A PSA for those of you who have wanted to digitize your vinyl library but who haven’t wanted to take the technological plunge: The online clearinghouse Woot is selling a USB turntable (i.e. a turntable outfitted for a direct connection into your computer) for $49.99 today. [Woot; HT Jon Solomon] MORE »
POSTS FROM "Deals" CATEGORY
Deals
Deals
Perez Hilton Is So Sliimy
Grammar-challenged crybaby Internet gossip Perez Hilton has revealed the name of the first artist signed to his attempt to set some of Warner Music Group’s money on fire WMG-financed vanity label: He’s a French singer with the improbably appropriate name of Sliimy. (Oh, sure, thanks to his Frenchyness it’s pronounced Slee-mee, but come on.) Perez claims that Sliimy’s music is “good, adult, quirky pop,” which translates to “sounding like a cross between Mika and one of those super-wordy cutesy singers who get one song on Grey’s Anatomy before fading into I Love The ’00s-worthy obscurity” to these ears. A few songs after the jump. MORE »
Deals
Internet Radio Finally, Possibly, Maybe Saved
Forget those tussles over royalties–Internet radio is sticking around, everybody! Yes, those stations that didn’t get a reprieve from paying what they saw as oppressive royalties for playing music back in February have reached an agreement with the Copyright Royalty Board, a federal agency that collects fees from broadcasters. And judging by the vaguely begrudging statements given by spokespeople from both sides of the table, this deal may close the book on the struggle between Webcasters and the CRB that’s been going on since 2007. The numbers: MORE »
Deals
The Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards, made up of members of the military who guard the Queen of England at her royal palaces, have signed a deal with Universal Music Group subsidiary Decca Records that’s reportedly worth £1 million. For… albums of military music. “If they’re good enough for the Queen, they’re good enough for Decca,” said a label bigwig, which I think translates to “C’mon, this may seem crazy, but in a country where Paul Potts and Crazy Frog can top the charts, this isn’t too much of a risk!” [Times of London] MORE »
Deals
Live Nation Would Like You To Congratulate It For Waiving Its Ticketing Fees
Live Nation is patting itself on the back this morning with an announcement that its Web site would be suspending ticket fees on lawn seats for hundreds of shows on its summer-shed docket, provided that concertgoers purchase said ducats between 12:01 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday. The concert-promotion behemoth is sparing no superlative in its announcement of this promotion, referring to it as “the biggest one-day sale in concert business history” and attempting to rename itself “Free Nation,” even though people will presumably have to pay face value for the tickets they’re purchasing on Wednesdays (lol, words!). More press-release puffery after the jump. MORE »
Deals
After months and months of trans-Atlantic buildup, Ida Maria’s Fortress ‘Round My Heart landed on these shores, and those of you who want to support Ida’s efforts to break the States but are on a budget can currently pick up a digital copy for $5. Fortress is certainly worth the price of a single (good) beer, its 10 songs mixing swagger and vulnerability in a twitchy, irresistible way. After the jump, those of you who have somehow missed my outsized evangelism for the Norwegian singer can check out the videos for “Oh My God” and “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked,” the latter of which is currently inching up the Hot Modern Tracks chart. MORE »
Deals
Amazon Has A Pricing Epiphany Regarding Chrisette Michele’s New Album
Chrisette Michele’s second album, Epiphany, comes out today, and while browsing around Amazon MP3 this morning I noticed that it’s been marked down to $2.99 for the time being–a more-than-worthy investment for a fine collection of songs that’s led by Michele’s confident voice and anchored by the songwriting assists of Idolator fave Ne-Yo. When I interviewed Michele a few months back, she talked about how writing with Ne-Yo allowed Epiphany to be a more vulnerable and ultimately more honest album; she wasn’t kidding. After the jump, you can get a taste of Epiphany with the video for the title track and a stream of the wrenching “Blame It On Me.” MORE »
Deals
Butch Walker Would Like To Make You A Deal
Our pals over at Absolute Punk have arranged to slash Amazon MP3’s price of Sycamore Meadows, the most recent album by Idolator interviewer/ee Butch Walker, to $2.99 through next Thursday. If you’d like a pre-purchase preview that goes beyond the 30-second snippets Amazon provides, a live clip of “Ponce De Leon Ave.,” during which Walker provides an assist on the percussion at the end, is above. [Amazon / Vimeo] MORE »
Deals
Ticketmaster Figures Out How To Use The Phrase “Synergize Backwards Overflow” In A Sentence
In a move that’s part and parcel with the continued “verticalization” of the music industry, the Ticketmaster is buying a controlling interest in Irving Azoff’s Frontline Management, which counts Christina Aguilera, The Eagles, Neil Diamond, and, oh yeah, Guns N’ Roses, among its clients. Azoff will continue on as manager of these acts. The move is a push-back against the growing management/promoter/ticket vendor chimera that is Live Nation–if Live Nation can get into the ticket-selling game and the ill-advised 360-deal game, the logic seems to say, well then so can Ticketmaster get into the management game. Seeing as how today has been “all GNR all the time” around here, I have a theory as to the timing of this move. MORE »
Deals
The rumored 360 deal between Shakira and megapromoter Live Nation has apparently been signed and sealed. MORE »
