Morning Music Notes – Don’t Cry – Axl Rose Ain’t Comin’ to the Induction Ceremony

No Surprise: Axl Rose Isn’t Showing Up to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction

We were hoping for fights, a one-off reunion song, or some kind of drama. Instead, Axl Rose from Guns N’ Roses has turned down this Saturday’s induction ceremony (via NME). Axl Rose wrote a lengthy letter to a bunch of media outlets outlining his views. The most surprising thing? Axl Rose can write!

“This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp’s perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn. Though unfortunately I’m sure there will be those who take offence (God knows how long I’ll have to contend with the fallout), I certainly don’t intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision.”

“Since the announcement of the nomination we’ve actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, ‘damned if I do, damned if I don’t’ scenario all the way around. In regard to a reunion of any kind of either the Appetite… or Illusion… line-ups, I’ve publicly made myself more than clear. Nothing’s changed.”

So are we to assume he’s too busy smooching Lana Del Rey?

Coachella Live Streaming Schedule is Up!

Don’t feel like fighting extreme temperatures, wrestling to put your sandals on, or sleeping in a tent in order to see good bands? Good news then, as the bands are coming to your house! Well, to your house via your computer. Coachella are streaming select bands on their YouTube channel. Highlights include Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, Neon Indian, Explosions in the Sky, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Laura Marling, Bon Iver, Kasabian, The Shins, Santigold, Justice, and Florence + the Machine. Now why didn’t I just name them all instead of making certain bands feel left out? Well, I was bullied a lot as a kid, so this is my revenge. Suck it, millionair rock stars! Full website below, and note that it is in PACIFIC TIME, so 3 hrs behind Eastern, 8 hrs behind British Summer Time, and 9 hrs behind Central Europe.

Coachella Live Streaming Schedule

Friday, April 13th
3:50 p.m. – GIVERS
4:10 p.m. – honeyhoney
4:35 p.m. – Neon Indian
5:00 p.m. – Gary Clark Jr.
5:05 p.m. – Grouplove
5:25 p.m. – Jimmy Cliff & Tim Armstrong
6:00 p.m. – Yuck
6:20 p.m. – Dawes
6:30 p.m. – Arctic Monkeys
7:10 p.m. – Madness
8:15 p.m. – Frank Ocean
8:50 p.m. – Mazzy Star
9:10 p.m. – The Rapture
9:45 p.m. – The Black Keys
10:05 p.m. – Explosions in the Sky
10:50 p.m. – The Black Angels
11:20 p.m. – Refused

Saturday, April 14th
4:00 p.m. – We Were Promised Jetpacks
4:00 p.m. – Azealia Banks
4:00 p.m. – AWOLNATION
4:50 p.m. – tUnE-yArDs
5:00 p.m. – Destroyer
5:05 p.m. – Buzzcocks
5:35 p.m. – Kaiser Chiefs
5:55 p.m. – Manchester Orchestra
6:05 p.m. – Andrew Bird
6:30 p.m. – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
6:55 p.m. – Laura Marling
7:15 p.m. – Squeeze
8:05 p.m. – St. Vincent
8:10 p.m. – The Shins
8:55 p.m. – Kasabian
9:30 p.m. – Bon Iver
10:20 p.m. – Miike Snow

Sunday, April 15th
3:20 p.m. – Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
3:25 p.m. – Wild Beasts
3:30 p.m. – Oberhofer
3:30 p.m. – Santigold
4:15 p.m. – Real Estate
4:35 p.m. – The Growlers
4:45 p.m. – Fitz and the Tantrums
5:30 p.m. – Wild Flag
6:05 p.m. – The Hives
6:15 p.m. – Beats Antique
7:10 p.m. – The Airplane Boys
7:45 p.m. – Justice
8:30 p.m. – Beirut
9:30 p.m. – Goyte
9:45 p.m. – Modeselektor
9:45 p.m. – Florence and the Machine

So Embedding An Illegal Video Is Copyright Infringement. Screw you, MPAA!

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) are an organization that rational people don’t really like. Besides claiming that piracy has cost them $58 billion (refuted in this excellent TED Talk on piracy), they want to make practically everything online illegal, despite that some things really do help their industry. Now, the MPAA are saying “there shouldn’t be a legal distinction between hosting infringing content and embedding it” (via Slash Gear). While I see their point – embedding basically helps propagate illegal content on the web – sometimes you might not know what streams or uploads are illegal.

The case stems from video site MyVidster, which lets you bookmark links, share them with friends, and embed them. It turns out there were a bunch of pages that had videos embedded from pornography company Flava Works, who took the matter to court. The MPAA was right behind them (poor choice of words when talking about pornography?) and backed Judge Grady’s decision that MyVidtser was responsible for copyright infringement because the video was visible on their site. This might not be a huge concern to those who embed YouTube videos, as most companies have their copyright requests dealt with by YouTube and acted on in a swift manner. But – be careful – the movie industry has more money for lawyers than us bloggers do.

Amazon Will Start Taking CD Trade Ins for Online Credit

Still trying to save money to buy that Adele album that you’ve heard so much about? Well, dig up those old Spice Girl and Jingle Cats compact discs, and ship them to Amazon (Digital Trends). The Amazon Trade-In Program lets you pick items to trade in (cleverly named program, it is), then you get a shipping label to ship the product to Amazon, and then you get store credit. For the first time, you can now send in your old CDs, and depending on the condition and the album, get some cash for online purchases with Amazon. Now, you could always just list them on eBay or take them to a pawn shop, but why, when the Spice Girls CDs are clearly collectors items you should never sell.

Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music Adds Q-Tip

Former rapper from A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip, has signed on with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music outfit. Q-Tip, which apparently is not a copyright infringement of the cotton swab company, is working on his latest album, The Last Zulu, which will now be released on G.O.O.D. Music and Def Jam Recordings (via LA Times).

“I’m excited to be a part of the great iconic Def Jam label,” Q-Tip said in the statement. “I’m humbled to be a part of such a storied history. To reconnect with Barry Weiss is a great thing. As far as G.O.O.D. Music, I’m excited to solidify my working relationship with Kanye, and I look forward to all the opportunities that lie ahead in our partnership. I will do my best to present the most cutting edge music I can.”

On that note, we’ll end with a solo track from Q-Tip. Enjoy.

Q-Tip – Breathe and Stop