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Four Men Charged in Overdose Death of Michael K. Williams
Four men have been charged in connection with the overdose death of Michael K. Williams, accused of selling the actor heroin laced with fentanyl. Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the men were part of a drug trafficking crew that operated in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. According to video surveillance footage obtained by police detectives, Williams purchased heroin from the group on South 3rd Street in Williamsburg on September 5th, 2021. He was found dead inside of his Brooklyn apartment the following day. A coroner later determined that Williams died of an accidental overdose after ingesting a mix of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. Irvin Cartagena, Hector Robles, Luis Cruz, and Carlos Macci are each charged with conspir...
Neil Young Vs. Joe Rogan and Spotify: The Rock, David Crosby, Joni Mitchell, and More Draw Battle Lines
If you’ve somehow avoided hearing about it thus far — and if so, we are very jealous — Joe Rogan’s controversial inclinations have come to a head in the past few days. The comedian, whose The Joe Rogan Experience is Spotify’s top-streamed exclusive podcast, has prompted a fleet of musicians to pull their music from the platform, most notably Neil Young. Other musicians have since followed Young’s lead, citing Rogan’s continuous misinformation regarding COVID-19 (among countless other eyebrow-raising remarks). Rogan posted a video in response to the controversy, promising he’d invite “more experts with differing opinions right after [he has] the controversial ones,” and that he would “do [his] best to make sure [he’s] researched these topics.” A self-proclaimed fan of Young, Rogan also...
Four Charged After Michael K. Williams Overdose
Four men face charges that they were members of the drug distribution crew that supplied a deadly mix of narcotics to Michael K. Williams, the renowned actor from The Wire who overdosed just hours after buying fentanyl-laced heroin in a deal recorded on security camera video. The man seen on camera handing Williams the drugs on a Brooklyn sidewalk, Irvin Cartagena, was charged with directly causing the actor’s death, authorities said. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Williams’ death was investigated by the New York City police department, but the charges were brought by federal prosecutors in Manhattan, who revealed that the suspects had been under surveillance even before the actor’s fatal overdose last September. It was a sting that bore a striking resemblance to the kind ...
John Legend Dives Into NFTs With Our Happy Company’s ‘OurSong’ Platform
John Legend, the great-allrounder who has already completed an EGOT, the youngest person to do so, is spreading his wings into NFTs. The R&B star is named co-founder and chief impact officer at Our Happy Company, which today (Feb. 2) launches OurSong, its social NFT platform. With Legend in his dual-capacity, Our Happy Company has ambitions for OurSong to “build a better system for creators to be discovered, monetize their work, and engage with fans through NFTs,” reads a statement. The new platform is meant to appeal to those of us who don’t possess a degree in computer science, or have, at the very least, a lifelong tech habit. One of its points of difference is ease of use, for artists and consumers. OurSong users don’t need to hold a separate cryptocurrency wallet outside the...
Sony Creating Joint Venture In India For Film and Music Ventures
Sony Group is leveraging its music and movie entertainment divisions to create a joint company focused on developing investment ventures for media talent in India. The new venture, to be named Sony Entertainment Talent Ventures India (SETVI), will draw from a “vast pool of commercial talent and star-power in India to build investment opportunities, partnerships, metaverse solutions and more,” the company says in a press release. Sony Music Entertainment is already a leading record label in India, with a strong presence in Bollywood and Tamil OST, across multiple genres that include national and regional pop. Sony Pictures Entertainment includes Sony Pictures Networks, a broadcast division with over 700 million viewers from 170 million households in 8,000 cities across India; Sony Pictures ...
Worldwide Independent Network Appoints Maria Amato as Chair
Maria Amato, CEO of the Australian Independent Record Labels Assn. (AIR), is appointed chair of Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), the organization that brings together local independent music trade bodies across the globe. Based in Melbourne, Amato becomes WIN’s first female chair and the organization’s first from the southern hemisphere. Amato is one of several new changes to the board of WIN for 2022. She’s joined by new directors Jeffrey Chiang (Fluxus Inc./LIAK, South Korea), Paul Pacifico (AIM, U.K.) and Sandra Rodrigues (ABMI, Brazil), who replace outgoing directors Carlos Mills (ABMI, Brazil), Chan Kim (Fluxus Inc,/LIAK, South Korea), and Kees van Weijen (IMPALA, Europe). “Today’s news marks the first time that WIN has been chaired both by a woman, and by someone from outside Eur...
TRIUMPH Documentary ‘Rock & Roll Machine’ To Be Available For Streaming In Canada Next Week
TRIUMPH‘s first-ever feature documentary about the band’s dramatic career, “Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine”, will be available for streaming in Canada beginning on Monday, February 7, only on Crave. Produced by Emmy and Peabody award-winning Banger Films, “Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine” is a Crave original documentary that has been described as “a celebratory, exhilarating thrill ride through the history of one of rock’s most unsung acts.” The film covers TRIUMPH‘s humble beginnings as staples of the GTA circuit in the mid-’70s to their heyday as touring juggernauts, selling out arenas and stadiums all across North America with their legendary spectacular live shows — and way beyond. Last September, TRIUMPH guitarist/vo...
TESLA’s FRANK HANNON Pulls Out Of ‘Monsters Of Rock’ Cruise Due To ‘Ongoing And Changing COVID Issues’
TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon has canceled his previously announced solo shows in February, including his appearance on the Monsters Of Rock cruise, due to “the ongoing and changing COVID issues.” The 55-year-old musician, who battled the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus last year, shared the news of his change of plans in a social media post earlier today. He wrote: “My FEB SHOWS POSTPONED: I will not be performing live shows during the month of February, including the MORC. As I will be spending this time with my family. With the ongoing and changing Covid issues, contagiousness of the virus, I must put the safety of my family and fans as first priority. I apologize for any inconvenience this causes anyone. See you on the road later this year. Sincerely, Fran...
NILE Guitarist/Vocalist BRIAN KINGSLAND To Sit Out U.S. Tour; Replacement Announced
NILE guitarist/vocalist Brian Kingsland will sit out the band’s upcoming U.S. tour in order to spend time with his newborn son. Filling in for him will be Scott Eames (THY ANTICHRIST, NEVALRA). Featuring support from INCANTATION, SANGUISUGABOGG and I AM, the trek will kick off on February 3 in Nashville, Tennessee, visiting several major cities before wrapping in Spartanburg, South Carolina on March 12. On Tuesday (February 1), NILE released the following statement via social media: “Congratulations to Brian Kingsland on the arrival of his newborn son! While Brian takes time for family, veteran metal guitarist Scott Eames will be joining us on Guitar and Vocals. Scott is an exceptionally talented motherfucker who has worked his ass off and earned his spot on stage with NILE. Th...
LIFE OF AGONY Cancels U.S. Shows After Two Members Test Positive For COVID-19
LIFE OF AGONY has canceled the remaining shows on its tour of the U.S. Northeast tour after singer Mina Caputo and drummer Veronica Bellino tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The concerts in Poughkeepsie, New York (February 2); Brooklyn, New York (February 4); and Asbury Park, New Jersey (February 5) will be rescheduled for a later time. Earlier today, LIFE OF AGONY released the following statement: “We have unfortunate news to share: both Mina and Veronica have tested positive for COVID and sadly we must cancel the rest of the Northeast run. “We are terribly sorry. These are crazy times and we’re all doing our best to navigate through it together. “To all of our fans, we plan to make up the shows as soon as we can. We...
Röyksopp Announce New “Conceptual Project” Profound Mysteries
Röyksopp have announced their new conceptual project Profound Mysteries with a new “installment” called “Impossible” (featuring Alison Goldfrapp). It’s paired with a new “artifact and visualizer” designed by Australian artist Jonathan Zawada. Profound Mysteries is available in full on April 29. Check out “Impossible” below. “Impossible” follows two previously released Profound Mysteries installments. Röyksopp dropped the short film “(Nothing But) Ashes…” on New Year’s Day, later sharing “The Ladder” alongside a short film by Kasper Häggström. Alison Goldfrapp is “the first human voice“ featured on Profound Mysteries. Of the collaboration, Goldfrapp said in a statement: It’s been great working with the wonderful Svein [Berge] & Torbjørn [Brundtland] from Röyksopp. I’ve been a ...
Musicians Criticize HitPiece Website That Appears to Sell Unauthorized NFTs
A number of musicians and record labels have expressed anger over a company called HitPiece, which has listed single and album artwork as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The allegations began to circulate on social media yesterday and have been reported by Mashable’s Amanda Yeo. Artists like Amber Coffman, Ted Leo, Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis, and many others have taken to social media stating that they had no part in their songs being listed as NFTs on HitPiece. Dupuis, who has written multiple posts on Twitter decrying the website, stated: “hey you stupid fucks @joinhitpiece, we don’t have any deal with you or any NFT site and there SURE DOES LOOK like an active auction going on for a Speedy Ortiz song.” Leo posted a photo of HitPiece’s listing for an NFT of the Pharmacists’ song “Come Baby ...
