2008 – Unreleased material Jimi Hendrix wrote and recorded with twin brothers Arthur and Albert Allen — a.k.a. the Ghetto Fighters — may finally be released through software/multimedia company we-R-you. The Allen brothers, who now go under the names TaharQa and Tunde Ra Aleem, first met Jimi in the mid-60s and worked with Hendrix on […]
2006 – The Flaming Lips are robbed on the first date of their UK tour. The thieves steal Wayne Coyne’s laptop and his wife’s digital camera from their dressing room.
2006 – The Beatles announce plans to digitally remaster their back catalog and sell it online.
2005 – Bob Moog, inventor of his namesake range of synthesizers and one of the most significant figures in the evolution of electronic music, dies at his home in Asheville, N.C. He is 71. A native of N.Y., Moog was diagnosed with brain cancer in late April and had since undergone radiation treatment and chemotherapy. […]
2005 – US CD sales rose for the first time in four years. The CD format accounted for 98% of the 666 million albums sold, according to research company Nielsen Soundscan. A total of 140 million digital tracks were legally downloaded during 2004, equivalent to 14 million albums. R&B star Usher was the biggest-selling artist […]
2004 – The Pixies releases its first new song in 13 years. “Bam Thwok” is available beginning at midnight for digital download exclusively via Apple’s iTunes Music Store.
2003 – Prince’s new album “N.E.W.S.” goes on sale as an exclusive digital download. Perhaps the reason why is that it only has four tracks, each 15 minutes long. A marketing genius!
2002 – Lonnie Donegan, known as the “king of skiffle’ dies in his sleep in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. He is 71. Lonnie Donegan MBE (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002) was a skiffle musician, possibly the most famous of them all, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is […]
2002 – Microsoft announces that Lenny Kravitz is the inaugural recipient of Microsoft’s Windows Media Innovation Award, a biannual award honoring achievements in digital media using its Windows Media technology.
2001 – For the first time ever, the Recording Academy agrees to accept a downloadable single for Grammy consideration. Virgin Records releases two singles, “Dig In,” by Lenny Kravitz and “God Gave Me Everything” by Mick Jagger are released to digital retailers via Liquid Audio.
2000 – The Secure Digital Music Initiative announces that two of its proposed technologies did not survive being attacked as part of the “Hack SDMI” challenge. The competition invited all comers to attempt removal of copyright protection from particular files, based on a specific set of criteria.
1999 – At a news conference in Los Angeles, it is announced that previously unreleased tracks from Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos are to be offered via the Internet in conjunction with a promotion of their forthcoming tour sponsored by controversial digital music provider MP3.com and retailer Best Buy.
