Tag Archives: live music archive

Audio / Video player updated – to jwplayer v8.2

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We updated our audio/video (and TV) 3rd party JS-based player from v6.8 to v8.2 today.

This was updated with some code to have the same feature set as before, as well as new:

  • much nicer cosmetic/look updates
  • nice “rewind 10 seconds” button
  • controls are now in an updated control bar
  • (video) ‘Related Items’ now uses the same (better) recommendations from the bottom of an archive.org /details/ page
  • Airplay (Safari) and Chromecast basic casting controls in player
  • playback speed rate control now easier to use / set
  • playback keyboard control with SPACE and left , right and up, down keys
  • (video) Web VTT (captions) has much better user interface and display
  • flash is now only used to play audio/video if html5 doesnt work (flash does not do layout or controls now)

Here’s some before / after screenshots:

We’ve dropped the www.! Our preferred/canonical url is now http://archive.org

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Dear Patrons,

Last Thursday we pushed out changes to drop the “www.” prefix from our urls
so that we have the newer/shorter style urls start like:

http://archive.org

We intend to keep this change permanently.

We know there will be a few minor breaks here and there especially from some third-party applications that might not handle “301 Moved Temporarily” redirects (if you have something flash-based that needs http://www.archive.org/crossdomain.xml we caught that breakage and that url still works now (that is, it can be either requested either with or without the lead “www.” as an exception now). We’re happy to work with anyone having issues — feel free to reply to this post and let us know.

Best wishes, and now go spend those four characters saved on something fun 😉

new audio/video player — safari/IE improvements

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below the current audio/video player on archive.org you have probably seen by now the link:

Would you like to try our new audio/video player? (beta!)

We had some known problems in this beta rollout that affected audio MP3 playback.

Specifically, on Safari, some 30-70% of the time (and it varied widely) the MP3 loading/setup would fail.  This has been fixed.   On Internet Explorer, we didn’t have the MP3 “flash based playback” option setup using the new audio player — and the lead developer, Michael Dale, came over today and fixed that for us.   Hooray!

So at this point, I believe the audio/video player is true “beta” — feature complete with a few things to smooth out left but the finish line is close:

1) i need to add back in captions/subtitles (it’s there in the player, just need to feed them through with our playlist)

2) video items with 3+ videos may play the last video 2x.  working on that!  😎

hopefully, we can all listen to some nice archive music this weekend in peace without issues with this new player!  now grab your headphones or turn up those speakers…

-tracey

Images on the Live Music Archive!

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A note from the forums…

Hi there,

We want to encourage all of you to attach any image files you may have to the live shows you upload. A good photo of a band playing can really enhance an item; although the recordings are certainly the most important part, it’s always fun to see the band playing.

Here are some examples of items that are rounded out with interesting images:

  • A Trampled by Turtles show with images from the show attached
  • A Yonder Mountain String Band show with a photo of the ticket stub attached
  • A John Mayer show with a photo of the cover of the CD which was made from the show
  • A Mountain Goats show with a photo of John Darnielle attached

    • Please add photos you may have to update your shows and make the Live Music Archive that much more exciting 🙂

    Thanks for all you do to contribute to archive.org!

    Best,
    Cara

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    Concerts On This Day in History

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    I’m always intrigued by “this day in history” type of facts. There’s some sort of immediacy to them that makes you feel connected to the past in a more unique way. That’s why I always like to check the “Shows on This Day in History” in the Live Music Archive.

    With the weekend only hours away, many of you will be sure to check out local listings to see where you can get your live music fix. If it’s a slow week in your city or the pocketbook is a little dry, the Archive has you covered.

    Here are some of my favorite shows that have been played on February 6:

  • Matisyahu live at The Showbox
  • Mountain Goats live at Cow Haus
  • Michael Franti and Spearhead live at Cajun House
  • Elliott Smith live at Silverlake Lounge note:incorrect song titles
  • Smashing Pumpkins live at The Edge
  • Warren Zevon live at Irving Plaza
  • Leftover Salmon live at Crystal Ballroom
  • Grateful Dead live at Henry J Kaiser Convention
  • Ekoostik Hookah live at The Metro

    • So, on this day in history, Ariel Sharon was elected Prime Minister of Israel, Monopoly went on sale for the first time, the Spanish-American war ended, Massachusetts became the sixth state in the Union, the first dog sledding competition happened in the Olympics, and a lot of bands performed some excellent shows.

    –Cara Binder

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    Sharing is Caring: More Than 56,000 Live Shows Available

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    If you’re a live music fan, it’s likely you’ve visited our Live Music Archive. The LMA is a place where willing bands and dedicated fans can freely trade recordings of live shows for non-commercial use. It’s reminiscent of the bygone days of tape trading except with a bigger fan base and more shows than thousands of tapes could hold.

    In June 2008, Internet Archive’s Director and Co-Founder, Brewster Kahle, predicted that by January 2009 there would be 55,000 individual live shows on the Archive. Well here we are, and Brewster was correct; there are now more than 56,000 shows to treat yourself to. CDs can be expensive and tickets to all of the shows you want to see can quickly drain the wallet, but because so many bands are taking part in the etree movement, Internet Archive is able to freely supply users with some of the best live shows around.

    If you don’t see a band on the LMA, feel free to contact them yourself to see if they would be willing to have their music archived and shared. They can then send a simple email to etree@archive.org to be included, and fans can begin to share recorded shows. For some more information on how on the LMA works, visit our FAQ page.

    Brewster’s second prediction was 60,000 shows by Memorial Day. If that’s the case, you’ll be able to have a pseudo-summer music festival on your porch. Grab some friends, food, beer, speakers, and your laptop.

    –Cara Binder

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    Tales of the Live Music Archive

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    It’s quite tempting to visit Internet Archive’s Live Music Archive and be drawn to the bands you’re familiar with and adore. Grateful Dead, Smashing Pumpkins, Jason Mraz, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Guster all beg you to choose their name, boasting 300+ shows and countless downloads. Don’t get me wrong, I can click on some of those bands all day and get completely wrapped up in their myriad of live shows. One of the joys of the Archive, however, is to get exposed to those smaller bands that either are on the brink of making it big or have met their demise years ago with only the Archive paying them homage.

    Here’s a teaser list of what you can find in the LMA with just a few clicks of the mouse:

  • Acoustic Vibration Appreciation Society is classic North Carolinian bluegrass that will make you dance.
  • Sara Petite, a singer/songwriter from the West coast, has a charming music style with meaningful lyrics.
  • Shell Stamps Band is a jam-band of sorts, a side project of the more well-known Ancient Harmony.
  • Betsy Franck and the Bareknuckle Band is a fun, worthwhile listen. They’re a gutsy, bluesy group from Georgia.
  • Charlie Parr is a supremely talented folk/bluegrass artist hailing from Minneapolis. You’ll hear washboards backing up Parr’s strong voice.
  • Madgrass offers a collection of covers with their own twangy spin. Covers include songs by Neil Young, Grateful Dead, and Old Crow Medicine Show.
  • The Microphones, fronted by Phil Elvrum and later renamed Mount Eerie, is an indie-rock band. The good, genuine kind of indie-rock with unique sounds and heartfelt lyrics.
  • The Strawberry Allstars, a pop electronic band from Maine, will surprise you with their creative use of fast techno sounds infused with a strong beat and interesting vocals.

    • Of course, there are valid reasons that some bands only have a couple shows uploaded and zero downloads, but, sometimes, those are just as much fun to find.

    –Cara Binder