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27 Jul 2009 09:36

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Tech: Apple and the major labels butt heads over album-art approaches

  • Apple’s approach Last night, word came out that Apple was working on a new digital album format that would include liner notes, visuals, interactive features and the whole kit and caboodle. It’s code-named “Cocktail,” and it’s an attempt to get you jerks to buy albums. source
  • Apple’s approach Last night, word came out that Apple was working on a new digital album format that would include liner notes, visuals, interactive features and the whole kit and caboodle. It’s code-named “Cocktail,” and it’s an attempt to get you jerks to buy albums.
  • The labels’ approach However, the major labels say that Apple chose to come up with something on their own that the labels suggested 18 months ago. Since when has Apple been known to do that? The labels are working on a similar type of feature for everyone else. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jul 2009 21:56

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Music: Saturday Mixtape: Rising indie stars and old indie pros

  • 1. It’s good to hear when a band you kinda like starts getting attention. Shoegaze + NES band The Depreciation Guild is kinda like that – after a killer free album in 2007, “In Her Gentle Jaws,” one of the members made a name for himself with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and the rest is history. “Dream About Me” is a solid starting points.
    2. Much like The Flaming Lips or The Apples in Stereo, Wheat is a band that works best in full technicolor. The longstanding band’s just-out “White Ink, Black Ink,” especially “Changes Is,” shows that they haven’t lost their spark with time.
    3. Wye Oak’s first album was awesome because it didn’t try to fit into trends. It was just solid. The just-out second album tries a little too hard, but “I Want for Nothing” proves that that isn’t always a bad thing.
    4. This band changes its name more often than any band should – Memory Tapes? Weird Tapes? They’ve been called both, along with Memory Cassette – but either way, “Asleep At a Party,” a fractured, time-worn tune, lives up to both the song’s – and the band’s – name.
    5. Slow-buiding has always been the best way to describe indie icons Low, and “Sunflower” is one of those songs that nails their appeal. A high point for a lengthy career.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jul 2009 10:03

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Biz, Music: Billboard gets a brain, finally starts handling their charts right

  • The dark ages Back in the day, Billboard kept its chart data close to its chest, preferring to share it just with music industry folks. It was really A&R folks only: If you wanted to know what was happening on the lower reaches of the chart, it would cost ya an arm and a leg. source
  • The dark ages Back in the day, Billboard kept its chart data close to its chest, preferring to share it just with music industry folks. It was really A&R folks only: If you wanted to know what was happening on the lower reaches of the chart, it would cost ya an arm and a leg.
  • Seeing the light Billboard, apparently realizing what the rest of the music industry already has, has opened up its entire chart history to the public for free. Realizing it’s a huge draw for music sales if used right, they’ve also partnered up with Lala to sell the tunes, too. source
  • The dark ages Back in the day, Billboard kept its chart data close to its chest, preferring to share it just with music industry folks. It was really A&R folks only: If you wanted to know what was happening on the lower reaches of the chart, it would cost ya an arm and a leg.
  • Seeing the light Billboard, apparently realizing what the rest of the music industry already has, has opened up its entire chart history to the public for free. Realizing it’s a huge draw for music sales if used right, they’ve also partnered up with Lala to sell the tunes, too.
  • Brilliant move? It’s entirely possible Billboard could still screw this up, in our humble opinion. They’ve made some big mistakes in the past regarding when and where to charge for their content, and if they make these same mistakes again, music fans won’t be happy. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jul 2009 10:17

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Music: Y’all like Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss? So does the White House

Some of country music’s biggest chart-toppers (also on the list: black country icon Charley Pride) showed up at Michelle Obama’s front porch last night. Hoo-doggy! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jul 2009 10:49

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Music: The new Avett Brothers single is pretty awesome, guys

avettbrothers0721
  • The Avetts will probably be one of the success stories of 2009, based on the amount of buzz the Americana band’s Rick Rubin-produced “I and Love and You,” out in September, is getting. The title track, which sounds like the kind of song that makes a career, is freely downloadable in MP3 form on Spinner. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jul 2009 22:48

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Culture: Know Dan Deacon? He wasn’t tripping acid when he made this

  • Beyond his awesomely bizarro music career, player piano supergenius Dan Deacon is the constant target of viral videos, most famously “Drinking Out of Cups,” a Liam Lynch video based on a sonic experiment Deacon made over half a decade ago. Well, after a handful of comedians linked to this video (2.9 million views and counting), he was forced to clarify to the world: No, he wasn’t on acid when he made this. To make up for that, we were on acid when we watched it.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2009 23:35

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Music: ShortFormBand: Paper Plane Pilot soothes us with his synth-pop

Paper Plane Pilot, a.k.a. Dustin Frelich

  • Whoa, what is this?

    In our continuing effort to try new things, here’s our latest: Band coverage! This time, Paper Plane Pilot (Dustin Frelich) cheerily gets out his synth and makes us smile with breakbeats and sine waves. Want to see your band here? E-mail us or bug us on Twitter!

    Listen to them

    Q1: In 15 words or less, describe your sound: Electronic indie pop. Happy melancholy laced with introspective songwriting and catchy melodies.

    Q2: Name three influences that inspire you, with three words each on why they’re awesome:
    80s Music: Rad! Awesome! Cool!
    The Internet: Wisdom on demand
    Simplicity: Overcomplexity is tiring

    Q3: What’s a recent song you’ve been digging? Write ten words explaining why:
    Plastic Operator – Home 0207: Pulsing. Driving. Soothing. A muted answer to epic electronic hits.

    Q4: In 140 characters or less, how do you use social networking to get the word out: Social networks allow me to participate in conversations with other music lovers. The “rock star” paradigm is dying. We’re all just people.

    Q5: In 15 words or less, what’s next for you? I’m working on songs for a new album. Keep an ear out!source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

03 Jul 2009 01:06

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Music: Travis Morrison never got over that 0.0 review on Pitchfork

  • RETIRED! No shows, no records, no band. Just relaxing in Brooklyn. Befriend me on facebook. I’m so nice!
  • Travis Morrison • In a post on his Web site, which gave into the former Dismemberment Plan lead singer’s fate the second that this review ran: His career in music is over. Pitchfork reported on it, but it’s kind of like kicking the corpse after they killed it. Fortunately, Morrison has a nice backup career in the form of a job working for the Huffington Post. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Jul 2009 18:23

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Music: This Death Cab for Cutie fan video was so good, it became official

Death Cab for Cutie - Little Bribes from Ross Ching on Vimeo.

  • Heartwarming music story of the day: Director guy rolls his own Death Cab for Cutie video. It’s clever and fun to watch. Band sees it. Band likes it. It becomes the official video for the song. Now, watch how “Little Bribes” was made awesome by Ross Ching.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 5 Comments • Permalink

01 Jul 2009 11:09

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Music: In death, Michael Jackson took over the Billboard charts again

  • 9 of his albums were in Billboard’s Pop Catalog charts’ top ten source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink
 
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