New Legislation Restricts Used CD Stores; LFO, Dido Celebrate

By Guest Writer on

Start driving to your local used CD store now, with Insane Clown Posse albums in tow, because certain states are whispering back and forth about the pleasures of cracking down on resale shops in the future. Florida and Utah have already passed second-hand-goods legislation in a joint effort to lessen the sales of stolen goods and scare away all customers. In Florida, new laws now require little Timmy to submit thumb-prints and state-issued ID before exchanging his Marcy Playground CD-single for store credit -- no cash allowed. The stores themselves must apply for a permit and are required to keep traded CDs for 30 days before reselling them. Rhode Island is considering similar legislation, and as the National Association of Recording Merchandisers' outside council John Mitchell said, "There seems to be some sort of a new trend among states to support second-hand-goods legislation."

This is not the first time the music industry has pressured lawmakers to threaten the used CD market; major labels have often withheld cooperative advertising from stores that purchase from them directly while still dealing in resale. However, this has angered consumers and independent stores alike, leading to a Federal Trade Commission investigation of illegal practices within the industry in the mid-'90s. Since then, used CD sales have gone from 5% to nearly 10-20% of total CD revenue.

Beyond triggering a mass exodus from resale shops, these new laws may also be conflicting with slightly lesser-known documents, such as the U.S. Constitution. CD resale is protected by the First Amendment (those Fathers thought of everything, man), and the use of fingerprinting and collecting IDs could be seen as further violations. Existing copyright laws also allow individuals to legally resell CDs.

In honor of endangered used CD stores nationwide and the gems I've found in their clearance bins, I'd like to offer the discerning TMT reader a chance to hear "Nice and Slow," off a very special used CD I once purchased for $0.13. First person to e-mail me with the name of this groundbreaking group gets a copy of The Jingle Cats' Meowy Christmas in a broken jewel case. Good luck.

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Gang Gang Dance and Ariel Pink Tour and Release DVDs

By Scout Leader Kyle on 05-03-2007

Explaining to people when they listen to Ariel Pink for the first time that, yes, it's supposed to sound like that and, yes, it was actually recorded at that dictaphone-worthy quality is enough to make 'em cross-eyed. They ask, "Why does he record it that way?" and "How did a guy like this even get popular?" To which, I reply, "I don't know, alright!? I just don't know." After that, more confusion ensues, and I guess some battles you just lose. Add the ever-so-eclectic Gang Gang Dance to the mix and you've lost the war.

Ariel Pink seems to be touring for fun, even though Paw Tracks reports it will be releasing an Ariel Pink DVD this year. Meanwhile, Gang Gang Dance is on a mission to promote their new CD/DVD combo, Retina Riddim, which is set to drop on May 22. Apparently 2007 is the year to release DVDs. If you're not on schedule to release one too, keep working on those licks. You'll get your shot, big boy.

Gang Gang Dance tourdates:

* Architecture in Helsinki

Do Make Say Think Tour Europe in Order to Escape North America’s Abundance of Child Molesters

By Emceegreg on 05-03-2007

I don't blame Dateline NBC for deciding to feature Do Make Say Think in the 165th installment of To Catch a Predator. This is a series where NBC pays watchdog group Perverted Justice to track down online sexual predators, leading them into a trap featuring the castigatory Chris Hansen along with chips and salsa. Once the Canadian post-rock band Do Make Say Think began heating up the U.S. scene, Dateline NBC saw its moment to capitalize on their success. Chris Hansen was able to get the band to help "entrap" yet another damn pervert. Here is a sample of the episode, brought to you in "TEXT VISION."

Pervert rings door bell. Guitarist, trumpeter, and Do Make Say Think/Broken Social Scene member, Charlie Spearin, opens the door.

Charlie: Hey dude, I'm Charlie Spearin. Do you like my moustache? Come on in. I have to get the cookies out of the oven, if you know what I mean.

Pervert: Sweet man. I'll wait, baby.

Chris Hansen enters the room

Chris Hansen: Whoa, buddy! What are you doing? What are you thinking? Do you know what is happening? Do you watch TV? Do you know who I am? I'm Chris Hansen and this an investigative TV show called To Catch a Predator. Did you know that you are a predator? Are you excited about the upcoming sequel to Alien Vs. Predator?

Pervert: What? I just came here to talk and eat cookies, man. I don't know what this is about.

Chris Hansen: Oh. Well, is it true that your screen name is JimmyBuffetFan69?

Pervert: Yeah, so?

Chris Hansen: Bullshit! Do you remember this little conversation that you had?

DoMakeSayThinkRox: Do U like my band? Does it turn U on? Do U get off 2 our soft, jazzed-up rhythms?

JimmyBuffetFan69: Yeah, baby! That new album, You, You're a History in Rust, makes me want to touch myself. Oh yeah, I'm listening to it right now, lol. I saw you guys on your tour last year. That violinist is freakin? hawt! LMAO!

Dood, just send us some neked pix, mkay? And meet us at Chris Hansen's house on the upper West Side. L8ter sk8er~!

Pervert: Yeah, I said that. So?

Chris Hansen: Well, you're also a pervert. And no, you didn't do anything wrong. But you obviously like Jimmy Buffet. And that makes you a child molester. Eat shit man. You just got pwned!

Pervert: I swear that I just enjoy their music.

Chris Hansen: Well, enjoy it no more. They are going to tour Europe to get away from pervs like you. However, you are free to go. Just walk out that door right that marked, "Trap."

The pervert walks outside and is unnecessarily attacked by a cop, who jumps out of some bushes wearing a guerilla camouflage costume.

Think Last, Do First; European tourdates:

Monster Mash(up): The Polyphonic Spree Mix The Polyphonic Spree with… The Polyphonic Spree? Hey! Wait! Someone Catch That Bandwagon!

By Joseph Coscarelli on 05-03-2007

Joining the likes of Diplo, Girl Talk, Go Home Productions, and Danger Mouse, your favorite musical cult has attempted the white-hot process of combining varying musical passages into a beefed-up amalgamation. Usually executed by an eclectic, open-minded third party looking to bend genres, The Spree decided to cut out the middle man entirely and watched the tactic's originality and creativity shrivel in the process.

In a misguided attempt to offset the leak of the album's advanced copy (speculation), the band broke new ground in promotional material... at least semantically. Instead of the traditional album 'sampler,' the band has combined sections of all 11 tracks on their new record, The Fragile Army, into an eight-minute epic and they called it a mashup! The single track is designed to give the fans "a taste." I can hardly contain my salivation.

When will the music industry learn that harebrained promotional experimentation won't save the CD medium? Only quality content will.

But we'll give them an "A" for effort. The mix showcases the band's jovial, symphonic rock with choral harmonies like an acid-induced gospel choir and ends with a kind word from your sponsor. "See ya later! Hope you enjoyed it! Be sure to look out for The Fragile Army, the new album from The Polyphonic Spree coming early Summer 2007. We'll see you at a town near you. So long!" exclaims lead Spree Tim DeLaughter in his creepiest pederast imitation.

Luckily, if you're into the whole Kool-Aid and Nikes scene, you can catch the group's 24 members sans robes and in their new military garb (get it? Army!) performing live throughout the month of May:

Put All Your Eggs in Marnie Stern’s Basket and Then Watch Her Tour!!! (Oh Shit, Does That Headline Sound Dirty? I Was Just Trying to Riff on One of Her Song Titles and Then… That’s It, I Quit)

By Judy Berman on 05-02-2007

When you see slightly frail-looking Marnie Stern walk onstage with
nothing but an iPod and an electric guitar for accompaniment, you'll
probably doubt that such a skinny girl with no backing band can give
you that intense, eardrum-popping sound you've heard about. Well,
fear not, because the rumors are true. I hear that if you go to a
show and don't think the Marnster (new nickname alert?) can shred
better than your favorite guitarist, she'll give you your money
back... or maybe it's that she'll break your arm. I can't remember.
For some folks, both would be equally pleasurable, and I won't judge
you for preferring the latter. In case you were wondering why her
album is called In Advance of the Broken Arm (TMT Review),
that's the story. That's an exclusive, bitch. Tiny Mix Tapes:
telling stories, changing lives.

P.S. Right before Marnie Stern broke my arm at a show a few weeks ago,
she announced that she'd have a full band for her upcoming tour! I
didn't know whether to trust her, though, because she had that
murderous gleam in her eye...

Tourdates to pre-date your broken arm:

* Animal Collective

The Rebirth Of Tower Like My Gangsta Stroll

By C. Schell on 05-02-2007

Of all the ultra-mega music superstores, Tower Records always appeared to be the best. While the prices were positively mall-tastic, its selection was often as good as many mom & pop stores. Tower also had a lot of zines and books that most record stores wouldn't bother to carry. So, if you didn't have an awesome indie record store in your town but had a Tower, then you didn't really have it that bad. And while record store aficionados may have been a little bummed about Tower's passing last year, they surely weren't as "bummed" as all the indie labels and distributors that had product returned to them after Tower shuttered for good.

But now it seems that a rebirth may be in the works. In an auction last March, Caiman, Inc acquired the Tower logo, Tower.com, and all of the company's intellectual property for $4.2 million. The London-based company currently employs about 200 people, has offices in Montreal and Sacramento, and a warehouse in Miami. In a Billboard article, Caiman CEO Didier Pilon said that the company plans to relaunch Tower.com, as well as open physical superstores in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco within nine months. Pilon won't be without knowledgeable help, as he has hired former Tower purchasing executive George Scarlet as director of entertainment purchasing, along with Kevin Hawkins, a former buyer for Tower, to work on the project.

Even though Caiman usually uses one-stops and some independent distributors to stock music on its own Caiman.com site, it hopes to change over to buying direct from indie and major distributors and, in certain instances, direct from indie labels themselves for this new venture. Pilon went on in the piece to say that Tower.com, which is still operational and gets 40,000 unique hits a day, will relaunch with new technology, offering 275,000 CD and DVD titles, over a million books, and vinyl. Pilon hopes that all this will help Tower.com not only stand out from the pack, but become "the entertainment destination." If this endeavor is a success, it could provide indie labels and distro with some of the revenue they lost after Tower's initial demise.

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