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Release Date: September 29, 2009
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    • Bauhaus
    • Go Away White is an album I've been waiting more than 20 years to hear, and the good news is that it was worth the wait.  The latest -- and last, no...for real this time -- album from

  • Machine Gun Etiquette

    • 8 out of 10
    • The Damned
    • Punk rock is mostly associated with three chords and a bad attitude, but the Damned were one of the few bands of the era bent on bringing musicianship and a good sense of humor to the scene. And while
  • Spanks for the Memories

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    • Asylum Street Spankers
    • The Asylum Street Spankers are...well...The Spankers. Hailing from Austin, where I saw them live dozens of times, the band played entirely acousti

  • Mystics Anonymous

    • 8 out of 10
    • Mystics Anonymous
    • Mystics Anonymous is the brainchild project of Jeff Steblea, a fantastic songwriter and good friend of mine, as well. In fact, I even played the drums on all but one of the tracks on this album. Jef
  • Wolfmother

    • 8 out of 10
    • Wolfmother
    • Black Sabbath, The White Stripes, The Stooges. There aren't many bands worth their salt that want to be compared to other bands, but when I listen to Wolfmother's self-titled American debut, I can

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Wal-Mart Offers DRM-free Music Downloads

Big box retailer Wal-Mart has joined the iTunes Store in offering copy protection-free music downloads, but instead of Apple’s US$1.29 per track, Wal-Mart is charging $0.94 per track. So far, EMI and Universal Music Group have signed on, while EMI is the only label that is offering DRM-free tracks through the iTunes Store.

Wal-Mart’s copy protection-free songs are available as 256kbps MP3 files, and it will continue to sell DRM laden tracks in 128kbps WMA format for $0.88 each. In comparison, the iTunes Store sells its iTunes Plus (256kbps AAC) tracks for $1.29, and protected tracks (128kbps AAC) for $0.99. Wal-Mart’s music service, however, is compatible only with Windows, where the iTunes Store is Mac and Windows compatible.

Regardless of pricing differences, Wal-Mart has joined Apple in weakening the major record label’s stance on music download copy protection. Sony BMG and Warner are still holding out, but with the other two big labels already in the DRM-free game, they may not be able to stand their ground much longer.

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