Joy Division rocked futilely in the face of a cold, uncaring world before its leader could take it no longer. The good people at Zune can relate to that tragic spirit, and are celebrating the band with a limited edition Zune player that reuses the artwork Peter Saville created for
Unknown Pleasures. "It's a tribute to deep respect for graphic design that lives on through artists like Peter Saville, and to independent film-makers that believe in more than just commercial success. Ultimately, it's a tribute to the self-belief and self-expression that inspires true authentic art," said Zune's General Manager of Global Marketing. Much like Factory Too. [
SPIN]
Microsoft is apparently sending "substantial one-time bonuses" to independent labels and digital aggregators that deal with those labels as a thank you for letting the Zune use their content in Zune's new music-sharing functionality. The Orchard sent an e-mail to its partners saying that Microsoft "made a corporate decision to demonstrate their commitment to the independent sector in a manner we all appreciate: rather than simple lip service, they wrote a check"; they also said that partners would get a "Zune bonus" derived from this payout. Anyone seeing a bump yet? How much did you get?
E-mail us with details—all tips are confidential, of course. [
Hypebot]
Finally, Canadians Can Ignore The Zune, Too
In news that will no doubt please
that Zune tattoo guy, Canadians will have the opportunity to purchase themselves a Zune as of June 13, in three different sizes and several different colors. Microsoft Canada spokespeople promoted the Zune's community features and the fact that it's not an iPod; early reports that the Canadian Zune would require 60% of music uploaded to it to be Canadian in origin were not immediately confirmed, nor were the rumors of the highly anticipated Tragically Hip-branded version. [
The Canadian Press]
NBC may be holding back its TV shows from the iTunes Store, but it's more than happy to put them on the less-trafficked Zune Marketplace. (There's no doubt some "let's keep punishing Apple" corporate logic behind this; I hope to see it laid out on an upcoming
30 Rock episode.) Also, Zune is introducing a "sharing" feature that smells to me more like a "recommendation" feature. See if you feel the same way! Zune users can access friends' nine most recently played songs and nine favorite songs.
But! In order to get said songs they first have to sign up for a $14.99-a-month ZunePass, which offers unlimited access to "a library of millions of tracks." So they'd have access to the songs anyway. Right? Am I missing something, or is this all supposed to make sense in the same way that
Deal Or No Deal does, i.e. not at all? [
WSJ]
Maniac travels nearly 500 miles just to hold pre-release second-gen Zune in his hands and see if it lives up to his fantasies. Someone needs a hobby. [
Listening Post]
You do remember the Iowa resident known as "Zune Tattoo Guy," yes? And how he added to his first Zune tattoo with a second? And a third? Well, apparently he
really liked all the Internet attention he garnered with those moves, because he's now claiming that he's planning on changing his name to "Microsoft Zune." And turning the whole endeavor into a video blog. The fact that he is making this move
before he goes for the forehead tattoo is making me think that his devotion is at least somewhat serious. [
ZuneScene via
Gadget Lab]
The first artist to warrant a specially tricked-out Zune is ... reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel, a Puerto Rican act who appeared on R. Kelly's "Burn It Up" and who were the first act to place four singles in the top 10 of the
Billboard Latin chart; the device will be sold at Wal-Marts beginning next week, and people who pick it up will be able to have the duo's forthcoming album a week before street date. This space has given the
no-longer-brown turd a hard time in the past, but this is actually a pretty shrewd move by the Zune marketing department—finally, a digital-music player that
isn't solely targeted to indie saddoes! [
Billboard]
Gizmodo has all the details on the new Zunes, which are coming in three iterations: $249 for an 80-gig, hard drive-based Zune and $149/$199 for four-gig and eight-gig flash-based versions. The Zune Marketplace will in fact have DRM-free music, and the device's wireless capabilities will now allow for cord-free syncing with a PC, as well as no expiration date on shared songs. (They'll still expire after three plays, though.) [
Gizmodo]
Microsoft apparently showed two new Zunes to reporters today—a $149 four-gig version and a $249 eight-gig model—and is allegedly going to start offering DRM-free music in the Zune Marketplace. I have to admit, hearing this news made me a little nostalgic for the days when a new Zune-related launch would be accompanied by some
music blogger paparazzi shots. Now, all I'll have to look forward to is
this guy's next tattoo. [
Silicon Alley Insider]
What kind of artist is silly enough to flush exclusive content down the Zune? Artists that are already rich enough not to care about losing money, obviously. If you own a Zune (and don't lie, at least one of you reading this right now has a little brown brick on your desk or hiding from your coworkers in your bag) then next Tuesday you'll be able to download the Young Jeezy remix of Kanye's "Can't Tell Me Nothing" that the rest of us got when the album leaked a few weeks back, plus an "exclusive interview" with KW from the VMAs where the perpetually agitated pipsqueak will likely be mouthing off about some grave injustice done to him by MTV or a waiter or a guy in line at Best Buy who was totally giving him the cockeye. [
Billboard]
Idolator
Continuing its attempts to firm up its position as "the No. 1 digital-music player that isn't an iPod," the Zune has opened its own venue in Los Angeles in order to assure you of its status among "tastemakers." Sure, it's an office for Microsoft employees during the day, but at night, it's LA's hottest music venue since the Peach Pit After Dark shut its doors.
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