How the Austin Music Scene is
Changing
The story of Legendary LBJ Band Director: Don Haynes
How
Itunes has affected the music business
e h T Marching Band Experience
Learn what it is like to be part of band
Table of Contents iTunes,
Google Play
and
Amazon
Want to buy the new Lady Gaga song and have no idea where to buy it?
The Don Haynes
Don T. Haynes, Jr, has been Director of Bands at LBJ High school band director.
Is Being In Band The Best?
“Everyone working together to make the music sound good, and the marching look good, makes for a good show.”
How
to
March
to
Success
Need some tips on how to survive marching band in the summer?
Top 10 Rappers
of
All Time
Everybody has their favorite rappers, so we decided to give you the list of the Complete Beat Staff’s pick for the ten greatest rappers of all time.
How are Digital Album Sells Taking Over the Industry?
“Nowadays who buys CD’s? Everybody depends on electronics for music.”
The Austin Music Struggle
Austin is the live music capital of the world, but it is a hard time for musicians.
Drop The Bass
Do you want to jam out to all of your favorite tunes with an outstanding set of headphones?
Contributors Akram Elhagehassan is in both the LBJ Marching band,
where he plays clarinet, and LBJ Concert band, where he plays bass clarinet. He also enjoys playing soccer and in his free time he likes to eat and hang out with friends.
Guadalupe Lopez plays the flute in the LBJ concert band.
She is a big fan of all kinds of music and listens to it all the time. She also enjoys to sing and loves to go to the park with her friends to just have fun and enjoy the day.
Yesenia Diaz is starting to learn how to play the piano. She
likes listening to music every time she gets. She likes to spend the Holidays with her family. She likes playing with her sisters and to see movies with them.
Max Henneke has played classical guitar for many years
and competes in the UIL solo and ensemble competition for LASA high school. He plays baseball in his free time and also enjoys playing video games as well as hanging out with his friends. All photos provided by The Complete Beat staff.
The pros and cons of iTunes, Google Pay and Amazon.com Want to buy the new lady gaga song and have no idea were to buy
it? do you buy it either on itunes, amazon, or google play? join us as we break the pros and cons and discover sales statistics about each one of this companies.
iTunes
Google Play
First called SoundJam MP but it was later renamed iTunes in 2000.
Created by the joining of the Android Market and Google Music in 2012.
Movie rental and podcast shows are available to buy.
In July, 2013 Google Play officially had 1 million apps and had over 50 billion downloads.
iTunes offers more than 28 million songs.
Google Play offers less HD content than iTunes or Amazon.
More than 45,000 movies and more than 85,000 TV episodes available for purchase on iTunes.
You can stream music from one device at a time if you have Google Play.
iTunes offers more HD content than Google Play or Amazon.
Google Play is available in:
iTunes is Available in: • • • •
Written by: Yesenia Diaz Sanchez
iPod’s iPhone’s iPad’s Computers
r. ips J Phil l l i :W it to Cred o t o Ph
• Android devices • Tablet
Amazon.com
Similarities
The website Amazon.com first launched in 1994. Amazon is the world’s largest retailer. It also sells jewelry, kitchen tools, gardening tools and much more. Amazon has more than 20 million songs and more than 52,000 movies available for purchase.
All of these companies have similarities as well, like the fact that they all sell a song for $1.99. Here we are going to break the similarities between them. All of these companies sell music, Tv shows, movies and books.
Amazon. Com is available in: • Computer • Amazon instant Video on your Tv • Kindle or Kindle fire
If you want to buy an album, they cost $10.99 in each company. *Below is chart that will help you more widely to understand the purhaces and playback of these companies.
Amazon is available on more devices than iTunes or Google Play. Photo C redit to : Intel F ree Pre ss
Music Media Store Movie Rentals Movie Purchase Album/Single (SD/HD) (SD/HD) Amazon Instant Video, Prime Instant Video, and MP3 Store
$3.99/$4.99
$14.99/$19.99
Apple iTunes
$3.99/$4.99
$14.99/$19.99
$3.99/$4.99
$14.99/$19.99
Google Play
Music Policy
Can access Cloud Drive music on up $10.99/$1.99 to 8 devices, including browsers. No streaming support. Can use iCloud to sync $10.99/$1.99 contents on up to 10 devices, including 5 computers.
$10.99/$1.99
The following statistics were reported in a July 2012 article of PCWorld.com, a July 2013 article of phonearena.com and a March 2012 article of googleblog.blogspot.com
6
The Complete Beat
The Don Haynes
Photos by Don Haynes Story by Akram Elhage
Don T. Haynes, Jr, is directing the final measures of the last piece in this years UIL competition. You can see it in his eyes, the excitement, the power of the baton rushing through him. Here comes the final crescendo... Don Haynes has been Director of Bands at LBJ High school of Austin, Texas for over 35 years. But Don isn’t your average band director. Oh no, he’s much more than that. From refereeing high school basketball to traveling all over the world and playing almost every instrument in the band, Haynes has had what you could call a non stop fun life. As they say, you’ve gotta see to believe. Lets go back in the years of Don Haynes.
The Complete Beat
7
At A Young age Being part of the Longhorn Band, Haynes got to play Haynes was born with music in his soul, and he has at Lyndon B. Johnsons funeral in 1973. Coming to a huge, the talent to prove it. well-known university downtown was a lot of fun for him “I was introduced to music pretty much at birth. after attending a small town college no one knew about, No, really. Mother would sing to her little babies all the and provided lots of opportunities. time. She had (88 years old now & can still bring it!) an “You are evaluated on your talent, based on your talincredibly famous voice.” ent”, says the young Haynes. Music let Haynes express His mom was an opera-trained soprano and his dad himself in a way where the color of his skin color or how was a trumpet and saxophone player. Growing up with he looks, because according to him, its not a beauty conthis type of influence, music was a big deal in his family. test. Music lets him do what he loves, where and how he “Dad was my first music teacher at age 6. First loves it, and people only judge him based on his personalinstrument was trumpet. Took piano for 8 years. I sang ity and skill level, which elevated him to a “good level of in church choir throughout my youth. I became an as- acceptance.” sistant choir director at age 15.” Over his years of college, Haynes developed a huge His father was band director at Solomon Coles High social circle, and became fairly close with all of them. First, School in Corpus Christi, and his mother studied voice there was his closest friends, the roommates. They did at both the Julliard School in New York and The Univer- everything together and he became extremely close with sity of Texas. As a child, he studied and played not all of them. only trumpet, but also piano, French horn, flute, “It was funny because there was two Hispanics, one clarinet, and cello. White, one Black, and we were all from Corpus Christi, so, He attended The University of Texas, where he you know, we were like brothers.” earned a bachelor’s degree in music in 1973 and was a Then there were his music major buddies, who he took member of the Longhorn Marching Band. music classes with, and about 2-3 classes with the same He was the Assistant Band Director at Anderson person. There were the football games and Longhorn band High School for two years (1973-1975), before being moments they shared, a natural bond forms between you. named Director of Bands at LBJ High School in August “Words can’t describe; those are your buddies for life, 1975. you know, and you share some great football games and College trips, and that list keeps going on and on and on.” In 1971 Haynes transferred from his two-year Del When there was no studying going on, him and his Mar College school to UT Austin. Coming from a col- friends would go out and do simple, fun things, such as go lege in Corpus Christi to The University of Texas in to football games or go to a diner and hang out. People Austin was a huge change for Haynes. didn’t usually have cars when he was in college, or weren’t “Huge culture shot ... things were becoming outly normally seen in cars, so it was very easy to just go wheropen, such as the smoking of marijuana ... they said ‘Aw ever you want almost whenever you want. A common man, you’ll become a pothead if you go to UT!’ ... That form of entertainment for Haynes and his college buddies was the perception that a large university had, espewould be to go out in front of the Simpkins hall and throw cially University of Texas.” the football around, pretending to be part of the UT football team.
“The joy and exhiliration of my college days were second to none.” Haynes with his former UT Band Director
8
The Complete Beat
After College Haynes is the current conductor of the UT Alumni band, which performs once a year at The Memorial
Haynes conducting the UT Alumni Band Majoring in music education took a long, tough 4 to 6 years of intense college courses that include science, music theory, performance, and music history.
“Becoming a band teacher is a long journey, not something that comes to you in the night and with a couple of semesters of training, you are a band director.” In 1978, he completed a masters’ degree at UT, specializing in instrumental music conducting. He was the Assistant Band Director at Anderson High School for two years (1973-1975) before being named Director of Bands at LBJ High School
Director of Bands at LBJ High School in August 1975. “The position of band director became attractive to me because teaching music (band) allows me to do the three special joys of my life - stay in touch with music everyday, express my love for people , and because I love teaching,” says Haynes. Under his leadership, the Jaguar Band has one tons of awards, starting with representing the United States in 1996 in the New Year’s Day Parade in London and touring France in 2000. The Band served as ambassadors of music in a tour of Beijing, China in 2007 with the American-Chinese Cultural Exchange Committee. The LBJ Bands have won many first place honors at band festivals in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, California, and Colorado. The band consistently wins Division I and sweepstakes honors at UIL marching and concert performances. The LBJ Marching Band has made five appearances at the UIL State Marching Band Contest. Whats are Haynes’ goals? Haynes has several goals as a band director - 1. Provide his students with the best musical experience that he can. “This is done by selecting great (fun) music, rewarding music, inspirational music. I love conducting great band literature on the stage and in rehearsals with my students. All of these interactions create a unique bond that lasts for many years. High School certainly has its challenges, and band helps a young person get through their tough times. These “tough” times can include social challenges, self-esteem, a sense of “do I really belong here”, and “why am I still in band?” type thoughts & questions.” Other goals for his students include - developing and appreciating the art of making music. With the students, he plans to pursue the music and what the composer’s intent was to maximize our own personal encounter with the music. His final goal is for students in the band under his direction to have one great expeience after another -- for as long as they’re in the LBJ band. “A side goal is that we teach one another about cultural differences, and we learn how to tolerate the guy or girl sitting next to me, knowing that my sounds and their sounds must match and come together for the music to be a success. My main goal is always -- team work at the highest.”
The Complete Beat
9
Photo By Fumo7887
Is Being in Band the Best?
Written by Guadalupe Lopez
The Marching Illini was the first marching band to perform a halftime show at an American football game
I
“For me, personally, band is a way to keep myself busy, make friends, and expand my list of skills and things I’ve done. The experience of working with others to make it work is something that can be applied to the work environment. Everyone working together to make the music sound good, and the marching look good, makes for a good show.” – Correa
t is heard all over, seen all around town in every football game, keeping them fun and interesting during the halftimes and keeping its members close together as a family. Many say it is fun. Others say it is really not. Member or a non-member, everyone will have something to say about band. But, many may ask, what is the reality of being part of band? Paulo Baldi, drummer of the band CAKE, said to CNN that “marching band in particular is the savior for people who may or may not be athletic [and helps] create friendships that become your buddies for life.” Baldi lived in three states as a teenager, which led him to attend four different high schools. Marching band was his way to connect to his high school experience and making friends through each transition. Connor R. Sullivan stated in his article How Learning To
Play Instruments is Beneficial to Students that “it has been shown that learning how to play an instrument can actually alter a student’s brain and help them learn better in other classes”, leading them to focusing and getting better grades. Band members say they create strong bonds between each other and increase their social skills, which they believe will become useful for their future. “Band is what you make of it,” says Joseph Correa. He learned this from his own experience. It began in 6th grade when he was placed in band by accident. It wasn’t in his plans to join band, but being there for a few weeks, he realized that it was something he was skilled at and was willing to do. As well as Joseph, Mackenzie Evans, also a freshman, realized she wanted to be part of band the summer after 5th grade. She was convinced by her family that
band would be fun, and to her surprise, they were right. “It’s very fun and in high school, the whole band is like your family.” Many may agree with Correa and Evans, but not everyone thinks of band the same way. Patrick Sanchez and Frida Hernandez, band nonmembers, feel like band is the opposite. They say band would be too much of a responsibility, having to take good care of your instrument and going to band practice after school. Band is more than just simple music. It can make the audience feel excited at football games, it can cheer up people at pep rallies and it is just enjoyable to listen and watch play, as Maria Monroy states. Band brings out the audience’s spirit. As for the members, they say it’s their way to have a great time as well.
“It was great, I felt like I was really a part of something” – Isaiah They also learn to overcome their nervousness and become confident of themselves. “Before I start performing, I become nervous, but once I start playing, I just feel like I could do anything,” Evans says. She says that once you’re out in the field with your friends beside you, you know you aren’t alone in the Photo By lbjband.org
LBJ’s trailer for their equipment
performance and that you have your friends out in the bleachers supporting you.
“Band seems fun when you see your friends out in the field marching or at pep rallies laughing, smiling and just having a great time. It makes me want to just scream their names to cheer them on.” – Sanchez Besides performing and marching, band also has different activities throughout the school day that some members may enjoy. There may be some days where you get to have lunch with your section, and, as Isaiah states, “it is a great time to socialize and get to know the people in your section.” Other times you may just have free time in class and get to spend some time with your friends and just have a good time, like Evans does. Even though it may be of a challenge for some people, like for Sanchez and Frida, Evans states that band “teaches you to be responsible and how to concentrate.” These qualities will also be used in your other classes and have been proven, by
already band members, that they will help you to be successful, so it is not just a one class thing. You carry along what you learn in band everywhere you go and will become useful along your way through high school, college and after college. “The skill and knowledge you acquire while in band can just be nice knowledge to have. It’s something you can flaunt to friends and family who weren’t in band. You could also pass on your knowledge to your children if they were to decide to participate in band,” as Correa says.
“The way it will help me is by keeping me a responsible and respectable person. Plus, it teaches me how to put up with people and do what I’ve got to do.” – Evans The kind of knowledge can vary depending on the instruments you play. For example, if you’re a percussionist, like Correa is, you will know how to play the different instruments there are under percussion. You’ll also know how to play certain notes that wind instruments can’t
play, such as Thirty-Second notes, sixtuplets, and so on. Yet if you’re a wind instrument, you also know things that percussionists don’t know or can’t do. Wind and brass players can slur their notes, which mean to keep on the same breath but still change notes. They also can play a multitude of variations of the notes. The knowledge contained by the people who have been in band “makes them a greater person, knowing so much more than just the normal academic knowledge that everyone has,” says Correa Being in band requires dedication. It is a major aspect of how well you march, and how well you know and play the music. If you really care and want to get better and better at the music you are given, the dedication to practice every day during your free time is the best advice Correa gives to accomplish your goal of becoming the kind of musician you want to be and to earn the skills you need.
“I personally spent every lunch period practicing so I could get better and better at the music.” – Correa
Photo By JedHallak
The Alexis I. duPont Tiger Marching Band
Be Prepared For
Band Camp Buy Your Shorts & Shirt Today!
Only
$15
Order yours now! Get in contact with the band mom in charge For more details, talk to Mr. Haynes
How to march to success
Need some tips on how to survive marching band in the summer? Check out what Band Director Don Haynes, Katie Gleason, and Isaiah Hernandez from the Liberal Arts Science Academy suggest. Weather a freshman or a new member, use their advice for your success in your upcoming years of
By Guadalupe Lopez
marching band.
Mr. Haynes says....
It is encouraged to wear a cap to keep the sun off your face. (It’s up to each individual.) Wear tennis shoes, they work best. No flip-flops or sandals are allowed in marching band practice.
Listen to Haynes, and know how to prepare yourself for marching band. Question: What have you seen most freshman struggle with as they start their first summer in marching band? Most freshmen struggle with marching in time (on the beat) at first, but then they begin to get it. Also, they might struggle with holding the instrument up properly while they move. Question: What advice would you give them to solve their struggles? Be patient with themselves. We have section leaders and lots of directors to help them so each freshman will receive the kind of training that will help them be successful. Question: How do band members benefit from being in marching band? Being in the marching band is a great deal of fun. The hard work pays off in many ways. Our students become close friends, and they create a community of strong friends who all have the same goal. Our members learn leadership, responsibility, how to help something get created. Making music is a wonderful activity for the soul and for the spirit. We have a blast! We do football games, halftime shows, parades, and we travel on trips. Question: Where will you march? We march at all the football games, and we have band marching contests. This fall we will march in a parade downtown Austin on November 11th.
Rehearsal will take place at a wonderful marching band field behind the school.
Lunch will not be provided. Bring your own lunch, or if you drive a car, you can drive out to lunch.
Marching band kids should all have their own personal water jug (igloo), a large one so that you have water to drink when you’re out in the hot sun.
Take a senior’s advice... Read what Katie Gleason learned and what she suggests you do... Question: Any advice for freshman in marching band? Be on time to the rehearsals and don’t get Mr. Mayer mad
It is recommended to wear white T-shirts, shorts, tennis shoes, socks, and it is emphasized to wear sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun’s rays.
Question: What have you learned your previous years in marching band? How will you use this experience in the future? I learned not to joke around a lot and to be responsible. I didn’t skip on doing homework just because I was in marching band. I will use the experience from marching band to help manage my time in the
Isaiah Hernandez, a freshman at LASA, will tell you what he took in for himself his first year at marching band.
Question: What did you learn your first summer at marching band? I learned that even though it was very rigorous, it had a good pay-off in the end... A fabulous marching show.
Memorize you music! This way you can focus on the marching part of the activity. It’s hard to watch where you’re going while looking at music.
Question: What was rigorous about marching band? The hot sun and the long hours of work were the most rigorous for me. Question: What would you do differently next summer? And why? I would be on time and focus in the beginning because I had a hard time catching up.
Top 10 Rappers of All Time
3. Run D.M.C
By Max Henneke
Everybody has their favorite rappers, so we decided to give you the list of the Complete Beat Staff’s pick for the ten greatest rappers of all time. The list is based on a few factors such as how many times they have gone platinum, how many album sales, their net worth, and how they have influenced rap. The staff decided who they believe have the best rhymes in this list of the top ten rappers of all time.
1. Tupac
2. Beastie Boys
RUN D.M.C.’s “Raising Hell”
Run D.M.C. began rapping around the same time as the Beastie Boys. Their first platinum record, “Raising Hell”, dropped in 1986, just a few months before the Beastie Boys’ “Licensed to Ill”, and went 3x platinum. No other rap album had ever gone multi-platinum before this. Run D.M.C. played a large role in making rap go mainstream when they featured in Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” in 1986. They also had a large amount of influence on rap just like many rappers from their time period by writing some of the first hip-hop music and defining what rap was.
4. Eminem
Tupac’s “All Eyez on Me”
The Beasite Boys’ “Liscensed to Ill”
Tupac gets a lot of respect in the rap world and rightfully so. His album “All Eyez on Me” went 11x platinum and sold 11.6 million copies, more than any other single rap album. When he died at the age of 24, his net worth was already estimated to be $40 million, according to celebritynetworth.com. He also has had a huge amount of influence on rap today. Many rappers such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Eminem, and Big Daddy Kane have sampled Tupac’s music in songs like ‘03 Bonnie and Clyde by Jay-Z. Tupac’s influence on rap increased even after he died, in fact almost every rapper out there has referred to Tupac at some time or another.
The Beastie Boys are one of the oldest and most influential rap groups out there. Their first album to go platinum, “Licensed to Ill”, dropped in 1986 and went 9x platinum. Their music was some of the first rap to ever get produced, making their rap completely original. Also, any big rapper you can think of has sampled the Beastie Boys, making them possibly the most influential rappers of all time. Mike D and AD Rock have a networth of $75 million each and MCA had a networth of $75 million when he died in May of 2012, , according to celebritynetworth.com.
Eminem’s “The Slim Shady LP”
Eminem is one of the few rappers who has, more or less, consistently released hits for the past 15 years. As a result, he has a networth of $140 million, according to celebritynetworth.com. He also has sold over 40 million albums and released a total of 7 platinum records. Even most older rappers have not sold that many platinum records in their entire careers. Although Eminem hasn’t been sampled extremely frequently, he has had a large amount of influence on other rappers styles through his controversial lyrics and unique style.
5. Notorious B.I.G.
7. Nas
9. Ludacris
Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ready to Die”
Notorious B.I.G.was rapping around the same time as Tupac and many other old school rappers. Biggie gets a lot of respect in hip-hop culture and had a big impact on rap. The rapper AZ said “Big influenced a generation. This whole generation took pieces and bits”. He has been sampled by many rappers such as Jay-Z, Nas, The Game, and Xzibit. Although he didn’t sell as many records as Tupac, he had a lot of influence on rap in a similar way. When he died in March of 1997, he had a networth of $160 million, according to celebritynetworth.com.
6. Jay-Z
Nas’s “Illmatic”
Although Nas never became a very mainstream rapper, he is considered to be, lyrically, one of the best rappers out there. The rapper Rakim said “When Nas came out, he started solidifying it for lyricists.” His first big album “Illmatic”, which was released in 1994, never went platinum, but had a huge impact on rap. Lots of influential rappers like the Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, and Kanye West have sampled Nas. With a networth of $17 million, according to celebritynetworth.com, Nas is by no means a rich rapper, but he has had a huge impact on the genre of rap.
Ludacris’s “Back For the Time”
Through his witty lyrics and old school sound, Ludacris has become a very popular rapper. His debut album, “Back for the First Time”, dropped in 2000, sold 3 million copies and went 3x platinum. As of recently, he has had a lot of radio hits and become a very popular rapper. He has been sampled by many popular rappers such as Lil’ Wayne, Kanye West, and Pitbull, giving him a big role in the sub-genre of pop rap.
10. 50 Cent
8. Kanye West
Jay-Z’s “Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life”
Jay-Z is one of the richest rappers alive with a networth of $500 million, the only richer rapper being Diddy with $580 million, according to celebritynetworth. com. He has influenced rap greatly through both producing and writing rap. His best selling album “Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life” sold over 5 million copies and went 5x platinum. Many artists such as Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, and Dr. Dre. have sampled his music. He also has influenced rap through production by owning Roc-a-Fella Records.
50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’”
Kanye West’s “Late Registration”
Kanye West has been a very popular rapper during the 10 years and has had a lot of radio hits. His debut album, “The College Dropout”, was released in 2004, sold over 3 million copies, and went 3x platinum. His music has influenced rap through radio hits and he has also been involved in the production of music at Roc-a-Fella Records. His affiliation with Jay-Z has also been a big part of his success.
50 Cent’s debut album, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’”, was released in 2003, sold almost 9 million copies and went 6x platinum. He has had many radio hits such as “Disco Inferno”, “Just a Lil’ Bit”, and “In Da Club” that have made him a popular rapper. He also is very good at marketing his music and has a networth of $260 million, according to celebritynetworth.com. He also has been very influential in the gangster rap genre and has been sampled by rappers like The Game, Eminem, and Busta Rhymes.
The all New iPod touch 5th generation.
How are digital album sales taking over the industry? Written By: Yesenia Diaz Sanchez Photo by: Seth Anderson
Two years ago sales for
physical albums outdid the digital now we look at this data and what we see is the opposite. In 2102 digital stores became the primary outlet for buying albums instead of stores that sold physical albums which had been in first place for the past years as stated by a 2013 article of USA today. Flor Garcia, a Lyndon Baines Johnson Early College High School sophomore student, said “Nowadays who buys CD’s? Everybody depends on electronics for music.” This only proves that we are revolutionizing our traditions so that we are now more dependant on technology. The question however still remains, will digital sells keep skyrocketing to the top as we become attached to the technology around us or are physical albums always going to stay with us. We took the time to interview a fellow Liberal Arts and Science Academy freshman student,Vanlexus Franks. She says that buying a physical album is better unlike our other interviewee she stated “I don’t have to go online and I have real people to talk to instead of fake automatic people that don’t care about you.” Even though people still buy physical albums some physical stores are closing down. Franks stated that her favorite place to buy music was Music
Mania. It’s one of Austin’s oldest record store that opened in 1989. Now Music Mania is one of these music stores that are starting to close down. Cheapo Records is
“Nowadays who buys CD’s? Everybody depends on electronics for music.” another store that has closed here in Austin last year. This store had been open since 1998 as well. It started with a partnership with a store of the same name that was located in Minnesota. “Nowadays it’s either the Apple way or the highway.” John Kunz, founder of Waterloo Records, said in an interview with The Daily Texan back in 2012. “MP3s, iTunes- the digital business changed the way people discovered and accessed music.” Waterloo Records is one of the music stores that is still going strong. It opened in 1992 and has been voted the best record/CD store in Austin by a poll made by The Austin Chronicle. Waterloo Records has also been awarded 31
Photo By: Gideon Tsang
consecutive Austin Music Awards.Waterloo Records is an example that people are still interested in buying physical music albums either new or old. Franks stated that she and her mom used to go to Music Mania and they bought old records that her mother liked and she did as well. She wasn’t happy about the closing of the store. “I guess now were going to have to buy our CD’s in Walmart” Franks said .
“It’s either the Apple way or the highway.” According to an annual music industry report conducted by Nielsen Soundscan and Nielsen BDS, it found that digital music now accounts for 55.9 percent of all music sales in the U.S iTunes, Amazon, eMusic and other digital music stores account for 37
percent of all album sales. Nielsen also notes that WalMart and Target and other album stores had only 29 percent. People are buying a huge amount of album tracks which proves a reason of the growth of digital sales. A reason however for the rapid growth of digital sells is that people are buying a huge amount of album tracks.
“Now everyone has iTunes gift cards, and moms and grandparents got their first iPads and iPhones.” Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” had 6.8 million downloads, Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” at 6.5 million and Fun’s “ We Are Young” nearly hit 6 million with 5.9 million downloads according to Techcrunch. You can see the difference since last year, 193 million CD’s were sold vs. 118 million digital albums. People might also find it easier to buy digital albums instead of physical albums.
“It’s easier to get online and faster than having to drive to a store and to top it off they might of sold out.” Garcia said. Digital sales are big because people are not only buying track singles but more people are buying phones, iPods, tablets, MP3’s, and other electronic devices and people are getting accustomed to them. “ Pros for buying the album online[would be that’] it’s easy, fast and you can get it anywhere and the cons I would say it would sometimes be the cost of the album” Garcia said. iTunes sale singles for 1.29 dollars and for an album it cost about 10 dollars were in a music store that sells physical albums the album cost more. “In the beginning of January, we used to see a huge surge of physical album sales (from cash gifts). Now everyone has iTunes gift cards, and moms and grandparents got their first iPads and iPhones. So grandma is downloading that Susan Boyle album,”says Keith Caulfield, Billboard’s associate director of charts/ retail in an interview with USA today. Even though people are starting to buy more digital albums people still want something to hang on to. While only a sliver of the musical pie, vinyl rose 19%, reaching 4.6 million copies in 2012, breaking the 2011
Photo by: Dave Morris Different types of old records.
record of 3.9 million. “The most oldfashioned way of experiencing music continues to grow every year,” Caulfield says. “A lot of people still want something tangible.”
The Austin Music Struggle Written by Max Henneke
PHOTO BY trey ratcliff
they are doing, quote on quote ‘the latest cool thing’,” Goudie said. Austin has a large live music scene and this attracts lots of people like Goudie and Scott Thomas, a local drummer who has played in many Austin bands. The live music scene is well known, with many world renowned music events such as ACL festival and South by Southwest. Another contributor to Austin’s music scene is the University of Texas which has a great music program that draws in people from all over the nation. PHOTO BY mindy davis
Austin is the live music capital of the world, but it is a hard time for musicians. The music industry is declining, venues and clubs are closing, and making a living as a musician is getting more and more difficult. Having a musical career can present many challenges, but for those who are passionate about music, it can be very rewarding.
Scott Thomas playing drums
Johnny Goudie, part of the Austin band SKYROCKET! says that there are a lot of great parts of having a musical career. “I don’t know if there’s one thing, it’s kind of like discovering that you are able to make something where there was once nothing,” Goudie said. He says that he also loves not having to grow up and be serious all the time, as well as the women that he gets from playing music. Austin is full of talented musicians that love to play and hear quality music. Despite all of the artists, the music scene in Austin is changing, hiphop artists have decreased the amount of live performances and venues, and people care less about buying music now. Although the music industry is declining and making money as a musician gets harder and harder every year, artists like PHOTO BY CASEY MOORE Goudie make it work. Goudie says that playing music in Austin raises the bar for quality music, whereas in other cities, musicians don’t have to be as talented. “Musicians really judge each other on their talent here and not just like how many people saw them, or if Johnny Goudie during a podcast
Thomas was born in Austin, but grew up in New England. He came back to be part of the music department at UT, as well as music scene. When he was going to high school in New Hampshire, he saw what Austin had to offer and decided to relocate. “My family had me come down to UT to show me the music department in the ‘70’s and I said that’s where I’m going,” said Thomas. The music scene in Austin, although it is still one of the largest in the nation, is changing, some say, for the worse. Hip-hop has started to take over the music industry because it makes more money and is easy to produce. As a result, there have been fewer live performances because hip-hop music is performed live much less frequently than other genres of music. This is what causes live music venues and clubs to close, since fewer people want to watch
people perform. Brian DiFrank, the owner of a stereo system shop in Austin called Whetstone Audio, says that hip-hop has hurt the Austin music scene in some ways. ““I hate to say it, but I think hip hop has kind of killed live music in a way,” DiFrank says. “ I think what is happening is everything has been dumbed down a little bit. A lot of hip hop, which is extremely popular, has kind of washed over everything. It has kind of thrown a blanket over a whole lot of stuff. A lot of the
everybody in the music industry struggles at one point or another. “I eventually had to, you know, work other jobs to get enough money because there would be times where you could make money doing it and there were times where I would struggle, like a lot of people, to make ends meet,” Thomas said. “One way [to make money] is when you do play a show, you sell of merchandise, obviously it doesn’t cost 30 or 40 dollars to make a T shirt, but that’s what some bands charge because
“There will always be good music, you just have to look a little deeper.” attention to good music has shifted toward what is making money.” Although hip-hop may be a big factor, it is not the only thing hurting the Austin live music scene. The music industry as a whole has been largely affected by the internet. It has allowed for things such as easy marketing, but on the flip side, it has allowed for things such as music piracy as well. Goudie says that the internet and social media provide a lot of options for people to do a lot of different things, so people don’t really just listen to music anymore. “ There’s so much coming at you and other things are so important to people, that music has just become part of the landscape of entertainment, you know what I mean? It’s not so defined anymore, people don’t feel the need to pay for it. It’s difficult to sustain a career, as you go,” Goudie said. Since making money through a musical career is hard, musicians have to find different ways to make ends meet. Some musicians can live off of music by playing in a few different bands, while others have to find another job to make some extra money. The bottom line is that
that’s the only way bands can make ends meet.” Goudie has been able to make a living, for the most part, off of music alone. He has done other things such as his podcasts, but he has made it work by playing in lots of different bands throughout the years. “ I have made it work because of this band SKYROCKET! We play a lot of corporate events and what we do is cover music, so it’s what people know and want to hear, and we have created an audience for it,” said Goudie. “As far as if I didn’t do that, I would have to probably play in a few different bands.” Musicians struggle to make a living a lot of the time, but if they even want to make it at all they have to know how to promote their music. The internet has changed the way people market music, as social media is frequently used. DiFrank says that social media is a big part of marketing for music. He also says that touring is very important for promoting music. “Touring, you know when you come down to it, it is blood sweat and tears. If you want to be successful in anything in life you
are going to have to go out there and bust ass. That’s all there is to it. So if a band wants to be successful they are going to have to tour and it is really hard. It is not fun, it is not glamorous.” DiFrank said, “That’s really what bands have to do, they have to get out there and play in front of people.” Even though having a musical career is hard work, thousands of people in Austin do it, because they love it. The live music scene in Austin is diminishing, but it is still one of the best in the nation. For Austin musicians, the great challenges they face are nothing compared to how rewarding music is to them. “The biggest challenge is to actually persevere and keep on PHOTO BY marc phillips
Brian DiFrank with a vinyl record
doing it when you have so much adversity,” Thomas said. “[Like] having your van break down outside of Kansas City at 3 in the morning, for example, in the middle of no where and being so far away from a tow truck and having to wait hours and hours for someone to help you.” Thomas says that going through all of this to play music is the biggest challenge, but getting to perform the music you love is the reward. “Being able to play live in front of fans, people that enjoy it and are screaming, I mean there’s no greater feeling than that.”
the best little hi-fi shop in texas Located at 2401 East 6th St. #1001, Austin, TX
Drop The Bass Do you want to jam out to all of your favorite tunes with an outstanding set of headphones? We ranked the Top 4 that we thought will make your drums rock with their amazing audio, your wallet party with their low prices, and your ears sleep with their comfy cushions.
1
2
3
4
1. Beats by Dre: Studios ($179.99-$299.95) According to stats on beatsbydre.com, comparing Beats to top name brands like Sony, Bose, Street by 50, and Soul by Ludacris, Beats by Dre Studios are the most known headphones, and have been the most bought headphones for 5 years, since they came out in late 2008. Beats by Dre allow the user to listen to the music the way that the artists do, experiencing in-studio sound. Comfier headphones are hard to find, with thick padding that relax your ears, but not thick enough to the point that it would bother you. Beats by Dre also work with many big name brands such as HTC and HP, which started to release their phones and computers with a Beats Audio software/system, giving the devices a clearer audio and a better bass to it. In Joel Evans July 30, 2008, “Review: Beats by Dr. Dre headphones” on geek.com, Beats let you “hear what the artists hear, and listen to the music the way they should: the way I do.”
2. Bose Quiet Comfort 15 ($299.95) The Bose Quiet Comfort 15 headphone places in the top 4 because they have amazing audio, but at the same time, they cancel all noise around you. When you put them on, you feel as if you have taken a journey from the real world, just into your own realm of music. Once you have put them on, you live in your own music heaven because of how noise cancelling they are. You hear nothing but music. Your dog barks, its blocked from your ears. Your mom or dad calls you, you don’t hear it. An earthquake happens, or a volcano erupts in your backyard, its blocked, 100 percent. The audio is also great, and they are just as comfortable as Beats, with soft cushioning, but also a not as thick head band, which may be more comfortable than the big, thick ones.
3. Sony Wireless FM Over-the-Ear Headphones ($109.99) These headphones are ranked number three for an enormous reason: they function without a wire. Don’t you just hate it when you listen to music and the wire gets tangled, and you sit forever untangling the wires? Well, hassle no more! With these Sony Wireless headphones, they provide better sound quality than any of the other big name brands that sell wireless headphones, such as Beats by Dre, Sony, Skullcandy, and they’re also a small fraction of the price! Compare Beats by Dre Wireless headphones at $280 to these amazing, better sound quality headphones at $100. You would get a sound that sounds just as good with a wire, but cost less and are not as big of a hassle as those big, long, curly wires. Look for a better deal around, you won’t find one.
4. Street by 50 ($75.99-$249.95) Last of all, we have our Street by 50, which can be found for the lowest price, if you know where to look. Good places to look are Amazon.com, eBay.com, or almost any other online shopping catalogs will have these for the right price. They might not be as noise cancelling as Bose, or wireless like the Sony Wireless Fm, and maybe you don’t see people with these as much as you see Beats roaming the streets, but these headphones have a killer bass that will rock your drums all day, and the huge plus these headphones have that the others dont is the price. You won’t find a better deal than this, either for you or your wallet.
Letter From The Editors Hey Readers, The Complete Beat was created to entertain you and to give you the knowledge about everything involving music. If you are interested in school bands, the best rappers, digital music, or even the music right here in Austin then this is the magazine for you. Were glad to see that you have picked up this magazine. It took a lot of work to make this happen so we hope you enjoy it. When we first started making the magazine we hadn’t really put any thought of the behind-the-scene process of making one. But all of us had one thing in common and that was music. We all put in our best work, learned how to use InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. We are very proud of the end product and we hope you like it too. - From The Complete Beat staff
Photo By Chris
The Best New and Used Guitar Shop in Austin