Major Music Labels Near Deal with Myspace: MySpace’s plan to launch a digital-music joint venture with the major record companies is quickly becoming a reality according to the NY Post. Once again, the deal is all about advertising dollars. The labels are trading content rights in exchange for minority equity stakes in MySpace Music and the chance to capitalize in the advertising revenues that myspace hopes to generate from the service.
Connecting with Fans: Check out the article that comes from the Canadian Press titled ‘Musicians seek extra ways to connect with fans, build market‘. “As this business has gone through tremendous change in the last five or six years, it’s simply the way it has to happen,” Arts and Crafts executive Kieran Roy says of the many ways artists are squeezing marketable material out of their musical exploits. “It’s not enough to go and record 10 tracks and call it an album and call it a day. There has to be live content, B-sides, covers, EPK footage, web shorts, videos, podcasts, audiocasts, videocasts, you name it – everything and anything under the sun. And these are all ways for artists to further develop a relationship and loyalty with their fan base.”
The Smashing Pumpkins Sue Virgin: The Smashing Pumpkins are suing Virgin Records, saying the record label has illegally used their name and music in promotional deals that hurt the band’s credibility with fans. The Pumpkins said they have “worked hard for over two decades to accumulate a considerable amount of goodwill in the eyes of the public,” and that Virgin’s use of the band in a “Pepsi Stuff” promotion with Amazon.com and Pepsi Co. threatens their reputation for “artistic integrity” according to AP.
Honestly, I thought the integrity began its downward spiral when Billy Corgan announced a reunion tour in 2006, allowing fans to believe it was the original line up with guitarist James Iha and bassist D’arcy. Is this lawsuit about true artist integrity or the lining of pockets?
Penny Smart: Pennywise’s new album has been downloaded over 500,000 times through clever marketing promotion and part of an ad-supported promotion, according to Digital Music News.
Merging Satellites – SiriusXM: Not everyone is excited of the approved merger of Sirius and XM. “We are astonished that the Justice Department would propose granting a monopoly to two companies that systematically broke FCC rules for more than a decade,” National Association of Broadcasters spokesman Dennis Wharton said. “To hinge approval of this monopoly on XM and Sirius’ refusal to deliver on a promise of interoperable radios is nothing short of breathtaking.”
New Music: Check out the track Crazy Beautiful from the christian rock alternative act Chasen. OMG Records signed the band and their first single quickly became a hit on top 40 christian radio. “It’s amazing to see how quickly radio has embraced ‘Crazy Beautiful,’” said Gene Krcelic, founding partner at OMG. “I don’t know that we could have asked for a better setup leading into the launch of the full project in 2008.” The new single ‘If It Comes Down’ can be heard here.
Recommended Listening: Listen to In Pursuing Design by female fronted VersaEmerge. They have a slew tour dates which can be found on their myspace.
Kings of A&R: We want to hear new music. Send us a link to your myspace and let us know what song we should be listening too. Email tips@kingsofar.com. We are in a high energetic mood right now, no sappy music please.
Billy Corgan and Company want to fill their pockets, they can give a rats ass about artist integrity at this point. I agree with you KOAR, Billy Corgan did the bait and switch with his fans making believe all the members of the pumpkins were reuniting. That was the beginning of the end!
Didn’t the drummer of smashing pumpkins say they will only release singles rather than the albums? yep, no one buys their records anymore – they need cash.
Maybe if the pumpkins actually released a good album again then wouldn’t need to sue the bank. I loved the pumpkins in the 90’s, the last 2 releases were lame.
I’m interested in seeing what this MySpace Music brings to the landscape. As someone stated before, when people think MySpace they think “FREE” which is one of the reasons why Snocap failed.
Agreed on the SP/Corgan bits… what a wanker. “Artistic integrity,” my ass.
Billy Corgan will never look in the mirror and say ‘I failed’ – instead he will blame the label. Typical!
Hey Dean. Why don’t you take what you think is the WORST song on the 12 song album I sent you from Mossback and lets put it up against what you think is the BEST song you’ve come across in the last six months. Then let’s put some cash on the table and let your readers vote. Deal? The idea that your always on the hunt for great new music is ridiculous.
I listened to the songs, not bad; but not great either. The worse thing any band can do is fall in the MIDDLE.
Do you really want an honest critique?
The photos are lame and amateurish, need better photos.
You don’t have any tour dates listed, need to play shows and build a following. Bands can only build a following if they are GREAT. Need better songs too. Not that numbers are everything, but you only have 9 plays on your myspace – really only 8 plays, the 9th came from me
Get back in the studio, maybe work with songwriters, have your singer take some vocal lessons, find a decent producer, and find a good photographer and lets talk in 6 months.
ROCK n ROLL!
Dean
Chasen BLOWS. The first song on their myspace is the worst song I’ve heard in a long time. Their songs don’t make any sense, just a bunch of bullshit cliches strung together. This is why Clive Davis says acts shouldn’t be writing their own songs. I’d take it a step further & say that acts posing as “rock bands” who can’t perform AND write solid material shouldn’t be promoted by anyone.
And VersaEmerge sounds just like Paramore & Kenotia… I dunno why anyone would think we need another one of these bands. I hear all of these girl emo bands & aside from New Years Day (who kick ass), I can’t tell any of them apart to save my life without seeing a photo. And speaking of photos, why does the girl seem so sickly? Whoever came up with the idea of sucking all of the read out of her face should have been fired on the spot.
The Smashing Pumpkins losing credibility over a Pepsi commercial? what a load of crap.
It certainly hasn’t effected U2 or any other major acts.
Also, where is the management? arent they suppose to communicate with the label? seems to me someone wants to get a payday! The pumpkins lost my respect when Billy Corgan pretended the WHOLE band was reuniting!
a fan posted this on the smashing pumpkins website!
Seems like the band is a little slow on the uptake. And honestly, they’re arguing that the Pepsi thing devalued their name as a music brand, but then what the hell does it mean when the band release four different versions of their latest album, coupled with a special edition initial release and the Best Buy re-release? If they’re concerned with their artistic integrity being questioned, they ought to start sorting out the problems of the present, and then working their way into the past. This is the kind of frivolous lawsuit that runs rampant in this country and wastes millions of taxpayer dollars each year. The Pumpkins should be ashamed.
There are bands that would give almost anything to have their songs connected with Pepsi. The Pumpkins are a little disconnected from the new highway being built to music. As for Versawhatever they are O.K. but sound like lots of bands around right now. Can’t tell the difference between any of them. I hope the best for them though, it’s a long hard road.
One more thing. Brett that band sounds a little rockabilly. They are good but I have heard lots of bands on this sight that are way better. But that don’t mean anything. It’s just an opinion. I think they need to write some youthful songs.
“Drown” will probably be a top 5 Christian hit in the coming months, Jon.
I’d be surprised if they don’t dominate the Christian charts this year, which has to lead to some success.
I agree though, not the best, or even remotely original lyrics in the world, don’t think it’s too tough to look past that these days.
I guess professional reviewers like this guy have their head up their ass:
Appropriately Titled & A Great Effort
author: Michael Canter
Reviewing a CD is not an easy task, and it is just a little tougher when your favorite song by the band was released as a single AFTER the album was completed. Nonetheless, were it not for the single “Threw It All Away”, I may have never discovered Mossback to begin with. “Threw It All Away” is a magnificent composition, but Mossback’s CD Mishmash, released nearly two years previously, reveals a number of hidden gems as well. Hailing from Seattle, Mossback is invariably compared to bands from the mid-to-late 90’s grunge scene when Seattle was at the apex of rock music. Being that Mossback was formed in 1994 by guitarist Brennan McFeely and vocalist Paul Adams, it’s fairly easy to make comparisons to some of the more popular bands from that era, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains. Jack Endino said in the 1996 documentary Hype! that “Seattle bands were inconsistent live performers, since their primary objective was not to be entertainers, but simply to rock out.” Though I have yet to see Mossback perform live, I can attest to the fact that indeed, this band does in fact, “rock out”. But they do a whole lot more. Let’s start with my favorite track, “Nothing Left To Give”. It has all the prerequisites for a great grunge song – searing, distorted guitars, angst-filled lyrics and contrasting song dynamics. It wreaks of apathy, which is what grunge should do. Were this song composed by Alice In Chains it would be an instant hit, which unfortunately defines the shameful practices of record labels and commercial radio. “Junkie Town” is another outstanding track with a similar alternative feel. However, Mossback also involves slower tempos, disparate harmonies, and more complex instrumentation on the songs “Annalisa” and “Cold Wind”, both surprisingly strong works despite their somewhat softer sides. “Annalisa” has a haunting chorus that is just catchy enough to stick to you, and “Cold Wind” has a real Collective Soul-meets-James Blunt feel to it. That being said, Mossback gets back to what makes them so good – pure hard rock – on the songs “Sanity” and “On Your Own”. All in all, Mishmash is a tremendous achievement. It varies just enough to allow the listener to delve deep into the track listings, and pulls the listener back to the bands strengths by spacing their strongest efforts in an appropriate fashion. It is a fresh and consistent listen each time through. –Michael Canter, http://www.sonicjive.com
What an incredibly wordy way to say “You’re about 12 years too late.”
I mean… sonicjive.com? Really? THAT’S who you quote?
What’s your point? Are you saying Michael Canter doesn;t know music? Because if you are you are full of it. Why don’t you give me your 3 favorite indie bands so I can critique them?
You know you’re right Jon. Let’s go to another one of the dozen great reviews Mossback has gotten. I mean , god knows Reviewer magazine doesn’t know music like the geniuses on this board:
Mossback: “Mishmash” (Self-released)
Mossback is a new, fresh face in town. Their debut, “Mishmash”, gives one pause and then moves along at a steady pace. The music is a melancholy, guitar-laden, gritty rock & roll. It is not unlike “Jar of Flies”-era Alice in Chains, that same kind of mellow, acoustic, rock with an undercurrent of nihilism, just waiting to bust through the surface. “Mishmash” starts out with a 30 second beautiful acoustic intro and then starts off with a slow, but hypnotizing tune, “Cold Wind”. The music gets a little harder and a little edgier as the songs wear on, “Junkie Town” is a lament about the past and things one regrets. “Uninvited” speeds things up a little, but still with that same plaintiveness that pervades the rest of this very good CD. Each song averages at about five minutes each, no zip-through quickie pop-songs here.
Mossback have this really cool vibe, which just somehow really had a fluid continuity, within the songs and between them. I don’t know how exactly to describe it, but they just have this “feel” that sounded so right, that just played like something aurally sweet to my senses. They put out “Mishmash” by themselves, with no label support, something I find myself saying more and more lately. So, if you’d like to learn more you have to go to: (http://www.mossback.us) – KM.
Versa Emerge…..Paramore without the sexy little red head. And I HATE Paramore. Waaaayyyy to long of an intro.
If you’ll push your ego aside for just a moment and note the righteous lack of fluidity within the phrase “which just somehow really had a fluid continuity,” you’ll quickly discover just how much credibility a review like that really holds. Honestly, it sounds like an excerpt from the entertainment section of a high school newspaper. What kind of “professional” record reviewer confesses not to be able to describe something about a band? That’s the only thing they’re supposed to do, describe the band.
Still not convinced. You can keep at it, but you’re looking kind of pathetic trying to justify yourself like this.
You know you’re right Jon, let’s try another one. How about Music Connection magazine? Do they have any credibility? Because they said…..”Mossbacks Cold Wind and Annalisa, while familiar folk rock grooves are consistently soothing and effective and could be useful to music supervisors looking for mellow alt rock fare” You can call me pathetic all you want. All I’m saying is that opinions are like assholes. And I’ll take the opinion of an experienced music reviewer over some arm chair critic on a messagee board any day.
You’re probably right. I’m sure I’ll be eating my words when you’re selling out the Garden. Hopefully you’ll still allow me to purchase tickets.
I’ll bet the record reviewers are really onto something. I bet you’ll turn the sounds of Alice In Chains, Live, & Collective Soul into something truly cutting edge & unmistakably relevant in this, the band’s fourteenth year.
I’ll keep my arm chair criticism to myself & my eyes to the sky, waiting & wishing for your next recordings to fall into my lap not unlike candy rain. Please accept my sincere & humble apology.
Love always,
Jon.
Brett,
I understand that you are passionate about the music. That’s a good thing. I wish I was working with someone as passionate as you! Honestly.
But you know that you can’t be sensitive in this business and that there will always be negative reviews whether they are on point or not.
My thing is why go back and forth on this? Dean stated what he felt about the music and leave it at that. Was he wrong? Who can really say how a person feels about something is wrong. That’s the way he/she feels. Leave it at that.
Some will like their music… some won’t….
Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not in the band. I’m an unpaid promoter who has worked to get their music out there. I have sent out 175 promotional cd’s and gotten them on 130 radio stations and podcasts. My frustration comes in hearing songs over and over and over agin that aren’t as good and are getting rammed down our throats with big budgets and hype. I’m not disouraged by any means. People who have heard Mossbacks music have loved it. In fact I’ll put their track “Junkie Town” up against any song anyone on these boards can scrape up. All I want is an honest appraisal of the musicianship, song writing and production quality. Keep in mind they paid to get all these songs done themselves. Imagine what they could do with a big budget. This spring they are recording with the best record producer in the history of rock music down in L.A. Just wait and hear what they come up with.
Here you go, friend, an honest appraisal of the musicianship, songwriting, & production quality.
Nothin’ Left To Give: The guitar in the left channel sounds absolutely terrible. The song sounds like a parody of what was happening in Seattle in 1996 or so, when grunge had been co-opted by the major labels & bullshit imitators like Candlebox & Bush were running wild. The leads are all noodly & super boring. The guy obviously doesn’t know how to do anything but solo. And the first lead section is out of synch & awkward. The vocals are something that’s been done a billion times before, & the whole “take it awf,” “mawning sawn,” “everywawn,” thing is just trying waaaay too hard. The bass drum also has way too much attack & is way too active, which is the hallmark of an amateur rock band.
But aside from the shortcomings of both the song & the production, the thing your friends need to understand, Brett, is that grunge was a very specific reaction to a very specific point in time. It was a reaction to pop metal and power balladry & the excess that defined the Regan Era. It resonated because, even on the death bed of pop metal, Firehouse was still getting artist of the year awards. But this is 2008, not 1991. If these guys feel now like Kurt felt then, they’re out of touch with popular culture. And so a new grunge band comes across as completely ridiculous. Sure, everyone can find a few fans… the bands that you’re whining about probably have plenty of followers, & you’re probably right that a lot of them suck (most bands do, after all). But I’ll bet they could pull up plenty of positive reviews if they sent out hundreds of copies of their albums.
What’s also important to note is that they’ve been on myspace since 6/05. That’s close to 3 years. And there’s less than 6,000 visits & not even 700 plays on any of their songs. That speaks volumes about how little resonation this music is having with the general public, especially given all of this incredible press they’ve been getting.
Now if you want to play grunge music, I’m all for it. But you no one in the world owes any musician anything. If you don’t resonate, you don’t resonate, and you’re just going to have to be content playing music in your garage. But as their publicist, maybe you should be a little discouraged.
But just for shits & giggles, I’d love to hear your thoughts on 3 of my favorite indie bands… Colour Revolt, David Vandervelde, & Dr Dog. (All 3 have the obvious MySpace urls.)
this is gonna get interesting… lol…
Dear Jon-
Thank you for reviewing the song I asked you to “Junkie Town”. I’ll take 1990 Alice in Chains over the carpon copy emo screamo shit so prevalent today any day of the week. As for myspace numbers don’t be duped. Half theses bands have their girlfriends play their songs over and over again to inflate their numbers. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go review these ground breakig bands of which you speak.
What the hell is so wonderful about Colur Revolt? Can’t we get real hear? 3 chords? Sounds like it was recorded on a 4 track. Sometimes only ONE Chord. You think those are hit records? Why? I’m throwing down right here right now. You pick your favorite Colour Revolt song and I put up “Junkie Town” by Mossback. Let’s let whatever Kings of A and R readers want to bother to investigate vote.
Dr. Dog huh?..I’m not going to start ranking on musicians who are trying and putting their heart and soul into their music. In fact I’m through being a music critic. I just can’t do it. I’ll keep my opinions to myself.
Oh my! Look who just entered the top ten most played bands of all time on http://www.songplanet.com. With tens of thousands of registered bands on that site I’d say that’s quite a feat. Somebody thinks Mossback’s music is worthy enough to be heard.
That MySpace deal is wack. It’s is a blatant attempt on the part of the labels to raid what was ostensibly a home for independent artists, but it shows how desperate they are to maintain their declining market power. And the fact that MySpace is willing to let them raid their user base shows that MySpace is not really serious about the independent market. So where does that leave the artists on MySpace, who will now have to cut through even more distractions as the majors spam and shill their artists all over the site? This changes nothing for the artists or the fans, and it may even be worse for both.
stupid adminerstraters bloked web
VersaEmerge roks ;p