Everyone has been saying for years that print media, particularly book publishing, is a dying art form. But, for those adept at using new media to get people excited about books, (like the creators of the Amazon Kindle) there is hope. Today, the publisher Hachette Audio will begin releasing on iTunes a serialized version of a new book “Transition” by Iain M. Banks, a day before the book’s hardcover release. The abridged versions will be broken down into 23 episodes, uploaded two days a week for 12 weeks. This is the first attempt by a publisher to give part of the book away for free with the hope that listeners will like what they hear and be willing to pay for more. If they have enough impatient people on their hands, this could work. As Anthony Goff, publisher and director of Hachette Audio and Digital Media, explained to the Times “the promotion began with the book’s publication there on Sept. 3, and where the free episodes are the eighth-most downloaded podcast on iTunes; the full-length version is the 11th best-selling audio book.”
Another attempt to keep an old-school art form current and fresh is happening tomorrow night, when L.A.’s hip-hop duo People Under the Stairs play at the new Knitting Factory. The two MCs, who has released five albums since 1998, was called “one of the best acts in hip-hop’s underground” by Spin Magazine back in June after playing amped-up gigs at Bonnaroo and Coachella. They have been able to hold on to their old-school sound, partly because the beats, chorus, rhymes, and scratching, are all done by PUTS’ members Thes One and Double K themselves. According to their MySpace page, their new album, Carried Away, was also produced old-school style and was recorded entirely on reel to reel with tons of rock samples, distorted vocals, yelling, drum machines, etc.
The album is due out in early October, but today’s Jam is from their 2002 release, O.S.T. (Original Soundtrack). Ease into the week with a listen…
People Under the Stairs – The Breakdown:
-Melissa
East Village to Brooklyn 