[FA Worldmusic] How scary (stupid) is this? ...voxonic

Tue Oct 17 17:21:36 EDT 2006

Robert,

It's interesting their pitch letter to you mentions Jay-Z -- I have just
come back from working with him (and Nas, Beyonce, Chris Martin and others)
and the Hustler Symphony Orchestra in London, preparing arrangements for
their show at Royal Albert Hall.

While I'm personally not aware of Jay rapping in other languages, I do know
that he's been very fond of occasionally using a verse or a chorus from a
locally successful artists as a background for his rapping on this tour.   I
found this practice very charming, and hope to do something similar with my
own music in due time.

Still, from my experience with Jay-Z, it seems that the audience largely
attends the show to gaze at their star, and - perhaps more importantly - to
sing along with him/her.   Almost every song Jay did had a key element of
audience interaction. With Voxonic and any sort of insta-translation, the
audience doesn't have a chance to learn the new lyrics, making the
experience far less entertaining and engaging.

I'll have to agree with the nay-sayers at this point, and equate Voxonic's
product with http://babelfish.altavista.com, or
the difference between a real viola and a synthesized one... but I'd be very
curious to hear your thoughts after the meeting.

--Ljova

-- 
Lev 'Ljova' Zhurbin
Please visit my website ==> http://Ljova.com
Ljova on MySpace ==> http://myspace.com/Ljova
Ljova on Sonicbids ==> http://www.sonicbids.com/Ljova

On 10/17/06, Robert Singerman <robert.s at french-music.org> wrote:
>
> Strange, I actually don't think this is scary or stupid at all and in fact
> quite the opposite and have a meeting with them in 2.5 hours. Imagine if
> everyone's voice, singing (which they are working on now) and
> speaking/rapping (done) could be translated well in the original voice,
> into
> 1400+ languages?
>
> What could that mean for international communication, besides taking
> international music way out of the box it's in, no disrespect at all
> intended to everyone working their collective butts off to expand/explode
> that box? Even topic 1. rapping for peace in Hebrew and Arabic, how many
> folks know both these languages, especially anglophones?
>
> Best,
>
> Robert Singerman
> Director
> European Music Office US
> French Music Export Office North America
> 161 W. 54th St., Suite 1403
> New York, NY 10019-5361
> +1 212 757 1217
> +1 212 315 2691 (fax)
>
> robert.s at french-music.org
> www.french-music.org, www.emo.org
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: Palestinians & Israelis rap for peace (Ian Menzies)
>    2. Khavarzamini death not true (Angel Romero)
>    3. The McDades to receive award from Mayor of Edmonton (Solon McDade)
>    4. JOB OPPORTUNITY: KITKA Directors' Asst./Office Mgr. (Shira Cion)
>    5. how scary (stupid) is this? (cliff)
> Message: 5
> Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 11:41:02 -0400
> From: cliff <rootsworld at snet.net>
> Subject: [FA Worldmusic] how scary (stupid) is this?
> To: globe-l at nevada.edu, fa-worldmusic at folk.org
>
> >Dear Editor:
> >
> >Imagine hearing Jay-Z, on his upcoming world tour rapping in each
> >country's native dialect!  Voxonic, Inc. a New York based technology
> >firm has developed proprietary software, which allows our voices to
> >be seamlessly converted into foreign languages.
> >
> >Through the use of a 10-minute sample of our voice, Voxonic's
> >technology can replicate a specific voice in any language. Voxonic
> >breaks our voices into "phonemes" that compose our voice, and hires
> >an actor who is fluent in the desired language to record a lyric or
> >speech (the actor does not have to mimic the original speaker in
> >order for a successful conversion).  The Voxonic technology aligns
> >the two voice patterns, resulting in a 99 percent level of accuracy
> >in the original speaker's voice.
> >
> >Voxonic offers tremendous benefits to the entertainment industry.
> >Imagine how much easier it will be for American entertainers to have
> >the opportunity to reach out to their foreign demographic. With the
> >record industries sales at an all-time low, the diminishment of
> >language barriers makes marketing and entertainment opportunities
> >endless. Some of those various opportunities include the following:
> >
> >    * Radio promotional opportunities for entertainers to make
> > voice-drops in any language.
> >    * Music artists being able to create concert introductions in any
> dialect.
> >    * Record labels having the opportunity to make limited-edition
> > albums and singles in a wide-range of languages.
> >
> >Voxonic, Inc., which has additional involvement from world respected
> >music industry pioneers such as entertainment executive Andre
> >Harrell, and accomplished music producer Eddie F., is redefining
> >music culture. "This technology will allow record companies to
> >expand their artist's marketability globally," said Arie Deutsch,
> >President of Entertainment for Voxonic Inc. "Think of how powerful
> >it would be for Russian teens to hear Eminem rap in their native
> language".
> >
> >To arrange interviews with Andre Harrell, Eddie F., and Arie Deutsch
> >or product demonstrations of the technology, please contact me at
> >212-999-5585 to facilitate interviews and demos.
> >
> >Regards,
> >
> >Bryan Pierce
> >------------------------------------------
> >Bryan Pierce
> >
> >5W Public Relations (www.5wpr.com)
> >45 West 45th Street, 5th Floor
> >New York, NY 10036
> >
> >P 212-999-5585 Ext. 245
> >F 646-328-1711
> >BPierce at 5wpr.com
>
>
> --------------------------
> "Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have
> forgotten your aim." - George Santayana
>
>
> Cliff Furnald, editor
> RootsWorld, the online magazine of the world's music
> Box 1285, New Haven CT 06505  USA
> http://www.rootsworld.com
> SKYPE: rootsworld
>
> Also:
> cdRoots: importing unusual music from around the globe
> http://www.cdroots.com
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