Writing lyrically that “Some of the greatest written works of our time have been inspired by music,” New York Times reporter Natalie Proulx goes on to cite Walt Whitman conceptualizing and writing “Leaves of Grass” while listening to opera, and Alice Walker, Langston Hughes, Ntozake Shange and Ralph Ellison “all moved by spirituals, jazz and blues”A […]
Music publishing and rights management firm Kobalt is dissected in Forbes, with CEO Willard Ahdritz and president Laurent Hubert interviewed by reporter Danny Ross. Among the interesting facts underscored about one of the industry’s most interesting companies: Kobalt lets songwriters keep 100% of their rights. Childish Gambino this week joined the Kobalt roster, which also […]
It’s a big show. The 2017 Grammy Awards sucked in 26 million viewers. Second only to the Oscars (32.9 million viewers), the Emmys (11.4 million-wide) and Tonys (6 million in a post-Hamilton slump). Meanwhile, The 4th Annual Game Awards shook things up, an audience of 18.7 million via 10 live streaming platforms, including YouTube, Facebook […]
With Lady Gaga, the Economics of Las Vegas residencies reach new highs, reports Shirley Halperin in Variety. Gaga has secured an agreement for $1 million per show with a commitment for 74-day run at the MGM Resorts. Read the full story here.
Fordham University professor Mark Naison explores the cultural explosion that became hip hop, tracing it from its antecedent stage, through the big bang and universal expansion. A professor of history and African American studies, Naison’s obvious passion and appreciation of the subject lend moral and emotional weight to his intellectual adventurism. It’s an information-packed hour […]
Born with a condition that left her virtually deaf Andie Aviv can now hear nearly everything anyone else can, thanks to the surgical addition of a Cochlear Nucleus Implant System the 12-year-old received as an infant. Although one of Andie’s biggest advantages is sport, the technology holds obvious promise for those whose circumstances impede the experience of music. The […]
Recording in an abandoned railroad water tower called “the Tank” has become all the rage, drawing musicians from as far away as New York and even Germany, writes David Kelly in a Sept. 18 piece for the Los Angeles Times entitled “Forget Carnegie Hall. Musicians flock to rural Colorado to play the Tank.” A 65-foot high rusty […]
A tiny cat island in Japan made a promotional video in a bid to get Ed Sheeran to come visit. In what has to be one of the strangest news reports ever, The Verge details the wooing of Sheeran, an avowed feline-lover. “It’s sort of like the modern equivalent of a siren call, but with […]
Samuel L. Jackson finds his groove in a new commercial from Capital One and as a singer-songwriter with The Hitman’s Bodyguard, the new film produced by Millennium and released by Lionsgate. Jackson croons “Let’s Stay Together” for his banking ad, and in the Bodyguard action buddy pic performs his original composition “Nobody Gets Out Alive,” which earned him an ASCAP […]
Composer Tom Holkenborg has the No. 1 movie this weekend with The Dark Tower, directed by Nikolaj Arcel, based on a book by Stephen King. The Dutch-born artist, who made his name on the electronic scene, spinning as under the name Junkie XL, invited Billboard in for a peek at his Los Angeles studio, well-worth a […]
