Hush Records Commemorative CD on iTunes

I just got this interesting email from Hush Records, about the west coast indie label offering a 50 track cd for the price of $9.99! The disc commemorates the 50th release by the label. Here is the press release:

Wednesday June 29th, Portland Oregon & Cupertino, CA:

Together with iTunes, the Portland, Or. label HUSH is pushing the digital music revolution envelope by offering all fifty tracks from their commemorative 50th CD release MILE on the popular music web site for the standard LP price of $9.99, less than twenty cents per song when purchased as an album. With over three hours of quality music delivered to the buyer with a few mouse clicks, this represents a record price point for iTunes, and further illustrates some advantages of the digital distribution model.

“I wasn’t sure if they’d go for it,” recounts HUSH proprietor Chad Crouch, “but it was like, sure, we can do that. No problem.” By offering the ample collection at a discounted price HUSH hopes to split the difference between the free lunch of file sharing and the de-facto iTunes ninety-nine cent price point, while making a strong case for their artist roster and label identity by tracing their roots over 50 tracks. The songs on MILE are unreleased, out of print and rare tracks culled from the seven year history of the label, which began by issuing "boutique" CD-R releases in the late 90's. The label quickly established itself as an outpost for quality independent music in the Pacific Northwest, with an emphasis on a cohesive artist roster to build a strong label identity in the tradition of iconic independent imprints, Motown, 4AD, and Dischord to name a few.

Highlights from the track list include The Decemberists' unreleased alternate version of "I Don't Mind" recorded during their Castaways and Cutouts sessions. Also, the first peek into Colin Meloy's pre-Decemberists history comes with the original version of "My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist", performed by his first band Tarkio. Norfolk and Western contribute a stellar out-take from sessions for their to be released record If You Were Born Overseas. Kind of Like Spitting performs a cover of the Blanket Music classic "Hips", whereas Blanket Music contributes outtakes from their Cultural Norms sessions "White Stripes" and "Bootstraps". Corrina Repp, Reclinerland, Jeff London, Kaitlyn ni Donovan and The Places offer glimpses into future recordings. Bobby Birdman and newcomer Toothfairy infuse the mix with some beats, while Esperanza Spalding (of Noise for Pretend) demonstrates her chops with the standard "Weaver of Dreams".

Click here for Various Artists "MILE - A HUSH Compilation" on iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=73163469

HUSH is also offering the complete 20 page booklet, issued with the CD as a free.pdf download, serving as a narrative and pictorial guide to the compilation: http://hushrecords.com/MILE.pdf