Consumer Cyclicals

The O's Beat Out Phoenix at Local Record Stores

This is not your everyday Billboard chart. Each week, we'll tell you which bands are selling in the fine record shops in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, where we consumers of music have impeccable taste. Record Store Day is still having an effect on the sales at local independent record shops; how ... More >>

The Record Store Day Results are in at DFW Shops

This is not your everyday Billboard chart. Each week, we'll tell you which bands are selling in the fine record shops in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, where we consumers of music have impeccable taste. Record Store Day was a great success and brought outstanding numbers to last week's top sellin ... More >>

Tesla's Attempt to Revolutionize the Auto Industry May Have Hit a Road Block in Texas

As they try to carve out a permanent niche in the ultra-competitive American car market, Tesla and billionaire founder Elon Musk have had to position themselves as sprightly Davids disrupting the lumbering Goliaths of Detroit and Japan. They have no other choice. They can't afford the untold billio ... More >>

Okay, Illegal Downloads Probably Are Hurting The Music Industry

This would have surprised me no matter who had turned it up, but there was a special irony in learning that illegal music downloads "aren't hurting the music industry" from a beleaguered print magazine's free-news arm: Illegal downloads aren't hurting the music industry, new study claims | ti.me/10 ... More >>

That Faux Fur You Got at Neiman Marcus? It Might Actually be Mink or Rabbit.

The Federal Trade Commission, among its other duties, is charged with enforcing what is known as the Fur Products Labeling Act. That law, passed by Congress in 1951, requires that fur garments be accurately labeled with the species of animal and country of origin so customers don't get fooled by che ... More >>

Why EDM Is Thriving While Other Genres Are Sinking

DJs are the new rock stars? Maybe. (Although chefs are already the new rock stars.) Still, the big name DJs do seem to be living pretty large, what with the constant travel to exotic locations, goofily-clad fans, eager women, drugs and parties. Just swap MacBooks for guitars and it doesn't look so d ... More >>

Southwest Airlines Owes Passengers 5.8 Million Free Drinks

Two years ago, Southwest Airlines abruptly changed the rules of its Business Select program, which allows travelers to breeze through security, get to the front of the boarding line, earn extra reward points, and, most importantly, get free booze. Before August 1, 2010, could use their free drink v ... More >>

Former Gamestop VP Pleads Guilty to Stealing $2 Million from Company

Chris Olivera was for several years vice president of corporate communications and public affairs for Gamestop. Part of his job was serving as a public face and spokesman for the Grapevine-based video game retailer. He did that just fine. It was the other part of his job, processing invoices from ve ... More >>

Romney's Lies to Auto Workers Show He Doesn't Get the Modern World

So here we are at the door to election day. In the nation it all comes down to Ohio. In Ohio it all comes down to the auto industry. And Mitt Romney is betting his marbles on TV ads that say he's the one who wanted to save the industry and President Obama's the one shipping jobs to China. Man. As ... More >>

There's a New Push to Legalize Gambling In Texas. It Too Will Fail.

For a dozen years, John Montford was a powerful force in the Texas Senate. He subsequently did a stint as chancellor of the Texas Tech University System before moving on to the private sector, where he served as an executive at AT&T and GM. Now, he's found himself a new role as the public face of th ... More >>

A Day in the Life of a Doc's Records Clerk

Adventures In The Vinyl Trade: Doc's Records' Dave Howard

Every so often, we get to wondering what people in the local music community do all day. So, we asked them. Today, Ken Shimamoto checks in with Doc's Records employee Dave Howard, and learn a little about the life of a record store clerk in 2012. I grew up in record stores: from the musty, dusty s ... More >>

Drunk Crafting: Leave It To Professionals

Beautiful Pores Trump Feminism

SOPA is Dead, but the Copyright Debate Rages On

And it's happening where it belongs: online.

We Few, We Miserable Few: Jim Rallies the Troops With Words Fit for Henry V

Sometimes I think the dumbest people to talk to about the newspaper business are newspaper people, of which I am one, obviously. Is it possible to scream blindness? David Carr, The New York Times's media columnist -- one of the few media reporters on whose word I truly hang, often -- has a piece in ... More >>

All of the Arguments About Digital Music, Summarized

Piracy is theft. Piracy isn't theft because nothing physical is being stolen. You are taking money out of the hands of artists. Artists were already being ripped off by labels. Artists can make the money back by touring. Kickstarter. Here is a bulleted list of numbers showing how much it costs ... More >>

Carrollton is Cracking Down on Suspect Hotels, But Owners Say the City's Going Too Far

Here at Unfair Park, we're suckers for "people trying to take shit from Asians" stories. The latest installment takes place in Carrollton, Texas, where the town's seven hotels are each owned by Asians, and where the city is coming down on them. Hard. Some are more rundown than others, but they're ... More >>

Summer Movies 2012: The Season Brings a Crop of Films Suitable for All Ages -- Including Adults

Would New Hotel Tax Save Dallas From Making More Terrible Promotional Videos?

Dallas has a knack for self-regard. Self-promotion? Not so much. The city's efforts at branding itself ("Live Large. Think Big.") are, well, embarrassing. We've had nothing with the catchiness, not to mention production values, of Las Vegas' "What happens here, stays here." But Vegas has a slush fu ... More >>

11 Shows to See This Marijauna Day Weekend

Paul OakenfoldFriday, April 20, at ZoukZouk's had some controversy surrounding appearances of certain celebrities as of late, but one can expect that super DJ Paul Oakenfold will most likely be there to perform tonight.Jason Isbell & The 400 UnitFriday, April 20, at DadaI'm surprised Jason Isbel ... More >>

Preview: Record Store Day

Saturday, April 21

Record Store Day Roundup: How and Where To Celebrate Music's Greatest National Holiday

Good RecordsIt's hard to beat Good Records' yearly Record Store Day celebration. They always manage to put a solid lineup together, but this one trumps any from years past. Thanks to Sunday's Edgefest, Good's Chris Penn was able to procure performance slots for Ting Tings, Civil Twilight and Switchf ... More >>

St. Marie Records Sends Up a Prayer for Labels

Founder Wyatt Parkins has an angel on his shoulder.

Rachael Yamagata Gets By With a Little Help

Crowd funding from fans frees her to create Chesapeake.

Record Store Day Comes Early This Year as Record Stores Celebrate Black Friday

​If you're reading this blog, it's likely you frequent a record store, and there are several good ones in the area to choose from.  But, if you didn't realize that purchasing music online is a mild sin, and if your record store of choice is the iTunes store or Amazon.com, you might be out of ... More >>

Unknown Mortal Orchestra's Internet-Fueled Rise

DBU Rolls Out New $5 Million Building, State-of-the-Art Studio For Music Business Program

​The Music Business program at Dallas Baptist University is growing -- and fast. Last year, the program boasted just over a hundred students, This year, enrollment has ballooned to 175. There's good reason for the uptick, too: Next week, DBU will formally introduce its latest entity, Joan and Andy ... More >>

As Fame Chases Him, Bon Iver Keeps Running

Adventures in Lousy Sports Stadium Logic, Starring University of North Texas and D

Researchers say the new UNT stadium will pump $29 million a year into Denton's economy. You'll never guess where the researchers work.​The University of North Texas unveiled its shiny new football stadium last week, a $79 million complex designed to bring some juice to Denton come college foot ... More >>

The Civil Wars Fight For Recognition

Frank Hill Runs His Own Company, Manages The Likes of Fair to Midland and Ha Ha Tonka

Welcome to Local Music 'Mericans , where we meet some of the people behind the local music scene -- those who aren't necessarily members of local bands, but more the people who make the scene move.Frank Hill​Frank Hill's story is essentially that of a music scene kid wh ... More >>

AT&T PAC's New CEO Is Familiar With Such Words As "Cash-Strapped" and "Cutbacks"

Mark Weinstein​It's been almost a year since Mark Nerenhausen suddenly stepped down as CEO of the AT&T Performing Arts Center after less than two years on the job. But this morning, the AT&T PAC made it official: Mark Weinstein, ex of the Washington National Opera and the Pittsburgh Opera, ... More >>

How Many Record Stores Do You Think Exist in the Dallas-Fort Worth Region? Really. Guess.

​Tomorrow, as you now doubt are well aware by now, is the fourth annual official Record Store Day, in which we all get together and celebrate the brick-and-mortar shops that have managed to survive through the economy and the Internet stealing all of the action.But, really, just how bad are things ... More >>

A Piece of the Record Pie

A Store-by-store Breakdown of this Year's Record Store Day Events Around Town

Kicking Off Foote

Pomplamoose's DIY Revolution

Experience the Gridiron

State of the Arts: City to Take Part in Americans for the Arts's National Economic Impact Study

Patrick MichelsWinspear Opera House audiences will soon be greeted by folks bearing surveys.​On the other side is a release that just arrived from City Hall announcing the Office of Cultural Affairs and Dallas Arts District's decision to take part in D.C.-based nonprofit Americans for the Arts's e ... More >>

Another Neiman's Catalog

T Bone Burnett To Be Honored By The Producers & Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy In Ramp-Up To 2011 Grammy Awards

T Bone Burnett​The Producers & Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy swears it's kind of a big deal, having created a "best practices guideline" and leading various charges, etc., since forming 10 years ago. OK, whatever. Doesn't really matter.Because, if nothing else, what it's doing in the ... More >>

It's Official: The Good Guys Are Gone For Good

Courtesy FOX BroadcastingBradley Whitford's days taking a free spin on the Fair Park merry-go-round have come to an end.​Janis Burklund, head of the Dallas Film Commission, just called with disappointing but not entirely surprising news: The Good Guys will not return for a second season. Which mea ... More >>

And Where Will You See Tron on Friday?

​I couldn't make the Tron: Legacy press screening a few days back -- they keep me chained to the desk these days. Besides, the 7-year-old who lives in my house wants to see it, even if he does find (the great?) Steven Lisberger's original '82 film "a little boring and confusing," as he put it when ... More >>

AMC Grapevine Converting Theaters for Dine-In Movies

​The nation's second-largest theater chain is opening a dine-in theater at Grapevine Mills tomorrow, suggesting the movie world's major players aren't ready to cede the "watch and eat" model to smaller operators. Grapevine is the sixth entry in AMC's growing Dine-In Theater concept; a seventh ... More >>

The Black Eyed Peas Are Formally Introduced As The Super Bowl XLV Halftime Performers. And People Are Happy About This?

​During the Cowboys-Saints game on Thanksgiving day, after months of speculation, rumor, denial and, let's face it, turmoil, the NFL went ahead and formally announced the Black Eyed Peas as the halftime entertainment for the Arlington-hosted Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011. The NFL send out a p ... More >>

Eisley Has The Battle Scars to Prove Their Coming of Age.

Well, Well, Looks Like They Found a New Tenant For Victory Park: The Ticket!

​On the other side is the announcement from Unfair Park's across-the-street neighbor, which is about to scoot to Victory Park. Long story short: Cumulus Media is moving its four local radio stations, including The Ticket and KLIF, into 20,248 square feet of empty next door to the American Airlines ... More >>

Lady Antebellum Isn't Country's First Pop Sensation.

Valley View Center Loses One More Tenant, as Borders Closes the Book on Waldenbooks

​A Friend of Unfair Park sends word: Borders Group is removing from its shelf 200 Waldenbooks locations across the U.S. -- including, as you can tell from the headline, the longstanding Valley View Center location, which opened in October 1999. Employees there only found out about the closure, sch ... More >>

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