Muxtape Taken Offline Due to Unspecified Problems With RIAA, A Bunch Of Dudes Win Bets
By Petey V on Aug 19 2008
Muxtape, the online playlist service which launched in March to a user base larger than Germany but smaller than Japan, seems to have run into problems with the RIAA, according to a message posted on the site late Wednesday evening. While it alerts users that "Muxtape will be unavailable for a brief period while we sort out a problem with the RIAA," the Muxtape tumblr insists that "the site is not closed indefinitely" and "no bands or labels have complained."
Many people — including you, me, intellectual property attorney Fred von Lohmann, and site creator Justin Oullette — have speculated as to the soundness of maintaining such a website in the era of RIAA lawsuits and other digital music crackdowns. The optimism of the message displayed on the official site and on tumblr echo Oullette's assertion in interviews that Muxtape's primary purpose is to introduce listeners to new music and that labels and artists have been encouraging when talking to him. Indeed, it appears from the tumblr post that Oullette has been developing a service called "Muxtape for Bands," an as-yet-unexplained feature first hinted at in a tumblr post early last week.
For more details about "Muxtape for Bands," as well as about the issues with the RIAA, keeping an eye on the tumblr page is probably your best bet.
DMBQ Bring Wonder, Blazin’ Hot Rock Jams to Liberal Arts Colleges Across New York This Fall
By Liz Louche on Aug 19 2008
I went to see incredible Japanese garage rock band DMBQ once at a record store in Austin, TX, a detour from the usual SXSW showcases and shit. This was the year I discovered Sparks Caffeinated Malt Beverage and ended up consuming enough of the stuff that I thought it would be a good idea to buy every single Siouxsie and the Banshees 7-inch in the store -- and, so, I drunkenly brought up my pile of prizes to the register while the drummer from DMBQ dismantled and reassembled her drum kit without ever missing a beat or failing to kick out the jams. Okay, I didn't technically "see" it. My friends told me about it. It sounded awesome, though!
And now... imagine! You can have this very same sort of magical experience yourself, at one of several DMBQ tourdates planned for this October!
DMBQ -- or Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet, their longer, more difficult to remember full name -- have been around since 1988 in one form or another. They've released albums on Less Than TV, Estrus, and more, and have embarked on many a tour in these here parts. They're loud, they're fast, they're awesome, and apparently they just can't get enough of small New York liberal arts colleges, judging from this tour schedule. Enroll now!
iTunes Taxation: More Reason to Download Illegally
By Jenn on Aug 19 2008
After all the bullshit surrounding illegal music downloading, like the lawsuits against minors that in turn cost their parents thousands of dollars, iTunes is in talks of imposing a tax on the next Jonas Brothers track your little sister is downloading. Indeed, nine states are currently discussing the possibility of imposing a digital downloading tax, with four of them having already passed "digital taxation plans," including Indiana, South Dakota, Utah, and Nebraska.
However, it looks like it has proven quite difficult so far for most states to actually pass this law, since it's almost impossible to define state boundaries over the World Wide Web. The CNET report states, "Because most state tax laws were written long before the Internet existed, they may accidentally immunize downloads from taxation." And don't get too pissed off yet -- several eco-friendly groups are protesting the idea. "A digital download is the greenest way to buy music, movies, and software, since it requires no driving to the store, no delivery vans, and no plastics or packaging," according to Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice.
Johnny Cash Live Reissues; The Perfect Gift for the Rockabilly Who Has Everything
By Liz Louche on Aug 19 2008
Everybody loves Johnny Cash. Hollywood director James Mangold loves Johnny Cash. Rockabilly dudes love Johnny Cash. Elderly Southern women love Johnny Cash. Yes, everybody loves Johnny Cash -- but, most of all, record companies love making holiday scrilla off of this unabashed, universal adoration for the man in black. That's right: just in time for the holidays come two fancy, new reissue treatments of some live Cash performances! Calculated to warm your heart and nestle nicely under the tree next to the Wal-Mart gift certificate given to you by the relatives you only see once a year, the Johnny Cash Christmas Specials and Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition will be released October 7 and October 14, respectively.
But what exactly do these two DVDs contain? Why, Christmas Specials alone guarantees you a performance unseen and unscreened for 30 years. This latest DVD collection features the 1978 and 1979 specials, and combined with last year's reissues of Cash's 1976 and 1977 specials, you'll be able to subject your cousins to an entire Christmas marathon of country music gems! You'll see Johnny live in Los Angeles with his friends Rita Coolidge, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Martin, and wife June Carter Cash in 1978. You'll see him live in Nashville with Andy Kaufman, Tom T. Hall, and Anne Murray in 1979! And you can do so by purchasing any of the yearly Christmas special DVDs alone or as part of a super special box put together by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Shout! Factory.
Folsom Prison offers even more chances for holiday glee. Released by Columbia/Legacy in boxset form consisting of two CDs and one DVD, you'll get both of Cash's 1968 performances at the slammer. The CDs promise 31 unreleased tracks, including duets with June Carter Cash and hits like "Blue Suede Shoes." The DVD includes concert footage and interviews with prisoners who were at the performance, as well as legends like Merle Haggard and Roseanne Cash. And last but not least, there's the liner notes, put together by Steve Earle, biographer Michael Streissguth, and even Johnny Cash himself, who wrote his portion back in 1999.
Chaos on the Deerhunter Blog: Unintentional Leak Provides Two Unmastered Albums
By Evan Kaloudis on Aug 19 2008
For months now, many of us have been enjoying Deerhunter's forthcoming album, Microcastle. Due October 28 on Kranky Records, the album was leaked nearly five months before the release date. However, it only got worse for the band and frontman Bradford Cox when unmastered versions of both his upcoming solo album and what appeared to be another album from Deerhunter were leaked accidentally by Bradford himself this past Saturday.
For those of you who unfamiliar with the Deerhunter blog, Bradford often provides free downloads of tracks and EPs from his solo project Atlas Sound. While posting a link to a new Virtual 7", Cox instead unknowingly posted a link to a page with all of his Mediafire uploads, which included unmastered versions of both a new Deerhunter album (not Microcastle) and an upcoming solo album.
After realizing the mistake, the link was fixed, but by that time, the albums were already widespread. What ensued were several angry posts directed at bloggers and forum-posters. One of the more unsettling comments made: "It's stuff like this that made Jeff Mangum stop Neutral Milk Hotel."
Shortly afterward, Bradford put up a second, presumably more recent version of the Atlas Sound album, titled Logos, as a free download and claimed that he was abandoning that project and starting from scratch. But he soon replaced the post, removed the link, and claimed that he would resume work on the project regardless of the leak.
So what's up with that Deerhunter album? Bradford left a comment on one of the posts claiming that it was a surprise LP titled Weird Era Cont. to be released with Microcastle as a double LP. The title can also be seen on newer versions of the Microcastle artwork.
Total bummer, but don't let it hold you back Bradford.
Deerhunter tourdates:
& Times New Viking
$ Nine Inch Nails
