Home Blog Page 4

COLDPLAY, U2, AND ED SHEERAN Lead Pollstar’s List of Most Popular Touring Artists of the Millennium

Eric Alper
-
0
COLDPLAY, U2, AND ED SHEERAN Lead Pollstar’s List of Most Popular Touring Artists of the Millennium

The live concert industry’s leading publication, Pollstar, has released its list of the Most Popular Touring Artists of the Millennium, crowning Coldplay, U2, and Ed Sheeran as the top touring acts based on box office data from January 1, 2001, through the end of 2025. The rankings are primarily measured by the staggering volume of tickets sold over the past two-and-a-half decades, showcasing the artists with the widest cumulative audience reach. Coldplay secured the top spot by selling 24.8 million tickets and generating nearly $2.5 billion in gross revenue since 2001, but the list highlights the monumental commercial power of Taylor Swift, who, despite starting later, has the highest total gross revenue at over $3.1 billion, driven by her record-breaking $2.2 billion Eras Tour.

Rounding out the Top 10 are road warriors and legends including Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Kenny Chesney (the only country artist on the list), Metallica, Bon Jovi, and Elton John, illustrating the enduring appeal of rock and country acts. The data also vividly reflects the exponential growth of the live concert industry, with premium pricing in recent years dramatically increasing the overall financial power of top acts, as shown by the difference between ticket volume and total gross revenue. When informed of the news, Chesney was shocked, stating, “To think we played to over 18 million people since 2001… is mind-blowing for a kid from East Tennessee. But it says everything about the passion No Shoes Nation brings to this music.”

The full Top 25 list confirms the ongoing dominance of established touring acts like The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses, and Paul McCartney, but also features a select group of high-grossing female headliners, with Taylor Swift at No. 5, P!NK at No. 11, Beyoncé at No. 13, and Madonna at No. 15. The chart serves as a perfect prelude to Pollstar’s 2025 year-end special issue, reflecting a quarter-century of monumental growth in both the volume of tickets sold and the resulting box office revenue, solidifying the monumental scope of live entertainment in the new millennium.

POLLSTAR TOP 5 (Based on Tickets Sold):

  1. Coldplay
  2. U2
  3. Ed Sheeran
  4. The Rolling Stones
  5. Taylor Swift

The Strokes, The Lumineers, and Matchbox Twenty to Headline Minnesota Yacht Club Festival

Eric Alper
-
0
The Strokes, The Lumineers, and Matchbox Twenty to Headline Minnesota Yacht Club Festival

The third annual Minnesota Yacht Club Festival has announced its 2026 lineup, revealing that The Strokes, The Lumineers, and Matchbox Twenty will serve as the headliners for the three-day event. Taking place from July 17th through 19th at Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul, MN, the festival will feature over 25 artists across two stages, notably guaranteeing fans no overlapping sets. The extensive bill of alternative, indie, and rock favorites includes The Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, Lord Huron, Mt. Joy, Atmosphere, Geese, The All-American Rejects, Lucy Dacus, The Fray, Passion Pit, and Dashboard Confessional. Fans can register now at the festival’s website for the presale beginning Thursday, December 11th at 10 am CT to gain access to the lowest-priced tickets before the general public sale.

ERNESTO LUNE Channels Post-Breakup Melancholy in Lo-Fi Indie EP ‘DAWN DEMONSTRATIONS’

Eric Alper
-
0
ERNESTO LUNE Channels Post-Breakup Melancholy in Lo-Fi Indie EP ‘DAWN DEMONSTRATIONS’

Canadian artist Ernesto Lune, also known as Tristan Plumb, has returned with DAWN DEMONSTRATIONS, a raw, emotionally charged new EP that channels post-breakup melancholy into fuzzy, lo-fi indie-pop reflections on love, purpose, and uncertainty. Written and recorded entirely in his Barcelona apartment, the project offers four tracks of lo-fi introspection with a wounded heart and wandering mind, serving as what Lune calls “a way of debriefing myself” after the end of a short-lived relationship. Sonically, the EP sits somewhere between Mac DeMarco’s slacker sensibility and King Krule’s moodier tendencies, with a dash of Cindy Lee’s distorted intimacy, making it equal parts crunchy and confessional—unpolished but unmistakably intentional.

Following his 2021 debut EP, some good air (in search of,), Lune continues to carve out a singular space in the indie landscape where bedroom pop meets existential poetry. Produced by Lune and mastered by Max Igra (Museum Guard), the songs tumble out like diary entries set to tape hiss and dreamy guitars. Tracks like “Out of Sight” and “Cracked Time” dive into disillusionment, while “Not For Now” and “Some Way Out” offer glimpses of acceptance and resolve. Paired with self-made lyric visualizers for each track, DAWN DEMONSTRATIONS is a fully realized emotional document—scrappy, stirring, and steeped in late-night solitude, positioning Ernesto Lune as a compelling new voice in lo-fi alt-pop with soul.

RIVAL SCHOOLS’ Post-Hardcore KEXP In-Studio Session Released Online

Eric Alper
-
0
RIVAL SCHOOLS’ Post-Hardcore KEXP In-Studio Session Released Online

Post-hardcore supergroup Rival Schools’ in-demand KEXP in-studio session, originally recorded on October 15th, has finally been released online today, Wednesday, December 10th. The band, led by former Quicksand and Gorilla Biscuits frontman Walter Schreifels, performed a powerful four-track set that included “Wring It Out,” “69 Guns,” “Travel By Telephone,” and their standout track “Used For Glue.” The release gives fans a high-quality live document of the band’s distinctive blend of melodic intensity and punk aggression, showcasing why their reunion performances have been so highly anticipated.

MODEST MOUSE Restocks Reverb Shop With Tour-Used Guitars, Vintage Synths, and Rare Studio Gear

Eric Alper
-
0
MODEST MOUSE Restocks Reverb Shop With Tour-Used Guitars, Vintage Synths, and Rare Studio Gear

Modest Mouse is returning to Reverb on December 17 to sell another wide-ranging collection of studio- and tour-used instruments, pedals, and gear, offering fans and fellow musicians a chance to own a piece of their eclectic musical history. Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the band’s debut album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, The Official Modest Mouse Reverb Shop will feature everything from guitars and basses to vintage synths and speakers. Since their formation in the mid-’90s, Modest Mouse has sold millions of albums, including the 2x platinum, GRAMMY-nominated Good News for People Who Love Bad News, amassing a legion of fans eager to acquire the gear used to create hits like “Fire It Up” and “Bury Me With It.”

The extensive gear list caters to every fan and musician, including items used in both the studio and on the road. Notable items for sale include a Danelectro Dano ’63 Long Scale Bass that was played at probably hundreds of Modest Mouse shows in the last 20 years, a Fender EOB Ed O’Brien Signature Sustainer Stratocaster used to recreate the sounds of The Moon And Antarctica, and a Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor that has been used on everything recorded at their Ice Cream Party studio for the last decade. They are also offering vintage and esoteric finds like a GML Model 8200 that belonged to the band Ministry and a 1970s Ludwig LM400 Supraphonic Snare Drum, a drum the band calls “one of the most recorded snare drums in the history of rock and roll.”

For those unable to secure any of the gear, Reverb is running a sweepstakes to win a Hondo II Banjo that the band has owned for nearly 30 years—a piece collected during the late ’90s as the band began experimenting with different instruments to expand their sound. This restock follows the band’s previous successful Reverb sales in 2022 and 2024, continuing a tradition shared by artists like Wilco and Green Day of getting iconic gear into the hands of fans. You can preview the gear and enter the sweepstakes now at Reverb’s website.

Greek Band Tidal Dreams Embodies Classic Heavy Metal In New Era

Eric Alper
-
0
Greek Band Tidal Dreams Embodies Classic Heavy Metal In New Era

Born in Athens, Greece, the band Tidal Dreams embodies the essence of classic heavy metal, blending powerful riffs, soaring vocals, and epic atmospheres with a fierce modern creative drive. Their music channels the passion and grandeur of traditional metal while exploring deep melodic and emotional terrain, delivering songs that resonate with both strength and storytelling. Known for their dynamic performances and uncompromising dedication, this quartet continues to forge its own path in the international metal scene, keeping the flame of pure heavy metal burning bright for a new generation.

TAYLOR SWIFT’s First Six Albums Now Available in Immersive Spatial Audio on Apple Music

Eric Alper
-
0
TAYLOR SWIFT’s First Six Albums Now Available in Immersive Spatial Audio on Apple Music

To celebrate the release of Taylor Swift’s new six-episode docuseries, The End of an Era, and her concert film, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show, Apple Music has delivered an unprecedented listening experience: for the first time, all six of the global pop star’s seminal albums—Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and Reputation—are now available in immersive Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. This monumental addition completes Swift’s entire standard catalog on Apple Music in the revolutionary format, which allows sound to move all around the listener, offering a deeper and more connection to the music.

This news arrives on the heels of the monumental triumph announced in May: Swift successfully acquired her entire original Big Machine master recordings from private equity firm Shamrock Capital. This long-awaited victory marked the culmination of a years-long, highly public battle for artistic ownership that saw Swift meticulously re-recording four of the six albums in dispute, and delivering a resounding message about artist empowerment in the digital age. Having already been crowned a billionaire by Bloomberg due to the massive success of her Eras Tour and album re-records, and named the first and only female artist in history to surpass 100 million RIAA-certified album units, the availability of these original records in Spatial Audio is the perfect way to cap off an era of unprecedented success and artistic autonomy.

MARIAH CAREY’s Legendary Demo Tape Sells for Record-Shattering $54,050

Eric Alper
-
0
MARIAH CAREY’s Legendary Demo Tape Sells for Record-Shattering $54,050

Well, if you needed a reminder of just how important a single piece of music history can be, look no further than the recent sale confirmed by Wax Poetics: an exceptionally rare early Mariah Carey demo tape fetched a staggering $54,050. That’s a record for the highest-selling cassette by a female artist, proving that sometimes the format doesn’t matter when the content is this foundational. Sourced from producer Arthur Baker’s archive and offered in partnership with Brenda K. Starr, this tape is the legendary one—given to Baker on the same night in 1989 when Starr introduced Carey and the demo to Tommy Mottola at a Christmas party, setting off one of the most consequential breakthroughs in pop music history. Revered as a holy grail by collectors, this recording is one of the only known originals to survive and captures a generational voice taking shape in her raw, unfiltered, pre-label creative form.

The cassette contains seven formative recordings from 1988, including early versions of five songs that would form the nucleus of Carey’s blockbuster 1990 self-titled debut album, which produced four No. 1 singles, plus two unreleased tracks long mythologized by fans. Produced and arranged with Ben Margulies and Chris Toland, the recordings reveal Carey’s wide-ranging musical instincts—from Minneapolis-inspired funk and quiet storm elegance to new-wave-infused synth-pop textures—that Columbia would later distill for global consumption. This stunning sale underscores the tape’s status as a defining piece of pop and R&B history, celebrating not just the material but the self-made beginnings and creative foundations that launched a superstar.

DEVON ALLMAN’S NIGHTVISION Drops “Awaken,” A Sci-Fi Instrumental from Upcoming Debut

Eric Alper
-
0
DEVON ALLMAN’S NIGHTVISION Drops “Awaken,” A Sci-Fi Instrumental from Upcoming Debut

nightvision, a new ambient art-rock project led by Devon Allman, is thrilled to release “Awaken,” the second single from their forthcoming self-titled debut album, set for release on January 2nd. Allman shared that “Awaken” was the first instrumental track they created, explaining, “It really set the tone for the sci-fi vibe of the whole set. For me it’s part Pink Floyd meets The Cure riding through Arabia watching VHS copies of the original Dune. An amalgam of my Texan youth.” This project, designed to be a full sensory experience, blends mystic rhythms, searing guitars, and song titles that nod to ’80s sci-fi cinema and esoteric Middle Eastern imagery, creating a soundscape that is both otherworldly and immersive.

Recorded at Allman’s home-turned-studio during the COVID pandemic, the album also marks the recording debut of his son, Orion Allman, on synthesizer, alongside longtime collaborators John Lum (drums) and Justin Corgan (bass). Allman describes his creative process, which included recording drums in the foyer with microphones placed upstairs “ala John Bonham,” and chasing that classic Andy Summers sound. For Allman, pulling this project out of the vault after five years is a sense of accomplishment, fulfilling a long-time desire to write music for film. This lush, cinematic exploration is equally suited for meditations or herbal vacations, inviting listeners to drift, dream, and disappear into its glowing nocturnal world.

CHARLIE NIELAND Announces Dazzling and Profound New Album ‘Stories From The Borderlines’

Eric Alper
-
0
CHARLIE NIELAND Announces Dazzling and Profound New Album ‘Stories From The Borderlines’

Renowned NYC songwriter and producer Charlie Nieland—known for his work with artists like Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, Blondie, and Scissor Sisters—is set to release his deeply personal new album, Stories From The Borderlines, a dazzling and profound exploration of connection and severance. This set of songs is a kaleidoscope of styles, notes Nieland, who describes the meticulously crafted tracks as a geography of intention, passionately mining for light and truth in a darkening world. This new work, featuring drummer Billy Loose, rapper spiritchild, and Joe McGinty (The Psychedelic Furs), showcases a visceral blend of post-punk, glam, dream pop, and progressive rock, a sound one might describe as cinematic soundscapes and poignant songs that are a masterclass in emotional texture.

Nieland explains that the songs tell stories of growing up, of how we got severed, and how we connect, allowing him to burrow into each idea over several years filled with personal drama to create an experience that shifts with each listen. The album includes the new single Shame, which has been released with a firecracker video directed by Hypnodoll and explores the obsessive lust and repulsion weaponized against the queer community. This follows the epic lead track Win featuring spiritchild and The Ocean Understands EP, highlighting Nieland’s continued evolution as an artist who uses sweeping melodies and restless rhythms to deliver an immersive journey.

Nieland’s extensive backstory includes being awarded a Gold record (UK) for his production work on Blondie’s Greatest Hits Sight & Sound and achieving a Top 10 Billboard Dance Chart Position with Debbie Harry’s single Two Times Blue, which he co-wrote and produced. His commitment to creating culture is resistance, as he believes imagination is more real than what can be measured, making Stories From The Borderlines not just an album but an act of imaginative resistance that marks the start of a bold new chapter.

1...345...3,011Page 4 of 3,011

Follow us on Instagram @thatericalper

That Eric Alper

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

Popular posts

Popular category

© Copyright - That Eric Alper