Our Digital Music

Love Ends Disaster! – Suzanne / Dinosaur  It’s all systems change at station LED! New label, new drummer, and a new AA-side standout ‘Suzanne’ in their armoury, it seems a new sound too… LED! have gone all pop on us, and as a result sound all the better (and much more accomplished) for having done so.
Jakill – Who Are Ya?  Edinburgh-based band Jakil won Forth One’s recent “One to Watch” competition – and it’s easy to see what all the fuss is about. They have great original material, a live show to be reckoned with, and in Kieran O’Brien, one …read more

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Sadly, not much for music fans. So little, in fact, that it led our sister blog Hypebot to ask “Has Apple Gone As Far As It Can With Music?” Here’s Steve Jobs’ 90 minute announcement yesterday cleverly edited to 60 seconds.

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This week only Amazon.com is giving a way a free mp3 download by the great new Vermont based roots/rock/jam band Grace Potter And The Nocturnals song “Apologies”.
Grab it free while you can here.
Here’s a video of the song:

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Itching to fill up that iPod or Zune that you got for Christmas?  You might want to stick to ripping your old CD’s for just a couple more weeks and wait for some expected fan friendly changes take hold.
Right now about half of the downloads you buy on iTunes and most other stores still come with DRM – that pesky copy protection software that makes it impossible to buy songs for the Zune on iTunes or grab a track from Napster for your iPod.  The same software limits how many times you can rip the music you paid for to …read more

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Ever wish you could jump on stage and share your inner Joe Cocker? Here’s a short but effective primer.

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Has someone given you an iPod but not the code; or maybe you simply forgot the code that you originally entered? Here are several ways you may be able to unlock it:
METHOD #1 – Experiment with some logical code combinations like dates or luck numbers. Try obvious codes like 1111 or 1234. Enter the combinations on the iPod using the same controls you used to set the combination. If you do not enter the correct combination, the digits onscreen flash red. When you enter the combination correctly, iPod will unlock and return you to the last viewed …read more

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DRM IS DEAD:  It was a great week for music fans as Sony BMG became the last major label group to drop copy protection. DRM-free Tracks are expected to be available via Amazon before the end of the month. Expect other download stores to go DRM free soon.
A look at The Amazon Effect – how the internet retailer is changing the music industry.
More layoffs and major changes are ahead at the world’s forth largest record label EMI.
Marketing Guru Seth Godin published The Music Lesson – a manifesto for change in the music industry to varied reactions.  Add your opinions in …read more

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DRM – short for Digital Rights Management – officially died yesterday when the last of the four major label group SonyBMG  announced that Amazon.com would begin selling DRM free mp3’s of all of Sony BMG’s massive music catalog  later this month.
This means that by Feb 1st virtually every song or album you can imagine will be available on Amazon in a download  format that plays on iPods, Zunes and virtually every other device made, as well, as be burned on to a CD.
You can expect other online stores to get DRM free music within a couple of months, but for …read more

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Broken Records – Broken Records EP
All 4 tracks are a little different with A Good Reason being a chaotic, relentless clatter of a song driven forward by sawing violin work that reminds me a little bit of an odd combination of two early Men They Couldn’t Hang Songs. It could even compare to some early Levellers tracks.
Nephu Huzzband – Papers EP
Nephu Huzzband, a young quartet from Nottingham, are influenced by Joy Division as well as The Cure and Mission Of Burma. The title track, Papers, is an excellent and intense reverb-heavy track which hurtles its way to the chorus …read more

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