Music industry betting on 'ringle' format (Cnet)
MS: Each ringle is expected to contain three songs--one hit and maybe one remix and an older track--and one ringtone, on a CD with a slip-sleeve cover. The idea is that if consumers in the digital age can download any tracks they want individually, why not let them buy singles in the store as well? It also enables stores to get involved in the ringtone phenomenon.
Kaiser Chiefs Cancel Shows to Work on New Album (Pitchfork)
MS: "We'd like to apologize to fans in America and Canada, especially those who have already bought tickets, but something had to give. We've been extremely busy all year and had no time to focus on the future, we plan to have new material out as soon as possible and we've wanted to record all summer. This needs to happen before our European & UK shows at the end of the year so we can play a few of our new songs live, we're keen to explore new ground, beyond the sound of our first two records, so we're headed back into the studio to begin that process."
Brian Wilson Hoping To Record 'Lucky Old Sun' (Billboard)
MS: Wilson suggests the material is close to the California sunshine-spirit found on seminal Beach Boy albums such as "Pet Sounds" and the now-legendary "Smile." "'Smile' had a happy atmosphere with many little snippets, as did 'Pet Sounds'," he says "But 'That Lucky Old Sun' doesn't have snippets -- it has full songs."
Sympathy for the white devil (The Guardian)
MS: Brown Sugar falls into that spellbinding category: Jagger-Richards songs least likely to be covered by Paul McCartney. This is not merely because the Rolling Stones' 1971 single embodies rock at its most primordial, but because the lyrics are intensely controversial, and to many people, offensive. Yes, despite its throbbing, upbeat tempo and exuberant getaway chorus, Brown Sugar is a song about slave owners having their way with nubile young black women. This is not very nice. It is so not very nice that when the Stones scheduled their 2003 trip to China, the heirs of Mao Zedong, that paragon of cultural sensitivity, singled out Brown Sugar as one of four numbers they were forbidden to play.
With trial date looming, RIAA tries to avoid facing a jury (ARS Technica)
MS: A loss at trial would be even more catastrophic for the RIAA. It would give other defense attorneys a winning template while exposing the weaknesses of the RIAA's arguments. It would also prove costly from a financial standpoint, as the RIAA would have to foot the legal expenses for both itself and the defendant. Most of all, it would set an unwelcomed precedent: over 20,000 lawsuits filed and the RIAA loses the first one to go to a jury.
Fair Use Worth More to Economy Than Copyright, CCIA Says (Information Week)
MS: Much of the unprecedented economic growth of the past 10 years can actually be credited to the doctrine of fair use, as the Internet itself depends on the ability to use content in a limited and nonlicensed manner," CCIA president and CEO Ed Black said in a statement. "To stay on the edge of innovation and productivity, we must keep fair use as one of the cornerstones for creativity, innovation, and, as today's study indicates, an engine for growth for our country."
The Indie City (Slate)
MS: The leafy, artsy neighborhood where I live on the east side of Portland, Ore., is home to many a band, after all, and this squawk—though unusually loud and yelpy—sounded like a typical Pabst- and angst-fueled racket. But one day, as I was running in a park adjacent to the squawk-producing home, I realized how mistaken I'd been: That noise actually belonged to Modest Mouse, the hugely popular indie rock group whose latest album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in March. This was where band frontman Isaac Brock lived. I shrugged, and kept running—not because I dislike Modest Mouse, but because here in Portland, this sort of thing happens all the time. Our drizzly city is home to so many of these celebrated rockers that it's sometimes difficult to breathe, what with all of the indie cred saturating the air. Somehow, Portland has become America's indie rock theme park.
New Pornographers Issue YouTube Challenge (Pitchfork)
MS: Fellow Pornographers Carl Newman and Blaine Thurier have called upon the "YouTube nation" (sigh), setting up a series of weekly assessments in which participants post themselves doing the band's bidding, in exchange for fame and fabulous prizes.
Those challenges? Err...it's a little hard to say. The first test involves coming up with choreography for a New Pornographers song of your choice. The next? We're not convinced they know any better than we do.
White Stripes Cancel Tour Due to Meg's Anxiety (Pitchfork)
MS: "The White Stripes announced today that they are canceling their forthcoming tour due to health issues. Meg White is suffering from acute anxiety and is unable to travel at this time.
"The White Stripes sincerely apologize to their fans. 'We hate to let people down and are very sorry.'
"Fans can obtain refunds for their tickets at point of purchase."
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