Music

50 Classic Album Covers Made Awkward by Technology

For this week’s Photoshop Contest, I asked you to add technology to classic album covers. I got an absolutely huge and awesome response, over 350 entries, which I whittled down to my favorite 50, including the top three winners. First Place — Pen Lite Second Place — Dr. Danger Third Place — GUI Man Let…

Tech News Adam Frucci

Is Napster Making an iPhone App?

Giz reader and champion Craiglist peruser Andrew F. happened across a job posting from Napster, asking for a software engineer with experience in “Mac/iPhone OS X Development.” Such a posting might not normally be worth getting too excited over—after all, everyone’s making iPhone apps nowadays—but Napster just launched a new, cheap unlimited streaming service last…

Tech News John Herrman

Belkin’s TuneCast GPS-Assisted FM Transmitter Is Like Putting a DVR Into a VHS Player

Much like putting a DVR into a VHS player, Belkin’s TuneCast Auto Live utilizes really good technology to support something that isn’t all that great. More specifically, it uses GPS coordinates and the iPhone (3.0) to identify the best FM frequencies. Combining the TuneCast Auto Live transmitter and the ClearScan app for the iPhone users…

Tech News Sean Fallon

The Best And Worst Of Virtual Music Video Worlds

Who can forget Jeremy London’s virtual cigarette, after having fake sex with Alicia Silverstone to Aerosmith’s “Amazing”? Some of the best and worst virtual world-building has come from the music video industry. Strange virtual music worlds, we salute you. The Good: Radiohead – “House of Cards” Virtual Thom Yorke head? Yes please. Geometric Informatics and…

io9 Meredith Woerner

DJ Hero Turntable Up Close: I’m Not Cool Enough for This

Activision is the king of experiences modeled in plastic and color-coded buttons, and DJ Hero’s turntable controller might be their best simulacrum yet. It’s grown up a bit since the initial reveal sprouting a glossy black panel that docks on either side of the main turntable. It holds the mixer, effects dial, euphoria button and…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Repo’s Live Organ Trafficking Musical Show Hits The Road

That gothy little musical, Repo! The Genetic Opera, is hitting the road this summer. Click through for the big beautiful tour schedule. Here’s hoping Director Darren Bousman and Terrance Zdunich (the long-haired Zydrate peddler) will both be on the road with the feature. [Myspace]

Movies Meredith Woerner

Circuit Bent Goggles Let You Make Terrible Music with Your Face

These insane goggles aren’t just weird looking; they also make weird music. Housing the tweaked guts of a Pikachu doll, these bad boys are able to make your grandparents wonder just what the hell is wrong with your generation in record time. As you can see from the video, the instrument itself is controlled by…

Tech News Adam Frucci

The Feel Of An Explosion At His Back Moves J.J. Abrams To Song

The MTV Movie Awards actually managed to make my little black heart laugh with this musical gem. Host Andy Samberg joined a Neil Diamond-clad Will Ferrell, and sang how, “Cool Guys Don’t Look At Explosions.” The Joker, Robocop, Iron Man, Wolverine and J.J. Abrams are all there, walking away. I mean you can’t ask for…

io9 Meredith Woerner

Interactivation: When Music Makers and Tesla Coils Collide

On display at Maker Faire 2009, Interactivation is a whimsical, slightly non-sensical cross between a six-way collaborative music machine and a Tesla coil, producing improvised sounds and scientific trickery from the same machine. Interactivation was created by a group called Lightning Temple, who want to use sound vibrations to promote holistic healing or something like…

Tech News Adrian Covert

“Deep Sea Monster Raiga” Is a Giant Monster Sitcom

Are you sick of giant monster movies that do not include little girls who want to be pop stars? Then you’re in luck, because this new flick from Japan delivers J-pop tween culture along with its city-destroying kaiju. Can you handle Deep Sea Monster Raiga? I don’t speak Japanese, so I had some questions about…

io9 Annalee Newitz

LiveSpark Is an Audio Visualizer Made of Fire

The LiveSpark Fireplace features music-reactive flames, meaning, like a real-life visualizer, that the fire will jump and shrink itself based on the thumping beats it detects. LiveSpark has both indoor and outdoor versions, and seems pretty flexible: The site shows installations of all different sizes and of different materials. We’re not sure if it’s actually…

Tech News Dan Nosowitz

The iMagnet Rewards Good Report Cards with Disappointing iPods

Way to ace science, Billy! Here’s a gift! Oh no, it doesn’t actually play music. The iMagnet just hangs your report card on the fridge for the family to see. Billy? Put down that knife! Billll— $6.95 [X-TremeGeek via ChipChik]

Tech News Mark Wilson

Guitar Backpack Is Perfect for Failed Guitarists Like Me

Do you remember when you started to play guitar in your parent’s garage, then got into that rock band in college, got signed by a big record company, and sold twenty million records? Yes, me neither. [Likecool]

Tech News Jesus Diaz

8Bitone Chiptunes Synthesizer App Lets You Mix It Like Mario

Everyone’s heard the stories about those guys who play entire concerts on their Game Boys, or who recompose symphonies onto NES cartridges. 8Bitone is kinda like that, except on your iPhone, and without the social suicide aspect. 8Bitone is a combination nonlinear audio editor and chiptunes synthesizer, chiptunes being music synthesized in real time on…

Tech News John Herrman

Danger Mouse’s Next Album Will Be A Blank CD-R

Danger Mouse, the amazing mashup artist, producer, and half of Gnarls Barkley, is unable to release his newest album due to legal battles with his label, so he’s embracing piracy to get his music heard. After “legal battles,” Danger Mouse’s new album has been shelved by his label, EMI. But fearful that his work would…

Tech News Dan Nosowitz

Amazing Collaborative YouTube Music Project Lets You Control Every Instrument

It’s difficult to do the In Bb 2.0 project justice in words. Essentially, it’s a bunch of YouTube videos that you play at the same time. Let me explain, then go play with it. The site is a grid of various YouTube videos, each a couple of minutes in length, each showing a musician playing…

Tech News Adam Frucci

Will The Singing Space Taxi Brake For Aliens?

Hayden Black’s new singing webseries Cabonauts is starting to pick up steam, but what’s this show about a space cab to Doctor Who, Buck Rogers and James T. Kirk all about? The series will premiere on Dailymotion, who spoke to Black about dreaming up this odd little show about a space cabdriver. He promises lots…

io9 Meredith Woerner

The Great MP3 Bitrate Test: My Ears Versus Yours

There will be no judgment in this post. No sound snobbery. I’m simply asking the age-old question: At what bitrate should we encode MP3s? And I need your help. This test is occurring in two parts. In part one, I’m sampling three songs chosen from vastly different genres, encoded from CD and transcoded into the…

Tech News Mark Wilson

Memorex TouchMP Is the iPod Touch for Cheapies

CNET got their hands on a Memorex TouchMP, an 8GB, $100 touchscreen PMP. And they really liked it. From the review: The TouchMP isn’t going to be mistaken for an iPhone anytime soon, but Memorex does a surprisingly good job keeping the onscreen interface simple, legible, and intuitive…The Memorex TouchMP is the first MP3 player…

Tech News Mark Wilson

Why The Beastie Boys Made A Star Trek Cameo

Perhaps my favorite Star Trek in-joke is this video explanation for the Beastie Boys’ song “Sabotage” playing during baby Kirk’s wild ride. Turns out Shatner had a problem with the word “sabotage.” [Topless Robot]

io9 Meredith Woerner

50 Classic Album Covers Made Awkward by Technology

Is Napster Making an iPhone App?

Belkin’s TuneCast GPS-Assisted FM Transmitter Is Like Putting a DVR Into a VHS Player

The Best And Worst Of Virtual Music Video Worlds

DJ Hero Turntable Up Close: I’m Not Cool Enough for This

Repo’s Live Organ Trafficking Musical Show Hits The Road

Circuit Bent Goggles Let You Make Terrible Music with Your Face

The Feel Of An Explosion At His Back Moves J.J. Abrams To Song

Interactivation: When Music Makers and Tesla Coils Collide

“Deep Sea Monster Raiga” Is a Giant Monster Sitcom

LiveSpark Is an Audio Visualizer Made of Fire

The iMagnet Rewards Good Report Cards with Disappointing iPods

Guitar Backpack Is Perfect for Failed Guitarists Like Me

8Bitone Chiptunes Synthesizer App Lets You Mix It Like Mario

Danger Mouse’s Next Album Will Be A Blank CD-R

Amazing Collaborative YouTube Music Project Lets You Control Every Instrument

Will The Singing Space Taxi Brake For Aliens?

The Great MP3 Bitrate Test: My Ears Versus Yours

Memorex TouchMP Is the iPod Touch for Cheapies

Why The Beastie Boys Made A Star Trek Cameo

What’s Actually the Best Way to Get a Good Night’s Sleep? We Asked Scientists

Game to Lose Online Mode After Its Server Partner Pivots to You’ll Never Guess What

This $400 (Not) AI Keychain Is Pointless, Extravagant, and Weirdly Lovable

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pCloud Easter Special: One Payment, Lifetime Storage for Entire Family (68% Off)

Getting Stuck Inside a Glitching Robotaxi Is a Whole New Thing to Be Scared of

Artemis 2 Live Updates: Humanity’s Epic Return to the Moon 🔴

NASA’s Artemis 2 Mission Blasts Off

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

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Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

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