Tampa Calling

Ever since the phrase “pull a Radiohead” entered the music blogosphere’s lexicon, we’ve watched as a diverse list of acts such as Nine Inch Nails, Saul Williams, Pennywise, and Portishead explore ways to reinvent the music business wheel. One of the highest-profile free agents is Pearl Jam – a group unafraid to fight corporate giants like Ticketmaster head-on. But Eddie Vedder and company don’t fear partnering up with a big box store either.

Billboard reports:

[Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis] confirmed that deals were also finished or in the works with an online retailer, a mobile partner, a gaming company and with a network or possibly networks of indie retail stores. “Target ended up allowing us to have other partners. We’ll be able to take care of all levels of the Pearl Jam fan…We wish we could tell the whole story right now, but all the deals aren’t done. Target was cool enough to realize that little independent record stores are not their competition.”

Pearl Jam will follow in the footsteps of AC/DC, Prince, Guns n’ Roses, The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, and many other famous names that granted exclusivity deals with big box retailers. But Pearl Jam’s deal with Target is not quite as odious. Details after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Its official: Billy Corgan has lost his mind.  What once was a name of stature and notoriety in the music world, and our playlists, has become nothing more than dirt and tarnish.  Some of you may be familiar with the Smashing Pumpkins’ headmaster and his various eccentricities as of late. For those who are not, I’ll give a little recap… 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 »

Warning: explicit language to follow.

I know, I know — we’ve heard it all before: Ticketmaster(bastard) sucks big fat donkey dick. But I feel the need to bring this matter to light again because I just finished purchasing my Modest Mouse tickets and am (as per usual) fuming over the service charges.

Read the rest of this entry »