It’s been said that you only get one chance to make a first impression. In H.E.R.’s case, you get two. She stunned NPR as a special guest for Daniel Ceasar’s Tiny Desk concert earlier this year, in an appearance that showcased her vocal mastery. That earned her an invite to play again, front-and-center. She attacked her second go ’round with more fervor than the first, highlighting her skills as a multi-instrumentalist, maneuvering between acoustic and electric guitars, then the Fender Rhodes.
Stefani Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga, unsigned and performing at a talent show in 2005
In 2003, at age 17, before she became Lady Gaga, Stefani Germanotta gained early admission to Collaborative Arts Project 21 — a music school at New York Universit’s Tisch School of the Arts—and lived in an NYU dorm. At NYU, she studied music and improved her songwriting skills by writing essays on art, religion, social issues, and politics, including a thesis on pop artists Spencer Tunick and Damien Hirst. During the second semester of her sophomore year in 2005, she withdrew to focus on her music career. This video was filmed at that time.
Wu-Tang Clan: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
The Wu-Tang Clan gathered at the Tiny Desk to commemorate the 25 years since the release of the group’s landmark album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). With more than 60 albums between the various members, The Clan’s combined discography left them spoiled for choice when it came to narrowing down the set list for their performance. The result was an extended, 20-minute medley of songs from across the group’s iconic catalog. At one moment in the performance, RZA — the mastermind behind the Clan’s success — omits some explicit lyrics from earlier in his Wu journey, while alluding to the #MeToo movement mid-cadence.
Does It Matter Whether We Own Music?
For the last 500 years, the music business has built its economic model on convincing people to own their favorite songs. We are now shifting rapidly from owning to streaming. In this video, music historian Ted Gioia looks at the reasons for this change, and explores its likely impact on the music ecosystem.
Def Leppard, The Cure, Stevie Nicks, Radiohead, Roxy Music, The Zombies and Janet Jackson Get Into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
The names of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2019 Inductees have been released. Def Leppard, The Cure, Stevie Nicks, Radiohead, Roxy Music, The Zombies and Janet Jackson all make it this year.
The 34th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, will take place on Friday, March 29, 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Rock Hall unveil its 2019 Inductee exhibit at the Museum in Cleveland, Ohio in conjunction with the celebration.
Ticket on-sale dates will be announced in January. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2019 Induction Ceremony will again have its television premiere on HBO, and a radio broadcast on SiriusXM.
Ballots were sent to an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, including current living Inductees, historians and members of the music industry. Factors such as an artist’s musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career and the body of work, innovation and superiority in style and technique are taken into consideration.
Three of the Inductees were on the ballot for the first time, including: Def Leppard, Stevie Nicks (as a solo artist) and Roxy Music. Additionally, the top five artists, as selected by the public, comprised a “fans’ ballot” that was tallied along with the other ballots to determine the 2019 Inductees. Four of the top five artists (Def Leppard, Stevie Nicks, The Zombies and The Cure) from the fan ballot will be inducted as performers in 2019.
Relive Avicii’s Incredible First Essential Mix – The Legendary Debut
Tim Bergling’s recent demise had left the entire world shell-shocked. We all know him by the name Avicii. A prodigy in Dance Music, he made his debut in 2010 with his album,” Essential Mix”, breaking all records. He was one of the youngest pop-innovators of the Electronic Dance Music genre of music. This mix did sum up and set the tone for EDM and featured the first broadcast of Avicii’s signature anthem ‘Levels’.
So Vinnare Casino known for housing a large collection of svenska online casino games pay tribute to this EDM superstar whose life was tragically cut short, by listing down the various achievements of his glorious career.
The Late Avicii redefined the meaning of incredibility with his music, which is no wonder that he was a recipient of two MTV Music Awards and a nominee for several Grammy Awards. In the year 2010, he had appeared on BBC’s Radio 1 for a debut Essential Mix which will be remembered now in the days and years to come. The speciality of his music is the way it strikes a melancholic chord into the hearts of the listeners. The speed at which he launched his remix albums one after the other, right during his beginner days was only a proof of the enormous talent and potential that he possessed.
Listening to this Essential Mix couldn’t have been more nostalgic to listen to now than at the time when it had released, given the emotional significance, all the Late Avicii’s albums are creating right now. And just a few days ago, it was aired on BBC 1 as a tribute to the deceased Swedish Dance Music Superstar. Back in the year 2010, Avicii had just released his first hit single,” Seek Bromance” and was on the cusp of superstardom with two of his songs, “Levels” and “Fade into Darkness”, both of which he had teased out in the Essential Mix. And by the end of 2011, the world got to know about a young Swedish DJ who took the music world, especially the Electronic Dance Music world by storm.
His 2012 performance in Cream fields was and still can be regarded as one of his greatest performances ever. Whizzing through an electric 60-minute setlist that also included Rudimental opening track ‘Feel the Love’ and the Otto Knows remix of ‘Lies’ by Burns amidst the heavy rain pouring down on the crowd, primarily hailing from Daresbury.
His popularity was so enormous that he was approached by most leading pop stars across the world and has also collaborated with them, thus producing great remix versions of the already hit songs. His collaboration with Chris Martin’s Coldplay to co-produce this single only further boosted his popularity and talent. He may no longer be with us around, but his music will continue to inspire and revolutionise the world of EDM and international music.
The “Official” Dance Steps For Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love.” Learn Them Now!
From comedy legend Joe Kwaczala, here’s the “official” dance steps to Soft Cell’s classic song ‘Tainted Love.’
Prince Estate Announce First Wave of Physical Titles In Rerelease Project – Musicology, 3121 and Planet Earth
The Prince Estate and Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, are pleased to announce the first round of physical titles set for release as part of the ongoing and definitive Prince catalog project first announced in August. Three essential full-length Prince albums, Musicology, 3121 and Planet Earth, will be available on CD and – for the first time ever – on vinyl beginning Friday, February 8, 2019. Each of the vinyl titles will be pressed on highly collectible, limited edition purple vinyl. In addition, the albums will be available in both CD/LP form alongside new exclusive merchandise corresponding to each album era via the Official Prince Store.
The physical release of Musicology (1CD and 2LPs), 3121 (1CD and 2LPs) and Planet Earth (1CD and 1LP) follow from the historic exclusive agreement inked between The Prince Estate and SME/Legacy in June 2018. In August 2018, 23 highly-collectible Prince catalog titles (many of them hard-to-find or out-of-print) and a newly curated anthology of 37 essential tracks compiled under the auspices of The Prince Estate, titled Prince Anthology: 1995-2010, were made available digitally across all major streaming services and digital service providers.
The album trilogy set for physical release February 8th celebrates a sustained period of renewed creative energy and commercial triumph in Prince’s multi-faceted career. These three albums marked Prince’s return to the top of the popular mainstream, a position he maintained while simultaneously pushing the envelope and breaking industry norms pertaining to marketing, distribution and live performance. Musicology (2004) resulted in two Grammy Awards – Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance (“Musicology”) and Best R&B Vocal Performance – Male (“Call My Name”) – and has been certified RIAA double platinum. Concurrently, Prince pioneered a cutting edge industry-first marketing and distribution strategy for the album, bundling a copy of the record as a gift to every fan who purchased a ticket to his monumental “Musicology Live 2004ever” tour, witnessed by over 1.47 million music lovers worldwide.
Released in 2006, 3121, Prince’s 31st studio album, became his first record to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 and his first #1 album since 1989’s Batman. For his follow-up studio album, 2007’s Planet Earth, Prince innovated yet another bold marketing and distribution tactic, giving free copies of the album away in the UK via a partnership with the national newspaper The Mail on Sunday. Bucking conventional industry distribution strategy, the innovative partnership fueled Prince’s epic 21-night run of sold out shows at London’s O2 Arena (20,000 capacity), while back in the US Planet Earth debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200.
Prince’s studio trilogy of Musicology, 3121, and Planet Earth presents the artist at a high point in his creative genius during the first decade of the 21st century. The 2004-2007 epoch gave us some of Prince’s most iconic and indelible performances, including his unforgettable appearance with Beyoncé at the 2004 Grammys, his show-stopping induction at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame a month later, and his incandescent triumph at the Super Bowl in February 2007.
Complementing the music release campaign, The Prince Estate and Legacy continue efforts to unify the iconic artist’s work on all digital services with the ongoing weekly release of Prince’s official music videos. Reignited on November 2nd, the weekly video drops covering the 1995-2010 period build on a current available library of over 80 official music videos, with each week’s selections drawing from specific catalog albums. This week’s batch features the videos from Musicology (including the controversial “Cinnamon Girl” featuring actress Keisha Castle-Hughes), 3121 (including “Te Amo Corazón” directed by Selma Hayak), and Planet Earth (including “Chelsea Rogers” shot at London Fashion Week).
The lasting impact and influence of Prince continues to resonate across popular music and culture. This November, “Black-ish,” the hit ABC-TV series, devoted its landmark 100th episode to a celebration of Prince and his music, while the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves recently announced that their entry into the league’s popular City Edition would be Prince-inspired, realized through a collaborative effort between The Prince Estate, the Timberwolves and Nike.
‘Springsteen On Broadway’ Pop-Up Store Set For December 14 + 15
Bruce Springsteen is opening a ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ pop-up retail store on December 14 and 15, commemorating the final two performances of Tony Award winner Bruce Springsteen’s historic 236-show run at Jujamcyn’s Walter Kerr Theatre.Located at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Hotel adjacent to the Walter Kerr, the pop-up store will mark the first opportunity to purchase the official 2 CD ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ soundtrack album, out December 14, and will feature all of the merchandise sold in-theater during the show’s run. The soundtrack album consists of the complete audio from the ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ Netflix release, launching globally on December 16 at 12:01 AM PT / 3:01 AM ET.
‘SPRINGSTEEN ON BROADWAY’ POP-UP STORE:
Friday, December 14, 4PM – 11PM
Saturday, December 15, 12PM – 11PM
LOCATION: Crowne Plaza Times Square Hotel, 1601 Broadway (at 48th Street), 5th Floor, Suite 502
Based on his worldwide best-selling autobiography ‘Born to Run,’ ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ is a unique evening with Bruce, his guitar, a piano, and his very personal stories. ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ began previews on October 3, 2017 and the completely sold-out series of performances officially opened October 12. The show was extended three times after its initial eight-week run, and will close on Broadway on December 15.
The ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ soundtrack album will be available December 14 on 2 CDs as well as a digital download and on streaming services. The album will feature each of the songs and stories from the show, with the stories labelled as “introductions” to the song they precede. The audio for ‘Springsteen on Broadway’ was mixed by the legendary Bob Clearmountain and mastered by the acclaimed Bob Ludwig.
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings announces eclectic 2019 schedule
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 2019 release schedule features voices both new and familiar, including a pair of collaborative albums conceived by prominent musicians, one co-produced by Rhiannon Giddens, and the other helmed by Laurie Anderson. Other highlights of the revitalized label’s releases for the first six months of the year include: insurgent folk trio Lula Wiles’ Folkways debut, vinyl re-issues of recordings from three singular female musicians Lucinda Williams, Elizabeth Cotten and Mary Lou Williams and monumental box sets dedicated to Pete Seeger and ‘The Social Power of Music.’
January 25 – Lula Wiles – ‘What Will We Do’
On ‘What Will We Do,’ Lula Wiles channel infectious energy and bold insight into music that strikes with purpose. The band fosters contradiction, embracing the spirit of traditional American music, yet unflinchingly calling into question the virtues of the culture that produces it— country songs that shine a light on a country’s crimes; love songs about being alone; murder ballads that challenge the standards of morality. Lula Wiles exist in the tense space where tradition and revolution meet, from which their harmonies rise into the air to create new American music.
February 22 – Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell – ‘Songs of Our Native Daughters’
‘Songs of Our Native Daughters’ gathers together kindred musicians Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell in song and sisterhood to communicate with their forebears. Drawing on and reclaiming early minstrelsy and banjo music, the Native Daughters collaborators reclaim, recast, and spotlight the often unheard and untold history of their ancestors, whose stories remain vital and alive today. The material on Songs of Our Native Daughters – written and sung in various combinations — is inspired by New World slave narratives, discrimination and how it has shaped our American experience, as well as musicians such as Haitian troubadour Althiery Dorval and Mississippi Hill Country string player Sid Hemphill, and more.
February 22 – ‘The Social Power of Music’
From parties to protests to prayer, music is a powerful catalyst for celebration, for change, and for a sense of community. Through making music together, we become bigger than ourselves. Whether singing with our families and friends or with thousands of strangers in an arena, music transforms lives, engages individuals, and connects local and global communities. ‘The Social Power of Music’ chronicles the vivid, impassioned, and myriad ways in which music binds, incites, memorializes, and moves groups of people. This richly illustrated 124-page book, with 80+ tracks on 4 CDs, invites listeners into musical practices, episodes, and movements throughout the U.S. and beyond. These songs of struggle, devotion, celebration, and migration remind us that music has the potential to change our world.
March 1 – Smithsonian Folkways Vinyl Reissue Series – Lucinda Williams ‘Happy Woman Blues,’ Elizabeth Cotten ‘Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar,’ and Mary Lou Williams ‘Mary Lou Williams’
April 5 – Laurie Anderson, Tenzin Choegyal, and Jesse Paris Smith – ‘Songs of the Bardo from the Tibetan Book of the Dead’
An understanding of death is essential to Tibetan culture and Buddhist practice, but mortality is universal. Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead, an ancient text used to usher practitioners through the interval between death and rebirth, ‘Songs of the Bardo’ is a spiritual collaboration and sonic experience by visionary artists Laurie Anderson, Tenzin Choegyal, and Jesse Paris Smith. The words have continued to offer a guiding hand through life’s most feared transformation, and on this album, the musicians create an utterly mesmerizing soundscape to allow the listener the wide-open space and flexibility to contemplate and meditate on their own path through this life.
May 3 – Pete Seeger – ‘The Smithsonian Folkways Collection’
He was a singer, a rebel, and a voice of the people. With a banjo and a selfless dedication to justice and the transformative power of music, he inspired all of humanity to question the status quo, to sing out and speak up against oppression wherever they witnessed it. His body of work reflects a deep reverence for the earth and all of those who walk on it; you can hear it in his voice and in the voices of the thousands of people who sang and continue to sing with him every day.
‘Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection’ is a career-spanning anthology of one of America’s most quintessential, celebrated, and influential musicians. Featuring classic recordings, 20 previously unreleased tracks, historic live performances, and special collaborations, this set encompasses over 60 years of Pete’s Folkways catalog, released on the occasion of his 100th birthday. 6 CDs and a 200-page extensively annotated and illustrated book.