Great Youtube Music
The problem with having an iPhone that doubles as an MP3 player is that you are forever constrained by the memory space on the Phone. While I could dedicate my previous iPod to all my music, on my iPhone, my music starts to compete with my apps for memory. (Which is rapidly running out -_-!!! )
Then I discovered Youtube. Woohoo!
Not that I like to watch videos of kittens sliding into boxes or others like that. It's not fun at all to be trying to watch an online video, reduced in resolution on the iPhone, and on a rockin' shakin' public bus. I'm quite likely to unload my lunch at the next bus stop if I were to do that.
However, I did find out that there's plenty of talented musicians posting videos of themselves singing on Youtube. These aren't just your aspiring bathroom singers (thank god I haven't seen any of those... in the bathroom I mean... ) but also professional singers, music producers, and DJs producing music that deserve to be on the HMV shelves. Since they're on Youtube, if you have an iPhone with the seemingly bottomless 12GB plan, you can easily stream these videos on your Phone and listen to them as if you were listening to your own MP3s.
Here then are some of the ones I like:
1. Alex Goot
Sings and produces covers of popular songs. His videos also show him playing all of the instruments used in his covers, so kudos for multi-tasking musical talent.
2. Kurt Hugo Schneider X Sam Tsui
The first sings, the latter produces the music. Together they produce some surprisingly professional music videos on Youtube and even have songs for purchase on the US iTunes.
3. DJ Earworm
Remixes songs in DJ mixes and very good at cutting/pasting songs together to produce a new song. Check out the video of the Top Songs of 2010, it's a great mix!
The above artists as far as I know exist mostly on Youtube. The other following artists are professionals who have CDs for sale and Youtube videos as well. (Well, some of these Youtube videos are done by amateurs using their songs obviously, but it's a great way to be introduced to some very good music)
1. Alice Sudol 'Almost Lover'
Some of you may have seen her video on my friends' FB for her song 'Almost Lover'. Her drawn-out voice and heart-pulling lyrics are what appealed her to me. 'Almost Lover' is particularly heart-rending, as anyone who's ever experienced unrequited love can attest to. She has other good songs too, like 'Whisper'.
2. Oren Lavie's 'Her Morning Elegance'
He has other songs found on Youtube but what first caught my ear was the light-hearted bouncy tone of 'Her Morning Elegance'. The stop-motion animation used in this animation is also light-hearted and ingenuous.
3. Newton Faulkner 'People Should Smile More'
A cheery song and the accompanying Powerpoint-like presentation should make anyone smile. As Faulkner sings, slide after slide of goofy grins and shy smiles appear on the video. Love it! Look for the version by purpleturtle60. If you like his voice, I also highly recommend 'Teardrop'.
Of course you may encounter problems in streaming now and then. I've had times when I was listening to a song halfway, only to have it cut off. Or pressed on Youtube to get an error message saying 'Youtube Unavailable'. I have to disclaim here: Youtube is not meant as a replacement for your MP3s. The MP3s on your iPhone is definitely more reliable than any video that has to be streamed. And if you are in a moving vehicle, you may find streaming dropping and coming on again as you move.
However, it's a great alternative to try out new music and artistes. I still buy my CDs and listen to music, but buying is always a bit of a risk if you have never heard of the artiste before. You can use Youtube to sample new artistes and tracks before deciding to buy. And if you want to listen to other sounds, just do a search for the music you want.
And of course, if you find any great music, share with me! :)
