Last week was a weird one — but there’s a whole bunch of knowledge you can (and should) carry into this week. Here’s to being the most informed lil music fan you know: it’s the PressPlay >>Rewind.
///ACTUAL NEWS\\\
>>NYC PROMOTERS CITYFOX TRIED TO THROW A HALLOWEEN RAVE IN A BUILDING WITH “FLAMMABLE” AND TOXIC MATERIAL – NO ONE CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY: Promoters The Cityfox Experience were set to throw a rave on Halloween in Brooklyn — and it turns out the building they picked is known (as in, publicly) to harbor “a subterrannean toxic plume,” “various noxious petroleum compounds,” as well as having “flammable chemicals hidden behind flammable curtains,” IN ADDITION to over-selling the space on tickets by nearly double its rated capacity. The whole story has blown into an unmitigated shit-show that Alexander Iadarola followed dilligently for VICE THUMP. Peep his article and follow up coverage from Nicole Disser at Bedford and Bowery for the full crazy tale and all the they-said, she-said… Long story short, something that could have been one of the most disastrous occurrences in nightlife history appears to have been narrowly averted — and no one wants to take responsibility. — http://bedfordandbowery.com/2015/11/nuhart-building-co-owner-on-the-superfund-rave-i-panicked/ ///// http://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/nyc-promoters-the-cityfox-experience-tried-throwing-a-halloween-rave-on-a-toxic-waste-site ///// https://www.facebook.com/thecityfoxexperience/posts/950926611645811
>>SEBASTIAN SOLANO (LIFE IN COLOR) TAKES OVER AS CEO FOR ID&T NORTH AMERICA, VOWS TURNAROUND AFTER TOMORROWWORLD “TRAGEDY”: The man behind growing the Life In Color parties into a touring festival brand that has become the staple of #EDM is now also helming ID&T and is tasked with reinventing the troubled brand following a royally dismal year for parent company SFX. In an exclusive interview with Matt Medved at Billboard, Solano: “[TomorrowWorld] turned into a tragedy … there’s some serious challenges of figuring out how we are going to roll this out next year … Obviously, we cant’ just write a check for $10 million and rebuild new roads on our own.” — http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/6752870/sfx-life-in-color-sebastian-solano-ceo-idt-made-event?mobile_redirection=false
>>FACEBOOK MAKES ANOTHER REALLY HALF-ASSED ATTEMPT AT BEING A MUSIC PLATFORM: As of now, if you share a Spotify or Apple Music link on Facebook, it will now show up in news feeds of iOS (iPhone and iPad) users as a 30-second song snippet. That’s pretty much it. It’s slated to expand, but for this being touted as such a big feature rollout, we’re still royally skeptical… but we’ll probably hear a lot more about it in the coming months. — http://media.fb.com/2015/11/05/music-stories-a-better-way-to-discover-and-share-music/
>>INTERESTING: Billboard’s 21 Under 21: 5 Seconds Of Summer top the list, appearances from Lorde (3), Shawn Mendes (4), Rae Sremmurd (5), Troye Sivan (6), Martin Garrix (7), Joey Bada$$ (9), Kehlani (20), and Shamir (21). — http://www.billboard.com/photos/6745079/billboard-21-under-21-2015-hottest-young-stars/1
>>BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN USA FOR LEVELING DIGITAL STREAMING VS. TERRESTRIAL RADIO PLAYING FIELDS: While it strikes us as a potentially “too little, too late” gesture in 2015, US House Representatives Marsha Blackburn (R – TN 7th) and Jerrold Nadler (D – NY 10th) have introduced the “Fair Play Fair Pay” Act of 2015. The specifics are laid out in the 4-minute exclusive to Billboard from the politicians, but the gist is that terrestrial radio stations (as well as cable and satellite providers) will now have to pay their share of performance royalties to performing artists and musicians, while guaranteeing that actions cannot be taken to lessen royalties. If this should come to fruition and work as described, it’ll be a desperately needed asset to working musicians that has been long overdue stateside. — http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6753910/fair-play-fair-act-opinion-jerrold-nadler-marsha-blackburn
///DIRT AND GOSSIP\\\
>>MORE TO THE STORY – CAA DROPS CARA LEWIS, MONTHS AFTER KANYE SPLIT: The renowned hip-hop agent has moved on from working with CAA, or rather, they’ve moved on from working with her. The news was broken on Page Six by the NY Post, who cited sources that compared her to “‘The Devil Wears Prada’ times 10,” while another source noted her terseness towards assistants. The move comes months after Kanye West left Cara Lewis for representation at UTA. Lewis’ clients include Eminem, Pitbull, and Travis Scott, no word on how this affects those professional relationships yet. — http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/caa-cara-lewis-split-836912
>>ADELE ON ROLLING STONE COVER, PINES ON DAMON ALBARN, “I REGRET HANGING OUT WITH HIM”: The Blur and Gorillaz frontman is one of a cavalcade of collaborators on Adele’s forthcoming 25, but Adele had some choice words about working with Albarn, calling it “one of those ‘don’t meet your idol moments … he said I was insecure, when I’m the least insecure person i know.” Pro-tip: when suggesting how not-insecure you are, avoid use of superlatives. Who knows what the real story is there, but Adele provides some lovely insight on what went into the production of 25 and where her life is now as a new mother in her Rolling Stone cover story. — http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/adele-inside-her-private-life-and-triumphant-return-20151103
>>STEVE ANGELLO TAKES A SWING AT ARTISTS COMPLAINING ABOUT STREAMING REVENUES: While we hold that it’s really not quite this simple, Angello does have somewhat of a point here in discussing how labels are the real beneficiaries of streaming revenues. 3-min read — http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6753753/steve-angello-defends-streaming-artists-publicity
///MUST READS\\\
>>JOJO’S DECADE-LONG FIGHT AGAINST HER CORRUPT LABEL, IN HER OWN WORDS: This is one you gotta just read to fully appreciate. Less cautionary tale, more “holy shit we had no idea,” Jojo recounts the long slog through a label deal that kept her career imprisoned. Conversational and powerful, 7-minute read told to Dee Lockett at Vulture. “I also think it’s unfair to all the producers and writers I worked with to just put the shit out, because they deserve to be compensated, just like I do. If we go into it with the understanding that we’re gonna put this shit out for free, I’m so with that; I wanna do that. … But I was recording all this stuff under the assumption that it was gonna come out officially, so I didn’t feel like leaking it was the right thing to do.” — http://www.vulture.com/2015/10/jojo-fighting-the-major-label-man-in-her-own-words.html?curator=MusicREDEF
>>INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK: AFRIKA BAMBAATAA IN AUSTIN CHRONICLE: There’s always something fascinating coming out of this dude’s mind. His conversation with Thomas Fawcett in The Austin Chronicle is a quick read that is sublimely trippy. “People keep forgetting where Earth is. Earth is in space, sitting out there in the universe. It could be in this galaxy or it could be in other dimensions, other time zones. Time is and time always was. No such thing as time.” Yes, exactly. — http://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/music/2015-11-05/fun-fun-fun-qa-afrika-bambaataa/
>>THIS RECORD BELONGS TO ___ IS THE COOLEST KIDS-TARGETED MUSIC PROJECT IN YEARS: Born out of a 2010 DJ mix by crate-digger Frank Cowie, the project took on a life of its own, eventually attracting the attention of Matt Sullivan (Light In The Attic Records) and Jack White’s Third Man Records. Now a 40-minute album featuring selections from the likes of Nina Simone, Woody Guthrie, Carole King, Jerry Garcia, and more, this project might just be the perfect gift for the young music lover on your Christmas list. — http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6753982/this-record-belongs-to-kids-album-light-attic
>>IF YOU READ ONE THIS WEEK – WHAT ARE WE DOING FOR ARTISTS WHO STRUGGLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH? : On the closing quarter of a year that seemed to really open the conversation for mental health in the music industry, Jazz Monroe at The Fader actually asks the real question: what the hell is actually being done to address it? The answers amount to “not enough at all,” in a piece that fluctuates between astonishing frankness and deafening silence from many we wish would speak up. “Interview requests to Universal, Sony Columbia, XL, Ninja Tune, Young Turks, Warp, 4AD, and Mute were unreturned; Warner, Hyperdub, and Tria Angle declined to comment … ‘[the indies[ are probably thinking, ‘Problem, what problem?’” — http://www.thefader.com/2015/11/06/mental-health-music-industry-du-blonde-visionist-alanna-mcardle
///WINNER OF THE WEEK – RUSTIE\\\
>>Rustie proved once again that he’s simply one of the most versatile producers alive today with his newest album, EVENIFUDONTBELIEVE. Expanding into wholly new territory from last year’s Green Language and Glass Swords before it, he seems to be cruising nicely into the apex of his career with no signs of slow-down. Good on you, mate. Read our editor Staley’s hilarious, sometimes gushing track-by-track analysis and review of the album here — http://wearepressplay.com/2015/11/05/album-review-evenifudontbelieve-rustie/
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Banner Image via Billboard
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