New Remix iPhone App - Romplr

Moderati has created an iPhone app that allows users to create their own remixes of available songs, the service is called Romplr. Once your personalized remix is created, you can share it via Facebook connect, email or on Romplr.com, a site the company is aiming to turn into an interactive music community. The first artist to provide music for remixing on Romplr is Soulja Boy, who's made "Turn My Swag On," "Crank That," and "Hey You There" available. In addition, Soulja Boy has provided seven other music samples that can be used as raw material.

"The new, $5 Romplr application allows you to remix three songs by the artist Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em. Basically, you pick one of Soulja Boy’s tracks then use the controls to tweak the bass, drums, vocals and other sonic elements for a remixed version." - BeatCrave.com

I always knew there was a huge opportunity in the music business for selling all the ProTools tracks for fans to manipulate and customize they way they want. Unfortunately, once again the record labels missed this opportunity and has allowed a technology company to cash in on it. Though it may not be too late for them if they move quickly.

2-D Barcodes, An Opportunity for Music?

AdAge published an interesting article yesterday on the use of 2-D barcodes and the story of a Qdoba Mexican restaurant chain in Ann Arbor, Michigan who used the technology on promotional posters to attract college students to its new location. The promotional posters allowed students to use their cell phones to scan the barcode on the poster and generate a mobile phone coupon for a buy-one-get-one-free burritto. After reading this, I thought what if all those promotional posters I see around the city featuring a new album and/or artist had a barcode that people could scan allowing them to purchase the digital album electronically at a discounted rate for a limited time? Or what if as an added incentive those who purchased the digital album electronically via the scan got the chance to have first dibs at front row seats or floor seats to that artist's concert at a reduced price? Technology truly needs to be fully integrated into music and purchasing music should be made so easy along with having great incentives that people just want to buy the music. There is no more control, there is no way to make people buy the music, they just simply really have to just want to buy it.

iTunes Now DRM-Free Plus New Pricing Model

Since May 2007 EMI has been distributing digital tracks DRM-free to iTunes but the other three majors have been consistently resistant until now. Starting today consumers can get digital music via iTunes DRM-free from any of their favorite artists because Universal Music Group, Sony BMG and Warner Music Group have finally agreed to it. A new pricing model that Apple was previously against is also now taking effect and music will be sold at $0.69 for older tracks, $0.99 for current tracks and $1.29 for hits. iPhone users can also download music wirelessly directly to their devices over the 3G network. The audio quality of the new iTunes is also boasting to be much higher so download iTunes 8 and you can easily re-purchase all your previous iTunes music DRM free for only 30 cents a pop. I'm happy to see that the other three majors have realized the benefit of DRM-free music and are slowly embracing the digital age.

nuTsie - Unlocking Your iTunes' Potential

nuTsie (iTunes scrambled), an affiliate of iTunes is a service that allows you to share your iTunes playlist with anyone on the web and listen to other people's iTunes, not just the people on your local network. The service also permits for you to take your iTunes playlist and have access to other playlists anywhere you go via your mobile phone. Signing up with nutsie is free but to get the app on your mobile phone takes a small investment of $19.95. Go nuTsie.