Hey everyone,

As you may have noticed, TribalStink.com launched with a bang last year and then suddenly dropped off the map. School and life started to take up all of my time, and so I had to stop writing here. I have some free time over the next month, however, to revamp the site and start writing again.

Not only will I be redesigning the website, but the format will be changing too. Instead of being a general music blog, TribalStink.com will become a sort of band spotlight that highlights a new band every week. The front page of the site will only show the newest spotlight, and you will be able to navigate/search for old spotlights in the top menu. Each spotlight artist will be selected by me, and I will write whatever I want about them, reviewing some of their music, giving upcoming concert dates, posting interest facts, and including free MP3′s of their music.

This new format will provide more structure and narrow our topic scope, hence making it easier and more fun for me to write about music. The new Tribal Stink will serve two purposes: to provide regular followers with a fast, weekly dose of some interesting music, and to provide a resource for Googlers to get information about bands.

I look forward to these changes and can’t wait to get things moving again.

Best,

Brandon

The Dodos – Fools music video

Shameless self promotion, I know, but Tribal Stink is now on Twitter. Anytime I make a new post on the blog, the headline and link will be tweeted out. I will also Tweet concert listings and special events in the Portland, Oregon area, so you may want to follow just for that reason. Who knows, this could actually be a useful tool for catching a show at the last minute. Follow the Stink:
http://twitter.com/tribalstink

The trial has ended for Joel Tenenbaum with the court ruling in favor of the four major record labels who were suing Joel. This Boston University student loves music like most people our age, using Napster and eventually KaZaa to download music for free. The case focused on 30 songs that Joel had downloaded, with the jury ordering Joel to pay $22,500 for each track – a total fine of $700,000.

Regardless of whether downloading copyrighted music for free is good or bad, legal or illegal, infringement or legit, the more important question is: does suing the hell out of a music fan accomplish anything good? Is this suppose to be some kind of warning to other potential file-sharers out there? All I’m getting from the record companies is “we make money, not art, screw you.” I know they are struggling financially, and file-sharing hurts them, but holy hell, they are digging their own grave by the second. An industry this stupid doesn’t deserve your money.

via BBC News