God is in the TV presents two viable and fairer alternative platforms to Spotify - Sonstream and Resonate. Sonstream is streaming start-up offering an alternative user-centric and musician focused model with a basic set up and a pretty simple site. Resonate is a streaming service cooperative owned by the people that use it – musicians, indie labels, fans and developers.
Pine Barons released a catchy indie rock 'Sputter'; RZA and Ghostface Killah are in classic Wu-Tang mood with 'Fighting for Equality'; some big careers started off with covers - new hardcore strength Gulch might be on that same path with 'Sin in my Heart'; Open Mike Eagle went groovy-jazzy in 'Bucciarati'; Thou and Emma Ruth Rundle released melodic doom goth 'Ancestral Recall'; Mina Tindle, Kate Stables, Emma Broughton, Melissa Laveaux re-sang Nina Simone's '22nd Century'; Carcass are back with a metal banger 'The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue', their first new song in 7 years.
Dallas Observer reports on how venue-owners are coming up with ideas to be able to reopen. Billy Bob’s Texas, the "world’s largest honky-tonk", was closed since March and reopened last weekend, after reclassifying as a restaurant. It normally has a maximum occupancy of 6,000 people, but for now, they’re limiting admissions to 1,200. Temperatures were checked at the door, guests sat at tables spaced 6 feet apart, and masks were worn. Lava Cantina also reopened as a restaurant, it now hosts concerts and movies twice a day, up to six days a week. Space at Lava Cantina is limited to 250 guests compared with their normal 1,800 capacity. Table for four to see Nelly is $400.
NPR wonders how are listening future will look like, taking two of the biggest services as examples: "Spotify and Bandcamp could not be more opposite. Where Spotify highlights playlists, most often of its own creation, Bandcamp sticks to the album. Where Spotify pays royalties according to little-understood formulas that can only be analyzed by reverse calculation, Bandcamp lets artists and labels choose their own prices. Where Spotify requires working through a limited number of distributors to access their services, Bandcamp is open to anyone. Where Spotify has revenue streams dependent on ads and data, Bandcamp operates on a simple revenue share with artists and collects no information on its users".
Independent record label and distribution company AWAL says that “hundreds” of its artists now earn more than $100k a year from streaming, and that the number of artists who reached the 6-figure mark has grown by more than 40% in the last year, Music Ally reports. The company also said that “dozens” of its artists earn more than $1m from streaming every year. In march 2018 AWAL’s parent company Kobalt said that hundreds of artists were then earning more than $50k a year. AWAL has 40,000 artist and writer clients.
A hilarious interview with AC/DC's Angus Young in the Guitar World:
About the bars in Sydney where they played in the beginning: "Some of the places we played were worse than toilets, let me tell you"
How he got into rock'n'roll thanks to Chuck Berry: "It’s everything rolled into one: it’s blues, it’s rock and roll, and it’s got that hard edge to it. To me, that’s pure rock ’n’ roll. It’s not clean - it’s nasty"
The first time he wore school uniform on stage, in 1974: "That was the most frightened I’ve ever been on stage, but thank God, I had no time to think. I just went straight out there. The crowd’s first reaction to the shorts and stuff was like a bunch of fish at feeding time - all mouths open"
Groupies: "There’s nothing sexy about a schoolboy, is there?"
Australia: "Christianity was never a popular movement. It’s that convict background!"
Lyrics: "Most of our stuff is just about sex, as is most rock music. It’s pretty hard to write a song about your dog"
His onstage character: "Once you go into being The Schoolboy it’s pretty hard to come off it. I’m like two different people"
Electronic duo Nightports invite a collaborator into their glitching realm. The collaborator improvises and Nightports will manipulate the recordings into one cohesive artwork. This time around they invited The Comet is Coming drummer Betamax who gave them his "quick fire tubthumping". The resulting album is on the edges of experimental and pop music but also, as the Quietus says, "a thought-provoking undertaking. It is made interesting by its wild-eyed invention, and Nightports’ constant ability to get melody and ambience from the recordings they’re working with. But it’s made enjoyable by the energetic performance of Betamax behind the drum kit".
Hip-hop producer DJ Shay, a close collaborator of Griselda Records and the Black Soprano Family, has died aged 48, after being diagnosed with Covid-19 this summer, Complex reports. In addition to Westside Gunn, DJ Shay frequently collaborated with Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, and others. He also founded the label Buff City Records.
NME NME published an interesting (and funny) text about expectations and freedom, inspired by Russell Brand's video on Cardi B's 'WAP' where he suggests "that Cardi and Megan aren’t feminist because they’re trying to emulate a masculine trope of being brash about sex and sexuality, rather than carving out their own". But - "why does it even have to be feminist? It is, by the way, in that it’s two women singing about whatever the fuck they want to, and not hurting anyone" NME writer says, adding "maybe Cardi B just thought about writing about sexual desire, having great sex and being turned on and made – let’s face it – an absolute banger. Part of equality is not always having to fight the cause. Remember: you can just enjoy things".
Björk is to star as the Slav Witch in the new film from 'The Lighthouse' director Robert Eggers, a Viking epic titled 'The Northman', the Film Stage reports. Slav Witch is her first role since starring in Lars Von Trier’s 'Dancer in the Dark' in 2000. Björk will be starring alongside Willem Dafoe, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang and Bill Skarsgård, as well as Alexander Skarsgård, who will be taking on the lead role as a Viking named Amleth. Björk and Matthew Barney’s daughter Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney will also be part of the ensemble.
Britney Spears' dad Jamie Spears remains the sole conservator of her estate, despite the singer's request for him to step down, Entertainment Tonight reports. Jamie Spears was put in charge of his daughter's welfare and finances in 2008, following the superstar's infamous meltdown. Last year, Britney Spears' Jodi Montgomery, took over as temporary conservator, after Jamie Spears fell ill. However, following a hearing on Wednesday, court documents showed that the status of Britney Spears' conservatorship remains unchanged.
A group of kids from the O’Keefe Music Foundation have released a Christian metal cover of System of a Down’s 'Chop Suey!'. The music is the same, but the lyrics are new and faith-based, like "That day on the mountain side/helpless and crucified/Arms, wide, you took up your cross and died". Singer Taylor Campbell was 8 years old when this was recorded, while a quartet of teenage musicians back her up.
Rolling Stones are opening a flagship store on Carnaby Street in London, the spiritual center of London's fashion world in the swinging ‘60s. Opening Sept. 9, RS No. 9 Carnaby will have all the Stones merch, fashion and merchandise lines, exclusive product and music. The store will play non-stop Stones tunes, the glass floor will feature lyrics, while the fitting rooms are splashed with classic album artwork.
The Route explains some of the phrases frequently used in music industry:
Routing: The way multiple shows are looped together by an agent or promoter to make geographical sense
Versus Deal: An agent and a promoter make a deal where the band gets a basic fee (called a guarantee) and then gets a percentage (normally 80-85%) of the profit made from ticket sales
PDs: Amount of money an artist gets per day (usually 10 or 20 pounds) to cover daily expenses; food, drink, toothpaste, cigarettes
Rider: An assortment of snacks, water, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages that are requested by a touring band at the venue
Fiona Apple has narrated a new short film about how to safely document and record U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests, Vulture reports. Apple said she "felt really lucky to be able to read it aloud and learn it. It’s such valuable information".
Lebanese musician, producer, engineer, and studio-owner Fadi Tabbal has launched the Beirut Musicians’ Fund to help local artists replace their gear damaged, lost, or destroyed in the explosion on August 4. The fund attempts to raise exactly $34,935, and all donations will be managed by Tunefork Recording Studios and divided evenly among those affected by the blast.
10-year-old Japanese drum prodigy Yoyoka released a drum-cover of Rush classic 'YYZ'. Born in 2009, Yoyoka started playing drums at the age of two, appeared live at the age of four and formed a family band at the age of two. Her first CD was released at the age of six, and she not only plays drums but has written songs, sung and played piano. She has previously covered Rage Against the Machine, Led Zeppelin and Nirvana (Yoyoka's YouTube channel).
Queen and Metallica earned more from album sales than anyone else last year, according to a brand new The Highest Paid Musicians of 2019 report. Queen topped the list for album sales with $9.6 million, thanks in part to a massive boost from the Academy Award-winning biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Metallica arrived at No. 2 with an estimated $3.6M from album sales.
Jeremy Ivey co-wrote 'Someone Else’s Problem' with his wife Margo Price. It is a politically charged, haunting folk song, with a simple but strong video dealing with religion, police, abuse, consumerism, and other issues in just a few shots.
Henry Rollins has launched a new video podcast 'The Henry & Heidi $1.99 Show' with co-host Heidi May, his longtime manager. Each episode is $1.99, Rollins promises show & tell, footage of him from 20 years ago, and more. The first episode is on the Minutemen, the early days of SST, the '80s hardcore scene in general. Watch it here.
Britney Spears has asked LA court not to return her father Jamie Spears to the role of her legal conservator that gave him control over her life and career, LA Times reports. Jamie Spears has been his daughter's legal conservator for 12 years, due to concerns around her mental health. The conservatorship is up for extension again after 22 August. Britney Spears wants her manager Jodi Montgomery, who stepped in for her father last year during his absence due to health issues, to become his permanent replacement. The court document also revealed that Britney has no plans to perform again soon.
Iconic UK music brand NME has launched in Asia, with the aim of delivering a fresh approach to the South East Asian music scene - here's their choice of the best Southeast Asian albums of 2020 so far. Singapore-based website NME.com/Asia will initially focus on Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines and has plans to rapidly expand in the region. NME entered the Australian market at the end of last year. It also recently restarted physical publishing with a monthly magazine in Australia, its only current regular print edition. In 2019, the NME and Uncut magazine were sold to Singaporean music company BandLab Technologies.
British TV series 'I May Destroy You' is well-received by the critics, and it's the music that "adds surprising emotional depth and valuable cultural texture to author Michaela Coel’s haunting and remarkably nuanced story", LA Times writes. The soundtrack is a mix of oldies and current hip-hop, R&B and electronic music, and it made musicians like it - Adele called the series “the best thing I’ve seen on British TV for yeaaaarssss”. The music is used, the co-director Sam Miller says, to "sort of counter-punctuate - trying to take you away from the emotional thread of the story and keep you on edge”. So it's about how the music's used - Rev. Milton Brunson's old gospel song plays while the main character exits the bar where she has been drugged, Daft Punk where there in a romantic scene, new English bands Ramz, Paigey Cakey and Arlo Parks add tonal colour to London, etc.
Barack Obama shared his 2020 Summer Playlist, and it's, well, quite cool, especially for a former president. The playlist includes Billie Eilish, J. Cole, Little Simz, Haim, Rihanna, Megan Thee Stallion, Frank Ocean, Andy Shauf, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Nas and plenty more. Good stuff, Mr former POTUS!
Jam Master Jay's former associate Ronald "Tinard" Washington and Karl "Lil D" Jordan Jr. have been charged with the murder of Run-DMC's DJ, CNN reports. JMJ, born Jason Mizell, was murdered in his Jamaica, Queens recording studio on October 30, 2002. The Police say the murder happened over a drug deal gone bad. JMJ had apparently bought cocaine in kilogram-quantities to sell. Jay was supposedly shot and killed over the drug debt.
Well, this is a surprise - a group of ordinary-looking students of the Cleveland, Ohio School of Rock aka "The Jazz Band Rejects", performed 'Waiting Room' by Fugazi in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. No disrespect, but this just might be the most passionate performance of the song in years!
Swedish music company Soundtrack Your Brand teamed up with Spotify to create a platform that allows small business owners like bars, restaurants, and retail stores to easily stream music for 30 to 40 dollars a month, Rolling Stone reports. SYB inked unique licensing deals with Sony and Warner, alongside indie music association Merlin, and on Tuesday the company announced a new deal with Universal. The biggest study on background music to date found that 88 percent of businesses play music four or five days a week without a license, and 86 six percent are prepared to pay for an improved service.
TikTok is partnering with UnitedMasters, a music distribution company, to allow artists on the video-sharing platform to distribute their songs directly from the app to streaming services like Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube, as well as brands like ESPN and the N.B.A. Instead of selling their rights to a label, artists who sign with UnitedMasters keep 90 percent of their royalties, as well as ownership of the master recordings, TechCrunch reports. The deal is aimed at “tomorrow’s stars who will be famous, fiercely independent and wealthy,” said UM's founder Steve Stoute.
“I kept waiting for someone to do something that moved or inspired me, but I began to realize that I’d have to do it myself" - Brazilian artist Linn da Quebrada told Guardian about being black and trans in a repressive country (130 trans people were killed in Brazil in 2019, more than anywhere else in the world). Linn and her musical partner Jup do Bairro make brave music with vulnerable lyrics, tongue-in-cheek statements, and genre-bending dance rhythms. They're fighting the system which is "so narrow, we have to come in through the cracks. And as we come in, we also widen these gaps so that more and more people can start occupying them, too”.
The Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj has died at the age of 90, CNN reports. Known for his unique voice which had both depth and softness, Pandit Jasraj Jasraj was a pioneering artist well known for his egalitarian approach. Despite belonging to a traditional school of classical music, Pandit Jasraj is said to have pioneered adding a lighter style to his music to make it more audience-friendly. Grammy and Academy Award-winning musician AR Rahman tweeted saying "#RIPPanditJasraj indian classical music has lost one of its shining stars". Indian singer-composer Vishal Dadlani called it a "monumental loss".
Eminem’s 'Mom’s Spaghetti' restaurant opened in Detroit on Wednesday, and Slim Shady himself manned the takeout window, Detroit Free Press reports. The rapper worked the walk-up window at the alley-set eatery when it first began serving customers at 5PM. Em served the first 10 customers their takeout containers of spaghetti and meatballs (with a vegan option available!). The line for the opening day celebration stretched for blocks around Detroit’s Foxtown neighborhood.
A Los Angeles judge has suspended Britney Spears' father Jamie Spears from the conservatorship that's controlled the singer's life, career and finances for 13 years. The decision is a major victory for the pop star, who has pushed to remove her father from the court-appointed arrangement, NPR reports. Mr Spears called the court’s decision “disappointing, and frankly, a loss for Britney”. Rolling Stone quoted Jamie Spears' statement sent through an attorney: “For 13 years, he has tried to do what is in her best interests, whether as a conservator or her father. This started with agreeing to serve as her conservator when she voluntarily entered into the conservatorship. This included helping her revive her career and re-establish a relationship with her children. For anyone who has tried to help a family member dealing with mental health issues, they can appreciate the tremendous amount of daily worry and work this required".
"In the digital era, when everything seems to be a single click away, it’s easy to forget that we have long had physical relationships with the pieces of culture we consume. The way we interact with something — where we store it — also changes the way we consume it, as Spotify’s update made me realize. Where we store something can even outweigh the way we consume it" - Kyle Chayka writes in an essay about the meaning of collections in a time of digital music. "While we have the advantage of freedom of choice, the endless array of options often instills a sense of meaninglessness: I could be listening to anything, so why should any one thing be important to me?".
Universal Music Group has signed a first-of-its-kind partnership with digital therapeutics company MedRhythms, in order to help people with walking impairments, Rolling Stone reports. The partnership provides MedRhythms with access to UMG’s catalog in order to build “direct stimulation solutions” that use clinical-grade sensors, software and music to help restore function lost to neurologic disease or injury. MedRhythms is developing a patented platform of evidence-based, prescription digital therapeutics using music to address walking impairments.
A cassette containing what’s believed to be a previously unreleased John Lennon and Yoko Ono song, 'Radio Peace', as well as an interview has been sold for $58,300 at an auction in Copenhagen, Denmark. NPR looks back at the nice story of four Danish teenagers who were late for a press conference, but Lennon nevertheless spent half an hour with boys talking about war, local action, and singing 'Give Peace a Chance' for them.
The great music theorist is in a great mood in his latest video, where he answers several questions, including his thoughts on the phrase “music isn’t like how it used to be?”, do certain keys have “better” bass?, details on the new album by his band Sungazer, thoughts on Bach vs Mozart and similar great trivia.
Supergroup Blood Moon, with Chelsea Wolfe, Stephen Brodsky and members of Converge release their dark-metal onto the world; the awkwardly named Croatian band ### shares a noisey post-rock song 'Tamo to ne mogu ovdje to ne želim'; Explosions in the Sky rise and shine on ‘Chisos’; Karloff go extremely screamo on ‘Hibiscus’.
When Ludwig von Beethoven died in 1827, he left some musical sketches for his 10th symphony and nothing more. In early 2019, Dr. Matthias Röder, the director of the Karajan Institute, an organization in Salzburg, Austria, that promotes music technology, was putting together a team to complete Beethoven’s 10th Symphony in celebration of the composer’s 250th birthday. He hoped an AI would be able to help fill in the blanks left by Beethoven. Ahmed Elgammal in the Conversation describes how he presided over the artificial intelligence side of the project, leading a group of scientists at the creative AI startup Playform AI that taught a machine both Beethoven’s entire body of work and his creative process. And - they did it" A full recording of Beethoven’s 10th Symphony is set to be released on Oct. 9, 2021, the same day as the world premiere performance scheduled to take place in Bonn, Germany – the culmination of a two-year-plus effort.
'Parallel World' by Cadence Weapon was selected by an 11-member jury of the 2021 Polaris Music Prize as the Canadian album of the year, based solely on artistic merit, The FADER reports. Across its 10 songs and 26 minutes, 'Parallel World' makes distinct references to Black experiences and history in Canada and draws inspiration from a wide range of music, literature and art by Black creators to reflect our "dystopian present".
"Banning Kelly’s music would be a form of censorship, and whatever metric is used to justify that ban should by all rights be used against others. But where does one draw that line? Kelly’s music continues to earn royalties, presumably millions each year. And stretching the question further, who exactly should be penalized? Should every songwriter, producer, or instrumentalist convicted of a certain felony category have each of their songs banned?" - Jem Aswad asks the essential question in Variety following R Kelly's conviction. Gives one possible answer: "Great art is sometimes made by horrible people, and whether or not a person is morally comfortable consuming that art, and earning money for that horrible person, is up to them". Jim DeRogatis, the journalist who brought the R Kelly story to the light, looks at the victims: "The verdict leaves several questions unanswered, including how the many people Kelly victimized will begin to heal".
