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Hayley Williams Stands ‘to Protect Womxn and Young Folx in the Music Scene’
Following recent sexual misconduct accusations against Burger Records and musicians coming forward about their experiences with abuse, Hayley Williams could not longer be silent. Last night (July 20), Williams posted a long note about her feelings toward sexism and misogyny in the industry, highlighting the “collective cause” of protecting “womxn and young folx in the music scene.” “It makes my stomach hurt and my eyes red,” she wrote of the abuse allegations. “It’s so crazy to me how frontwomxn can be such powerful inspiration [sic] to so many young people, who see us as very much ‘in control’ of ourselves and our immediate surroundings when we’re up on a stage.” Williams also pointed out while womxn are “vulnerable,” males are also subject to the same types of abuse. “They are most ...
Sylvan Esso Announce Free Love, Drop ‘Ferris Wheel’
Sylvan Esso are back with new material. Not only have they announced their forthcoming studio album, Free Love, they’ve also shared the first single off it — “Ferris Wheel.” Directed by Supercollider, the video follows Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn having a great time at a carnival, complete with all the lights, games, and of course, a ride on the Ferris wheel. “This first single, Ferris Wheel, is about discovering your power and awkwardly figuring out how to wield it,” Meath said in a statement. “It’s for the summer, it’s for you, we hope you like it.” Prior to “Ferris Wheel,” Sylvan Esso released a visual for “What If,” the LP opener, last week. [embedded content] Free Love is the studio follow-up to 2017’s What Now and recently released live record, WITH, which dropped in April. “I...
‘Queen’s Greatest Hits’ Logs 55th Week at No. 1 on Catalog Albums & Just One Album Has Had a Longer Run
The film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has turbocharged Queen’s popularity. Queen’s Greatest Hits logs its 55th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Catalog Albums chart — a tally topped by just one album in the chart’s 29-year history. Bob Marley & the Wailers’ Legend has headed the catalog chart for a whopping 126 weeks. Both of these compilations were released prior to the introduction of Catalog Albums in the Billboard issue dated May 25, 1991. Queen’s album was released in in the U.K. in October 1981. Marley’s album was released worldwide in May 1984. Queen’s album first hit No. 1 on Catalog Albums on June 2, 2018, five months before the U.S. release of the film Bohemian Rhapsody, which has turbocharged Queen’s popularity. The Catalog Albums chart ranks the most popular catalog al...
Digital Devices Hit ‘Inevitable’ Milestone, Passing Analog in Listening Time for 2020
Digital devices are now the dominant method of listening to music, and the coronavirus seems to be behind the latest growth wave. For the first time since Edison Research began documenting audio consumption with its Share of Ear study in 2014, digital and on-demand platforms owned over half of consumers’ time spent listening during the second quarter of 2020. Listeners accessed music through smartphones, computers, internet-connected TVs and smart speakers during 53% of their listening hours. The other 47% of listening came through more traditional means, such as AM/ FM receivers, SiriusXM devices, CD players, turntables and standard TV. In the previous study, traditional devices still maintained the advantage, amassing 55% of the daily time spent listening. Digital’s rise past...
Bad Bunny’s Road to Success Coming to YouTube’s ‘Artist Spotlight Stories’: Watch Trailer
For the past two months, Bad Bunny has been on a social media detox with his last post on Twitter and Instagram posted on May 19. “Bye, me fui,” reads the caption, which translates to “Goodbye, I left.” Despite being absent from the ‘gram, Bunny has been keeping busy amid the current health crisis, recently nabbing the cover for Playboy magazine and now, forming part of the YouTube Music “Artist Spotlight Stories” series. “Sometimes I feel I attract everything with my mind,” the Puerto Rican singer expressed in a one-minute trailer posted on his YouTube channel. “I think a lot of people, if not everyone, can do the same. But not everyone knows that.” Bad Bunny’s short documentary will share his road to success from the beginning of his career to his chart-topping YHLQMDLG album. “I try nev...
Find Out Who’s Performing at the (Virtual) 2020 iHeartRadio Music Festival
The 2020 iHeartRadio Music Festival is officially a go. On Tuesday (July 21), iHeartMedia announced that the tenth annual iteration of the event will be held virtually this fall. Among the performers set to take the stage are BTS, Coldplay, Kane Brown, Khalid and more. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the festival will be recorded live from venues in both Los Angeles and Nashville with behind-the-scenes moments about how the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has impacted the music industry on a personal level for the artists performing. “It’s hard to believe that this September will be the 10th iHeartRadio Music Festival,” said iHeartMedia chief programming officer Tom Poleman in a statement. “The 2011 Festival was iHeart’s first national marquee event and became the model for our hugely su...
Chrissie Hynde Talks 40 Years of Pretenders and Punk Rock
“I’m having the time of my life,” Pretenders’ frontwoman Chrissie Hynde quipped when asked how she’s holding up. It’s a strange sensation releasing an album during a pandemic and not being able to tour. However, music has remained a grounding force for her and her bandmates, as evidenced by the band’s latest (and 11th overall) album Hate for Sale, which came out last week. For Hynde, the album is a work that was years in the making and a long-overdue opportunity to finally capture the band’s live chemistry on a record. Despite technically being the first album in four years under the Pretenders banner, it’s the first to fully feature the band’s current touring lineup since 2008: Hynde, guitarist James Walbourne, bassist Nick Wilkinson, and founding drummer Martin Chambers. “We’ve alwa...
Nick Cave Shares ‘Galleon Ship’ Performance from Idiot Prayer
Nick Cave will be bringing Idiot Prayer, his new livestreamed concert to fans later this week. But he wanted to give us a taste of what to expect and shared a clip of “Galleon Ship.” While it’s just over a minute long, fans get to see a haunting yet beautiful elegance to the solo performance — from the mess of sheet music and other notes around the grand piano to the fact that the instrument is positioned in the middle in the West Hall of Alexandra Palace in London. “I loved playing deconstructed versions of my songs at these shows, distilling them to their essential forms – with an emphasis on the delivery of the words,” he said in the trailer for the special performance. “I felt I was rediscovering the songs all over again, and started to think about going into a studio and recording the...
Ben Harper and Rhiannon Giddens Team for Nick Drake Cover
As of this morning, blues stars Ben Harper and Rhiannon Giddens are officially collaborators. Harper and Giddens’ Tuesday release, a cover of Nick Drake’s 1974 “Black Eyed Dog,” sees Harper on lap steel and Giddens on banjo as they harmonize on the punchy American roots cut. Harper says he and his latest collaborator share many of the same influences, which is also quite evident in the soothing cover. “Rhiannon and I are both Black purveyors of American roots music, and while this is not an anomaly, it is an exception within a subculture,” Harper said in a statement. “We have unquestionably tapped into the same creative well of influence, carrying on the tradition through our own individual instincts and perspectives.” While the pair knew of each other before recording the track, Gidd...
HONNE’s ‘Quarantine’ Playlist
With everyone sequestered and self-quarantining due to the coronavirus, we’ve asked our favorite artists to come up with playlists that keep you entertained. Here is English electronic music duo HONNE: Quarantine hasn’t been the easiest but these tunes helped lighten the mood for us. Hope they do for you too xx Talking Heads – “Once in a Lifetime”I have been reading David Byrne’s book How Music Works during lockdown. It’s a really inspiring and insightful read about the music industry and I kind of found it strangely comforting to read some personal stories about David’s and Talking Head’s career in music. Whitney – “Golden Days”I wish I’d written this song. I also wish I could watch them play it live or even better, join the guys on stage and do BV’s in that end section. If you’re seeing ...
Christopher Nolan’s Tenet Delayed Again: “We Will Share a New 2020 Release Imminently”
Christopher Nolan’s Tenet has been delayed a fourth time, and this time it’s indefinitely. Warner Bros. announced on Monday that they are bumping the highly anticipated blockbuster as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the country. If you recall, the film had originally been set for a July 17th release, then July 31st, and most recently August 12th. “We will share a new 2020 release date imminently for Tenet,” said Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich. “We are not treating Tenet like a traditional global day-and-date release, and our upcoming marketing and distribution plans will reflect that.” Emmerich explained, “Our goals throughout this process have been to ensure the highest odds of success for our films while also being ready to support our theater partne...
UK Cassette Sales Have Doubled in 2020
In the latest proof that younger generations are just as insufferably nostalgic as Baby Boomers, cassette tape sales are on the rise. The US market has grown by as much as 35% in recent years, with over 219,000 tapes sold in 2018. But that’s nothing compared to the surge seen in the UK, where, according to the Official Charts company, sales have more than doubled in 2020. So far this year, Englanders have purchased 65,000 cassette tapes, an increase of 103% (!) compared to the same period last year. UK sales overall are on pace to top 100,000 for the first time since 2003. Cassette tapes, it should be noted, suck. It’s the second-worst audio format of the last 50 years, surpassing only the execrable 8-track, and coming in well south of the fidelity offered by CDs and vinyl. Peaking in popu...
