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Soundcheck

Thursday, March 15, 2007
  • midomi.com screanshot

    Brought to you by…YOU

    User generated content is the catch phrase of our time, behind sites like YouTube, MySpace, and now Midomi.com, a website that recognizes songs as you sing them. On today’s show, we look at the upsides and downsides of democratically produced content. Also: South African singer-songwriter Vusi Mahlasela performs live.

Sing A Song With Me

A new Web site called Midomi.com gives you a whole new avenue for showing off your vocal prowess. All you need is a computer, a microphone and a song that you can sing or hum a few bars of. The site is designed to recognize that song and cross-reference it with a library of songs that includes versions by other members. We give the service a spin and talk with Midomi's VP of Business Development, Amir Arbabi, about how it works.

Wide Web of Exhibitionists

User generated content is the catch phrase of our time, behind sites like YouTube, MySpace, and now Midomi.com, a website that recognizes songs as you sing them. But is all this democracy such a good thing? Jeff Howe, contributing editor at WIRED, weighs in on the upsides, and downsides, of outsourcing to the crowd.

Jeff Howe's Blog

South Africa's Vusi Mahlasela

Singer-songwriter Vusi Mahlasela was one of the big voices of South African music during Apartheid. His latest album is called "Guiding Star" and he performs live in the Soundcheck Studio.

Vusi Mahlasela's website

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

Soundcheck

The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: Stephanie McKay

Soundcheck

The local singer-songwriter performs "Jackson Avenue," a nostalgic toast to her childhood in the South Bronx.

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.