Once again, Apple may not be first, but, per usual, it will have the last word. Following Amazon and Google, Apple unleashes its new locker service, iCloud, this week. (Still to come, eMusic, which plans to launch its cloud service later this year).
In a nutshell, all of your music (and anything else clogging up space on any of your devices) can now be sent into space (or wherever it goes, perhaps onto a fluffy white cumulus cloud) and can be beamed down instantly to any of your machines, wirelessly. The more exciting element, iTunes Match, which lets you scan your library and download it to any device–regardless of whether the music was obtained legally, will bow this fall. One small step….
1) Apple iCloud (not ranked): Steve Jobs makes a rare appearance to announce the latest Apple innovation, which stores all your music (and other stuff) and pushes them to your devices wirelessly–think of it, as Apple says, as “a hard drive in the sky.” Apple gets the big four labels to sign off on the deal, which is a little something that Amazon forgot. Whoops.
2) Bonnaroo (not ranked): The 10th anniversary of the Manchester, Tenn. fest sold out before the first note was played with one of its most diverse line-ups. Here”s hoping the Thursday death will be the only downside during the June 9-12- festival.
3) Pandora (not ranked): The online music streaming service is expected to raise a whopping $200 million in its upcoming IPO. This is for a company that has yet to turn a profit, yet has 90 million registered members.
4) Coldplay (not ranked): British band returns with “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall,” the first single from its fifth studio album. The song, which samples Peter Allen and Adrienne Anderson”s “I Go To Radio,” is part synth, part The Edge-like guitars and all hit: it debuts at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. Welcome back, fellas.
5) Google (not ranked): The search engine”s incredibly cool logo on June 9 to commemorate what would have been Les Paul”s 96th birthday may not have saved the world or made the company millions, but how cool was it to be able to strum and record and share what you created. I wish I knew how to play “How High The Moon.” Click here to see what guitar wiz Tom Morello created from his Google Doodle.
6) Shania Twain (not ranked): She took a big tumble at the CMT Music Awards, but otherwise it was a total thumbs-up week for Twain as she announced her return to the stage via a Las Vegas Caesars Palace residency that will begin late 2012. That”s huge news after her near-decade long hiatus and her fears that she”d never sing again.
7) Taylor Swift (not ranked): She never stepped foot in the venue and yet stole the CMT Music Awards with her “Thelma & Louise” spoof with opening with Shania Twain and took home the big prize, video of the year.
8) Jason Aldean (not ranked): He was the leading nominee going into Wednesday night”s CMT Music Awards and walked away with empty handed in terms of trophies, but was the clear winner when it came to his performance of “Dirt Road Anthem” with rapper Ludacris. Their duet is now on iTunes and country music”s best kept secret may not be such a secret any longer.
9) Steve Popovich (not ranked): His name wouldn”t mean anything to the average music fan, but Steve Popovich, who died this week, was the consummate label executive and he”s largely the reason we all have Meatloaf”s “Bat Out Of Hell” in our music collections–or should. His death comes on the rapid heels of Andrew Gold and Martin Rushent”s passings. Could we please slow the shuffling off this mortal coil down just a little?
10) Erykah Badu (not ranked): God bless her, she hasn”t had a hit in a hot minute–or two (unless you want to count the modest success of last year”s “Window Seat”), but she tweets that her label, Motown, is folding following the departure of Sylvia Rhone and all eyes are on her. The powers that be say it isn”t so… until, of course, it is.
What do you think of this week’s rankings?