Friday, July 25, 2003

By the way, I'm taking Monday off. Sorry that I forgot to mention that earlier. Here's a little something to keep you entertained:



The image will be updatied 4 times a day throughout the weekend, and every half hour on Monday. On Tuesday, I shall return with all the music news you can handle.
posted by Randy on 3:55 PM | permanent link to this entry

• The Subpoena Defense Alliance
  So, you've been subpoenaed by a private third party seeking to enforce their copyrights on the Internet? Before you hand over thousands of dollars to the corrupt music industry, be sure to check the above link from the good people at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. They offer a list of attorneys who may be interested in taking on your case and some advice on what you can do.
  
  
• RIAA, Colleges Seek Piracy Fix
  The R.I.A.A. and a group of universities are working together to come up with a solution that offers students access to downloadable music in a legal way. For example, perhaps subscription fees to get all access to a legal downloading service like Rhapsody or iTunes could be included in a student's housing fees.
  
  
• Comcast studies Vivendi entertainment bid
  Cable gaint Comcast is now kicking the tires of Vivendi Universal's entertainenment assets (excluding music). If they end up the buyers, it would create an entertainment prodution/distribution giant to compete with News Corp. and AOL Time Warner.
  
  
• Fresh Air On The Effects of Media Consolidation In The Radio Business
  If you have some time, be sure to listen to this program. It features an interview with Eric Boehlert of Salon staing that radiop giant Clear Channel is the Evil Empire and CC CEO John Hogan saying they ain't.
  
  
• Antitrust Chief: Clear Channel Probe Ongoing
  Just in case you think they're too busy viloating your rights under the Patriot Act, The U.S. Dept. of Justice would like you to know they are still pursuing two separate antitrust investigations in response to complaints against Clear Channel.
  
  
• Son of Napster
  Robert X. Cringely from PBS proposes is a publicly trade company that buys one of every recording in existence and then sells shares of the company as membership into a new download service. It's a bit more complicated thatn that, so be sure to read the whole thing to get a grasp on it. It's an interesting idea that will never happen, but I salute him for trying.
  
  
• Black Talks "Tears," Pixies
  So, first things first. The Pixes reunion is still in the maybe-but-most-likely-not stage. Frank Black & The Catholics' Show Me Your Tears is due out Sept. 9. It was recorded live to two track, just like Devil's Workshop and Black Letter Days. Pre-order Show Me Your Tears clicking here
  
  
• Strummer Strolls Down One Last 'Street'
  Joe Strummer's fiinal solo album, Streetcore, is due in stores on Oct. 7. It will feature a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" that was produced by Rick Rubin.
  
  
• Ozzy's tour manager found dead
  The only reason I include this is because it happend at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan. My hometown! What else has happened at the Townsend Hotel? In "Madonna: Truth Or Dare," Madonna eats a room service dinner there and is served by my Brian Schickedanz, my high school class president for three years out of four years. Anyway, R.I.P to Bobby Thomson from all of us here at Rocktober.com. He had battled throat cancer for the past 18 months and died in his sleep.
  
  
• Prince Wants His Music Back ... Now
  An unauthorized "Sign O' The Times" DVD from Brazil that apparently was distributed by WEA International has pushed Prince over the edge of sanity. In an e-mail to npgmusicclub members, he's asked them to send him any unauthorized material bearing a Warner Bros. logo and supplied a list of the material he's after. Mainly it's import stuff from Back 2 Back, 2-on-1 and BackTrax but also the dual Dirty Mind/Controversy tape that I wore down to the nub many moons ago. Is is paying folks for them? of course not. If you have any of this stuff and want to help Prince out in court with no financial reward, send it in to:
  
  The Ways of the Pharoah
  PO Box 169
  Vermilion, OH 44089-0169
  
  And yes, I got the e-mail. If you wanna see the full list of stuff, let me know and I'll send it to you. It is too long a list to post here.
  

posted by Randy on 12:33 PM | permanent link to this entry

Thursday, July 24, 2003

So, yeah, about that banner up there-- Don't worry, I ain't gonna make this a big ol' political blog now. There are plenty of those. Nor is this gonna be a Dean-centric blog. There are plenty of those as well, not to mention the official Dean Blog. Dean is my candidate and I'm putting that banner up there to show my support and encourage the legions of Rocktober.com Blog readers to check him out.

Between that and the Google Ads I'm running on this page, the look of this page has become a little busier. If you find it really annoying, please let me know and I'll see what I can do about it.

• House Votes, 400-21, to Block Media Rule by the F.C.C (NYTimes free registration required)
  Tacked on to a spending bill, the provision would roll back the part of a Federal Communications Commissiondecision overhauling decades-old restrictions governing ownership of newspapers and television and radio stations which expanded the number of .S. households reached by a company's TV to 45 from 35 percent. The provision passed by house would return it to 35 percent. We'll see what out of committee after the Senate passes their spending bill-- and President Bush is planning to veto it, anyway.
  
  
• Velvet Revolver Hits The Studio
  Velvet Revolver, the band featuring Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, David Kushner of Suicidal Tendencies and Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, will have a live EP/DVD package in stores on Oct. 13. Dollars to donuts says this is the only thing we'll ever see released from this group, but I'd love to be proven wrong.
  
  
• Travis back from the brink
  When Travis drummer Neil Primrose injured his neck in a diving accident last summer, the stress and down time almost led the group to break up. Thankfully, they pulled it together and have a new album due in September that was produced by former Crowded House knob twiddler Tchad Blake.
  
  
• John Mayer Tries Hip-Hop With Help From Roots' ?uestlove
  I will reserve judgement until I hear it, but I can't say the idea holds a lot of promise. John Mayer getting funky? Hmmmmmmmmmm.
  
  
• Aimee Mann Ready to Rock
  Pretty funny interview with Aimee Mann by my former SonicNet/Addicted To Noise co-worker Gil Kaufman. Fave quote: "It's my usual stuff. There won't be any good-time hoedowns or anything." Anyway, she's still working on the album, no release date set yet.
  
  
• Hunters Point residents give a welcoming shout-out to Spike Lee and his crew while they film the Showtime's 'Sucker-Free City' -- a show about interracial relationships and gang life in San Francisco
  Seriously, that is too long of a headline. But in a more relevant note to you music fans out there-- "Sucker Free City" will feature apperances by Yay Area rapper San Quinn, JT the Bigga Figga and the one and only Rappin' 4-Tay
  

posted by Randy on 12:33 PM | permanent link to this entry

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

• Congress to Big Media: Not so fast
  Salon looks at Congress' efforts to undo the most wrong parts of the FCC's recent decison encouraging further consolidation of the media.
  
  
• Costello Reissues Explode with Bonus Tracks
  Coming Sept. 9: expanded re-issues of Elvis Costello's Get Happy!! Trust and Punch the Clock. These are even more expanded than the re-issues Rykodisc released in the mid-1990s (and since no pre-orders are available yet, I'm not linking to those now lesser re-issues)-- click the linked story for full details.
  
  
• Weezer, Rubin Get to Work
  Weezer is currently in the studio with Rick Rubin, workingon their next album. All those demos they posted last year on their web site? The bulk of 'em probably won't even make it on the album.
  
  
• Americana, radio's most elusive genre
  Interesting article about how Americana (a genre which incoporates everything from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson to Ryan Adams, The Old 97's and Lucinda Williams) is slowly by surely gaining respect as a genre in the radio biz and music industry.
  
  
  
• James Brown Announces Breakup of Marriage
  Via a full page ad in Variety, none-the-less.
  
  
  
• Chicago Police Apologize to Ice Cube
  Chicago Police issued an alert that described a man suspected in a series of sexual assaults as looking like Ice Cube. Then a local news station showed one of Cube's videos during a report on the alert. The kicker here is that Ice Cube was actually *in* Chicago, working on "Barbershop 2." Whoops. Apologies all around. The story I linked above fails to make the obvious journalist joke of noting of the title of Ice Cube's first solo album: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted.
  

posted by Randy on 11:17 AM | permanent link to this entry

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Today's Releases Of Note:

• Hot Sex- Vanilla Ice (how could you possibly resist?)
  
• What's in the Bag- Marshall Crenshaw (his momma was one of my high school teachers, so I always gotta show Marshall some love.)
  
• Symphony: Alive IV [Limited Deluxe Edition]- KISS featuring The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
  
• Strays [Limited Edition w/ Bonus DVD] - Jane's Addiction
  
• Mud on the Tires- Brad Paisley (so sue me, I like that song 'Celebrity")
  
• Masked & Anonymous (Limited Edition Digipak) [SOUNDTRACK]- Bob Dylan
  
• Back in Baroque: The String Quartet Tribute to AC/DC- Various Artists
  
• Chicago Box Set- Chicago (5 disc set, plus a DVD)
  
• Walkin After Midnight: The Original Sessions- Patsy Cline
  
• Rip the Jacker- Canibus
  
• Ghetto Gutter & Gangster- Mack 10
  
• Ugly American- Mark Eitzel
  
• Moodring- Mya (her last album? Fear of Flying. Girlfriend likes the 70s something fierce.)
  

Next Week's Release Of Note (Get Your Pre-Order On)

• I Want You (Deluxe Edition) [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [EXTRA TRACKS]- Marvin Gaye
  
• Truly She Is None Other- Holly Golightly
  
• Shock & Awe- Bill Hicks (recorded live on stage in 1992 at Oxford Playhouse Theater)
  

And Now For The News:

• Pop icon Michael Jackson comes out against locking up music pirates
  He's speaking out against The Authors, Consumer and Computer Owner Protection and Security Act that that makes illegal downloading of copyrighted materials a felony offence. Of course, and I'm not kidding here, he's most worried about children being caught up in the R.I.A.A. dragnet, *Sigh*. Still, it is good to see someone in the industry trying to be reasonable about this.
  
  
• Tennessee Studio to Become U.S. Landmark
  The Associated Press' headline writers crack me up sometimes. Would you not draw more eyes to the story by saying "Sun Studios to Become U.S. Landmark?" It's the first U.S. recording studio to become a landmark. Celebrate the studio's legacy by picking up the Sun Records: 50th Anniversary Box Set, won't you?
  
  
• Lawsuit: Pirated Audio Sold to Inmates
  Computers that were supposed to be used for inamtes to learn about technology were also apparently being used to duplicate CDs that were then sold for three bucks to inmates and visitors. Interestingly enough, the lawsuit comes from a small label and inculdes the majors as a courtsey, since they were getting ripped off too.
  
  
• MIT, BC Move to Quash Music Co. Subpoenas
  On procedural grounds. 1) Under The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act they must notify students before they release personal information, such as names and addresses and 2) The subpoenas were filed in Washington, not in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts as requited by law.
  
  
• New Music Download Service Launches
  BuyMusic.com offers tracks and albums in the Windows Media Format at reasonable prices but with all the usual suck-ass rules for leagal-downloading-of-music-on-PCs (limited burns and transfers, etc.). 70-99 cents per song, 10 and up per album. Little indie representation. Keep trying, guys.
  
  
• Folds Plans Three Online EPs
  Speed Graphic, the first of three EPs due from Ben Folds this year, is now available to order at his website. The second EP, Sunny 16, will be ready in September, and the third, as yet untitled set is scheduled for November. Speed Graphic features a cover of The Cure's "In Between Days."
  

posted by Randy on 9:57 AM | permanent link to this entry

Monday, July 21, 2003

• Exploding Hearts Lose Three Members in Crash
  Three members of Portland, Ore- based pop-punk band The Exploding Hearts died Sunday morning when their van flipped over near Eugene, Oregon. They were reuring from some concert dates in the Bay Area. R.I.P. Matthew "Matt Lock" Fitzgerald, Adam "Baby" Cox, and Jeremy "Kid Killer" Gage from all of us here at Rocktober.com. Pay your respects and pick up The Exploding Hearts' Guitar Romantic by clicking here.
  
  
• Singer Brandon Cruz Leaves Dead Kennedys
  Former star of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" can now add "former Dead Kennedys singer" to his resume'. He's being replaced by Jeff Penalty, who's never been a TV star but used to be in punk groups Vaz Hoil and Stupid Ferrets.
  
  
• From a Store With 300,000 Titles, a Big Music Lesson (New York Times free registration required)
  The paper of record is pretty late to this story, but it does once again confirm that Amoeba Recordsis the greatest record store in the world. It also makes an interesting point: thanks to the Internet and the 500 channel universe, customers are more familair with a variety of genres now, so stocking 300,00 titles at reasonable prices is now a key to success (as opposed to an all hits only record store selling stuff at a premium).
  
  
• What Albums Join Together, Everyone Tears Asunder
  An now an even older story the New York Times is just getting around to covering-- artists want to sell albums, fans just want the tracks they like most.
  
  
• The Copyright Case
  Jonathan Zittrain an Assistant Professor for Entrepreneurial Legal Studies at Harvard Law School and a director of its Berkman Center for Internet & Society, breaks down why current copyright law is a menace to society. It's nice work, be sure to check it out.
  
  
• The FCC Under Fire
  FCC chairman Michael Powell is said to be on the look-out for a new gig following the bi-partisan negative reaction to the FCC's new media ownership rules. I wouldn't really expect him to be replaced by someone who had differing views, though.
  
  
• Web Music Leaks Spur Studio Clampdown
  Interesting article about how far recording studios are going to pump up security in this day and age of pre-release album and tracks ending up on P2P file trading networks.
  
  
• ReplayTV's New Owners Drop Features That Riled Hollywood
  If I had an audio file of a chicken going "bawk bawk bawk" I would link it to this story. And from the looks of it, more and more tech companies are lining up to kiss Hollywood's ass.
  
  
• A punk success story Lookout Records marks 15 years in East Bay
  Happy Birthday, kids! Thanks so much for introducing us to Green Day, The Donnas, Operation Ivy, Groovie Ghoulies, The Mr. T Experience, Pansy Division, The Hi-Fives, The Queers and so many more! All of us here at Rocktober.com raise our glasses to you!
  
  
• Keith Murray Declares His Independence After Being Dropped By Def Jam
  The days where an artist can manhandle (or at least physically imtimidate) a label employee are over, at least on the majors. Thus, Keith Murray is going independent after being dropped by DefJam. He's Keith Murray, which came out on July 15, will be his last DefJam album. The whole artilce has some interestinginsigt, but this quote is the one that stuck out:
  
  ""I don't wanna go to a major label," he explained of his next business move. "I don't wanna sit there and work my brain and contribute my intellectual property to somebody that's gonna get an 86 percent [profit] in sales, give me an advance, give me a recording budget, and make me pay for my own travel to promote my work for them to get paid. At this point in the game I'm not trying to compete with those that want fame or the glitter. I want the money. It's all about me reaping benefits from my intellectual property."
  

posted by Randy on 2:17 PM | permanent link to this entry