indie

Free MP3s: Indie To Go Vol. 12

We're only a few weeks into 2008 and you can tell that it's going to be a great year for music. New releases by British Sea Power, Sia (we have her full album stream!) and The Oaks are worthy of the Best of 2008 (let's just hope we remember them at the end of the year). But we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves -- we're still enjoying the Best of 2007. Indie To Go is an iPod-friendly sampler that features topnotch indie newcomers and chart-toppers. Stream the playlist below (while you work), then visit the … Read more

Box sets make good gifts

While some of us begin our holiday shopping while still full on Thanksgiving dinner, others wait until the last minute. If you're somewhere in the middle, you're probably looking for ideas right about...now. Well, nothing says "I love you" like a box set. We just added timeless collections by iconic artists such as Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra. So, if you're looking for gifts for mom, dad, Aunt Peggy, Cousin Timmy, or simply a friend who's into the classics, check out these fine box sets. And and enjoy this free box set playlist while you browse.

Billie Holiday

This new 80-song collection focuses on Holiday's Columbia years (1933-1944), by most accounts her finest period. It's hard to argue with that. Lady Day's coyness and vulnerability rarely stand in sharper relief, and her stellar session musicians--including Benny Goodman--mourn right along.

Bob Dylan

The master's new three-disc box set meets you wherever you are: beginners will find an exhaustive introduction, old fans a taste of the stunning recent recordings, and casual listeners a chance for one-stop shopping. To all, it will show a truly American artiste constantly refining what that means.

Sufjan Stevens… Read more

Screenwriters strike playlist

While some 12,000 TV and film screenwriters go on strike this week, people are filling the void by turning to other forms of media, such as DVDs and the Internet. Ironically, these outlets are exactly what the members of the Writers Guild want more of the profit of (and don't want people to support). They're hoping to come to an agreement soon, although the last walk out like this (in 1988) lasted for five months. Ouch.

We'll miss The Office, Desperate Housewives and Conan O'brien, but it's not the end of the world, right? … Read more

Sub Pop offering direct MP3 sales

As a vinyl collector, I've always held Sub Pop in high regard. Not only does the iconic Seattle-based label release a lot of LPs, it doesn't charge an arm and a leg for them--I've bought some records from Sub Pop bands for the same price or less than the CD costs.

Last week, Sub Pop began selling MP3 downloads, and its catalog has rapidly expanded, now encompassing more than 200 full-length albums. The price is $9.90 and the format is 192kbps MP3, meaning they can be played on any application or device, unlike downloads from iTunes … Read more

John Ralston podcast

While on tour with Vagrant Records labelmate Dashboard Confessional, John Ralston stopped by Studio C at CNET to share unplugged tracks from his latest album Sorry Vampire. He performed "Ghetto Tested," "Fragile" plus an exclusive bonus track--for all the Ralston-heads out there. Listen to tracks from the album here, and hear the podcast here.

New releases: Dylan, The Fray and more

We take pride in our diverse catalog on Download Music. Whether it's hip-hop, indie rock, electronica or whatever you're into--we dish out the freshness every week in our newsletter. This week we got a taste of Bob Dylan's new box set (aptly named Dylan) for you to hear. Plus, The Fray just reissued its career-changing 2003 EP The Reason, while Motley Crue unleashed a new live double disc. If you're looking for something new and different, check out Mobius Band, Tunng, and Prefuse 73. Since there's some much to swallow, we made it simple for … Read more

Josh Rouse live in Studio C

Seventies rock-inspired ladies' man Josh Rouse found a few minutes out of his busy tour schedule to stop by Studio C. He treated us to solo acoustic versions of "Hollywood Bass Player" and "Sweetie" from his latest album, Country Mouse City House (which he's currently promoting on his coast to coast tour). Listen to our exclusive Studio C interview with Josh Rouse, along with many more artists such as Matt Nathanson, Lyrics Born, and Stroke 9.

Nintendo announces WiiWare

Pretty soon the Wii's online store won't be just for Virtual Console games and Opera. Nintendo just announced WiiWare, a Wii software creation service for indie developers. Smaller game companies will be able to use WiiWare to produce downloadable games to distribute and sell over Nintendo's Wii Shop Channel.

Nintendo's move has shades of Microsoft's XNA Studio Express initiative, in which the Xbox community can create games and potentially make them available for play on the Xbox 360 or on Windows machines.

This is more than welcome news for Wii owners, who have been experiencing … Read more

Tux the penguin waddles to last place in Indy 500; Joost fares better

When the pale blue "Linux car," also known as car #77 from Chastain Motorsports, was the first car to crash in the 91st Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, we can imagine hordes of geeks wishing it had been a "Vista car" instead. Imagine the "blue screen of death" jokes that could have resulted!

The Linux car, as you probably know already, was the result of a campaign called Tux 500, jump-started by two enthusiasts named Bob Moore and Ken Starks. They solicited donations from fellow Linux fans in a "community powered Linux marketing program&… Read more