Singer and rapper Jesse Markin. His new album, Noir , is on our shortlist for the best releases out on June 11. Tero Ahonen/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
The Welsh singer known as Marina has been releasing bold, visionary pop for more than a decade, and has amassed an army of devoted fans along the way. Her latest album, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land , is both thundering and intimate, with fearless anthems of self-empowerment and heartbreaking reflections on loss. We open this week's show with the album's title cut and talk about the many ways Marina's music rejects the status quo.
Other notable releases for June 11 : Dean Blunt — Black Metal 2 ; Garbage — No Gods, No Monsters ; Migos — Culture III ; Mind Maintenance — S/T ; Polo G — Hall of Fame .
Sony Music writes off artists' decades-old debts - BBC News
Sony Music has cancelled the debts of thousands of artists who signed to the record label before the year 2000.
It means that many will now, for the first time, earn money when their songs are streamed on services like Spotify and Amazon Music.
Sony said it could not name the eligible acts due to confidentiality agreements, but a source said it would "include household names".
Musicians typically take on debt when they first sign to a record label. They are given a lump sum, known as an advance, to pay for recording studios, video shoots, distribution and other expenses. The money is then paid back when they sell their music.
However, many artists never earn enough to repay their advances, often because they get unfavourable royalty rates from their own record companies. Heritage black artists have been particularly affected.
And until the debt to their label is repaid, those artists are not eligible to receive income from streaming, and other royalty payments.
That's how an act like TLC, who were signed to Sony subsidiary LaFace Records, ended up declaring bankruptcy in the 1990s.
The R&B stars declared debts of $3.5m, despite having one of the decade's best selling albums, CrazySexyCool.
Sony's announcement came in a letter to artists on Friday, a copy of which has been shared with the BBC.
Lorde's New Song, 'Solar Power,' Is Here : NPR
It's been four summers since the release of Lorde 's 2017 album Melodrama , and although its release into the world involved a minor hiccup, the singer-songwriter has returned with the confident, sunny single, "Solar Power." Accompanied by a music video Lorde co-directed with Joel Kefali — in which she appears centered in bright yellow, surrounded by acolytes dressed in earth tones, scattered on a beach — it's the first single from what she confirmed today in a newsletter to fans will be her new album, also called Solar Power .
The song inadvertently made its way onto streaming services ahead of schedule earlier today, but was pulled and posted on official platforms this evening. While a release date for the record has yet to be announced, the title track includes familiar collaborators — Jack Antonoff co-writes and co-produces — along with a pair of backing vocalists — Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo — whose careers have taken flight since Lorde released her last album in 2017.
New Music Friday: Here's all the new music to jam to this weekend
With more and more music released every day, it's a near-impossible task to keep track of all the tunes that you like. From pop to hip-hop to alternative to K-pop to country, the choices made available feel endless — but no need to fret. Chron's got you covered.
Megan Thee Stallion makes her big return after a brief hiatus from social media with her latest track, "Thot Sh*t." It seems as if the emcee is leaving her Hot Girl Meg persona behind and bringing back the widely adored "Tina Snow."
California-based rapper Larry June is back with more smooth tunes with his latest project, "Orange Print." The newest project from the luxury rapper features verses from popular rappers like Money Man, Dej Loaf and Houston's very own Trae Tha Truth.
Garbage's "No Gods, No Masters" marks the seventh full-length studio release for the alternative rock band over their veteran career of 20+ years. "No Gods, No Masters" was co-produced with Billy Bush.
The fifth installment of the rapper-producer’s long-running series shows growth from his last effort and gives us new work from rap's favorite rockstars, Lil Uzi Vert and Playboi Carti.
Jordi is the seventh studio album by Maroon 5, and the album bleeds over from pop to hip-hop and R&B, with guest appearances from Megan Thee Stallion, Bantu, H.E.R., YG, and late rappers Juice Wrld and Nipsey Hussle.
From their humble beginnings with projects like "No Label" to their success on mainstream radio, the rap trio Migos has always seemed to deliver catchy bars and quotables, and the group maintains that same pace with their latest release in their "Culture" series, "Culture III." The album marks the fourth studio album release from the group after all three artists have managed to make solo projects or be seen individually on other artists' albums.
Polo G's "Hall of Fame" is the follow-up to the rapper's "The Goat" project last year, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Having recently earned his first No. 1 hit with “RAPSTAR” earlier this month, the Chicago native is well-positioned to add a No. 1 album to his list of accolades.
The 10th full-length studio release for the Portland, Oregon-based alternative rock duo was self-produced, a first in the duo's 27-year run. The project is the group's first release after their drummer, Janet Weiss, left the group over creative differences.
Virgin Music and Primary Wave Ink Global Deal - Variety
Primary Wave Music , the fast-rising independent music company, has entered into a worldwide distribution agreement with Virgin Music Label & Artist Services, an arm of Capitol Music Group in the U.S. The announcement was made by Virgin’s president, Jacqueline Saturn (pictured above, left), its general manager, Matt Sawin, and Gaither Group president Paul Sizelove (above, right).
The deal, which covers master recordings from within the Primary Wave Music catalog, spans all physical and digital distribution channels and will focus on releases from Primary Wave Music’s strategic partner the Gaither Group, which owns the labels Gaither Music, Green Hill and Emerald Wave, and from the legendary Sun Records catalog, which Primary Wave Music acquired in January.
According to the announcement, the agreement is “designed to greatly expand the global reach and resources available to Primary Wave Music and the Gaither Group’s labels, and will enable those entities to draw upon Virgin’s extensive label services for commercial support, radio promotion and more.” The partnership also includes the opportunity for artists to partner with the Gaither platform for faith-based content, as Gaither Music will continue its long-standing relationship with Capitol Christian Music Group as part of the CMG family. Gaither struck a strategic partnership with Primary Wave Music in 2019; its Green Hill Label has grown through partnerships with artists that includes Jim Brickman, Olivia Newton-John and Celtic Thunder, as well as through its acquisition of the Rural Rhythm catalog. Green Hill will also be releasing new albums by Paul Anka and Frankie Valli later this year. Primary Wave Music’s acquisition of Sun Records — the home to classic recordings by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and more — further expanded the company’s portfolio of master recordings. Primary Wave Music (publishing and/or label) is home to artists and companies including Bob Marley, Stevie Nicks, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Smokey Robinson, Whitney Houston, Burt Bacharach, Olivia Newton-John, Ray Charles and more.
According to Virgin’s Saturn and Sawin, “We are so excited to begin this relationship with Primary Wave Music and the Gaither Group as their new distribution partner. Both companies are so forward thinking and always looking to create new opportunities to build awareness and audiences for their artists and music.”
“We are very excited about Gaither Music Group’s new alliance with Virgin Music Label & Artist Services and Capitol Music Group,” said Paul Sizelove, president of Gaither Music Group. “After decades of building a firm foundation with Capitol Christian Music Group, Gaither Music and Green Hill Music have experienced exponential growth over the past few years. The rapid expansion of our family of labels, including our recent addition of Sun Records, makes this a great opportunity and ideal home for our artists and initiatives.”
Virgin Music Label & Artist Services, previously called Caroline, is a network of regional hubs positioned in the world’s leading music markets that delivers premium artist and label services. It launched in February, “Founded on the spirit and ethos of the Virgin brand, long synonymous with disruptive innovation and musical creativity,” according to the announcement. Indeed, Virgin, which was launched as a London record store by Richard Branson, is observing its 50 th anniversary this year; the company grew into an upstart indie label and became a global brand in just a few years. By the time it was sold to Thorn EMI in 1992 for a reported $1 billion, it had the Rolling Stones and Janet Jackson on its roster, among many other artists. Branson had also expanded into airlines, music retail and much more.
Saturn says, “Caroline was a scrappy indie company that we got to build and grow, but we kept reaching for a global brand, and the feeling of everyone connected by the name. So when the opportunity came for us to becoe Virgin Music, it was perfect because of what the brand means, and how Richard Branson built it from that same kind of scrappy, independent spirit. It’s hard to articulate how meaningful the rebrand was to the entrepreneurs we work with, and how much they align with Richard Branson and everything he’s done.”
The new company got off to a fast start, with initial launches in the U.S., Japan, U.K., Germany, France, Iberia and Latin America and rapidly expanded to Australia and New Zealand, the Nordics and Central Europe. The company has seen success in Latin America with the debut single from Mexican artists Gera MX and Christian Nodal, “Botella Tras Botella,” which debuted at No. 1 on Spotify’s Global song chart. Likewise, in Australia the company snared the global distribution rights to one of Australia’s most successful and independent hip-hop labels, Biordi Music.
Saturn was also quick to point to the support the company has received from Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge. “We’ve always had the most incedible support from Lucian,” she says. “He truly understands how important the independent community is and what a vibrant business it is — and how important it is for artists who are and want to remain independent to be supported by an incredible system. These artists aren’t looking to be on a frontline label: they’ve made that decision.”
Apple Music with Dolby Atmos: How to use it
I'm not an audiophile, and I can't usually tell the difference between some of the higher-quality tracks music services have started to roll out. But there's a noticeable difference between regular stereo music and these new "Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos" songs. At least, most of the time. The difference is more noticeable in some songs than others.
There are only thousands of tracks, out of the 75 million in Apple Music, with support for it right now, but Apple has some playlists that can show you what it's capable of. And new albums will continue to add support while artists rework some older songs, too.
Dolby Atmos allows musicians to create songs that specifically place vocals and instruments in certain areas of the "sound stage." And these are the new types of songs that are now available in Apple Music.
This fall, Apple will build on it with a head-tracking feature for AirPods Pro and AirPods Pro Max that's already available for things like movies and TV shows that offer Dolby Atmos. When that's on, it sounds like the music is coming from the device that's playing it. So, if you have headphones on, and you turn your head, you'll hear the music shift in the direction of your iPhone, for example. Sort of like the iPhone is the stage.
But you don't actually need AirPods or Beats headphones. Dolby Atmos songs work on all headphones, you just need to turn on "Always On" in your iPhone or iPad settings first.
If you open the app right now, you'll see several playlists for various genres with songs created to support Dolby Atmos. But I recommend starting with the "Hits in Spatial Audio" playlist, which provides an audio example of stereo vs. Dolby Atmos.
As new tracks and albums roll out, you'll see a little tag under each song that shows "Dolby Atmos" to let you know it supports the format.
US music publishers sue Roblox for $200 mn over copyright - France 24
US music publishers representing artists such as Ariana Grande, Imagine Dragons and the Rolling Stones said Thursday they are suing hit video game Roblox for allegedly using songs without permission.
"They've made hundreds of millions of dollars by requiring users to pay every time they upload music onto the platform," Israelite said in a release.
The suit asks for at least $200 million in damage for "Roblox's unabashed exploitation" of unlicensed music and calls for musicians to be paid when their works are used on the game platform. NMPA did not say which court it filed the suit in.
"We are surprised and disappointed by this lawsuit which represents a fundamental misunderstanding of how the Roblox platform operates, and will defend Roblox vigorously as we work to achieve a fair resolution," the company said.
With its Lego-like avatars and easy-to-learn coding for budding programmers, the online gaming app has become a thriving clubhouse for young gamers, most of them younger than 16.
As of late last year, more than 31 million users daily were diving into Roblox on mobile, desktop or console devices and cumulatively spending billions of hours there, according to the company.
Israelite also said the NMPA is ramping up a campaign to have unlicensed tunes taken down at Amazon-owned game play streaming service Twitch.
Amazon Music DJ Mode: Billie Eilish Takeover Offers Artist Commentary - Variety
Amazon Music is bringing a piece of old-fashioned radio to the streaming era with the rollout of DJ Mode — a new experience that will feature top DJs, artists and music experts providing commentary over curated playlists.
The first artist-led DJ Mode is hosted by teen superstar Billie Eilish . In Amazon Music’s limited-time “The Billie Eilish Takeover,” she shares stories about her music, her influences and why she picked some of her favorite songs to share with listeners. In addition, Amazon Music will update the experience with new stories about her music as new songs from her upcoming album, “Happier Than Ever,” are released.
Amazon Music describes DJ Mode as an “on-demand listening experience that combines the personalization, control and breadth of catalog of streaming with the vibrancy and personality of DJ-hosted radio.”
The company has launched DJ Mode first for three of Amazon Music’s stations — Rap Rotation, Country Heat and All Hits — with additional stations to follow. The DJ Mode stations include song selection and sequencing personalized to listener tastes, and music commentary.
Steve Boom, VP of Amazon Music, said he’s “delighted that Billie Eilish is behind our first-ever artist-led DJ Mode experience, which gives fans access to her musical tastes and storytelling, hosted by one of the most innovative artists in the world.”
Eilish’s second full-length album, “Happier Than Ever,” is set to be released July 30 . The L.A. teen last year made history the youngest artist to receive nominations and win in all the major categories at the 62nd Grammy Awards. At this year’s Grammys, she took home both record of the year for “everything i wanted” and best song written for visual media for James Bond theme song “No Time To Die.”
Eilish also is part of Amazon’s Prime Day Show lineup , alongside H.E.R. and Kid Cudi, with episodes of each artist’s performances debuting June 17 on Prime Video (ahead of the ecommerce giant’s Prime Day 2021 shopping event , set to run June 21-22).
Amazon Music lets Prime members access 2 million songs for no extra charge. Amazon Music Unlimited, which provides access to more than 75 million songs, costs $7.99/month for Prime members and $9.99/month for non-Prime customers. The company is currently running a promo offering Prime members four months of Amazon Music Unlimited free. In addition, with the purchase of select Amazon Echo devices, Prime members new to Amazon Music Unlimited can get six months free.
A Minute With: Boy George on turning 60, new music and biopic | Reuters
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Boy George poses for a photograph during the UK premiere of the Elton John biopic 'Rocketman' in London, Britain, May 20, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo
Culture Club frontman Boy George is looking for an actor to play him in a new music biopic due to start filming this summer.
The British singer, who turns 60 next week, launched the casting call on social media in April for the movie called "Karma Chameleon" after one of the band's 1980s hits.
George, whose real name is George O'Dowd, spoke to Reuters about the casting search, his milestone birthday and releasing new music.
Q: You're reportedly planning to release 60 new songs to mark turning 60. What can you say about this new music?
George: "Sometimes I'm putting out the video before the song comes out, I'm doing all creative content, I'm just basically doing it guerrilla style. I'm not promoting it, I'm not saying when it's coming out, it's just going to come."
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world's largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.
Music Publishers Sue Roblox for Letting Game Creators Use Unlicensed Songs - WSJ
The publishers, including Universal Music Publishing, and artist DJ Deadmau5, say the company hasn't licensed the music many of its creators have used in their games, resulting in lost income. The suit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California Western Division, seeks at least $200 million in damages. Other publisher plaintiffs include entities tied to Big Machine Records, Concord Music Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Group and Hipgnosis Songs Fund .
"Roblox actively preys on its impressionable user base and their desire for popular music, teaching children that pirating music is perfectly acceptable," the complaint says.
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