The Bass Geek

Now that Rhapsody is offering 256Kbps MP3 downloads for prices comparable to iTunes without the DRM, most of what I’m reading is “Why would anybody buy from iTunes?” And to be fair, aside from a nicely streamlined purchase process into my iPod and possible exclusivity on some material, I can definitely see their side of the argument. I’m getting just as much from eMusic these days as iTunes (if not more) at a better price than iTunes or Rhapsody. I’m not running into the DRM limitations that so many seem to be railing against, but this is likely to change now that I’m going to be streaming material to the new XBox 360.

Thus, it sounds like it’s a good time for iTunes to throw open the vaults - I’d prefer to get tracks in AAC format due to the improved codec (bump it higher, though, please), and DRM (although, again, I’ve never hit the wall on this once) needs to go away. Wonder how long it’ll take?

Subscribing to some NPR podcasts helps me in a few ways:

• Time-shifting “This American Life” to a more reasonable hour, i.e. any time but that weird Saturday night time slot it currently occupies on my local station
• Getting some programs said local station doesn’t carry
• Acting as a safety net for things I miss during my drive time (short as it is, this can add up)

Which is why I was delighted that the podcasts caught Victor Wooten on NPR giving an impromptu bass lesson to the nation on the subject of double-thumbing and the open-hammer pluck. It was cool not only because of the subject matter, but hearing the announcer speak these terms almost gave them an air of the martial arts movie - like they were moves Shaolin monks sought to master before defeating the usurpers of their style. He also talked a bit about the book he recently published, which I have on order but have not yet read.

Which somewhat countered the slam on bassists from last Sunday’s “Metalocalypse.” Following a grim attempt to pick up two women, Murderface ran into a torrent of insults such as “Shouldn’t you be loading the band’s gear?” and “Why don’t you act like a bass player and stand over there and be inaudible?” My wife gave me such a look of pity after that last one.