Jimmy Fallon and President Obama slow jam the news, discussing Obama’s legacy, accomplishments and thoughts on the 2016 election.
SOCAN Songwriting Prize finalists to square off for $10,000
SOCAN has announced the finalists for the 11th annual SOCAN Songwriting Prize, a competition that identifies 10 outstanding songs in English and French written and released by emerging songwriters over the past year, with the music-loving public deciding the winners.
The 10 English and French finalists were each determined by independent panels of 15 music-industry experts (including myself) who were tasked to nominate two songs from any genre that they felt were the best songs written over the past year by “emerging” songwriters – defined as songwriters who only have released two full albums or less (not including EPs) up until the end of the eligibility period (see rules for complete criteria). All the nominated songs were then compiled, reviewed and voted on by each panel as a whole. SOCAN does not have a role in determining the nominees or winners.
The 10 English songs nominated this year are:
- “Black Body” – written by Benjamin Addy, Renee Wisdom; performed by Spec Won.
- “Dead or Alive” – written by Jahmarie Adams, Michael Lantz; performed byJazz Cartier.
- “Desire” – written by Kathleen Monks, Benjamin Reinhartz, James Rowlinson, Elizabeth Ball; performed by Dilly Dally.
- “How Could You Babe” – written by Tobias Jesso Jr; performed by Tobias Jesso Jr; published by Universal Music Publishing.
- “Julia” – written by Matthew McLeod; performed by Fast Romantics.
- “No hurry” – written by Terra Lightfoot; performed by Terra Lightfoot; published by CCS Rights Management Corp.
- “Paradise” – written by Ashton Simmonds, Matthew Burnett, Jordan Evans, Alexander Sowinski, Matthew Tavares, Leland Whitty, Chester Hansen, Keaven Yazdani; performed by Daniel Ceasar; published by Reclusive Music Inc,, Koblat Music Publishing Ltd. Canada, Robinson Heart Publishing.
- “Pen to Paper” – written by Sean Graham, Thomas Salter; performed byModern Space; published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
- “Spirits” – written by Simon Ward, Jeremy Drury, Jonathan Hembrey, Darryl GJ James, Brian Leigh Pickett, David Ritter, Joanne Setterington, Isabel Cunningham Ritchie; performed by The Strumbellas; published by Domino Double Nine.
- “Wendell Walker” – written by Andy Shauf; performed by Andy Shauf; published by Peer International Ltd (Canada), Music of the Mothership.
For two weeks, June 9-23, 2016, SOCAN invites music fans to vote for their favourite song from the nominees lot by visiting www.socansongwritingprize.ca or through Twitter using the hashtag #mySSPvote and identifying the performer’s name in the tweet. Fans can vote once a day through each platform for the English and French prize competitions. The English and French winning songs will be announced the week of July 12, 2016.
Winners will receive $10,000 in cash, a choice between two models of Godin Guitars (aSeagull Artist Studio CW guitar or Godin 5th Avenue Jazz guitar), a Yamaha PSR-S970 keyboard, and a $500 gift card from Long & McQuade.
“These emerging songwriters might be tomorrow’s global superstars,” said Michael McCarty, Chief Membership & Business Development Officer at SOCAN. “We hope that the SOCAN Songwriting Prize helps these talented songwriters expand their fan base and get the attention they so deserve. Although there can only be one official winner, they’re all winners for creating such great songs to begin with.”
For information on the 2016 Prix de la chanson SOCAN, the Francophone counterpart of the SOCAN Songwriting Prize, click here. For all of the latest updates, follow the SOCAN Songwriting Prize on Twitter at @SOCANmusic and via the #SOCANprize hashtag, as well as on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SOCANmusic.
More Music From The Stone Roses! Listen to “Beautiful Thing”
I know, I know. You always wanna go back to their debut. Me, too. But I like living in a world where I can type the words “New Stone Roses” and embrace the fact they’re going to do what they want to do, and more power to them. Check out the explosive, slightly-less than bombastic Beautiful Thing below.
Lithuania Wants This Iron Maiden Poster Banned
Iron Maiden are facing calls for their tour poster to be taken down in Lithuania, where they are “reportedly under investigation for possible violations of a law protecting minors under 14 from ‘negative information,’” according to Billboard.
The 8 Greatest Quotes From Muhammad Ali
Beloved boxing legend Muhammad Ali has died at the age of 74. Though he’s best known for his brilliant fighting skills inside the ring, he was also a proud Muslim, fierce advocate for civil rights, spoke out against the Vietnam War, and knew about the Rules Of Life that govern us all. Here are just a few of his strong words to live by:
1. “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
2. “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
3. “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”
4. “Don’t count the days; make the days count.”
5. “The man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win the match when it’s even.”
6. “It’s not bragging if you can back it up.”
7. “It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.”
8. “The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.”
Americana Music Association, Record Store Day Launch ‘Americana Music Month’
The Americana Music Association and Record Store Day have partnered to create Americana Music Month, which will run throughout June 2016.
More than 100 independent record stores are participating throughout the month providing free music samplers, special deals on new and classic Americana albums, and in-store promotions all month long. In Nashville, those stores include Grimey’s, The Groove, and Fond Object Records. Other Tennessee stores include Chattanooga’s For The Record and Knoxville’s Disc Exchange.
That Time Muhammad Ali Sparred With Sylvester Stallone Onstage During 1977 Oscars
Sylvester Stallone and Muhammad Ali playfully fought before presenting Beatrice Straight with the Supporting Actress Oscar for Network at the 49th Academy Awards.
SiriusXM Music For Business Now Available On Sonos
SiriusXM and Sonos announced the debut of SiriusXM Music for Business on Sonos. SiriusXM will demonstrate SiriusXM Music for Business at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago, from May 21-24, in booth #4578.
SiriusXM Music for Business is now available for the first time for businesses using Sonos wireless products. The easy-to-use Sonos app enables restaurants, hotels, offices, retailers, and other businesses to integrate SiriusXM’s wide-variety of licensed commercial-free music from every genre without additional equipment. SiriusXM Music for Business paired with Sonos allows businesses to meet the unique requirements of each environment and enhance the customer experience.
“We are thrilled to work with Sonos to give businesses an easy, powerful solution to create a soundtrack for their customers and employees,” said Joe Verbrugge, Executive Vice President, Sales and Development, SiriusXM. “Whether it’s top 40 hits or jazz, songs from the ’80s and ’90s, acoustic music by singers and songwriters, SiriusXM Music for Business is designed to give businesses a wide variety of choice and control over the music that defines their brands.”
“Now that SiriusXM Music for Business is fully integrated into the Sonos controller app, business owners can get the same simple, all-in-one solution that Sonos users enjoy at home to bring the commercial-free music they love from SiriusXM into the workplace and retail environment,” said Andrew Vloyantes, Global Business Development manager for Sonos.
SiriusXM Music for Business delivers 105 commercial-free music channels, more than 30 of which are interruption-free, to keep customers engaged, energized and entertained. All content is licensed and legally available for business use.
Stewart Copeland’s Isolated Drums For The Police’s “Roxanne”
The Police’s classic “Roxanne” was released as a single off of 1978’s Outlandos d’Amour. The track found fast success, scoring a #12 slot on the UK Singles Chart and #32 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it remains a staple on classic rock radio.
Stewart Copeland was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Police in 2003 and the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2016, he was ranked 10th on Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time”.
https://youtu.be/HYbaXW2GEpg
Spotify has hired major artist manager Troy Carter as Global Head of Creator Services
Spotify has hired major artist manager Troy Carter as Global Head of Creator Services – a role in which he’s likely to be tasked with battling the exclusive releases currently flocking to rival services such as TIDAL and Apple Music.
A Spotify spokesperson confirmed that Carter would be starting at the company next week, reporting into Chief Content and Chief Strategy Officer Stefan Blom.
The Atom Factory founder will lead three divisions at Spotify: Artist Relations, Songwriter Relations, Label Relations.
Carter is the former manager of Lady Gaga, and has also managed the likes of Eve, Lindsey Sterling, Charlie Puth John Legend and Meghan Trainor.
On his Facebook page, Carter said:
“I started my career as a kid who loved hip hop. I would read the back of liner notes and knew every studio, engineer, and producer you could think of. I had a crazy “rain man” like recall on all things music. I loved music so much that I dropped out of high school and dedicated my life to it. It was never about making money; it just spoke to my soul and gave a skinny, shy kid the words he didn’t know how to say and the confidence he didn’t know he had. Music gave me life and fueled the culture around me.
“When Eve asked me to be her manager, I had no clue what that meant. All I knew was that my job was to protect my friend. And that role of protector is one that I would find myself taking on for many artists over the years. So after 15 years of talent management, I’ve decided that it’s time to explore new roads.
“I’d like to thank all of the artists that gave me such an incredible opportunity by entrusting me and the Atom Factory team with their careers: Eve, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Meghan Trainor, Charlie Puth, and many many others. THANK YOU!
“There’s a famous quote from JFK that says, ‘Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.’ With that said, I’m a firm believer that Spotify is the future for music. In my new role as Global Head of Creator Services, my job is just a natural continuation of what I’ve always done – protect the voice of artists. Always have and always will.
“Through Atom Factory, my team will stay in place to run our tech, culture and hustle outlet SMASHD.co as well as launch a brand innovation agency. And through Smashd Labs and Cross Culture VC, I’ll still continue investing in great founders that have the ability to deliver next wave disruption to culture.”