In Rolling Stone‘s series At Work, we go behind the curtain with decision-makers across the fast-changing music business — exploring a range of responsibilities, burgeoning ideas, advice for industry newcomers, and more. Read earlier interviews here. Gwen Riley has partnered with the likes of 88rising, Mabel, Machel Montano, Wyclef, Common, …
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Morrissey is in search of a new record label. After three albums on BMG, the label has decided to consciously uncouple with the former Smiths frontman. “This news is perfectly in keeping with the relentless galvanic horror of 2020. We would be critically insane to expect anything positive,” Morrissey said …
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The other week, Kanye West launched a sustained Twitter assault against two pillars of the modern music industry — major labels and unfair record deals. He announced his intent to build a world where artists “have the power and transparency to be in control” of their future. “No more shady …
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We’re in a real life Attack of the Clones. YouTube announced on Monday that it will enter the increasingly competitive short-form video ecosystem by launching Shorts, a feature for quick 15-second clips that seems intent on going up against TikTok, which has dominated the space for several years. YouTube is …
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The Weeknd‘s After Hours is the biggest album of the first half of 2020, topping Alpha Data’s mid-year ranking with 1.3 million album units in the U.S. In the first half of the year, Abel Tesfaye’s fourth studio album saw 418,000 sales — more than any other album in 2020. …
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The founder of distribution and artist tools platform Stem, Milana Rabkin Lewis, made a fun suggestion on Twitter last week — an industry book club entirely focused on IPO filings, with Warner Music Group‘s S1/A as the first assignment. Warner’s S1/A is the dense, 190-pages-plus SEC filing that just officially …
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In the weeks since the concert industry was stopped in its tracks, there’s been a 55% increase in Google searches for Apple’s Garagebandmusic creation software. Apple confirms the company is seeing record levels of interest in Garageband, with nearly 13 million downloads from its add-on “Sound Library” since early February …
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On March 3, the electronic producer Surf Mesa‘s single “ily” debuted on Spotify’s Global Viral chart, which highlights songs benefitting from a recent surge in interest. The track merged an acoustic cover of the Sixties classic “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” originally recorded by Franki Valli, with a downtempo, …
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Update, March 27th: The U.S. House of Representatives approved the stimulus package Friday, sending it to the president’s desk for final passage. — From songwriters to producers to roadies, individuals in the various corners of the music business will be eligible for federal relief under the coronavirus stimulus package passed …
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Paul Klimson, a veteran audio engineer who’s worked with artists like Justin Timberlake, the Roots, and Eric Clapton, was putting together a docket of upcoming shows across multiple venues last week. Then, suddenly, they were all axed in one go. A “text came through that wiped out $11,000 in gigs …
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