The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2019 nominees on Tuesday, and in what has become an annual tradition, the list came with the Hall’s usual heap of opacity and a dash of acrimony. One nominee has already been inducted, two are receiving their fifth nominations, and one previously said it would decline…
MEET THE RAPPERS OF LINKEDIN
A couple of weeks ago, a Coventry, U.K.-based rapper connected with me on LinkedIn. In his bio, Skatta (aka 23-year-old Nathan Hunter) describes himself as a “Grime Artist” and has been “endorsed” by other LinkedIn members for his skills in music production and entertainment. His work experience details his time as a manager, before becoming a full-time…
So if Beethoven was completely deaf, how did he compose?
“For the last three years my hearing has grown steadily weaker…” – so wrote Beethoven, aged 30, in a letter to a friend. The young Beethoven was known as the most important musician since Mozart. By his mid-20s, he had studied with Haydn and was celebrated as a brilliant, virtuoso pianist. By the time he turned 30…
Cardi B and Post Malone Ineligible for Best New Artist at Grammys 2019
Cardi B and Post Malone have been ruled ineligible for the 2019 Grammy Award for Best New Artist, the Associated Press reports. Cardi was disqualified because of her previous nominations, according to the AP. (She was up for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for “Bodak Yellow” at the 2018 Grammys; Kendrick Lamar won…
Lindsey Buckingham Says Stevie Nicks Had Him Fired From Fleetwood Mac Over The Phone
Earlier this year, Fleetwood Mac fired Lindsey Buckingham and announced a tourwithout him, which they’re currently on. (They debuted the new lineup, with Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and Crowded House frontman Neil Finn, on Ellen last month.) Buckingham recently announced a solo tour that’ll take place concurrently with the Fleetwood Mac one. He hasn’t spoken…
Joni Mitchell’s Openhearted Heroism (Part 2)
Yaffe, who teaches at Syracuse, charts these encounters with a sure hand, and is a brilliant analyst of how Mitchell’s songs are made. But he leans a little heavily on quotations familiar to fans: many of his most revealing takes are culled from “Woman of Heart and Mind,” an excellent PBS “American Masters” documentary. He…
Joni Mitchell’s Openhearted Heroism (Part 1)
In 1969, Cary Raditz, a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina, quit his job in advertising and headed to Europe to bum around with his girlfriend. They ended up in Matala, on the island of Crete, where they found a bunch of hippies living in a network of caves. Raditz soon decamped for…
APPLE’S BUYOUT OF SHAZAM: 5 REASONS IT COULD CHANGE MUSIC STREAMING FOREVER
Apple is in a music-streaming arms race. It’s getting closer to 50m paying music subscribers worldwide, but remains approximately 39m behind Spotify’s premium global user-base. Does Apple’s acquisition of Shazam hold the potential to help launch it towards pole position? The significance of the $400m buyout was meaty enough for European Commission regulators to launch an in-depth…
MAKE MUSIC A FULL BODY EXPERIENCE WITH A “VIBRO-TACTILE” SUIT
A mind-bending new suit straps onto your torso, ankles and wrists, then uses actuators to translate audio into vivid vibration. The result: a new way for everyone to experience music, according to its creators. That’s especially exciting for people who have trouble hearing. The Music: Not Impossible suit was created by design firm Not Impossible…
Spotify Teams With Ancestry to Make Playlists Based on Your DNA
Spotify has teamed with Ancestry.com to offer users playlists based on their own DNA. By signing up through the genealogy company, you can trace your family history and input results to Spotify. It’ll then generate a playlist based on your family tree and listening habits. The program will “encourage [Ancestry’s] audience to explore the soundtrack of…
