Though arguably most prominent in the ’90s, free parties and illegal raves have never gone away. Despite the increased surveillance from authorities, passionate DJs and sound systems continue to throw events in a similar way that they always have, looking to create a sense of community and an alternative to the commodified dance mainstream. [...]
After four-plus decades of DJing and with a incredible list of releases — much of it produced with longtime partner Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez as Masters At Work — the pioneering Louie Vega would seem to have little to prove. Yet he’s working harder than ever, with the same energy he had as a young [...]
Customers could soon be paying for more services, according to reports Spotify has officially demonetised all tracks with under 1,000 streams. The new policy came into effect for all artists in 1st April 2024. The revised revenue scheme was announced last year, and means music will only be included in the royalty pool calculation if it [...]
Out today, the latest FACTS study examined 175 editions of 110 different festivals. female:pressure, an online database and network of women and nonbinary people in the music industry, has unveiled its 2024 FACTS report. Published today, March 8th, the report analyses the gender demographics of festival lineups. The organisers collected data from 175 editions of [...]
The platform has launched with a mix and interview from Fever AM co-founders Rhyw and Mor Elian wav.world, a new editorial and music platform aiming to "champion the art of the DJ mix," launched yesterday (March 4) with a mix and interview with Berlin's Fever AM founders Rhyw and Mor Elian. According to a statement from [...]
Backed by Raine Group and Temasek Holdings, SoundCloud is to be put up for sale later this year as its owners anticipate a substantial payday, Sky News learns. The owners of SoundCloud, one of the world's largest music streaming services, are preparing for a sale that could fetch in excess of $1bn. Sky News [...]
A new survey by Pirate reveals that 30% of artists use AI for songwriting and composition A new study has found that ChatGPT is the favoured artificial intelligence (AI) tool for musicians with 30% of artists using AI for songwriting and composition. In a new survey carried out by Pirate, it asked 1000 musicians on their top 10 AI [...]
Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and Amazon generate 96 percent of income for independent artists. A new report has found that independent musicians need to generate five million streams annually to make the US federal minimum wage. The data has been uncovered in the annual 2023 Music Economics Report for Independent Artists from music financing [...]
Are Kraftwerk music's most influential band? **This article was originally published on May 15, 2020, after the death of Florian Schneider What a legacy the late Florian Schneider, whose death was announced last week, has left us. Along with the man who still keeps the Kraftwerk fires burning to this day, Ralf Hütter, the duo can legitimately [...]
Uganda passed a draconian anti-LGBTQ law in March, sending the county’s queer community into turmoil and marking another brutal step in the homophobic and transphobic backlash sweeping the globe. Marke Bieschke speaks to some of the musicians affected about the new realities they face, how their art has changed, and what we [...]
