Ash are ready to make good on their decision never to release albums ever again. Their A-Z project which sees the now New York-based band release 26 songs; one every fortnight for the next twelve months, on 7” vinyl and digital download kicks off in December.

Another act taking the completely independent route are Canadian band Metric who recently released their album Fantasies. Metric’s manager told the LA Times that by selling direct to fans from their website and download stores like iTunes, Metric have already made more money on the new album than their last (and relatively popular Live it Out) record achieved in four years.

Taking the “direct to fan” approach further is Josh Freese, who gained plenty of exposure thanks to his unique scheme. The alt-rock drummer made enough noise with former bands A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails, Devo and The Vandals, that when it came to releasing his second solo album Since 1972, he decided to come up with a novel and attention-grabbing way of releasing it. Continue Reading..»

With all the negativity surrounding the music industry at the moment, it’s nice to be able to focus on a genuinely brilliant service that could do wonders for all spectrums of the music industry – from small, independent bands right up to the majors. Spotify is such a service. Put simply, Spotify is a huge streaming legal library of music available in an iTunes-like interface which is currently available in Europe (Ireland is currently excluded as is the US and Canada but where there’s a way..).

Anyone can sign up for free and start listening to a band’s entire back catalogue ( I chose Super Furry Animals ), today’s chart hits, full albums and releases from less mainstream artists (MF Doom and Air France), with the (very) occasional advert. More discerning users can pay €9.99 a month for ad-free access.

What really sets the service apart from what’s come before is how easy it is to use. Spotify is fast. Like really fast. Tracks start to play almost instantaneously and in my experience (and many others), the stream was seamless, as if it was playing locally from my computer. The search function is intuitive, fast and accurate. Artist pages include bios, artist radio, top tracks and similar artists. You can create and share playlists with other users or use the radio function or explore.
Continue Reading..»