Ticket Master expands paperless concert tix

April 11, 2010

Ticketmaster Expands Paperless Concert Tix
Don’t be surprised if you won’t be able to save all of your concert ticket stubs any more - because in many cases, they simply won’t exist. Oft-maligned concert ticket broker Ticketmaster have announced that they’re continuing to expand their paperless ticketing methods - in which customers purchase seats and gain admission to shows via their credit cards and IDs - in order to shut down ticket scalpers and overpriced ticket resales. 2009 saw the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Metallica utilizing the paperless tix for their gigantic show events, and 2010 is set to pull even more artists into the paperless ticket roster...
Yet another David Bowie tribute album is on the way, and it’ll be a 2-CD set with appearances from a wide range of musicians and bands. The set, which is a benefit album for charity, will be released on Manimal Vinyl (with the album itself available on CD and download as well as limited-edition vinyl, of course), and is tentatively set for release this May. Participants so far include Duran Duran, who cover “Boys Keep Swinging,” Warpaint’s take on “Ashes to Ashes,” We Are the World’s version of “Afraid of Americans,” and as-yet-unconfirmed tracks by MGMT, Soulwax, and Mick Karn, among others...
A wide range of bands will be making the jaunt to Columbus, Ohio on May 22-23 to perform the 4th annual ROTR (Rock on the Range) Festival. The event is said to be planning to offer “relatively low” ticket prices for Rock on the Range music fans (heretofore referred to as “Rangers”), and will include sets from Slash, Deftones, Papa Roach, Puddle of Mudd, Rob Zombie, and Columbus hometown band Noise Auction, with more bands to be added...
After a showing with former lead singer/contest winner JD Fortune at a performance at the Olympics, INXS is continuing on with their first new album in five years, although it won’t contain a whole lot of new songs. Instead, the band is reinventing their classic hits with different singers and arrangements. Rob Thomas is on board, as are Ben Harper and Tricky, while The Killers Brandon Flowers sings on the band’s “Beautiful Girl.” No word on whether or not Fortune - who won the Rockstar: INXS tv show and subsequently toured as frontman for INXS - will be included on the disc, as he was dismissed from the band after the tour, reportedly due in part to his drug use...
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
New collaborative duo alert: The Shins’ James Mercer and producer Danger Mouse have teamed up to form Broken Bells, a psychedelic-pop outfit that blends Mercer’s melodic sensibilities with synths, horns, and Brit ‘60s-era rhythms. If you haven’t heard them yet as they’ve snuck onto the scene under the radar, you should - so get more info and sneak a listen at www.brokenbells.com...

MINI BUZZ:
Apples in Stereo will be taking on a schedule of live shows in support of their new album, Travellers in Time and Space; the Apples tour stops will include Philadelphia (4/20), Cleveland (4/27), Pontiac MI (4/28 at the Pike Room), Chicago (4/30 at Lincoln Hall), and St. Paul MN (5/1)...
The 2010 San Miguel Primavera Sound Festival has added a plethora of bands to its roster for this May; performers will include Broken Social Scene, Owen Pallett, Florence and the Machine, Sunny Day Real Estate, Pet Shop Boys, and plenty more...
Austin singer-songwriter Bill Callahan has just released a live album called Rough Travel for a Rare Thing; the set features songs from Callahan’s solo career, plus tunes from his work with Smog...
Oxford band Foals have dubbed their second album Total Life Forever, and have now set a release date for May 10 for the new set of songs...
Actor/musician Johnny Depp is keeping busy directing a documentary on pal Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones...
Bad Lieutenant have announced the rescheduled dates for their U.S. tour, which will now include shows in San Francisco (4/16), Chicago (4/19), and NYC (4/21)...
ON CD: Death Cab for Cutie’s The Open Door EP... Josh Ritter’s Runs the World... and Squeeze’s ArgyBargy Reissued ... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your favorite musicians? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com