Hot Links – Week 25
The Best and Wurst of the Web
image via Healthy Hideout
College Radio Walks the Green Mile
Despite shortages of the death row drug Pentothal, college radio stations around the country continue to be down at an alarming rate. Vanderbilt University’s long running WRVU in Nashville is the latest to be sent to the chair and just earlier this year Houston’s Rice University sold KTRU to the University of Houston which plans to create yet another classical music station. Bleh! If a music town like Nashville can’t keep it’s college station open I can’t help but worry about UT’s KVRX!
[NY Times]
Facebook Goes Country
Austin social media game developer, Heatwave Interactive, launched a new game this week. “Platinum Life: Country” lets country music fans live the sad, jilted, lives of their favorite stars like Rascal Flatts and Dolly Parton. Cuz all those country songs are based on real stories…right?!? Tractors and BBQ not your thing? Try “Platinum Life: Web Edition” to play as your favorite hip-hop star. I wonder if bad breakups and bloody bi-coastal rivalries will be a part of the gameplay.
[Austin Business Journal]
Clarence Clemons Dies
Longtime E-Street saxophonist Clarence Clemons suffered a stroke at his home in Florida early this week. The 69-year-old horn player known as Big Man in the E Street Band had recently overcome a string of physical ailments to perform with Lady Gaga on American Idol. Clarence Clemons has been with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band from the very first album Greetings From Asbury Park and was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Reports say he is in serious condition but is showing signs of improvement. BREAKING: Clarence Clemons died this weekend after suffering a stroke last week. Big love to Big Man!
[Austin 360]
Spotify is Coming
Nordic music online service Spotify is sharpening the axes and running out the long boats for the impending invasion of U.S. broadband. Spotify is an online music service that allows users to listen to any of the 13 million plus songs in its library. Like all online music services Spotify has struggled to reach licensing agreements with the major record labels. This week Spotify came one step closer to the U.S. shores with the news that Universal Music Group is now on board. It was just a couple of weeks ago when we heard that online behemoth Facebook was partnering with Spotify to provide a music sharing service. Only Warner Music Group stands in the way of a full scale Spotify offensive.
[Engadget]
FUN FUN FUN Fights For Right To Party
Organizers of the Fun Fun Fun Fest are finding out just how hard it can be to party. Especially when the host is trying to kick you out of the party before you even got a good buzz on. This year the annual 3 day shindig traditionally held in the dust farm known as Waterloo Park is scheduled for November 5th and 6th at Auditorium Shores…but wait…that is only two days…what gives? According to some dusty tome that contains Austin’s laws regarding fun times, events at Auditorium Shores must be limited to 2 days. There goes my idea for a Slip n Slid World Championship. But all hope is not lost! Austin’s Live Music Task Force has agreed to help festival organizers petition the city for an extension to their permit for Auditorium Shores. Just how Fun will this year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest be? We may never know…but probably pretty soon. BREAKING: ALL SIGNS POINT TO YES!!!
[Austin 360]
Which Cloud Do You Want to Live On
The world’s largest manufacturer of printers and other things wants in on the fluffy stuff. Not content with letting Amazon, Apple, and Google control the stratosphere, HP is reportedly in meetings with the big record labels to reach an agreement on a potential music locker service. There is no word on what type of service HP plans on offering or if they will actually be the ones building the digital locker or just using someone else’s technology. It isn’t just the big boys that are playing the cloud computing game. You have probably already heard of sites like Grooveshark or Spotify that allow you to listen to your library and then some. I want to live on the one that looks like this -
Bonaroo Officially More Dangerous Than D.C.
The melanoma breeding ground that is the Bonaroo Music Festival is actually dangerous to your health. No seriously! Two festival goers died this year. Organizers say a young man died from complications arising from hyperthermia and a 33-year-old women was found dead in her tent before the festival officially got underway. The deaths raise some serious concerns about the safety of these giant festivals. I mean just think about all the things that could kill you at the ACL Festival. Hippie sweat, Porta Potties, bad acid, doodoo mud, and that giant ball of fire in the sky just to name a few. Will we ever be safe again?!?
[LA Times]
