Here’s a crazy twist to the DRM-free digital downloads story - Wal-Mart is selling digital music files on its website right now without the restrictive technology known as DRM. The world’s largest retailer now offers a new mp3 catalog with “thousands of albums and songs from major record labels such as Vivendi’s Universal Music Group and EMI,” for a mere 94 cents per track and $9.22 per album. That’s quite a discount compared to Apple iTunes’ price of $1.29 per track of DRM-free files! It’s even cheaper than a restricted file from iTunes! ([More →])

Reggae Country is now on our list of DRM-free music providers! I can’t tell you how excited I am about this development. It’s not easy to find reggae and dancehall music that will play on any player, that you can burn to cd and make mixtapes with. This is going to lead to great success for Reggae Country. ([More →])

The music industry watchblog hypebot posted some interesting conversations today regarding the availability of DRM-free downloads. In particular, we learn why businesses like Rhapsody, Napster and others have yet to offer DRM-free downloads when EMI and the independent labels have made them available. Some claim that, while EMI and the indies are making a step in the right direction by offering their music without restrictions built in, the amount of music that this adds up to is not yet large enough to offer in their services. ([More →])

Enjoy some gas. Not the globally warming CO2 gas that is already in excess, but pure oxygen! The microscopics label has re-mastered and re-released gas 0095 as the premiere release on their “new” label. ([More →])

Canadian post-rock fans - I bring you reasons to rejoice! Broken Social Scensters/Do Make Say Thinkers/KC Accidentalists have been working on a new album. Kevin Drew (of BSS) wrote the songs and recorded them at his mate Ohad Benchetrit’s studio. The music is played by Kevin, Ohad, and Charles Spearin, which leads one to wonder - Is this a BSS album, a KC Accidental album, or a DMST album? None of the above. It’s Kevin Drew’s solo album, despite calling it Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew, “Spirit If…”

A press release put out by Arts&Crafts (the record label for BSS, Feist, among others) states that the new album is all from Kevin’s musings and favorite activities. Specifically, the album is about “fucking, fighting, fearing and hope.” Broken Social Scene’s other core founding member, Brendan Canning is working on Broken Social Scene Presents… Volume 2 while a BSS Presents tour is in the works for this fall. Watch the Arts&Crafts website for updates, and of course HearingTest news. If all this musical crossbreeding has you completely confused, check the wiki pages in the links to sort it all out. Canadians are just more Social than most, eh?

LINKS

the pitchf*#k report
Broken Social Scene website
Do Make Say Think website
Arts&Crafts
Broken Social Scene Wiki
Do Make Say Think Wiki

One Tour Date Left For DMST

28 JULY 2007 Guelph, ON - Hillside Festival

HIGH QUALITY LIVE RECORDINGS

If you absolutely adore Do Make Say Think AND you’ve always wanted a killer quality digital audio file of one of their live shows, then today is a very lucky day for you!  Here is a link to a fantastic site that archives live show recordings for many bands and offers them FREE for download!  In addition to everything being DRM-FREE, you have your choice of formats: high bit-rate mp3s, plus high quality formats like FLAC, OGG, Vorbis, etc.  Every situation is different so go check it out!
The Live Archive

More News For Arts&Crafts Artists

Arts&Crafts News also has these events to announce:
Stars added to V-Fest in Toronto
On September 9 Stars will join The Smashing Pumpkins, The Killers, Metric, The Hives, Tokyo Police Club and many more at this years V-Fest in Toronto. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.ca, Rotate This, and Soundscapes.

Apostle Of Hustle to play New York and Chicago residencies
Apostle Of Hustle will play a 4-night residency at The Mercury Lounge in New York, and a 3-night residency at Schubas Tavern in Chicago. Visit the Ouija page for all the details.