Yep you read that right. Prince is really going to give his new album away for free in a newspaper. I guess he wants to get the music to the massess.

The thing that stands out the most in this article from The Guardian is how pissed off some of the retailers are about this. I suppose I can understand their anger since it takes money out of their pocket but is it justified?

Hell no!

Music retailers are a dying breed. Instead of whining about how one artist is going to market his own material, perhaps they would make better use their time by thinking about another business venture.

How Prince, or any other artist, wants to market their own music is none of their business. If the guy wants to give his stuff away for free, thats his decision. Besides, giving stuff away for free isn’t such a bad strategy.

It is always cool to see an artist with his stature mix things up a little.

Here is some good news for all you music fans and artists out there. About a month ago I register the Musicgoat with a site called The Indie Bible.

In a nutshell what The Indie Bible does is provide a resource for bands and artists looking to get the word out about their music. They can use this resource to find places to get their music reviewed and played.

They just released their latest edition a day or two ago and I have been swamped with requests to do reviews. These requests come from a wide range of artists with an even wider range of musical style. I have everything from country to rock to jazz to a sultry female vocalist. Very cool!

What does this mean for you?

If you are a music fan you are in for a treat. The Musicgoat is going to be able to expose you to a steady stream of diverse music to keep your music collections and play lists as fresh as possible.

If you are an artist you are going to be exposed to fans with an open mind and a love for music. Also, you are definitely going to want to check out The Indie Bible because, as I have witnessed first hand, they will help you get the word out.

Anyway, I just thought I would let you in on this exciting development. I am really jacked up about this and I can’t get my upcoming podcast up soon enough. In the days and weeks to come I will be feverishly reviewing the music and getting the as much info to you as I can. Stay tuned or just subscribe, if you haven’t already, it’s free.

P.S. If you are on MySpace stop by and check out the new Musicgoat profile. Send me an invitation to be your contact.

Do you listen to internet radio? If so what are you going to do tomorrow?

Not sure if you knew this or not but tomorrow there will be a internet radio blackout to help further the cause of the SaveNetRadio campaign. They are protesting against the proposed internet radio royalty hikes. Here is a heads up as far as what you can do if you have nothing to listen to tomorrow.

The heads up comes from a suggestion that Adam Curry made in this post on his blog the other day. Curry is basically promoting his own Podshow.com and Pod Safe Music Network but it is all good stuff. Either one should keep your toe tapping just like any other day.

I haven’t done to much with the Podshow site but, in preparation for my upcoming podcast, I have spent a ton of time on the Pod Safe Music Network. There is a ton of good stuff on there if you look around. Also, you might want to check out Adams podcast; The Daily Source Code. There is a huge backlog of shows that are entertaining, offer a few laughs and good music.

There ya go. Now you have another avenue to take tomorrow. Don’t be left in the dark (or should I say silence), go check out Adam Curry’s internet radio blackout alternative now and start preparing.

Sometimes polls are kind of fun and even insightful. Recently, The Sun reported on a poll about the most annoying songs.

I find it very hard to disagree with a few of the songs on this list. The James Blunt song certainly grinds on me. I think it is something with that voice

La Macarena could actually be higher in my opinion. I was around throughout the 90’s and I was a DJ that had to play the song frequently for drunken college co-eds. It was everywhere and it was endless.

Anyway, that’s my two cents. Are there any other songs you think are be missing from the list?

If you didn’t already notice I have reorganized my categories a bit. This should help you navigate the blog a little better and help you find some stuff you didn’t know was there.

Also, I want to thank you for taking the time to read the Musicgoat. I truly appreciate it.

Since it is my goal to keep you coming back for more, keep in mind that if you have any questions, suggestions or comments, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I’d really love to hear from you.

Have a good one.

In the past I’ve put out some articles concerning my participation in a petition to keep royalty fees from getting high enough to squeeze out smaller internet broadcasters. In protest to this many of the online radio stations are going to protest by hitting the off button next Tuesday, June 26th. You can read more on that here.

I’ve been looking into the cost of paying royalties for when I start up my podcasts. It isn’t really that cheap to begin with but the prices are fair. They are affordable for someone who really wants the freedom to share and promote good music by any artist. If the price gets any higher, small guys like myself aren’t going to be able to afford it which will mean that internet radio will slowly start sounding like your local one size fits all stations (fine if you like that stuff).

I want to be able to play and promote anything just as I do now for my friends and family. I would also like help promote good bands with the opportunity to get compensated for my efforts without the fear of a big fine because I pissed off a band or record company.

In my opinion it is in the best interest of the fans and the artists to keep royalties low enough for small guys to get involved but increase royalties as the revenue from these smaller outfits increases. That way everyone wins; you the fan won’t get a watered down selection of music, broadcasters won’t be deterred from doing what they do best, and you the artist will get a level playing field to promote your music all while being fairly compensated for your efforts.

Just in time for summer. I came across this handy little chunk of info this morning and thought you would find it useful. Gomestic.com has authored a post entitled How to Freeze a Beer in Just Two Minutes.

If you are looking for a concert this weekend you might want to check out this site; BeeThere.net. It is a concert search engine which lists a large number of shows around the US and Canada. It is totally free and you can search by city or by your favorite artist or band.

This site is a useful tool for both fan and artist. For the fan there are a bunch of things you can do like; create an artist watch list, load artists from iTunes and get customized updates via email or RSS notification. They also mention something about the opportunity to get discounted tickets and win prizes.

For the artist you have another great tool to stay in touch with your fans and get nationwide coverage. You can add a bio and upcoming your show information.

Being an artist and fan, this sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Check it out this handy concert search engine now.

Did you see my last post with a video of Eddie VanHalen in his home studio? Well Keith Dick over at LifeTimeGamer did and this is what he had to say;

I think he needs a few more cigarettes stuck under the strings on the headstock.. hehe…Nice find keep ‘em coming…

I too appreciate the trade mark cigarette on the headstock and since Keith wants more, he gets it. Here’s a video I found of Eddie putting on some sort of exhibition. This isn’t one of his best performances but he has the cigarette and, what I think is, one hell of a buzz.

Check out the video and see if you can guess what his blood alcohol level is.

If you like to read reviews and hear about new bands and artists then you are in luck. I am going to start doing at least one album review per week. I have been doing some advertising on a few other sites and I am pretty sure it will produce some content for me to review. Many bands and artists out there are looking for exposure and I want to give it to them if they are good.

To get the ball rolling, I am going to review a compilation. Besides being out for a few years now (and having the longest title in the title in my collection), this album and its tracks incorporate a lot of what Musicgoat music is all about. It almost doesn’t matter what your taste in music is with this cd. Metalheads, Indie, Acoustic and Blues fans alike will appreciate many of these cuts.

Let me start with the highlights. Cinderella really surprised me on “Shake Me.” I almost didn’t recognize it at first. They took a relatively straight forward rock song, slowed it down and painted on some cozy blues texture. The harmony’s, the riffs… yummy.

I was literally addicted to LA Guns acoustic version of “Sex Action.” The song is almost sleazier in acoustic. I like.

“Here I Go Again” is a great strummer and really highlights David Coverdale’s vintage 70’s howling-hard blues vocals.

With a guilty pleasure factor of 15 on a scale from 1 to 10 there is just something about Jani Lanes version of “Cherry Pie.” A tip for the guys; careful how loud you have this one up when the windows are down in your car. Trust me!

Not sure how I feel about “Rock You Like A Hurricane” by the Scorpions. The song has been brutally overplayed for years now but I guess it was nice to hear another version. It is alright but I’m not sure if the arrangement goes well with the theme. It doesn’t really rock like a hurricane, more like a very mild thunderstorm.

Everything else is pretty decent, except the following. Listen at your own risk.

I have always been a fan of Ratt but don’t even waste your time with this unrecognizable, disappointing and almost confusing version of “Round and Round.” What the hell?

Poisons Talk Dirty to me doesn’t do anything except beg for distortion. Nelson “Love and Affection”… no comment.

All labels aside, this CD has a little something for everyone. This was quite a surprise and an adventure for an old metalhead like myself. Check it out – VH1 Classic Presents: Metal Mania – Stripped, Vol. 2: The Anthems

P.S. Have something you want me to review? No problem! Just fill out the info using my Contact page and let me know what it is. I will see what I can do.