| It’s like shooting yourself in the foot, whether you are a competitor or a monopolist, not to have the capacity to deal with Taylor Swift concert sales. |
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| Weyes Blood at Primavera Sound, Barcelona, June 3, 2022. "And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow" is out today on Sub Pop. |
| (Jordi Vidal/Redferns/Weyes Blood) |
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| quote of the day |
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| rantnrave:// |
It’s Friday
And TAYLOR SWIFT tickets are *not* going on sale to the general public, capping an extraordinarily bad week for TICKETMASTER, which on Thursday posted, and then apparently deleted, a lengthy explanation of what went wrong on Tuesday and Wednesday, when it sold 2 million tickets for 47 Taylor Swift stadium shows, but not all of them to actual verified Taylor Swift fans—plenty of unverified bots got in on the fun, too—and not without crashes, delays, frustrations, headaches, angry tweets from members of Congress and at least one major newspaper interview with a US senator who said, and I quote, “This... sucks.” The senator, Minnesota democrat AMY KLOBUCHAR, is publicly raising questions about “a monopoly system” that “insulates [Ticketmaster] from the competitive pressures that typically push companies to innovate and improve their service,” which does not bode well for the company’s immediate future, and which is not likely to be the only direction from which formal complaints will be launched.
GREG MAFFEI, chairman of Ticketmaster parent LIVE NATION, said on CNBC that the overwhelming demand that brought millions and millions of visitors to the site on Tuesday, not all of them invited to the private presale and not all of them human, was “a function of Taylor Swift,” by which he meant her extraordinary popularity, but which more than a few people heard as the company blaming the artist for the company’s failure. Meanwhile, Ticketmaster said it managed to sell more than 90 percent of the available tickets during the two presale days, leaving it with “insufficient remaining ticket inventory” to meet the expected demand from the general public today, forcing it to cancel its planned public on-sale. It didn’t say how or when it would sell the remaining tickets. On resale sites, which Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program was designed to keep tickets away from, seats were going for as much as $76,000.
But It’s Still Friday
And that means new music from WEYES BLOOD, who reflects on climate change and pandemic isolation, among other topics, on the quietly lush AND IN THE DARKNESS, HEARTS AGLOW. The LA singer/songwriter self-assesses that she’s become “really good at articulating a modern malaise and sense of existential dread.” But not without some lightness and humor. “We can laugh at the absurdity of it all sometimes,” she told the Fader. “And in the Darkness” arrives as one of the season’s most acclaimed rock albums... The creatively unpredictable hip-hop boy band BROCKHAMPTON follows up its farewell album, THE FAMILY, released Thursday, with one last surprise—yet another album, TM, out today. The group says it started “TM” before “The Family” but had left it unfinished. By the time "The Family" was recorded, the group was down to leader Kevin Abstract and producers Bearface and Romil Hemnani. “A few of us were inspired to make something new that would bring closure to the past and set the table for all of us to finally be able to explore our individual futures,” Abstract wrote in a note to fans.
ME / AND / DAD is a back-to-the-roots album of bluegrass standards recorded by BILLY STRINGS, the breakout bluegrass guitar star with the psychedelic pedal board, and his stepfather, TERRY BARBER. “Terry raised me and taught me how to wipe my ass, tie my shoes, and play guitar,” Strings told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “That’s my f***ing dad”... A year after a second album, released in the whirlwind of TikTok and pop fame, that he now says “didn’t line up” with “where I was at in my life,” Compton rapper RODDY RICCH returns with a mixtape, volume 3 of his FEED THA STREETS series. “It’s me getting back to being comfortable and thriving in my environment,” he says... NEIL YOUNG’s comfort zone is alternately stomping and laying back while singing gang harmonies with his band CRAZY HORSE, all of which he and they do on WORLD RECORD, recorded on the Young-ish environment of analog tape by a new recruit to the camp: producer Rick Rubin.
Plus new music from Honey Dijon, Fousheé, Kaash Paige, Key Glock (EP released Thursday, the first anniversary of the death of his cousin Young Dolph), Saweetie, Rod Wave, Caitlin Rose, Neal Francis, Adrian Quesada (of Black Pumas), Charles Lloyd (third in a series of three 2022 trio albums by the jazz saxophonist, this one with guitarist Julian Lage and percussionist Zakir Hussain), Patricia Brennan, Dezron Douglas, Nichunimu, Avram Fefer Quartet, Grace Kelly, Sun-Mi Hong, Eri Yamamoto Trio, Hedvig Mollestad, Daniel Bachman, Richard Dawson, Pole, Acid Klaus, Röyksopp,, Soulside (DC hardcore band’s first full-length in more than 30 years), Gladie, Shake Chain, Disturbed, Nickelback, Candlemass, -(16)-, Lowlife, Busta Rhymes, Dave East & DJ Drama, Meekz, 38 Spesh & Harry Fraud, Vinnie Paz, Yungmorpheus, Thaiboy Digital, Gatherers, Smirk, Nadine Khouri, Ono and Badge Époque Ensemble & Lammping.
Weekend Plans
ELTON JOHN’s final (he says) North American concert will be livestreamed from LA’s Dodger Stadium Sunday night on Disney+, starting around 8pm PT. He’ll be joined by DUA LIPA, BRANDI CARLILE and KIKI DEE... BAD BUNNY, BEYONCÉ, TAYLOR SWIFT and GRAMMY denier DRAKE are the top nominees at the AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS, airing 8pm ET Sunday on ABC... ADELE’s long-delayed 32-show Las Vegas residency finally begins tonight at Caesars Palace, almost a year behind schedule, presumably without that “baggy old pond”... Soccer’s WORLD CUP begins Sunday and there will be a little music, not without controversy.
Rest in Peace
SCOTT DACHROEDEN, guitar tech and photographer for rock bands including Alice in Chains and Tool... Actress/model KYMBERLY HERRIN, who appeared in several music videos including, most famously, ZZ Top’s “Legs.”
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| - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator |
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Billboard |
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| Here’s What Caused Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Onsale to Crash |
| By Dave Brooks |
| Ticketmaster’s explanation for the crash — that it misjudged demand for presale tickets and was ill-prepared for the millions of fans that tried to log in — is not likely to satisfy bi-partisan criticism that the company is cutting corners due to its massive marketshare in the concert space. |
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Love is the Message |
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| Love is the Message: The 12" Single (Side A) |
| By Tim Lawrence and Jeremy Gilbert |
| A major technological innovation to emerge from the milieu of NYC 1975 was the 12" single. In this episode, Jeremy and Tim uncover the demands of dancers and DJs in the discos for longer tracks, the precursors found in acid rock and Bob Dylan, and tell the story of individual releases that presaged widespread adoption of the 12" format. |
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IFPI |
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| Engaging With Music 2022 [PDF] |
| Based on research conducted with more than 44,000 music fans across 22 countries, this is the largest music study of its kind. It shows how music engagement is thriving, driven by new genres, new formats and an increasingly rich mix of new ways that people can engage with music today. |
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Apple Music |
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| Neil Young and Rick Rubin: 'World Record', Recording on Tape, and Creative Process |
| By Zane Lowe, Neil Young and Rick Rubin |
| Ahead of the release of his 42nd studio album 'World Record', Neil Young and producer Rick Rubin sit down with Zane Lowe for an intimate conversation. They explain the benefits and challenges of recording on tape, and debate the pros and cons of digital versus analog methods of making music. Neil expresses the importance of being environmentally conscious. |
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Culture Notes of an Honest Broker |
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| The Amazing Music Murals of North Carolina |
| By Ted Gioia |
| Scott Nurkin is on a one-person mission to celebrate the musical heritage of his home state. Other cities and states should take note. |
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Soundtracking With Edith Bowman |
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| What happens to the 40 songs Bruce Springsteen didn't use on his new album? |
| By Edith Bowman and Bruce Springsteen |
| Bruce Springsteen has released a very different collection of songs on his new album, "Only The Strong Survive." It's a beautiful musical love letter to artists and songwriters who have influenced and inspired him over the years. |
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| what we're into |
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| Music of the day |
| “Grapevine” |
| Weyes Blood |
| From "And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow." |
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| Music | Media |
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| “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?’” |
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