Selling out and other silliness

The AP reports:

Artists who have released songs on its “Guitar Hero” platform have seen separate sales of those tracks triple on average, according to Activision Blizzard Inc. …

-Nirvana, “In Bloom” (1992), DGC, released on “Rock Band,” Nov. 20, 2007: 9,000 downloads, up 543 percent.

-R.E.M., “Orange Crush” (1988), Warner Bros., released on “Rock Band,” Nov. 20, 2007: 3,200 downloads, up 256 percent.

-Smashing Pumpkins, “Cherub Rock” (1993), Virgin, released on “Rock Band” on Nov. 20, 2007: 6,600 downloads, up 843 percent.

Video games are doing a better job of promoting music than the radio or MTV. I have no doubt that most bands are scratching and biting to get a slot on the next edition of Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Some bands are writing songs that appear on these games before they appear on a CD or mp3.

But isn’t it asinine that having a song on a commercial for a car or sneakers is considered selling out, when having a song on a video game that tests how well the player can tap plastic buttons has become a viable promotion tool? I think the way songs are presented on these video games is much sillier than the way they’re used in iPod ads. Why does one cheapen the art form while the other is excused as an exciting new medium?

Someone help me understand.

Fun with Ableton

I spent a few hours this afternoon running through my songs to prepare for the Meadowlark show on Jan. 15.

Ableton Live, the software I use for Nuts + Berries, makes it hard to just practice the songs. I’m constantly stumbling onto new ways to stretch and squish the sounds.

For a taste of how Ableton works, here’s a YouTube video approximating how Daft Punk used the program on their most recent tour. (It might be easier to follow in full screen mode.)