Hottest Digital Music Sites

The Wired Listening Post blog names its favorite digital music websites based on how they benefit music fans, as well as their impact on the industry.

Imeem: for music embedding
IVideoSongs: for guitar lessons
Omnifone: unlimited access on the go
Mog: for music blogs
Muxtape: create MP3 mix "tapes" in minutes
RCRD LBL: free music
SeeqPod: scours the net for MP3s
Sellaband/SlicethePie: invest in bands
TuneCore: distribute your songs to iTunes, Amazon, and the like for low fees
YouTube: "the best on-demand music service in the world"

Troubled Sprint Woos Angry Subscribers

Facing upset customers, merger fallout, and peeved execs, Sprint’s new CEO started the job with his work cut out for him. The company has the sector's highest rate of customer dissatisfaction. But by getting personal with patrons and employees, new boss Daniel Hesse is fighting to save the company, the New York Times reports.

In new commercials, Hesse himself suggests subscribers email him. “We needed to put a face on the company,” he says. He's put customer service in the hands of every executive. Meanwhile, rather than immediately replace the old regime, he spoke to midlevel managers to figure out who had earned a raise. The hurdles are significant, he says: “It’s like trying to drink out of a fire hose.”

Russia Bristles at Landmark US-Czech Deal

Russia today blasted a landmark deal between the US and Czech Republic with rhetoric reminiscent of the Cold War. After Czech officials agreed to let the US use its territory for a missile-defense system, Moscow threatened military retaliation, Reuters reports. The Kremlin views the deployment of the system in former Soviet territory as a hostile action, though the US insists it is intended to block missiles from rogue nations such as Iran.

"If the real deployment of an American strategic missile defense shield begins close to our borders, then we will be forced to react not with diplomatic methods, but with military-technical methods," said the Kremlin, which offered no specifics. Under the deal—the first such US pact with any nation in central or eastern Europe—Czech officials will allow the US to set up the system's radar. The US still needs permission to put interceptor missiles in neighboring Poland.

Hostages Captivate Hollywood

Film projects revolving around last week’s rescue of 15 FARC prisoners are already taking shape, Variety reports. Rumors abound about rights deals and production agreements. Although not everyone is convinced that the bloodless rescue is dramatic enough material for a box office blockbuster, "it's as memorable as Entebbe, the Hindenburg disaster, or other huge events that stay with us," one producer says.

Ingrid Betancourt is expected to sign with a French agent to negotiate what will likely be a lucrative major book and movie deal. The American contractors freed with her, the commandos who pulled off the daring rescue, Betancourt's husband, and even the Colombian government are also in line for deals.

While You Were Drinking

Now that you're finally starting to sober up here's a rundown of what the rest of the world was doing while you were celebrating your independence by destroying your liver:

Wimbledon was awesome. Five hours long, but awesome. (Side note: between this and the US Open, 2008 is shaping up to be a great year for country club sports...my knees buckle in anticipation of Olympic water polo).

Jesse Helms died. In an unrelated story the sun shone brighter, the dodo is no longer extinct, and God has promised to all famine and disease.

Everyone loves Wall-E. Except this guy.

Buckle up, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Awe hell...I can't help myself...



God Bless America.

Or Something.

BBC Airs Lost Beatles Interview

BBC Radio today aired a long lost Beatles interview featuring John Lennon and Paul McCartney talking about the day they met and their songwriting partnership. The precious film sat forgotten for 44 years in a garage in south London until film fan Richard Jeffs realized a piece of pop history was contained inside.

Experts were surprised to find the audio portion still usable for a nine-minute radio broadcast, which was originally recorded at the Scottish Television studios in April 1964 during the early days of Beatlemania. On the tape, Lennon tells how he was playing with a skiffle band outside Liverpool when McCartney introduced himself.

Guzzle Coffee, Prevent Multiple Sclerosis?

For preventing the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, caffeine might be just what the doctor ordered, the Daily Telegraph reports. In a study involving what must have been some very jittery mice, researchers found that the equivalent of 6-8 cups of coffee per day conferred protection from the rodent equivalent of MS. Don't rush off to Starbucks yet, though.

"This is an exciting and unexpected finding, and I think it could be important for the study of MS and other diseases," but "a mouse is not a human being," says the lead researcher. The first step may be an observational study comparing caffeine intake with frequency of MS diagnoses. So far, few mouse-MS results have translated to humans.