Music

Radiohead Fans are Cheap According to Study

Data regarding the great Radiohead “pay your own price” experiment for In Rainbows is starting to trickle in, and according to a recent study by internet research firm comScore, only about 38% of those who downloaded the album actually paid. Of those that did pay, Americans averaged $8.05 while fans from other countries averaged only…

Trent Reznor and Saul Williams Show the Music Industry How to Release an Album Online

Journos and music fans from all corners fawned over Radiohead for their bold release strategy for In Rainbows. After breaking with the majors, Trent Reznor and his parter-in-crime Saul Williams are taking that strategy and stepping it up to the next level of awesome. Saul’s new Trent-produced album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust…

Snowboard Glove Concept Controls Your iPod via Non-Romantic Gestures

This is a demonstration of the previously seen iPod glove control concept, allowing snowboarders to control their music without reaching into a pocket and fiddling with the not-made-for-gloves Click Wheel. As you can see, different combinations of finger presses bring up tracks in Postal Service’s serviceable studio album, which look like an awkward thing to…

Nokia Delays N-Gage Game Portal as Warner Pulls from Its Music Store

Yes, the title could have been “Nokia’s Crappy Friday”: Reuters says the N-Gage gaming service and the new music store are “among the cornerstones” of Nokia’s big mobile-content push, yet today neither one is where it’s supposed to be. The new N-Gage gaming service, unveiled in August and due to launch this month, will now…

Matryomin Theremin Kicks Out Some Weird Jams

Japanese theremin maker Mandarin Electron has embedded a pitch only theremin inside a Russian matryoshka doll dubbed “Matryomin” as a means of creating art with art. For those of you who don’t know, the theremin is an old-timey electronic instrument that can be played without actually being touched. Apparently, Matryomin can be “easily manipulated” to…

Ion USB Turntable Rips Vinyls Directly to iPods

Ion’s USB turntable was cool before, allowing you to digitize all your analog vinyl LPs to MP3 format on your computer. But now, with the included iPod dock, you can directly shove the bits into your iPod via its gaping iPod dock hole. All you need is a 5G iPod or a 2G Nano (we’re…

Robots vs. Musicians (1931)

This ad from the March 9, 1931 Simpson’s Leader-Times (Kittanning, PA) is in no way subtle. The consequences of using recorded music at theatre performances rather than live musicians are, “Monotony in the theatre – corruption of taste – destruction of art.” Yikes. Here is a struggle of intense interest to all music lovers. If…

Roadies Grateful for Infinite Response VAX-77 Folding Keyboard

Infinite Response has taken a stab at making keyboards a bit easier to lug around with the VAX-77, which can be folded in half and will even fit in a plane’s overhead compartment. The retro keys are available in five totally rad colors, including “blood red,” “screaming yellow,” “emerald green,” “basic black” and “ocean blue.”…

Egypt Allowing Prisoners to Listen to iPods, Still Tortures Them

Egypt’s apparently gotten more liberal with its current administration vs. past government leaders, as Ibrahim Essa, editor of Egypt’s biggest opposition newspaper, tells the Chicago Tribune that “I’ve found out that I’m allowed to take my iPod,” he said cheerfully. “This is progress in the Mubarak era. Yes, they do torture you in your cell,…

iTunes now has “The Complete Led Zeppelin” available for preorder on iTunes for $99. That’s a 165-song collection plus their album “Mothership” for a Benjamin. The whole Led Zeppelin library hits iTunes Nov 13th.

Sonos Launches ZoneBridge Plus Napster and Best Buy Music Stores

In a raft of announcements, Sonos today confirmed the existence of the $99 ZoneBridge 100, and launched two more PC-free music-store options on the system, including Napster and Best Buy’s new Digital Music Store. The cute little ZoneBridge is actually the best part of the news to me: rather than paying for a $350 ZonePlayer…

Vestax VCI-100 Mixer Modded with Arcade Game Buttons

Here’s what you do if you think your Vestax mixer looks dull as day-old dog doo: mod it. One of the guys from DJ Tech Tools swapped his boring old black knobs for arcade game buttons. How-to video is after the jump. [YouTube and djtechtools.com via Create Digital Music]

The White Stripes Get Into the Camera Business

The White Stripes, a.k.a Meg and Jack White, have branched out from the music business to try their hand at the world of Lomography cameras. The result is a pair of branded, limited edition retro Holga and Diana semi-replica cameras that come complete with a cool look and a bunch of extras for photography lovers.…

Sony Looking Toward Music and Movie Distribution on PS Network to Revive Flagging PS3 Sales

In a move that reiterates the fact that Sony is putting the PlayStation 3’s media capabilities first and its gaming capabilities fourth, they’re working on a plan to distribute music and video through their PlayStation Network. In order to boost sagging sales of the console, they want to compete more directly with Microsoft’s Xbox Live…

Led Zeppelin Changes Tune, Puts Whole Catalog Online

Remember when we told you Led Zeppelin was coming to iTunes in November, but only as a 24-track sampler? Well, that song did not remain the same. Page and Plant (and Jones, if he has a vote) decided that they will release the entire catalog digitally, and not just through iTunes. Starting November 13, all…

Lipstick MP3 Player for Gadget Gals and Music-Minded Trannies

There’s no reason why the ladies (or reasonable facsimiles thereof) can’t get in on all this gadget fun, and here’s just one more enticement: the BRATZ lipstick-shaped MP3 player. Let’s just hope those gals don’t care much for musical variety, because this bauble only has 512MB of memory on board. But hey, like some gals,…

Universal Plans Total Music Anti-iTunes Initiative With Free All-You-Can-Eat Music

Not only is Universal not signing multi-year contracts with Apple, it is now creating a service to confront iTunes and nurture iPod competitors like the Zune. Called Total Music, it may include Universal, Sony BMG and Warner—75% of music sold in the US—and would offer a twist on the traditional download and “PlaysForSure” subscription concepts.…

Multitalented Darth Vader Has a Hoedown With Luke Using Advanced Music-Making Device

Who knew that mouth-breathing thingamajig Darth Vader wears on his face was capable of such down-home, bluesy music? The versatile device is also capable of voice changing, turning Darth’s sinister baritone into a rip-roaring hee-haa voice. Darth, we hardly knew ye. [Jibjab]

Sonos ZoneBridge 100 Dated and Priced for EU

We broke the news just last week that a new Sonos ZoneBridge would be coming after an FCC leak. Essentially a wireless bridge for your Sonos system (allowing you to reserve a more expensive Sonos base unit for use in a room that doesn’t house your router or link to stations together over greater distances),…

Facebook and iTunes Teaming Up?

To fight off the evil empire that is MySpace, tiny entities Facebook and iTunes may be teaming up to bring a musical component to Facebook’s offerings (while offering Apple another venue to sell their music). According to the unconfirmed rumblings, Facebook is working on expanding their interface. Musical artists will now have special pages with…