Here’s The Cult’s great performance of two songs from Electric “Lil’ Devil” and “Born to Be Wild” on The Joan Rivers Show back in 1988. It was also the 25th birthday of singer Ian Astbury, and he took a call from his father giving him good wishes.
By the way, The Cult has a new album out, Hidden City, the final installment in a three-album trilogy.
Major Lazer’s single with DJ Snake and MØ, “Lean On,” officially claims a prestigious Spotify title. It’s now the most-streamed song of all time with a whopping 526 million plays worldwide, dethroning “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran.
The infectious dancehall record was deemed Spotify’s song of the summer and peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
Via Billboard
Chilly Gonzales uses musical theory concepts from his “Re-Introduction Etudes” book to analyze today’s pop music hits for radio station WDR 1Live. This time with “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Lana del Rey.
In this trippy film a girl named Alice, who lives in a dull black-and-white world, sips from a “Drink Me” bottle and is magically transported down the rabbit hole to a colorful psychedelic world filled with fantastical creatures.
Don’t do drugs, kids.
Via Boing Boing
Just days before Carly Simon’s long-awaited memoir, Boys in the Trees, arrives, Rhino will release the book’s musical companion, SONGS FROM THE TREES (A MUSICAL MEMOIR COLLECTION).
In the collection’s liner notes, the acclaimed singer/songwriter explains the music’s connection to her book: “This is a special album that serves as an additional way to look at my stories. Most of these songs are precursors to what eventually became the book…If you feel like playing this puzzle, there are clues of how to cross-reference the songs with the chapters, pages and words.”
SONGS FROM THE TREES (A MUSICAL MEMOIR COLLECTION) will be available from Rhino on November 20,
With 31 tracks spread across two disc, the compilation spans a great deal of the award-winning artist’s stellar career, from her musical debut as half of The Simon Sisters performing folk songs with her sister Lucy in Greenwich Village, to her meteoric solo career, which yielded 13 top 40 hits, including the #1 song “You’re So Vain.”
Longtime fans will appreciate the inclusion of two unreleased tracks: “Showdown” originally recorded during the sessions for her 1978 album Boys In The Trees and “I Can’t Thank You Enough,” a brand new song written with her son Ben Taylor. The song will be available to hear starting at Midnight, November 12.
The compilation focuses primarily on the music Simon released during her longstanding relationship with Warner Music labels Elektra Records and Warner Bros. Records from 1971 to 1983. Among the many highlights are: “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be,” from her self-titled, 1971 debut, “The Right Thing To Do,” from her first #1 album No Secrets (1972), “Mockingbird,” the gold-certified single she recorded with her then-husband and fellow singer-songwriter James Taylor, “From The Heart” from 1981’s Torch, as well as the title tracks from 1980’s Come Upstairs and 1983’s Hello Big Man.
Simon’s memoir Boys in the Trees reveals her remarkable life, beginning with her storied childhood as the third daughter of Richard L. Simon, the co-founder of publishing giant Simon & Schuster, to a meteoric career in which she became the first artist in history to win a Grammy Award, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. The memoir recalls a childhood enriched by music and culture, but also one shrouded in secrets that would eventually tear her family apart. Simon brilliantly captures moments of creative inspiration, the sparks of songs, and the stories behind writing “Anticipation” and “We Have No Secrets” among many others. Romantic entanglements with some of the most famous men of the day fueled her confessional lyrics, as well as the unraveling of her storybook marriage to Taylor. Boys in the Trees is available November 24 from Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillian.
SONGS FROM THE TREES (A MUSICAL MEMOIR COLLECTION)
Track Listing
Disc One
Disc Two
Bonus Selections
Singles Day is a day for people who are single, celebrated on November 11, and has become the largest online shopping day in the world, with sales in Alibaba’s sites Tmall and Taobao at US$5.8 billion in 2013, US$9.3 billion in 2014, and over US$14.3 billion in 2015.
Such a big holiday needs a big spokesperson. So, who better to be the spokesman for this event than the President of the United States, Frank J. Underwood (or Kevin Spacey playing his role from House Of Cards).
https://youtu.be/3xxNlzUh56k
The Big Apple is a major music market, but a really tough one to bite into! So, why not get a little help from the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA)?
For the first time ever, CIMA will be organizing a private business mission to New York City that will run from January 18-22, 2016. This mission will be produced in partnership with a New York City-based consulting firm, Sneak Attack Media.
This mission will provide participating companies with the opportunity to undertake an extensive, valuable and structured foray into the New York music market.
Mission Details:
This mission is open to qualifying CIMA member companies as well as qualifying non-member companies. CIMA members in good standing benefit from a discounted rate of $850 CDN, while the mission cost for non-members is $1250 CDN.
The mission includes:
Potential showcasing opportunities: This is a business mission, but there may be a potential showcase opportunity if any delegates have bands already booked to perform in NYC during that time. Additional fees may be incurred.
How to apply:
CIMA is currently looking for 10-12 companies to register for this mission. This opportunity is best suited for businesses that meet the following criteria:
If you meet the criteria outlined above, please submit your applications before Friday, November 20, 2015.
CIMA will reserve positions for companies in the order in which their completed applications are received and approved.
For any questions or concerns, please contact CIMA’s Music Export Manager, Trisha Carter, attrisha@cimamusic.ca.
I feel a bit creepy about this, but Gord Downie, The Tragically Hip’s frontman has just sold his Riverdale home for $2,230,000. I don’t feel strange he sold his house, but posting these photos, since I’ve never been invited to his home, but…
Located in Riverdale, the house has a wonderful view of the Toronto Skyline, and on a 44-foot lot to write and create your next musical masterpiece. I don’t know why it’s more stylish than I thought – it’s not like I had the feeling it would be covered with rock and roll concert posters and hockey sweaters framed on the wall. I kinda did, actually. Shows you what I know, and it’s a stunning, beautiful house.
As well take a tour of the entire house in the real estate company’s promotional video in the player below.
(Photos via The Mash Canada) H/T Indie 88
Eight Sensible Gifts for Hanukkah is the final (they say) holiday-themed mystery gift promotion by Cards Against Humanity. It follows in the tradition of their earlier 12 Days of Holiday Bullshit and 10 Days or Whatever of Kwanza campaigns.
You send $15 in exchange for a series of eight daily mystery gifts safe for work that will arrive around Hanukkah. There are a limited number of spots available – 46,000 were left, so interested parties should act quickly.
ole has acquired Anthem Entertainment Group, the label home of Rush as well as Big Wreck, Ian Thornley, Steven Page, The Tea Party, and other artists. Anthem will continue to operate as a label under the ole label services banner, which includes its recently launched artist incubator red dot, and signals ole’s official push into the label services, master acquisition and artist development space.
The deal adds to ole‘s earlier acquisitions of Core Music Publishing (Rush) and Mark Cain (Max Webster), and comprises of all the legacy audio and A/V recordings of Rush and other Anthem artists, including the chart-topping new release Secrets by Ian Thornley, Steven Page’s upcoming solo album, and the upcoming live album and concert film from the Rush R40 Tour. Andy Curran, long-time A&R director at Anthem, joins ole as General Manager Label Services/A&R, together with Tyler Tasson as Manager, Label Services.
ole, a music publishing and rights management company, has concluded some $500M USD in acquisitions over the past 11 years and already manages master recordings for itself and as a service to third parties across the music and A/V spectrum. Via red dot, ole‘s artist development label, ole is currently releasing music from artists including Haley Reinhart, Josh Dorr, Josh Thompson, Jordan Davis and Sam Grow. red dot’s mandate is to act as an incubator that boosts artists to the next stage of their career. Strengthening its label services,ole operates a successful and complementary YouTube multi-channel network, ole digital, which was established in 2013 with over 5B views across publishing, masters and A/V to date.
Said ole Chairman and CEO Robert Ott, “ole is very excited about entering the label services business and building on the foundation of Ray Danniel’s storied company. ole is proud to continue to be the home of Rush and the other great artists with Anthem. We look forward to working closely with Anthem’s artists and business partners to further success.”
“I am pleased that Anthem and its ongoing legacy have found a new home with ole,” said Ray Danniels, President of SRO. “After working with Robert Ott for the last year, I have found him to be a man of integrity and vision. He and ole are the right choice to lead Anthem Entertainment and Anthem Records into the future while protecting its past. I am especially pleased that he has chosen to bring Andy Curran and Tyler Tasson to ole in management positions. Together with Pegi Cecconi’s work as an ole consultant, this has made for a seamless transition for the artists and catalogues involved. I will continue to devote my time and energy to SRO Management, representing Rush and our other artists, as I have done for over 40 years.”
Alex Lifeson, guitarist and co-founder of Rush, said, “I’m pleased to see that Anthem Records has landed with ole, the home of our music publishing catalog. I wish them great success with their new label business. Congratulations to our longtime manager Ray Danniels and CEO ofole, Robert Ott on completing their deal!”
Anthem Entertainment Group based in Toronto, has been the stable of Rush and a host of other artists for over four decades. Its record label, Anthem Records, is one of the most important and successful independent record labels in Canada. Over the years, the label continued to grow and reflect the success of not only Rush and but other artists such as Max Webster, Coney Hatch, Ian Thomas, jazz flautist Moe Koffman, Gowan and Bob & Doug McKenzie.
ole is one of the world’s foremost rights management companies with investments of $500M in music intellectual property (IP). Founded in 2004, with operations in Toronto, Nashville, New York, and Los Angeles, ole is engaged in IP acquisitions, creative development, and worldwide rights management. The ole catalog includes over 50,000 songs and 60,000 hours of TV and film music across all genres. Copyrights under ole‘s control include songs recorded by artists such as the Backstreet Boys, Beyoncé, Blake Shelton, Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Madonna, Michael Jackson, One Direction, Rihanna, Rush, Taylor Swift, and Timbaland. ole controls substantial A/V music and secondary rights including catalogs from Sony Pictures Entertainment, MGM, Miramax, Nelvana, and Nu Image/Millennium. Jingle Punks, the Production Music division ofole, provides quality content and service to creators in all media with over 400,000 tracks in its library.
ole is committed to the creative development of its 100+ staff songwriters, legacy writers, and composers and adding value to our catalogs and client catalogs. Current ole writers include Timbaland, Tyler Farr, Josh Dorr, Gord Bamford, Brett Jones, Dave Turnbull, Jeremy Stover, Marty Dodson, and Ian Thornley. ole has ongoing Ventures with Last Gang Publishing, Roots Three Music, Jackoby Publishing, and most recently, ole-Bluestone Publishing, ole‘s venture with global hitmaker Timbaland. ole‘s legacy catalogs and writers include Rush, Max Webster, Coney Hatch, and Ian Thomas.
ole also operates a robust label services arm, with Anthem Entertainment Group, the label home of Rush as well as Big Wreck, Ian Thornley, Steven Page, The Tea Party, and more, as well as the artist development label red dot, which is releasing music from artists including Haley Reinhart, Josh Dorr, and Josh Thompson. Strengthening its label services, ole operates a successful and complementary YouTube multi-channel network, ole digital, which was established in 2013 with over 5B views across publishing, masters and A/V to date.
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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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