Streaming
Spotify Scoops Up Podcast Ad Platform Megaphone in $235M Acquisition
It is little surprise that Spotify is making another big acquisition in the podcast space, following big deals with companies like Gimlet, Anchor and Parcast in the past two years. Since the beginning of 2019, CEO Daniel Ek has referred to audio as the future of the company, envisioning a world where Spotify was less dependent on music — and the content costs of such music — to gain and retain users, listener hours and, ideally, subscribers. In the past two months, Spotify announced a partnership with Chernin Entertainment to provide a pathway for its podcasts to turn into film and TV projects, and, through its Anchor platform, now allows music to be embedded into its shows without further licensing requirements. In late October, the company announced in its third quarter earni...
Slipknot Get Together to Write Music for New Album
While many of us spent the past week glued to election results, Slipknot got to work. According to percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan, the band has been writing material for its next album and worked on new songs together last week. In addition, the band’s Knotfest concert series announced the new “Pulse of the Maggots” virtual underground metal fest. “Right now is kind of an interesting time,” Clown said during a video signing for Slipknot’s No. 9 Iowa Whiskey. “We’re taking this time to write some new music. So for the last week, we’ve been just having a good time, eating a lot of food and writing.” He continued, “Since everybody’s taken a lot of time off, we thought we’d utilize it by getting together and do what we probably do best, which is write music. So it’s been good, because ther...
Does TikTok Have More ‘Dreams’ Up Its Sleeves?
Serendipity and all of these efforts made “Dreams” the first catalog hit revived by TikTok, which over the past year-and-a-half has consistently broken new songs, such as recent Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers “Mood” by 24kGoldn (featuring iann dior) and “Savage Love (Laxed — Siren Beat)” by Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo. The 1977 single, which also topped the Hot 100 over 40 years ago, has now been used in nearly a half-million TikTok videos, and on-demand audio streams on Spotify and other services have almost quadrupled (while Fleetwood Mac’s overall catalog of streams doubled). Warner may have made over $250,000 in incremental revenue on “Dreams” — plus another $250,000 on the increased popularity of the rest of the...
What’s Streaming on Netflix in November 2020
Netflix is bringing the royalty in November 2020. The highly anticipated fourth season of The Crown premieres mid-month to much hype. Oscar winner Olivia Colman returns as Queen Elizabeth, only this time she’ll duke it out with Gillian Anderson’s portrayal of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. That’s not all! America’s own queen Dolly Parton is bringing her holiday special Christmas on the Square to the streaming giant on November 22nd. So, expect to spend Thanksgiving down in Tennessee for a little country get-together. Elsewhere, there’s the hilarious new sketch comedy series Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun, Shawn Mendes’ world tour documentary, Ron Howard’s star-studded Hillbilly Elegy, and, yes, Kurt Russell’s return in The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two. Editors’ Picks In term...
What’s Streaming on HBO Max in November 2020
HBO Max is heading to Bel-Air for Thanksgiving. As previously reported, Will Smith and the Banks are reuniting for The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air Reunion Special. Unlike their previous get-together over Zoom earlier this year, the family is actually meeting on the set of their iconic Bel-Air home. What’s more, the streaming giant will host the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2020 Inductions, which includes Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., and T-Rex. Other exclusive originals this month include the second season of His Dark Materials, the series premiere of Industry, and the original comedy Superintelligence starring Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale, and James Corden. Editors’ Picks In terms of archival material, HBO Max is bri...
What’s Streaming on Amazon Prime in November 2020
Amazon Prime Video has unveiled its additions for November. The big event of the month is Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology film series, which consists of five films that will drop every week beginning November 15th. Already we’ve seen three of the five: Mangrove, Lovers Rock, and Red, White, and Blue. Outside of that, there’s not much but a handful of classics being dropped into the Bezos bunch. 28 Days Later is a nice go-to during the pandemic, Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile are a great Douglas double feature, and, hey, Silverado. Those in need of a healthy holiday binge watch can find solace in Community and Scrubs. Though, if you really wanna be on brand for the holidays, you can cue up Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, which actually was filmed on Thanksgiving. Editors...
What’s Streaming on Disney+ in November 2020
Disney+ is looking to the stars across November. Whether they’re leaving our atmosphere with continuing episodes of The Right Stuff or absconding to a galaxy far, far away with The Mandalorian, The Mouse House clearly has no intentions of spending time in reality here on Earth. No kidding! Because if they’re not blasting off, they’re celebrating the art of imagination with docuseries such as Inside Pixar and Marvel’s 616 or putting up the holiday lights with the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special. There are no shortage of escapes here. Nostalgics can also find solace in revisiting classics such as Disney’s A Christmas Carol and Mr. Magoo. Sadly, there isn’t much else being added to the back catalogue — perhaps they’re saving some titles for Christmas come December? We’ll see. Editors’ Pi...
GWAR’s Livestream Concert Turns Scumdogs of the Universe into a Virtual Bloodbath: Review
Setting the Stage: Not even a global pandemic can stop the band, the myth, the legend that is GWAR. The intergalactic barbarians just released a remastered 30th anniversary edition of their seminal Scumdogs of the Universe album, and what better way to commemorate this momentous event than a streaming concert on Halloween eve? For those not keeping up with the GWAR universe, following the tragic death of Oderus Urungus (Dave Brockie) in 2014, Blöthar the Berserker (Michael Bishop) took over lead vocals. Many fans originally know Bishop as the man behind bassist Beefcake the Mighty from 1988-1994 but this time around he returned from Scumdoggia as Blöthar to keep the GWAR machine ticking. While there’s no denying Oderus’ iconic status as GWAR’s frontman, the metal act has always had a rotat...
What’s Streaming on Hulu in November 2020
Hulu is inviting James Bond to Thanksgiving dinner, so don’t forget the martinis. Only days after the world lost the Bond that started it all — the great and legendary Sir Sean Connery — the streaming tentpole is keeping America’s November tradition alive by adding the majority of 007’s missions to their catalogue. This includes From Russia with Love (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), The Living Daylights (1987), License to Kill (1989), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and The World is Not Enough (1999). Strangely enough, Hulu has also secured the first t...
Concert Review: Mr. Bungle’s Streaming Show Masterfully Blends Comedy and Thrash
Setting the Stage: The reunion of Mr. Bungle has been a journey for both the band and its fans. In what feels like another lifetime, founding members Mike Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn revived Mr. Bungle for a reunion tour in early 2020… with a catch: The band would only be playing material from its 1986 thrash metal demo The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny and hardcore cover songs from the era. Furthermore, they tabbed ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian to help execute the demo’s blazing tempos and thrash theatrics. The quasi-supergroup went on a brief tour and then entered the studio to record a new version of the demo. As we remarked in our review of the album, the re-recorded Easter Bunny is a modern thrash classic from an unexpected source. ...
Concert Review: Puscifer’s Streaming Show Features Eye-Popping Visuals and Crystal-Clear Sound
Setting the Stage: Under normal circumstances, fans would quite possibly be enjoying seeing Puscifer performing tunes off their latest album, Existential Reckoning, at a packed venue. But, of course, 2020 has thrown us countless curveballs — tops being the COVID-19 pandemic canceling all extensive tours and most in-person performances. Fortunately, some bands have become creative and found other ways to perform – whether it be drive-in outdoor concerts (where fans can watch from afar while in or around their car), or via professionally filmed livestreams. On October 30th (the same date that Existential Reckoning was released), Puscifer opted for the latter, offering a show from the middle of the Arizona desert for fans to view on their most convenient electronic device with the purcha...
Netflix Raises Price of Its Most Popular Plan To $14, Premium Tier Now $18
Source: SOPA Images / Getty Netflix & chilling and binging just got a tad bit more expensive after the streaming service just raised the price of its most popular plan. Thursday (Oct.29), Netflix announced the price hikes for US subscribers bumping the price of its standard plan from $13 to $14, a $1 increase. Those who enjoy the premium tier also saw an increase, with their monthly subscriptions jumping from $16 to $18. If you happen to enjoy using Netflix’s basic plan, your fee remains $8, so you can breathe a sigh of relief. New subscribers will be the first to experience the new pricing while current customer’s subscriptions will be adjusted over the next few weeks. Netflix’s decision comes as no surprise to industry insiders, being that there are so many more options for customers...
