno-hoarder. So count me in as a CDer, after all.
Noooo WAY! Do you have ANY idea how many BAD SONGS Kristin and I have bought because we thought the titles sounded cool and we didn't know how to play them!!!
AND
we've been holding off buying more Bitch and Animal songs even though their titles sound so cool because we're a little afraid of them. I mean "Best Cock on the Block" was way cool, but "Sparkling Areola"? I'm not so sure about that one.
I am really warming up to this idea.
ok ok ok. I've been thinking hard about this for the last 30 seconds. CDs are cheap, and mailing a CD isn't that expensive either.
BUT there's been international interest in this thing and I don't like leaving cool people out.
AND usually when I mix a CD I stick as many songs as I can fit on there which would push the price up.
AND I don't consider this piracy so much as a commercial for good music since often times when I get a good mix from someone I'll go search out my favorite songs.
BUT I do see how a webhosting service or, you know, the music industry could think of this as piracy
STILL I really like getting things in the mail and I like sending things in the mail.
I like the idea of us all having the music at approx the same time so we can talk about the mixes.
SO, how about we do a combo thing? Where people who can't burn and/or can't mail make iMixes and those of us who like something physical can ask to receive Cds?
J -- I had been thinking that each member would commit to making a copy of the mix for each other member. So, say there's 10 members, so I would burn 9 cds and mail them out. Even if I'm sending one to Australia and one to Mexico, that's still less than $20 given the price of CDRs these days and I would receive 9 CDs in return. Plus the unlimited joy of receiving things in the mail.
but if 9 people make iMixes of 10 songs each and they're all such good songs that I want them all, then that's $90. That might be worth it to Johnnydee (I don't know how much sending cds out of Australia would cost)and I would be happy to buy an iMix made by Johnnydee or Sablime so they didn't have to mail internationally, but I know I couldn't handle paying for iMixes from everyone else...
Then again, are CDs like DVDs and coded for region?
I may need to make a spreadsheet...
And HD still hasn't chimed in.
You are cracking me up. I have no idea which way this will go. Ha.
But if you're making a spreadsheet put me down for iMixes. As far as money here are my considerations:
* I am betting a few of the songs people use will be ones I already have.
* I am betting (and this is just me) that there is no way I will want to buy ALL of them. I would bet it would still come out to about $20 worth. And I could spread the expense out - buy a few a week or month to help defray.
Oh. And I also love it for the same reason as you, Trista - the more immediate nature of it. I am a terrible procastinator and also very negative (bet you didn't all know THAT about me!) which means that the mix my good work friend gave me 3 days ago is still sitting in my bag because I A)can't remember/can't be bothered to sit and listen.
I looked into postage to Australia.
It's $4.25 for it to take 4-6 weeks.
For 4-7 days it's $7.50.
True, you might have some of the songs already or not want to buy others, but picking and choosing among someone's iMix selection destroys the artistic integrity of their creation. (Ha!)
And you lose the awesomeness of getting something in the mail. I mean really, good mail is getting pretty rare these days. It would be so nice to get a CD mixed in with the bills, promotional crap, and "Have You Seen Me?" garbage, wouldn't it?
(I note that in the past 6 comments, I commented 1 time, then 2 from Trista, and 3 from Bri. I'm going to stop the pattern here, I'm afraid!)
Hrm.
I'd steal CD's from work, so that part would be free (don't tell) and...I'm liking that idea a bit better, but I think there's a way to do it where everyone is happy, whether imixed, or cd'd.
Or....for those who are doing real live cd's...
You could list the names, and everyone would send 1 cd to the next person on the list. They would get to keep the cd for 1 week before sending it on to the next person. People could copy the discs to their computers, or burn the songs they liked, or burn the whole cd, but, everyone on the list would get a cd a week, and send a cd a week....my mind is racing so i'm stopping now.
J, we're moving in the right direction here. The thing I see as a hitch to the round robin idea is that someone would be mailing to Australia or Mexico every week while no one else would and yet if we mix it up too much so that no one carries an extra postage burden (except for, of course, those living in (gasp) countries other than the USA) then it'll get too confusing.
but you know, as we all keep talking I'm sure eventually we'll reach consensus.
I feel very unitarian right now.
I haven't read all the comments, but I kinda think this sounds fun too.
I/we might be interested...Luddite that I am, I'm feeling a little persecuted that nobody mentioned doing a plain old fashioned mix tape, but so long as there's a burning-CD option, we are a definite possibility. :-)
Cool stuff, Trista. "Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music." --George Eliot
First of all Trista, I felt joy to see my screen name on your post, althoug it was misspelled LOL (don't worry that always happens I dunno why), and then to see Mexico woo hoo!
Well, I have absolutly no problem sending the cd's to the usa or australia or wherever, the fun to get a sorprise cd on the mail and learning other people's taste in music is what exites me the most!
So, I will go with the idea of burning a cd and the mailing it, or them. I'm not really sure how will this work but I believe we'll get into that as soon as we are all settle on the subject of mail or imix (which for me would be harder to do, because $99 in my currency is way too much!, remeber that 1 us dollar is 11 pesos yikes!)
So, I will just keep checking this post and see how things are going :)
FINE. I will burn CD's if I am allowed to whine A LOT while I do it. Here. On your blog. OK? Let's get on with it.
Bri, I will never stop you from whining. Even on my blog. Because you do it with such panache.
OK. We're going to do this thing, and I'm going to make a yahoo group for it so that we can have a central location for addresses and a calendar.
Does anyone have a problem with a yahoo group?
It sounds good to me. How will we know?? Will you post on the blog about it?
No problem, I have a yahoo account anyways :)
I think this is a great idea. Count me in. I could go either way - have & love ITunes, but ultimately T is right, it's probably much cheaper to send CDs. Fun times! Oh, and a yahoogroup would be great.