Sam's Vids

In this episode of lorenzo’s music podcast, Tom @[email protected] meets Randy, a musician known as Lime Bar @[email protected] . They talk about how he got back into music after a long hiatus. Based in Indianapolis, Randy discusses how the pandemic reignited his passion for music creation, diving into digital tools and collaborating with other artists on the Fediverse.

He tells of his experiences with midi and Cakewalk, reflecting on how technology has transformed music production since the 80s. Randy covers his approach to blending video and audio for his projects. They also cover his involvement with Indie Beat TV, a platform he helped build to showcase indie music videos to support other artists through community engagement.

Key takeaways

Links mentioned

Connect with Lime Bar

Tom @[email protected] meets Ryno the Bearded @[email protected] who has been running the CCmusic stream the #OO show for over 15 years, a show that is dedicated to supporting independent artists and open culture.

Ryno tells Tom about how he started the stream and what led to his discovery of creative commons music licensing. He talks about his live streaming process, which combines a chat room curates his selection of music for a top 10 show.

Ryno shares his methods for discovering new CCmusic music for the show, including utilizing search strings to filter through Bandcamp’s artists.

Key takeaways

Connect with Ryno

Tom @[email protected] meets Fluffy @[email protected], a VR musician behind Sockpuppet. Fluffy tells Tom about their unique approach to music creation, blending genres from alternative rock to EDM. Fluffy discusses their experiences performing in VR chat environments, the challenges of hand tracking, and other things involved in virtual performances.

They also talk about canimus, a project they are working on aimed at creating a decentralized music distribution platform, participating in game jams, and the trans academy, where fluffy volunteers as a lead composer.

Key takeaways:

Links mentioned:

Connect with Sockuppet:

Tom @[email protected] meets Robert Kaye, the founder of MusicBrainz @[email protected], a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing open source music metadata. With over 25 years of experience in the field, Robert talks about starting the project from the frustration of the privatization of the CDDB database to the creation of MusicBrainz, a platform that has become a resource for musicians and music collectors alike.

MusicBrainz was fueled by a desire to democratize music information. Robert explained that when the CDDB database was taken private, it inspired the need for a community-driven solution, so he launched MusicBrainz, which allows users to contribute to and access a database of music information.

They also talk about the MusicBrainz tagging software, Picard, which helps users manage their music collections' ID3 information. Robert says, "If somebody takes a thousand hours of effort from us and gives us an hour back, we're happy." This philosophy highlights the reciprocal relationship between MusicBrainz and its users, where contributions make the platform work.

Robert also talks about the challenges faced by MusicBrainz, including the need for sustainable funding and the complexities of managing a nonprofit organization. He shared how the organization operates with minimal overhead, relying on community support to keep costs low. "If we don't have to spend money, don't spend money".

They also discuss upcoming projects, including ListenBrainz @[email protected], which looks to enhance music discovery and recommendations tailored to users' tastes.

Key Takeaways

Links Mentioned

Connect with MusicBrainz

Lorenzos Music

Music video for the song ‘Better Than That’ by Summer of Sam & sknob, made for the Bonkwave Summer Compilation Album.

The song and video are inspired by the use of fair music platforms, decentralised social media and open source software over the exploitative walled gardens of big tech.

Thanks to Elena, Framasoft and Meljoann whose videos, Introducing the Fediverse: a New Era of Social Media, What is the Fediverse? and How to join Mastodon are used inside this video.

Music, lyrics, lead vocals, lead guitar by Sam.

A quick overview of how to play classic Carrooka - the snooker version of the spinning flinger flicking tabletop game. Hand made in Leek, Staffordshire, UK.

The origins of Carrooka, or why the board is round.

Demonstrating the game I was given for my birthday, Carrooka, the brain-child of master carpenter Jack Furnival - a passionate socialist who wants nothing more than for the world to become a more equal and happier place.

Jack and his wife George believe it’s important to make as small a footprint on the planet as possible. They also strive to live without ever exploiting others. These two principles guide the way Carrooka is made:

Read more about the history of Carrooka

Yesterday I was reminded of a song I used to love so I picked up the guitar in attempt to sing it. This evening I recorded it to continue measuring my general vocal progress. I definitely feel like I’m getting better. Still a long way to go to hit all the notes naturally but it does feel like I’m steadily improving over time. (Excuse the low level guitar playing - it’s the vocals I’m trying to focus on really.)

The song is Presidential Suite by Super Furry Animals.

Greg (@[email protected]) and Alison (@[email protected]) return to detonate the incendiary claim that ended Part 1: Can you make art without selling your soul to capitalism? They dissect the music industry’s machinery, Spotify’s frictionless decay, and the eerie rise of AI-generated content while revealing how these forces drain creativity and trap artists.

But hope sparks in the Fediverse: Alison shares her dive into Mastodon’s nerd-utopia, where community-run festivals like the Radio Free Fedi Fest and raw hardware synths fuel a rebellion against the attention economy. From Yamaha CS-30 patching rituals to the power of inefficient creativity, this manifesto declares: your art isn’t a product. It’s a sanctuary.

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