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Rhapsody Bringing Back Napster Name

Technology
Jason Tate

Rhapsody is rebranding itself as Napster.

Rhapsody is part of the old guard of music streaming services, launched way back in 2001 as Listen.com. It never got the traction of it’s rival Spotify, and is now competing against titans like Apple and Google as well. So now, in a bizarre move, Rhapsody is relaunching as Napster, the service it acquired in 2011 which is also synonymous with rampant file sharing and music piracy. “No changes to your playlists, favorites, albums, and artists,” says a blog post on Rhapsody’s website. “Same music. Same service. Same price. 100% the music you love. Stay tuned!”

A pure marketing move. Meh. I’ve gotta think we’re close to when most music listeners won’t even remember using Napster. Can you remember the first song you downloaded on the program? I am pretty sure mine was Eve 6’s “Inside Out.”

Twitter Invests in SoundCloud

Twitter
Jason Tate

Twitter Ventures has invested around $70 million into SoundCloud. From Recode:

Twitter has invested around $70 million in the music service, as part of a round that should end up in the $100 million-range, according to sources familiar with the deal. The round is expected to value SoundCloud at about $700 million — the same value that investors placed on the company in 2014, when it raised $60 million; since then it has also raised a debt round.

Third Eye Blind Rescue Kids at Sea

Third Eye Blind
Jason Tate

Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins and drummer Brad Hargreaves rescued four kids who were swept out to sea:

The kids were struggling to get out of a rip current that had dragged them 100 yards out to sea, TMZ.com reports. Stephan and Brad paddled out to the boys and let them rest on their surfboards, before bringing them back safely to shore. Luke McNees, manager of Third Eye Blind, told the website that other than being winded and scared, the boys were uninjured and very grateful to the rockers who saved them.

Microsoft Buys LinkedIn

Microsoft
Jason Tate

Microsoft:

Microsoft Corp. and LinkedIn Corporation on Monday announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire LinkedIn for $196 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at $26.2 billion, inclusive of LinkedIn’s net cash. LinkedIn will retain its distinct brand, culture and independence. Jeff Weiner will remain CEO of LinkedIn, reporting to Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. Reid Hoffman, chairman of the board, co-founder and controlling shareholder of LinkedIn, and Weiner both fully support this transaction. The transaction is expected to close this calendar year.

I’d pay half that to never get a “so and so wants to join your network” email ever again.

‘Hamilton’ Wins Eleven Awards at 2016 Tony Awards

Hamilton
Jason Tate

Hamilton ended up winning eleven awards at the 2016 Tony Awards.

The Tony Awards on Sunday night were a bonanza for “Hamilton,” as Broadway’s wildly popular hit musical collected an impressive 11 prizes, including the coveted one for best musical. While the results reflected the widespread audience and critical acclaim for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop biography of Alexander Hamilton, they did not quite match the record 12 prizes bestowed on the musical “The Producers” in 2001.

Laura Jane Grace on Orlando Shooting

Against Me!
Jason Tate

Laura Jane Grace, of Against Me!, spoke with Rolling Stone about the horrific shootings that occurred in Orlando over the weekend:

You’d ideally want to think that venues and shows and clubs, places where people are going to dance and celebrating and enjoying life would be the safe place, but it’s clearly not. To think that whatever crazy fucking religious wars or whatever wars are happening out there are leaking into those areas, it’s so fucking terrifying.

Reports: Amazon Preparing Music Streaming Service

amazon
Jason Tate

Reuters is reporting that Amazon is preparing to launch their own, standalone, streaming music service:

The service will be offered at $9.99 per month, in line with major rivals, and it will offer a competitive catalog of songs, the sources said. Amazon is finalizing licenses with labels for the service, which likely will be launched in late summer or early fall, the sources said.

Christina Grimmie Fatally Shot

Jason Tate

The Washington Post, reporting on the death of The Voice singer, Christina Grimmie:

“Words cannot begin to describe the pain I am feeling,” Grimmie’s manager, Brian Teefey, said in a statement. “I learned this business through the eyes of a father, and Christina was like a second daughter to me. All I wanted to do was assist her in achieving her musical dreams while protecting her from the pitfalls associated with the business.

Blink-182 Playing Bethesda’s E3

Blink-182
Jason Tate

Blink-182 will be playing Bethesda’s E3 this year:

That’s right, the punk rock band famous for “What’s My Age Again” and “All the Small Things” will perform following Bethesda’s E3 showcase on Sunday. It’s part of a post-showcase event called “BE3 Plus” that’s for the showcase’s attendees. In addition to the concert, attendees can check out demos and interviews about the games the company is presenting.

New Found Glory to Release New Book

Jason Tate

New Found Glory will be releasing a coffee table book called, Stories of a Different Kind, a visual history of the band. Pre-orders are now up and the first 500 sold will be signed.

When New Found Glory first started, a messy photocopied piece of paper was the way in which we would tell people about our shows. Never could we have imagined that such a simple, lost concept would now serve as the visual spark to reignite a lost memory. Stories Of A Different Kind is a storybook, but not a beginning-to-end narrative. It’s a journey through a time period that pre-dates social media: a time that newer fans might not know had existed and older fans can look back on. We are very excited to share it with everyone. You’re just as big of the reason why it exists as we are.