It doesn't surprise me either. On the surface, investsing in hi-res digital downloads and portable players capable of storing and playing them, is a bad business decision. I hope Apple is still a visionary company, but it takes more than that to invest in very long-term visions for which there is no immediate market. That takes a visionary individual with power. These kinds of decisions are almost never made collaboratively.
As far as Neil is concerned..."My goal is to rescue the art form that I've been practicing for about 50 years," said Young...he could accomplish much more focusing on his own industry. A 256kbps file of a great master with good dynamics and excellent tonal balance will sound 1000% better than a brick-walled, treble-juiced, record executive's idea of a good recording at any rate of resolution.
...he could accomplish much more focusing on his own industry. A 256kbps file of a great master with good dynamics and excellent tonal balance will sound 1000% better than a brick-walled, treble-juiced, record executive's idea of a good recording at any rate of resolution.
Tim
As far as Neil is concerned..."My goal is to rescue the art form that I've been practicing for about 50 years," said Young...he could accomplish much more focusing on his own industry. A 256kbps file of a great master with good dynamics and excellent tonal balance will sound 1000% better than a brick-walled, treble-juiced, record executive's idea of a good recording at any rate of resolution.
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As far as Neil is concerned..."My goal is to rescue the art form that I've been practicing for about 50 years," said Young...he could accomplish much more focusing on his own industry. A 256kbps file of a great master with good dynamics and excellent tonal balance will sound 1000% better than a brick-walled, treble-juiced, record executive's idea of a good recording at any rate of resolution.
Maybe, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Apple. Neil has a ton of credibility with artists, even young ones. That's where he should focus his advocacy. He should start a movement among artists to fight the rape of their work in the mastering suite by record company execs (it's not the engineers; those guys are just trying to make a living). Of course Neil being Neil, he would get the alt rock, alt country, acoustic, Americana crowd. He would have a lot less influence with pop country and almost no influence with mainstream pop, but personally, I think most of that stuff sounds bad no matter how it's mastered.
Maybe, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Apple. Neil has a ton of credibility with artists, even young ones. That's where he should focus his advocacy. He should start a movement among artists to fight the rape of their work in the mastering suite by record company execs (it's not the engineers; those guys are just trying to make a living). Of course Neil being Neil, he would get the alt rock, alt country, acoustic, Americana crowd. He would have a lot less influence with pop country and almost no influence with mainstream pop, but personally, I think most of that stuff sounds bad no matter how it's mastered.
I think he is doing that, and has been for a few years, especially when you consider his anthology project. Problem is, it's falling on deaf ears as even the artists are more interested in having Apple push volume as opposed to quality. Neil can't do it by himself, but it appears he's the Lonesome Rider.
I think he is doing that, and has been for a few years, especially when you consider his anthology project. Problem is, it's falling on deaf ears as even the artists are more interested in having Apple push volume as opposed to quality. Neil can't do it by himself, but it appears he's the Lonesome Rider.
It hasn't a thing to do with Apple, John, and that's the point. It is executive management and marketing at the record companies that have demanded louder and brighter masters. There is absolutely nothing iTunes, or any other retail distribution channel, can do to affect the problem one way or another. There is little that engineers and studios can do, because they have pretty limited power in the process. The record companies won't do anything because they are, for the most part, run by elevated salesmen for whom insanely loud records are just a way to get attention for their "product." Subtle guys. I'm sure their Ferraris are red, too. Or that God awful yellow that lies somewhere between a school bus and a Post-It Note. That leaves the artists. They have power and influence. And Neil has much more sway with them than he does with Apple or the executive suites at the major labels, anyway. I love the guy, especially when he's doing his godfather of grunge routine upon which high fidelity is pretty much wasted, but he's howling at the wrong moon. He should be putting together a movement consisting of The Civil Wars, Jeff Tweedy, Ryan Adams, Vince Gill, Steve Earle...he should be fiinding out who loves him in Nashville that's hot (A lot more than one would think, I suspect) -- he should recruit Brad Paisley, that Aussie who married Nicole Kidman...you get the picture.
It would have SO much more musical/audiophile impact than widely available hi-res files of the same horrible masters. Not even in the same league.
I love Neil, but he's still barking up the wrong tree. Lossless files from apple would be nice, but they'd still suffer from the artless mastering and remastering of Neil's own industry. I'll tale a well-mastered 256kbps file over over the rap that's coming out of the major labels at any resolution, any day.
