It’s a tough time for indie music labels, but Merge Records seems to doing OK. The North Carolina label – started by Superchunk in 1989, which released breakthroughs by Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel and others –just started a vinyl subscription service, and it will celebrate its 30th anniversary with …
Read More »Grammys 2019: The Major Awards — Who Ya Got?
Will Kendrick finally win Album of the Year? Is Ariana the new queen of pop? Will Taylor go home empty-handed? Record of the Year “I Like It” Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin “The Joke” Brandi Carlile “This Is America” Childish Gambino “God’s Plan” Drake “Shallow” Lady Gaga and …
Read More »Mary Gauthier, Brandi Carlile Are Top Winners at U.K. Americana Awards
The Americana Music Association U.K. (AMA-UK), a self-described “little sister” of the Nashville-based AMA, recently held their annual conference in London, with last weekend’s U.K. Americana Awards ceremony the centerpiece. At the gala, staged at Hackney Empire in East London, Mary Gauthier was named International Artist of the Year, while …
Read More »Journey to Antarctica: How We'll See Deep Beneath the Ice
This is the second dispatch in a series from Jeff Goodell, who will be investigating the effect of climate change on Thwaites glacier. January 30th, 10 a.m. Technology won’t save us from climate change, but it might help us understand the risks we face on a superheated planet. Case in …
Read More »Flashback: Don McLean Plays a Stirring 'American Pie' in 1972
A long, long time ago — 60 years ago today, to be exact — Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Richie Valens plummeted to their deaths as their plane crashed in the fields of Clear Lake, Iowa. Eleven years later, a singer-songwriter in Cold Springs, New York, poignantly …
Read More »Hear Pete Townshend on the Who's Past and Future
A recent episode of Rolling Stone Music Now spotlights lengthy segments of Andy Greene’s brand-new interview with the Who‘s Pete Townshend, conducted in the rock legend’s London home. Townshend explains why he’s recorded demos for the first Who album since 2006’s Endless Wire,details the band’s plans for an orchestral tour …
Read More »YouTube Aims to Bring Suspense Back to Music Videos With Premiere Feature
Music videos seem to become more important every year: On-demand video streams increased by 24.3 percent to 274.9 billion in 2018, accelerating further after a 21.9 percent jump in 2017, according to data from the analytics company BuzzAngle. “[YouTube]’s the best way to reach young fans,” Jeff Vaughn, an A&R …
Read More »Trump Had Yet Another Secret Meeting With Putin
It’s been a rough month for anyone still pretending that President Trump’s relationship with Russia is on the level. The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that when Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin during the G-20 summit in November, no U.S. official was on hand to take notes. The only other …
Read More »Better Oblivion Community Center Reveal Spring Tour Dates, 'Dylan Thomas' Video
Singer-songwriters Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers announced an extensive spring tour in support of their debut self-titled album as Better Oblivion Community Center (BOCC). The tour includes a six-week U.S. leg, beginning in March, before they head to Europe in May. Coinciding with the announcement, BOCC released a music video …
Read More »The 'Extinction Rebellion' Wants You to Wake Up
At around 1 p.m. ET in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday, protest puppeteer Elliot Crown twirled a paper mache planet over a bed of flames, playing a silent violin. Around him, a neon-dotted crowd gathered next to the Plaza Hotel to protest the collapse of life on Earth. Numbers soon swelled …
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