News: Subdrive launches "open source" label

Big fucking ups to our dude Ricardo from Subdrive, who today made the announcement that his website would be launching their own imprint. In what they're calling an "open source" label, every release from Subdrive will be 100% DRM-free, available for sale as stems for anyone to purchase and remix, and the artists make every penny from the sale; the label sees nothing. About these points: one, every track will be available on the giants of iTunes, Beatport, and Juno; two, all of the songs will have stems readily available; three, the tracks will all be under Creative Commons share-alike laws; and four, if you happen to make a remix that the label really digs on, they'll release your track on a follow-up remix EP where YOU'LL see some of the profits. Go back and study those four points y'all. Groundbreaking doesn't even do the best service as a descriptor.

Here now is the first Subdrive release, from NYC's own Terror Dactel (above) and his track "DTF". The single drops everywhere imaginable the week of May 19, but here's an edit of the track the Subdrive family sent over. It's heavy as fuck and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone around who'd say it doesn't destroy. Majors, you've just been pwned.

(mp3)    Terror Dactel - DTF (edit)

Godspeed!

Video: HSBC gets granola with Joanna Newsom

The commercial spot is called "Lumberjack" and it uses the delightful cackle/cat yawn of Joanna Newsom with "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" from  the Milk-Eyed Mender LP.  We have to applaud HSBC as this may be our favorite and most emotionally-stirring ad we've seen all year (or at least one that doesn't have all of those things AND cavemen in it).  Banking never sounded so environmentally aware.

(mp3)    Joanna Newsom - The Book Of Right-On

Godspeed!

Video: Lincoln tries to get hip with MKS commercial

Using the latest buzz word (cyberspace!), the dudes over at the Lincoln car company are totally trying to harness the emerging market of electro-loving buyers by, what else, using a Daft Punk track from way back in 2005.  The track had previously been used that year in iPod and cell phone commercials and its own music video, so kudos to Lincoln for only being a half-decade behind.  Also, give this some thought: can you do the following things to the new 2009 Lincoln MKS (check all that apply)?

Plug it
Play it
Burn it
Rip it
Drag and drop it
Zip-unzip it

(mp3)    Daft Punk - Technologic (Vitalic remix)

Godspeed!

News: Knitting Factory to move to the 'burg, Idaho

(photo by Gothamist)

According to an article in today's New York Times, well, yes.

This week the New York club, the headquarters of a company that also includes a club in Los Angeles, won community board approval to begin moving into 361 Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the former site of the Luna Lounge. In Tribeca the Knitting Factory has three performances spaces, the largest holding 400 people, but in Brooklyn it will have only one room, for 300 or fewer. Two weeks ago “Knitting Factory Concert House” signs went up outside larger halls in Boise (capacity 1,000) and Spokane (1,500) that the company recently acquired.

“We don’t have to be the biggest kids in New York City to be the Knitting Factory,” Mr. Hoffman, 45, said in the Leonard Street front room one recent afternoon as a parade of tattooed young men lugged in the night’s cargo of amplifiers. “What we do have to have is a pipeline that brings us the most exciting new music from the cities where the newest, most exciting new music is being created.”

This comes after the venue was supposed to move to East 14th Street, between A and B, but that was squashed due to zoning problems.

(mp3)    Gang of Four - It's Her Factory

Godspeed!

Web: Rhapsody opens store; gives away a hundred thousand albums

The first 100,000 people to sign up for an account will receive a free digital album of their choice.

Beginning today, consumers can purchase MP3 music that is free of the digital rights management (DRM) software that restricts how and where people can play their music. Any song or album purchased from the Rhapsody MP3 Store can be played on any music device, even an Apple iPod.

(mp3)    Foreign Islands - Free Fire Zone

Godspeed!

News: Tesco pulls Black Lips song from ad

It was supposed to simple.  Set an ad for the supermarket chain Tesco (a rather large UK-based grocery supplier) to Atlanta's own Black Lips and their track "Veni Vidi Vici", from last year's Good Bad Not Evil.  But when they did a once-over on the song's lyrics, which include this winner: "My man, Muhammad, Boy Jesus too / Who's Messiah be good for you", it was clear that this wasn't exactly what they had in mind to help peddle organic fruit sales and a plethora of cereals.  So, it was yanked.  Says bassist Jared Swilley of the ad's death, "They even made the commercial and sent us the whole thing and we had a it on a computer, but they pulled out because I guess they thought it was too controversial, so they had to pay us a small severance fee, which is fine.  It's nothing to them."

(mp3)    Black Lips - Not A Problem

Godspeed!

News: ASCAP goes for the kill against bars & clubs

ASCAP, the music publishing Goliath, is out for some justice.  Some licensing justice.  Apparently, 29 places of business (bars, clubs, etc.) in 23 states have been sent legal documents bringing those bitches to court for allegedly allowing the performance and airing of copyrighted songs, disregarding the process of asking ASCAP's permission.  Says ASCAP:

"By filing these 29 actions at the same time, ASCAP is aiming to heighten awareness among music users and the public that it is a Federal offense to perform copyrighted music without permission," said Vincent Candilora, ASCAP Senior Vice President of Licensing. ASCAP's priority is to serve as a voice and advocate for its more than 315,000 members who are essentially the smallest of small business owners. ASCAP not only has a right to collect license fees from the users of music, but it also has a responsibility to its members to ensure they are adequately compensated for their hard work."

After the jump, the offenders.

News: West, Winehouse win big at the Grammy's. Feist, not so much.

Kanye actually performed "Stronger" with Daft Punk, Beyonce sang with Tina Turner, Amy Winehouse via satellite, Cirque du Soleil's way too long "Love", Sinatra and Alicia Keys melted hearts and Bruce Springsteen's "Radio Nowhere" took best rock song.  All in all, one crazy night.  Big up to Mark Ronson on his win, too.

Thank God for actual results.  Here's what we've got as far as lists go:

Song of the Year: "Rehab," Amy Winehouse (Amy Winehouse).

New Artist: Amy Winehouse.

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Mark Ronson.

Pop Vocal Album: "Back to Black," Amy Winehouse.

Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Rehab," Amy Winehouse.

Male Pop Vocal Performance: "What Goes Around...Comes Around," Justin Timberlake.

Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "Makes Me Wonder," Maroon 5.

Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)," Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.

Pop Instrumental Album: "The Mix-Up," Beastie Boys.

Pop Instrumental Performance: "One Week Last Summer," Joni Mitchell.

Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "Call Me Irresponsible," Michael Buble.

Alternative Music Album: "Icky Thump," The White Stripes.

Rock Song: "Radio Nowhere," Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen).

Solo Rock Vocal Performance: "Radio Nowhere," Bruce Springsteen.

Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "Icky Thump," The White Stripes.

Hard Rock Performance: "The Pretender," Foo Fighters.

Metal Performance: "Final Six," Slayer.

Rock Instrumental Performance: "Once Upon a Time in The West," Bruce Springsteen.

Rap Solo Performance: "Stronger," Kanye West.

Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "Southside," Common, featuring Kanye West.

Rap Song: "Good Life," Aldrin Davis, Mike Dean, Faheem Najm & Kanye West, songwriters (J. Ingram & Q. Jones, songwriters) (Kanye West Featuring T-Pain).

The rest of the list, after the jump.

Video: This Cingular AT&T ad brought to you by Ryan Adams's broken heart

We really feel for you dude, but seriously, we're beginning to wonder if you're okay.  We mean, sure, it's been a well publicized and scrutinized time for you since that Jessica Joffe character broke up with you and then subsequently blocked all of your emails.  It's even worse that she was once affiliated with Gawker, so dude you know they're all up on this shit, too.  But now, dude, your whole rambling-weirdo-singer-songwriter-New-Yorker-guy-who-likes-the-Internet video thing has to stop.  And really, for your own good.  We love you and think that you're maybe a genius, so it saddens us that you're in a bad way.  Truly.  We'd like to help, but you have to take the time to sit this whole media-saturated thing out.  Take a vacation or something.  For real.  Get some sun on them weary bones of yours.

We don't want to jump to conclusions and say that this ad isn't just some awkwardly-timed (amazing, right?) masterpiece of hopeful thoughts on your part for the woman you care deeply for (and who's been attributed as THE factor who pulled you from addiction hell), but it would totally make sense if it wasn't just a coincidence.  Could it be a clever ploy on the part of Adams to let AT&T use this song?  Especially since it's for a Valentine's Day advertisement?  We think yes.  What do you think?

(mp3)    Gonna Make You Love Me

Godspeed!

The Times asks the burning question: What the fuck happened to Gawker?

It should really come as no surprise that this is finally getting more widespread coverage.  Any rampant Gawker commenter (like ourselves) would have this question and the subsequent opinion on the tip of the tongue.  BTW, if you read this blog AND Gawker, please feel free to leave your opinion in the comments.  You can read the NYT article here.  We say bring back Choire!

(mp3)    Les Savy Fav - Raging In The Plague Age

Godspeed!