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Can Newspapers Save Local Music?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the localization-localization-localization dept.

impaler writes: "Roblimo has posted a great piece over at NewsForge about how the Washington Post and other newspapers are hosting MP3 download sites for local musicians and how the sites are actually very popular. An interesting read." Just because the "music industry" works a certain way right now doesn't mean that all change is bad; Bruce Springsteen is apparently finding that he doesn't need much beyond a lock and key to keep the Internet hordes from passing around his albums before they're released, and the musicians on the Washington Post site seem to like being there.

4 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. Check out Sleeman by Kris+Warkentin · · Score: 5, Informative

    Sleeman beer is doing an ad series based on the fact that their bottles don't have labels. They have hosted a bunch of bands which aren't signed to labels on their website and are using them in commercials.

    --

    In Soviet Russia, hot grits put YOU down THEIR pants.
  2. Venues help, too by Washizu · · Score: 5, Informative

    In Philadelphia, venues like the Grape Street Pub do much more than promote their own shows. They are trying to build a thriving original music scene in philly, especially with the compilations they sell and put out on the web.

    Local music magazines are also much better at promoting local musicians to the people who will actually come out to see them. Origivation is a good example for Philadelphia.

    Ben Garvey
    Acoustic Rock : http://www.bengarvey.com

    --
    OddManIn: A Game of guns and game theory.
  3. Counter-spin by Otter · · Score: 3, Informative
    Bruce Springsteen is apparently finding that he doesn't need much beyond a lock and key to keep the Internet hordes from passing around his albums before they're released...

    Some pretty heavy spin Timothy is applying to that story. It reads more like -- In order to avoid having his new album widely available through file sharing services, as recently happened to Eminem, distribution of Bruce Springsteen's new album is being tightly restricted. As a result, few reviewers or radio stations have heard it.

    Of course, Springsteen can get away with that. (Or is he completely washed up now, anyway? I lost interest in him 15 years ago.) For less prominent artists, handcuffing their publicity efforts is a major issue.

    Not that I'm losing sleep over this either way, but the Slashdot writeup is a 180 distortion of the NYT article.

    --
    What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
  4. Re:Rochester? Try WBER by scott1853 · · Score: 2, Informative

    No, I was talking about the Nerve 95.1. I'm about 30 miles southeast of Rochester and I can't pick up WBER.