Earbuds vs Headphones: Which One Is Right for You?

Are you in the market for an upgrade to the way you listen to music? At this point, you might be stuck wondering what hardware to go with and what the differences between earbuds vs headphones are? 

Well, you're in luck that we do excellent electronics evaluations! With this quick guide, you'll be picking out your new audio gadget! 

Earbuds vs Headphones: The Specs 

Before you go hunting for the best Bluetooth headphones on the market, you'll need to know what the differences between earbuds vs headphones are. 

Simply, earbuds are individual small devices either corded or uncorded that go into your ear to play music. Headphones on the other hand sit over the top of your ears to play music. 

When selecting which ones are right for you, you'll want to ask yourself the following questions. 

Are You on the Go? 

Headphones have come a long way from their clunky predecessor that's an oddly similar look to Princess Leia from Star Wars. Now, they're a bit sleeker and you're able to fold them for more compact storage. 

Earbuds, on the other hand, have evolved from thick cords and chunky earpieces to almost unnoticeable pocket size. 

If you're someone who's constantly on the move and doesn't want a ton to carry, earbuds may be the better option for you. 

Are You Picky With Comfort? 

If you're sensitive about your ears then you'll want to pay attention here. 

Headphones typically don't cause listeners any discomfort because the listening piece is padded both on the ear and on top of the head to avoid any piece digging into you unnecessarily. 

Earbuds can sit either on the outside of your ear canal, but for best performance, they're meant to sit inside the ear canal. For some people who have sensitive ears, this can be quite uncomfortable and not a pleasant listening experience. 

Between earbuds vs headphones, headphones are considered safer for ears. 

Does Sound Quality Matter? 

When it comes to sound quality for earbuds vs headphones, there are differences to note. 

Headphones are still better at providing complete noise cancelation and sound leaking from happening. Sound leaking is when other people can hear what you're listening to even though they don't have a connection to your music. 

Earbuds are starting to produce higher quality noise cancellation and preventing sound leaking, but headphones outperform in this area currently. If this isn't a factor that matters to you, then either option will work for your music listening needs! 

Can't Decide Between Earbuds vs Headphones? 

If you're still struggling between choosing earbuds vs headphones, an alternative option can be to go with both! You'll get to experience both ways of listening to music, get a feel for the benefits and drawbacks of both types, and choose your favorite. 

After all, it's good to have a backup option. Like what you've read? Be sure to check out the rest of our site for more great content! Visit the Tech section to learn more about top electronics for your music, workouts, business background audio, and much more.

Marketing Tips for Creative Concert Promotion

Over half the people in the U.S. are attending at least one live music event every year. When you're in the live music business, that means there is a whole lot of opportunity out there. Like so many things, though, it's a matter of going out and getting it. 

To make the most out of your potential for ticket sales, proper concert promotion is crucial. By planning out and executing a successful campaign across multiple platforms, you'll be increasing your reach and maximizing your ticket sales. 

Want to learn the best methods of show promotion? You're in the right place. Read on to learn the best marketing tips for concert promotion. 

Stay on Budget 

Before you begin your concert promotion, you'll need to decide on a realistic budget. It can be quite easy to overspend, so settle on a number and stick to it. 

If you need a better idea of what you'll be spending, then create a spreadsheet of different media and concert promotion options. If possible, learn the return/reach and include that in your data. 

Know Your Audience 

Whether you're throwing a benefit concert, virtual concert, or traditional live concert, one thing should remain constant: you should know who your audience is. By knowing what their preferred platforms are, and what type of concert promotion would grab their attention, you can plan your strategy accordingly. 

For example, if you know that the live entertainment in your concert tends to draw an older crowd, then you might consider Facebook marketing or even an ad in the newspaper. On the other hand, if your entertainment has a younger draw, then you might be better off passing out flyers at venues or planning out an Instagram campaign. 

Choose Different Media Avenues 

To get the most out of your concert promotion, you should try to spread your campaign out across multiple media channels. For example, you can create print ads and posters to post in your city, but you might also consider promoted email and social media ads as well. 

Don't Skimp Out on Concert Promotion 

You'll never sell tickets to a live concert that no one knows about. That's why it's best to invest as much as you can into your concert promotion. More often than not, the return will be worth it. 

Give Yourself Time to Plan 

There are so many things that go into concert promotion, and you'll want to give yourself plenty of time to prepare (and execute) your campaign. 

Not to mention the fact that most people have their calendars planned out in advance. If you're looking to score a spot on their schedule, then you have to give plenty of notice. That way, when they come across your event, no schedule conflicts will stand in the way of them purchasing tickets. 

Want to know what happens when you don't give yourself enough time to plan for your concert? Look no further than the recent dumpster fire that was the Fyre Festival.

Promoting Your Live Show 

Anyone can throw a hugely successful show, but it takes the right promotion strategy to do it. Now that you know the best tips for concert promotion, you'll be prepared to sell out your next live event.

5 Top Iconic Music Posters

Some posters have become staple decorations in homes and music venues around the world. You don’t necessarily have to be a fan of some bands’ music to recognize their artwork instantly. Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon album artwork for example, has become an iconic image, even for those who are clueless as to the content of the album. 

Some of our very favorite posters, albums, and tour artwork have become symbolic of entire eras, signalling far more than just a collection of songs. Let’s take a look at some top poster printing triumphs in the music world and the story behind them. 

1. The Rolling Stones — ‘Tongue And Lips’ Logo 

The logo used behind the track listing in The Rolling Stone’s 1971 album, Sticky Fingers, has transcended its album art status to become representative of an entire era of music. The simple yet bold graphic is often depicted on posters, t-shirts and other merchandise, making it world famous. The red lips and cheeky tongue strongly contrast the plain black background, making this artwork unique and unmissable. The artist, John Pasche, claimed he wanted to design something “anti-authority and provocative” to reflect the music of the British rock band. He certainly made his mark in cultural history. 

The Story Behind The Poster 

As the story goes, Mick Jagger and the band were in desperate search of some artwork to use for their 1970 European tour. After rejecting all of the options presented to them by their album label, Deca, they decided to try a new tact. They continued their search for that perfect piece in the Royal College of Arts in London. Their search for an innovative art student proved successful when they met John Pasche, who went on to create a poster for their tour featuring a giant cruise ship and a car. 

Impressed with this piece, the band once again requested Pasche’ services when the time came to design their logo, as they were launching their own record label. In order to inspire Pasche, Jagger gave him a picture of the Hindu goddess Kali, known for her long pointy tongue. The resultant graphic was “Tongue and Lips” the artwork that we all recognize. 

2. Joy Division — Unknown Pleasures 

The Unknown Pleasures album cover is another that has found a new lease of life through merchandise. T-shirts featuring the classic radio wave design are worn by new wave fans and unknowing teens alike. Much like Sticky Fingers, this album cover used a simple graphic in an effective way and the image has now gone down in print history. 

The Story Behind The Poster 

The band originally came across this image in the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy and it was later adapted by graphic artist, Peter Saville, who worked with many new wave bands such as Roxy Music and Pulp. If you were wondering about the science, the image depicts a comparative path demonstration of frequency from a signal of a pulsar. Whether that’s straight over your head or not, we can all agree that the wavy lines are eye-catching at least! 

3. The Beatles — Abbey Road 

Whether you’re a Beatles fan or not, you’ll no doubt recognize the Abbey Road album cover instantly. This has become a poster favourite, and it has turned a normal London street into a buzzing tourist hotspot. The line-up striding across the zebra crossing in unison has been recreated time and time again, cementing the image in history. 

The Story Behind The Poster 

Supposedly, this scene was first produced in the form of a stick-figure sketch by Paul McCartney. He passed this quick drawing onto photographer, Iain Macmillan, and the scene was set. The photo shoot took place over ten minutes, as police held up traffic at either end of Abbey Road and Macmillan snapped pictures from a stepladder for a better vantage point. It’s crazy to think that for such a significant image, that has been mass-printed in poster form for decades, Macmillan was only given around ten minutes! 

4. The Clash — London Calling 

The photograph that became the sleeve for the iconic album, London Calling, has gone down in history to represent a golden era of rock. The image shows The Clash’s bassist Paul Simonon smashing his guitar in a rage, an image that has become synonymous with the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle. When asked about the angry guitar smash that has since gone down in history, Simonon explained that every time the band tried to get the crowd up on their feet, the bouncers forced them back down. He said, “That frustrated me to the point that I destroyed this bass guitar.” 

The Story Behind The Poster 

This iconic musical photo was captured by Pennie Smith during a gig at the Palladium in New York in 1979. When using Pennie’s image was first suggested, she resisted, claiming it was blurry and too low-quality. Ray Lowry, a leading designer, eventually persuaded her that the blurriness made the image more authentic and she let the band use it for their album cover. The final design was completed by Lowry and it consciously referenced an earlier album by Elvis Presley with its pink and green lettering. This pastiche told the world that although Elvis was proclaimed the king of rock, The Clash were here to contend for the throne. 

5. Pink Floyd — The Dark Side Of The Moon 

Finally, we have Pink Floyd’s most famous album artwork, The Dark Side of The Moon. Like Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures concept, Pink Floyd’s artwork came straight out of a physics textbook. The album depicts white light passing through a prism, forming a rainbow spectrum against a stark black background. It has become an iconic poster and has retained popularity over decades. 

The Story Behind The Poster 

The idea for this iconic music image was formulated after Rick Wright declared he wanted something “clean, elegant and graphic, not photographic — not a figurative picture.” This led to the creation of a bold graphic, which referenced the themes of madness and ambition that the lyrics of the album alluded to. Another reason for the prism of light was to draw reference to Pink Floyd’s famous light shows, which were a major element of their gigs. 

Decorate Your House With These Iconic Music Posters

Whether people love these images because of the albums themselves, or the pure artistry behind the covers, they have gone down in history. People of all ages love to express themselves through music and are proud to decorate their homes which posters featuring their favorite bands and album covers. As well as being aesthetically pleasing, popular music posters add personality and passion to a house or a venue and are always a fantastic talking point.

7 Ways to Choose Good Music For Videos

Before you can choose the right music and soundtrack for your video, you need to be aware of what defines good music for videos. When watching videos online or even movies on the big screen, it may seem like an easy task to choose the music used. However, there's a lot that goes into the process.

If you're working on your own video or movie project, then you're already beginning to understand how much work actually goes into creating a masterpiece. We don't realize how much work it is until we begin to create our own projects.

Maybe the music you've chosen so far is working too well. Maybe you don't know where to begin.

Either way, we're here to help. Below are 7 secrets to choosing the right music for your video.


1. Start the Process Early

Music should be one of the first things that you decide on when creating your own video. Don't finalize an edit and then decide on what music to use. Instead, start figuring out your soundtrack early on. 

If you're working for a client, be sure to send the client the soundtrack before finalizing anything.

This allows your client time to either approve or reject it. Focusing on the music aspect of your video early on also helps you stay in budget. 

For example, you might not know the price of licensing music until you're in the moment. Knowing how much it'll cost ahead of time will help you stick with your budget. 


2. Understand the Tone of Your Video

You should have an understanding of the tone of your video before selecting which music to use.

The tone of your video is something that you should know before you create the video itself. What message are you trying to convey in your video? 

And what tone does this then give off? The tone of your video will affect the mood of the music. There are some instances where you might intentionally use music that clashes with the scene in the video for a comical effect for example.  

Otherwise, use music that plays into the tone of the video or the scene well. You want the music you choose to enhance any emotions and feelings in the viewer for each scene that music is used in. 


3. Decide Between Vocals and Non-Vocals

Choosing between vocals and non-vocals is another important step in selecting the right music for your specific video. Films use music with vocals as there are scenes where no dialogue is taken place. Videos that have dialogue throughout them, such as an interview, shouldn't have music with vocals in it.

If you're able to use a track with vocals in it, be sure to listen to the words carefully.

Although the tone or mood of the music might seem fitting, the words will need to fit with your video as well. If you have an issue finding vocals that work well with what's going on in your video, remember that non-vocal tracks can be just as powering.

The right non-vocal track will bring out all emotions and feelings in your viewers as a vocal one would. 


4. Use Music with Real Instruments

It's best to stick with music that uses real instruments rather than choosing something with digitalized effects and instruments.

Even someone who doesn't know much about music will be able to tell if the music in your video is made with effects rather than real instruments. 

You should think about the message that you're trying to convey in your video and choose an instrument that will help you convey this message. For example, if creating a video on different cultures, you can use music using popular instruments from that culture. 


5. Think About Your Audience

Think about who will be viewing your video as well when deciding on the best music to use. Who is your target audience? If this a project that you're creating to show college classmates?

Are you creating an animated video for young children? Are you putting together a project for your boss? This is something that you want to take into consideration as your audience will relate to music depending on who they are.

The best way to narrow your choices down based on your audience is to think about 3 different genres of music that would suit them well. Then, select one track for the 3 different genres.

Once done, you can see which one out of the 3 tracks will work best for your video. 


6. Choose the Song First

Our next tip for you is to choose the song first.

This isn't required when creating a video, but some of the best video editors do it this way for good reason. You might find that it's easier to take a song and build a video around it rather than create a video and then find a track that's fitting.

This is because the music in a video holds so much power over the emotions and feelings of the viewers. 


7. Browse Through Stock Music

Now that you have a better idea of how to find the right music for your video, it's time to start browsing through these stock music options. Here, you can select if your video is for personal or business content. 

You can then browse through different tracks based on the genre, a keyword, instruments used, vocals, and more!


What Is Good Music for Videos?

After reading through our guide, we hope you now have a better idea of what good music for videos is.

Which tracks will you use for your new video? Be sure to keep this guide handy when needing to make the right selection!

Top 10 Best Songs About Weed - Marijuana Music High Hits

For many people, Amsterdam is the weed capital of the world. If you're planning on going there, it pays to be ready.

Of course, we're talking about creating your custom weed-themed soundtrack. Needless to say, you're spoiled for choice. From Bob Marley to Amy Winehouse, the list of artists who sang about their love for ganja is endless.

Still, there are a few weed anthems everyone should hear at least once in their life. Not sure where to start? Here are top 10 songs about weed that always keep the party going. 

Top 10 Best Songs About Marijuana


10. "Mary Jane" (1978), Rick James

As evidenced by Chappelle's Show, Rick James' biggest love was cocaine. That said, he had a soft spot for marijuana as well. In his prime, he famously said that he didn't bother buying ounces of weed—he bought pounds.

To nobody's surprise, it was around this time that he came out with "Mary Jane." With its deft blend of pop and doo-wop, the track was an instant hit. During his live shows, James would often perform it surrounded by two huge fake joints.


9. "Brown Sugar" (1995), D'Angelo

Much like "Mary Jane," D'Angelo's debut single is at once comical and serious. The drums provide a funky beat, and the piano arrangement is haunting. Of course, D'Angelo's husky vocals are still the main attraction.

In fact, the song's quality can make you forget about the weed metaphor at its core. According to D'Angelo, that's how it's supposed to be. In a later interview, he said he wanted the listeners to come up with their own vision for the song.


8. "Sweet Leaf" (1971), Black Sabbath

Masters of Reality has no shortage of great tunes, and "Sweet Leaf" is the perfect opener. With lyrics such as "Straight people don't know what you're about," the song is one big weed endorsement. The sludgy riff makes it even better.

Also, remember that iconic cough at the start of the song? As it turns out, that was Tony Iommi's reaction to a particularly large hit. Since the tape was on, all band members agreed that the cough should stay in.


7. "Gin and Juice" (1994), Snoop Dogg

When you think of weed songs, you probably think of Snoop Dogg. After all, the man has spent his entire career aligning with reefer. He also made some great music in the process, with "Gin and Juice" being the prime example.

Unlike most songs on this list, "Gin and Juice" isn't all about weed. Rather, it's a convoluted tale of a house party in the hood. The point: no matter how bad you think you have it, some weed can make it all better.


6. "Addicted" (2006), Amy Winehouse

In "Addicted," Amy Winehouse taught us all a lesson about good manners. "When you smoke all my weed, man," she sang, "you gotta call the green man." That's not a topic many female pop stars would touch, but she made it work.

As Winehouse would later admit, weed was a major outlet for her addictive personality. Unfortunately, she would have been better off sticking with the magical plant. At the age of 27, she died of alcohol poisoning.


5. "Pass the Kouchie" (1982), Mighty Diamonds

Not sure what "kouchie" means? Well, it's Jamaican slang for a souped-up ganja pipe. The track was so popular that it became a hit twice, in England and Jamaica.

In 1982, Musical Youth recorded their own version of the song called "Pass the Dutchie." If you're wondering, a dutchie is a type of cooking pot. This cleaned-up cover led them to MTV success, but the Youths remained a one-hit-wonder.


4. "Hits from the Bong" (1993), Cypress Hill

This was a stoner anthem back in the day, and it's not hard to see why. For starters, it works as a bong user's manual. Among other things, we hear about why you should clean your screen and how not to spill your bong water.

Also, this was one of many songs built around a guitar loop from "Son of a Preacher Man." The resulting tune is effective at creating a warm, smoky aura around B-Real's pearls of wisdom. A great song from a great album.


3. "How High" (1999), Redman and Method Man

This was Meth and Red's first featured collaboration, and it made it immediately clear that they struck gold. As they trade verses back and forth, the chemistry on display is palpable. Eric Serman's production gives the track some muscle.

In 2001, "How High" featured prominently in the duo's stoner flick of the same name. Despite getting panned by critics, the film became a cult success. Meth and Red later remixed the song, but the original still reigns supreme.


2. "Kaya" (1978), Bob Marley

Though you may not believe it, the album Kaya came out a mere year after the seminal Exodus. Indeed, the two albums couldn't be more different. Where Exodus focused on faith and politics, Kaya was all about love and peace.

In Kaya's title track, the main vehicle for peace is good old weed. In fact, "kaya" is Jamaican slang for "herb." The album cut is an improvement on the original, as Marley's vocals are smoother and crisper.


1. "Legalize It" (1976), Peter Tosh

How could it have been anything else? In the '70s and '80s, weed had no greater reggae proponent than Peter Tosh. Honestly, who else would put himself smoking a pipe in a marijuana field on an album cover?

Of course, it doesn't hurt that the title track was so powerful. With its rebellious vibe and in-your-face lyrics, "Legalize It" is a roots reggae classic. As the years go on, its vision statement inches closer to reality as well.


More Hit Songs About Weed

Though these 10 songs are our top picks, there are plenty of others that are worthy of your time. After all, we haven't even mentioned the Beatles, Bob Dylan, De La Soul, or Outkast. Coded or not, songs about weed are here to stay. These high hits are always here for you when you are about to hit the reefer.

Want to know how else you can prepare for a trip to Amsterdam besides music? Interested in fun activities that you can only do on vacation? Check out our Travel section!