This morning I received an email from Ticketmaster urging me to relive the show that I attended.  While I may not want to relive that particular performance, Ticketmaster also reveals a few other pieces of information [emphasis mine]:

Want to capture the Smashing Pumpkins 20th Anniversary tour forever? For a limited time you can purchase a Smashing Pumpkins Live Download of the show you attended at LiveSmashingPumpkins.com. In addition, everyone will receive a free MP3 of the song “As Rome Burns” with our without purchase!

Each night of the tour was professionally recorded by the band and posted within days of each performance to give their fans a piece of history.

Simply select the show you attended and order your LiveSmashingPumpkins.com Download today!

There doesn’t seem to be any information on livesmashingpumpkins.com about how I can obtain my free copy of As Rome Burns “with our without purchase”, nor whether it is a live version from one of the nights of the tour or a studio version recorded afterwards, but this bears keeping an eye on.

It’s also worth noting the threat that - despite evidence to the contrary elsewhere on nugs.net - these shows will be available to purchase for a limited time. I can’t imagine the purpose of taking them down, but as a proponent of the selling of live shows online I’m glad they are getting some extra promotion.

Billy Corgan is taking his great marketing alliance with EQ Magazine to new heights after his recent feature and exclusive interview. An “EQ Online Artist Master Class with Billy Corgan” will feature an open Q&A session for all the “recording-related questions you never thought you would get a chance to ask.”

The event is planned to take place next Wednesday, October 22nd at 7:30pm PST (11:00pm ET), since the Smashing Pumpkins will presumably be setting up camp on the West Coast. There is a fee to register: $9.95 gets you a dial-in to the live viewing and “nine additional viewings of the archived webcast.” Hmm. To register, go here.

Has anyone attended an online master class with EQ before? It looks like they’ve done one on signal processing before.

Netphorian SlingeroGuitaro pointed out a new commercial for GameFly which allegedly features a Jimmy Chamberlin drum loop about sixteen seconds into the spot; check it out below to make the call.

On the upcoming podcast (numero four!), my fellow bloggers asked me what I think is coming up for the Smashing Pumpkins. While I mirror their enthusiasm about the upcoming Chicago studio-build, era shows, and autumn Big City tour, I proffered that they’ll be solidifying Pumpkinland Operations this summer.

Why is that my guess? Well, one big clue is the ongoing search for writers at the official website. Another is the release of their archive shows, which I’m assuming will require a lot of backend ops. And I’ll bite: Corgan has definitely uttered the words “fan club” in at least one of his recent interviews.

Despite the collective groan on the community messageboards when anyone dares to talk about business (who cares about messageboards when you have HU?), one of the things that has always interested me is the Pumpkins’ attention to new media technologies. Though maybe not pursuant to the indie-rock ideologies, successful business is what gets me news, music, and tours.

I ran across this November 2007 article from the Boston Herald recently (full scan PDF here) in which journalist Nate Dow discusses the power of the MySpace marketing platform and the changes it has made to the music industry. His interview with MySpace exec Josh Brooks details the Smashing Pumpkins’ involvement with the marketing monolith:

[T]he musician who started the flood is former Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who joined two years ago. “Corgan took off the chat and message boards from his (own Web site) and added MySpace (links) to his page,” Brooks said. “He was one of the first to realize that MySpace had an amazing tool set for musicians who want to spread the word to their fans.”

Billy Corgan as marketing visionary? It doesn’t surprise me in the least; I remember once upon a time a live stream to the Detroit Arising! show and the debut of Gish Month on the Smashing Pumpkins’ newly-inaugurated official website. But what I’m wondering is — what’s next? What is the next big wave beyond MySpace for the Pumpkins? Will Jeff Schroeder be spamming me with offers of FREE AUTHENTIC!!1 GUCCI BAGS?

The band may be ending their touring and going into hibernation, but the HU podcast is just getting started. Thanks to everyone who listened last week and welcome to those just now finding us from one of the many places on the web I’ve shamelessly plastered the URL. This week we kept our technical difficulties mostly in check so that we could discuss recent band news, the end of the tour, and the future of the Pumpkins.

If you’ve fallen into the clutches of the Cult of Steve Jobs, you can now subscribe to our podcast through the iTunes Music Store, or you can always listen to or download the entire show right here.

Listen to the whole show (53:23)

(download)

This week’s topics:

Panelists
-Chris, Jason, and Andrew

News
-The Pumpkins get inducted into the Rockwalk, high honor or shameless PR? (7:48)

-Got Milk? Milk has the Pumpkins, along with a totally radical teen-oriented website. (3:33)

Tour Roundup
-The tour ends, but not before Jason educates us on the finer points of mariachi outerwear and discusses the evolution of United States. (9:26)

In-Depth Discussion
-What’s next for the Pumpkins? I give Andrew and Jason $100 to wager on the band’s next move. Will they put it all down on a return of the Audio Vanguard Association? Plus, I drop all pretense and beg for a pre-Gish tour. (18:57)

This Week in Pumpkins History
-The Zero single is released, leading to years of Pastichio Medley timecode debate. Plus, the Arising! tour ends and Andrew assigns blame for the breakup of the band. (5:59)

Song of the Week
-Zero April 17, 1999

Next week we will be doing a review of the Double Door Show from February 28th, 1995. If you’d like to listen to the show before hearing us talk about it, download it from the Live Music Archive.

Thanks for all the great feedback last week. Again, you can Contact Us or leave comments in this post.

As previously alluded to, my name is Chris, and I am here to announce the latest addition to the HU universe: the HU Podcast. Each episode, the distinguished panel and myself will discuss the latest news and rumors surrounding the Smashing Pumpkins. While the blog is a great way to get information out quickly, I hope that the podcast will allow us to go a little deeper into the news and share our opinions on the events of the week. See the end of this post to find out how you can become a part of the show.

Until we are listed in the iTunes Music Store, you can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes or your podcatcher of choice using the following link: http://www.hipstersunited.com/blog/podcast/rss.xml.

This week’s topics:

Panelists
-Chris, Jason, Jill, and Andrew

News
-Billy Corgan vs. The Presets, the feud that never was (9:54)

-Lisa Harriton interview in Keyboard Magazine (9:34)

-Linda Strawberry covers W.P. in an attempt to become Miss Hooker 2008
-The final leg of the Spring tour begins

Tour Roundup
-Mexico City, MX April 12, 2008

In-Depth Discussion
-Billy sues Virgin Records (20:38)

Song of the Week
-Cherub Rock August 14, 1993

Listen to the whole show (1:03:42)

(download)

Note: Due to technical difficulties, we had problems keeping Andrew on the line for the show and the last 5 minutes of the Virgin lawsuit discussion were lost. Each show we will strive to improve our audio and connection quality to bring you the most informative and entertaining show we can.

Have a topic you want us to discuss? A suggestion for improvement? Want to gripe about the length, audio quality, or sound of our voices? We’re always looking for feedback. Contact Us or leave comments in this post. Responders who leave their real first name and location may even hear their comments on the air.

As mentioned here last month, the Smashing Pumpkins are taking part in the “Body By Milk” ad campaign. They made their debut today as the latest featured artist of the month at the Body By Milk website. Included at the website are the usual MP3 (Bring the Light, Starz, Tarantula) and desktop wallpaper downloads. But also included is a “Wake Up Call” feature where you can sign up yourself (or a friend?) to receive a phone call from The B0lly himself. Amaze your friends!

“Hey! Hey! This is Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins. Get up and drink some milk. Come listen to us at BodyByMilk.com.”

Also of note: The “The” returns!