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The band X Ambassadors created a music video for the visually impaired
For people who are blind or visually impaired, listening to a music video is often just like listening to the track. The band X Ambassadors wants to change that. They've teamed up with Microsoft to create an "audio-only music video" that's meant to allow blind, low-vision and sighted fans to enjoy the single "Boom" in a new way.
The 'Death Stranding' trailer music is headed to vinyl
Hideo Kojima has the video game industry in a frenzy. The Metal Gear creator released a new teaser for his latest project, Death Stranding, to rapturous applause on Friday night at The Game Awards. It's deliciously weird, featuring one-time Silent Hills collaborator Guillermo del Toro, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (Doctor Strange, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and a vanishing baby. The trailer, like its spooky predecessor, features the music of Low Roar, which specialist record producer Mondo is now planning to release on vinyl. You'll get two tracks, I'll Keep Coming and Easy Way Out, on the 12-inch "clear with heavy black splatter" single.
European commissioner promises single mobile market by 2015
Europe may be enjoying deeper and deeper integration, but that doesn't extend to mobile connectivity; citizens are still whacked with hefty roaming rates. European digital commissioner Neelie Kroes hopes to change this, telling business leaders that she's planning to push through a single mobile telecoms market before she retires in 2015. Speaking at the European Business Summit, she said she had "no intention to retire until [she'd] knocked down all the barriers to a single market," which was her "major priority" for the rest of her term. Hopefully those on that side of the pond will never again have to fork over $8 per day just to check Vine.
Radiohead releasing new downloadable album, MC Hammer releases new iPad single
You may remember, about four years ago, Radiohead raising a stink over the digital release of its album In Rainbows. The band decided to "sell" the album on its website, asking fans to pay whatever they wanted, while at the same time shunning Apple's iTunes service, claiming they wanted to sell the album rather than individual songs. Back then, Radiohead's statement was pretty amazing, if only because there weren't a lot of other digital channels besides Apple's store. Now, of course, there are a few more ways to buy your music online. Radiohead's gone iTunes anyway, and more artists have decided to sell music themselves. But Radiohead is back at it -- they've announced that a new album will be sold a little more traditionally, but at a US$9 download for an MP3 version, as well as physically starting at $48. I doubt it'll be quite as disruptive a model as In Rainbows was, but figured it was worth a mention. And speaking of releasing new music, MC Hammer released a brand new single on the Flipboard iPad app this month. You'll know Flipboard as a social aggregator, but apparently the company took a musical turn the other week when it premiered the brand new single "See Her Face" on the pages of its app alone. There's no word on how the release went over, but you can listen to the song itself, even if you don't have the iPad app, on Flipboard's site.
Universal Music and Sony releasing singles same day they hit the radio, will anyone buy them?
The humble single has been given a new shot at life, an extension to the lease on its breathing machine, a little more food in its tube. Universal Music and Sony have begun a new policy called "On Air, On Sale" that makes music singles available the same day they hit the airwaves, in theory stemming the tide of piracy by making music available legally more quickly. Of course, the number of people actually listening to those radio stations is also dwindling, and whether or not people really want to buy singles vs. entire albums these days remains to be seen. But, hey, earlier is usually better than later, right?
Last chance to enter to win a Creative headset of your own
This is finally it -- your last chance as a single commenter to pick yourself up a Creative World of Warcraft wireless gaming headset. We've been giving one of these away every single week for a few months now, and today we've finally run out of the single headsets, so here's your last chance to leave a comment on this post and win one on your own. As usual, the contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), and everyone who enters must be 13 or older. To enter, leave a comment on this post before Wednesday, November 18th, at midnight eastern, and please be sure to use a real email that you check often to enter, so we can contact the winners when we choose them. One winner will be chosen. You may enter only once, and each winner will get a Creative World of Warcraft Wireless Gaming Headset, with a retail value of $150. Please note: winners will not receive the headset until it is released later this year. Click here to read the official contest rules. Good luck -- oh, and are you wondering why we said "single headset"? Because we will have yet another contest next week, but it'll be more of a "group quest" kind of thing, where you and some friends will have a chance to win a raid full of headsets for yourselves. Stay tuned for more info in one week's time.
Capcom: Multiple platforms 'segment' multiplayer market
While there have been a handful of exceptions, generally speaking if you want to play your games over the internet, you'd better hope your friends are doing so on your platform of choice. Now Capcom has become the latest company to bemoan having to support multiple platforms while wishing for a future when fanboys can hold hands and play games together online."In an ideal world all the back ends would talk to each other so people could compete together and play together," commented Capcom USA development director Adam Boyes, who added that having multiple gaming platforms "segments the market for multiplayer." While we can see his point, particularly given Capcom's recent interest in taking its console games online, we still can't shake the notion that gamers are better off having multiple platforms competing to help spur innovation -- but don't let us speak for you. Do you like having multiple platforms, or would you rather have a single one for all your gaming wants and needs?
Chili Pepper listening parties to be held at Apple Stores
It's great to see that when the Peppers (finally) decide to commit to something, they really dive in: iLounge is reporting that on May 2nd at 6:30 pm local time, Apple Stores in the U.S., Canada and UK will hold listening parties for the band's new album, Stadium Arcadium, set to land on May 9th. The stores will play all 28 songs from the new album and will be giving away a limited number of iTunes cards so fans can download the new single, "Dani California" (iTMS link). Let's also not forget that pre-ordering the new album enters you into a contest for a logo-engraved, 60 GB Chili Peppers iPod, and gives you access to a Ticketmaster pre-sale for the band's North American tour.
