McCartney's freak-folk goes on sale
If you think John and George were the only psychedelic members of the Beatles, recall that Paul wrote "Helter Skelter" (although John played that bassline) and check out some of the tracks from his first solo album, Ram. If you're still not convinced, head on over to The Fireman site and take a listen to Electric Arguments. This is Paul's second collaboration with Killing Joke producer Youth, and it's the wildest music he's made in years.
(Credit:
The Fireman)
Like the recent David Byrne/Brian Eno record, Topspin Media is handling promotion and distribution for Electric Arguments, and a few days ago they made it available in several different packages, including one with vinyl for $29.99.
This is exactly how music distribution should work: you know exactly what you're getting--no Chumbawamba factor--and have different options depending on how big a fan you are. I'll be shocked if in five years the labels are still hoping to convince us to pay $15 or $20 for a full CD based on one radio single.
Matt Rosoff is an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, where he covers Microsoft's consumer products and corporate news. He's written about the technology industry since 1995, and reviewed the first Rio MP3 player for CNET.com in 1998. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattrosoff. 
