Apple has officially launched its streaming music service in China. The company announced Wednesday that Apple Music will cost 10 RMB per month, or only $1.50 US, but not before users exhaust a three-month trial membership.
It was also announced that iTunes Movies and iBooks are both now available in China, which is already the company’s largest market for app downloads.
The low price for Apple Music in China is actually in line with other streaming services there, like Tencent’s QQ Music. Other music competitors in China include Netease and Baidu, and all are faced with trying to get listeners to pay for the stuff after years of downloading pirated music for free. How hard is it to crack the China market? In 2012, Google shuttered its (free) licensed music download service there due to lack of interest.
This is your opportunity to be in the pit at a heavy metal show, in the comfort of your own home. Here’s the group Wall Of Death and their song Heaven Shall Burn recorded at Resurrection Fest 2015. Enjoy it better on your mobile phone. Make the video full screen and turn around yourself to see it as if you were part of the show (it may not work in some devices).
Tom Hiddleston might be the best impersonator UK presenter Graham Norton ever had on the show. He even impressed Sir Bob with this amazing impression from Heat.
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) is pleased to announce its latest song induction into the Hall of Fame, Marie-Hélène, a touching jazz song written and originally recorded in 1976 by beloved Quebec singer-songwriter, author, and poet Sylvain Lelièvre.
As part of Covered Classics, a collaboration between the CSHF, CBC Music and ICI Musique, talented singer-songwriter Alexandre Désilets performs his electric-pop take of the newly inducted song.
The touching jazz-pop song Marie-Hélène helped launch the career of Sylvain Lelièvre, the Félix Award-winning songwriter and poet adored throughout Quebec and France for his skill with the French language.
Lelièvre was already known for his hit Petit matin when in 1976 he introduced Marie-Hélène on his LP “Programme double” for the Les Disques Presqu’île label. The album, and in particular the catchy Marie-Hélène, established the composer as a future giant of Quebec songwriting.
Marie-Hélène is an intriguing character study, sung in the third person, of an “everywoman” figure, a young woman starting her adult life in the big city. Lelièvre paints his appealing title character in deft, sparing strokes: Marie-Hélène is twenty, jobless, and does not have a lover yet; she is uncertain.
The jazz groove that made Marie-Hélène a favourite of Quebec radio stations is established from the start: a short introduction by strummed guitar with percussion is followed by a plaintive, jazzy violin riff. Lelièvre sings the verses (with Louise Bédard joining the choruses) and arranger Marc Bélanger providing the violin part. The mood is laid-back, much like the song’s title character.
Lelièvre on the writing of the song: “I wrote Marie-Hélène in 1976. I thought the situation for our youth would change. However, it remains true to this day: it’s not easy being a 20 year old. The entire tradition of the song reveals how wonderful it is to be 20. It was wonderful for me. I look at the students that I work with, it’s not as wonderful for them…. The song tells a story of solitude.” (Lelièvre, Sylvain. (26 May 2006). Le chanteur libre. Canada: Éditions TYPO.)
Pop-culture references situate the song in time and place, such as references to Montreal (“rue Saint-Denis”; “en métro”), British rock band Genesis, Quebec band Harmonium (“Cinquième saison”), and The Beatles’ Let it Be.
A song with “legs,” Marie-Hélène’s popularity grew rapidly. The sheet music was published in 1977, selling for $1.75. In 1980, the song appeared again on the composer’s “Sylvain Lelièvre – 13″ album, its title prominently displayed this time on the album cover. And a single on the Kébec-Disc label was released in January 1981.
Marie-Hélène appears on several subsequent Lelièvre albums: “Le Chanteur indigène” (1983, Kébec-Disc; a compilation album for sale in France); “Ses plus belles chansons” (1991, Kébec-Disc),again prominently named on the cover; and a 2001 two-piano instrumental version recorded for Radio-Canada and released on “Chansons Retrouvées” (2008). The song also leads off the 2002 collection “L’Intégrale 1975-1989″ and is featured again on “Versant jazz: Live au Lion d’Or” (2002). Print versions can be found in the collections “Le Plus Beau Métier” and “Le chanteur libre,” and it has been arranged for four-part choir.
2001 was a big year for Marie-Hélène: not only did the song earn the coveted SOCAN Classic Award for 25,000 radio plays, but “L’Intégrale 1975-1989″ took home the ADISQ Industrial Award for anthology of the year. The following year proved just as auspicious, with the album “Versant Jazz: Live au Lion d’Or” being awarded ADISQ’s Félix Award for best jazz album in 2002.
Shortly after Lelièvre’s sudden death in 2002, Quebec musicians joined together to sing Marie-Hélène and his other hits at a tribute concert. Since then, the song has been a favourite of various tribute acts, such as Benoit Gautier’s “Lettres de Lelièvre,” and of special radio broadcasts including, Radio-Canada’s seven-episode series about Lelièvre.
Marie-Hélène has been performed by Guillaume Vigneault (son of Lelièvre’s mentor, Gilles Vigneault); jazz singer Linda Racine on her ADISQ-nominated 2007 album “Racines”; Le Quatuor Robert Angelillo (an instrumental version); and Marc Bélanger. It has been included in anthologies such as, “Les Cent plus belles chansons du Québec” and “Les Romantiques Vol. 1″. Marie-Hélène continued to earn kudos on “Petite anthologie: de Limoilou à Tombouctou” (2013).
Sylvain Lelièvre (1943-2002) was originally from Quebec City. His interest in piano and French literature led him to a dual career as a songwriter and as a French teacher at Montreal’s Collège de Maisonneuve. A poet and novelist, he was mentored by chansonnier Gilles Vigneault, and became known for such hits as Petit matin, Lettre de Toronto, Hiroshima, and Tôt ou tard. Among his many top honours were first place in the 1963 Concours international de chanson, and the 1994 Félix Award for composer of the year. The Société professionnelle des auteurs et des compositeurs du Québec (SPACQ) named an annual songwriting award after him, and the Quebec/Wallonie-Bruxelles award was renamed the Rapsat-Lelièvre award named after Pierre Rapsat and Sylvain Lelièvre who both died just 10 days apart in April 2002. His name graces halls at Collège de Maisonneuve and Cégep de Limoilou and a park was named Sylvain-Lelièvre in Limoilou, Quebec in 2004.
JAZZ.FM91 launches season two of the critically acclaimed, five-part series focusing on stories of New Canadians and their music, Identities: The Documentary Series.
Narrated by acclaimed vocalist and actress Jackie Richardson, and written/produced by Alan Lysaght and Paul McGrath, Identities: The Documentary Series chronicles the lives and careers of remarkable musicians from around the world whose search for their identities was challenged as a result of their decision to leave their home and move to Canada.
“Storytelling is integral to what we do at JAZZ.FM91. We are proud to tell the stories of these new Canadian artists and how they strived to assimilate into a new culture while trying to preserve the values and culture of their native countries. These are important stories to tell, especially now, in light of current world events,” said Ross Porter, CEO & President of JAZZ.FM91.
Created by Ross Porter, the first season of Identities: The Documentary Series received a finalist award at the prestigious New York Festivals International Radio Award in the “Culture and Arts” category. The musicians featured in season two are:
· Ezra Kwizera, a multi-genre singer-songwriter from Rwanda, currently living in Vancouver;
· Maryem Tollar, an Egyptian-born, Toronto based Arabic singer;
· Minor Empire, a band which combines elements of Turkish and North American styles, led by guitarist Ozan Boz and singer Ozgu Ozman;
· Quique Escamilla, a multi-instrumentalist singer from Mexico, currently based in Toronto; and
· Alex Cuba, a Cuban-born guitarist and singer, currently residing in Toronto.
Identities: The Documentary Series will begin airing on Documentary Sunday at 11AM starting October 25th for five weeks.
JAZZ.FM91 is called “One of the most vibrant and versatile jazz stations on the planet” by Jazz Times. More than just a radio station, the JAZZ.FM91 enterprise is Canada’s only 24/7 jazz broadcaster and registered not-for-profit charitable arts organization dedicated to enriching the cultural, educational and community experience of their audience. JAZZ.FM91 can be heard live on the air at 91.1FM, streamed online at www.jazz.fm, or listened to on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, with the free JAZZ.FM91 App and via the JAZZ.FM91 Android App, available for download from the Google Playstore.
Funding for Identities: The Documentary Series was provided by Maytree. Established in 1982, Maytree is a private Canadian charitable foundation committed to reducing poverty and inequality in Canada and to building strong civic communities. Maytree seeks to accomplish its objectives by identifying, supporting and funding ideas, leaders and leading organizations that have the capacity to make change and advance the common good.
American Express announced today that Dead & Company has been chosen as the next artists in its popular live stream music series “American Express Unstaged,” in partnership with Vevo and YouTube. This new show has been added to the band’s Fall 2015 tour schedule on Saturday, November 7 at Madison Square Garden. The band and American Express will distribute 10,000 free tickets for this concert via a sweepstakes and fans will have the chance to support the Robin Hood Foundation, New York’s largest poverty-fighting organization.”
The Amex Unstaged global concert livestream will be directed by Brett Ratner and will be streamed at amexunstaged.com and via the Unstaged app on the evening of November 7.
To be eligible to win one of 5,000 pairs of free tickets to this show, fans who are U.S. residents, 18 and over can enter the official American Express Presents: Dead & Company Giveaway sweepstakes at www.DeadAndCompany.com beginning Monday, October 5 at 12 a.m. ET. The sweepstakes entry period will be closed on Thursday, October 8 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Ticket distribution details will be communicated directly to sweepstakes winners on or after Thursday, October 22. Tickets for this concert will not be made available for sale, and are only available to the public through the sweepstakes. There is no purchase necessary to enter, and official rules for the sweepstakes can be found via the entry page.
Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir joined forces with singer/guitarist John Mayer to form the band Dead & Company. The band will take the stage at a series of shows this Fall including three nights at the legendary Madison Square Garden and will perform two sets of music drawing largely from the Dead’s historic catalog of songs.
“Well, this is great – this is the system working at its best. Our fans get music for free, we get to play our music for a bunch of folks who might otherwise not get to catch it, AMEX gets to support music and the arts, and everyone gets to come together at Madison Square Garden and online to benefit The Robin Hood Foundation and New York City’s less fortunate,” said Weir.
Hart remarked, “New Yorkers have given us their hearts over the years. I’m proud to support The Robin Hood Foundation who are in the trenches, on the streets making a real difference for those who are homeless but not hopeless.”
Kreutzmann commented, “As you know, it’s been a phenomenal 50th anniversary year and now we’re resurrecting the spirit of the Dead at MSG. The Dead has always been inclusive, not exclusive. After all, we are everywhere. So we decided to add a third night at MSG, but this time…for free. Your patience and dedication will be rewarded.”
“This is one of those great moments where everything clicks. The spirit of the music, the great generosity and hard work of The Robin Hood Foundation, the beautiful energy of a concert at MSG as only Amex Unstaged could put together, and a night for fans to enjoy music that’s truly free,” said Mayer.
“This unique Dead & Company show will be a tremendous musical experience for fans at the Garden and those watching the livestream. We’re thrilled to create a memorable experience for the devoted followers of this iconic group of musicians in New York and beyond,” said John Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer, American Express. “As importantly, it’s a great opportunity for American Express to give our Card Members and all fans of the Dead the chance to support Robin Hood.”
Given the live show and livestream are free, fans will have opportunities to “pay it forward” and help Robin Hood in its mission of finding, funding and creating programs and schools that generate meaningful results for families in New York’s poorest neighborhoods. For more information about the foundation, visit www.robinhood.org.
“There are 1.8 million New Yorkers living in poverty,” said David Saltzman, Executive Director of Robin Hood. “We are especially grateful to Dead & Company, American Express and the entire caring community of Dead fans for the opportunity to help transform lives with their donations.”
Youtuber bd594 created a bizarre cover of “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” by The Doors using vintage electronic equipment and a sythensized voice. The list of instruments are something to behold, too:
HP ScanJet 3C – Vocals
DECTalk Express – Vocals
Yamaha CX-5M Computer – Saw Wave Bass
Yamaha CX-5M Computer – Sine Wave Organ
Drums – Slamming Hard Drive Head
Cymbal – Striking Hard Drive Platter
The blockbuster Hunger Games franchise has taken audiences by storm around the world, grossing more than $2.2 billion at the global box office. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 now brings the franchise to its powerful final chapter in which Katniss Everdeen [Jennifer Lawrence] realizes the stakes are no longer just for survival – they are for the future.
With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow [Donald Sutherland] in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale [Liam Hemsworth], Finnick [Sam Claflin], and Peeta [Josh Hutcherson] – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to liberate the citizens of Panem, and stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her. The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced in The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Peter Craig and Danny Strong and features an acclaimed cast including Academy Award-winner Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Academy Award-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone with Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland reprising their original roles from The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The impressive lineup is joined by The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 co-stars Academy Award®-winner Julianne Moore, Mahershala Ali, Natalie Dormer, Wes Chatham, Elden Henson and Evan Ross.
If anyone knows how to win the crowd in Guitar Hero Live, it’s James Franco and Lenny Kravitz. It’s time to rock out or face the music. The ad features the song “Keep On Swinging,” by Rival Sons.
