Thursday October 8th, 2009 at 8pm marks the official launch of Classical WQXR 105.9, the new WNYC owned and programmed public radio station. The programming on this new station begins with a live broadcast from Carnegie Hall, featuring the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and hosts David Garland and Midge Woolsey. [WNYC.org]

PS October is also a major fund raising month for WNYC and for every $120,000 they raise by October 14th, they’ll end their dreaded pledge drive one day earlier than the scheduled end date of Sunday, October 25th.

Damian Abraham, aka “Pink Eyes” of Fucked Up told QTV’s Jian Ghomeshi that the band was planning on taking some of their Polaris Prize money and releasing “an all-star” cover version of Band-Aid’s 1984 famine relief anthem “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” You can hear more personal reactions to their big win, learn about their future plans in the studio (which also include recording a new album and collaborating with Wu-Tang’s GZA), and find out why there was so much security at the Polaris Prize Gala this year on their first post-Polaris Prize winning interview on QTV.

Watch the full interview after the jump.

A statement from Rhino cited a “fundamental transformation of the physical new release and catalog business” as a reason for the cuts. The Company said Rhino will evolve into an entity that “handles WMG’s global digital catalog initiatives, film, TV, vidgame and commercial licensing, and name and likeness representation for legendary artists.” [Variety.com]

Though the company statement is somewhat vague about Rhino’s precise future, as I understand it, the Rhino Records we once knew, no longer exists (which is a real shame because they always put out quality product).

More often an acknowledgment of career longevity and album sales than a true mark of “greatness” (at least in the “Performer” category), the nominees for the 2010 Rock’n Roll Hall Of Fame were announced yesterday.

ABBA, Darlene Love, Donna Summer, Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, KISS, Laura Nyro, LL Cool J, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Chantels, The Hollies and The Stooges make up the 12 artists nominated for possible induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

A voting process will whittle the field down to five acts who will be inducted into the Rock Hall during the 25th Annual Induction Ceremony, set to take place March 15 at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria. The five inductees will be chosen via ballots sent to 500 members of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. [LiveDaily.com]

The 25th Annual Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary concerts (a separate event from the induction ceremonies) will take place at MSG on October 29 and October 30, 2009 (Buy Tickets).

It was a historical night of music that featured performances from all of the nominees, Elliott BROOD, Fucked Up, Great Lake Swimmers, Hey Rosetta!, K’NAAN, Malajube, Metric, Joel Plaskett, Chad VanGaalen and Patrick Watson.

MuchMusic captured all the excitement on camera. You can watch this Saturday, September 26 @ 9pm ET and again at 12 midnight. Encore presentations will air on Friday, Oct. 2 at 9 p.m. ET on MTV2 and Monday, Oct. 12 at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo!

You can also relive the event in all it’s radio glory by downloading the CBC Radio 3 podcast on iTunes starting at 8am tomorrow.

The track list for the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack was announced today and aside from having some top indie acts on it, here’s why it’s kind of a big deal:

For the music industry, though, its soundtrack is practically a miracle. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the [Twilight] soundtrack has sold 2.2 million copies, a once-routine quantity that in an age of depressed sales has become tantalizingly rare. So like vampires drawn to the scent of blood, record labels, publishers and artist managers have spent much of the last year aggressively pursuing “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” the second in the series, which will open in theaters on Nov. 20.

Alexandra Patsavas, the music supervisor on both films, was hired for “New Moon” in January but said in an interview this week that the pitches for the soundtrack started coming in even before then. And although the list of songs for “New Moon” is still being completed, music executives say they have already begun pushing to have their artists included in the third film, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” scheduled for release next June. [NYTimes.com]

The MySpace Music Blog (I’m as surprised as you are) exclusively posted the TNM track list earlier today:

1. Death Cab For Cutie – Meet Me On The Equinox
2. Band Of Skulls – Friends
3. Thom Yorke- Hearing Damage
4. Lykke Li – Possibility
5. The Killers – A White Demon Love Song
6. Anya Marina – Satellite Heart
7. Muse – I Belong To You (New Moon Remix)
8. Bon Iver and St. Vincent – Rosyln
9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Done All Wrong
10. Hurricane Bells – Monsters
11. Sea Wolf – The Violet Hour
12. Ok Go- Shooting The Moon
13. Grizzly Bear – Slow Life
14. Editors – No Sound But The Wind
15. Alexandre Desplat – New Moon (The Meadow)

The Twilight: New Moon soundtrack will be in stores on October 20th.

The celebrity disc jockey and Los Angeles club owner known as DJ AM was found dead in a New York City apartment Friday afternoon, his publicist Jenni Weinman said in a statement.

“The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear. Out of respect for his family and loved ones, please respect their privacy at this time,” the statement said.

A New York law enforcement official told the Associated Press that drug paraphernalia was found at the apartment, but there was no sign of foul play. [LA Times]

In September of 2008, DJ AM and Travis Barker of the band Blink-182 survived a deadly plane crash.

Michael Jackson, who as a Jehovah’s Witness traditionally did not celebrate his own Birthday, is being thrown a large posthumous party by Spike Lee in Prospect Park on Saturday, August 29.

On Saturday, thousands are expected to fill the Nethermead meadow in the center of Prospect Park to celebrate Mr. Jackson’s life on what would have been his 51st birthday. The party, originally planned as a block-party-style gathering for 2,000 in Fort Greene Park, was moved to Prospect Park, which is larger, to accommodate a crowd that organizers believe could grow to 10,000.

The free event will be from noon to 5 p.m., rain or shine. [NYTimes.com]

Michael Jackson died of “lethal levels” of the powerful anesthetic propofol, according to a search warrant affidavit unsealed today in Houston. [LA Times]

View the contents of the entire unsealed affidavit over here.

The AP reported that President Obama will speak at a memorial service at Lincoln Center on September 9 for the late CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite. Other famous guests expected to attend are former President Bill Clinton; news personalities Katie Couric, Andy Rooney, Bob Schieffer, Tom Brokaw; and the astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

The expected musical performers include Mickey Hart (Cronkite was a closet Deadhead), Wynton Marsalis, Michael Feinstein, Jimmy Buffett and the U.S. Marine Corps band. [Yahoo! News/AP]

Watch a clip of Walter Cronkite playing drums with Mickey Hart after the jump.

So apparently, the music labels don’t really like it when you just buy singles. I’m not sure whether Apple actually cares that much as I was always under the impression that they just keep the iTunes store around as a means to sell iPods. Be that as it may, Apple is about to make a new digital album format, codenamed “Cocktail”, the next must have product for teens and tweens everywhere. (It was confirmed today that Apple’s annual music event will take place on September 9, 2009.)

Apple is working with the four largest record labels to stimulate digital sales of albums by bundling a new interactive booklet, sleeve notes and other interactive features with music downloads, in a move it hopes will change buying trends on its online iTunes store.
…
“It’s all about re-creating the heyday of the album when you would sit around with your friends looking at the artwork, while you listened to the music,” said one executive familiar with the plans.

Apple wants to make bigger purchases more compelling by creating a new type of interactive album material, including photos, lyric sheets and liner notes that allow users to click through to items that they find most interesting. Consumers would be able to play songs directly from the interactive book without clicking back into Apple’s iTunes software, executives said. [Financial Times]

After reading this the first time, my immediate impression was, this is not going to work, this will not to revitalize album sales by any means. I know it’s easy to be a naysayer, but here’s why I reached that initial conclusion: first of all, I think the premise is a bit misguided, the problem isn’t that the people are “just buying singles”, the problem is that people aren’t legally buying music at all anymore. After re-reading the FT article though, it actually sounds like these are not the people Apple and the labels are going after, they seem to have already given up on those scofflaws individuals who file share exclusively, and now they are shifting their focus to the sector of the public that still buys music, but only cherry picks the songs they like from an artist’s catalog. For these people, a little more pizazz in a digital download package might act as an inducement to “buy an album” as opposed to a single, but I think for most folks, the move towards the iTunes store and an entirely digital content library has: a) made the single so affordable and accessible that people will be hard pressed to go to back to buying albums no matter the new format actually consists of; b) conditioned people to abandon whatever love they had for packaging, liner notes, and everything associated with the physical object and just focus on the music.
…
OK, so I took a few days off after writing the above paragraph and it occurred to me how I might be wrong, (as I often am when it comes to Apple products), and how Cocktail could potentially save the recorded music industry if they do it the right way. While no one really knows what Cocktail actually is yet, some reports have it as a format that includes “artwork, linear notes, lyrics, and videos”. After hearing that, I balked at the idea of “enhanced liner notes” or “albums with videos”, to me there is not enough added value there to get people to pay extra for an album. But then I got to thinking, what if Cocktail is more than that? What if it is more like an RSS feed that consists of a stream of frequently updated and exclusive content related to the artist and the album you just bought? Sure, buying an album and getting deluxe artwork and maybe a video is great, but what if you get exclusive access to the next video before the rest of the world because you bought the album? I don’t know about you, but that’s something I’d be willing to pay for. It doesn’t have to stop at pre-release videos though, “album purchaser only” concert presales, exclusive artist podcasts, and interactive games are all potential examples of the kind of thing I’d be willing to shell out some of my hard earned dollars for. Essentially, what I am describing is attaching a dedicated music blogger to every new record that comes out and then having that content pushed to your iPhone (or whatever) on a regular basis because you purchased the “enhanced version” of the album. To me there is definitely some value in the type of product I am describing, and in fact, when you think about it, what you’re really purchasing is the access to the premium content with the album is being thrown in much like an added bonus. Come September 9, I guess we’ll see whether they were listening to me or not.

Here’s a little update on my previous WWDTM post:

Tickets for the October 22 taping of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! at Carnegie Hall go on sale to the general public on September 2, 2009. Tickets should be available through the Carnegie Hall Box Office (212-247-7800) and carnegiehall.org at that time (as of today’s date, no event listing has been posted on the CH website). WNYC was offering presale tickets to the show for those individuals that donated $300 to the station, but those tickets are no longer available. Fore more information on NPR’s oddly informative news quiz, follow @waitwait on Twitter.

UPDATE: The event has now been posted on the Carnegie Hall wesbsite.

More Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! Live tour dates after the jump.

Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! 2009 Tour Dates
Sep 24 Santa Barbara, CA Arlington Theatre (Buy Tickets)
Oct 08 Boston, MA Wang Theatre (Buy Tickets)
Oct 22 New York, NY Carnegie Hall (On Sale Sep 2)
Nov 5-6 Pasadena, CA The Pasadena Civic (Buy Tickets)

Let me check the weather again, because I think hell just froze over.

BROOKLYN KNITTING FACTORY SET TO OPEN / BROOKLYN’S LES SAVY FAV TO PLAY OPENING NIGHT

The Knitting Factory, a leader in the New York arts scene for over two decades, is proud to announce that our new venue at 361 Metropolitan Avenue in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY will be opening September 2009. Brooklyn-based favorites, Les Savy Fav, will perform and host the opening night on Wednesday, September 9th. Upcoming shows will feature performances by: Boss Hog, Rasputina, Mayer Hawthorne, Titus Andronicus, The Raincoats, The Spits, Mucca Pazza, Melissa Auf der Maur, cEvin Key, A Wilhelm Scream, Helado Negro, Maps and Atlases, No Neck Blues Band, Dub Trio, Smokey’s Secret Family and much more to be announced. Upcoming special events include this year’s Williamsburg Fashion Week’s Fashion and Arts Premiere, the Miss LEZ Pageant and the Royal Flush Film Festival.

Read the rest of the press release after the jump.

DESIGN

361 Metropolitan Ave. has gone through a complete redesign by Hecho Inc. www.hechodesignbuild.com (The Box, Marshall Stack, Delicatessen, Spitzer’s Corner, Perle, Watty & Meg). Many key elements have been designed and built in an effort to be environmentally conscious. Some of these include: a beautifully restored vintage 1930’s bar from West Virginia, timber flooring from a South Carolina woolen mill, and an all new store front featuring salvaged windows from The Brooklyn Navy Yard. There will be a 5’x27’ soundproof window offering a continuous view between the front bar and the performance space.

THE KNIT BAR

The club will house two full bars. The Knit Bar, located in front of the venue, will be open seven days a week (Monday – Wednesday from 5pm – until close, Thursday – Sunday from Noon – 4AM) offering locally prepared food, while the Performance Space bar will be open during shows. Each bar will have 10 draft lines featuring local and organic beers, as well as a variety of bottled favorites. Happy Hour in the Knit Bar will be from 5pm – 7pm daily.

Other Knit Bar features: Wi-Fi, 2 large flat screen TVs, audio / video tie-ins to The Performance Space, comfortable built-in booths, windows that can open to the street on sunny days and a small stage for readings, DJ sets and acoustic performances.

PERFORMANCE SPACE

The Performance Space will have a flexible capacity to accommodate standing and seated shows alike. It will host an eclectic mix of national, international and local acts as well as art and cultural events. Acoustical design elements and extensive sound proofing have been added throughout the space for enhanced sound. State of the art sound and lighting will be featured along with a robotic, four-camera, high-definition video recording system. A 400-square-foot stage will be highlighted with an automated curtaining system, a large pull down video screen and unobstructed sight lines from all parts of the venue. A separate DJ booth with a full compliment of DJ equipment will accompany the stage. The backstage area will include two furnished lockable dressing rooms, two bathrooms and direct stage access.

The Knitting Factory will further the tradition of bringing people together through the arts, maintaining a gateway of discovery for both performers and patrons alike, now in the heart of Brooklyn.

“I’m ecstatic and proud to see Knitting Factory make its next impact to the music world by stepping into an artistic community such as Williamsburg. I’m further thrilled with the team of talented people that we’ve assembled in this move and personally honored to be part of this group.” Mr.Morgan Margolis-CEO / President Knitting Factory Entertainment.

Website – www.knittingfactory.com

Follow us @:
www.myspace.com/kfbklyn
www.facebook.com/knittingfactorybrooklyn

A statement on Sunday from the publicists for Hello Entertainment, one of the producers of “Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark,” said work had been suspended on the musical because of “an unexpected cash flow problem.” The statement went on to say: “The plans necessary for this correction are in hand now, and it is expected that activities, including work in the theater, will resume within the immediate future and with no material impact upon the planned production schedule.” No date for resuming production work was given. [NYTimes.com]

“An unexpected cash flow problem” certainly has to be one of the best lines in the history of show business. However, despite the “cash flow problem” tickets for the musical are currently still on American Express presale via Ticketmaster, with a public on sale date set for September 12, 2009. As you may recall, Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark will star Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming and features music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge of U2.

Good news for Chicago’s music lovers, the Schubas Brothers, owners of the eponymous music venue (where Andew Bird played to a sold out hometown crowd Thursday night), are opening a new club in the windy city:

…Chris and Mike Schuba, the brothers who co-own the Southport Avenue club, are preparing to open a new mid-sized music venue, Lincoln Hall, at 2424 N. Lincoln Av. in the fall to complement their first club. It will join a music scene already crowded with similar-sized rock venues, included the Double Door, Martyrs and Logan Square Auditorium. But the owners say they can thrive by basically doing a larger version of Schubas, which has built its reputation on astute bookings, excellent sound and an intimate atmosphere.

The new location, on the former site of the Three Penny movie house (built in 1913), will be about three times the size of Schubas, which has a capacity of 167. The Schubas brothers and their partners bought the 4,400-square-foot Lincoln Avenue property last September for $2.7 million, and have sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars into it to create a soundproofed, two-level concert space. A front room and bar will serve food. But the primary focus will be music. [Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune]