This is very true. Reasons why some people consider a Matrix to be better than a straight soundboard. You get the best of both worlds. A good Matrix can sound like you are at the concert again. (Matrix involves combining a soundboard feed and an aud recording)
It's cool that the venue is doing this, allowing for more artists to participate instead of forcing the artist to set up their own distribution network. But as several people have mentioned, Phish, Metallica, Barenaked Ladies, and several other big name bands allow anyone to download the concert from their website for paying a fee. The good thing about those is they all have loseless formats. Usually either SHN or FLAC. But why bother with the mp3 digital memory stick? I know that the Pixies are releasing all of their shows for sale (limited release numbers) immediately after the show ends. There are several companies providing the CD-R option. So why waste time releasing the mp3? Admittedly its much cheaper to set it up for a single kiosk than to buy 200 cd burners to get the shows cranked out as soon as it ends. But once it gets releases, most people in the live music scene, www.furthurnet.org, www.sharingthegroove.org, www.etree.org, www.archive.org, etc, won't touch mp3 sourced shows with a ten foot pole.
So the mp3 way may be a great short term option, but in the long run, it doesn't make much sense to me. Anyone care to point out benefits I fail to see?
When our campus bookstore went from privatly run by the school (State Uni system) to being run by Follett, they started putting up fliers and passing out handbills about the breakdown of text book prices. This was in response to the boycott by many teachers of the campus bookstore. The profs instead forced the students to go to several different bookstores to get the books they needed, where their prices were only at most 1 or 2 % less than Follett. (Admittedly the reason why then sent the business elsewhere was due to the fact Follett didn't recognize the union that the Uni run store had and the profs were showing solidarity, not complaining about prices) But the fliers pretty much said that the bookstore only makes between 1 and 5 percent of the total cost. With such small margins, its easy to see why the "non-offical" bookstores can only sell for slightly less. As someone else said, a chunk of it goes to the publisher, and about half of what they get actually goes to the author. So the ripoff is on the part of the publisher. Where the bookstores, both local and campus, rip one off is with used books. They will pay no more than 50% of the new book value at the end of the semester. And in most cases that is only if the prof has already said they will use the same book the next semester. But then when they sell the books next semester, the used cost is at most about 20% off of list. So on any given book the bookstore makes at least 35% profit, usually more. Its usually worth it to explore other options. Check out text book swaps or the like being run by student organizations, or look online. Amazon's cost may not be much less, but I can guarantee you that there is a marketplace seller who will sell you the book for at most half of retail.
It's possible they were canned, but I really doubt it. The trash can was doing more than just talking, it was actually interacting with people. Commenting on their food, talking about their outfits, etc. If it was just doing simple one liners, I could see them being canned. But they comments were fairly insightful as to the individual situation.
They actually already made one. As N8F8 mentioned the talking trash can, a very identical robot was made to represent R2D2. He rolled around with one of the parades. Both are fairly ingenious. They look like they are completely self controlled and no one has anything to do with them. However, if you watch the people who are nearby, you will see someone who looks like they have a messanger bag on their back with their hand stuck in it. (Put on hand on the small of your back, and then imagine a messanger bag covering it) Inside that bag are the controls for the robot. The cast member controlling the robot dresses and acts like a tourist, the only giveaway is that he follows the trash can alot, and goes backstage after the robot. I'm not sure how the trashcan talks, cause I didn't see the cast members mouth move (ventriloquism?) but there is very possibly a camera in the trash can, which stream video to another cast member who provides the voice. I'm not sure. The one who walks with R2D2 was dressed like the cast members who simply police the parade route.
They are using something similar for Lucky. I'm not sure which article I read that mentioned this, but he has two cast members who control him. (Three cast members for such a small attraction seems high by their current casting levels) I imagine the same thing applies. Look for two people who are following the dinosaur around with their hands hidden behind their back in a messanger bag.
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This is very true. Reasons why some people consider a Matrix to be better than a straight soundboard. You get the best of both worlds. A good Matrix can sound like you are at the concert again. (Matrix involves combining a soundboard feed and an aud recording)
It's cool that the venue is doing this, allowing for more artists to participate instead of forcing the artist to set up their own distribution network. But as several people have mentioned, Phish, Metallica, Barenaked Ladies, and several other big name bands allow anyone to download the concert from their website for paying a fee. The good thing about those is they all have loseless formats. Usually either SHN or FLAC. But why bother with the mp3 digital memory stick? I know that the Pixies are releasing all of their shows for sale (limited release numbers) immediately after the show ends. There are several companies providing the CD-R option. So why waste time releasing the mp3? Admittedly its much cheaper to set it up for a single kiosk than to buy 200 cd burners to get the shows cranked out as soon as it ends. But once it gets releases, most people in the live music scene, www.furthurnet.org, www.sharingthegroove.org, www.etree.org, www.archive.org, etc, won't touch mp3 sourced shows with a ten foot pole. So the mp3 way may be a great short term option, but in the long run, it doesn't make much sense to me. Anyone care to point out benefits I fail to see?
When our campus bookstore went from privatly run by the school (State Uni system) to being run by Follett, they started putting up fliers and passing out handbills about the breakdown of text book prices. This was in response to the boycott by many teachers of the campus bookstore. The profs instead forced the students to go to several different bookstores to get the books they needed, where their prices were only at most 1 or 2 % less than Follett. (Admittedly the reason why then sent the business elsewhere was due to the fact Follett didn't recognize the union that the Uni run store had and the profs were showing solidarity, not complaining about prices) But the fliers pretty much said that the bookstore only makes between 1 and 5 percent of the total cost. With such small margins, its easy to see why the "non-offical" bookstores can only sell for slightly less. As someone else said, a chunk of it goes to the publisher, and about half of what they get actually goes to the author. So the ripoff is on the part of the publisher. Where the bookstores, both local and campus, rip one off is with used books. They will pay no more than 50% of the new book value at the end of the semester. And in most cases that is only if the prof has already said they will use the same book the next semester. But then when they sell the books next semester, the used cost is at most about 20% off of list. So on any given book the bookstore makes at least 35% profit, usually more. Its usually worth it to explore other options. Check out text book swaps or the like being run by student organizations, or look online. Amazon's cost may not be much less, but I can guarantee you that there is a marketplace seller who will sell you the book for at most half of retail.
It's possible they were canned, but I really doubt it. The trash can was doing more than just talking, it was actually interacting with people. Commenting on their food, talking about their outfits, etc. If it was just doing simple one liners, I could see them being canned. But they comments were fairly insightful as to the individual situation.
They actually already made one. As N8F8 mentioned the talking trash can, a very identical robot was made to represent R2D2. He rolled around with one of the parades. Both are fairly ingenious. They look like they are completely self controlled and no one has anything to do with them. However, if you watch the people who are nearby, you will see someone who looks like they have a messanger bag on their back with their hand stuck in it. (Put on hand on the small of your back, and then imagine a messanger bag covering it) Inside that bag are the controls for the robot. The cast member controlling the robot dresses and acts like a tourist, the only giveaway is that he follows the trash can alot, and goes backstage after the robot. I'm not sure how the trashcan talks, cause I didn't see the cast members mouth move (ventriloquism?) but there is very possibly a camera in the trash can, which stream video to another cast member who provides the voice. I'm not sure. The one who walks with R2D2 was dressed like the cast members who simply police the parade route. They are using something similar for Lucky. I'm not sure which article I read that mentioned this, but he has two cast members who control him. (Three cast members for such a small attraction seems high by their current casting levels) I imagine the same thing applies. Look for two people who are following the dinosaur around with their hands hidden behind their back in a messanger bag.