Alternative Music
Study Finds 19% of Spotify Users Have Unsubscribed or Plan To Following Joe Rogan Backlash
Just as a growing list of artists including Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash, and David Crosby have followed Neil Young’s lead by removing their music from Spotify, it turns out a significant number of the streamer’s customers are taking their listening elsewhere, too. According to a new consumer poll by Forrester Research (via Variety), 19 percent of Spotify users have canceled their subscription — or plan to in the near future — in response to the controversy surrounding podcast host Joe Rogan. As a refresher, Rogan — whose The Joe Rogan Experience is the most-streamed Spotify exclusive podcast — has become a hotbed of misinformation about COVID-19, among other nonsense. Spotify CEO Daniel EK has doubled down on his decision to keep ties with Rogan, prompting Young and other ar...
ALL THAT REMAINS Frontman Calls SPOTIFY CEO ‘A D**k’, Says Streaming Giant Doesn’t Pay Artists Well
ALL THAT REMAINS frontman Phil Labonte is the latest musician to take issue with Spotify CEO Daniel Ek‘s suggestion that artists need to be more prolific in the streaming age. For years, Spotify has been criticized for offering paltry payouts to musicians and songwriters, with some claiming that the service gives major-label artists an unfair advantage via playlist placement and other promotional avenues. In an interview published in July 2020, Ek told Music Ally: “Even today on our marketplace, there’s literally millions and millions of artists. What tends to be reported are the people that are unhappy, but we very rarely see anyone who’s talking about… In the entire existence [of Spotify], I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single artist saying, ‘I&#...
Ex-JUDAS PRIEST Guitarist K.K. DOWNING Is ‘Over The Moon’ About Being Nominated For ROCK HALL For Third Time
Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing says that he is “over the moon” about the fact that he has been nominated for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction for the third time. JUDAS PRIEST was previously on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year’s class. Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list. On Wednesday (February 2), it was announced that JUDAS PRIEST is among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame‘s class of 2022. Inductees will be announced in May. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2022 induction ceremony will take place this fall. The date, venue, and o...
Documentary About Deadly GREAT WHITE Concert Fire To Premiere On REELZ Later This Month
“America’s Deadliest Concert: The Guest List”, a documentary about the infamous GREAT WHITE concert fire nearly two decades ago that killed a hundred people and injured hundreds more, will receive its premiere on Reelz on February 20. A trailer for the film is available below. This past December, former GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell, whose pyrotechnics ignited the deadly blaze on February 20, 2003 in Rhode Island, told Tulsa Music Stream about the documentary: “We took three years shooting this thing. I mean, it was a long time. A lot of footage — a lot of footage. But it’s really moving. It is really moving, touching, and it’s a beautifully shot piece of film. It lets you know how beautiful music is and how music can heal everything, no matter what pe...
DREAM THEATER Kicks Off ‘Top Of The World’ 2022 North American Tour In Mesa (Video)
Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER kicked off their “Top Of The World” 2022 North American tour this past Wednesday night (February 2) at the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below. The rescheduled dates for DREAM THEATER‘s postponed North American leg of the “Top Of The World” tour will run seven weeks before ending in Austin, Texas on March 21. The tour will also make stops in Los Angeles, California; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; New York City and Dallas, Texas, among others, and will mark the first live performances of music from DREAM THEATER‘s latest release, “A View From The Top Of The World”. ARCH ECHO is the opener on all dates in the United States and FALSET will be the opener on...
Joe Rogan Apologizes for Past Use of N-Word: “I Clearly Have Fucked Up”
Joe Rogan has apologized for his past use of the N-word, saying in an Instagram video that it was “the most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly.” The host of The Joe Rogan Experience posted the video apology hours after Spotify took down 70 of his show’s episodes. The removal of at least some of these episodes was apparently due Rogan’s use of racist or other derogatory language. Earlier on Friday, the Grammy Award-winning singer India.Arie highlighted 24 instances in which Rogan used the N-word during episodes of his podcast. While arguing that Arie’s video was “made of clips taken out of context of me of … 12 years of conversations on my podcast, and it’s all smushed together,” Rogan nonetheless admitted that “it looks fuckin’ horrible, even to me.” Adv...
Skrillex Photographed with Jordan Peterson
Skrillex was photographed backstage with Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson after attending one of his talks in Miami Beach on Thursday evening. “Good to see you yesterday @Skrillex,” tweeted Peterson on Friday. He later shared a photo of the two together with the caption, “Guess who.” Peterson’s well-articulated views on feminism, gender identity, and white privilege have turned him into a contentious personality favored by the far right and opposed by the left. Among other things, Peterson has expressed a refusal to acknowledge gender-neutral pronouns, has referred to white privilege as a “Marxist lie,” and argued for “enforced monogamy” to reduce male violence. He’s often spoken against the idea of “social justice warriors,” has scoffed at the notion of “Islamophobia,” ...
WARRIOR SOUL Releases Title Track Of ‘Out On Bail’ Album
WARRIOR SOUL, the band fronted by legendary singer Kory Clarke, has released the title track of its upcoming album, “Out On Bail”. The LP will arrive on March 4 via Livewire/Cargo Records UK. The album’s first single, “We’re Alive”, came out in December. “Out On Bail” is described in a press release as “a statement of considerable intent” from Clarke, who is “one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most prolific, prophetic and controversial songwriters.” Poetic and timely, “Out On Bail” speaks to us as survivors and fighters, celebrating in success and yet wary of things to come. It is a perfect gateway into the mind and soul of this unique songwriter and groundbreaking band. “Out On Bail” trac...
DAVID ELLEFSON, CHRIS POLAND, CHRIS ADLER Featured In Second Sizzle Reel For NICK MENZA Documentary
Screaming Butterfly Entertainment, in conjunction with Ellefson Films, have released a second sizzle reel for the upcoming feature-length documentary film “This Was My Life: The Story Of Nick Menza”. The one-minute, 20-second clip features interviews with the Menza family, former MEGADETH members Chris Poland and Jeff Young, LAMB OF GOD/MEGADETH drummer Chris Adler, former MEGADETH tour manager Skip Rickert, Nick‘s drum tech Rob Corsie, legendary rock and roll photographer Gene Kirkland, film director Bob Nalbandian and James Rota and Emily Burton of FIREBALL MINISTRY. The film is being produced/directed and edited by Holly Mollohan from Screaming Butterfly Entertainment. Ellefson has signed on as a co-producer of the film, and also will provide narration to guide the vie...
Former W.A.S.P. Guitarist CHRIS HOLMES Diagnosed With Throat And Neck Cancer
Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes has been diagnosed with a cancer in throat and neck. As a result, he has canceled his appearance aboard this year’s Monsters Of Rock cruise. However, Holmes still expects to be able to complete his previously announced Canadian tour, which is scheduled to launch in Quebec City on May 5 and wrap up in Vancouver on May 28. The news of the 63-year-old’s diagnosis was shared earlier today by his wife and manager, Cathy-Sarah Holmes. She wrote on his Instagram account: “This post is not easy to write because of the personal nature of it and we would rather you hear it directly from us before stories and rumours start to circulate and by respect for all of you who love and support Chris , we feel that this is exactly what we need at this t...
JUDAS PRIEST’s ROB HALFORD On His Cancer Battle: ‘I’m Still In Remission’
JUDAS PRIEST‘s Rob Halford says that his cancer is still in remission, two years after he was first diagnosed with the disease. On World Cancer Day, which is observed every year across the globe on February 4 to raise awareness about the deadly disease and its symptoms, the 70-year-old singer took to his Instagram to write: “world cancer day..guys be preemptive get your blood work done regularly..my latest tests reveal I’m still in remission amen #heavymetal #ink #fuck #cancer #prostate #earlybird #good #health #staysafe #love #family #friends #fans #one #world #peace #respect #all”. Last year, Halford went public with his battle with the cancer of the prostate, a walnut-sized gland that is part of the male reproductive system. In an interview with Spain’s Mar...
Rockstar Games Finally Announces Next Grand Theft Auto Game
Players of Grand Theft Auto are constantly searching for faster cars and fancier gadgets, and yet the game itself hasn’t gotten an upgrade in eight long years. That wait is coming to an end; Rockstar Games has announced that the next iteration of the Grand Theft Auto franchise is currently in development. “Many of you have been asking about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series,” the company wrote in a statement. “With every new project, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we’ve previously delivered. We’re pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the series is underway.” No other details were offered, and it’s unclear if this eighth game in the franchise will follow recent naming conventions and be titled Grand Theft Auto VI...
