MXP4 produces audio-mixing software which lets people manipulate their favorite songs by adding instruments, stripping away backing music, or blending songs together.  The technology is now available on the websites of licensed artists and on MXP4’s website. Record execs believe this could be the key to reintroducing or repackaging artists’ back catalogues.  Last.fm also believes the technology will have a positive financial effect.  They hope that the brands which promote on the site will use the technology in their ads.  This will let users mix any music used in the promotions.

The partnership with Last.fm may be more exciting for MXP4 than for Last.fm, as it’s the first time MXP4 has licensed its technology for commercial use.  Previously, a free MXP4 app was released for K’naan’s “Wavin’ Flag,” the World Cup theme song.  The developers are hoping to attract more record labels to their product, and are also in talks with Spotify and other online music distribution outlets.  As the face of the music industry changes, it will be interesting to see how users react to increased interactivity.  Perhaps it will inspire a new generation of music mash-up artists, but will it allow record labels to compete with the alternative (and sometimes illegal) modes of music sharing?  Only time will tell.

Leykis has been involved with radio since he was 14 years old, when he served as a fill-in host for Long Island station WBAB.  He contributed to talk radio shows in the late 1970s and became the host of the long-running and often controversial talk show The Tom Leykis Show in 1994. The show ended in 2009, and Leykis began a weekly program called The Tasting Room focusing on the high-class lifestyle.

The manifesto currently up on the website reveals Leykis’s signature style, lambasting the ages of many popular artists like Rivers Cuomo of Weezer (40), Tom Delonge of Blink-182 (34), and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (47).  While acknowledging the contributions of these artists, Leykis insists that radio stations cannot truly take a chance on exciting new artists, and is dedicated to changing that via the web.

“New Normal Music” will be available on all major devices, including the iPad, iPhone and Droid as well as home computers.  The site will also take requests and offers audio quality which Leykis claims is higher than any radio station.  It will be interesting to see if and how radio stations take Leykis up on his implicit challenge, but if you’re interested, make sure to tune to “New Normal Music” when it launches July 1.

All four devices run on the Android operating system, developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance.  The first device, the Acclaim, is a U.S. Cellular exclusive and also features a 3.2-inch touch screen and keyboard.  The Acclaim also boasts a 3-megapixel camera and, of course, Wi-Fi functionality.

The HTC Desire has a 3.7-inch display and a powerful 1 GHz Qualcomm processor.  The makers encourage personalization with a variety of widgets for sports, news, entertainment, and more.  Small enhancements like the “Leap” function, which allows you to jump easily between any of the 7 panels on the Home Screen, and a “polite ringer”, which dials down the volume when you pick up the phone, could also win fans.

The Android system also gives these devices access to a variety of Google apps, and the phones come preloaded with U. S. Cellular’s own applications, including City ID and Tone Room Deluxe.  More than 70,000 other apps are available in the Android Market.

The Blackberry flip smartphone will release later this year along with the Blackberry Bold, and the LG Banter Touch comes in October.  It’s too early to tell how these devices will attract consumers, but U.S. Cellular seems to have big goals for the rest of 2010.  In the competitive market of today, it will be interesting to see how they can back them up.

TuneCore has already achieved some success, announcing that artists featured on the site were paid for over 65 million songs and albums in 2009.  This represents an impressive achievement for a site founded in 2005.  TuneCore also differentiates itself from other digital music retailers by keeping none of the sales or rights for the music.  Artists like Frank Black of the Pixies and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails have also involved themselves with the site, either by purchasing or releasing music.

TuneCore already supports distribution via iTunes, AmazonMP3, eMusic, and more, and added Mog, iLike, Zune, MySpace Music and Thumbplay earlier in 2010.  By partnering with Spotify, which was founded in 2008 and already has around seven million users, TuneCore aims to reach more listeners than ever before, and also provide more exposure for the many artists on its site.

Spotify is continuing to grow, with one estimate placing it at 10,000 new users a week.  In March, CEO Daniel Ek also announced that Spotify would be buying server space in the United States, in the hopes of launching around the third quarter of the year.  Music fans and industry heads alike will no doubt be keeping an eye on these sites as they continue to develop, so make sure you’re there for it too.

Sony is also focusing on its ad campaign for the upcoming launch, and has secured NFL quarterback Peyton Manning as well as musician Justin Timberlake to help inform consumers and avoid confusion.  It’s easy to see how consumers could be overwhelmed by the many options available, but this short rundown should alleviate issues.

• BRAVIA 3D HDTVs

These TVs combine a specialized frame sequential display with unique active-shutter glasses to create seamless 3D images.  Prices start at $2,100 and go to around $5,000.  Customers will receive bonuses, including copies of the films Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Deep Sea with each purchase.  Other HDTV models can be activated with 3D functionality with the purchase of the glasses and a sync transmitter.

• Blu-ray 3D Players

The $300 devices available in July will come with instant functionality.  Some earlier models can be activated with the free firmware update, which will also add Digital Network Living Alliance functionality.

• Blu-ray 3D Home Theater Systems

The fully 3D-capable home theater systems will launch in July for about $800, and feature wireless access to the BRAVIA Internet Video platform and Qriocity, along with two HDMI inputs.  Again, some earlier models can be upgraded with the firmware update.  Users with iPhones or iPod Touches will be able to use the “BD Remote” app to control the players.

• 3D Home Audio Components

New AV receivers and sound bars complete the experience, providing a full sound quality to match the picture.

Capricorn was founded in 1969 when founders Phil Walden and Frank Fenter started the Capricorn Record Series, which became noteworthy after releasing the Allman Brothers Band’s debut album later that year.  Two years later, the studio released what many still consider its most acclaimed album, the Allman Brothers’ double LP At Fillmore East. In 1979 the studio went under for the first time, but was relocated to Nashville in 1991.  There, it became a part of the Warner Records label and held its own in a changing industry, recording artists like Widespread Panic, Cake, and 311.

However, changing owners and other problems led to the studio’s closing in 2000.  At one point, the building was under the protection of Mercer University.  However, the studio was finally foreclosed upon at the end of last year.  It has stood as a reminder of its glory days since then, but now even that appears in danger of changing.  Fans interested in seeing the “birthplace” of some of their favorite artists should make the journey while they still can.