A weekly update on all things music, advertising and technology coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM
ARTIST OF THE WEEK: SOPHIE AND THE GIANTS
I love a rock band fronted by a female with the confidence and vocal technique to stand up and dominate a song. Sophie and the Giants, a Sheffield-based guitar-pop four-piece, met at music college in Spring 2017 and released their debut EP, Adolescence, in October of the same year. As the band’s website explains: “At the heart of it all is pop’s most captivating new frontperson, whose teenage life is chronicled with unflinching honesty on Sophie & The Giants’ debut EP Adolescence. It’s a collection whose candid songs include Waste My Air, which Sophie wrote last year about the end of a toxic relationship.” Below is a video from a live version of Bulldog, their latest single. I think it really rocks, with tight vocals, tighter backing from her band and lots of dynamic range.
The band have just announced their first headline UK tour so check them out! They are definitely ones to watch. Official website: www.sophieandthegiants.com
AD OF THE WEEK: TREES AND BEES
I like this spot because it is funny. Maya Rudolph, of Bridesmaids and Grown Ups fame, delivers a hilarious performance (with a surprisingly good voice) of a song about using recycled toilet paper instead of cutting down trees to clean your “b**ty”. The Hollywood actress delivers the track from behind a drum set in a suburban garden with a 12-pack of the recycled toilet paper perched on top of a snare drum. Not sure who at the agency, 72andSunny, came up with the creative, but miraculously it works.
ARTICLE 13 APPROVED BY EU PARLIAMENT
Article 13 aims to make internet platforms liable for copyright-infringing user uploaded material and the likes of YouTube and Facebook are just some of the user content-reliant firms that will be affected by the bill. EU member states are now required to approve the decision in the coming weeks and will have two years to implement it if adopted by the European Parliament. The move has been welcomed by a wide cross section of the music business, following intensified campaigning in support of the Directive in the weeks leading up to the vote. Watch the WIRED video below for a wider understanding on the subject.
Ed note: long video and a bit wonky, but anyone in the music business should make the effort to watch. It is potentially a game-changer.
SOUNDCLOUD OFFERS CURATED PLAYLIST FROM MUSIC STARS
An alternative route to discovering new playlists
In an effort to boost its music discovery, SoundCloud has “enlisted the help of some prominent figures in the music industry to create curated playlists on its streaming platform,” according to MusicTech news.
The online publication further explains: “These playlists span across a number of styles and moods, ranging from a collection of rap bangers “Noise and 808s” to the abstract “DTFunk”, which SoundCloud describes as “your soundtrack for a freaky first date (whatever that means to you)”.
Find out more here: blog.soundcloud.com.
VINYL GENERATES MORE REVENUE FOR UK MUSIC INDUSTRY THAN YOUTUBE
Vinyl generates more revenue for the British music industry than YouTube, according to a new report by the Entertainment Retailer’s Association (ERA).
Income from the streaming platform, and other video sites such as Facebook, rose in 2018 to just £29.7million despite YouTube alone accounting for a staggering 30 billion plays in the year.
In contrast, vinyl sales grew by 3.7%, bringing in £57.1million— 6.6% of overall retail revenue. Figures from the British Phonographic Industry had already shown there were five times more purchases of wax in 2018 than 2013. In comparison, the number of CD units sold fell by more than 28%, with downloads also dropping by over 27%. Paid subscription streams accounted for the greatest share of revenue for British labels, claiming 54%, or £468million. Ad-funded alternatives brought in just £19million.
LUGGAGE LEADER RIMOWA MAKES ITS FIRST FORAY INTO HEADPHONES
Bang & Olufsen has been a hive of collaborative activity of late. Just last week, the Danish sound designer launched a new collection of accessories and colour-ways with Kvadrat and Raf Simons, and now, it announces its partnership with travel brand Rimowa.
‘This collaboration will make the world travel at the speed of sound,’ says John Mollanger, executive vice president at Bang & Olufsen, of the new limited edition iteration of the Beoplay H9i headphones – which are actively noise cancelling, a modern-day essential for frequent flyers.
The miniature version of its aircraft engineering-inspired carrying case snuggly houses the headphones, providing them with a sturdy and lightweight carrier. At £450 a pair, they are not cheap, but they look very cool. You can pre-order them here.
Written by Anthony Vanger
Additional reporting by Adam “Badger” Woolf
Artwork by Gustav Balderdash
To join This Week In Music please send me an email: anthonyvanger@gmail.com