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curiosities explored...

Music

Is Jamiroquai following Radiohead onto the Internet?

After finishing up with Sony Music's Epic records and that unprecedented eight album contract it looks like Jamiroquai might be the next musicians to follow Radiohead and offer their music via the internet. This would put their new music under their direct control while cutting out the record company and making direct contact with their fan base via their own website. Speaking of Jamiroquai's website they've just re-launched sans references to their former record label also stating their plans to make their content available via widgets for people to post on their websites, blogs, and social networking profiles like facebook and myspace classic, effective viral marketing. The relaunched official Jamiroquai band website is currently offering video content via links to and code from YouTube. I applaud their efforts but the video quality needs to be higher quality. I'm sure the video quality will improve. There's no denying the effectiveness of empowering people to place code back on their blog, website or social networking page. This will result in an even more powerful viral marketing effect that will benefit the band and their fans because interesting, quality content always finds an audience even in the vast play pen that is the World Wide Web. The major record labels must be shitting bricks!

This is the latest news from Jamiroquai.com




I love buying music via the internet. I was an instant, loyal customer of Apple's
iTunes and still love buying downloadable media from iTunes. I love downloading music, audiobooks, podcasts and video both movies and TV shows. So, I certainly understand the appeal for musical talent taking control of their work and reinventing the way music is distributed to, in this case eager fans waiting for your next album.




Have you ever checked out the
iTunes U area of the iTunes music store the content available there is awe inspiring? Podcasts that you can subscribe to which automatically download right into your iTunes library so you can listen to them whenever you want, sync to your iPod and take them with you for your commute or workout, wherever — whenever. Love my iPod, iTunes, iPhone, MacBook Pro and my Mac mini which is actually setup as our network server and is connected to our Sony 50" HDTV - the mac mini has an external firewire hard drive connected to it, which is where my iTunes library is stored and downloaded to. I stream my music from mac mini to a Sharper Image speaker that is connected to an Apple Airport Express which is controlled (streamed) via iTunes to the self-powered speaker.


Here's a YouTube video clip I pulled from the official Jamiroquai band website. I'm sure the video quality will improve as they develop their website and its content, including video.




Looking for their music on CD, check out what's available at Amazon.com maybe they'll show up in Amazon's recently launched mp3 download music store; that would be cool. For all things Jamiroquai check out Amazon.com -- selection & great prices too!













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"Time of Our Lives", Great song in a cool movie, "Into the Blue"...

Hello. As I've posted I'm having quite a love affair with The Bahamas via a couple of fantastically timed stays at Atlantis when hardly anyone was there - say no more beautiful, mega-resort on Paradise Island with killers views of the Atlantic ocean beyond the Atlantis lagoon or views of Nassau Harbor to Nassau. Well, there's a film I'm sitting here watching that takes place and was shot at least partially in The Bahamas and it's called "Into the Blue" starring Jessica Alba, Paul Walker, Scott Caan, Ashley Scott & Josh Brolin. I enjoy the film because it has a lot of location footage showing off the beauty of the waters of The Bahamas, the marine life - it takes me back to New Providence Island and Paradise Island which is across Nassau Harbor. Beautiful, sexy bodies shot in the paradise that is The Bahamas and just loving this one water scene where the two buddies are on jet skis in Nassau Harbor and the song, "Time of Lives" is playing while we cut back and forth from the two, beautiful young women in the power boat watching what their boyfriends pulling tricks on their jet skis - shooting up out the water - very playful, carefree fun with this awesome sound of Paul Van Dyk singing "Time of Our Lives".
It is the time of our lives and if you don't feel that way, why? What's out of balance or out of whack? What changes can you make so you begin to see opportunity that's all around you, if you're more focused. I believe one's outlook has a lot to do with how we identify and trouble shoot and ultimately manage / solve our day to day, life issues thus creating our own reality in a manner of speaking.

Clear your mind and try and re-focus and ask yourself some questions and stay in the moment until you begin to see your first discovery. For me music enhances my thought process; select something that kick starts your brain and brushes some of the old thinking out to make way for different, healthier choices. Enjoy the music video for this fantastic song, while listening closely to the lyrics -- see where the song takes you and then come back and post a comment here at blogMerit, I'd love to hear from you. Enjoy the day.








Buy the DVD of "Into the Blue" for your taste of the good life in The Bahamas - the water is so blue and clear -- you can't believe it!















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"The Naked Chef" , The BBC's Best Episode Yet!

I just watched today's episode of "The Naked Chef" and Jamie cooked for one of my favorite bands Jamiroquai. I'm guessing he's know Jay the lead singer for a long time or at least it appeared so, no matter Jamie had fun and it was equally fun watching him prepare dinner for the band and himself. I love Jamiroquai's music - I found them originally through HBO's hit comedy "Sex & the City". So, a chef I enjoy watching coupled with music I love made for a fantastic episode. I've been tending to take my lunch break and watch the show which is recorded on my DISH Network DVR so I can start and pause for seconds which is what I did today because I had to have another turkey burger and more potato salad, tis the season. Anyway, I digress. If you have BBC America check out "The Naked Chef" starring Jamie Oliver you might just appreciate his approach to food and learn some fun, new tricks I sure have.

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Sitting here writing and Ronnie Laws, "Friends & Strangers" comes on...

...which immediately reminds me of a dear college friend of mine, we attended CalArts together, she turned me onto Ronnie Laws; there's a big smile on my face because I'm remembering our Friday afternoons on the balcony of her dorm room overlooking the pool. We had shedules where we didn't have classes on Fridays so they were 'our' day so part of that day consisted of sitting and drinking, laughing, talking and of course listening to music. My friend has a deep understand and appreciation of Jazz and she shares her love of music and life, yes she's a friend to this day not around as much as either of us likes but that's where we're at right now. Anyway, back to the music Ronnie Laws, Joe Sample, Pat Metheny and others she put in front of me, so to speak. I listen to all of them and it reminds what a wonderful gift music is, in whatever form. I love to share my music and I love to receive from friends and family - that's how I end up expanding my musical experience and my personal library. I really enjoy legal, digital downloads. Frankly, I really like having my new music immediately and I want to own my music so I'm not a fan of subscription based music services, but that's just my preference. So, yes I love Apple's iTunes store but then I'm a Mac loyalist for years now. So, you'll see music references throughout my blog. I'm the type of person who if I hear a music clip on say, HBO I like the song I'll search for the song on the internet. I have pretty good luck searching by using a partial lyric in quotation marks at Google and that usually takes me to the title of the song and from there it's easy to source.

This same friend also put
Jill Scott in front of me and she's amazing I really like Jill Scott she's a true poet who can use her pipes to sing her poetry where she shares encapsulated stories of her life. My friend knew that I would love Jill Scott because I'm also a poet and she knows how much I love music. Enjoy your day and all it's music.


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"The Naked Chef" , The BBC's Best Episode Yet!

I just watched today's episode of "The Naked Chef" and Jamie cooked for one of my favorite bands Jamiroquai. I'm guessing he's know Jay the lead singer for a long time or at least it appeared so, no matter Jamie had fun and it was equally fun watching him prepare dinner for the band and himself. I love Jamiroquai's music - I found them originally through HBO's hit comedy "Sex & the City". So, a chef I enjoy watching coupled with music I love made for a fantastic episode. I've been tending to take my lunch break and watch the show which is recorded on my DISH Network DVR so I can start and pause for seconds which is what I did today because I had to have another turkey burger and more potato salad, tis the season. Anyway, I digress. If you have BBC America check out "The Naked Chef" starring Jamie Oliver you might just appreciate his approach to food and learn some fun, new tricks I sure have.


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