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Frank Ocean Releases Statement on Orlando Tragedy

Frank Ocean
Jason Tate

Frank Ocean has written a statement on the Orlando tragedy.

I read in the paper that my brothers are being thrown from rooftops blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs for violating sharia law. I heard the crowds stone these fallen men if they move after they hit the ground. I heard it’s in the name of God. I heard my pastor speak for God too, quoting scripture from his book. Words like abomination popped off my skin like hot grease as he went on to describe a lake of fire that God wanted me in. I heard on the news that the aftermath of a hate crime left piles of bodies on a dance floor this month. I heard the gunman feigned dead among all the people he killed.

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Drake Continues Run at Top of the Charts

Jason Tate

Drakespends his seventh week at number one on the Billboard charts. Nick Jonas debuts at number two and the Hamilton soundtrack rises up to number three.

At No. 3 on the Billboard 200 is the original Broadway cast recording of Hamilton, which zooms from No. 13 to No. 3 following its huge night at the Tony Awards on June 12. (The set earned 62,000 units — up 119 percent, with 45,000 of that in traditional album sales — up 164 percent). This is Hamilton’s first week in the top 10, as it had previously topped out at No. 11. It debuted at No. 12.

Blink-182 Talk the Scrapped Songs

Jason Tate

Blink-182 talk with Gigwise about the songs they scrapped from California:

“It’s not that we scrapped the other 30, we just forgot about them. They’re still on a hard drive, there are some great ideas in there, but I feel like they’re sketches – they’re us practising, throwing ideas around and getting comfortable playing music with one another.”

180 Artists Sign Petition For Digital Copyright Reform

YouTube
Jason Tate

Rob Levine, writing for Billboard, on how 180 musicians have signed a petition to close some of the loopholes from the DMCA:

In an ad that will run Tuesday through Thursday in the Washington DC magazines Politico, The Hill, and Roll Call, 180 performers and songwriters are calling for reform of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which regulates copyright online. A range of big names from every genre signed the ad — from Taylor Swift to Sir Paul McCartney, Vince Gill to Vince Staples, Carole King to the Kings of Leon — as did 19 organizations and companies, including the major labels.

I think this is good, but also hope they don’t go too far in the other direction. As someone that runs a forum where anyone can sign up and create an account, some of the safe harbor protections of the DMCA make a forum of that size possible.

Ticketmaster Awards Free Show Vouchers

Jason Tate

Sabrina Weiss, from Refinery 29, explaining why you may have some free ticket vouchers available from Ticketmaster:

The 50 million customers who purchased tickets from Ticketmaster.com between October 21, 1999, and February 27, 2013, are eligible to receive at least one (and up to 17) vouchers good for two free tickets to an event. They’ll also receive discount codes (up to 17) for $2.25 toward the purchase of future tickets and, if they arranged for UPS delivery in past transactions, up to 17 coupons of $5 toward future UPS charges. To see what you’ve got, log in to your Ticketmaster account, click on My Account, and then Active Vouchers.

I wonder what the “eligible events” will be.

Tom DeLonge’s Continued Search for Aliens

Tom DeLonge
Jason Tate

Tom DeLonge of Angels and Airwaves spoke with Mic.com:

Well it’s not so much about Blink. It’s about what I’m doing with my life now. When you’re an individual like me, dealing with something that’s a national security issue, and you’re being gifted with the opportunity to communicate something you’ve been passionate about your whole life — something that has the opportunity to change the world over time — being a small part of that is enormously important for my life path.

But I can’t do everything. I can’t tour nine months out of the year with enough time to do the enormity of what I’m setting out to do.

Taylor Swift’s Representatives Again Deny She Gave Permission for “Famous”

Taylor Swift
Jason Tate

In a recent interview with GQ, Kim Kardashian again insists that Taylor Swift gave Kanye West permission for “Famous” and its now infamous lyrical content. A representative for Taylor has responded, again, denying this to be the case:

Taylor does not hold anything against Kim Kardashian as she recognizes the pressure Kim must be under and that she is only repeating what she has been told by Kanye West. However, that does not change the fact that much of what Kim is saying is incorrect. Kanye West and Taylor only spoke once on the phone while she was on vacation with her family in January of 2016 and they have never spoken since. Taylor has never denied that conversation took place. It was on that phone call that Kanye West also asked her to release the song on her Twitter account, which she declined to do. Kanye West never told Taylor he was going to use the term ‘that bitch’ in referencing her. A song cannot be approved if it was never heard. Kanye West never played the song for Taylor Swift. Taylor heard it for the first time when everyone else did and was humiliated. Kim Kardashian’s claim that Taylor and her team were aware of being recorded is not true, and Taylor cannot understand why Kanye West, and now Kim Kardashian, will not just leave her alone.

Jim Lindberg Explains Why There’s No New Pennywise

Pennywise
Jason Tate

Jim Lindberg of Pennywise talks with Communities Digital News about trying to get into the studio and record a new album:

I really, really have been pressing that we really gotta get into the studio and it’s kind of been doing chores and then people have to get back to their families and things like that. It just kind of keeps getting put off, but I know everyone has a batch of songs. I’ve got ideas for songs and I know Fletcher was playing some stuff the other day that sounded cool, but we just have to get in there and do it, that desire to play has to be there from everyone involved, and that’s why I’m doing so much Wraths stuff because if Pennywise isn’t gonna practice and get in the studio and write songs, then I’m not gonna sit around twiddling my thumbs.

A Day to Remember Talk New Album With Kerrang

A Day to Remember
Jason Tate

A Day to Remember talked with Kerrang about their new album, Bad Vibrations:

Also, I’m usually a little bit more “in control” of the whole album. But on this one we worked with Bill and Jason. I took a step back and let Bill steer the ship. He really did produce this album. I remember the first day we were there I sat down with him and showed him every single song idea I hadn’t finished since I started saving them. I was there with an acoustic guitar and sang him probably a hundred songs that I thought were great but just couldn’t finish. Ninety percent of that stuff no other person had ever heard before. And, yeah, he hated most of it (laughs)! It really set the tone. But I think we’re better friends and a better band because of that process.

Streaming Only Now Eligible For Grammys

Grammys
Jason Tate

The Grammys have announced that streaming only projects will now be eligible for the awards ceremony.

Works must be released via general distribution, defined as the nationwide release of a recording via brick and mortar, third-party online retailers, and/or applicable digital streaming services. Applicable streaming services are paid subscription, full catalogue, on-demand streaming/limited download platforms that have existed as such within the United States for at least one full year as of the submission deadline.

Trent Reznor Not Happy With YouTube’s Business Model

YouTube
Jason Tate

Trent Reznor, speaking with Billboard, blasted YouTube for their stance on copyrighted material:

“Personally, I find YouTube’s business to be very disingenuous,” said Reznor. “It is built on the backs of free, stolen content and that’s how they got that big. I think any free-tiered service is not fair. It’s making their numbers and getting them a big IPO and it is built on the back of my work and that of my peers. That’s how I feel about it. Strongly. We’re trying to build a platform that provides an alternative — where you can get paid and an artist can control where their [content] goes.”

YouTube has responded:

The overwhelming majority of labels and publishers have licensing agreements in place with YouTube to leave fan videos up on the platform and earn revenue from them. Today the revenue from fan uploaded content accounts for roughly 50 percent of the music industry’s YouTube revenue. Any assertion that this content is largely unlicensed is false. To date, we have paid out over $3 billion to the music industry–and that number is growing year on year.

I get what YouTube is saying, but I can go there right now and type in virtually any song and find dozens of “copyright not intended” videos uploaded.

MacStories iOS 10 Overview

Jason Tate

If you missed Apple’s WWDC Keynote yesterday, MacStories has a fantastic overview of all the new stuff coming to iOS 10.

One notable omission is the apparent end of another short-lived attempt at a music-themed social network from Apple. Yes, the Connect tab is nowhere to be seen in iOS 10’s Music app, and unless they plan to add it back in a later beta, the service that was such a big portion of Apple’s music announcements last year may have already been deemed a failure. I don’t think anyone is going to miss it.

Beyond the new design, the Music app is also now gaining native support for lyrics, a great addition if it can compile a database as big as the likes of Musixmatch. The new lyrics feature is also being added to the updated iTunes in macOS Sierra.

Acceptance Delay a Few Upcoming Shows

Acceptance
Jason Tate

Acceptance have decided to delay a few upcoming shows.

Friends, in the midst of what is a horrific and historic tragedy in Orlando, we also had a substantial loss closer to home. The days have been long for the Acceptance family as of late. Earlier this week, our brother and guitarist, Kaylan, lost his mother to her battle with cancer. Time seems to be moving just a bit slower as we mourn with Kaylan and his family for a cherished mother, wife, and grandmother. Always, Lori was open arms and the warm, motherly smile each of us needs so much. Her light was one that only emanates from the biggest of hearts filled with the most unshakable love. We ask that you forgive us, but we need to postpone our shows this weekend in Orlando, Atlanta, and Nashville.

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