music blog
Spotify Sticking with Joe Rogan Despite Past Use of N-Word
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek called Joe Rogan’s past use of racial slurs “incredibly hurtful,” but doubled downed on keeping Rogan’s podcast on the streaming service. In a letter sent to Spotify staff on Sunday (via The Hollywood Reporter), Ek said he does “not believe that silencing Joe is the answer. We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope.” Last week, amid a controversy surrounding Rogan’s penchant for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, the singer India.Arie shared a video highlighting 24 instances in which Rogan used the N-word during episodes of his podcast. Advertisement Related Video Spotify quietly removed 70 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience — at Rogan’s request, according to Ek. Rogan also issued ...
Chris Lake Drops Scintillating Remix of Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd’s “Moth To A Flame”
Chris Lake has delivered a new remix for Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd straight to the dancefloor. Back in October, the legendary Swedish trio released “Moth To A Flame,” their collaborative track with one of the biggest artists in contemporary music. Considering The Weeknd’s indelible vocal talents and history of dipping into the electronic music world, fans were clamoring to hear their worlds collide. Now, the four artists have recruited one of the world’s most renowned house music producers to give the single a new spin. Lake injects some stomping dancefloor energy into “Moth To A Flame” while maintaining the late-night, sultry feel of the original. The bouncy beat could soundtrack those wild club nights that feel like a blur. Fans were excited t...
Shaq’s Fun House Is Taking Over Super Bowl Weekend 2022—Here’s 5 Reasons It’s a Must-See
The biggest DJ in dance music has fittingly built a brand celebrating the biggest game in sports, and this year’s edition is taking the stakes to new heights. Shaquille O’Neal, affectionately known to dance music fans as DJ Diesel, has proven he knows how to throw the most memorable Super Bowl party. Over the last few years, Shaq’s Fun House has become a must-see experience, turning the dancefloor into a full-fledged theme park experience. This year, Shaq’s Fun House lands in Los Angeles on February 11th ahead of the high-stakes Super Bowl LVI matchup between the Rams and the Bengals—and there’s plenty of reasons not to miss the celebration. Tickets to this year’s Shaq’s Fun House in Los Angeles are on sale now. A Super ...
DJ Says He Made More Money Shorting Spotify In 1 Month Than His Lifetime Royalties
A great trader finds a way to play both sides of the market. Though navigating equity markets is not exactly in his core job description as a touring DJ and electronic music producer, THIEVES has found an additional stream of income from Spotify aside from his monthly royalties. And he says it’s paying far better dividends. “I’ve made more money shorting Spotify this month than they’ve paid me in royalties thru [sic] my whole music career,” THIEVES tweeted. “Shorting Spotify stock is my new career it seems.” THIEVES has amassed over 15.5 million streams on his top 10 most popular songs on Spotify alone. While he’s had no trouble marketing his music on the platform, Spotify’s compensation per stream is roughly $0.004 on average—a point of frus...
Fans Choose Nicki Minaj & Lil Baby’s ‘Do We Have a Problem?’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby‘s new collaboration “Do We Have a Problem?” has topped this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Feb. 4) on Billboard, choosing the blazing new track as their favorite new music release of the past week. “Do We Have a Problem?” brought in nearly 91% of the vote, beating out new music by Machine Gun Kelly and Willow (“Emo Girl”), Mitski (Laurel Hell), Jennifer Lopez and Maluma (Marry Me soundtrack), Red Hot Chili Peppers (“Black Summer”), and others. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Do We Have a Problem?” marks the Trinidadian rapper’s first single since “Trollz” with 6ix9ine and “What That Speed Bout?!” featuring Mike Will Made-It and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. The sizzling new track refe...
Billie Eilish Pauses Concert to Give Fan an Inhaler
Billie Eilish briefly stopped her show this weekend to help a fan in the crowd who needed an inhaler, according to concert footage captured by fans. In a video clip that surfaced on social media, the singer, currently on the road for Happier Than Ever, The World Tour, is seen putting safety first as she looks out into the audience with concern. “You need an inhaler?” she asks before addressing her stage crew. “Do we have an inhaler? Can we just grab one?” “It’s OK, we got one,” Eilish says, pointing to a concert attendee. “Give her some time. Don’t crowd.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news “I wait for people to be OK until I keep going,” she noted in another short video from the show obtained by TMZ, who reports that the moment was from Saturday night’s (Feb. 5) performance at the...
Syl Johnson, Chicago Soul and Blues Singer, Dies at 85
Syl Johnson, a Chicago soul singer and blues artist whose work was sampled by top hip-hop artists, has died at age 85, his family said Sunday (Feb. 6). “A fiery, fierce, fighter, always standing for the pursuit of justice as it related to his music and sound, he will truly be missed by all who crossed his path. His catalog and legacy will be remembered as impeccable and a historical blueprint to all who experience it,” said a statement from his family, including Johnson’s daughter, Syleena Johnson, a Grammy-nominated singer. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Family members did not give further details on his death, including the cause. His death comes days after his brother, fellow blues artist Jimmy Johnson, died at 93. Syl Johnson was known for 1960s hits including “Come On Sock...
Kylie Jenner & Travis Scott Welcome Second Child Together
Congratulations are in order for Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott, who welcomed their second bundle of joy on Feb. 2, Jenner has revealed. “2/2/22,” she posted Sunday evening (Feb. 6) on Instagram, where she shared a black-and-white photo featuring a sweet newborn baby’s hand. The caption also included a blue heart emoji. Scott commented on the post with several hearts, while Kris Jenner wrote “Angel Pie” and Kourtney Kardashian wrote “Mommy of two life.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news In September 2021, Jenner announced in a video shared on Instagram that she was pregnant with baby No. 2. The sweet clip began with a closeup on a pregnancy test that says “pregnant,” before moving on to a shot of Scott hugging the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star around the belly. The real...
Lil Uzi Vert Pleads No Contest in Assault Case, Gets 3 Years Probation
Note: This article contains descriptions of alleged assault. Last July, Lil Uzi Vert’s ex-girlfriend Brittany Byrd alleged that Uzi had assaulted her and threatened her with a firearm. Now, Uzi has pleaded no contest to one count of felony assault with a firearm and one count of misdemeanor injury to a girlfriend, TMZ reports and Pitchfork can confirm. According to TMZ, Uzi was sentenced to three years of formal probation, one year of treatment for mental health and substance abuse, and 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling. He must also pay restitution and comply with a 10-year criminal protective order. A source told Pitchfork that “with this misdemeanor plea deal, Uzi has accepted responsibility and is turning his attention to the next chapter.” Last year, Byrd alleged that Uzi assau...
George Crumb, Prolific Avant-Garde Composer, Dies at 92
George Crumb, the prolific avant-garde composer, died at his home today. Bridge Records—which released many records by Crumb across his career including the 2021 Marcantonio Barone collaboration Metamorphoses, Books I & II—confirmed the news, noting his wife and sons were with him when he died. He was 92 years old. Crumb, who spent 30 years teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, won a Pulitzer Prize for Music for his piece Echoes of Time and the River in 1967 and a Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition for his piece Star-Child in 2011. Born to a musical family in West Virginia, Crumb’s work explored the intersection of nature and sound, especially when it came to timbre. One of his more famous pieces, “Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale),” incorporated whale-calls...
GEOFF TATE On Staying In ‘Fighting Shape’ While On The Road: ‘It’s A Full-Time Job’
Former QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Geoff Tate spoke to the 100 FM The Pike radio station about how he keeps his voice strong and stays in shape for his rigorous touring pace of the last few years. “It’s tough,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “It really is — trying to achieve some sort of balance, lifestyle that kind of tends towards excess. [Laughs] All the traveling and the different hours of the day or night that you’re awake, time zone changes, living in airports and trains and actually eating in different places to go around the world. Your diet changes all the time, so, yeah, it’s really difficult to sort of gauge all that. I just kind of try to keep it down to something simple, which is portion control. [Laughs] And I have a big appetite — ...
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE’s JESSE LEACH Is ‘Getting Used To’ Pandemic-Era Touring But Is Looking Forward To Restrictions ‘Going Away’
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach, whose band kicked off headlining tour with AUGUST BURNS RED on January 28 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has recorded a new installment of his YouTube tour blog in which he reflected on the first few shows of the trek. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It’s interesting touring this way, when you’re unable to be sociable, interact with fans and friends and have guests — those little things that, I think, before this pandemic hit we just took for granted and at times didn’t even want them. There are moments when you’re on tour, you’re just happy to just be quiet and be alone. And I still love that and I cherish it for sure, but now that that element has been taken away, if you will, albei...
