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How Mushroom Group’s Michael Gudinski Pivoted and Built New Channels During the Pandemic
Michael Gudinski always has something extra up his sleeve. When the 360-degree company became a fashionable term, Gudinski had his own spin. Mushroom Group, his independent music empire, was a “365” company, reflecting the number of days it operated in a regular year. Launched in 1973, Mushroom Group today spans more than two-dozen companies and brands from Frontier Touring, one of the world’s leading independent promoters, to The Harbour Agency, labels I Oh You, Liberation and Bloodlines, Mushroom Music Publishing, neighboring rights operation Good Neighbour, and the new addition, Reclusive Records. The pandemic has caused income to dry up for so many entertainment companies, particularly those exposed to concerts and touring. Mushroom Group is built on a bedrock of live music. Gudi...
Apple Music’s Karlie Hustle on Getting Cancer, Finding Perspective & the New Film That Documents It All
It was December 2018, and music executive/podcast host Karlie Hustle was about to fulfill her longtime dream of directing a documentary. But on Christmas Eve, she received a diagnosis that changed the trajectory of her life. “Right as we were getting ready to book flights and get everything together for a shoot in April of 2019, I was diagnosed with [breast] cancer,” Hustle tells Billboard. At a point when many would have bowed out of the project altogether, Hustle and her producer Dan Eason instead made the decision to lean into her diagnosis. Originally intended as a feature-length documentary that would focus on Hustle, a self-described “city slicker,” “getting back in touch with nature” in the Oregon wilderness, the focus pivoted to become a story about her journey through the ri...
Fleet Foxes’ Shore Comes as a Soul-Soothing Surprise: Review
The Lowdown: Earlier this week, folk outfit Fleet Foxes made major waves (no pun intended) upon the spontaneous release of their latest album, Shore, which is their first in three years following 2017’s Crack-Up. Released to coincide with the autumnal equinox, which marks the shift from summer to fall, the album is peppered with themes related to transition and change within oneself, in others, and in the world. What makes Shore feel special, though, is the multidimensional lens in which transition and change are explored. [embedded content] Through a tapestry of 15 tracks, Shore details how transitions often involve the pain of letting go (and sometimes before we’re ready to do so), the challenge that can come with accepting their presence, reckoning with the myriad of impacts they can ha...
James Cameron Is Done Filming Avatar 2, Says Avatar 3 Is “95% Complete”
James Cameron offered an update on those long-gestating Avatar sequels, saying that filming is “100% complete on Avatar 2, and we’re sort of 95% complete on Avatar 3.” Cameron gave the update to his old muse Arnold Schwarzenegger as part of the Austrian World Summit for the Environment. The former Governor of California hosted the event, which was billed as “the biggest environmental conference in the world.” Schwarzenegger revealed that Cameron was one of the first activists to educate him about the impending crisis. “You talked to me about the environment way back when I didn’t understand what you were talking about. It was back in 1984 when you directed Terminator 1.” Cameron spoke about his own efforts to combat climate change, as well as his goal to become a “lay e...
Kamala Harris Names Tupac the “Best Rapper Alive”
When asked who she thinks is the “best rapper alive,” Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris named the (officially) deceased artist 2pac. This suggests that two decades of underground research have just been proved correct — dear readers, Tupac Shakur is alive! The government lied to us, but they couldn’t keep it secret when 2pac himself told the truth! Wake up, sheeple! Wake up! she hasn’t listened to rap music in a while and whiffed on a softball question. Senator Harris made this revealing remark in conversation with CNN’s Angela Rye and representatives of the NAACP. When the syllables “2pac,” were uttered, Rye quickly interrupted with, “He’s not alive!” Harris laughed the laugh of a terrified stooge who has just disappointed her Illuminati masters, and said, “I know, I kn...
Sylvan Esso Share a Mystical Partnership on Free Love: Review
The Lowdown: At first glance, the crowd at a Sylvan Esso show may look still. Hone in on the mound of bodies, though, and you’ll see that the opposite is true: The crowd is moving unanimously. “Just imagine you’re the seaweed in Ursula’s cave,” lead singer Amelia Meath said during the band’s 2015 Tiny Desk Concert. Although she cringed at herself after sharing the thought, it was a resoundingly accurate way to describe the innate physical reaction the band provokes. Comprised of Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, the duo formed in 2013 after unearthing the power of their combined talents. Meath told her then-boss Feist, “It’s sort of electronic music and he’s going to make beats and I’m going to sing and it’s going to be massive and amazing,” according to an Entertainment Weekly interview. A...
Watch SAMMY HAGAR Improv Over JOE SATRIANI’s ‘Up In Flames’
Video of Sammy Hagar playing “improv” guitar over his CHICKENFOOT bandmate Joe Satriani‘s “Up In Flames” can be seen below. Hagar said: “Joe having me play guitar amongst some of the greatest guitarist on earth is like me asking Joe to sing on one of my records with Robert Plant, Stephen Tyler [sic], Axl Rose…. I think you get the picture. When in doubt of what to do, just fucking do it!” Added Joe: “Sammy is rock ‘n’ roll! One thing I miss about CHICKENFOOT is playing rhythm guitar on stage while Sammy rips up a few solos. Put a Les Paul in his hands, plug it into a Marshall amp, turn it up, and he delivers the goods. He’s a natural. Watch him alternate between melodic phrases and face-ripping lines over ‘Up In ...
Zara Larsson Recruits Sabrina Carpenter for Remix of Marshmello-Produced Single “WOW”
Months after the release of Zara Larsson‘s Marshmello-produced single “WOW” comes a new remix featuring Sabrina Carpenter. Unlike many remixes in the dance music world, the instrumental section of the song is unchained. Instead, the Swedish singer-songwriter recruited the help of the former Disney Channel star for a new vocal contribution. While it definitely leans more towards “dance-influenced” than “EDC anthem,” it’s not hard to see what flavor Marshmello brought to the tune. Its bold bassline fused with pitched-up and addictive vocals creates a light-hearted and fun bop equally enjoyed by dance music devotees and pop-minded listeners. The original version of “WOW” was released back in 2019 as a part of the soundtrack for...
Mariah Carey Says She Worked On an Alternative Album While Recording ‘Daydream’
Mariah Carey was recording Daydream by day and a very different album by night in the mid-’90s. In her new memoir, the pop star reveals that she worked on a rock album with the band Chick around the time period of the Daydream sessions. “Fun fact: I did an alternative album while I was making Daydream,” Carey wrote on Twitter, where she shared an excerpt from her upcoming book, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, Sunday afternoon (Sept. 27). “Just for laughs, but it got me through some dark days.” “Here’s a little of what I wrote about it in #TheMeaningOfMariahCarey,” she said. Carey added in her tweet, “S/O to my friend Clarissa who performs the lead w/ me as a hidden layer.” In the excerpt, she admitted, “I actually started ...
Blackpink Announces New Single From ‘The Album’
With just days to go until the release of The Album, Blackpink has served fans a new teaser of what’s to come. Jennie, Rosé, Jisoo and Lisa tweeted a poster previewing “Lovesick Girls” as a “title” (or main) track from their upcoming debut full-length studio album Sunday night (Sept. 27). The teaser poster shows the song name and the girls leaning on one another in nighttime lighting, with a reminder of The Album‘s almost here Oct. 2 release date. Blackpink has already treated fans to two tracks ahead of the album drop, “How You Like That” and the Selena Gomez collaboration “Ice Cream.” Before The Album is here, the quartet welcomes fans to join them for “Comeback Live,” a live streaming event set to take pla...
Trump’s TikTok Ban Stopped by Judge
A federal judge is issuing an injunction at the 11th hour. A D.C. federal judge is giving TikTok a temporary reprieve from the U.S. government’s rollout of a ban on the popular video app. A partial injunction order came after an emergency court hearing on Sunday. TikTok owner ByteDance had been facing a Sunday deadline to satisfy the Trump Administration’s national security concerns about data scooped up by the Chinese-owned company. TikTok has argued there’s no sound basis for any alarm that user information would be shared with the Chinese government, but that hasn’t satisfied President Donald Trump, who issued an executive order stopping transactions with TikTok. Since the ban announcement, TikTok has pursued an agreement with Oracle and Walmart that would allow ...
24kGoldn’s ‘Mood’ Ends ‘WAP’ Reign In U.K. as Pop Smoke Makes Chart History
24kGoldn is in a right mood. With “Mood” (Black Butter), the British rapper’s collaboration with Iann Dior, 24kGoldn dethrones Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion as the U.K.’s chart champion. After a six-week climb “Mood” lifts 2-1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, after finishing the week more than 7,000 chart sales ahead of “WAP,” snapping its three-week streak at No. 1. According to the Official Charts Company, “Mood” snags 61,000 chart sales, including 7.8 million streams. “WAP” (Atlantic) dips 1-2, as Justin Bieber grabs the highest new entry with “Holy” (Def Jam) featuring Chance The Rapper. “Holy” is new at No. 10 for Bieber’s 21st Top 10 single, and the Chicago hip-hop star’s fifth. Also impacting the current frame is Sam Smith’s “Diamonds” (Capitol), which starts at No. 22, for the...
