[In an] age of almost profligate documentation, I see it as almost a discipline to be more selective about releases. | | | | Migos' Quavo, Offset and Takeoff (from left) at the BET Awards Sunday in Los Angeles.
(Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) | | | | | | “[In an] age of almost profligate documentation, I see it as almost a discipline to be more selective about releases.”
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| | rantnrave:// Meet the new biz, same as the old biz. Using midwestern punks the ORWELLS as his protagonists, the WASHINGTON POST's TODD C. FRANKEL paints a reasonably accurate and useful portrait of the touring/recording/merchandising music biz circa 2017: rich getting richer, poor getting poorer, middle class disappearing, no one buying CDs or downloads, gatekeepers not letting anyone through the gates, no one cares about music, no one develops new bands, TV is the new god, why aren't there more artists like JASON ISBELL, everything was better five years ago, etc etc etc. This would have been an equally accurate and useful portrait of the biz five years ago, it should be noted. And 25 years ago. And, oh, 33 years ago. Back then they fretted about MTV; now they thank their lucky stars for syncs. Then it was narrow radio playlists; now it's narrow streaming playlists. Then a rock and roll band had no clear place to go because DURAN DURAN. Now a rock and roll band has no clear place to go because 2017. But bless the Orwells and every other band that will play RIOT FEST or open for the PIXIES this year. Because the songs they write and play do still matter. And because there's no certified musical middle class waiting for them with open arms any more than there was a certified musical middle class waiting for Jason Isbell, and yet they're reaching for it anyway. Reaching for the handle of a door that doesn't yet exist. As now as ever... The days of the mega music fest may be dwindling. Don't tell this dude... TIM WESTERGREN reportedly on his way out at PANDORA... Seemingly endless BET AWARDS—the only awards show where you can find KAMASI WASHINGTON and EL DEBARGE honoring GEORGE MICHAEL—may or may not still be going on as you read this. Which means this winners list may or may not be complete... JOE SCARBOROUGH rocks! The SHAGGS reunite! We report, you decide who you'd rather have seen... RIP BOBBY BOYD. | | | - Matty Karas, curator |
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| Breaking through today means going viral, scoring “syncs” and vying for attention in a system tilted toward the Drakes and Rihannas. | | |
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| The official release of 11 tracks from Prince’s legendarily vast vault of unreleased material is a morally complicated occasion. | | |
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| In a parallel universe, a band called Radiohead is making music for shiny, happy people. It's hard to believe, but Radiohead as we know them almost were that band -- at least, it's possible that they might have been right before they recorded their landmark 1997 album, "OK Computer." | | |
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| Bruce Springsteen and The Who are moving away from the tour bus model, and playing a series of shows in small, intimate venues on Broadway and in Vegas. | | |
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| After this year's spectacular collapse of two high-profile music festivals, and the quiet disappearance of others, many wonder about the future of the super festival that has dominated for 20 years. | | |
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| Trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah's fusion 3.0 -- or maybe 4.0. | | |
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| As dance music fans sift through streaming services to find the latest sounds, changed "music" to "sounds" to prevent rep with "dance music" new channel operators have emerged to help -- and billions are watching. | | |
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| The evolution of ambient music started much earlier than you probably think. | | |
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| Support independent media -- this rich new site offers the perfect soundtracks to your day, and a deep dive into the best of the US scene. | | |
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| He has become one of the best jazz pianists alive -- by disappearing almost completely into his music. | | |
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| Led Zeppelin's most mythic song was a "slurring, sucking sonic taffy" when reversed-and some heard the devil in it. (Excerpted from "Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin IV" by Erik Davis.) | | |
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| The classical market has long been expected to die on the vine. Classical buyers still want CDs but can’t readily find them. To top the charts, a new classical release once needed to sell tens of thousands. Now a few hundred units makes for a coveted bestseller. | | |
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| In One Direction, Louis Tomlinson was "the kid at the back."Now, with his first solo album and his own record label, he’s taking the spotlight and learning to trust himself. | | |
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| Frontman Nikan Khosravi details how he got arrested and what the future is for the band. | | |
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| Universal said it wants to cancel its $31 million deal for Prince’s music over conflicts with an earlier agreement Prince signed with Warner Bros. | | |
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| How Hank Williams Jr. and Charlie Daniels approach political conservatism in their music and interviews. | | |
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| War on Women's Warped Tour diary, part one. | | |
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| Celebrate the sunniest of seasons with the German prodigy's timeless "Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream." | | |
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| From the Minimoog to the Roland TR-808. | | |
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| In the refulgent early seventies, I owned, but was never fully occupied by, the Allman Brothers Band's double album "Eat a Peach." More than the hit "Melissa," it was that soon-to-be-iconic cover, featuring a truck with a giant peach (Roald Dahl eat your heart out) that made the greatest inroads into my admittedly wobbly consciousness. | | |
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| | | | | Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas |
| | From "Telephone/Telefono," released Friday on Instant Records. |
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| © Copyright 2017, The REDEF Group |
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