David Emery Online

One the biggest things I’ve found in my shift from fan to blogger to running a label, to whatever the hell it is I am now, mixed with growing up with P2P, is my perception and understanding of the value of music.

Vaughan Oliver is one of the great (music) designers. His work is highly original and often breathtakingly beautiful. Probably best known for his work for The Pixies and Cocteau Twins on the 4AD label, Oliver’s designs for Scott Walker, His Name Is Alive, Heidi Berry and many other lesser known names is just as remarkable. For someone who claims to have been uninspired by typography at college, his use of type is a joy. In its gestural expressiveness it focuses and enlivens each design with tremendous inventiveness. Oliver’s work often foregrounds dark images produced by photographers who are essential collaborators in the creative process (key names include Simon Larbalestier, Nigel Grierson and Marc Atkins). Also central to his process is a willingness to experiment and a deep engagement with the music. The result is work that is passionate, elegant and highly influential.

So, Converse is opening a recording studio in Williamsburg, and nobody seems entirely sure what to make of it. Is this a well-earned payday for struggling musicians? A shameless corporate buyout of the last remaining scraps of “indie integrity?”

4AD introduces Twin Shadow, the latest addition to the 30 year-old label, rubbing shoulders alongside the likes of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Bon Iver, Deerhunter and The National. Initially discovered by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor, 4AD will release the debut album Forget on November 15th.

British Sea Power release a generous seven-track EP on Monday 4 October. The Zeus EP is the band's first release since The Man Of Aran soundtrack from 2009 and acts as a wild and wunderbar-wonky precursor to the band’s fourth studio album, set for release in 2011.

...Sites enable smaller labels and less mainstream artists to spread the word about their talents, said David Emery of Beggars Group, a collection of independent record labels. "Word of mouth has always been incredibly important to us and now it's easier than ever to get the word out there," he said. Different networks play different roles, he added. "Twitter is great for artists interacting directly with fans, like MIA, who has millions of followers and will do things like make a video on her phone and post it on Twitter. That is so much more powerful than traditional marketing.

This is important.

Historically, there’s been a buffer between star and audience. And this buffer was managed by professionals who’d seen it all and told you how and when to play. It was like everybody with a media profile had a coach. And if you disobeyed him, you were booted from the team.

But now, through the magic of the Web, through the magic of Twitter, a celebrity can speak directly to his audience, can tell his side of the story, sans the reinterpretation and the agenda of the media.

We asked Apple to explain and just heard back from a spokesperson that "artist profiles were launched by invitation, but we'll keep adding more and more." No information was provied on who is handing invites or what criteria they are using. But bands do have another option ...kind of. "Any iTunes user can create a profile on Ping, artist or otherwise," reminds Apple.