Ultra Music Festival, one of the first major music events to be pushed back amid the coronavirus pandemic, is facing a class action lawsuit on behalf of ticket holders who claim they were denied refunds following the swift rescheduling of the concert when the pandemic first hit the U.S. in …
Read More »In a Crisis, Radio Should Be Bigger Than Ever — So Why Isn't It?
Radio personality Kevin Ryder was “baffled” by KROQ’s “cold, heartless attitude” when he and his morning-show team were fired at the end of March. The station has long been an alternative/rock staple in Los Angeles, the second-largest market in the country, and Ryder had been on the air for more …
Read More »Songs Are Becoming Hits on TikTok Before They're Even Released
Earlier this year, the internet-famous dancer Toosie received a message from the biggest star on the planet. “Drake hit me up and was like, ‘Yo, I need your help,’” Toosie told Rolling Stone. The rapper sent over a verse and a hook to a song that didn’t yet have a …
Read More »Coronavirus Is Giving Livestreaming the Chance to Prove Itself
It’s taken some time — and the unfortunate circumstance of a pandemic — but concert livestreaming could finally be having its moment. Amid major festival cancellations and hundreds of tours and concerts getting the chopping block due to COVID-19, artists and their teams are scrambling for new ways forward; and …
Read More »Indie Artists Turn to Livestreaming as Coronavirus Crisis Unfolds
Even though it will mean a huge dent in his income for the foreseeable future, Ron Gallo wants you to stay the fuck home. That’s exactly what he did this past Saturday (and again on Sunday, for the European audience), after his show at Melted Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio, …
Read More »Finally, Research Suggests Female Artists Are More Creative Than Men
Estrogen is an asset, it turns out. A new study from music researchers has found that women are engaged in creative fields like art, music and literature at higher rates than men — and are generally more creative than men. In their study released last month, Michael Mauskapf of Columbia …
Read More »The Grammys Promise to Help Boost the Number of Women in Music
Following the announcement of an unusually diverse slate of Grammy nominees last month, the Recording Academy said this week that it will take new measures to bring more equality into the Grammy Awards‘ membership base. They plan to double the number of female voters in the next five years, bring …
Read More »Can Taylor Swift Really Be Banned From Performing Her Old Albums?
The spat between Taylor Swift, her former label boss Scott Borchetta, and music mogul Scooter Braun has devolved into a sturm-und-drang public saga. Months after Swift panned Braun’s $300-million takeover of Borchetta’s Big Machine Label Group, the singer is saying that the two executives are preventing her from performing her …
Read More »Future 25: Dire Straits and Royalty Exchange
Dire Straits called it quits as a band in 1995. But in 2019, the back-catalog of the British rock band is reeling in more money than ever — thanks to an investment scheme that may help take the oft-in-turmoil music industry into a smooth financial future. The band’s longtime manager, …
Read More »All You Need to Know About Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' Case
Like “Stairway to Heaven” itself, the copyright lawsuit against the iconic Led Zeppelin song is winding, dramatic and complex. While the first case seemingly wrapped in 2016, with a judge ruling in favor of Led Zeppelin, earlier this year a three-judge panel invalidated the ruling due to process errors and …
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