In a word, bullshit. To speak directly to the subject I would imagine Page is doing these special vinyl releases of the Death Wish II and Lucifer's Rising soundtracks as a treat for his fans. That's not to say that he would take the same approach if and when he decides to release new music. During an interview he did prior to the launch of his website he hinted at the possibility of making new music available via downloads but like a lot of artists who've been around as long as Page, they're at a loss as how to do so in a day and age where so many are wont to just download music for free rather than actually pay for it. That has to be rather frustrating for him. Hopefully, he and others who are facing the same dilemma will be able to figure out a workable business model they are happy with. As for music being "dead", nothing could be farther from the truth. There have always been big name pop stars who draw more. They're more mainstream and therefore appeal to a wider audience. In 2012 music has been divided up into so many separate niches that it's next to impossible to reach a large audience as has been done in the past. Personally, I have a hard time keeping up with all of the music I would like to purchase and artists I would like to see in concert. It doesn't matter to me if they're selling out large arenas or not. What's important to me is the music itself. A prime example of a virtually unknown artist breaking through to the masses is Alabama Shakes. A year ago if someone had asked me who they were, I couldn't have answered. However, over this past summer the Drive-By Truckers took them out on the road as their opening act, as did the North Mississippi Allstars. These opening slots combined with lots of favorable press, fans spreading the word through social media (the new grassroots) and having their single "Hold On" featured on a Zales commercial have led to them appearing on Austin City Limits (pretty much unheard of for a band as new as Alabama Shakes), headlining their own tour and appearing at several big name festivals this Spring and Summer (including Bonnaroo). That just goes to show that not only is music not dead but that a band can still be recognized in a time period where potential music consumers have a million other things that are trying to attract their attention via the internet, TV and other media outlets. All this and the Shakes don't even have an album out. Their full length debut, Boys & Girls, is due for release in early April. They did have an EP available (only at shows) but it's no longer for sale. Music dead? No, far from it. If anything it's more alive than ever before but the amount of choices we all have to access it are more overwhelming than ever before. Advances in technology such as the internet, iTunes, etc. have changed the game immensely. If it means the demise of the structure of the music business as we once knew it that can only be a good thing as it puts control of the music back into the artists' hands, which is exactly where it belongs.

Released on this day in 1971:

"So I never saw Lynyrd Skynyrd but I sure saw Ozzy Osbourne with Randy Rhoads in '82 right before that plane crash..."* * Drive-By Truckers from "Let There Be Rock" from the album Southern Rock Opera ON THIS DATE (30 YEARS AGO) March 19, 1982 - Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot) died in a plane crash. (b. December 6, 1956) Randy Rhoads played his last show on Thursday, March 18, 1982 at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. The next day, the band was headed to a festival in Orlando, Florida. After driving much of the night, they stopped on the property belonging to Jerry Calhoun, owner of "Florida Coach", in Leesburg, Florida. On it, there was a small airstrip lined with small helicopters and planes, and two houses. One belonged to the tour bus driver Andrew Aycock, and the other was owned by Calhoun. Aycock, a licensed pilot, talked the band's keyboardist Don Airey, into taking a test flight with him in a '55 Beechcraft Bonanza. By some accounts the manager Jake Duncan, was also on this first flight. The joyride ended and the plane landed safely. Then Aycock took Rhoads and hairdresser/seamstress Rachel Youngblood on another flight. Rhoads was persuaded to go on the second flight, despite his fear of flying. Rhoads apparently agreed to go for two reasons: the seamstress had a heart condition so Aycock agreed to do nothing risky, and Rhoads wanted to take an aerial photo as one of his hobbies was photography. During the second flight, attempts were made to "buzz" the tour bus where the other band members were sleeping. They succeeded twice, but the third attempt was botched. The left wing clipped the back side of the tour bus, tore the fiberglass roof then sent the plane spiraling. The plane severed the top of a pine tree and crashed into the garage of a nearby mansion, bursting into flames. Rhoads was killed instantly, as were Aycock (36) and Youngblood (58). All three bodies were burned beyond recognition, and were identified by dental records and Rhoads' jewelry. It was later revealed in an autopsy that Aycock's system showed traces of cocaine at the time. Rhoads' toxicology test revealed only nicotine. The NTSB investigation determined that Aycock's medical certificate had expired and that his biennial flight review, required for all pilots, was overdue.[6] In Ozzy Osbourne's autobiography titled I Am Ozzy, he writes that the night of Rhoads' death, he told his wife, Sharon: "I don't think I want to be a rock 'n' roller anymore". Rhoads' funeral was held at the First Lutheran Church in Burbank, California. He is interred at Mountain View Cemetery in San Bernardino, California, where his grandparents are also buried.

Uncle Tupelo vinyl reissues of No Depression, Still Feel Gone, March 16-20, 1992 and Anodyne are due on May 21st. More info from MusicDirect.com.

From The Doors Facebook page:

First you have to define "Classic Rock". Some people refer to it as a genre of music, which it is not. It's a radio format.

Local Band/Local Beer on Thursday Racing the Cure benefit and the debut of the Venus Flies on Friday

The Allman Brothers Band in Savannah, GA in December of 1975. This is when my Grandfather on my mother's side of the family had passed away. All of my brothers and my sister and I went to the concert. Pretty unique because that's the only time that ever happened. Little did any of us know at the time but we would lose my sister only a short time later in '77. The opening band was the Allman Brothers Band's roadies, I don't think they had a name. Prior to the Allmans taking the stage I remember everyone yelling, "Shit!!! God damn!!!! Get off your ass and jam!!!!" I also recall whiskey bottles breaking across the top of Gregg Allman's grand piano as this was during the time he was dating Cher and his fans apparently weren't too happy about it. It's been a very long time ago now so it's hard to remember but I think my Grandfather's funeral was the next day so we left around midnight. As we walked out the door they were still playing "Whippin' Post". The concert is documented on the Allman Brothers' site but there's no setlist. I still have my ticket stub somewhere.

The dB's (with Mitch Easter filling in for Gene Holder on bass) performing a song from the new album Falling From the Sky at B.D. Riley's during SXSW in Austin. Vintage Let's Active

Click on the image to link to OPB Music's website to watch Mount Moriah taking part in their Studio Sessions feature.

To me, it's not an audiophile thing. It's the whole package; the liner notes, the artwork, having to actually get up to flip over the album. With friends hanging out listening to music, it also adds to the experience. Yes, listening to music can also be a very individual, solitary activity but it's also a unique experience to be shared with friends. And yes, you can also do that with mp3's or CD's but listening to vinyl has a completely different allure that those other formats don't seem to have. At least that's been my experience.

Cool to see these two worlds colliding, especially after Tweedy named Live at the Fillmore East as one of his favorite live albums a few years ago when Kicking Television was released. The unfortunate part is that only a handful of us here are even aware of Wilco. Perhaps even sadder is when I mentioned Derek Trucks not so long ago and about the same amount of members knew who he was. What exactly does it take for people to crawl out from under the "classic rock" rock and leave their musical comfort zones?

I don't know about everyone else but I love going over to friends' houses to listen to music, especially when it's on vinyl.

Reflections on Uncle Tupelo's March 16-20, 1992 which was recorded twenty years ago today. How one album can change your life: Remembering March 16-20, 1992 by Uncle Tupelo [Recollection]

http://youtu.be/3sThcwmx3rs

An ice cave in Iceland. Photo by Christian Klepp.

Former Drive-By Trucker covering a Spooner Oldham tune for the Couch By Couchwest site:

Can't say I was as fond of the Michael McDonald years. As for the Doobies in general so much of their stuff has been played into the ground on Classic Rock radio that it's sucked much of the enjoyment out of it for me. However, the Deep Tracks channel on XM will occasionally play one of their deep album cuts such as this one which reminds me of why I liked them in the first place. That said, I don't own a single Doobie Brothers album, probably because I heard them on the radio so much back in the 70s.

Rhett Miller of the Old 97's and Sarah Lee Guthrie (Arlo's daughter) covering Woody Guthrie's "California Stars".

Here's a report from Austin360.com on the screening of Nothing Can Hurt Me: The Big Star Story as well as the subsequent performance of Third/Sister Lovers from last night at SXSW.

Keith Richards Apologizes To Mick Jagger (Rolling Stone)