RIP Jerry Fuchs...

courtesy of http://www.nme.com/news/!!!/48304Many of you have probably heard of the tragic death of indie drummer Jerry Fuchs. Beatlanta just wanted to pay respect to the amazing drummer and the horrible accident that ended his life. RIP dude. You'll be missed. 

Here is an article about the death and some friends and bands paying tribute...

BLINK 182 LIVE AT LAKEWOOD...

I caught Blink 182 this past Wednesday at Lakewood. The show was pretty awesome. I wouldn't call myself a big fan of Blink 182 but they had their role in my life at one point and it was a pretty cool thing to get to see them; not to mention that the set was awesome. They played a vast array of their more commercially successful hits. I think I knew just about every song. Here are some photos from the show taken by our friend Mandee Johnson. Click here to be taken to the photo gallery. 

Thom Yorke review - live in Los Angeles....

Thom Yorke of Radiohead has written some new solo material and debuted it this past week in LA. Check out this review from www.livedaily.com . And if you like Radiohead then you don't want to miss Odist this Friday at Under the Couch. Beatlanta presents Odist, Laertes and Hurricanes of Love; Music at 8 pm. Here is the article...

What do you do when you're on a break from working with the most innovative band in the world, a band that knocked the music industry on its backside with a pay-what-you want release and then went on to top the charts the traditional way? If you're Thom Yorke and that band is Radiohead, you assemble a little side project and continue to blow minds by playing by your own rules.

That's exactly what Yorke and company did on Monday (10/5) at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, his second night at the ornate and intimate venue after a surprise warm-up show Friday (10/2) at the Echoplex. All three were announced just days before they were held and sold out in short order.

That sort of fan devotion would put a lot of pressure on an unproven act, but Yorke and his combo--so new the marquee at the Orpheum simply read, "Bill Silva Presents ??????"--were unfazed. It probably helped that his new collaborators were no slouches themselves. The band featured Flea on loan from the Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass, noted Radiohead/Paul McCartney producer Nigel Godrich on keyboards, guitars and backing vocals, former Beck/R.E.M. sideman Joey Waronker on drums, and Brazilian percussionist/David Byrne sideman Mauro Refosco.

"In the past couple of weeks I've been getting a band together for fun to play 'The Eraser' stuff live and the new songs etc, to see if it could work!," Yorke wrote on Radiohead's Dead Air Space website. Never mind the fact that "The Eraser," Yorke's first and only solo album, was released in 2006 and is probably only familiar to the most devoted Radiohead fans. That Yorke and his collaborators managed to hold the sold-out crowd rapt and standing for nearly all of the 85-minute set, playing unfamiliar material, speaks volumes of his charisma and the relentless groove-mongering of his bandmates.

Freed from the party-rock schtick of the Peppers, Flea managed to keep his clothes on and show he's a serious, accomplished musician, laying down monster bass lines matched by his violent head bobs and body thrusts. Yorke sang in his trademark clarion-call voice, occasionally opting for a falsetto so moving it sounded like a wounded animal. When not occupied with upright piano or guitar, he offered his usual spastic interpretative dancing. While Yorke and Flea were the visual and emotional thrust, the rhythmic attack came from the back-riser trio of Godrich, Waronker and Refosco, who churned out Afro-electro beats so infectious they could move a dead man.

While Radiohead has a catalog of classics it can churn out live, Yorke and his new bandmates simply relied a mix of hypnotic, trance-like rhythms, delivered with the utmost intensity. With Yorke's stamp, the new combo of course sounded reminiscent of Radiohead at times, but also recalled such post-punk powerhouses as Gang of Four--particularly when Flea traded in his bass for a recorder--as well as the Talking Heads and David Byrne's collaborations with Brian Eno.

Highlights included "Black Swan," "And It Rained All Night" and "Atoms For Peace" from "The Eraser," as well as "The Hollow Earth," the B-side from Yorke's just released new vinyl-only (for now) single, which, with its skittering beats, sounded like a lost "Kid A" track. Yorke also unveiled three brand new tracks that he performed solo, including falsetto-heavy "Lotus Flower," which he said he'd been working on during "his holiday." As the show wound down, Yorke admitted it is was a bit of "a downer" because this impromptu stint had come to and end, but then vowed that he and his new bandmates will do it again. Catch them when you can.

So long NIN, you will be missed...

Although many of you might not be fans of NIN or fans of so called "mainstream" music, one cannot deny Trent Reznor's creative ability and his influence on rock and roll and metal. I'm not going to speak into too much detail about how I feel about NIN, but I will say that their specific brand of dark, morose and almost paranormal take on society and its downfalls has, at times, been quite attractive to me during certain points in my life. Many see Trent Reznor as a sort of philosopher in his ability to take life's most depressing moments and turn them into something that heals, something that informs and something that opens minds. Trent Reznor has also been a leader in the online music revolution as well. He has been an industry leader in do it yourself major artists taking his music to twitter, Iphone apps and releasing his music in various online forms for free or cheap. He is definitely an artist for young bands and artists to model their marketing plans after and to follow in his footsteps to get their music heard. Read one of my earlier blogs below on Trent Reznor and NIN leading that aspect of online music marketing.

NIN is currently on their last tour ever. They are playing their "goodbye tour" and it ends on September 5th. I had the opportunity to see them for the first time (and last I guess), in a perfect state of mind I might add, at Bonnaroo 2009 this past June. The set and atmosphere were amazing. Reznor talked quite a bit about being tired of touring and that the show I was witnessing was the last NIN show on American Soil...he lied...but he wasn't far off. If you have had the pleasure of seeing NIN in the past then I would consider you lucky. I don't doubt they that will take the stage again one day, despite Reznor's consistence in saying he will never under the name NIN. He does strike me as someone who might mean it a little more than say Kiss, or Paul McCartney however. We'll just have to wait and see.

You can read a spin magazine article about the tour and one of NIN last shows here.

If you like NIN then I recommend checking out local Atlanta acts Attention System and The Drownout; the ladder being a little more pop but similar in many ways none the less.

You can see videos of The Drownout and Attention System at beatlanta's youtube channel.

ALBUM REVIEW - THE INVISIBLE WAR FROM HALO STEREO (NASHVILLE, TN)

Review by Chris Fuller

 Halo Stereo’s latest release The Invisible War is nothing short of a masterpiece. In album form. This CD blows my mind, I mean it is really my favorite CD I have heard in a long time. I really love this band. They played at the Vinyl last Saturday and literally they blew me away. We also interviewed them. Halo Stereo sounds like the newest wave of Led Zeppelin type rock bands with a kick back to the older generations. A lot of traditional influences can be found in this CD. The CD opens with Blindfold, a rockin’ tune to get you on your toes., with the second track ‘The Heart is a Vacuum’ to settle you in. The third track ‘Doorman’ is a real throwback to older times with a look on the future. The richness of this album is so solid like Stone Henge. It opens doors at all turns into a deeper part of the psyche. While at the same time giving you a feeling of tingling electricity. This band is from Nashville, but gives you a feeling of being in a castle. Track six, the Invisible War, employs some electronic drums in the beginning, giving way to a lumbering feeling of Ice Age migration. A feeling of hope but also sadness. Then, all of a sudden, a change occurs and a manic sense of despair overcomes the track. Track 8, Respite in Ruins, has a Castlevania vibe to it, a melancholia with almost a sinister feeling in it. The singer sings so soulfully it almost makes you cry. My favorite track is Hazard Lights, a song with an awesome, also kind of strange and weird feeling, like you’re doing something you’re not supposed to, but that feels so good that you cannot deny it. It is a song that burns with passion and then erupts like a phoenix. This CD is so good I highly recommend ordering it from the band online or checking out the songs on MySpace. All in all this band rules so hard so go see them sometime. Hopefully they will be back in Atlanta sometime soon.

....Halo Stereo live opening for Atl band Attention System at Vinyl in May.....

See more videos of Halo Stereo and tons of other bands at beatlanta's youtube channel...

CHILLED MONKEY BRAINS (of Tallahassee, FL)

I wanted to turn ya'll on to a band I just saw at the Mass Ska Raid. Chilled Monkey Brains went on early in the day and stole the show. They play a really awesome and fun mix of hardcore and ska but mostly just ska. Not only was it ska fun at its finest but their stage antics and humorous attitudes (that seem to come standard in ska bands) just added to the impressive atmosphere they managed to create...decide for yourself....Chilled Monkey Brains live at Mass Ska Raid on Auguts 8th, 2009.....

Chilled Monkey Brains helped to remind me that I should listen to way more Ska music. I would recommend one of their shows to anyone who loves good music and a good time so go check them out. I'm sure they'll be up our way soon, and if not, its worth the drive to Tallahassee. 

Chilled Monkey Brains on mYSpAce

NEW MODEST MOUSE VIDEO DIRECTED BY HEATH LEDGER

Heath Ledger approached Isaac Brock to direct this video before he died. Check it out from spin.com....

Click here to be taken to the article and see the video....

WE THE GRANADA & GHOSTING - touring bands at beatlanta's first show ever...

I wanted to turn ya'll on to a couple bands that played beatlanta's first show ever this Saturday, July 11th. As you know, our site is completely dedicated to Atlanta area bands with a sphere of influence to Athens, Douglasville, Augusta, etc. However, from time to time we will be using our blog section to post stories of bands from out of town, especially those who play beatlanta shows. So, in that tradition, I wanted to tell ya'll about Ghosting (Vermont) and We the Granada (Texas).

WE THE GRANADA (Texas)

We the Granada is a 6-7 piece band hailing from Texas. They play an excellent mix of punk and experimental rock using such instruments as bongos, horns, acoustic guitar and the traditional pieces as well. They are currently out on their first tour outside of their home state of Texas and are touring across the south east from Texas and then up the east coast to Virginia, NY, PA and a few more stops. I didn't get an interview but I talked to the guys for a while at our pre-show keg party (which turned to a gathering rather than a party :), but it was fun anyway. They are some super cool, laid back dudes that play excellent music who travel with a driver and a light dude who manages to put on an excellent timed-light visual spectacle that accompanies the band's music superbly. I won't go into detail about the band but let you get it for yourselves. I won't say "check it out - a visitor to this site recently took the time to count the amount of times I say "check it out" in my writing so I'll turn to some alternatives to please Melvin or Brandon or whatever the fuck his name is....so here is the video...

Here are the rest of the pics for We the Granada....and another video....

You can find more videos of We the Granada not shot by beatlanta on youtube here. We the Granada on Myspace.

GHOSTING (Vermont)

Ghosting is similar to We the Granada and the guys even hooked up for a couple shows when their tours criss-crossed. Ghosting, does however, have a very distinct sound mixing hardcore punk and ambient mood style beats. Both bands have a sound I definitely connect with and I wish the bands well. So if they ever come your way you will for sure want to head their way. Here is a video I took at the show...

Here's a little about Ghosting from Ghosting's myspace page....

Matt, he likes the pretty girls.
Jared, he gets drunk sometimes.
Tyler, he doesn't really like anything.
We're friends. This is our family.
"There are wooden ships and there are metal ships, but theres no ship like friendship."
We're ghosting.
Releases: Hearts. Ep 10"
Contact us if you would like one and we will work out a price and a way to get you it.
Upcoming Releases: Split Between Friends Pt. One w/ Pj Bond (1/1/10 Im Not Yr Dentist Records) Split Between Friends Pt. Two w/ tba (Im Not Yr Dentist Records) Split Between Friends Pt. Three w/ June Debris (tba) Split Between Friends Pt. Four w/ Jubilee (tba) Split Between Friends Pt. Five w/Leaving Songs (tba) Split Between Friends Pt. Six w/ Great Friend Of Mine (tba)

Another video...

The craziness continues & what the hell?

Although the RIAA has ceased its ridiculous and morally wrong campaign of suing private citizens for sharing the music they love, they still managed to squeeze this verdict and fine out of a 3 year old case. After many appeals, the courts have finally fined Jammie Thomas-Rasset a wopping $80,000 a song. She is accused of downloading 24 songs on Kazaa. That totals 1.2 million dollars in fines for 24 fucking songs. PEOPLE. We should be taking to the streets over these ridiculous verdicts. While the RIAA have offered her a $5000 settlement, they still had to go through the process of humiliation for this one poor lady for doing something 100s of millions of people do every year. The fact that they will let her settle for $5000 just goes to show that the $80,000 per song fine is way off base. And who is the RIAA anyway. Did they write a single song that they are suing for? Did the record companies write the songs? Was the creative force or forces behind the songs ever even contacted to see if they even care? Odds are, they would love for her to listen to their stuff and spread the word about good music.

I know many would disagree with my stance, but no one ever deserved to be a millionaire for making music; especially some record exec who schemes his way into a contract giving himself more money than the actual artist who created the work in the first place. As you know, the records companies have been siphoning cash away from artists from the beginning of the modern music industry...and now that that time has come to an end, they are going to come up with these hair-brained schemes like suing people for wanting to listen to music. Anyway, I could go on but I won't. You can find my anger and thoughts on the subject in blogs below. PLEASE CHIME IN AND COMMENT WHETHER YOU AGREE WITH THE RIAA OR ME. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND START A CONVERSATION ON THE SUBJECT. ANYONE? EVERYONE?

In your motha' ....'n face....government.

After all the hype surrounding the Pirate Bay guilty verdict, which put 4 people in jail for a year with millions of dollars in fines for simply providing a sharing service, the company still managed to come out with their latest scheme; clearly sending a message to lawmakers that whatever you can throw at us, we can throw something even stronger back at you. Check out this article from wired.com explaining the new service. For just $7 a month, the Pirate Bay will use privacy software to keep you virtually hidden while file sharing, keeping you safe from prosecution or getting your internet service cut off. Its just another one of those retarded double standards for laws the government knows it either shouldn't, or simply can't enforce, like file sharing. Its kind of like letting you sell all the necessary items for smoking pot; pipes, bongs, papers, etc, but not letting you smoke pot. I'm not sure how this service can be deemed legal as it helps the Pirate Bay hide its consumers while they engage in so called illegal practices. It reminds me of having a speed radar in your car; people sell them but you're not allowed to own them. We'll just have to wait and see if the governments go after this service like they did the file sharing service in the first place. 180,000 people signed up for the service in the first week. I just can't wait to see what they plan to do about that - try putting 180,000 people behind bars when you can't even find them. I am laughing out loud and you should be too.

Awesome new service for concert lovers, goers, makers...

Songkick has come out with this awesome new database of concert footage from past to present from all over the world for 1000s of bands. It is sure to be a useful tool for concert buffs like myself. I haven't checked into it yet but I believe that you can set up a personal account and track concert footage from your favorite bands and artists...and if they do it right, you should be able to set one up for you band as well. I will be looking into setting up a beatlanta account and plan to host our videos for the bands we shoot on it. Just another useful tool in getting your stuff out there. So if you're a fan of concerts or in a band, you should definitely look into the service. They have spent 1000s of hours compiling what they say is the most extensive database of concert footage ever assembled...so its sure to be pretty amazing. Check it out. Here is the article from wired.com for more information.

FILE SHARING - a win....

Good News. The Swedish Pirate Party that I wrote on in an earlier blog has one a seat in the European Union Parliament. After their membership tripled to 47,000 members after the Pirate Bay trial guilty verdict, the one cause party began to campaign for the seat. They stand for the sole cause of legalizing file sharing. They want to abolish the current copyright laws, come up with more modern laws and eliminate digital copyright management (which is what keeps you from burning some disks). This is very good news in the fight for technology that beatlanta continues to report on.

What this means is that for the first time, a serious organization for the rights of private individuals, as it pertains to file sharing, has taken a seat in a major parliamentary government. This is the very important first step to re-organizing the way we think about modern copyright laws and file sharing. I have been blogging on the steps taken by the RIAA and MPAA , and other international governments and organizations to combat what I see as plain and simple, technology. They are not fighting to end illegal copyright infringement, they are fighting to end technological advancement...and they will lose.

Through technology we have discovered ways to distribute material to whoever may want it. How do you fight that? You cannot. Instead of suing regular folks for hundreds of thousands of dollars, the record companies and associated organizations should be developing ways to capitalize on the file sharing craze. But instead of thinking outside the box, embracing music fans and using technology to their advantage, they wish to use these half-assed ideas like suing college kids and having your internet service cut off.

Check out this article from cnn.com talking about the win. We'll just have to wait and see if the pirate party has it in them to bring about real change...and please read our past blogs on the same subject. Please post your thoughts and comments about this blog and other, whether you disagree or agree. Lets start a conversation on the subject...please chime in. GET INVOLVED.

FILE SHARING - new "supreme" nominee could be a battle lost...

It seems that the latest Supreme Court Justice picked by the super president Barack Obama will only stall the fight that some of us are making for file sharing. In this recent article from wired.com, the writer explains with examples, of how the nominee, Judge Sotomayor, has ruled in past cases against individuals or companies that have violated so called copyright laws. This is absolutely absurd and represents the continued philosophy of some of the dinosaurs running our country. The article sites a case in which an individual, private citizen was fined $222,000 for downloading 24 songs from Kazaa. Yes, thats TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS for 24 songs that if he didn't download off of the internet, could have gotten his friends to make him a mixtape with all the same songs.

C;mon Mr. President. C'mon Judge Sotomayor. You were the nominee because you're to bring in a new age of thinking to the Supreme Court. A new way of thinking on race relations. A new way of thinking on sex relations. A new way of thinking in general. We were counting on you to bring in a new, younger and moderate way of thinking to a Supreme panel dominated by DINOSAURS. File sharing is not a crime. It is not copyright infringement. It is a way to willingly share music and other materials with like minded people. It was not a crime when I made my first girlfriend a copy of my favorite CD. And if it was then you wouldn't fine me $150,000 for doing it. It is not a crime to share music that you now own with your friends and anyone who may like it. It should be up to the band or artist that makes the music to decide whether they want folks to actually hear their music.

File sharing is here to stay. As the fools running the RIAA refuse to adapt to the technology age and continue to come up with moronic ideas to fight it, us music lovers will continue to download music and find new ways to go around whatever road blocks they throw at us. Beatlanta's survey of the bands we have interviewed turns up a 96% favorable view of file sharing...and these are the artists that will be making music for years to come. They want folks to hear their music in any means they can and know that they will have to make money through shows and other creative means. It is time for the RIAA to think outside the box.

Why should we care about these steps being taken by our government? Because it will directly affect the way the artists we know and love make money and music in the future. It will directly affect the way you hear and buy music in the future. It could wind up directly affecting your ability to get internet service as the next big plan from the RIAA is to work with service providers to cut off your internet service...a serious and ridiculous breach of privacy.

PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS OR THOUGHTS. Do you think this is a worthwhile cause? Do you think it will affect you in any way? Do you think it will affect the artists you listen to? Please chime in, we want to start a dialogue and get people's opinions.  Check out the article and let us know what you think by commenting on this blog and all of our blogs. Thanks.

...about beatlanta...

I just wanted to give everyone a little update as to what we're doing here at beatlanta. We are a very young (3 months old), small and independent online music resource. We wish to become a major player in Atlanta music journalism in the months and years to come. What we're doing is a little different then a lot of sites out there as we are focused purely on Atlanta area artists and bands. Most other sites do stories on Atlanta artists and bands as well, but they also have a focus on bands and artists that come from other towns to play in Atlanta. We don't care about them. We're not worried about the artists coming into town to play and we're not here to tell you what you should be listening to, not yet anyway. We just want to introduce you to the massive pool of active Atlanta bands and artists and to keep you updated on what they are doing. We also want to involve the fans of Atlanta music to create a new focus and revived interest in local music - to help put Atlanta on the map as a city creating and producing amazing music.

With that said, beatlanta is in an informative and introduction period. All of my write-ups right now are not critiquing bands but rather just introducing our readers to the bands in Atlanta right now. I am focusing on all the good for a bands specific fans. That means while it may not be my taste of music, I am going to highlight key features of a band that someone who likes their music might like. After we feature a band for the first time then the next time might be a little more demanding with a little more criticism. Right now though, I am just here to bring Atlanta bands more exposure.

We want to work with the bands to help them get some media coverage and to play more shows to more fans. We are currently getting together shows in which we will feature bands that compliment each other but may not always be in the same genre. That way, each bands fans are introduced to new fans from another band that may like their music.

So on to who we are. Right now, we are two people. Adam Keen (me) and Chris Fuller. All of the work done on the site so far has been done by the two of us. We take all the photos, all the videos and have put in all the work on the site. I have a full time job and am trying to build this site up as well. Chris is a major player in contacting bands and putting together stuff on the site such as the music player and professional quality videos - soon to come. We are in the processing of attaining professional video equipment that will make our coverage a lot better so please bare with us as we continue to grow and improve our coverage abilities.

Also soon, we will be adding reviews from Chris McDonald - who has written one amazing review of Atlers Hurricanes of Love that will soon be posted. Also doing some review work soon will be Andrew Johnson. We are also preparing to add another photographer to the team - Russel Goldstein. We are looking for help. We need like minded individuals willing to put in some work for a company from the ground up. We do not get paid or make money yet but will in the near future. We can offer free entry to local shows as well as drinks sometimes. So if you like attending local shows (for free) and are interested music journalism then contact Adam at beatlanta@gmail.com and we can get some stuff going. You would be required to interview bands, do write-ups on the shows you attend, maybe take pics, etc.

In the meantime, we want to thank all of the bands that are supporting us and our vision for beatlanta. We are to here to work with you and for you and support your goals as bands.

We are working on our bands section. This will be a huge database of Active Atlanta area bands with a sample of their music, maybe some videos, a bio, album history, etc. Each band page will be a sample of the band's website. It will be a one stop shop for someone looking to learn about Atlanta area music. Also in the works is our venue section as well as a resource section. The venue section will be a huge database of regional venues that will hopefully be a big help to bands trying to book regional tours and shows. The resources section will be a database of online resources, books, blogs, etc. that are very useful to bands to help gain them exposure and to advertise their music. An example is reverb nation. If you are a young band then you should be a member of reverb nation. They have tons of useful stuff for young bands.

So please read our content, comment on our blogs, utilize are posts section and help us bring traffic to our website. Lets have some fun and make the best out of our local music scene. There are a massive amounts of good bands and artists coming out of Atlanta right now and the seeds are planted. We have numerous online sites working for the scene and if we play it right then Atlanta music will be known around the country. Beatlanta will be starting a national marketing campaign once we have some more of our sections up. This will hopefully help the bands we cover gain some fans outside of Atlanta.

Thanks for reading this.

and so it begins...the infringement of privacy...

France has become the first country to pass anti-piracy laws for so called online piracy that involves monitoring the information and files that you download to your PERSONAL computer. The law allows for a newly created state agency to cut off your internet for a year after 3 warnings to stop downloading so called illegal material on your computer. That means that the government will be monitoring what information you are downloading to a computer. This gives them access to your personal information such as email address, phone numbers and everything else that comes along with monitoring what you do on the internet. Granted, this information was all ready attainable by government agencies but this just gives them another reason to be fishing around in what people are doing on the internet. This bill was first batted down by France's assembly to begin with but with strong backing by their president, was reintroduced and passed. Some in the government there call this bill a disaster, dangerous and pointless; and very risky for citizens. It has very strong backing from industry officials as a new way to combat online piracy. Consumer groups are calling it inefficient saying it opens up citizens computers to be hacked and wrongly targeted for illegal downloading after hackers hack in and download illegal material on your computer. They also add that this just amounts to state surveillance of private citizens...and it does .

I agree, this is a disaster. Similar laws are being strongly considered in the U.S. The world is standing by to see how France handles the law and to see if it works. I don't think it will. See more blogs below on similar topics.

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK BY POSTING YOUR THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS TO THIS BLOG.

The Pirate Party

After the recent so called win against The Pirate Bay website operators, the Swedish Pirate Party has again doubled in size (this happened in the past with similar judgements on file sharers). The Pirate Party is an organization, political in manner, that is fighting to win a seat in the Swedish government. They are a party working for copyright law reform that reflect the current world order and advances in technology (basically they are pro file sharing - and taking the fight to the legislative side).  They need a certain amount of members and they are now closer than ever. Exactly what I said would happen has happened. File sharing is here to stay you morons in the music industry. You have now emboldened your enemy and they plan to come as strong as ever. Here is a bit from the article I read from wired.com...

Over 22,000 new party members have joined the Pirate Party since a panel of judges sentenced a financier and three administrators of the torrent-tracking site to a year in prison. The explosion of support has swelled the party's membership from 15,000 on Friday morning to more than 37,000 on Wednesday, according to party officials. 

It looks promising," says Pirate Party vice president Christian Engström. "I think the verdict was just the final straw for a lot of people. We saw the same phenomenon after the raid against The Pirate Bay in 2006, when our member count increased from 2,000 to 6,000. And it seems like the people who have become members in the last few days are a little older compared to our previous members. 

The pirates will need an estimated 100,000 votes to get a member elected to the European Parliament. In the Swedish national election in September 2006, the Pirate Party won only 35,000 votes. The party stands for radical reform of copyright legislation, abolition of the patent system and guaranteed online-privacy rights. 

Also, since the landmark trial, it has come out that the judge is a member of a pro-copyright group...making the trial completely unfair. Here's a bit from that article from wired.com...

One of the four men convicted in The Pirate Bay trial is seeking to have his guilty verdict thrown out after learning that the judge in the trial is a member of two pro-copyright groups, including one whose membership  includes entertainment industry representatives who argued in the case. Stockholm district court judge, Tomas Norström told a Swedish newspaper that his previously-undisclosed entanglements with the copyright groups did not constitute a conflict of interest.

Peter Althin, the lawyer who represents Pirate Bay spokesperson Peter Sunde, announced Thursday that he plans to demand a retrial.

The Court of Appeal will decide if the district court decision should be set aside and the case revisited," Althin said on Thursday to the site The Local.  

Its some pretty interesting stuff and could mean an overturn in this landmark trial which could definitely prove useful in the fight FOR technology. Stay tuned to beatlanta for more news on file sharing (see more blogs below)...and please post your comments and thoughts to our blogs. 

WHY FILE SHARING WILL SAVE HOLLYWOOD AND MUSIC

Why I don't much care for the Hollywood side of this story from wired.com it does have some intersting points and statistics on how the record labels use file sharing sites to find out which leaked song should be a single for the radio (by finding out which song has been downloaded the most) and use our ip addresses to determine which town a live show should be in (by seeing in which cities and towns people are searching a certain band or show). The article is quite interesting and definitely a partner against the RIAA's and record labels ridiculous fight against technology (see blogs below). It makes mention of the false victory against The Pirate Bay site owners that the record labels are touting as a huge victory...when it actually means absolutely nothing for the demise of file sharing. Heres a little from the article I found interesting...

But as the initial furor over P2P died down, labels began monitoring file sharing networks through BigChampagne and other services. The data they find there continues to help them in any number of ways, from choosing which leaked song to use as the single, to where a band should tour based on the IP addresses of its fans, to figuring out which artists should perform on the same bill.

The labels beat down Napster, Kazaa, Scour and other P2P networks, and if today's Pirate Bay verdict stands, they will have beaten four Swedes too. Meanwhile, new ways to share files continue to surface, including private and encrypted networks. And The Pirate Bay developers say mirrors exist in other countries, so no matter what happens in Sweden their site will continue to operate. Besides, The Pirate Bay is only one bit-torrent tracker site.

The Choruss plan and the RIAA's official shift away from suing individuals are acknowledgments on the part of the music industry that file sharing will always be a factor, so it could be simpler — and even beneficial — to lump licensed and unlicensed services together under one monthly fee tacked onto users' ISP bills. (ESPN and other video networks already do something similar.) Love Choruss or hate it, Griffin would never have come up with this efficient way of addressing social-media consumption if file sharing networks had never existed.

Well check out the article, it has some more interesting stuff. 

iPHONE APPS, ADVERTISING AND MUSIC

There is a blog below informing us about how NIN was pioneering an iphone app to help get their music to the fans as well as tons of other cool content including live backstage photos from concerts, games and videos. Here is an interview posted from wired.com that I thought I'd share with everyone. Its about Jason Schwartzman and his new thing and releasing all of the music online and on the iPhone. I'll forgive the fact that they refer to him as the "Rushmore" star; while that movie is great, there have been numerous newer and more funny movies involving Jason Schwartzman. Anyway, here is the interview and a little from the article...

The actor who played him, Jason Schwartzman, would be at least. When he's off the movie set, Schwartzman injects his creative mojo into his online music project, Coconut Records. Songs from his first album, Nighttiming debuted on MySpace before hitting the iTunes Store. And most recently, Coconut Records songs appeared in the free iPhone rhythm game Tap Tap Revenge.

Following Weezer and Nine Inch Nails, Coconut Records is one of several tech-savvy artists experimenting with the internet, gadgets and games to boost sales in a rapidly declining record industry. In an interview with Wired.com, Schwartzman and DashGo digital label manager Ben Patterson shared their philosophy on digital music, as well as the overall impact of tech-driven distribution methods.

Wired.com: Coconut Records is on Twitter, MySpace, iTunes and the iPhone. Do you plan to try out any other digital distribution methods to promote your music? I know Weezer's Rivers Cuomo had a YouTube song-collaboration project, for example.

Schwartzman: That was so cool.... like a YouTube chain-letter song. That's like the idea of collaboration on steroids. I had the exact same idea, but Rivers stole it.

Wired.com: Really?

Schwartzman: No.

I also had an idea — it was something called iSongs, and it was like this world where you could buy music and movies and audiobooks and all that stuff. And then Apple came out with iTunes, and I was like Steve, you fucked me on this. And you fucked me on the iPhone. It's a touch phone and it's called the iCaller.

Wired.com: Do you own an iPhone yourself?

Schwartzman: No. I can't.

Wired.com: Why not?

Schwartzman: My thumbs are not agile enough. I've got little tumbler hands.

a picture of the app from wired.com interview from BOOM Wired.com: So you're a movie star and a former drummer in a popular band. Why did you feel the need to promote Coconut Records through an iPhone game?

Schwartzman: I'll let Ben go first.

Patterson: We started with just being an indie release and not having buckets of marketing cash. We wanted to get music out any way possible and one of the great things about working with Jason is he's really embracing new ways to share music with people.

It's increasingly crowded to get music in front of people; it's super easy but super hard at the same time. You can compose on MySpace, but you have to get a lot of people to go there. So you can put things where it's not quite as crowded and you have a little more shared voice and visibility.

We try to find opportunities to share channels like that, and one of the ones that's become really strong in the past six months is the Tap Tap Revenge game. It really popped up sales for us on iTunes.... West Coast at some point was the second most downloaded track on Tap Tap Revenge.

Schwartzman: A more abstract way to support what Ben was saying is, it's almost like a thesis for the Coconut Records project. The whole thing started in just a homemade, small way, and it was really just a joyful experience to make the first record. We wanted to release the music in the way that it felt to record the music — in a way that just felt fun and involved.

The record] was made quickly, and it was made in a gut reaction. When I made the first record, I didn't even know I was going to put it out. It was the first time I tried to record a bunch of songs in a blast. It was recorded just for my ears, my girlfriend's ears, my brother's ears, but certainly not for the public. And when Ben became involved and we talked about how to put it out there, we said we'd have to put this out in a way that it was just like how we made the recording — no hard work or restrictions. 

That's the great thing about releasing music in this way. [The internet] is like a big pond, and if you manage to do it correctly it's astonishing, it's this drop of a pebble and the ripples kind of go.

Patterson: To expand on that a little ... what I find is awesome is every day I'm looking at a Twitter stream for Jason, and looking at blog hits and stuff. Every day you see people who are discovering Coconut Records for the first time. It feels really nice for me. It's not something where you're all about one release date. It's all about continually introducing people to music and getting them to share with others.

Schwartzman: That's ultimately the fun thing about doing it this way. I have released my second record [Davy], and we're Tweeting it out for people, and it's incredible they're able to receive it. You can keep building and it's so cool that someone can discover it.

That's one of the odd things about the internet. It's the most instant thing in the world, but you just have time with it. It's been fascinating.

Another thing is, I don't really tour. I don't even play live. Really all I have is releasing music, and that's kind of what I do. That's why the internet is like my tour.

Wired.com: Coconut Records started out as a digital release, but eventually you started selling physical CDs. How did you get people to buy CDs if the album was available on the internet first?

Schwartzman: Another thing about Coconut Records is I know I'm never going to sell as many records as someone who's a really big artist who has a lot of money.... I'm not in the same league as those people, and that's fine. And when it came time to print up physical CDs, we were very modest with how much we wanted to print up.

My girlfriend's idea that I stole was, if you're going to only print so many CDs, and the artwork isn't very elaborate, you can't charge people so much money for nothing. So we took a Polaroid picture for each CD we sold [for the first 2,000 people who bought the CD]. So when people bought the record they felt like they had something special; no one else had the exact same thing they did.

I think it's really cool to put out a record where on one hand, digitally anyone can get it in the world, and hopefully be able to as long as that lasts. But physically there are less copies of it and they are totally individual and special. It's like traverse terrains simultaneously.

Wired.com: So what's next for Coconut Records?

Schwartzman: I'd like to do some more stuff for this record, I guess in some ways like the first record. I made the record so quickly, and I would be really excited about putting it out and letting it build [virally]. I'd also like to do some videos and be a bit more connected to people than before.

In terms of music I just have to write some more songs. Hopefully, I'd like to make another record this year.

Patterson: I think Tap Tap Revenge has been a great platform. I look forward to continuing to work with those guys, and I think working with Jason has been phenomenal.

Schwartzman: It's going to only get better, Ben.

Article and interview by Brian X Chen

This is some pretty interesting stuff. Artists are really starting to embrace all the technology that is so quickly becoming avaialable for use. These apps are available for anyone to create. Just have one designed, submit it to Apple for review and then your band and/or music could be utilizing this awesome source as well. Definitely something to think about as you build a fan base. --ak

PIRATE BAY TRIAL VERDICT

Well the verdict is in for one of the largest file sharing cases to date and it is not good. The 3 operators of The Pirate Bay site Frederik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg and Peter Sunde were found guilty as well as their main finance man Carl Lundstrom. They were sentenced to 1 year in jail and the equivalent of 3.6 million dollars in fines. These guys operated a site (whose servers were in different countries around the world - a non-profit site I must add) just like the ones in the past (napster) that link people to all the "shared" files floating around on the internet. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU AND ME WHO LOVE TO DOWNLOAD THE MUSIC THAT THE ARTIST WANTS US TO DOWNLOAD - NOTHING (I don't know about ya'll but I am NOT shaking in my boots - I don't even own boots). This is a huge blow however to the fight for technology that the RIAA and other morons have been fighting. However, in the end I'm sure technology will come out on top. Be carefule people, their next step is probably going to be arresting people in the streets for having a recordable CD. God these people are stupid.

This just represents another example of how the dinasours that run the music industry are just unwilling to change from their standards established in the 50s when Elvis and all those acts started the modern music industry. They're clinging to old ideas made by old people most of whom are probably dead. They fight it as a fight for copyright but what it really represents is a generation gap. This verdict is not going to scare anyone from file sharing, it will only embolden us. These guys are now martyrs in an unwinnable fight (unwinnable by the RIAA and their cronies). They didn't even accomplish getting The Pirate Bay site shut down yet and plan to file additional suit against it to get it shut down.

I saw in a recent NY Times article that someone thinks this is good pr for the record and music industries. How? These are the same stupid tactics as suing college kids for downloading music. How is this good pr? The "major" labels are dying out as they refuse to adapt and create new and fresh ideas to make money. THIS IS NOT GOOD PR FOR THESE DINASOURS. IT IS BAD PR. They don't realize the image this is painting for their future income. The kids and younger generation that will be listening to music will not be buying full records or even a physical item at all. It will be all online, digital and money will be made from shows and new and creative ways to get the fans involved.

Hey major music industry. Hire some new folks....I know some kids who need jobs that would be perfect. Free music for everyone. Earn your fans, then take your act on the road to make money dumb asses.

TWITTER AND MUSIC - The Streets

Mike Skinner of The Streets is the latest artist to use twitter to please his fans. His latest scheme is to write 3 songs, 1 song a day, and then release the songs via twitter. This is what he said about it in a recent interview: "I am going to Tweet three new songs this week,"I can't be bothered with all this trying to sell you music. It wastes valuable time." The pretty funny and often sarcastic Mike also had this to say about his schedule for keeping to 3 days and 3 songs..."Day 1 will be easy. I've got one nearly done. Day 2 easy. Day 3 is looking tricky. Might have to post a totally rubbish one." Skinner posted his first song, "I Love My Phone," Tuesday afternoon. Download it here.

This is the latest in what I'm sure will be a growing part that Twitter is playing in the music world. It is yet another outlet for artists to use to get their fans involved and "kept in the know" about what is going on with their music and shows.

This could be a great thing for our local artists too...for them to get fans involved and to let people know what is going on with the music, albums and shows. I say an Atlanta artist do this same scheme just to see how it works. If anyone wants to do it let us know and we'll help build up some hype around it. Either way, let us know how it goes.