The Last Time http://the-last-time.com Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:45:47 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 The Rise of Saavn http://the-last-time.com/the-rise-of-saavn/ http://the-last-time.com/the-rise-of-saavn/#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:45:15 +0000 http://the-last-time.com/?p=97 Saavn is a not so new digital music sharing site.  Saavn stands for South Asian Video Network and boasts Facebook OpenGraph integration.  This week, Saavn is spreading the work about its 9.3 million active users by publishing an infographic that documents the service’s meteoric rise in popularity, in a relatively short period of time.

The company has licensed more than 200 content providers and has over 1 million music tracks.  Bollywood tracks are its most popular content, but Saavn also offers regional music choices from about 217 countries. With advertising as its predominant revenue engine, the company is looking forward to big growth in 2012.  More than 2 million Facebook users have taken advantage of is OpenGraph licensing agreement with Facebook.  Here is the infographic with the every important stats:

 

]]> http://the-last-time.com/the-rise-of-saavn/feed/ 0 When Love Hurts http://the-last-time.com/when-love-hurts/ http://the-last-time.com/when-love-hurts/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:35:11 +0000 http://the-last-time.com/?p=93 It is pretty undeniable that music is one of the greatest ways to let out your emotions and have a cathartic realization of life.  No matter what the circumstance or emotion, there is some type of music that you can turn on and it just correlates to exactly what you are going through.  I expresses all the things you want to say and more and sometimes it does so without any lyrics at all.  Have you ever had that happen to you?  It is very likely that you have.  I know a lot of people turn to music when one milestone happens in life, a break up.  

Break ups are hard and they hurt.  It does not matter if you ended things or if your partner did the fact is that it is a huge change in your life that you must get through and over.  Music is a great way to find some sunshine behind the clouds or just relate to and be there while you feel what the songs are saying.

One of the best genres for break up songs to listen to would have to be country music.  The writers have a way of expressing exactly what it is that you are feeling and the singers can somehow transform their voice to a pained version of the voice they use for typical songs.  You feel their pain and in turn you can let your own pain out.  Even long after you are over a big break up a country song can come on and really prick at your heart and make you remember the pain that you felt.  Of course reminiscing over the pain is much easier than going through it all over again.

If you are going through a tough time and looking for some music to let you know that you are not the only one who has ever been in such pain, here are some great songs that you should listen to:

  • Rascal Flatts “What Hurts The Most” is a ballad that focuses on a person who watched his love just simply walk away from their relationship after so long.
  • Sugarland “Stay” is a song about the other woman.  The man is leaving her to go back to his wife after making promises.  This could even be a good song for a wife waiting for her husband to end an affair.  It is such an honest song.
  • Kellie Pickler “Best Days of Your Life” is one of those songs you should listen to after you realize that you could do so much better.  Sure it still hurts, but whoever left you just lost the best days of his or her life.
]]> http://the-last-time.com/when-love-hurts/feed/ 0 Idol Heats Up 2012 http://the-last-time.com/idol-heats-up-2012/ http://the-last-time.com/idol-heats-up-2012/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:24:47 +0000 http://the-last-time.com/?p=89 Two weeks from today, American Idol is back!  There was some early speculation that Jennifer Lopez might not be joining fellow judges Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler for season 11 of the hit reality entertainment show, but now it’s official — JLo will be there after all.  This marks the second American Idol season featuring Steven Tyler as a regular, and fans couldn’t be happier about it.  Last year, Tyler melted the hearts of people all across the country with his compassionate take on judging Idol contestants.  He soon became famous for padding any well deserved criticism with kindness.  Of course, he’s only human, and there were some moments last year that simply couldn’t be let by, even by a sweet guy like Steven Tyler.

So now that American Idol is heating up for 2012, everyone is wanting just a little peek at what we’ll all be seeing during a two-night premier that begins on January 18 with a brand new group of the most talented singers from auditions across the United States.  We’ll all be happy once the familiar theme music is playing again on a weekly basis.  Until then, we can at least watch a little preview here:

 

]]> http://the-last-time.com/idol-heats-up-2012/feed/ 0 Online Music Artists Payments http://the-last-time.com/online-music-artists-payments/ http://the-last-time.com/online-music-artists-payments/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:27:48 +0000 http://the-last-time.com/?p=84 Everyone is downloaded digital music these days.  The age of the “hard copy” of an album as the mainstay of any given music collection are long gone.  Now, most people store their music on their hard drives, carry it around on their smart phones or iPods, and share it with others at will.  DRM software seeks to protect music files from being shared indiscriminately, but people, as they are wont to do, have found ways to crack it.  Almost any song anyone could dream of can be obtained from the Internet at no charge, and the artist is robbed of his earnings for each act of piracy that takes place.  But, do artists really make all that much money from online downloads anyway?  

Most recording artists record for one reason only:  to get their music out there to the public, so they can attract as many people as possible to their tours when they take their shows on the road.  Touring is what makes them money, not the sales of CDs or digital downloads.  So then, what is the real issue with DRM and the protection of music files on the Internet?  Do artists benefit very much from this practice, or does the free flow of tunes actually translate to more dollars earned on tour?  Check out this infographic to see how much money artists are making online:

]]> http://the-last-time.com/online-music-artists-payments/feed/ 0 Reality Stardom Changing the Music Industry http://the-last-time.com/reality-stardom-changing-the-music-industry/ http://the-last-time.com/reality-stardom-changing-the-music-industry/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:52:41 +0000 http://the-last-time.com/?p=81 Since the 1980s, there have been  numerous reality television shows centered around the idea of finding ordinary people from all walks of life and crowning them with musical stardom.  The “talent search” programming format was so successful that it has survived decades, while other attempts at reality television have come and gone, eventually fizzling out altogether.  Currently, shows like American Idol and The X Factor reign supreme among viewers, enjoying a greater popularity than in years past and generating some of the music industry’s most influential stars.  Kelly Clarkson comes to mind, a veteran of the star making power of top talent agents like Simon Cowell of American Idol fame.

America seems to have a fascination with celebrity, which is nothing new — but its warm embrace of these unknowns into the ranks of the most famous and celebrated stars is a sign of what appeals to people most about these kinds of shows. They represent a microcosmic glimpse of the long lost American Dream, the one where anyone can become anything if they only believe in themselves and try hard enough.  It’s the dream where a stadium restroom scrubber can become a superstar with songs on the top 40 charts, almost overnight, with the support of voting fans cheering them on.  Although this dream represents quite something else in the “real” world,  mainly things like home ownership and the ability to pay one’s bills on time without amassing huge debt, it is still a signal to people that hopes can be realized and no aspiration is too great.  Right now, in the midst of this nation’s worst economic crisis, it is a dream people want to believe in and be a part of, if only vicariously through the lives of stars they have chosen for themselves.  In a way, reality music stars are avatars of The People.  They live the life that the rest of us probably never will, but knowing that we put them there provides a little consolation.

So the next time you download a track from iTunes or buy a CD, check out the picture on the album cover.  Chances are, your star got his or her start on one of the top talent shows in the world.

]]> http://the-last-time.com/reality-stardom-changing-the-music-industry/feed/ 0 Spotify Changes the Lives of Swedes http://the-last-time.com/spotify-changes-the-lives-of-swedes/ http://the-last-time.com/spotify-changes-the-lives-of-swedes/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:23:29 +0000 http://the-last-time.com/?p=75 Late this summer, Spotify, a popular streaming music service in Europe and other countries, finally became available in the US.  In a country largely dominated by iTunes and Pandora Radio, Spotify might have seemed like a tough sell, but it has managed to carve out a niche here in the states nonetheless.  For Swedes, Spotify has been the premier choice in music for several years, and they have reported its revolutionary effect on people of all ages.

Still, many users worldwide were beyond miffed last week when Spotify started linking its accounts to Facebook — meaning that for new sign-ups, no Facebook = no Spotify.  This exclusive deal between Facebook and Spotify has turned a lot of people off, as have all the other new “features” of Mark Zuckerberg’s social network.  

No matter how you feel about it all, we are sure your curiosity is bound to get the best of you sooner or later.  In anticipation of that, we’re hooking you up with a video on how to use Spotify and its features, created by a young man who is also a Swede — and no one loves Spotify like the Swedes!  Check it out and holla back if you found this article helpful.  Let us hear from you.

 

]]> http://the-last-time.com/spotify-changes-the-lives-of-swedes/feed/ 0 The iPod Changed the Music Industry http://the-last-time.com/the-ipod-changed-the-music-industry/ http://the-last-time.com/the-ipod-changed-the-music-industry/#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:52:28 +0000 http://the-last-time.com/?p=71 Today, and for days to come, you’ll probably be reading numerous tributes to Steve Jobs, the iconic and charismatic co-founder and former CEO of Apple who died Wednesday at the age of 56.  Those of us who love music will remember him more for the iPod and the way is revolutionized the way we listen to, and share, music.  Many of us can’t clearly recall what the music world was like before iPod and iTunes– a combination that has forever changed the way we interact with music and brought about the abrupt end of the compact disc.  Does anyone remember walking into a record store to buy vinyl?  What about cassette tapes?  Sure, we remember in some vague, mass consciousness kind of way — but most of us don’t miss it.  Our music is truly free now, on the go and with us constantly in a way it never was before.  In a way, Steve Jobs gave wings to music and set it free.

The following infographic shows us the history of the iPod through 2010, and tracks the changes the device has undergone over the years, as well as certain landmark events in its marketing and popularity.  As you look over it, remember Steve Jobs fondly.  Don’t forget his wise words:  ”Stay hungry.  Stay Foolish.”

 

 

]]> http://the-last-time.com/the-ipod-changed-the-music-industry/feed/ 0 Music According to the Social Web http://the-last-time.com/music-according-to-the-social-web/ http://the-last-time.com/music-according-to-the-social-web/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:54:04 +0000 http://the-last-time.com/?p=61 Have you ever wondered how has the most followers on Twitter between Britney Spears and Barack Obama?  How long would it take someone to watch every music video stored on You Tube?  These are some fascinating subjects, and ones that several people wonder about, just like you.  Social networks have done their share to generate such interesting comparisons in popularity among people in the music industry and other people.  

The industry as seen from the social web looks somewhat different than it does in other snapshots.  Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter have all become standards by which we consciously or no, hold up our expectations about celebrities in music, politics, sports and film.  Let’s take a look at this infographic showing their impact on music.  Click to enlarge:

 

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