Streaming
DMX Will Challenge Snoop Dogg for Verzuz ‘Battle of the Dogs’
There’s a dogfight coming to #Verzuz. In what’s billed as “The battle of the dogs,” DMX will square off with Snoop Dogg for the next round of the Verzuz series, due to take place July 22. There are no puppies in this stoush. DMX’s decades-long career includes 15 visits to the Billboard Hot 100. Snoop, of course, is a mainstream superstar with a long list of movie credits, TV series and no less than 43 Hot 100 hits, including three No. 1s: “Drop It Like It’s Hot” (featuring Pharrell), and assists on Akon’s “I Wanna Love You” and Katy Perry’s “California Gurls”. Verzuz was launched in March by hip-hop producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. Starting life as a 20-song showdown between evenly matched producers, the series has also come to enlist writers and performers. Some of the hottest b...
Spotify’s Russian Push Targets New Market With Considerable Growth Potential
The streaming service has announced an expansion into 13 new markets, reaching potentially 250 million new users — if only it can sign them up. Spotify is launching its streaming service in Russia and 12 other countries in Europe, marking an important expansion that will bring the music streamer to nearly 250 million new listeners and effectively blanket Europe with the service. In addition to Russia, the 16th-largest streaming market, Spotify will push into Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine. The launch comes as the digital streamer has been expanding aggressively into new markets. It introduced the platform in India in 2019; in 14 markets in the Middle East and Africa in 2018 (inc...
U.S. ‘Looking At’ TikTok Ban Says Sec. of State Mike Pompeo
Sec. of State Mike Pompeo said that the U.S. would “certainly look at” banning Chinese social media apps including short-form video app TikTok over national security and privacy concerns. “With respect to Chinese apps on people’s cell phones, I can assure you the United States will get this one right too,” Pompeo said in an interview on Monday’s episode of Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle. “I don’t want to get out in front of the president, but it’s something we’re looking at.” Pompeo added that people should only download TikTok “if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.” The news comes as TikTok increasingly looks to distance itself from its parent company Beijing-based...
#MetallicaMondays: Watch Metallica’s Hit-Filled 2007 Lisbon Show
For the latest installment of #MetallicaMondays, the thrash legends are revisiting their Lisbon, Portugal show in 2007. The archival concert footage goes live this evening (July 6th) at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT via Metallica’s YouTube channel below. The show took place at Lisbon’s Super Bock Super Rock and kicked off the “Sick of the Studio Tour” prior to the release of Death Magnetic in 2008. The European trek was named during a fan competition, with the band choosing the winning entry. Appropriately, it reflects Metallica’s many hours in the studio working on the laborious Death Magnetic, which was considered a return to the band’s thrash metal roots upon release. The hype for Death Magnetic was boiling by the time Metallica took the stage in Lisbon. Fans clamored for what message boa...
Nick Cave’s ‘Idiot Prayer’ Virtual Concert Will Feature ‘Rare Tracks’
Nick Cave, like the rest of us, is stuck in lockdown and waiting for the (coronavirus) cloud to lift. He’s not been sat idle. Just last month, the veteran Australian singer, songwriter and bandleader shot Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at London’s Alexandra Palace, footage from which will stream in full on July 23. The ARIA Hall of Fame-inducted artist performed songs from his back catalogue, including early Bad Seeds and Grinderman, through to the most recent Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds album, Ghosteen, and “rare tracks that most fans will be hearing for the first time,” reads a statement. Idiot Prayer was filmed by the acclaimed cinematographer Robbie Ryan (The Favourite, Marriage Story, American Honey) in Ally Pally’s cavernous West Hall, a venue he filled out 15 years ago, well before...
Apple Music Launches Africa Rising Artist Showcase with Debut Cover Star Omah Lay
The new program, designed to elevate the careers of African artists, will also include a companion playlist. Over the last couple of years, Africa has become an increasingly important force on the global music scene, leading labels, publishers and streaming services to extend their reach on the long-neglected continent. In late April, Apple Music announced an expansion of its platform in two dozen African countries, and now the streaming service has unveiled a new initiative to identify and showcase rising talent on the continent. Named Africa Rising, the artist program and companion playlist will feature an African artist chosen by Apple Music’s editorial team every two months, using the full weight of the platform to elevate their careers in Africa and around the world. The first artist ...
“Rock for Relief” Virtual Benefit Concert to Feature Corey Taylor, Lzzy Hale, Alice Cooper, and More
Corey Taylor, photo by Antonio Marino Jr. A bevy of notable rock musicians are coming together for a good cause. Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, Bush’s Gavin Rossdale, and more will perform during the “Rock for Relief” virtual benefit show, while Alice Cooper and others will conduct interviews. “Rock for Relief” is being organized by United Stations Media Networks and Storic Media Podcast Network, with proceeds benefitting Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund. The streaming event airs this Friday, July 3rd, at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT, and will rebroadcast immediately following at 11:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. PT. In addition to Taylor, Hale, and Rossdale, the performance lineup includes ex-Eagles guitarist Don Felder, George Thorogood, Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy, Filt...
Spotify Launches New Subscription Plan For Couples in U.S., 54 More Markets
Spotify has unveiled a new, cheaper premium subscription option for couples, called Premium Duo, that will be rolled out in the United States and 54 other markets today (July 1). The single plan will allow two people living at the same address to have individual premium accounts, which are also entwined through playlists like its Duo Mix of favorites from each party, for just $12.99 a month. Spotify began testing the new tier last March, piloting Premium Duo in Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Ireland and Poland. Now with its wider rollout, Duo joins Spotify’s individual plan ($9.99/month), family plan ($14.99/month for up to six accounts under one roof) and student plan ($4.99/month). [embedded content] In a blog post announcing the new tier, the company noted that a user study found that of cou...
#MetallicaMondays: Watch Metallica’s First-Ever Show in Colombia
Metallica’s weekly concert-streaming series #MetallicaMondays continues with a 1999 show in Bogotá, which marked the band’s first-ever gig in the country of Colombia. The 20-song set at Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park featured a healthy helping of songs from “The Black Album” and other staples. The trek was dubbed the “Garage Remains the Same Tour” in support of Metallica’s covers compilation Garage Inc., and the show included a rendition of the Misfits’ “Die, Die My Darling” that appeared on the LP. As the band wrote on Instagram while announcing this week’s stream, “#MetallicaMondays takes a trip back to 1999! We dug through the dusty, old VHS tapes in @larsulrich’s vault to uncover Live in Bogotá – May 2nd, 1999, which happens to be the first gig we ever played in Colombia.” Of cou...
The Deals: Little Simz Renews AWAL Recordings Contract, Licensing Service Lickd Strikes UMG Partnership
Mercury Prize-nominated rapper and songwriter Little Simz (a.k.a. Simbi Ajikawo) has renewed her partnership with AWAL Recordings, which provides a full range of services including global marketing and promotion, digital and physical distribution, campaign coordination, A&R support, synch licensing and brand partnerships. Little Simz garnered acclaim with her most recent album, GREY Area, which was released on her own label, Age 101, via AWAL. In addition to the Mercury Prize, she has been nominated for AIM and BET Awards; additionally, she won the Q Award for best vocal performance and the NME Award for best British album. She has toured with Gorillaz, Lauryn Hill and Anderson .Paak and also starred in the Channel 4 crime drama Top Boy, which currently airs on Netflix. Little Sim...
Fabolous and Jadakiss Will Face Off For Next Verzuz Battle
The Big Apple is where the next Verzuz is going down. Veteran New York rappers Fabolous and Jadakiss will rumble next Monday, June 29 for the latest instalment in the online hip-hop and R&B face-off. Announced on a fetching jersey in traditional New York Knicks colors, the FAB vs. JADA battle squares off at 8 p.m. ET on Instagram Live and Apple Music. Neither has a shortage of tracks to revisit. Fabolous has impacted the Billboard Hot 100 on 21 occasions, with five top 10s, including “Into You” and Can’t Let You Go.” Jadakiss has nine credits on the Billboard Hot 100, including his work on Jennifer Lopez’ No. 3 hit “Jenny From The Block.” Verzuz was launched in March by legendary hip-hop producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. Starting life as a 20-song showdown between evenly matched pro...
Shaq to Go 1-on-1 With Gronk For Virtual Live Party, Fundraiser
Shaq and Gronk are about to throw down with each other for a cause. The men with seven championship rings between them will compete against each other June 27 in Shaq’s Fun House Vs Gronk Beach, a virtual party combining fun and music as a benefit for social justice. “We’re all about bringing people together.,” O’Neal said. “We’re all about making people smile. As I look at Gronk, I see a version of myself. … I’m proud to say he’s a friend. I’m glad to say I probably couldn’t pull this off with anybody else besides Gronk.” The three-time Super Bowl champ had been retired when traded by New England to Tampa Bay in April. He currently has his own “Game On” show on ABC and recently appeared on The Masked Singer. Gronkowski noted he first competed against the Basketball Hall of Famer and...
