ALMOST HUMAN - Ok its a Police Procedural, but god is in the details...or is it the ghost in the machine?

I like to think that I don’t “do” police procedurals. But over the last couple years I’ve been sucked into a couple of shows that play in that sandbox, just on the crusty edges where dogs have crapped and such. Plus, I grew up on the X-Files, the original cop/sci-fi crossover that set the stage, the bar, and the rankings for all the hard science fiction like Battlestar and LOST that made it to prime time in the 2000’s. So while I definitely don’t go in for the Sunglasses and opening credits tracked to The Who, I’ve seen every episode of The Shield, I’m good with Elementary and love the BBC counterpart Sherlock, I enjoyed 2012’s psychological cop thing “Awake” and I’d follow the Winchester boys to hell and back…have done so a few times, on Supernatural. Of course way out on the Fringe, there's Fringe.

   So first lets judge a book by its cover. Besides the sci-fi circumstance I was drawn to this show based largely on the productions credits. Created by J.H. Wyman of Fringe and Executive Produced by JJ Abrams and Bryan Burke, both of LOST. JJ also EP'd Fringe and he and Burkeboth have worked together in the Star Trek franchise, where the lead role for Almost Human was plucked from in the form of Karl Urban. I’m sure comparing notes for the rest of the crew listings would reveal several congruencies between JJ’s past projects and AH.

   I’m a strong believer that the best science fiction is predicated on the tackling of universal questions about the human condition, and to that end to be perfectly honest the jury is still out for Almost Human. But they’ve laid some pretty decent groundwork. Male lead Detective John Kennex (played by Urban who brings a touch of his Star Trek “Bones” in his sarcasm, but more subdued overall) has some questions for his higher power, having recently been majorly betrayed by his girlfriend - not just romantically, having been robbed of his girlfriend and similarly robbed of his right leg, both of which have been replaced by robotics, which is where the drama begins. Kennex must learn to put the utmost faith in machines he’s never trusted as they now make up not only part of his team, but part of his body. This is a fairly classic motif so from a strictly dramatic standpoint the writers aren’t breaking any ground (of the 4 episodes, 2 screenwriters hail directly from Fringe). AH owes a lot to the speculative fiction of Isaac Asimov particularly as it pertains to robots and how they interact with - or react to -  human beings. To date, the show hasn’t really gone hard down this road yet, but the Foundation is there (see what I did there? Isaac Asimov? Foundation…?)

   JJ’s projects have never been about entirely new concepts though, it’s how these concepts are unfolded to reveal new dynamics in the “human condition” conversation that have always made his projects so amazing. Conceptually, L O S T really begins the same way as Gilligan’s Island, but the voyage of Jack Shepherd, Kate Austen and James Ford touched L O S T’s fan base in a way most people weren’t prepared for when they casually began watching, right from the first episode.  This is where JJ’s touch seems to become so midas-like. Even in Fringe, by all accounts a much more rigid story and group of characters, I found an affinity for Peter Bishop who was portrayed by Josh Jackson - famously Pacey of Dawson’s Creek, an actor I really never thought would be able to evoke an emotional response from me.

So when Abrams is Producing or even EP-ing a project, I’ll always make time to put in the effort because the payoff is usually worth it. With the right elements in place, and they seem to be here, there is the potential for something special to happen.

   Almost Human hasn’t hauled me in full-blown after the first episode in the way LOST did. But I’m inspired to give it time because the sci-fi nerd in me, the part that likes science fiction not just for the exploration of the human condition, but for the gadgets and the gear, the showcasing of the tech that I’m always hoping is just around the corner in real life, that part of me has found a new favorite hour of television. Almost Human pays attention to the details; When Detective Kennex and his android partner Dorian walk through the door of a facility on the way to the scene of a new homicide case we see trailing behind them that the door has registered their identities via built-in hardware systems with floating holographic displays. The communications signal jamming system used by the law enforcement agents radiates a cool visual pulse (in a way that a real signal jamming device almost certainly would not, but it looks cool) - and they do this right, achieving the elusive "lived-in" feel that made Star Wars so amazing by not drawing attention to these details (the way I do) and allowing the story to flow around them. So often science fiction fails when the tech is written into the story. You can’t make the gadgets cool by having the characters talk about them, it has to be about how cool the gadgets are because the characters DON’T talk about them. The story will flow from there. 

   Caveat: If the gadget is the Millennium Falcon, it’s ok to write it into the story….what a piece of junk!

   What’s likeable about the world of Almost Human is at least some of the characters. Urban’s Kennex is world-weary and damaged, literally and figuratively. Coming to terms with the replacement of his leg is taking its toll. In this world the android limbs are quite convincing and the casual observer can’t distinguish the difference, but the impact on his body as well as his mind is clearly a large part of this character.

"Wait, did you say I'm a Robot?
 That explains why I was pissing motoroil..."

Urban shrouds Kennex in a veil of sarcasm, but his sharp wit is darkened by the tragedy he’s faced and he can’t hide the grief (the events that took Kennex’s partner and limb appear to take place several months before the pilot episode). Michael Ealy’s Dorian (DRN model Android Officer) is robot who’s type has been mostly decommissioned; they were designed to display a greater level of empathy and “feeling” than their newer models. Ealy plays this role well. The androids are meant to be nearly indistinguishable from the real thing but Dorian’s programming for higher emotion makes for - a more interesting story about a robot - and a more interesting experience in the portrayal. You can see in Ealy a just-under-the-surface tension due to his Pinachio-ic issues. The thinly veiled reference to other forms of prejudice is possibly made more clear by the fact that Ealy is African American, but either way the duo appear to have a level of chemistry that could build well.

   Lili Taylor’s turn as the gruff Police Captain Maldonado, on the other hand, lacks any form of chemistry and her completely generic “ranking-officer” shtick isn’t made any more palatable by the fact that she tones it down it bit. She’s still just going through motions. Mackenzie Crook, known for his supporting role as half of the bumbling deckhand duo from the Pirates of The Caribbean franchise also doesn’t make any Emmy plays as the technician who acts as a buffer between Kennex and Dorian. His role is essentially an expository one - simply making sure we understand any details of Dorian’s function we’re too dumb to pick up when its laid out in the story. I know he has chops but they’re not on display here. He’s timid but not in an endearing way. Then again, we’re only 4 episodes in and since most of the development has been between Kennex and Dorian, with a little luck he’ll find a way.

   End of the day, my nerd horns went up after the first half-hour of the pilot and they haven’t gone down. There is a lot of possibility here and essentially it remains to be seen if the writers will flesh it out properly. Given the chance, Karl Urban and Michael Ealy could make a memorable partnership as they have the right amount of cool, wit and gunplay to please standard issue action-jocks and the sic-fi backdrop coupled with enough tech wizardry to keep the Star Trek set tuning in or at least DVRing. If history has set any precedent it could be worth the wait to stick this out for the first season as JJ Abrams teams often really rev it up in the second season. But in today’s on-demand world here’s hoping FOX will have the patience. As for me, I’m in it for the haul. I’m not a big fan of Monday Night Football anyway.

Streaming Revenue VS Digital Sales...Who's Right? What's Left

It’s an extremely hot topic in the music industry right now, the battle over the power of streaming services and the value of downloadable music stores. Almost daily, high profile artists are releasing statements of their position in this battle. And the topic is not going away because from a technology standpoint streaming represents forward momentum and for end-users streaming solves problems of economy (users are not required to spend as much money on purchasing downloads… or hard copies for that matter) as well as economies of space (streaming and cloud services allow users to access their musical choices from almost anywhere and not physically store anything on a hard drive they can’t always take with them or a mobile device that is often limited in capacity).

Here is the major issue, and the reason high profile artists like Thom Yorke, Billy Bragg, David Lowry (frontman of Cracker) and many, many others are publicly weighing in on the topic. Its goes like this: Yes, streaming services are becoming a large part of how we consume music. Millions of people use Pandora, Spotify, other slightly lesser known services or some combination of these and the numbers are rising everyday. Yes, they are appealing to the user because you don't have to pay up front for music, and you can often learn about amazing new artists that you never would have discovered without the algorithms that power these streaming "channels". From a user standpoint there is practically no downside as few users opt to pay for their streaming services, even if it limits their access, so there is almost NO economic investment.

From an artist standpoint there is a big problem. And ultimately this should concern fans and service users as well because if the artists become embattled, the fans will be the first people to lose out. The problem is; Do streaming services cannibalize downloading revenue, and if so, do streaming services compensate in royalty revenue for this loss?

The answer is a resounding NO. This is Thom Yorke's issue. David Lowry went as far as to post his royalty earning statements from streaming services publicly and the numbers are staggering. Artists are not receiving anything near the amount of compensation for streams from Spotify and Pandora as they receive for downloads from the iTunes store. And the magnitude is exponential as far as loss per song.

The more I look into the actual numbers behind these streaming systems the more I realize the potential of the IDYL Music platform to really bring the digital music industry out of this tailspin. Under the IDYL system users will purchase downloads but in doing so be given the power to share a song in a streaming format and if another user enjoys this stream enough to purchase the song for themselves, they do so via a download. Discovering new music is an integral part of IDYL as well, but we bring the human element back to the act of discovery. After all, an algorithm can help you find something new, but your best friend can help you discover something that you personally are going to love. To encourage this process over standard streaming AND standard download platforms, users will receive a percentage of the revenue from the purchase of downloads. And yes, ultimately that may take something from potential revenue for artists in downloads, but if the download never happens then it really doesn’t matter what percentage of nothing goes to the artists. Because so much revenue can be restored to the artists and rights holders via this format, artists and labels will ultimately embrace and benefit immensely from the use of the IDYL Music platform. Without a format like IDYL, like brick and mortar storefronts in the beginning of the millennium, digital download sales will fade as streaming becomes the most prominent method of consuming music.

            IDYL Music is a work in progress. We are in early stages of fundraising to bring the platform into existence. I can only hope that as we strive to achieve our goals,Thom Yorke, David Lowry and millions of artists that share their concerns will stand up and take notice. We believe we can turn the music industry onto a positive course correction. New streaming services are hitting the market on a daily basis (see YouTube this week). But in order to survive the streaming service gutting of artist revenue, creators and fans alike will have to embrace something new. Something that will change the process of consuming music; something that will ensure artists are compensated at a rate that is truly fair but will also reward their fans for following this new path. The key to this successful course-correction lies in the hands of the artists who are already in jeopardy, but most importantly? It lies in the hands of fans like you.

*IDYL Music is a new company currently in early-stage funding to create a new music distribution platform which rewards fans for sharing new music across their social networks.

IDYL Music - Share. Empower. Enjoy

Hey folks,

This is a call to action letter I wrote for the new company I've been working with the last several months called IDYL Music. We are developing a new music distribution platform that will not only pay artists at the highest possible rates for their songs, but very awesome-ly it will also pay FANS for using their social networks to help distribute those songs. So yeah, best of all possible worlds. Download music and instead of worrying about getting sued by the RIAA when you burn it for your friends and post it on your blog, you'll just get paid for doing those things like you normally do... If that sounds cool to you please read on and then send me some comments and please SHARE this message with people...that is the only way this thing will come to pass!

IDYL Music – A New Music Distribution System Designed to Empower Us All!

WHAT IS IDYL Music and WHY NOW?

            Over the past several months a new internet startup company has been hard at work creating something really special; it’s called IDYL Music and we’ve finally launched our new website! IDYL Music is an online music sharing system that compensates artists at a much better rate than many current services. What really sets IDYL apart from other sites is that it also pays FANS for helping distribute this new music through their social networks! I am thrilled to tell you that our web site is now live! You can check it out at www.idylmusic.com.

Right now, IDYL (pronounced “ideal”) is just that though, our vision of a better music industry in which artists are paid fairly and fans get to share in the revenue. In order to raise the necessary resources to build this concept into reality we’re also launching a crowd-funding campaign here: www.idylmusic.rockethub.com Similar to Kickstarter, Rockethub is a site where people go to share new ideas and seek donations to help build these ideas into the art projects, sciences and technology of tomorrow. In exchange for supporting these projects, you often receive exclusive rewards or gifts and the chance to use these new products before the rest of world! Our reward system is explained in depth on our website.

We’ve sent out this message to our close personal networks, our friends and family and we hope that you will send it to YOUR friends and family because to really make this thing rise up above the systems available we need support from everyone.

If you are a musician, if you have ever enjoyed music, if you have a friend in a band or even if you just like the idea of helping musicians get a fair shake, please click on the links and make a donation. We can’t do it without you, ALL of you!!

HELP OUR CROWDFUNDING GO VIRAL

The notion and the function of IDYL Music will thrive in social media, and we hope you will share in the power of its virality by SHARING this message across your networks! We know we can’t do it without you. In order to develop the tech that will make IDYL happen, our crowd-funding phase is crucial. You can find all the information about our crowd funding campaign and contribute to the cause here: http://www.idylmusic.rockethub.com And even if you decide you can’t help us financially right now, you can still support the cause be SHARING THE MESSAGE!

Ok you’ve got the basics.. And of course all the details are up on our site. If you’re sold then please hit the button and help fund this amazing idea! But if you want to hear a little more before you’re ready to lay down your hard-earned dollars please keep reading…

THE VISION UNFOLDS

Right now we are a team with a vision and a website. When IDYL is built, we intend to spread globally through your participation in social media. You can be the catalyst that will make sure IDYL helps artists everywhere earn money for their work, and also pay their fans who create the success those musicians have achieved. This system brings artists closer to their fans by making them part of the process and ensures that everyone earns a share for the work they put in. We think IDYL Music will be the way forward for artists who are just starting their careers or have not yet reached their peak, and for fans that want to participate more in developing the music scene they love. IDYL can also help to prevent piracy which has so plagued the music industry in the new millennium because it offers a better option than stealing music. Why simply steal it when you can get paid to share it?

HOW IT WORKS

            MUSICIANS: IDYL is a system of distribution based on abundance rather than scarcity and it works by monetizing virality. This system allows IDYL to pay artists an excellent percentage when their tracks are shared on the web, and also pay the fans to share these tracks. In this way, we will change the current industry standards in which only 1 out of 20 songs shared on the internet are paid for. IDYL puts more money back into the hands of the people who work hard to create your favorite new music, the artists!

            FANS: IDYL Music knows that the network of fans that helps empower the artist should be recognized and compensated. We monetize virality for songs in 3 tiers of reach outward along a social network (You share with your friends, they share with their friends and then they share with their friends). Now, your favorite songs are more than just a playlist, they’re your investment portfolio. This process is explained in detail on our website and in the intro video.

            WEB INFO: http://idylmusic.com has the lowdown on how the system works. There are several diagrams, some animations and most importantly an informative video. In the video you’ll find out about our team, hear from some musicians who are already excited about the cause and learn how any individual can use the system to access the best new music and earn money for themselves as well as for their favorite artists. Sharing the video is one of the most important steps we feel will help generate support for IDYL.

            CROWDFUND on ROCKETHUB: There are several phases of construction for IDYL and the time to fund it is now. We need to build the applications for desktop, tablets and mobile devices, we need to create the infrastructure and build the network that the system will work on and we need to bring artists, bands and independent record labels into the system so they can make all the best new music available through our network. To do all this, we need to raise money, it’s just a fact. By building IDYL with crowd-funded support we can make sure IDYL isn’t hijacked by corporate interests. IDYL is founded on the belief that creativity deserves compensation and it is very important that creative control for this project remains in good hands.

So that’s it! We’re hoping that you will click on these links, check out our site and watch the video that explains IDYL Music completely. When you’re done with that, we hope you’ll go to RocketHub.com fuel the campaign. But most importantly, we hope that you will pass this information on to your friends and family, the people that you trust the most because when it’s all said and done, we just can’t do it without you.

Thanks for your time and whatever you do, do it with music!

WEBSITE: www.idylmusic.com

CROWDFUND @ ROCKET HUB: www.idylmusic.rockethub.com

VIDEO: http://vimeo.com/78796462

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/idylmusic