Spin It!

(courtesy of Spin.com)

Spin, like all other print magazines, is struggling due to the decreasing demand for print media. They are, however, adapting and have a very effective website – spin.com – with everything from reviews and news to photos and videos.

Being focused on music, Spin is facing two industry shifts due to media. The music industry, much like the magazine industry is shifting. Some would say the music industry is struggling, in fact, even Spin themselves point this out by saying “The music business may be reeling, but [...]” I would have to disagree; I believe that while the music industry is changing, I don't think it's “reeling.” If anything it is adapting into something much greater, with easier access to music and less of a reliance on the mainstream.
Amongst the many advertisements Spin sells to make money, there is a section in partnership with iTunes with a playlist of new songs, many of which by up-and-coming artists, available for free by going to Spin.com/iTunes.
Featured in the issue of Spin that I got are interviews with artists including Iron and Wine, articles about the "next big things" such as Lykke Li, Odd Future, Smith Westerns, and more. They also have reviews of over 50 new albums, and articles like "Songs You Must Here Now!"
Overall, the magazine provides a lot of content, more than I was anticipating in a time where most magazines are dominated by ads. It gives you a well-rounded look into the current music world, with mainstream and up-and-coming artists of all genres. It is truly a stimulating read, effect both my neocortex and limbic brains.

My Window is a Media Player.

(Courtesy of Flickr)

Sometimes a window can be the greatest media experience of all. It's easy to say that simply sitting and looking out of the window is not a form of media at all, and I would probably agree if I wasn't here right now. As I sit here, in front of the big window on the second floor of Hauke, writing on my laptop, listening to music, and gazing out at the sunny day in front of me, I can say I am having a true media experience. The laptop and music are a given; I'm connected to a seemingly endless amount of social networking and blogging sites and listening to the newest form of radio, Pandora. That combined with the grand window to the right of me is blending together to create a what I would consider to be a powerful media experience.
While the world outside does not follow the definition of media, I consider it to be a big part of the greater media experience I am having right now. It is showing me that many things can be viewed as media if you're in that mindset. Watching the sun slowly set, people walk by, and
trees blowing slightly in the wind as if I am watching a TV with my Pandora soundtrack, it becomes just that, like a TV. As I sit back and let the world pass by, I watch objectively, letting my limbic brain listen to the music and my reptilian brain react to the passing day that lies in front of me.
I'm starting to live my life more and more in the mindset of media, partly due to my involvement in this class, but also because of my long history as a participant and lover of media. It necessarily play too much of an active roll in my life until I take a step back and reflect on how I view things now in relation to how I viewed them previously. My window-media experience is an excellent example of that; even things that are not seemingly media-related at all can be integrated into the focal point of a great media experience, as my window was today. Another great example of this is author John Green's Thoughts from Places series, in which he takes videos of wherever he is at the time and reflects in voice-overs.