Carl Weismann, while recording the sounds of birds for other projects, ended up with many recordings that were spoiled by dogs barking. Weismann found a new use for these spoiled takes by splicing together the pitches of dog barks into the pattern of songs.
And Weismann used recordings of five dogs barking – their names were Dolly, Pearl, Pussy, Caesar, and King.
Today, with Rhino’s surprise release of From The Mars Hotel: The Angel’s Share, the Grateful Dead vaults have once again been opened. Featuring 16 newly unearthed session recordings, the digital collection brings listeners directly into San Francisco’s Coast Recorders during the spring of 1974, revealing the band’s real-time process as they crafted such eternal staples as “Scarlet Begonias,” “Ship Of Fools,” “China Doll,” “U.S. Blues,” “Unbroken Chain” and more that would make up their classic From The Mars Hotel LP. The evolution of all of those songs and other album highlights is charted throughout this fourth edition of the band’s fan-favorite Angel’s Share series. Like previous installments that accompanied milestone reissues of Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty and Wake Of The Flood, From The Mars Hotel: The Angel’s Share brings together hours of expertly-curated outtakes, alternate versions, acoustic mixes, unexpected moments and revelations that have never been heard or available on DSPs until now.
As these Angel’s Share recordings further showcase, the Grateful Dead were cooking with gas in the runup to From The Mars Hotel. The band had successfully emerged from a series of hectic, harrowing times, and would soon follow their transformative Wake Of The Flood with this second self-released album from their very own Grateful Dead Records. During the mere eight months that had passed between the two beloved LPs, the group also played some of their most exploratory live music and largest venues to date, famously amplified by the homemade, 75-ton Wall of Sound that they debuted on March 23rd, 1974. While several of the album’s formative songs would first be introduced into setlists along that season’s tour, the Grateful Dead spent two months recording and honing them in the studio for the album.
In honor of its 50th Anniversary, From The Mars Hotel has also been reissued and expanded with rediscovered material and rarities. Out June 21st via Rhino, six days before the album’s original release five decades ago, From The Mars Hotel (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) features remastered audio by GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer David Glasser, with Plangent Processes tape restoration and speed correction. Produced for release by Grateful Dead Legacy Manager and Audio Archivist, David Lemieux, the deluxe edition includes demos of “China Doll” and “Wave That Flag” – the song that became “U.S. Blues” – as well as a previously unreleased live performance of the Grateful Dead at University of Nevada-Reno on 5/12/1974, where a massive wind storm was no match for the Wall of Sound.
Furthermore, From The Mars Hotel (50th Anniversary Remaster) will be released on June 21st as a single 180-gram black vinyl LP, limited edition Neon Pink vinyl, limited edition “Ugly Rumors” custom vinyl exclusive to Dead.net, and a specially-designed picture disc created in partnership with zoetrope pioneer Drew Tetz. When viewed with a camera or strobe, the zoetrope LP will appear to animate, and can be pre-ordered now along with the rest of From The Mars Hotel (50th Anniversary Remaster) variants.
As part of From The Mars Hotel’s 50th Anniversary celebration, the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast is unlocking the many secrets behind the album. Along with a track-by-track breakdown of the LP, the podcast’s ninth season is currently telling the story of the Wall of Sound, with archival audio of its mastermind – legendary LSD chemist Owsley Stanley – and new interviews with those who made the game-changing, larger-than-life speaker system a reality. With five million downloads and counting, new episodes of Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast will continue to premiere every other week HERE.
The Grateful Dead is a social and musical phenomenon that grew into a genuine American treasure. In 1965, an entire generation was linked together by common ideals, gathering by the hundreds and thousands. This movement created a seamless connection between the band and its fans. As the band toured, Dead Heads would follow. Not because it was a part of popular culture but because it is a true counterculture that exists to this very day-one that earnestly believes in the value of its beliefs. By 1995, the Grateful Dead had attracted the most concertgoers in the history of the music business, and today remains one of the all-time leaders in concert ticket sales. Eventually, the caravan evolved into a community with various artists, craftsmen and entrepreneurs supplying a growing demand for merchandise that connected them to the music. Today, the connection is as strong as ever. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and received a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. Their final tally of 2,318 total concerts remains a world record. The Grateful Dead recently celebrated their 59th Top 40 album on the Billboard chart, a feat no other group has achieved.
From The Mars Hotel: The Angel’s Share
Scarlet Begonias (Takes 1 & 2)
Scarlet Begonias (Alternate Mix)
China Doll (Acoustic Mix)
Money Money (Alternate Version)
Loose Lucy (Alternate Mix)
Ship Of Fools (Take 7)
Ship Of Fools (Alternate Mix)
U.S. Blues (Takes 1 & 2)
U.S. Blues (Take 4)
U.S. Blues (Take 8)
Pride Of Cucamonga (Take 1)
Pride Of Cucamonga (Alternate Mix)
Unbroken Chain (Take 1)
Unbroken Chain (Take 5)
Unbroken Chain (Take 6)
Unbroken Chain (Alternate Mix)
Fifty years after his first book on Jesus Christ Superstar, Ellis Nassour returns to the world of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber to complete the fascinating story of how the recording of Jesus’ last six days on earth pushed boundaries in the world of rock – and eventually become a worldwide phenomenon, not only on record but also stage and screen.
Nassour goes behind the scenes to show the evolution of two young English writers and their success with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to a controversial 45rpm record that just wouldn’t fly out of music bins, but which became their equally controversial rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. He explores not only the frustrations and pitfalls, but also the breakthrough to a mega-selling album, concert tours, much-hyped and controversial Broadway and Los Angeles stagings, and a blockbuster film (celebrating its 50th anniversary). With never-before-seen B&W and color photos, new interviews, and costumes and scenic sketches, Superstar presents a detailed account of the rock opera from 1969–1973 to today – where it continues to be beloved around the world.
Ellis Nassour is an international arts journalist and playwright, a veteran of the New York Times and New York Daily News and former director of artist relations at MCA Universal Pictures/MCA Music. He worked closely with Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber from the earliest stages of the rock opera and later was an assistant to casting director Michael Shurtleff on the official concert tours, and Broadway and Los Angeles productions. He is the author of the bestselling biography Honky Tonk Angel – The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline — the first on the legendary singer (in print 40 years and counting); and Rock Opera: The Creation of Jesus Christ Superstar, from Record Album to Broadway Show and Motion Picture.
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or X.
CREED, the multi-platinum, GRAMMY and American Music Award-winning rock band, is thrilled to announce their eagerly awaited 2024 Summer of ‘99 Tour.
Produced by Live Nation, the 40-city tour kicks off on July 17 at the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI making stops across North America in Toronto, Nashville, Dallas, and Holmdel among others. Special guests 3 Doors Down will be direct support on a majority of the North American tour with Daughtry, Switchfoot, Tonic, and Big Wreck joining the band on select dates. Finger Eleven will open all dates on the tour.
CREED formed in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1994. The more than one billion streams between “Higher,” “My Sacrifice,” “One Last Breath,” “With Arms Wide Open,” and “My Own Prison” on Spotify alone is a testament to the band’s enduring power. Nearly 30 years after CREED’s formation, the ubiquitous anthems composed by singer Scott Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti, performed for millions of fans around the world together with drummer Scott Phillips and bassist Brian Marshall, are part of modern rock and alternative’s DNA. With more than 53 million albums sold worldwide, CREED stands alongside iconic bands like Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses, and Metallica as one of an elite few hard rock outfits to earn RIAA Diamond-certified status, for more than 11 million sales of Human Clay in the United States. After an eleven-year hiatus, Creed officially announced a reunion in July 2023 and announced that they would be headlining two different Summer of ’99 cruise festivals in April 2024 which resulted in immediate sell-outs. The band recently launched a new webstore that will cater to fans old and new including new merch designs as well as the opportunity to purchase entry into Mark Tremonti’s guitar clinic. The store can be found at www.creed.com.
TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting with presales from Tuesday, October 31, with the general onsale starting Friday, November 3 at 10am local time on www.creed.com.
Fans can also purchase VIP Packages, which may include premium tickets, stand on stage to watch the first 3 songs, Meet & Greet + photo op with members of CREED, access to the pre-show soundcheck, exclusive merch & more. For more information, visit www.creed.com.
CREED: SUMMER OF ‘99 TOUR DATES:
Supporting Acts: + 3 Doors Down | ^ Daughtry | * Switchfoot | x Tonic | # Big Wreck | = Finger Eleven
Wednesday, July 17 | Green Bay, WI | Resch Center * =
Friday, July 19 | Monticello, IA | Great Jones County Fair * = (Not A Live Nation Date)
Saturday, July 20 | Walker, MN | Moondance Jam * = (Not A Live Nation Date)
Tuesday, July 23 | Simpsonville, SC | CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park * =
Wednesday, July 24 | Charlotte, NC | PNC Music Pavilion + =
Friday, July 26 | Bristow, VA | Jiffy Lube Live + =
Saturday, July 27 | Virginia Beach, VA | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach + =
Tuesday, July 30 | Toronto, ON | Budweiser Stage # =
Wednesday, July 31 | Clarkston, MI | Pine Knob Music Theatre + =
Friday, August 2 | Cincinnati, OH | Riverbend Music Center + =
Saturday, August 3 | Burgettstown, PA | The Pavilion at Star Lake + =
Tuesday, August 6 | Bridgeport, CT | Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater x =
Wednesday, August 7| Holmdel, NJ | PNC Bank Arts Center + =
Friday, August 9 | St. Louis, MO | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, MO + =
Saturday, August 10 | Indianapolis, IN | Ruoff Music Center + =
Tuesday, August 13 | Nashville, TN | Ascend Amphitheater x =
Wednesday, August 14 | Pelham, AL | Oak Mountain Amphitheatre + =
Saturday, August 16 | Tinley Park, IL | Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre + =
Saturday, August 17 | Welch, MN | Treasure Island Amphitheater + = (Not A Live Nation Date)
Tuesday, August 20 | Gilford, NH | BankNH Pavilion x =
Wednesday, August 21 | Boston, MA | Xfinity Center + =
Friday, August 23 | Hershey, PA | Hersheypark Stadium + =
Saturday, August 24 | Saratoga Springs, NY | Broadview Stage at SPAC + =
Saturday, August 31 | San Bernardino, CA | Glen Helen Amphitheatre (Summer of ’99 And Beyond Festival with 3 Doors Down, Daughtry, Finger Eleven, Fuel, Vertical Horizon, The Verve Pipe)
Sunday, September 1 | Wheatland, CA | Toyota Amphitheatre + =
Wednesday, September 4 | Phoenix, AZ | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre + =
Friday, September 6 | Salt Lake City, UT | USANA Amphitheatre + =
Saturday, September 7 | Denver, CO | Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre + = (Not A Live Nation Date)
Tuesday, September 10 | Rogers, AR | Walmart AMP ^ =
Wednesday, September 11 | Dallas, TX | Dos Equis Pavilion + =
Friday, September 13 | San Antonio, TX | Frost Bank Center + =
Saturday, September 14 | Houston, TX | The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman + =
Monday, September 16 | Brandon, MS | Brandon Amphitheater ^ =
Wednesday, September 18| Raleigh, NC | Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek + =
Friday, September 20 | Tampa, FL | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State Fairgrounds + =
Saturday, September 21 | West Palm Beach, FL | iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre + =
Tuesday, September 24 | Jacksonville, FL | Daily’s Place x =
Wednesday, September 25 | Alpharetta, GA | Ameris Bank Amphitheatre + =
Friday, September 27 | Darien Lake, NY | Darien Lake Amphitheater + =
Saturday, September 28 | Atlantic City, NJ | Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena + =
The global digital video content market size is estimated to grow by USD 464.62 bn from 2023 to 2027, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 14.84% during the forecast period. North America held the largest share of the global market in 2022, and the market in the region is estimated to witness an incremental growth of 43%.
Numerous companies are capitalizing on this growing trend by implementing strategic measures such as alliances, partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions. Among the notable players in the cheese based snacks market are:
Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., AT and T Inc., Chicken Soup for the Soul LLC, Comcast Corp., Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., Meta Platforms Inc., Netflix Inc., One Day Video Ltd., Roku Inc., Snap Inc., Sony Group Corp., Stir Fry Content Kitchen, The Walt Disney Co., Twitter Inc., Verizon Communications Inc., Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd., Walmart Inc., Youku Tudou Inc.
The Digital Video Content Market encompasses a vast array of media formats, including TV shows, movies, music videos, advertisements, and educational content. These digital offerings are accessible via smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smart TVs, catering to the younger population’s preferences for Text, Audio, Video, Graphics, Photographs, and AI-driven IT solutions. Cloud computing enables the delivery of on-demand services like Pay TV, Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms, and Subscription-based models. Advertisers leverage these digital platforms to reach consumers through E-newsletters, Blog posts, and personalized mobile ads. The fusion of IT, Music, and various multimedia formats continues to revolutionize the way we consume and engage with content.
The Digital Video Content Market is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing demand for Over-The-Top (OTT) services. Sectors such as the Hotel industry, Media and Entertainment, Automotive, Healthcare and Pharmaceutical, and Education are leveraging personalization marketing through OTT platforms. Technological advancements, including Voice search and the expansion of 4G, facilitate access to digital video content on personal computers, mobiles, smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smart TVs. Strategic partnerships and acquisitions among vendors, including BBC and Discovery Communications, enable the provision of subscription-based services featuring TV shows, movies, music videos, advertisements, and educational content. The younger population’s preference for digital media and the shift from Pay TV to OTT services further fuel market expansion. However, challenges such as internet proliferation and piracy of content persist.
Challenges and Opportunities
The digital video content market experiences significant growth, driven by social media platforms, live streaming videos, and various forms of multimedia content such as Text, Audio, Video, Graphics, and Photographs. AI and IT innovations, including Cloud computing, facilitate content creation and distribution. E-newsletters, Blog posts, and B2B communication are essential tools for promotion. Online traffic is a key performance indicator, with the hotel industry, personalization marketing, voice search, and On-premise and Cloud solutions leveraging video content. Sectors like Automotive, Healthcare and pharmaceutical, Media and entertainment, Pay TV, Over-The-Top (OTT), and Advertising invest heavily in video content. Subscription models and personal computers, mobiles, educational content, and Music cater to diverse audiences. However, the market faces challenges due to internet proliferation and piracy of content, particularly through illegal torrents and services like BitTorrent, which undermine Subscription-based business models.
The digital video content market experiences robust growth, fueled by OTT service providers offering TV shows, movies, music videos, advertisements, and more on digital platforms. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smart TVs are popular devices for accessing this content, particularly among the younger population. Pay-TV providers expand their offerings through cross-platform partnerships, enabling subscriptions to SVOD and AVOD services like Netflix and Prime Video. Digital media consumption continues to surge with the expansion of 4G and the rise of cable TV alternatives. Entertainment purposes and promotional uses of digital video services are prevalent on social media platforms, live streaming videos, and text, audio, video, graphics, and photograph-rich content. AI, IT, Cloud computing, e-newsletters, blog posts, B2B communication, and online traffic further fuel the market’s growth. Industries like the hotel industry, automotive, healthcare and pharmaceutical, media and entertainment, and education also leverage digital video services for personalization marketing, voice search, on-premise, and cloud solutions.
In the dynamic and evolving landscape of digital media, the Video Content Market plays a pivotal role. This market encompasses a plethora of elements, including Technology, Video, Shows, Movies, Music, Advertisements, and Platforms. Technology serves as the backbone, enabling the creation, distribution, and consumption of digital video content. Platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Netflix provide a space for content creators to monetize their Movies, Shows, and Advertisements through various monetization methods. The Content itself is diverse, ranging from educational to entertainment, and caters to a global audience. The Digital Video Content Market is a thriving industry, driven by innovation, consumer demand, and technological advancements. It’s a world where Creativity meets Technology, and where Entrepreneurship and Artistry converge.
So you want to make it as a singer-songwriter? Kat Goldman has been there, almost to the very top, and now she’s back with sage advice and hilarious behind-the-scenes stories from a lifetime of toil in the dive bars and legendary venues of the contemporary music scene. Learn what it’s like to meet your first fan, date a rock star (never again!), perform in a grocery store, and rebuild your career after getting hit by a car in a bagel shop. Feel the sting of rejection and rampant sexism, and the thrill of writing a hit song and performing with your idols… Off the Charts is a whimsical, uproarious tour through a fickle business that never seems to repay what performers put into it, and one woman’s highly intimate account of how she made the best of almost making it.
A live recording of a concert can preserve one powerful moment indelibly in time. Coming June 14, 2024, Smithsonian Folkways will release The Complete Friends of Old-Time Music Concert by Bessie Jones, John Davis & The Georgia Sea Island Singers with Mississippi Fred McDowell and Ed Young, presenting a riveting, historic look at the intersection of Black folk traditions and civil rights activism. Taken from a concert in April 1965, this recording showcases the haunting songs of the Georgia Sea Islands Singers, led by Jones and Davis–Black folk songs and spirituals that have influenced everyone from Jerry Garcia to Afrofuturist Folkways artist Jake Blount. These songs of the Gullah Geechee people of Georgia even today retain deep connections to Africa, and were encoded with powerful messages of resistance to slavery and oppression. The concert also featured the country blues of legendary singer and guitarist Mississippi Fred McDowell and Mississippi cane fife player Ed Young. It was a star-studded concert, and the excitement of these seminal musicians joining together on songs and inspiring each other is palpable. But the powerful subtext of this concert was clear even then.
“We’re on the road to world peace, and freedom, and integration,” says famed folklorist Alan Lomax brightly in his introduction to the concert. Behind him on the stage, some of the greatest Black folk singers of their time say nothing. Their thoughts on Lomax’s overly optimistic prediction come through in the songs they presented that evening. Songs that prayed to a Biblical God for justice, songs that spoke of the pure barbarity and horror of slavery, the death and murder of so many brought from Africa over the centuries, songs that spoke of the thousands and thousands of marchers in America at that very time during the Civil Rights movement. “If I can’t march, I can sing,” said Mable Hillery of the Georgia Sea Island Singers, herself a noted Civil Rights activist and frequent marcher who had stayed back from protests to testify before this crowd of mostly young, white people in New York City. By bringing out an unheard tradition of Black American music and showcasing the music in such a direct, engaging way, all the performers on stage this one evening in 1965 hoped to leave a lasting mark on the audience. They reveled in playing together, and they found common ground across very different Black communities in the United States. But as Siegel pointed out, they had very clear motives for their music. “Bessie Jones and John Davis were very aware of their mission to help people understand this music,” says Peter Siegel, who recorded the original concert. “Where it came from and how it could inform the future.”
SiriusXM Canada, in partnership with MusiCounts, has opened applications for the inaugural SiriusXM Soundwaves: A MusiCounts Community Fund. This innovative grant program is dedicated to providing not-for-profit community level organizations across Canada with up to $20,000 in instruments, equipment, and resources necessary to foster accessibility and enhance music education. Eligible organizations can apply today for grants to sustain existing music programs or initiate new ones at musicounts.ca/soundwaves.
This initiative is built on the premise that every community deserves the chance to cultivate talent and a passion for music. Community music programs aim to make music education accessible to all youth, especially in underrepresented communities where such opportunities are most needed. SiriusXM Soundwaves will help support these programs, bridge gaps, create opportunities, and make music accessible to more youth.
“Music is a universal language that should be accessible to everyone and through the SiriusXM Soundwaves MusiCounts Community Fund, we are making that a reality for more communities across Canada,” said Rob Keen, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing & CCD at SiriusXM Canada. “By removing financial barriers and providing essential resources, we are thrilled to help open doors for young talent to explore, learn, and grow through music.”
To celebrate and encourage diversity within music education, the program is designed to be inclusive and flexible. The funds can be allocated to various approaches to music education and used to purchase a wide array of musical instruments and necessary equipment.
“SiriusXM Canada’s support is critical to achieving MusiCounts’ mission to ensure that all children and youth across Canada have access to music education,” said Kristy Fletcher, President of MusiCounts. “The impact of this fund will be felt for generations, as it helps to lay down the foundational support for burgeoning music programs and reinforces the infrastructure of existing ones.”
SiriusXM Canada’s commitment to the Canadian music ecosystem extends beyond the SiriusXM Soundwaves MusiCounts Community Fund. Through its Canadian Content Development (CCD) contributions, SiriusXM spotlights Canadian talent, artists, and musicians, promoting their work on a national scale. The company’s contributions through CCD represent a substantial investment in the future of Canadian music and underline its ongoing commitment to nurturing homegrown talent from every corner of the country.
Applications for the SiriusXM Soundwaves MusiCounts Community Fund are now open until May 30, 2024. For more information or to apply, please visit musicounts.ca/soundwaves.
2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the legendary New York label Fania Records, one of the most significant Latin labels in the world, musically and culturally. In the ’60s, Fania was a pioneer in creating and spreading the sound of salsa music from New York City to the globe. In addition to salsa, Fania is the definitive home for genres such as Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo and Latin soul. Its roster of artists includes countless music legends, such as Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Cheo Feliciano and Rubén Blades, among many others. In 1968, the creation of the international supergroup known as the Fania All-Stars, a vital force in Latin music, established the label’s signature musical style, which became known as the “Fania Sound.” Today, Fania’s legacy is just as meaningful to Latin music as Stax and Motown to soul or Prestige and Blue Note to jazz. It remains a cultural beacon, illuminating a powerful American immigrant story that is as timely today as when the label launched. To celebrate Fania’s legacy on this special milestone, Craft Latino will release over a dozen remastered 180-gram vinyl reissues, over two dozen remastered digital albums, many of which will debut in hi-res digital, a singles box set and a variety of content throughout the year, including curated playlists, artist spotlights and live events across New York, Los Angeles, Miami and London.
Kicking off the year-long celebration and available now is a newly remastered reissue for La Gran Fuga (The Big Break), the 1970 masterpiece from the magnificent salsa duo Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe. The Gold-certified sixth collaboration has been newly remastered, featuring (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, with a classic tip-on jacket and, as an added bonus, an 11” x 22” insert featuring Izzy Sanabria’s famous cover art—an FBI wanted poster with the bandleader’s mugshot—which took inspiration from Colón’s “Malo” alter-ego. La Gran Fuga is also finally available in 192/24 hi-res digital audio on all major music platforms—listen here.
Other vinyl reissues coming in 2024 include renowned recordings (available for pre-order now) such as Joe Cuba Sextet’s long-out-of-print debut album on Tico Records, Vagabundeando! Hangin’ Out (60th-anniversary edition), and the Fania All-Stars 50th-anniversary edition of the Latin-Soul-Rock album, which features live recordings from the band’s 1973 concerts at New York’s Yankee Stadium and Puerto Rico’s Roberto Clemente Coliseum with guest artists Jorge “Malo” Santana, Manu Dibango, Billy Cobham, Jan Hammer and more.
September 15th marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, a fitting moment to unveil details about the upcoming Fania singles box set this Fall, Fania 45s: the Latin Sound of New York. This long-awaited set will feature some of the most celebrated singles by some of Fania’s most-loved artists, including Johnny Pacheco, Celia Cruz, Joe Bataan, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Ray Barretto, Ismael Rivera, Pete Rodriguez and Eddie Palmieri. It will include archival images, ephemera and in-depth liner notes in English and Spanish by New York–based music historian, author and producer Aurora Flores.
Founded in 1964 by Dominican bandleader Johnny Pacheco and his attorney Jerry Masucci, Fania Records was a label that started from their mutual passion for Latin music. Together, they created a powerhouse label with a signature sound: the apex of tropical music, combined with the swing of big band jazz and the gritty vibe of American R&B, jazz, funk and soul. The label provided an artistic haven for a young generation of musicians who were inspired to experiment with new musical formats. The label started small, with the first official record release Cañonazo (Fania 321). In 1967, Masucci bought Pacheco’s share of the label, including its subsidiary labels. When Masucci passed in 1997, the label assets remained tied up for years, and in 2005, it was sold to V2 Records and Emusica. In 2018, Fania Records’ assets were sold to Concord, including 1.2K album masters, 15K songs and 7K compositions.
Fania’s rich master catalog also includes the Pete Rodriguez’s boogaloo classic “I Like It Like That” which was sampled by Cardi B in her #1 hit “I Like It.” In 2022, Bad Bunny sampled Ismael Rivera’s “Controversia” in the track “El Apagon” from his album Un Verano Sin Ti. Additionally, three Fania Recordings, Celia & Johnny by Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco, Azucar Pa’ Ti by Eddie Palmieri and Live at Yankee Stadium by the Fania All-Stars, appear in the National Recording Registry, a list of sound recordings that “are culturally, historically or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States.”
Throughout 2024, Craft Latino will take a deeper look at the label’s history and incredible roster of talent through special video and editorial content and playlists. Giveaways, additional releases, and live summer and fall Fania 60th events will be announced later in the year.
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Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.
Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com
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