Paul Westerberg - "49:00"

I was wondering why in the world this wasn't on eMusic, which has Westerberg's other solo discs. The Pitchfork review -- despite giving it a 7.1 score -- implies that it could be a template for a new rock version of a mixtape ("49:00 turns out to be the rock equivalent of a transitional hip-hop mixtape, and some of these by turns brilliant and baffling bits and pieces end up polished and expanded on a proper album, there'll still be a place for 49:00.")

It's already gone from Amazon? Hmm, I guess it is.

But now there's this: http://studio.tunecore.com/store/product/47

KCRW's News Collage of the Week covers the "49:00" story:

Litigation is becoming the modus operandi for rock and rollers. In the old days, problems were discreetly solved with quiet negotiations. But when the internet came along, a band suddenly had direct access to their own fanbase. Now bands have democratic distribution. Anyone can release a record. And in the rough and tumble world of independence, artists are often guided by the "do it now and apologize for it later" rule. This means the threat oflawsuits looms ever present.

The latest victim caught in the crosshairs is cult favorite Paul Westerberg. Westerberg, singer and songwriter and the previous frontman of The Replacements, came up with a novel way to launch his new album. The album, titled "49 Minutes" was sold as a single download on Amazon and Tunecore. It was 49 minutes long and sold at the ridiculously low price of .49 cents.

The story generated headlines from all the major press, first for marketing, then for its unusual sound. Critics loved the album, which sounded more like a sound collage. Included in the music, were a few seconds worth of mash ups from other artist songs. Two weeks after it was originally released, Amazon and Tunecore pulled the "49 Minutes" download off their sites. And in its place, Tunecore began offering a different, exclusive Westerberg track titled, "5:05." The new song sells for .99 cents.

Why did the original album get pulled? The most plausible answer is that digital retailers probably received cease and desist notices for "49 Minutes" due to the mash ups. Once they receive a notice, they simply pull the release until they are convinced they have the rights to sell it. Game over, or prepare to suffer lawsuits. It will be interesting to see what Westerberg does next.

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This is probably over the medley of cover songs toward the end of the album, it's gotta be.

Any good?

This speaks volumes of me - ie twat, or maybe I 've heard it all before like the jaded fuck I am

I can't even be bothered to chase this. Not even for 5 pence. Too much effort to feed my pathetic details in.

Westerberg was a true hero of mine.

But really. I am happy. Seriously

I like it, but I'm a bit of a Westerberg devotee and can't claim to be impartial.

Westerberg explains (sort of):

What a short, strange trip it's been for "49:00". I'm going to do my best to explain what's going on with "49:00" and the new release, "5:05". To put it simply, "49:00" is no longer available for download on either Amazon.com or Tunecore, it was removed from Tunecore last Thursday and from Amazon two days later. Gone, daddy, gone.

No official explanation was given for its disappearance. As one might expect, there's been quite a bit of discussion about possible reasons and you can find some of those discussions on the message board. Since we're not getting an official explanation, speculation is the next best thing!

But wait, there's more. Late last night, a new PW song appeared on Tunecore, "5:05" (yes, it's five minutes and five seconds long). To repeat, this new download is not "49:00", it's an entirely different thing. The cover art is to the right, to get the hi-res, downloadable version of the art, click on the image.

One more thing: When you go to download "5:05", you can choose how much you want to pay for it. You can pay either $5.05 or you can pay $0.99 - whatever amount you decide to pay, you get the exact same song. The only difference (obviously) is how much money comes out on the other end.

the day it was released, i think i got about halfway through this 49-cent mp3 before forgetting about it entirely

until now! the full-length songs on it are actually pretty good. it's like paul making his own little bee thousand.

it's my favorite westerberg thing since, i don't know, probably since 14 songs. it's not great or anything, but the whole fuck-you tossed-off vibe of it is charming, there really are some nice songs, and the price was right.

Yeah, it was real good.

there are so many great paul songs on this, i be like damn

yeah, i've gone back to it more than i would've expected.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmjxNXE1XTc&feature=related

Seems like the type of record that develops a cult following over time

payless shoes rule, record stores drool

http://www.payless.com/store/home/ourcommercial.jsp;jsessionid=E2510744D894BDE81549E713BB0FF023.pss-app-02-app3