iPod Jukebox @ St. Ex roll-call

http://users.starpower.net/kwildt1/ipodjukebox.htm
http://www.ipodjukebox.com/

anyone been? good time?

i'm thinking about heading down there tonight if i can round up some people…

my 12 minute playlist:

the apples in stereo - her room is a rainy garden
guided by voices - a salty salute
the shins - know your onion!
the apples in stereo - les amants
the smiths - frankly mr shankly
fountains of wayne - hey julie
the apples in stereo - morning breaks
the lemonheads - being around

i had a good time … 2 reporters (wash post and chicago tribune) and a photographer there, seemed like they were trying to document the "ipod lifestyle"

Forgive me, but is there a big difference between these iPod DJ nights and just burning a CD with your set and brining it to the club?

Is it that people are able to make changes mid-set? I wasn't even sure you could edit playlists in midstream, but maybe you can.

Originally posted by bellenseb:
Forgive me, but is there a big difference between these iPod DJ nights and just burning a CD with your set and brining it to the club?

Is it that people are able to make changes mid-set? I wasn't even sure you could edit playlists in midstream, but maybe you can.

i'm not sure what you're talking about, exactly … most clubs i go to, you can't burn a CD, bring it in and have them play it …

it's a lot like a jukebox, you just sign up on the list and they come to you when you're up, you hand them your ipod and they hook it in and play your playlist, changing the volume and stuff for softer/louder songs …

not sure what your first question meant …

Er…so there is no difference, then, except clubs won't accept a set burned on CD but will accept the same set arranged on an iPod, for no apparent reason? Shrug.

I think he meant this: what's the difference betweeen iPod night, and bringing a CD-R with 4 or 5 songs you've burned and allowing the bar to play it over their PA system?

Answer: musically, nothing is different. People will get their songs played and feel the thrill of being a DJ for 12 minutes (although you don't have to worry about mixing, crowd reaction, taking requests, etc.)

Whatever.

Originally posted by bellenseb:
Er…so there is no difference, then, except clubs won't accept a set burned on CD but will accept the same set arranged on an iPod, for no apparent reason? Shrug.

huh? the name of this night is "iPod Jukebox" … the point of it is that you bring in your MP3 player (any MP3 player, not just iPods) and get 12 minutes of DJing … i bet if you came in with a 12-minute CD, they'd play that too …

this is just a once-a-month thing, it's not like st-ex does this every night or anything … still really don't understand where you're going with this…

Just that this phenomenon is being hyped as something new and revolutionary…and I really thought I was missing something. Like people being able to make song choices from their whole collection on the fly depending on the mood of the crowd and how their set was going over, which obviously you couldn't do with a CD. I can see the benefit of that. Anyway, thanks.

…me either. CD fidelity quality is better than MP3…maybe "Apple" marketing has something to do with this?!! Nice concept, tho: sharing fav. music and having a few "pops" with music-loving friends.

CD night is neither exciting nor hip.

iPod night says cutting edge.

And no, other than marketing, there is no difference.

Originally posted by Suki:
…me either. CD fidelity quality is better than MP3…maybe "Apple" marketing has something to do with this?!! Nice concept, tho: sharing fav. music and having a few "pops" with music-loving friends.

hope you're joking about the apple marketing thing … i think it was just people who used MP3 players (specifically ipods), and figured it would be a good idea to have a night where people bring them and play whatever they want … started at galaxy hut, got bigger and moved to st-ex …

it's really no different than controlling a jukebox for 12 minutes, except it doesnt cost you 2 dollars and you can play obscure apples in stereo snippets

Originally posted by Suki:
CD fidelity quality is better than MP3…

can you honestly tell the difference in casual bar atmosphere from a 192 MP3/AAC and a lossless format like a CD?

i think the whole fidelity thing is a bit overblown by audiophiles and live tapers …

Has anyone actually seen one of these mythical iPod shuffles?

I see ads for them every day, but no stores stock them and Apple.com says there is a 3-4 week wait.

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Has anyone actually seen one of these mythical iPod shuffles?

I see ads for them every day, but no stores stock them and Apple.com says there is a 3-4 week wait.

The San Francisco Apple store had them for a while when they first came out. They are now sold out.

Apple marketing works wonders. The media has portrayed these nights as a revolution made possible only by the good graces of the iPod (never mp3 players in general). They never mention that the technology to do this easily has been around for almost a decade to the average person via cd burners.

I think the concept of people playing their sets at a bar is cool, I'm just amazed at the kool-aid drinking media's lack of perspective when writing about stuff like this, in their hott trend pieces.

Originally posted by vansmack:
CD night is neither exciting nor hip.

iPod night says cutting edge.

And no, other than marketing, there is no difference.

well there is a slight difference, you could create your playlist right before giving over the mp3 player, how many people would have their laptop with them to create a cd right there and then

Originally posted by bellenseb:
Just that this phenomenon is being hyped as something new and revolutionary…and I really thought I was missing something. Like people being able to make song choices from their whole collection on the fly depending on the mood of the crowd and how their set was going over, which obviously you couldn't do with a CD. I can see the benefit of that. Anyway, thanks.

I hear you, bellenseb. Really, it's just a glom on the incredible iPod hype to make this sound like an awesome, cutting edge night. And then coolsters can compare iPods, iPod gadgetery like iSkins, etc.

That 5-song CD night would work, but isn't as sexy sounding. ;)

I'll bet this trend got started by Apple – they're clever like that. From what I've heard, this didn't start at Galaxy Hut – they were doing it in places like London, San Fran and NYC first, I do believe. Galaxy Hut just brought it to DC (and I love G.H. – no aspersions cast!).

Originally posted by Bags:
I hear you, bellenseb. Really, it's just a glom on the incredible iPod hype to make this sound like an awesome, cutting edge night. And then coolsters can compare iPods, iPod gadgetery like iSkins, etc.

who the hell cares what the night is called? it's a cool idea to democratize the dj process and it's a fun time … why all the criticism?

Hey. I'm one of the people who runs the night.
If you want to DJ on the fly with your iPod that's cool with us – as long as you stick to 12 minutes. The problem is that an iPod makes mixing really difficult, especially when it comes to details like setting levels, avoiding dead air, etc.

You're right that using CDs would technically be the same thing, though we've had people who change playlists at the last minute because either someone had already played a song they were going to play, or they wanted to play a different kind of music to fit the vibe of the room. You can't do that with a CD at home.

We don't get any money from Apple; When we were coming up with the name, we just figured everyone knew what an iPod was. Oddly enought, we didn't have anyone use anything but an iPod or Mini last night.

There were regular iPod DJ nights in NY, London and SF before iPod Jukebox, but every night is a little different. At the one in New York, for example, you play off the hosts' iPods, not your own. The D.C. version debuted at Galaxy Hut last April (it wasn't started by Galaxy Hut) and we moved it to Saint-Ex last summer.

Anyway, you're all invited to come out for the next one on March 9, whether you want to mix on the fly or just hand us an iPod with your playlist on it. If you have any questions, e-mail cricklewood.massive@gmail.com. Thanks.

Thanks, Crickle, for all the insight. Sounds cool to me, and I don't mind that it feeds off the iPod hype (for hyper there is, no doubt). I haven't been to one yet, but a couple friends have and think it's a blast. Keeps the minions involved, and offers an interesting mix of styles and tunes.