NEWS
SoundCloud Will Pay Independent Artists Based on Listeners, Not Streams
Effectively, if Taylor Swift gets 5% of all streams on Spotify in June, she and her label will get 5% of your monthly subscription fee, even if you never listened to one of her songs. But support has been swelling for a user-centric payment system, which would allow artists to get paid based on how many fans listen, instead of how many streams the artist accrues. Under SoundCloud’s “fan-powered” model, if a user paying $10 a month only listens to five artists, those five artists will get an equal split of that $10 — after SoundCloud takes its cut — no matter how many times the user listens to each of them. “Many in the...
BTS Added to MusiCares ‘Music on a Mission’ Event
The K-pop icons will join Haim, H.E.R. and Jhene Aiko at the March 12 event. BTS has joined the lineup for MusiCares’ Music on a Mission event on March 12. The virtual event will feature never-before-seen performances — some live, some on tape — from Haim, H.E.R., Jhené Aiko and John Legend. Music on a Mission is replacing the traditional MusiCares’ Person of the Year gala, a mainstay of Grammy Week since 1991 that’s been canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will also include video from the MusiCares vault of performances at past Person of the Year galas by Stevie Nicks, Usher, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and several more artists to be named soon. It will also feature a pre-show DJ set by DJ D-Nice and “special ap...
Over 100 Italian Music Acts Staged a “Silent” Strike in Place of a Livestream Concert
Lacuna Coil and more than 100 other Italian music acts staged a “silent” non-performance strike during a planned livestream concert event on Saturday, February 27th, much to the surprise of viewers who tuned in to see the show. After video showed Lacuna Coil getting ready for the “show,” the band took the stage in white jumpsuits. Instead of launching into their powerful brand of heavy metal, they stood quietly. In an initial statement, Lacuna Coil explained, “You were expecting to see a live show while we just stood in silence. It’s not a bad joke. This is the situation of live clubs in Italy. Places where we got to meet many of you. It is with this bitter taste in our mouths that we’re asking for your support. For them a live show with no music is not a live show. A silent live club is n...
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Cannabis Brand, Houseplant, Comes to the US
Two years ago, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg launched their mid-century modern cannabis line, Houseplant, in their native Canada. Now, the brand is officially crossing the border, as it will soon be available in the United States. Well, at least one part of the US. California residents will soon be able to purchase the company’s three strains of marijuana flower — indica, sativa, and hybrid — via the to-be-launched Houseplant website. Each varietal is named after weather patterns, like the 33% THC (that’s a lot!) sativa strain Pancake Ice. No word yet on when or if the brand’s pre-rolled joints, soft-gel capsules, and two flavors of carbonated beverage (grapefruit and lemon) will follow suit. While the actual weed will only be available in Cali to start, Houseplant’s new home good...
Ghostface Killah and Raekwon to Go Head-to-Head in Verzuz Battle
Verzuz is a quarantine battle series that pits two similar artists against one another to determine who is the hit-for-hit champion. Over the past few months, the event’s organizers have gotten some of the biggest names in the music industry to join in on the fun, and the next battle might just be their most anticipated yet: Ghostface Killah vs. Raekwon. Swizz Beatz and Timbaland announced the news during an Instagram live story last week. In the clip, they hyped up the reveal, saying, “Who’re we talking about?” while playing various songs by the two Wu-Tang Clan members in the background. Unsurprisingly, fans were immediately stoked to realize this meant Ghostface Killah and Raekwon would be dueling it out over a livestream battle, with an excited Common even commenting, “WHOAH!!!!!” Curr...
Grimes Releases New Music via Cryptocurrency Art Auction, Rakes in $6 Million
Grimes has released new music, but it’s not available as a physical release or via streaming services. Instead, the unreleased material accompanies cryptocurrency art pieces in WarNymph Collection Vol 1, a collaboration with her brother Mac Boucher which made Grimes more than $6 million via auction. The art isn’t physically available, either, but comes in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFT). WarNymph contains 10 different pieces. As Exclaim points out, Earth is accompanied by the unreleased track, “Ærythe”, while Mars is soundtracked by “Mars Theme”. The collection was made available on the NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway and sold out in 20 minutes. A percentage of proceeds from the sales will be donated to environmental NGO Carbon 180, presumably in an attempt to offset the electrici...
Curren$y “Closing Date,” Dougie D ft. Bun B & Kendricc James “So Hard” & More | Daily Visuals 3.1.21
Source: Tim Mosenfelder / Getty If ever a week passes by and Curren$y didn’t drop a new video in those 7 days, we might have to file a missing person’s report because that man stays on his camera grizzly. This week Spitta comes through with some new visuals for “Closing Date,” where he shows off some big boy toys in his garage and proves not all rappers need a Maybach or Benz to roll hard on these streets. Sometimes a classic car is enough to get the job done. Down South, Dougie D keeps H-Town bumping, and in his clip to “So Hard,” calls on Bun B and Kendricc James to bring that heat to keep the streets bubbling. Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend, including work from Peso Peso, Neek Bucks featuring Sleazus Bhrist (interesting name), an...
It’s Lit and Under Surveillance: Travis Scott Under Investigation For Allegedly Breaking COVID Rules
Source: Rachpoot/MEGA / Getty Travis Scott may be known for his eclectic and rare merchandise, but it was his recent rollout that has authorities examining the event closely. According to published reports, Cactus Jack is currently being investigated after he held a surprise event in Los Angeles for the release of his merch collection that accompanies his “Utopia in Dystopia” i-D cover shot by Spike Jonze and the city revealed that the event, that is accused of possibly breaking COVID-19 gathering rules. Authorities state that La Flame and his team are now being investigated for the gathering that caused a major disturbance in West Hollywood after he and his team reportedly did not go through the process of getting a permit for the event from the Los Angeles Department of Public Works, who...
See the First ‘Voice’ Contestant to Get John Legend to Turn Around for His Own Song
Victor Solomon basked in the glory of a three-chair turn after covering coach John Legend and Common‘s “Glory” for his Blind Audition on Monday’s (March 1) season 20 premiere of The Voice. The North Carolina A&T State University senior wowed Blake Shelton, Nick Jonas and Legend, who all turned around early on in his inspirational performance — but it was quite the rare move for the original singer. “I grew up singing gospel music, and when we wrote that song, it was meant to evoke the hymns that we grew up listening to and the songs that carried a lot of our ancestors through a lot of tough times when they were marching for voting rights,” Legend told Solomon. “I have literally zero times turned for anyone singing my song. It’s...
Music Icon Michael Gudinski Dies: Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters, QOTSA, & More Pay Tribute
ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Kylie Minogue had worked with “The Big G” since the very beginning. She tweeted, “A Titan of the music industry. One of a kind and forever family to me. My heart is broken and I can’t believe he’s gone. Irreplaceable and unforgettable, I’ll always love you ‘The Big G’”. Australian Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese wrote, “Shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Michael Gudinski. We were both at the Oils gig in Sydney on Thursday. It’s hard to think of anyone who did more for Australian music than Michael. Vale.” Albanese’s colleague Tony Burke MP, Shadow Minister For Industrial Relations and Shadow Minister For The Arts, remarked that Gudinski “was one of the most important and formidable figures in the history of Australia...
Alice Cooper on Marilyn Manson Abuse Allegations: “I Never Noticed That Streak in Him”
Alice Cooper has commented on the recent abuse allegations levied against Marilyn Manson by several women. The O.G. shock rocker is not ready to throw the book at Manson just yet, saying, “I never noticed that streak in him.” While promoting his just-released new album, Detroit Stories, Cooper was asked about his thoughts on the recent Manson developments in a video interview with NME. “It’s funny about Marilyn in that I know Marilyn — when we toured together, we got along very well,” replied Cooper. “I never noticed that streak in him, if it’s there. I always believe in the word — still allegations are still allegations.” Cooper then brought up his good friend Johnny Depp, whom he plays with in the supergroup Hollywood Vampires. The actor has been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife,...
Lady Gaga’s Dog Walker Ryan Fischer Breaks Silence About Attack
On Friday, Lady Gaga’s two French Bulldogs, Koji and Gustav, were recovered unharmed after being stolen during an armed robbery in which her dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was shot once in the chest. Today, Fischer broke his silence about the attack via social media. “4 days ago, while a car sped away and blood poured from my gun shot wound, an angel trotted over and laid next to me,” Fischer wrote on Instagram, referring to Gaga’s other dog, Asia, who managed to escape during the attack. “Hopeful that my calm(ish) and forceful pleas for the urgency of my care as well as the focused descriptions of the dogs would be enough to help me and get enough police and media attention to find the boys, I looked backed [sic] at my guardian angel. I smiled at her shaking form, thankful that at least she wo...
