Blog Topic: Media Matters

Homedrone: Simpler and More Streamlined, SXSW Lets the Music Shine

By Gordon Lamb | March 20, 2015 11:18am

Photo Credit: Mike White

METZ plays the House of Vans at SXSW

Someone got the memo. After several years of ramping things up to occasionally tragic degrees, South By Southwest—at least its music portion—has made good on its promise to reevaluate, streamline and reign itself in. Sure, it’s still a heavily-sponsored event, but this year everything seems more proportionate. Gone is the gigantic Dorito’s vending machine stage. (That space is a parking lot again.) And for all the pre-show press and tooth-gnashing surrounding those burger kings McDonald's having a presence on-site, casual attendees would have no idea. Even the fake Ronald McDonald bleating about conspiracy outside (courtesy of rabblerouser Alex Jones’ Infowars—this is still Austin, after all) didn't do much to attract or divide people.

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Homedrone: R.E.M., Jeff Mangum Push for Net Neutrality

By Blake Aued | February 24, 2015 10:58am

Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum and Astra Taylor and Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry of R.E.M. are among the dozens of musicians who signed an open letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler in support of net neutrality.

They argued that, without net neutrality, artists won't be able to distribute their work online without big corporations that pay Internet service providers for bandwidth.

The Obama Administration is in favor of treating all Internet traffic equally, but Republicans have pushed to delay an FCC vote on the policy. They claim it would lead to higher taxes.

The full text of the letter is below:

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In the Loop: This Week's Flagpole Deliveries Delayed Due to Storm

By Gabe Vodicka | February 17, 2015 4:05pm

Heads up to those of you who still read Flagpole in its increasingly quaint, hipster-approved, perfectly foldable newsprint format:

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Homedrone: Q&A With NPR Music Critic Ann Powers

By Dan Mistich | February 10, 2015 12:22pm

Adding to all of the hoopla surrounding the Drive-By Truckers' homecoming residency at the 40 Watt this weekend, NPR Music’s Ann Powers makes a stop in town Thursday to have a public chat with DBT frontman Patterson Hood. Flagpole caught up with Powers via email to talk about her appearance on campus, the role of a critic in today’s media environment and the Athens scene right now.

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Homedrone: 'It's Friday' Airs 300th Show Today

By Gabe Vodicka | February 6, 2015 2:11pm

Photo Credit: Photo via Facebook

Robb Holmes

"It's Friday," the popular radio and TV collaboration between WUGA, the UGA Broadcast Office and UGA's Music Business Program, celebrates a milestone today at 3 p.m., when its 300th episode airs live on WUGA 91.7 FM.

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Homedrone: Marc Maron Interviews David Lowery on 'WTF'

By Dan Mistich | October 30, 2014 4:55pm

Photo Credit: Jason Thrasher

If you’re a regular listener of Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast, you know the acerbic funnyman is quite the vinyl record collector. Those tuning in to the show's latest installment learned that Maron is also quite the fan of Athenian and MBUS lecturer David Lowery, he of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker fame.

On the latest episode of Maron’s podcast, Lowery says his experience teaching in UGA’s music business program has inspired him to pursue a doctorate in higher education. Unsurprisingly, the conversation turns to Lowery’s sustained critique of file-sharing and the pitfalls of digital music royalties for artists.

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Homedrone: Spotify Study: UGA Students Really Like The Dirty Guv'nahs, Sleep 10 Hours a Night

By Gabe Vodicka | September 23, 2014 12:45pm

The Dirty Guv'nahs

Last week, Spotify published a study ranking the top 40 "most musical universities in America," based on the number of students who signed up for the streaming service's half-off student deal last semester. The University of Georgia barely made the cut, coming in at No. 40.

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Culture Briefs: Terry Kay Spoke About His Newest Book at the ACC Library

By Barbette Houser | September 19, 2014 2:40pm

Photo Credit: Barbette Houser

Terry Kay

Noted local author Terry Kay spoke about his new book, Song of the Vagabond Bird, at the ACC Library on Thursday night, Sept. 11. A large crowd, mostly greying and older, gathered at the Appleton Auditorium for the Café Libris event. Kay’s audience was engaged and enthusiastic as he read from his latest work.

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Homedrone: Michael Stipe: 9/11 'Changed My Notion of Home and Safety Forever'

By Gabe Vodicka | September 11, 2014 12:18pm

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Today is the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. To commemorate the day, The Guardian has published an excerpt fromEverywhere is Anywhere is Anything is Everything, a new book featuring artwork depicting "the 21st Century condition" by Canadian author and artist Douglas Coupland.

The excerpt, written by R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, a NYC resident, features Stipe's assessment of Coupland's 9/11-inspired black-and-white graphic art, as well as his thoughts about that fateful morning itself and its political and cultural aftermath.

It's all pretty unwieldy, as Stipe's writing tends to be, but it's also thoughtful and engrossing. A few choice cuts:

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Homedrone: The Whigs Cancel GPB In-Studio After Pressure From #SaveWRAS

By Gabe Vodicka | July 30, 2014 5:12pm

Georgia Public Broadcasting may have commandeered the WRAS 88.5 airwaves as planned, but the organization is still facing protests from those involved in the Save WRAS movement, which formed in opposition to GPB's controversial takeover of Georgia State University's student-run radio station.

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