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Last week a revolutionary new music download service was launched that, in my opinion, will redefine how independent artists get their music to new listeners. This new service is called NoiseTrade and was started by none other than singer/songwriter Derek Webb who in 2006 gave away over 80,000 downloads of his ‘Mockingbird’ album for free online.

The concept behind NoiseTrade is simple, “A great record is its own best marketing tool,” says Webb. “All the marketing dollars in the world can’t accomplish what one great record can, especially if it’s set free to roam around and connect with the right people.”

NoiseTrade gives you two ways to download music.

1. Tell 3 friends about NoiseTrade or
2. Pay what you want

That’s right. This service lets you actually set your own price for what you think the album is worth. Even better, 90% of what you pay goes directly to the artist as opposed to iTunes where well over half what you pay gets split between Apple and the record label (see this article).

Even though this service was launched last week I’ve already seen the catalog of albums offered grow. Even better, there are some excellent artists getting in on this such as Joy Whitlock and Katie Herzig. I’m convinced that this represents a huge paradigm shift in the way that new music is distributed in the future.

What do you think of the NoiseTrade concept?
If you had a choice, would you pay what you thought was fair for good music?
What do you think is fair for a digital album download?

Business Week recently ranked Google as the 2nd most innovative company in the US, and for good reason. They have made finding information about absolutely anything as simple as typing in a few keywords.

For example, that piece about Google being in the Business Week Top Innovative Companies list - did did I specifically bookmark that link for this blog post? Nope. Why should I when it takes less than 10 seconds to “Google” it - yes, this generation has turned Google into a verb.

There’s an interesting aspect of Google’s impact on our daily lives. Having so much information available to us so easily has changed the way we remember information.

For example, how many times have you caught yourself typing keywords into Google to get to a specific web site you’ve been to before? I do this all the time no matter how simple the address might be. Even on my blog with a simple web site address like www.bradruggles.com, do you know what my top Google search query is? “Brad Ruggles.” It’s easier for many of my non-RSS readers to Google “Brad Ruggles” than it is to type in my address.

We have subconsciously chosen to remember keywords to type into Google instead of remembering the actual web site we want to go to.

Here’s another quirky Google use. I’ve had a number come up on my caller ID that I don’t recognize and have been able to quickly type the digits into Google and figure out who was calling in time to answer the call.

Not only has this ease of access to information made our lives easier, it’s also made us dependent on it. In this Internet usage survey from 2002, 52% of users said they would go home if their Internet connection died at work.

When was the last time you converted a fraction to decimal without Googling it?

Who bothers to remember information like State or country capitals when it’s a search string away? U.S. Presidents? US to Metrics conversion? Time Zone conversion?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not calling for the end of easy access to information. Heavens knows that I would be a mess without my Google toolbar, Goog411 or Google SMS. I’m one of the biggest Google fans out there. I’m just curious as to how this will affect the next generation.

There’s no question that Google has allowed us quicker, easier access to information than ever before. But are we really smarter?

What are your thoughts?

If you were a product of the 80s you’ll appreciate this. Steven Stull out of Atlanta, GA created a replica of the Airwolf helicopter from the 80s television show. I still remember watching that show as a kid and seeing this awesome helicopter flying through the air, guns blazing.

The helicopter was originally commissioned for a helicopter museum in Tennessee but the museum had to shut down. The Airwolf helicopter is now up for auction on eBay for any fans who want to add a full-scale replica to their show memorabilia.

For a trip down memory lane, here is the original intro to Airwolf.

(click here if you can’t see the video)

Did you watch Airwolf as a kid? What were your favorite TV shows of the 80s?

Update: @MLukaszewski reminded me that you can watch full episodes of Airwolf for free on Hulu.com!

Dan Kimbal gave a talk at the LeadNow conference in Orlando last week that really connected with me. Dan, for those of you who don’t know, is an emergent church leader and author. He’s written some great books like They Like Jesus But Not The Church (my personal favorite), The Emerging Church & Emerging Worship.

This was the first time I had the opportunity to hear Dan live. I don’t know why but for some reason I expected him to be different - more abrasive and in-your-face. Blame it on his SoCal beach punk hairstyle.

I was impressed with his humility and genuine compassion for the lost and the churches that are trying to reach them. He shared this message with an earnest desire to see followers of Christ become relationally involved with the world around them.

His talk was a reminder called “They are worth it.” I doubt I’ll be able to convey the heart of the message with just a few bullet point notes but I’ll do my best.

THEY ARE WORTH IT - Dan Kimball

There is a certain risk to reaching those we are called to reach. Getting in trouble (a healthy, respectful trouble vs. rebellion) is a sign that we’re taking risks.

What are we risking to reach those God has called us to reach? They are worth the risk.

1. They are worth it because God felt they were worth it. He sent Jesus to die for them to prove it.
2. The are worth it because Jesus said they were worth it and prayed for his followers to live MISSIONALLY AMONGST them. - “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.” (John 17:15,18)
   1. Jesus never intended for us to be removed from the world
   2. Why do we spend so much time in our church offices during the week rather than being with the people we’re called to reach?
   3. Are we relationally engaged with those around us who have not come to faith?
3. They are worth it because there is a reality of heaven and hell that we cannot forget.

“So my way of describing it is that once this life is over, people who have decided not to worship God cease to bear God’s image. The thought of an ex-human being is something that some people find shocking and horrifying. In a sense, it is shocking and horrifying. Think about people we know! I’m sure most people, unless we live in very enclosed worlds, must know some people (if we truly hold to a theology of hell) who are going there! That should give us pause. That should cause us to pray for them and to weep over them. So I don’t say this with any relish at all.” - from an interview with N.T. Wright

Share God’s love relationally
Apologetics is often misunderstood. Many people study books on apologetics as if stocking up on weapons for a fight. They do so based on 1 Peter 3:15-17 which tells us to “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you for the hope that lies within you.” The key phrase here is “everyone who asks you.” When was the last time someone asked you about your faith? They will only ask you if you have relationship.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend two fantastic conferences: Exponential and LeadNow.

Erwin McManus, one of my favorite authors and speakers, lead a session at LeadNow that really helped to cement some ideas I’ve had floating around in my head over the last couple of years.

He spoke about moving to a place of influence in the culture using the story of Paul in Athens from Acts 17. There are really 3 places we can exist in as Christians in our world today.

The first is our safe, protected Christian sub-culture with things like Christian schools, Christian music and Christian movies. We have absolutely no influence on culture in any of these areas because we’re reaching the already reached.

The second place is our workplaces and neighborhoods where many Christians venture out to during the week when they have to but quickly retreat back to the safety of their Christian sub-culture.

The third place is a place of trust and influence. You can’t force or witness your way into this place. You have to be invited in. And you’re only invited into this place of influence when you take the time to develop genuine relationships.

“Then they took him to the Council of Philosophers. ‘Come and tell us more about this new religion,’ they said. ‘You are saying some rather startling things, and we want to know what it’s all about.’ ” (Acts 17:19-20)

Existing in the first place does nothing for the world around us. It is self-serving, spiritual narcissism that only cares about us while ignoring a world around us living without Christ. There are many who live and work in the second place thinking that simply wearing “christian tshirts” or praying over their lunch will somehow be enough to make a difference. Then there are those who realize the need to not just exist in culture but to transform it. This only happens when we develop meaningful relationships and are given permission to share what what we believe.

Obviously there is so much more from this talk that I could share. Erwin McManus is one of my spiritual heroes and I respect what he has done to influence church culture. I had a chance to meet him afterwards and let him know how much his books and messages have influenced my thought process. Definitely one of the highlights of the conference!

This morning’s Creative Chaos question over at RagamuffinSoul.com was “Where it is that we go to find our personal creativity?”

The first ingredient necessary to initiate my creative process is a good cup of coffee. Nothing gets my creative juices flowing like some fresh-roasted, freshly-ground, fair-trade, french-pressed coffee!

I have several places I go outside the office for ideas and inspiration. I love watching people and one of the places I do that is at local coffee shops. Nothing against franchise stores but you get a much better slice of community in a local hole-in-the-wall place.

The next ingredient is good music. There is no one good mix, style or artist for creative inspiration. It really depends on how I feel and what I’m working on. If I’m writing or need to concentrate I like more ambient stuff like The Album Leaf , Yael Naim, or Sigor Ros. If I need some energy to my designs I like upbeat, fun stuff like Moby, White Stripes or Foo Fighters.

One of the best things for me is to just disconnect for a period of time from what I’m working on and refocusing my attention on something completely different. If the weather’s good I love walking outside - especially if I can walk downtown where there’s lots of people. I’m really looking forward to moving to Carmel because they have an awesome Arts & Design District with tons of cool art galleries and boutiques.  I love that kind of stuff!

What about you? What helps you to be creative?

Remember the good old days when…

• your buddy made you a cassette dub of the latest big-hair rock band?
• you had to fast-forwarding and rewinding back and forth to find the song you were looking for?
• you knew that you were “going steady” when your boyfriend made you a mixtape?

Now mixtapes are back with a web 2.0 twist. You can create your own mixtape to share with your friends for free at www.muxtape.com.

Click on the cassette below to listen to my mixtape (bradruggles.muxtape.com) and let me know what you think. Then head over to muxtape.com and create your own mixtape and share it with us.

I just found out about Earth Hour 2008 over at RagamufinSoul.com. The goal is to raise global awareness about personal and corporate energy conservation.

Here is what they say on the web site:

On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund.

Earth Hour was created by WWF in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and in one year has grown from an event in one city to a global movement. In 2008, millions of people, businesses, governments and civic organizations in nearly 200 cities around the globe will turn out for Earth Hour. More than 100 cities across North America will participate, including the US flagships–Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco. View cities involved around the world.

We invite everyone throughout North America and around the world to turn off the lights for an hour starting at 8 p.m. (your own local time)–whether at home or at work, with friends and family or solo, in a big city or a small town.

I realize this is last minute notice for all my readers but I thought I’d pass the information along. I’ll be participating by switching everything off tonight at 8:00 PM.

How about you? Drop a comment to let me know if you’re going to be participating. (click here if you can’t see the video below)

Many of you know Charles Spurgeon, the great evangelist from the late 1800s known as the ‘Prince of Preachers.’ But did you know he was also an avid cigar lover? This fact always leads to some interesting discussion which makes it a great blog topic!

Here’s one of my favorite stories about Mr. Spurgeon and his cigars (as excerpted from spurgeon.org).

While Charles Spurgeon was living at Nightingale Lane, Clapham, an excursion was one day organized by one of the young men’s classes at the Tabernacle with plans to stop and pick up Mr. Spurgeon along the way.

It was a beautiful early morning, and the men arrived in high spirits, pipes and cigars alight. Mr. Spurgeon was ready and waiting at the gate. He jumped up to the box-seat reserved for him, and looking round with an expression of astonishment, exclaimed: “What, gentlemen! Are you not ashamed to be smoking so early?”

The young men were disappointed. Pipes and cigars one by one failed and dropped out of sight. When all had disappeared, out came the Spurgeon’s cigar-case. He lit up and smoked away serenely.

The men looked at him astonished. “I thought you said you objected to smoking, Mr. Spurgeon?” one ventured.

“Oh no, I did not say I objected. I asked if you were not ashamed, and it appears you were, for you have all put your pipes away.”

If you know me you know that I have no problem discussing sometimes controversial topics as long as we can do so civilly. So what do you think? Is it wrong for a Christian to smoke a cigar? Have you spoke or written about this topic? Jump in on the discussion and keep it friendly!

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Ireland is one of my favorite countries and tops on my list of places to visit one day.

In honor of today, here’s a list of some Irish music and movies you should check out. Many of these bands are some of my favorite of all time. If you have any thoughts on be sure to leave a comment.

The Cranberries - This Irish alternative-rock group from Limerick rose to mainstream popularity in the 90s with songs like “Linger” and “Dreams.” Their sound is due in large part to the incredible voice of Dolores O’Riordan (who just recently released her first solo album). One of my favorite songs by the Cranberries is the haunting “God Be With You Ireland” from the 1997 movie “The Devil’s Own.” To this day every time I hear that song I get chills. You can watch the opening from the movie that features the song here.

U2 - In my opinion, this rock band from Dublin, Ireland is still one of the greatest bands of all time. They formed as a group in 1976 and rose to popularity in the mid-80s. To date they have sold more than 170 million albums and have won more Grammys than any other rock band. One of their more popular songs, Sunday Bloody Sunday, tells the story of the violence and troubles of Northern Ireland (check out a music video for the song here).

Clannad - Clannad is a Grammy award-winning Irish musical group from Gweedore. They are made all siblings or related with most of the vocals from Moya Brennan (sister of Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, better known as Enya). They first made their mark in the folk and traditional scene in Ireleand and Europe in the 70s. With over 20 million albums sold to date they are widely considered to embody the ’sound of Ireland.”
The Corrs - Another group of siblings from Ireland, this Celtic folk rock group is less known and saw most of their popularity during the late 90s with pop songs like “Breathless.” Can I let you in on a secret? I still remember buying their CD and listening to that song over and over! While not as well known as some of the other performers in this list I still enjoy listening to them. For some truly authentic, fun Irish music check out their live performance of “Toss The Feathers”.
The Frames - This Dublin-based rock band was founded in the early 90s and has been big in Ireland although they’ve become increasingly more popular here in the U.S. in recent years. Their ex-bassist John Carney became a film director and went on to write and direct the extremely popular 2007 film Once starring Glen Hansard, the lead singer and songwriter for the Frames. Hansard also wrote much of the music for the film (which also makes the Once Soundtrack an album worth listening to).

Damien Rice - Rice is an Irish folk singer from Dublin. He released his first studio album ‘0′ in 2002 and followed up with his second album ‘9′ in 2006. His song “9 Crimes” is his most popular and one of my absolute favorites. If you listen to nothing else by Damien Rice check out 9 Crimes. Rice’s songs have been featured several times on popular films and television shows. His song “The Blower’s Daughter” is a popular song for figure skating. Click here to watch Volcano by Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan.

Fionn Regan - In July I wrote about a new artist I had discovered named Fionn Regan. Regan is an Indie singer-songwriter from Ireland whose infectious lyrics and melodies will immediately find their way to the top of your playlist. The simple guitar arrangements make a beautiful backdrop for his beautiful lyrics and unassuming voice on songs such as Put a Penny in the Slot (one of my favorites) and Be Good or Be Gone.

IRISH MOVIES TO CHECK OUT:

If you’re looking for a good Irish movie to watch tonight I have to recommend The Devil’s Own starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt. Let me warn you in advance, Brad Pitt’s Irish accent isn’t the best but the story and message of the movie is very memorable.

If you’re looking for something a little more fun try The Matchmaker starring Jeneane Garofalo about a cynical American woman who visits Ireland. It’s a cute movie with some beautiful shots of the Irish countryside. And, while I haven’t personally seen this movie yet, I’ve heard Waking Ned Devine is supposed to be good.

What do you think? Any Irish bands or movies you would add to the list? Which are your favorites?

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