Monthly Archives: March 2023
3 posts
And i’m not even talking about music, I’m bored of that conversation
I read some random post that was fed to me by facebook about Electric Dreams an old series I never got to see. At the time (about 2015-2018) I remember wondering if it would ever get to Netflix, the only streaming service we pay for, being huge fans of Philip K Dick an all…
https://awsmone.com/electric-dreams-season-2-will-it-happen/
So according to this post, despite this show being mooted by Sony Pictures as being high quality and presumably very expensive, it wasn’t received well. Apparently series that are a collection of short stories are not easy to sell. (Black Mirror did ok, er right?)
So, after it’s initial run, on Amazon Prime, it stopped. Now I guess it’s still there, I don’t have it, so i suppose i could get Amazon, but I’m not going to. And Sony are still struggling to sell it elsewhere snd there’s no second series planned.
And again, the long awaited “Pistol”… only on Disney Plus. Well, for this one I broke my pact with myself and bought one month of that streaming service. It was fantastic! So fantastic that I want it on my shelf! Yes in a box, taking up space, yes made of cardboard and plastic.
I can’t even play DVDs anymore, after my player broke, I used a PlayStation, now the controller doesn’t work, my DVD shelf is a bit redundant, but should I fix this? Get a new controller or dvd player second hand?
The market for hardware formats in music has shifted a bit, although the majority of millennials and younger are sticking to rental via Spitify etc, the market for vinyl has come back a bit as Cranes last week excitement proved (see previous post), and I think us boomers know why. The obsession to follow and support one particular artist is all but gone by the younger generations but when they too find themselves hooked by a single group, they too will experience the joy of owning something about them, something tangible they can put in a shelf.
So, to my point.
Why not with film? Is that all but gone forever now? After DVD, we had Blue Ray?? was that anything really more than expensive DVD, so, where’s the new format? What about that cool marble like thing invented by David Bowie in ‘The man that fell to earth’ can we have that?
Or what about releasing TV shows, films and band promos on USB sticks, huh? Isn’t that a good idea?
Let’s do it!
I’m on it everyone, gonna release a USB, what do you want on it?
So, on Thursday, we released John Peel Sessions 1989-1990, a limited edition mini-album from two sessions we recorded for BBC Radio’s John Peel. The first session in July 1989 and the second in March 1990 at BBC Maida Vale. The album has been mastered at Abbey Road.
Its been a bit of a secret, and although we haven’t made an official announcement, that the original band of me, Matt, Jim and Alison are working together again, but I guess the cat IS kinda out of the bag.
The last week has been pretty busy as I knocked together a quick video for the first track that was released on “Launch day”. (EG Shining) see below.
I dont really understand the way things are done now, but the album will be released on June 3rd 2023.
It is available for pre-order from here:
https://cranes.bandcamp.com/album/peel-sessions-1989-1990
it was pretty fun and quite “hands/on” at least for Alison and me, who worked all day preparing bios, texts for social media and graphics for the various shops in the UK (all part of a chain called Dinked) that would be releasing the “special edition” version on silver vinyl.
Finaly the moment came at 5oclock when our bandcamp shop would open for pre-sales, and the Dinked shops would add the record onto their pages and we madly started posting the announcements on Facebook, Instagram and Bandcamp, where we would actually be selling the record from. This is called ‘releasing a record’ nowadays. After a tiny moment where people were saying “link doesnt work”… “Cant get in” we realized that the Bandcamp had not been set to Public… we did that.. and immediately, my phone plinged, and flashed an vibrated. I had forgotten that every time I get a sale on bandcamp, I get a notification… normally it doesn’t happen very often! (See note below)
“Our first sale!” I posted on our private Cranes Whatsapp channel. And went out into the darkness and across the garden to close up the chicken house, still clutching my phone. SUDDENLY the garden was lit up by a crazy flashing strobe light, my phone plinging and vibrating constantly… I looked down and notifications were flying across the screen KER-CHING” (this is what bandcamp send you wen you sell) KER-CHING! KER-CHING! KER-CHING!KER-CHING!KER-CHING!KER-CHING!KER-CHING!KER-CHING!KER-CHING!KER-CHING!KER-CHING!KER-CHING!KER-CHING!
In one hour all the Silver copies we had for sale were sold out, (90) and by midnight all our black ones… Dont worry we have more stock now, we are going to print enough for everyone.
So that was fun. Lets do it again?
Note, yes its very sad, there I have being very busy making 12 albums over the last 20 odd years and cranes got more sales in the first 10 minutes than i have ever had. but.. I admit my stuff is mostly just weird buzzing noises, and as such not terribly commercial, Im ok with that, really… but it would of course be remiss of me to not post MY own personal bandcamp link, now wouldnt it, THAT woudnt be pushy would it?