THANK YOU. Every damn year it comes down to finger pointing at music "piracy" as the downfall of the music industry, when it's just a changing market that needs to be worked with and evolved with. Print media adapted to it quite well (i.e. tablet subscriptions, special paid online content and features, etc.). The music industry has been the absolute slowest in adapting to technology the past two decades because they're so intent on criminalizing and fining their actual CUSTOMERS. So many studies are coming out showing that people who download movies and music illegally are also the same people who A) Spread the word about the films/albums/artists to more people (of which many may be more "paying" customers), and B) Tend to actually pay for a vinyl or album or concert ticket to see the artists they truly love or the ticket to go see the movie they have to see on the big screen. Instead of working WITH that customer base, the music industry has continually worked against them since the early 90s.
I mean--really--who would have thought that people who illegally download entertainment are also the ones loyal enough to front the money where it really matters!
No it's not...it's called "Album of the Week" for a reason; because it's chosen as best of the week. Plus, the whole POINT is that we're talking about it........we shouldn't. If you see what I wrote in the comment above, this site, by their own definition, is meant for the community of independent and alternative music (neither of which Usher is). I may as well be on XXLmag.com or Billboard.com.
Your comment is about as apathetic as they come.
Everyone's acting like promotions like these are such a "great" and "honest" move by Stereogum, because it displays open-mindedness and rejects the stereotype that publications like these prefer to just name drop or promote "I've never heard of them, so they must be terrible" bands. The truth is that this is just another trendy-friendly move: to promote and grab on to what's actually popular or backed by the majority (seeing as how youth has moved toward "indie" and rejecting the mainstream). It makes sense then, because it's trendy to be UNtrendy.
But this is just....sad. I think someone's already mentioned it, but Usher's album is going to get PLENTY of attention, hype, and promotion without Stereogum's help. The POINT of sites like Stereogum (at least how it seemed to me originally) was to promote and give a voice to the lesser known artists who are struggling to be heard in a sea of Ushers....The last thing those hard-working bands need is a slap to the face from the publications that they could finally trust on.
In fact, why don't I read you the "About" section from Stereogum directly:
"Stereogum.com was one of the first MP3 blogs and remains the leading online community for INDEPENDENT and ALTERNATIVE music news, downloads, and videos. Its audience includes passionate music fans, industry folks, and household names like Kanye West, Ben Gibbard, and Ryan Adams."
Please note that I left that second sentence in there, because it says "audience"...NOT "subjects."
This is why this site has started to sicken me. (That sounds overdramatic, but it's true.) It's a smack in the face to all of the TRULY independent bands who are working their asses off. They get looked over throughout the ENTIRE mainstream music industry on a day-to-day basis. They don't need to get shafted by the independent and alternative music industry as well.
Well....I guess isn't going to get any attention at this point. But I wanna put in my cents:
15) Bear in Heaven: "I Love You, It's Cool"
14) Pseudo Kids: "Stay Calm" EP
13) Spiritualized: "Sweet Heart Sweet Light"
12) Earth: "Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II"
11) Schoolboy Q: "Habits & Contradictions"
10) Frankie Rose: "Interstellar"
9) Lotus Plaza: "Spooky Action at a Distance"
8) Loma Prieta: "IV"
7) Andrew Bird: "Break It Yourself"
6) Burial: "Kindred" EP
5) Conan: "Monnos"
4) Beach House: "Bloom"
3) Drudkh "Eternal Turn of the Wheel"
2) John Talabot: "fin"
1) Cloud Nothings: "Attack on Memory"
Still wrong on the Sleigh Bells/Nicki Minaj front . . . plus, Postcard from 1952 was the best thing I've seen in a lonnnnng ass time. Simply beautiful.
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