One Direction fans get ready because Harry Styles is going on tour. For the rest of you, just relax. He’s a good guy.
Harry announced via Twitter that he will be taking his solo act on the road in late 2017, starting off in San Francisco in September and ending in Tokyo, Japan in December; Harry will hit Toronto’s Massey Hall in October and will also make stops in New York, Chicago and London.
In just a few short weeks (May 12th), Harry will unveil is debut self-titled solo album which features the singles, ‘Sign of the Times’ and ‘Ever Since New York’; two songs he performed on a recent episode of Saturday Night Live.
19/09 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
20/09 – Los Angeles, CA – The Greek Theatre
25/09 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
26/09 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre
28/09 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
30/09 – Boston, MA – Wang Theatre
01/10 – Washington DC – DAR Constitution Hall
04/10 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
05/10 – Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theater
08/10 – Atlanta, GA – Roxy
10/10 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Irving Music Factory
11/10 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater
14/10 – Phoenix, AZ – Comerica Theatre
25/10 – Paris, France – L’Olympia
27/10 – Cologne, Germany – Palladium
29/10 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
30/10 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
01/11 – Manchester, UK – O2 Apollo Manchester
02/11 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
05/11 – Stockholm, Sweden – Fryshuset
07/11 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrome
08/11 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
10/11 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
23/11 – Singapore – The Star Theatre
26/11 – Sydney, Australia – Enmore Theatre
30/11 – Australia, Melbourne – Forum Theatre
02/11 – Auckland, New Zealand – Spark Arena
07/11 – Tokyo, Japan – EX Theater
08/11 – Tokyo, Japan – EX Theater
The magic of a band like this is in the details, and Chicano Batman’s performance here allows us to fall into the non-stop groove and passion of a sound that gets better and better with each performance. See for yourself.
General Licensing isn’t a sexy topic in the music industry. What is it and why does it generate almost four times more revenue for songwriters than all digital services combined! Why is nobody talking about it and what is being done to modernize this area of the business? For more information, please check out the SXSW 2017 Panel, “General Licensing: Where Are My Royalties?“
John Boyega sneaks up on fans posing for photos at Star Wars Celebration and gets awesome pics and better reactions! For your chance to join the cast at the Star Wars: The Last Jedi premiere, LEARN MORE: http://strw.rs/60088eUYK
Entries benefit UNICEF and Starlight Children’s Foundation, on behalf of Star Wars: Force for Change.
‘From Cradle To Stage’ author Virginia Grohl joins her son, Dave, to share some fascinating conversations she had with fellow mothers of rockstars, including Kurt Cobain’s.
Elyse Saunders’ RISE is inspired by two-time Canadian Olympian, four-time Pan AM Medalist and Canadian leading eventer Jessica Phoenix, from Uxbridge ON. After suffering a heavy fall with her horse while competing cross-country at the Jersey Fresh International Three Day Event in 2015, Jessica underwent emergency surgery and was told that she would not recover in time to defend her Pan AM Gold medal on home ground. Jessica’s spirit and love of the equine sport would be put to the ultimate test!
Unwavering grit was all that Jessica needed to see her through to a full recovery. Returning to the sport she loved in record time, Jessica Phoenix led the Canadian Eventing Team at the Toronto Pan AM Games, winning an Individual Silver, and a Bronze for Team Canada on her mount Pavarotti, an outstanding achievement, given the gravity of her injuries. RISE was born!
“RISE”the debut single from Canadian country artist, Elyse Saunders, is now available on iTunes, Apple Music, and radio stations everywhere here.
The global music market achieved a key milestone in 2015 when digital became the primary revenue stream for recorded music, overtaking sales of physical formats for the first time.
Digital revenues now account for 45 per cent of total revenues, compared to 39 per cent for physical sales.
IFPI’s Global Music Report 2016 also reported a 10.2 per cent rise in digital revenues to US$ 6.7 billion, with a 45.2 per cent increase in streaming revenue more than offsetting the decline in downloads and physical formats.
Total industry revenues grew 3.2 per cent to US$ 15.0 billion, leading to the industry’s first significant year-on-year growth in nearly two decades. Digital revenues now account for more than half the recorded music market in 19 markets.
The major labels alone reported revenues of $3.9 billion, it’s still important for the independent labels and artists to fight for their space online, says one leading Canadian music manager. Amir Epstein, LLB, who works with Edwin (I Mother Earth, Crash Karma), Tyler Shaw, The Standstills, Bed Of Stars, and Dylyn, sees a different experience, despite these record-breaking numbers.
“Streaming is not only the future, it’s the present. As Lyor once said to me, ‘an artist without social media, is an artist that’s dead in the water’. Well today, an artist that isn’t focusing much of their attention on Spotify, Apple, Google and all the other streaming companies, are as good as dead in the water. Streaming is everything. It’s only a matter of time before these companies start releasing music that they themselves are licensing. This would be the big move.
“Although the biggest artists in music are making the big bucks with streaming royalties, this doesn’t mean smaller bands and independent artists can’t kick butt as well.
“Yes, customers are buying and streaming Drake, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber’s albums, but the other 99.99999% of artists aren’t selling anything.
Epstein does offer hope for independent artists, however. “The reality is that streaming dominates, and so can an independent band from Halifax or Utah. And just because the biggest names in music are all sitting on top of the castle, while the rest of us are dirty rascals, it doesn’t mean you can’t win as well. Get involved, post new music, create playlists and work, work, work, work, work. This is the best time to be a starving artist. The world is your oyster and you can make success happen without a label, manager, or an agent. Streaming is more than a listening tool. It’s a business tool.”
Anyone who’s ever played Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will know how much more fun carrying out a drive-by is when it’s accompanied by a gangsta rap soundtrack courtesy of the in-game radio station.
But it seems as though the relationship between video games and music is getting evermore complex as our musicians start to use the hugely profitable gaming realm as a way to boost their profiles and earn some handy revenues.
Although streaming has helped music enjoy some record growth figures, as an industry it pales in comparison to video gaming. And that’s why some of our biggest pop stars like Kanye West and Taylor Swift have been quick to team up with some of the most successful games developers to see how they can release their own branded games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=759ykQGN_1w
The branded mobile game has become a big hit in the past few years, with Nicki Minaj’s mobile game being a typical example of how themes of celebrity and empire-building have become key features of the modern musician’s video game.
However, there are plenty of more underground artists who are willing to be a little more subtle in how they adapt to the gaming realm. Whether it’s leftfield beatmakers like Hudson Mohawke soundtracking the Watch Dogs 2 console game, or post-rockers 65daysofstatic providing a typically bombastic soundtrack for No Man’s Sky, it shows how even indie musicians can get involved in massive gaming hits.
Whilst musicians and video gaming might seem to be an uneasy mix, Lucky Nugget Casino’s blog shows how some of our best-loved musicians have used games as lyrical influences.
Plus even enigmatic instrumental acts like Explosions in the Sky have had their music featured in sports games like Major League Baseball 2K12, and plenty of indie bands enjoyed the revenues from being featured in various EA Sports games, and so it shows how flexible our musicians have become when it comes to getting their music heard.
Unsurprisingly, the famously eccentric Björk has had her own distinctive take on how to use gaming to her own advantage. The Icelandic singer released her 2011 album, Biophilia, as a kind of interactive audiovisual video game which might seem like a self-indulgent marketing ploy, but was successful enough to merit a place in New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
And with the gaming realm constantly expanding its genres to include everything from virtual-reality horror titles to online casino simulations, it looks like it will be providing plenty of creative opportunities for musicians to come.
Concord Music Group and Rhino Entertainment, Warner Music Group’s catalog division, are proud to announce a joint campaign celebrating the 60th anniversary of iconic soul label, Stax Records. This unique partnership marks the first marketing collaboration of the Stax recordings which have been divided since Atlantic Records split with Stax Records in 1967.
Honoring historic Soulsville, USA in Memphis, TN, curated collections of some of the greatest Stax music will be released on new hits compilations, vinyl LPs, digital hi-resolution remasters and deluxe boxed sets. These releases will showcase timeless Stax hits, plus rare tracks from many of the label’s legendary artists including Otis Redding, Booker T & the MGs, Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, William Bell, Sam & Dave, Albert King, Mable John, The Mad Lads and many more.
The collaboration between Rhino and Concord will kick off with the May 19th launch of the Stax Classics series — announced exclusively on Rolling Stone (4/26) — which consists of ten wallet-friendly collections, each highlighting one of the label’s biggest stars with 12 choice tracks and insightful new liner notes. Available on CD and at all digital retailers and streaming services, these albums will celebrate the prolific Stax careers of Otis Redding, William Bell, Johnnie Taylor, Carla Thomas, Booker T & The MGs, The Dramatics, Albert King, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes and The Staple Singers.
Throughout the year, both Concord and Rhino will reissue a variety of iconic Stax albums on vinyl, including a 50th anniversary pressing of Otis Redding and Carla Thomas’ King & Queen (Rhino), Melvin Van Peebles’ soundtrack to the groundbreaking Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (Concord), rarity John Gary Williams from The Mad Lads front man (Concord) and Otis Redding’s 1965 classic The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads (Rhino). Also, the forthcoming 4-CD anthology Isaac Hayes: The Spirit of Memphis (1962-1976) will be released in August, 2017 to coincide with the multitalented artist’s 75th birth anniversary. In addition, both labels will collaborate on a three-CD Stax 60th set, plus a new installment in the critically acclaimed Complete Stax Singles boxed set series. Volume Four will focus on the diverse nature of the label’s catalog, featuring singles released not only on Stax and Volt, but also Enterprise, Hip, Chalice, Gospel Truth and more. Both Rhino and Concord will also continue an overhaul of digital releases, re-delivering a handful of popular titles in high-resolution and Mastered for iTunes formats, as well as making many albums available to streaming and digital services for the first time.
This soulful partnership marks a special moment in history for the label, and both Rhino and Concord are proud to have the opportunity to collaborate after nearly 50 years. “The Stax catalog features some of the greatest and most culturally significant albums and singles of all time and continues to resonate with music fans 60 years later,” says Mark Pinkus, President of Rhino Entertainment. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Concord’s team on a wide array of new releases fitting of such an important moment in the Stax legacy.”
Sig Sigworth, Chief Catalog Officer of Concord Bicycle Music, Concord Music Group’s mother company, also notes that “Stax has a great history of bringing people together-songwriters, musicians, singers and fans from around the world. It’s in this same tradition that we are very pleased to work with Mark and his team to bring together both sides of this incredible catalog while celebrating 60 years of Soulsville, USA.”
Founded in 1957 by Memphis banker and fiddle player Jim Stewart, the Memphis label was a labor of love for Stewart, who oversaw operations initially with his sister Estelle Axton and then associate Al Bell. “On the anniversary of Stax Records’ 60th, this Concord/Rhino collaboration signals the beginning of the end of a bitter-sweet relationship between Stax and Atlantic,” says Stewart. “It’s long-overdue and a good omen for the unending popularity of the very best of Memphis Soul music.” “Stax Records,” Mr. Stewart continues, “was my baby. Stax music was and always will be inspirational. I am so pleased that the music we created and recorded at Stax is still being discovered, and it continues to reside in the hearts of devotees everywhere that know the joy and power of ‘real’ music.”
Stewart and Axton, who changed the name of the label from Satellite Records to Stax in 1960, soon had a self-contained soul music powerhouse, complete with its own recording studio, a growing staff of A&R personnel, songwriters, producers, an inimitable house band, as well as Stax Publicist, Deanie Parker, who continues to fortify the legacy of Stax in Soulsville, USA. “Through the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the label’s rich musical and cultural history can be studied, felt and enjoyed,” Parker offers. “Stax’s iconic hits and artists come to life through students at the Stax Music Academy and live on thanks to The Soulsville Charter School. And now, partners Concord and Rhino are unleashing some of the first R&B songs from the womb of Stax Records-music that we’ve grown up loving for more than half a century. It’s free at last,” Parker adds.
During its 15-year run, Stax released more than 800 singles and nearly 300 LPs, winning eight GRAMMY® Awards, plus an Academy Award along the way. The label placed more than 167 hit songs in the Top 100 pop charts, and a staggering 243 hits in the Top 100 R&B charts. Today, the original site of Stax Records is home to The Soulsville Foundation, which operates the multi-million dollar campus that houses the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, as well as the Stax Music Academy and The Soulsville Charter School, both of which serve primarily at-risk, inner-city youth. The Soulsville Foundation aims to impart the spirit and soul upon which Stax Records was founded: using the power of music and opportunity to shape a young person’s life, rebuild a community and keep valuable history alive forever.
