One of the main problems with podcasts is not being able to search inside a podcast just like text based web content.

Pluggd seems to have the solution for that and it seems very promising from their demo. They are using speech processing and semantics to pinpoint the sections of the audio that contain the search term. It is called Hear Here!

I immediately signed up for the service to try it out. However, from what I understand only ESPN Sportscenter podcasts are search enabled at the moment. Their blog says the feature will be available site wide soon.

There is a demo available that shows how the technology performs on the ESPN podcast.

Today there was an article about Pluggd in Wired . Wired says that Pluggd is Google for Podcasts. There was also Techcrunch’s coverage of Pluggd here. I guess it will remain to be seen if this will be the case. However, if the technology works, it will potentially be a big hit.

For one, it would be awesome to search inside music podcasts for example. You would type in an artist or song name and all the podcasts that featured them would be listed.

I will be waiting for them to make the functionality globally available on their site.

Technorati Tags: pluggd, podcast search

[tags]podcast, audio search technology, pluggd[/tags]

This week’s tune of the week will come from Count Boogie. One of his mp3 were dropped on my podcatcher by Daily Dose Podcast.

The song was called Tom Please Share and was about no other than the MySpace Tom who is everyone’s friend. I immediately went to his website called MyMP3forFree.com and found out that he is all about giving his work for free for non-commercial purposes.

On his site, he has Rock-Pop-Punk, Acoustic-Soft Rock, Comedy and Funky-RAP categories with many songs available for download.

On his MySpace page, which is titled “Songs about Tom”, Boogie has just that, more songs about Tom and MySpace.

Well, Tom Please Share makes a proposition to Tom to share his chicks! I just found it funny and I have a feeling you will find it funny to.

Enjoy.

Technorati Tags: tune of the week, music, mp3, count boogie, tom please share

[tags]tune of the week, music, count boogie[/tags]

This week’s tune of the week features Decibully, a band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They are signed to Polyvinyl Records.

The band released their first album, City of Festivals in 2003, and their latest album Sing Out America in 2005. Their roots as a band go back to Fall of 2001 when they were formed as a trio according to the information on their page on Polyvinly Records.

From the same source, we learn that two members of Decibully were the founders of a band called Camden in 1999 and released a self titled EP back then. They were then signed to Polyvinly records as Decibully.

The band showcases four songs on their Myspace page. I don’t know if they are currently doing any tours since I didn’t find any information about that. Their official page is Myspace but there is no tour information there.

Pitchfork has a review of the band’s Sign out America album and had to say this:

Sing Out America! is a solid spin, well played and competently sequenced, with a few moments of genuine interest: “Temptation”, the a capella number, is engaging, despite its ponderous lyrics. But the record as a whole is too glassy and frictionless for it to have much long-term replay value; instead, it’s an amiable surface for the ear to skim along.

A review is what it is, a review and it is subjective. I personally found Penny Look Down from the Sing Out America album very enjoyable and listened to it repeatedly at the time. So, it is going to be the tune of the week for this week. It is a short and sweet song which is very enjoyable. I hope you like it. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: tune of the week, music, mp3, decibully, penny look down

[tags]tune of the week, music, decibully [/tags]

This week’s tune of the week features The Ride Theory, a band from Ontario, Canada. They came to my attention, as usual, in one of Insomnia Radio episodes. It was also the IR Spotlight show last week that reminded me of them once again, and I decided I would feature a song from them.

The band has two albums so far. Their first album is Self-Titled Debut album (available in iTunes) from 2002. They released their second album In this City in 2005 (available in iTunes, and via Paypal here). On their web site, the band has 3 songs from each album available for download.

The Ride Theory is a very podcast friendly band. They have a list of all the podcasts they have been played on and they have Podsafe Music Network page which lists songs that are available for podcasters.

The song that I chose from them is The Piper. It is a high energy, old schoolish kind of rock song which I like a lot. I guarantee it is going to put you into a good mood in a possibly dark, cloudy and rainy winter day.

If you liked this song, and want to hear more of them, I think the easiest way is to go grab the IR Spotlight episode which features 10 of bands songs.

Enjoy and as always, let the band know that you liked them and heard them here or buy their albums if you have the budget.

[tags]tune of the week, music, the ride theory [/tags]

Smoosh released their first album, She Like Electric, on September 2004. Their second album titled Free to Stay was released in June 2006. I learned from their Wikipedia entry that neither of them can read music and that Asya quit piano training because she found it boring. Girls, who write their own music are signed to Barsuk Records. There is lots of coverage about this interesting duo, and this page has a lot links and information on the young duo. In addition to their official page, there is a fan site which has some news and streams of Smoosh songs. There is also a Myspace page as can be expected.

The song I chose from them is Rad, which is from their She Like Electric album. This is a very happy and cheerful song and definitely leaves a smile on your face after you listen to it.

In addition, here is a live performance of Smoosh playing Rad:

Technorati Tags: tune of the week, music, mp3, smoosh, rad

[tags]tune of the week, music, mp3, smoosh, rad [/tags]

Richard Bitch is composed of Tracy, John and Colin. Their debut album is called Really Really Jeff Hair People and they feature three songs off of that album here. They also note that their newer songs are available on their Myspace page.

Actually, the only song that I listened from them yet is @ The Playa Del Rey. I immediately liked it. Although I liked the whole song, my most favorite part starts at about 2:30 minute mark. Give it a listen and if you like them let the band know that you heard them here. Their album is also available at CD Baby and Amazon if you want to buy.

Technorati Tags: tune of the week, richard bitch, music, mp3, @ the playa del rey

[tags]tune of the week, richard bitch, @ the playa del rey, music, mp3 [/tags]

Our sound has been called contagious, neurotic, melodic, relentless – the perfect music for washing your car, or driving it over a cliff. Tube-fed guitars, driving rhythms and sweet vocal harmonies, recorded and mixed entirely on analog tape (look ma – no pro tools) for that warm, buttered-bacon feel. That’s Recliner in a nutsack (shell – we meant nutshell).

Their website is worth a visit since it features news and diary from the band. The band also has recently started a music video podcast. You can subscribe to their video podcast here.

The song I chose from them is Float Away and it is from the bands latest album called Tranquilizer. Their other albums are the self-titled EP and Make a Friend.

I should also note that they entered the YouTube Underground contest with the video of Float Away. Here is the fun to watch video of Float Away. If you like it don’t forget to vote for them until November 17th.

I like their high energy sound and enjoy them very much. I hope you do too. If you like them, support the band by buying their album (Amazon, CD Baby, iTunes, Rhapsody) or just by letting them know that you heard them here and liked them.

[tags] tune of the week, music, recliner, float away[/tags]

I missed the last week’s tune of the week post due to my area paper defense preparation but this week I am back on track with The Raconteurs.

The band is a band of old friends who got together. Jack White who is know from The White Stripes is doing the vocals and playing the guitar as well as the keys. Their debut album Broken Boy Soldiers has 10 of the bands new songs. They have MySpace page here. They also have a very interesting website. They have been touring England and now they seem to be back in the states. They are going to be in Nashville on November 19th. I am thinking this may fill in for the postponed Guns N’ Roses concert.

The song I chose from them for this week’s Tune of the Week is no other than Steady as She Goes. Instead of linking to an mp3 file I decided to post their video that I found on YouTube. There are also some live performances of them on YouTube. Enjoy!

Technorati tags: tune of the week, music, mp3, the raconteurs, steady as she goes

[tags] tune of the week, music, mp3, the raconteurs, steady as she goes[/tags]

Oh well, this is actually kind of good because I am still not done preparing for my area paper defense.

[tags]guns n’ roses, concert, personal [/tags]

The news about this is a bit confusing though. It was being reported that the company switched to an add supported model to provide free music which cannot be transferred to any other computer or any portable players. Basically you just download it and listen to it on one machine. This may be seen as another form of DRM as Techdirt also points at. However, what is confusing is that, it does not look like Allofmp3 is abandoning its current operation. It seems they are continuing selling high quality mp3’s without any restrictions. This seems like a little extra option. The way it was reported made it look like it was a complete switch and the news that Visa dropped its support added to the confusion.

I have downloaded and installed the player and downloaded some songs and it seems to be working pretty well. I didn’t see any ads while playing the music, so I am not sure at what point the “ad supported” concept kicks in. The process is not that smooth since it involves going to the website, selecting albums, downloading songs individually from the albums and then opening them up with the player.

What is also pretty interesting is that this announcement came in a time when there is big pressure for the company to shut down because of its illegal operations. Although Allofmp3 claims they are legal under Russian laws, which is probably true, especially RIAA is not happy with it. Allofmp3 sells pretty cheap music but the money does not make its way back to the artists. Legal or not, one thing is certain that customers demand reasonably priced music which they are willing to pay for.

[tags]news, allofmp3, music industry [/tags]

His album, I Don’t Know What I’m Doing, can be downloaded for free and it is also available for sale from his own store and the fact that it is sold even though it is available for free should be proving something to the big labels who are being control freaks.

You can also buy his album from Amazon, iTunes, Magnatune, and CD Baby.

The song I chose for tune of the week for this week is Dirtbag. Enjoy and let him know if you liked him and buy his album if you can.

[tags] tune of the week, music, mp3[/tags]

Guns N’ Roses are coming to Nashville on October 22nd and we will be there. They are going to be rocking the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

It is just 3 days before my area paper defense but I figured this is something not to be missed. I am just hoping to be ready for my defense by then but even if I will not be, it will be a great boost before the defense.

We are very excited about it and looking forward to a great show.

Here is a short video of them playing Sweet Child of Mine at Bilbao Live festival:

[tags] personal, guns n’ roses, concert[/tags]

The Thieves are also originated from England like Kerbslider but they are now situated in LA.

You can listen to some of their tunes here. They also have a Myspace page with 4 more songs.

The song I chose from them is: It Still Goes On

PS: You noticed the little inline flash mp3 player next to the song name, right? Good.

Technorati tags: tune of the week, music, mp3, the thieves, tales from the while line, it still goes on

[tags] tune of the week, music, the thieves, it still goes on[/tags]

They are on Myspace with more songs. They also have some mp3’s available here.

My Tune of the Week from Manda and the Marbles this week is one of my favorite songs on their Angels with Dirty Faces album Kids Just Wanna Dance. Enjoy.

Bonus: I found a quick street interview video of them on You Tube:

[tags] tune of the week, music, manda and the marbles, kids just wanna dance[/tags]