Illegal downloads on decline?

I read an interesting article the other day [thanks to honorary Dummy Jeroen] about the possible decline of illegal music downloads. Read the article at NY Times.com. It made me think of my own behavior and if it has changed, and i realized that it has. A year ago one was more inclined to turn to illegal downloads than today...

The reason it has changed is the growth of music services like Spotify. They make it easy to find new music and the cost for it is little compared to what it would cost to buy all the albums you listen to [99 SEK | 10 EUR | 13 USD for 30 days or free of charge with commercials at Spotify]. Well spent money my friend. For someone like me its ideal, I can listen to a lot of new music, and if I fall in love with an album I will buy it on CD [yes, i still buy CDs]. The best part is that the artist get's a little something every time you listen to their song :)

So, are you still downloading illegally? Please comment [you can be anonymous] below. Thanks!

So far Spotify is only available in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, France and Spain. It will grow to new countries eventually, but in the meantime, try to find a similar service in your own home country.

First Aid Kit <--- Young talent!

The sisters Klara Söderberg, 15, and Johanna Söderberg, 17 is the duo First Aid Kit. And what a duo! Despite the fact that they hate being called sweet - that's just what they are. They are singing sweet folk-pop and you wouldn't guess their early age from their lyrics. They were discovered by Karin Dreijer from The Knife and Fever Ray and that's why their debut EP Drunken Trees is released on her label Rabid Records. The EP was named Drunken Trees after watching Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth that mentions how trees lean and look drunken when the permafrost is melting. Insightful title!

The story of First Aid Kit gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I feel proud when two young girls with a lot of creative joy can put together such a great debut EP on their own. It can only go one way from here and that's forward! This is two young women that takes their music seriously, so don't let their sweetness fool you ;-)

As you might tell, Im already a fan of First Aid Kit, and i think you should be too. So check out their music at Spotify, and the videos below, the Fleet Foxes cover is wonderful! And if you like it, buy it!

Pssst! They are doing a UK tour at the moment, make sure to check out the tour dates on their official website.

First Aid Kit - Hard Believer


First Aid Kit - Summer Session no 1: Universal Soldier [Buffy Saint-Marie]


First Aid Kit - Summer Session no 2: Simple Man [Graham Nash]


First Aid Kit - Cover: Fleet Foxes Tiger Mountain Peasant Song


Press Photo Josefin Klavus

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Find out more about the sisters on their official website and on their Myspace!
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Wildbirds & Peacedrums

If you are in the mood for something different and experimental this week, you should listen to Wildbirds & Peacedrums. Its been called experimental folk, freak folk, psychedelic and jazz and the reason why is that you never know what's coming next. I feel hints from bands like Cocorosie, Mars Volta and others. Both sweet and hard at the same time [just like their name].

David Coleman at No Ripcord has interviewed them and if you want to find out more i suggest you keep reading there ---> Interview Wildbirds & Peacedrums

I have a feeling that Wildbirds & Peacedrums work really well as a live band, and that's why they keep on touring successfully over the world. Have you seen them live? Let us know what you thought of it! Also, check out the videos below, the track [and video] My Heart is great!

You can listen to Wildbirds & Peacedrums at Spotify and you can also buy their music at iTunes music store!

Wildbirds & Peacedrums - My Heart


Wildbirds & Peacedrums - There is No Light


Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Doubt/Hope


Press Picture

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If you want to find out more about Wildbirds & Peacedrums, check out their Myspace.
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Melissa Horn

Recently i fell in love with Melissa Horn. Her sweet voice in combination with those sad lyrics of love speaks to the melancholic and romantic part of me that seems to take over my mood on rainy days like this. I think she's wonderful and is amazed that i didn't hear that much about her before. She has talent, and hopefully she will be one of our great female vocalists in the future.

Melissa sound to me like the female version of Lars Winnerbäck, so it seems only natural that she has recorded the duet Som jag hade dig förut with him. She released her debut album Långa Nätter in 2008 and the song by the same name is one of her best known songs. Melissa is also the daughter of the Swedish folk/jazz Maritza Horn.

You can listen to Melissa at Spotify and at Youtube [embedding is disabled...] and buy her music at iTunes music store.

Press Picture

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Find out more about Melissa at Myspace.
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Official song 2009 | Stockholm Pride

Marit Bergman is the creator of the official Stockholm Pride song this year. The song Casey hold on is now possible to download for free at the Stockholm Pride website, so take the chance while its possible! Its a classic Marit pop song, a perfect song for Pride :)

Marit has also released the album The Tear Collector recently, its available for download and on Spotify.

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Find out more about Marit Bergman at Myspace and the official website.
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Hello Saferide | Arjeplog

When the summer is in full bloom outside my window, its hard to believe that this Hello Saferide video was made in the same country... but its a reminder of whats to come.

Is it just me that find it relaxing to watch Annika in her skiing pants, taking a walk next to the skiing tracks and the pines trees on a sunny and snowy day? Maybe I'm just very Scandinavian :)

You: Oh but Annika what is it about?
HS: It’s about the north of Sweden, about going to the city and missing the countryside, and about going to the countryside and missing the city. It’s about love, and it’s about spooning without one arm getting numb.
You: Oh but Annika will there be a video?
HS: Yes, be patient child. There will be a link for the video in the end of this post.
You: Oh and Annika, where is it filmed?
HS: We filmed it at Vittjåkk. Time spent: 5 minutes. Budget: 0 Skr. I love it.
(From www.hellosaferide.com)

Hello Saferide - Arjeplog


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Find out more about where Hello Saferide is playing live this summer, or download her Spotify playlist at HelloSaferide.com
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Disappointments of a dinosaur

A month with Spotify and the joy of something new and inspiring has worn off a bit. The possibilities are so endless that it feels a bit soulless after a while. At times i felt a bit forced trying to find what i have always missed, music wise, other times im disappointed for not being able to find some of the somewhat underground artist's that i like. No surprise there, its mostly big labels that have connected themselves to the database.

The news surrounding Spotify this week is regarding the fact that the big labels now wants to limit the use of songs and artists depending on where you live etc. What was from the start a great idea will now be limited and slowly fade away. Because we all know that if the customer feels limited and cant find what they are looking for, they will probably go back to illegal downloads again.

With nostalgia i remember the old hunt for cheap records (and im not the only one feeling that way) and im not even one of those people who bought a lot of LP's back in the day. I still love the smell of a great printed cover, like mini pieces of art to bright up my day. These days my record shopping is limited to buying them at gigs, directly from the artist with the memory of a great live experience connected to the little piece of plastic. I know im a relic, a dinosaur, a dying breed, but i still love CD's.

Spotify Press Picture

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Read more about the news at Spotify.com
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Spotify yourself!

For the better part of 2008 people started to whisper about Spotify and how great it was, to get an invite to this great musical mystery was granted only a few very hip and happening people. So, finally, late 2008 i gave in to the curiosity and beg some of my friends for an invite and started listening.

Spotify is one of those applications that will change the way we listen to music once again. Its a Swedish invention to make it easier for people to listen to all the music they want, legally, for free. You have an account and that account give you access to a lot of music on a server. Its financed with commercials, but you can buy yourself a commercial free subscription. Its said to the the salvation for the record industry that's currently on its knees from plummeting record sales. The artist's/labels get paid for every song played, fair for every one.

I didn't want to write about it until i tried it, so that's why im the last one in Sweden to blog about this ;) The commercials are not that frequent, so i don't find it as annoying as the commercial radio channels we've got here. Much better. The music server is lacking some of my more alternative choices, but more and more music is added every day. It has given me the opportunity to look up some of the music that i want to sample but isn't sure i want, which is great. Another nice thing is that the developers made it possible for us last.fm nerds to scrobble directly from Spotify :)

So sign up for a paid try-out or beg someone for an invite and start exploring all that music you have been wondering about!

Press pictures from Spotify's playful "google-ish" headquarters. Work and play in symbiosis.

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Find out more at Spotify.com
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