Agents have stopped booking me for shows in the U.S. They can't risk it ... but I'm not going to let this affect me. I'm probably going to do a holographic show where I can be present by augmented-reality tech. Either that or I'm going to have to start a Three Doors Down cover band.
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Omar Souleyman at the 40 Watt Club, Athens, Ga., March 27, 2015. (Chris McKay/Getty Images)
Tuesday - January 31, 2017 Tue - 01/31/17
rantnrave:// How to divide the spoils of a $275 U2 concert ticket: start with booking and processing fees, pay your cultural taxes and insurance, then move on to the venue crew, band crew, backstage furniture, catering, trucks, the CLAW, hotels, maybe helicopters, yadda, the promoter, yadda, the band, yadda. How to divide the spoils of a much cheaper FUTURE ticket at an all-cash gig on the still-thriving chitlin' circuit in the AMERICAN SOUTH: just give whatever cash you guaranteed to the artist, half in advance and half before he or she hits the stage. Two eye-opening views into the economics of two sides of the live-music industry, from EAMONN FORDE at the GUARDIAN and CHRISTINA LEE at the RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY DAILY. Lee's longread on the money and culture of a circuit that has supported artists from BIG MAMA THORNTON and BOBBY BLUE BLAND to RAHEEM THE DREAM, KILLER MIKE and 2 CHAINZ is your must-read for today... A little further north, the NEW YORK TIMES' BEN SISARIO has the dirt on AEG's purchase of half of BOWERY PRESENTS and what it means for the battle between AEG and LIVE NATION for the NEW YORK live-music world. While two of Bowery's most iconic clubs, the BOWERY BALLROOM and MERCURY LOUNGE, remain in the hands of the company's founder, MICHAEL SWIER, an artful use of the word "yet" in Sisario's piece suggests that may be temporary... Live music should be loud, and the PA system at the 3ARENA in DUBLIN is insufficiently so to "feel the drums and bass rattle your bones" and "bring you to an ecstatic place," according to COLM O’CIOSOIG, who makes a living behind the drums for MY BLOODY VALENTINE and therefore knows something about loudness. His letter to the editor on the subject in the IRISH TIMES is your must-read missive of the day... Thank you, FOUR TET, for this SPOTIFY playlist featuring music from countries affected by PRESIDENT TRUMP's executive order on immigration and visas... Suppose they gave out GRAMMY AWARDS and nobody came. Album-of-the-year nominees DRAKE and JUSTIN BIEBER are among the high-profile names who may not be at the STAPLES CENTER in two weeks if you can believe Drake's tour schedule and TMZ... Hi, COOKIE MARENCO... RIP JAMES LAURENCE and PALOMA CHAMORRO... Curatorial help wanted: Looking for seriously talented fill-in curators familiar with media, technology, pop culture and more for MediaREDEF. CVs to jobs@redefgroup.com.
- Matty Karas, curator
damascus
Red Bull Music Academy
The Chitlin' Circuit Still Exists
by Christina Lee
And artists like Raheem The Dream are living proof of the continuing power of this Southern tradition.
MusicAlly
The music/tech startups landscape in 2017
by Stuart Dredge
This is an edited version of a talk I gave at the NY:LON Connect conference organised by Music Ally and the Music Business Association last week.
Song Exploder
Song Exploder: Nicholas Britell – 'Moonlight'
by Hrishikesh Hirway
The film "Moonlight" tells the story of its main character, Chiron, in three chapters: when Chiron is a young boy, nicknamed Little, when he’s a teenager, and when he’s an adult, nicknamed Black. For each chapter, composer Nicholas Britell created a theme, and in this episode, Nicholas takes those themes apart.
NPR
With New Hire, Facebook Looks To Strengthen Its Relationship To Music
by Andrew Flanagan
The social network giant has a spotty track record when it comes to integrating music, but the arrival of Tamara Hrivnak signals a major change in its approach.
Complete Music Update
Five contenders for music's enemy number one
by Chris Cooke
As 2017 gets fully underway, the music industry continues to evolve as rapidly as ever. It can be hard to keep up with which challenges and opportunities you should focus on, which tools and tactics you should employ, and which services you should be courting the most. But more importantly, who we can blame when it all goes wrong?
Billboard
As Coming Out Becomes More Common, Is Hip-Hop Less Homophobic?
by Michael Arceneaux
As iLoveMakonnen and Chance the Rapper's brother come out, is hip-hop culture changing?
Rolling Stone
Ash Koosha: Acclaimed Iranian Musician on Being Newly Banned From U.S.
by Richard Gehr
Ash Koosha, an Iranian-born U.K. resident, talks about the troubles of touring in Trump's America.
BBC News
How we started the Arab world's biggest music service
by Carolina Valladares
How the founders of Anghami created the biggest home-grown music streaming service in the Arab world.
WTF with Marc Maron
WTF with Marc Maron: Episode 781 -- Robbie Robertson
by Marc Maron and Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson is in the garage to give Marc the full lowdown on the history of The Band, from its origins as a backing group to its final bow with "The Last Waltz." Robbie talks about being with Bob Dylan when he went electric and dealing with the blowback of that, and he explains how he came to have such a great working relationship with Martin Scorsese on many of the director's films.
The New York Times
In New York Music Scene, Two Behemoths Vie for the Top
by Ben Sisario
With AEG Live acquiring the indie promoter the Bowery Presents, nearly a dozen of the city’s most prominent clubs will be tied to it or Live Nation.
tehran
Synchblog
Projecting Trends: The On-Demand Economy in Music
by Bas Grasmayer
How is the rise of the on-demand economy affecting music? Bas Grasmayer takes a look in this latest edition of Projecting Trends.
UPROXX
Why Are Rap Music Videos Suddenly Getting Better?
by Alex Galbraith
Well past the height of their cultural importance, rap music videos are only getting stranger and more ambitious.
NPR
Listening To The Monkees With Fresh Ears, 50 Years Later
by Ed Ward
Rock historian missed the "Prefab Four" the first time they came along. Listening now, he finds that the Monkees' best songs have held up, mostly because they used top-notch songwriting talent.
Switched On Pop
The Puzzle of Ariana Grande’s “Into You”
by Charlie Harding, Nate Sloan and K. Flay
We dive deep to uncover the insane puzzles, Trompe-l’oiel tricks and Baroque games that lie under the surface of this morsel of pop perfection.
The Guardian
Where concert ticket money goes: who's getting rich off live music's golden age?
by Eamonn Forde
The money you’re forking over to see your favourite band is paying for an entire touring ecosystem, including artists, promoters, sets and medical staff.
Mixmag
Brexit: The impact on dance music so far
by Sirin Kale
Article 50 has yet to be triggered, but the scene has already felt repercussions because of the leave vote.
Complex
The Best Rapper Alive, Every Year Since 1979
by Insanul Ahmed
The rapper who stole each year, from the first year of recorded hip-hop until now.
Slate
If You Miss Leonard Cohen, Then You Need to Meet Mark Eitzel
by Carl Wilson
The former frontman for American Music Club is just reaching his own middle-aged bardic stride.
The Guardian
Mali cancels return of famous music festival after al-Qaida attack
by Ruth Maclean
Fabled Festival au Désert was coming back to Timbuktu after years in exile but officials blocked it at last minute over security fears.
Red Bull Music Academy
A Roundtable Discussion on Desi Music Culture
by Kindness, Nitasha Sharma, DJ Rekha...
Adam Bainbridge AKA Kindness hosts an extensive roundtable discussion on Desi music culture.
MUSIC OF THE DAY
“REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask ‘why?’”
@JasonHirschhorn


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