SXSW Alternative Couch By Couchwest

For hipsters too busy working on their honey-infused spring ale or designer typewriter belts, good news! Read the poster below:

Who else is definitely going nowhere? Comment below!

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!

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.

Battle of the Music Clouds: Google vs. iCloud vs. Amazon

Three services recently announced their plans for a cloud computing service for music. Google was the first to rumor that Music Beta by Google was in the works. Then Amazon released Cloud Player, available with a free 5 GB storage space. 

Now, the gauntlet has been thrown down. Apple announced Monday that iCloud, the newest computing service offered by Steve Jobs & company, will be released in the fall.

With so many choices looming around, which one could possibly receive the plurality of the consumer vote? Let's put them to the test.

ROUND 1: INTEGRATION

This could be the most important aspect out of all of them. Apple has shown that more expensive products but complete horizontal integration can succeed demand, even in a recessed economy. This is a heavy decision.

Google Music — Google earns kudos for adding Google Music to the many, many applications already available to Gmail's users (this will happen once the beta is a full-blown application.) Users can listen to their music on any computer at any time, so long as it's connected to the Internet. It also allows users to download a free application on Android phones, theoretically eliminating the need for an iPod. While the app is not available on older Droid models, most recent models with powerful computing power will be able to use the update.

But here's a huge problem for Google Music: Because Google was not able to settle with the Big Four record labels, DRM files (purchased songs) are not able to be uploaded on the music cloud. This could be a problem if you're like me, having at least 1,000 songs downloaded from iTunes. Look for this to be resolved in one year, but it's very likely it won't be.

Amazon Cloud Player — Cloud Player is also available for many smartphones, including apps for Palms, Droids and Blackberrys. However, a huge miss on Amazon's part: integration with the Kindle. Several people read and listen to music at the same time, and what better way to do so than to combine electronic devices into one integral device? Don't be surprised if you see a new version of a Cloud-compatible Kindle by summer 2012.

Apple iCloud — No offense (as I write this on my wonderful MacBook Pro), but Apple holds several similarities to Scientology: Both are considered by many to be international cults that shell out more stuff correlating to how much money you can burn. But any time a user purchases a song from iTunes, that music is automatically updated to all of the user's Apple devices, not to mention that — for a small fee — all the user's music will be available on the iTunes server. The only problems here: If it's not on iTunes, it can't match up to iTunes' server. And everything you own better damn well be from Apple.

Round 1: Draw (Google and Apple)

ROUND 2: PRICING

It's still a big deal, considering more people are tightening their belts and wallets are thinning. For many, this will still be a heavy factor.

Google — Right now, it's free. What more can we say?

Amazon — Amazon is charging a whopping dollar per GB of storage every year, more than any of the services. So if you select that 50 GB plan (like I would), that's $50 out of your pocket. You may start out with a free 5 GBs, but most people will find this to be not enough.

Apple — Apple's website states additional storage costs $25, whether you want 5,000 or 20,000 songs.

Round 2: Google (for now)

ROUND 3: STORE

It's hard to get the public to trust you if you can't play fair with the labels and the artists. Let's see who has the edge here.

Google — No store, no points. Moving on.

Amazon — Amazon's store is pretty big (16 million songs in all), but doesn't have as many songs as iTunes, which has 2 million more.

Apple — In addition to outnumbering the number of songs on Amazon, iTunes still serves the most legal music downloads in the world, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. 

Round 3: Apple

ROUND 4: EASE OF USE

It doesn't matter who you are or how much money you spent on your service, inefficient programs are annoying. How do the players stack up here?

Google Music — After installing Music Manager, the device that uploads songs to Google Music's servers, on my computer, the first thing I noticed was the sheer slowness of the product. It's been two hours and I've only downloaded 200 songs!

But the scrolling and searching elements are vastly similar to any music library software, including cover art sections and even scroll bars that allow you to move through the music at your own pace. This seems like a non-element, but it's actually a luxury over the Internet.

Amazon — Again, Amazon is slow and doesn't upload songs with Digital Rights Management stamps. The service acts similarly to Google's, but the browser is more stripped down.

Apple — It's possible that this is complete bull, but Apple says that in addition to automatically pushing all content through the cloud, iCloud will also upload your music in a matter of minutes instead of days. And if for some reason your music isn't on one of your devices, tap the download button in the upper right-hand corner and it will be there.

Also Apple says it will upgrade all music files to 256 kbps AAC files, some pretty high quality for any Internet audiophiles. But this DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. Once a lossy file (such as an mp3) is compressed, there is no way to retrieve that data. So it could be a file good enough for an audiophile, but the sound sure won't be.

Round 4: Apple (for now)

Notice: This is not going to be like "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome." It will not be two men enter, one man leave. This will be a drawn out clash between two computing behemoths. 

This is now the Wild West of the music industry.

Which service are you most likely to use? Comment below!

What You Already Know: Kanye (officially) releases 'Monster' video

What can we say? Kanye West knows a thing or two about losing a head.

Leaked last Christmas just after the epic "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" was released, Kanye has officially unveiled the "Monster" music video, featuring a full cast of Rick Ross, Jay-Z, two Nicki Minajes and a whole mess of dead women. The video can be found on Rolling Stone's website here.

It's a big deal. Seriously. In fact, West has printed the final product with a prelude that reads:

The following content is in no way to be interpreted as misogynistic or negative towards any groups of people. It is an art piece and it shall be taken as such.

Unfortunately, I'm skeptical on that part. But the lighting and makeup work is fantastic, albeit rather late. ANYWAY, I will let the viewers be the judges.

What do you think of the new "Monster" video? Comment below!

Wavves announces new EP via Twitter

Wavves at SXSW 2009

Not much information yet, but noise/surf-rock trio Wavves tweeted today that the band is working on a new EP.

Here's the Tweet:

No title yet but t'll come out this summer and it will have a track with fucked up and best coast + one more collab shit will b bonkers

Very nice, Nathan Williams. And it's especially nice that Best Coast and Wavves can bury the hatchet after an ugly end to 2010. But the real surprise here is a possible collaboration with Toronto hardcore outfit Fucked Up. A joint work between these two groups — Wavves' groovy surf riffs and the Fucked Up's natural, crunchy aggression — could either be as dynamic as chunky peanut butter.

Check out the video below for Wavves' summer 2010 hit "Post Acid."

The good, bad and inconclusive : 'Google Music' testing underway

iTunes could finally have a legitimate competitor in Google.

CNET reported multiple music industry sources say that Google is testing its prototype music service on its own servers. With the title "Google music," the service would work through the Android market.

But that's not all. The new application was supposed to be ready for late 2010, but the search engine is bogged down in publishing agreements with the four major labels: Sony, Universal, Warner Music and EMI.

While we don't know many hard details yet, there's going to be a lot of speculation until Google's I/O Conference in May. But if you're a consumer, Google Music seems like an endgame to this era's battle with the music industry. Outlined below are some of the situations that Google, the music industry and consumers will have to deal with, should Google Music be launched.

ON CLOUD NINE 
You know how Google Docs works, right? A document is saved on your Gmail account, and you can access all your work from any computer, all the time, via your email. This is cloud computing, the device that Google has excelled at more than any other service, even though they're losing millions of dollars every day by giving it to you, the consumer. That's because they make all this money back (and much, much more) in search advertising. It's a service, it's free and it's simple. What consumer doesn't want this?

Just think of your music library in this style. Imagine all your (legally) downloaded music, on a cloud. And while reports indicate Google Music would most likely be a streaming service, that's still your library that you can pull up at any time. And if you have an Android phone with 3G/Wi-Fi, it could all be on there too.

THE GOOD NEWS (FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE BAD NEWS)
It could be a while before we see this. Even if tests are going well on the Google homefront, it doesn't change the fact that Google doesn't have any music to stream. And even with the four majors in talks with Google, we're not taking into account the independent labels that don't upstream or publish via a major.

Could Google even afford the amount of royalties these labels would charge? If you think the RIAA charged a bit much for a couple of downloads, Google's library would surpass tens of millions of dollars in mechanical licenses and song royalties. At that point, it doesn't matter how many people are using your open system, someone else is probably going to have to pay.

BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY
Some things are still inconclusive about Google Music, the largest question being, "What will become of the music industry?" If Google begins to wage war against iTunes, prepare for a long, ragged dogfight.

If you give a moose a muffin, he'll probably want some milk. And pretty soon Google will need its own MP3 player. And then its own recommendation engine. And then a doppelganger to Genius. The list goes on an on. Similar to iTunes, Google is a prime example of the benefits of complete vertical integration.

The difficulty in seeing how this specific situation plays out: Who is willing to give up their iPod and iTunes to take a chance on Google? While they by no means have a monopoly (digital downloads only received about 31 percent of total music sales in 2009), iTunes is definitely the banner name for digital music. And what about other subscription catalogues like Rhapsody?

When you're running up against an Internet giant who might as well have "We own you" as its slogan, smaller music services will have a tough time competing with Google's potential streaming service.

Dropkick Murphys release "Memorial Day" single

Punk has been getting pretty damn ambitious lately, and it's not just limited to the art scene.

Boston blue-collars Dropkick Murphys' seventh album, Going Out in Style, is reported by Rolling Stone to be a concept album. The record, being released on March 1, tells the life story of an Irish ragamuffin immigrant. You can listen to the single "Memorial Day" here.

I've been listening to DKM a long time. It was the first modern punk band I was introduced to that didn't sound like blithering gaggle of brats crooning about their tough suburban lives. It seemed to be made in heaven; ah, to be young and Scotch-Irish.

But for the first time since I picked up Blackout and tried to sing like a nicotine-addicted curmudgeon, I'm a little worried about this. It's been four years since The Meanest of Times, the longest gap between albums that the band has seen. And the departure of hook machine Marc Orrell should send up red flags for longtime fans.

But still, the Boys on the Docks are making moves here. The album apparently has vocals from NOFX frontman Fat Mike and the traditional "Peg O' My Heart" will feature — wait for it — Bruce Springsteen.

Allow that to sink in, hold your breath, then rejoice.

EDIT: Or, better yet, you could roll down the window, and let the wind blow back your hair.

Circa Survive TONIGHT at The National in Richmond, VA

Going into one of my classes, I always sit down next to the same person; let's call him Matt. Anyway, Matt is one of the five Circa Survive fans that I know personally on the face of this earth, including myself. So you might imagine my jubilation when Matt tells me Wednesday that prog-punk band Circa Survive is going to begin their spring tour in Richmond tonight, co-headlining with Christian hardcore outfit Anberlin and the experimental Foxy Shazam.

Although this is completely late notice, you're still in luck. Tickets are not sold out, and the National is a fantastic, intimate venue. On top of all that, Circa Survive puts on a show that I can only describe as fucking sick.

Is It Live?: Grammy Performers Announced

Arcade Fire might want to make a record in the month of May, but they'll be performing it in front of the entire nation at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.

The Grammys announced the first line of its performances this morning. Those taking the stage at the Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 13 will be Arcade Fire, Eminem, Cee-Lo Green, Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert, and Katy Perry.

I don't really get excited about the Grammys. Actually, scratch that; I despise the Grammys. As the highest award of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Grammys have rarely lived up to its promise, generally considered by critics as a staple within the industry's top professionals to execute a self-aggrandizing event, as well as systematically ignoring the major efforts of many independent labels and/or non-established genres of music.

BUT, I'm going to see where this goes. Arcade Fire — who are nominated for Album of the Year, Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals ("Ready to Start") — are coming off the high of critically acclaimed The Suburbs, which was consistently on many critics' top 10 albums of 2010, including mine.

Eminem is carrying a whopping ten nominations for various ventures in his new album Recovery, including Album of the Year, Best Rap Album and Record of the Year ("Love the Way You Lie"). Cee-Lo is still reeling from the soul knockout "Fuck You,"which is instantly recognizable at any decent party, Miranda Lambert's Revolution was a critical, Nashville sensation, Lady Gaga's always a fun, hot mess to watch on television, and Katy Perry was ... well, she was on Sesame Street. Remember that?

Easy there, Elmo. Her eyes are higher up.

But if Arcade Fire's first Grammy performance is anything nearly as electrifying as the beautiful shitshow that was their YouTube Madison Square Garden concert, it'll be one hell of a gig.

New White Stripes Box Set: Making You Go 'Bone Broke'

Mark your calendars: The White Stripes will deck more than your halls this year. In fact, the new White Stripes box set is sure to deck a few hundred people in the wallet.

It's been more than three years since the White Stripes released the oddball Icky Thump, and now Jack White is releasing something pretty damn ambitious for pre-order on Dec. 1.

The new box set contains:

• White Stripes portable record player
• Record boxes for both LP/7" formats
• Peppermint-designed Nixon headphones
• Peppermint slip mat
• Red-vinyl "Merry Christmas from the White Stripes" single
• Three 45 adapters

Wow. Now all it needs is an actual record. You may be asking yourself, "How much does this 'deluxe' — to say the least — package cost exactly?"

Well my friend, you're in luck. If you're one of the 333 people that may spend a mere $499, this pretty little number can be all yours. But even if you're one in the vast, VAST majority of people that think this may be a little bit of overkill for your holiday, take solace in Jack White's recent words to Vanity Fair:

"We thought we'd do a lot of things that we'd never done: a full tour of Canada, a documentary, coffee-table book, live album, a boxed set. It was one long project that took almost three years. Now that we've gotten a lot of that out of our system, Meg and I can get back in the studio and start fresh."

Oh, so that's how they're playing it: "12 Days of Christmas" style. On the first day of Christmas, the White Stripes gave to me, a whole bunch of stuff I don't need.

I'm guessing by the twelfth day, I'll get what I've really wanted for three years now: a new record. Seriously, how good could this box set possibly be?

Holy shit. Okay, but seriously, who needs three 45 adapters?

Will "Danger Days" be the End of My Chemical Romance?

Now hold on a second, here. Is this wildly popular pop-emo band really calling it quits? Well, it appears that way to a lot of people that are counting their chickens before they hatch.

In an interview published in yesterday's Sunday Times, MCR frontman Gerard Way had this to say about the band's new album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys:

"This record could be our last big adventure - that's why we had to make it again, that's why we spent the money, that's why we're going to spend more on how it looks than we ever have."

Okay, so that could send a few red flags to the Murder Scene community. But what many magazines, including NME, might be misinterpreting is the phrase "big adventure."

Keep in mind that MCR's last two albums, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and The Black Parade were grandiose concept albums dealing with the themes of death. From the looks of the "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" music video and title of the album itself, I think we can see that this is also going to be a sweeping event.

Maybe that's what Way means by a "big adventure." MCR's first record, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, turned into a two-part narrative with the conclusion appearing in Three Cheers, so maybe it's not so farfetched to say they might be done with writing stories in the music.

Maybe it is their last record. Maybe it isn't. Maybe we'll see more from Way's "Umbrella Academy" comic series and an ensuing film plan in the works. But for now, shouldn't we be focusing on who the hell this kid is?

Girl Talk announces 2011 tour

When it comes to mash-up dance parties with eclectic mixes and chucking more toilet paper than a laxative convention, there isn't really anything more of a rousing time than with Pittsburgh native Gregg Gillis (You might know him as Girl Talk.)

Last week, Gillis announced an exhausting tour line for Winter/Spring 2010-11, stopping at three venues in the D.C. area. Here's the list:

11-12 Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
11-19 Buenos Aires, Argentina - Hot Festival
11-20 Sao Paulo, Brazil - Planeta Terra Festival
12-03-04 Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
12-31 Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
01-05 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
01-06 Columbus, OH - LC Pavillion
01-07 Covington, KY - Madison Theater
01-08 Louisville, KY - Expo Five
01-10 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
01-13 Houston, TX - House of Blues
01-14 Austin, TX - Austin Music Hall
01-15 Dallas, TX - Palladium
01-17 Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
01-18 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
01-20 Birmingham, AL - Workplay
01-21 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
01-22 Charleston, SC - Gaillard Municipal Auditorium
01-24 Knoxville, TN - Valarium
01-25 Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
01-27 Raleigh, NC - Disco Rodeo
01-28 Norfolk, VA - NorVa
01-29 Richmond, VA - The National
01-31 Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head
02-01 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
02-04 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
02-05 Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre
02-24 New York, NY - Terminal 5
02-25 Providence, RI - Lupo's
02-26 Boston, MA - House of Blues
02-28 Portland, ME - State Theater
03-01 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
03-03 Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Hall
03-04 Chicago, IL - Congress
03-07 Madison, WI - Orpheum
03-08 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave
03-11 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
03-14 Missoula, MT - Wilma Theater
03-15 Seattle, WA - Showbox
03-17 Portland, OR - Roseland
03-18 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
03-19 Pomona, CA - Fox Theatre
03-21 Los Angeles, CA - Palladium
03-22 San Diego, CA - SOMA
03-23 Tempe, AZ - Marquee

Whew. In case you don't realize how blasted Gillis will feel come April, here's a small-spoon sample: