I suppose you have to be a dork of a certain age to be excited by the prospect of a new collaboration by David Byrne and Brian Eno, and I am just old enough to be in that demographic. The project’s website has Mr. Byrne giving you the skinny via video. This item in Pitchfork contains a track list and further detail. I encourage all whippersnappers to get up to date on this.

Mr. Byrne has spoken and played at SXSW a few times over the years. Most recently, he gave a presentation “Record Companies: Who Needs Them?” at SXSW 2007, check out a few minutes of it here. This presentation morphed into a great article in Wired. I’m now turning my attention to the gods of the weather at Zilker Park on September 26.

Original post by The Daily Chord

Posted: July 28th, 2008 under Andy, Conference, Latest News.
Comments: none

This week’s major news story in the digital music realm comes from the UK. Anti-piracy efforts that a number of ISPs have come up with include consideration of an ISP fee that would monetize music downloading from peer-to-peer networks. Yesterday’s Daily Chord linked to two articles: an overview from the BBC and analysis from The Independent. The Independent’s analysis notes that this license fee is easily perceived as a tax, and suggests that this initiative will not be easy to enact.

The issue of how to monetize distribution of music via peer-to-peer networks has vexed many. The reasons behind these efforts were discussed at a 2008 SXSW panel Mobility, Ubiquity and Monetizing Music. Watch a clip where Jim Griffin lays out the premises which have led to the current controversy. Griffin’s current work on behalf of Warner Music to create similar licensing structures in the US is still in a preliminary stage, and will doubtlessly be informed by the outcome of the issue in England.

Original post by andy

Posted: July 25th, 2008 under Andy, Panels, Conference.
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I’m back with mix #2 from SXSW 2008 showcasing artists, this time featuring artists who played on Thursday March 13. It’s just a taste of the variety of sounds heard emanating from various stages in lovely downtown Austin. Norwegian hip-hop, Quebecois lazer-bass, Swedish songcraft, weirdos from Athens GA, and much more await your ears, dive in. These mixes were made via www.muxtape.com, and you can post your own mix, too.

Last week I posted one of these for Wednesday. Any guesses what’s up next?

SXSW 08 Thursday Mix

Original post by andy

Posted: July 23rd, 2008 under Andy, Panels, Conference.
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Imagine my surprise when I commanded my Video Recording Apparatus (VRA) to replay the Neil Young interview on Charlie Rose that I blogged about last week, and learned that Charlie re-scheduled the airing. I was crushed, and didn’t catch it when it aired the next evening. Luckily, Charlie archives his shows online, and you can watch the interview here. The genesis of 2006’s “Living With War” and the subsequent tour with CSNY is covered, events which came right after his 2006 SXSW keynote.

This photo, shot by Gary Miller, captures the moment I met Neil as he made his way down the service corridor of the convention center before the keynote. That’s Jonathan Demme in front, with me to his left and Neil to his right. I can’t remember what I said, but I’m pretty sure it was dorky. Most of my brushes with greatness have happened in this service corridor.

Original post by andy

Posted: July 22nd, 2008 under Andy, Panels, Conference.
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SXSW ‘08 Keynoter Lou Reed is in the news as Julian Schnabel’s film ‘Lou Reed’s Berlin’ has opened in theaters in New York and Los Angeles. The NY Times gave a positive review here. The film has its own website, and fans should also have Lou’s home page bookmarked.

Relive highlights of the SXSW keyote via the SXSW 2008 Player. Scroll down to select the Lou footage, or download/watch directly here.

Original post by andy

Posted: July 21st, 2008 under Andy, Panels, Conference, Latest News.
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2006 SXSW Music Keynote Neil Young is on Charlie Rose tonight. Lately Neil has been mostly interested in talking about the electric car project he’s working on, surely he and Charlie will talk about that. Another topic on the table is the documentary of the 2006 CSNY tour that is making its way to the marketplace. Hardcore Neil fans will surely be watching for some mention of the long-awaited Archives project. The latest word is that the project is going to be on Blu-Ray discs only and will be out this fall. After so many delays, I’ll believe it when it arrives at retail. Anyway, set your Video Recording Thingie (VRT) to catch Neil, it’s always interesting to hear what’s on his mind.

The 2006 Keynote with Neil Young and Jonathan Demme is still up in our archives, and well worth a watch.

Original post by andy

Posted: July 15th, 2008 under Andy, Conference, Latest News.
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Hi music blog readers, Andy Flynn here, you may know me from The Daily Chord, a web page that has been on sxsw.com since the dawn of the interwebs. Actually it was May 1999 that we started posting a handful of music news stories each day. That’s right, we’ve been in the game way longer than any other music news aggregators that we know. A good chunk of people subscribe to our email version which lists the stories and fiendishly links to our web page so you can surf to your heart’s content from our home base. Please check out the Chord, it will help you make sense of a music business which is still in the midst of convulsive change.

The origin of The Daily Chord was in our work on the SXSW Music Conference, the panels, speeches, interviews, and workshops that we present every March. As we trudge through the dog days of July, we’re going to post about the coverage we have of our events from this past March, among other things.

First up - a video from our first speech of 2008, Martin Atkins’ presentation. Martin, the drummer from Pigface and other bands that your mother should have warned you about, has written a great book for aspiring musicians titled “Tour Smart.” The book, and Martin’s live presentation are highly recommended for a comprehensive, provocative, and entertaining guide to life on the road these days. To check out a bit of Martin’s SXSW presentation, open our 2008 Player and click on the Tour Smart link. Alternately, you can download the clip here. If this piques your interest, by all means check out Martin’s site and/or buy the book.

Martin’s SXSW presentation drew a lively crowd and anchored the Wednesday series of panels which are designed to give the straight poop on the art and business of music. Martin dropped us a note this week to let us know about a recent ‘All Things Considered’ piece and to throw his hat in the ring for a 2009 appearance. We hope that happens.

That’s all for today. It’s time to ponder whether to use the royal “we” in my posts from here on out. Check out today’s Chord for a number of summer festival-related stories. Feel free to email me. Bye for now. - Andy

Original post by andy

Posted: July 10th, 2008 under Andy, Panels, Conference.
Comments: none

I am not as stalwart as some of these other music bloggers, I’m finding. I apologize for this random week.

Must dash, promise to report something of value soon. Perhaps the always excellent Melissa Dennis will aggravate some Bonnaroo for ya!

In the meantime, don’t forget to watch My Morning Jacket on Late Night with Conan O’Brien tonight!

Ack! lp

Original post by LP

Posted: June 19th, 2008 under Conference.
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New book by Joe Nick Patoski

Local Texas writer Joe Nick Patoski’s new book, Willie Nelson: An Epic Life, came out this April and has been receiving rave reviews across the globe, from the New York Times to the UK music magazine MOJO and all points in between.

“An Epic Life comes aptly titled…. Mr. Patoski interviewed countless people close to Willie as well as the man himself, and his attention to detail is impeccable….We experience the heart of Willie Nelson.”
—Dallas Morning News

“A much-needed and well-told biography,…Nelson’s quiet determination and unwavering focus shine through the pages of this admirable biography…. He has lived a sprawling, uniquely American life, and it deserves an examination this comprehensive.”
—Alan Light, New York Times Book Review

Joe Nick has a slate of upcoming book signings and an interview on the Bob Edwards Show to air June 18th on XM 133.

Joe Nick interviewed Willie Nelson’s long-time harmonica player Mickey Rafael at SXSW this year. Watch the video here.

Original post by melissa

Posted: June 9th, 2008 under Conference, Latest News.
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OurStage who sponsored the music interview suite Studio SX at South by Southwest 2008 and co-sponsored the packed SXSW Film Closing Party (where Moby and Addictive TV played) has announced a strategic partnership with AOL Music.

On OurStage.com, independent bands can upload music and videos and compete for prizes, with site members voting for the winners. This content, including new music by top-ranked artists, interviews, streaming audio, and videos will now be available for distribution on AOL Music.

“Our partnership with AOL Music has given us international exposure on the world’s largest music site,” says Dean Tsouvalas, VP of Product for OurStage.

OurStage has also announced a slate of music festival partnerships for the 2008 festival season. Bonnaroo, Noise Pop, and Bumbershoot, among others, will tap OurStage to help fill out their line-ups using the company’s fan-driven music filters to identify the best emerging talent on their site.

Since its inception in 2007, OurStage has developed relationships with dozens of music industry partners to create career-launching opportunities for artists who are charting on the site.

Original post by melissa

Posted: May 8th, 2008 under Conference.
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