Items by Listening Post
Wired: Top Stories
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Top 10 Hottest Digital Music Websites
Posted: July 7th, 2008, 12:00am EDT by Listening Post
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Change is the only constant in the music business, and that goes double for the digital music business. So, for the moment at least, we've assembled a list of the 10 hottest digital music websites ... in the world!
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Kick Out the Summer Jams!
Posted: July 6th, 2008, 4:30pm EDT by Listening Post
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Listening Post puts together a formative stack of summer jams. What are you looping into your laps, pods, phones and/or consoles to help you sweat these toasty months away? Tell us and we'll sift through the suggestions and add more to the Listening Post jams.
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Tweets, Twits, Whatever. We Got 'Em
Posted: July 6th, 2008, 12:30am EDT by Listening Post
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Listening Post sets up a Twitter feed to keep you abreast of music-related news and tech in bite-sized pieces called Post Tweets.
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Bands Divided Over MySpace Play-Count Boosters
Posted: July 1st, 2008, 4:05pm EDT by Listening Post
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There are some pretty tricky ways for bands to feign stardom on MySpace Music. The site wants users and abusers to know that they're hot on the trail of such mischief.
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When the Band Hits the Fan: Musicians vs. Audience on YouTube
Posted: July 1st, 2008, 12:00am EDT by Listening Post
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A video of Amy Winehouse singing her way through a series of punches directed at a fan during the Glastonbury music festival last weekend inspires us to stroll down YouTube's seamier nooks and crannies, collecting clips of band-on-fan violence.
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Rhapsody Moves Music Sales to Online MP3 Format
Posted: June 30th, 2008, 11:05am EDT by Listening Post
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The Rhapsody music service abandons DRM on single song downloads and will now sell all of its music in the MP3 format using the web. Its new strategy also includes letting millions of Facebook, iLike, MTV and Yahoo users preview 25 songs each month with the option to buy.
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Prescription Meds: Rock's New Drug of Choice?
Posted: June 28th, 2008, 4:30pm EDT by Listening Post
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Rockers from Aerosmith's Stephen Tyler to Hawthorne Heights' Casey Calvert are snubbing heroin and coke. Their new favorite vice is prescription meds. And they're not alone: U.S. teens are currently abusing painkillers more than coke, heroin and meth combined.
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UNKLE Goes Widescreen, Remixes 'X-Files'
Posted: June 28th, 2008, 3:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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James Lavelle's electronic supergroup has got an ear on cinema of the sci-fi variety. UNKLE's latest effort is called End Titles...Stories for Film, plus its remix of 'The X-Files' theme song touches down with the film on July 25, and on the official soundtrack on July 21.
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Prince Sues to Destroy All Copies of Tribute Album
Posted: June 25th, 2008, 3:30pm EDT by Listening Post
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A Norwegian record label's plan to give away 5,000 copies of a Prince tribute compilation to honor the star's 50th birthday backfires. Prince throws a royal conniption fit, demanding that all copies be destroyed.
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FBI Visits Leaker of Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy
Posted: June 24th, 2008, 9:30pm EDT by Listening Post
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A blogger who goes by the name "Skwerl" says two "Mulder and Scully" types from the FBI questioned him in the lobby of his workplace about the nine songs he leaked from Guns N' Roses "Chinese Democracy" album, which fans have been anticipating for over 14 years. He says he's not worried, even though distributing an unreleased album is punishable by fines, jail time or both.
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Report: Beatles Eye 'Rock Band,' 'Guitar Hero'
Posted: June 23rd, 2008, 11:47am EDT by Listening Post
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They aren't on iTunes yet, but word is that the keepers of the Beatles flame are considering a licensing deal that would put music by the Fab Four on Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Was that tie-in with American Idol the crack in the dike that make lead to many other interesting things?
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George Carlin Dies at 71
Posted: June 23rd, 2008, 2:14am EDT by Listening Post
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George Carlin, who pushed the boundaries of language and culture in five decades as a stand-up comic, dies of a heart attack. He was 71
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Brain Drainer Puts Audience to Sleep With Music
Posted: June 22nd, 2008, 4:51pm EDT by Listening Post
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Famed Japanese "sleep doctor" Takuro Endo attempts to lull an audience of 1,500 to sleep with a playlist that includes Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Japanese tenor Masafumi Akikawa. The result? A partial snooze.
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Pasture of Muppets: Inside the Metallica Reviews Scandal
Posted: June 21st, 2008, 10:44am EDT by Listening Post
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Listening Post scored an interview with the editor of the only publication that refused to pull their review of Metallica's upcoming album. As heavy metal continues to evolve, its publicists remain tragically rooted in the past.
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Airports Slowly Greening Up
Posted: June 20th, 2008, 10:12am EDT by Listening Post
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We all know that commercial airliners are essentially polluting machines that fly. What about the airports where they land? Pretty grim, too. But the people in charge say they are trying to green up. To be fair, the task is daunting. And there are some examples of innovation. But overall, the report card is pretty underwhelming.
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A Day After 'Launch,' Major-Label Tunes Scarce on Qtrax
Posted: June 19th, 2008, 2:15pm EDT by Listening Post
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The good news is that the wait is over: Qtrax has finally begun offering its first free downloads of major-label music. Now for the bad news: Only a smattering of songs are available, and for many, they won't play.
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Kid Rock: Steal This Song
Posted: June 18th, 2008, 11:21am EDT by Listening Post
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While Metallica continues to pussyfoot around the internet Kid Rock has thrown down the gauntlet. His advice to the cool kids? Boycott iTunes. Download pirated versions of his work. Why? Because the only person who makes any money the legit way is The Man, so it's not as if he'll be losing that much coin. Ahhhh ... rock star logic.
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Videotape Confusion Acquits R. Kelly in Child Porn Case
Posted: June 14th, 2008, 3:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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After a six-year legal battle, Chicago's R&B all-star R. Kelly is acquitted on all charges related to videotaping himself having sex with a minor.
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Metallica Kills Blogger Reviews. Will They Never Learn?
Posted: June 9th, 2008, 1:57pm EDT by Listening Post
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So near, and yet so far. Metallica got some cred last week for releasing on the internet, a turnabout from their eight-year jihad against fans downloading their music. But when a pig flies ... this week they forced bloggers to pull reviews of their album. Did we mention that the bloggers were invited to a listening party? Did we mention there was no nondisclosure agreement?
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AC/DC and Wal-Mart: A Marriage Made in Heaven?
Posted: June 9th, 2008, 8:58am EDT by Listening Post
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OK kids, time to weigh in: AC/DC is going exclusive with Wal-Mart, which may be the number-two music retailer in the world but is as hip as child-sized polo shirts made in Malaysia and discount cat food. Is this a good idea? Take the Listening Post poll.
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Cartoon Meets Reality: Dethklok Show Evacuated Due to Blaze
Posted: June 7th, 2008, 4:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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Dethklok, the most brutal cartoon band ever to grace the boob tube, is on tour right now, in real form, as fronted by show co-creator and overall genius Brendan Small. Their Thursday show at San Francisco's Fillmore takes a turn for the cartoonish when a fire forces a brutal cancellation just as the band prepares to take the stage.
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Warner Music Group Pulls Music From Last.fm
Posted: June 7th, 2008, 12:00am EDT by Listening Post
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Warner Music Group confirms that its music is no longer available through Last.fm's on-demand music streaming service.
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'Hockey Night in Canada' Is Over, Thanks to Licensing Spat
Posted: June 7th, 2008, 12:00am EDT by Listening Post
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"Hockey Night in Canada," the long-time theme song of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's hockey broadcasts won't be heard next season. Instead, the CBC is holding a contest to find a winning replacement.
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Labels Taunt Radio With Playlist Smackdown
Posted: June 5th, 2008, 9:41am EDT by Listening Post
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Major labels and big radio have locked horns in a public relations battle that's beginning to resemble a spat between bratty youngsters. The latest twist: a thematic playlist from the labels that taunts radio for being greedy.
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Band Premieres Album on Internet Jukeboxes
Posted: June 3rd, 2008, 1:30pm EDT by Listening Post
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My Morning Jacket unleashes its new record, Evil Urges, a week early through Ecast's thousands of internet-based music machines.
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Never Say Never to Mac-Based Electro-Funk
Posted: June 1st, 2008, 4:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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UK electronic music specialist The Herbaliser crafts expansive hip-hop instrumentals and hybrid funk and soul that charms the club crowd. Listening Post catches up with Jake Wherry in this interview.
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Condi Hooks Up With KISS — In Sweden, No Less
Posted: May 30th, 2008, 4:10pm EDT by Listening Post
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Is the Apocalypse upon us, or is this just our generation's equivalent of the Nixon-Elvis summit? Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and KISS just happen to be Sweden at the same time -- so naturally she paid a call on the guys. In their hotel room. Said she was thrilled to meet them. It happened: there are pictures.
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More Rapper Excess: A Seinfeld Mixtape?
Posted: May 30th, 2008, 3:17pm EDT by Listening Post
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Things have been getting interesting for Wale, who's gone from fascinating, free mixtapes to touring with producer Mark Ronson and getting signed to Interscope Records. But before all this, there was a pet project by the rapper called "The Mixtape About Nothing," inspired by –- you guessed it –- Seinfeld.
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Thanks for Nothing: Fans Rip Metallica a New One
Posted: May 29th, 2008, 2:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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Metallica does seem like it is trying to make amends from its full-court press against file sharing circa 2000. But fans are treating the new stance like a case of too little, too late, and when we wrote about this the other day the venom started pouring out. Are Lars & Co. beyond redemption? Take our poll.
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Best Animated Videos: Pass It On
Posted: May 29th, 2008, 8:06am EDT by Listening Post
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Listening Post gets a heads-up on a video for "Sideways Here We Come" from our favorite Kiwi post-punkers Die! Die! Die! -- and it's a cardboard cutout good time. Gets us thinking about other interesting animated shorts that have functioned as videos. Too bad it's a work day ...
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Metallica Repents, Sort Of
Posted: May 28th, 2008, 12:00am EDT by Listening Post
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So close, and yet ... actually close, really. Metallica's course correction from essentially criminalizing its fan base isn't yet a total reversal. But the band that sued Napster has launched a new website loaded with goodies -- and a DRM-free cut.
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Chelsea Hotel: Rock's Vortex of 'Death and Destruction'
Posted: May 26th, 2008, 1:45pm EDT by Listening Post
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Back in the day, it was ground zero for sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Now New York's Chelsea Hotel is back in the spotlight, as the subject of both a film documentary and photo essay. There's a lot to work with.
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Peer-to-Peer IT Admin Convicted in Federal Case
Posted: May 23rd, 2008, 3:30pm EDT by Listening Post
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A 25-year-old Brooklyn man who managed servers for an underground file sharing service has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement in what the RIAA says is the first case of its kind to result in conviction at jury trial. Barry Gitarts faces up to five years in jail and a $250,000 fine.
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Does M. Night Shyamalan Have a Thing for the Pixies?
Posted: May 23rd, 2008, 1:30pm EDT by Listening Post
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Hitchcock had Bernard Herrman to add depth and dimension to his films and M. Night Shyamalan has ... the Pixies? It might be a bit of a stretch, but there are some tantalizing clues that the alternative rock band which disbanded 15 years ago is a muse to the cultish filmmaker.
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Weezer Taps Internet Stars for Its New YouTube Channel
Posted: May 23rd, 2008, 1:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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The video for "Pork and Beans" puts web celebs like Tay Zonday and Chris Crocker in the pop culture blender.
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Should Music Startups Give Equity to Copyright Holders?
Posted: May 22nd, 2008, 4:30pm EDT by Listening Post
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A new proposal would cut royalty-collection groups into the action early, giving songwriters a guaranteed stake in long-term profits generated by music sites.
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File Sharing Comes to the iPhone
Posted: May 16th, 2008, 2:30pm EDT by Listening Post
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A new app called iSlsk lets users of unlocked iPhones and iPod touches tap into the Soulseek network.
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CloudTrade Brings Free Music Sharing to Smartphones
Posted: May 15th, 2008, 6:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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Deals with a couple of indie labels get the service off the ground.
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Developers: Adobe Delaying Online Music Apps
Posted: May 14th, 2008, 11:30am EDT by Listening Post
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If online music mixers, studios and instruments are the next big thing in music, why isn't Adobe getting on board?
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Imeem Unseats Yahoo as Top Music-Streaming Site
Posted: May 13th, 2008, 4:10pm EDT by Listening Post
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Yahoo slips into second place behind Imeem as the top music-streaming site out there.
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Radiohead Extends Remix Voting as Entrants Bellyache
Posted: May 7th, 2008, 7:15pm EDT by Listening Post
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Sour grapes or sound reasoning? The "Nude" remix contest earns the wrath of some participants.
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Online Music Festival Takes Interactive Leap
Posted: May 7th, 2008, 3:40pm EDT by Listening Post
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It still isn’t just like being there. But audience members of a free, online concert series that kicks off next week will be able to connect with the band, which will be surrounded on stage by 40 ginormous monitors feeding them every song request, snarky remark and assurance of eternal love. Organizers have even thought to provide cigarette lighter emoticons for the verbally impaired.
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Warner Music Group Plays with the Price of Music
Posted: May 6th, 2008, 10:24am EDT by Listening Post
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We've all gotten used to $0.99 songs -- but some of the music companies haven't. Warner Music Group plans to run a test this month that will set prices based dynamically based on a variety of data points. The idea is, of course, to charge more when the market will bear it. But prices of even popular downloads might even go down in price.
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First 'Massively Multi-User Online Music Fest' in Works
Posted: May 5th, 2008, 1:45pm EDT by Listening Post
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Can't make it to Canada's New Music West later this month? Virtual Vancouver plans to broadcast the show live in its 3-D virtual world.
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Iron Man's Soundtrack Draws on Heavy Sonic Roots
Posted: May 4th, 2008, 1:00am EDT by Listening Post
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Iron Man's soundtrack comes out May 6. Though the film is scored by various composers, Iron Man's sonic branches reach back into heavy metal territory.
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Radiohead Contest Generates Over 2,200 Remixes
Posted: May 1st, 2008, 2:05pm EDT by Listening Post
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Remixing of the band's song, "Nude," continues at a brisk pace on the last day of a project that has helped land Radiohead on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in more than a decade.
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Judge Bucks Trend: Music Sharing Not Necessarily Infringement
Posted: April 30th, 2008, 10:16am EDT by Listening Post
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'Grand Theft Auto IV' Hustles Songs Through Amazon MP3
Posted: April 29th, 2008, 11:00am EDT by Listening Post
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The hottest new game on the block gets tricked out to sell music online.
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Coachella: Pig Flies, and There's a $10,000 Reward
Posted: April 28th, 2008, 9:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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Roger Waters' iconic porker takes to the sky, and concert promoters offer cold cash -- and lifetime passes to the festival -- to anybody who finds the giant, inflatable prop.
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Coachella: Saturday Starts With Uffie, Kavinsky and Little Brother
Posted: April 26th, 2008, 8:30pm EDT by Listening Post
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Tens of thousands of music fans aren't fazed by temperatures in the triple digits Saturday at the Coachella music festival. Sunday will be even hotter. Over 40 bands will grace one of five stages today. Listening Post presents photos of Uffie, Kavinsky and Little Brother from Saturday afternoon for your viewing pleasure.
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Coachella: Aphex Twin, Pendulum, Aesop Rock and More
Posted: April 26th, 2008, 8:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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Throngs of music lovers gather at the Coachella music festival, braving temperatures in the mid-90s to see their favorite musicians. The hot sun, far-flung stages and dense crowds don't stop Wired.com from catching photos of these eight bands.
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Despite Scorching Heat, Coachella Packs 'Em in With High-Energy Sets
Posted: April 26th, 2008, 2:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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Tens of thousands of concertgoers are at the overheated intersection of the Mojave and Colorado deserts to watch 134 bands rock out at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The bands, including Prince, Portishead and Kraftwerk, will perform Friday through Sunday on five stages spread out over a giant Polo field.
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State Attorneys General Propose Free Satellite Radio
Posted: April 25th, 2008, 3:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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If the proposed XM-Sirius merger can't be killed, states at least want an outside programmer to provide free service for nonsubscribers.
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Major-Label Money Could Taint Music Blogs
Posted: April 17th, 2008, 4:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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Will Universal's big investment ruin music blog Buzznet's reputation?
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Guitarati Sees a Rainbow Where Others See Music Genres
Posted: April 8th, 2008, 8:20pm EDT by Listening Post
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The mood-ring-style music site lets you pick tunes by your emotional hue.
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Researchers Cram 20 Seconds of Music Into Sub-Kilobyte File
Posted: April 4th, 2008, 6:50pm EDT by Listening Post
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A new compression scheme creates audio files 1,000 times smaller than a standard MP3, and makes quick work of a clarinet solo.
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MetroLyrics Becomes First Lyrics Site to Go Legit
Posted: April 3rd, 2008, 7:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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A new partnership with Gracenote means songwriters will get a cut of ad revenue generated by the popular site.
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MySpace, Major Labels Join Forces for Online Music Store
Posted: April 3rd, 2008, 2:50pm EDT by Listening Post
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A deal between the popular site and all but one of the majors puts free streaming music on the plate. MySpace Music will also sell DRM-free downloads and other music merchandise.
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Remix Radiohead's 'Nude' and Win ... Something (Maybe)
Posted: April 2nd, 2008, 6:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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The band that loves to turn the industry on its head launches a remix contest. There's a cool voting widget, but shockingly little info on what happens to the hottest tracks.
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Songbird Challenges iTunes With Major Update
Posted: March 28th, 2008, 6:20pm EDT by Listening Post
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The open-source music player built on Mozilla code was already stable. Now it's just better than ever, with new features and bug fixes included in the latest version.
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LimeWire Launches DRM-Free Online Music Store
Posted: March 17th, 2008, 4:00pm EDT by Listening Post
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Downloader, can you spare a dime? Or maybe three? Popular P2P service LimeWire peddles legal MP3s for as low as 27 cents apiece.
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Radiohead Pulls a Reznor, Solicits Fan Animations
Posted: March 17th, 2008, 10:00am EDT by Listening Post
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The band launches a DIY video contest just days after Nine Inch Nails' similar promotion starts, and you don't necessarily need animation skills to compete.
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Lawsuit Could Force RIAA To Reveal Secrets
Posted: March 6th, 2008, 7:00pm EST by Listening Post
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RIAA lawsuit victim Tanya Andersen’s countersuit against the RIAA has potentially disastrous consequences for the war on file sharing.
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Facebook Launches Band Pages
Posted: February 29th, 2008, 12:15am EST by Listening Post
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Look out, MySpace -- Facebook Music adds cool ways for bands to promote themselves on the popular social networking site.
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Major Labels Allow P2P Sharing of Their Music on QTrax
Posted: January 27th, 2008, 12:00am EST by Listening Post
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QTrax announces deals with all the major music labels and publishers to offer the first free and legal ad-supported P2P service to include major label music.
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Amazon.com Will Sell DRM-Free MP3s From Sony BMG
Posted: January 10th, 2008, 7:45pm EST by Listening Post
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A new deal means the e-tailer will be the first to sell unrestricted files from all the Big Four record labels. Never mind those watermarks.