It may be a mallrat paradise of punk and pop culture, but Hot Topic can smell the future of music coming just fine, thanks. So it has decided to embrace it with an online music social called ShockHound.com, which offers DRM-free MP3s, webisodes, reviews, merch, concert and more to Generation Xbox.
So far, it's got its ears in the right place. ShockHound is following up its Tuesday launch with a free double-bill that's hard to beat, sending stellar noisemakers No Age and Titus Andronicus on the road for free shows in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Free is good. So is No Age.
Meanwhile, the site. Hot Topic stores usually carried metal, punk and rock, so it bummed me out to find Britney Spears' Womanizer available in their music store, which is stocked with music from Sony, Universal, Warner, EMI and more. But seeing Nina Simone's Saga of the Good Life and Hard Times helped keep me at ShockHound for a few more minutes.
The hard truth is that ShockHound is entering an online music metaverse already packed with shining stars like iTunes and the newly renovated MySpace Music, so it has an uphill climb ahead. But there's some good news: Original video content, including recurring shows, sessions and interviews, could help keep it alive, as could the bleed from its probably vanishing brick-and-mortars. Brands sell well online too. But check it out and judge for yourself.
Photo: ShockHound.com
