For the last several years, the obstacles female performers face in country music have been widely documented and discussed , yet conditions haven't improved much. The genre favors a handful of big stars, and offers few opportunities for growth to younger ones.
That said, recently some rising singers — Gabby Barrett, Carly Pearce, Ingrid Andress, Lainey Wilson — have found success on the historically inhospitable country radio airwaves. And TikTok has provided an avenue to getting heard that elides Nashville infrastructure altogether, allowing performers like Priscilla Block a side door to a wide fan base, and then a record deal.
On this week's Popcast, a conversation about the myriad ongoing barriers faced by women in the country music business, and the ways they are manifested in the music itself.
Marissa Moss, co-author of the Don't Rock the Inbox newsletter and author of a forthcoming book on women in country music, "Where Have All the Cowgirls Gone?"
Natalie Weiner, co-author of the Don't Rock the Inbox newsletter and writer about music for Billboard and others
Music Professor David Rothenburg Makes Music With Cicadas : NPR
NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks to music professor David Rothenberg about the music of the Brood X cicadas and what it's like making music with them.
You know his company's music, now get to know Brian Yessian
YESSIAN MUSIC: Now 50 years old, Yessian Music Inc. has seen first-hand how technology has impacted the music and advertising businesses. The Farmington Hills-based Yessian was started in 1971 by school teacher and musician Dan Yessian as a commercial music production company working with automakers and other companies in the area. Now a second-generation company run day-to-day by Dan Yessian's sons Michael and Brian, the company has expanded to have clients around the globe and production studios in Los Angeles, New York and Hamburg, Germany. Brian Yessian, 44, partner and chief creative officer with Yessian Music, spoke with Crain's about how the company over the last two decades has expanded beyond its Detroit roots (which, yes, includes ties to Bob Seger), and how consumer demand for new experiences is pushing the company into new areas.
I guess in like the late '90s is when I got involved in the company. I come from a music background. I'm a classical clarinetist. I went to music conservatory (Mozarteum University of Music in Salzburg, Austria) and finished my degree at Wayne State in Detroit. And my brother got involved in the early 2000s.
I kind of come from a very global mindset, because I did part of my schooling overseas in Austria, going to Music Conservatory. And I've always been fascinated with traveling the world since I was very young and involved in music. It was never my intention to get involved in the industry and in this business. I was always kind of playing in orchestras and ... touring around the world for that matter and really enjoyed it. But, kind of came home a summer and just got sucked in, because I just fell in love with the business.
So when we got when we started in the early 2000s, we just really had this idea of being able to expand our offerings and work not only in Detroit, Michigan, but around the country and around the world, for that matter. So I had a lot of high hopes (for) really, how can we take what we do, knowing that there's fierce competition on the coasts in New York and L.A., especially. But how can we be something a little bit different and special in these industries.
It was a very organic process. We started out very small, with just a person working out of their home in these cities, and then slowly started to expand what we did and what our offerings were.
And then globally, which has always been the fascination for me, just to travel the world and interact with other cultures. We really made a big push to be working around the world with different types of companies. And then not only advertising, but now we're doing everything from immersive experiences, and theme parks around the world. And different types of innovative technologies, like virtual reality and sonic immersion in theater-type work. So it's given us the opportunity to really expand what we do and create sound with kind of a future-forward mentality.
Right now what we're really dabbling in is this idea of sonic immersion, and you know, immersive experiences within the last four or five years now have become very popular. You're seeing like the Van Gogh exhibit coming to Detroit here, which is a full-on projection mapping of visual mixed with sound. As you're walking through these environments, (you're not) walking through a silent environment. You're walking through something that's immersed in sound, and sound that's carrying you through the space. So we're really testing and working with technology in audio, to pull people through spaces and get them to get sound to direct people in different ways, so that if something is supposed to happen on the other side of the room, how can the sound pull you over rather than just the visuals, or the combination thereof?
I think the technology is always moving very quickly. And there's new tools and new resources coming out on a daily, weekly basis here. I think, from our perspective, we're trying to team up with some of those technology companies and collaborate with them more so that we become beta testers, and we're involved in the process at a much earlier stage than when it's just released. So that we are kind of ahead of the technology as it comes out.
My dad has worked with so many artists over the years and integrated artists into the work that we do. Our head executive producer and mixer at our place, Gerard Smerek, he has recorded most of Bob Seger's albums over the last several years. And he was actually Anita Baker's main mixer and producer for many years as well. So a lot of the people that we have on our staff come from some of those Detroit roots and music roots. And I think that's kind of found its way into the bloodstream of our company.
Jacque's Spin on Music For May 2021 | TAPinto
Saturday, May 8, Connecticut songwriter Erik Rabasca (Light Warriors) has a 2-hour brunch set at noon. His funky acoustic vibe with a touch of reggae will have you grooving on a Saturday afternoon!
On Wednesday, May 12, Greg Jacquin and his band of Hudson Valley musicians take to the Pawling stage at 6 p.m. for a FREE 2-hour dinner show of original Americana music.
If instrumental Latin Jazz is your thing, guitar virtuoso, Doug Munro will be at Salsa Verde on Wednesday, May 12, from 6-9 p.m., accompanied by Michael Goetz on acoustic bass.
The Hudson Valley Blues Society kicks off Memorial Day weekend with an Open Jam at The Grille at Somers Pointe on Wednesday, May 26. If you play, sing or just love the blues, put this recurring event in your calendar right now for the last Wednesday of the month. Music is from 6:30 until 9:30 pm.
Barnwood Grill, 2 Old Tomahawk Street, Yorktown 10598 (for GPS) (914) 248-8100
Weather permitting, there will be acoustic music on Friday and Saturday evenings outside from 6:30–9:30 p.m.
Oscars II Italian Restaurant, 325 Route 100 (914) 556-6687
They will have acoustic music on alternate Thursday evenings 5-8 pm. Call the restaurant for specifics.
Jacque Roche is a freelance writer, editor and music blogger for HearItThere.com and frequent contributor to More Sugar Magazine. With a new podcast in development, archived broadcasts of 2016-2020 shows can be heard streaming on Mixcloud.com and found on the FB page, @Jacque’sGiantMusicShow.
SOMERS, N.Y. - When he was in the eighth grade, Tony DeMatteo was busy at home diagramming plays to get the upper hand in touch football during physical education class.
Comparison: How does Deezer compare to Apple Music in 2021? - 9to5Mac
When we talk about music streaming services, we usually highlight Apple Music and Spotify, but there are many other competitors in this market like Deezer, Pandora, YouTube Music, and Tidal. This time, I’d like to talk about how does Deezer compares to Apple Music.
Deezer is available on iOS and Android devices, Apple Watch, it has its own macOS app , a web player, works with Amazon and Google sound systems, Chromecast, and some other devices. Recently, the company added HomePod integration but It doesn’t offer an Apple TV app yet.
Deezer is very simple to use. It has four different tabs: “Music,” “Podcasts,” “Favorites,” and “Search.” Different from Apple Music, Deezer doesn’t have a “Radio” section, and similar to Spotify, it prefers to integrate “Podcasts” in its main app.
Two things I enjoyed on the Deezer app are the Songcatcher, an embedded in-app song recognition tool, and the Flow button, that keeps finding and playing songs you’re interested in.
On the other hand, I found it was harder than on Apple Music to find friends using the service. Even connecting my Facebook profile doesn’t show whether there are friends using the service or not.
On Apple Music, for example, you have the “Digital Masters” label , which is where you can take advantage of a better sound, but as for now, the user can’t know through the Apple Music app if the songs were specifically mastered for Apple Music or not. Deezer makes sure you’re streaming in a HiFi quality.
One thing to notice is if you’re a fan of wireless earbuds, you won’t take advantage of the HiFi quality since you’ll need, at least, a wired connection between the device playing your music and your headphone. If you’re a music nerd, Deezer has a separate app called 360 Reality Audio, which is a partnership with Sony. But to fully enjoy this experience, the user must have Sony WH-1000XM3 or M4 headphones, which I don’t.
This week, Deezer launched its integration with HomePod and HomePod mini, so this is the first time you can stream HiFi songs on Apple smart speakers. I tried comparing songs on Deezer’s “HiFi Room” to the same ones on Apple Music, but I’m disappointed to say I couldn’t hear a big difference between these two. It could be the fact songs that I tried were available in the Apple Digital Masters label so it was mixed specifically for Apples’ platform, or I might just not have an “audiophile” ear.
Deezer is still behind Apple Music and Spotify in some categories. While Apple Music integrates with all your Apple devices, Spotify is more appealing for some users because it has a larger user base. The Hi-Fi tier makes Deezer more appealing if you have the right tools to enjoy it, but as Spotify prepares itself to launch a HiFi tier, we’ll have to see how it’s going to differ from Deezer’s quality – and how much it’ll cost.
Music & Miles Half Marathon kicked off in Elizabethton Saturday | WJHL | Tri-Cities News
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) — Runners took it to the streets Saturday to race in a half marathon event.
The Music & Miles Half Marathon sponsored by Elizabethton Federal Savings Bank mixes music with exercise.
The race launched at 8:30 a.m. from Covered Bridge Park with music blaring as individual runners or relay teams participated in the exercise event.
Stephanie Place Buchanan finished in first place with a half marathon time of 1 hour, 20 minutes and 28 seconds. Steven Hensley followed closely after at 1 hour, 22 minutes and 10 second. Christian Watson earned third place at 1 hour, 22 minutes and 23 seconds.
The Music & Miles Half Marathon marks the only springtime long distance road race in Northeast Tennessee.
Karen Hubbs, the president and founder of The Goose Chase said the launch of the Music & Miles Half Marathon was destined to be a success just as the two races during the fall bring in hundreds of runners.
“The Tri-Cities needed a spring half marathon,” Hubbs said. “With the success of our fall races, the Bluegrass Half and the Haunted Half Marathon, we felt like it was time for us to create a spring half, and what better way than to bring music to the streets of Elizabethton..”
(The Conversation) - The United States is the only wealthy nation that doesn't guarantee paid leave to mothers after they give birth or adopt a child. The vast majority of Americans would like to see that change.
According to a YouGov poll of 21,000 people conducted between March 25 and April 1, 2021, 82% of Americans think employees should be able to take paid maternity leave, including for adoption. That level of support makes this benefit about as popular as chocolate. In fact, more Americans want to see paid parental leave in place than would like the government to refrain from cutting their Social Security benefits.
Auburn mother passes her love of music down to her five daughters - while pursuing her dreams |
Veronica Brock plays the flute with the Auburn University Marching Band at the BCS national championship football game in 2010.
"When you grow up in Chambers County, you get out of high school and you find a factory job," said Brock, now 37. "And so that was what I was going to do."
But when she was 12, the family moved to Cartersville, Ga., and Brock was encouraged at her new school to play the trumpet. "My mom raised me to be headstrong," she said, "so I was like, 'Nope, I have a flute and I'm going to play the flute.'"
Her assistant band director at Cartersville High School, Deanna Marshall, was a recent graduate of Auburn University's music education program and today is the band director at Auburn High School.
Brock did enroll at Auburn in the fall of 2004, and it was the start of a long journey that continues today.
She struggled to pay out-of-state tuition and said she ended up homeless for the last month of the semester. "I was sleeping in my car or in the Foy Student Union," she said. "… So, I moved back home."
Brock took up customer service jobs, working to pay off debt to the university. Five years later, she followed the call to be a music teacher back to the Plains and started her second semester. Today, she continues to move toward her degree while she supports a family.
She has five daughters, and she's raising them to stand up for themselves. Three of them – Veronica, 21; Erin, 12; and Elliyah, 6 – are singers, while 13-year-old Kameron plays the flute in band and 7-year-old Kendall dances.
"I love music so much, I love playing flute so much, I love my kids so much," Brock said. "I did not like kids when I was younger – my little cousins gave me chicken pox, so at like 10 years old I was done, I didn't like them.
Find the best music at Alabama's 40th Annual Record Show
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - If you spend your weekends perusing yard sales, thrift stores and record shops for some good vinyl, we've got a good show in store for you. It's the 40th Annual Record and CD Show.
If you're feeling inspired to do some shopping and talk with other music fans and collectors, the Alabama Record Collectors Association is hosting a weekend chock-full of that stuff.
Friday, May 14th through Saturday, May 15th, the Gardendale Civic Center will have thousands of records, CDs and tapes for sale. You can find music that dates all the way back to the 1940s, to 2021 from dealers all over the country.
We're not just talking music you can listen to though, we're talking music memorabilia as well. Think of posters, buttons, photographs and more. You know, the fun stuff you can hang on your walls and slap on that old denim jacket.
However, if you're eager to take a look at everything and pick out your favorites before everyone else, the show is offering early-bird admission on Friday beginning at 11 a.m. That early-bird special is $10.
Virtual Tour Overlays, Boundless Launch Parties—The Future Of Music In The Roblox Metaverse
Gaming platform Roblox believes its music activations will be additive as in-person concerts return.
After staging concerts with Lil Nas X and Royal Blood, where the band members performed as avatars, and an album launch party for Why Don't We, the multiplayer gaming platform has its sites on making the music experience even bigger—and better—than it could be in real-world settings.
"Our aim is to connect fans with artists in a more visceral way than they could before," says Jonathan Vlassopulos, global head of music. "There's only so many hands you can shake, so many people that can go backstage. But from a virtual perspective you can enable these experiences connecting artists and fans in real time all around the world multiple times over a weekend, and give the fans those tent-pole moments you remember forever."
The numbers on the platform aren't messing around. The company went public in March after raising money in January at a $29.5 billion valuation. With 150 million reported monthly active users, half of whom hover under the 13-year-old mark, Roblox has plenty of room to grow, quite literally.
More than 33 million of those users came through for Lil Nas X's November show, which aired four times across two days and featured a motion-capture iteration of the artist in a universe styled to fit his vibe. Why Don't We launched their new album on the platform in early March by performing and hosting a Q&A for the community, who also had a chance to purchase limited-edition virtual merch, including avatars for all five band members, play games and complete quests.
UK rockers Royal Blood provided an in-game performance during Roblox's eighth annual Bloxy Awards in March. Vlassopulos says the duo fully embraced the concept of appearing as stylized versions of themselves, and ran with the concept.
"With everything we do, we want to make sure we are successful first and foremost for the artists creatively. And then obviously the label is interested in this commercial return," he says.
"Before, there would be 100 of us in the room, and it felt very intimate. What if we could do that for 1 million people on a Friday? That's the notion—bringing that intimacy to all those people. And for the artists, they don't have to go anywhere, and they can be all over the world," he says.
"Usually for a tour, three months out the tickets go on sale and you get the superfans who get one ticket. Then a month in they convince one or two friends to go with them, and it's another two months to the actual show. You've got all this lull time," he says. "Then the week of the show you start going shopping and get gear and then there's the day of the show. You bus or train in and it's a festival or a concert. It's three hours, five hours or a weekend… and then you have this sugar crash after the event."
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