This video speaks for itself.
wat.
Fred Durst Is The King Of The Potty Guys
– Posted on April 20, 2008Posted in: Internet Phenomena, Music
Music Archive
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Buzznet Acquires Idolator From Gawker Media
– Posted on April 14, 2008Posted in: Internet Phenomena, Music
paidContent.org reports that music/social network site, Buzznet, has just purchased Idolator from Gawker Media. This comes on the heels of the recent full acquisition of Stereogum at the end of March.
I must admit, these acquisitions have caught me off guard. Last I checked, Buzznet was an emo-kid saturated Myspace wannabe. Idolator and Stereogum, though, are two of the (if not the most) most visited and credible music blogs on the internet. Having those two sites under your wing immediately makes you a major player in the online music content realm.
Buzznet insists that full editorial control will be retained by Idolator founder, Maura Johnston, and that the move will only provide more resources for the Idolator team. One always has to take such statements with a huge lick of salt though. Rarely does a parent company not exert it’s influence over an acquisition in some manner. The fact that one of Buzznet’s key investors is Interscope Records does not exactly inspire confidence either.
As long as both Stereogum and Idolator maintain their unique identities, I don’t see a huge drop off in quality or readerships. But it’s going to be mighty tempting down the line for Buzznet to tweak their breadwinners to better suit the conglomerate’s needs, rather than the individual blogs’ needs. It’s a fine line that all media groups need to walk.
Something tells me I shouldn’t be holding my breath on this one though.
Read the press release [biz.yahoo.com]
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Last.fm Is Logical
– Posted on April 13, 2008Posted in: Music
In an overwhelming intellectual leap of faith, last.fm has concluded that allowing full-length track streaming has increased sales.
Since Last.fm’s label deals allowed them to stream over five million full tracks for free, the site has seen its CD and MP3 Amazon referrals increase 119 percent. Some of the effect is due to an increase in overall traffic since the full songs showed up, but existing users of the site purchased 66 percent more music during the same period.
Did anyone ever harbor the illusion that 30-second track previews were really enough to sell people on a track purchase? Sure, one could argue that maybe the right 30 seconds would be enough, but there’s no way of finding a “one size fits all” snippet for everyone.
Full length track streaming is the only way to go for online music purchasing. It isn’t a replacement for owning the cd or file because you can’t put the music on your device – the end goal of most users.
Would you buy a car after a mere 30 second test-drive? There is no way I’m spending my money on any music without hearing it in its entirety to make sure I love it.
Read more about last.fm’s conclusion [blog.wired.com]
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Hell Has Frozen Over
– Posted on April 7, 2008Posted in: Music, Music Industry
Wired’s Listening Post reports that Warner Music has a plan to charge people a flat fee on the ISP level for the right to download unlimited amounts of music on p2p networks without the threat of litigation.
wat.
I’m still in shock. Hath mine own eyes deceived me? Is this really happening? Someone should check on Bob Lefsetz – he might be in cardiac arrest right now.
Coming back down to earth, it looks like the plan is not very well thought out yet and there are a lot of questions still to be answered.
What is known is that Jim Griffin has been hired by Warner to create “an ASCAP for the internet, collecting fees from ISPs and divvying them up among rights holders.” In the same way that diners pay restaurant’s music licensing fees with each dish they order, ISP customers would pay a bit more per month for the right to download as much music as their hard drives can eat.
The very notion that someone at Warners gets it is pretty shocking to me. Yes, this is a solution that should have been put in place a decade ago, but as I’ve said before, this sort of rational thinking from a major label was unfathomable to us in the industry even just a scant year ago. There’s still the problem of getting the rest of the labels on board, but I’m pretty confident that once one of them has a good plan of execution in place, the rest should fall like dominoes.
Bravo Warners, bravo.
Read more [blog.wired.com]
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Full Lollapalooza 2008 Lineup Revealed
– Posted on April 7, 2008Posted in: Music
Doing it for more than just the lols, our friends over at stereogum have obtained the full lineup for Lollapalooza 2008 and it’s a doozy. The three day festival is happening at Chicago’s Grant Park from August 1st-3rd.
Here are the headlining highlights:
Radiohead
Rage Against the Machine
Nine Inch Nails
Kanye West
Wilco
The Raconteurs
Looks like the “three shows and done” resolution for Rage Against The Machine was more like a “three shows and whatever festival will pay us” resolution.
Regardless, this is a fantastic lineup and is what Coachella should have been. Personally, I’m pumped to see Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s among dozens of others. It’s truly an indie music fan’s wet dream.
Tickets are on sale now on lollapalooza.com – looks like they’ve got 3-day passes for $190. No extra fees or charges, it’s $190 flat for all three days. Love their no bullshit stance on ticket fee prices.
Full band list after the jump.
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Trolling the internet the other day, I came across a pretty awesome site called Muxtape.
Muxtape Lets You Make Online Mixtapes For Free
– Posted on March 27, 2008Posted in: Music
Using a very simple and clean Web 2.0 interface with large text, you can upload up to 12 mp3 files (each no more than 10 mb) to create your own online mixtape that anyone online can stream.
Though the site specifies that you have to own the rights to share the song and that you shouldn’t upload multiple songs from the same album or artist, there is no enforcing of any sort of rules. Down the road, I can imagine some Luddite record labels getting their panties in a bunch and start threatening Muxtape with lawyers and such.
I hope not though, this is a site that we music fans sorely need.
I’ve put up some of my favorite singles of the year so far at the My Day Will Come Muxtape and will continually update it as I come across stuff I love.
Listen to the My Day Will Come Muxtape [muxtape.com]
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Don’t Worry Buckethead, Axl Will Share His Dr. Pepper With You
– Posted on March 26, 2008Posted in: Music
In a completely random maneuver, Cadbury Schweppes America Beverages is offering a deal to embattled Guns N’ Roses frontman, Axl Rose. If Axl can finish the oft delayed new GNR album, Chinese Democracy, anytime in 2008, the company will give everyone in the US (except for Slash and Buckethead – well played Dr. Pepper) a can of Dr. Pepper.
Axl has already responded to the press release on the Guns N’ Roses website:
If there is any involvement with this promotion by our record company or others, we are unaware of such at this time. And as some of Buckethead’s performances are on our album, I’ll share my Dr Pepper with him.
You know, I may be a jaded music industry expatriate, but of things I first thought of when I saw the press release, contrived label promotion did not cross my mind. Maybe I’m getting naive, or maybe i just want to believe in how awesome Dr. Pepper is because it’s my favorite soda.
Regardless, a high-five to the marketing dude at Dr. Pepper for thinking up these shenanigans. It’s unique and random in a way that’ll get people talking without being trite. It’s a helluva lot cheaper than buying TV ads too.
Minus points, though, for not ponying up the $10 for a domain to host the blog. Was the budget that low?
Read the press release [money.cnn.com]
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New Weezer Song “Automatic” To Debut On Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Soundtrack
– Posted on March 26, 2008Posted in: Music, Video Games
I never really cared much for Gran Turismo soundtracks, because usually when I play Gran Turismo it is serious business and I need to turn off the music.
However, yesterday, SCEA announced that a remix of a brand new Weezer song, “Automatic,” would be included in the soundtrack (“mixtape”) for the upcoming US release of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.
Everyone hungers for new Weezer material and the above clip showcases both the game and the song. I can’t say I recognize Rivers’ voice in the song, but I think I’m liking what I hear. It certainly fits a driving mood.
It’ll be interesting to see if the LA Riots did some heavy remixing to the vocals or if it’s a new direction for Weezer.
Read the full mixtape list [blog.us.playstation.com]
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I got an email from my friend Chris this morning letting me know that the new Death Cab For Cutie single has hit the airwaves (literally and virtually).
New Death Cab For Cutie Single – “I Will Possess Your Heart”
– Posted on March 18, 2008Posted in: Music
Entitled “I Will Possess Your Heart,” the track clocks in at a whopping 8:35. Those expecting to hear another “Soul Meets Body” may want to temper those expectations as this song is less poppy than previous DCFC tunes. Be prepared for a very long intro. (over 4 minutes!)
Nevertheless, when Ben Gibbard’s soothing voice enters the fray, you can’t help but feel all is right in the world again.
Buy the track from Amazon
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The Raconteurs Announce New Album, Follow Trent Reznor’s Lead
– Posted on March 17, 2008Posted in: Music, Music Industry
Taking a page out of Nine Inch Nails’ recent simultaneous announcement/release of their new album, The Raconteurs have announced that their new album, Consolers of the Lonely, will hit every possible outlet next Tuesday, 3/25.
“Album” meaning: full length vinyl, CD and digital formats; and “everywhere” meaning: local mom and pop Indie retailers, corporate superstores, supermarkets, iTunes, Amazon, the band’s own website and any other location that could get the record up and going this quickly
Personally, I think this would have had more impact had the announcement been day and date with the actual release, but it’s still a great development for the music industry. The tired old model of promoting an album months in advance via radio singles, press reviews, etc. of the actual release needed to go. As a music fan, nothing pissed me off more than reading and hearing about new material that I couldn’t own. That frustration often led people to pirate leaked copies of records because, well, that’s the only way you could hear the new material! Along with providing a good alternative to pirating new material, simultaneous availability also brings a bit of excitement back to the music industry, something that it sorely needs.
Hey, if it works for Apple and Nvidia, why not for music as well?
Read the full press release for The Raconteurs’ new album [idolator.com]