Music journalism

I have written for magazines including Making Music, Musician, Melody Maker and Future Music and I have a particular interest in music technology. Read some of my music journalism, together with articles about music written for this website, below.

How to record music on your PC

I'm working on recording my synth music now, and am writing articles that share my experience along the way. Discover useful reviews, tips, tools and techniques here:

• Hear my music here!
• Adventures in Modern Recording: Find out how I'm using the Alesis io4 and Sony Acid Music Studio for recording my music.
• Making music with the Korg Kaossilator synth and Mute Synth II: Is the Korg Kaossilator a toy or an instrument? Discover how I made my track Space to Think using it.
• Review of the Novation Mininova synth, a budget synthesizer that brings the sound quality of a full size synthesizer into a small keyboard, which you can connect up to other devices using MIDI.

Earworm

In this entertaining techno-thriller, Sean McManus takes a slice through the music industry: from the boardroom to the stage; from the studio to the record fair. The story explores how fans relate to their favourite bands, how businesses can use technology to manipulate consumers, and what would happen if the music business disappeared overnight.

"Raising a number of surprisingly sophisticated issues, this book is enjoyably cynical about the seemingly cold-hearted and impenetrable nature of the record industry and peppered with a number of highly comical cameos from the cream of rock'n'roll, which ensures that it never feels like heavy going."
- Record Collector Magazine. More great reviews!

• Download the first five chapters in this PDF sampler
• Find out more about Earworm
• Order the book in print or on Kindle

The Future of the Music Industry

From the Beatles to Frank Zappa, bands have sung about being free. But they meant spiritually, not economically. At a time when music is being devalued, how can record labels fight back? In this article, Sean McManus looks at how bands and record labels are finding creative ways to create value around music.

As bands, record labels and fans work out the economics of the new music industry together, I've been watching with interest. Read my blog for the latest views, or check out my archive posts Nine Inch Nails in the coffin of the music industry, Gwen Stefani's licence to print money, Radiohead: Is DRM somewhere over In Rainbows?, Prince and the price of music, and The Independent and free music.

Reviews and interviews

• Black: Review of Colin Vearncombe's tour with the Christians in 2007
• Black: 1993 interview, conducted while Colin was on tour in Germany
• Black: 2000 interview about the album Abbey Road Live
• Brian Eno: Review of 77 Million Paintings
• Depeche Mode: Alan Wilder auctions instruments and more
• Erasure: New technology enables you to remix 'Don't Say You Love Me'
• ExileInside: Discover what Jake Shillingford did after My Life Story with this interview
• Fosca: Live review of Orlando's Dickon Edwards' next band
• Frazier Chorus: Review of a rare live show
• Inspiral Carpets: Read interviews and reviews in my Inspirals minisite
• Jean-Michel Jarre: Photos from the Teo & Tea showcase in Belgium
• Jean-Michel Jarre: Review of the Oxygene residency in Paris
• Jean-Michel Jarre: Review of the 2009 In-Doors Tour at Wembley Arena
• Jesus Jones: Gig review from 1997
• Kylie Minogue: Review of Kylie at the V&A
• Kylie Minogue: Kylie's 2008 gig at the O2
• Live Earth: Genesis, Madonna, Duran Duran and many more.
• Mike Oldfield: Join me as I take a flight through Mike's Tubular World
• My Life Story: Jake tells me how debut album Mornington Crescent was recorded.
• My Life Story: Jake tells me about one of the first digital singles to use digital rights management (DRM).
• Prince: Review of (six of) the 21 Nights at the O2 in 2007
• Prince: Giving away Planet Earth devalues music and journalism
• Radiohead: Live review from the day second album 'The Bends' was issued
• Rarebreed: Concert review
• Roger Waters: The Wall concert review (with David Gilmour)
• They Might Be Giants: "If we wanted to be quirky," the two Johns begin, "we'd be a lot more quirky."
• Whale: Live review including photographs

See also my blog post, 100 bands I've seen live. The post keeps growing and has gone way beyond 100 now.

Playing music on the Nintendo DS

If you've got Nintendo's DS handheld games console, read my blog posts about Electroplankton, Jam Sessions, Korg DS-10 and Guitar Hero.

Promoting your music online

I wrote a regular column for Making Music about music technology and promoting your music on the internet. I've archived some of those columns in the section of my site formerly known as the 'virtual a&r list'. Click here for the music technology articles and advice on promoting your music online.

Rock and Pop concert photography

I'm interested in concert photography and have a selection of concert photos in my gallery. While many of them are exclusive to this website, some have appeared with my reviews in Making Music. Bands featured include My Life Story, Kenickie, Radiohead, T'Pau, Babybird, Noel Gallagher, Whale and Right Said Fred.