#Website Tips for Musicians

[stellawembley]

Musicians! Have a Strategy when releasing music. Watch now!

  Musicians! Have a Strategy when releasing music. Watch now! Musicians! Have a Strategy when releasing music. Watch now!   Make sure to leave a comment on YouTube if you like the video (and give me a thumbs up) Affiliate Links * PreSonus Studio Channel Amazon Uk https://amzn.to/3TrKIpd Amazon USA https://amzn.to/4dZHVfp Behringer Compressor XL Amazon Uk https://amzn.to/47vrDZi Amazon USA…

[voxina]

The recording studio in Costa Rica where Louis and his team of collaborators are recording (part or all of) LT3 is called ‘elstudio’, and is located in the green hills of Santa Teresa, an off-the-beaten-track beach town on the southern tip of the Nicoya peninsula on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. The studios are owned by musician, sound engineer and music producer Jeff Claeys.

The ‘elstudio’ is part of the Miloco Studios group, which is run by a small studio team based in London. Their website says: ‘Miloco works in partnership with some of the biggest producers and studios in the world, but if you are just starting out we can help you make the right choice for your recording project. All the studios on our site, in the UK and around the world, have been selected by us, so we are confident we can help you.’

Another description of these studios reads:

Here, on the Miloco Studios website more details regarding the elstudio in Costa Rica.

And we can see how the photos perfectly match those posted by David Sneddon (Scottish singer, songwriter and music producer who co-wrote ‘Silver Tongues’ as well as ‘She is Beauty, We are World Class’ and ‘Saturdays’) on his Instagram yesterday, 7 May 2025, with the caption ‘Went to a studio in the Costa Rican jungle with mates and listened to a lot of Yacht Rock. What a thing.’

Pics from their official website:

Pics posted by David Sneddon on IG:

And lastly, here are more photos from the ‘elstudio’ IG account:

[somesecretpie]

Fans and Creators of Webtoons!

I want to talk about Line Webtoon’s new “Super Like” program and why it sucks for literally everyone.

What is a “Super Like?”

According to their website, super likes are a new way for webtoon creators to monetize their work. Readers can pay real money to buy a super like for their favorite webtoon, and the creator gets a fraction of that money.

Wait, a fraction? Not all of it?

Yep! Webtoon skims quite a chunk off the top.

30% goes to Webtoon, and then another 30% of that amount goes to the payment processor.

So what do creators get? 49 cents for every dollar their fans try to give them. Literally half.

That’s pretty ludicrous, right?

Interestingly enough, they announced that they had a “tipping system” in the works in the same email they ended the CANVAS creator rewards program (and many comic creators livelihoods)

They said tipping system in their social media posts too

Obviously this tipping system is referring to super likes right? They say they’re going to do a tipping system, and then this rolls out.

But “tips” are not something that buisinesses can just take a cut of, at least not in the United States. According to the Department of Labor, it is illegal for any amount of tips from customers to go to an employer.

Webtoon is trying to walk back this language, of course. You won’t find the word “tip” anywhere on their website page explaining how it works. But those old social media posts are still up.

This is all pretty scummy

But wait, it gets worse!

They removed the Patreon button at the end of episodes and replaced it with this:

Yep! That’s right. Webtoon really said “what if we replace the tipping system that already existed with a shittier one where you only get half of it 🥺”

Unsurprisingly, they faced a ton of backlash.

Webtoon was quick to point out that the Patreon button was only removed from the end of episodes and there was still a button on the creator’s homepage. But of course, the end of episodes is where that button matters the most.

Creators know this. Webtoon knows this.

Eventually, after days of continued complaints from creators on social media, Webtoon went on damage control mode and announced that they would be putting the Patreon button back at the end of episodes—

As of right now (May 11th, 2024) the Patreon button is still not back.

***

So…Super likes are “super totally not a tip.”

But if they aren’t tips…what are they?

Well there’s a bit more to the story of what a super like actually is. After announceing the program, the app updated to reveal a new ranking category on the front page

When you click on this ranking tab, you can see that there is now both a daily and weekly ranking

If you’re a CANVAS creator, you know how difficult and seemingly random it can be to get your comic on the front page of the app—so my immediate worry was that comic creators were going to buy superlikes on their own series to get in this ranking and…

Yep, that’s already happening.

But why would webtoon even allow creators to buy superlikes for themselves? How does that make sense?

Surely goading desperate creators into buying superlikes can’t be that lucrative, can it?

No. I think there’s another, possibly even worse reason.

Fandom wars

If you’re into music, you probably are aware of how common it is for super fans to make concerted efforts to get their favorite musician to the top of the billboard charts. They coordinate over social media, stream music on loop as soon as an album drops to inflate the numbers, buy albums in bulk to increase sales, all so that they can say their fav is number one. It’s especially common among K-pop fans and swifties

This phenomena is well documented

Fans of Webtoons can be just as ravenous as K-pop, so I think Webtoon is trying to capitalize on this. They want to encourage fandom war and make money. That’s why they have this ranking. Not only can super fans brag about their favorite series topping the charts but they can wear their super like proudly on their reader profile that webtoon will be rolling out soon.

They’re just testing this super like stuff out on CANVAS right now, but once this starts up with originals? Oh. It will be a very profitable, very terrible mess.

(Oh and I mean profitable for webtoon, not creators, in case that wasn’t clear.)

***

Anyway, if you’re a creator, do yourself a favor and don’t enable super likes.

If you’re a fan of a webcomic, just donate to that creators patreon or Ko-Fi to show your support. Don’t give a red cent to webtoon because they did not do any of the work to make the series you love, alright?

Also check out my webtoon haha.

[gor3sigil]

As much as I beg writers to not put their books ONLY on Amazon, I beg musicians to not release their music ONLY on streaming platforms.

I know it's convenient lots of ways and they worked hard to make both artists and consumers dependent on their platforms but if we're going to try and take it down, I need people to make their own websites where we can buy independantly. I want nothing MORE than buy shit FROM artists.

And I'm not even speaking about physical releases that cost a lot of money. Put your music on Bandcamp or online linked to Paypal. Offer your books digitally on itch.io, where you can put your games too.

Diversify your platforms and format of your art, share it on more independent online and physical spaces, distribute it via mail, social medias, have an online wallet where people can buy and tip you !

I'm a very, very small artist myself, and maybe I'm super naive about all that and it's just not possible but if it is, do it. It's the only way out.

[awthredestim]

Commission for Fernin.

· - · -  · - · - · - · - · - · - · - · - ·

Have you hear of the Musicians of Bremen? Well none of these guys can play a musical instrument to save their life, but it's still fun to make a tower of characters each interacting with the other differently.

Poor Derpy, carrying this whole team like the Best Pegasus that she is.

Vert fun project to work on, especially when it came to posing all these goobers.

Please, let me know what you think of it in the comments. I appreciate every single one I receive. You can check the Making Of post right here.

Check out Movie Slate's Patreon! It's a Tip Jar Patreon.

Check out my Subscribestar for some more lewd goodies. Thank you!

Feel free to follow me in any of these other websites.

[ Art Tumblr ] [ DeviantArt ] [ Patreon ][ BlueSky ] [ NewGrounds ] [ FurAffinity ]

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[ Movie Slate's Ask Blog ] [ Twitter ] [ Pinterest ] [ Picarto ]

[nivopocky]

The most shitty iceberg meme of the sisters of mercy.(i tried my best💔)

Hate toward the goth label:Andrew Eldritch has always rejected the "goth" label, preferring to describe The Sisters

Andrew without his sunglasses: There is some pics of him without it even though he rarely take them off, he is scary a bit without them (my opinion)

Doktor Avalanche: The Doktor is the drum machine of the band. He was replacing Andrew drumming after their first single "The Damage done" and practically the second consistent band-members of the sisters after Andrew.

No release since the 90s: Vision thing was their third album and it was released in the year of 1990.

Unfortunately we didn't had any albums since then.

Some of the fans low-key lost hope and some more delusional one still have hope for it (I am the second one

Leonard Cohen inspiration: Leonard Cohen is one of the most influential musicians for Andrew and so the sisters. Practically the band name come from one of his song. And the band did some covers of some of Cohen songs.

The ao3 fanfics: There is barely anything and all of them are cursed. It's basically like an haunted house.

The Mission: Formed by ex-Sisters members Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams after their split from Eldritch in 1985. There was bad blood between the two camps.

Spiggy: It's the name of Andrew cat at the time the band started. The name origins come from a "Private eye" magazine character.

"It's Scam time": I am referencing an old article title that used it to refer to Patricia departure off from the band.

In the early 1985, Patricia Morrison joined The Sisters of Mercy as a bassist. Her contributions were notably featured on their 1987 album, Floodland. However, her involvement was marred by disputes with Eldritch, particularly concerning financial matters, leading to her departure in late 1989.

The Sisterhood: After Hussey and Adams left, Eldritch quickly formed The Sisterhood as a legal maneuver to prevent them from using the name. He recorded Gift

(1986) under The Sisterhood name before dissolving the project. In the track "Jihad" from The Sisterhood's album Gift, the phrase "two-five-zero-zero-zero" refers to £25,000. This sum is significant in the context of a legal and financial dispute between Andrew Eldritch and his former bandmates Wayne and Craig. It took The Mission two whole months to realise the meaning of this.

Oxfords: Andrew used to study there French and German litterature before moving to Leeds around 1978.

Left on Mission and Revenge: It was the intended title for The Sisters of Mercy's second studio album, conceptualized by lead vocalist Andrew Eldritch following the release of their debut, First and Last and Always (1985). This project, however, was never realized due to internal conflicts that led to the departure of key members.

Bootlegs: The sisters are literally considered as the most Bootlegged band of the 80s.

Von nickname: Andrew another nickname which is basically from Tony James to point out the fact that Andrew was hanging more in Hamburg than Halifax.

The heartland magazine and forum: The Heartland is a long-running fan forum and fanmagazine dedicated to The Sisters of Mercy, where fans share rare materials, theories, and band history.

Claire Shearsby: A lesser-known figure in the band's history, she has been active as a DJ and producer in Leeds music scene since the late 1970s. She used to even live with Andrew and Spiggy. And was Andrew girlfriend at the time.

Dear Doktor: In the official website of the sisters of mercy, there is a page where Doktor Avalanche basically give tips on problems. You can even send a letter to him. (I tried and my message didn't manage to send I dunno if it's a me problem or just the Doktor dgaf)

Sisters Gegen Nazi: The sisters were against nazi. And so in the early 1990s, The Sisters of Mercy further demonstrated their opposition to Nazi imagery by releasing merchandise that parodied classic designs to convey anti-Nazi messages. One such item was an anti-Nazi t-shirt, reinforcing the band's stance against far-right extremism.

Miss Detroit: In the yearning list of Andrew in the official website there is a Miss Detroit mentioned. Although there is no any name mentioned.

Ben Gunn: An early guitarist for The Sisters who left before their first album due to creative differences, reportedly disliking the fact that the band became a joke on rock but now it became one itself. We barely know anything about him while he was in the band, he often would forbid journalists or interviewers to take any photographs of him in person.

Hentai links: In the official website of the sisters of mercy we got a few links about movies, books and also Hentai. (Although for me it didn't show me anything about adult content so either they changed it, or either its a me problem)

Andrew sailor moon shirt: A shirt that Andrew wear during the Sisters Trip The Light Fantastic 2000. From what I see the two characters in question are Minako Aino (Sailor Venus) and Rei Hino (Sailor Mars). In the sisters wiki it is said that it was his favorite shirt on the tour.

Public enemy and The sisters of mercy Tour: The Sisters of Mercy and Public Enemy were scheduled to tour together in the summer 1991, but the tour faced multiple challenges. Andrew Eldritch, the frontman of The Sisters, blamed promoters and record companies for poor ticket sales, particularly due to racial tensions and the controversial reputation of Public Enemy. Many city venues refused to book the bands together, fearing riots or backlash, and promoters struggled to advertise the tour effectively. As a result, the tour was poorly attended, and both bands lost significant money.

Bradley goes gothic: Simon Harrison a British comic artist made some stories about a misbehaving demon-child called Bradley. In one of his comics we can see an apparition of Andrew Eldritch with Patricia. Here is the link of the comic if some of y'all are curious: BARNEY --thrill zone

Apocalypse now and Vision thing: In the long version of Vision thing we can hear an audio who come from the movie apocalypse now who say "only the americans would build a place like this in the middle of the jungle.. only the americans would want to"

Ozymandias and burn: They are both songs in which you reverse them you can found things. The Ozymandias one it's basically Dominion but reversed.

And the burn one if you reverse it you can found an hidden lyrics sung after the first verse: "The catherine wheel a ring of fire

We'll burn this circus down

The wheel goes round and the flames get higher For the juggling men and the idiot clowns."

Paris Riots/Leeds Underground: It was two 90s side projects with Eldritch and James Ray in which they were both abandoned before they put any tracks.

SSV - This record featured Eldritch's sampled vocals over drumless electronic music. The album was presented to East West Records, which accepted it without hearing it first, thereby releasing Eldritch from his contractual obligations. The record was never officially released, but it did ended up being released on the internet in an mp3 form from what I heard.

The Haruhiko magazine dolls interview: Okay so this one i barely see anything about it, from other sisters of mercy and even in the heartland forum. So I felt the need to share as a fan of kei and the sisters. So basically Eve of Destiny is an Industrial unit that began as a solo project in 1998 and is currently a duo composed of Haruhiko Ash and Közi (which is famous for having been in the band Malice Mizer). Haruhiko was a sisters of mercy fans and Haruhiko was going to interview Andrew Eldritch for Doll magazine before The Sisters' gigs on the 7th & 8th of September 1998 in Akasaka Blitz were cancelled. But he did however interview Patricia Morrison in 1996. Unfortunately the music magazine closed in 2009, and i didn't found any online archive. But after hours I was going to lose hope and thinking that this might be a lost media. I actually found it, I found a picture of the interview and the cover of the magazine sells only in Japan.

Anyway here is the link of the ssv record and the magazine in question about Patricia hoping that is the good one and it work:

[vague-humanoid]

I first heard about ghost artists in the summer of 2017. At the time, I was new to the music-streaming beat. I had been researching the influence of major labels on Spotify playlists since the previous year, and my first report had just been published. Within a few days, the owner of an independent record label in New York dropped me a line to let me know about a mysterious phenomenon that was “in the air” and of growing concern to those in the indie music scene: Spotify, the rumor had it, was filling its most popular playlists with stock music attributed to pseudonymous musicians—variously called ghost or fake artists—presumably in an effort to reduce its royalty payouts. Some even speculated that Spotify might be making the tracks itself. At a time when playlists created by the company were becoming crucial sources of revenue for independent artists and labels, this was a troubling allegation.

At first, it sounded to me like a conspiracy theory. Surely, I thought, these artists were just DIY hustlers trying to game the system. But the tips kept coming. Over the next few months, I received more notes from readers, musicians, and label owners about the so-called fake-artist issue than about anything else. One digital strategist at an independent record label worried that the problem could soon grow more insidious. “So far it’s happening within a genre that mostly affects artists at labels like the one I work for, or Kranky, or Constellation,” the strategist said, referring to two long-running indie labels.* “But I doubt that it’ll be unique to our corner of the music world for long.”

By July, the story had burst into public view, after a Vulture article resurfaced a year-old item from the trade press claiming that Spotify was filling some of its popular and relaxing mood playlists—such as those for “jazz,” “chill,” and “peaceful piano” music—with cheap fake-artist offerings created by the company. A Spotify spokesperson, in turn, told the music press that these reports were “categorically untrue, full stop”: the company was not creating its own fake-artist tracks. But while Spotify may not have created them, it stopped short of denying that it had added them to its playlists. The spokesperson’s rebuttal only stoked the interest of the media, and by the end of the summer, articles on the matter appeared from NPR and the Guardian, among other outlets. Journalists scrutinized the music of some of the artists they suspected to be fake and speculated about how they had become so popular on Spotify. Before the year was out, the music writer David Turner had used analytics data to illustrate how Spotify’s “Ambient Chill” playlist had largely been wiped of well-known artists like Brian Eno, Bibio, and Jon Hopkins, whose music was replaced by tracks from Epidemic Sound, a Swedish company that offers a subscription-based library of production music—the kind of stock material often used in the background of advertisements, TV programs, and assorted video content.

For years, I referred to the names that would pop up on these playlists simply as “mystery viral artists.” Such artists often had millions of streams on Spotify and pride of place on the company’s own mood-themed playlists, which were compiled by a team of in-house curators. And they often had Spotify’s verified-artist badge. But they were clearly fake. Their “labels” were frequently listed as stock-music companies like Epidemic, and their profiles included generic, possibly AI-generated imagery, often with no artist biographies or links to websites. Google searches came up empty.

In the years following that initial salvo of negative press, other controversies served as useful distractions for Spotify: the company’s 2019 move into podcasting and eventual $250 million deal with Joe Rogan, for example, and its 2020 introduction of Discovery Mode, a program through which musicians or labels accept a lower royalty rate in exchange for algorithmic promotion. The fake-artist saga faded into the background, another of Spotify’s unresolved scandals as the company increasingly came under fire and musicians grew more emboldened to speak out against it with each passing year.

Then, in 2022, an investigation by the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter revived the allegations. By comparing streaming data against documents retrieved from the Swedish copyright collection society STIM, the newspaper revealed that around twenty songwriters were behind the work of more than five hundred “artists,” and that thousands of their tracks were on Spotify and had been streamed millions of times.

[valkyriexo]

Vote for Stray Kids !!

This is a short version of the following guide for SKZ Comeback voting. Credit goes to this guide. I am simply making a version for tumblr users!!! ⤷ straykids comeback guide

This guide covers 6 platforms where you can vote for Stray Kids:

⤷ Idolchamp ⤷ Mubeat ⤷ Superstarx ⤷ Mnet+ ⤷Diggus ⤷ Allchart

On most voting apps, you have to collect hearts or voting units that are used to vote with, and it needs to be collected overtime. Some do have options to purchase these voting units but as long as all STAYs collect and do their best to meet the goals per account bases suggested then together we can ensure we dominate voting during a comeback. You can collect these voting units by watching ads, doing tasks, answering quizzes, etc.

ઇଓ IDOLCHAMP

Idolchamp is the app used for pre-voting on MBC M SHOW CHAMPION and other polls that helps in the promotion of Stray Kids.

⤷ App store ⤷ Google play store ⤷ Quiz Answers

IDOLCHAMP is used for SHOW CHAMPION PRE-VOTING! There is no live vote and GAP MATTERS we need 1st place with a large gap for the highest amount of points possible.

ઇଓ MUBEAT

Mubeat is the app used for pre-voting and live voting on MUSIC CORE also other polls that helps in the promotion of Stray Kids

⤷ App Store ⤷ Google Play Store ⤷ Quiz Answers

MUBEAT is used for pre-Voting and LIVE Voting for SHOW! MUSIC CORE. Multiple accounts per device are allowed. There are restrictions on how many ads each device can watch every 24 hours, watch all ads on 5 accounts per device.

‼️ LIVE VOTING for Music Core 

Limited per account to 5 Live Voting tickets which cost 30 Beats per ticket (150 Beats for 5 tickets) and are Non-refundable so wait to exchange Beats for Live tickets till bases make announcements to exchange.

The GAP MATTERS in the LIVE VOTING for Music Core; we need 1st place with a large gap for points the highest amount of points possible.

!! Purchase tickets

You can also purchase 5 Voting tickets per account for $1.99 USD but again they are non-refundable and do expire after 30 days. 📍TIP: If you plan to purchase instead of collecting on Mubeat it is worth spending $4.99 on STAR BEATS and using them on the games to win Heart Beats instead, that way you get your 150 to exchange for Live Voting tickets and replenish your reserves with any extra you win.

ઇଓ SUPERSTARX

SUPERSTARX is used for live voting for INKIGAYO as well as the HOT Stage poll after each week's broadcast!

⤷ App Store ⤷ Google Play Store

SUPERSTARX is used for LIVE VOTING on INKIGAYO as well as the weekly HOT STAGE voting. Multiple accounts can be created and used.

ઇଓ ​MNET+

MNET PLUS is the app used for pre-voting and live voting on MCOUNTDOWN & MAMA VOTING!

⤷ App Store ⤷ Google Play Store ⤷ Website

MNET+ is use for Pre-Voting & LIVE Voting on MCOUNTDOWN. Accounts are limited to 1 vote per Device per Day for Pre-Voting (3 Days) & 1 Vote per Device during the LIVE Voting.

Account creation & voting is now Device Locked meaning you can only vote with 1 account per device. Which means we need every STAY with at least 1 account. The more accounts STAYs have the more votes because the GAP MATTERS; we need 1st place with a large gap for the highest amount of points possible. Be sure to log in to your MNET accounts; be sure they are still active and/or create new accounts if you do not have any.

ઇଓ DIGGUS

DIGGUS is used for pre-voting for ISTAYs only for INKIGAYO!

⤷ App Store ⤷ Google Play Store

Diggus is use for ISTAYS pre-voting on INKIGAYO. Accounts are limited to 1 vote per day for Pre-Voting (5 Days)

The more accounts STAYs have the more votes because the GAP MATTERS; we need 1st place with a large gap for the highest amount of points possible. Account creation & voting is NOT restricted & it is unlimited.

ઇଓ ALLCHART

ALLCHART is used for pre-voting for MUSIC BANK!

⤷ App Store ⤷ Google Play Store

This app also has an additional vote for artists who perform each week on Music Bank called BPM or Best Performance Musician. We suggest reserving all hearts for prevoting and following fanbases for updates &/or changes regarding this new app. Account creation is not restricted but the available missions each day are device locked. So if you do all missions on one account and log into another account on the same device they will all be completed. 

ઇଓ MORE INFO

⤷ Stay Voting Zone

⤷ TeamSVS

[siiinfully]

continued from this with @thebewitchedbaker

9c "This is what you wanted, right?" he whispered in Spanish, voice husky with lust. One hand gripped a handful of those golden locks while the other gave her as a firm slap. The baker took a look at his handy work, enjoying the show that was her second orgasm. She knew what she was doing. As innocent as she played, Serena knew how Chris would get around this time. Organizing interviews for some potential hires for Luna's Moonlight Delights, two websites for two local musicians and of course some small logo work for a friend. The baker asked for no distractions. What did he get? Serena's coy smile and her finger pulling him close by his necklace. With a kiss to his neck, he was promised no distractions...in her most seductive voice. Whenever he would prepare for work, she would walk around in her latest lingerie. Stretching with a not so subtle moan. If was sitting at his desk, she would sit on his lap with an ever so pleasing grind of her hips. Texts were filled with desires of feeling his thick arousal sliding in and out of her. The minute, no second his work was done. The baker damn near sped to her apartment and greeted her with a kiss, easily slipping off those unnecessary clothes. One minute she was giggling, the next she was on all fours blessing his ears with moans of his name. His hips slapped against hers, slamming every inch of his dick into her welcoming pussy. "We're just getting started, my love," he whispered with another swat to her ass, "I'm going to fuck you like this all night~" He leans close to her ear, finally giving her the coup de grace. "This is exactly what you wanted, right?" All in Russian.

He was a man of impressive self-control.

He was a man of tasty pastry creations.

He was…a man.

Proof of that was shoved roughly into her the instant he’d finished all of his responsibilities, and the fact that he had waited until everything was finished on his end made him 100x sexier. Serena moaned, her juices coating him upon hearing the perfectly spoken Russian near her ear. What else could she say to that? He knew exactly what he was doing when he switched from Spanish to English to Russian.

“Y-yes, Daddy,” she whimpered, her Spanish shakier than it usually was. Anyone who was being railed within an inch of their life wouldn’t be as articulate. She was being ridden, her skin pink and getting pinker by the second with each thrust of his hips.

“Such a…such a vigorous w-wolf,” was her next praise, her voice trembling, but not as much as her body was shivering. As overstimulated as she was getting, she also knew that this was just the beginning of their encounter. She’d riled him up to this state, and now, she was reaping the consequences. If only all crimes had sex as their punishments; everyone would end up becoming a criminal at least thrice in their life.

“That’s it, Papi…take it all out on me. I was so naughty to you when you were busy…nnnghh…but wh-who could resist? So…so sexy when you’re b-b-baking…always wanted to lick the icing off your naked chest…oh!” The tingling in her core was being stoked into a flame, one that spread from her lower body to the rest of her, until even the tips of her ears felt warm. Until she couldn’t hear anything but their mutual cries of lust and longing, the wet slap of his hips against her raw behind.

[psshaw]

Musicians set up tip jars on their websites like 2000s webcomic artists did challenge

[omegaremix]

Vinyl Bay 777 shopping list, 2018.

I haven’t visited Plainview since the sordid community college days. It was when I set my best-friend Brandon up with Manzana, the girl I was set up with through one of my friends in senior year. We were over her house with some of her friends for what would be my final get-together there. It felt unusual because it was my only visit there during the community-college era and I already was far removed from everyone I was friends with, friends who helped make-then-break situations. Plainview was great for what it was worth until things started to decline.

Caboose, a former staffer of my time at Stony Brook Press, messaged me last year and announced he was a newly-enlisted music-phile. I never even thought anything else of him during our days at the Press. He then tipped me off of Vinyl Bay 777. Plainview now has a record store, but it came with a slight warning: it would be too pricey. I was meaning to go since hearing of it and it looked real good. Owned by artist and Italian chef Frank Napoli, he wanted his store to stand out and he’s succeeded. Everything of Vinyl Bay 777 looks great, a strong mission statement where everything is clean, graded accurately, and perfectly organized by alphabetical order and genre. It had a professionally-built website where it gave you part of a superbly-organized feel. It was also where I started feeling a slight crunch: I started to browse their inventory on their site and the average / median prices were set a little high. It’s not the whole story as it would take anyone hours to get a more accurate feel of what Vinyl Bay 777 had in store. It was still in the cards for me to visit any way to get the true picture.

All it took to get there was a drive down to the Long Island Expressway (L.I.E., not named after Ron Morelli’s label, regretably) and it was right off its’ closest exit. Located in an industrial area, you need to curve through some buildings to get to some tight parking lots. There it was with a double-mural painting of various iconic musicians in front of the store. I walk in and it did look amazing. It’s tight quarters, but no other record store was such efficient in space and pulled it off looing good. Rows and rows of vinyl. Even more under. Tables with crates of 12″ and 7″ on top of it. Rolling caddies of cassette bins. On the walls are collectible classic records. Shelves upon shelves of CDs. Close to any category you could think of with few exceptions, they have it. Look around and you’ll see some shelves of music-related books, documentaries, and live shows on DVD. More collectibles, vinyl records pinned to the ceiling, action figures, star-studded memorabilia, and Beanie Babies down below. At the front of the counter were magazines ranging from Boys Life to about four bins of Playboy. Hugh Hefner is turning over right now. So far, so good.

As I started browsing through the store, I slowly realized Caboose was right. The lowest common price of any title in the store was $5.77 with few lower exceptions. $7.77, $17.77, $25.77, $39.77, $12.77. Notice a pattern? They price after themselves. Inifinity Records has a few vinyl bins mixed with various titles for $2.76 and I don’t even know the significance of those numbers. It wasn’t the $__.77 that got to me, it was indeed the overall pricing. They priced their stock higher than any other store I seen. Records, cassettes, and discs priced for only a few dollars in other stores were priced two, three, even four times at Vinyl Bay. That went for most of their stock regardless, no artist or genre was treated differently. You could walk away with several hardcore and punk 45′s for a dollar or two somewhere else. Not Vinyl Bay. The entire small shelf of those 45′s were priced enough that it prevented me from taking some of it home. Cassettes were selling for mostly $5.77 to $7.77 where other places still selling them do so for a few dollars less. Ouch.

Even though I still felt the pinch, I still continued to walk through its stock. They had a great selection of jazz, rock, hip-hop, industrial, metal, the classics, and etcetera across all formats. I did have ideas of what I wanted to pick up, and that’s all that became of my visit. I couldn’t help but to hold back because I have had about 15 or 20 titles I wanted to buy, but Vinyl Bay 777′s pricing add up quickly in my head. There were no dollar bins as their grading system and overall aesthetic prevented it, which I do understand. Vinyl Bay 777 vied to be different and it does. It does so by offering a lot of rarites, obscure, and hard-to-find titles not found often and at high-quality. They don’t sell “Dean Martin, Barbra Streisand, Mitch Miller, Andy Williams or showtunes…big band, film scores, or soundtracks.” They sell top-notch titles. It’s for collectors, not for pick-up-and-go artists like myself. I can’t blame them.

It’s a shame, really, because they do have lots of great stuff and they do aim for quality. That’s something Vinyl Bay will bat all the way to home plate. I do understand if a store prices specific titles accordingly by rarity and condition here and there. Because Vinyl Bay is for connoiseurs. They do take their rarity and grading 100% which explains why the average threshold of pricing is higher than most stores. On my end, I didn’t feel any bit accessible. I shop to win, not shop for only one or two things.  I don’t shop according to grade or condition, I shop for quantity and value. I do have the money the spend, but it doesn’t mean I’d want to needlessly overpay on titles I could find in other places for half the price. But I have to say, at least they have integrity. They weren’t the Long Island Vinyl Exchange years ago where half their stock was un-priced and their owner made you pay whatever he said off the top of his head. He was out in less than a year. Remember that.

After 45 minutes, I left Vinyl Bay 777 purchasing nothing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great store for those who want it and they do a great job for what they’re set out to do. It’s just not for me. As I walked out, I noticed a sign urging customers to write two reviews on different social media accounts and show them to the store for a 15% discount. Too little, too late. Here’s my review. I’m not coming back.

Vinyl Bay 777 shopping list: no dice.

[crowjodojocasahouse]

hii sorry if it sounds weird but are you still drumming? if so do you have anything drum related you want to say ? :)

hi!! not weird at all! i am still drumming, and i assure you i'll never stop. it's not just a hobby, it's my pride and joy, my lifestyle. i moved to the city and am currently pursuing a music degree.

the drumming related thing: just do it. so many people always say "ooo that's so cool that you play drums i wish i played drums" DOOOO IIIIT. i know starting is scary, and can be expensive, but here are five relatively cheap things to help you get started.

● a standard classic, 5A drumsticks (i know, vater, controversial, i'm a vater guy what can i say): https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VHP5AW--vater-american-hickory-drumsticks-power-5a-wood-tip

● an evans realfeel drum pad, closest drum pad to feeling like a snare that i've played (i linked the cheapest option, but there are larger ones and also double-sided ones): https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RealFeel6--evans-6-inch-realfeel-mountable-pad

● Tommy Igoe's "Great Hands For A Lifetime" curriculum. This curriculum starts from the very beginning. It teaches you the basics of hand technique, then goes all the way up to advanced hand patterns. You can buy it online, it comes with the full book (pdf), a poster with his Lifetime Warmup on it (pdf), complementary videos that accompany the text, and mp3 files of Tommy Igoe taking you through three different iterations of the Lifetime Warmup (basic, intermediate, and advanced). i'm not sponsored i promise HAHAH, i just swear by this program. i've been studying it with my teacher for over a year now and my technique has improved so much.: https://hudsonmusic.com/product/great-hands-for-a-lifetime/

a book to help you begin reading music, even if you don't stick with drums, this book is the bible for every musician. Progressive Steps To Syncopation For The Modern Drummer by Ted Reed. it begins with simple rhythms and they get a bit more complex as the book progresses. nothing outside of 4/4.

here's the International Drum Rudiments as outlined by the Percussive Arts Society. the asterisks indicate the original 26 traditional rudiments. this website not only has a pdf, but also downloadable audio files of every rudiment so you can hear them and read them. it's all free!

all together, this stuff costs about $80. it's not super cheap but it's cheaper than a whole kit and private lessons. it is possible to at least start playing drums without spending over $100. DON'T WAIT!!! NOW IS THE TIME!!!!! you get out of it what you put into it. if you put your heart into it, you'll get everything you could want out of it.

cheers!

[wedding-djhire]

Keeping the Celebration Alive: How to Entertain Your Guests at a Wedding Reception

Introduction:

Your wedding day is a celebration of love, and one of your primary goals is to ensure that your guests have an unforgettable time. At Wedding DJ Hire, we know how to create lasting memories and keep the party going, and are happy to share with you some wedding entertainment tips and tricks!  

Firstly it’s essential to plan entertaining activities for your wedding reception. In this article, we’ll explore creative ways to entertain your guests and make your special day even more remarkable.

1. Music and Dance:

• A great wedding DJ or live musician can set the tone for the entire reception. Ensure a diverse music playlist that caters to various tastes and encourages everyone to hit the dance floor.

• Consider having a dance-off or a “dance your way to the couple” contest to get guests involved.

2. Photo Booth Fun:

• Set up a photo booth with props, toys, backdrops, and instant prints. This provides a fun and interactive way for guests to capture memories.

• Create a scrapbook where guests can leave a copy of their photos along with heartfelt messages.

3. Lawn Games:

• If you have an outdoor wedding or reception, lawn games like croquet, giant Jenga, or ring toss can keep guests entertained during downtime.

• Provide a designated area for these games, complete with seating for spectators.

4. Interactive Food Stations:

• Food can be entertainment too! Consider unique food stations like a sushi bar, ice-cream bar, taco station, or a make-your-own dessert bar.

• Interactive food stations engage guests and add an element of fun to the dining experience.

5. Signature Cocktails:

• Create special cocktails named after you as a couple. This adds a personal touch and gives guests something to talk about.

• You can even offer a “mixology station” where guests can customize their own drinks.

6. Table Games and Trivia:

• Place trivia cards or conversation starters at each table to encourage interaction among guests.

• Board games like Scrabble or crossword puzzles can also be a hit at tables.

7. Live Entertainment:

• Consider hiring additional entertainers like magicians, caricature artists, belly-dancers, or a fire-dancing troupe to provide unique experiences throughout the evening.

• Live entertainment can be an exciting surprise for your guests.

8. Speeches and Toasts:

• Heartfelt and entertaining speeches can be a highlight of the evening. Encourage your selected speakers to share funny anecdotes and warm wishes.

• Keep speeches concise to maintain guest engagement.

9. Surprise Elements:

• Add unexpected surprises to your reception, like a flash mob, acoustic musical performance by a guest - or better yet the bride or groom, choreographed dance by the bridal party or bride or groom, or a surprise fireworks display.

• These unexpected moments will leave a lasting impression on your guests.

10. Late-Night Snacks:

• Offer late-night snacks like pizza slices, mini sliders, or a candy bar to keep energy levels up.

• These snacks can fuel guests for more dancing and festivities.

Conclusion:

Entertaining your guests at a wedding reception isn’t just about music and dancing; it’s about creating a joyful and memorable experience. Mix and match these ideas to suit your style and budget, and don’t be afraid to add your personal touch. With careful planning, your wedding reception will be a delightful celebration that your guests will cherish for years to come.

At Wedding DJ Hire, we help you to come up with unique and exciting ideas to liven up your party - whether it be a wedding, birthday, corporate event or just an excuse to get together, we can make your event an unforgettable one for you and your guests! Visit our website at https://wedding-djhire.com.au/ to hire our best DJs.

[basilisk2000]

haii! ♡♡

call me mimzy! im silly!

i use it/its and, for now, only speak english!

i have a pet turtle named beans! i love him very much. beans is an ornate box turtle and was taken in by me after finding him being hassled by my dogs in my backyard. here is a picture of him! feel free to ask me anything or give me tips!

posts that remind me of beans? #beans tag !

updates on beans? #beans update !

updates on me? #cabbage update !

+ extra info and tags in read more!

about me!

im an artist, game dev, musician, and animator! (+ many more!)

i love all critters, old/obscure web, old tech, horror games, nichijou, garage kits + more!

my favorite foods are fried pickles, grilled cheese, texas toast, fried chicken, milk, and the biggest burger at any given resturant

my favorite colors are cyan, blue, neon green, chartreuse, peach, butter yellow, hot pink, baby pink, baby blue, and white!

i love researching weird old websites, games, videos, etc! i have a lot of website ideas too, but i have yet to have the skill to make them!

about beans!

as said before beans is an ornate box turtle found in my back yard, he was taken in after being found being pestered by my dogs. he is okay and unhurt! i try hard to not mess with him much. i chose to keep beans because we believe he was domesticated in the past, he is not skittish around people and is okay with being held and pet. beans has a large terraium thats about three feet long! his substrate is phagnum moss coconut fiber and natural soil all mixed together!

tags!

#cabbage update updates on me! anything rlly

#cabbage dreams dreams i have!

#cabbage thoughts what it says on the tin...

#cabbage art my art!

#cabbage music update updates on me learning how to make music

#cabbage music my music!

#cabbage game update updates on learning game dev!

#cabbage gaming i game Alot, oops!

#cabbage watch i watch so many things!

#cabbage critters any animal related update!

#cabbage coal miner updates on school/work

#cabbage friend promo promo of my friends!!!!! follow them okay? thank you!

[themarchrabbit]

The photo in this post was taken at the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland, some time between 1940-1944 . The full photo shows an accordion player:

There are approximately thirteen people in this photo. Three officers from the Wehrmacht, the German military of Nazi Germany. Ten women in uniform. Skirts to their knees, with matching blazers, stockings, and practical black shoes. Their hair is done in styles that were fashionable in the 1940s.

Do you know how they did those hairstyles? They were actually fairly difficult. Most women got their hair done at a salon or by a woman in the neighborhood, or a sister, a friend. You had to set it to get that volume, to get those curls to stay in place while still staying smooth and neat.

These women set their hair the night before this picture was taken. Maybe they went to a salon. Maybe they ran a little one out of their housing in Auschwitz. They took this picture, laughing. Please again notice there is a German soldier on the right, holding an accordion. Do you think he was any good? Remember, this was a time where you needed a record player [expensive] or a radio/wireless to hear recorded music. People liked having a musician play, even if they weren't great. It was fun.

They're not monsters. There is nothing about any of these people that make them fundamentally different from you or me.

The fate of child and youth prisoners was no different in principle from that of adults (with the exception of the children in the family camps). Just like adults, they suffered from hunger and cold, were used as laborers, and were punished, put to death, and used as subjects in criminal experiments by SS doctors.

At the end of 1943, separate barracks were set up for children above the age of 2. These did not differ in any way from the barracks assigned to adults. The camp authorities did not even distribute milk or appropriate food rations for infants, thus sentencing them to starve to death. Only the children in the camp hospital were a little better off—the prisoner nursing and medical staffs tried to provide them with additional blankets, food, clothing, and medicine.

The hardest thing was trying to help the Jewish children who were at risk of selection for the gas chambers.

The extermination of children in Auschwitz and their transfer to other camps, especially in the final stages, ensured that few of them survived until liberation.

What I want people to realize is that the smiling women in this photo had their hair done that week. The laughing soldier holding the accordion probably played for them on the day this was taken. The women probably danced with one another, took turns with the available men. They probably sang while he tried to play a popular song.

And while they were doing this, there were infants in the buildings, being held by their siblings, or strangers, children under the age of ten, all of them, starving to death, after the smiling people in this photo herded their mothers and grandmothers into gas chambers, after which their fathers and uncles and cousins had to pull the bodies out and remove the gold fillings from the mouths of the corpses.

And at the end of 1944, when it was becoming a reality that the Allies were probably going to take back Poland, that Auschwitz would be found, the ten women in this photo were probably still working there. And they were making sure that the children who had somehow, against all odds, survived up to that point, were transferred to other camps to be murdered. Transfers, big or small, require paperwork. That these women typed up on typewriters.

This is a picture of a female ICE agent, from their website. I think those are French tips she has, to go with that blow-out. Pandora bracelet? I can't tell.

There is nothing in our biology that separates me from her. Or you. She is very much a person. You probably have things in common with her. So do I. So do the people she's arresting and shoving into a van to be detained, or worse.

"What kind of people could work for ICE right now?"

Just like in every other genocide, chances are, it's one of your neighbors. Someone you grew up with. Someone you had a class with. Someone who knows you. There's no monsters. It's just us. It has always just been us, the whole time. Don't ever forget it. Don't look at ICE agents as a monolith. Don't look at politicians as a monolith. They are a person. They are a person actively making a choice. They are choosing to get their nails done, before they go to work, and fill out the paperwork to transfer people to places they might not ever come back from.

Someone was asking in a thread what kind of people could work for ICE right now.

I think it's a good time to remember that the image above are the people who put children into gas chambers.

When I was little, I asked what kind of person could work at a concentration camp.

The answer to both questions I think is "normal people who have accepted the dehumanization of another group of people."