Review — Spotify's Many Songs Overshadow Few Kinks

Legal and glorious.

A few days ago, I said Spotify, a new music streaming service that allows you to build your own playlists, would end piracy. Well, I received my invitation to join Spotify yesterday, and it's pretty darn close.

The fun starts after registration and uploading local tracks (we'll get to that later.) With more than 15 million songs, I was able to search for "JEFF the Brotherhood" (band), and find "We Are the Champions" (album) and listen to it the entire way through.

Example: I have NO Lady Gaga on my iTunes, or in my computer. At all. If I were to (hypothetically) want to listen to "Born This Way," I could. For free. Legally. Is anybody listening to this?

Another plus is the ability to download the Spotify software to iPhone or Android smartphones. While connected to the Internet, Spotify can stream any song from its library to your phone. If you have enough storage space, Spotify also lets you save local songs to your smartphone.

This sounds too good to be true. The short answer is: yes and no. It is a fantastic application to download to your phone, and can even put new songs in a "reminder" space for you to listen to when you get back to your computer. The bad news is that you can only stream Spotify's music if you have a Premium subscription, costing $9.99 a month.

There are a few new songs you will not be able to hear while they're still selling buckets of cash on iTunes, or because the artist simply doesn't want to test their new material in this market. American labels have signed onto Spotify reluctantly, testing many — but not all — of their catalogues. So while you may have Mission of Burma's "Vs." or Lady Gaga's "Born This Way," you won't get Pearl Jam's deluxe edition of "Ten." But, as stated before, this is a very small price to pay for the multitude of tracks that are available.

Then there are the ads on the free version. Although you can listen to this music (relatively) non-stop, sooner or later, an ad for Spotify or some new record will jump into the playlist, momentarily breaking your train of tunes. Again, a small price to pay when the ads are the reason you can use this program.

Although the Facebook feature still doesn't make sense, nor is it explained properly, Spotify for your desktop offers what other services have not: A choice.

REVIEW:
(+) Huge catalogue
(+) Listen to entire albums or single songs at your own discretion
(+) Better, simpler, more comprehensive than any other streaming service.
(/) Mobile streaming could be fantastic — if you have a premium subscription
(-) Pesky advertising
(-) Only 20 hours a month? Harsh.


Final Verdict: 8/10

Spotify to Launch in U.S.

The game has now changed.

About two months ago, I wrote about the major labels' inability to partner with Spotify, a music streaming service that is wildly popular in Europe.

Similar to Pandora Radio, Spotify's free service offers streaming music from the Internet (for up to 20 hours a month). Unlike Pandora, however, Spotify allows you to choose exactly what music you want to listen to, rather than listening to a pre-programmed station that randomly selects songs based on your station.

How are the labels agreeing to this frighteningly perfect deal? Advertising.

Up until now, there was only one game in town that offered a similar deal. Rdio operates the same way, except the user must pay a minimum of $4.99 per month. With Spotify, banner ads sustain the free online service.

This doesn't mean you absolutely must see banner ads while listening to all this legally free music. For $4.99 per month, Spotify offers a "Premium" service that removes the banner ads. And for $9.99 per month, the service will allow you to download software that supports Spotify on- and offline.

Spotify offers more than 15 million songs to the user's disposal. These songs are coming straight from the Big Four: Warner, Sony/BMG, Universal and EMI.

Similar to the "YouTube" deal I outlined in that previous blog post, Spotify will finally test the American music market in a way that it has never been tested. Major labels will now see what the long-term effects are of ad-supported music, and consumers will finally be able to test the lifelong wish of having a worldwide library at their disposal.

So what does this lead to?

1. The End of Piracy (maybe)
This will never be a full-truth, but seriously; with an Internet connection, what is the need for piracy anymore when the majority of desired music is completely at your disposal?


2. Better Competition
So far, the major players (Amazon, Apple and Google) have proved that their music services have been somewhat inefficient. Amazon and Google take too long to load and don't support protected files, and Apple is fairly expensive compared to any of the aforementioned plans.

3. Upward Profit for the Big Four
This is a tricky one. But, if like the YouTube videos, advertising proves to offer its services where the American wallet does not, this could mean big profits for the record labels. If the consumer decides not to pay for music, what's to keep the private sector from keeping the labels afloat for now?

Like I have said before, all you need is a digital-friendly service. If you offer it, they will come.

What do you think about Spotify's plan for the U.S. market? Comment below!

Dave Grohl Throws Fan Out of Show for Fighting

Nobody is getting the best of Dave Grohl.

It's a very common scenario: One person starts a (relatively) harmless moshpit, others join in. Sooner rather than later, some kid with a grudge against people and a taste for literalism starts punching some slam-dancers.


It can ruin a fun environment that's usually borderline safe. But Dave Grohl is having none of that BS.


Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl kicked a fan out for taking a moshpit a bit too far after fighting some other fans at last night's show in London's Roundhouse.


Here are the choice words Grohl had for his fan:

“You don't fucking fight at my show you asshole. Let me see him, who's fighting right now? It's that guy in the stripped shirt. Hey motherfucker look at me, get the fuck out of my show right now.”

For those who don't understand these things (and not many do): you push your way in, you push your way out, you move around a little. It's actually a lot of fun when done properly.

But there is always, ALWAYS one person who has been to too many Lamb of God shows and thinks these are meant to be soccer hooligan fights. That's when people get seriously hurt and Grohl should be commended.

He's not the first to act this fierce to a fighting faux pas. Emocore pioneers At the Drive-In were notorious (as are their reborn counterparts The Mars Volta) for berating the crowd or even walking off the stage if there was excessive slam-dancing. Check them out below during a 2001 show at Big Day Out in Australia:

The crowd ignored them. Many booed the singer, Cedric Bixler-Zavala. The next day, a 16-year-old girl was trampled by the massive crowd at a Limp-Bizkit concert.

This seems odd today, especially because it's so hard to remember anyone being that devoted to Limp Bizkit.

But Grohl made a smart and classy move: Cover your ass and assume no liability. Also, I'll bet the fans wanted this jerk gone, too.

More Details on Mic Todd's Walgreens Robbery

More has emerged from Coheed and Cambria bassist Mic Todd's robbery of Walgreens. You can read the details on Rolling Stone's blog here.

What sticks out here is that Todd's opioid withdrawal and the consequential lack of an available prescription could have felt as if he was in a deathly circumstance, as referenced by Dr. Dan Alford from the Boston University School of Medicine.

EDIT: This article was edited at 12:23 a.m. on July 13 to correct the effects of opioid withdrawal.

Rebecca Black Could Bring About World Peace

I don't believe a single hippie or music fanatic that has ever said that their music (many times the Grateful Dead or Phish. It's always some jam band that "you totally have to hear live.") could bring about "world peace" if everyone just listened to it.


It's seemed as if it was a lazy, inflated swoop statement. Until now.


According to Billboard, teen (ahem) sensation Rebecca Black will release a new music video July 18 (on Monday, damn) on her YouTube channel. The song is called "My Moment," and details the rise to Black's "stardom."


"It's a fairytale story, but it happened in real life," Black said in a statement.


Black, 14, is also planning a five-song EP for early August.

This is the face of freedom, America. Fun fun fun fun.

If you read this blog regularly, then you are probably asking why I am writing about Rebecca Black.


I believe the music of Rebecca Black is the closest to unifying everyone in the world — or at least the United States — under a single flag.


I challenge the reader to consider the worst song ever. It doesn't matter what genre, artist, year or label. It needs to be two things:


1) Massively produced so that more than 1,000 people have heard it, and
2) You hate it.


Okay, now that you have it in your head, compare it to Rebecca Black's "Friday." While the other song makes you furious, "Friday" is one of those rare occurrences of something so bad that it is good (see Tommy Wiseau's "The Room").


I know I'm not breaking any new ground here whatsoever. But if several people can have a positive reaction out of something so negative, what can't we accomplish?


Which is why I look forward to "My Moment." It has the opportunity to, once again, prove that Democrats and Republicans can dance to the same linear tune in full ironic merriment.


Again, I don't mean to pick on Rebecca Black. In fact, I could see most 7th and 8th graders actually liking her song if she were to perform it at a high school talent show. But she has stepped into the major label limelight, and should expect such treatment.


If anything, we should be thanking her.

Coheed and Cambria bassist admits to robbing Walgreens

Mic Todd, bassist for progressive rockers Coheed and Cambria, admitted in Attleboro District Court today that he robbed a pharmacy for painkillers on Sunday.


The Sun Chronicle, Attleboro's daily newspaper, reported that Michael R. Todd confirmed his robbery of an Attleboro Walgreens after he saw footage and photographs from surveillance cameras identifying him as the culprit. Attleboro District Court records show he is charged with armed robbery and possession of a controlled substance.


Todd was arrested Sunday for allegedly robbing the pharmacy for OxyContin painkillers just hours before the band performed in Mansfield, Mass., with Soundgarden.


Police said that Todd, 30, showed a note to pharmacists in Attleboro, Mass., claiming he was hiding a bomb underneath his clothes and demanded six bottles of the painkillers. 


Todd's defense attorney, Sandra Ferreira, said that the prosecution may not be able to prove armed robbery, because Todd never brandished an actual weapon.


Todd then took a cab to the Comcast Center in Mansfield, where Coheed and Cambria was supposed to open for Soundgarden. He was arrested before the show, after the cab was identified via surveillance footage.


Co&Ca frontman Claudio Sanchez has stated on the band's Facebook page that the band will continue to play the remainder of the tour, and that Todd would be replaced by studio band member Wes Styles, who also plays keyboards for the band.


“We are surprised to say the least and will address the situation with Michael after the tour,” the Facebook posting said.


This is by no means Todd's first run-in with illicit substances, however. During the European leg of touring for Good Apollo, Vol. 1 in 2006, he left the band for rehab due to heroin addiction.


What do you think of Mic Todd's arrest? Comment below.