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Turntable.fm is back and Turntable.fm is also coming back
Not only is the website itself back up and running (though with a password required for access), there's also another effort to bring it back in a new form.
Turntable.fm inks deals with major music labels, promises 'no traditional advertising'
Turntable.fm may not be as much of a household name as some of the other music streaming services out there, but it's certainly doing its best to catch up. After launching in June and releasing an iPhone app in September, the company has now taken another step toward the big leagues, thanks to a quartet of high profile licensing agreements. As Billboard reports, Turntable.fm has officially inked licensing deals with all four of the major music labels, confirming rumors that had been circulating last week. Founders Billy Chasen and Seth Goldstein made the announcement at SXSW yesterday, during their Turntable.fm panel. Details on the terms remain fuzzy, but both sides are already gushing over each other, with the labels seeing the service as a potential platform for talent, as well as a tool to drive purchases and subscriptions. Chasen, in return, lauded the labels for being cooler than he expected. "We felt that from the get-go the labels were absolutely different from what I'd been led to believe," he explained. "They gave us a lot of time and attention. Compared to their user base, we're a tiny service in the broad scheme of things." It remains to be seen whether Turntable.fm can join the ranks of Spotify and its ilk, but according to Goldstein, the service should stand out in at least one respect. "We're really focused on how we can improve the user experience, and we want to associate these brands as bringing value and talent for our consumers," the co-founder said, adding that the site won't feature any "traditional advertising."
iPod gets exploded, trapped in resin
Sure, your iPod is portable, lightweight, and easy to use -- but it's not exactly special is it? Perhaps you should be thieving a page from a young man named Billy Chasen, who has decided to rip apart his 4G player and encase it in a brick of translucent resin. Here's the best part: it still works. By also including the dock internals in the project, he's able to charge and control the exploded device. Practical? Not really, but that's art for you. Damien Hirst would be proud... or is suing.[Thanks, Sam]
