Swedish company Record Union has shared The Wellness Starter Pack, a new toolkit of resources to help artists manage their mental health. It focuses on five elements to maintaining good health: nutrition, mindfulness, positivity, exercise, and sleep. The company consulted a handful of doctors and other specialists for its articles and videos (below), which are intended as a starting-off point for artists.
Jazz great and trumpeter Wallace Roney, who studied under Miles Davis and played with Art Blakey and Herbie Hancock and more, died on Tuesday (March 31) due to complications from COVID-19, at age 59, NPR reports. Roney recorded 21 albums as a leader, performed with his idol Miles Davis at the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival (watch it below), and won a Grammy with the surviving members of the Miles Davis Quintet for the album 'A Tribute to Miles'.
Kesha, Finneas, DJ Shadow, Phantogram, Jessie Reyez, Earthgang, Noah Cyrus are partaking in two-day digital Fader Fort event, which will raise money for musicians and entertainment professionals impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The event, boasting performances and content from over 100 artists, will air in nine-hour broadcasts set for Tuesday, March 31st and Wednesday, April 1st from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET. All performances will be available for a 24-hour window at the Fader Fort website.
Lyricist Dana Jay Bein and vocalist Adrian Grimes remade Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' as 'Coronavirus Rhapsody' in light of the ongoing Covid-10 pandemic. Cheeky lyrics include nods to hand sanitizing and self-quarantining. Grimes describes the parody as an attempt to harness "some humor to see us through the COVID-19 crisis".
“If you’re going to be with someone who’s clearly an artist, who’s deeply dedicated to what they do, then you need something that you’re passionate about” - Jenny Boyd, former model, now a psychologist and an author says in her new book 'Jennifer Juniper: A Journey Beyond the Muse'. In the 70s, Boyd married Mick Fleetwood twice (and had affairs with some other rockers), each resulting in feelings of loneliness, jealousy, rage and, ultimately, a total loss of identity. In vivid, anxious and sometimes hilarious prose, her book chronicles a life at once privileged by its proximity to the starriest rockers of the 1960s and 70s, and plagued by her inner feelings of anxiety and doubt, the Guardian says.
Universal Music Group announced a multi-million dollar initiative UMG All Together Now Foundation intended to support its artists, songwriters and employees over the next several months while the coronavirus shutdown is in place. UMG employs 8,800 workers around the world, with the foundation offering enhanced HR offerings and other programs, as well as a commitment that any employees who cannot work remotely will not see their pay change through at least June 30. The company is also offering a suite of economic flexibility initiatives to its artists and assorted companies, including interest-free royalty advances and fee waivers, Billboard reports. The company is also donating directly to MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund (a source says UMG has made the largest contribution there of any record label) and the Help Musicians UK charities, and has committed to matching donations that U.S. employees make to those organizations as well.
The co-writer and original singer of 'I Love Rock 'N' Roll', Alan Merrill, has died at age 69 after contracting coronavirus, Ultimate Classic Rock reports. 'Love Rock 'N' Roll' became a global hit for Joan Jett in 1982 and has been covered by artists ranging from Britney Spears to Weird Al Yankovic. The song was written by Merrill and guitarist Jake Hooker as "a knee-jerk response" to the Rolling Stones' 'It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)' in 1975. Merrill was well just a few weeks ago when he played several shows a few weeks ago. Coronavirus also claimed the life of country singer Joe Diffie over the weekend, while the family of Nashville legend John Prine said he was critically ill on a ventilator and being treated for Covid-19 symptoms.
Torres covered Portishead's 'Wandering Star', made quite a different song; string arrangements on Ladybug Transistor’s 'Giovanna Please' sound like open spaces and countryside; Brutus slowed down their metal on 'Sand', but keep the intensity and melody; Channel Tres' 'Weedman' is a funny song about a “notoriously unreliable” weed dealer; another funny one - Chai's 'No More Cake' about too much make-up; Bizou features former and current members of Light FM, Smashing Pumpkins and Glaare - their new single 'Crashing Sky' puts them between pop and dark; Htiekal is a music project by the actor Lakeith Stanfield, and 'Fast Life' is his step into leftfield pop; Jessie Reyez released a retro-soul song 'Coffin' featuring Eminem; 'Only Children' by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit is a lovely sombre song.
In the March 13-19 week streaming in the U.S. was down 7,6%, although more or less everyone is at home, so it was to be expected for streaming to jump. However, label executives are neither startled nor concerned by the drop, as the Variety reports - they say it’s down to focus on news and other televised options; the loss of daily commutes, where many people stream music; and multiple people at home together streaming the same things.
Fielding Hope, a senior producer at the London-based venue Cafe Oto, published a list of experimental musicians who are available for lessons and consultations. Having to stay at home - a perfect time to learn new stuff, right?!?
Sir Elton John assembled some of the biggest names in music - Billie Eilish, Dave Grohl, Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong, Mariah Carey, Sam Smith, and many more - to perform live from their homes last night in a televised concert to raise money for the coronavirus relief effort.
The Weeknd’s latest album 'After Hours' has topped the Billboard 200 with 444,000 equivalent album units, which made it the biggest debut week for an album in 2020 thus far, Billboard reports. 'After Hours' had 275,000 album sales, and 163,000 SEA units, which amounts to 220.7 million on-demand streams of the project's tracks in its first week. There was a chance that The Weeknd's album wasn’t going to release during the coronavirus pandemic - TMZ reports that music executives wanted the singer to hold off, fearing the album would flop.
Krzysztof Penderecki, one of the world's leading composers, died Sunday at the age of 86. The Polish-born composer established himself while still in his 20s with jarring atonal works such as 'Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima', and came to be widely admired by music fans and musicians far outside traditional classical music circles. He was an influence on musicians such as Aphex Twin, Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood, Portishead's Beth Gibbons, as well as cineasts such as Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch.
Consequence of Sound shared tips on how to help musicians in the time of the big lockdown:
Social media - the most direct way for musicians to let fans know how they can help during these thin times
Live streaming - can be a revenue source for independent and smaller acts thanks to Venmo and PayPal, or simply by pointing viewers towards online merch and music shops
Merch - if you’re fortunate enough to still have some disposable income, put that money towards a T-shirt, a poster, pins, badges, a shot glass
Music - buying it is the best way, Bandcamp is much more generous towards artists than Spotify
Crowdfunding - can be a vital way for fans to promptly support artists in their time of need
Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology has made a robot that's able to compose, play, and sing completely original songs. Shimon, the marimba-playing robot will release an album on Spotify next month featuring songs written (and sung) entirely by him, IEEE Spectrum reports. The plan was for the robot to go on tour as well; which it as well might, if it's exclusively robots in the audience, not just on stage. When Shimon started learning music, he got a huge database of music composed by humans - a dataset of 50,000 lyrics from jazz, prog rock, and hip-hop, but the key to Shimon’s composing ability is its semantic knowledge - the ability to make thematic connections between things, which is a step beyond just throwing some deep learning.
In the week ending March 19, overall album sales in the U.S. fell 29% to 1.52 million copies - the lowest such number since albums became a format in the mid-1960s, Billboard reports. The purchase of physical media (CDs, vinyl LPs and cassettes) also hit a low, as last week marked the first time ever that physical album sales fell below 1 million (just 979,000 copies sold, a dip of 36% to the week prior), the first time weekly physical album sales fell below 1 million in the Nielsen Music/MRC Data era. The lackluster sales numbers can be attributed to the shuttering of physical record stores across the country in addition to Amazon’s decision to cease stocking vinyl in favor of more “essential” items. Still, vinyl is the bright star of album sales - so far in 2020, total vinyl album sales stand at 4.88 million (up 42.2% year-to-date). Further, vinyl album sales comprise 22.6% of all albums sold in 2020, and 33% of all physical albums sold.
“I have adopted the mindset that this is some kind of reset button that needed to happen, not just for me, but for everyone" Born Electric maestro James Zabiela told DJ Tech Tools about spending time in big lockdown. Berlin-based tastemaker Eluize says she jogs to release tension, and rising techno talent BEC meditates to achieve "relaxation and inner-peace". Canada’s BLOND:ISH believes we should try and see the positives to take from the situation - “Behind every closed door is an opportunity. This pause is a time for reflection, to step back and get creative with our freedom of time... Resources are endless to get ahead and learn a new skill, use this time wisely”.
Billboard has compiled a rundown of music companies who have pledged their support during this time of the big shutdown, which resulted in lay-offs and cuts. The independent concert promotion and production company has launched the I.M.P. Family Fund to assist the company’s hourly employees. Streaming service Mixcloud is waiving its revenue share for the recently-launched Mixcloud SELECT platform. British collecting society PRS For Music has launched the PRS Emergency Relief Fund to support members affected by the pandemic. Music service Qobuz is waiving its revenue share on all download sales. The music-centric finance firm Sound Royalties has dedicated $20 million to offer a no-cost royalty advance funding option on every new application. Music Business Worldwide asks whether the music industry can do more to help artists and songwriters whose income has been hit by coronavirus?
The world-famous Abbey Road zebra crossing has been repainted while the streets of London are empty because of the quarantine set forth due to coronavirus pandemic, Insider reports. The zebra made famous by the Beatles was quietly repainted on 24 March by a highways maintenance crew, the day after the UK prime minister ordered Britain to go on lockdown. The government designated the crossing a site of national importance in 2010, which means the crossing can be altered only with the approval of local authorities. Abbey Road Studios, just down the road from the iconic zebra, closed their doors for the first time in their 89-year history earlier this week to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Complex did a great job listing the very best music podcast, featuring various 'casts: Dissect explores albums that have been heralded as “genius”; Rick Rubin's Broken Record; Disgraceland - one of the most unique and entertaining shows on this list; The Roots' Questlove has a podcast Questlove Supreme with entertaining behind-the-scenes stories you've never heard from the guests, plus gems of wisdom from Questlove himself; A Waste Of Time produce some of the most interesting, unheard stories in hip-hop; And The Writer Is... explores the relationship between songwriters and singers.
"This is an unreleased song we recorded a while back that you might find interesting. Stay safe, stay observant and may God be with you" - Bob Dylan said on his YouTube channel presenting 'Murder Most Foul', a song about J.F. Kennedy's murder. Watch below.
John Legend, Rita Ora, Monsta X, Die Antwoord, Diplo, Marcus Mumford are among dozens of musicians scheduled to perform at TWITCH's 12-hour-long Stream Aid 2020 benefit show, which starts at 5 p.m. (GM+1) Saturday. Fans will be able to donate through Tiltify donation page during the stream.
TIDAL is streaming 12 hours of filmed concerts by JAY-Z, Rihanna, Meek Mill, Beyoncé, and others - on Saturday (March 28) Tidal will air hip hop concerts, and on Sunday (March 29) it will broadcast R&B. Montreux Jazz Festival has made over 50 festival concerts available to stream for free, including performances by Ray Charles, Wu-Tang Clan, Johnny Cash, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Deep Purple, Carlos Santana, James Brown. Austin City Limits is streaming the last three years of performances. LA’s The Grammy Museum has started sharing previously unreleased Q&As and performances with musicians online for the first time. Today (March 27) Elvis Costello will stream specially pre-recorded message and performance at 7:30 p.m. New rock hopefuls Porridge Radio perform at 2 p.m ET. Peter Bjorn and John co-host a 36-hour marathon livestream on Twitch called “36h Ingrid,” running from 9 a.m. ET Friday through Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.
tify is rolling out a suite of new features and projects intended to help artists who are struggling financially due to the coronavirus crisis, Billboard reports. First up is Spotify's new COVID-19 Music Relief project, which helps connect musicians and other music professionals in need of funding to grant-giving organizations, in addition to helping fundraise. Spotify will match donations made via the project's webpage dollar-for-dollar for up to a total Spotify contribution of $10 million. Next, Spotify is working to add a new feature to its Spotify For Artists platform that will enable artists to fundraise directly from fans, and Spotify will not take any cut of the contributions. Spotify's music talent marketplace SoundBetter is waiving its revenue share, it's audio recording platform Soundtrap is offering extended free trials for educators, and podcast firm Anchor is waiving fees on its Listener Support feature.
In the time of self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the internet usage is going through the roof, so YouTube is already taking the preemptive measure of cutting its video quality worldwide due to some massive traffic surges. At first it was limited to Europe, now the streaming service has decided to limit video resolution across the globe, Bloomberg reports. The YouTube initiative started Tuesday (March 24) and will last for at least a month. However, users will still have the option to stream in high definition if they want; it just will no longer be automatic.
The German federal government has allowed aid package for the country’s creative and cultural sectors with €50 billion in grants and loans, Artnet reports. Culture minister Monika Grütter said “the creative courage of creative people can help to overcome the crisis... Artists are not only indispensable, but also vital, especially now”. In the US, songwriters, along with other “gig economy” workers in the music industry ranging from producers to roadies, will be eligible for grants and loans under the $2 trillion (that's a 1 with 12 zeros following) stimulus bill passed by the US Senate in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Variety reports. The coronavirus stimulus bill gives the music industry a fighting chance, Rolling Stone comments.
Warner's Songkick started out as a platform to track bands, get concert alerts, and buy tickets, but in the time of the big shutdown it has turned into a livestream concert calendar. The shows are listed by date, the most attractive ones featured at the top of the page. Brooklyn Vegan still keeps up a good daily list of online shows.
'Persona Non Grata' is a first new Bright Eyes song in 9 years, a bagpipes waltz; Nadine Shah rejects the traditions of marriage and family and yet still longing for them on 'Trad'; Scottibrains released 'Aristorats', an energo-ambiental song devoid of genre; Highly Suspect's new song and video 'These Days' have a family dinner turned nightmare; UK post punk band Squid released a tense new song 'Sludge'; Anglo-Ugandan electro-percussion outfit Nihiloxica are back with another outstanding new track 'Tewali Sukali'; Deerhoof “wanted to express what it feels like knowing that the rebels are our only hope" on their new song 'Future Teenage Cave Artists'.
Dr. Dre’s 'The Chronic', 'Cheap Trick at Budokan', Tina Turner’s 'Private Dancer', Dusty Springfield’s 'Dusty in Memphis', the Whitney Houston song 'I Will Always Love You', and Village People’s 'Y.M.C.A.' are among the new batch of records to be archived in the U.S. Library of Congress, the LA Times reports. Other records deemed “worthy of preservation because of their cultural, historical and aesthetic importance” include 'Fiddler on the Roof' Original Broadway cast from 1964, WGBH broadcast of the Boston Symphony on the day of the John F. Kennedy assassination etc.
Britney Spears shared a graphic by the writer Mimi Zhu on her Instagram, which included the line: “We will feed each other, re-destribute wealth, strike”. Spears captioned the graphic: “Communion moves beyond walls” and added three red rose emojis, a symbol associated with the socialist cause online, Complex reports. Zhu said on Twitter that she was “really grateful” that "comrade Britney" had shared the post, because "she moved me a lot while I was growing up". Spears has been under her father’s conservatorship since February 2008 and does not control her own fortune or business decisions, including her lucrative Vegas residency.
