Subject:

Internet Music Services

  • Blogs

    May 25, 2012

    Yello Echo: Complicated Instigators Keep Disco Torch Lit

    Each week, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? E-mail their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com. Here's what you're about to walk in ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 11, 2012

    Skits: This Week In Music-Biz WTFery -- Katy Perry, B.o.B., Etc.

    The music business fuckery continues. A game so destructive it only benefits the top dogs (and even so, temporarily), while the actual players continue to eat sand out of peanuts. Who's winning? Who's losing? Dig in for this week's music-bidness shenanigans.

  • Blogs

    March 13, 2012

    Bill & Ted's Alex Winter Examines Napster's Fall In SXSW Doc Downloaded

    Alex Winter (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, The Idiot Box) has spent the last decade trying to make a movie about Napster, the revolutionary peer-to-peer filesharing site that changed the music industry forever. Winter met Napster founder Shawn Fanning in 2002 and was instantly energized by the p ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 6, 2012

    To Selena, With Love: A Conversation With Widower Chris Perez

    Do you remember when and where you heard the news about Selena? I do. I was riding the school bus when a classmate, listening to the radio on his Walkman, shouted "Selena was shot!". "How terrible", I thought to myself, thinking that maybe she was just wounded, but for sure she would recover. "No br ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 13, 2012

    Are Streaming Sites Ensuring The Music Industry's Long-Term Survival?

    The look on my face when I couldn't hear "Temporary Secretary" on Rdio.​This past week, Paul McCartney's team pulled most of his catalog - including his works with Wings - off streaming music sites such as Rdio, Rhapsody, Spotify and MOG. Listeners are now deprived of Band On the Run, Back To ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 30, 2012

    8 Things We Learned from the IFPI's 2012 Report

    The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) released its 2012 report this week, confirming that the music industry may finally have a reason to be cautiously optimistic about its future. The industry saw its first year-over-year growth since 2004, piracy notwithstanding. The IF ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 20, 2012

    In Memoriam: Megaupload (2005 - 2012)

    Yesterday, one of our favorite file sharing sites was struck by a government takedown around the early portions of the morning. It was swift, it was brutal and it could have been blamed on Kim Kardashian. Losing MegaUpload was a giant blow to musicians who love uploading zip or rar files of thei ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 27, 2011

    Five Factors That Will Influence the Growth of Streaming Music in 2012

    We all know that in December of 2012, the Mayan calendar ends as will the world, but before that fateful day, I've got a lot of music to listen to and, like many, I seem to be doing that increasingly on my computer and via streaming music services. Whether it is Pandora or Grooveshark or Last.FM or ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 19, 2011

    12 Music Business Predictions for 2012

    Photo by Robert Bejil​Where were we? Oh yeah, crystal ball and prophesies. You ready for this? OK. What follows is a list of events we expect to befall the music industry in 2012. Yes, these are etched in stone and should be regarded as gospel. Full prophetic titillation ahead.

  • Blogs

    December 14, 2011

    Best Of... App Gets a High-Five From iTunes

    ​It's the end of the year, which means lots of best-of lists, and we're happy to announce that our own Best Of... app made the iTunes 2011 Rewind's list off best travel apps. The app, which was released in March, contains all of the Best of Houston winners, as well as winners from our sister ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 9, 2011

    A Roundup of the 2011 Music Industry Based Strictly on Band Names

    XL/Columbia​Theologians love saying things like "Man is created superior to animals" and "Animals can't be equal with humans." And then we go scouring philosophy books to see if animals have immortal spirits and if this means we'll someday meet our pets in heaven. That's a bunch of horse dung. ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 9, 2011

    Houston's thelastplaceyoulook Gets Into The Christmas Spirit With "Do You Hear?"

    Photo by Groovehouse​Rocks Off is getting into the Christmas spirit, slowly but surely, and now that it's finally December, all your Facebook posts concerning your holiday plans have become much more tolerable. The music, classic though it may be, has needed an update for quite some time. In ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 7, 2011

    Black Keys Not Licensing New Record to Streaming Services

    ​There's been a furor brewing among people who love streaming music services like Spotify and Rdio over bands like Coldplay denying licensing to those services for new releases. Older albums are available, but bands have essentially delayed the release to streaming services. That was all well ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 4, 2011

    Is Spotify Ripping off Artists?

    ​Spotify made one hell of an entrance in July. Swedish-founded and U.K.-headquartered, Spotify arrived the States three months ago to adoring fans. Like a new bride, glowing in the light, flashing that pizza smile logo at us. Everyone wanted a piece of the sexy digital jukebox. Now that the ve ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 6, 2011

    5 Ways Apple Revolutionized the Music Industry

    No other company has changed the music industry as much as Apple. For the better part of the last decade, the late Steve Jobs and his co-conspirators have empowered music consumers in ways no one would have ever imagined. The monstrous iTunes store made it possible for anybody to buy music without ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 1, 2011

    Facebook Music Coming To A Computer Near You

    Jason611 via Flickr​No one's willing to confirm anything, but all indications point to the same scoop: Facebook is planning to launch a new music service this fall. Here's what we know so far. CNBC's John Fortt broke the news Kanye West-style - in ALL CAPS: "YES INDEED NEXT MONTH IS GOING TO ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 17, 2011

    What Google & Motorola's Marriage Means To The Music Industry

    The Daily Beast​Google stunned the tech world last week when it tied the knot with Motorola for $12.5 billion. But it's the music business that should be raising its brows at the union. Like any typical suitor, Google weighed Motorola's considerably large assets in its decision to get in bed ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 10, 2011

    How Jay-Z & Kanye West Kept Watch the Throne From Leaking Online

    howfresh2.comJay-Z's business plan: Don't leak the masters, get a Rolex.​The kingdom is safe. The throne has been watched. In an age where albums spring leaks like baby diapers, Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne arrived on the appointed date without even as much as a drip. For the first ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 25, 2011

    Jay-Z & Kanye West Bringing The Throne To Houston October 26

    ​This morning Live Nation announced that Jay-Z and Kanye West, two rappers you may have heard of, will bring their brand-new group The Throne's "Watch The Throne" tour to Toyota Center October 26. Rocks Off applauds the duo for reigniting mass interest in Otis Redding via their single, "Otis, ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 7, 2011

    Apple's iCloud and Cloud Computing: 10 Key Questions Answered

    Apple's iCloud service was introduced June 6​The Apple World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) keynote address -- the way Steve Jobs and crew announce new initiatives to fanboys (and girls) -- was even more anticipated than usual this year, so much so that Jobs made a special appearance despite ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 19, 2011

    Tracy Nelson, Victim Of The Blues, Embraces Muddy & Lightnin'

    Robert Hakins​Long acclaimed as one of the truly great singers of the modern era, at 66 Tracy Nelson still has the fire for performing great songs. Her latest project, Victim of the Blues, is a loving caress to her original passion: Old-school blues, particularly the Chicago variety. Nelson's ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 8, 2011

    App of the Week: Alfred

    A quick search using Alfred yielded really helpful results.​App: Alfred Platforms: Mac OSX Web site: Alfredapp.com Cost: Free (Power Pack add-on for about $20) Normally, this space is reserved for apps for the phone and the occasional Web site. This week, we're going to talk directly to M ... More >>

  • Music

    March 24, 2011

    Prince Royce

    A quick search using Alfred yielded really helpful results.​App: Alfred Platforms: Mac OSX Web site: Alfredapp.com Cost: Free (Power Pack add-on for about $20) Normally, this space is reserved for apps for the phone and the occasional Web site. This week, we're going to talk directly to M ... More >>

  • Music

    February 24, 2011

    The Pomplamoose Revolution

    How a band with no CDs or record deal is changing the music industry

  • Blogs

    November 16, 2010

    The Beatles: Are They Too Late For iTunes?

    ​This morning the Beatles and Apple announced, rather quietly, that the band was officially on the iTunes roster of artists, joining millions of others with their thirteen albums. In a statement to the press this morning, Apple chief Steve Jobs said, "We love the Beatles and are honored and ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 10, 2010

    iPod: Happy Anniversary, You Little Devil

    Can somebody please tell us what the hell Firewire is? Nine years ago today - November 10, 2001 - Apple unveiled a new kind of MP3 player known as an iPod. About the size of a deck of cards, the device contained five gigabytes of memory, enough for about 1,000 songs, and cost $400. Four. Hundred. ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 6, 2010

    FAIL: Wyclef Jean, Richard Ashcroft, Mark Wahlberg, iTunes

    Photo illustrations by John Seaborn Gray​Wyclef Jean's Latest Vanity Project: President of Haiti: Wyclef Jean is best known for being the member of the Fugees who quite improbably enjoyed the most solo success. We would have bet on Lauryn Hill, but unfortunately, she went crazy. Crazy may be ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 7, 2010

    Adios, Garageband.com

    ​Being a struggling, unsigned musician involves a lot of faith and superstition. You begin to believe that fame, fortune, and hot and cold running groupies are just around the corner, and if you can just complete that one magical task, it will all be yours for the taking. Once upon a time, yo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 30, 2010

    FAIL - Billy Corgan, Courtney Love, Justin Bieber, Celene Dion, Apple

    If you're reading this, you're either on the Internet, or else you've mastered multi-dimensional thought-projection processes that would make Michio Kaku cry like a little girl. We'll assume the former, and just in case you don't already know, the Internet has decided that the word "failure" is too ... More >>

  • Calendar

    April 15, 2010

    "Record Store Day 2010" With Freddie Steady Five, Grandfather Child, sIngs

    If you're reading this, you're either on the Internet, or else you've mastered multi-dimensional thought-projection processes that would make Michio Kaku cry like a little girl. We'll assume the former, and just in case you don't already know, the Internet has decided that the word "failure" is too ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 31, 2010

    Melissa Savcic, Not Jessica Alba But Both Band And Kickboxing Singer-Songwriter

    Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to sheaserrano@gmail.com.​The other day President Obama* ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 25, 2009

    Our Decade In iTunes, Ol' Dirty Bastard Through the Fleshtones and Good Ol' Morrissey

    ​Maybe the biggest evolution in music this decade has been the availability of online downloads, starting with Napster and ending with half a dozen legitimately - licensed venues for purchasing music over the tubes. Rocks Off will admit it. Back in the day, we were illegal downloaders. Waiting 20 ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 8, 2009

    Are MP3s and Downloading Eroding Music's Communal Properties?

    ​ Although Rocks Off had every intention of rambling about something different this week, we thought it would be a lost opportunity to not examine an issue that seems to have been revealed by readers' responses last week. Although many fantastic points were made, we were fascinated to detect that ... More >>

  • Music

    June 18, 2009

    Byte This

    Consumers try hawking "old" digital music files through new Web sites.

  • Music

    February 5, 2009

    Meiko

    Consumers try hawking "old" digital music files through new Web sites.

  • Blogs

    December 11, 2008

    Digitalia: iTunes' Top Holiday Songs

    The holiday season is a time to enjoy favorite pastimes like expanding your credit-card debt, eating way too much food, and arguing with your relatives. And of course, there's the best staple of them all: butchering holiday jingles. Never finding a song they didn't want to shill, iTunes offers an e ... More >>

  • Calendar

    December 11, 2008

    Girl In A Coma

    The holiday season is a time to enjoy favorite pastimes like expanding your credit-card debt, eating way too much food, and arguing with your relatives. And of course, there's the best staple of them all: butchering holiday jingles. Never finding a song they didn't want to shill, iTunes offers an e ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 12, 2008

    Artist of the Week: Debbie Forrest

    The holiday season is a time to enjoy favorite pastimes like expanding your credit-card debt, eating way too much food, and arguing with your relatives. And of course, there's the best staple of them all: butchering holiday jingles. Never finding a song they didn't want to shill, iTunes offers an e ... More >>

  • Calendar

    September 4, 2008

    Kate Voegele

    The holiday season is a time to enjoy favorite pastimes like expanding your credit-card debt, eating way too much food, and arguing with your relatives. And of course, there's the best staple of them all: butchering holiday jingles. Never finding a song they didn't want to shill, iTunes offers an e ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 27, 2008

    My First Guitar Hero Lesson

    The holiday season is a time to enjoy favorite pastimes like expanding your credit-card debt, eating way too much food, and arguing with your relatives. And of course, there's the best staple of them all: butchering holiday jingles. Never finding a song they didn't want to shill, iTunes offers an e ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 7, 2007

    Download: Pimp C, 1973-2007

    The holiday season is a time to enjoy favorite pastimes like expanding your credit-card debt, eating way too much food, and arguing with your relatives. And of course, there's the best staple of them all: butchering holiday jingles. Never finding a song they didn't want to shill, iTunes offers an e ... More >>

  • Music

    September 13, 2007

    Zookeeper

    The holiday season is a time to enjoy favorite pastimes like expanding your credit-card debt, eating way too much food, and arguing with your relatives. And of course, there's the best staple of them all: butchering holiday jingles. Never finding a song they didn't want to shill, iTunes offers an e ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 21, 2007

    I Want My MP3

    The holiday season is a time to enjoy favorite pastimes like expanding your credit-card debt, eating way too much food, and arguing with your relatives. And of course, there's the best staple of them all: butchering holiday jingles. Never finding a song they didn't want to shill, iTunes offers an e ... More >>

  • Music

    May 3, 2007

    Critic's Dictionary

    The A's

  • Calendar

    July 27, 2006

    No Phishing

    The A's

  • Calendar

    January 5, 2006

    Hard Like Satin

    The A's

  • Music

    November 24, 2005

    The Shout Out Louds

    Sunday, November 27, at the Meridian, 1503 Chartres, 713-225-1717.

  • Culture

    April 11, 2002

    When Online Got Off Base

    Or: How Mark Cuban would have--and could have?--saved the music biz

  • Music

    January 10, 2002

    Napster's Spawn

    File-sharing copycats keep free music alive on the Net. The Big Five labels still call it theft.

  • Culture

    November 9, 2000

    Ransom Notes

    Can one man convince millions of people to pay for their "free" music?

  • More >>
VOICE Daily Deals

Most Popular Stories

for free stuff, news info & more!

Now Click This

About Us | Media Kit | Work for Houston Press | Esubscribe | Free Classifieds | Houston Press Advertising | National Online Advertising | Mobile | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Site Problems? | RSS | Site Map
© 2012 Houston Press, LP, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
avatar
Newsletters | Mobile
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy