HELLO COME IN

Awhile back I posted a few videos making the rounds on the YouTube of the live collaborations of Fiona Apple and Nickel Creek. One of the best songs I found was an old ditty “Tonight You Belong To Me.” I enjoyed the song so much I tried to find the origins.

According to ‘reputable’ sources buried in ancient tomes long since forgotten (Wikipedia), the song was written in 1926 by Billy Rose and music writer Lee David. Over the years it has been performed by Irving Kauffman (1926), Gene Austin (1927), and Lawrence Welk and saw revival with Prudence and Patience in 1956 (heard in this eBay commercial), and even later the Chipmunks. The song reached its biggest peak when reached #30 on the Hot Country songs list in 1977 when it was recorded by country legend Dottie West.

Most people though will remember “Tonight” as it was famously performed by Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters in “The Jerk,” (which is hands down my favourite Steve Martin movie of all time in case you were wondering…which you probably were not.) Martin’s surprising skill at the ukelele (a common feature of his stand-up act at the time) is only barely overshadowed by Peter’s hilariously random fluegelhorn solo (obviously overdubbed, but no less awesome).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slnYYmi0SKs[/youtube]

Recently though, it seems the song has had yet another revival with Fiona Apple’s version (below with Jon Brion and Nickel Creek), indie popsters Viva Voce, Nancy Sinatra, a duet with Erin McKeown and Josh Ritter (complete with mouth fluegel), and even Eddie Vedder with Janet Weiss (of Sleater Kinney fame).

The song’s intertwining vocal call and response is the easily the the most charming feature with its contrapuntal movement of the melody (when one part goes up, the other down) and the tightly harmonized unison singalong quality. The other key aspect of the song, no matter the version, is the sprightly strum of ukelele (or often mandolin), perhaps* a contribution to the canon by its appearance in “The Jerk.”

Check out a few of these performances and I guarantee you’ll be humming and singing along in no time.

Lawrence Welk with the Lennon Sisters:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld5umaGZrWg[/youtube]

Prudence and Patience:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ufzIano8D8[/youtube]

Fiona Apple, Jon Brion and Nickel Creek:

[youtube]nQddapeaIRw[/youtube]

*Note… it remains unknown to me whether the ukelele is part of the original recordings. I am still trying to dig up recordings of these older versions (let me know here in the blog if anyone has copies out there).

Its a given that the music world is indeed changing. In these days of digital downloads, MySpace, YouTube and social media, artists have embraced alternative means to get their music out there. So much so in fact that these things are hardly even considered ‘alternative’ any more; For any artist, from the biggest star down to the coffee shop or bedroom folkster, it’s become a necessity.

With all the labels generally nervous of the implications of the digital revolution (with root kits, DRM, lawsuits, and generally locking down the music), it just doesn’t seem to make sense for certain artists to get involved at all. Not everyone can possibly go the route that Radiohead set out, but those who do not embrace that DIY attitude towards their music and their fanbase, will surely be left behind eventually.

I’d like to say that we at Hello Come In were early adopters to this new music industry 2.0, but we’re not. In fact I am not so sure we’re really doing this for that reason…but in the nine or ten months Aryn, Greg and I have been posting our monthly EPs of original music, it’s been pretty cool to discover and see others who are doing similar things. Some to great success.

— Ropeadope Records for instance is the epitome of DIY, now distributing music in digital-only formats.

— Wired profiles Jonathan Coulton who sells and gives away his music on his site, and connecting with an audience through his blog and podcast. NY Timesand NPR also discussed Coulton and others.

— Podington Bear is a mysterious electronic pop artist, who three days a week posts a new song on his website and podcast. Though no one knows much about him (or her?), the quality and quantity of music has earned him a decent following. NPR profiled PB and Paleo, another artist who records a song a day.

Meanwhile, we are apparently not the only musicians attempting to collaborate via long distances either (not shocking I know). But with new internet applications and technology becoming cheaper and more user friendly, it all seems to be coming together.

— NPR profiled a few musicians who in many different ways manage to create pretty decent music using eJamming and other various internet applications.

This is by all means not the entire list, but just a few select articles that have caught my eye in recent months. It’s all pretty exciting to see the evolution and all these various parts come together. Lots to discuss here I’m sure, so have at it.

By now most have heard news of Radiohead‘s release of their new album In Rainbows. While the excitement of a new album is always an event, the media spotlight has been on the music business ramifations. The decision to forgo the major distributors and labels (or any label for that matter) and offer a download-only release for purchase definitely raised eyebrows in the industry, as did the fact that buyers can pay as much (or as little) they want; whatever amount they feel the album is worth to them.

What people are wondering though is how much impact it will have on the crumbling dinosaur music industry? Is this groundbreaking a move to go it alone or simply an isolated experiment by an elite band who has the cash security to make such a move? In the long run it will probably prove to be both.

A band of Radiohead’s caliber might have the financial means to be able bypass and even surpass anything they would’ve earned by a traditional release, how many other bands can do the same? While they are nearly giving away the download, how many other bands have a devoted enough fan base to fork over so much for the almost overly-spendy collector boxset?

Another question in people’s minds is how much the consumers will be willing to offer for the download only version. Will they take advantage of the system and donate a penny? Will they pay a normal, yet reasonable price? I suppose it doesn’t matter since any money earned by that is essentially free money from people who would have illegally downloaded the leaked album anyway. Radiohead essentially just leaked their own album.

Already people have formed their own opinion as quickly as people pre-ordered from the band’s shakey website (is this a sign of looming difficulties next week when hundreds of thousands of people try to download at the same time?), so it will be interesting to see how this will all play out in the long run. Thoughts?

How is the media reacting? Here is a quick rundown of some selected readings:

Pop Matters: Radiohead throws down the guantlet

New York Times: Radiohead Lets Fans Decide What to Pay for Its New Album

New York Times – The Lede: Radiohead Album Pricetag ‘Its Up to You’

NME: Chart Eligibility in Doubt

Village Voice: Radiohead’s Brilliant Publicity Stunt

Idolator , Cranky industry insider Bob Lefsetz , Salon , Wired, Time

UPDATE 10\4: At this point it appears that more people are willing to pay at least something for the album than stealing. Through mostly anecdotal evidence, NY Times reports that most buyers have offered reasonable amounts for In Rainbows rather than trying to go the cheap route… if for nothing else as a way to support the band on principle alone. Radiohead has also indicated that a majority of the preorders have been for the pricey box set rather than the digital download.

Interestingly, as the article cites, the album has become a great test subject in behavioral economics and ethics:

Mr. Loewenstein, whose specialty is behavioral economics and who has studied the relationship between emotions and financial decision-making, added: “It’s almost like supporting a sports team or donating to a political candidate. You’re selling to the world how much you like them by how much you pay.” Most important, he said, “how much you are willing to pay signals something to yourself about who you are: are you exploitative? Are you a tightwad?”