From the first episode of The Richard Pryor Show, check out this rarely-seen sketch – it’s like Jimi meets KISS meets Funkadelic and creates Black Metal in the process.
Watch vinyl records being cut at Abbey Road Studios
Last month, The Vinyl Factory were given unprecedented access to the mastering suites at London’s world-famous Abbey Road Studios to meet some of the best engineers in the business. The final stage of the production process before the masters are shipped off to the factory to be pressed, mastering is a fine art and its practitioners highly technical craftsmen. Responsible for some of the most important records in history, from The Beatles to Pink Floyd, there’s no better place to learn than Abbey Road.
Having explored the art of vinyl mastering in our short film earlier this year, their visit to Abbey Road was an opportunity to receive a one-on-one tutorial of what actually goes on when you cut music to disc for the first time. Veteran mastering engineer and the man behind the half-speed and direct to metal mastering which make Abbey Road unique, Miles Showell talks you through the process, from keeping the levels tight to spacing the grooves on the record.
A Day In The Life Of Freddie Gibbs
R&R recently spent the day with Gary, Indiana native Freddie Gibbs to take a look at his daily routine and lifestyle. In this feature they hang out with Gangsta Gibbs at his house, go and check on his custom Monte Carlo, grab some drinks, smoke up some Cali kush and do some shopping in LA. In between his daily activities, they also sat down for an extended discussion about everything from the state of the rap game and how he approaches each verse.
R.E.M.’s manager and lawyer Bertis Downs on how he knew the internet would change music
R.E.M.’s manager and lawyer Bertis Downs had his first inkling of just how serious the digital revolution was going to be at an entertainment law symposium at Duke University in the late 1990s. “This was right before Napster,” he says. “It was possible to download music then, but it was difficult. You had to know what you were doing. I was talking to a bunch of law students, and I asked, ‘How many of you download music?’ Ninety percent of the hands went up. I thought, Oh no. And these are law students.”
Via Business Week
Meghan Trainor’s Thanksgiving Carols
There are so many Christmas songs, but none about Thanksgiving. Fortunately a very talented young artist is hoping to fill that gap. Jimmy Kimmel Live are pleased to announce “All About That Bass” singer Meghan Trainor’s brand new album of what they believe will soon be considered Thanksgiving holiday classics.
http://youtu.be/TuB4XmjkSLE
Diplo & Mad Decent Premiere Awesome Christmas Mixtape
From The Fader:
The jolly fools over at Mad Decent couldn’t wait to get this new mixtape off their hands, for good reason: it’s a hilarious pack of remixes of your favorite Christmas jingles featuring Jesse Slayter, DJ Fire, and more. Davoodi’s flip of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker score sounds like the Yeezus Tour meets the Radio City Christmas Show, and Kstylis’s verse on “6th Gear” is drunk with holiday cheer. “Christmas was always lonely for me,” Diplo tells FADER. “I only got switches in my stockings. I wish I had an album like this to keep me warm… now you can!” Cop it here.
Vinyl Music Sales Hit 18-Year High in U.K.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Having mostly been written off in the past by a music industry dominated by digital, vinyl is continuing its resurgence in the U.K. after last year racking up its highest sales in years.
So far this year, more than 1 million vinyl records have been sold in Britain, marking the first time this milestone has been crossed since 1996.
“In an era when we’re all talking about digital music, the fact that these beautiful physical artifacts are still as popular as they are is fantastic,” said Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company, which tracks music sales in Britain, in an interview with the BBC.
“Only five years ago this business was worth around £3 million [$4.7 million] a year. This year it’s going to be worth £20 million [$31 million].”
This month, Endless River, Pink Floyd’s first album in 20 years, became the fastest-selling vinyl release in Britain since 1997, racking up 6,000 sales in its first week. 2014’s best-selling vinyl album in the U.K. so far is the Arctic Monkey’s AM, followed by Lazaretto by Jack White.
It Costs at Least $500,000 to Break a New Artist
In a study released last week by major label organization IFPI, breaking an artist in a major market requires at least $500,000, and sometimes as much as $2 million. Of course, there’s no guarantee ‘breaking’ will result in the record label, or the artist making money.
Overall, the IFPI counted $4.3 billion in upfront talent-scouting and marketing costs coming from labels last year alone. “Record companies remain the largest upfront investors in artists’ careers,” the IFPI noted. “Common features of contracts signed with emerging artists include the payment of advances, recording costs, tour support, video production and marketing and promotion costs.”
“The burden of risk lies with the record company.”
