INDUSTRY
Poster Shop Launched in Efforts to Raise Funds for New York’s Queer Music Community
There is no better time than now to shop for a good cause, and a new initiative called Support Nightlife NYC has launched a new web store devoted to selling posters as a way to raise money for New York’s queer music community. Between Bridges launched the Support Nightlife NYC initiative as a part of their 2020Solidarity Project to “help members of the NYC nightlife community that are existentially threatened by the current public health and economic crisis.” Thirty-six international artists were enlisted to design one poster each, listed at $50 for donation. 100% of proceeds will be divided among beneficiaries including The Spectrum BK, Papi Juice BK, Glam Collective, RAGGA NYC, Gay Vinyl, NYC INFERNO, Qween Beat, and GHE20G0TH1K. By selling the ...
Native Instruments Responds to Allegations of Systemic Racism Within the Company
Following allegations of systemic racism within the organization, music hardware and software developer Native Instruments has publicly responded. The accusations, which initially appeared on LinkedIn, spawned a deluge of calls for the company to take action from many music industry professionals and artists. After Native Instruments released a statement in which the company aligned with the fight for racial justice, Jessy Halison, who was employed as a QA Engineer at the company’s Berlin office from 2015 to 2018, took to LinkedIn to denounce it. “We stand in solidarity with everyone fighting against racism and social injustice in our society,” stated Native Instruments in its post. “We are listening, learning and looking into how we can best help to ...
Aviation stakeholders decry use of foreign airlines to evacuate Nigerians
Stakeholders in the aviation industry on Monday kicked against the continuous use of foreign airlines by the Federal Government for the evacuation of Nigerians in spite of domestic capacity to carry out the exercise. They expressed their displeasure in a chat with the Aviation Correspondents in Lagos, saying the situation was creating wrong impression about Nigeria and safety of its carriers. Speaking, Capt. Nogie Meggison, Executive Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), said the continuous use of foreign airlines to evacuate Nigerians by the government was contrary to its own directive that only indigenous carriers should be used. Meggison said that the onus still lies on the government to do the right thing by protecting its own carriers, as COVID-19 fears had forced government t...
Chipotle Taps Dillon Francis, Illenium, CRAY, More for “Challenger Series II” Call of Duty Tournament
Round #2 of Chipotle‘s 2020 Chipotle Challenger Series (CCS) is here, and it features some of the most popular artists in dance music. The second edition of the beloved food chain’s Esports competition series is set to kick off later in the month of June with Dillon Francis, Illenium, CRAY, and Jauz, who will compete alongside amateur gamers as well as top Esport talents, like Nadeshot and CouRageJD of 100 Thieves, TimTheTatMan, Symfuhny, TeePee, KingRichard, FaZe Swagg, HusKerrs, Aydan, GoldGlove, DougIsRaw, and Barstool HooliganZ. Entrants in the Call of Duty: Warzone tournament will be competing for a chance to win $25,000 and a year’s worth of free Chipotle. The competition will be in a duos format and it is open to gamers 17 years or older. O...
Marquee Dayclub at Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas to Resume Poolside DJ Sets
The city of Las Vegas is reigniting the hospitality industry after a citywide shutdown due to COVID-19. With casinos already open, many wondered when the nightclubs and pools would open their doors. Earlier in the month, Flamingo Hotel and Casino quietly reopened their pool for those looking to cool off. Taking things a bit further, Marquee Dayclub at Cosmopolitan has announced that not only is the pool open for business, but there will also be live DJ sets as well. In addition to live music, attendees will also be able to enjoy bottle service, nighttime swims, and more. Both fans and artists alike have been eager to return to shows since the worldwide live music community was decimated by the pandemic. Even though everyone is ready for life to get back to normal, the g...
Experts: Concert Industry Reopening Could See Fans Walking Through “Mist of Disinfectant”
Industry experts and venue owners in the UK are reportedly asking the government to examine a scope of measures designed to safely reopen the live music industry following the catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a new Mirror Online report, a number of precautions are being considered by venue owners and promoters to properly navigate the reopening, including consenting to temperature checks and completing questionnaires about their symptoms. Craig Hassall, chief executive at the Royal Albert Hall, one of London’s most venerated concert venues, also said that disinfectant mists at the point of entry are being considered, pointing to South Korea to illustrate his point. “The test case in Seoul–where a Phantom of the Opera production has continued runni...
England to Experience Influx of Illegal Summer Raves, According to Experts
As local governments continue to navigate the complex process of reopening their respective entertainment industries, experts in England have warned of an influx of illicit and potentially dangerous raves over the summer. Since festival season was effectively stifled by COVID-19, many young people are apparently feeling the effects of quarantine fatigue, a condition characterized by increased desire for social interaction and stimulation after “hitting a wall” from being under lockdown for too long. “The youth of today want to be out and want to be engaged,” said Mike Kill, the chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, who spoke to The Guardian. “There are a lot of people out there who are socially starved at the moment. And that...
Here is a List of Artists and Labels to Support Today for Bandcamp’s Juneteenth NAACP Fundraiser
In honor of Juneteenth, Bandcamp is donating 100% of its share of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in the music platform’s mission to “support racial justice, equality, and change.” Bandcamp is donating any purchase made on its site today and every June 19th moving forward to commemorate the emancipation of African Americans from slavery in Texas on that date 1865. “The recent killings of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Sean Reed, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the ongoing state-sanctioned violence against black people in the US and around the world are horrific tragedies,” wrote Bandcamp co-founder Ethan Diamond in a static blog post. “We stand with those rightfully demanding justice, equality, and change, and people of color everywhere who...
Switzerland’s Nightclubs Reopen with Parties at Minimized Capacity
Following the Swiss government’s easing of lockdown restrictions on June 6th, 2020, the country’s nightclubs are finally experiencing a renaissance. Indoor venues in Switzerland are now allowed to host events with a capacity of 300 until midnight and without any social distancing rules. However, patrons must provide consent upon entry. Weetamix and D!Club are two of the country’s many nightclubs that have already capitalized on the felicitous lift of lockdown ordinances, recently throwing events at minimized capacity. Swiss-Chilean DJ Luciano headlined events at both venues last weekend, where the capacities were 100 and 300, respectively. You can check out a video of his performance at Weetamix below. “It was a phenomenal feeling, a tr...
Ushuaïa and Hï Ibiza Will Not Be Hosting Events Through July
Two of Ibiza’s hottest clubs are continuing to mitigate risk from COVID-19 by remaining shut down even as the broader nation of Spain moves forward with reopening. A joint announcement from Hï Ibiza and Ushuaïa revealed that the venues intend to stay closed through at least the month of July. Spain recently entered its third phase of reopening, which granted some nightlife venues permission to open at limited capacity. At the same time, President Francina Armengol of the Balearic Islands issued a decree preventing bars and clubs within her jurisdiction from reopening, which includes those in Ibiza. That decree guaranteed the island’s popular club circuit would remain closed until late June at the earliest. It appears now, however, that at lea...
Spain’s Bars and Clubs are Beginning to Reopen, but Ibiza’s Club Circuit Remains Shut
As Spain enters phase three of its post-lockdown reopening strategy, many of the nation’s bars and clubs have been given permission to once again begin operations. However, President Francina Armengol of the Balearic Islands has superseded this order with a decree of her own. The order will require venues within the Balearic Islands, including the clubs of Ibiza, to remain closed for at least another two weeks. In her remarks, President Armengol stated that nightlife simply “is not a priority” at this time. “It is time to bet clearly on quality, family-friendly, and respectful tourism,” she added. The move seeks to mitigate the risk of social contamination in environments where maintaining proper social distancing protocol remains diff...
This Music Tech Startup Lets Fans Invest in Artists and Reap Returns from Their Streaming Income
Corite, a new music tech startup that enables fans to invest in their favorite artists and receive real financial returns on their contributions, recently announced the close if its initial seed round. The April launch of the company’s “fan-funding” platform in Europe followed the conclusion of its Series A round, which closed at €600K, according to a report by EU Startups. Corite’s unique business model allows fans to invest in a musical artist and receive real-time returns on their investment, which comes from the artist’s future streaming income based on a previously agreed upon percentage. It’s essentially a win-win situation for both parties, since the artist can use any money raised to market their music before sharing the revenue with fans, w...
