Jay-Z has purchased full-page newspaper ads across the United States to promote black businesses, All Hip Hop reports. Hip-hop mogul and his company Roc Nation bought ads in The New York Times, The Denver Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Austin American Statement, The Orlando Sentinel, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and others, promoting everything from eateries, beauty shops, clothing stores, and book shops to gyms, flower shops, waste collection, plumbing, auto shops, electricians, and print shops owned and run by Black men and women. The amount spent by Jay-Z was not disclosed.

Veteran rockers Great White, the band notorious for the fire that killed 100 people after setting off pyrotechnics inside of a small club, played a concert in Dickinson, North Dakota last week with no social distancing or any other safety protocols. The band said "It’s one of those things where if people feel comfortable coming down and mixing and mingling, that’s their personal choice. We’re leaving it up to everybody that chooses to attend” at first, and later (kinda) apologized - "we have had the luxury of hindsight and we would like to apologize to those who disagree with our decision to fulfill our contractual agreement. Our intent was simply to perform our gig, outside, in a welcoming, small town". Several hundred people attended the concert, with social distancing or masks.

US rapper Lil Marlo has died, after being shot late Saturday in what investigators believe was a targeted shooting. Officers responded to a single-car wreck on Interstate 285 in Atlanta at about 11.30pm Saturday night and found the driver, later identified as Rudolph Johnson, dead inside his vehicle. Police identified Johnson as 30 years old, while the social media post from Quality Control Music says he was born in 1993. Johnson joined Quality Control Music in 2017 alongside rappers Migos, Lil Yachty, and his collaborator Lil Baby. Lil Yachty posted a tribute to Johnson on Instagram on Sunday, saying, “We just did a song [at] 4 this morning smh rip brother”.

"Lady Antebellum has used their wealth and influence to intimidate and bully me into submission without offering any real recompense for appropriating my name. It is now clear that their apologies, friendly texts, and playing on my love of God were just insincere gestures aimed at quieting me. Well, I will not be quiet any longer" - blues singer Lady A said in her statement about her fight for her name with the pop-country band. She added - "it is absurd that Lady Antebellum has chosen to show its commitment to racial equality by taking the name of a Black woman, particularly in this time when we are reminded every day to 'Say Her Name'. It is one more demonstration of what continues to be taken away from us in the present".

Lisa Marie Presley's son and Elvis Presley's only grandson Benjamin Keough has died on Sunday aged 27, CNN reports. According to TMZ, Keough died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Lia Marie Presley's close relationship with her son, whose middle name was Storm, apparently inspired the title track on her third album, 'Storm & Grace', released in 2012. He was the younger of the two children Lisa Marie Presley had with her first husband, musician Danny Keough, before their divorce in 1994. The other is actress Riley Keough, 31. Lisa Marie also has twin 11-year-old daughters with her fourth husband, musician and producer Michael Lockwood, who she wed in 2006 after brief marriages to pop star Michael Jackson and actor Nicolas Cage. Benjamin Keough has tried to become a musician - he struck a record deal back in 2009 worth $5 million.

Pop Smoke hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for his debut album, 'Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon', which moved an impressive 251,000 equivalent album units. Of that total, 59,000 came from traditional albums sales, Billboard reports. This marks the first No. 1 posthumous album since XXXTentacion's 'Skins' album debuted at No. 1 in 2018. The debut album comes five months after the rapper was killed. The 19-track album was completed by 50 Cent. Also on the Billboard 200, the original Broadway cast recording of 'Hamilton: An American Musical' vaults from No. 14 to No. 2 after it earned 102,000 equivalent album units last week. The last cast recording to reach the top two on the chart was the original cast album of 'Hair', which spent 13 weeks at No. 1 in 1969, according to Billboard.

The Fairport Convention singer Judy Dyble, who also had a solo career as a folk singer, has died aged 71. Dyble was one of the pioneers of the English folk rock scene in the 1960s, most notably as a founding member of Fairport Convention and vocalist with cult band Trader Horne. Ultimate Classic Rock writes fondly about her career.

'Expected to Fly' by Eddy Lee Rider is a big-rock song about losing a friend; Illuminati Hotties' awesome titled 'Will I Get Canceled If I Write a Song Called, 'If You Were a Man You'd Be So Cancelled' is a minute-and-something noise-rock and punk attitude blast; Michael Kiwanuka's dance song? - yes, when remixed by Bonobo; Mexico City's Mint Field go shoegaze psychedelia on 'Contingencia'; an average Kid Cudi and an awesome Eminem on their collaboration 'The Adventures Of Moon Man & Slim Shady'; it's more of the old stuff, but it's still great celebratory & happy Sufjan Stevens in 'My Rajneesh'; Kaytranada doesn't go wrong with his dance-pop - 'Look Easy'; Calabashed is a sort-of jazz-supergroup delivering smooth soul-jazz in 'Ode To Jazzman John Clarke'; Bettye LaVette remade songs by mighty women, one of these is timeless and powerful 'One More Song'; Avenue Beat don't appreciate this year particularly, but 'F2020' is huge on TikTok; Pallbearer go trad-doom on 'Forgotten Days'; 'Midnight Watch' by Burt Bacharach and Daniel Tashian is, well, just lovely; Greg Puciato formerly of Dilling Escape Plan is back with post-hardcore sludge combo - 'Do You Need Me To Remind You'.

Spotify will launch in Russia next Wednesday (July 15), which will by Spot's first major global expansion in 16 months, following its launch in India in February 2019, Music Business Worldwide reports. Russia is home to a population of approximately 144m people, including an estimated 95m+ smartphone owners. Russia was the fastest-growing major market globally for the record industry in 2019, with a 50.3% revenue increase year-on-year, generating above $170m last year, making it the world’s 17th biggest music market.

UnitedMasters is bringing a shift in music ownership - they are offering artists to either let the digital distribution and tools company take a 10 percent cut of their royalties, or pay a $5 monthly fee and keep all the royalties to themself. Artists who pay the monthly fee will have a chance to have their music be considered by ESPN. Seems an obvious choice for any artist whos monthly revenue from streaming music services is $50 or more. The company says it has distributed and promoted music for more than 500,000 artists across all the major streaming services and social-media sites.

Fiona Adams, one of the Beatles' most frequently used photographer, has died at the age of 84, BBC reports. Adams is best known for the memorable shot of the Fab Four jumping off a Brick Wall on London’s Euston Road, which famously adorned the cover of 1963’s ‘Twist And Shout’ – the group’s first UK EP. Adams also went on to photograph some of the 60s’ other defining icons too – including Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan.

Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven, frontman for Norwegian black metal group Satyricon, has sold 90 percent of his wine business, Wongraven Wines to Norwegian alcohol manufacturer and distributor Vingruppen, for NOK 51.3 million (roughly $5.4 million or €4.8 million). Satyr had been producing wine since 2010, and In recent years, the brand has become an industry leader in the singer's home country.

Five people have been arrested in connection to the murder of Brooklyn rapper, Pop Smoke. So far, three adults and two juveniles, 15 and 17 years, were charged for their roles in the deadly shooting. The three men were identified as Jaquan Murphy, 21, Corey Walker, 19, and Keandre D. Rodgers, 18, all of Los Angeles. The news of the arrests comes on the heels of the release Pop Smoke's posthumous album 'Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon'. The 20-year-old rapper was fatally shot and killed at a rented Hollywood Hills home on February 19. Authorities believe Pop Smoke was shot and killed after his social media posts led five suspects to the house he was renting.

Americans are increasingly interested in returning to live events in the near future, music sales have picked up significantly as stores reopen, audio and video streaming also have rebounded following a significant dip at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, a new survey has shown. The majority of concerts-goers is willing to accept new rules at gigs - empty seats around each group, wearing masks, temperature checks, limited number in bathrooms...

Ugandan electronic music festival Nyege Nyege will take place this year as well, from September 3 - 6, as both physical and online celebration, Fact reports. Nyege Nyege Tapes and Hakuna Kulala will be throwing a party in full compliance with COVID safety measures, featuring a stacked lineup including Afrigo Band, Jose Chameleon and East African dancehall queen Cindy, as well as a full Nyege Nyege roster including Kampire, Slikback, MC Yallah, Fulu Miziki, Nilotikaa and more. Digital edition will involve live reports from the site, 360 degree live cameras, virtual stages, an industry-focused “artists only” area, with international crews joining the party from Portugal, Canada, Spain, Palestine..

Some of the biggest acts in music - including Eagles, Pearl Jam, Guns N’ Roses, Green Day, Tool, Nickelback, Imagine Dragons, Weezer, Chainsmokers, and Chris Stapleton - have received funding from the US government to support their crews for any current and future tours postponed due to coronavirus. The Eagles, Pearl Jam and Disturbed took out some of the larger loans among the listed touring musicians, being granted somewhere between $350,000 and $1 million. American government helped some small labels as well - Sub Pop Records, Third Man Records, and Knitting Factory Records each received a minimum of $350,000. J. Cole’s Dreamville Records, Light in the Attic, ATO Records, Dim Mak, Rostrum, Cleopatra, and Stones Throw Records each received at least $150,000.

Behemoth bandleader Adam "Nergal" Darski was in court this week to defend his band's "The Republic of the Unfaithful" logo, which takes its inspiration from the white eagle on Poland's coat of arms. Nergal explains - "They think that copyrights of white eagle is solely owned by Poland and every other interpretation of the bird is a blasphemy. My antagonists seem to be sooo desperate to nail their favorite scapegoat to their rotten moral cross that they missed all the common sense in the narrative".

The average tempo of 2020's top 20 best-selling songs is 122 beats per minute, the highest it's been since 2009, BBC reports. The lyrics follow suit - this year they celebrate joy and sensuality and thrill. For the last few years, pop has been getting slower, as artists like Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish incorporate the leisurely cadences and rhythms of southern hip-hop and trap music into their songs. This year the songs are faster and happier, just like in the times of the last crisis.

Martin Scorsese is directing a documentary about New York Dolls frontman David Johansen, based around a performance Johansen gave at NYC's Café Carlyle, Variety reports. "His music has been a touchstone ever since I listened to the Dolls when I was making 'Mean Streets'" says Scorsese, adding - "Then and now, David's music captures the energy and excitement of New York City". The film will follow Johansen’s arrival in New York’s East Village in the late 1960s and the start of his musical career started in the 1970s as lead singer for the punk/glam pioneers the New York Dolls, along with his role in the swing revival as Buster Poindexter in the 1980s and in the blues as part of the Harry Smiths in the 1990s.

"I understand that streaming is what people use, but in terms of artists getting direct benefits from their art immediately, Bandcamp, I would say, is obviously the superior tool for that" - Wyatt Stevens, founder of Haus of Altr label, told Resident Advisory about his favourite streaming service. Bandcamp's founder Ethan Diamond told RA they get support from many sides - "If there's one thing I hear more than anything else, it's 'please, don't change'". People say stuff like, 'I was able to quit my job to focus on music full-time because of the money I made from fans through Bandcamp. I was able to focus on my label full-time. You're the last hope.' Extreme stuff like that. I definitely take the trust that artists have put in Bandcamp over the last decade very seriously and try to remember that in pretty much everything that we do".

LA Times made a selection of Ennio Morricone's 10 "mind-blowing" scores (it's actually 12, since 'The Dollars' trilogy is listed as one, although it's three movies - 'A Fistful of Dollars', 'For a Few Dollars More' i 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'). It's some of his most famous works. On the other side, here's a list of Morricone's lesser-known, but equally fulfilling works - 'Come Maddalena', 'Here's to You', 'La Bambola', 'Alla Luce del Giorno', 'Un Amico', 'Come un Madrigale'.

Terrell Hines has released a remix of 'Get Up', from his forthcoming debut mixtape 'Portal One: The Mixtape', with Terrell Hines as a guest. The song starts with a quiet acoustic guitar loop, it builds production and tempo until it reaches its forceful, heart-racing peak. Lyrically, it's a diatribe against the ills of racist capitalism.

Tones And I has three nominations for 2020 AIR Awards - her international hit 'Dance Monkey' is up for independent song of the year, her debut EP 'The Kids are Coming' is in the running for independent pop album or EP and she’s nominated for breakthrough independent artist of the year. Australian Music Prize winner Sampa The Great is nominated in three categories as well as Julia Jacklin and Stella Donnelly, Scenestr reports. Scoring multiple chances for this year’s ceremony is Flume, Angie McMahon, Stella Donnelly, The Teskey Brothers, Ainslie Wills and more, while Nick Cave, Cub Sport, Pnau, Confidence Man and Paul Kelly are among the big names with one nomination. All the nominees in all the categories - here.

The prolific singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Charlie Daniels died on Monday at the age of 83, in a Nashville hospital after a haemorrhagic stroke, Tennessean reports. His hit, 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia', is an American classic and won his only Grammy Award in 1979. Daniels was best known for his fiddle playing, as well as his outspoken brand of conservative patriotism. Country guitarist Brad Paisley wrote a lovely text about the violinist: "When you watched Charlie Daniels with that fiddle, the dust was flying off the strings. He would flip that bow around like it was freaking Harry Potter’s wand. Same with on the guitar when he would play. He just looked so intense. He was going into battle when he played and you would follow him anywhere. He was like a general up there".

All of tQ's editorial staff and columnists have voted for their essential 2020 albums of the year so far, and it's a slightly left-field choice, as it is to be expected from the Quietus.

So, the top 10:

1. The Soft Pink Truth - Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase?

2. Einstürzende Neubauten - 'Alles In Allem'

3. Squarepusher - 'Be Up A Hello'

4. Beatrice Dillon - 'Workaround'

5. Jeff Parker - 'Suite for Max Brown'

6. Sex Swing - 'Type II'

7. Nadine Shah - 'Kitchen Sink'

8. Lyra Pramuk - 'Fountain'

9. Perfume Genius - 'Set My Heart On Fire Immediately'

10. Nazar - 'Guerrilla'

The UK government has pledged £1.57bn of help for country’s museums, galleries, theatres and music venues, hit hard by the big lockdown caused by the Covid-19. The biggest one-off investment in UK culture is welcomed as "surprisingly ambitious" by the industry, Guardian reports.

Tom Meighan is leaving Kasabian due to “personal issues that have affected his behaviour for quite some time", and in order "to concentrate all his energies on getting his life back on track", as the band has announced. The Leicester rock band he co-founded as a student in the late 90s described the decision as one taken by mutual consent.

Elton John becomes the first solo artist to be celebrated with an official U.K. coin, created by The Royal Mint. The commemorative edition is launched this week and features Elton iconography from a 50-year-plus career, BBC reports. Across the range in gold, silver and in non-precious metal, designer Bradley Morgan Johnson uses musical notes to create an image of Elton’s trademark glasses, topped with a hat and bow-tie on a Union Jack background. The cheapest coins have a face value of £5 and sell for £13 while the most costly, a one-kilo gold proof coin (above), carries a whopping price tag of £64,950.

Ennio Morricone, the Oscar-winning Italian film composer whose credits include the "spaghetti" Westerns that made Clint Eastwood a star, has died in Rome aged 91, the New York Times reports. He died in hospital having fractured his femur in a fall some days ago. Morricone scored more than 500 films over seven decades, including 'Once Upon a Time in America', 'The Untouchables', and 'Cinema Paradiso', and Quentin Tarantino's 'The Hateful Eight' which got him an Oscar. BBC calls him "the composer who changed the sound of cinema".

Geeks & Beats podcast talked to Audeze founder Sankar Thiagasamudram who is convinced that the next big thing in audio is - 3D headphones. The headphones of the future will be spatially aware, and adjust to your listening preferences using artificial intelligence.