A weekly update on all things music, entertainment and technology, coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM
ARTIST OF THE WEEK: NILS FRAHM
Berlin-based pianist Nils Frahm has built a steady reputation in the electronic world although he is mostly known as a modern classical pianist. Extending his solo piano set with a Juno synthesiser, Rhodes and tape delay, has seen Frahm bring his unique sound to a younger captive audience.
Ed note: I decided to put Nils Frahm as AOTW because I just love listening to him at the end of a hard day at work. There is something restorative about his melodies and the simplicity of the arrangements means that the music sits close to the heart. Enjoy!
BBC TO CLOSE HISTORIC MAIDA VALE STUDIOS
It plans to relocate to new East London base.
The decision to shutter Maida Vale, which has been used for music recording since the 1930s and has played host to everyone from Adele to David Bowie to the Beatles, was announced this week by BBC director general Tony Hall.
The BBC said the new replacement recording facility, which will be located at the site of the 2012 Olympic Games park in Stratford, East London, will enable it to record and broadcast more live music than ever before.
It’s estimated that the new project will bring an additional 1.5 million visitors to the surrounding area each year and will create more than 2,500 jobs. The economic impact is estimated at £1.5 billion ($2 billion) for the local economy, according to the Mayor of London’s office, showing once again how music continues to have a real impact on people’s lives, not just emotionally, but also economically.
FACEBOOK LAUNCHES MUSICAL.LY RIVAL AS IT FINALLY WELCOMES LICENSED MUSIC TO USER VIDEOS
The social media giant, which boasts more than 2bn monthly active users, announced this week that its users can now legally upload and share UGC videos which feature licensed music in selected markets.
A spokesperson for the social media giant said: “We’re testing [licensed music in UGC] in several markets now and look forward to making it available more broadly soon.” This is a game-changer for the streaming music sector and with so many active users, could generate sizeable additional revenue for musicians and songwriters.
SPOTIFY-RIVAL DEEZER LOOKS TO EMULATE GIANT’S SUCCESS
Deezer, headquartered in Paris, is hoping to challenge the dominance of Spotify and show there is room for more than one player in music streaming.
Deezer’s differentiator is local music. “We have a market-by-market approach,” Albrecht, CEO, says. Deezer has focused on France and Germany, but has also had success in Eastern Europe and Brazil. It has also expanded into services such as podcasts. But this strategy comes at a cost and the payoff may be a long time coming.
Revenues have grown to €300m, but losses are close to €60m. Albrecht says without marketing costs it would be breaking even. Despite an aborted IPO, the tech company raised €100m from investors Access Industries and telecoms group Orange in 2016. Hopefully, the French company has enough gas in the tank to continue its current loss-making strategy. Or maybe it will be bought out by Spotify…
THE GRANDMOTHER IS MOOG’S NEW RETRO-INSPIRED SYNTH
The standalone instrument comes straight from the ’60s and ’70s
Unveiled at Moogfest, the $899 unit follows a retro style and works all on its own, or can be connected to other sound making devices.
The instrument was inspired by Bob Moog’s 1960s and 1970s modular synths, featuring a built-in arpeggiator, sequencer and spring reverb tank.
Watch Adrian Younge introduce the instrument below and hear how the retro synthesiser produces wonderfully rich sounds and atmospheres, especially the arpeggiators. A must for studio buffs!
AD OF THE WEEK
Coke Launches World Cup Campaign, With Numbered Cans to Share Your Score Predictions
For this week’s Ad of the Week, we pick Coca-Cola’s FIFA World Cup 2018 campaign. Mercado McCann and the iconic soda drink are pulling out all the stops. The brand and agency have launched a global creative campaign that will run in 200 countries, featuring three ad spots in conjunction with a limited-edition Coke can design, sporting numbers zero through nine so fans can share their score predictions on social media. Check out one of the new ads below:
Go England….!