Thursday, 22 May 2008

The future of music distribution?


Hey readers (lol) I'm back after finishing my exams. I was going to pack this whole blogging thing in but had to reconsider after all the thousands of requests to get back into the saddle. "What will will do without you?", "Please never stop", and "The baby's yours" were the most common comments on the subject of my cessation of Oversaturated. Now that I have a lot more time on my hands you can expect more frequent updates (than once a month).

First on the agenda; The future of music distribution. Read an interesting article here about a company called Sellaband which uses the power of Crowdsourcing to launch new bands without the commercial and creative straitjacket of a record deal. The method is beautifully simple; Music fans on Sellaband invest 10 dollars in an artist they want to back. If the artist gets to 5,000 believers they get $50,000 and then Sellaband steps in to get the band to record an album in a real studio.

I think it's a really simple idea that while not perfect, could potentially be the basis for quite a good model for upcoming bands to kick off. Imagine a subsection of Itunes dedicated to a concept like Sellaband. Could change the music industry.

I also really like the idea I read here about Apple looking to charge say a $100 premium on an Ipod that would give you "all you can eat" music downloading service. I doubt it will ever come to fruition; there's a million legal/technical hurdles not least the slice of the pie the record companies get and whether the downloads are DRMed and how long you're able to keep them. But the idea that for one-off payment of an extra $100 strikes me as genius and one that I would definitely subscribe to.

SellaBand wins $5 million in Series A

Warner Music seeks to offer 'all you can eat' digital music


Wednesday, 16 April 2008

The new i


They've done it again. Apple, in their infinite wisdom and imperious majesty have created a product that revolutionises the paradigm shift of existance and reality. I give you - the i:


The Apple "i"


Monday, 14 April 2008

MONROE SEX FLICK SOLD FOR $1.5M

An illicit copy of the steamy, still-FBI-classified reel - 15 minutes of 16mm film footage in which the original blond bombshell performs oral sex on an unidentified man - was just sold to a New York businessman for $1.5 million, said Keya Morgan, the well-known memorabilia collector who discovered the film and brokered its purchase.

read more | digg story

Sunday, 13 April 2008

Rick Astley goes on tour!!


The Rickroll is coming live to a stage near you. That's right, Rick Astley is part of the Here and Now Tour 2008, a nostaglic nationwide tour featuring some of the "biggest" acts of the 80s. The line up? Rick Astley, Bananarama, Paul Young, ABC, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Johnny Hates Jazz, Cutting Crew. Only 26 days to go!!

Get your tickets here!!

Saturday, 12 April 2008

US Bosses want Estelle to fix her teeth


Top of the UK charts with her first solo hit American Boy featuring Kanye West, and about to go on tour with Wyclef Jean, you might think everything was going great for UK soul sensation Estelle. You'd be wrong;

Her bosses also want her to ditch the boyish haircut she has in her “American Boy” video and would like to give her image a complete overhaul, according to The Sun. The American executives are adamant she makes a lot of significant changes,” said a source. “They want rid of her tomboy hair and want her to get her teeth fixed. Estelle is not happy. She feels her teeth and the rest of her look are a big part of her character.”

I'm only really commenting because I really like her track American Boy. To be fair, her teeth are pretty bad. But it says a lot about the state of the american music industry when you can't do well unless you look perfect. Meanwhile over here we've got Amy Winehouse running things...

Source: Necole Bitchie.com


Thursday, 10 April 2008