My wife and I are donating to the New Orleans Hurricane Katrina relief fund. This disaster is probably the largest of its kind on US soil. I believe that our donation will truly be put to good use. However, I am both angry and saddened that we have spent more than $191 billion on the war in Iraq and now the Administration is calling on us as Americans to help ourselves. Apparently there isn’t enough aid to go around to help the devastated victims of New Orleans, due to the frivolous spending of the Administration. To add insult to injury, the Marines that are currently stationed in Iraq, could have been deployed to the scene to distrubute aid, emergency servcies and quell looting. Gas prices are now going up due to a major disaster in our own land. I beleive the Adminstration will have no choice but to focus fully on our own country.

Since the movie is coming out I decided to see what happened to Douglas Adams h2g2 idea. It’s funny how much wikipedia is similar. Maybe because it was commercial it never flourished, anyway I consider the late Mr. Adams to be the inventor of the idea. I found these article interesting:

http://www.currybet.net/…/h2g2_and_wikipe.shtml

Here is an update on the Houston incident. We found this very graphic photo of an eye injury, we aren’t sure if it is a photo of Houston or of the Geto Boys rapper who was shot in the eye. Please comment if you know. WARNING: THIS PHOTO IS VERY GRAPHIC.

“The devil made him do it", representatives for R&B singer Houston said in a statement explaining how his eye was seriously gouged. Houston’s publicist issued a statement Thursday night denying reports he tried to take his life by jumping from a London hotel window last week. The statement said Houston “found himself in the midst of a spiritual battle against the evil that runs rampant in the entertainment industry.” Houston, whose 2004 single I Like That was used in a McDonald’s commercial, was found in his London hotel room with a serious eye injury. He was briefly in hospital.

“I went to check on him before going to bed and I saw blood on the floor,” Houston’s bodyguard, Marco Powell, said in the statement. “Houston was lying on his bed with a towel over his face and I removed the towel to find his eye hanging out. He said he had to get the devil off of his back and that’s the only way he could kill the devil.”

Houston, whose full name is Houston Summers, is a Los Angeles resident. He was raised strictly Christian and was “constantly at odds with the temptations that come with success in the music business,” the statement said.The incident prompted a statement from Bushwick Bill of the rap group The Geto Boys. In 1991, a severely intoxicated Bushwick forced his girlfriend to assist him in a suicide attempt. She shot him in the eye but he miraculously survived.

“Fame will make you crazy,” Bushwick’s statement said. “I want Houston to know that he is in my prayers and that I will ask God to give him peace of mind and peace of heart and I hope his eye heals as well as his mind and his emotions.” Houston was recuperating Friday at his Los Angeles home. The condition of his eye was not known. “I still love all my fans. Please pray for me and know I’ll be back with some more hits,” Houston said.

NEW YORK — The five largest music companies and three of the USA’s largest music retailers agreed Monday to pay $67.4 million and distribute $75.7 million in CDs to public and non-profit groups to settle a lawsuit led by New York and Florida over alleged price-fixing in the late 1990s.

Attorneys general in the two states, who were joined in the lawsuit by 39 other states, said that the industry kept consumer CD prices artificially high between 1995 and 2000 with a practice known as “minimum-advertised pricing” (MAP). The settlement will go to all 50 states, based on population. Consumers may be able to seek compensation.

Under MAP, the record companies subsidized ads by retailers in return for agreement by the stores to sell CDs at or above a certain price.

“This is a landmark settlement to address years of illegal price-fixing,” New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said in a statement. “Our agreement will provide consumers with substantial refunds and result in the distribution of a wide variety of recordings for use in our schools and communities.”

The companies, including Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, Bertelsmann’s BMG Music and EMI Group, plus retailers Musicland Stores, Trans World Entertainment and Tower Records, admitted no wrongdoing.

The companies have not practiced the pricing agreement since 2000. At that time, they agreed in settling a complaint by the Federal Trade Commission that they would refrain from MAP pricing for seven years.

Former FTC chairman Robert Pitofsky said at the time that consumers had been overcharged by $480 million since 1997 and that CD prices would soon drop by as much as $5 a CD as a result.

In settling the lawsuit, Universal BMG and Warner said they simply wanted to avoid court costs and defended the practice.

“We believe our policies were pro-competitive and geared toward keeping more retailers, large and small, in business,” Universal said in a statement.

Previously, the companies said that MAP was needed to protect independent music retailers from rising competition from discount chains such as Wal-Mart, Circuit City and Best Buy. They had slashed CD prices, below cost in some cases, in the hope that once consumers were in their stores they would buy other, more expensive products.

The music companies said that MAP did not directly help them because it didn’t affect wholesale prices. Retailers added that they needed support to keep prices up because their rents, particularly for stores in malls, were higher than the discount chains.

Lately, several record companies have cut prices on some CDs, particularly for new acts, to counter the continuing industry slump. Album sales are off nearly 11% this year compared with the same period in 2001, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

As previously reported, Jam Master Jay, a founding member of the pioneering rap trio Run-D.M.C., was shot and killed last night (Oct. 30) at his recording studio in the Jamaica section of Queens, near the New York neighborhood where he grew up. Two men were buzzed into the second-floor studio shortly before shots were fired at 7:30 p.m., police said. As of early this morning, no arrests had yet been made.

The 37-year-old disc jockey, whose real name was Jason Mizell, was shot once in the head in the studio’s lounge and died at the scene, said Detective Robert Price, a police spokesperson. Urieco Rincon, 25, who is not a member of Run-D.M.C., was shot in the leg, police said. About five other people in the studio at the time were not hurt. “Rest In Peace Jam Master,” Run-D.M.C.’s official Web site reads, underneath a picture of Mizell. The site also features a tribute page for fans to post their thoughts in the wake of the tragedy.

Mizell served as the platinum-selling group’s DJ, providing background for singers Joseph Simmons, better known as Run, and Darryl McDaniels, better known as D.M.C. The group is widely credited with helping bring hip-hop into the mainstream, thanks to a smash collaboration with Aerosmith on the 1980s standard “Walk This Way,” and earlier hits “My Adidas” and “It’s Tricky.”

Mizell’s friends and fans gathered near the studio, located above a restaurant and a check-cashing business. The crowd included many people from the Hollis section of Queens, where the members of Run DMC grew up. “They’re the best. They’re the pioneers in hip-hop,” said Arlene Clark, 39, who grew up in the same neighborhood. “They took it to the highest level it could go.”

Chuck D, the founder of the hip-hop group Public Enemy, blamed record companies and the advertising industry for perpetuating “a climate of violence” in the rap industry. “When it comes to us, we’re disposable commodities,” he said. Doctor Dre, a New York radio station DJ who had been friends with Mizell since the mid-1980s, said, “This is not a person who went out looking for trouble… He’s known as a person that builds, that creates and is trying to make the right things happen.”

Leslie Bell, 33, said the band members often let local musicians record for free at the studio, and had remained in Queens to give back to the community. “He is one great man,” said Bell. “As they say, the good always die young.”

A spokesperson said Mizell and McDaniels had planned to perform in Washington, D.C., tonight at a Washington Wizards basketball game. Mizell had performed on Tuesday in Alabama, she said. Mizell was married and had three children, according to the spokesperson.

Earlier this year, Run-D.M.C. released its “Greatest Hits” album via Arista. The set debuted at No. 56 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Last year, the act produced “Crown Royal,” breaking an eight-year studio silence. That set debuted at No. 22 on the tally.

LONDON - Pop star Robbie Williams said he has signed a new deal with record label EMI that makes him “rich beyond my wildest dreams.” Williams would not comment on a report in Britain’s Sun tabloid that the multialbum contract was worth $125 million. The 28-year-old performer said Wednesday that: “My mom said it would be really uncouth of me to talk about money – but I’m rich beyond my wildest dreams.” EMI spokeswoman Cathy Cremer said the reported figure was “complete and total speculation.” Asked by reporters what he planned to do with the cash, Williams replied, “I’m going to count it all.” Williams, at the offices of his management company, was joined by Tony Wadsworth, head of EMI in Britain.

“We have heard the new album Escapology and it is undoubtedly his best album yet,” Wadsworth said.

Williams, who first found fame with boy band Take That, has sold nearly 10 million albums in Britain and has had a series of No.1 hits, including “Millennium,” “She’s the One” and “Rock DJ.” He has won 13 Brit Awards, including nine as a solo artist, but has yet to make much impact in the United States.

A previous EMI big-money deal proved costly. EMI signed Mariah Carey to its Virgin label in 2001 in a much-hyped deal reported to be worth as much as US$100 million. The company dropped her in January, with a US$28-million payout, after her first disc for the label Glitter suffered embarrassing sales. AP

James Stinson, one of the members of the Detroit
legendary electro duo Drexciya has passed away due to hearts complications. Here is the Drexciya discography:DISCOGRAPHY :

REPHLEX (UK)

Drexciya - Drexciya 3: Molecular Enhancement EP (12″) - CAT017EP - 1996
Side 1. Alpha:
1. Antivapor Waves
2. Intensifies Magnetron
Side 2. Beta:
3. Hydro Cubes
4. Aquatic Bata Particles
Songs under license from Underground Resistance Detroit, U.S.A. Special thanks to: God and Mad Mike from U.R. All songs were particle accelerated by Drexciya in Drexciya, ion filtered at Black Planet Studio in Detroit.
NOTE: released also on Submerge as SVE-6 (with different track list).

SHOCKWAVE (Detroit, MI., USA)

Drexciya - Deep Sea Dweller EP (12″) - SW1007 - 1993
A1. Sea Quake
A2. Nautilus 12
B1. Depressurization
B2. Sea Snake
Written, mixed and produced by Drexciya.
Published by Dance Threat Music (BMI)
Inscriptions: Side A: “Techno From The Deep” / Side B: “Deep H2O”
NOTE: the first Drexciya release.

SOMEWHERE IN DETROIT (Detroit, MI., USA)

Drexciya - Uncharted EP - S.I.D-005
A. Hi-Tide
B. Dr. Blowfin’s Experiment
NOTE: The S.I.D. series 12’s were EP’s that were supposed to be exclusive to the Submerge Somewhere In Detroit store. The idea was that the only way you could get them was to physically visit the shop on the ground floor of Submerge’s building. A few of them occasionally turn up at other shops, though. There were a few previously unreleased tracks from Drexciya, UR, and a couple of other artists released this way.
Thanks to Submerge’s refusal to play the “release and delete” game, though, these don’t fetch the exorbitant prices a lot of other limited availability releases do. - Dave Walker on IDM list

SUBMERGE (Detroit, MI., USA)

Drexciya - Drexciya 4: The Unknown Aquazone 2xEP (2x12″) - SVE-3 - 1994
1. Intro
2. Living On The Edge
3. Aqua Jujidsu
4. Aquabahn
5. Mantaray
6. Lardossen Funk
7. Take Your Mind
8. Intro
9. Aquarazorda
10. Bubble Chamber
11. Water Walker
12. Red Hills Of Lardossa

Drexciya - Drexciya 3: Molecular Enhancement - SVE-6 - 1995
1. Anti-Beats
2. Antivapor Waves
3. Intensified Magnetron
4. Bata-Pumps
5. Hydro Cubes
6. Aquatic Bata Particles
Produced by Drexciya
NOTE: released also on Rephlex (CAT017EP) with different track list.

Drexciya - The Quest (2x12″ / 2-CD) - SVE-8 - July 1997

CD 1:
1. Intro (?)
2. You Don’t Know (UR-039)
3. Dehydration (unreleased)
4. Bang Bang (UR-037)
5. Antivapor Waves (SVE-6)
6. Intensified Magnetron (SVE-6)
7. Hydro Cubes (SVE-6)
8. Aquatic Bata Particles (SVE-6)
9. Hi Tide (S.I.D.-005)
10. Depressurization (SW-1007)
11. Sea Snake (SW-1007)
12. Aqua Jujidsu (SVE-3)
13. Beyond The Abyss (UR-026)
14. Lardossen Funk (SVE-3)
15. Red Hills Of Lardossa (SVE-3)
16. The Mutant Gillmen (an experiment gone wrong)

CD 2:
1. Seaquake (SW-1007)
2. Bubble Metropolis (UR-026)
3. Living On The Edge (Instrumental) (SVE-3)
4. Aquabon (Remix) (SVE-3)
5. Positron Island (UR-026)
6. Doctor Blowfin’s Water Cruiser (UR-026)
7. Wave Jumper (UR-030)
8. Take Your Mind (SVE-3)
9. Dead Man’s Reef (unreleased)
10. Vampire Island (unreleased)
11. Neon Falls (unreleased)
12. The Last Transmission (?)

Vinyl version (SVE-7, 2x12″):

A1. Depressurization (Bonus Beats)
A2. Beyond The Abyss
A3. You Don’t Know
B1. Living On The Edge (Instr.)
B2. Aquabon (Remix)
C1. Reff Rhythms (Bonus Beat)
C2. WaveJumper
D1. Dr. Blowfin’s Watercruiser
D2. Bubble Metropolis

All songs produced by Drexciya.

NOTE: a compilation with 28 tracks on CD; also a shorter version as a 2x12″.

TRESOR, Berlin, Germany

Drexciya - Neptune’s Lair (2-LP/CD) - Tresor 129 - November 1999

CD:
1. Intro: Temple of Dos de Agua
2. Species of the Pod
3. Andreaen Sand Dunes
4. Running Out of Space
5. Habitat.O.Negative
6. Universal Element
7. Drifting Into a Time of No Future
8. Polymono Plexusgel
9. Surface Terrestrial Colonization
10. Funk Release Valve
11. Organic Hydropoly Spores
12. Draining of the Tanks
13. Devil Ray Cove
14. Fusion Flats
15. Triangular Hydrogen Strain
16. Oxyplasmic Gyration Beam
17. Quantum Hydrodynamics
18. Lost Vessel
19. Bottom Feeders
20. Jazzy Fluids
21. C to the Power of X+C to the Power of X=MM=Unknown
2xLP:

A1. Intro: Temple of Dos de Agua
A2. Andreaen Sand Dunes
A3. Running Out of Space
A4. Universal Element
B1. Habitat.O.Negative
B2. Funk Release Valve
B3. Organic Hydropoly Spores
B4. Draining of the Tanks
C1. Surface Terrestrial Colonization
C2. Oxyplasmic Gyration Beam
D1. Triangular Hydrogen Strain
D2. Bottom Feeders
D3. C to the Power of X+C to the Power of X=MM=Unknown

Drexciya - Hydro Doorways EP (12″) - Tresor 137 - February 2000
A1. Quantum Hydrodynamics (01:16)
A2. Polymono Plexusgel (03:08)
A3. Lost Vessel (05:52)
B1. Species of the Pod (03:53)
B2. Drifting Into a Time of No Future (03:33)
B3. Devil Ray Cove (02:49)

UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE (Detroit, MI., USA)

Drexciya - Drexciya: Aquatic Invasion EP (12″) - UR 30 - 1994
1. WaveJumper
2. The Countdown Has Begun
3. Sighting In The Abyss
NOTE: Aquatic Invasion is not Drexciya 1. If anything is, Deep Sea Dweller is. That’s the first Drexciya release, but it’s not labelled Drexciya 1 either. So technically speaking, there is no Drexciya 1. - rbc3

Drexciya - Drexciya 2: Bubble Metropolis EP (12″) - UR-026 - 1994

Side A: Fresh Water
1. Aqua Worm Hole [5:25]
2. Positron Island [4:05]
3. Beyond The Abyss [2:17]

Side B: Salt Water
4. Bubble Metropolis [6:00]
5. Danger Bay [3:20]
6. Welcome To Drexciya [2:09]
Tracks made in Drexciya for UR in Detroit.

Drexciya - The Return of Drexciya - UR-037 - 1996
A1. Smokey’s Illegitimate Report
A2. You Don’t Know
B1. Bang-Bang
B2. Rubick’s Cube
Surfaced by Drexciya for Underground Resistance Prod.
Compiled (p) Mad Mike Music (BMI) 1996

Inscriptions:
Side A: “You don’t know – what lurks in the fog”

NOTE: label art by Frankie C. Fultz.
WARP RECORDS (Sheffield, UK)

Drexciya - Drexciya 5: The Journey Home EP (12″) - WAP57 - 1995
1. Black Sea
2. Darthouven Fish Men
3. Hydro Theory
4. Journey Home

Compilation appearances:

ELYPSIA RECORDS
Various Artists
The Rave Explosion - The Underground Continues..Vol 2. (2-CD)
1995
A4. Drexciya: Black Sea (Warp)

REACT MUSIC (London, UK)
Various Artists
True People: The Detroit Techno Album (CD / 5x12″)
REACTCD71/REACTLP71
1996
* A1. Drexciya: Davey Jones Locker
(Drexciya) BMI. (p) & Compiled 1996.

STUDIO !K7 (Germany)
Various Artists
Andrea Parker: DJ-Kicks (3-LP/CD)
K 7071LP/K 7071CD
24 August 1998
* 19. Drexciya: Hydro Theory (Warp)
NOTE: The 3-LP is unmixed.

Various Artists
Aux 88 presents Electro Boogie (2-LP/CD)
K7078LP/K7078CD
1999
* 16. Drexciya: Bubblemetropolis (UR)
NOTE: The 2-LP is unmixed.

SUBMERGE (Detroit, MI., USA)
Various Artists
Submerge: Depth Charge Two - Escape Into The Void (CD)
SCD-2
1995
* 14. Drexciya: Welcome To Drexciya (2:09)
Produced by Drexciya for Underground Resistance. Produced
in Detroit, MI – Taken from “Bubble Metropolis” EP. – Mad
Mike Music (BMI).

Various Artists
Origins Of A Sound (CD) - SVE 4 - 1995
* 2. Drexciya: The Countdown Has Begun
(Produced by Drexciya for Underground Resistance
Productions, Det., MI. USA.
Recorded at Black Planet.)
* 5. Drexciya: Living On The Edge
(Produced by Drexciya for Underground Resistance /
Submerge, Det., MI. USA.
Recorded at Invisible City.)
* 8. Drexciya: Wave Jumper
(Produced by Drexciya for Underground Resistance
Productions, Det., MI. USA.
Recorded at Black Planet.)

TRESOR (Berlin, Germany) / POW WOW / METROPLEX (US)
Various Artists - Deep Detroit Volume 2 - Magic Tracks Compiled By Juan Atkins (CD) - PWD7445 - 1993
* Drexciya: Positron Island (5:15)
NOTE: The track is misspellt as: “Drexcya: Positron I Stand".

UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE (Detroit, MI., USA)

Various Artists
Interstellar Fugitives (3-LP/CD) - UR-045 - August 1998
* 8. Drexciya: Interstellar Crime Report
* 9. Drexciya: Aquatacizem
NOTE: a compilation of unreleased tracks from Mad Mike, Drexciya, The Suburban Knight, Andre Holland, et al.

Various Artists
DJ Rolando - “The Aztec Mystic Mix CD” - UR049 CD - 1999
* Drexciya: Dr. Blowfin’s Experiment
NOTE: originally released on SID05; all tracks mixed together by DJ Rolando, so not the full-length version.

Remixes:
UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE (Detroit, MI., USA) - UR - Electronic Warfare “The Mixes” (12″) - UR-034
* Proton Side 2) Electric Eel Mix by Drexciya

Related:
(unknown label)
Glass Domain - English & Music by Glassware - cat # - 04753 - 1991
A. Shatter Prone
B. Hiccups
C. Faory
D. Interlock
NOTE: ltd clear vinyl, and some black vinyl.
NOTE 2: very rare, Drexciya people behind this release.

HARDWAX (Detroit, USA?)
L.A.M. (Life After Mutation) - Balance of Terror EP - HW 004 - early 1990’s?
* 6 tracks (with no titles)
NOTE: A pre-Drexciyan release is without a doubt the L.A.M. record on Rob Hood’s Hardwax label. There are no inscriptions in the record (apart from NSC, of course). The A-side runs from inside out whereas the B side is normal. I do not know the publication date but considering the publication policy of Hardwax (number 10 was published this spring) the record came out in the early 90’s. - Benjamin Holzwarth

RED PLANET (Detroit, MI., USA)
Red Planet V: The Long Winter of Mars - RP-5 - Year: ?
NOTE: A guest appearance from Drexciya.

CREDITS:
Alan M. Parry (his discography on Hyperreal), Ines Ackermann, Mario Atienza, pHinn, rbc3, Mark S-Walker, Dave Walker, Benjamin Holzwarth and people on 313 and IDM mailing lists.

DREXCIYA RUMOURS:
It is rumoured that one or more Drexciya members have been or are at the moment in such groups as Elecktroids and Dopplereffekt. Even “Mad Mike” Banks has been connected with Drexciya once or more times. Since very few people know the actual identities of Drexciya, these rumours will undoubtedly go on and on.

Several new music reviews were added to muziqnet today.

LHK & ALEX MORAN - Groove Asylum Vol. 1 - Camouflage Recordings
CHRIS LUM - My Philosoph EP - Tilted Records
DEMARKUS LEWIS - Why Me - Blu�m
DIRTY VEGAS - Ghosts - Credence
FRANCOIS K featuring BARBARA MENDEZ - Awakening - Wave
CPEN - Broken/Hi-Tek - Straylight

Go there now:
REVIEWS…

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Internet service provider EarthLink Inc. on Monday launched a service for its users to download digital music, working with privately-held subscription service FullAudio.

Atlanta-based EarthLink said its Digital Music Center will offer downloads of up to 50 songs per month for $9.95 or 100 tracks per month for $17.95. The company also announced a partnership with MusicMatch to offer custom jukebox software for customers’ PCs. FullAudio has licenses to music from four of the five major music labels and offers more than 75,000 tracks in total. Songs can be played back with or without an Internet connection, FullAudio said, and can be synchronized with up to three PCs.

EarthLink also said customers will be able to buy albums directly from Amazon.com Inc. through its music player.

em:t records is being relaunched! We have received confirmation Nottingham, England-based SQC Recording Studios are taking steps to make new em:t albums available to the public. The famed relaunch is finally happening!
More information is available on a dedicated page.
To get in touch with the new em:t records, please visit their Web site.

http://www.emit.cc/emit.jsp
http://www.emitrecords.com/

Listen.com signed a significant new distribution deal today with Terra Lycos that brings its Rhapsody subscription music service to a potential audience of 30 million users.

The partnership comes as San Francisco-based Listen.com signed licensing agreements with independent music labels Zomba and TVT Records. The deals add about 100,000 songs to Rhapsody’ digital catalog, including works from Britney Spears, `N Sync, Naughty By Nature and C.M.C. featuring Ja Rule.
The Rhapsody service has been making slow but steady progress for its streaming music service since it launched last December, forging online distribution partnerships with classical music label Naxos of America, Downbeat jazz and Internet access provider Speakeasy.net. The Lycos deal is by far its biggest partnership to date.

The Lycos Rhapsody service offers users free access to 20 Internet radio stations, broadcast over the Internet in FM quality sound. For $4.95 a month, subscribers get 50 commercial-free radio stations streamed over the Internet, in CD-quality sound, and the ability to skip tracks. The top subscription level costs $9.95 a month, and provides unlimited on-demand streams of favorite songs by favorite artists, like Christina Aguilera, Linkin Park, Jennifer Lopez, Jay-Z, Lauryn Hill, Prince and classic artists Bruce Springsteen and Simon and Garfunkel.

David Pritchard, senior director of music, TV and film for Terra Lycos, said the Rhapsody service fits with its strategy to move Internet surfers from free to premium paid content, as it has with enhanced e-mail, finance and search features.

“Offering a music service is a natural next step in that it builds on the strategy that Terrra Lycos has been unfolding over the last few months,'’ Pritchard said.

Listen.com, meanwhile, gains broader exposure for an online service that offers the largest music collection of any of the paid services – with tracks from four of the five largest record labels.

“For Listen, it’s a significant deal because it’s a pretty significant ISP,'’ said P.J. McNealy, a senior analyst for GartnerG2 in San Jose. “For Lycos, it’s part of their transition from being a data provider to an entertainment provider. The goal is to provide more entertainment, to convert more people to broadband. It’s part of a bigger picture.'’

Folk singer David Grossman’s lifestyle and the term ‘’rock star'’ aren’t typically uttered in the same sentence.

Though the 36-year-old musician from Arizona plays hundreds of gigs a year, most are in small bars and coffee shops.

So it’s no surprise that on the question of free music downloads, Grossman differs radically from the Metallicas and Dr. Dres of the world, who have fought it in and out of court as sales-damaging copyright infringement.Grossman is one of thousands of musicians cheering the return of Garageband.com, a website that showcases songs of up-and-coming and going-nowhere acts through free downloads and streaming, peer reviews and rankings.

The site, launched in 1999 with industry heavyweights like Beatles producer George Martin and Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison as consultants, went offline in February after failing to meet operating expenses.

Tom Zito, a former Washington Post music critic who helped found Garageband Records, hoped to resurrect the site with a distribution deal to put Garageband albums in stores, but that never materialized.

Finally, some of the site’s users and employees scraped together enough money to bring it back online.

WELCOME NEWS
The site’s return last month is welcome news to Grossman and the tens of thousands of his peers whose music can be found on it. Besides providing information about how to buy his CDs, it helps Grossman land gigs by bringing his music to the attention of club owners and party planners who prowl the Net looking for local entertainers.

‘’The people who are complaining about [free downloads], they’re backward,'’ Grossman said. ‘They would see the wheel as a threat, and say, `What’s going to happen to sandal companies when the wheel comes out?’ ‘’

Though sites like Garageband are popular with indie musicians, turning a profit from obscure music has proven elusive.

The Internet Underground Music Archive was nearly derailed last year before the online music company Vitaminic acquired it.

IUMA.com ‘’was sort of on the verge of breaking even'’ when cutbacks from EMusic forced it to turn away new acts in February 2001, said IUMA founder Jeff Patterson.

Part of the problem is that Web surfers eager to hear unknown acts don’t necessarily buy their CDs.

CD Baby, a small company in Portland, Ore., which sells discs only on the Internet, handles record sales for both IUMA and Garageband.com. And though CD Baby bills itself as the second-largest online seller of independent music after Amazon.com, its success has been modest.

The company’s revenue has increased consistently, from $100,000 in 1999 to $1.4 million in 2001, according to vice president John Steup. It has turned a profit since 1997 when founder Derek Sivers would bike to the post office with a backpack full of discs.

CD Baby lets the artists set the price for their records, including those sold through Garageband. Typically, the bands sell discs for $10 to $12. CD Baby keeps $4 per CD sold, and the band keeps the rest. The artists are free to sell their discs anywhere else they want.

CD Baby says that in a record deal with a major label, musicians may only make $1 to $2 per disc.

NEW AVENUES

Clearly, record sales alone won’t keep operations like Garageband and IUMA afloat, so the sites are searching for new ways to make money. Much of IUMA’s revenue came from concerts featuring the site’s most popular acts, said Patterson, adding that IUMA is also considering charging users to download songs but would leave the decision to the individual bands.

Garageband plans to continue permitting free uploads and downloads, but also is planning for-pay services for musicians, said Patrick Koppula, spokesman for the company’s new owners.

Analysts were once optimistic about sites like Garageband, but after the dot-com bust, their money-making potential is regarded with some wariness.

‘’What percentage [of site visitors] are willing to pay? I think it’s pretty small,'’ said Melanie Posey, an analyst with International Data Corp.

Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone (real name: Douglas Glenn Colvin) was found dead last night (June 5) in his Hollywood, Calif., home, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. He was 50. Ramone was found unconscious by his wife Barbara at approximately 8:25 p.m. PT, and was pronounced dead at the scene by fire department paramedics approximately 15 minutes later. The Coroner’s Office is investigating a possible accidental drug overdose as the cause of death.

The Coroner’s Office is investigating a possible accidental drug overdose as the cause of death. An autopsy is being conducted today, but a spokesperson says a finding on the cause of death may be deferred until additional toxicology tests can be analyzed. It could take as few as three weeks or as many as eight to determine the results.

Ramone is the second member of the group to pass away in just more than a year. Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Hyman), died on April 15, 2001, after a long battle with lymphoma.

Along with singer Joey, guitarist Johnny (John Cummings), and drummer Tommy (Tom Erdelyi), Dee Dee formed the Ramones in Queens, N.Y., in 1974. He remained in the band until 1989, at which point he pursued rap under the moniker Dee Dee King, and later formed the band Chinese Dragons. He was replaced in the band’s lineup by C.J. Ramone (Christopher Joseph Ward).

Following his exit, he continued to contribute songs to Ramones albums into the ’90s, made occasional appearances with the group up through its final tour in 1996, and is on the 1997 live album from that tour, “We’re Outta Here.”

Last year Ramone released the solo album “Greatest and Latest,” a collection of mostly Ramones songs, via Conspiracy Music, and appeared in and contributed solo music to the independent film “Bikini Bandits,” which also featured Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and former Dead Kennedys leader Jello Biafra. He also appeared with his bandmates in New York in March when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Ramone also wrote two books, his most recent being the novel “Chelsea Horror Hotel,” published by Thunder’s Mouth Press in May 2001. The book finds the author and his wife living in New York and interacting with the ghosts of punk rock casualties Sid Vicious, Stiv Bators, and Johnny Thunders. His first book, an autobiography titled “Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones,” was published by Thunder’s Mouth in 2000.

The artist also published the occasional issue of his self-scrawled zine “Takin Dope,” five issues of which are posted on his official Web site. The most recent issue, dated fall 2001, found Ramone publicly dealing with his depression over the recent deaths of Joey and his father. “I took a lot of walks in the woods and let myself cry,” he wrote. “I was upset because I would never get to see these guys ever again and that the only way I could resolve the problems I had with them was to pray for them to forgive me and for myself to forgive them. But I can’t seem to get over it that it’s over, it’s painful.”

“Some people I met at a book signing told me that when Joey died they felt that there [sic] youth died also,” he wrote later in the zine. “I know how they feel. The Ramones kept us all young.”

“I was still working out the final details on Joey’s headstone when I got the shocking word that another brother in our extended ‘family’ was gone,” Joey’s brother Mickey Leigh said in a statement. “For me he was one of the greatest rock’n'roll songwriters alive. Sadly, today another life becomes legend. My heartfelt sympathies go out to his wife, family, and friends.”

A Ramones tribute album, featuring performances by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Metallica, and U2, among others, is due later this year from DV8/Columbia.

Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, the most flamboyant and outspoken member of the multi-platinum trio TLC, has died, according to a spokesperson for the group’s label, Arista Records. Lopes was 30.

The rapper/singer perished in a car accident late Thursday night while she was vacationing in Honduras.

“We had all grown up together and were as close as a family. Today we have truly lost our sister,” Lopes’ TLC partners Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas said in a statement.This afternoon on MTV’s “TRL,” the audibly distraught ladies phoned in, saying, “Lisa had one of the biggest hearts of anybody we’ve ever known. She did charity work with kids for the lupus disease. She adopted a little girl named Snow … Lisa could do anything she put her mind to.”

“No words can possibly express the sorrow and sadness I feel for this most devastating loss,” Arista’s CEO L.A. Reid said in a statement. “Lisa was not only a gifted and talented musical inspiration, but more importantly, she was like a daughter to me. My thoughts and prayers are with Lisa’s family and friends. Her legacy will be remembered forever.”

On Friday morning (April 26) Lopes’ personal publicist released details about the tragedy. Left Eye went down to Honduras — where she would often visit — on March 20, and was scheduled to return to the States on Sunday. While there, she was volunteering at a children’s development center and at the Usha Herbal Resource Institute, an herbal healing center.

Left Eye was driving a rented Mitsubishi Montero SUV and traveling from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula. According to her spokesperson, a three-person group called Egypt, her brother, sister and two producers were in the vehicle with her. The spokesperson said the SUV tipped over and Left Eye died after sustaining a blow to the head.

According to authorities in Jutiapa, Lopes was not licensed to drive internationally and was apparently speeding and lost control. The car crashed in Roma, which is one of Jutiapa’s provinces.

Everyone was taken to the Vicente D’Antoni hospital in La Ceiba and, according to that medical facility, there were eight other passengers in the vehicle. Four were released and the remaining four remain hospitalized in stable condition.

The U.S. Embassy in Honduras said it is working with the San Jose Funeral Home in La Ceiba and the Lopes family to make arrangements for the body to be flown back to Atlanta. No funeral plans have been made as of yet.

As for the musical projects Left Eye was involved with, TLC were working on an album and at least four tracks have been completed. Left Eye had been in the studio working on a track with David Bowie, and had hoped to do a song with Eve and Pink based on the theme of Philly pride, Lopes’ spokesperson said.

Born in Philadelphia, Left Eye later moved to Atlanta, where she formed TLC with Watkins and Thomas. The trio’s 1992 debut LP, Ooooooohhh…On the TLC Tip, spawned the top 10 hits “Baby-Baby-Baby,” “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” and “What About Your Friends.”

The group’s hip-pop beats — provided by Jermaine Dupri and Dallas Austin — and their identifiable b-girl style captivated fans, helping the trio become instant stars. With condoms on their clothes, their hats shifted to the back and their sagging, baggy pants, TLC exuded girl-powered audacity. As the resident rapper among two singers, Left Eye immediately stood out.

Two years later, TLC proved their staying power with the blockbuster LP Crazysexycool. The group expanded its message while expanding its fanbase, offering such songs as “Creep” (exploring relationship infidelity) and “Waterfalls” (which addressed a number of society’s ills).

Away from the studio, the trio brought the drama that would keep the world fixated on them. In the five years between Crazysexycool and their third LP, Fan Mail, TLC publicly quarreled amongst themselves, fought with their former manager, Pebbles, as well as their record label. They also declared bankruptcy and disclosed life-threatening illnesses, among other things. Lopes upped the controversy even further when she set fire to the home of her on-again, off-again boyfriend, football star Andre Rison, in 1994.

Throughout it all, Left Eye held her head high and spoke her mind on everything. No matter how outrageous the situation, Left Eye would seem to trump it with an even more outrageous opinion. More than any other member of the group, Left Eye became a character, and what she did offstage became just as (if not more) interesting than what she did onstage.

Last year, Lopes was engaged in another beef with her label when it decided not to release her long-talked about solo debut, Supernova, domestically (see “Left Eye Plans To Stream Delayed Album"). Although TLC were said to be working on the their fourth LP for months (see “Reconciled TLC Recording New Album, Solo Projects"), Lopes dropped another shocker at the beginning of this year when she announced that she had aligned herself with Suge Knight’s Tha Row label. Lopes said that she would record a new solo album in Los Angeles under the name N.I.N.A. While “Nina” is slang for a 9 mm handgun, Left Eye said her Row moniker stood for “New Identity Non-Applicable” (see “Left Eye Signs With Suge Knight’s Tha Row” ).

There is no word yet on how much material Left Eye recorded for her new solo album or for the next TLC project, or what plans (if any) there are for the release of those albums.