But wait. Websites and software projects are two things in this world that are never done.

So, the saga continues: Features, bug fixes, and tweaks oh my.

Step 1 is certainly done. We have a useful home for artists, providing some basic tools for their online quest to connect with listeners. Sure, it is rough. Sure, it needs more work. But it is there, and functioning, and seemingly semi-attractive in its current state. People I don't know are telling other people I don't know that we exist: I'm happy.

But Step 1 is only Step 1 in a series, right? Of course!

Here is how I see it present. I'd love this to be a dialogue. A dialogue needs to start somewhere, so here is the current somewhere for interested eyes:

Step 1: Create the ability for artists to host and distribute their music on a decent looking website
Step 2: Refine the tools given to artists based on their feedback and needs, ensuring that we indeed have THE badass home for independent musicians, DIY musicians, rebellious label musicians, etc.
Step 3: Slowly spread the word and gain the momentum and support of artists and amass a sizable collection of awesome music
Step 4: Create a listener-centric sister site to alonetone, that helps new listeners find music that they love, drawing from the nice big pool of alonetone music

I won't detail what is beyond Step 4, though it is tempting to speculate!

Actually, these are less steps then they are goals - both lofty and 100% attainable, flexible and up for discussion. At time of writing, we've delivered 9658 tracks to musicians and visitors from 70 countries through alonetone.com, facebook and itunes. In a little more than a month. Not bad.

I have more ideas than time. This is not a strange feeling for someone who programs the ones and zeros. Heck, this is not a strange feeling for a musician. There are 1000 ways you can play that C-F-G, which one will you choose? It can be a tough call.

Sometimes, you just need some time and space - or friends to bounce around ideas with.

I'm doing my best to filter through ideas and come up with the best implementations.

But I need some help. When you get ideas, throw them at me like hot potatoes. How could this work well? My "vision" is not more important or refined than yours. If anything, I'm stuck in the detail work and need those words to leave your brain and enter mine to remind me of the bigger picture.

I decided to go to work. I decided to go to work, for me, my music and for you, and your music, and hopefully for many more musicians whose options currently consist of signing their life away on the dotted line, giving their music to online companies who profit from their 'content,' struggling to make it, or simply deciding to remain in total obscurity. I'm not going to falsely promise that you'll get anywhere by signing up and uploading your tracks to alonetone. Fuck that. That is what we are rebelling against here. What I do promise is that we have the same amount of power as any record label or online multimillon dollar startup business. Seriously, we are small, in charge, agile, and have the right tools - and we're doing it from a place of love.

So, pretend you hired me to build this site and tell me - what is working, and what is not? What do you dream of? What little tweak would make your day? The more you drill it in to me, the better. The small and the big. I will tell you - this is hard work - each detail can take a fair bit of time. I can't promise to obey one person or fulfill all ideas or implementations. But I love to listen, and I need your help to make this place sparkle. Speak up!

Oh, and we're hiring.

The alonetone source code is as of tonight publicly available and I'm looking for a hand (design & ruby/rails programming) in maintaining what is sure to become a beast. The work is hard, the pay does not exist, and the standards are pretty high - in short, reserve a seat as soon as you can.

(also posted on the alonetone update page and the alonetone forums on modernthings)

lets say
you find something you love
you
fight for it
work for it
make it yours
and give your hours to it

why would you turn from it?

because you don't see others as excited as you about it?
because it turned out to be different then you expected?
because you hurt yourself or others in the process?

because you believe that you
lack the ability to follow through
were kidding yourself to begin with
were young then
were inexperienced
didn't have the natural talent to continue
were doing it for other people?

these are not reasons to turn
from something you love
because by turning
you'll only build resentment/regret
and even the best excuses
will not mask the fact that in reality
you simply turned from what you love

so please follow through
take the time to be honest
sit your ass down
do the work you know it takes
it is easier than you think
and failing to do so
is failing to live/love

only if you have fallen out of love/desire
could you turn from this and be happy
in all other cases
you are simply procrastinating
which is ok for a little time
to give yourself some breathing room
but not ok for a lifetime
as it will smother your happiness

take the time
and do it
because it certainly matters
else you would not be
inventing excuses
and reminding yourself
to make a decision
remember?

In the home stretch to bring alonetone to version 1 (yeah, I’ve been saying it for weeks, but we’re finally getting there, folks) alonetone gets a flash player.

That means? For any playlist on alonetone, click share, copy the code, and you get this:

and for single songs:

Exciting, eh?

Oh, and we’re dynamically generating podcasts for every user now. What fun! Submit them to apple, and in 3 days your latest music shows up in iTunes. Oooooooh.

The facebook application should be rolling in the next two weeks, and then I’m going to take a nice little vacation from programming in my free time and get back to the music.

Back from vacation, I put in a good amount of work to move alonetone closer to a stable release.

A few of the new treats!

• You can now upload a zip file of mp3s
• Musicians can create playlists and add any track on the site
• Playlists can be easily reordered
• Musicians get an overview of who is listening to their stuff and when
• The 'bug report' area in the bottom right is working, so please submit your comments!
• Very rudimentary sharing functionality implemented

We're probably another two weeks from a solid release, when I'll start shouting down the internet corridors asking the general public to signup.

There's still some juicy stuff coming, including some kick ass options for taking the music off-site, and (ahem!) a general cleanup of the design and look and feel.

I'd LOVE to have more feedback - go on already and sign up on alonetone! Even if you are not a musician you can still browse and create playlists from the growing collection of wonderful music that is up there.

OY!

I didn't make it guys :(

I've still got a chunk of work to clean up the rough edges, so it's going to be 2 weeks or so before it is really ready.

Anyone ITCHING to try it out, please sign up at your own risk!

I'll be computer less for a week (VERY HAPPY about this), and then back to clean it up and get everything working.

Most of the hard work is done, so I'm going to release the first version of alonetone sometime in the next two days!

The feature set it is launching with is nice and simple:

• Upload mp3s (unlimited and unmetered) several at a time
• Browse the music of others, stream each song live or download
• Create albums/playlists of your own and other's mp3s
• Browse what other people have been listening to
• Get stats about who/when/where people are listening to your music
• A plethra of sharing/exporting options
• No advertisements making money off your music or companies with mysterious agendas
• No promises of this being the first step to your fabulous career
• Created and maintained by an actual user of the site (that'd be moi!)

Watch this space for the link so you can be one of the first to try it out!

Here is the view from the front door of our flat:

Here is what my current work/music setup looks like (I finally got a pair of studio monitors):

Here is what alonetone version 1 looks like (coming by the end of this week!)

Here is me running through a song I have big plans for. I really love this guitar part, and have a nice bassline to go with.

Meanwhile, I've been spending my nights moving alonetone along. It's almost ready to handle a couple brave souls who want to play with it in über-beta.

Hi!

I've been pouring 80% of my free creative energy towards getting the first iteration of aLoneTone.com online.

What is alonetone?

• A "home" for DIY musicians to easily and freely upload, publish, share, and organize their own music
• A way for musicians to more easily connect to a shared audience (bypassing industry, taking advantage of our collective network, etc)
• A place where listeners and fans of the musicians can "reach through the musicians they know" and find other artists making great free music.

How is alonetone different then XYZ?

• Not a company, just a community. Free of advertising or costs. Music centered, not industry centered.
• No hype, or imaginary promises of this being 'first step to get into the industry!!!!'
• Makes it much simpler then existing tools to share and track listens on uploaded music, without limits or charges.
• Casual listeners and passerbys are presented with the favorites of the artist community. If they are visiting one artist they know/love, they have the option explore the site from the point of view of that artist's taste.

Really, when it first launches (really really soon now) it's going to be a pretty basic tool for artists. We'll see what direction it takes.

So - I would love your help in picking a logo. 3 wonderful and talented designers have been kind enough to cook up one or two logos each, and we now have so many choices for a logo that I really can't settle on anything. Each of these is just a first sketch, so just let me know which one captures you the most!

Here they are, let me know what you think in the comments:

Written years ago with a heaping of helpings from Bennemy Ribbles.

Lyrics written a little over in 2005 somewhere in Europe.

Played often in Portugal, in the subways in Lisbon, and in Innsbruck.

Recorded once upon a time in lisbon at a friends, but low-fi and single track.

I play it sometimes around the house.

I woke up today early at 8am and suddenly thought - "Work can wait, maybe I'll do some recording"

Holding to the 'release early, release often' ideal, here's what I have as of noon. Next up: Piano, and filling the chorus out.

Something came to me. I was in a Doctors office. I scribbled the following down on a blank prescription:

To create is a human need. To create often is a human achievement and difficult. To create high quality things often harder still. The hardest? To create high quality things often without resorting to pretension, obscurity or arrogance.

Now, since 'high quality' is extremely subjective, does it deserve to be a part of this equation? Also, is obscurity a negative thing necessarily? Maybe in the extreme it is tiresome. 'To create' is pretty loose - I guess I'm talking about creation not in the sense of creating a life, or living creatively as much as producing things to share with other human beings.

Maybe talking about all of this is pretentious...

I'm juggling 3 songs right now, none of them want to birth quite yet, but I'm getting my studio stack tuned and hopefully will pump out at least a few rough cuts soon.

The last one I did any recording on was "Lay down and weep"

Here's the first taste, which a few of you guys have heard already!

Marlena sings on this one.

We're pretty much settled in our new Innsbruck flat.

I'm going to throw up some in-progress music stuff in the next few days.

The mantra for programming and music should be the same:

Release early, Release often!

(click here for more innsbruck photos)

Here you go aaron.

I recorded it for you:

Seeing all the wonderful activity on the ModernThings Forum inspired me to shut up and record something.

I'm still lagging behind on getting old tunes down on tape. My uhh..tape is actually not working, so here's a vid!