Here are some MySpace Music avatars for individual songs. It's a toss up: do you show the CD album cover that the tune belongs to, or do you display an image specific to that song, as though it were a 45" single?
If you are trying to sell a full album or EP or maxi-single, then show that image, the cover art.
If you want individual songs to be popular, as the iTune/iPod Generation seems to favor, even not caring who the artist is, just downloading tunes and ringtones based exclusively on the strength of the song itself, which is a revolutionary way of relating to music, then show art specific to each song.
For variety, many artists will use an abstract image, a meaningless bit of art, an enigmatic photo, a weird visual cue, for some songs. Or, as a last ditch effort, they'll use a picture of the band, which, even if they're nice looking guys or gals, is vain, self-adoring, predictable.
If you must show the musicians, I suggest making them wear masks, or distort their faces with fun filters and bizarre effects. It ain't no beauty pagaent, it's music for Pete's sake. Music is the most mystical of the arts, for those who can hear.
Stop with the prissing and cooing, let's make some irritating innovative (or toe-tapping therapeutic) music!
In related news, a nuisance, the La La Landers Masochistic Orchestra has declared war on Metaphysical Platypus and is planning to release their retaliatory "Volume 1" ahead of schedule.
Furious over the attention, and critical praise, that's been lavished on Metaphysical Platypus, largely revolving around their brand new EP "Levitation Rug", the LLLMO have vowed to use virtual online instrument simulations in a far more creative and powerful manner.
"Volume 1" is said to contain power techno and atonal abstractions mixed with harsh industrial tribalism, the whole mess topped off with the maraschino cherry of extremely high pitched whisper-yodeling.
"Pitches them guys never dreamed possible," chortled Black Lemonade, The Anarchy Enforcers lead guitarist. Black Lemonade sat in on a few sessions of "Volume 1" and stole copies of the mp3s of the entire album (and is circulating a bootleg CD of it), before heading off to record a scraggly new track for his band's struggling debut album, "Rules Are Broke To Be Maiden", that thanks to their laziness and disorganization issues, may not be released until January 2009.
Still, record industry observers and analysts say it's wrong for a band to call their third album "Volume 1" (their first was "This hurts us more than it hurts you" and their second is the mysterious "Endless Valvate Art Music", which, due to intra-band feuding and editing conflicts, hasn't been officially released yet, to complicate matters even more!).
All this chaos and creativity in the Sludge Farm Records family of extreme music artistry. Will it never cease?
1 comment:
The single tune artwork looks great. It's an interesting concept: pushing individual songs via specific artwork, like 45 inch singles back in the 50s and 60s.
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