It’s been a rough decade for the electric guitar. Sales of new instruments have dropped by a third from 1.5 million globally to around just one million. Why? Generations brought up on electronics and hip-hop are opting out of creating music with traditional instruments. Many young creators favour laptops, iPads, gear like Ableton Live and [&hellip.. more
The controversy continues to swirl about the entertainment for the Super Bowl halftime show–artists rejecting the opportunity, a petition demanding Maroon 5 pull out, etc–an under-reported story is all the acts who have agreed to play Super Bowl events outside the stadium. Super Bowl week has turned largely into a music festival featuring everyone from [&hellip.. more
Why is it that so many people claim to love music but settle for terrible sound through cheap earbuds, bad headphones, weak speakers, and compressed digital files? Maybe it’s because they’ve never heard music in true high-fidelity. Although it faces an uphill battle with consumers, I’m a big believe in High-Res Audio, digital files that [&hellip.. more
How much would you spend for a set of earbuds? Most people will balk at anything more than the $219 Apple is charging for a set of AirPods. That’s a lot, given the chances of losing one or both of them. Pfft. The moneyed classes are always looking for something more expensive. They’ll soon be [&hellip.. more
I think I have cholera. Or typhoid. Maybe some kind of e.coli issue. Whatever the case, stay away from me today. Off to bed again, but first some music news for January 19, 2019. R Kelly was dropped by Sony yesterday. Finally. It just keeps getting weirder in the world of R Kelly. Here are [&hellip.. more
Back in ’92, Dave Grohl was still the new guy in Nirvana, the latest in a long list of drummers employed by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novselic. Sure, he was with the band at their creative peak, but he was just the drummer. Dave, though, had other ambitions. He’d been making demos of original music [&hellip.. more
Hey everyone! I’m back with some more music from the Music Tech Community. The band is called Keylow Jules. A little bit about the music: ‘“Cloud City” explores how imagination becomes the tool to inspire hope in bringing your dreams to reality. Dedicated to bring people together under the roof of inspiration to reach greater [&hellip.. more
I had a conversation the other day with studio owner in which he lamented the fact that technology is going too far when it comes to driving the evolution of songwriting. “Platforms like Spotify are changing everything,” he said. “Songwriters and producers know they won’t get paid unless the listener makes it past 30 seconds, [&hellip.. more
That was the headline for a news alert from Variety late last night. Naturally, I clicked on it. “Mariah Carey’s former assistant claims in a new lawsuit that she was subjected to physical and sexual abuse, which included being called a “whore” and being urinated on. “Lianna Shakhnazaryan filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming [&hellip.. more
I promise to take down the Christmas tree this weekend. Promise. Or at least as soon as I finish with music news for January 18, 2019. Hang on: Colin Kaepernick did NOT give his blessing to Travis Scott to play the Super Bowl halftime show. Plenty of artists turned down a chance to play the [&hellip.. more
In 1952, composer John Cage starting thinking about creating a truly different musical piece. The result was “4’33“” (pronounced “four minutes and thirty-three seconds”), a three-movement composition consisting of exactly…nothing. When performed live, the musicians just sit at their instruments and play nothing. The purpose is for the audience to listen to.. more
If you’re a music fan–and really, who isn’t?–make plans to come to the 2019 Music Fan Expo happening on Saturday, January 26 at the Mississauga Convention Centre from 11:00 am– 4:00 pm. I’ll be there talking to people about–well, whatever you want to talk about. Plus Geeks&Beats partner Michael Hainsworth will join me for a live [&hellip.. more
Friends, fans, and family came together in Los Angeles last night to honour the memory of Chris Cornell. Guests included Chris’ Soundgarden and Audioslave bandmates Daughter Toni Cornell Melvins Chris Stapleton Foo Fighters (and Dave Grohl solo) Josh Homme Members of Pearl Jam (but no Eddie Vedder or Mike McCready) Maroon 5 Miley Cyrus Perry [&hellip.. more
I’m fascinated with isolated vocal tracks because they show the true talent of the singer. We get to hear the decisions they make when it comes to phrasing, breathing, emphasis, as well as experience the purity of their singing talent. Laughing Squid dug up this vocal track of Siouxsie Sioux singing on the Banshees’ “The [&hellip.. more
Once upon a time, The Glorious Sons were another hard working rock band from blue collar Kingston, winners of a radio station contest with dreams of stardom. Now that band is topping the Billboard charts, not just in Canada but in the U.S. The second single off the band’s second full-length album, the multi-layered “Sawed [&hellip.. more
Back in 1978, the Grateful Dead played a gig for Egyptian Deadheads (and those willing to travel to Giza) near the Sphinx. It was pretty trippy. More than 40 years later, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are going to do the same thing. Here’s the official Facebook announcement.. more
I know that headline looks like I banged my head against the keyboard, but trust me when I say that I spelled everything correct. XAVLEGBMAOFFFASSSSITIMIWOAMNDUTROABCWAPWAEIIPPOHFFFX is actually an abbreviation (sort of) for the band’s full name, Acidic Vaginal Liquid Explosion Generated By Mass Amounts Of Filthy Fecal Fisting And Sadistic Septic Syphilic Sodomy Inside The [&hellip.. more
Artist: Adia VictoriaSong: Different Kind Of LoveAlbum: Silences A distinct blend of roots, blues, and rock with enticingly sharp vocals and undeniable groove and energy. Listen: Artist: Grey ft. LÉONSong: Want You Back This collaboration between grammy nominated production duo grey and Swedish singer LÉON is full of punchy synths, big beats, and satisfying dynamics. [&hellip.. more
Today is the 90th birthday of Popeye the Sailor Man. As for music news on January 17, 2019… I’m glad to see that I’m not the only person who thinks the whole cassette revival thing is total rubbish. See? HMV UK just might have found a savior. The Great Toronto AirPod War. Wait–what? Rihanna is [&hellip.. more
Tonight’s the night for I Am the Highway – A Tribute to Chris Cornell, and some details are starting to emerge in the hours before the show like last-minute performers that have been added. Unfortunately it does not appear that it will be streamed live, although I’m confident there will be tons of video footage [&hellip.. more
We covered so much ground in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show, we just had to do a two-parter. This week we visit the “Apple Store of Weed” for insight into what Canada can expect when stores open April 1st, we played a modern-day Pinball machine made by industry guru Gary Stern, and talk [&hellip.. more
After launching a blended whiskey last year, Metallica is ready for a wider roll out of their beer. Enter Night pilsner had been available in a limited number of establishments, but distribution is being expanded internationally. Here’s the full story.. more
The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 842: Modern Guitar Heroes 2–The Women
January 18th | by
The Foo Fighters gear up for the Super Bowl with this funny football video
January 19th | by
More praise (and optimism) for high-fidelity streaming
January 19th | by
These could be the most expensive earbuds ever
January 19th | by
Random music news for Saturday, January 19, 2019
January 19th | by
Listen to a lost 1992 demo from a pre-Foo Fighters Dave Grohl
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The Music Technology MeetUp is for anyone who is interested in connecting with veterans in the Music and Technology industries and those who simply love music and want to learn more about how technology has shaped the way we consume, create, and monetize music. Check out the video from one of our events below.
