Concert List

Music – Voice of the Soul-Shakespeare has well said “If music be the food of soul, then play on”. Surely, music puts a balm on all your worries and it sooths and relaxes your mind. And music has been regarded as the voice of the soul too. From generations and centuries, music has given enough entertainment to the mankind. Come to the contemporary times and you would witness a sort of revolution in the music industry. Owing to the popular trends like cinema and Internet, there is an emergence of a lot of genres like pop music, jazz, country, Blues, rock and so on. And the Internet is flooded with a plethora of online music websites that have added a new dimension in the popularity of music.

These online music stores are employing new strategies in order to attract more and more users towards them. This includes affiliating with the various social networking sites and offering competitive prices to the users, thereby baiting them for good. Other methods that these online players employ could be giving away a few albums or songs for free as a start up initiative to increase the traffic and clientèle, in terms of music downloads. It can also offer some great incentives to the early buyers.

There is another way to popularise the online music by giving a referral incentive to anyone who refer his/her acquaintances to a particular website. By such means you can buy music on a discount, else you win some freebies or loyalty points for your next purchase… Then, these websites also trust viral marketing to propagate their music store amidst the netizens. Also there are certain websites that sell DRM free MP3s and thus they can be used on any music player very conveniently.

You might have come across a few websites which would not charge anything for listening music but as soon as you try downloading these tracks, they would start charging money on it. But there are many free and legal music download sites have cropped up too, and they have found their target customers as well. So, you can work out on both the options. Thus, the voice of your soul (music) has become a famous business which is catching up like a wildfire along with the other online businesses and is also minting good money out of it.

Online Music – Choice of Youth-They say that music never betrays the heart that loves it. True indeed, music has always made our lives better and it has soothed our senses since time immemorial. The 21st century has seen a revolution in the form of computers that have proved to be instrumental in making our lives better and much convenient as compared to the others. And most definitely it has changed the way you listen to your music.

Contemporary times have witnessed a tremendous upsurge in the Internet marketing which has made music really popular amongst the music freaks all around the world. The users can now listen to the music through the Internet. There are several websites that deal with providing the online music to the music lovers. With an increase in the stiff competition and many players going online, several lucrative offers have cropped up in the recent past. Now the user is free to download the music of his choice, from a particular website, which is purely legalised. So, all of your famous and lesser known tracks are getting revamped in the online arena. All you have to do is to download them at the earliest.

Remember all those overtly insignificant songs that were once anthems for you? If you think that those have been withered away in an eternal limbo, you can easily find all of them lingering in the cyberspace. It certainly ejaculates our senses, even to think about discovering those long lost tracks. In fact, the Internet has particularly been helpful in reviving all the long lost numbers, back in action and going popular all over again.

You could easily download these tracks into your mobile phones and MP3 music players and listen to them whenever you feel like. So, you could easily pep up your life with the music of your choice. Secondly, these websites also give you a lot of exciting offers and cashbacks for your downloads. Therefore it adds on to the profitability of your deals and makes them look more attractive.

So, don’t miss your chance of finding the best online music… because the Internet is surely going to make you find your kind of music!

Online Music – Simply The Best-Music without any doubt can be termed as food for life. It surely has lots of advantages and is a healer of many discomforts. It also is a great motivator. A good song and music can fill the soldiers with vigor and enthusiasm to take on the might of the enemy and overcome the most trying circumstances.

Music also sets up the mood for any occasion. A good number can make everyone dance to its tunes. A good music can enliven an evening. Similarly a prayer accompanied by light music can make the entire occasion turn very solemn.

Music, it can be said, is for every occasion and is everywhere. The wind flowing or the water trickling down from mountain in the form of a stream also carry their own distinctive music with them. Similar is the case with a cuckoo that so moistens the entire atmosphere in its melancholic voice or that of the leaves that so breathes life into a dull atmosphere with its flutter in the wind.

This passion for good music is also being understood and encased by mobile manufacturers who install such features that allow people to download songs and music of their choice from Internet in addition to the already programmed music in the gadget.

Internet has grown in a very big way over the years and has truly become one popular stop for music lovers across the world. As Internet casts its net far and wide, online music has also gained popularity throughout the world. The main reason for the popularity of online music is the fact that one gets an access to the music of entire world cutting across the barriers of language, culture and country.

The music of entire world is scattered in front of you and you just have to choose whether you want to download mp3 songs of the latest Hollywood movies or the hits of an era gone by. The best thing about online music is the fact that one can free download music of one’s choice. No wonder then that online music is one of the most happening things in the world today.

Choosing the Best Online Music Service-Okay, it’s time for me to finally say goodbye to my portable disc player, and join the online and portable music revolution. Okay, the revolution isn’t so new any more, nor is my computer, but as I wade through the sea of options for how to download music, listen to and buy online tracks, I grow more eager to get my feet wet and eventually suit up to take the plunge. But I happen to be a bit more practical than that. So, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time over the last few weeks trying to determine what’s best for my lifestyle, my wallet and my computer.

First thing I realized when searching all of the music services is that things seemed to work a lot smoother with a broadband connection (and most services seem to point that out from the get go). Just like my CD Walkman, the time had come for me to lose my ancient dial-up connection to the online experience. It actually turned out to work in my favor as my cable company gave me a good deal on high-speed, and also threw in a discount on my existing costs for cable TV.

Now that I was “connected” at an acceptable speed to the Web, I had to determine, what I was trying to get out of the online music experience. After some intense melodious soul searching, I realized that the only thing the separated me from the perpetually hip is perhaps the types of music I was searching for, and the amount of time I wanted to spend online searching for music.

The guy who sits next to me has a 60 GB iPod, and is complaining that it is almost full. That’s over seven thousand songs. I don’t know that I would even live long enough to listen to that many songs. My needs were simpler. I had an MP3 player still in the box from two Christmas’ ago, and it promised to hold over 500 songs. That would be perfect for me, at least in the short term.

Next, what was I looking for in my new online music experience? Did I want to listen to music on my PC, in my car or on my MP3 player? Yes to all three. Did I want to listen to the radio while I was on my PC? Again, yes. Did I want to trade music with others online in a peer-to-peer Napster-like environment? Eh, that one scared me a little, and I decided that opening up my files to strangers made me feel dirt, so I put that one on hold.

My next stop in determining how I would “music online” was price. I searched dozens of sites and services, but narrowed my sights to three of the big guys: AOL Music Now, iTunes and Rhapsody Music Service (provided by Real Networks).

I already had AOL, so I signed up for their Music Now product for $8.99/month (that’s in addition to their monthly fee as an ISP). I was able to download songs, listen to them while “offline” and burn them to CD or move them over to my MP3 player for an additional fee per song. That seemed to be standard across most of the services. Music Now was a follow up to the original AOL Music Net, which I actually liked better because it ran locally on machine and the new Web-based Music Now takes much longer. AOL also has a partnership with iTunes, so you can be on AOL, but iTunes will launch and then you’re actually in the iTunes application. It’s confusing. If I want to move my downloaded songs to my MP3 player, the monthly fee jumps to $14.95 per month, and if I want to put them on a CD, I pay and additional 99 cents per track. This is too much money for me. I typically buy one or two CD’s a month, and that would be cheaper than this online service. Not to mention you have to be an existing AOL member (more money per month) in order to even use the product. I’m passing on AOL Music Now.

On to iTunes. Okay, so there is no monthly fee for iTunes. Love that. And I can purchase songs for 99 cents per track. Love that too. But wait. I don’t have an iPod, and iTunes has songs in their proprietary MP4 format. Ugh. The cheapest iPod out there is around $99 (so much for no monthly fee), and it’s not the model I would select. I like my MP3 player. If I already had an iPod, this may be the route I would go, but Apple tends be very inflexible, and I hate to be tied to one provider, player and format. There is also a limit to how you can share the songs on your home network. I feel like even though I own the song, I’m being watched on what I do with it. Good bye big brother.

Rhapsody Music Service from Real Networks. So far they are the least expensive. $9.99 per month and that’s with unlimited access to over 1.3 million songs. I do have to have pay the additional 99 cent fee if I want to burn to CD or transfer to my MP3, but that is the industry standard for paying the artists, and the monthly fee is five dollars less per month than AOL. The music comes over in the more widely supported MP3 format and the songs are mine to rip transfer or share with my other computers on my home network. Like the other two, I can listen to live radio on my pc, but I like the freedom I get with Rhapsody Music Service. I’m not being watched, and the music is mine.

Now that I know how to download music and have chosen Rhapsody Music Service, I’m on my way to joining the new world of portable digital music. I’ve already burned several CD’s for my car, albeit with an older man’s twist on today’s favorites, and transferred those same songs over to my little antiquated MP3 player for those long weekend walks.

Online Music Services For Different Type Of Listener-Every music listerner has different needs. What are yours?
There are online music services – from the casual pop lover to the audiobook listener. Which one would you choose?

Some quick Tips:

Mac user or PC user?

Any products by Apple, including the iPod line, are usually solely compatible with the iTunes Music Store, which is available on both Macs and PCs.
Other devices with the “Plays for Sure” logo work well with Windows Media Player – based download services and are PC-only. Check your favorite devices for compatibility before you buy. Like Apple, Sony players will only work with the Sony Connect music service.

iTunes Music Store:

Home of the 99-cent download, the iTunes Music Store (ITMS) features over 1 million songs. Entire albums are available for download but the ITMS only supports iPod devices. The system allows you to burn your tracks to CD for low-tech consumption. Most major labels are represented and ITMS tends to get newer music even before some of the other major players. A partnership with Audible.com also allows you to download audiobooks, allowing you to while away the road miles with a good book.

MusicMatch:

MusicMatch’s On Demand subscription service makes this system stand out. Instead of purchasing individual songs, you pay $5.95 to listen to a selection of songs for a certain period of time. Once you cancel your subscription, however, the music disappears. MusicMatch also offers 99-cent tracks. A special music suggestion engine makes short work of figuring out what you’d like to listen to next.

eMusic:

eMusic is a pioneering MP3 service that offers a number of downloads for a set price. The most expensive offer, for example, costs $19.99 and entitles you to 90 song downloads per month. The tracks will play on any MP3 player in the world and are completely unprotected by any digital rights management. The music is skewed towards the alternative and unknowns but there are thousands of gems in eMusic’s extensive library, from the Pixies to Bloc Party.

Napster:

The original music service has gone legit. Individual tracks are 99 cents and Napster To Go offers unlimited downloads to any MP3 player for $14.95. The To Go service, like MusicMatch’s service, expires once your subscription lapses. You can only burn purchased tracks to CDs, but the catalog is wide and Napster features all of the latest from artists in all genres.

Rhapsody:

Rhapsody offers free downloadable music in trial mode as well as a $9.95 all-you-can eat subscription with 99-cent downloads and Rhapsody To Go which allows you to download content to your MP3 player. Like other Microsoft DRM-based services, music you didn’t pay for is erased when your subscription lapses.

Sony Connect:

Similar to the iTunes Music Store, Sony’s store will only work with Sony players, which use the proprietary ATRAC format for music files. But one of those players is the very hot Play Station Portable game, video and music device. Sony’s store includes music from all the major labels, not just the Sony catalog. Like other music stores you can also burn downloaded music to CDs.

MSN:

A latecomer to the party, the MSN Music Store supports Microsoft’s Janus DRM system, which is bundled with most copies of Windows. Tracks are 99 cents and the service is compatible with most non-Apple MP3 players. Major labels are well represented, but the featured music skews towards less alternative acts.

Online Music Surging-I enjoy downloading music to my computer and portable digital music player. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I was at a music retailer. I’m a convert. I prefer listening to music samples on the Internet and buying only the songs that I want and not wanting to buy an entire disc where I may like only a few song tracks. This is the reason why iPods from Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL) have grown exponentially in popularity to the current cult status. A friend of mine received a 30GB iPod for Christmas and trust me you have never seen someone so excited.

A 30GB iPod can hold up to 7,500 CD quality songs. That is impressive. Apple is a trendsetter in my estimation. From its MAC to the iPod, CEO Steve Jobs has a keen knack for trends. These portable music devices have so much memory because he probably expects a massive shift to CD burning and downloadable music. Apple’s iTunes Music Store is booming.

Just last week, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry released its research into the digital music industry and the results were not a surprise. Just like how online DVD movies have dominated the video rental market, dominated by Netflix Inc. (NFLX), and pushing incumbent Blockbuster Inc. (BBI) to the sidelines, the exponential growth of the online music business has been on an explosive upward path.

According to the research, sales of digital music globally increased by over 300% in 2005 to $1.1 billion. The research said digital music accounts for about 6% of total music sales, up from very little two years back.

The competition in the industry is fierce and expected to ramp up going forward. This could lead to consolidation in the industry down the road and result in lower prices. We could see the bigger and more established players taking out the smaller up and comers.

Besides Apple, there are a slew of online music sites. Probably the most well known is Napster Inc. (NAPS). Napster reported it has over 500,000 subscribers but has yet to turn a profit and is not expected for the time being. But the company has minimal debt and a whopping $128 million or $2.91 per share in cash. Given that the current share price is 3.08, this implies you are paying a mere $0.17 for the company’s asset and potential. This is pretty good and enticing for speculators, but then Napster must deliver profits. Napster could be the dark horse in the digital music business.

In addition to Apple and Napster, there is also the growing Rhapsody music service from RealNetworks Inc. (RNWK) and Yahoo Music from Yahoo Inc. (YHOO).

Mounting Popularity of Online Music-Shakespeare said “ He who hath no music in him is fit for treasons and spoils.” True indeed, many generations have passed since the great writer wrote these words, but its passing influence has not seem to fade away till now, even at the threshold of the 21st century. The present music industry is thriving and is making progress in leaps and bounds. There are a number of genres of music today, which would be alien to the great Shakespeare himself. Nevertheless, the music has outshone all the other passions and people from all the generations are going gaga over it.

The online music too has made it presence felt in the contemporary times. A plethora of online music sites are catering to the needs of the users by giving them free online music downloads, or their favourite music CD at the CD store. So the consumer can directly go to any of the music websites and get the music of their choice.

Apart from the increase in the music business, there are various other advantages of the online music that have also been observed. Like ‘not so popular’ songs are also revived by these websites and they also become popular with this medium. Often, there are various songs that we have hardly seen on TV but we love it just by mere listening it from the Internet. In this way, the music is advertised and made popular with the netizens. This ends up in the increase in the sale of the music.

Also, Internet has also made the lyrics of the various songs available to the masses, that makes them more drawn to their favourite songs, with the knowledge of their accurate lyrics. Also, there are some websites that solely deal with playing your favourite song and no downloading it. And there are certain softwares that allow you to transfer your choicest numbers into your MP3 player or mobile phone, giving a mobility to your music.

Thus, online music has indeed paved the way to the popularity of music.

Traveling With Music-All true music lovers will know that access to music is not a luxury but a necessity. When you travel, the availability of your favorite songs become even more important. Like food and water, music becomes a need. Regardless of the way in which you travel, music always adds value and enjoyment to your trip. You can be traveling by bus, train, car or motorbike in your own country – with the right music, it is always better.

On a foreign visit, the presence of music enriches your travels even more. Listening to familiar music while discovering exciting new places transform the experience into something magical. Songs that you might have listened to hundreds of times before add beauty and unique memories to a vacation. They become the soundtrack of your trip. After the holiday, you listen to the same songs again. Immediately it carries you back to the scene where you had listened to the music while traveling. You experience the place again and remember what you had seen, whom you had met, what you were talking about and how you felt. The music gave your journey meaning.

One of the biggest mistakes I made during my first trip abroad was not to take music with me. Even in those days, at the end of ’92, flights from South Africa to Europe were not cheap. I borrowed an old backpack from a friend. Maybe ‘ancient’ is a better word to use, since the pack still had a frame on the outside. However, budget limitations did not allow me to buy a fancy and light new rucksack. My flight was scheduled to leave Johannesburg International Airport on 25 November. It meant that I would arrive in England at the same time the season would finally don the cold coat of late autumn. That knowledge motivated me to buy a new sleeping bag. I decided to use my old hiking boots since the little bit of money I had left I wanted to keep for surviving the European winter. Knowing that my trip would only be for three months I reasoned that I would not need music. If only I had listened to my heart and not my mind. However, once again, the shortage of money did not allow me the luxury of buying a new Walkman.

Not long after the start of my trip, I realized what a mistake I had made to leave my music at home. I coped without music for six weeks. How I lasted that long still remains a mystery to me. Then, in Gdansk in Poland, I could no longer ignore the need for music. I bought a small portable radio and tape player. Tapes were cheap. I stocked up on a dozen tapes, from U2 and Marillion to the Doors and the Rolling Stones. Even though the quality of the radio’s one speaker was poor, it sounded like the best hi-fidelity sound I had heard up to that point in my life.

I did learn my lesson during that trip. Since then I have never traveled without music. I have also promised myself that I never will. Moreover, today, as opposed to those days, you do not need much space to take music with you wherever you go. With mp3 players, you can take all your favorite albums along. You can even make your own compilations and have your personal soundtrack ready for the journey. So, don’t wait, just go.

The Power Of Music-Have you ever thought about the power of music and the influential role it has had in the world? It seems that ever since the beginning of time, human beings have been expressing themselves, in one way or another, with musical instruments, dance and song. This medium has also been one of the primary ways for many cultures to preserve their history for the next generation.

It’s easy to recognize that feelings are an important part of the whole picture. People make music when they are happy, angry, sad, hungry, in love, at war, at peace, searching… just about every emotion or experience can produce a creative spark! And the power of music can have either a positive or negative influence in our lives. It can motivate us to take action, whether it be for good or bad.

In 2005, my husband, James, and I had the opportunity to have two of our songs used in a film documentary about Hurricane Katrina. This is just one small example of how the power of music can be used as a force for good. As songwriters, we consider this unique experience to be one of the highlights we’ve shared together as a married couple.

Lately I’ve been thinking about other ways to use the power of music for good. Recently I met with a man who had just returned from Myanmar (Burma). As some of you may know, the people in this area have been suffering extreme loss and hardship since the cyclone hit last May and there is a great need for food, clothing and medical supplies. Some predictions have indicated that there could be as many as 60,000-80,000 orphans as a result of the storm.

James and I are currently making travel arrangements to visit Myranmar next January. Until then, I am hoping that the power of this music article will draw some attention to the situation.

Keep Music Live-Music is a serious subject. Good music has a hardwired direct line to our souls. Music can bypass the analytical aspects of our humanity and dig deep right into the emotional core of our very being. Live music is even more powerful. Live music is the creative expression of the soul made manifest. This is a precious luxury that makes people feel valued and valuable. It makes us feel human. Also, it is fun to dance to.

Here are some really great reasons for booking live acts when you next organise a social event such as a wedding or party.

Live acts are more interesting than recorded music. The truth is that no matter how good a musical recording may be, every time you play it you will hear exactly the same thing. Music is so complex and subtle, that only ever hearing the same version of a song is limiting to the listener. But when a live band play a song, they play it slightly differently each time they perform. The result is tension, excitement and the frisson that the ‘unknown’ creates for the listener. These are more versatile. While these days DJs carry thousands of songs on digital discs, only live musicians can alter the mood in the room, second by second, in response to the audience reaction.

Live music is more inclusive. People can feel much more a part of a live music event than is possible when listening to recorded music. The interactions between band members and audience are far more versatile and inclusive. It is generally better for the economy. Yes, it is. When we buy a CD the money goes to multinational record companies who take their cut. When you hire a local band, the money we spend on them is far more likely to stay in the community.

“Sometimes you might find you get what you need” sang Mick Jagger and while you might want to hear a particular song RIGHT NOW, the band might not know it. This is true, but the band are experienced at finding the right song to play depending on the audience mood and reaction. So let the band lead you from the safe and pedestrian to new pastures of pleasure.

Whether it’s your wedding, party, corporate event or special occasion, After Dark Entertainments have the entertainment for you.