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Ad Space on an Album Cover? This Indie Electronic Duo Wants to Shake Up the Music Industry
An indie electronic duo is trying to introduce a new advertising medium that would make Don Draper proud—or cringe. It remains to be seen whether or not OYLS‘ new venture will stick in the music industry, but it sure is a situation to keep an eye on. In a landmark move, the Los Angeles-based band recently announced they are selling advertising space on the cover of their forthcoming album. For $4.99, brands can thrust a flagpole on the artwork, which will live on a slew of DSPs and streaming platforms. The self-proclaimed “profit conscious musical duo” are planning to release their debut full-length album on October 2nd, 2020. According to a press release issued to announce the initiative, the album art will be live on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Pandora, ...
Listen to the Debut Song from Nicky Romero’s New Monocule Alias, “Time To Save”
Just three days after teasing his new Monocule alias, Nicky Romero has offered fans a glimpse into the project with “Time To Save,” a haunting tech house collaboration with Tim van Werd and Mosimann. The newly minted Monocule Instagram page revealed the alias to be “the deeper side of [Nicky Romero],” and that sentiment rings true in the sound design here. “Time To Save” is markedly more deep than Romero’s typical high-flying electro and progressive house flair, exploring a dichotomy between dark and energetic that only a polished vet can strike. When word got out that Romero was planning to unveil his new moniker, a mysterious 3-track EP surfaced on Beatport for pre-order. The page said “Time To Save” was included in the...
Excision Announces Return of Couch Lands and “Very Special Set”
Bass-heads can breathe a collective sigh of relief after Excision announced the return of his Couch Lands livestream series. The dubstep phenom took to Twitter to share the news of the third Couch Lands episode, dubbing it, “the moment you’ve been waiting for.” He also announced that he will be performing a “very special set,” sending his fanbase and EDM Twitter into an all-out fever pitch. “Couch Lands returns AND I have a very special set for you! See you on September 25th & 26th for two full days of music,” he wrote. While Excision didn’t release a lineup for the event, fans can expect a mammoth list of bass music’s finest for this Lost Lands-themed stream. Past editions have featured sets from Doct...
Here’s Metallica’s Key to Longevity, According to Lars Ulrich
Metallica has been a mainstay of rock music since the early 1980s, but what is the key to decades-long success? Lars Ulrich gave his thoughts during a wide-ranging interview on Thursday (Sept. 3) with Zane Lowe on Apple Music. “So obviously you know, in all seriousness, that we wear our age proud and yes, we are hitting 40 as a band next year,” he explained. “I think for the last few weeks as I’ve heard myself talk about the state of Metallica, the state of the world, and this next record. Just so much of our energy and our focus is always in the future. Sometimes even too much in the future where I’d say sometimes it feels like you should pay more attention to the present. But the one place we spend the least amount of time is in the past.̶...
UTA to Reinstate Staff Pay, Lay Off 50 Employees
United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer told staff Wednesday of impending increases in pay for hourly employees. In a memo to staff on Wednesday, United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer delivered both “positive” and “difficult” news, writing that the agency would be reinstating full pay to its employees in the next two weeks, but would also be laying off 50 staffers. UTA is the first of the major agencies that cut salaries at the beginning of the pandemic to offer to reinstate full pay. The layoffs will affect both current and some furloughed employees across several divisions, at both the assistant and agent level. (The agency will cover the COBRA health insurance payments of that laid off for an indeterminate period of time.) In May, UTA, which employs more than 1,1...
Gary Clark Jr., Tones and I to Headline The Surf Lodge Virtual Concert Benefit
The Endless Summer series isn’t quite over: Gary Clark Jr., Tones and I, Oli Benz and Blackillac will take the stage this weekend. This weekend, The Surf Lodge will close out its summer programming schedule with a two-night concert event. In partnership with Bumble and The Governors Ball, the virtual celebration will feature Australian breakthrough artist Tones and I on Saturday evening with opener Oli Benz at 7:30 p.m. EST. On Sunday night, Gary Clark Jr. will close out the weekend with opener Blackillac, also at 7:30 p.m. EST. One of Clark’s previous performances at The Surf Lodge has been viewed 5.6 million times on YouTube. The events serve as fundraisers for Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative, an organization that works to end mass incarceration, excessive punishme...
Live Nation, Ticketmaster Move Forward With New Round of Furloughs
Live Nation Entertainment has begun a second round of companywide furloughs through its U.S. venues and Ticketmaster North America divisions. The cuts affects hundreds of staff members as the concert business continues to grapple with the human costs of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, Live Nation generated $11.6 billion in revenue, but the publicly-traded company is now less than a month away from beginning its third quarter with virtually no revenue and a $185 million in monthly expenses. The touring giant pulled its tours from the road on March 13 and has since only dabbled in pandemic-safe productions, such as drive-in concerts. While Billboard doesn’t have an exact number, sources estimate that hundreds of employees have been affected by the latest round of cost redu...
Nandi Bushell Answers Dave Grohl’s Challenge, Plays Them Crooked Vultures’ ‘Dead End Friends’
Over the weekend, Dave Grohl answered 1o-year-old phenom Nandi Bushell’s challenge to a drum-off and played Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” — which he said he hasn’t played since originally recording it. He then busted out “Dead End Friends” by Them Crooked Vultures. Grohl finished it by playfully challenging Bushell to respond. And she did. In a new video posted to her YouTube channel, Bushell (dressed just like Grohl) took on “Dead End Friends”, which features the phrases “Grohl rocks” and “Rock for equality” with the Os turned into peace signs. To up the ante even more, the young musician imitated nearly every move the Foo Fighters frontman did as well. After powering through the tune, Bushell screamed “CHECKMATE!” She continued by saying “The rock Gods are smiling upon us.” Up...
Harry Styles Online Fan Merch Is Thriving, As Long As The Postal Service Is
By Larisha Paul For years, the embroidery machine that sisters Sara and Mari Olson had been gifted many Christmases ago sat collecting dust in their Wisconsin bedroom, while neither of them learned how to use it. After they’d spent the better part of 2020 at home without much to do amid the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the time seemed right to try it out. Sara and Mari, 21 and 18, respectively, began adorning T-shirts and crewnecks with designs relating to Harry Styles and a few of his One Direction bandmates, including Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson. They found a hungry customer base for their products: a white T-shirt with “Watermelon Sugar” designed into a pair of red sunglasses, Horan’s album title Heartbreak Weather placed on a blue crewneck, and rainbow stickers that read ...
Loren Gray Built A Career From TikTok, But She Didn’t Do It ‘Alone’
By Alex Blynn Before 18-year-old Loren Gray became known to the world as a leading voice among a generation of uber-famous teens who populate the massively popular social media platform TikTok, she was a small-town girl growing up outside of Philadelphia with a smartphone and a passion for Taylor Swift. Gray began posting videos of herself on the then-named Musical.ly app while still in middle school. In her videos, Gray would dance and lip-synch to songs like Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” or “Trust Issues” by The Weeknd. In one Musical.ly video, Gray seats dozens of her young schoolmates together for a group shot, while they jovially sing along to Justin Bieber’s 2012 hit “Boyfriend.” Gray shared these videos with her classmates, but when kids from neighboring schools began sharing them as well,&...
Robert Pattinson Reportedly Tested Positive For Coronavirus
A little less than two weeks ago, the teaser trailer for Matt Reeves’s much-anticipated film The Batman dropped, letting fans into the gritty new world of Robert Pattinson as the titular Caped Crusader. Production shut down in March, when the coronavirus pandemic lockdown measures were first implemented, and the film’s release date was pushed back from July to October 2021. But this past week, production had resumed in studios outside London, eliciting excitement from fans. Now, though, production has reportedly been halted once again. Via Variety, Warner Bros. offered a brief explanation as to why: “A member of The Batman production has tested positive for Covid-19, and is isolating in accordance with established protocols. Filming is temporarily paused.” On Thursd...
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Reveals He & His Entire Family Caught COVID-19
Source: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty No one is immune from COVID-19. Dwayne, “The Rock” Johnson, revealed to his fans that he and his entire family caught the contagious virus. Wednesday night (Sept.2), the actor, retired WWE superstar, and now the owner of the XFL revealed to his fans that somehow he and his family contracted COVID-19. In an Instagram video that has been viewed well over 6 million people, The Rock detailed that they caught the virus three weeks ago, and thankfully they are all on the mend. Johnson said his two young daughter’s bout with the virus was mild, and they didn’t really experience any significant symptoms outside of a sore throat. But when it came to him and his wife, Lauren Hashian, things were a bit more challenging for the couple. The Rock is very much the sta...
