The Crackdown Project Minimix by Billie Ray Martin on Mixcloud

Friend to Radio Clash and fellow Year-Zero-n (hmm must work on that collective noun) Celebrity Murder Party has been busy – not only remixing several of the upcoming remixes for Billie Ray Martin’s Crackdown Project releases (both remixes of Just Fascination and Crackdown) but also producing this promo minimix where you can hear some of the tracks, and also a mix for the Mininova release of a few of the mixes from the project (available on all friendly torrent programs at the link).

Not only is it interesting that Billie chose to release tracks via Mininova Content Delivery Service, but also shows the change in the musical landscape between free and paid; between getting people to take notice but also make money; getting what you give basically…torrent sites can either go either way after the crackdown (lol) – either become Napster with a paid model, to start again and fairly irrelevant and outgunned by the likes of iTunes, or offer the ‘free music’ as part of a promotional tool by artists who want to reach fans direct.

I do prefer the latter model, because the genie is out of the bottle – people will expect music for free from now on – but also people will support the music they like, buy special formats, support the artist. Try before you buy, basically…these models are not incompatible, only if your thinking is locked in 20th century thinking of physical formats…it’s still up in the air, but I think it’ll work. I’m drafting in my head a post about music marketing in the age of bittorrent and p2p actually, because although I think marketing is an evil dark art (not in a good way either) and follow Hicks creed, it’s also obvious to me that there are certain opportunities out there that aren’t being followed.

Certainly turning your fans into criminals and banning the sites will not work, as it never has historically. So respect to Billie for embracing the new technology; needs to be far more well-known and unknown people who see it as an opportunity rather than a threat, even if all the bits haven’t totally been worked out yet, it will fall into place.

Anyway on that note here’s one of the free mixes from the Mininova download, CMP’s remix of Just Fascination and mighty fine it is too – loads more where that came from from the bits I’ve heard I hear there is going to be a launch shindig (March 6th?) in Berlin with CMP and Phil Retrospector and others performing live on stage with Billie Ray Martin also – should be good ;-D

I did the dates/BUYBUYBUY spammage in the previous post so you know what to do if you likey. (And if you have a problem with that fair enough, endlessly promospam on blogs annoys me also, but can I point out none of us atm is snorting coke off hookers backs (well maybe Jez is ) and I am hopelessly in debt partly cos of working for free on this frigging site/podcast, so bring on the WAHMBULANCE loaded with cash, plz

You might like these previous posts:

• The Crackdown Project – Billie Ray Martin and Cabaret Voltaire remixed – November 18, 2009
• Year Zero has arrived (Exclusive news, well sorta) – January 14, 2010
• Music and Your Message (In the Hour of Chaos) – February 19, 2010
• N-N-N-Nineteen – nothing much changes does it? – May 3, 2010
• White Witch Dub used in great dark space dub mix… – December 17, 2009

Something I’ve been privileged to hear bits from and is sounding great is the remixes of The Crackdown Project where Billie Ray Martin takes and reshapes several of Cabaret Voltaire’s songs, namely Crackdown and Just Fascination – but now joined by names familiar to the readers and listeners of Radio Clash: Celebrity Murder Party, Copycat, Divide and Create, Dunproofin, Flying White Dots, Phil RetroSpector and Year Zero on remix duty via the wonderful AudioPornCentral blog.

Really looking forward to this, as Billie’s blog says they’ll be released as two sets in Feb & March next year – if you like your industrial, electro and dubstep dirty you won’t be disappointed

You might like these previous posts:

• Year Zero has arrived (Exclusive news, well sorta) – January 14, 2010
• Billie Ray Martin – Crackdown Project minimix & CMP Mininova remix – January 29, 2010
• N-N-N-Nineteen – nothing much changes does it? – May 3, 2010
• Always the last to know – A Thousand Secrets – August 2, 2009
• Young Punx mashed – Simple Mashures by DJ Schmolli (Instamatic video mashup) – April 17, 2010