News

EMI Creates Music Blog, Is Somehow Ahead of Its Time

1:07 p.m. · April 1, 2009 · by Matthew Blackwell

Music blogs have been around for quite a while now. It's been seven years since Fluxblog started posting MP3s, and since then similar blogs have become so ubiquitous that it's hard to remember a time when they weren't a part of every music fan's surfing routine. Surely everyone's had enough time to jump on the bandwagon, right?

Well, apparently not. Major labels, those bastions of progressive thought, have taken their sweet time to scope out the Web 2.0 scene. EMI Australia recently became the first major label to launch a music blog, and they're calling it " The In Sound From Way Out ." It's actually an O.K. site, featuring the MP3s and videos you would expect, and even some witty commentary. Plus, EMI encompasses labels like Mute and Domino, so expect some posts about Liars, Animal Collective, and the like. And it's even interactive--there's a form that allows fans to direct the EMI A&R reps to their new favorite band, with a suggestion that it might possibly lead to a contract. I doubt the success rate will be very high for bands trying to get signed through this form, but who knows? This could be the next step in fan-to-label interactivity. [Wired]