Music news

The majors’ management have posited for decades that, in order to have the best chance of building lucrative catalog for the future, one needs to speculate to accumulate, losing money on the majority of A&R bets in order to find the one golden goose — the Ed Sheeran, Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa or Billie Eilish — who will continue to make you money as an evergreen star. Access to catalog music revenues are essential, goes the argument, if these A&R bets aren’t to be dramatically curbed. … [Read more...] about New Records Drop Every Minute. But Back-Catalogs Are Driving The Music Industry’s Transformation

“With the entire independent venue and promoter industry on the verge of massive collapse, we’ve been fighting urgently for the Save Our Stages Act which will provide meaningful relief to our members and the independent music community,” said NIVA co-founder and treasurer Stephen Sternschein. “YouTube’s direct involvement helps us generate awareness for the plight of independent live music and raise funds for NIVA’s Emergency Relief efforts. This could literally be the difference between some venues going under or holding on until Congress comes back from recess to pass much-needed federal relief. The independent concert industry will be reeling for years to come from the devastating revenue loss related to Covid-19, so we’re excited about what YouTube and NIVA can do together to bring the live experience back.” … [Read more...] about YouTube Music Teams With NIVA to Support Independent Venues

And data shows that many of the listeners were new to the 43rd greatest album of all time. On Spotify — where “Eclipse” streams were up 54 percent on a whole —  “Eclipse” witnessed an 86 percent influx of users listening to the track for the first time on September 9th. … [Read more...] about ‘Dune’ Trailer Helps Young Music Fans Discover One of Rock’s Most Popular Albums

So sad to hear of Toots Hibbert’s passing. When I first heard Pressure Drop that was a big moment – he had such a powerful voice and on stage he always gave the audience his total energy. A sad loss to the music world. pic.twitter.com/CAs9VF4X41 … [Read more...] about Mick Jagger on Toots Hibbert’s Death: ‘A Great Loss to the Whole Music World’

I was so sad to wake up this morning and hear about the passing of Toots Hibbert. Like so many people, I’ve loved his music my entire life. It was ubiquitous, playing at parties and gatherings. It felt like an element, like air. In 2003, I was asked to play on Toot’s new album, True Love. I was told that the Maytals were coming to the Barn to record. When Toots and the band arrived for the session, I was nervous and basically speechless. Toots was a ray of light, so kind and welcoming. The guys in the band hovered in the corner, smoking more ganja than I had ever seen consumed. We decided to play Sweet and Dandy. I was a bit mortified and confused as to why such an iconic song should be re-released, but we recorded it, and it was was a thrill. What happened next I will never forget for as long as I live. Toots was supposed to do a song with Willie Nelson, but Willie was not there of course. Toots began searching, playing different Willie songs deafeningly loud … [Read more...] about Trey Anastasio Pays Tribute to Toots Hibbert: ‘I’ve Loved His Music My Entire Life’