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Watch a robot play the violin better than you can
Wish you hadn't been so quick to give up violin practice as a kid? You may never get to turn back the clock, but retired engineer Seth Goldstein is showing that there's still hope of reliving those musical ambitions through technology. He recently showed off Ro-Bow, a kinetic sculpture that uses robotic fingers (specifically, electromagnetic actuators) to play digital music files on a real violin. While the machine won't have concert performers rethinking their careers, it's probably better with a bow than you were way back when -- it can handle a fast Irish jig as well as a slow, sentimental tune like "Amazing Grace." The Ro-Bow hardware would have to shrink and get a bit of polish to be useful as more than an art project, of course. All the same, it's proof that you don't have to run a giant technology company to build a reasonably adept robotic musician.
Turntable.fm inks deals with major music labels, promises 'no traditional advertising'
Turntable.fm may not be as much of a household name as some of the other music streaming services out there, but it's certainly doing its best to catch up. After launching in June and releasing an iPhone app in September, the company has now taken another step toward the big leagues, thanks to a quartet of high profile licensing agreements. As Billboard reports, Turntable.fm has officially inked licensing deals with all four of the major music labels, confirming rumors that had been circulating last week. Founders Billy Chasen and Seth Goldstein made the announcement at SXSW yesterday, during their Turntable.fm panel. Details on the terms remain fuzzy, but both sides are already gushing over each other, with the labels seeing the service as a potential platform for talent, as well as a tool to drive purchases and subscriptions. Chasen, in return, lauded the labels for being cooler than he expected. "We felt that from the get-go the labels were absolutely different from what I'd been led to believe," he explained. "They gave us a lot of time and attention. Compared to their user base, we're a tiny service in the broad scheme of things." It remains to be seen whether Turntable.fm can join the ranks of Spotify and its ilk, but according to Goldstein, the service should stand out in at least one respect. "We're really focused on how we can improve the user experience, and we want to associate these brands as bringing value and talent for our consumers," the co-founder said, adding that the site won't feature any "traditional advertising."
