I blame Universal Music Group. We bring you to Sweden, where Justin Bieber's tour bus was recently raided by Stockholm police. The cops sniffed marijuana from the outside (while Justin was on stage), and subsequently discovered an unnamed drug (probably weed) and a stun gun. All which goes to show: if you search a tour bus, you'll probably find something.
That's funny, I thought I just heard you say you were unfamiliar with Snoop Lion aka Snoop Dogg's the Reincarnated Track Notes 3D App. Of course, the behind-the-scenes, 3D-enabled release is part of a 'transmedia' Reincarnated release strategy that also includes an album, feature film, app, photo book and a non-profit initiative. The app is available on the iPad, iPhone and on the web (Chrome or Safari support the 3D features), and is best experienced in the lobby and studio areas of Universal Music Group headquarters.
And the gobble-up of once-storied music magazines continues. The latest getting plucked is Vibe, a good ol' pulp brand that must now forge a digital future. The buyer is SpinMedia, a music publication and blog conglomerage that recently purchased SPIN and changed its namesake accordingly.
Look closer, and CDs are plunging in more ways than one. The typical metric used is units, though the price of CDs have been sinking drastically for years. According to tracking from WalletPop and Mint.com, the sticker price on a CD slipped 26.98 percent between 2000 and 2010, though price tags have been positively cliff-diving in recent years. Indeed, a recent field trip to Wal-Mart revealed a slew of $5 CDs, and insiders have credited the 2011 bump in album sales on extremely-discounted discs.
More ahead! Written while listening to Diplo and Dillon Francis.
