mistrustmusic's posterous http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com Most recent posts at mistrustmusic's posterous posterous.com Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:26:02 -0700 3 Alternative Ways To Post To WordPress – BloggerDesign.com http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/3-alternative-ways-to-post-to-wordpress-blogg http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/3-alternative-ways-to-post-to-wordpress-blogg I've discovered "Press This".... 3 Alternative Ways To Post To WordPress Tweet Did you know that you can post to a WordPress blog in a number of different ways? Here are 3 alternatives to create content in WordPress other than logging into the blog admin using the built-in editor. Post via Email Built into WordPress is the ability for the software to check an email account and post each message it finds to a blog. This serves as a quick and easy way to send an email message and publish new content. To set this feature up, the fist thing you’ll need is a custom, secret, email account. Since WordPress posts everything that goes to this account, it can’t be one that serves more than one purpose, or that gets spam. Once you have that, go into WordPress and go to the Settings > Writing page. There you’ll be asked for your email server, email login, and password. via 3 Alternative Ways To Post To WordPress – BloggerDesign.com. You'll have to visit BloggerDesign.com to read the rest of this article!

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Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:46:51 -0800 The new world of mistrust music http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/the-new-world-of-mistrust-music http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/the-new-world-of-mistrust-music Thanks for visiting "The world of mistrust (music)". I've moved! I'm now at http://www.mistrustmusic.co.uk/blog Please come on over and see my new website and my new blog. I'll still be posting stuff about Facebook, Soundcloud, and most of all, my music! I'll also be giving away some exclusive tracks to subscribers to my blog! What's up? You're now looking at the "sticky" page for my blog "The world of mistrust music". However, the time has come to finish posting on Wordpress.com and to begin to post on my new blog. Same me, same topics of discussion. So, if you're following me on a Feed reader, please add http://www.mistrustmusic.co.uk/blog/feed/ to your subscriptions so you can keep up with my ramblings! So, that's http://www.mistrustmusic.co.uk/blog See you there!

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Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:48:52 -0700 Up Peel Monument http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/up-peel-monument http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/up-peel-monument [caption id="attachment_302" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="View of Peel Monument"]
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[/caption] Hello, it's been a long time since I posted a new missive on this blog! All of you who subscribe via feed readers etc must be shocked to see me posting again. Well, what have I been doing over the last few months? It seems like not a lot! Actually, I've been trying to keep fairly fit and healthy, doing a lot of walking - mainly taking Paul up to Peel Monument (see the photo - it's near Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester). It's an old folly on top of a hill, 1100 feet above sea level, and a very steep climb. I've also been taking the dog for a walk, about 2.5 miles, three or four times a week in the evenings. It feels like I've lost some weight around my middle, so it's doing something! I've also been trying to get some new tunes written, but severely lacking some inspiration. I've got some ideas in my head, proper ideas, rather than just fiddling with loops from a cover disc. I've been using a vst host called Minihost, which loads a vst plugin and lets you use your computer keyboard to place the vst instrument. It's got a built in chord maker, arpeggiator, and sequencer, which is great for fiddling around with. My 5 y.o. also likes playing with it - saying he's playing Kraftwerk's Man Machine, and the Dr Who theme tune! Expect some new tunes soon...from him, not me! Only kidding.... The Rude Mechanicals remix I did for NZ band Pitch Black is still around on the web and on the band's remix CD, Rhythm, Sound and Movement. The remix is also going to be used to promote a big music and arts festival in New Zealand, called Splore. More news to follow soon. I'm also going to meet Paddy and Mike from Pitch Black at the end of October when they play their only UK gig in London. I'm also supposed to be getting the stems to remix a track by International Observer. Other stuff....been doing a lot of Moodle stuff at work - very busy these days. I've also made a website for Paul's dad and his painting and decorating business, D and S Decorators.  Oh, and I'm now on Facebook, and Twitter, so follow me on there if you're on there....

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Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:45:55 -0700 Catching up http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/catching-up http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/catching-up First, a few changes/updates I've made to this blog: - I've reverted to the "everything's gone green" theme from last year (see why below). - Most of my old songs and tunes are now available as free direct downloads in my Music page. - I've reorganised my links on the blogroll-type list, and included some new friends. Still more changes to be made though... Too much time on Twitter recently has left me little time for my proper blog here on Wordpress, and even less time for changing the homepage at mistrustmusic.co.uk. I realised the other week that the link on the homepage still pointed to my blog entry about my Rude Mechanicals remix being released last October. I guess it was still relevant at the moment, but now it's coming out on the Pitch Black remix CD at the end of April, I need to update it. Cue redesign in Dreamweaver! I'm trying to tie in the design of the homepage to my photo of Talacre Beach that people have commented on, along with this wordpress blog. Vincesapplemac (Vince Elgey), one of my twitter friends, keeps telling me to go the self-hosting route and install a wordpress.org blog so I can change the theme to something more individual than the wordpress.com themes.  Maybe he's right, but I need to get organised first! In the meantime, I'll probably add a couple of pages to mistrustmusic, including links to all my music. Other recent news/updates Henry in New Zealand, who is definitely my number one fan, is still plugging my Rude Mechanicals remix! Can't thank him enough. I've made quite a few new friends on Twitter - as I mentioned earlier, so hello to everyone on there. I've also invented  a couple of new categories  on there: #fickletwittering and #unfollowed. If you're a twitterer, have a look for them to discover what they mean! If not, all will be explained in my next post on here.  I'm going to see Ultravox in concert next week, and getting very excited about it! For those who don't know them, they were big in the 1980s, and have just reformed for a one-off tour. I'll hopefully be twittering from there and post some photos up in twitpic. The last time I saw Ultravox (in 1984), they were using a lot of pre-MIDI equipment, things like the ARP Odyssey and Yamaha CS80, so it will be interesting to see  how they recreate the songs using things like the MacBook Pro... (Follow them on Twitter!) I've sent Animat some video clips I took of them performing the live score of Tuvalu in Leeds a few weeks ago. Some of the clips are very dark, but they may put some on Youtube.  My songs on MusicFreedom have disappeared, in fact MusicFreedom.com has disappeared! Paul, my 16 y.o. stepson with Autism, is still out of school, however he's visiting a special school for an hour or two twice a week, which is progress... Really need to publish more updates on here! By the way - the photo of the tree is one I took on my new Sony Ericsson phone.

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Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:09:12 -0700 Young kids and Facebook #2 - Parents strike back http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/young-kids-and-facebook-2-parents-strike-back http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/young-kids-and-facebook-2-parents-strike-back More on from my recent post about Young kids and Facebook, where I read on my local school's newsletter that some of the 7-11 year olds were going on Facebook. I decided to take matters into my own hands and send an email to the headteacher, asking if they knew there was information readily available on the internet about the pros and cons of children using Facebooks and other social networking sites. I also suggested that they look at sites like Thinkyouknow and maybe list them in one of the newsletters. To my surprise, I got an email back the next day, thanking me for pointing out what I did, and then got a mention in the next newsletter, in a paragraph telling parents about the Thinkyouknow website. So, a big tick for Parent Power! It's probably the first time I've written to the school about anything - probably because it bothers me so much. We'll probably never know if any of the parents take notice of it, but it's a start. However, I'm now waiting for the backlash from parents saying "how dare you tell me how to bring up my child!" It actually makes you wonder why the Local Education Authority haven't issued guidelines to school about things like using Facebook etc. Surely they're the people who have more influence. I think I'm going to have to suggest going in and talking to the staff and kids about all this.... As you may know if you're following my ramblings regularly, I am a Twitterer as well as a Wordpress blogger. As such, I'm interested to read that Wordpress have finally got round to adding a Twitter widget to the list available to those of us with Wordpress.com accounts. I won't go into details about what the widget will do as there's more information about in Wordpress.com's blog post here - "Bring Twitter to Your Blog". However, I'm still not convinced about having all my eggs in one basket - in other words, will people prefer to follow my tweets in Twitter, and my blogs in Wordpress? And finally - for those people who don't know me, or are just interested in the ramblings about Facebook etc., you might like to know that I also make music in my spare time. In fact, I've been quite busy recently with the music-making. I''ve been making my own tunes for a few years, but a chance meeting with a DJ from the Big Chill organisation put me in touch with New Zealand band Pitch Black. I asked if I could do a remix for them, just because 1. I like their music, and 2. for a bit of experience of doing a remix. I sent it in, and they liked it so much they released it on their EP of the title track of their last album, and it's on their new remix CD out in May. Because of that, I was asked to do a remix for Big Chill band Animat for their next single - that's out early May too. Not bad eh? I'm on the lookout for some more remixes to do, but so far, so good! If you'd like to hear the remixes, please go to www.myspace.com/mistrust The tracks on Myspace are: Pitch Black - Rude Mechanicals (mistrust - ambiotik remix) Animat - Deep Space Lament (mistrust remix)

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Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:19:08 -0700 Stephen Fry, blogging and musicians http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/stephen-fry-blogging-and-musicians http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/stephen-fry-blogging-and-musicians Musicians and bands should take notice of Stephen Fry's comments on BBC's Analysis programme "Stephen Fry: The Internet and Me". Fry points out that Twitter and its ilk have made it easy for celebs to bypass the press offices and gossip columnists, and tell the world what they're doing as soon as it happens. Why though, are there not many bands and musicians on Twitter? Why aren't there many bands from Manchester (UK) not tweeting that they're doing a gig on Friday night? No DJs either, plugging their new set? Mr Musician, it's ok to have a Myspace page and add a new event, or go on Facebook and tell your followers when your CD is out, but do you use your Myspace blog to involve your fans (or potential fans) in your writing process, or post a comment on your FB wall to say you've finished another track? If you had a Twitter account, you could send update your fans on a regular basis: "someone from a record label was at the gig earlier tonight" - that sort of thing. Surely you're not waiting for manager to do it for you? If you've got a PR person, are they on Twitter, or Digg, or even blogging on your behalf? To me, a lot of bands - especially unsigned ones, are missing the boat. They're not looking for new ways of promoting themselves. Yeah, they're on Youtube, Bandcamp, Facebook, but everyone is. How many people read comments or blog posts on Myspace  these days? How do you know it's not the record company's PR department writing a post? Think about Stephen Fry's "Help, I'm stuck in a lift, but I've still got time to Twitter" tweet as an example of what I mean.  Stuff like Twitter just a great medium for keeping his fans and followers uptodate with what he's doing: when his next TV programme is on, when he's recording a podcast, and when he's going to have a cup of tea. So many people, many of them are celebrities, have switched on to the self-publicity machine that is Twitter, especially in the UK. Jimmy Carr, Philip Schofield, Chris Moyles, Alan Carr - they may not be really famous and massive celebs, but they've all realised that their fans and potential fans read their Twitter posts.  Mr Musician, Mr Band member, Mr DJ, Twitter et al let you build up your profile for your fans and let people know that you're a real person, with real thoughts, not just a noise on a CD. Get Tweeting when you've finished a recording session, or when you're getting a new guitar! My daytime job is in e-learning in a further education college, and I'm amazed by the number of applications, websites, and other stuff I come across that could be used by bands to promote what they're doing. Don't forget, this is just my opinion. If you want to know more about what I'm upto, why not follow me on Twitter!

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Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:43:11 -0800 Using Soundcloud in Wordpress http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/using-soundcloud-in-wordpress http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/using-soundcloud-in-wordpress If you're a Soundcloud user and want to play your tracks in your Wordpress.com blog, here's how to do it:  Just copy the link location from the "download" button on your soundcloud player and paste it into your Wordpress visual editor (not the code editor). You need to add the usual WP code to it so you get, eg: [a u d i o ] Obviously, you'll need no gaps in the word audio! So it should look like this: [audio http://soundcloud.com/mistrust/pitch-black-rude-mechanicals-mistrust-remix/do...] Publish your WP post and then view it. The standard WP flash player appears (the one with the speaker and the play icon). You'd think that you would need a .mp3 extension, but you don't! Also, you don't get a Soundcloud player in your blog. Have a look here to see it in action properly: It works! Thanks to Soundcloud.com for hosting my tracks. PLEASE NOTE: My blog has now moved to http://www.mistrustmusic.co.uk so please click the link to go there... The world of mistrust music

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Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:48:27 -0800 Twitter ye not! http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/twitter-ye-not http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/twitter-ye-not Looks like an overload at Twitter HQ! Far too many people using Twitter? Whatever it is, Twitter ain't working. If you go on Twitter.com there's a message saying: Something is technically wrong. Thanks for noticing—we're going to fix it up and have things back to normal soon. I hope it's back up soon. I've started to get into now and have quite a few followers, so come on Twitter folk, get a move on....

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Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:23:58 -0800 Ping.fm http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/pingfm http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/pingfm I've discovered Ping.fm, which if it works, will allow me to post messages and updates straight to my blogs etc from one service. Here's hoping! ...well it posted ok, but the only problem with services like this is that you have to edit the blog post to add other categories!

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Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:26:40 -0700 Everything's gone mobile http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/everythings-gone-mobile http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/everythings-gone-mobile I've just launched a new add-on to my blog/website. It's a mobile website, built on something called Winksite. I came across this through my elearning daytime job when I was looking into podcasting. Winksite lets you make webpages that can be viewed on mobile phone, and it's something I've wanted to do for a while, but never got around to it. I've only added a few things to it at the moment, some things are copied directly from this blog, but I'd like to have some mobile-only content. At the moment, it's in it's infancy and I haven't tried it out on many phones, so I'm hoping that a few of you who read this blog and who have mobile phones will browse the mobile pages and let me know if there are any problems with it, or if it works ok. The address for the mobile site is: http://winksite.mobi/mistrust/music or just click the Winksite logo...
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Other news: I'm still plodding along with my remix of Pitch Black's Rude Mechanicals. Should have it finished soon, but it feels like it's missing a melody or pad line, so it's that which is holding me up - plus I only get about 10 or 15 minutes a night to do something with the remix because I've started taking Paul for a drive a lot earlier than usual. I got a message posted on my blog the other day from the editor of an e-learning magazine in the USA, asking if he could use one of my posts in the forthcoming edition of his mag. It's something I wrote a few months ago on my e-learning blog about getting young children used to the language of the Web as soon as possible. I said yes to them using the article, so it should appear in ELearning! Magazine in a few weeks, in a section entitled "The Last Word". More fame!

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Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:41:28 -0700 Ning not Facebook or Myspace http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/ning-not-facebook-or-myspace http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/ning-not-facebook-or-myspace I've just signed up to a new "social network" for music technology and production people, run by Music Tech magazine in the UK. Called MTM Studio Net,  it says that it's

the place for producers, engineers and recording musicians to showcase their music and share production ideas.

So far, about 70 people have signed up in only a few days, probably people who read the magazine, but it looks like a worthwhile place to get some new ideas about making music and for people to hear my tracks. It's probably the sort of place to be if you don't want the hassle of Facebook or Myspace, and is part of the broader Ning umbrella where people can set up their own personal "social network". If you want to join MTM's Ning, head over to: http://musictechmag.ning.com/ Anyone else come across any other "social networks" for music technology or production that I can add to my blogroll?

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Wed, 09 May 2007 15:33:49 -0700 Odeo, oh dear http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/odeo-oh-dear http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/odeo-oh-dear I wanted to put some of music on the world of mistrust. I've got tracks hosted on Last.fm and loads of other sites, all with wonderful music players that can be embedded into a webpage. However, due to "security" concerns, Wordpress won't let you embed them because they're all Flash-based. That leaves only a few of alternatives: direct text links to my Last.fm MP3s, which force readers to download or play them with their own music player; use a widget that will go in my sidebar; or use the built in audio player that Wordpress allows. I don't want to build in text links because I want people to be able to listen while they're reading, rather than having to mess around with their own player. The widget option is really Odeo or nothing, because the player looks good and is really a podcast in disguise, so it's streamable. Sonific (the other music widget) won't let you use your own music, so that's out. So, Odeo it is. Or maybe not. It's a useful website and sleek player, but finding the right place to put my music was a PIA, and then having to sort out how to get the tracks into a podcast took ages. Although they have nice little players that you can embed, the one in Wordpress too big. There must be somthing easier. I may look at Odeo another time, but at the moment, I want a flashy music player and I ain't going to get one. As for video, I'm going to look at the vodpod widget to stream my O'Neill videos....... By the way....the I've got a new look to the site. More about this tomorrow.

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Tue, 01 May 2007 16:08:52 -0700 Music Licensing http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/music-licensing http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/music-licensing Someone on the Big Chill forum that I occasionally visit wanted some advice about getting his music marketed through a music library and wondered if he had to sign up with MCPS and pay £100 for the privelege. As you may have read on here, I've recently signed a non-exclusive agreement with a major UK library, and haven't had to register with MCPS, so something doesn't add up if this chap has been told otherwise. As far as I'm aware, the agreement I signed sorts out pre-clearance for my tracks that the library is offering to film, tv, companies etc. In other words, if a few tv production companies hear of one my tracks on the music library's website and want to use it, there's no need to wait ages for them to send me an individual agreement for each programme, for me to check them, sign them and send them back, etc, before anyone can use them. From what I understand, the music library registers my track with MCPS (they get listed as the publisher), the production company requests a licence from MCPS website giving the catalogue number of my track, and the production company pays MCPS for the licence. MCPS (eventually) sends the licence fee (minus their admin fee) to the music library, which then pays me (minus their take - usually 50%). If anyone else is looking for advice on signing up with a music licence in the UK, have a look here at the MCPS production music guide, which even shows you the official rate card for different types of production (anything from about £20 to £000s). The music library should be registered with MCPS - if they're in the UK and not on this list, it's probably not worth dealing with them. If anyone from the USA or other countries is reading this and knows something about it in other countries, please let me know.

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Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:48:05 -0700 Looking for music blogs http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/looking-for-music-blogs http://mistrustmusic.posterous.com/looking-for-music-blogs I can't seem to find many musicians who are blogging. Maybe everyone's too busy making music or playing live to keep a diary or blog of what they're upto. What's the point in blogging anyway, you may say. If you're a musician, unsigned or not, please post a link to your blog and I'll have a read and see what you're upto. I'll even add you the my "recommended" list. I know that Moby blogs on his myspace page, that's about it as far as I know. I blog so that I can a) promote my own music to people who wouldn't normally listen to it; b) let my "fans" and other listeners know what I'm upto with my music; c) help other unsigned musicians get some extra exposure. If you're not blogging or using Web 2.0 tools and all the latest social networking sites, you're missing out on a lot of exposure. Even my stepson has a blog about his music. So, as I said, please let me know if you've got a blog, or if you know of any musical bloggers out there. In the meantime, here's one of my new tracks for you to download for free.... mistrust: Say your name (glitchmix)...... [audio http://moses.last.fm/download/100909046/Say%2Byour%2Bname%2528glitchmix%2529.mp3]

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