By Rodel DelfinIt’s definitely music festival/conference bonanza this week. Lots of folks were obviously in town for this year’s installment of Coachella. The festival in the desert continues to prove itself as a new music breeding ground. Burgeoning new acts like CSS, Rodrigo & Gabriela, Spank Rock, the Klaxons, etc., showcased their stuff stateside. Meanwhile, industry folks extended their stay in Tinseltown for MuseExpo, while label reps from both coasts have descended on New Jersey for Bamboozle, which runs this weekend (5/5-5/6). It seems like the combination of spotlighting newly signed artists with unsigned talent is the new formula for music conferences… In other confab news, the folks at the Amplify Music Conference in Las Vegas have announced that this year’s confab will be held from Aug. 7-10. The showcases will once again be located at the blossoming entertainment district on Freemont Street downtown… Speaking of Sin City, the little band we mentioned in our blind item a couple weeks ago that eventually signed with Pete Wentz’s Decaydance label is The Cab… Word on the street is that indie rock stalwart Bright Eyes has been in talks with a few majors about doing a deal. The band’s current arrangement with indie Saddle Creek is for one-off albums, and Connor Oberst and crew may be looking for a new home stateside, according to my sources. The group recently signed a deal with Universal U.K. for the world outside of the U.S. We’ll keep you posted… Vice Records, home to acts such as the Streets, Bloc Party and Death From Above 1979, among others. is reportedly splitting with Atlantic Records. Insiders share that Atlantic will decide which acts they plan to keep… The Jesus & Mary Chain was one of the standout acts performing at Coachella this year, and we’ve heard several labels were present at their L.A. shows prior to the desert festival. Are they looking for a new label home?... Our old pal Jonathan Weiss is currently music supervising the new version of Road Rules for MTV. The show will have a new twist, adding an Internet voting element, along with the physical challenges for the cast. He’s looking for music to use for the show, so reach out to him at [email protected]... BUZZIN’: Ron Laffitte, Chris Foitle, Sounds Under Radio and Immortal Records… Hit me up: [email protected]
