It's 2009 and Moondog finally has a decent website

Swedish management sellouts Moondog Entertainment finally decided to join the modern age with a new website: https://www.moondog.se/

MIC Norway by:Larm preview

MIC Norway offers their by:Larm preview: https://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2009021113581691029526

Stargate schmargate

The Norwegian press seems pretty stoked that production team Stargate won a Grammy. I say: zzzzzzz. Big ups to local (to me) artist Kimya Dawson though for her win.

Music Export Finland January newsletter

The latest Music Export Finland newsletter is now online: https://musex.fi/mxf/news?articleId=176

Labelkollektiv 2008 in review

Read a good business-side perspective of 2008 as told by upstart Danish indie distribution enterprise Labelkollektiv: https://labelkollektiv.com/news/2008-in-review/

Introducing Happy Nordic Music Days

The long-running Nordic Music Days (since 1888!) is combining forces with the more avant Happy Days festival for Happy Nordic Music Days, a new event celebrating all sorts of modern Norwegian music. The theme this year: "Contemporary Music in the Welfare State". Read more: https://www.happynordicmusicdays.no/

New label: Ha Ha Records

Drummer Ebbe Frej (Epo-555, Lise Westzynthius, The Late Parade) has started a new label with his friend Mads Bøgh under the name Ha Ha Records. Their first release this coming summer will be the debut EP from Danish lo-fi singer/songwriter Jeremy Sparrow. Listen at myspace: https://www.myspace.com/jeremysparrow

Yet another social networking site: Snowfish

MI reports on Snowfish, a new social networking/revenue sharing site being run by a team of Swedish and American music execs: https://www.musikindustrin.se/artikel/392/Snowfish__framtidens_satt_att_publicera_sig_online.html (in Swedish)
The one thing they left out, and probably one of the most important details, the url: https://snowfish.com/

SXSW showcase update

Here's the latest list of Scandinavian acts officially confirmed for SXSW:

Årabrot (NOR)
Baskery (SWE)
Benny Crespo's Gang (ICE)
Blood Red Throne (NOR)
Bloodgroup (ICE)
Casiokids (NOR)
Dmitry Fyodorov (SWE)
Grande (NOR)
Adam Heldring (SWE)
Jaakko & Jay (FIN)
Kaka (SWE)
Kakkmaddafakka (NOR)
The Latebirds (FIN)
Love:Fi (NOR)
Mixtapes & Cellmates (SWE)
Peter Bjorn and John (SWE)
Kristofer Ragnstam (SWE)
Sprengjuhollin (ICE)
Steed Lord (ICE)
Steso Songs (SWE)
The Shitsez (NOR)
The Tallest Man On Earth (SWE)
Sofia Talvik (SWE)
Those Dancing Days (SWE)
The Tiny (SWE)
Wildbirds & Peacedrums (SWE)

Moto Boy as a music box

Songs I Wish I Had Written is releasing the music of Moto Boy in one of the most old-school, lo-fi ways possible: as a music box. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXC4I_ebIIA&fmt=18
Download the song in question: https://www.songsiwish.com/motoboy/Aroomwithoutyou.mp3
They're not the first to do it (Mogwai did the same awhile back), but it's certainly not commonplace. Says the label: In true Songs I Wish spirit we give away the music digitally and charge for the manufactured gadget. We test Seth Godins interesting Seinfeld curve theory that there is no room for the middle price range – no one pay $4 for a Seinfeld episode on TV, but to pay $200 to see Jerry in Las Vegas is not a problem. Applied to music, it's even more true. $1 per song is a construction made up by record labels that is/was doomed to fail. In Godins words: "because if you're not scarce I’m not going to pay for it because I can get if for free."
So $0 for MP3 and $25 for a totally unique musical box!
Read more: https://www.digitalrenaissance.se/2009/01/13/free-expensive/

New label: Swedish Columbia

Swedish Columbia is the name of a international new record label/art collective founded by Carcrash Records partners Håkan Johansson (Division of Laura Lee, Gbg) and Shelby Cinca (Frodus, DC). Besides collaborating on various bands (Frantic Mantis, etc.) and design projects, they've also found time to put out music from other people. The first batch of releases is heavy on Americans, so I won't tell you about most of 'em, but they are releasing a new single from the Swedish techno duo BMK aka Blandmissbruk which is supposedly yet another DoLL sideproject. Listen/purchase/download: https://bmkmusic.bandcamp.mu/
For more on Swedish Columbia, go here: https://www.myspace.com/swedishcolumbia

New label: Too Many Notes

Too Many Notes is a new Swedish label home to Nutid and Alf: https://www.toomanynotes.se/
Look for Nutid's debut album in March.

T!T!T! breakdown not so amiable

Looks like the Tack!Tack!Tack! split is far more acrimonious than I was aware - let it be known that the statement posted before is only from the Jason Christie half of the T!T!T! team, not Nick Levine.

T!T!T! is done

It's not a complete shocker for anyone in the know, but London-based Swedish pop promoters Tack!Tack!Tack! have officially called it quits. Their final message:

T!T!T! is done for. Thanks to the bands who travelled from Sweden, who slept on floors, who tolerated the sound system at the Social and who are the most beautiful people met during the past four years of T!T!T! Cheers to you if you were there. Some truly truly wild nights. Tack! Tack! Tack!

New label: Brus & Knaster

Göran Petersson from Bonnier Amigo and photographer Johan Månsson have started a new label together called Brus & Knaster. The first release from the label is the soundtrack for the SVT program "De halvt dolda" (composed by Leif Jordansson) and it will be followed by new records from artists such as Nina Ramsby collaborating with US artist Brent Hunter, Tore Berger, House of Tomidas (ft. Britta Persson) and jazz bassist Torbjörn Zetterberg's pop project Folke. Read more: https://www.musikindustrin.se/artikel/365/Nya_brus___knaster_i_Playgrounds_katalog.html (in Swedish)