Every Music Fan Needs A Music Buddy

Every physical media music fan needs a similarly minded friend to share with. Sharing makes our hobby more meaninful and enjoyable. The subject of this post's 'friend' happens to live in the digital domain, in one's pocket, purse or backpack and organizes your vinyl and CD collection for you. A music buddy of sorts. Enter the Music Buddy app. I discovered Music Buddy in the Apple App Store Edit: I previously wrote there was no Music Buddy Android App in the Google Play Store. I was wrong...there is. Sorry, Android fans). This free App promised to organize my CD/LP library with the additional benefit of taking my visual library with me each time I visit the record store or shop online. Even box sets are welcome here. No more "do I have this title on CD?" stress.

Once you've downloaded the App simply scan the barcode using your iPhone or iPad's camera. If an album has no barcode you have other options such as searching for it online, by UPC//EAN-13 number or manually entering the data. Choose whether or not to scan a single item or multiples. The 'Scan Multiple Barcodes' is especially useful if you have a fairly large physical music collection and are just beginning your Music Buddy relationship.

As your collection grows you can view it easily. Albums are immediately added to your collection after the enter process has finalized, within seconds of saving. Simply touch the circled check mark to save your scan entry. 

If your music buddy is unable to locate the album online choose the manual entry feature. This process takes more time but it ensures a higher level of library accuracy. The ability to take a photo with your device of the unfound title is a nice touch.

Under the My Albums screen you can view your entire CD/LP collection. This screen gives you information data such as the number of titles (as you can read I have 412 so far...), favorites, tags, even those gems that you've loaned out! Music filters include by Series, Artist, Genre, Performers and Release Year. Let's say you want to know all of the albums in your collection that guitarist Lee Ritenour played on. 

I just discovered that you can even scan cassettes and identify them as such!

Once you've downloaded the App you can add up to fifty titles for free. There is no cost for the App itself. Try it. If you like the App's functionality and your library of compact discs and records exceeds fifty you can, for a one-time $9.99 purchase, add more with no limit (at the time of this blog post).

The next time you are music shopping and you see that album that you just must have, check with your Music Buddy first to be sure you don't already own it. 

*I make no commission nor do I receive any reimbursement or advertising for this article.

Thank you for reading Hear More Music,

Doug

p.s. If I'd had Music Buddy I wouldn't now own two copies each of Kacey Musgrave's 'Starcrossed' or Amy Grant's 'Unguarded'! LOL.

Listening: Hania Rani's "Ghost" new music release

I first learned of Hania Rani during the pandemic while learning how to find my way around the Bandcamp website. Mesmerized by her music samples I downloaded "Live From Studio S2 (Complete Sessions)" which has become one of my go-to albums ever since. Rania is a pianist, composer and vocalist from Poland and her piano playing often times seems inspired 'in-the-moment'. Her music is well recorded and inspiring.

Ghost is a new album, just released this early May. I encourage you to check out her new music and back catalog on Bandcamp. Some albums are available via download (in a variety of formats) as well as vinyl and CD (not all are available in a physical format). While my preference is for CD or vinyl the shipping costs from European artists are prohibitive. Therefore thus far my Bandcamp purchases have all been downloads in AIFF format and all sound wonderful. Other formats are available if AIFF is not for you.  A splendid album, here are the notes from Hania's Bandcamp website regarding this fine album:

Hania Rani announces her new album, Ghosts, bringing her songwriting and beautiful vocals to the fore and featuring special guests Patrick Watson, Ólafur Arnalds and Duncan Bellamy (Portico Quartet). 


Ghosts is the sound of an ever-evolving artist and, just as the album’s title suggests she passes repeatedly and gracefully between musical worlds: as composer, singer, songwriter, and producer. This album builds on Rani’s earlier successes Esja and Home with an expanded yet still minimal setup of piano, keyboards, synths (most importantly her Prophet) and features more of her mysterious, bewitching voice. Its spirit is warm, beckoning one into an ambitious double album that unfolds at an exquisite pace, informed by her revelatory, exploratory live performances.

Ghosts is also an album of collaborations as Rani is joined by Patrick Watson, who breathes unearthly life into the ethereal ‘Dancing with Ghosts’. ‘Whispering House’is written and recorded with her friend, Ólafur Arnalds and casts a peaceful, ineluctable spell; and Portico Quartet’s Duncan Bellamy contributes vital loops to ‘Don’t Break My Heart’ and ‘Thin Line’. 

Rani’s lyrics are partially inspired by a two-month residency in a small studio in Switzerland’s mountains, where Rani was working on the soundtrack On Giacometti for a documentary about the renowned Swiss artist. “Where I stayed was once an old sanatorium in an area which used to be very popular, but now there are huge abandoned hotels where the locals say ghosts live. I mean, it's kind of a local belief system – these ghosts even have names! – but once you're deep into nature or some abandoned place, your imagination starts working on a different level.”

“The edge of life and death,” Rani summarises, “and what actually happens in between: this was what really interested me. Even singing the word ‘death’ was quite a shock. It’s such a weird word to say out loud, and people are afraid of it, which I found extremely interesting. Most of the songs probably still talk about love and things like that, but Ghosts is more me thinking about having to face some kind of end.”  

Find her latest album here https://haniarani.bandcamp.com/album/ghosts  Ghosts is also available on streaming platforms.

Thank you very much for visiting Hear More Music. Have you signed up for free updates?

Doug

Record Store Day: April 2024

For vinyl and CD lovers, this is a reminder of the upcoming Spring edition of Record Store Day on April 20, 2024. Visit your local independent record store and pick up some great new releases from some of your favorite artists or, find new music from artists you've not heard before. 

Here is a PDF of the April 20th releases. Enjoy!

Thanks again for subscribing to my music blog!

Doug

Hear More Music

Listening: You Gotta Love a Deal

This past Saturday we decided to go on a road trip to a new, to us, Half Price Books & Music in the Chicago suburbs. After searching the vinyl and CD bins I was thinking I was about to go scoreless until I found this gem in the “M” section. An unused, still sealed We Live Here on CD in mint condition for only $6.99. It sounds every bit as good as I remembered it. This album from Pat Metheny Group is still available in record and CD stores and, also on streaming sites. Check it out, I doubt you’ll be disappointed. Enjoy!

Thanks very much for reading our site. I hope you enjoy it. BTW, if you want to let me know what kind of content you would like to see me write more about please don’t hesitate to leave a reply. - Doug