
That's how much someone paid for a signed Jackson 5 record released by Motown to coincide with a 1971 TV special called Goin' Back to Indiana. (For that money, I could've replaced my entire lost music collection, gone to Japan for a three-week vacation, and made a handsome contribution to my favorite charity.)

The sale was part of an auction—scheduled before the entertainer's June 25 death—held to unload some Michael Jackson memorabilia. Read more about the auction here.
ht: wax_fm via Twitter
I hit Everyday Music around 10 pm Thursday and headed straight for the Michael Jackson CD section. It had been picked pretty clean, along with the Jackson 5 selection. I was hoping to score Off the Wall, but no luck. Over in the vinyl bins, I found zero MJ platters and a few (very cheap) copies of the Jacksons' Triumph and a best-of J5 collection.
Store manager David Miranda told me that within minutes of Jackson's death, Everyday Music experienced a crush of customers seeking MJ's releases. "This 60-something, toothless Caucasian woman came in frantically looking for a copy of Thriller," he said. "That really tells you how broad [Jackson's] impact was."
He said he put in an order for 65 copies of Thriller, which are expected to arrive Saturday within a couple of weeks.
Below is my favorite J5 song that hasn't been over-played.
Since I Live less than a block from the 15th Avenue Sonic Boom, I have mixed feelings upon learning that it's moving to a new location (on Melrose between Pike and Pine). On one hand, I'm obviously bummed that one of the best record stores in the city won't be within a stone's throw of my front door, but on the other hand, I'm relieved that one of the best record stores in the city won't be within a stone's throw of my front door. When I do have money (rare), it's all too tempting to part with it there, and when I don't have money (most of the time), it's fucking torture to walk past that place almost every night. In all seriousness though, Sonic Boom on 15th, you will be greatly missed, and good luck at the new location.
On a side note, I'm surprised to hear that Olympia Pizza and Spaghetti House III will be expanding into the space. I know the food is great, but it never seems busy enough to justify an expansion. My advice to owner Harry Nicoloudakis: Build it out as a low-key bar/lounge. There's definitely a niche to be filled in that neighborhood, because sometimes Hopvine Pub, Liberty, and The Canterbury just don't really fit the bill, and they're always fairly busy, if not packed.

The promo CD for the Tectonic label’s Tectonic Plates Vol. 2 features a computerized female voice intoning on every track, “Together we will beat piracy—mainly by me speaking over all the good bits.” And: "It is tiresome, I know. But the good news is, you can buy it and I won't be there on the final version." It’s one of the cleverest tactics yet in record companies’ ongoing battle to coax motherfuckers not to leak music to the internet. It subtly guilt trips you while giving you a “we’re all in this struggle together” feeling that lonely, poor music journalists rarely experience. And it’s funny.
By the way, Tectonic Plates Vol. 2—which features tracks by Martyn, Skream, Benga, 2562, Flying Lotus, Pinch, and others—is sounding damn good so far, five tracks in. I’m thinking it might be the Headz of dubstep comps. More later.
Music critic Christopher R. Weingarten on why folks like he and I won't have jobs this time next year (please hold your applause for the comments):
(via Idolator)
Helienne Lindvall, over at the Guardian, asks the question:
A major UK agent (again, anonymous) says that Ticketmaster often makes more money than the artist from a concert, once the act's management has paid for the venue, promotion, sound and lights, road crew, transport, hotels etc. And, unlike Ticketmaster, if the gig doesn't sell out the artist risks losing money. "What the fuck have they [Ticketmaster] risked?" says the agent. "They haven't risked a penny other than staffing. Manchester Arena had the highest booking fee on my artist's tour. Could I bring it down? No. 'Fuck off, we're the only arena in Manchester,' they said."
From the L.A. Times music blog Pop & Hiss:
[R]ecent figures released by Nielsen SoundScan indicate that overall U.S. vinyl sales will once again set a benchmark in 2009, with sales up 50% through the first five months of the year.
Read the whole report here.
One wonders how many small indie shops, where many (probably most) vinyl purchases occur, aren't even calculated by SoundScan. That figure has to be significant.


My, how the mightily hyped of the mid-'00s have fallen. Or are people just burning the CDs to their iTunes/iPods and ditching the package in which the music's housed? Whatever the case (pun intended), there's been an alarming influx of Arulars and Kalas in those new arrival bins at Everyday Music—which I use as a gauge for mass musical tastes in general, as it's one of the last record shops alive that tries to be all things to all people. (You can also find multiple copies of nearly every Beck release in there, too. Could it be part of the burgeoning Scientology backlash?)
Although the urge to play M.I.A.'s albums doesn't strike me very often, when it does, I still really enjoy her music. So, are you among the droves of consumers who have you fallen out of love with Ms. Arulpragasam and expunged her CDs from your shelves or deleted her MP3s from your hard drives?

Sad news came in the form of an anonymous tip this morning, and a call to Cellophane Square manager Steve Romano confirmed that the venerable University District record store will close its doors forever by the end of the month. "We've foreseen this coming for a while, but we made a pact to ride it out until the end," says Romano, an employee of 13 years. "It was really the economy—at the beginning of this year, the downfall was more precipitous than anyone expected, including the owners."
When the landlord wouldn't negotiate terms for the space, Romano says, they basically knew things would soon come to an end. "We could keep trying to nickle and dime it, or give up the fight."
The University District location was the last of what was once a chain of four stores around the Northwest, and it has employed many Seattle music-scene luminaries— Barrett Wilke (Kinski), Dann Gallucci (Murder City Devils, Modest Mouse, A Gun Called Tension), Kim Warnick (the Fastbacks), and The Stranger's own emeritus Sean Nelson.
The original four locations were bought during the dot-com boom by Djangos, an online CD retailer that "made nothing but terrible decisions and basically brought down almost every record store they bought," explained Romano.
He says that Everyday Music then bought Cellophane Square out of the Djangos bankruptcy and that they were "basically the coolest owners out of all three if you really want to know the truth."
Of the longtime employees, Romano says, "We're just a bunch of music dorks, and we had a great time while it lasted. We're all just fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants kinds of people. We'll figure out [what to do next]."
I'm going there to buy a record tomorrow.
This story has been updated since its original publication.
Today local label Light in the Attic—home of the Saturday Knights and Black Angels, and keen reissuers of classics by Rodriguez, the Monks, Betty Davis, Serge Gainsbourg, and others—is sending Sandy Wilson, Troy Nelson, Tyson Pickerel, and Cody Hurd in a van down the West Coast to sell its merchandise to indie music shops, face to face. (Good luck to the LITA crew: Record-store employees are some ornery motherfuckers.)
But will the savings on postage outweigh the expenditure for gas? We'll be on pins and needles awaiting the answer to that question. In the meantime, you can follow the jaunt via Twitter and LITA's blog.
Read the press release and check the itinerary after the cut.
Thwarted by his label, EMI, to release his new album, Dark Night of the Soul, Gnarls Barkley producer Danger Mouse plans to issue a blank CD-R with artwork, with the implicit blessing to allow consumers to burn the music to it after finding it on the interwebs. The work is a collaboration among DM, Sparklehorse leader Mark Linkous, several guest vocalists, and filmmaker David Lynch, whose photographs inspired the music.
Danger Mouse had this to say about the dispute:
Danger Mouse's new project Dark Night Of The Soul consists of an album length piece of music by Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and a host of guest vocalists, along with a collection of original David Lynch photography inspired by and based on the music.The photographs, which provide a visual narrative for the music, are compiled in a limited edition, hand numbered 100+ page book which will now come with a blank, recordable CD-R. All copies will be clearly labeled: 'For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.'
Due to an ongoing dispute with EMI, Danger Mouse is unable to release the recorded music for Dark Night Of The Soul without fear of being sued by EMI.
Danger Mouse remains hugely proud of Dark Night Of The Soul and hopes that people lucky enough to hear the music, by whatever means, are as excited by it as he is.
Read the whole article about it here.
Tip: larry365
Mt. T Experience frontman Dr. Frank (Frank Portman) published his first novel, King Dork, back in 2006 (he also came to Seattle for a reading at Cupcake Royale). Since the book's release there have been rumors that the story would be made into a film.
The book is about a kid named Tom Henderson who fantasizes about being in a band and absolutely HATES Holden Caulfield. It's a fun read, and a film adaptation could be a really smart, funny, and good thing. According to punknews.org, the book was optioned in 2006 by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay but now, Dr. Frank has updated the progress, saying:
"...a new deal was reached just this week. The King Dork movie: it lives. This time around it is Sony Pictures. Same producers (Gary Sanchez.) Seth Gordon, the guy who did King of Kong, is attached to direct. This doesn't necessarily mean it'll get made but it is way more likely than it was last month.
This is great news. If Seth Gordon did King Dork, it could be every bit as awkward and charming and weird as it should be. My fingers are crossed.
Decibel Festival honcho Sean Horton reports that last night's Decibel Gala Fundraiser at the Triple Door failed to raise money for the fest (although it sounds like it was a fine show):
Special thanks to anyone that made it out last night and to those who have donated money over the past few days. Unfortunately that night's "fundraiser" did lose money (very low attendance).Hopefully the low turnouts for events will change moving into the spring, but based on feedback I've been getting, people are either short on time and or money. To all of you out there struggling, trust me when I say "I know the feeling".
Regardless of whether the 2009 festival takes please, know I have the utmost respect and love for this community and the people that have dedicated countless hours to supporting the festival over the past 6 years.
Again, if you feel inclined to chip in, tax-deductible donations to Decibel can be made to its fiscal sponsor Shunpike (www.shunpike.org) at 3518 Fremont Ave N, #118, Seattle WA 98103, or via Paypal to iamnordicsoul@hotmail.com.
Recently, Seattle's beloved hip hop troublemakers Mad Rad were served with a $500 lawsuit from Amante Pizza for having wheat-pasted posters on the building's wall (you know, that big blank wall on Olive way—see the photo below).
"This has been and ongoing problem for us since October or November of last year," says Mad Rad rapper Gregory Smith (aka Terry Radjaw). "Amante wanted to press charges on the club for Mad Rad posters being wheat pasted on the side of their building. Pete [Greenberg, Chop Suey booker] called me, and I told him we were on tour and when I got back in 3 days I would handle it. The pizza place didn't want to wait a few days. I went there and talked to the manager of Amante, who said he would tell the owner of the building that I stopped by trying to take care of the situation."
"Now, months later, a guy goes to our show [this past Saturday at the Mix]. He got there about 8 o'clock, when nobody was there. We got there at 10:30, and P and Buff' got served for $500. I want to fight this, but with all the other bullshit going on, and us trying to be on good graces, this is the last thing we need. So we will just pay it. It's been something I've been trying to deal with since we came back from tour. It's bullshit, but we are going to deal with it and move on."
So, all good. But the real issue here is this: Legal or not, where does Amante get off complaining about obnoxioius, unwanted signage?

In less litigious Mad Rad related business, this week's Stranger contains a profile of another one of Mad Rad rapper/producer P Smoov's projects, his duo with Rik Rude, Fresh Espresso. Check it out:

Those who think they know who P Smoov is by way of Mad Rad must find and check out the beats he did on this compilation. Listen to them once, and your doubts will melt. And through the storm of alarms and dirty funk, Rik Rude does not miss a beat. He draws from a wide variety of rap styles: Jay-Z, CL Smooth, Big Daddy Kane, and even Butterfly of Digible Planets. Fresh Espresso, his new project with P Smoov, is, however, less volcanic and more focused than Cigar Rock Star.
[...]
Not since hearing Blue Scholars' eponymous debut in 2004 have I been so excited about a local work of hiphop art. It has the potential to complete what was started on Rik's Cigar Rock Star and continued on Mad Rad's White Gold.
photo of the infernal Amante sign by Anthony Hecht; Fresh Espresso photo by Rabid Child Images
Did you do significant damage to your funds on Record Store Day on Saturday? I sure did. I hit up Wall of Sound (which may have had its best day of biz ever) and Everyday Music (bustling like mad during the early evening hours). Here’s a partial list of my haul (some of which went toward replacing items "lost" in a move last year):
Herbie Hancock- Flood
Haruomi Hosono- Medicine Compilation From the Quiet Lodge
Caetano Veloso- s/t album from 1969
Bowery Electric- Beat
Gene Clark- No Other
Nightmares on Wax- A Word of Science
Various Artists- G-Spots library music comp on Trunk
No-Neck Blues Band- Intonomancy
De La Soul- Buhloone Mind State
Buzzcocks- Singles Going Steady w/ bonus tracks
What amazing things did you score?
(By the way, Record Store Day should happen at least on a quarterly basis. Also: Book stores may want to borrow this concept for their own businesses.)

Last Thursday, the booker at the recently reopened Crocodile decided to cut Fatal Lucciauno, a local rapper on the gangster tip of things, from Dyme Def's record release party/show on April, 25—it will be the first hiphop show at that rock venue. The reason for cutting Fatal? Because the bookers could not separate him from the Chop Suey shooting back in January (Fatal opened the show but, according to his manager, DeVon Manier of Sportn' Life Records, was long gone by the time the bullets began to fly) and also his criminal record. The booker fears Fatal will attract gun-toting (and frequently gun-blasting) gangsters to their joint.
This is the Croc's official defense of their controversial decision:
There has been a lot of chatter over the past 24 hours regarding next week’s Dyme Def record release party next Saturday, April 25, here at the Crocodile, and I’d like to take a moment to address some of the things being said.First and foremost, please understand that the decision to remove local artist Fatal Lucciauno from the bill was one that was not made in haste, nor was it a decision that Crocodile booking agent Eli Anderson took lightly. Eli carefully weighed a lot of factors, which included advice and information from peers and colleagues in the business, before requesting a meeting with Soul Gorilla promoter Josh Doe to discuss the matter.
Unfortunately, that meeting never materialized.
The Crocodile is not judging Fatal Lucciauno for his past mistakes, and we certainly understand that history can be a difficult thing to overcome. It is regrettable that the decision to drop him from the bill had to be made when, really, a candid conversation could have probably cleared the whole thing up.
In no way is the Crocodile implying or stating that Fatal Lucciauno was involved with the tragic shooting at Chop Suey. Any statement to the contrary is false and misleading.
Today marks the one-month anniversary of business at the revitalized Crocodile, and the room has already played host to a wide variety of music and artists. We are doing our very best to provide excellent entertainment, a safe and welcoming venue, and a great experience for showgoers and artists alike. As residents of Belltown, it is our responsibility to be good neighbors in what is oftentimes a volatile part of downtown. We take this seriously, and always will.
We’re looking forward to the Dyme Def show and regret that we won’t see Fatal Lucciauno perform that night, but if he's in the house we'd love to say hi and buy him a drink. We really like The Only Forgotten Son, and respect his story.
We very much appreciate the candid conversation we had yesterday with DeVon Manier, co-owner of Sportn’ Life Records, and the open dialog that has followed the decision to remove Fatal Lucciauno from the bill.
The Crocodile is a live music venue, open to all genres. Fatal Lucciauno is not banned from playing the venue. There is no ban on hip hop at the Crocodile, nor is there any reason for anyone to assume such a preposterous notion. We hope this clears up any questions you may have but, if not, feel free to contact me and I’ll do my best to sort it out.
Thanks much.
Despite their understandable safety concerns, I do not think the booker made the best decision. Fatal should not have been cut from that show. A dark cloud now hangs over what would have been a great event for a great record by Dyme Def.

In this week's Stranger Megan Seling sings the praises of Record Store Day, now in its second year, which occurs this Saturday at tons of local record stores, like Easy Street, Everyday Music, Sonic Boom, Wall of Sound, and others (full list of participating stores available here):
But as easy as it is to buy or otherwise procure music online (and I'm as guilty as anyone), it's hard to accept that record stores might be going extinct. Sure, almost any song or album you're looking for is instantly available in digital format, often at less cost than as a physical product (or even free). Unless you're an avid collector of vinyl or like stacking up easy-to-break jewel cases, you don't really need a physical copy of music anymore, so you don't really need a physical building to stock it and sell it to you either.But the most well-written recommendation algorithms can't match the service provided by local record stores staffed by friendly, knowledgeable people—they're part of the same music scene as you are, they can give you personally tailored and trustworthy suggestions, they care.
Idolator today points to a contrarian piece in the NME (the NME contrarian? get out!):
The next generation will have no concept of music in a physical form. Those kids will regard record shops, if any remain, as nothing more than weird, cobwebby museums.But is this such an epic tragedy? I wonder if there's an element of false nostalgia here. The particular kind of store people have in mind when this subject comes up — ie, a half-remembered realm where a clued-up expert would have the time to guide you through the new releases, make personal recommendations, and send you on your way — surely disappeared decades ago, if it ever existed.
And over on Slog yesterday, Paul Constant's weighing in on the recent Amazon "glitch" has led to a lively discussion about the value of local, independent bookstores versus Amazon. Pretty much of all the points being discussed there apply to record stores as well, only with the added menace of P2P file sharing and the like thrown in for extra direness (I don't think such sharing is as big a deal for books, but maybe I'm wrong, what with you crazy kids and your kindles or whatever). Some people love their local shops and care deeply about "saving"/supporting them in these times of economic uncertainty and technological upheaval, and some people are just as happy to shop (or, you know) online.
Record Store Day isn't going to reverse any of these larger trends, of course, but it is a nice gesture. So: Do you care about Record Store Day? Or even just Record Stores? (A possible correlative might be: how old are you?)
photo of the rare, endangered Record Store Employee by Kelly O

Apparently in-demand session drummer Josh Freese’s gimmicky promo ideas for his latest album, Since 1972, are no joke. Wired reports that Florida citizen Thomas Mrzyglocki, 19, has spent $20,000 to hang with Freese and for a week, play miniature golf with Tool singer Maynard James Keenan and Vandals bassist Joe Escalante, attend a pizza party at Devo member Mark Mothersbaugh’s pad, and record a couple of tracks about himself with Trent Reznor’s former timekeeper. (Perhaps Mrzyglocki could’ve used some of that dough to buy a vowel for his last name.)
The bizarre stunt garnered Freese enough money to keep him in Paiste cymbals for a long, long time, fodder for at least a couple songs—and, allegedly, a good friend in Thomas Mrzyglocki.
Lost in all the hoopla about Freese’s outrageous offers to potential purchasers of Since 1972 is that the album is merely functional power pop.
ht: Idolator
1. Using "Baby Got Back" in a fast food commercial is kind of genius; fast food is where big, American "backs" come from, after all. Mix-a-Lot is just looking out for the next generation of ample booties.
2. I thought Mix's posse preferred Dick's.
As Dave mentions here, Devo drummer Josh Freese is selling 'value-added' packages with his lastest record. Here is another take on the idea, and an update.
Josh Freese, the Devo drummer whose wildly creative "freemium" packages drew widespread attention to his new record, is raking in the cash as buyers snap up his inventive, value-added deals.Freese cooked up a tiered pricing structure for Since 1972, his new album released Tuesday, that started at free (download a single song from the record) and soared to $75,000 for the most elaborate package, with multiple levels in between. The high-end packages include bizarre adventures with Freese and some of his rock 'n' roll compadres, such as a personal tour of Hollywood in a sports car—on mushrooms.
In an era when song downloads and file sharing have turned music into a commodity, limited-edition, highly collectible packaging points one way toward a profitable future for independent musicians and struggling record labels. Like pricing experiments by Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails before him, Freese's extremely creative deals may be blazing a trail toward a business model that sells experiences and access as well as music.
He's already listed the limited-edition $20,000 package as "sold out" on his website, pending finalization of the deal. The one-of-a-kind experience includes a miniature golf session with Freese, Tool's Maynard James Keenan and Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh. Other highlights: a drum lesson or foot/back massage, a night on the Queen Mary (including a "Ghost Tour") and a guided tour through Long Beach, California, where the drummer lives.
This is one way to move some units, especially if the record couldn't achieve that feat on its own. Spoiler alert: The limited-edition packages including lunch at Cheesecake Factory or P.F. Chang's are sold out, but you can still get the hallucinogenic tour of Hollywood in a Lamborghini.
Via wired.com

Awww, sweet! Local mumble punks Talbot Tagora have been signed by Sub Pop spin-off Hardly Art. The Stranger profiled the young trio around this time last year:
Talbot Tagora seem perpetually out of place—as a band, on a stage, in a club, in Seattle, even just in general. They don't look like much of a rock band, even by punk standards. They wear plain jeans, flannels, and generic, monochromatic sweatshirts—thrift-store more in the style of St. Vincent de Paul than Red Light. The trio—Chris Ando, Mark Greshowak, and Ani Valley—range in age from 17 to 21, and they still have a trace of adolescent anxiety about them; Ando and Valley still show it in their complexion.
Read the whole thing here.
And the press release from Hardly Art:
I am thrilled to inform you that Hardly Art will be releasing the next record from Talbot Tagora! The fuzzed out Seattle art-punk trio have just finished their second full-length (and label debut) Lessons from the Woods or a City and we’ll be releasing it on CD and LP on July 21st.We’ve been huge fans of Talbot Tagora for some time now, keeping tabs on their self-released CDRs, 7”s and cassettes and watching them tear apart every underground venue in Seattle (both with local heavy hitters like Past Lives and Bow + Arrow and national acts like Tyvek, Abe Vigoda and No Age). They are fierce proponents of local all-ages shows, and have become the focal point of the Seattle DIY/all-ages punk scene. Their music is driven, manic, and impossibly realized for such a young band.
[...]
More details (a national tour is in the works for July) and of course music is forthcoming, but until then feel free to spread word far and wide. Hardly Art is absolutely ecstatic to be working with Talbot Tagora, and we want the whole world to know about it!Talbot Tagora — Lessons from the Woods or a City
LP/CD July 21st, 2009
1. Mixed Signals through Miles of Pilgrimage
2. Ichthus Hop
3. Bounty Hunter
4. Solar Puppets
5. Hunger Strike
6. Black Ice
7. Mouth Rainboy
8. Hidden Note
9. Hairspray
10. Johnny Lazor
11. Replacing the Northwest
12. Perception Stick
13. Belt of Cancer
14. Ephemeral Summer
The company is celebrating with a web site featuring 10,000 (digitally remastered) recordings made between 1934 and 1954. Artists include Dorsey Brothers, Rosemary Clooney, Glen Gray, Fats Waller, Vic Dimone, The Green Brothers, Ben Selvin and Len Collins.
“In 1934 Muzak began providing music to corporate America, and the soundtrack of business was forever changed,” said Bruce McKagan, Vice President, Content Services. “Three quarters of a century later, we were very excited to discover that during our first twenty years in business Muzak made exclusive recordings of some of the most popular artists of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s. While researching our company history, we uncovered hundreds of forgotten boxes of masters—and they’re in pristine condition!”
The compositions of Stephin Merritt and the world of TV advertising is a match made in postmodern heaven. (Merritt's songs are freakishly concise, instantly catchy, and essentially the most artful jingles ever.)
Most recent case in point: The artsy/dancey ad below, selling the allegedly ultra-lightweight Puma L.I.F.T. shoe via the Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs classic "Underwear," presented here with supplementary vocals by Britta Phillips, which robs the song of its bisexuality but sounds pretty enough.
Thanks for the heads-up, Idolator.