“Rumours” or “Tusk,” which Fleetwood Mac album is better? That’s what The Beastie Boys debate in this interview from 2007, where they were promoting their all instrumental album, The Mix-Up.
https://youtu.be/SEck1uRsPQM
John Coltrane on Giant Steps and Being The Force Of Good
“I want to be the force which is truly for good.”
– John Coltrane in 1966, as told Frank Kofsky
One afternoon in November 1966, Frank Kofsky took the train out to Long Island. He was about to spend the day with John Coltrane. Kofsky brought his tape recorder and what we get to hear is the conversation the two men had as they drove through town and made a few stops along the way.
Coltrane had moved to Huntington, New York with his wife Alice and their children in 1964. They lived in a modest house on a quiet, tree-lined street. It was a home to raise a family. Coltrane had just turned 40. He would die from liver cancer less than a year later.
During this episode Coltrane talks about moving to the country, setting up to practice, connecting with the sound of an instrument, Malcolm X, music as means of expressing that state of society, and how he wanted to change the world.
“In any situation that we find in our lives, when there’s something we feel should be better, we must exert effort to try and make it better.”
Turn Your Computer Keyboard Into A Drum Kit
This will make your 8-hours on the computer move a bit quicker. typedrummer is an fun web-based drum kit by designer and developer Kyle Stetz that turns letters into beats. Spaces and parentheses also produce different effects, and beats, and soon, you can leave the office and become a world-famous DJ.
How-To Make The Panjolele Cake Pan Ukulele
From MakeZine:
What can you make with two cake pans, 20 toothpicks, some lumber, and a handful of screws? A Panjolele! Whitehall, Michigan-based maker Chester Winowiecki loves to make his own musical instruments. A few years back, Chester wanted to make a cigar box ukulele and had the box and wood, but needed to order the frets and a slotted fretboard. Itching to make, he thought about how to substitute those parts:
“Sweet Georgia Brown” on the Panjolele from MAKE magazine on Vimeo.
Europe Launches Digital Single Market
The European Union has announced that it will be moving towards integrating its 28 countries into adigital single market, with hopes that this process will be completed before the end of 2016.
Right now, all 28 European Union countries have their own set of e-commerce laws, copyright laws and digital media regulations that are applicable to digital content within their borders. With 315 million Europeans using the Internet daily, the European Union believes that the fragmentation and barriers that have emerged through 28 individual national markets are an impediment to growth.
Their policy solution is a digital single market. The European Commission defines a DSM as a market “in which the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital is ensured and where individuals and businesses can seamlessly access and exercise online activities under conditions of fair competition, and a high level of consumer and personal data protection, irrespective of their nationality or place of residence.”
In practical terms, the European Commission believes that taking down national barriers, and creating a DSM, will bring about tangible economic benefits to the European Union as a whole. Their data shows that a fully functional DSM will generate an additional €415 billion for the economy, create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and further cement Europe as a vibrant, knowledge-based society.
The strategy to implement the DSM is based on 3 pillars. These 3 pillars collectively include 16 recommendations or next steps that the EC plans to undertake:
- Better access for consumers and businesses to digital goods and services across Europe: This is where the bulk of the work will happen on issues like copyright harmonization, ending geo-blocking, changing VAT rules and administrative burdens.
- Shaping the right environment for digital networks and services to flourish: The initiatives that are more structurally focused – like new audiovisual rules, new telecom rules and e-Privacy directives will be under scrutiny in this section. Importantly, the EU has committed to reviewing the role of online platforms in the marketplace in an attempt to determine their role in eliminating illegal content.
- Creating a European Digital Economy and society with growth potential: These are the more high-level concerns with ensuring that the DSM can drive growth and innovation.
Via CIMA
Spotify: We Were 10% of U.S. Label Revenue in First Quarter
Spotify claims to have represented one out of every ten dollars record labels earned in the first quarter. This bombshell statistic came from Will Page, Spotify’s director of economics, during his Music Biz presentation during the Music Biz Conference in Nashville on Tuesday (May 12).
Page’s claim shows the speed at which subscription services are gaining share of the U.S. market. According to IFPI data, all subscription services accounted for 10.2 percent of U.S. recorded music revenue in 2014. If Spotify had a 10-percent share in the first quarter, it’s safe to say the overall subscription share is well above the 10.2 percent registered last year.
Much of Page’s presentation seemed aimed at Spotify skeptics in the audience. While explaining how streaming “is no longer an outlier in the business,” Page noted Spotify has launched in 32 of the 37 countries where streaming is the primary digital source of revenue. Page also pointed out that Spotify is half of the $1.5 billion global subscription streaming market. In the U.S. market, Spotify made up approximately 90 percent of last year’s growth in subscription revenue, according to Page.
Via Billboard
Apple iOS Beta Update Focuses on Music App
Apple has seeded the third beta version of its upcoming iOS 8.4 update, with most of the new tweaks centered around the music app as the company gears up to launch its Beats-driven streaming service next month.
The current update includes a streamlined look for the Music app, with a new mini-player, a new-look, easier-to-get-to iTunes Radio section and a wider range of results in Music Search. In addition, the Now Playing screen opens as a full screen when you hit play as opposed to just appearing as a bar at the bottom. There’s also a more prominent toggle switch to let you turn off the Cloud and just show the music on your phone.
Via Billboard
Hear What is Jazz?: Leonard Bernstein’s 1956 Spoken Word Album
Leonard Bernstein brings us to the core of jazz while he comments on live performances and teaches us the principal features of this classic American music.
https://youtu.be/V3DnZ6rG3vI
Deluxe Editions Of All Phil Collins’ Stu-stu-studio Albums Now In Development
Warner Music Group is proud to announce the signing of a global catalog deal with Phil Collins. This marks the first time Collins’ heralded catalog of multi-platinum studio albums will reside with the same label worldwide.
This new partnership has set in motion a massive catalog campaign, which will encompass newly remastered Deluxe Editions of all eight Phil Collins studio albums as well as other uniquely curated titles from the vaults. The campaign is set to begin this fall with Deluxe Editions of Collins’ blockbuster 1981 solo debut Face Value along with the acclaimed 1993 album Both Sides.
“I’ve had a fantastic relationship with Warner and Atlantic throughout my career and I’m thrilled to be continuing that,” says Collins. “I’m working with them now on these new presentations. Very exciting.”
“Phil Collins has had one of the most prolific careers in modern music,”says Tim Fraser-Harding, President of Global Catalog, Recorded Music for Warner Music Group. “As a longtime member of the Atlantic Records family, it is a joyous occasion to now be able to work with his unprecedented catalog on a fully global scale. We are looking forward to collaborating with Phil on some sensational new releases that will excite his longtime fans while also helping to introduce his songs to new generations of music lovers.”
The career of Phil Collins is one that stands among the most prolific, creative, and impressive in the history of modern music. It is a career that really has been many careers – drummer, singer, composer, and producer – from art rock beginnings to huge pop stardom, from big band leader, to soundtrack master. Collins’ exceptional musical life has now spanned over four decades with some 100 million solo albums sold (250 million if you count his work with Genesis), seven Grammy® Awards, and an induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (with Genesis in 2010).
Ed Sheeran Kicks Off Epic Summer With “5” – A Collection Of His Self-Released EPs
tlantic recording artist Ed Sheeran has announced a major flurry of spring activity, highlighted by “5,” the first-ever North American release of five legendary EPs originally self-released by the GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer/songwriter himself, available both individually and collectively, as a special bundle here.
“5” – released via Atlantic & Gingerbread Man Records, Sheeran’s own recently launched label imprint – includes 2009’s “YOU NEED ME,” 2010’s “LOOSE CHANGE,” “SONGS I WROTE WITH AMY” (featuring collaborations with Welsh songstress Amy Wadge, co-writer with Sheeran of the worldwide smash single, “Thinking Out Loud”), and “LIVE AT THE BEDFORD,” as well as 2011’s breakthrough “NO. 5 COLLABORATION PROJECT.” Among the five EPs are classic songs later re-recorded for Sheeran’s history-making debut album, 2011’s RIAA platinum certified “+,” including “Wake Me Up,” “The City,” and “You Need Me, I Need You”.
Meanwhile, Sheeran is among the superstars set to appear live on the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, performing his hit single, “Bloodstream,” for the first time on North American television. The singer/songwriter is also among the event’s top nominees, with nods for “Top Male Artist,” “Top Billboard 200 Artist,” “Top Radio Songs Artist,” “Top Digital Songs Artist,” and “Top Billboard 200 Album” (for 2014’s chart-topping, RIAA platinum certified “x”). The 2015 Billboard Music Awards air live from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena on ABC, this Sunday, May 17th, at 8 PM (ET/PT) (check local listings).
On June 21, Ed will co-host and perform at the 2015 Much Music Video Awards – his fourth year in a row appearing on the award show.
“Bloodstream” – originally found on the blockbuster “x” – has proven an international sensation, with its retooled version featuring Rudimental marking Sheeran’s eighth UK top 10 hit. The track’s companion video – directed by Emil Nava (Calvin Harris, Jessie J) and initially created for the 2015 YouTube Music Awards – is also a popular favorite, with total views now in excess of 12 million.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orq_75kFi8I.
Just in time for Mother’s Day, this past Saturday night saw Sheeran release the stunning Emil Nava-directed companion video for “Photograph,” the latest single from the globally successful “x”. The captivating clip – which features never-before-seen childhood footage of Sheeran himself – has already amassed nearly 3 million views in the first 48 hours and is streaming at Sheeran’s YouTube page at https://youtu.be/nSDgHBxUbVQ. What’s more, Ed recently performed acoustic versions of “Photograph” and “Thinking Out Loud” on a special live episode of NBC’s hit comedy series Undateable, with different versions presented on the East and West Coasts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6odNU26fD4
One of the planet’s most popular and electrifying live performers, Sheeran will spend his summer on tour, with the current sold out North American leg, which kicked off last week with a sold out show at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. The dates are highlighted by a blockbuster four sold out New York area shows; two nights at the famed Forest Hills Stadium (May 28th and 29th) followed by one night each, at the Prudential Center (May 30th) and the Barclays Center (May 31st). In addition to this, the trek includes a pair of sold out shows at both Los Angeles’ iconic Hollywood Bowl (June 24th and 25th), and Denver’s iconic Red Rock Amphitheatre (June 29th and 30th). Other highlights include top-billed performances at Las Vegas’ Rock In Rio USA on May 15th and Milwaukee’s Summerfest on July 3rd.
From there Sheeran returns home for five colossal stadium dates, all completely sold out, including three nights at London’s Wembley Stadium (July 10th, 11th, and 12th) and two at Dublin, Ireland’s Croke Park (July 24th and 25th). In September, he returns to North America for a second leg of shows, beginning with two of his biggest-ever US performances at Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium on September 3rd and Dallas’s Toyota Stadium on September 5th and then closing September 25th at Foxboro, MA’s Gillette Stadium. An additional series of stadium concerts are slated for Australia and New Zealand in late November. For a complete tour itinerary, remaining ticket information, and regular updates, check out his website.
ED SHEERAN
“5”
(Gingerbread Man/Atlantic Records)
TRACKLISTINGS
“YOU NEED ME” EP
Original Release: November 2, 2009
1. You Need Me, I Don’t Need You
2. So
3. Be Like You
4. The City
5. Sunburn
“LOOSE CHANGE” EP
Original Release: February 7, 2010
1. Let It Out
2. Homeless
3. Little Bird
4. Sofa
5. One Night
6. Firefly
7. The City (Live At Sticky Studios)
8. Firefly (Bravado Dubstep Remix)
“SONGS I WROTE WITH AMY” EP
Original Release: April 4, 2010
1. Fall
2. Fire Alarms
3. Where We Land
4. Cold Coffee
5. She
“LIVE AT THE BEDFORD”
Original Release: September 7, 2010
1. The A Team
2. Homeless
3. The City
4. Fall
5. Wake Me Up
6. You Need Me, I Don’t Need You
“NO. 5 COLLABORATIONS PROJECT” (Gingerbread Man Records/Atlantic Records)
Original Release: January 7, 2011
1. Lately (Devlin)
2. You (+ Wiley)
3. Family (+ P Money)
4. Radio (Feat. JME)
5. Little Lady (+ Mikill Pane)
6. Drown Me Out (+ Ghetts)
7. Nightmares (+ Random Impulse + Sway + Wretch 32)
8. Goodbye To You (+ Dot Rotten)