Wednesday Intermezzo: Rhino Kills The Dead

A few weeks ago we told you about Carrie Brownstein’s Monitor Mix post calling out the Grateful Dead for asking NPR to write a piece on them in exchange for allowing Brownstein to use Friend of the Devil in one of her online mixtapes. It turns out Rhino Records were the guilty party that made the ridiculous request of Brownstein, which makes us feel better about the situation. We already knew record companies are shady, and certainly Rhino is no exception.

Let’s see what else is goin’ down this week:

• Death Cab For Cutie guest blogged over at Stereogum yesterday
• Roger Waters discusses the history of the Pink Floyd pig with RS
• The NY Times spends a night out with Poison’s Bret Michaels
• Brian Wilson announces details about his new album, That Lucky Old Sun
• The Guardian lists the Ten Most Memorable Festival Performances
• Aquarium Drunkard interviews the always insightful Patterson Hood
• The woman immortalized by The Beatles’ classic She’s Leaving Home has been forced to demolish the home she built illegally
• Billboard offers more details on the eagerly awaited Specials reunion

Are we about to witness the death of the paper ticket? If Ticketmaster’s latest scheme for world domination works, we just might.

Ticketmaster recently announced the launch of a new paperless ticketing service that will start on Tom Waits’ upcoming tour. Under the new program, which will be installed at major venues over the next few years, ticketholders will present their credit card and Photo ID instead of printouts to gain entry to events. I’m sure they’ll still offer souvenir old school paper tickets… for a steep premium.