WHHAT: Kick, Push, Kick, Start, Coast
"And come skate with me 🎶 just a rebel looking for a place" ... to crowd fundraise?
This week we’ve got a Kickstarter for kids ages 3 and up, a Kickstarter for those of us old enough to have mixtape nostalgia, a lot of thoughts on mp3s, and a sneak peek of some things I’m crafting 👀.
Blipblox
Blipblocks myTRACKs on Kickstarter
Check out this music production console… for kids!
The funding period is already over but it’s aiming to ship in November, at which point I’ll be checking in with my friends with kids (it’s rated safe for ages 3+).
Hat tip to my friend Ethan for sharing this.
PLAYDISC
NINM Lab PLAYDISC on Kickstarter [ending in two hours]
The PLAYDISC is a screenless mp3 player with space to create and insert your personalized mixtape art. It comes with headphones and supports Bluetooth as well.
The Kickstarter page has some fun artistic photos of the product in use and more on the history and nostalgia of the cassette mixtape.
Predictably I love this idea! However, even as someone who still buys mp3 albums (to play in my car and listen on an mp3 player), I’m still on the fence.
mp3s in 2024
If you’re not interested in mp3s 🤓, feel free to skip this section and get to the mysterious stuff at the end of the newsletter
mp3 Albums
I like mp3 albums. They’re more eco-friendly and less cluttery than physical media. They also provide quicker and larger payouts to artists than streaming an album.
Speaking of which, check out this Wired article for the best ways to support artists, including buying merch at concerts.
mp3 Singles
When it comes to mp3 singles, however, I don’t have anything newer than ~2014 (excluding songs that aren’t on streaming), and I don’t think my friends do either.
Does anyone on this mailing list still buy mp3’s? Let me know!
I’ve been debating buying my favorite songs on mp3 for a while now, inspired by my dad’s amazing and concise collection of mp3 singles that he’s maintained across several mp3 players.
There’s just something magical about holding actual mp3s in your hand, without an internet connection or monthly payment.
But will I actually play mp3 singles like I play mp3 albums? Or would I just be getting caught up in the nostalgia of quirky mp3 players and the Limewire days of sharing music files?
Is the PLAYDISC worth it?
I don’t think PLAYDISC’s “mixtape” use case will convince me to adopt mp3 singles.
While I idealize the concept of patiently building a personalized PLAYDISC for a friend rather than immediately messaging them new songs, in reality, I just picture us Shazaming the songs off the PLAYDISC and adding them back to our streaming services anyways.
The use case that might sell me on mp3 singles is using a few PLAYDISCs as single-purpose players for times when skipping the phone and streaming services improves the experience. For example: a "car trip" PLAYDISC in the glovebox, a "meditation" PLAYDISC in the nightstand, a "beach" PLAYDISC in a beach bag.
[At this point Alejandro converted the PLAYDISC’s HKD (Hong Kong Dollar) price to USD]
However at almost $50 each 🤯, I’m going to wait for cheaper options (I don’t need the included headphones, 4GB storage, or Bluetooth for example). Unfortunately I might end up waiting forever because they might not need me; NINM Lab has already raised $17k of their $2.5k Kickstarter goal!
Even though the current price ended up being too high for me, I’m keeping this section because I think the discussions about mp3s, supporting artists, clutter, and enjoying music in a more patient and intentional way are all important.
Physical Media + Sneak Peak
Despite hopping off the fence, I’m almost still compelled to support the campaign because I’m a huge fan of NINM Lab and their overall mission:
We believe that physical music still plays an important role in the digital age. When music mediums are held in hand, the tangible touch and warmth are incomparable to digital music.
I previously knew of NINM them because of their amazing transparent cassette and CD players:
While lots of people including myself are re-embracing physical media, most notably vinyl records, I’m an even bigger fan of smaller form factors…
Here’s a sneak peek of what I mean:
(AirPods included for scale)
Stay tuned for future updates 👀
Wrap Up
Thank you for reading 🙏🏽.
With 2 weeks in a row, I finally put the weekly in “Weekly Hip-Hop & Tech”. Back 2 Back, I like that record!
Have a great weekend and enjoy the song reference from the subject line, “Kick, Push”:
Peace! ✌🏽