links for 2008-05-22

• Nas changes name of Nigger: 'The people will always know what the real title of this album is and what to call it'
  (tags: Nas hip+hop)
• Mass Appeal Folds
  The third niche music publication this year.  Tells you a lot about the business when a 12-yr old pub with 100K circulation can't make it.
  (tags: publishing hip+hop)
• Q-Tip Taps Radiohead's Main Man
  Q-Tip will work with producer Nigel Goodrich for his next album.  Should make for an interesting sound
  (tags: hip+hop Radiohead)
• Napster Goes DRM-Free
  6 million tracks with no DRM!  Yay!
  (tags: napster music+business music+downloads music2.0)
• Pitchfork hires 'independent lifestyle communications and brand agency'
  Thanks to The Daily Swam for the headsup here.
  (tags: pitchfork marketing music)
• Back to the 90s: Microsoft to bribe users to use Live Search (Updated)
  "Instead of making something really useful, let's appeal to peoples' basic greed and pay them to use our product.  That way, we can market the payola, not the service"
  (tags: Microsoft)