Today's headlines...
Bright Eyes frontman taking care of business (Reuters)
The Money Shot: "When you're an 18-year-old kid, writing songs ... all I could ever do is write from the point where I was at as best as I could ... Maybe the same people that would hear one of those records would like our new record. And vice versa -- I've definitely heard a complaint that, for our older fans, the music's not emotional enough."
But he objects to those who would call him a poseur. "You can say, 'That's silly, adolescent melodrama,' and I'll agree with you, because it was . . . But to say it was crafted, like, 'Put on this show and try to make some money or have a popular band' ... to me that was the only thing I really took offense to."
Musicians Campaign for Free Internet (AP)
MS: Independent, lesser-known musicians and smaller record labels launched a nationwide campaign Tuesday to support the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally, which they said is under fire from providers who want to charge a fee to have some Web sites load faster than others.
The CD Is Dead! Long live the CD! (Slate)
MS: What we are witnessing is not so much the imminent death of CDs but the death of the old methods of selling CDs. It's still possible to make money in the CD business—any business with more than $7 billion in retail sales should allow someone, somewhere, to make a profit. The incumbents are getting killed, but upstarts are thriving, using different methods.
Nettwerk + EA = Artwerk (CMJ)
MS: With every passing collaboration or business venture, the video game world is becoming a more vital part within the music industry. As further evidence, Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), which boasts nearly 30 titles that have sold a million-plus copies, will team up with Nettwerk One Music to create a full-service music company named Artwerk. The new venture will house an Artwerk record label, which will sign and develop both new and established artists for publishing, master recording, digital and physical distribution deals.
Modest Mouse Steers Its 'Ship' To Number One Debut(Billboard)
MS: Modest Mouse scores the first No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 of its career this week as "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" debuts on top. The Epic set moved 129,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, more than double the group's previous best sales week. Modest Mouse's last album, 2004's "Good News for People Who Love Bad News," debuted at No. 19 with 68,000.
Never Mind The Politics, Here's Ted Leo (New York Observer)
MS: Mr. Leo’s music feeds off of sounds from first-generation punks like the Jam and the Clash, and he is unabashed in regards to his influences, striving to achieve the same “personal authenticity” he sees in his heroes instead of worrying himself over anyone’s notion of originality (which is well-nigh impossible to achieve in guitar-based rock anyhow). While Mr. Leo’s sound can seem derivative, he is expert at folding one influence into another, matching the earnest lyricism of Billy Bragg with the pop hooks of Paul Weller and the hard-charging energy of Joe Strummer. It is political rock any way you slice it, but also as stylized, fun and energetic as those chart-toppers half his age.
God, Indie Rock Don't Mix For Critics (Baltimore Sun)
MS: The up-and-coming indie rockers and YouTube stars may have committed the cardinal sin of the genre's canon. The Kids, who ingeniously stir folk and gospel into a core mix of blues, soul and rock, have been charged with also weaving God into their lyrics and overall message
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