The multi-platinum international phenomenon known as Owl City is teaming up with the world’s largest and notably most successful online distributor TuneCore in a unique partnership designed to empower developing artists.

TuneCore has created a special website in collaboration with Owl City. Artists that choose to go through this website for distribution can have Owl City’s Adam Young listen to one “single” off their release. Young will choose his favorite among all of the music submitted and provide a constructive critique of the song directly back with the artist. Young will choose the artist and song on December 1, 2010.

“When I look back on the last 24 months of Owl City – the ease of getting music pushed out to the masses in the music industry today was without a doubt a huge factor in people being able to discover my music, said Young. “I feel honored to work with TuneCore to provide Owl City fans this same opportunity I was fortunate to have at the inception of my project.

Northeast mainstays I Am Alpha and Omega have announced the September 5^th release, The Roar and The Whisper, one of the most highly anticipated releases of the summer.

The record, which will be available at Revelation Generation beginning September 5^th, is one of the most highly anticipated records of this summer.

The Roar and The Whisper is a passionate work of real heart. Chronicling the band’s life over the past year, the title comes from the idea that sometimes messages and lessons in one’s life are sometimes subtlety whispered to the individual and sometimes they are roared in order to be heard and followed.

The Orbans are pleased to announce the release of their debut album When We Were Wild.  Produced by Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Yo La Tengo, Clem Snide), the album is full of catchy gems that take you on an energetic and eclectic ride of pure pop bliss.

Currently, the album is available on iTunes and other online outlets, and will be released physically later this year.

Having met Adam Lasus while mixing a previous EP, it was an easy step to enlist him to produce the indie band’s first full length album.

“It was always the ideal situation to make a record with Adam,” said singer-songwriter Peter Black,. “We just waiting for the right time to make sure we gave a collection of songs what we felt they deserved.”

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Colin Gilmore’s new album Goodnight Lane, will be available nationwide on August 17th.

Goodnight Lane’s first track “Circles in the Yard” was produced by Bay Area producer Scott Mathews, an industry legend whose resume includes: Clapton, Jagger, Richards, Orbison, Costello, Hiatt, Santana, Ramone, and Wilson. Gilmore sent Matthews his first recording, the EP Four of No Kind, which led to the two co-writing and recording three songs.

Grammy-winning producer Lloyd Maines and Eric McKinney co-produced the album, with the exception of “Circles InThe Yard.” Colin also showcased at SXSW and NXNE.

Indie Band Axium has released Graveyard Shift today. The album is available on CD and digital EP format at iTunes and Amazon.

The EP includes an extended edit, radio edit, remix and instrument versions of the single. A Limited Edition 7″ is in the works to follow later this fall.

Scott Llamas of Popsmear Records co-produced the track and the album is currently being mastered by Franco Fucili of Pennabilli, Italy.

Franco heard the promo version on an internet radio channel and fell in love with the fresh sound. He offered his services for free after some effort to contact the band.

Music can bring a sense of community among strangers regardless of nationality, beliefs or nationality, and Telepath strives to provide to the collective language. After recently releasing The Remixes, the indie band is gearing up to release their fourth album in the fall.

Telepath’s, The Remixes, is 16-tracks of re-workings of songs from the band’s first two albums and tracks by other artists.  In addition, there’s a bonus Telepath remix of a track from electronic music group Sound Tribe Sector 9.

Formed in 2006 and hailing from Philadelphia PA via Asheville NC, Telepath is a unique new expression in the current live and electronic music scenes.

A few weeks ago, Prince made headlines by claiming that,

“The internet is completely over. I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else.”

Not surprisingly, the famously eccentric / multi-platinum songwriter got pretty seriously mocked for his statement, particularly for going on to compare the internet to MTV as something that was once hip but is now outdated.

And it’s easy to laugh these comments off as the petulant wailing of an industry dinosaur, but what if we worked from the assumption that Prince is not a nut, and took a closer look at what he’s actually saying.

Is The Internet Over For Musicians?

Prince made these comments in relation to the release of his new album, 20Ten, which is not being released digitally. In fact, the only way the album is available is through the purchase of various European newspapers, which come with a copy of the CD (included in the price of the paper).

This strategy begs the question: is Prince doing this purely to spite the internet, or is he doing it because experience has taught him that he will gain greater attention, distribution – and potentially, profits – via these newspaper deals than he would online?

Check out the live performance of “Still Standing” in San Francisco, Calif. by The Action Design. The video was shot and posted by Jeff Ng.

The Narrative are streaming a new song titled “Winter’s Coming” off their forthcoming debut album, exclusively on AbsolutePunk.net. “Winter’s Coming” showcases the musicality that sets The Narrative apart, with a sing-able upbeat chorus and a beautifully climactic ending. Click here to listen to the track.

The Narrative will be releasing their self-titled debut on July 27^th via iTunes, Amazon.com, Rhapsody and various other digital providers as well as physically through their website. The groups latest effort maintains a diversity that most bands struggle to achieve while remaining harmonious with the sound they are known and loved for. With soothing male/female dueling vocals and beautiful arrangements, this album is poised to be a 2010 favorite.

After a busy Spring, The Action Design plan to make their presence felt this Summer opening for Social Distortion. Their heart pounding performance and catchy hook laden songs will be sure to garner them some new fans along the way.

One of Alternative Press Magazine’s “100 Bands To Watch”, The Action Design delivers edgy, yet clean and sophisticated, indie rock well suited for any dance party.

With a focus on change from each of their previous styles, the band’s debut full length is bursting with energy which is called Never Say, available now on iTunes.

Koolhaus Games just announced a new international contest for unsigned bands to enter to win the chance to have their music featured on the soundtrack of the next version of the iMP: Surf the Music game for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad game available on iTunes Music Store.

According to the website, iMP: Surf the Music is an interactive funkadelic music rhythm game for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Unsigned bands may enter songs until July 2, 2010 midnight (PDT). Submissions will be posted on their contest website and the winners will be voted on by fans from all over the world.

Choice may already be disappearing for online music distribution.

Are these gadgets deciding the fate of the music industry?

Sometimes all the little bits of news happening over the course of a week seem unrelated, but taken together, they form an interesting picture of what’s going on in the world.

Take, for example, two seemingly unrelated bits of music news, both of which, on the surface, seem to have little to do with the burgeoning independent music movement.

Item #1

Reuters posts a news story about the “music business” (whatever that is) needing Eminem’s new album, Recovery, to be incredibly successful. The gist of the article is that music sales have dropped so dramatically over the last decade that the industry is at the point where it needs a huge smash hit to pull it away from the brink of collapse.

Item #2

Buzz is again floating to the surface around the launch of a Google music service. Google, word has it, is planning on opening a digital music store which will be linked directly to search results. Google a band name, and you will be given the option to buy.

Further developments will likely involve the creation of a Google-powered cloud-based subscription system that lets you stream all your music onto your phone. Assuming that your phone works with Google’s Android software.

Connection?