A weekly update on all things music, advertising, and technology coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM
ARTIST OF THE YEAR: HAIM
This week we choose the top artist of 2020. The one recording that never gets old, no matter how many times you play it. To help me choose the top 5 and the winner, it was useful to look at data. This year, TWIM produced 37 blogs, reviewed 37 different artists, ranging from deep techno to country. Overall, the posts have been read over 10,000 times on Linkedin and viewed 83,797 times on Instagram generating 2,112 likes and hundreds of comments. Combining data with a lot of subjectivity, my top 5 goes like this: 1. HAIM “Hallelujah” 2. Gerry Cinnamon “Sometimes” 3. Celeste “Hear My Voice” 4. London Grammar “Baby It’s You” 5. Nathaniel Rateliff “And It’s Still Alright”. Haim wins with Hallelujah because it is a pop classic that will enter the American Songbook. A perfect gem, beautifully crafted and courageously performed.
Check out this live performance of Hallelujah by HAIM on Radio 1’s Piano Sessions.
Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/XVfKSzwk90c
#haim @haim #hallelujah #bbcsounds
AD OF THE WEEK: JOHN LEWIS
It is sentimental and portrays a version of Christmas that barely exists anymore – snow on the ground anyone? – but somehow this ad is just what we need. A shot in the arm of unalloyed festive cheer. The message is clear, the intention is good and the music brings it all together with Celeste’s beautifully sweet rendition of A Little Love, a song which she not only sang to perfection, but she also wrote. You know you have smashed it when the new song you wrote sounds like a cover. We may be in lockdown, but Christmas has officially arrived.
Find out more about charity partners: https://jland.partners/CharityPartners
Find out more on how to #GiveALittleLove and donate: https://jland.partners/Donations
NEW IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL EVENT COMBINES RAVING WITH THEATRE
A new interactive club and immersive theatre experience will open its virtual doors in February 2021.
Produced by experiential agency Hyperactive, BBL CLB, pronounced ‘bubble club’, invites remote groups of friends to embark on a virtual mission to locate an “illegal underground rave” – in a hyper modern Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch-meets-Human Traffic style concept.
After navigating an array of parallel storylines to find the hidden party, participants will be rewarded with exclusive DJ sets from the likes of Alan Fitzpatrick, Âme, Crazy P Soundsystem, Eats Everything, Kings of the Rollers, Sasha, Sam Divine, Uncle Duggs, wAFF and Yousef – with up to 5 new show listings per week.
Aiming to create a more socially engaging experience than your traditional DJ live streams, BBL CLB claims to come “as close to the real experience of clubbing as it’s possible to get”.
There has been an eruption in virtual alternatives to nightclubs since the coronavirus first took hold in March this year and limited physical events. The world’s first virtual avatar DJs playing only AI-generated music will arrive next year via Sensorium, meanwhile, GTA Online has just launched a new in-game nightclub dubbed ‘The Music Locker’ with Moodymann and Palms Trax as residents.
AS ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU HITS UK NO.1
With some impressive streaming numbers
Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You has hit No.1 on the Official UK Singles Chart for the first time since it was released 26 years ago.
All I Want For Christmas Is You was streamed over 10.8 million times over the last seven days, making it the most-streamed song in a week in 2020.
Since its release in 1994, the song has sold over 16 million copies worldwide making it not only the most successful Christmas song, but also one of the best-selling singles of all time.
SPOTIFY SIGNS EXCLUSIVE PODCAST DEAL WITH PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE
If you’re craving more Royal Family content after season 4 of The Crown, Spotify is going to help. Today, the streaming service announced an exclusive podcast deal with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The royal couple will host and produce multiple podcasts starting in 2021. While you’ll have to wait for a complete series, the first item on the agenda will debut this month: a holiday special co-produced by Archewell Audio, the Duke and Duchess’ new audio production company, and Spotify-owned podcast production studio Gimlet.
“What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction,” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a joint statement. “With the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to do so, because when we hear each other, and hear each other’s stories, we are reminded of how interconnected we all are.” The royal couple signed a multiyear deal with Netflix in September with the aim of “creating content that informs but also gives hope.”
PALOMAR CITYRADIO WORLDWIDE MUSIC BOX CONNECTS YOU TO LIVE RADIO AROUND THE GLOBE
Experience traveling around the world while remaining safe at home with the Palomar CityRadio Worldwide Music Box. This music box lets you connect to live audio in 18 cities at the click of a button. To tune in, tap a button that corresponds to the city you admire. Some of these choices include London, Barcelona, New York, and Beijing. In fact, there are a total of 60,000 stations available to discover. Spend some time feeling like you’re on vacation. Or indulge in new cultures.
Also, playing it via you phone is easy. Simply download the CityRadio app. Then, connect the device to your phone. This makes a great gift to someone who loves traveling or is currently missing their hometown. In contrast, it’s a great gadget to treat yourself.
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