Dischord updates: More Fugazi Live Series, Banned in DC, music downloads available

Crucial Washington D.C.-based label Dischord has posted some updates for the month of December. The long-running label had an eventful year, particularly after June's incident involving Minor Threat and Nike. To date, Dischord has not mentioned anything about the outcome of that dispute though the label promised to have "more to say when an agreement is finalized.."

First, the Fugazi Live Series, which was announced in April 2004, has seen the addition of ten new shows and corresponding CDs this month. The new sets include: Gainesville, FL - March 1990, Sydney, Australia - October 1991, Bordeaux, France - May 1992, Washington, DC - August 1993, Kansas City, KA - August 1993, Geneva, Switzerland - October 1999, New Orleans, LA - March 2002, Birmingham, England - October 2002, Leeds, England - October 2002 and London, England - November 2002. The band has been on hiatus since January of 2004 and released their last studio record The Argument in 2001.

The label also began moving their catalog to digital distributors earlier this month, with a diverse range of independent and corporate online music stores taking on the catalog. To date, this includes Downloadpunk, MSN Music, eMusic and, of course, the ubiquitous iTunes. In the long run, the label hopes to offer the downloads directly, but this is will be dictated by "time and money."

The label has also reprinted Banned in DC: Photos and Anecdotes From The DC Punk Underground (79-85). The book was first released in 1985 and compiles photographs and stories as a means to document the early Washington D.C. punk scene "without imposing bias." The book was successful and has been frequently imitated, however, as the label explains, the evolution of printing presses from analog to digital technology has made the printing more and more expensive and it seems likely this will be the last edition to be printed. The book is available directly from the label and in retailers.