In the last quarter, Spotify hit a high of 299 million monthly active users, up 67 million from last year, 138 million of whom are paying subscribers via Spotify’s premium tier, CNBC reports. Users’ overall podcast consumption has more than doubled, and one-fifth of monthly active users are listening to podcasts. But the company proceeded to report a 21% year-over-year loss in advertising revenue, as well as a 9% year-over-year drop in its premium monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) — and overall in Q2 2020, the company posted a loss of €356 million. Spotify has been consistently hitting new growth milestones while suffering large losses for years. Apart from announcing the business facts, Spotify has expanded their latest feature The Group Session, to allow multiple people to listen to, and control, the same playlist in real time, while being physically apart. It allows up to five people.

Malik B, the rapper who was a co-founding member of the Roots and appeared on their first four LPs, has died at the age of 47. The Roots’ Questlove and Black Thought said in a statement - “May he be remembered for his devotion to Islam, his loving brotherhood, and his innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time". Malik B. was the co-founding member of the band, he left the Roots at the turn of the millennium, due to drug issues, but he continued to make guest appearances on the group’s albums. Black Thought shared his warmhearted sentiment: “Your steel sharpened my steel as I watched you create cadences from the ether and set them free into the universe to become poetic law, making the English language your b****. I always wanted to change you, to somehow sophisticate your outlook and make you see that there were far more options than the streets, only to realize that you and the streets were one... and there was no way to separate a man from his true self”.

Dublin rockers' second album in a year "is subtler and softer and prettier... darker, more atmospheric and downcast", Stereogum writes in their review o Fontaines D.C.'s 'A Hero's Death'. Production-wise there's "more shades of gray on this one, effectively building and sustaining a cohesive mood while allowing for greater complexity and nuance".

A great combo - Doves made a song 'Carousels', forwarded it to The Comet Is Coming to remix it, turned out atmospheric, groovy, jazzy; Kudela made a great video for the stunning Katie Gately song 'Flow'; JPEGMAFIA shared new song 'Living Single', a kinda experimental trap; the "garage-rock Serge Gainsbourg" Liminanas dropped 'Calentita'; Tricky has a new singer, Marta, and a new clubby trip 'Thinking of'; Alex Kapranos and Clara Luciani covered 'Summer Wine', a perfect summer song, of course; dark rock collective Crippled Black Phoenix features a handful of guests on catchy 'Cry of Love'; Mike Huguenor released a tender blues 'Evening Light Seen Through a Window'.

"One of the things that has really jumped out at me on TikTok is that you do not need any history of performance metrics for something to go viral; if something is working, even if you’re a first-time uploader with no ‘Likes’, views or creations in place yet, you have an equal and democratic chance of spiking on the platform as something with tons and tons of history" - TikTok’s Global Head of Music, Ole Obermann, said in a Music Business Worldwide interview, adding "that’s pretty unique, relative to other platforms, and obviously paves the way nicely for any type of artists – whether independent, major or unsigned".

Berghain has found a way to throw its doors back open, luring visitors with an unusual sound exhibition called 'Eleven songs'. Just 50 people are let in at a time to allow for physical distancing. Inside, visitors are enveloped by an eery, almost surreal soundscape of rhythmic throbbing, soft city noises, murmurings and even the whirling of helicopter blades. Visitors, wearing face masks, have already been queueing to get in, France Presse reports. DJ Tech Tools reports on how five Eastern European countries – Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Serbia, and Croatia – are handling the process of re-opening amidst COVID-19. Belarus is more or less closed, clubs in Georgia are opened, but the country is closed for foreigners, Serbia closed its clubs, in Ukraine the clubs are closed as well, whereas Croatia is open for (most) foreigners, and clubs there are also mostly open.

Playing a musical instrument positively impacts mental health for 89% of adults, particularly by increasing feelings of relaxation and happiness, a new scientific study commissioned by Spotify revealed. Out of 400 adults included in the survey, 56% felt relaxed, 48% felt satisfaction and 43% felt peaceful, and over said that playing music gave them “a sense of purpose in life”.

Trent Reznor, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, Kamasi Washington, Beastie Boys are nominated for 2020 Emmy awards, in music categories, uDiscover Music reports. Trent Reznor got his nomination for 'Watchmen', Kamasi Washington is in with 'Becoming', while Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo are recognized for their work in 'The Black Godfather'. Beastie Boys Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz and their creative partner and director Spike Jonze are nominated for Apple TV’s 'Beastie Boys Story' in five categories, including for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. Check all the nominees here.

"Billy Woods... has a voice that commands, a booming orator akin to no one but himself. Then there’s Elucid, prone to bars of labyrinthine complexity, a rapper who’ll declare 'fuckboys deserve to be liberated too' as evidence that revolutionary rage and killer one-liners can coexist with ease" - The Quietus writes about the New York hip-hop duo Armand Hammer, declaring them "recognisers of looping cycles".

The Chainsmokers held a charity concert in Southampton, New York on Saturday alongside Goldman Sachs executive David M. Solomon (aka DJ D-Sol), called Safe & Sound. Well, it turns out it was really that safe and sound - video that surfaced from the concert appeared to show attendees flouting social distancing, which prompted an investigation. Tickets for the event ran between $1,250 to $25,000, with all profits going to local charities including Children’s Medical Fund of New York, No Kid Hungry and Southampton Fresh Air Home.

Ryo Muranaka is an aspiring Japanese rapper who sold everything he owned and flew over 6,000 miles to Cleveland in an attempt to track down his rap heroes, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, but got robbed instead. However, he ended up working with Layzie Bone who told Hip-Hop DX - "It kind of reminded me of us going to L.A. to try to find Eazy-E but at the same time, this man came to another country. So, I had my family book him a hotel. After that, I’ve just been developing his talent". Layzie offered words of advice: “I will also say this to other fans and artist that are looking to do the same thing as us or this gentleman did — follow your dreams by all means, but you have to be very careful when you go to places you know nothing about. We’re not from the suburbs, we’re from the ghetto".

Manchester singer Denise Johnson, best known for her performances on Primal Scream's classic 1991 album 'Screamadelica', has passed away aged 56, BBC reports. Johnson was a prolific singer - she also sang with New Order, Johnny Marr, Bernard Sumner, A Certain Ratio, Pet Shop Boys, New Order and many more. Johnson sang with A Certain Ratio for 25 years.

Lollapalooza has announced a massive four-night livestream including archival footage from previous editions of the festival, as well as new, original performances from the likes of Kali Uchis, Vic Mensa, Jamila Woods, Tanks and the Bangas, Pink Sweat$, H.E.R., and more. There woll be three special performances throughout the weekend - the first Porno for Pyros reunion in 24 years, a tribute to David Bowie with pianist Mike Garson, and a special performance of Kind Heaven Orchestra featuring Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins. The lineup also boasts “fan-favorite” archival sets from Paul McCartney, Metallica, The Cure, OutKast, LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, Lorde, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tyler the Creator, Run the Jewels, ASAP Rocky, Chance the Rapper, Tenacious D, Cypress Hill, Jane’s Addiction, Alabama Shakes, Tove Lo, Portugal. the Man, Kehlani, LL Cool J, Princess Nokia, Polo G, and more. Lolla2020 livestream goes down Thursday, July 30th – Sunday, August 2nd beginning at 5:00 p.m, on YouTube.

Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto, known for styling musician David Bowie, has died at the age of 76, the New York Times reports. Yamamoto designed some of Bowie's most famous outfits including those of the singer's alter ego Ziggy Stardust. His clothing was also worn by Elton John, Stevie Wonder and John Lennon. More recently, singer Lady Gaga had been pictured in Yamamoto designs. Yamamoto was known for his colourful creations and incorporating traditional Japanese designs into fashion.

"It was a new thing and there’s something in the idea of doing differently, so we’ve just got to try and embrace it" - Miles Kane told the NME after his Camden Market gig, the first UK post-lockdown concert. “We’re trucking on and we’re fighters. It’s definitely one of the weirdest gigs I’ve played, but an enjoyable weird” - he added. The crowd of roughly fifty fans stood in socially distanced sections, which were clearly marked out on the floor, while they donned compulsory face masks.

"There's definitely the theoretical America and then America in reality. Back then there was the expectation that the theoretical America 'knew better'" - American rapper Lupe Fiasco told Radio 1 Newsbeat, and continued - "but what you've started to see is that America's not like that. America is very much the world leader in not getting it together - just with Covid-19 for example". Lupe says countries "don't want to be like America, where the police are killing people for nothing", and he predicts that in coming decades America will "fall behind the times in a very real way as other countries start to outpace, out-develop, or just ignore America to a certain extent".

American musician Nobunny, the stage persona of musician Justin Champlin, has announced he's retiring from music, after seemingly admitting to sexual misconduct involving underage women. In a lengthy statement, he said - "I used my power and influence to take advantage of young women and teenage girls". Also, Culture Abuse singer David Kelling posted a lengthy Instagram statement admitting to sexual misconduct with a 17-year old (while he was 22). Culture Abuse announced in their own Instagram post that they are breaking up.

Fleetwood Mac co-founder and influential blues rock guitarist Peter Green has died at the age of 73, Ultimate Classic Rock reports. The English singer-songwriter and guitarist, from Bethnal Green in East London, formed Fleetwood Mac with drummer Mick Fleetwood in 1967. Green wrote some of the band's most notable hits, including 'Albatross', 'Black Woman Magic', and 'Man of the World'. He left the band in 1970, after it had released three albums.

Snoop Dogg and DMX received 1.75 billion impressions across the internet on the latest Verzuz battle, while breaking Apple Music's all-time livestream record with more than 600,000 concurrent viewers and a total of more than 1.4 million fans tuning in, Billboard reports. On Twitter, #Verzuz became the No. 1 trending topic with 29 other trends growing from that evening. It received 168% more tweets than the previous biggest battle.

Journalist turned musician Sylvie Simmons released a sweet little song 'Sweet California'; Jaga Jazzist released a sci-fi psycho electro-blues 'Tomita' with a great video; another seemingly strange song, 'Us (How Sweet It Was)', alter-baroque pop by Ricky Reed, Jim James & Duendita; some classic soul by Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo in 'Look Around'; Deathcave's 'The Road' features three vocalists - singers of Botch, Holy Grove, and Black Breath; the last one is wild: the name - Godcaster, the song title - 'All The Feral Girls In The Universe', the video - literally wild, and the sonic side of the song - psycho garage rock.

andcamp is extending its Bandcamp Friday program, in which it is waiving its revenues the first Friday of every month, through the end of the year, Rolling Stone reports. The series started as a one-off at the end of March to help get extra money to artists after the COVID-19 pandemic brought touring to a halt and forced independent record stores to close. It continued through the summer. The next five will take place August 7th, September 4th, October 2nd, November 6th and December 4th.

Contemporary classical ensemble s t a r g a z e released video album accompaniment to 'Instruments', an abstract orchestral reimagining of Fugazi's 1993 album 'In on the Kill Taker'. The good-spirited video works as a pandemic lockdown diary, with all the musicians involved filming themselves over the last few months, with footage from all over the world.

"Imagine that, being black and disabled. That's a double drama. It's like your voice is not heard in a double way" - Rick Velasquez of the rap duo 4 Wheel City told BBC about being a black person and being disabled in the USA. "It's like you're doing a double life sentence" - his partner Namel Norris says. However, they have received global acclaim and raised the prominence of Krip-Hop - a sub-genre of Hip-Hop which puts disabled matters front and centre and lets them express the "double drama" of being in two minority groups. Both have been disabled in accidents - Velasquez was shot by a stray bullet while he was coming back from school, and Norris was shot by his cousin who was playing with a gun.

"In isolation my imagination has run wild. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory" - Taylor Swift writes in the liner notes of 'Folklore', her new album released today, and announced just a few hours earlier. It was written during ther epidemic, and it's far from the big pop sound of her last album, the change being underwritten by her main collaborator - Aaron Dessner of The National, who is a co-writer or producer on 11 of the album's 16 songs. Also, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon crops up for a duet on 'Exile'. Swift has released 16 lyrics videos from the album.

Female artists and female-fronted bands - like Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, and Porridge Radio - have outnumbered men on the shortlist for this year's Mercury Prize, for the first time in its 29-year history, Sky reports. A total of seven female or female-fronted acts (of 12 nominees) made the 2020 shortlist; the previous highest total was five. In general, this year pop dominated the shortlist, with none left of the field albums.

The nominees:

Anna Meredith - ‘FIBS‘
Charli XCX - ‘how i’m feeling now‘
Dua Lipa - ‘Future Nostalgia‘
Georgia - ‘Seeking Thrills‘
Kano - ‘Hoodies All Summer‘
Lanterns on the Lake - ‘Spook the Herd‘
Laura Marling - ‘Song for Our Daughter‘
Michael Kiwanuka - ‘KIWANUKA‘
Moses Boyd - ‘Dark Matter‘
Porridge Radio - ‘Every Bad‘
Sports Team - ‘Deep Down Happy‘
Stormzy - ‘Heavy is the Head‘

A great article in The Pudding about the songs that define the 1990s, not necessarily the best music from the decade, rather the songs that the people recognize the most. Some of the most recognized songs are Britney Spears' '...Baby One More Time', Spice Girls' 'Wannabe', R.E.M.'s 'Losing my Religion', although they vary slightly depending of the year of the birth. Great graphs in the article as well.

Veteran jazz singer, actress and jazz innovator Annie Ross died on July 21, four days before her 90th birthday. In 1957, Ross, a chic redhead with a cool, tart sound, teamed with Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks to form the historic vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, which explored a genre known as vocalese — the setting of lyrics to modern jazz solos. Ross could lurch into the vocal stratosphere, imitating trumpets and saxophones and tearing through bebop lines with swinging rhythm, NPR says. "I only wanted to sing and be free" - she told years later...

When talking to someone over an Internet connection it takes time for audio data to travel from person to person, which is fine in conversation. That small delay, called latency, makes playing music online impossible. NPR has found a solution - an open-source software called JackTrip, that can transfer high-quality audio data across the Internet at low enough latencies, within a geographic radius. It takes a bit of hardware and a strong Internet connection.

Kim Kardashian West has publicly addressed her husband Kanye's mental health issues asking for "compassion and empathy" for her family, All Hip Hop reports. KKW came out publicly following a series of West's erratic statements in recent days. She wrote on Instagram: "As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder", adding that west a "brilliant but complicated person" whose "words sometimes do not align with his intentions". "He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bipolar disorder" Kardashian West said, asking for "compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this."

"I didn’t miss it [tour shows]. I’ve always wanted to perform from my bed at home... I never wanted to do the packing and going through the car and luggage and the hotel and, 'What’s the password? What’s the internet?' You get tired after years and years of doing it, you know?" - Erykah Badu told the New York Times about not touring and performing live-streams instead. She was among the first to start charging for her streams, that were richer production-wise - "I wanted the audience to feel like their money not only got them into the show, but they also got to help create the moment". Neighbors, it seems so, loved it as well - "I had to get a truck to broaden the bandwidth of my house. All the neighbors had high-speed internet for a couple of weeks because of it".