Seattle, April 1, 2013 – Kyla Fairchild, owner and publisher of the No Depression website announced this morning that she has entered into an agreement with the owners of Mapquest. Effective immediately the two companies will be one, and the tagline (see above) will now be “The Route Music Authority”.
“We believe that mapping and music go hand in hand.”, noted Fairchild. “How many of you have found yourself on that lost highway and thought you needed no direction home? By joining our two platforms and communities, whether you’re searching for a simple way to get around town or across the universe, we can help.”
Now available as a mobile app, the combined entity works to provide the user with both detailed directional capabilities and musical content. Henrick Stiffle of Mapquest explains how the two companies will interface. “As an example of how the service will work, when someone wants the map for Younstown, Ohio, they will get both that and the interview with Neil Young from No Depression #22. Another example could be a request for the the way to get to Memphis, and they’ll receive a Lonnie Mack video.”
No Depression’s Kim Ruehl noted that the term “route music” was originally used back at the turn of last century. “It was an early form of bluegrass music sung by people of Irish ancestry who travelled out west for jobs and a better life. Of course back then there was no Mapquest to help guide them, so they were often feeling sad and blue. Or, you might stay, depressed. So the merging of these two entities seems to be a perfect match.”
In order to celebrate the merger, No Depression has supplied the following videos for it’s readers to enjoy.
