Love the concept, but curious why this would work when so many of these have failed? the energy of a jam session just doesn't translate over a web cam (but a rap battle, now THAT'S something that's cool online :P)
+1 to Erik's point. There's a skill/fidelity cap in play here.
This can unlock interesting new use cases. I agree it doesn't seem great for jam sessions, but as Erik knows, rap verses are often recorded separately and then sent to the producer for the final mix. Same with guitar and drum solos in rock. It's the next best thing. So there's that aspect.
But more importantly, I think this does for aspiring musicians what rapt.fm does for aspiring rappers. There's value in the practice and experience even if the output isn't high fidelity. You can get such a wide variety of experience with a tool like this, then move "up" to other forms of creation when you're looking for polish. Some examples of what I mean:
* Girl in rural area doesn't have any musically-inclined friends, but wants to practice her vocals.
* During a normal practice, a band member says "I wonder how this song would sound with a Chapman Stick (obscure stringed instrument) in the chorus. Finds someone online before practice is over to try it out.
* Guitarist meets a drummer on the other side of their city he never would've met otherwise. They meet up the next week to jam
* Two producers meet from opposite sides of the world to jam. A riff they created becomes the seed of a new track the polish over the next month.
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