The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards will take place at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn on August 30th, according to an announcement from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo confirmed the show at a press conference Monday as New York State, and specifically New York City, continued its COVID-19 re-opening …
Read More »Watch Halsey and Marshmello's Colorful 'Be Kind' Video
Halsey and Marshmello have shared the colorful new video for their collaborative single “Be Kind,” which the pair initially released May 1st. The visual — shot during the COVID-19 isolation, as evidenced by its extensive use of green screen and artificial backgrounds — features Halsey dancing along to “Be Kind” …
Read More »Tina Knowles-Lawson Urges Congress to Protect Voters During COVID-19
Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, penned an open letter to Senate leaders urging them to pass a COVID-19 relief bill that includes significant funding for the upcoming November elections. Knowles-Lawson wrote the letter in partnership with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ campaign, And I Still Vote. It’s addressed …
Read More »Curtis Waters' 'Stunnin' Is a TikTok Hit — And a Threat to the Major Label System
In early March, the veteran A&R Chris Anokute was listening to a SoundCloud link from an aspiring artist. The track came to an end, and the platform’s algorithm automatically queued up Curtis Waters’ “Freckles.” “I felt like he was telling my story,” says Anokute, who worked with Katy Perry at …
Read More »RS Charts: Drake Fends Off Lil Baby for Third Week Atop Artists 500 Chart
Drake captured the Number One spot on the Artists 500 for the third week in a row, pulling in 122.6 million streams for the week of June 12th through June 18th. The Toronto rapper’s closest challenger was Lil Baby, who underscored an impressive week on the charts with a rise …
Read More »Prince's 'Blue Angel' Cloud 2 Guitar Sells for $563,000 at Auction
Prince’s “Blue Angel” Cloud 2 electric guitar — “the most significant Prince guitar that’ll ever come up for auction” — sold for a high bid of $563,000 Saturday, exceeding pre- auction estimates. The 1984 custom-made instrument, long thought to be lost, was played by Prince on the tours in support …
Read More »Weezer Deliver Piano Ballad Rendition of 'Hero' on 'Fallon'
Weezer put a new spin on socially distanced late-night performances with their rendition of “Hero” on The Tonight Show Wednesday. To start, the band transformed the riff-heavy track into a piano power ballad, led by frontman Rivers Cuomo, who appeared at his piano at home and began performing the song …
Read More »Jeff Tweedy Calls for Music Industry Program to Divert Revenue to Racial Justice Groups
Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy called for the creation of a program that would allow songwriters and musicians to regularly donate a portion of their royalties to organizations fighting for racial justice. Tweedy opened his statement by noting that the modern music industry is “built almost entirely on black art” and that …
Read More »Brian Eno's Collaborative Albums With John Cale, Jah Wobble to Be Reissued
Brian Eno’s collaborative albums with John Cale and bassist Jah Wobble — 1990’s Wrong Way Up and 1995’s Spinner, respectively — will be reissued with a handful of bonus tracks each. The sets will arrive on August 21st via All Saints Records. The reissues coincide with the 30th anniversary of …
Read More »Nile Rodgers Launches New 'Youth to the Front' Fund to Fight Systemic Racism
Nile Rodgers’ We Are Family Foundation announced the creation of its new Youth to the Front Fund, which will benefit activists and organizations fighting to end systemic racism. Per a press release, the YTTF Fund will specifically support and fund “under 30-year-old BIPOC [Black Indigenous People of Color] youth activists, …
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