Tampa Calling

“Doing a Radiohead.” Big-box exclusivity deals. “360″ contracts. These and other new business models are side effects of the digital media revolution — a paradigm shift caused by the MP3. The days of $15 CDs are all but dead. Long live the $10 digital album and the 99-cent single, both still dwarfed by everyone’s favorite method of acquiring music: illegal downloading. I think in hindsight, considering the events of the past decade, the recording industry would have been happy for a fractional dip in revenue built into the transition from brick-and-mortar stores to iTunes, but factor in music piracy and the numbers aren’t even close.

Bottom line: recorded music is not worth what it used to be, and count Pixies mainman Frank Black among those who understand. In an interview with Britain’s NME about his newest project, Grand Duchy, he makes several very interesting points about the devaluation of music: Read the rest of this entry »

Oklahoma is cooler than Florida! At least as far as official state rock songs are concerned. Residents declared The Flaming Lips‘ “Do You Realize?” the rock anthem of Oklahoma via an online vote. However, the Oklahoma state House rejected the resolution. Some representatives, inclined against all things cool, protested the vote, citing the band’s profanity and provocative wardrobe. A bandmember once wore a hammer & sickle t-shirt? Say it ain’t so! When all was thought lost, Gov. Brad Henry, part-time rock savior, overruled the legislature via executive order and threw his support behind the people’s choice. Oklahoma is now cool despite the best efforts of certain politicians. As for the Lips (pictured right), they are currently prepping a double album.

Joey Ramone passed away back in 2001, but his family still throws the annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash to raise money for the Joey Ramone Foundation for Lymphoma Research. In addition to sets by Fishbone and Supersuckers, this year’s show will feature a listening party of previously unheard Joey Ramone demos and rough mixes.

(Nick Cave’s Gladiator sequel, reissues from R.E.M. and Stone Roses, and more after the jump!) Read the rest of this entry »

U2 persists as the biggest rock band in the world. No Line on the Horizon will likely flirt with platinum status in its first week of release — quite an accomplishment in these dire times for the music biz. There aren’t many acts left for whom pressing a new album is akin to printing money. When U2 hitched their wagon with concert behemoth Live Nation, the band received a load of company stock as part of the 12-year, $120 million deal. So confident they are in their continued success, I wonder if they’ve even checked Live Nation’s stock quote since the deal? (I did!  It’s down about 75%!)  I can only imagine how the Irish rockers feel about the proposed merger with Ticketmaster!

Given the mansions upon castles of cash this band raked in over the past few decades, there’s a certain understandable reluctance to revolutionize the way things are done. But music fans with even the most primitive knowledge of the health of the recording industry will laugh at U2 guitarist the Edge’s justification as to why the old business model is the way to go.

If you are currently drinking anything, I advise you put down your glass. Your ensuing spit-take may ruin your computer. Read the rest of this entry »