A weekly update on all things music, entertainment and technology, coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM
ARTIST OF THE WEEK: EMINEM
Why? I saw the Detroit-born artist’s Sunday night show, the second of two sold out shows at Twickenham Stadium, London and it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. The rapper was committed, his band was amazing and he kept the hits coming. Highlights: Ed Sheeran coming onstage to perform River; 50 Cent singing In da Club and my favourite, Love the Way you Lie performed with platinum- haired, tattoo-covered female vocalist, Skylar.
To put things in context, Eminem is now 45 years old and clearly a long way from his glory days as the most radical, cutting-edge musician in the world. It is easy to forget that parents were literally petrified of him and that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lobbied hard to get him banned from MTV. What a long time ago that seems. Eminem is now part of the main-stream and the sight of him rapping was strangely reassuring. And now, by his own admission, lacking in confidence, the middle-aged rapper seeks to find a new space in the pop landscape. Fortunately he has a winning card: hits and lots of them. Back-to-back number ones and the audience lapped it up. Maybe he is not the best performer in the world – his stilted conversations with the crowd “London…how y’all doin’?” – reveal that he only started touring as a solo performer in 2010. But what he lacked in experience he made up for in authenticity. When he performs, you really hear that he cares. And the crowd cared back and loved him for it.
AD OF THE WEEK: SERENA WILLIAMS
New Gatorade work celebrates motherhood and comeback
Williams is one of the world’s greatest athletes and I like this ad because it captures her almost visceral power using a phrase that is more often associated with softness, “Like a mother.” What this ad does is flip that phrase on its head so that it drives meanings of almost febrile savagery: like a mother.
Serena fell short in the end at Wimbledon, losing to Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the final, but for the rest of the tournament she was the epitome of savage motherhood and this ad conveys that emotion in a captivating and original way.
GRAMMY AWARDS 2019 – DATE ANNOUNCED
Hitting Los Angeles on February 10th.
The Recording Academy has announced key dates and deadlines for the 61st annual Grammy Awards, which return to Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday, February 10 2019.
Nominations will be announced in all 84 categories on December 5, honouring recordings released between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018.
JADEN SMITH RELEASES MUSIC EXCLUSIVELY ON INSTAGRAM
Could this be the new way to release music?
Jaden Smith last week quietly dropped Electric, a surprise five track project.
The project was an exclusive, but not to Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or even Tidal.
Through a series of announcements, Instagram, the Facebook owned photo-sharing app, emerged ready to become a new monetary force within the music industry, as streaming continues to become the dominant mode of music consumption and revenue.
PEOPLE STOP DISCOVERING NEW MUSIC AT 30
According to a study held by Deezer.
The survey involved 1,000 British participants, and concluded that so-called ‘musical paralysis’ kicks in once the average listener hits the three-decade mark.
- 9% of those involved said they were too overwhelmed with the choice of music thats available.
- 6% stated their demanding work life prevented them discovering fresh sounds.
- 11% claimed caring for young children was the route cause.
- Over 60% of people saw themselves in a musical rut and stuck to listening to what they already knew.
24 is apparently the peak of musical adventurism amongst the British, although ages vary in different UK regions, while the Scottish enjoy the longest love affair with new music, with interests only fading at around 40 years old.
DAVID BOWIE IS REAL!
In an all new exhibition in virtual reality..
The new project is in collaboration with Sony Music Entertainment Inc., the David Bowie Archive, Planeta, and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
Set to launch in the fall, David Bowie will become a VR exhibition available to all via smartphones. Fans will be able to explore a series of audio-visual spaces with 3D scans of the artist’s memorabilia. A major feature will give users the ability to “step into” a collection of Bowie’s costumes that he wore throughout his career.
TECH OF THE WEEK: AUDIOKIT FRO IPAD
It’s a free, open-source Synth One
Described as “the first completely free & open-source professional iOS Synthesizer app in history”.
It was created over two years by 100 volunteers around the globe, including sound designers for Kanye West, M83, Tycho and Rihanna. Not only is the instrument completely free, users won’t see any ads or sponsors, and none of the participants of the project has made any money.
It’s the purest of passion projects and one that opens a lot of exciting doors for the mobile music making community. Grab it here
Ed Note: I will be away on annual leave until August 30. Have a great summer readers and keep listening to the music!