AltWeeklies Wire
Advertisers Go from Licensing Songs to Releasing Themnew

The synergy of marketing and indie music has evolved so swiftly that selling a tune for use in a commercial or video game seems almost quaint. Marketers aren't just horning in on the territory of record labels' promo departments -- they're starting to act like labels.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
04-13-2009 |
Music
Change of Direction at SXSWnew
Ten years ago, SXSW was widely accepted as the ultimate opportunity for baby bands and A&R representatives to make goo-goo eyes at each other. But today younger, wiser bands don’t bat their eyelashes at the majors like they used to, and South by Southwest is all the better for it.
Boston Phoenix |
Michael Brodeur |
03-27-2009 |
Music
Tags: music industry, SXSW
Music's Biggest Party Reflects a Shifting Music Industrynew

The music industry is shrinking, but there are more bands than ever before, and more ways to hear them. A report from the frontlines of SXSW.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
03-26-2009 |
Music
Tags: music industry, SXSW
Together, Live Nation and Ticketmaster Could Exert a Dangerous Amount of Powernew

When news of the proposed Live Nation and Ticketmaster merger flashed across the internet, it was accompanied by the same mix of panic and dread you'd expect in response to an announcement that great white sharks were carrying the Ebola virus and could now fly.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
02-23-2009 |
Music
If Full-Length Albums are Dead, Why Do So Many People Still Want Them?new
Rather than a dying format, the album is perhaps more like the novel or feature-length film -- a good idea that has weathered and will continue to weather technological trends. It's already survived numerous physical products: the vinyl LP, the 8-track, the cassette tape, and the compact disc. Who's to say that it won't survive the digital download?
Washington City Paper |
Brent Burton |
01-08-2009 |
Music
Can We Save the Music Industry? Do We Want To?new
If you are the type of person who cares passionately about the future of music in America, this is one of the most exciting and frightening decades in modern history.
Boulder Weekly |
Dale Bridges |
01-05-2009 |
Music
Can I Bite Your Thigh? A Trent Reznor Interviewnew

The Nine Inch Nails frontman goes off on a failed record industry and life as an indie artist after decades of appeasing "asshole" executives.
Sacramento News & Review |
Alia Cruz |
12-13-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
CDs for Christmas -- One Last Timenew
The major record labels are pulling out all the stops to release a plethora of new and reissue albums in the hopes that they can pump some blood back into what is increasingly looking like a moribund business model.
Boston Phoenix |
Daniel Brockman |
12-12-2008 |
Music
Whither the Album?new
Chuck Klosterman says Chinese Democracy is the format's last hurrah. Kanye proves him wrong.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
12-08-2008 |
Music
Wanna Be MySpace Music's CEO?new

Rupert Murdoch's toy is trying to go legit; mayhem may ensue, and success may not.
Dallas Observer |
Karla Starr |
12-08-2008 |
Music
Von Iva Hits the Big Time with Jim Carreynew
How do you amass a large audience from outside the traditional music industry? If you're San Francisco's Von Iva, the answer has moved from labels to licensing -- a direction that recently landed the group in the onscreen company of Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
12-03-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Avoiding Wal-Mart for Your AC/DC Fixnew
Independent retailers have found ways to get around big-box exclusives.
Seattle Weekly |
Sara Brickner |
12-02-2008 |
Music
Kinch Makes 'Advances' by Giving Their First Album Awaynew
"I think that the option for us was — are we gonna sell a hundred copies to friends and family or get people to listen it, and if they like it, they'll buy stuff from us in the future," says Andrew Junker. "We want to do this the rest of our lives, so giving our first record away is really kind of a no-brainer."
Phoenix New Times |
Serene Dominic |
11-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
D.I.Y. Now for the Future in St. Louisnew
The Undertow Collective and Magnolia Summer are using technology to modernize their D.I.Y. creative vision.
Riverfront Times |
Annie Zaleski |
11-07-2008 |
Music
More Wal-Mart Mediocrity, Courtesy AC/DCnew
Lead singer Brian Johnson has stated in recent interviews that Black Ice is the best AC/DC record since he joined the band; perhaps the drugs have finally taken over.
Tucson Weekly |
Jon Hobson |
10-30-2008 |
Reviews