The smaller, scaled back version of the the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is now in danger of being cancelled after major media companies like Twitter, Pinterest, and Meta (Facebook’s parent company) have reportedly pulled out. This includes a scheduled appearance by Swedish House Mafia at the AREA15 concert venue. The legendary electronic music trio were reportedly planning to perform at an offshoot CES event organized by iHeartMedia at AREA15, but the company called it off due to uncertainty surrounding the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. “We were looking forward to seeing you at our iHeartRadio Live at CES party at Area 15 on Thursday, January 6, 2022 to share a special performance by Swedish House Mafia,” reads a st...
Rising electronic dance music producers LeDoc and Guantanamo Bae have joined forces for “Deep Down,” an anthemic house tune. The mesmerizing track features Max C, the famed singer-songwriter behind the timeless vocal from Axwell’s “I Found U,” among many others. “Deep Down” fuses elements of progressive and slap house, ultimately creating a powerful, festival-ready number with pounding production. And with the retro cadence of its ageless vocalist, it’s a riveting blend of old-school and modern dance music that is primed for the clubs. “I have always been a big fan of Max C,” said LeDoc, who hails from Greece. “Tracks nowadays are always featuring high- or low-pitched vocals and sound the same. We wanted to br...
One positive element that the pandemic has provided the music industry has been the emergence and support of queer and transgender artists. The industry has predominantly been operated by men and there has been a serious inequality in pay, but now we’re seeing more LGBTQIA+ people and women being promoted and making executive decisions at major music companies. Among the artists that turned the industry on its head and skyrocketed their careers this year are Kim Petras, Shawnee Kish, and Quinn Christopherson. As we close out 2021, these artists and songs continue to shape-shift music and lead us into the next era of sound. Kim Petras – “Coconuts” Like a number of trends and songs in 2021, Kim Petras’ “Coconuts” took off on TikTok after sh...
Domino Recordings probably didn’t expect such a domino effect. Pat Treacy, Deputy Judge at the U.K. Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, has reportedly ruled that Four Tet‘s breach of contract suit against Domino will be able to proceed. The full trial is set to take place towards the beginning of 2022. Earlier this summer Four Tet sued Domino for a breach of contract, alleging the label had not paid out their agreed-upon streaming royalty rate of 50%. The label fired back and pointed to a separate clause in their contract, which was signed in 2001, that states they’re only obliged to pay 75% of their standard 18%: “In respect of records sold in new technology formats other than vinyl, Compact Discs and analogue tape cassettes the royalty rate...
Since first entering Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart with his 2004 chart-topper “More,” Matthew West has earned 11 No. 1 singles as an artist on that chart. But over the past 17 years, he’s also written songs recorded by artists including Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Scotty McCreery, Rascal Flatts, Maddie & Tae, Casting Crowns, Mandisa, Billy Ray Cyrus and more. Explore See latest videos, charts and news This year, West earned several hits as both an artist and a writer, co-writing hits for Casting Crowns (“Scars in Heaven”), Anne Wilson (“My Jesus”) and Tasha Layton (“Look What You’ve Done”), while notching a five-week No. 1 Christian Airplay hit with his own single “Truth Be Told” and following it with another No. 1, “What If.” West’s string of songwriting credits landed him at N...
Ed Sheeran is closing out 2021 with a major achievement under his belt. On Wednesday (Dec. 22), the singer posted a video to his Instagram announcing that his 2017 hit “Shape of You” has become the first song in Spotify’s history to reach 3 billion streams. Explore Explore Ed Sheeran See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I’ve just heard ‘Shape of You’ has reached 3 billion streams on Spotify, which is absolutely insane. I remember this song hitting a billion and thinking that that was weird,” Sheeran said. “The first song to hit 3 billion streams and I’m really, really chuffed with it. Thank you, Spotify, for your support over the years. We’ve had a great 10 years together and hopefully, we have a great 10 years more.” The 30-year-old also took a brief mome...
Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek has found the successor to longtime Disney executive and general counsel Alan Braverman. Disney has named Horacio Gutierrez senior executive vp, general counsel and secretary for the company, succeeding Braverman, who is retiring at the end of the year. Guttierez joins from streaming audio giant Spotify, where he was head of global affairs and chief legal officer. The executive, who starts at Disney Feb. 1, previously served as general counsel at Microsoft. “Horacio is an incredibly skilled attorney and dynamic leader who comes to Disney with 35 years of legal experience in markets around the globe. Having spent more than two decades working for premier technology companies, he has an extensive understanding of the complex legal questions that come with techn...
Nashville’s annual New Year’s Eve party will ring in 2022 with its biggest spotlight to date when the five-hour concert special New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash airs Dec. 31 via CBS Television Network, as well as Paramount+. The show, which begins at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, will feature more than 50 performances from several of country music’s biggest stars, including Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Elle King, Miranda Lambert, Carly Pearce, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell and Zac Brown Band — all airing from the heart of downtown Nashville. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Bentley will co-headline a free concert at Nashville’s Bicentennial Mal...
Steve Vai and Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group have presented an official music video for “Little Pretty”. The composition is featured on Vai‘s upcoming studio album titled “Inviolate” which will be released digitally and on CD January 28, 2022. The LP will follow on March 18. The clip, which captures Vai performing in his inner sanctum also known as “Harmony Hut”, can be seen below. The recording is a dark-toned fusion-funk workout. Vai states: “In writing the chord changes for the solo section, and the solo itself, I dug deep into my academic music theory mind to create a set of chord changes where the harmonic atmosphere shifted on every change. The dense chord structures required a series of synthetic modes to navigate. This approach ...
Fans from around the world attended METALLICA‘s two 40th-anniversary concerts, which were held in at San Francisco’s Chase Center on December 17 and December 19. Chase Center has uploaded a new four-minute video featuring interviews from METALLICA fans who had traveled from such faraway places as Kuwait, Chile and Colombia to see the shows. Check it out below. METALLICA‘s two 40th-anniversary shows featured different setlists. They were part of METALLICA‘s “San Francisco Takeover”, a four-day citywide celebration of the band’s 40th anniversary that also included a film festival, photo exhibit and curated lineup of smaller venue shows featuring other acts. The 40th-anniversary shows marked METALLICA‘s return to Chase Center for the first time ...