A very interesting Complex essay: "The exploitation of Black rappers’ deaths is part of a larger societal truth as it pertains to modern day media and social media consumption. When digital natives are committed to documenting each and every moment, death simply falls in line with that as one of the more grander, more scandalous forms of activity. In a toxic environment prioritizing clicks, engagement, and reach, blogs and individuals fall in line, scrambling to be first—however disastrous that quest is. In the content economy, rap is discarded, as a lack of due diligence echoes on and a lack of care toward Black rappers—and presumption that these rappers are destined for death—lingers. (Artist relations specialist Karlie) Hustle concludes, 'Death as ‘online content’ is a cultural failure in an attention economy'”.

Very interesting Trapital memo and podcast about the differences between Spotify and YouTube, and how artists can take advance of each service. One of the points: "Spotify is a place where you can monetize scale, but you can’t monetize niche. YouTube is an ecosystem where you can monetize both".

This week, Ticketmaster’s site crashed during the presale for Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour, causing the cancellation of the general sale scheduled for Friday (November 18), the MBW reports. Ticketmaster claims that demand was so high for the tickets that, based on the volume of traffic to their site, Swift “would need to perform over 900 stadium shows (almost 20x the number of shows she is doing)”, or a stadium show “every single night for the next 2.5 years“. Over 2 million tickets were sold for Taylor Swift’s tour on November 15, “the most tickets ever sold for an artist in a single day”.

"Dream Unending sounds very much like what they are: two gifted, experienced metal musicians trying to capture a colossal and elusive feeling that goes beyond subcultural identification or, indeed, earthly limits. It’s bewildering, and it’s beautiful" - Stereogum writes highly of the new album by dream-doom band Dream Unending. Pitchfork states that DU's "monuments to melancholy have never felt so crushing or beautiful", (tagged it Best New Music, grade 8.5). 

In 2021, music copyright was worth $39.6bn, up 18 percent from 2020, and considerably more than 2011, when global value of recorded music was $28.3bn. Labels are seeing 65% of all the value, whereas publishers are at 35%. Another number - streaming is making up 55% of the total. Tarzan Economics has all the numbers.

Music theorist Adam Neely deals with music copyright and artists selling their music to investment firms in his latest video. He starts with a 1548 decision of French king Henry II which turned music from a communal cultural knowledge into private property that can be owned. The essential question Neely asks is: How do you own a musical idea and by whose authority?

"Although the lack of tourism had a catastrophic effect on jobs and livelihoods, it had a positive influence on biodiversity and the environment. Now Ibiza is facing something of an identity crisis. The question has been raised: is this model of tourism actually sustainable? And if not, how does Ibiza move forward while keeping its title as the world's greatest clubbing destination?" - Mix Mag asks the essential question in the wake of the climate crisis and biodiversity crises, ath the closing of Ibiza's longest ever season.

Music writer Piotr Orlov shares 10 episodes of his podcast Dada Strain Radio of music and interviews about rhythm, improvisation and community. Orlov points out that he wants to want to makes work "that creates musical *and* social connections, in historical *and* contemporary contexts". Also, he wants to "establish the underlying points that 1) free jazz is actually community dance music, 2) great DJ sets are actually improvised performances, and 3) the intentions of many of its most beloved practitioners transcend simple musical 'entertainment'". Episode 2 features the Irreversible Entanglements/Blacks’ Myths bassist Luke Stewart on the anti-capitalist and DIY aspects of punk and jazz cultures which have a lot in common.

“Friends, it’s hard to put the universe into language and into a short message, but she passed away last night, surrounded by family and love, including yours-” Low's Twitter reads after the passing of drummer Mimi Parker. She had been living with ovarian cancer since 2020, the Guardian reports. She was 55 years old. Parker met her future husband and bandmate Alan Sparhawk in grade school. Low were pioneers of a genre categorized as “slowcore".

"If I were in a particularly cynical mood, I might claim that Milli Vanilli anticipated the future of the music industry better than any other new act from that era" - Ted Gioia argues in favor of the German band, asking for their Grammy award be returned. "True, they put more faith in technology than authenticity, but couldn’t you say the same for the algorithm-crazed music business of the current moment? By the same token, they knew how to act the part of celebrities, with the right attitudes and moves, while relying on a team of helpers to fill in the gaps—much like most superstars do today. Most important of all, they had more skills as influencers than vocalists, but that too shows how much they were ahead of their time. Back then it was fraud. Nowadays it’s a winning formula for Instagram and TikTok".

American pop singer and actor Aaron Carter was found dead on Saturday (November 5) in his home in Lancaster, California, TMZ reports. Police arrived at the scene after a 911 call was made claiming that the musician had drowned in the bathtub. Carter claimed he had been diagnosed with multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, and acute anxiety. Aaron Carter was the younger brother of Nick Carter, a member of boy band Backstreet Boys.

"It would take the second comings of John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Horace Silver and Lee Morgan to threaten to dislodge it" - All About Jazz says reviewing the London drummer's debut album. Tom Skinner is the co-founder of Sons of Kemet, and the Smile, whereas on 'Voices...' he is accompanied by bassist Tom Herbert of the influential Polar Bear and Acoustic Ladyland, tenor saxophonists Shabaka Hutchings of SOK and The Comet Is Coming, as well as Nubya Garcia and cellist Kareem Dayes. "As jazz supergroups go, this is the coyote's cojones", AAZ points out, calling the album "exalted jazz... by turns tumultuous... and meditative".

"It’s easy to downplay the courage it takes for celebrities to let down their guard and acknowledge their frailties or fallibility, revealing a side of herself the public doesn’t always see. That alone makes the message significant" - CNN writes in a review of Selena Gomez new doc 'My Mind & Me'. Guardian appreciates the singer revealing herself: "'My Mind & Me' captures her terror and ultimate relief in coming forward with her bipolar diagnosis and documents her genuinely remarkable efforts to destigmatize mental illness".

The US-born, Indian-raised, London-based jazz drummer, producer, composer and bandleader Sarathy Korwar has released his new ambient and groovy new single 'Remember To Look Out For The Signs'. The song from Korwar's album 'KALAK', coming out November 11th, 2022.

"Invigorating and intimidating, an album that crackles with the tension of a city where money and power collide with people just trying to get by" - Stereogum writes in review of NY punks' Show Me The Body album 'Trouble The Water', which they describe as "a blend of scrappy punk and dirt-blasted electronics that adopts the cadence of hip-hop and incorporates a whole lot of banjo". Guardian hears "an exciting and urgent call to come together and kick off – at once a reflection of, and a cathartic release from, volatile times". whereas Pitchfork says they populate "a swamp of chugs with weird creatures of electronica and sudden clearings of melodic, galloping punk".

A very interesting interview in the Tone Glow with members of experimental rock band Horse Lords about being in a band, understanding and experimenting with each other. "I think in a larger sense, there’s a combination of a willingness to experiment in a free way, or playful way, but also a willingness to submit to various strict practice-based music" - guitarist Owen Gardner says about their "shared language", which the saxophone player Andrew Bernstein defines as "an ethos that we’re willing to trust each other". Bass player Max Eilbacher talks about playing in the band: "When I have time with these three people, it’s very much hyper-focused and we all have a common goal. We’re all in it for the same reasons, too, which I think is really important. At least from what I can tell, we all have the same end goals and desires and we wanna derive the same joys out of what we do together".

In 2018, hip-hop became the U.S. most popular genre of music. In 2022, hip-hop is still on top, and its revenues
are still growing, but after nearly a decade of market share growth, hip-hop’s share of total revenue has declined. Trapital’s first-ever culture report found three key drivers behind the trend:

1. Streaming’s continued growth

2. Early-mover advantages don’t last

3. The end of bundles and the limited vinyl supply

Atlanta rap star Takeoff, a member of the Migos, has been shot and killed in a Houston bowling alley called Billiards & Bowling around 2:30 AM Tuesday, TMZ reports. The shooting reportedly happened during a dice game, when a fight broke out and someone opened fire. Two people were hospitalized, and Takeoff was pronounced dead on the scene. Takeoff's uncle and fellow Migos member Quavo was present during the shooting but was not injured. Takeoff was 28. Pierre "Pee" Thomas, CEO of Migos' label Quality Control shared a plea for peace following the fatal shooting: "I want our community to remember that we don’t have to continue to result to violence every time there is a disagreement. It’s ok to love your brother and sister."

With her new album 'Midnights', Taylor Swift broke many records in sales, streams, plays - many formats and categories. So, 'Midnights' moved 1.578 million units, behind only Adele’s '25' for the biggest debut by a female artist in Billboard history. She also became the only artist to have five albums debut with over 1 million units sold in their first week in US Nielsen history. 'Midnights' sold 575,000 copies on vinyl — the largest week for an album on vinyl since tracking began in 1991. Taylor becomes the first artist to claim all top ten entries on the Hot 100 in a single week. 'Midnights' is Swift’s 11th No. 1 album overall, tying Barbra Streisand for most No. 1 albums made by women. Above the two ladies are The Beatles (19), and Jay-Z (14), with Drake and Bruce Springsteen also having 11 No. 1 albums. Insider lists all the records.

If you run a business that depends on creativity, you can’t punish the creators without consequences. Sometimes it takes a while for the cycle to play out, but it always plays out the same way - music writer Ted Gioia points out in his latest, optimistic post about the future of the creative economy. He believes things are about to change for the better for musicians, writers, and other creative professionals.

Here are a few of his predictions:

- Record labels are offering far more attractive terms to musicians than ever before

- Artist-friendly platforms are the future of music

- Single individuals will have more impact in launching new artists than major record labels or streaming platforms

A nice list - Stereogum chooses 40 musicians who have done "something... in the past year that makes us feel like they’ve reached or are about to reach their full potential". It's not really a global list - the vast majority is American, and a few come from the UK or Australia - but still, it's quite colorful. The full list: Age Of Apocalypse, Anxious, Blackbraid, Caroline, Chat Pile, Dazy, Dijon, Doechii, DOMi & JD Beck, Dummy, Dust Star, Ethel Cain, Fugitive, Glorilla, High Vis, Jane Inc, Jane Remover, Jockstrap, King Hannah, Knifeplay, LF System, Lowertown, Maria BC, Mess Esque, MSPAINT, Naima Bock, Pool Kids, Rachika, Nayar, Rat Tally, Ripped To Shreds, Romero, RXK Nephew, Saucy Santana, Scowl, They Are Gutting A Body Of Water, Trapland Pat, Undeath, Why Bonnie, Zoh Amba, and ZORA.

"The New Orleans singer-songwriter’s evolution from expressly commercial pop to avant-garde experimentalism is beginning to parallel Scott Walker’s in its unexpected audacity" - Stereogum reviews the collaborative album'Pigments' by Dawn Richard who wrote the lyrics for it, and Spencer Zahn, who wrote music "at the intersection of ECM jazz, ambient, and neoclassical composition". Clash Music hears "a truly refreshing body of work, a seamless experience", whereas Flood Magazine calls it "a rousing, experimental triumph".

Spanish guitar and handclaps carry Caroline Polachek's new song 'Sunset', a feel-good summerish hit quite indebted to flamenco. Sega Bodega co-produced the song, while the music video shows Polachek strolling through Barcelona. A great summer hit, in the southern hemisphere, right!?

Adidas has ended its partnership with Kanye West after his recent “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous” comments, Reuters reports. German sports company said it “does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” and therefore it would “terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products, and stop all payments to Ye and his companies”. His products will be pulled from sale with immediate effect. Adidas estimated a short-term cost of this termination at €250 million. Adidas Yeezy partnership is said to be a billion-dollar-plus pillar of West’s net worth.

Music analyst 12tone goes deep in taking apart The Cranberries' 1994 song 'Zombie', an "undeniably powerful piece of protest music". 12tone goes into the music structure of the song, and connects it to the message it is putting out. 'Zombie', 12tone points out, "puts a voice to the grief of ravaged communities where violence has become a part of everyday life, and it reminds us to honor the dead by doing everything we can to avoid creating more of them".

Composer Ned Rorem celebrated his 99th birthday this week. Music writer Ted Gioia, however, highly recommends composer's diaries - "the most remarkable firsthand documentation we have of a musical life—surpassing those of Charles Burney, Sergei Prokofiev, Benjamin Britten, or whomever else you care to cite. Not even Mozart’s voluminous letters can match the scope and depth of Rorem’s six decades of journaling. He operates on a larger sphere, up their with Pepys and Boswell and others at the pinnacle of the diary as a literary genre".

Gioia also offers a choice of aphorisms:

• “The best music must be nasty as well as beautiful.”
• “Wagner, too, I love, if I don’t have to listen to him.”
• “Americans say what they think, the French think what they say.”
• “The end of love is like the Boléro played backwards.”

musicians: "One is left with the impression of live music very quickly switching from a wheel that raises artists to a wheel that razes them. The paradox of live is that it is squeezing the very life out of musicians. Live = death... Previously the bulk of what the live business had to worry about was breaking even; now everybody in live must be focused on preventing everything and everyone in the ecosystem from breaking down"

Mix Mag is worried about the disappearence of independent radio, following several closures: "Community radio broadcasters have the freedom to choose their own track listing and to punctuate their links with rewarding personal stories - without the confinement of a looming news bulletin. Fascinating guests without profiles are as welcome as guests that have them. With that, unplanned conversational twists have the space to be explored. The freedom of online radio’s programming is what makes it so culturally valuable. It’s a paramount tool in supporting the independent music economy and in sustaining the careers of alternative broadcasters".

28-year-old rapper Little Simz has won the 2022 Mercury prize for her fourth album 'Sometime I Might be Introvert' last night, NME reports. “The album that we have chosen deals with themes both personal and political; the music is as sophisticated as it is varied. This is a truly exceptional album,” said DJ Jamz Supernova. Little Simz congratulated her fellow nominees: “All of you guys are incredible, we all made incredible albums, we all change people’s lives with our music and that’s the most important thing, so this is for us really, you know what I’m saying?”. The award, given to the best British or Irish album of the year, comes with a cash prize of £25,000. Simz is a DIY artist, self-releasing each of her albums on her own label, Age 101.

Earlier this month, HYBE, the company behind some major K-pop acts, including BTS, acquired Supertone, a software company capable of creating “a hyper-realistic and expressive voice that [is not] distinguishable from real humans”. This week, BTS members announced they are about to go to the army to complete compulsory military service. Global News believes HYBE is preparing to fill the coming void with AI-made music. GN also lists other AI-powered music creation software such as AudioLM, Loudly, AVIA, DAACi, Beatoven...