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Music

Rewritable Song Lyrics 136

Posted by kdawson from the moon-june-soon dept.
JimCricket writes "A new kind of record company, Tailored Music Group, is selling user-customizable songs. Each song is distributed in its 'default' (generic) form, and the customer can change any (or all) of the lyrics. For a few hundred bucks, the original indie musician will re-work the song with the custom lyrics. Neat idea."
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Rewritable Song Lyrics More

Rewritable Song Lyrics

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  • I can see it now (Score:4, Funny)

    by BKX ( 5066 ) on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @02:18AM (#19897649) Journal
    New gems like, "Pownt, I owned your ass loser. You suck, I rock"
    and "I love gay sex"

    • Re:I can see it now (Score:5, Insightful)

      by dgatwood ( 11270 ) on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @02:22AM (#19897671) Homepage Journal

      Nope. Sweet Home Alabama becomes "Sweet Safeway Bananas."

      At least that's how I predict this sort of thing will go....

      • If you would like to see Brian dance around a sombrero yelling "Ariba!!", press 3.

        Thank you for voting!

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by GizmoToy ( 450886 )
      I wouldn't be all that surprised if changes like that were requested, though I'm sure there's an approval process for the custom lyrics. I doubt they're going to perform just any old stuff.

      Like your other reply said, another major group that would be interested is advertisers, but I wouldn't be surprised if changes that advertised products would be denied as well to keep the song at least semi-legitimate.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Redlazer ( 786403 )
      Im pretty sure there are already numerous rap songs containing those lyrics.

      Or, just as likely, covering up for either of those two situations.

      -Red

    • Great! Now you can make songs like "Atomic Wedgie" (In The Navy by the Village People) or "Your Stinking Fart"(Your Cheating Heart By Hank Sr)
      OH what fun this is gonna be!!

    • Now hold on there.... (Score:4, Funny)

      by StressGuy ( 472374 ) on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @08:20AM (#19899171)
      New gems like, "Pownt, I owned your ass loser. You suck, I rock"

      It's not all going to be heavy metal

      "I love gay sex"

      Or country music, ya know.

      And So....haveing thusly offended a significant portion of the Slashdot demographic...exit our hero through the front door...STAGE LEFT

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by thc69 ( 98798 )

        And So....haveing thusly offended a significant portion of the Slashdot demographic
        You must mean you've offended people with the metal thing, because I'm pretty sure I'm the only slashdot user who likes country [hank3.com].

  • Call my cynical, but... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by adona1 ( 1078711 ) on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @02:29AM (#19897709)
    Neat idea, or more proof that the music industry has jumped the shark?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Kwiik ( 655591 )
      instead of being closed minded

      maybe you could think of it as

      "Neat idea, finally a recording studio is trying something new to appeal to a fanbase"

      They're trying to make more profit (and break in to the industry) by tearing down molds instead of suing file sharing P2P network-users.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Redlazer ( 786403 )
        You must be new here.

        Everyone is close minded. Especially when it comes to *-bashing.

        And no, thats not asterisk bashing. One thing can all agree on - the asterisk rocks, and I absolutely refuse to accept any other input on the subject, as my opinion is final, and anyone who disagrees is an idiot.

        -Red

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by everett ( 154868 )
          Man, screw the * all it ever did for me was delete all the files in my home folder. now the ~ that's what I'm talking about, and anyone who disagrees with me is an idiot and a fool.
          • The & is the one true Symbol, and 7 is His prophet. Those heretics who disagree will burn in the fires of hell for all of eternity for their blasphemy.
    • Coincidentally, someone also wrote a book like this that looks at the incredible stupidity of the music industry and today's youth. It also features the a lot templates you are talking about. Except you don't have to pay anything to steal the lyrics (well, except buying the book)...

      http://www.lulu.com/content/919150 [lulu.com]

  • There's a market for this ? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Joebert ( 946227 ) on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @02:30AM (#19897719) Homepage
    I can't imagine anyone paying someone a few hundred dollars to do somthing most people do for fun at work or at parties.

    • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

      by der'morat'aman ( 1076365 )
      But most people doing this, especially at parties, are absolutely pathetic at it. This way you can get someone who CAN sing to do it ... Maybe not a couple of hundred dollars though, particularly if they're American (it still beats the Aussie dollar, though we're catching up).

    • Re:There's a market for this ? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by PhrostyMcByte ( 589271 ) <phrosty@gmail.com> on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @02:59AM (#19897879) Homepage
      At least they're trying to innovate. It's a lot better than sueing their fanbase or shutting down internet radio like mainstream music has been doing.

      Don't knock them for trying, I say. It's about time a music group tried to use the internet for something new.

      • Don't knock them for trying, I say. It's about time a music group tried to use the internet for something new.

        So let me get this straight: They're going to write some generic song, and then I'm going to come in and write a better version--doing their job for them, basically--and then, instead of getting a piece of the royalties, I'm going to pay them a couple hundred dollars to perform my version of their song?

        I'm not knocking them for trying, I'm knocking them for failing.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Alterion ( 925335 )
      I can imagine a big market, there Britney spears for one... No better way to improve her album sales than remove her from even having to pretend to sing :)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Joebert ( 946227 )
        Having read that, I can't help but wonder if this is just a ploy to get her some new material.

    • Re:There's a market for this ? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by suv4x4 ( 956391 ) on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @04:59AM (#19898335)
      I can't imagine anyone paying someone a few hundred dollars to do somthing most people do for fun at work or at parties.

      I can't imagine someone paying someone a few hundred dollars to draw a picture of my kid based on a photo I already have either.

      But I did it.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Joebert ( 946227 )
        That's a good point.

        Wait, you regularly draw pictures of your kid from photos for fun at work & parties ?
        Do you put little mustaches & devil horns on them ?

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by suv4x4 ( 956391 )
          That's a good point.

          Wait, you regularly draw pictures of your kid from photos for fun at work & parties ?

          Wait, you do parties in a sound studio and then master professionally the recordings into a song?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by guruevi ( 827432 )
        Well, if you payed a few hundred bucks to do that, you've been ripped off. I know some street artists (as in they sit on busy streets or fairs, markets, whatever) that will do it for 20 in 10 minutes.

        Not that I don't like that they're charging you, hey you paid for it, but there are a bunch of GOOD artists out there that live of smaller contributions. I've been in art school and I know a few artists personally, but unless the artist has a special skill or technique to it that makes it unique or unless it is
    • Wonder if I can make money selling rewrites to my Slashdot rock song "I Read It On Slashdot" [webcommando.com]?

      Yes, you too can have your name sung with same breath as references to Taco and hot grits...order now!

      Nah...I released it under Creative Commons, so you can do it yourself!
    • You do realize that for those few hundred dollars you get the ORIGINAL ARTISTS singing the song? Look, if you could pay $500 bucks to get the still living Beatles to record a version of "Hey Jude" using your name, wouldn't you do it? I would pay that much cash in an instant, and declare it my 'theme song'. Play it my birthday, etc.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Joebert ( 946227 )
        That's like sex with a hooker, it's great untill you realize you just spent $500 to do it.

  • This has been done (Score:5, Informative)

    by vell0cet ( 1055494 ) on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @02:31AM (#19897727)
    Only, the artist will write a completely original song based on your instructions/lyrics.

    www.songstowearpantsto.com

    Some of the stuff he writes is hilarious. I don't think anyone here would doubt his talent.
    • Thanks for the link. I was cracking up listening to "Sad Sad Toaster Made of Glass." The guy will even make the song free if he likes your idea. Pretty cool site.
    • Thanks for the link. That website is great. So many funny songs there.

      SONG #0257: THIS GIRL - I have to image the song didn't quite turn out the way the requester imagined.

  • Wookin Pa Nub (Score:2, Insightful)

    by jomama717 ( 779243 ) *
    Just in case there's anyone out there that thinks this will get them laid, be warned - she'll likely laugh you out of the room and reject you with extreme prejudice. If she doesn't, be warned again - she's too desperate to get involved with.

    Seriously though, this has to be one of the lamest ideas I've ever heard of. I know as little about women as the next guy (and I'm married), but I do know they can smell assembly line romance from a mile away - and they hate it.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by TheDugong ( 701481 )
      "I do know they can smell assembly line romance from a mile away" Too true, but I dare you to do nothing on the conveyor belt that is valentines day. Soon it may well be, roses, chocolate, dinner AND a song.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by jomama717 ( 779243 ) *
        Touché. I once strayed from the Valentine's day best practices and paid dearly for it. That's the time I learned "hockey tickets" don't exactly do it for them either...

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by jacksdl ( 552055 )
          I can add my warning that the tri-color LED quartz crystal necklace from ThinkGeek is not necessarily appreciated as a token of affection. This probably is true of any jewelry that requires batteries.
      • "Too true, but I dare you to do nothing on the conveyor belt that is valentines day."

        That's why you break up with them just before Valentine's day.

        Wait a bit, and get back with her afterwards....you then can miss having to buy her stuff and go through the 'crap'....and yet you will most likely still collect YOUR gift from her, as that most women buy gifts far in advance of the holiday in question.

        This works for holidays other than "V" day of course....

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Spurion ( 412996 )
        My most successful Valentine's day ever didn't involved doing nothing, but it did involve doing none of the things that we're told we should do. We got some beers and sushi to take home, then spent the evening consuming them and watching porn (and having sex, of course). She loved it, precisely because it wasn't "production-line romance".

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Thing 1 ( 178996 )

      If she doesn't, be warned again - she's too desperate to get involved with.

      LOL, reminds me of something my winner brother told me, "Anyone who would date you is not worth dating."

  • A boon to mediocraty (Score:3, Funny)

    by Smight ( 1099639 ) <{moc.liamg} {ta} {bsdnirgluos}> on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @02:37AM (#19897763)
    Hey there indie rockers!
    Can't wait to sell out, but you don't have the talent to get a record company interested in mutilating your songs?
    Well you're in luck!!
  • First of all: if you want your hit - start write on it yourself! A song can't be better then that you express your on feelings with your own lyrics/melody/harmony. Secondly: I don't want to hear e.g. exactly the same melody/harmony with different lyrics all the time on my radio (which happens with music 'hits' anyway now and then..).

  • Ain't nothin' new cowboy (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Seems that some outfit in Nashville had a similar idea back in the 80's
    http://www.songpoemmusic.com/trubee.htm [songpoemmusic.com]
  • ...at least in the world of Pop music. Have you listened to any pop lately? It's mostly interchangable shite.

    But hey it all started with rock - 3 chords and an infinite variety of combinations and words...sometimes the whole is more than the sum of it's parts (and sometimes it's just pure garbage).

    Kinda reminds me of the "choose your own adventure" books I read in primary school.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ross.w ( 87751 )

      But hey it all started with rock - 3 chords and an infinite variety of combinations and words...sometimes the whole is more than the sum of it's parts (and sometimes it's just pure garbage).


      "All I want is a red guitar, three chords and the truth"

      Bono

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by syousef ( 465911 )
        Pity most settle for the red guitar, 3 chords and incoherent drug induced crapola. (Not saying that about Bono. He actually comes across as an intelligent guy in interviews and seems to have some kind of grip on issues like the envrionment...who knows if it's all part of the act or not though).

    • Three Chords (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      What's the problem with three chords? Here's the deal: if you've got song that stays in a given key, you only need three chords. Consider the key of C Major- it's got the following pitch collection: {C, D, E, F, G, A, B}. As a songwriter, you've got to create a harmony for the melody. That generally means that you have to match up appropriate chords to the melody.

      A simple way of thinking about how chords are built is that they use the pitch collection, but they skip over every other note. So if you starte

  • I've got a billion pop song tool (Score:4, Funny)

    by fantomas ( 94850 ) on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @03:02AM (#19897891)
    Ultimately configurable, you can get a billion pop songs from it. The world's top hits have been made using it. It's called AlphaBet (TM) and I'll sell you it for only 19.99, send to the address below...
  • Naive expression of hope...
    Reluctance to accept that this is wrong
    I'm reminded of The Title Of The Song: http://www.neimeyer.org/schooling/Music/TitleSong. mp3 [neimeyer.org]

    • Props given for an obscure reference, however reversal of stance for lack of credit for group that wrote the song.

      Offering of better reference in form of a wiki article [wikipedia.org] and song lyrics [leoslyrics.com].

      Self-righteous closing

      --Witty, yet non-relevant tagline

      • Acceptance of reversal of stance citing location of terminal as plausible cause for lack of appropriate research.

        Mostly on-topic fanboi-ing of previously ascertained musical group.

        Subtle meta-reference to non-sequiterish subject.

        -- Overused lyric from mainstream ex-alternative band used with a completely inappropriate misunderstanding of subject

  • Cut and Paste Music (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    For those who want fully produced tracks, there's a product called MyCowriter [drumsondemand.com] that lets you cut and paste together pre-produced tracks and add lyrics. For those who want a bit more challenge, there's prebuilt drum tracks [betamonkeymusic.com], prebuilt bass loops [drumsondemand.com], guitar loops [bigfishaudio.com]. There's even a jazz quartet loop collection for assembling jazz music. You can use something like Apple's [bigfishaudio.com] Garageband [apple.com] program, or a multitrack application like Reaper [cockos.com]. Band in a Box [bandinabox.com] gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's a pretty cool tool, also.

    The problem w

  • This is simply the music industry's response to the vanity press. I first saw it commented on here [nielsenhayden.com].

  • Music as a service (Score:3, Insightful)

    by teebob21 ( 947095 ) on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @03:44AM (#19898073) Journal
    For once, TFA has nothing to do with the "piracy" of music or the RIAA or any of the news that we associate with digital music lately.

    It's some musicians with a few mediocre tracks providing a service to those sentimental enough for a customized song. Admit it, most people (read: women) are suckers for sweet songs with their names in it. They've realized that their product isn't going to bring in the cash, so they have taken what they've got and are reselling it as a personalized service. If they'd had a few more buzzword-loving execs, they'd be calling it Music 2.0.
    • Sentiment is not the only reason one might want such a song, and women wanting sweet personal songs would logically not be the biggest consumers.

      Gee, I had mod points, and I posted a response instead. Can I really be a /.ter...

  • Been done for ages in ... (Score:3, Informative)

    by rasjani ( 97395 ) on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @03:47AM (#19898093) Homepage
    This is nothing new. Since 50-60s, jamaican soundsystems aka dj's have been recording customized versions of hit tunes that are unique to them in one way or the other. Either the lyrics have been changed, tune is recorded to different background or both. Since then, this type of recorded custom music has moved to different genres and is very typical also in electronic music like drumnbass and such types which have influences from caribbean music. Dj's use to outshine other because they can play tunes that other dj's dont have.

    There's a also a sort of a "sport" revolving around this phenomenon and its called soundclash. 2 different dj's or dj groups "battle" against each other with custom tunes..

  • ...didn't Stock, Aitken and Waterman do this for Pop singers 20 years ago?
  • Back in the 80's, so many people were starting bands and had their own 4-track cassette that record companies started releasing singles in the single sided 4 track cassette format. You could just play it as was or you could remix it to your hearts content.
  • I wish tailors would stick to adjusting clothes. I've put a few pounds on recently.

  • Has already existed and thrived for a long time ! (Score:3, Informative)

    by BigJim.fr ( 40893 ) <jim@liotier.org> on Wednesday July 18, 2007 @05:31AM (#19898467) Homepage
    Those of you who listen to African, and particularly Congolese music are familiar with that scheme. Songs are peppered with praise for individuals who paid for it. Actually it is so big that some artists pre-finance their albums production that way ! It is like embedding advertising in the songs. In a country where piracy makes album sales almost irrelevant, live performance and embedded advertising are important ways to make money.
    • Exactly. It's one manifestation of the patronage economic model.

      Look at the extended editions of lord of the rings movies - people paid to get their names in the credits. Personally, not my thing, but considering just how long those credit rolls go for, obviously A LOT of people thought it was valuable to them.
      • Yes, and while I think that the patronage model is where we're headed for music in the digital era, I think it highlights one of the downsides to patronage.

        When artistic concerns are overshadowed by the need to please one's patron, art suffers.

        • When artistic concerns are overshadowed by the need to please one's patron, art suffers.

          Tell that to Mozart. And Handel. And Beethoven. And Wagner. And...

          Much of the fantastic music that makes up our collective cultural heritage came from patronage. In fact, this continues today. Music which is not written on order for a customer is by far the minority of all music.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Thing 1 ( 178996 )

          When artistic concerns are overshadowed by the need to please one's patron, art suffers.

          Likewise, when artistic concerns are overshadowed by the need to get something in yer belly, art disappears.

          I'd rather have suffering art, than no art...

    • So basically, if Slashdot gets its wet dream of a new kind of recording industry business model based around P2P, this is what they'll have to look forward to in the future: adverts in music, as it's the only real way to make money.

      Lovely.
  • but only for unsigned singers whose popularity is through their websites. That way if they have a few hundred dedicated fans maybe 10 of them will pay to get a love song changed to have their name in it for example and that'd earn the musician a few thousand $ as long as their fanbase is big enough.
  • I'm amazed at all the negative comments on this. The idea is a clever one, it's directly innovative, and for the right occasion, a very good product.

    Think about weddings, anniversaries and the like. What a cool gift for that special someone?

    This is another step down the road to the infinitely personalized marketplace, which is a BIG trend with vast potential impact. In this particular case, it doesn't scale particularly well, but just like customized Nikes, this is a way for you as a "consumer" to be mor
  • "Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, K-E-L-L-Y"
    - Woody Boyd
  • Who will now find a way to copywright a song's framework thus making all derivitives under copyright. Then, they will look for a way to retro-actively go after Janet Jackson for putting her own lyrics to the music of "Ventura Highway".

    Soon to be followed by M.C. Hammer, Vanilla Ice, et. al....and especially Wierd Al...

  • The most famous example is Ramsey Kearney's " Blind Man's Penis (Peace And Love) [songpoemmusic.com]" definitely worth hearing if you never have.

    From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_poem [wikipedia.org]:

    "Song Poem usually refers to song lyrics which have been set to music for a fee. This practice, which has long been disparaged in the music industry, was also known as song sharking and was conducted by several businesses throughout the 20th century in North America.

    Typically, the service was promoted through small display ads in popul

  • Anyone else notice how they quite transparently used their own tech for generating the testimonial quotes?
  • Now, I can finally have *real* songs with lyrics such as "Hold me closer, Tony Danza...", "Wrapped up like a douche..." and all the other misheard lyrics that are much better than the originals. Maybe I could have them actually transcribe Pearl Jam's song lyrics as mumbles, the way they are sung!
  • Doesn't Nickelback already do this?

  • Oh what a brave new world it will be when they get computers to do this!
  • It's too late! Nickelback [thewebshite.net] has already done this!
  • Frank Zappa produced an album done by Wild Man Fisher. He was originally a street performer and would write a unique sing for anyone for a dollar. Several instances of him doing just that were on the album, along with some studio work with Zappa backing him up. Superbly weird. Your own song for a buck (with a Zappa stamp of approval) is better than a morphed song no matter how much.
  • One more nail in the coffin of creativity. However I believe that this system was already created in a more free (as in beer) form... I think they called it the blues. Everyone uses the same three chords and just comes up with their own lyrics.

  • This isn't quite the innovation some people seem to think of it as. This has been done a few times in the past (I can't for the life of me remember any of the names or find links (sorry)) and hasn't really ever done well. Expect to see some spam from time to time in your favorite music related forums (if you have any of those) and then not hear from them again.

  • 1984 (Score:1)

    by jovius ( 974690 )
    The concept is ancient.. this has probably been going on thousands of years. When computers can blurt out out perfect-enough simulated singing the whole process is easily automated. The technology exists, but it's not convincing enough just yet (I'd say it's comparable to the authencity of a computer created fashion model). One of the strongest moments for me in 1984 was when the innocent old lady whose house the main character resided in sung to the tune of an algorithmically created pop-song, thus living
  • I've actually seen something similar to this.

    They were selling Veggietales CDs at a local mall. And the first track was happy birthday.
    If you could find your child's name on the list, then they could burn you a CD with the veggies singing happy birthday to your kid. Kinda neat.
  • This is not entirely different from a service I offer at www.thetunetailor.com ... where I provide COMPLETELY custom songs for my clients.
  • ...my next hit single, "I Just Want To [verb] You [adverb]".
  • ...than those records they used to sell with "birthday" songs on them. Made them for all the popular names. Crap then... crap now. Nuff said.

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