This is probably one of the best Fridays of the year because it is Record Store Day Part 2 thanks to Black Friday! I can’t decide what I want more, the remastered white vinyl of Lennon’s Imagine, or the new Bob Dylan box set. Family, if you’re reading this, either of these would make an amazing Christmas present.
- Major Record Labels Rumoured To Stop Producing CDs - It’s gonna happen, sooner or later, just like it did with cassettes and 8-tracks. Vinyl will remain the only relevant physical source of an album, guaranteed.
- In an iTunes age, do we need the record store? I have never bought a thing off iTunes, so yes. Small towns will likely lose record stores entirely as time goes on, which is super sad, but cities like Toronto will always have a need for a place where nerds can come together to enjoy in-store shows and buy vinyl copies of the album.
- How to use Google Music from anywhere - It’s not simple to set up, but definitely worth it if you want to try out Google Music and you’re not lucky enough to live in the States where it’s already available.
- GQ’s Survivors: Keith Richards - Interesting interview with the man, definitely worth a read if you’re a Stones fan.
- In Defence of Nickelback. There. I Said it. - Local music personality Alan Cross wrote this piece defending Nickelback’s place in the music world, and I gotta admit it made me lose some respect for him. I do not see how a band making a lot of money off of the mindless masses makes them good or somehow more acceptable? It is completely flawed logic. He also takes a stab at Fleetwood Mac, comparing them to Boston and Kansas. The difference between these contrived mainstream bands and Fleetwood Mac is that Mac made GREAT music that is still respected to this day by anyone with an interest in pop rock, can’t say the same for Boston. Twenty years from now music geeks will still respect Nirvana despite their huge success the way they do Fleetwood Mac, while Nickelback will remain the Boston of it’s time (worse, probably – I can listen to Boston on occasion without contemplating suicide). The level of success or the money you make is irrelevant, the music world hates Nickelback for one reason alone – their terrible music.
- PeelPost - great promotional tool that allows you to upload a show poster once and share it everywhere.
- Best Kept Secret For Advancing Your Music Career - Never would have thought this to be true, but it makes sense at least once you’ve put in the time building a base.
- Every Imperfection is an Opportunity - “Great brands treat imperfections as opportunities, just like Bob Dylan did with Al Kooper’s erratic organ playing.“
- Being An Artist In The 21st Century - “To be an artist becomes; why me? Waiting to be picked is effectively doing nothing at all. Novelists can’t afford to spend their lives waiting for a publisher to choose them anymore so they build an audience, collaborate with other writers and build connections globally.”
- Personal Responsibility and Showing Up - Probably the best thing I’ve read this week. As soon as you start showing up and putting the hard work in, great things start to happen.
- If You Talk In Third Person, You’ll Get Over A Bad Situation Much Faster - Thought this was interesting, going to try it next time something shitty happens.
- Are you a V.I.P? Check Your Klout Score - “Status has long been based on appearance, accomplishment and notoriety, but social media reach is becoming a new criterion.”
- Ethan Hawke Planning To Reunite With Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy To Write Third ‘Before Sunrise’ Film Awesome. Before Sunrise is one of my favorite films. Before Sunset was almost as good. Looking forward to seeing where they take these characters a third time.
- Vinyl Cake Pedestal - I want this, just so you all know.
- 36 Ways to Feel Absolutely Beautiful - Sounds cheesy but there are some really solid points in here. Feeling beautiful doesn’t always come from the way you look.
- I love when marketing is this smart. Targeting the stereotype of an iPhone user is probably the only way to make the masses notice your non iPhone phone:
Did you find any awesome deals during Black Friday? Manage to get your hands on any of the limited releases for Record Store Day? Tell me about your consumer whoring.
Lisa Recommends: 
