Month: August 2014

Five Lessons the Faltering Music Industry Could Learn From TV

Of all the lies told to musicians, here’s the biggest lie of them all: you have to give your talent away for free. Creative people in a wide range of fields keep hearing the ridiculous mantra that “content wants to be free.” The music industry is the worst offender. Many label execs tell artists—maybe the…


Watch Dom Kennedy’s New Video, “After School”

Dom Kennedy‘s latest album, Get Home Safely, was released independently, through a direct distribution deal Dom’s record label, The Other People’s Money Company, had with Best Buy department stores nationwide.  It was a pretty impressive maneuver, considering Dom isn’t a mainstream artist, and doesn’t have radio or Top 40 popularity. The result? 10,000 copies sold first-week…


New Soft Synth Inspired By Classic Prophet 5


Russian fisherman saved from vicious bear attack by his Justin Bieber ringtone

A fisherman in Russia was saved from death at the hands of a brown bear when his Justin Bieber ringtone scared the animal off. …


Scott Storch on Lead Vocals

Scott Storch discusses working with a defined lead vocal from the beginning to the end of a song….


Video: @FreddieGibbs “Harold’s”

Freddie Gibbs delivers the latest video from his Madlib-produced album entitled Pinata. Shout to ego trip on the heads up.  …


Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri Part Ways After New Album ‘Me. I Am Mariah’ Flopped: Former Def Jam President Kevin Liles is New Manager

After her new album Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse failed to make waves, it seems as though notorious diva and pop superstar Mariah Carey has parted ways with her manager Jermaine Dupri. According to reports from Billboard Magazine (via Popdust), Carey is now working with formerDef Jam president Kevin Liles (Jay Z, Ludacris) instead of her longtime musical partner in crime, but that doesn’t mean…


CAN YOU FEEL IT? THE MEANING OF HOUSE

“Records like ‘Promised Land’ were more than just enjoyable sounds,” says Chicago house icon Roy Davis Jr when asked if dance music has lost its meaning. “They told you stories about worlds you didn’t know, which is not something you could say about many new house releases.” Dance music doesn’t need to do anything more than make…


Drake Faces ‘Ultimate Test’ as a Business Mogul

  Sure, Drake dropped the No. 2 rap album of 2013 (Nothing Was the Same) and earned high marks this year for hosting Saturday Night Live and the ESPY Awards. But the Toronto-born superstar, 26, is also an aspiring mogul now facing the ultimate test of his business muscle. Will he be Canada’s answer to Jay Z — who oversees a…


WHY DOES APPLE NEED BEATS? IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC

MUSIC IS CENTRAL TO THE COMPANY’S BRAND IDENTITY, BUT ITUNES HAS GOTTEN STALE. HOW BEATS COULD BRING COOL BACK TO CUPERTINO As the child of an elementary school teacher, I was able to borrow a Macintosh desktop computer from the library every summer. But even at the age of nine, I was keenly aware that…