 | | | | Monday 20 September 2010
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| The Problem With Music by Steve Albini  
This oft-referenced article is from the early '90s, and originally appeared in Maximum Rock 'n' Roll magazine. While some of the information and figures listed here are dated, it is still a useful and informative article. And no, we don't know how to reach Steve Albini. -Negativland www.negativland.com The Problem With Music
by Steve Albini Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed. Nobody can see what's printed on the contract. It's too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody's eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there's only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says "Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim again, please. Backstroke". And he does of course. Every major label involved in the hunt for new bands now has on staff a high-profile point man, an "A & R" rep who can present a comfortable face to any prospective band. The initials stand for "Artist and Repertoire." because historically, the A & R staff would select artists to record music that they had also selected, out of an available pool of each. This is still the case, though not openly. These guys are universally young [about the same age as the bands being wooed], and nowadays they always have some obvious underground rock credibility flag they can wave. Lyle Preslar, former guitarist for Minor Threat, is one of them. Terry Tolkin, former NY independent booking agent and assistant manager at Touch and Go is one of them. Al Smith, former soundman at CBGB is one of them. Mike Gitter, former editor of XXX fanzine and contributor to Rip, Kerrang and other lowbrow rags is one of them. Many of the annoying turds who used to staff college radio stations are in their ranks as well. There are several reasons A & R scouts are always young. The explanation usually copped-to is that the scout will be "hip to the current musical "scene." A more important reason is that the bands will intuitively trust someone they think is a peer, and who speaks fondly of the same formative rock and roll experiences. The A & R person is the first person to make contact with the band, and as such is the first person to promise them the moon. Who better to promise them the moon than an idealistic young turk who expects to be calling the shots in a few years, and who has had no previous experience with a big record company. Hell, he's as naive as the band he's duping. When he tells them no one will interfere in their creative process, he probably even believes it. When he sits down with the band for the first time, over a plate of angel hair pasta, he can tell them with all sincerity that when they sign with company X, they're really signing with him and he's on their side. Remember that great gig I saw you at in '85? Didn't we have a blast. By now all rock bands are wise enough to be suspicious of music industry scum. There is a pervasive caricature in popular culture of a portly, middle aged ex-hipster talking a mile-a-minute, using outdated jargon and calling everybody "baby." After meeting "their" A & R guy, the band will say to themselves and everyone else, "He's not like a record company guy at all! He's like one of us." And they will be right. That's one of the reasons he was hired. These A & R guys are not allowed to write contracts. What they do is present the band with a letter of intent, or "deal memo," which loosely states some terms, and affirms that the band will sign with the label once a contract has been agreed on. The spookiest thing about this harmless sounding little memo, is that it is, for all legal purposes, a binding document. That is, once the band signs it, they are under obligation to conclude a deal with the label. If the label presents them with a contract that the band don't want to sign, all the label has to do is wait. There are a hundred other bands willing to sign the exact same contract, so the label is in a position of strength. These letters never have any terms of expiration, so the band remain bound by the deal memo until a contract is signed, no matter how long that takes. The band cannot sign to another laborer or even put out its own material unless they are released from their agreement, which never happens. Make no mistake about it: once a band has signed a letter of intent, they will either eventually sign a contract that suits the label or they will be destroyed. One of my favorite bands was held hostage for the better part of two years by a slick young "He's not like a label guy at all," A & R rep, on the basis of such a deal memo. He had failed to come through on any of his promises [something he did with similar effect to another well-known band], and so the band wanted out. Another label expressed interest, but when the A & R man was asked to release the band, he said he would need money or points, or possibly both, before he would consider it. The new label was afraid the price would be too dear, and they said no thanks. On the cusp of making their signature album, an excellent band, humiliated, broke up from the stress and the many months of inactivity. There's this band. They're pretty ordinary, but they're also pretty good, so they've attracted some attention. They're signed to a moderate-sized "independent" label owned by a distribution company, and they have another two albums owed to the label. They're a little ambitious. They'd like to get signed by a major label so they can have some security you know, get some good equipment, tour in a proper tour bus -- nothing fancy, just a little reward for all the hard work. To that end, they got a manager. He knows some of the label guys, and he can shop their next project to all the right people. He takes his cut, sure, but it's only 15%, and if he can get them signed then it's money well spent. Anyways, it doesn't cost them anything if it doesn't work. 15% of nothing isn't much! One day an A & R scout calls them, says he's 'been following them for a while now, and when their manager mentioned them to him, it just "clicked." Would they like to meet with him about the possibility of working out a deal with his label? Wow. Big Break time. They meet the guy, and y'know what -- he's not what they expected from a label guy. He's young and dresses pretty much like the band does. He knows all their favorite bands. He's like one of them. He tells them he wants to go to bat for them, to try to get them everything they want. He says anything is possible with the right attitude. They conclude the evening by taking home a copy of a deal memo they wrote out and signed on the spot. The A & R guy was full of great ideas, even talked about using a name producer. Butch Vig is out of the question-he wants 100 g's and three points, but they can get Don Fleming for $30,000 plus three points. Even that's a little steep, so maybe they'll go with that guy who used to be in David Letterman's band. He only wants three points. Or they can have just anybody record it (like Warton Tiers, maybe-- cost you 5 or 7 grand] and have Andy Wallace remix it for 4 grand a track plus 2 points. It was a lot to think about. Well, they like this guy and they trust him. Besides, they already signed the deal memo. He must have been serious about wanting them to sign. They break the news to their current label, and the label manager says he wants them to succeed, so they have his blessing. He will need to be compensated, of course, for the remaining albums left on their contract, but he'll work it out with the label himself. Sub Pop made millions from selling off Nirvana, and Twin Tone hasn't done bad either: 50 grand for the Babes and 60 grand for the Poster Children-- without having to sell a single additional record. It'll be something modest. The new label doesn't mind, so long as it's recoupable out of royalties. Well, they get the final contract, and it's not quite what they expected. They figure it's better to be safe than sorry and they turn it over to a lawyer--one who says he's experienced in entertainment law and he hammers out a few bugs. They're still not sure about it, but the lawyer says he's seen a lot of contracts, and theirs is pretty good. They'll be great royalty: 13% [less a 1O% packaging deduction]. Wasn't it Buffalo Tom that were only getting 12% less 10? Whatever. The old label only wants 50 grand, an no points. Hell, Sub Pop got 3 points when they let Nirvana go. They're signed for four years, with options on each year, for a total of over a million dollars! That's a lot of money in any man's English. The first year's advance alone is $250,000. Just think about it, a quarter million, just for being in a rock band! Their manager thinks it's a great deal, especially the large advance. Besides, he knows a publishing company that will take the band on if they get signed, and even give them an advance of 20 grand, so they'll be making that money too. The manager says publishing is pretty mysterious, and nobody really knows where all the money comes from, but the lawyer can look that contract over too. Hell, it's free money. Their booking agent is excited about the band signing to a major. He says they can maybe average $1,000 or $2,000 a night from now on. That's enough to justify a five week tour, and with tour support, they can use a proper crew, buy some good equipment and even get a tour bus! Buses are pretty expensive, but if you figure in the price of a hotel room for everybody In the band and crew, they're actually about the same cost. Some bands like Therapy? and Sloan and Stereolab use buses on their tours even when they're getting paid only a couple hundred bucks a night, and this tour should earn at least a grand or two every night. It'll be worth it. The band will be more comfortable and will play better. The agent says a band on a major label can get a merchandising company to pay them an advance on T-shirt sales! ridiculous! There's a gold mine here! The lawyer Should look over the merchandising contract, just to be safe. They get drunk at the signing party. Polaroids are taken and everybody looks thrilled. The label picked them up in a limo. They decided to go with the producer who used to be in Letterman's band. He had these technicians come in and tune the drums for them and tweak their amps and guitars. He had a guy bring in a slew of expensive old "vintage" microphones. Boy, were they "warm." He even had a guy come in and check the phase of all the equipment in the control room! Boy, was he professional. He used a bunch of equipment on them and by the end of it, they all agreed that it sounded very "punchy," yet "warm." All that hard work paid off. With the help of a video, the album went like hotcakes! They sold a quarter million copies! Here is the math that will explain just how fucked they are: These figures are representative of amounts that appear in record contracts daily. There's no need to skew the figures to make the scenario look bad, since real-life examples more than abound. income is bold and underlined, expenses are not.
| Advance: | $ 250,000 | | Manager's cut: | $ 37,500 | | Legal fees: | $ 10,000 | | Recording Budget: | $ 150,000 | | Producer's advance: | $ 50,000 | | Studio fee: | $ 52,500 | | Drum Amp, Mic and Phase "Doctors": | $ 3,000 | | Recording tape: | $ 8,000 | | Equipment rental: | $ 5,000 | | Cartage and Transportation: | $ 5,000 | | Lodgings while in studio: | $ 10,000 | | Catering: | $ 3,000 | | Mastering: | $ 10,000 | | Tape copies, reference CDs, shipping tapes, misc. expenses: | $ 2,000 | | Video budget: | $ 30,000 | | Cameras: | $ 8,000 | | Crew: | $ 5,000 | | Processing and transfers: | $ 3,000 | | Off-line: | $ 2,000 | | On-line editing: | $ 3,000 | | Catering: | $ 1,000 | | Stage and construction: | $ 3,000 | | Copies, couriers, transportation: | $ 2,000 | | Director's fee: | $ 3,000 | | Album Artwork: | $ 5,000 | | Promotional photo shoot and duplication: | $ 2,000 | | Band fund: | $ 15,000 | | New fancy professional drum kit: | $ 5,000 | | New fancy professional guitars [2]: | $ 3,000 | | New fancy professional guitar amp rigs [2]: | $ 4,000 | | New fancy potato-shaped bass guitar: | $ 1,000 | | New fancy rack of lights bass amp: | $ 1,000 | | Rehearsal space rental: | $ 500 | | Big blowout party for their friends: | $ 500 | | Tour expense [5 weeks]: | $ 50,875 | | Bus: | $ 25,000 | | Crew [3]: | $ 7,500 | | Food and per diems: | $ 7,875 | | Fuel: | $ 3,000 | | Consumable supplies: | $ 3,500 | | Wardrobe: | $ 1,000 | | Promotion: | $ 3,000 | | Tour gross income: | $ 50,000 | | Agent's cut: | $ 7,500 | | Manager's cut: | $ 7,500 | | Merchandising advance: | $ 20,000 | | Manager's cut: | $ 3,000 | | Lawyer's fee: | $ 1,000 | | Publishing advance: | $ 20,000 | | Manager's cut: | $ 3,000 | | Lawyer's fee: | $ 1,000 | | Record sales: | 250,000 @ $12 =
$3,000,000 | | Gross retail revenue Royalty: | [13% of 90% of retail]:
$ 351,000 | | Less advance: | $ 250,000 | | Producer's points: | [3% less $50,000 advance]:
$ 40,000 | | Promotional budget: | $ 25,000 | | Recoupable buyout from previous label: | $ 50,000 | | Net royalty: | $ -14,000 |
Record company income:
| | Record wholesale price: | $6.50 x 250,000 =
$1,625,000 gross income | | Artist Royalties: | $ 351,000 | | Deficit from royalties: | $ 14,000 | | Manufacturing, packaging and distribution: | @ $2.20 per record: $ 550,000 | | Gross profit: | $ 7l0,000 |
The Balance Sheet: This is how much each player got paid at the end of the game.
| | Record company: | $ 710,000 | | Producer: | $ 90,000 | | Manager: | $ 51,000 | | Studio: | $ 52,500 | | Previous label: | $ 50,000 | | Agent: | $ 7,500 | | Lawyer: | $ 12,000 | | Band member net income each: | $ 4,031.25 |
The band is now 1/4 of the way through its contract, has made the music industry more than 3 million dollars richer, but is in the hole $14,000 on royalties. The band members have each earned about 1/3 as much as they would working at a 7-11, but they got to ride in a tour bus for a month. The next album will be about the same, except that the record company will insist they spend more time and money on it. Since the previous one never "recouped," the band will have no leverage, and will oblige. The next tour will be about the same, except the merchandising advance will have already been paid, and the band, strangely enough, won't have earned any royalties from their T-shirts yet. Maybe the T-shirt guys have figured out how to count money like record company guys. Some of your friends are probably already this fucked. Steve Albini is an independent and corporate rock record producer most widely known for having produced Nirvana's "In Utero".
Submitted by warchilin66
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Thursday 16 September 2010
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| Nikki Sixx Discusses Working With Murderdolls on Sixx Sense Motley Crue bassist, best-selling author and on-air radio personality Nikki Sixx sat down with ARTISTdirect.com to discuss all of the above and more in a recent on-camera interview, and namechecked Sixx Sense radio guests the Murderdolls. While the band was recording their sophomore album Women and Children Last in Hollywood after an 8-year hiatus, main duo Wednesday 13 and Joey Jordison dropped in to discuss the new album (which hit stores August 31st) on Sixx's syndicated radio show.
Explains Sixx, "Murderdolls was neat, cuz I've followed the band, known the band members, and I've seen that there's been a long hiatus, and then they're re-energized to coming back with this new music, I really wanted to give them a forum, give them an opportunity to be heard because people haven't heard their name in a while..."
Go here to watch the whole interview, and go right here to get your copy of Murderdolls frenetic new album Women and Children Last.
Submitted by warchilin66
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| Dream Theater Comment on Mike Portnoy's Departure In the wake of Mike Portnoy’s announcement that he is leaving Dream Theater, the remaining members of the band have issued the following statement about the matter:
To all of our loyal fans and friends: It is with profound sadness -- regret -- we announce that Mike Portnoy, our lifelong drummer and friend, has decided to leave Dream Theater. Mike's stature in the band has meant the world to all of us professionally, musically, and personally over the years. There is no dispute: Mike has been a major force within this band.
While it is true that Mike is choosing to pursue other ventures and challenges, we can assure you that Dream Theater will continue to move forward with the same intensity -- and in the same musical tradition -- that you have all helped make so successful, and which is truly gratifying to us.
Fans and friends: File this episode under "Black Clouds and Silver Linings."As planned, we begin recording our newest album in January 2011, and we'll follow that with a full-on world tour. "The Spirit Carries On."
All of us in Dream Theater wholeheartedly wish Mike the best on his musical journey. We have had a long and meaningful career together. It is our true hope that he finds all he is looking for, and that he achieves the happiness he deserves. He will be missed.
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| Mike Portnoy Announces His Departure From Dream Theater Mike Portnoy has issued the following statement:
I am about to write something I never imagined I'd ever write: After 25 years, I have decided to leave Dream Theater....the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century. To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision...it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so.... After having had such amazing experiences playing with Hail, Transatlantic and Avenged Sevenfold this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in Dream Theater... Please don't misinterpret me, I love the DT guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them...it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break... Dream Theater was always my baby...and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985...24/7, 365...never taking time off from DT's never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was "off" between cycles)...working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band... But I've come to the conclusion that the DT machine was starting to burn me out...and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DT spirit hungry and inspired. We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here & there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a "hiatus" to recharge our batteries and "save me from ourselves"... Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather...I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be... While it truly hurts for me to even think of a Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way...so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes.... Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of DT and I talked about "always following your heart and being true to yourself"...sadly I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with Dream Theater...and I would simply be "going through the motions", and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed. I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come...I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played.... I'm sorry to all the disappointed DT fans around the world...I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work...I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)...but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within.... You DT fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me....(and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future MP projects!)
Sadly...
Your fearless ex-leader and drummer,
MP
"Move on be brave, don't weep at my grave, because I am no longer here... But please never let your memory of me disappear...." --- The Spirit Carries On
In a later message on his personal Facebook page, Mike has released the following addendum:
I BEG of the fans to please NOT hold A7X responsible for MY decision...they are just as shocked as you guys..I had been contemplating this and desiring a "break" (not split) as long ago as last year...everything else is fully explained in the press release...thank you all for your support and understanding...this is th...e hardest thing I've ever done...:(
Submitted by warchilin66
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| UA Engineers Build Lunar Vegetable Garden
Researchers are demonstrating that plants from Earth could be grown without soil on the moon or Mars, setting the table for astronauts who would find potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables awaiting their arrival. By Ed Stiles , College of Engineering, September 10, 2010
The first extraterrestrials to inhabit the moon probably won't be little green men, but they could be little green plants. Researchers at the University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, known as CEAC, are demonstrating that plants from Earth could be grown hydroponically (without soil) on the moon or Mars, setting the table for astronauts who would find potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables awaiting their arrival. The research team has built a prototype lunar greenhouse in the CEAC Extreme Climate Lab at UA's Campus Agricultural Center. It represents the last 18 feet of one of several tubular structures that would be part of a proposed lunar base. The tubes would be buried beneath the moon's surface to protect the plants and astronauts from deadly solar flares, micrometeorites and cosmic rays. The membrane-covered module can be collapsed to a 4-foot-wide disk for interplanetary travel. It contains water-cooled sodium vapor lamps and long envelopes that would be loaded with seeds, ready to sprout hydroponically. "We can deploy the module and have the water flowing to the lamps in just ten minutes," said Phil Sadler, president of Sadler Machine Co., which designed and built the lunar greenhouse. "About 30 days later, you have vegetables." Standing beside the growth chamber, which was overflowing with greenery despite the windowless CEAC lab, principal investigator and CEAC Director Gene Giacomelli said, "You can think of this as a robotic mechanism that is providing food, oxygen and fresh drinking water." Giacomelli, a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering and a member of the UA's BIO5 Institute, said that although this robot is built around living green plants – instead of the carbon fiber or steel usually associated with engineering devices – it still requires all the components common to any autonomous robotic system. These components, which include sensors that gather data, algorithms to analyze that data and a control system to optimize performance, are being designed by assistant professor Roberto Furfaro of systems and industrial engineering, and associate professor Murat Kacira of agricultural and biosystems engineering. "We want the system to operate itself," Kacira said. "However, we're also trying to devise a remote decision-support system that would allow an operator on Earth to intervene. The system can build its own analysis and predictions, but we want to have access to the data and the control system." This is similar to the way a CEAC food-production system has been operating at the South Pole for the past six years.The South Pole Growth Chamber, where many ideas now used in the lunar greenhouse were developed, was also designed and fabricated by Sadler Machine Co. It provides fresh food to the South Pole research station, which is physically cut off from the outside world for six to eight months each year. In addition to food, the growth chamber provides a valuable psychological boost for scientists who overwinter at the station. "There's only 5 percent humidity and all you can normally smell is diesel fuel and body odor," Sadler said. But now researchers can go into the growth chamber and smell vegetables and flowers and see living green things, breaking the monotony of thousands of square miles of ice and snow surrounding their completely man-made environment. Lane Patterson, a master's student in agricultural and biosystems engineering and primary systems operations manager of CEAC's lunar greenhouse lab, also works for Raytheon Polar Services, which provides operations support for the South Pole Growth Chamber. "If I need to be there in the chamber looking over an operator's shoulder, that's possible with the web camera," Patterson explained. "But if I need to make an adjustment to the chamber without the operator's assistance, I can do that electronically via computer communication." Recycling and efficient use of resources are just as important to the South Pole operation as they will be on the moon, Sadler noted. A dozen 1,000-watt sodium-vapor lights generate a lot of heat, which is siphoned away by each lamp's cooling system and used to heat the station. "Energy is expensive there," Sadler said. "It's about $35 a gallon for diesel fuel."In fact, efficient use of resources is just as important for hydroponic greenhouses anywhere on the globe, Giacomelli emphasized. "All that we learn from the life support system in the prototype lunar greenhouse can be applied right here on Earth," he added. "On another planet, you need to minimize your labor, recycle all you can and operate as efficiently as possible," he said. "If I ask the manager of a hydroponic greenhouse in Willcox [Ariz.] what's most important, he or she will tell me those same things – recycle, minimize labor, minimize resource use." Carbon dioxide is fed into the prototype greenhouse from pressurized tanks, but astronauts would provide CO2 at the lunar base just by breathing. Similarly, water for the plants would be extracted from astronaut urine, and the water-cooled electric lights might be replaced by fiber optic cable – essentially light pipes – which would channel sunlight from the surface to the plants underground. The lunar greenhouse contains approximately 220 pounds of wet plant material that can provide 53 quarts of potable water and about three-quarters of a pound of oxygen during a 24-hour period, while consuming about 100 kilowatts of electricity and a pound of carbon dioxide. "We turned the greenhouse on about eight months ago to see how it would operate and that test run will be completed on Sept. 30," Giacomelli said. NASA is funding that research under a $70,000 Ralph Steckler Space Grant Colonization Research and Technology Development Opportunity, which CEAC obtained with help from UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. The Steckler grants are designed to support research that could lead to space colonization, a better understanding of the lunar environment and creation of technologies that will support space colonies. CEAC now is applying for Phase II of this grant, which would provide an additional $225,000 for two years. Although NASA funds the test run, "everything you see in this room – the greenhouse module, lights, water system – came out of Phil Sadler's pocket," Giacomelli said. "I paid for the student help and pay the bills for the research space. Obviously, we think this is important work." The UA researchers and Sadler Machine also are collaborating with two Italian firms on this project: Thales Alenia Space, a company that builds hardware for the International Space Station, and Aero Sekur, which builds inflatable structures. Giacomelli said the research also could lead to plant colonization in another traditionally hostile environment – large urban centers. "There's great interest in providing locally grown, fresh food in cities, for growing food right where masses of people are living," Giacomelli said. "It's the idea of growing high-quality fresh food that only has to be transported very short distances. There also would be a sense of agriculture returning to the everyday lives of urban dwellers." "I think that idea is as exciting as establishing plant colonies on the moon."
Submitted by warchilin66
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| A Vegetable Garden (Almost) on the Moon  No air, no water, poor soil, extreme heat and cold, deadly cosmic rays: at first glance, the lunar landscape doesn't look like much of a place to grow crops. But if humans are ever going to colonize the moon, Mars, or anywhere else in the solar system, we're going to need to bring some edible plants along.Such "lunar greenhouses" are closer than you think. Even now, in the frozen tundra of Antarctica and the windowless backroom laboratories of the University of Arizona, prototype moon gardens are bursting with greenery. Water-cooled sodium vapor lamps flood enclosures with artificial sunshine, while plants are bathed in a nutrient-rich broth.Designed and built by Phil Sadler of Sadler Machine Co. and a team of researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson, the University's laboratory garden is just underway. It's relatively small -- it sports 220 pounds of wet plant material, and you can imagine how much one fruit tree or a whole bunch of tomato plants would weigh by comparison -- but it consumes carbon dioxide, spits out oxygen, and produces produces about 13 gallons of drinkable water every day (in a working extraterrestrial garden, water would largely come from crew members' urine).In short, the system recycles everything. That makes it an attractive option for any resource-scarce environment, even here on Earth. Gene Giacomelli, head of the U of A's prototype, said it could be just as useful for growing crops in places where agricultural land is non-existent, like urban centers. From the university's press release:
Submitted by warchilin66
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