For those who were wondering, I am happy to say the two Zunes are the same thickness. Along with this astounding fact, I should report that Zune music is still awesome and the Zune Pass is still worth it.

After the MSMVP event in Mission Viejo, I had two 1-Month Zune Pass cards remaining. Therefore, two lucky Inside the Circle readers (2 out of 3 ain't bad) will each get a code to have one month of Zune Pass. The question became how to go about doing the contest.

Then I remember a contest format we did that I absolutely love and so we're doing it again!




Here's the parameters:

Twitter Entry:

• Follow me (@tromboneforhire) and Zune (@Zune) on Twitter
• Locate the Twitter handle of one of your favorite music artists (I'll use @kaskade in this example)
• Send out the following tweet: "@Zune Pass + @kaskade's music = awesomesauce! #MusicRocks http://bit.ly/frO6xD"

Oh and um, please not everyone use Kaskade for your entry. Locate the twitter handle of one of your favorite artists and insert that instead. Kthx. :)

• Leave a comment on this contest thread telling Zune Nation about one of your favorite artists! Also be sure to leave a method for reaching you if you win (email, Zune Social handle, etc).

Rules & Regulations:

• U.S. Contest Only
• One 1mo Zune Pass code per winner (two will be selected)
• Contest ends Thursday, April 28, 2011 @ 6pm PST
• Twitter winner will be sent a DM and must reply within 24 hours
• Blog post winner will be notified via method given and must reply within 24 hours
• It's not a guarantee that there will be one twitter and one blog post winner

I know there may be an urge to send more than one tweet with different artists twitter handles. That’s actually ok, but I’m not tolerant of people who spam their timelines, and consequently their friend’s timelines with tons of entries. Any shenanigans like that will just disqualify all entries (twitter or blog comment).

I've subscribed to Google Alerts under three terms: Music, Zune and Microsoft. I come across some very cool articles, especially under the music tab, so every so often, I'm going to share some of the interesting stuff out there being discussed around music.

Check out what's on tap this week:

• HP plans cloud music locker for Touchpad Tablet
• Record store day hits the Mile Square
• What the music industry needs now is love, love,...and cash.
• Wild Hare, a Chicago reggae club plans to close.

Also feel free to follow me on Twitter as I love to share cool, interesting music news as I find it.

As an aside, as you all know this past Saturday there was Record Store Day, where people celebrated the record store as a place to visit (like Cheers) and check out new vinyl, read liner notes and the like. It's something that is missed when you're dealing with digital downloads.

Anyhow, if you're in the L.A. area in May, the Grammy Museum is putting on an interesting discussion about the production of records. It's a chance to learn how records are being produced (manufactured) today. I plan to attend this event. It's free; all you have to do is send the Grammy Museum an email to RSVP.

(Yeah, I wanted to write this on Inside the Circle!)

For every #MSMVP event I've put together and executed so far, I'm always amazed at the level of support from the community, the MVPs, the MVP program and Microsoft product teams. The upcoming event in Mission Viejo is no different. I've received two boxes in the past few days containing giveaway swag that will be raffled off to attendees at this Saturday's event.

Knowing that product teams could use this swag for more, let's say, proven events, the fact that they continue to take a chance on this little thing I'm doing provides some of the fuel that lets me continue to create more and more of these. The other factor is the matter of connecting MVPs and the community together -- that's always fun to watch.

In any event, here's a couple of pictures I took of the gathered giveaway items for this Saturday's event in Mission Viejo. If you wish to come to the event, or want to tell your friends about it, you can find information about the event on my personal blog as well as a link for RSVPing.

Have you heard of Hollywood Undead? If not, you should give the Los Angles band a listen. They sound similar to 3Oh!3 and remind me a little of Jamie Kennedy & Stu Stone. This past Monday, Marques asked if anyone was looking forward to any new releases. Zune Nation member Razor70 responded with anticipation of Hollywood Undead’s new album, American Tragedy, which came out this past Tuesday. This took me back to 2008, their first album Swan Songs, and the music video below. To me, this song put Charlie Sheen on the “lyrical” map.

Hollywood Undead - Everywhere I Go

Charlie Sheen! Considering his past antics, the lyrics seem fitting right? However, the Charlie Sheen mentioned in the video is actually Charlie Scene, a member of Hollywood Undead. Similar to the pun the duo Gnarles Barkley used with the name of the basketball player turned NBA commentator, Charles Barkley, the same type of word play is at work here. Now, how did we get to this music video from the mere mention of Hollywood Undead on Twitter? You see, while “Everywhere I Go” is from their previous album, there are songs on American Tragedy that mention Charlie Scene, “Gangsta Sexy,” and evoke the same type of out-of-control ethos, “Comin’ in Hot.” Listening to the new album, with fresh mentions of Charlie Scene, gave my memory the jolt it needed. Even if you do not have tiger blood or Adonis DNA, you should download American Tragedy.