Pirate Site Shut Down

Online music pirates lost a major resource last week with the shut-down of OiNK, a UK-run private bittorrent site with a vast music selection.

British police arrested the site's administrator, a 24 year old IT worker. Working in tandem, Dutch police shut down Oink's server in Amsterdam. (read an article on the arrest here)

Music on OiNK ranged from hard-to-find old records to new releases. It also functioned as a social hub for many downloaders. The site was meticulously organized and was maintained through member donations.

This is a big blow to members who used the site as a source of new music. It gave lesser-known bands a great platform for exposure. Those fans will now have to rely more heavily on the blogosphere and the media as sources of new music.

New Itunes Format

InnerPartySystem is quickly rising to the elite ranks of the Philadelphia electronic scene. Their style is a club rave cocktail with intermittent flavors remniscent of synth pop artist Shiny Toy Guns and indie dance-rockers Minus the Bear. A touch of glamour ala Interpol and The Killers is splashed in for good measure.

I just purchased their "Download Ep" off itunes. I couldn't help but notice that the files I got are encoded in Apple's new and improved Itunes Plus mp3 format.

The new files are better quality, play on every platform, and now cost the same as the old format (.99 USD).

Last week, Steve Jobs announced that Itunes Plus prices will be reduced from their original cost of $1.29.

In the past, music downloaded from Itunes came with copy protection, otherwise known as digital rights management. DRM limits which devices songs can be played on (for instance, Itunes music only works on Apple's Ipod).

The new format, according to Apple's website:

"There are no burn limits and iTunes Plus music will play on all iPods, Mac or Windows computers, Apple TVs, and many other digital music players."

Additionally, where itunes downloads were previously available only in 128kps quality (320 is the best), the new format is encoded at 256kbps.

Not all is rosy though.

Users have expressed a few concerns about privacy issues relating to the new download format. blogger Aaron West provided some good links about those concerns on his blog.

Great Soundtrack

click image to see trailer

Released with suprisingly little fanfare, Across the Universe is a musical that delves into a chunk of mid-to-late 60's culture in America. At first it seems like the soundtrack (comprised by covers of Beatles tunes) serves as the backdrop for the film...until you realize that it's actually the other way around.

Very tastefully done, with only a few cheesy moments. Across the Universe really does the songs justice, and shows how The Beatles' musical style adapted along with the times. The film was directed by Julie Taymor. Her myspace page has some great video clips from the movie that really showcase the music/film interaction.

The music features wonderful singing performances from the cast, most notably stars Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, and Evan Rachel Wood. There are also a few cameos of note, including Bono singing a rocking rendition of "I am the Walrus". The soundtrack was released by Interscope Records, but contains only 16 of the 33 songs featured in the movie.

No fears though, as they also discreetly released a 2-disc deluxe edition which has all 33 of the tunes. This can be purchased here from Amazon. Kind of a shady move, as unsuspecting people who bought the single disc version of the soundtrack would agree...

Hear a few cuts from the album on the official myspace page.

The Death of Record Companies

Radiohead dropped an atom bomb on the industry this week with In Rainbows, the suprise album of the year.

With no distribution deal in place (Radiohead is currently unsigned), the band elected to release the record digitally via their website. In a stunning move, payment for the download is left to the listener's discretion.

From a business standpoint this is a terrific decision. First of the money will be going straight to the artists instead of going to retailers and the record company. Also it shows the band realizes that people would have downloaded the cd for free anyway, and doing this allows them to at least do it on their own terms.

..Oh and by the way, it's an amazing record.

Music review websites have been blog-ed down this week as everyone tries to get their two-cents in about the band's first new material since 2003's Hail to the Thief. The new album is an eclectic batch of songs that sound neither re-hashed nor completely new.

One of best cuts, "Nude", is typical of In Rainbow's sound: ghostly vocals floating over a smooth rhythm guitar ocean. Other highlights include the uptempo groovy grunge-fest of "Bodysnatchers" and the beautiful "All I Need", which swells from almost nothing to a dramatic finish.

What others had to say:

* "All of it rocks; none of it sounds like any other band on earth; it delivers an emotional punch that proves all other rock stars owe us an apology." - Rolling Stone
(full article here)

* The Chicago Tribune posted a nice little article which includes commentary about each song on the album. See that here

* Radiohead performed the tune "Bodysnatchers" last year at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn. See that here

Amaze Disgrace

October.
The bells tolling the start of baseball's second season are ringing. With summer's last gasp as the backdrop, the MLB Playoffs will kick off this week with many hungry faces feasting their eyes upon the big prize: a World Championship.

The New York Mets, however, will not be among those faces.

With Sunday's 8-1 loss to the Marlins, coupled with Philadelphia's 6-1 triumph over the Nationals, the Mets have completed one of the worst collapses in sports history.

As many as two weeks ago they were leading the AL East by a gaping 7 game margin, a lead seemingly set in stone.

You really have to feel for Mets manager Willie Randolph, especially now that he has to watch his Bronx counterparts gear up for yet another title run.

It's also got to be hard on the Mets' veterans. In particular, Sunday's game was certainly one starter Tommy Glavine would like to have back, as he allowed 5 runs in the first alone. Hopefully the bad taste in his mouth will lead to the cagey pitcher returning for another season.