Mark Hoppus’s “Hi My Name Is Mark” website has been given a facelift. Also, according to the hero graphic, it looks like John Feldmann will be the next guest on Mark’s podcast.
HiMyNameIsMark Relaunches
Harriet Tubman Will Replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 Bill
Micah Singleton, writing for The Verge, on how Harriet Tubman will be replacing Andrew Jackson on the twenty dollar bill.
In a surprise move, Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, one of the most heavily circulated bills in the world, according to a report from Politico. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will announce the change later today, according to the report. This marks a big win for Woman on 20, the movement to put a woman on the face of US paper currency for the first time in nearly a century.
Geoff Rickley Talks With Alt Press
Thursday frontman, Geoff Rickley, speaks with Alt Press in a new interview about the band getting back together to play Wrecking Ball and what could be next:
There’s something I hated at the time that I’m counting as a blessing now. At the time, I really hated the fact Thursday came up and inspired bands like Story Of The Year and the Used because I hated that [the scene] was turning into radio rock that was turning off the kinds of bands that I wanted to be influenced by us, making them do smart things with post-hardcore. [Those bands] would think, “It’s totally played out and whitewashed, I’m going to move on to indie rock” or this or that. I resented it at the time because I wanted to have a bunch of really smart, interesting peers who pushed the art form to another level. Looking back on it, I feel like maybe part of the the reason Thursday is so relevant and pure is because there was this radio rush and the smart kids stopped making post-hardcore. There aren’t that many great post-hardcore bands who came in the wake of Thursday doing this stuff. I think that’s why Thursday still stands up: There wasn’t a lot of great innovation in the wake of the band. And I owe that to bands that were more interested in radio hits—they helped preserve the vitality of Thursday.
Press a Button, Play a Chord
Josh Constine, writing for TechCrunch, looks at a new digital guitar where can basically press a button to play a chord:
You can also freestyle, playing whatever you want. Rock band Muse’s lead singer Matt Bellamy is an investor, and he told me he uses it to write songs since it’s so easy to recreate what’s in his head without fumbling to find where to put his fingers. The guitar automatically records your last 30 minutes of playing so if you discover the perfect riff, you won’t forget it.
Concert ‘Merch’ Comes of Age
Robert Cordero, writing for the Business of Fashion, on how concert tour merchandise is becoming not just a way for artists to make money, but also a player in the fashion world:
“Obviously, the sales [of concert ‘merch’] are big and significant,” says Jerry Lorenzo, the Los Angeles-based founder and designer of Fear of God, who worked closely with Welch to create some of Justin’s Bieber’s looks for his current tour. “But they’re just as important as a branding asset to an artist,” he continues. “It’s the new CD. It’s as important as the sound, a part of the vision.”
Ben Thompson on The Ezra Klein Show (Podcast)
One of the big motivators for me launching this site, and launching with a membership package like we did, was the writing of Ben Thompson over at Stratechery. Today he was featured on a podcast with another writer I greatly admire, Ezra Klein. A while back I quipped that I feel like I get a better education from podcasts than I did in business school — this is one of the episodes that makes that feel more true than ever.
Is YouTube a Music Industry Devil or Buzz-Making Deity?
Eamonn Forde, writing for The Guardian, looks at manager1 Peter Mensch’s claim that YouTube is the devil.
Perhaps part of Mensch’s attack on YouTube stems from him, and many others, in the 1980s handing the keys over to MTV before realising what a huge mistake it was. Cliff Burnstein, his long-standing management partner, has been quoted in the past saying that MTV was key in breaking Def Leppard, who they managed at the time and made them into, for a period, the biggest band in the world. MTV happily played expensive music videos but paid no broadcast royalties in the US, allowing its parent company Viacom to become one of the biggest media companies in the world. There are echoes here of what is happening with YouTube, and Mensch is understandably not keen to be bitten for a second time.
Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse, and more.↩
Rihanna Surpasses Beatles on Hot 100 Chart
Robbie Daw, writing for Idolator:
Rihanna has now spent more weeks at #1 on the main singles chart than the Beatles. Rihanna’s 14 chart-topping songs have racked up 60 weeks at the upper-most spot on the Hot 100, though it took nine years and 11 months do so. (RiRi’s first #1 was “SOS,” which hit the top in May 2006.) The Beatles amassed 20 chart-topping singles on the Hot 100 over a six year and four month period, between February 1964 and June 1970 — all for a cumulative 59 weeks at #1.
NOFX Album Coming in June
NOFX frontman, Fat Mike, spoke with MediaMikes about recording the band’s new album. It’s looking like a June release.
Our new album is I think our most personable album yet. For me it was like peeling off my skin. The new album which will come out in June is the first album that I wrote and recorded a lot of while I was using drugs. In the past I have always gone into the studio and recorded sober. What I found while working on this album was that I cared more. After I would do a line I became extremely focused on making whatever song I was working on the best it could be.
YouTube Launch 360-Degree Live Streams
YouTube have announced they’re bringing 360° video to their live offerings. They’ll be streaming some of the second weekend of Coachella in this new format.
We first launched support for 360-degree videos back in March 2015. From musicians to athletes to brands, creators have done some incredible things with this technology. Now, they’ll be able to do even more to bring fans directly into their world, with 360-degree live streaming. And after years of live streaming Coachella for fans around the world who can’t attend the festival, this year we’re bringing you the festival like never before by live streaming select artist performances in 360 degrees this weekend.
Kanye West and TIDAL Exclusively Sued
A man in San Fransciso is suing Kanye West and TIDAL for fraudulently claiming that the artist’s new album, The Life of Pablo, would be available exclusively on the service.
“We fully support the right of artists to express themselves freely and creatively, however creative freedom is not a license to mislead the public,” Baker-Rhett’s attorney Jay Edelson wrote in a statement. “We believe that we will be able to prove to a jury that Mr. West and Tidal tricked millions of people into subscribing to their services and that they will ultimately be held accountable for what they did.”
The Billboard 200 (Week Ending April 14th)
The Lumineers have their first number one album on the Billboard 200. Deftones appear at number two with 71,000 copies sold (69,000 pure album sales).
Chris Stapleton’s Traveller dips 2-3 with 48,000 units (down 34 percent), while Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo descends 1-4 with 47,000 units (down 50 percent). The album fell 95 percent in traditional album sales, falling from a 28,000 start to a little more than 1,000 copies sold. (Much of its first week sales were bolstered by pre-orders not delivered until after the album saw a wide release on April 1. Those pre-orders were sold as part of a ticket/album bundle to his Yeezy 3 fashion show held at Madison Square Garden and screened via a live stream in movie theaters. The remaining sales were from Tidal and West’s official website.)
Axl Rose Announced as AC/DC Singer
Axl Rose will be taking over vocal duties for AC/DC on their tour.
AC/DC band members would like to thank Brian Johnson for his contributions and dedication to the band throughout the years. We wish him all the best with his hearing issues and future ventures. As much as we want this tour to end as it started, we understand, respect and support Brian’s decision to stop touring and save his hearing. We are dedicated to fulfilling the remainder of our touring commitments to everyone that has supported us over the years, and are fortunate that Axl Rose has kindly offered his support to help us fulfill this commitment. AC/DC will resume their Rock Or Bust World Tour with Axl Rose joining on vocals. The European stadium tour dates begin on May 7 in Lisbon, Portugal and run through June 12 in Aarhus, Denmark as previously announced (see below for full itinerary). Following this European run of dates with AC/DC, Axl Rose will head out on his Guns N Roses, Not In This Lifetime Summer Stadium Tour. The 10 postponed U.S shows will be rescheduled and announced imminently, also with Axl Rose.
Dustin Kensrue of Thrice Talks with Fuse
Thrice’s Dustin Kensrue spoke with Fuse about the band’s new album:
I can totally understand anyone being bummed out on their favorite band’s new song or something like that, that’s totally natural and we’ve all been there. But what’s super strange to me is someone going on that band’s website or whatever social media thing and telling them, “C’mon guys, you can do better” or, “This is horrible, why are you…?” I can’t even fathom doing that, personally, and I don’t know if it’s because I grew up right before you could just say whatever you wanted to whoever you wanted. Is it just because of the access, or is there something else going on? Would those people have always not had an understanding of what is kind or polite? It’s just odd. I get not liking it. I don’t get you coming on and bitching about it.
I don’t think fans should be worried.
Deadpool 2 is Confirmed
Surprising basically no one after it took in a pile of money, Deadpool 2 has be confirmed.
During a panel at CinemaCon today, 20th Century Fox exec Stacey Snider confirmed that Ryan Reynolds and director Tim Miller would both be returning for Deadpool’s upcoming sequel. When news of the sequel arrived just after Deadpool was released earlier this year, it already seemed very likely that Reynolds and Miller would come back, but now it’s officially official. Snider also said that in addition to Miller, the entire creative team would be returning.
All dinosaurs feared the T-Rex!