A two way radio is generally a handheld device that can be used for a variety of purposes. The most common and popular use of this type of a radio is for communication. Such a radio can be used for sending and receiving data or signals at the same time.
This makes these devices convenient to use. These days, two way radios come with a lot of features. These features have been added keeping in mind the needs of the users.
These radios are available in different price ranges. Most radios of this type are affordable. Also these radios are available in several different variants.
Every person uses a two way radio for different purposes. Therefore, the type of radio that is purchased by a customer depends upon the usage of the radio for the person. There are several things that have to be kept in mind when buying a two way radio.
One of the main considerations includes the basic components of the radio. One of the most important components that need to be checked is the battery. Most of these types of radios come with an internal rechargeable battery.
These batteries simply need charging for the radios to be used for a long time. One the other hand many radios come with replaceable batteries. In these radios, once the life of the batteries gets over, the batteries need to be replaced with new ones to continue using the radio.
Another factor that determines the two way radio that can be purchased is the features or the functions that are available in the radio. Many radios have special functions that attract a large number of customers.
Many times these radios have features that help in navigation or for outdoor activities like hunting etc. A lot of people prefer these types of radios. However, these are more expensive than the radios that have normal or ordinary functions.
One more thing that can be focused on when buying two way radios includes GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) channels. Most radios come with this feature so that the signal can be received more clearly.
This feature can also help one catch exclusive frequencies. The incorporation of this feature makes a two way radio more expensive than the normal radios.
The cost of this type of radio also needs to be considered before one can be purchased. These radios are generally affordable. However, if a person needs extra features in the radio, one has to spend a little more.
These types of radios are very useful and can be used for many types of activities. For making the best choice when this type of a radio has to be purchased, one must know about all the features that this type of radio offers or incorporates.
This will ensure that a person knows what features one wants in the two way radio that they are purchasing. This also ensures that a person makes the purchase within their budget and does not end up spending more for a 2 way radio that does not serve them and their business well.
Rob Burdett is from UK Radio Communications Ltd, the UK's Leading Provider of Two Way Radios for Schools, Pubs, Shopping Centres, Retailers and Businesses of all types.
With a fully secure and stocked online store, UK Radio Comms provide modern two way radios and radio communication equipment for hire and sale.
With radios available including Motorola Two Way Radios, Kenwood 2 Way Radio, ICOM and HYT, UK Radio Comms highly knowledgable and experienced staff can provide you with advice and guidance so you and your business gets exactly the right radio equipment for your needs and budget.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Buying a Two Way Radio
A two way radio is generally a handheld device that can be used for a variety of purposes. The most common and popular use of this type of a radio is for communication. Such a radio can be used for sending and receiving data or signals at the same time.
This makes these devices convenient to use. These days, two way radios come with a lot of features. These features have been added keeping in mind the needs of the users.
These radios are available in different price ranges. Most radios of this type are affordable. Also these radios are available in several different variants.
Every person uses a two way radio for different purposes. Therefore, the type of radio that is purchased by a customer depends upon the usage of the radio for the person. There are several things that have to be kept in mind when buying a two way radio.
One of the main considerations includes the basic components of the radio. One of the most important components that need to be checked is the battery. Most of these types of radios come with an internal rechargeable battery.
These batteries simply need charging for the radios to be used for a long time. One the other hand many radios come with replaceable batteries. In these radios, once the life of the batteries gets over, the batteries need to be replaced with new ones to continue using the radio.
Another factor that determines the two way radio that can be purchased is the features or the functions that are available in the radio. Many radios have special functions that attract a large number of customers.
Many times these radios have features that help in navigation or for outdoor activities like hunting etc. A lot of people prefer these types of radios. However, these are more expensive than the radios that have normal or ordinary functions.
One more thing that can be focused on when buying two way radios includes GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) channels. Most radios come with this feature so that the signal can be received more clearly.
This feature can also help one catch exclusive frequencies. The incorporation of this feature makes a two way radio more expensive than the normal radios.
The cost of this type of radio also needs to be considered before one can be purchased. These radios are generally affordable. However, if a person needs extra features in the radio, one has to spend a little more.
These types of radios are very useful and can be used for many types of activities. For making the best choice when this type of a radio has to be purchased, one must know about all the features that this type of radio offers or incorporates.
This will ensure that a person knows what features one wants in the two way radio that they are purchasing. This also ensures that a person makes the purchase within their budget and does not end up spending more for a 2 way radio that does not serve them and their business well.
Rob Burdett is from UK Radio Communications Ltd, the UK's Leading Provider of Two Way Radios for Schools, Pubs, Shopping Centres, Retailers and Businesses of all types.
With a fully secure and stocked online store, UK Radio Comms provide modern two way radios and radio communication equipment for hire and sale.
With radios available including Motorola Two Way Radios, Kenwood 2 Way Radio, ICOM and HYT, UK Radio Comms highly knowledgable and experienced staff can provide you with advice and guidance so you and your business gets exactly the right radio equipment for your needs and budget.
This makes these devices convenient to use. These days, two way radios come with a lot of features. These features have been added keeping in mind the needs of the users.
These radios are available in different price ranges. Most radios of this type are affordable. Also these radios are available in several different variants.
Every person uses a two way radio for different purposes. Therefore, the type of radio that is purchased by a customer depends upon the usage of the radio for the person. There are several things that have to be kept in mind when buying a two way radio.
One of the main considerations includes the basic components of the radio. One of the most important components that need to be checked is the battery. Most of these types of radios come with an internal rechargeable battery.
These batteries simply need charging for the radios to be used for a long time. One the other hand many radios come with replaceable batteries. In these radios, once the life of the batteries gets over, the batteries need to be replaced with new ones to continue using the radio.
Another factor that determines the two way radio that can be purchased is the features or the functions that are available in the radio. Many radios have special functions that attract a large number of customers.
Many times these radios have features that help in navigation or for outdoor activities like hunting etc. A lot of people prefer these types of radios. However, these are more expensive than the radios that have normal or ordinary functions.
One more thing that can be focused on when buying two way radios includes GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) channels. Most radios come with this feature so that the signal can be received more clearly.
This feature can also help one catch exclusive frequencies. The incorporation of this feature makes a two way radio more expensive than the normal radios.
The cost of this type of radio also needs to be considered before one can be purchased. These radios are generally affordable. However, if a person needs extra features in the radio, one has to spend a little more.
These types of radios are very useful and can be used for many types of activities. For making the best choice when this type of a radio has to be purchased, one must know about all the features that this type of radio offers or incorporates.
This will ensure that a person knows what features one wants in the two way radio that they are purchasing. This also ensures that a person makes the purchase within their budget and does not end up spending more for a 2 way radio that does not serve them and their business well.
Rob Burdett is from UK Radio Communications Ltd, the UK's Leading Provider of Two Way Radios for Schools, Pubs, Shopping Centres, Retailers and Businesses of all types.
With a fully secure and stocked online store, UK Radio Comms provide modern two way radios and radio communication equipment for hire and sale.
With radios available including Motorola Two Way Radios, Kenwood 2 Way Radio, ICOM and HYT, UK Radio Comms highly knowledgable and experienced staff can provide you with advice and guidance so you and your business gets exactly the right radio equipment for your needs and budget.
Sirius Radio - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know
Sirius radio, or more generally satellite radio, came out just a few years ago. If you've never listened to satellite radio or heard about it, this article is your lucky break.
What Is Satellite Radio?
Just like the name indicates, satellite radio uses satellites and related equipment to broadcast radio channels to car or home radios. The concept really received its impetus in 1992 when the FCC set aside a chunk of radio frequency for what they called Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS).
Five years later, Sirius Radio and XM Satellite Radio purchased licenses from the FCC, and both companies started putting the pieces into place to be able to start broadcasting.
Conventional radio waves can only travel 35 to 45 miles before they die out. The signal for satellite radio services is broadcast more than 20,000 miles above the Earth's surface.
Programming on satellite radio is subscriber based, meaning you pay a monthly fee to descramble the signal from the satellites. But, most satellite radio service comes commercial free, so you don't have to worry about channel hopping. Channels include music, talk radio, sporting events, kids programs, and news.
The Who's Who of Satellite Radio
There are currently three major players in the satellite radio game: Sirius radio, XM satellite radio, and WorldSpace.
Sirius radio covers North America, including the continental U.S., Canada, and Alaska. XM provides service in the continental U.S. WorldSpace is developing coverage in other parts of the world (Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America) and are definitely the most ambitious in terms of client coverage (a potential of 4.6 billion clients covered on 5 different continents).
Each company uses different satellite technology and methods to provide service in their respective areas.
Satellite radio equipment, such as car receivers and home stereos, are sold at a variety of consumer electronic stores, and are starting to become standard installations in new cars.
Conventional radios cannot receive satellite radio transmissions, so picking up the service usually entails purchasing a receiver, though some kits are available to make conventional radios satellite-radio compatible.
Because of the different technology each company utilizes, receivers are not compatible with every company. For example, if you subscribed to XM but then wanted to switch to Sirius radio, you would need to get a new receiver that was compatible with Sirius.
Some satellite television companies include satellite radio service in their channel packages, and you can receive the transmission through your television satellite dish.
How Does Satellite Radio Work?
This is the cool part. The music, talk show, sporting event, etc., are recorded digitally in a studio, after which the message is encoded. The encoded signal is sent to the satellites from ground stations (Sirius radio based in New York; XM based out of D.C.).
The satellites then relay the signal to receivers in your car or at home. The receivers contain chipsets that decode the signal and play it through you stereo. In urban areas where taller buildings might block the signal from the satellites, ground repeaters or transmitters are used to resend the signal, eliminating pockets of dead space.
XM uses two satellites to cover the continental United States with their signal. Sirius radio uses three satellites to form a satellite constellation.
The way they are set in orbit ensures that each satellite spends about 16 hours at a time covering the U.S. and that there is always at least one satellite over the U.S. at any given time.
WorldSpace satellites beam three signals each to increase the amount of territory they are able to cover with their three satellites. All three companies have reserve satellites ready to launch in case one of their satellites stops working.
What Is Satellite Radio?
Just like the name indicates, satellite radio uses satellites and related equipment to broadcast radio channels to car or home radios. The concept really received its impetus in 1992 when the FCC set aside a chunk of radio frequency for what they called Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS).
Five years later, Sirius Radio and XM Satellite Radio purchased licenses from the FCC, and both companies started putting the pieces into place to be able to start broadcasting.
Conventional radio waves can only travel 35 to 45 miles before they die out. The signal for satellite radio services is broadcast more than 20,000 miles above the Earth's surface.
Programming on satellite radio is subscriber based, meaning you pay a monthly fee to descramble the signal from the satellites. But, most satellite radio service comes commercial free, so you don't have to worry about channel hopping. Channels include music, talk radio, sporting events, kids programs, and news.
The Who's Who of Satellite Radio
There are currently three major players in the satellite radio game: Sirius radio, XM satellite radio, and WorldSpace.
Sirius radio covers North America, including the continental U.S., Canada, and Alaska. XM provides service in the continental U.S. WorldSpace is developing coverage in other parts of the world (Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America) and are definitely the most ambitious in terms of client coverage (a potential of 4.6 billion clients covered on 5 different continents).
Each company uses different satellite technology and methods to provide service in their respective areas.
Satellite radio equipment, such as car receivers and home stereos, are sold at a variety of consumer electronic stores, and are starting to become standard installations in new cars.
Conventional radios cannot receive satellite radio transmissions, so picking up the service usually entails purchasing a receiver, though some kits are available to make conventional radios satellite-radio compatible.
Because of the different technology each company utilizes, receivers are not compatible with every company. For example, if you subscribed to XM but then wanted to switch to Sirius radio, you would need to get a new receiver that was compatible with Sirius.
Some satellite television companies include satellite radio service in their channel packages, and you can receive the transmission through your television satellite dish.
How Does Satellite Radio Work?
This is the cool part. The music, talk show, sporting event, etc., are recorded digitally in a studio, after which the message is encoded. The encoded signal is sent to the satellites from ground stations (Sirius radio based in New York; XM based out of D.C.).
The satellites then relay the signal to receivers in your car or at home. The receivers contain chipsets that decode the signal and play it through you stereo. In urban areas where taller buildings might block the signal from the satellites, ground repeaters or transmitters are used to resend the signal, eliminating pockets of dead space.
XM uses two satellites to cover the continental United States with their signal. Sirius radio uses three satellites to form a satellite constellation.
The way they are set in orbit ensures that each satellite spends about 16 hours at a time covering the U.S. and that there is always at least one satellite over the U.S. at any given time.
WorldSpace satellites beam three signals each to increase the amount of territory they are able to cover with their three satellites. All three companies have reserve satellites ready to launch in case one of their satellites stops working.
5 Things to Consider When Buying a Shortwave Radio
1. Cost:
Hobbies can get as expensive as we let them. Shortwave radio listening is not as popular in the United States as it is in many other parts of the world. In all honesty, at times the prices of shortwave receiver sets in the United States can seem a little steep for what you are actually buying. This might be due at least in part to the fact that a good portion of amateur and shortwave radio dealers in the United States tend to rely on government purchases for revenue.
Even so, choosing a good shortwave receiver to be your primary workhorse needn't break the bank. Although there is no shortage of expensive radio gear, there are currently a few quality portable shortwave radios available to residents of the United States for affordable prices.
Fortunately, at this point in history people living inside the United States are not required to pay a receiver set license fee for shortwave radios as citizens residing elsewhere such as Europe might have to in order to fund public broadcasting. Today the prices of new shortwave radios in the United States range anywhere from around $40 or so for compact handheld receivers to upwards of several thousand dollars for advanced monitoring devices.
Finding the right shortwave receiver for your needs and budget first requires defining what you hope to be able to hear with your radio and how much that you are willing or able to spend.
Prices of medium sized portable shortwave radios at present in the United States range anywhere from just over $100 to around $500. Many of these middle of the road shortwave receivers tend to offer a good variety of features and functionality along with a price tag that is bearable for most who are serious about putting their radios to work.
Something to consider when budgeting for a shortwave radio is that, while additional equipment is not necessarily a requirement for one to be able to log shortwave broadcasts, having a decent external antenna can make all of the difference in the world for reception. Crafting homebrewed antennas is part of the fun for shortwave radio hobbyists.
Provided that you are willing to use your head and do a little soldering yourself, the price of such projects can be determined by the cost of materials or plans. Commercially available antennas come in many different forms and configurations. For less than $100 in today's prices a tuned dipole or compact active antenna can be attained.
2. Quality:
There are many different shortwave receivers on the market. Not all of them were built to last and, in some extreme cases, even work properly right off the shelf. Avoiding being stuck with a lemon by making the effort to do some homework before making a purchase can greatly increase your chances of finding shortwave radio listening to be a rewarding hobby from the start. As most salespeople would agree, it is generally accepted that you get what you pay for.
This is quite often the case but is not always true. The quality of a shortwave radio is ultimately dependent on the manufacturer and it stands to reason that there are many business models in existence that attempt to produce maximum financial gain from minimum input.
Talking to other shortwave hobbyists or doing some detective work on your own are good ways to learn about the pros and cons of different shortwave radio models, their reliability, as well as personal experiences with shortwave equipment dealers.
Participating in radio related internet forum discussions or going to radio club meetings can be a way to educate yourself. Reviews can be a helpful way to become familiar with many of the available features of various shortwave radio models as well as the quirks or undesirable aspects of particular radio sets. However, it is important to understand that some reviewers might give an opinion regarding a product which is biased because of their own interest in somehow making a profit from your purchase.
Therefore, taking in more than one or two reviews as well as talking to more experienced shortwave hobbyists is highly recommended as a means to gauge the quality of a particular shortwave radio set, manufacturer or distributor.
3. Functionality:
Aside from the ability for a particular radio to connect to and utilize various different external antennas, perhaps the most important defining aspect of a shortwave radio's capacity is limited by the frequencies which it can receive. When selecting a shortwave radio it is a good idea to make sure that it is capable of receiving in the different modes where transmissions that you would like to monitor occur.
The term "shortwave" has a broad scope and is generally used to refer to high frequency (HF) communications consisting of multiple "bands", or portions of the radio spectrum. Most commercially available shortwave radios provide access to the frequencies where large commercial shortwave stations transmit public broadcasts.
However, some radio monitoring hobbyists like to log aircraft, marine activity, or utilities such as beacons and may require special receivers which include frequency coverage which permits doing so. It is important to note that the definition of shortwave bands can vary and not all shortwave receivers cover the entire HF radio spectrum.
Some shortwave radios include coverage of bands where ham radio transmissions occur and many receivers include air traffic bands which are considered to be very high frequency (VHF). Due to the popularity of medium wave (MW) AM and FM radio stations, access to the commonly used bands may be included in the coverage of shortwave receivers.
Most of the real optional bells and whistles incorporated into modern shortwave radios are aimed at tuning methods. A lot of the specialized options related to shortwave tuning deal with being able to pull out or eliminate specific signals.
Display may feature a light or offer a utilitarian menu which enables access to the radio's features.It is not vital to understand the ins and outs all of the additional features available in shortwave radios to find a basic set which is suitable the needs of most beginner hobbyists.
By first gaining an understanding what you would like to listen to and then making sure that you will not be limited by your choice of equipment you should be able to ensure that you are satisfied with your purchase.
4. Size:
Commonly available shortwave radios for personal use come in sizes ranging from pocket or handheld models to tabletop sets. Handheld shortwave radios can be as small as the size of a wallet which enables portability with ease.
Depending on the model, pocket sided to medium sized shortwave receivers are for the most part very well suited for use in a wide range of places. Medium sized shortwave radios can be taken along when traveling as they are easy to pack in luggage and the built in antennas are often sufficient for acceptable reception of transmissions by large international and domestic broadcasters.
Medium sized receivers also make for good side table companions in bedrooms and many of them even tend to come with built in alarm clock features.
Larger tabletop shortwave radio sets are typically for stationary use and, although they are probably not the best suited place to set your cup of coffee on, they can be big enough that they can easily collect stacked clutter on their flat surface areas.
Despite having adopted the old ham radio terminology of "boat anchor" as a nickname due to their larger size and heft, many modern tabletop shortwave receivers offer all kinds of additional functions and features as well as improved ergonomics when compared to more compact radios.
The size of a shortwave radio can affect its functionality due to the omission or inclusion of basic characteristics such as the presence of a built in antenna, external antenna connectibility, or features including frequency coverage.
Although there may be a few exceptions, larger tabletop shortwave radios do not typically have built in antennas and are intended for use in environments where listeners have the space required to install a longwire or dipole antenna of some sort or another.
Active antennas do make it possible for sophisticated tabletop sets to be utilized in smaller settings and provide an alternative space saving solution but in some cases they can be costly and might not be considered ideal.
Many smaller shortwave radios do not have connectors which permit them to be readily interfaced with external antennas requiring plug in type jacks. However, many have used the argument that giving up a few options in a small receiver is a small sacrifice for being able to carry broadcast voices from around the world in the palm of your hand.
5. New or used?:
Lets face it, who wouldn't like to buy a new shortwave radio set if given the choice? However, as the current economic climate might be trying to teach some of us, sometimes being frugal and bargain hunting can serve to lead to an improved quality of life.
Even so, from time to time seeking deals that are too good too be true can result in unnecessary hassles when poor quality or irreparable faulty radios are passed on. Some people collect radios as if they were baseball cards. Occasionally extreme radiophiles and avid collectors give in to pleas from family members to make space around the house and cash in on their excesses.
Eventually we all pass away and if relatives have no use for the equipment we have collected it ends up in an estate sale. Many avid radio collectors and hobbyist shortwave listeners simply like to wheel and deal. There are plenty of places to find used shortwave radios including internet forums, auctions, established shortwave radio dealers and swap meets such as hamfests.
Hobbies can get as expensive as we let them. Shortwave radio listening is not as popular in the United States as it is in many other parts of the world. In all honesty, at times the prices of shortwave receiver sets in the United States can seem a little steep for what you are actually buying. This might be due at least in part to the fact that a good portion of amateur and shortwave radio dealers in the United States tend to rely on government purchases for revenue.
Even so, choosing a good shortwave receiver to be your primary workhorse needn't break the bank. Although there is no shortage of expensive radio gear, there are currently a few quality portable shortwave radios available to residents of the United States for affordable prices.
Fortunately, at this point in history people living inside the United States are not required to pay a receiver set license fee for shortwave radios as citizens residing elsewhere such as Europe might have to in order to fund public broadcasting. Today the prices of new shortwave radios in the United States range anywhere from around $40 or so for compact handheld receivers to upwards of several thousand dollars for advanced monitoring devices.
Finding the right shortwave receiver for your needs and budget first requires defining what you hope to be able to hear with your radio and how much that you are willing or able to spend.
Prices of medium sized portable shortwave radios at present in the United States range anywhere from just over $100 to around $500. Many of these middle of the road shortwave receivers tend to offer a good variety of features and functionality along with a price tag that is bearable for most who are serious about putting their radios to work.
Something to consider when budgeting for a shortwave radio is that, while additional equipment is not necessarily a requirement for one to be able to log shortwave broadcasts, having a decent external antenna can make all of the difference in the world for reception. Crafting homebrewed antennas is part of the fun for shortwave radio hobbyists.
Provided that you are willing to use your head and do a little soldering yourself, the price of such projects can be determined by the cost of materials or plans. Commercially available antennas come in many different forms and configurations. For less than $100 in today's prices a tuned dipole or compact active antenna can be attained.
2. Quality:
There are many different shortwave receivers on the market. Not all of them were built to last and, in some extreme cases, even work properly right off the shelf. Avoiding being stuck with a lemon by making the effort to do some homework before making a purchase can greatly increase your chances of finding shortwave radio listening to be a rewarding hobby from the start. As most salespeople would agree, it is generally accepted that you get what you pay for.
This is quite often the case but is not always true. The quality of a shortwave radio is ultimately dependent on the manufacturer and it stands to reason that there are many business models in existence that attempt to produce maximum financial gain from minimum input.
Talking to other shortwave hobbyists or doing some detective work on your own are good ways to learn about the pros and cons of different shortwave radio models, their reliability, as well as personal experiences with shortwave equipment dealers.
Participating in radio related internet forum discussions or going to radio club meetings can be a way to educate yourself. Reviews can be a helpful way to become familiar with many of the available features of various shortwave radio models as well as the quirks or undesirable aspects of particular radio sets. However, it is important to understand that some reviewers might give an opinion regarding a product which is biased because of their own interest in somehow making a profit from your purchase.
Therefore, taking in more than one or two reviews as well as talking to more experienced shortwave hobbyists is highly recommended as a means to gauge the quality of a particular shortwave radio set, manufacturer or distributor.
3. Functionality:
Aside from the ability for a particular radio to connect to and utilize various different external antennas, perhaps the most important defining aspect of a shortwave radio's capacity is limited by the frequencies which it can receive. When selecting a shortwave radio it is a good idea to make sure that it is capable of receiving in the different modes where transmissions that you would like to monitor occur.
The term "shortwave" has a broad scope and is generally used to refer to high frequency (HF) communications consisting of multiple "bands", or portions of the radio spectrum. Most commercially available shortwave radios provide access to the frequencies where large commercial shortwave stations transmit public broadcasts.
However, some radio monitoring hobbyists like to log aircraft, marine activity, or utilities such as beacons and may require special receivers which include frequency coverage which permits doing so. It is important to note that the definition of shortwave bands can vary and not all shortwave receivers cover the entire HF radio spectrum.
Some shortwave radios include coverage of bands where ham radio transmissions occur and many receivers include air traffic bands which are considered to be very high frequency (VHF). Due to the popularity of medium wave (MW) AM and FM radio stations, access to the commonly used bands may be included in the coverage of shortwave receivers.
Most of the real optional bells and whistles incorporated into modern shortwave radios are aimed at tuning methods. A lot of the specialized options related to shortwave tuning deal with being able to pull out or eliminate specific signals.
Display may feature a light or offer a utilitarian menu which enables access to the radio's features.It is not vital to understand the ins and outs all of the additional features available in shortwave radios to find a basic set which is suitable the needs of most beginner hobbyists.
By first gaining an understanding what you would like to listen to and then making sure that you will not be limited by your choice of equipment you should be able to ensure that you are satisfied with your purchase.
4. Size:
Commonly available shortwave radios for personal use come in sizes ranging from pocket or handheld models to tabletop sets. Handheld shortwave radios can be as small as the size of a wallet which enables portability with ease.
Depending on the model, pocket sided to medium sized shortwave receivers are for the most part very well suited for use in a wide range of places. Medium sized shortwave radios can be taken along when traveling as they are easy to pack in luggage and the built in antennas are often sufficient for acceptable reception of transmissions by large international and domestic broadcasters.
Medium sized receivers also make for good side table companions in bedrooms and many of them even tend to come with built in alarm clock features.
Larger tabletop shortwave radio sets are typically for stationary use and, although they are probably not the best suited place to set your cup of coffee on, they can be big enough that they can easily collect stacked clutter on their flat surface areas.
Despite having adopted the old ham radio terminology of "boat anchor" as a nickname due to their larger size and heft, many modern tabletop shortwave receivers offer all kinds of additional functions and features as well as improved ergonomics when compared to more compact radios.
The size of a shortwave radio can affect its functionality due to the omission or inclusion of basic characteristics such as the presence of a built in antenna, external antenna connectibility, or features including frequency coverage.
Although there may be a few exceptions, larger tabletop shortwave radios do not typically have built in antennas and are intended for use in environments where listeners have the space required to install a longwire or dipole antenna of some sort or another.
Active antennas do make it possible for sophisticated tabletop sets to be utilized in smaller settings and provide an alternative space saving solution but in some cases they can be costly and might not be considered ideal.
Many smaller shortwave radios do not have connectors which permit them to be readily interfaced with external antennas requiring plug in type jacks. However, many have used the argument that giving up a few options in a small receiver is a small sacrifice for being able to carry broadcast voices from around the world in the palm of your hand.
5. New or used?:
Lets face it, who wouldn't like to buy a new shortwave radio set if given the choice? However, as the current economic climate might be trying to teach some of us, sometimes being frugal and bargain hunting can serve to lead to an improved quality of life.
Even so, from time to time seeking deals that are too good too be true can result in unnecessary hassles when poor quality or irreparable faulty radios are passed on. Some people collect radios as if they were baseball cards. Occasionally extreme radiophiles and avid collectors give in to pleas from family members to make space around the house and cash in on their excesses.
Eventually we all pass away and if relatives have no use for the equipment we have collected it ends up in an estate sale. Many avid radio collectors and hobbyist shortwave listeners simply like to wheel and deal. There are plenty of places to find used shortwave radios including internet forums, auctions, established shortwave radio dealers and swap meets such as hamfests.
Old Radio Comedy Classics
Old Time Radio Comedy ran the spectrum from the early situation comedy of Jack Benny to the country style humor of Lum and Abner and everywhere in between.
America has a lasting love affair with comedy radio and those lovable personalities that made everyone burst out laughing.
Our Miss Brooks, Fibber McGee and Molly, The Life of Riley, Duffy's Tavern, Dean martin and Jerry Lewis, My Friend Irma, My Favorite Husband with Lucille Ball, Ozzie and Harriet, Abbott and Costello, The Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Minnie Pearl, Mae West, Amos and Andy, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Father Knows Best,
The Bickersons, The Aldrich Family, Bringing Up Father, Moon Mullins, Mel Blanc, Henry Morgan, Jean Shepherd, Stan Freberg and the list goes on and on!
Plus that's just the American Shows. Old Time Radio and thus Old Time Radio Comedy was a worldwide phenomena. With magnificent radio shows originating from England, Europe, Africa, Australia and elsewhere.
So, where to tap in to all of this wealth? The giant Old Time Radio archives to be found at such great OTR websites as Bookzap and Radio Treasury contain more comedy routines, shows and entertainment than most could listen to in a lifetime!
These two great sites have it all and with crystalline clear sound quality. Below are just a few of the most memorable and wqell loved old time radio show collections that you can acquire on Bookzap or Radio Treasury. Below at the end of this article you can find the link to these two exemplary websites.
Jack Benny, among the most beloved American entertainers of the 20th century, was know by many as the "King of Comedy". Jack Benny was an extraordinarily sweet comedian who could crwack you up wjust by looking at you!
Our Miss Brooks was a big comedy hit on radio from the beginning. Within just months of its debute the show landed several honors. It depicted a woman comic in a new way which was niether clutzy or scatterbrained.
Fibber McGee and Molly were arguable the most loveable couple on odl time radio. The Humor was so funny and the characters so familiar and memorable that this series ran in one form or another for about full two decades.
The Life of Riley,
The Life of Riley was an early version of a typical American situation comedy, it was co-developed by Gummo the non-performing member of the Marx Brother family. The Life of Riley appeared on both radio and television in the 1940s and 1950s.
It helped to introduce "nuclear family" concept to American broadcasting. THE LIFE OF RILEY was an early version of the "dumb husband" type of comedy, which is a formula often repeated still in TV sitcoms.
Duffy's Tavern
Duffy's Tavern was heard on the radio from 1940 to 1952 and was widely loved from the beginning by both critics and the working-class.
Though DUFFY'S TAVERN made the transition to television in 1954, it only lasted for one season. Duffy's Tavern ran for years on radio but didn't translate as well to film or television.
An American radio situation comedy which aired on both CBS and NBC, Duffy's Tavern often featured famous stage and film guest stars. But the show almost always centered around the misadventures, schemes, and romantic missteps of the title establishment's manager, Archie, played by Ed Gardner.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were a little-known vaudeville team when they made their screen debuts in a movie adaptation of the 1940s radio show MY FRIEND IRMA (1949). They became the biggest comedy team of the late 1940s and early 1950s.
They were especially a popular team in the 1950s, making many movies, television appearnces, and several comedy radio performances together.
My Friend Irma
My Friend Irma, created by writer-director-producer Cy Howard, was a top rated, long-running radio situation comedy. It was so popular in the late 1940s that its success escalated to films and television.
My Friend Irma, played by Marie Wilson, tells the tales of a very dim-witted blonde secretary named Irma Peterson, and the daily high-jinx that she gets into with her various screwy friends.
My Favorite Husband with Lucille Ball
My Favorite Husband was Lucille Ball's very popular late 1940s radio program which preceded her famous Lucy Ricardo character of I Love Lucy. Lucille Ball was one of radio and television's foremost pioneers, and many believe, the pre-eminent woman in the history of American comedy.
Ozzie and Harriet
Before they got their own radio show (1944), Ozzie and Harriet were regulars on Red Skelton's radio show. However, When Skelton was drafted into the military in 1944, Ozzie and Harriet were offered the vacated time slot. So they filled it with The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
The children of Ozzie and Harriet were originally played by actors. But were soon the actors were replaced by their own two sons, David and Ricky Nelson.
An early portrayal of the conventional American nuclear family, with Dad bringing home the bacon and Mom cooking it for him and the kids, Ozzie and Harriet was a very popular and entertaining show for many years on radio during the 40's and later TV during the 50's.
Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello were among the most successful comics at making the transition from burlesque to radio and film. A quintessential American comedy duo, Abbott and Costello's work in radio, film, and television made them one of the most popular comedy teams in history.
Not known for droll or witty humor, they were outright comics relying more on verbal than physical humor.
The Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were masters of slapstick and double entendre comedy which enabled them to get past the censors of their time. Somewhat less well know is the fact that they were also gifted they were also musicians.
The Marx brothers were American radio, stage, and film stars who during the 1930's domiated comedy with their lunatic antics.
W.C. Fields,
Of comedy Fields once said, "The funniest thing about comedy is that you never know why people laugh.
After Vaudeville, W.C. Fields made many films during his career, but he also continued to perform on the radio. Fields could always deliver the clever phrase, and he delighted radio listeners with his long standing feud with Charley McCarthy.
Amos and Andy
Amos and Andy were simple down to earth characters for the purpose of comedy. They were black characters portrayed by white actors wearing blackface makeup.
Amos and Andy were a very popular comedy team on radio, but NAACP objections to the show occurred because it was considered to stereotype African Americans.
Bob Hope,
Bob Hope was a comedian from the latter days of vaudeville who achieved wonderful success in radio and television. He was definately a triple-threat superstar of radio, film and television during the 1940s and 1950s.
Bob Hope, was the king of the spontaneous one-liner, a beloved performer, and a great supporter of our men in uniform. Bob Hope was among the first performers to entertain the troops.
George Burns and Gracie Allen
Burns and Allen were a very popular American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen.
Married for forty years, Burns and Allen first met on the vaudeville circuit in the 1920's. The were considered by many to be the finest husband/wife comedy team of all time.
Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best was first a radio series on NBC Radio. The show debuted in August of 1949. Four years later, the show moved to CBS television and was a popular TV series throughout the 1950's and early 60's.
It was a situational comedy in the setting of a typical Midwestern community. Father Knows Best's Andersons portrayed the ideal middle class American family.
America has a lasting love affair with comedy radio and those lovable personalities that made everyone burst out laughing.
Our Miss Brooks, Fibber McGee and Molly, The Life of Riley, Duffy's Tavern, Dean martin and Jerry Lewis, My Friend Irma, My Favorite Husband with Lucille Ball, Ozzie and Harriet, Abbott and Costello, The Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Minnie Pearl, Mae West, Amos and Andy, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Father Knows Best,
The Bickersons, The Aldrich Family, Bringing Up Father, Moon Mullins, Mel Blanc, Henry Morgan, Jean Shepherd, Stan Freberg and the list goes on and on!
Plus that's just the American Shows. Old Time Radio and thus Old Time Radio Comedy was a worldwide phenomena. With magnificent radio shows originating from England, Europe, Africa, Australia and elsewhere.
So, where to tap in to all of this wealth? The giant Old Time Radio archives to be found at such great OTR websites as Bookzap and Radio Treasury contain more comedy routines, shows and entertainment than most could listen to in a lifetime!
These two great sites have it all and with crystalline clear sound quality. Below are just a few of the most memorable and wqell loved old time radio show collections that you can acquire on Bookzap or Radio Treasury. Below at the end of this article you can find the link to these two exemplary websites.
Jack Benny, among the most beloved American entertainers of the 20th century, was know by many as the "King of Comedy". Jack Benny was an extraordinarily sweet comedian who could crwack you up wjust by looking at you!
Our Miss Brooks was a big comedy hit on radio from the beginning. Within just months of its debute the show landed several honors. It depicted a woman comic in a new way which was niether clutzy or scatterbrained.
Fibber McGee and Molly were arguable the most loveable couple on odl time radio. The Humor was so funny and the characters so familiar and memorable that this series ran in one form or another for about full two decades.
The Life of Riley,
The Life of Riley was an early version of a typical American situation comedy, it was co-developed by Gummo the non-performing member of the Marx Brother family. The Life of Riley appeared on both radio and television in the 1940s and 1950s.
It helped to introduce "nuclear family" concept to American broadcasting. THE LIFE OF RILEY was an early version of the "dumb husband" type of comedy, which is a formula often repeated still in TV sitcoms.
Duffy's Tavern
Duffy's Tavern was heard on the radio from 1940 to 1952 and was widely loved from the beginning by both critics and the working-class.
Though DUFFY'S TAVERN made the transition to television in 1954, it only lasted for one season. Duffy's Tavern ran for years on radio but didn't translate as well to film or television.
An American radio situation comedy which aired on both CBS and NBC, Duffy's Tavern often featured famous stage and film guest stars. But the show almost always centered around the misadventures, schemes, and romantic missteps of the title establishment's manager, Archie, played by Ed Gardner.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were a little-known vaudeville team when they made their screen debuts in a movie adaptation of the 1940s radio show MY FRIEND IRMA (1949). They became the biggest comedy team of the late 1940s and early 1950s.
They were especially a popular team in the 1950s, making many movies, television appearnces, and several comedy radio performances together.
My Friend Irma
My Friend Irma, created by writer-director-producer Cy Howard, was a top rated, long-running radio situation comedy. It was so popular in the late 1940s that its success escalated to films and television.
My Friend Irma, played by Marie Wilson, tells the tales of a very dim-witted blonde secretary named Irma Peterson, and the daily high-jinx that she gets into with her various screwy friends.
My Favorite Husband with Lucille Ball
My Favorite Husband was Lucille Ball's very popular late 1940s radio program which preceded her famous Lucy Ricardo character of I Love Lucy. Lucille Ball was one of radio and television's foremost pioneers, and many believe, the pre-eminent woman in the history of American comedy.
Ozzie and Harriet
Before they got their own radio show (1944), Ozzie and Harriet were regulars on Red Skelton's radio show. However, When Skelton was drafted into the military in 1944, Ozzie and Harriet were offered the vacated time slot. So they filled it with The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
The children of Ozzie and Harriet were originally played by actors. But were soon the actors were replaced by their own two sons, David and Ricky Nelson.
An early portrayal of the conventional American nuclear family, with Dad bringing home the bacon and Mom cooking it for him and the kids, Ozzie and Harriet was a very popular and entertaining show for many years on radio during the 40's and later TV during the 50's.
Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello were among the most successful comics at making the transition from burlesque to radio and film. A quintessential American comedy duo, Abbott and Costello's work in radio, film, and television made them one of the most popular comedy teams in history.
Not known for droll or witty humor, they were outright comics relying more on verbal than physical humor.
The Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were masters of slapstick and double entendre comedy which enabled them to get past the censors of their time. Somewhat less well know is the fact that they were also gifted they were also musicians.
The Marx brothers were American radio, stage, and film stars who during the 1930's domiated comedy with their lunatic antics.
W.C. Fields,
Of comedy Fields once said, "The funniest thing about comedy is that you never know why people laugh.
After Vaudeville, W.C. Fields made many films during his career, but he also continued to perform on the radio. Fields could always deliver the clever phrase, and he delighted radio listeners with his long standing feud with Charley McCarthy.
Amos and Andy
Amos and Andy were simple down to earth characters for the purpose of comedy. They were black characters portrayed by white actors wearing blackface makeup.
Amos and Andy were a very popular comedy team on radio, but NAACP objections to the show occurred because it was considered to stereotype African Americans.
Bob Hope,
Bob Hope was a comedian from the latter days of vaudeville who achieved wonderful success in radio and television. He was definately a triple-threat superstar of radio, film and television during the 1940s and 1950s.
Bob Hope, was the king of the spontaneous one-liner, a beloved performer, and a great supporter of our men in uniform. Bob Hope was among the first performers to entertain the troops.
George Burns and Gracie Allen
Burns and Allen were a very popular American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen.
Married for forty years, Burns and Allen first met on the vaudeville circuit in the 1920's. The were considered by many to be the finest husband/wife comedy team of all time.
Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best was first a radio series on NBC Radio. The show debuted in August of 1949. Four years later, the show moved to CBS television and was a popular TV series throughout the 1950's and early 60's.
It was a situational comedy in the setting of a typical Midwestern community. Father Knows Best's Andersons portrayed the ideal middle class American family.
Satellite Digital Audio Radio service(SDARS)
SDAR is a satellite-based direct-broadcast radio service in which
digitally encoded audio entertainment material is broadcast to
Earth-based receivers, either directly from an orbiting satellite, or from the satellite to
the receiver via a repeater station (This is a special case in which the receiver is in a
shielded location).
SDARS is a radio communication service through which audio
programming is digitally transmitted by one or more space stations directly to
fixed, mobile, and/or portable stations, and which may involve complementary
repeating terrestrial transmitters, telemetry, tracking and control facilities.
Through SDARS compact-disc quality audio is available because of digital transmition
is employed.
History of Satellite Radio:
Satellite radio is an idea over a decade long. In 1992, the U.S.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated a spectrum in the
"S" band (2.3 GHz) for nationwide broadcasting of satellite-based
Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS).
Only four companies applied for a
license to broadcast over that band. The FCC gave licenses
to two of these companies in 1997. CD Radio (now Sirius Satellite Radio) and
American Mobile Radio (now XM Satellite Radio) paid more than $80 million each
to use space in the S-band for digital satellite transmission. The first satellite based radio launched by XM on Sep 25, 2001, then followed by Sirius on July 1, 2002.
At this time, there are three space-based radio broadcasters:
Sirius Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
WorldSpace Satellite Radio
Importance and significance of Satellite radio:
We all have our favorite radio stations that we preset into our car
radios, flipping between them as we drive to and from work, on errands
and around town. But when you travel too far away from the source station, the
signal breaks up and fades into static.
Most radio signals can only travel about 30
or 40 miles from their source. On long trips that find you passing through
different cities, you might have to change radio stations every hour or so as the signals fade in
and out.
Now, imagine a radio station that can broadcast its signal from more than 22,000 miles (35,000 km) away and then come through on your car radio with complete clarity. One could drive
nearly hundreds of kilometers without ever having to change the radio station! Not
only would you never hear static interfering with your favorite tunes, but also the
music would be interrupted by few or no commercials.
Satellite radio companies are comparing
the significance of their service to the impact that cable TV had on
television 30 years ago. Listeners won't be able to pick up local stations using
satellite radio services, but they will have access to hundreds of stations offering a
variety of music genres. Each company has a different plan for its broadcasting
system, but the systems do share similarities.
XM Satellite Radio, Sirius Satellite
Radio and WorldSpace satellite individually provides digital-audio
radio services (SDARS), with commercial-free programming, digital-audio quality, and
countrywide coverage.
Each company offers nearly 100 channels of digital music and
talk radio (many of them commercial-free or with a reduced number of commercials)
that can be received from coast to coast with no service interruption. Each
offering number of music channels, these services clearly provides programming options
not available through traditional radio.
One of the main feature of SDARS is SDARS provides almost Commercial free (or Commercials are restricted) programs. And also it provides news, weather forecasts, and sports apart from
entertainment-based programs The primary application for this service is constant coast-to-coast coverage of radio for cars. We have all experienced the problem of trying to listen to radio on a long trip. Both AM and FM stations fade in and out as we drive into and out of their coverage
area. Portable full satellite radio service available now a days for
the car, home stereo and personal radio environments. Car manufacturers have been installing satellite radio receivers in some models for a few years now, and
several models of portable satellite radio receivers are available from a variety of
electronics companies.
Signal reception is generally poor as well as variable in the cases of AM or FM. With the SDARS systems, radio coverage throughout the 48 continental states is solid and continuous. Unlike
for AM and FM channels SDARS signals are available in a unique format
Subscription based radio service:
Because the technology requires access to a commercial satellite for
signal propagation; Satellite Radio services are commercial business
entities (not private parties), which offer a package of channels as part of their service
--requiring a subscription from end users to access its channels. Satellite
Radio Service can be subscribed at a monthly fee of $12.95 U.S. and up which
is very much worth full to the service that it gives.
Future of Satellite radio:
SDARS seems to get good market growth because of the following factors. Increasing
partnerships of XM and Sirius with Automobile OEM and distribution outlets made the
SDARS more popular. Introduction of more convenient hardware smaller and more
portable radios for the automobile as well as the home stereo,
computer and office and personal environments made possible at the
same time.
digitally encoded audio entertainment material is broadcast to
Earth-based receivers, either directly from an orbiting satellite, or from the satellite to
the receiver via a repeater station (This is a special case in which the receiver is in a
shielded location).
SDARS is a radio communication service through which audio
programming is digitally transmitted by one or more space stations directly to
fixed, mobile, and/or portable stations, and which may involve complementary
repeating terrestrial transmitters, telemetry, tracking and control facilities.
Through SDARS compact-disc quality audio is available because of digital transmition
is employed.
History of Satellite Radio:
Satellite radio is an idea over a decade long. In 1992, the U.S.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated a spectrum in the
"S" band (2.3 GHz) for nationwide broadcasting of satellite-based
Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS).
Only four companies applied for a
license to broadcast over that band. The FCC gave licenses
to two of these companies in 1997. CD Radio (now Sirius Satellite Radio) and
American Mobile Radio (now XM Satellite Radio) paid more than $80 million each
to use space in the S-band for digital satellite transmission. The first satellite based radio launched by XM on Sep 25, 2001, then followed by Sirius on July 1, 2002.
At this time, there are three space-based radio broadcasters:
Sirius Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
WorldSpace Satellite Radio
Importance and significance of Satellite radio:
We all have our favorite radio stations that we preset into our car
radios, flipping between them as we drive to and from work, on errands
and around town. But when you travel too far away from the source station, the
signal breaks up and fades into static.
Most radio signals can only travel about 30
or 40 miles from their source. On long trips that find you passing through
different cities, you might have to change radio stations every hour or so as the signals fade in
and out.
Now, imagine a radio station that can broadcast its signal from more than 22,000 miles (35,000 km) away and then come through on your car radio with complete clarity. One could drive
nearly hundreds of kilometers without ever having to change the radio station! Not
only would you never hear static interfering with your favorite tunes, but also the
music would be interrupted by few or no commercials.
Satellite radio companies are comparing
the significance of their service to the impact that cable TV had on
television 30 years ago. Listeners won't be able to pick up local stations using
satellite radio services, but they will have access to hundreds of stations offering a
variety of music genres. Each company has a different plan for its broadcasting
system, but the systems do share similarities.
XM Satellite Radio, Sirius Satellite
Radio and WorldSpace satellite individually provides digital-audio
radio services (SDARS), with commercial-free programming, digital-audio quality, and
countrywide coverage.
Each company offers nearly 100 channels of digital music and
talk radio (many of them commercial-free or with a reduced number of commercials)
that can be received from coast to coast with no service interruption. Each
offering number of music channels, these services clearly provides programming options
not available through traditional radio.
One of the main feature of SDARS is SDARS provides almost Commercial free (or Commercials are restricted) programs. And also it provides news, weather forecasts, and sports apart from
entertainment-based programs The primary application for this service is constant coast-to-coast coverage of radio for cars. We have all experienced the problem of trying to listen to radio on a long trip. Both AM and FM stations fade in and out as we drive into and out of their coverage
area. Portable full satellite radio service available now a days for
the car, home stereo and personal radio environments. Car manufacturers have been installing satellite radio receivers in some models for a few years now, and
several models of portable satellite radio receivers are available from a variety of
electronics companies.
Signal reception is generally poor as well as variable in the cases of AM or FM. With the SDARS systems, radio coverage throughout the 48 continental states is solid and continuous. Unlike
for AM and FM channels SDARS signals are available in a unique format
Subscription based radio service:
Because the technology requires access to a commercial satellite for
signal propagation; Satellite Radio services are commercial business
entities (not private parties), which offer a package of channels as part of their service
--requiring a subscription from end users to access its channels. Satellite
Radio Service can be subscribed at a monthly fee of $12.95 U.S. and up which
is very much worth full to the service that it gives.
Future of Satellite radio:
SDARS seems to get good market growth because of the following factors. Increasing
partnerships of XM and Sirius with Automobile OEM and distribution outlets made the
SDARS more popular. Introduction of more convenient hardware smaller and more
portable radios for the automobile as well as the home stereo,
computer and office and personal environments made possible at the
same time.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Radio Advertising
Direct response radio advertising, at its core, works in the same way regardless of what type of business you are in. Whether you own a direct-to-consumer model business, a retail business, a web business, or some combination thereof, direct response radio advertising can help you grow. And grow profitably. The fundamentals of direct response radio, then, must start with a discussion of how radio advertising works within the context of a basic business model. The purpose of this article is to convey the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising that apply across businesses.
First, Two Important Concepts
Throw out all you think you know about advertising, radio advertising, and especially direct response advertising. It's best to begin with a clean slate, a blank whiteboard so-to-speak. There are two important concepts I want to introduce before moving forward.
Concept One: Radio as A Highway From Your Business to Your Potential Customers
Think of radio advertising as a 5,000 lane highway from your business to groups (station audiences) of your potential customers. The many lanes on this highway are the many different radio stations and radio networks that are available for you air your radio advertisement. It is on these "lanes" that you send your message to your customers.The lanes are clustered in such a way that they reach groups collections of customers who have similar tastes and demographic profiles. Therefore, some of these lanes lead to groups that have a high concentration of people who match your target customer profile. As a result, advertising on those lanes (stations) is more profitable than others with a lower concentration of your target customer profile. These groupings are the radio formats, which are used in radio advertising to enhance the efficiency of, or return on, advertising efforts. Concept Two: Radio Advertising is a Profit-Driver, Not a Cost Center
At this juncture, the one thing many business people can't seem to put out of their mind is the one of "how much does it cost" to advertise on radio. We've written extensively about this question because it is one of the most common that we get. The problem is that embedded in this question is the presupposition that radio advertising is a cost. The concept that one needs to fully grasp is that radio advertising is not a cost center. That is, it does not stand alone without any relation to revenue or profit. It is detrimental to think of direct response radio advertising as a cost because that leads to managing as though it's a cost, which means minimizing or eliminating it. Contrast this with managing it like it's an investment, and maximizing the return you realize on it.
Direct response radio advertising - by its very definition - is a profit-driver. If it's not driving a profit, it would not exist - or at the very least it would not be called direct response radio advertising but instead "brand" or "awareness" advertising. Profitability is a fundamental aspect of direct response radio advertising.
On To the Fundamentals
Now that we've cleared our minds and allowed for two basic concepts about how to think about radio advertising, let's move on to the meat of the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising.
First, Two Important Concepts
Throw out all you think you know about advertising, radio advertising, and especially direct response advertising. It's best to begin with a clean slate, a blank whiteboard so-to-speak. There are two important concepts I want to introduce before moving forward.
Concept One: Radio as A Highway From Your Business to Your Potential Customers
Think of radio advertising as a 5,000 lane highway from your business to groups (station audiences) of your potential customers. The many lanes on this highway are the many different radio stations and radio networks that are available for you air your radio advertisement. It is on these "lanes" that you send your message to your customers.The lanes are clustered in such a way that they reach groups collections of customers who have similar tastes and demographic profiles. Therefore, some of these lanes lead to groups that have a high concentration of people who match your target customer profile. As a result, advertising on those lanes (stations) is more profitable than others with a lower concentration of your target customer profile. These groupings are the radio formats, which are used in radio advertising to enhance the efficiency of, or return on, advertising efforts. Concept Two: Radio Advertising is a Profit-Driver, Not a Cost Center
At this juncture, the one thing many business people can't seem to put out of their mind is the one of "how much does it cost" to advertise on radio. We've written extensively about this question because it is one of the most common that we get. The problem is that embedded in this question is the presupposition that radio advertising is a cost. The concept that one needs to fully grasp is that radio advertising is not a cost center. That is, it does not stand alone without any relation to revenue or profit. It is detrimental to think of direct response radio advertising as a cost because that leads to managing as though it's a cost, which means minimizing or eliminating it. Contrast this with managing it like it's an investment, and maximizing the return you realize on it.
Direct response radio advertising - by its very definition - is a profit-driver. If it's not driving a profit, it would not exist - or at the very least it would not be called direct response radio advertising but instead "brand" or "awareness" advertising. Profitability is a fundamental aspect of direct response radio advertising.
On To the Fundamentals
Now that we've cleared our minds and allowed for two basic concepts about how to think about radio advertising, let's move on to the meat of the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
MP3 Songs
MP3+G is a karaoke file format that was created to allow CD+G karaoke to be played from a personal computer easily and quickly. MP3+G is considered the de facto standard of karaoke on the PC and was created from the combination of the MP3 audio file (the CD audio is converted and compressed to MP3) and a raw CDG file which contains the RW subchannels from the CD+G track. The name MP3+G was first used by Gai Marcos and Steve Gray in late 1997 or early 1998 to describe the format. It was first called MM+G in early 1996 where it was a combination of various audio formats synchronized to a CDG file. MP3 and WMA became the most popular audio format used for karaoke and therefore MP3+G and WMA+G became the most popular formats used. Microsoft first unofficially adopted the WMA+G for use on the XBox for the XBox karaoke product.
The MP3+G format
MP3+G stands for MP3 plus Graphics. MP3+G is derived from the CD+G format and the CD+G disc format invented by Philips. MP3+G is created by extracting the CD-Audio packets from the CD+G disc with a CD-ROM that is capable of also extracting the RW channels from the disc. The digital audio portion is compressed to MP3 (the MP3 format was invented by Fraunhofer Society MP3.) and the RW Channels (CD+G graphics CD+G.) are stored to a CDG file. The player products read each file and synchronize the information to display the interpreted graphics along with the music.
Downloading MP3+G Files
It is possible to locate and download virtually every karaoke song ever produced. These song files are shared between users of certain newsgroups and IRC channels, though there is a great learning curve to overcome for those who are not familiar with such methods. An alternative would be to purchase one of the pre-compiled MP3+G collections, such as KaraMP3.
History of MP3+G
Gai Marcos and Steve Gray in late 1997 / early 1998 created MP3+G (Marcos, Gai (1998-01-01). President of TyrannoSoft. Gai Marcos. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. and Gray, Steve (2004-08-31). Background. Steve Gray. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.) and their focus was to make the CD+G format easier to use. It was introduced to the market as MP3+G during that period and caught on with karaoke enthusiasts. The first player that was provided to play and create the format was called "WinCDG". WinCDG and its descendant products were released by TyrannoSoft (owned and operated by Gai Marcos and Steve Gray). In 2001, TyrannoSoft renamed to TriceraSoft and continues to support the format in all their products.
The MP3+G format
MP3+G stands for MP3 plus Graphics. MP3+G is derived from the CD+G format and the CD+G disc format invented by Philips. MP3+G is created by extracting the CD-Audio packets from the CD+G disc with a CD-ROM that is capable of also extracting the RW channels from the disc. The digital audio portion is compressed to MP3 (the MP3 format was invented by Fraunhofer Society MP3.) and the RW Channels (CD+G graphics CD+G.) are stored to a CDG file. The player products read each file and synchronize the information to display the interpreted graphics along with the music.
Downloading MP3+G Files
It is possible to locate and download virtually every karaoke song ever produced. These song files are shared between users of certain newsgroups and IRC channels, though there is a great learning curve to overcome for those who are not familiar with such methods. An alternative would be to purchase one of the pre-compiled MP3+G collections, such as KaraMP3.
History of MP3+G
Gai Marcos and Steve Gray in late 1997 / early 1998 created MP3+G (Marcos, Gai (1998-01-01). President of TyrannoSoft. Gai Marcos. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. and Gray, Steve (2004-08-31). Background. Steve Gray. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.) and their focus was to make the CD+G format easier to use. It was introduced to the market as MP3+G during that period and caught on with karaoke enthusiasts. The first player that was provided to play and create the format was called "WinCDG". WinCDG and its descendant products were released by TyrannoSoft (owned and operated by Gai Marcos and Steve Gray). In 2001, TyrannoSoft renamed to TriceraSoft and continues to support the format in all their products.
MP3 8GB Players
Of all the MP3 8GB Players we have to start with the beautiful Apple iPod touch 8GB MP3 Player, with a backlit display and aspect ratio of 16:9 on a 3.5 inch 480 x 320 pixel screen the beautiful iPod is impressive. With a battery life of 22 hrs of audio listening and 5 hrs of video you know there will be enough time for just one more movie. The amazing feature of this iPod is the built in Wi-Fi support with integrated iTunes.
Next up is the Cowon iAudio D2 8GB MP3 Player with DAB Digital Radio, this is an impressive MP3 8GB Player with an FM radio receiver built in and the ability to view txt files on the 2.5 inch screen as well as record audio directly to MP3. An alarm clock is also included. You can also use this 8GB MP3 player as a USB storage device, now thats pretty neat.
Now we have the Cowon iAudio D2 MP3 8GB Player which does not include the radio, but still offers the voice recorder, 10 hrs of battery life when playing video files and a totally fantastic 52 hrs of audio playtime, 4 days of audio on one battery charge thats very impressive. MMC & SD expansion sockets are available and you are going to need them with 52 hrs of playtime to fill.
The iRiver Clix 2 MP3 8GB Player does not have a bookmarking facility but does offer 24 hrs battery life MP3,WMA,OGG file support, an FM radio recorder and is one of the few MP3 players that still suppports old Windows versions like Windows 98 SE / ME / 2000 and also XP or Vista.
With the new Nano out we must not forget to cover the Apple iPod nano MP3 8GB Player with a 2 inch LCD display and the weird blue-white LED Backlight these multi-colured Nano's look the business. Unfortunately they don't come with Firewire or a FM radio tuner, but you do get ID3 MP3 title/artist tag support and support for the following codecs AAC, MP3,VBR, WAV, AIFF, Audible. An aspect ratio of 4:3 offers a decent picture on the 2 inch screen.
The Samsung YP-S5 8GB Bluetooth MP3 Player with Slide Out Speakers is impressive and you can read about the 4GB Samsung MP3 Player here. The 8GB MP3 player version offers 24 hrs battery life and a USB charger capable of recharging in 5 hrs. This model support USB 2 for fast data transfer but will also work in the older USB 1 ports. A great feature of this player is Bluetooth support for connecting to external speakers.We arrive at the Sandisk Sansa View 8GB MP3 Player and see it offers 35 hours battery life from a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack and MicroSD memory expansion slots a jpeg picture viewer and bookmarking support.
Cowon iAudio 7 8GB MP3 Player offers a huge range of codecs including MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV and MPEG4 video playback and can be used as a 8GB USB data storage device. A very decent 95 dB signal to noice ratio means you won't hear any buzzing like you find on some cheaper units. A point worth noting is that this unit has a 3.5mm line-in jack plug for auxiliary device connection. Rock guitar connected to your MP3 anyone?The iRiver L Player MP3 8GB Player also offers 8GB of USB data storage and folder navigation so there will be no excuse for not keeping your MP3 files organised. The built in photo viewer supports JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF I mean GIF who will be watching GIF files on their MP3 system. With a SRS Wow 3D Sound system the dynamic sound output of this unit has to be heard to be believed. With USB 1.1/2.0 this unit will suite older computers that don't support high speed USB.
We are over half way now, so we better cover the iRiver E100 8GB MP3 Player this offers every conceivable version of ID3 tag support known to man ID3 V1 Tag, id3 v2 2.0, id3 v2 3.0 and id3 v2 4.0 and a MicroSD slot I'm assuming for all that tag information. This unit also displays JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF with PNG support should you ever have a need to view website graphics on your MP3 player!
Samsung YP-T10 8GB Bluetooth MP3 Player supports text only bookmarking and a FM recorder which sounds nice but does anyone ever use the recorder on their player. This 8GB MP3 player comes with special effects called street mode, clarity and sound feedback, I thought sound feedback was to be avoided!
Next up is the Cowon iAudio D2 8GB MP3 Player with DAB Digital Radio, this is an impressive MP3 8GB Player with an FM radio receiver built in and the ability to view txt files on the 2.5 inch screen as well as record audio directly to MP3. An alarm clock is also included. You can also use this 8GB MP3 player as a USB storage device, now thats pretty neat.
Now we have the Cowon iAudio D2 MP3 8GB Player which does not include the radio, but still offers the voice recorder, 10 hrs of battery life when playing video files and a totally fantastic 52 hrs of audio playtime, 4 days of audio on one battery charge thats very impressive. MMC & SD expansion sockets are available and you are going to need them with 52 hrs of playtime to fill.
The iRiver Clix 2 MP3 8GB Player does not have a bookmarking facility but does offer 24 hrs battery life MP3,WMA,OGG file support, an FM radio recorder and is one of the few MP3 players that still suppports old Windows versions like Windows 98 SE / ME / 2000 and also XP or Vista.
With the new Nano out we must not forget to cover the Apple iPod nano MP3 8GB Player with a 2 inch LCD display and the weird blue-white LED Backlight these multi-colured Nano's look the business. Unfortunately they don't come with Firewire or a FM radio tuner, but you do get ID3 MP3 title/artist tag support and support for the following codecs AAC, MP3,VBR, WAV, AIFF, Audible. An aspect ratio of 4:3 offers a decent picture on the 2 inch screen.
The Samsung YP-S5 8GB Bluetooth MP3 Player with Slide Out Speakers is impressive and you can read about the 4GB Samsung MP3 Player here. The 8GB MP3 player version offers 24 hrs battery life and a USB charger capable of recharging in 5 hrs. This model support USB 2 for fast data transfer but will also work in the older USB 1 ports. A great feature of this player is Bluetooth support for connecting to external speakers.We arrive at the Sandisk Sansa View 8GB MP3 Player and see it offers 35 hours battery life from a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack and MicroSD memory expansion slots a jpeg picture viewer and bookmarking support.
Cowon iAudio 7 8GB MP3 Player offers a huge range of codecs including MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV and MPEG4 video playback and can be used as a 8GB USB data storage device. A very decent 95 dB signal to noice ratio means you won't hear any buzzing like you find on some cheaper units. A point worth noting is that this unit has a 3.5mm line-in jack plug for auxiliary device connection. Rock guitar connected to your MP3 anyone?The iRiver L Player MP3 8GB Player also offers 8GB of USB data storage and folder navigation so there will be no excuse for not keeping your MP3 files organised. The built in photo viewer supports JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF I mean GIF who will be watching GIF files on their MP3 system. With a SRS Wow 3D Sound system the dynamic sound output of this unit has to be heard to be believed. With USB 1.1/2.0 this unit will suite older computers that don't support high speed USB.
We are over half way now, so we better cover the iRiver E100 8GB MP3 Player this offers every conceivable version of ID3 tag support known to man ID3 V1 Tag, id3 v2 2.0, id3 v2 3.0 and id3 v2 4.0 and a MicroSD slot I'm assuming for all that tag information. This unit also displays JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF with PNG support should you ever have a need to view website graphics on your MP3 player!
Samsung YP-T10 8GB Bluetooth MP3 Player supports text only bookmarking and a FM recorder which sounds nice but does anyone ever use the recorder on their player. This 8GB MP3 player comes with special effects called street mode, clarity and sound feedback, I thought sound feedback was to be avoided!
The Revolutionary MP3 Player
The MP3 player, which is a compression format that shrinks digital audio files with negligible sound-quality degradation, has revolutionized the way people can listen to music (MP3 Developments). The technological advances that the MP3 player has made were all possible due to its predecessors. The MP3 is incredibly small, dynamic, slim, easy to operate and lightweight to accommodate all types of people who might purchase and use one. The history of the MP3 player is extremely in depth and just recently, up for debate.
MP3 is short for MPEG Audio Layer III, which is a standard for audio compression, making music files smaller with the same type of sound quality they had in their bigger files (The History of MP3). Although Apple did not invent the MP3 player, its line called iPods, helped soar the MP3 to unprecedented popularity (What is an MP3 Player?). All the music can be stored on one device, which one downloads on to, making it portable and easily accessible. The user of the device can create song playlists tailored to their likes and wants. One can access files off the internet, either free or at a small fee, or could copy songs off their favorite CD's, to put on the MP3 player and listen to.
When Shawn Fanning started Napster in 2000, the online music base where downloading music was free, music moguls were scared that their industry and business would be ruined. CD sales, however, actually increased by 6 percent in the beginning of 2000 (Rage Against the Machines). Since Napster was founded, it has been reformatted to where the user now has to pay a fee and can then download music. Napster is not a free service anymore. Since these technological developments and advancements were making headway in the music world, this meant that profits would inevitably decrease for these music moguls who had already been in the business for more than sixty years. Technology made listening to music extremely easy (Rage Against the Machines). There have always been new forms of music emerging, new enemies that the competition or the already established companies had to deal with. It was a never-ending cycle and battle.In the 1920's and 30's the radio was seen as the foe. Record companies and musicians' unions would wage war with the radio stations that played recorded music instead of featuring the live performances (Rage Against the Machines).
In 1963 Philips presented the audio cassette tape, which in turn pivoted the rage and anger towards that market, instead of the radio (Rage Against the Machines). History repeats itself and with each new technology in the music world, the anger is directed towards the new implemented idea or product. These feelings by the various companies are inescapable.
Audio technology is forever improving its quality and technologies accessible to their clientele. In the early 19th century, the phonograph, invented by Thomas Edison, and the Gramophone, by Emile Berliner, were massive and bulky (MP3 Developments). Through the decades the music players changed, creating the small, compact image of today's standards. The very first successful recording device was developed in 1855, but that didn't really catch on to the mainstream audience until Edison's phonograph in 1877 (MP3 Developments). "Long players," more commonly known as LPs, came in 1947 with a face pace of 33 1/3 revolutions per minute, upping the ante for their predecessors MP3 Developments).
James Clerk Maxwell developed the theoretical basis for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in 1873, which paved the way for the radio to flourish. The radio was basically used for the military during World War I. When RCA, or the Radio Corporation of America, obtained the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1929, music as known presently, was initiated (MP3 Developments). The radio brought musical enjoyment to the masses. One could be sitting at home, in the car or at a public place, and could tune in to the station or programming that they wanted to listen to. This technology brought forth the idea of mobility.
The 8-track, invented by William Powell, came in the early 1960's. Music was masked by horrible sound quality because of misalignments in the tape and tape heads, which caused bleeds of other songs on the tape (MP3 Developments). There was only forty minutes of music on the whole 8-track.The average cassette tape did not reach homes until the late 1970's, but were previously used in recording studios since the 1950's (MP3 Developments). Cassettes were smaller than the 8-track, and had a higher sound quality. In 1979, Sony debuted the Walkman, which made cassette sales increase substantially in the 1980's. The compact disc, otherwise known as the CD, succeeded the cassette tape, in the late 1980's. The CD's used a digital storing system (MP3 Developments). The MP3, which will later be discussed, increased CD storage capabilities by ten times, not reducing the sound quality at all (MP3 Developments).
MP3 is short for MPEG Audio Layer III, which is a standard for audio compression, making music files smaller with the same type of sound quality they had in their bigger files (The History of MP3). Although Apple did not invent the MP3 player, its line called iPods, helped soar the MP3 to unprecedented popularity (What is an MP3 Player?). All the music can be stored on one device, which one downloads on to, making it portable and easily accessible. The user of the device can create song playlists tailored to their likes and wants. One can access files off the internet, either free or at a small fee, or could copy songs off their favorite CD's, to put on the MP3 player and listen to.
When Shawn Fanning started Napster in 2000, the online music base where downloading music was free, music moguls were scared that their industry and business would be ruined. CD sales, however, actually increased by 6 percent in the beginning of 2000 (Rage Against the Machines). Since Napster was founded, it has been reformatted to where the user now has to pay a fee and can then download music. Napster is not a free service anymore. Since these technological developments and advancements were making headway in the music world, this meant that profits would inevitably decrease for these music moguls who had already been in the business for more than sixty years. Technology made listening to music extremely easy (Rage Against the Machines). There have always been new forms of music emerging, new enemies that the competition or the already established companies had to deal with. It was a never-ending cycle and battle.In the 1920's and 30's the radio was seen as the foe. Record companies and musicians' unions would wage war with the radio stations that played recorded music instead of featuring the live performances (Rage Against the Machines).
In 1963 Philips presented the audio cassette tape, which in turn pivoted the rage and anger towards that market, instead of the radio (Rage Against the Machines). History repeats itself and with each new technology in the music world, the anger is directed towards the new implemented idea or product. These feelings by the various companies are inescapable.
Audio technology is forever improving its quality and technologies accessible to their clientele. In the early 19th century, the phonograph, invented by Thomas Edison, and the Gramophone, by Emile Berliner, were massive and bulky (MP3 Developments). Through the decades the music players changed, creating the small, compact image of today's standards. The very first successful recording device was developed in 1855, but that didn't really catch on to the mainstream audience until Edison's phonograph in 1877 (MP3 Developments). "Long players," more commonly known as LPs, came in 1947 with a face pace of 33 1/3 revolutions per minute, upping the ante for their predecessors MP3 Developments).
James Clerk Maxwell developed the theoretical basis for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in 1873, which paved the way for the radio to flourish. The radio was basically used for the military during World War I. When RCA, or the Radio Corporation of America, obtained the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1929, music as known presently, was initiated (MP3 Developments). The radio brought musical enjoyment to the masses. One could be sitting at home, in the car or at a public place, and could tune in to the station or programming that they wanted to listen to. This technology brought forth the idea of mobility.
The 8-track, invented by William Powell, came in the early 1960's. Music was masked by horrible sound quality because of misalignments in the tape and tape heads, which caused bleeds of other songs on the tape (MP3 Developments). There was only forty minutes of music on the whole 8-track.The average cassette tape did not reach homes until the late 1970's, but were previously used in recording studios since the 1950's (MP3 Developments). Cassettes were smaller than the 8-track, and had a higher sound quality. In 1979, Sony debuted the Walkman, which made cassette sales increase substantially in the 1980's. The compact disc, otherwise known as the CD, succeeded the cassette tape, in the late 1980's. The CD's used a digital storing system (MP3 Developments). The MP3, which will later be discussed, increased CD storage capabilities by ten times, not reducing the sound quality at all (MP3 Developments).
Hard drive mp3 players
Flash vs. Hard Drive
Most mp3 players can be split into two categories. Flash mp3 players or hard drive mp3 players. Flash mp3 players tend to be smaller, lighter, and cheaper. They also store less music, but make up for it by being able to handle more activity. Running, biking over rough terrain...and things of that sort are where flash mp3 players really outshine hard drive players. Flash mp3 players are most useful while working out or when buying an mp3 player on a budget. They are also upgradeable. You can swap out the memory card for a larger one to store more music if you decide you want a bigger player down the road.
Hard drive mp3 players are mostly known as "jukeboxes". Hard drive mp3 players are good for storing large music collections or as backup drives to store larger files(or with recent technological advancements...displaying pictures or playing videos). Hard drive players are great for taking away on extended trips or vacations. But hard drive mp3 players are pricey, and the more features they have, the more expensive they are. Though you are getting your based price per gig, the larger you go.
Features
Mp3 players have a variety of different features. From sound and audio options, to various play options. All mp3 players will also have different included software for downloading and managing music files, with some software packages being better than others. Things like battery life and included accessories may be important to you also, so make sure to check the specs of an mp3 player before purchasing it. Read some reviews and see if anyone has any negative things to say about it.
Some mp3 players will even allow you to rip CDs directly from an audio player to your mp3 player, no computer required. Players will also have different navigation types. Some using buttons, others using touch pads or click wheels. Some mp3 players come standard with an FM tuner, as well as digital voice and FM recording. Then there are players made specifically for sports use that come with lap timers and stopwatches and things of that nature.
Price
If you're looking to purchase an mp3 player for under $100 or so, flash mp3 players are going to be your best bet. Very few hard drive or larger file capacity mp3 players are available at that kind of price. But there is good news. With competition the way it is in the mp3 player market, older model mp3 players are always being made available at huge discounted prices, allowing you to save anywhere from $20 to $70 on some of the best mp3 players out there.
Brands
There are a lot of competing companies out there making mp3 players. Weeding out the top quality ones from the lesser ones isn't always easy. Some of my favorites are Apple, Creative Labs, Sandisk, Rio, iRiver and Archos. There are others, such as Nike or iAudio and more, but these are the main contenders. The Apple iPod is by far the most popular, most pervasive, coolest, and also most expensive mp3 player brand out there. Whether the price of the iPod is worth it, is your choice. Just make sure you get a good sense of what other mp3 player brands are out there, and what each of them are like.
Most mp3 players can be split into two categories. Flash mp3 players or hard drive mp3 players. Flash mp3 players tend to be smaller, lighter, and cheaper. They also store less music, but make up for it by being able to handle more activity. Running, biking over rough terrain...and things of that sort are where flash mp3 players really outshine hard drive players. Flash mp3 players are most useful while working out or when buying an mp3 player on a budget. They are also upgradeable. You can swap out the memory card for a larger one to store more music if you decide you want a bigger player down the road.
Hard drive mp3 players are mostly known as "jukeboxes". Hard drive mp3 players are good for storing large music collections or as backup drives to store larger files(or with recent technological advancements...displaying pictures or playing videos). Hard drive players are great for taking away on extended trips or vacations. But hard drive mp3 players are pricey, and the more features they have, the more expensive they are. Though you are getting your based price per gig, the larger you go.
Features
Mp3 players have a variety of different features. From sound and audio options, to various play options. All mp3 players will also have different included software for downloading and managing music files, with some software packages being better than others. Things like battery life and included accessories may be important to you also, so make sure to check the specs of an mp3 player before purchasing it. Read some reviews and see if anyone has any negative things to say about it.
Some mp3 players will even allow you to rip CDs directly from an audio player to your mp3 player, no computer required. Players will also have different navigation types. Some using buttons, others using touch pads or click wheels. Some mp3 players come standard with an FM tuner, as well as digital voice and FM recording. Then there are players made specifically for sports use that come with lap timers and stopwatches and things of that nature.
Price
If you're looking to purchase an mp3 player for under $100 or so, flash mp3 players are going to be your best bet. Very few hard drive or larger file capacity mp3 players are available at that kind of price. But there is good news. With competition the way it is in the mp3 player market, older model mp3 players are always being made available at huge discounted prices, allowing you to save anywhere from $20 to $70 on some of the best mp3 players out there.
Brands
There are a lot of competing companies out there making mp3 players. Weeding out the top quality ones from the lesser ones isn't always easy. Some of my favorites are Apple, Creative Labs, Sandisk, Rio, iRiver and Archos. There are others, such as Nike or iAudio and more, but these are the main contenders. The Apple iPod is by far the most popular, most pervasive, coolest, and also most expensive mp3 player brand out there. Whether the price of the iPod is worth it, is your choice. Just make sure you get a good sense of what other mp3 player brands are out there, and what each of them are like.
MP3 Player News
MP3 Player News
A portable mp3 player is the easiest way to take your favorite music with you anywhere you go and anytime. Mp3 players are more compact than a CD, and you don't have to take with you an entire box of CDs because the memory of an mp3 player can be up to 5 GB. Even if the capacity is huge sometimes, portable mp3 players are very small, design to fit in a small pocket, and sometimes fashionable as you will see in this mp3 player review.
If you decide to purchase an mp3 player, there are many models to choose from, and you should get familiarized with their features. Using an mp3 player review can help you to make your choice, as mp3 players are grouped into main categories by their memory type in any mp3 player review. Also, there are many more features that can make the difference between mp3 players.
Mp3 compatible CD players were the first mp3 players sold in stores. At that time they were considered very useful because an mp3 player can store up 10 times the amount of songs an audio CD can. The preferred mp3 players in any mp3 player review are those with flash memory. Mp3 players with hard drives or micro drives, have the largest capacity from all mp3 players.
Categories of mp3 players
Usually, mp3 players are grouped by their capacity and their ability to read different file types. The most common file types used to store music are mp3 and wma, and the physical support for data can be flash, micro drive, hard drive, or CD.
Flash memory mp3 players are the most popular. The most recent players have flash memory between 256 MB and 4 GB. If we consider the fact that the average length of a melody is 3 MB, it results that actual flash memory players can store between 80 and 1200 melodies. Flash memories have no moving parts, so the players can be easily manipulated without the risk of damaging it.
Micro drive mp3 players have much more storage space than flash memory players, varying from 5 GB to 10 GB. Hard drive mp3 players have the largest amount of memory for multimedia files. Mp3 compatible CD players became pretty old-fashioned due to their size. The CD can easily crash if you drop the CD player from your hands and the capacity of a CD is just 700 MB. You should check also for discounts if you want to save some money.
Nowadays many of the mp3 players also have lots of other interesting functions. A newer mp3 player can also FM radio, agenda, possibility to sort and group melodies, recording and playback capabilities as well as many others.
Other Features of MP3 Players
The newest mp3 players have wide color screens where you can play DVD quality movies. We can't finish this mp3 player review information without speaking about other important features of mp3 players, like voice recording or FM radio tuner and sometimes even TV tuner.An mp3 player with 5 GB of memory can record up to 40 hours of high quality sound. In the last two years, mp3 players have become the most common device for listening to music. Very small, portable, and with a large storage capacity, an mp3 player can also be fashionable.
How to Buy MP3 Players
If you want to buy MP3 player devices, it's not a difficult choice. There are players to respond to all kinds of needs. Here are a few tips on how to buy MP3 players that meet your expectations.If you want to listen to some music while jogging, then you probably need a light-weight device, such as a flash-memory player. Get the highest-capacity player you can afford
When you want to buy MP3 players, either flash or hard drive-based, make sure you get the model with the largest storage space within your price range. Some flash MP3 players use replaceable batteries, but most hard drive players have built-in rechargeable batteries that are hard to remove. Hard-drive players can keep playing for hours and hours.
A portable mp3 player is the easiest way to take your favorite music with you anywhere you go and anytime. Mp3 players are more compact than a CD, and you don't have to take with you an entire box of CDs because the memory of an mp3 player can be up to 5 GB. Even if the capacity is huge sometimes, portable mp3 players are very small, design to fit in a small pocket, and sometimes fashionable as you will see in this mp3 player review.
If you decide to purchase an mp3 player, there are many models to choose from, and you should get familiarized with their features. Using an mp3 player review can help you to make your choice, as mp3 players are grouped into main categories by their memory type in any mp3 player review. Also, there are many more features that can make the difference between mp3 players.
Mp3 compatible CD players were the first mp3 players sold in stores. At that time they were considered very useful because an mp3 player can store up 10 times the amount of songs an audio CD can. The preferred mp3 players in any mp3 player review are those with flash memory. Mp3 players with hard drives or micro drives, have the largest capacity from all mp3 players.
Categories of mp3 players
Usually, mp3 players are grouped by their capacity and their ability to read different file types. The most common file types used to store music are mp3 and wma, and the physical support for data can be flash, micro drive, hard drive, or CD.
Flash memory mp3 players are the most popular. The most recent players have flash memory between 256 MB and 4 GB. If we consider the fact that the average length of a melody is 3 MB, it results that actual flash memory players can store between 80 and 1200 melodies. Flash memories have no moving parts, so the players can be easily manipulated without the risk of damaging it.
Micro drive mp3 players have much more storage space than flash memory players, varying from 5 GB to 10 GB. Hard drive mp3 players have the largest amount of memory for multimedia files. Mp3 compatible CD players became pretty old-fashioned due to their size. The CD can easily crash if you drop the CD player from your hands and the capacity of a CD is just 700 MB. You should check also for discounts if you want to save some money.
Nowadays many of the mp3 players also have lots of other interesting functions. A newer mp3 player can also FM radio, agenda, possibility to sort and group melodies, recording and playback capabilities as well as many others.
Other Features of MP3 Players
The newest mp3 players have wide color screens where you can play DVD quality movies. We can't finish this mp3 player review information without speaking about other important features of mp3 players, like voice recording or FM radio tuner and sometimes even TV tuner.An mp3 player with 5 GB of memory can record up to 40 hours of high quality sound. In the last two years, mp3 players have become the most common device for listening to music. Very small, portable, and with a large storage capacity, an mp3 player can also be fashionable.
How to Buy MP3 Players
If you want to buy MP3 player devices, it's not a difficult choice. There are players to respond to all kinds of needs. Here are a few tips on how to buy MP3 players that meet your expectations.If you want to listen to some music while jogging, then you probably need a light-weight device, such as a flash-memory player. Get the highest-capacity player you can afford
When you want to buy MP3 players, either flash or hard drive-based, make sure you get the model with the largest storage space within your price range. Some flash MP3 players use replaceable batteries, but most hard drive players have built-in rechargeable batteries that are hard to remove. Hard-drive players can keep playing for hours and hours.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The Indian Humor Fm
The new face radio in the form of FM radio stations does give the same sense of personal touch to listeners as it gave during the years of its inception. Radio stations now offers programs on variety of themes. The Radio Jockeys or RJs have become household names and much popular among teenagers for their effective interaction and humour. The introduction of mobile phones with FM receiver was a significant leap that popularized the radio. Now everyone could listen to radio while going to work, in traffic, in homes etc. The FM stations besides giving a new face to radio also played a role in popularizing the local culture and highlighting the spirit of the people. Like many radio stations in Hyderabad makes one feel connected with the culture of city. The emergence of satellite radio has further expanded the horizons of radio broadcasting. As digital radio signal is transmitted through communications satellite one can listen to the same radio programs over a very large region. Due to its digital nature, the sound quality is sharp and the quality of programming is high. This resurgence of radio can be contributed to the entry of the private players in radio broadcasting sector, which completely transformed the way we listen to the radio.
The Radio
Radio has touched sentiments of vast section of Indian society. Many who are in their middle age can remember the days in the early 80's when in many homes the day started with familiar voice of Ameen Sayani in his program Binaka Geetmala on Radio Ceylon. It was much before the advent of television, that the Radio had become an integral part of an average Indian Middle Class family. The dependence on radio had gone to such an extent that families used to rely on timings of radio programs to do their activities. Many would relate starting of a particular radio program as timing to leave to their offices, sending kids to schools etc.
It was the All India Radio's main entertainment channel, Vividh Bharati, which was started in 1960's that first catered to the taste of Indian audiences. It ran programs like situational comedies, film music based programs, dramas, news, discussions and commentaries on various issues like health, cooking etc. With very less other mediums of entertainment besides films and radio offering easy and affordable mode of entertainment, it soon gained popularity among masses. Its flexibility, adaptability, extensive reach of Radio made it popular among every household in India and even attracted advertisers. It was the Vividh Bharati, which was going to set the precursor to the future of radio stations in India.
However, with the advent of Television in the mid 1980's, the radio began to loose its sheen as a potent entertainment media. Due to natural advantages of Television and its Audio-Visual nature, a large section of society shifted to television. The restrictive broadcasting and license policies of government also hampered the growth of radio in country. Even after having a good reach, the radio could not expand its penetration.
The Radio received a new lease of life when in July 1999 the government allowed private operators to enter the FM radio broadcasting sector. The first private FM radio station Radio City began its operation in Bangalore, Karnataka in October 2001. Soon licenses were issued to other private operators and now a range of private radio stations can be seen offering a quality programming content.
It was the All India Radio's main entertainment channel, Vividh Bharati, which was started in 1960's that first catered to the taste of Indian audiences. It ran programs like situational comedies, film music based programs, dramas, news, discussions and commentaries on various issues like health, cooking etc. With very less other mediums of entertainment besides films and radio offering easy and affordable mode of entertainment, it soon gained popularity among masses. Its flexibility, adaptability, extensive reach of Radio made it popular among every household in India and even attracted advertisers. It was the Vividh Bharati, which was going to set the precursor to the future of radio stations in India.
However, with the advent of Television in the mid 1980's, the radio began to loose its sheen as a potent entertainment media. Due to natural advantages of Television and its Audio-Visual nature, a large section of society shifted to television. The restrictive broadcasting and license policies of government also hampered the growth of radio in country. Even after having a good reach, the radio could not expand its penetration.
The Radio received a new lease of life when in July 1999 the government allowed private operators to enter the FM radio broadcasting sector. The first private FM radio station Radio City began its operation in Bangalore, Karnataka in October 2001. Soon licenses were issued to other private operators and now a range of private radio stations can be seen offering a quality programming content.
indian american music for u
American Indians are well-known for their sense of tradition. It is hard to keep American Indian traditions alive, especially in today's society. Despite being difficult to do, a large number of American Indians have done just that. One of the ways that they are able to keep the traditions that their ancestors started alive is through music.American Indian music is famous for its simple, yet amazing music. Unlike most modern music, American Indian music does not typically comprise of a wide variety of instruments. Many times, music is only performed with a flute and singing. Additional instruments can be used, but the flute is the most common instrument used in American Indian history. If an additional instrument is used it is likely a drum or a whistle.
As previously mentioned, it is difficult for many American Indian families to keep traditions alive and strong today. A large number of Indian tribes have created private schools on their reservations; however, not all American Indian children are able to attend them. Placing children in a private or public school puts them at risk for becoming interested in non-traditional activities that are not approved by American Indians.
To prevent traditions from dying, many American Indians have taken extra steps to ensure that American Indian music continues to live on in the heart and soul of newer generations. One of those steps includes teaching children how to play American Indian music and educating them on the history that surrounds the music they are playing. Many parents are working to teach their young to play and others have urged their children to take American Indian music lessons.American Indian music lessons are usually offered for free or for a small fee on most Indian reservations. The individual teaching the lessons is usually an older tribal member who is experienced and considered educated in the subject of music. In addition to teaching students to play the flute, drums, or whistle, they teach the history and importance of American Indian music.
As previously mentioned, it is difficult for many American Indian families to keep traditions alive and strong today. A large number of Indian tribes have created private schools on their reservations; however, not all American Indian children are able to attend them. Placing children in a private or public school puts them at risk for becoming interested in non-traditional activities that are not approved by American Indians.
To prevent traditions from dying, many American Indians have taken extra steps to ensure that American Indian music continues to live on in the heart and soul of newer generations. One of those steps includes teaching children how to play American Indian music and educating them on the history that surrounds the music they are playing. Many parents are working to teach their young to play and others have urged their children to take American Indian music lessons.American Indian music lessons are usually offered for free or for a small fee on most Indian reservations. The individual teaching the lessons is usually an older tribal member who is experienced and considered educated in the subject of music. In addition to teaching students to play the flute, drums, or whistle, they teach the history and importance of American Indian music.
indian western music
The Indian classical music system is horizontal; one note follows the other, while the Western music is vertical; many notes played at a time. Yehudi Menuhin, the noted musician, highlights the differentiates both systems by describing Indian music as: "for appreciating Indian music one has to adopt totally a different set of values... one must orientate oneself and at least for the concerned period, forget the passing of time and just sink into a kind of thematic, almost hypnotic trance. The rhythmic and melodic features of Indian music that are repetitive, acquires an extraordinary charm and fascination... despite the domination of this hypnotic mood's domination, which is an Indian music characteristic, actively frees the mind."
The place of "composition" in these two systems is notably different. In Western music, the music is first composed by the composer and arranges it in notation: then the musicians play this composition under the guidance of a music conductor. Here improvisation hardly takes place, and the performance value lies in the uniformity and the pre-determined conduct of tone and music speed (tempo). In Indian music, while the melody grammar and rhythm is fixed, the ingenuity and skill of the musician lies in his creativity and improvisation, especially in mood evocation and rasa of a particular raga.
In this context, an international musicologist has written: "In the West, solid blocks of music are constructed. After carving out like building stones, the seven degrees of diatonic scale, lined up and placed on top of each other with cleverly worked out harmony and counterpoint. In this way fantastic edifices in sound are erected.
In Indian classical music, no one can think of dividing sound into blocks; instead it is refined into a wire-thin thread. The sound is stretched out to refine it to an extreme point of delicacy... No standard materials, no building of three or five floors, but just like silk thread which unfold and rises and falls and evokes a world of sensations and feelings."In music of India, melody and rhythm offer a variety of subtleties, which is not possible in Western music. Indian notes are divided into units called shruties (22 microtones), whereas Western music consist of 12 semitones. The microtones are more subtle than semitones. These microtones adorned with gracetones (gamakas) create a magical effect.
The place of "composition" in these two systems is notably different. In Western music, the music is first composed by the composer and arranges it in notation: then the musicians play this composition under the guidance of a music conductor. Here improvisation hardly takes place, and the performance value lies in the uniformity and the pre-determined conduct of tone and music speed (tempo). In Indian music, while the melody grammar and rhythm is fixed, the ingenuity and skill of the musician lies in his creativity and improvisation, especially in mood evocation and rasa of a particular raga.
In this context, an international musicologist has written: "In the West, solid blocks of music are constructed. After carving out like building stones, the seven degrees of diatonic scale, lined up and placed on top of each other with cleverly worked out harmony and counterpoint. In this way fantastic edifices in sound are erected.
In Indian classical music, no one can think of dividing sound into blocks; instead it is refined into a wire-thin thread. The sound is stretched out to refine it to an extreme point of delicacy... No standard materials, no building of three or five floors, but just like silk thread which unfold and rises and falls and evokes a world of sensations and feelings."In music of India, melody and rhythm offer a variety of subtleties, which is not possible in Western music. Indian notes are divided into units called shruties (22 microtones), whereas Western music consist of 12 semitones. The microtones are more subtle than semitones. These microtones adorned with gracetones (gamakas) create a magical effect.
indian classical music
The Indian music characteristics are evident when you compare it with Western music. In both the systems you will find some essential differences: the Indian music is based on melody or single notes played in a given order, while the Western music is based on harmony: a group of notes known as chords played together.
Dr. Rabindranath Tagore who was well familiar with both the systems, explained the difference as follows: "The world by daylight stands for Western music which is a flowing concourse of vast harmony, composed of concord and discord and many disconnected fragments. And the night world stands for Indian music: one pure, deep and tender raga. Both, touches our heart, and yet both are contradictory in spirit. But this is natural. Nature, at the very root is divided into two, day and night, unity and variety, finite and infinite.
Indian men live in the realm of night; we are inspired by the sense of the One and Infinite. Indian music draws away the listener beyond the boundaries of daily joys and sorrows and takes us to the solitary space of renunciation which exists at the root of the universe, while Western music leads us to dance through a limitless rise and fall of human joy and grief.
" Indian classical music basically stirs our spiritual sense and discipline - a longing for realization of the self salvation. Singing is a worshipping act and not an intellectual exhibition of mastery on the technique of a raga. In Western culture, singing is a formal and secular exercise, and does not involve piety or devotion as compared to Indian music.The teacher-student (Guru-Shishya) tradition in Indian music is responsible for the deep dedication and attachment of the student to the teacher. In the West, a music teacher is taken as a hired person who teaches lessons and there is no deep attachment between the teacher and student.
Like Western music, Indian music too is based on melody and rhythm, but it has no foundation of harmony which is so significant in Western music. Indian music is "modal" - based on the relationship between the permanent individual notes known as tonic, with the successive notes. This is the reason why Tanpura (drone) is played in the background of Indian music which reminds one of the tonic notes.
Dr. Rabindranath Tagore who was well familiar with both the systems, explained the difference as follows: "The world by daylight stands for Western music which is a flowing concourse of vast harmony, composed of concord and discord and many disconnected fragments. And the night world stands for Indian music: one pure, deep and tender raga. Both, touches our heart, and yet both are contradictory in spirit. But this is natural. Nature, at the very root is divided into two, day and night, unity and variety, finite and infinite.
Indian men live in the realm of night; we are inspired by the sense of the One and Infinite. Indian music draws away the listener beyond the boundaries of daily joys and sorrows and takes us to the solitary space of renunciation which exists at the root of the universe, while Western music leads us to dance through a limitless rise and fall of human joy and grief.
" Indian classical music basically stirs our spiritual sense and discipline - a longing for realization of the self salvation. Singing is a worshipping act and not an intellectual exhibition of mastery on the technique of a raga. In Western culture, singing is a formal and secular exercise, and does not involve piety or devotion as compared to Indian music.The teacher-student (Guru-Shishya) tradition in Indian music is responsible for the deep dedication and attachment of the student to the teacher. In the West, a music teacher is taken as a hired person who teaches lessons and there is no deep attachment between the teacher and student.
Like Western music, Indian music too is based on melody and rhythm, but it has no foundation of harmony which is so significant in Western music. Indian music is "modal" - based on the relationship between the permanent individual notes known as tonic, with the successive notes. This is the reason why Tanpura (drone) is played in the background of Indian music which reminds one of the tonic notes.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
hotel californaia-evergreen music album
Hotel California is a music album which was released in the month of December in the year 1976 and it depicts the emotional exhaustion of the West Coast when the love and peace converted into Sceptical pleasure seeking. It was a soundtrack of immoral times and yet was able to sell about 16 million copies or may be more. This album is given by a band that has matured and learned the hard way that is by continuously touring for five years and constantly giving hit records. It is said by many famous personalities that this album explores the bottom of success and the dark side of paradise.
It is the title song of an album given by Eagles by the name of Eagles itself. It is one of the very popular songs from a rock oriented album. The original recorded voice in the title song is of Don Henley who himself had written the lyrics of the song. He has sung in lead voice while concluding the song with the music of electric guitar which was interplayed between Don Felder and Joe Walsh. This song was on the top 100 playlist of Billboard for a whole week in May 1977. The group crossed all the boundaries of rock with their music all over the world.
The band of Eagles got disbanded in 1982 and left behind a musical void which could only be filled by this spectacular album Eagles and became the world's most loved album due to this title song Hotel California. The Eagles had ruled the music world in the decade of 70s. They had achieved a whole lot of Platinum and Gold records, a number of awards and maintained the constant demand of music and live performances. Now, the latest six most respected and multi talented groups of musicians present a recreation of the song in their own versions.
Hotel California is the most recognized song among all classic rock songs and even among the complete Eagles collection. It narrates the story of a person who is driving through the highway and stops at a hotel for taking some rest when he gets tired but the hotel turns out to be a great pleasure place having a disturbing story. The people do not try to understand the actual meaning of the lyrics and generally figure out that the hotel would really be a lovely place and only if the song is heard carefully it can be well understood that there is a dark side of the hotel which is being talked about. The album contains a lot of other chart busters also like One of These nights, Take it Easy, Heartache Tonight, Take it to the Limit, Lyin' eyes, New Kid in Town, Witchy Woman, Desperado, Tequila Sunrise, Best of my Love and Life in the Fast Lane and many more recent releases like Love will keep us Alive and Get Over It.
It is the title song of an album given by Eagles by the name of Eagles itself. It is one of the very popular songs from a rock oriented album. The original recorded voice in the title song is of Don Henley who himself had written the lyrics of the song. He has sung in lead voice while concluding the song with the music of electric guitar which was interplayed between Don Felder and Joe Walsh. This song was on the top 100 playlist of Billboard for a whole week in May 1977. The group crossed all the boundaries of rock with their music all over the world.
The band of Eagles got disbanded in 1982 and left behind a musical void which could only be filled by this spectacular album Eagles and became the world's most loved album due to this title song Hotel California. The Eagles had ruled the music world in the decade of 70s. They had achieved a whole lot of Platinum and Gold records, a number of awards and maintained the constant demand of music and live performances. Now, the latest six most respected and multi talented groups of musicians present a recreation of the song in their own versions.
Hotel California is the most recognized song among all classic rock songs and even among the complete Eagles collection. It narrates the story of a person who is driving through the highway and stops at a hotel for taking some rest when he gets tired but the hotel turns out to be a great pleasure place having a disturbing story. The people do not try to understand the actual meaning of the lyrics and generally figure out that the hotel would really be a lovely place and only if the song is heard carefully it can be well understood that there is a dark side of the hotel which is being talked about. The album contains a lot of other chart busters also like One of These nights, Take it Easy, Heartache Tonight, Take it to the Limit, Lyin' eyes, New Kid in Town, Witchy Woman, Desperado, Tequila Sunrise, Best of my Love and Life in the Fast Lane and many more recent releases like Love will keep us Alive and Get Over It.
Hotel California
Those who can recall the song from their childhood memories, they can actually talk about the mystical meaning of the song. Originally the religious zealots felt and spread around that the song was about Satan or the Satan's church. The song started being considered as evil and the children were restrained from listening to the song without actually understanding the Hotel California Meaning.
Incidentally, other meanings were also being attached to the song for its theme like drug addiction, insanity, shallow relationships and temptation along with the theme of Satanism. The band members did not also break up the song, line wise and just spread the word around saying that it was about self indulgence. Don Henley who was the lyricist of the album also added that it was basically about the dark side of America and also about the excess of luxuries in the region. He also added that the concept of the album is not about the typical old West cowboy theme and rather was about urban theme trying to express the Meaning to Hotel California. Some people have also tried to capitalize on the success of the song as the owner of the hotel claims that his hotel has been the home for Eagles as it feels like they wrote the song while staying in the rooms of that hotel. Then eventually the rumours about the song turned into a legend of the song.
Some also say that Hotel California is a name of the state psychiatric hospital around Los Angeles, but no facts could be found to verify that. Some other rumours spread around about the album were like it is a place that is run by cannibals who allow only those guests who could be served for dinner or it is about addiction of drugs and the name of the hotel is a code word for the use and addiction of cocaine whereas the line '' the smell of colitis rising in the air'' was originally written in reference to the smell of burning Marijuana.
There was also a belief about the hotel that it represents the Satan master who was Aliester Crowley and the hotel was his mansion where all weird things used to happen. The nick name of Crowley was "The Beast" and in spite of all these rumours the song was still a huge success with all kinds of Meanings to Hotel California. The song ranked among the top 20 most favourite songs in the US. There is also no other opinion about the fact that the album was able to sell more than 16 million copies in the entire US and was also declared to be the number one album for eight weeks continuously in the year 1977.
Incidentally, other meanings were also being attached to the song for its theme like drug addiction, insanity, shallow relationships and temptation along with the theme of Satanism. The band members did not also break up the song, line wise and just spread the word around saying that it was about self indulgence. Don Henley who was the lyricist of the album also added that it was basically about the dark side of America and also about the excess of luxuries in the region. He also added that the concept of the album is not about the typical old West cowboy theme and rather was about urban theme trying to express the Meaning to Hotel California. Some people have also tried to capitalize on the success of the song as the owner of the hotel claims that his hotel has been the home for Eagles as it feels like they wrote the song while staying in the rooms of that hotel. Then eventually the rumours about the song turned into a legend of the song.
Some also say that Hotel California is a name of the state psychiatric hospital around Los Angeles, but no facts could be found to verify that. Some other rumours spread around about the album were like it is a place that is run by cannibals who allow only those guests who could be served for dinner or it is about addiction of drugs and the name of the hotel is a code word for the use and addiction of cocaine whereas the line '' the smell of colitis rising in the air'' was originally written in reference to the smell of burning Marijuana.
There was also a belief about the hotel that it represents the Satan master who was Aliester Crowley and the hotel was his mansion where all weird things used to happen. The nick name of Crowley was "The Beast" and in spite of all these rumours the song was still a huge success with all kinds of Meanings to Hotel California. The song ranked among the top 20 most favourite songs in the US. There is also no other opinion about the fact that the album was able to sell more than 16 million copies in the entire US and was also declared to be the number one album for eight weeks continuously in the year 1977.
brief history of 50cent
50 Cent (aka Curtis James Jackson) has been an explosive figure in the hip hop industry since his major label debut in 2003. Despite a hard childhood and youth, he has managed to pull himself out of the streets with unique rhymes and an ear for finding other rap talents.50 Cent became rap's golden boy when he was signed for a reported one million with Eminem's Shady/Aftermath label. Emininem and rap superstar Dr. Dre built upon 50's already present talent to create the monster single "In Da Club." This 50 Cent song was featured on his first major label album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" which was released in 2003. The 50 Cent video for the song included appearances by both Eminem and Dr. Dre, which catapulted his success.
After the success of the album, Interscope records granted 50 cent with his own record label G-Unit Records. He immediately signed Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, childhood friends, for the label. He joined these artists in a group called G-Unit, which released "Beg for Mercy" in 2003. Later additions the label included Young Buck, Olivia, Mob Deep and Young Hot Rod. 2008 saw a second album from the G-Unit group called "T.O.S: Terminate on Sight".
At the same time, he began work on his second studio release entitled "The Massacre." The album sold 1.14 million copies in the first four days. The 50 Cent videos for "Candy Shop," "Disco Inferno" and "How We Do" helped place those three songs within the top five Billboard singles in the same week.50 Cent's success is driven by his desire to overcome his rough childhood and the shooting in May 2000 that put his rap career on hold. He was born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York to a teenage mother. He was raised by his grandparents after his mother's murder when he was 8. By 12, 50 Cent was selling crack on the streets and taking guns to school. After several arrests during his late teens, he started to become interested in music.
During the late 1990s, he appeared on several records by other artists and was signed to Columbia records in 1999. He recorded thirty-six songs in two weeks and was prepared to release "Power of the Dollar" when he was shot. 50 Cent was attacked outside of his grandparent's home and was shot nine times. His shooter was never officially charged but was killed in the streets three weeks later. In 50 Cent pictures before and after the shooting, one can see the slight damage to his left cheek from the shooting.
Columbia records dropped the artist immediately, considering him too risky. However, this didn't stop his desire to become a rap star. While 50 Cent was recovering, he recorded thirty songs for rap mix tapes, which helped him build his reputation. It was on one of these mix tapes where Eminem first heard his music.
After the success of the album, Interscope records granted 50 cent with his own record label G-Unit Records. He immediately signed Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, childhood friends, for the label. He joined these artists in a group called G-Unit, which released "Beg for Mercy" in 2003. Later additions the label included Young Buck, Olivia, Mob Deep and Young Hot Rod. 2008 saw a second album from the G-Unit group called "T.O.S: Terminate on Sight".
At the same time, he began work on his second studio release entitled "The Massacre." The album sold 1.14 million copies in the first four days. The 50 Cent videos for "Candy Shop," "Disco Inferno" and "How We Do" helped place those three songs within the top five Billboard singles in the same week.50 Cent's success is driven by his desire to overcome his rough childhood and the shooting in May 2000 that put his rap career on hold. He was born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York to a teenage mother. He was raised by his grandparents after his mother's murder when he was 8. By 12, 50 Cent was selling crack on the streets and taking guns to school. After several arrests during his late teens, he started to become interested in music.
During the late 1990s, he appeared on several records by other artists and was signed to Columbia records in 1999. He recorded thirty-six songs in two weeks and was prepared to release "Power of the Dollar" when he was shot. 50 Cent was attacked outside of his grandparent's home and was shot nine times. His shooter was never officially charged but was killed in the streets three weeks later. In 50 Cent pictures before and after the shooting, one can see the slight damage to his left cheek from the shooting.
Columbia records dropped the artist immediately, considering him too risky. However, this didn't stop his desire to become a rap star. While 50 Cent was recovering, he recorded thirty songs for rap mix tapes, which helped him build his reputation. It was on one of these mix tapes where Eminem first heard his music.
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