Will Apple’s purchase of Lala lead to the DEATH OF DOWNLOADING? Some interesting insights via Tech Crunch:

For years there’s been speculation that Apple would supplement their $1/song (now $1.29) iTunes business with a monthly subscription service, but their upcoming plans are quite different and once again are positioning them to lead the digital music industry into a new era. Leveraging their ubiquitous iTunes software Apple plans to upgrade their users almost over night to a cloud music service in an ambitious move to beat Amazon and others to a cloud music service. Record labels are wary to give Apple even greater dominance which is why Apple’s new strategy is designed to sidestep new licenses from the major labels.

Apple’s recent acquisition of digital music startup Lala rekindled speculation of an iTunes subscription service. There’s no shortage of subscription offerings (Napster, Rhapsody, Spotify, Pandora, etc), but none have attracted the millions of subscribers necessary to make the high royalty structures work. Experts have pondered that Apple’s design expertise and hardware integration could make subscription work. And leveraging Lala’s digital library, licenses from the major labels, and a management team who cycled through several business models including the ten cent web song rental could make it a reality. It’s a logical assumption, but after talking to a wide variety of insider sources it’s clear there is no upcoming Apple subscription service and Apple has far different plans.

Read the rest of the article on Tech Crunch and leave your thoughts in the comments.

It’s melancholy, partially in black and white and there is fire in it. Yay FIRE!

Toro Y Moi’s blissful  tune gets an accompanying video with a chill, low-key vibe from director John Casey. Toro’s excellent debut, Causers of This, is out in February on Carpark. You can catch him on tour with The Ruby Suns (MP3) through the Spring.

In case you don’t watch American Idol, “Pants on the Ground” is the brainchild of new comer/old guy General Larry Platt, and ithas become a web sensation. Watch the original and check out Jimmy Fallon as Neil Young performing moving interpretation below:

Watch video remixes of the song and read the newly issued study from the University of Minnesota that says that the song is “no laughing matter to the millions of Americans who have made a choice to wear their pants on the ground.”

Ridiculous proggers Manakin perform ““Something is Locked Inside of My Soul” with the creepiest intro ever. This band fucking RULES.

Surfer Blood cover Neutral Milk Hotel’s classic “Two-Headed Boy” during a photoshoot. Well done.

The result of The Ruby Suns‘ new single, from their upcoming Fight Softly album, is a swirling mix of neo-psychedelic melodies and subdued African rhythms. Summer, hurry your ass up!

{MP3} The Ruby Suns – “Cranberry”

It’s a previously released song from the (former?) lo-fi girl gang known as Dum Dum Girls, but now it’s been re-recorded for the big time — their upcoming Sub Pop debut, I Will Be. If the rest if the album’s songwriting and production are this good, then we are in for a treat.

{MP3} Dum Dum Girls – “Jail La La”

Jay Reatard, a modern-day punk rock genius, has died. At just 29 years of age, he had already produced a body of amazing music that would be envied by people twice his age. Above you can watch last year’s documentary, which profiled a promising career that was tragically cut short. Below you can check out his epic performance at Sailor Jerry here in Philly. One of his best:

You will be missed, Jay. Thank you for the awesome music.

If you don’t already own it, I suggest picking up his 2006 album Blood Visions, which I consider to be one of the best punk albums ever made.

See a list of all Jay Reatard related posts on The Walrus, after the jump…

READ MORE

(via Revel in NY)

Check out this video, profiling one of my favorite electronic music connoisseurs Veronica Vasicka, whose label Minimal Wave is doing a great job of releasing undiscovered, early synth gems from all over the world.

In the video, she discusses how Minimal Wave came to be, her role in it and the current crop of bands revisiting analog synth.

For those who are just beginning to discover the strange and beautiful world of rare, early synth-pop, you can download this excellent FREE Minimal Wave mix that Veronica recently put together for Stones Throw (now with an updated track-list). It’s a great primer and a nice preview of the forthcoming Minimal Waves Tapes produced by Veronica and Peanut Butter Wolf.

Also, be sure to catch Veronica’s weekly show on East Village Radio, Sundays from 6-8pm. Always a great listen.

Check out this interview with The Big Pink that I recently conducted for Art in the Age. Core members Robbie and Milo discuss everything from their music to fishing to war movies.

Their debut album, A Brief History of Love, is available now.

Here’s another sick remix from NJ native and my favorite artist of 2009, Memory Tapes. This time Gucci gets the dizzying electronic treatment for the new Diplo “Free Gucci” Mixtape:

{MP3} Gucci Mane – “Excuse Me” (Memory Tapes Remix)

Get the full tape HERE.