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John Fogerty Drops Bitter Anti-Trump Song, ‘Weeping In The Promised Land’

The Weeknd Drops ‘Save Your Tears’ Video, the Latest Chapter in Bizarre ‘After Hours’ Saga

The Joys of Binge-Listening to Music During Lockdown

John ‘Ecstasy’ Fletcher, of the Pioneering Rap Group Whodini, Dies at 56

The Beatles’ ‘Get Back’ Preview: Peter Jackson Rewrites The Ending of Rock’s Greatest Fairy Tale

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The Best Music Books of 2020 (a Bunch of Them, Anyway…)

17.12.2020 - 20:51

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Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn a year filled with things we didn’t want to think about, there were few more indulgent escapes than music books.

Thanks to everyone who took the trouble to write and publish them, in a year when record and book stores were closed and, worst of all, music fans were deprived of concerts and will be for at least several months to come — a feeling that, as one friend described it today, “is like being deprived of an essential nutrient.” But like live albums and livestreams, books brought us at least a little closer to the sensations we miss so much.

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15.02.2022 / 08:59

10 Moments in 'Doctor Strange 2' Trailer That You Might Have Missed

The official trailer for the upcoming Marvel movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was unveiled during the 2022 Super Bowl and there’s probably some moments you missed.

Benedict Cumberbatch Elizabeth Olsen Michael Stuhlbarg Rachel Macadams Xochitl Gomez Benedict Wong stars

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24.12.2020 / 01:27

John ‘Ecstasy’ Fletcher, of the Pioneering Rap Group Whodini, Dies at 56

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJohn Fletcher, best known as Ecstasy from the pioneering rap group Whodini, has died, the group’s Grand Master Dee has confirmed. The cause of death was unclear at the time of this article’s publication; he was 56.Roots drummer Questlove was the first to break the news on Wednesday (Dec.

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23.12.2020 / 19:19

Deftones Fundraiser Brings $100,000 to Children’s Hospital, Crew Nation

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVeteran rockers the Deftones have completed their “Adopt-a-Dot” fundraising campaign and made a donation of $52,500 to the University of California at Davis Children’s Hospital and $52,500 to “Crew Nation,” the global relief fund for live music crews who have been impacted by COVID-19.In a statement the group said, “With pride, today we’re making our Adopt-A-Dot donations to UC Davis Children’s Hospital and Crew Nation. Hopefully these will go to making things a little easier for those facing challenging times. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our fans and friends that contributed to this campaign. We sincerely thank you all.”Prior to the release of the California band’s latest album

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23.12.2020 / 02:33

Concert Industry Reacts to Passage of Save Our Stages With Cautious Glee

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Save Our Stages Act — sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen.

Amy Klobuchar Chuck Schumer Jem Aswad-Senior Roger Williams John Cornyn stage pandemic Music Bill

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22.12.2020 / 19:56

The Beatles’ ‘Get Back’ Preview: Peter Jackson Rewrites The Ending of Rock’s Greatest Fairy Tale

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSince the Beatles split in 1970, seemingly every known scrap of their history has been scrutinized and curated for public consumption — every minute of studio tape, every radio broadcast, home and concert recording; every photo and document and snippet of film footage — with one huge exception: the “Let It Be” film.There are several reasons for this, but only one matters: “Let It Be” is a downer.

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21.12.2020 / 23:30

Senator Amy Klobuchar Explains $15 Billion Save Our Stages Act

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIt’s not confirmed yet, but after months of delays, Congress announced Sunday that it has finally reached a deal to pass the long-overdue $900 billion stimulus bill to send aid to American citizens and businesses leveled by the pandemic — including the Save Our Stages act to provide around $15 billion in relief to independent music venues and movie theaters that have been almost entirely shuttered since March.The House is expected to finalize the deal on Sunday night, with the Senate following shortly after.

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21.12.2020 / 22:35

Goo Goo Dolls’ Christmas Musical and Concert Film Coming to Drive-Ins

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFanTracks Digital’s two recent livestreams with the Goo Goo Dolls — the augmented-reality movie musical “It’s Christmas All Over” and the concert performance “Grounded With the Goo Goo Dolls” — are coming to drive-in movie theaters in the U.S. via Encore Live.

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21.12.2020 / 19:08

Foo Fighters Join ‘Georgia Comes Alive’ Voter-Awareness Benefit Concert Saturday

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFoo Fighters announced today that they will join Dave Matthews, Portugal. The Man, Bob Weir, Ben Folds, Tank & the Bangas, Big Freedia and many more at Georgia Comes Alive, a virtual concert taking place Saturday, Dec.

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21.12.2020 / 17:12

Michael Kiwanuka Gets Deep About His Grammy-Nominated Third Album in Documentary Video (EXCLUSIVE)

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe self-titled third album from British singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka won Britain’s prestigious Mercury Prize earlier this year and is up for Best Rock Album at the 2021 Grammys. Kiwanuka toured Europe behind the 2019 album but saw the U.S.

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21.12.2020 / 03:53

Congress Reaches Agreement on Stimulus Plan, With Save Our Stages Included

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIt’s not time to pop the champagne, but one of the most divided and dysfunctional Congresses in U.S. history announced Sunday that it has finally reached a deal to pass the long-overdue $900 billion stimulus deal to send aid to American citizens and businesses leveled by the pandemic — including the Save Our Stages bill to provide around $10 billion in relief to independent music venues that have been almost entirely shuttered since March.“We can finally report what our nation has needed to hear for a very long time,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has done more to delay the bill than virtually anyone, said Sunday night, according to the New York Times.

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19.12.2020 / 02:15

Best Songs of the Week: Young Thug, Diplo and Leon Bridges, PPcocaine and More

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs this trainwreck of a year trainwrecks itself to a close, we present the final Fri5 of 2020 — and as if on cue, it’s one of the more confusing batches of songs we’ve highlighted. We’re not even entirely sure who one of these artists is (see Rook Monroe).

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18.12.2020 / 19:33

Bob Dylan Session With George Harrison to Be Released on New ‘1970’ Album

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRare collaborations between Bob Dylan and George Harrison will be included on a deluxe reissue entitled ‘Bob Dylan – 1970’ that is due on February 26, Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, announced Friday.

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18.12.2020 / 18:22

Fiona Apple Slams Grammys Over Deborah Dugan Ouster, Dr. Luke Nomination

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWhile she wasn’t asked about it directly, Fiona Apple, who is up for two Grammy Awards, used her interview with The Guardian to slam the organization for its treatment of ousted president/CEO Deborah Dugan and its nomination of hitmaker Dr. Luke, who has been embroiled in lawsuit with singer Kesha over unproven sexual assault allegations for year.Dugan brought legal action against the Recording Academy after her sudden ouster just days before the 2020 awards, which is ongoing.“I’m waiting to hear more about what Deborah Dugan has to say because that all reeks to me,” Apple said.

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18.12.2020 / 18:06

BMG Completes Review of Its Catalog’s Contracts for Racial Discrimination

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLast June, BMG announced that it was examining the contracts of the recorded-music catalogs is has acquired in an effort to find evidence of racial disadvantage.The Germany-based company, which was founded in 2008 but has acquired catalogs that date back to the mid 20th century, announced Friday (Dec.

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18.12.2020 / 08:53

Eminem (Not-So) Surprise-Releases New Album, ‘Music to Get Murdered By – Side B’

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorEminem has “surprise-dropped” so many albums in the past couple of years that the arrival of a rumor has basically become the official announcement. And sure enough, days after very detailed rumors broke about the impending release of a follow-up to his most recent surprise-dropped album, “Music to Get Murdered by,” it arrived.

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18.12.2020 / 03:01

Patti Austin Gets Out the Vote With Hilarious ‘Georgia’ Senate Runoff-Election Song

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorGrammy-winning singer Patti Austin has made a bid to get out the vote in Georgia with a new song posted by the political action committee MeidasTouch.The runoff vote, which takes place on Jan. 5, could determine whether or not the Senate goes Democrat or Republican Mitch McConnell remains majority leader.“I know you’ve gotta be tired of washing hands and wearing masks/ But you can save the planet’s ass!,” Austin sings in the big-band spoofing song.“Georgia, we’re all waiting to see/ If you’ve left the Confederacy,” she continues.

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18.12.2020 / 00:17

Bandcamp’s Revenue-Waiving Fridays Brought $40 Million to Artists and Labels

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSince the beginning of the pandemic, online music retailer Bandcamp has graciously waived its fees on the first Friday of every month, allowing nearly 100% of all sales to go to artists and labels — providing a rare opportunity to maximize the amount of that money that goes to artists.

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17.12.2020 / 22:55

Rising Singer-Songwriter Tate McRae Signs With Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony/ATV Music Publishing has signed rising Canadian singer, songwriter and dancer Tate McRae to a worldwide publishing deal.McRae, 17, has scored hits with “Stupid” and “You Broke Me First,” which has racked up more than 500 million streams worldwide and peaked at No. 3 in the U.K.

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17.12.2020 / 17:48

Color of Change and Recording Academy Unveil #ChangeMusic Roadmap

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorColor of Change and the Recording Academy have announced the latest step in their partnership with the release the #ChangeMusic Roadmap, which is described as “a guide to move the music industry beyond conversation and intention and towards actionable racial justice.” Read the Roadmap here.Initially announced in October 2020 at the industry-wide #ChangeMusic Summit, the project is the latest initiative the partnering organizations have launched to promote tangible change within the music industry. The two organizations announced their partnership in July, and have been working together to identify key opportunities to drive and influence change in the music industry.

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17.12.2020 / 02:56

Inside TikTok’s First Year-End Music Report

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWhen it comes to music, TikTok is not your usual platform, so it’s not surprising that its first year-end report has a different approach. And considering the company’s famous secrecy, it’s also not surprising that the data supporting many of the lists in its year-end report is a little vague.Thus, we were pleasantly surprised that after we skeptically asked for more data, they sent our request to their U.S.

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16.12.2020 / 21:58

Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Pearl Jam, Killers Scheduled to Headline Lollapalooza Stockholm 2021

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn an optimistic and from-your-press-release-to-god’s-ears announcement on Wednesday, Lollapalooza Stockholm unveiled the lineup for its 2021 festival, which includes Pearl Jam, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, The Killers, Zara Larsson, Veronica Maggio, DaBaby, Kacey Musgraves, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Doja Cat, Alesso, Lewis Capaldi, Playboy Carti, Jack Harlow and many more.

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16.12.2020 / 19:03

Jeremih Opens Up About Coronavirus Battle: ‘All I Remember Is Seeing a White Light’

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJeremih opened up about his harrowing battle with COVID-19 during an appearance on “Sway’s Universe” on Tuesday. While he appeared on the show to promote his new holiday album with Chance the Rapper (which includes two new tracks along with songs from their earlier holiday releases), Sway broached the topic about ten minutes into the interview, asking Jeremih whether his experience should be a “less” for anyone who still somehow believes the pandemic isn’t that big a deal.“What I can say is, man, it definitely is real,” Jeremih said.

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16.12.2020 / 19:03

Mariah Carey and Shawn Mendes Dominate Holiday-Heavy Song and Album Charts

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe charts are usually filled with holiday fare each mid-December, but this year is over the top even by that standard. While Shawn Mendes’ “Wonder” debuted at No.

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16.12.2020 / 00:31

Senator Amy Klobuchar Is Optimistic About ‘Focused, Bipartisan’ Save Our Stages Act

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn July, Senators Amy Klobuchar (a Democrat) and John Cornyn (a Republican) authored the Save Our Stages act, which requests $10 billion in pandemic relief for independent venues. A hearing on that act, a similar version of which passed the House as part of the “Heroes” act in November, was held in the Senate on Tuesday.

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15.12.2020 / 22:13

In Senate Hearing, the Concert Industry Makes a Passionate Case for Federal Pandemic Aid

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn a two-hour hearing on Tuesday morning, representatives for the concert industry, which has been ravaged by the pandemic shutdown, made a passionate and compelling case for federal aid before the U.S. Senate.“We’re here before you with our hats in our hands,” said witness Michael Strickland, owner of the lighting company Bandit Lites in Knoxville, TN.“Please don’t let the music die,” said Adam Hartke, who owns two independent venues in Wichita, KS.

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15.12.2020 / 18:12

YG’s ‘F— Donald Trump,’ Mary J. Blige’s ‘Work That’ and R.E.M.’s ‘End of the World’ Are Vevo’s Top News-Related Songs of 2020

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVevo’s year-end statistics show that Future and Drake’s “Life is Good” is the most viewed Vevo video of 2020, with 1.3 billion views globally; and J Balvin is the most viewed Vevo artist, with 2.7 billion views worldwide. Both cool, and you can see the top 10s below.But arguably more interesting are the songs and videos that surged in response to global events, according to Vevo’s internal analytics:Late January: Europe’s “The Final Countdown” jumped 161% in the wake of the UK officially leaving the European Union.In March: As COVID-19 is declared a pandemic by World Health Organization,R.E.M.’s “It’s The End Of The World as We Know It” went up 2719%;The Police’s “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” surged 1070%.

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15.12.2020 / 16:51

Roc Lit 101, New Roc Nation-Random House Company, to Publish Books by CC Sabathia, Lil Uzi Vert, More

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJay-Z’s Roc Nation and Random House, a division of Penguin Random House, have announced a new literary publishing partnership to be called Roc Lit 101.

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15.12.2020 / 03:19

Troy Carter’s Q&A Launches Venice Innovation Labs

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorQ&A, the music technology startup founded by Troy Carter and Suzy Ryoo, has announced Venice Innovation Labs — a newly launched software division that enables record labels to beta-test songs, manage their artist rosters, and distribute music easily and efficiently, according to the announcement.The first products to be released from Venice Innovation Labs are StreamRate and Venice For Labels.StreamRate is a mobile app that gives sentiment analysis before songs are released, engineered and designed for the streaming age.Venice For Labels is an interface that enables labels to distribute music, manage their artist roster, and track splits and payments.

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14.12.2020 / 21:55

Sony Music Africa Names Christine ‘Seven’ Mosha to Lead East Africa Marketing and Artist Development

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Entertainment Africa has appointed Christine Mosha, known as “Seven,” to lead Marketing and Artist Development for the East Africa region.Starting with immediate effect, Mosha will build out the company’s roster of local talent and amplify its international repertoire and existing catalogue across the region from her base in Tanzania. She will report directly to Sean Watson, Managing Director, Sony Music Africa.“Seven has spent most of her life contributing to the African entertainment industry.

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14.12.2020 / 19:01

Oriel, New PR Company, Launched by Carleen Donovan, Chloe Walsh and Jen Appel

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorPR vets Carleen Donovan, Chloe Walsh and Jen Appel have announced the launch of the Oriel Company, which is described as a “modern creative lab and idea house handling media relations, integrated communications, and entertainment consulting.” for musicians, actors and brands.Its initial client list includes Kelsea Ballerini, André “3000” Benjamin, Arctic Monkeys, Phoebe Bridgers, the Killers, Lenny Kravitz, Zoe Kravitz, Adam Levine and Maroon 5, Juliette Lewis, Old Dominion, Liz Phair, Questlove and the Roots, Robyn and Weezer (the full list appears below). The firm maintains offices in both New York and Los Angeles.The new company is described as an evolution of Donovan’s company, DPR, that sees Walsh and

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12.12.2020 / 00:52

James Blake Covers Billie Eilish, Big Freedia and Flo Milli Do Santa, and More Best Songs of the Week

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs the nation and the globe wake up each morning asking, “Is 2020 over yet?,” the search for the next great new song is one thing that makes getting out of bed a worthy endeavor.We’ve already covered the Taylor Swift, Avalanches, Kid Cudi and Chris Cornell albums as well as the 20-years-late Britney Spears-Backstreet Boys tag team, and fittingly for this odd week, the top songs are an odd batch …James Blake “When the Party’s Over” We don’t usually go for covers in this column and we definitely don’t usually go for slow piano-and-vocal ballads, but this one is special.

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11.12.2020 / 19:11

Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys Team up for New Song, ‘Matches’

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorReady to party like it’s 1999? Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys have dropped a new song called “Matches” that’s part of the deluxe reissue of Spears’ 2016 album, “Glory.” Listen to the song below.“‘Matches’ featuring my friends @backstreetboys is out now !!!!,” Spears tweeted after the song dropped on Friday morning.

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11.12.2020 / 18:15