A weekly update on all things music, advertising, and technology coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM
ARTIST OF THE WEEK: HARDWICKE CIRCUS
Talk about good fortune. Carlisle band Hardwicke Circus was plucked from obscurity to potential stardom at Glastonbury last weekend, thanks to a request from a music icon. The six-piece rock band played the Rabbit Hole stage at the festival after the Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney heard their music and asked if they could be included in the line-up. In a tweet, Glastonbury stage officials said: “When a request from Sir Paul came through to Rabbit Hole HQ to ask if we could fit in a band he was a fan of, the White Rabbit’s ears pricked up.
The band, who say they are proud to be based in Carlisle, have played almost 200 gigs supporting Bob Dylan & Neil Young in Hyde Park, Madness, and Bob Geldof’s Boomtown Rats, but it is this gig at Glastonbury that will give them their shot at the bigtime. Their sound is a mixture of The Waterboys, the Artic Monkeys, and the Clash with a dash of Midnight Oil thrown in for attitude. The Sunday Times calls them “bulletproof”, but now they have their break, we need to see if the songs can introduce them to a global audience far beyond the hills of Cumbria.
https://www.hardwickecircus.tv @hardwickecircus #hardwickecircus #sirpaulmccartney #cumbria #theborderland #athermajestyspleasure #emrecords #glastonbury
AD OF THE WEEK: BOMBAY SAPPHIRE BEHIND THE CANVAS NFT
Lately, everyone has been talking about NFTs, but only a few seem to understand what they are all about. Instead of explaining it in words, ad agency Ogilvy Italy and client Bombay Sapphire decided to get people involved in the creation of one. “Behind the Canvas” is the largest NFT currently online. 15k people participated in the co-creation of the artwork, during an Instagram Live art event, where a presenter and several guests from the creative world entertained the audience during the creation. The famous italian digital artist Giuseppe Lo Schiavo crafted together all the ideas into one unique piece of art, during the 50 minutes of the live show. The ad shows the evolution of the NFT to its final iteration, of which 20 were sold and the campaign raised €320,000 to fund art scholarships. Good work all around.
KENDRICK LAMAR PERFORMS WOMEN’S RIGHTS CHANT ON GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL’S CLOSING NIGHT
Kendrick Lamar headlines the last night of Glastonbury ending with a women’s rights chant in reference to US abortion rights. Wearing a diamond-encrusted crown of thorns with blood pouring down his face, Lamar repeated: “Godspeed for women’s rights. They judge you, they judge Christ.” Each time the rapper repeated the line he would add more volume until he eventually stopped mid-sentence and threw the microphone before walking off stage.
Lamar’s chant was referring to the US Supreme Court’s recent ruling that there shall no longer be a constitutional right to have an abortion in the United States, therefore overruling the nearly 50-years-old Roe v Wade case. Since this ruling, multiple states such as Utah have accepted the ban on abortion with others such as Washington D.C. declaring itself as “a pro-choice city”.
This news has caused many artists, not just Lamar, to speak out whilst at Glastonbury including Billie Eilish, Lorde, and Phoebe Bridgers also publicly speaking on abortion laws.
NEW MUSIC STREAMING PLATFORM, MARINE SNOW, PAYS ARTISTS UPFRONT FOR EXCLUSIVE TRACKS
A new music streaming platform called Marine Snow offers to pay artists upfront for exclusive tracks.
Self-described as “a digital oasis for vivid music lovers” and “a secluded music community anchored around singular music”, Marine Snow features a 90-day rotation of specially curated tracks exclusive to the platform. This means each artist receives a fixed share of the revenue regardless of the number of streams. The platform promises to compensate the equivalent of “500,000 Spotify plays” upfront.
There is currently music available to stream by the likes of Amnesia Scanner and Palmistry, while the platform previously featured tracks from DJ Earl as well as a collaborative piece from AceMo and DJ SWISHA.
Marine Snow also encourages music discovery by letting users collect ‘capsules’ that contain a random track. They can also earn ‘gem shards’ by reading song blurbs and listening to music which can then be combined into new capsules.
Marine Snow has been available to download for free from the App Store since 2nd June but a beta version of the app has been running since September 2021.
SPOTIFY LAUNCHES A NEW KARAOKE MODE
To all Spotify users — you’ll now be able to sing along to your favorite tunes with the app’s new karaoke feature.
The streaming platform’s latest update includes a Karaoke Mode, which allows users to sing their favourite songs with the lyrics appearing on the screen. In addition to displaying the words, the new feature also gives you a score card and rates your singing.
While the update isn’t available for all users worldwide at the moment, some TikTokers have already noticed the new feature. All you need to do to get the Karaoke Mode is to make sure your Spotify app is up to date. Then, choose a track you want to sing along to, scroll down, and find the “Sing” button on the top right corner of the Lyrics screen.
According to reports, those who have yet to see the new feature on their Spotify apps will be able to in the next few days or so.
STUDENT DESIGNS SYNTHESISER INSPIRED BY THE ABACUS, ABACUSYNTH
A university student has designed a new synthesizer for their thesis, inspired by the mathematical abacus. Dubbed Abacusynth, the project is the work of Elias Jarzombek, and comprises a wooden base unit with four horizontal rods, each with a bead that can be pushed from one end to the other, or spun. Movement leads to timbral shifts in the sound produced by the kit, as light sensors calculate the waveform based on direction and position.
Currently, just one Abacusynth exists, although Jarzombek has made it clear he would like to extend the project with the introduction of individual modules that could be made commercially available. However, an Abacusynth Ableton Live plugin is already available online and can be downloaded free of charge.
Written by Anthony Vanger
Additional research and reporting by Adam “Badger” Woolf