The advent of the ResRocket technology was revolutionary in what it prospectively allowed musicians to do. For those looking to collaborate using the internet, the landscape is much more exciting than it was in the time of the Rocket Network. Rather than a singular possible portal for finding musicians and working with them online, there now exists a growing number of ever-more sophisticated environments and services dedicated to breaking down borders in the name of creativity. There is also a growing number of devices and programs dedicated to furthering the possibilities of this creative realm, and this list aims to keep tabs on them, serving as a complete index for the online musician. Users should feel free to add anything they might know!
====Loopwise.com:==== With a heavy focus on commercially-minded collaborative processes, this site is leading the way in proving that online collaboration can be not only creatively promising, but also financially viable. The system implemented here is one whereby registered users can upload segments of music, referred to here as ‘beds,’ for browsing and possible selection. These ‘beds’ might be a 6 second percussion loop or a 20 minute ambient soundscape – the idea here is that someone browsing the site will find a use for just about anything. Those able to browse the catalogue of beds fall into two catagories – other musicians searching for others to work with (or for beds to work with, or to complete a project with), and those from companies who would seek to utilise beds in advertisements, films and so forth. The former category brings into play a whole different idea of collaboration – one where, rather than collaborating for artistic means in the dialogue-like manner discussed in the section titled The Importance Of Collaboration, other musicians can simply purchase and employ a specific piece of someone else’s work. The artistic merits of such a process are perhaps questionable, but from an economical point of view it is indeed a most functional arrangement.
====ArtistCollaboration.com:==== Operating in much the same way as Loopwise, but somehow touting itself as much more significant, this elusive site touts itself as “collaboration central.� On the back of this lofty claim is an ftp setup and a discussion forum, and… little else, it would appear. This site would appear to be more hype than substance, with only 330 registered users against loopwise’s 550 odd participants, yet it is would appear to have received quite a lot of media attention, perhaps only for it’s snappy domain name and egocentric self-representation.
====96decibels.com:==== Seemingly on the opposite end of the bell curve from loopwise, this site would appear to have much more of an independent ethos to its operation while also holding what would appear to be quite lofty ambitions. Simply put, this site seems to want to be “the complete package� for participants in the collaborative online music scene. Not only is it a hub for meeting other musicians, exchanging ideas and creating music, but it also ties in as part of the WeedShare musical system to give collaborators a most intelligent way of distributing and selling their creative product. There is no FTP involvement with 96 decibels – instead, a central server is in place, meaning a much simpler upload and download process. There also seems to be a very open and communal vibe to the site, with participants urged to contribute to any projects they like, and to start their own. Once a track has been completed, it can be turned into a Weed-format musical file, meaning that it can be played as an mp3 three times before the listener is asked to purchase the product. This eliminates many of the problems inherent to both free mp3s and mp3 purchase services, creating a most viable middle ground and furthering the possibilities of online collaborations.
====The Post Piano:==== Developed by the forward-thinking Post Musical Instruments group of Amsterdam, the Post Piano is actually touted on it’s website as being ideal for “…collaborating online with fellow musicians…� As well as being possibly the finest and most sophisticated digital piano in the world, it also contains a sequencer, 15 inch LCD monitor and modem, allowing self-composition and direct uploading to the internet. Please see the Futures section for more on where this technology could lead.
--Nick Smethurst 18:24, 21 Oct 2004 (EST)
