Walmart to rollback its Mp3 store. And by rollback, I mean roll it out back to the dumpster, because it’s closing.
By Nobodaddy on Aug 11 2011
You know, considering how great Walmart is at selling shoddy products to lazy slobs, I’d have thought that their Mp3 store would have worked out a little better. All you gotta do is point, click, and punch in a few numbers, and as quickly as you can say “Kevin James is hilarious,” you’re mouthbreathing along to your favorite Days of the New tracks and reminiscing about your winning high school football season, right? I mean, I wonder what went wrong?
Well, according to digital music news, it’s all those yoga-doing hipster Democrats over at Apple’s fault, coupled with the fact that “point, click, and punch in a few numbers” isn’t really all it takes to use Walmart’s lumbering service. Even though their store has long offered 88-cent Mp3s (compared to Apple’s 99-cent—$1.29 range), the fact that iTunes has a slicker interface, the ability to store credit card info and tether purchases on multiple products, and relatively seamless integration with computers, iPods, iPhones, iPads, etc. means that lazy slobs everywhere could care less about spending a few extra cents in exchange for doing less work, even if Apple is a company full of soccer-playing soybean-eaters. So, short of Jeff Foxworthy coming out with his own line of Wamart-friendly smartphones, operating systems, and user-interfaces in the next week or two, anyone who was using the download store is sunk like a rogue jalapeno in delicious cheese sauce. Check out Walmart’s letter to its distribution and licensing partners:
After eight years in business, the Walmart Music Downloads Store located at mp3.walmart.com will close on August 28, 2011. All content in the Store will be disabled and no longer available for download from the store.
The sale of physical record music products on Walmart.com as well as in Walmart US retail stores will remain unaffected. Walmart Soundcheck (soundcheck.walmart.com) will remain operational as a live streaming site without any download options.
But don’t worry, Days of the New fans. Walmart has also noted that older, protected files will still be supported. “We’ve made a business decision to no longer offer Mp3 digital tracks as of August 29, 2011,” an executive said. “We’ll continue to provide support to our customers who previously purchased digital music through Walmart Music Downloads so they may continue to enjoy and manage their existing WMA files.” Wait, what the hell is a WMA file?
• Walmart: http://www.walmart.com
Hunx and His Punx spray love all over September on tour, release new video
By Erika H on Aug 11 2011
Mothers, lock up your sons and daughters: Hunx and His Punx are at it again. Beginning in September, Seth Bogart (a.k.a. Hunx, formerly of Gravy Train!!!!, or as I like to call him, Shangri-Lad) and his gang of “punkettes” are leaving on an East Coast tour with a pretty formidable lineup of openers. The news comes accompanied by a new video for “Lovers Lane” on MTV Hive, which proves two things: Hunx and His Punx must be doing well breaking hearts across the nation, and MTV does care about music and new bands — off the air.
The video, directed by Hannah Lew, could easily come from the lost archives of John Waters’ romantic comedies (on a day Divine was sick, anyway) — there’s hairspray, hitchhiking, and girls on the corner, which is basically the beginning of Waters’ classic rom-com, Female Trouble. Check it out here, and if you haven’t already listened to the new-ish full-length Too Young to Be in Love on Hardly Art, for God’s sake, get on that.
Tourdates:
09.01.11 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s +
09.02.11 - Cambridge, MA - T.T. the Bear’s +
09.03.11 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge +
09.04.11 - Baltimore, MD - Windup Space +
09.05.11 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 !
09.06.11 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl #$
09.07.11 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar #
09.08.11 - Gainesville, FL - Boca Fiesta (The Backyard) #
09.09.11 - Miami, FL - The Stage (free w/ RSVP) #
09.10.11 - Orlando, FL - Wills Pub #
09.12.11 - Nashville, TN - Springwater *
09.13.11 - St. Louis, MO - The Firebird *
09.14.11 - Chicago, IL - Double Door (free w/ RSVP) *
09.15.11 - Detroit, MI - Lager House *^
09.16.11 - Gambier, OH - Horn Gallery @ Kenyon College *
09.17.11 - Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory *%
+ K-Holes
! Cute Lepers
$ Xray Eyeballs, White Mystery
# The Coathangers
* Natural Child
^ Swimsuit, The Pizzaz
% The Beets, Making Friendz
• Hunx and His Punx: http://www.myspace.com/hunxsolo
• Hardly Art: http://hardlyart.com
Hella kick out all those other jerks, announce new record Tripper
By E. Nagurney on Aug 11 2011
First, there were two. Then there were a whole bunch of other people. Of course, I’m speaking of noisy duo Hella. When the world last saw drummer extraordinaire Zach Hill and guitarist also-extraordinaire Spencer Seim together, it was 2007, they were hanging out with other folks, and they had put out There’s No 666 in Outer Space (TMT Review). But things change, sometimes by reverting to exactly the way they were before. Seim and Hill have kicked out those other chumps (or perhaps just parted ways amicably) and returned to their prior status as duo/best friends for all time.
To celebrate their new/old status, Hella are planning a new record. On August 30, the band will put out Tripper through Sargent House. Check out the terrifying inflation-centric video for opening track “Headless” here. Or download the song’s Mp3 over here at Sargent House. While you’re at it, also check out “Yubacore” here via Pitchfork. Congratulations! You’ve now heard one-fifth of the new Hella record! Way to do it, friend!
Tripper tracklist:
01. Headless
02. Self Checkout
03. Long Hair
04. Yubacore
05. Netgear
06. Kid Life Crisis
07. On the Record
08. Furthest
09. Psycho Bro
10. Osaka
• Hella: http://hella.bandcamp.com
• Sargent House: http://sargenthouse.com
Labels affected by Sony fire see growing support from online community
By Squeo on Aug 10 2011
Yesterday, we reported that a Sony/PIAS distribution warehouse was burned to the ground in a North London riot, resulting in catastrophic losses for nearly 200 independent labels. The Chicago Reader reports that Thrill Jockey “estimates wholesale losses of £189,000 (more than $300,000), with anywhere from ten to a hundred copies of each of the label’s 280 back-catalog titles destroyed” — and that’s just for a Chicago label. Labels based in the UK like Ninja Tune and Beggars Group (which includes Matador, 4AD, Rough Trade, XL, etc.) used the warehouse exclusively and lost 100% of their stock.
Even if your feelings about the riots are mixed, this tangential destruction is a shame by anyone’s measure, and it would be wrong to ignore the plight of labels that support and represent countless artists that we cover here at TMT. So to help rebuild what was lost, a number of campaigns (and excellent suggestions) are bouncing around the internet with an aim to help these labels get back on their feet.
— LabelLove is in the process of being set up as a support fund for PIAS-distributed labels, with further plans to organize a series of live benefit events. You can follow their progress on Twitter, or inquire about other ways to help by sending an email to labellovebenefit@gmail.com.
— The best way to help out a label you love is to buy something from them directly; PIAS lists all the labels they distribute, and Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams has put together a spreadsheet of this list along with their attendant websites/stores and the artists they represent.
— Manchester-based indie online retailer Boomkat has set up a page listing every PIAS-distributed item for sale on their site (129 pages worth), encouraging people to buy digital albums to help the labels recoup necessary manufacturing expenses.
— The Quietus has put together a list of 20 recommended albums to purchase digitally from some of the affected labels.
— Finally, if you want to help the city of London in general, riot cleanups are being organized in a number of areas.
[Photo: Suzanne Plunkett]
Dâm-Funk is never ever taking off those sunglasses; also, he is going on tour
By E. Nagurney on Aug 10 2011
Do you like sunglasses? Then you will like funk master Dâm-Funk. Simple as that. Do a quick Google image search for “Dâm-Funk.” I guarantee you will not find more than five sunglasses-less pictures of the guy. At least, not within the first 10 pages. Look, you have to go deep to behold Dâm-Funk’s eyes.
But you won’t have to go deep at all to see him live! Segue! While Dâm’s been at work on both the follow-up to 2009’s double-album Toeachizown and his collaborative record with Steve Arrington of Slave, both on Stones Throw, he’s found time for a lengthy fall tour. It’ll be a two-leg affair: first, a solo tour, then one with his group Master Blazter. Those solo dates include a handful of DJ sets, including one with Flying Lotus and Four Tet. No matter the show, no matter the lighting, you can reasonably expect sunglasses.
Dâm-Funk solo dates:
08.26.11 - Pasadena, CA - The Terrace
08.28.11 - Long Beach, CA - Alex’s Bar
08.29.11 - Culver City, CA - Funkmosphere at Carbon (DJ set)
08.30.11 - Visalia, CA - The Cellar Door
08.31.11 - Oakland, CA - The New Parish
09.01.11 - Arcata, CA - Humboldt State University at The Depot
09.04.11 - Seattle, WA - Exhibition Hall (DJ set, featuring sets by Flying Lotus and Four Tet)
09.05.11 - Bellingham, WA - Wild Buffalo
09.07.11 - Calgary, AB - HiFi Club
09.08.11 - Vancouver, BC - Bar None
09.10.11 - Portland, OR - Marten’s Store (DJ set)
09.10.11 - Portland, OR - MusicfestNW
Dâm-Funk with Master Blazter dates:
10.01.1 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar
10.02.11 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
10.04.11 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
10.05.11 - Atlanta, GA - The Drunken Unicorn
10.06.11 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
10.07.11 - St. Louis, MO - Lola
10.08.11 - Grinnell, IA - Grinnell College
10.10.11 - Winnipeg, MB - Pyramid Cabaret
10.12.11 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
10.13.11 - Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle
10.14.11 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
10.16.11 - Pittsburgh, PA - Shadow Lounge
10.17.11 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
10.19.11 - Toronto, ON - Wrongbar
10.20.11 - Montreal, QC - Le Belmont
10.25.11 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
10.28.11 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar
10.29.11 - Philadelphia, PA - Voyeur
10.30.11 - Washington, DC - Rock n Roll Hotel
11.03.11 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah
• Dâm-Funk: http://www.stonesthrow.com/damfunk
• Stones Throw: http://www.stonesthrow.com
