While iTunes launched with only major labels, indie lables are being added to the service's offerings. The Kill Rock Stars newsletter (which is well worth subscribing to) announces that a few of their albums are in the iTunes store and most of their catalog will soon be available (hopefully including Bratmobile's Pottymouth, one of the best albums ever made):
=================KRS STUFF ON iTUNES
=================
This week iTunes added some of our releases! Some
Sleater-Kinney, Cadallaca, Ronnie Spector, compilations,
etc. Very soon the most of the KRS and 5RC catalog will
be available this way. If you are already an iTunes
addict (like all of us here are) you know how psyched we
are to be up there. And if you aren't one already you
will be soon as the Windows version is on it's way.
KRS also has quite a few MP3s online (see the listen link below) and in a recent newsletter asked for suggestions for a name for a new MP3 site they plan on launching.
About Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in Olympia, WA.
Originally
intended to release spoken word seven inches under the "wordcore"
moniker,
it quickly expanded to become a punk rock rock and roll label thru
the release of a compilation,
some rock seven inches, and albums and EPs. The
first bands "on" Kill Rock Stars included
Unwound,
Witchypoo, Bikini
Kill, and Huggy Bear.
Unlike all major labels and many indie labels, profit is not our primary motivation.Continued on the next page Page 1 — Page 2
Article comments
1 - san
Hey, that's Elliott Smith's old label. Wonder if they'll put some of his back catalog on iTunes...
2 - Steve Rhodes
I imagine they will put Smith's KRS material online.
3 - Mac Diva
Glad you posted this, Steve. KRS is one of the few Pacific Northwest rock recording enterprises that survived.
4 - Eric Olsen
Saved by Sleater-Kinney
5 - san
Saved by Sleater-Kinney's write up a couple years ago in Time? Newsweek? as the best American band recording at the time. It was a good pick, by I have to admit I was completely surprised that a major news magazine gave SK same standing as Philip Roth.
6 - Shannon
Matador seems to be the official winner of the Which Indie First? award on iTunes - see here:
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/10/11/202732.php
Although, reading your post has me even more excited - I used to have a ton of KRS stuff on vinyl, and now I'll be able to grab the digital versions. Double-hurrah!
7 - Steve Rhodes
It was in Time magazine that named them best rock band in 2001. But is was no surprise since Greil Marcus wrote the piece. He was in the audience at the first S-K show I went to at the Bottom of the Hill around 96. The Donnas opened and I stood next to one of their Moms. I'm going to try and see Quasi there on Tuesday.
Marcus has written about them often. I asked him a question about S-K at a reading a couple of years ago and Madigan Shive of Bonfire Madigan introduced herself to me since she knows everyone in the band.