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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.”

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.

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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.

Jack Barakat of All Time Low Opening Bar in LA

Jason Tate

Mackenzie Hall, writing for Alt Press, talks with Jack Barakat of All Time Low about opening his new bar, The Riff, in LA.

I mean, I’m pretty biased to the pop punk, pop rock genre. My [birthday] playlist, I’m doing Green Day, Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, Good Charlotte, you know the stuff I grew up on. But, the coolest thing about The Riff is that we’re going to play Muse, we’re going to play harder rock, we’re going to play hip-hop. It’s really going to be all over the place, and it’s not going to be a club. There are a lot of clubs in LA, where it’s all about who you know to get in and you’re standing on a table to buy a bottle. We just want a whiskey-inspired bar. There’s no cliques, there’s no anyone kind of looking down on you. It’s just going to be very kind of chill spot.

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Why You Can’t Get a Ticket …

The Ringer
Jason Tate

Nathan Hubbard (former CEO of Ticketmaster), writing for The Ringer, on why trying to get tickets to major events is a pain in the ass:

The other way these held-back tickets weasel their way into the secondary market: The individuals who get the tickets realize that, ostensibly, someone just handed them cash. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but attending a concert or a game can be a pain in the ass. Industry insiders fortunate enough to obtain these tickets are just jaded enough that they don’t need to go like true fans do. And so they think about the traffic, and the parking, and the hassle, and they check prices on the secondary market. And they realize that whatever true fans are willing to pay sounds better than the work of actually going to the event. So they sell (out).

Twitter Bets It All on Jack Dorsey

Twitter
Jason Tate

Nick Bilton, who wrote Hatching Twitter, a book I’ve recommended in the past, writes for Vanity Fair about the current state of Twitter:

If these expulsions sound like murders, that’s likely because many of them were committed with the same behind-the-scenes planning and mastery. In every instance, the man who was knocked off had no idea who was behind the coup that led to his demise. In 2013, after the publication of my book Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal, I was greeted with effusive (or enraged) phone calls, text messages, and e-mails from co-founders, board members, and senior employees who were excited to finally learn the true identities of their tormentors. I still occasionally receive calls from people inside the company asking me for information about a recent firing.

John Boyega Joins ‘Pacific Rim 2’ Cast

Jason Tate

John Boyega, of Star Wars fame, has signed on to star in Pacific Rim 2.

“I am very proud and happy to welcome John into a fantastic sandbox,” Guillermo del Toro added. “The Pacific Rim universe will be reinforced with him as a leading man as it continues to be a multicultural, multi-layered world. ‘The World saving the world’ was our goal and I couldn’t think of a better man for the job.”

The Letter the Stanford Victim Read Aloud to Her Attacker

BuzzFeed
Jason Tate

Katie J.M. Baker, writing for Buzzfeed:

A former Stanford swimmer who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman was sentenced to six months in jail because a longer sentence would have “a severe impact on him,” according to a judge. At his sentencing Thursday, his victim read him a letter describing the “severe impact” the assault had on her.

This is exceptional. Please read, please share.

June Declared “African-American Music Appreciation Month”

Jason Tate

From the official Presidential proclamation:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2016 as African-American Music Appreciation Month. I call upon public officials, educators, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate activities and programs that raise awareness and foster appreciation of music that is composed, arranged, or performed by African Americans.

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Trey Pearson of Everyday Sunday Opens Up About Sexuality

Jason Tate

Trey Pearson of the Christian band Everyday Sunday has opened up about his sexuality with 614 Columbus:

With me, Trey is not a rock star; he’s an articulate man in his early 30s, not only confronting his own sexuality and how it will affect his family, but also shedding part of a persona he’s been maintaining for almost two decades, on stage and off.

This is not a normal story. Trey and I decided to tell this story together, for him to come out not just to his family and a handful of friends, but to the masses—where he could become a model and mentor for thousands in his musical flock still searching for acceptance and clarity within their faith.

I made the mistake of reading the Facebook comments.

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