Technology is revolutionizing the recording industry and affecting how music is distributed. Learn how this is influencing your musical choices or gain new ideas on how you can distribute your music. ALLen Reads presents Dallas Morning News music critic Matt Weitz at 7:00 pm, Thursday, January 14, at the Allen Public Library, 300 N. Allen Drive.Mr. Weitz will discuss current trends in the music and recording industry. This is a free program and no reservations are required. Citing an example of how modern technology influences today’s recordings, Matt points out, “Musicians are making albums and they have never met each other.” In addition, having a label is no longer a requirement for selling music.He cites Fred Eaglesmith as an example of a popular musician who does not have a label.There are now multiple pathways for creating and distributing music.New technology has enabled listeners to locate and listen to very specific genres such as Hungarian fly fishing music, progressive bluegrass, jazz, rap or madrigal. From gospel to hip hop to jazz, Matt covers a wide range of musical genres.He notes, “I might attend a gospel concert one night and rap the next.”He also covers theatre, film, religion and social issues such as when Sister Rose confronted the Catholic Church. Raised in Houston, Texas, Matt first discovered an affinity for journalism as a student when he began writing for the University of Texas' newspaper The Daily Texan and writing for and editing the school literary magazine, UTmost.Owing to the non-remunerative nature of freelance writing, Mr. Weitz has held numerous jobs since then, including cabbie, sous chef, warehouse manager, and carpenter. Matt laughs, “This has not been as glamorous as it sounds.” At the same time he has written for The Austin Chronicle, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Buddy, the now-defunct The Met, and -- primarily -- The Dallas Morning News. He, like almost everyone else who has written about music in the DFW area, also served a tour as the music editor of The Dallas Observer. His syndicated work has been distributed by publications such as The San Francisco Examiner and The Washington Post, and he also contributed to various in-flight and boutique-style publications. Matt currently resides in Dallas with his wife, dog, and “two terrible, terrible cats.” For information, call Tom Keener at 214-509-4911.