Subway Challenge

taken directly from their website;

You are on the Glasgow underground (subway), travelling clock-wise. The journey time between Buchanan St. and St. Enoch is approximately 55 seconds. Hmmm. On the surface it's downhill journey, down the busiest shopping street in Glasgow with 2 road crossings. Hmmm.

Challenge: Can you get off the a train at Buchanan St. and back on the same train the next time it stops at St. Enoch?

Rules: You can break the law if you wish

I've put the video up here to spare their bandwidth.

podcastingubiquity

Skype-me buttons, donate buttons, podcast-enthusiam, voicemail with the last 4 digits refering in some way to your podcast, libsyn accounts, Cafepress store, PMN buttons, 4 40 minute shows in 4 days, Go Daddy sponsorship, frappr maps, piece in local newspaper elation, flickr buttons, personalised forums, tip jar pledge drives, polls, gmail accounts, Jawbone cartoons, Podsquad envy/bitterness, promo mp3, DSC promo prayers, Expo flashbacks, Podcast Pickle pages, iTunes subscribe buttons, 4 20 minute shows in 4 weeks, sponsor-envy, podcast directory submission frenzy, vote-for-me, vote-for-me, podcast-disillusionment, Podtec surveys, 4 12 minute shows in 4 months...

Am I a sellout?

Back in August I put up this post on the tartanpodcast.

There was quite a lively response to it, and today another comment was posted;

I think that a lot of people are doing this for a lot of different reasons, and that’s cool. Everyone needs to figure out what their reasons are and define their own path based on that. Personally, I agree that PMN has sold out. The argument that they haven’t based on a statistical analysis speaks volumes to me. At the same time, we just had our show removed and that was that.

I am a musician. My show is a communal effort. Every show is hosted by musicians and we have formed a small network that supports each other. It’s not about numbers. And it’s not a copycat model of traditional radio. The show is about music. It’s about how much we all love and care about music. That’s what’s missing in my opinion from traditional radio. It’s all about marketing studies and business models and numbers of people who have played a certain song. (kinda like PMN)

PMN can do their thing though. And they will attract listeners who are into that, and that’s cool. One thing I would like to mention though from the musicians perspective is that PMN has built this whole model based on musicians donating their music. The system is intended to propel individuals who host the shows on the backs of the musicians who donate their music – the sentiment being that publicity generated from podcasting will help the musicians earn income from a secondary unrelated stream (such as a record deal or other music industry related windfall). Well, anyone who knows jack about the music industry would know that that for the most part is a load of crap. In essence, the musicians are being used. However, unlike traditional radio where there is an archaic appearance of a system to payback artists, PMN doesn’t seem to keen on sharing any of the $$ they generated from their business model with the people who made it possible.

The reason why PMN has sold out is because PMN isn’t enabling artists to work outside of the system. This is what podcasting was about initially. It was a way to go around the overhyped, overmarketed, outdated, corrupt system of traditional media. All PMN is doing is prepping people for more of the same – more girls rolling around on the floor half naked with guitars, more i need to sell 500,000 copies of my record to break even, more i need to make some money capitalist crap. and that’s cool.

But my point is that it’s not about music anymore.

I've replied, click through to see it.

But thinking about it afterwards, I think she's implying that we've sold out, i.e. me, Big Mike, CC, Canis, Renamarie, Julien, Marcus, Michael - we've all sold out. And the last bit about it not being about the music anymore, can anything annoy me more?!

Re. advertising (which, let's face it, was what started the discussion; running ads was selling out), there hasn't been an ad on the tartanpodcast since September.

Re. not about the music - I played at least 3 songs per podcast and I put out at least 2 shows per week. What is it about if it isn't the music.

It's a topic guaranteed to get my goat ;-)

More new pics

sunset towards glasgow
Originally uploaded by tartanpodcast.

I've been out snapping again - the results can be found by clicking through to flickr via the picture here.

tartanpodcast LIVE! What am I doing?!

A while ago it was suggested that a live event featuring some of the best Scottish podsafe bands would be fun. Great idea. But now that I'm actually going ahead with it (see the post on tartanpodcast.com) I wondering what on earth I'm getting myself into.

Since I started the podcast I've met Roz and Magnus of Miss the Occupier, Al Bishop of Hotrod Cadets, Steven and Jolene of Finniston and the Taylor brothers of Dropkick. While I've been invited to see many of the bands I've played perform live, I've only actually seen Miss the Occupier, Finniston and Dropkick. The reason being is I don't like having to go out and meet people.

It's all about comfort zones; podcasting from my tiny wee studio is comfortable. I record a couple of shows per sitting, update show notes, mess about with the website, fire off a few emails. All within my abilities. No sweat. Not a stretch, etc etc. I'm in my comfort zone. Doing the tartanpodcast is what I do. Going out and meeting bands is not.

Now, I'm not overly shy or lacking in confidence. The existance of the tartanpodcast is evidence of that, I suppose. So it's not some fear of meeting new people and having to shake their hand and strike up a conversation.

I just don't like having to leave my house.

So, when a band kindly emails me to say they're performing at such and such at this or that time, I usually reply to say that I'd love to be there, but won't be able to make it.

I just don't like having to leave my house.

So what on earth am I doing organising something like tartanpodcast LIVE!?? 7 bands? All on stage one after the other? MCd by me?

That's a lot of leaving the house.

Add to it the logistics; booking the venue, organising the tickets, the sound, the bar, making sure everyone has everything they need. And then on the day making sure everything runs smoothly and enjoyable for the bands, and more importantly, the people who've paid good money (and travelled a distance) to hear their favourite Scottish indie band perform.

It's a nightmare.

Anyway, subscribe to the RSS feed of tartanblog to keep up to date with the developments as we head towards the 24th June 2006 and tartanpodcast LIVE!

Anyone know a good project manager?

local6.com - News - Family Finds Raw Meat Instead Of iPod Inside Sealed Box

Family Finds Raw Meat Instead Of iPod Inside Sealed Box

Fantastic!

1st production gig via Tartan Media Productions

I got an email today responding to a proposal I'd sent to Touched By Scotland who are putting on a live music event later this month. I'd met their founders at the podcast workshop/presentation I'd put on in December.

They're accepting my proposal and they'll be in touch with the details. It'll mean me travelling up north to Aberdeen to cover the event, then editing it into a podcast for them.

tartan media productions

Ah, hindsight...it's always 20-20

Great quote from an article on the iPod;

So the iPod will be an early success. No doubt about it. But after the initial wow factor of the Mac faithful wears off, sales will plummet, the price will be cut in half, different color choices will be made available, and it will become compatible with PC's. And it still won't sell as many units as Apple had hoped it would. The reason is simple, and can be summed up in one word. Sony.

Ok, they were right about the early success, the price drop and the PC version. As for the rest, well, we'll let the guy off...it was written in 2001.

Read the article here.

sent by Janell

sent by Janell
Originally uploaded by tartanpodcast.

Janell very kindly sent me a PDF of February 2006's Keyboard Magazine.