Sunlighter

#99 - holliwood star 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 05:59:17 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! 🌞 This marks our 99th edition, an ode to both our artist of the week and the city that continues to be the nexus for artist development. Moreover, it’s Coachella Weekend 1, the official kickoff of a busy upcoming festival season. Good thing music can’t be tariffed.

Rating Rationale: Chris here 👋🏼, it’s been a while since my last album review, but 2hollis’ fourth studio album, star, was enough to get the typewriter hot again. Known for his fictional world-building and enigmatic creative style, “2” has recently reached the precipice of celebrity in star. The album could be the one that breaks 2hollis to mainstream - the arrangement of the album is an efficiently constructed story of Holly’s fame, dreams, and reflections, showcasing not only his mix of his music influences (primarily hip-hop and hyperpop) but also his surprisingly stylistic range. Most impressive, while his classic gritty synths and heavier, glitchy basslines (reminiscent of his tour with Ken Carson) are still consistently integrated across star, his sound continues to adapt to the milieu of his story.

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Recap of Coachella weekend 1, artist-hosted festivals reveal lineups with Modest Mouse becoming latest artist to host a music festival

The music festival season officially kicked off this week with the first weekend of Coachella. As always, celebrity appearances and artist special guests dominated the discussion. Here’s a recap of the latter:

Charli xcx brought out Billie Eilish, close friend and touring mate, Troye Sivan, and Lorde
The Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Dadamel brought out Maren Morris for “My Church,” Zedd for “Clarity,” Laufey who debuted new song, “Silver Lining,” Becky G for “Shower,” and LL Cool J for “Mama Said Knock You Out”
Popular children’s educational sing-a-long TV show, Yo Gabba Gabba! brought out Flavor Flav, Weird Al Yankovic, Thundercat, Portugal. The Man, and… the Duolingo Owl?
Benson Boone brought out Queen’s Brian May to perform “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Three 6 Mafia brought out Project Pat, Travis Barker, MGK, and Wiz Khalifa
Tyla brought out Becky G
Shaboozey brought out Noah Cyrus
Lady Gaga brought out Gesaffelstein
Junior H brought out Peso Pluma
Doja Cat brought out A$AP Rocky, 21 Savage, and Teezo Touchdown
Reneé Rapp brought out Kesha
Tems brought out Wizkid and Justin Bieber
Jhene Aiko brought out Big Sean, Tyga, Saweetie, and Omarion
Lil Yachty brought out his collective, Concrete Boys, along with Justine Skye and Mac DeMarco
J Balvin brought out Will Smith

Music artists who host and curate their festivals are becoming an all too familiar phenomenon. This year, Modest Mouse enters the ring with their inaugural cruise festival, Ice Cream Floats, which will take place next February 5-9, taking off from Miami and ending its destination in the Dominican Republic. Passengers on board include Portugal. The Man, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Mannequin Pussy, Fidlar, and more.

Separately, J. Cole’s Dreamville will include Lil Wayne, 21 Savage, Erykah Badu, and Tems as headlining acts while T-Pain’s Nappy Boy Entertainment heads Back to Wiscansin with Pusha T, Wale, Jermaine Dupri, NLE Choppa, and more.

Lil Durk releases Deep Thoughts from jail amid possible life sentence, Ken Carson releases More Chaos, Kali Uchis re-signs with Capitol Records

Lil Durk, along with five members of his Only the Family label, was arrested back in October 2024 for murder-for-hire charges due to his suspected involvement in the murder of Quando Rondo’s cousin, in retaliation to Quando Rondo’s involvement in the 2020 slaying of King Von. At the end of March, Durk released Deep Thoughts, a somber reflection of his current state.

Ken Carson originally planned More Chaos to be a deluxe version of his previous album, A Great Chaos. Now it’s here but as a standalone project released this week.

Last month, Kali Uchis officially re-signed with Capitol Records while simultaneously taking to social media to announce her fifth studio album, Sincerely.

Finally, Will Smith recently released Based on a True Story, his first album in 20 years, while Russ, Erykah Bad, and Kanye West all plan for new albums later this year.

Ed Sheeran announces eighth studio album with lead single, “Azizam,” Lorde teases new music

Earlier this month, Ed Sheeran dropped his first single, “Azizam,” celebrating Persian culture for his upcoming new album, Play. It’s his first single since releasing Autumn Variations in 2023.

Last week, Lorde made it clear that new music is on its way after archiving her Instagram posts, effacing her official website, and taking to TikTok to preview an unreleased song playing over a video of her in Washington Square Park.

Turnstile and The Mars Volta announce new albums, anticipation for Oasis Reunion builds, Guns N’ Roses splits with drummer

Turnstile, who revitalized broad listener interest in hardcore punk through its album Glow On in 2021, revealed that they have a new album, Never Enough, coming June 6, but the sound might be heading in a different direction... The Mars Volta has also committed to evolving their sound, quietly releasing their third album since their 2022 reunion.

Back in August of last year, Oasis shocked the music world that they would be reuniting, leaving the brothers’ long-time feud in the past. That anticipation continues to build as the brothers plan to have a new film released concurrently with their reunion tour.

Finally, long-time drummer, Frank Ferrer, bids adieu to Guns N’ Roses after joining the band back in 2006.

Tennis announces hiatus, Wet Leg reunites, new album announcements from Arcade Fire, The Beaches, and Cautious Clay

Indie duo, Tennis, plans to go on indefinite hiatus after releasing their final studio album, Face Down.

Indie band, Wet Leg, is “so back,” returning to music since its award-winning run in 2022-2023, winning two Grammys and the BRIT Award for Best British Group.

Finally, a flurry of album announcements: Arcade Fire announces its first album in 3 years (this comes after the multiple sexual misconduct accusations against frontman, Win Butler), Cautious Clay will release The Hours: Morning on May 16, and all-female Canadian alt-rock band, The Beaches, will release their album, No Hard Feelings on August 29.

Primer: While 2hollis has become a successful product of being a music experimentalist, since childhood, Hollis has always held an ardent interest in composing fictitious lore through his personal experiences that have ironically begun to transform into a personal legacy.

Hollis grew up in a music-oriented household in Chicago, but it wasn’t until he moved to Los Angeles that he began pursuing music production. The undoubtedly pivotal moment for Hollis was his 11th birthday when Hollis’ father gifted him Ableton software. The discovery of beat production would set Hollis on a predestined path that would eventually engender the artistic project, Drippysoup, the predecessor to 2hollis.

DRIPPYSOUP

Listen to DRIPPYSOUP | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.

on.soundcloud.com/bguFG2WBLZbD5en37

At the center of Hollis’ vivid music-induced depictions and mysterious alias releases on SoundCloud is a collision course of influences that include inspiration from hyperpop collective Drain Gang (Swedish group consisting of Bladee, Ecco2K, Thaiboy Digital, Whitearmor) and the world-building game of Minecraft, which has sampled sounds throughout his third studio album, boy. Although some may feel disdain for Hollis’ inextricable ties to the music industry by way of his mother who helped co-found OWSLA with Skrillex, we believe that’s a dramatic oversimplification of his success and understanding of the complex sounds that have made Hollis into a star.

2_2_2_2_2_22_2_2__2_2_22

Listen to 2_2_2_2_2_22_2_2__2_2_22 | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.

on.soundcloud.com/rPyoGZgU5SwkXhqq5

cross

Listen to cross | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.

on.soundcloud.com/F1PTUCvm4RthPWMS6

What’s Next: After a strong reception to his 2024 release of boy and singles leading up to his recently released fourth album, star, 2hollis is now carrying his momentum into the festival circuit, a classic, yet practical marketing playbook for the newly signed (as of October) Interscope artist. We expect this year to be a massive discovery year for Holly and would recommend you catching him if you can.

Napster, TikTok, Apple & Timbaland make music tech headlines, Stationhead integrates with Shopify, and Merlin takes on Triller in streaming lawsuit

👾 Napster Acquired for $207M by Infinite Reality: Everyone’s favorite original music streaming service, Napster, has been acquired by metaverse infrastructure startup Infinite Reality in a $270M deal. With Infinite Reality valued at $12.25 billion, the move hints at future integrations between music libraries and immersive digital experiences.

🤫 A Soft Launch: TikTok for Artists–again?: Over the years, TikTok has teetered back and forth on a cohesive music strategy. Over the last month, the provocative application quietly rolled out a new “TikTok for Artists” platform to help musicians better manage their profiles, release strategies, and engagement tools.

🎧 DJ Turn It Up: Apple Music now allows users to mix their full libraries within popular DJ apps, finally bridging the gap between streaming and spinning. Cheers to more generations of self-taught DJs.

🔊 Let the Beat Drop: Timbaland has partnered with AI music company Suno to explore new ways of co-creating songs with AI. While he sees huge potential, critics like Ivors Academy have pushed back, accusing Suno of regurgitating copyrighted lyrics. It sounds like Suno may have more competition soon, with China’s $6B valued Kunlun Tech debuting its first “music reasoning model”–designed to outperform Suno in generating full music tracks. Meanwhile, ASCAP is advocating for songwriter protections in U.S. AI copyright policy, emphasizing human creativity over algorithmic content. Lastly, AI music company Aiode has joined Abbey Road Studios’ incubator as it readies its open beta, aiming to drive collaborative, AI-driven music creation.

🛍️ No More Merch Lines: Stationhead has teamed up with Shopify, enabling artists to sell merch directly within the social music streaming app. The integration offers a seamless bridge between fandom and commerce, enhancing artist monetization.

⚖️ Merlin vs. Triller: Merlin, representing thousands of independent labels, is suing TikTok rival Triller for allegedly failing to pay agreed-upon music licensing fees. The lawsuit reflects ongoing tensions between platforms and rightsholders over fair compensation.

U.S. streaming growth lags, StubHub files for IPO, UMG, HYBE, WMG & Primary Wave make strategic investments

📉 U.S. Lagging on Streaming Growth: The global recorded music market surged to $36.2B in 2024, but U.S. growth lagged at just 3.6%, hurt by falling ad-supported revenues.

💰 StubHub Files for IPO: Despite industry-wide scrutiny of ticket resale platforms, StubHub filed to go public in the NYSE after a strong 2024, with 30% revenue growth.

💁 Don’t – with my App: With support from Ed Sheeran, WMG is revamping its underwhelming superfan app, supporting the broader push to deepen direct artist-fan connections.

🎢 Amusement Records Gets a Boost: Producer Dan Nigro’s Amusement Records–home to last year’s breakout star Chappell Roan–is being upgraded to a central venture within UMG, strengthening UMG’s creative development pipeline.

💡 Believe the HYBE: HYBE added LA-based Confirmed360 to its experiential empire and launched in-app streaming and listening parties on Weverse.

💰 Securing the Bag: Primary Wave acquired a stake in the Notorious B.I.G.’s catalog in a deal valuing the estate at $200 million, continuing its aggressive legacy rights strategy. Concord expanded its reach into artist services by acquiring distribution and royalty platform Stem. Meanwhile, PopHouse Entertainment raised over $1B for its first fund, doubling down on music IP investments with long-term ambition. Ampollo raised $3.2M to grow its artist-focused tools for production and fan engagement. Create Music Group acquired respected indie label !K7 to strengthen its catalog and electronic presence. On the startup front, Hook, a Gen Z-focused music mashup platform, raised $3M to scale its creative tech platform, and GenAI firm Bria raised $40M to expand from its roots in generative visual content into the music space.

Skrillex joins the club for longest album title & Bon Iver stuns with first album in six years

Elton John & Brandi Carlile, Who Believes in Angels? | Skrillex, F*CK U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!! <3 | 2hollis, star | Duckwrth, All American F*ckboy, Grace VanderWaal, CHILDSTAR | Knox, Going, Going, Gone | SYML, Nobody Lives Here

Julien Baker & Torres, Send a Prayer My Way | Keri Hilson, We Need to Talk

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See ya next time 😎

Donya and Chris

#98 - Maniac Mk.gee 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Guess who’s back, back again? It’s been a busy last few months for us both, but we’re happy to be back in your inbox. We were so excited, we couldn’t wait ‘til Sunday 🌞 Welcome to the 349 music enthusiasts who’ve joined since our last edition!

Rating Rationale: If you tuned into the Grammys this year, you might have caught the premiere of Lady Gaga’s music video for “Abracadabra,” the debut single from her highly anticipated album, MAYHEM. From the production to the vocals and meticulously chaotic choreography, the video encapsulates everything that defines Lady Gaga’s artistry. From front to back, MAYHEM exudes Gaga’s authenticity and expands on it, blending a diverse mix of influences–from electro grunge (heavily inspired by The Cure), to theatrical pop, dance funk, and chaotic metal with a hint of mid-2000s rock. Our favorite tracks include, “Vanish Into You,” “Killah (feat. Gesaffelstein),” and “How Bad Do U Want Me.”

Up In The Sky, Glastonbury, Osheaga, & Shaky Knees drop lineups, When We Were Young adds a second date

The inaugural Up In The Sky festival will take place this year in Aspen, Colorado, featuring Rüfüs Du Sol, Glass Animals, Kacey Musgraves, Suki Waterhouse, and SG Lewis. Across the pond, Glastonbury has announced the best festival lineup we’ve seen in a long time–featuring major headliners The 1975, Neil Young, and Olivia Rodrigo. Up in Canada, Osheaga returns with another stellar lineup including Tyler, the Creator, Olivia Rodrigo, The Killers, Doechii, and Jamie xx.

The Shaky Knees Festival announced a powerhouse lineup led by My Chemical Romance, Blink-182, and Deftones. Lastly, When We Were Young festival has expanded to a second date on October 19 in Las Vegas, feeding into the excitement of nostalgia for fans of this all-star lineup of 2000s-era bands.

Aitch performs surprise rave set on a train, FLO calls for more R&B group competition, Nicki Minaj teases new music

Across the pond, Aitch scattered tickets across trains in Northern England that led to a train ride where he played a surprise rave set, including his latest single, “Straight Rhymez 2.”

Following Doechii’s historic win as the third female artist to win “Best Rap Album” at this year’s GRAMMYs, female artists are continuing to rise in hip-hop, and FLO is eager for more competition in the genre.

Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj teased new music on Instagram Live, and Rihanna continues to share details from R9, revealing this would be her most authentic record yet.

Alanis Morissette announces The Sphere residency, Billy Idol shares first album in 11 years, Simple Plan celebrates 25 years with 3OH!3 and Bowling for Soup

So far, it’s a big year for new releases and tours from major rock artists. You ‘oughta know that Alanis Morissette announced a Las Vegas residency at The Sphere set to run from October-November 2025.

Meanwhile, Rico Nasty teased her upcoming album Lethal after signing with Fueled By Ramen, fans are speculating Arcade Fire’s return, Billy Idol will release Dream Into It, his first album in 11 years (!) and Car Seat Headrest is set to drop The Scholars alongside a new music video for "Gethsemane."

On the tour front, Simple Plan celebrates their 25th anniversary (unreal) with the Bigger Than You Think! tour featuring 3OH!3, Bowling For Soup, and Lolo this summer. Wu-Tang Clan will tour one last time with Run the Jewels. The Offspring will hit North America with Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory, while Death Cab for Cutie, Eric Clapton, and Bring Me the Horizon have all announced tours for 2025.

Tate McRae beats Kendrick & Drake for first Billboard #1 album, new Chappell Roan single drops tonight, Harry Styles negotiating residency at The Sphere

Tate McRae’s So Close To What beat out Kendrick Lamar, PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake for #1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the first 2025 album to spend its first two weeks of release at #1. Lizzo announced her fifth full-length album, Love In Real Life. Meanwhile, Chappell Roan is teasing new (country?) music with “The Giver," to be released tonight.

Coldplay will help curate the first-ever 2026 World Cup Final halftime show set to take place in North America next summer. Meanwhile, Harry Styles is reportedly in the final stages of negotiating a Las Vegas residency at The Sphere–all while running an impressive time during the Tokyo Marathon 👀

Sabrina Carpenter expanded her 2025 "Short N’ Sweet" Tour, including more dates in Los Angeles and New York City. BLACKPINK also revealed their 2025 world tour, with dates spanning the UK, North America, Europe, and Asia.

HAIM returns, Lorde collaborates with Marlon Williams, and Rachel Chinouriri releases new single ahead of upcoming EP

Several artists have exciting new projects on the horizon. Mumford & Sons announced an intimate live-streamed performance in Manchester ahead of their upcoming album release, while HAIM revealed their comeback single, “Relationships.” Lastly, Lorde and Marlon Williams also dropped a new collaboration, "Kāhore He Manu E," ahead of Marlon’s upcoming album, Te Whare Tiwekaweka, next month.

Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard is venturing into solo music with the release of his debut album, while Father John Misty showcased his latest track, “The Dead Mouse,” on Stephen Colbert. Rachel Chinouriri also unveiled a heartfelt new single, “Can We Talk About Isaac,” alongside the announcement of an upcoming EP. Finally, Mt. Joy revealed details about their fourth album, Hope We Have Fun.

Primer: At Sunlighter, we love to celebrate artists who defy conventions, and Mk.gee is no exception. Since emerging as a solo artist in 2017, Michael Gordon, known professionally as Mk.gee, has co-produced for artists like Omar Apollo and Dijon, co-written with artists like The Kid LAROI and Fred again.., and found his way into Drake’s Certified Lover Boy with a sample of his work. Born and raised in New Jersey, Mk.gee spent his childhood and teenage years playing in jazz trios and rock gigs at restaurants and bars along the shore. While he was influenced by the artists you see above, his own path in music was shaped by the drive to forge a sound that was uniquely his–blending genres and breaking boundaries along the journey.

Moving to Los Angeles was a pivotal moment in that journey, pushing him to refine what he calls a “liminal and apocalyptic” sound. Upon listening, you’ll find his music has a raw, atmospheric quality–creating tension between calm, minimalist moments, and explosive, unpredictable bursts of sound. The confluence of these characteristics didn’t sit well with his early LA gigs, leading him to be fired from multiple performances. Determined to continue carving out his niche, Mk.gee began releasing music independently by age 18.

His debut album, Two Star and the Dream Police (February 2024), serves as an homage to Jersey rock with a central theme of “minimal, yet explosive” approach to each track. This album is far from conventional alternative/indie, as Mk.gee intentionally sidesteps genre norms to create something entirely his own. His willingness to push musical boundaries is exactly what makes him a must-listen artist today.

What’s Next: Following the momentum of his debut album, Mk.gee dropped his first single, “ROCKMAN.” This summer, he’s bringing his unique sound to life on the stage at both Governor’s Ball in New York City and Way Out West Festival in Sweden.

Audius celebrates 250M streams, Snoop Dogg joins Tune.FM, new AI and Web3 ventures emerge, Kobalt tackles $1B in uncollected royalties

💜 Artist Appreciation: Audius has launched an artist appreciation airdrop to celebrate reaching 250 million on-chain streams, while Snoop Dogg is leaving Spotify to focus on a Web3 platform, Tune.FM. Perhaps another sign of the times shifting toward decentralized music platforms…

💡 New Ventures: Epidemic Sound co-founder launched a spatial audio firm, IMRSV. In the fan engagement space, SM Entertainment is preparing a superfan platform to rival HYBE's Weverse. Meanwhile, ByteDance quietly launched a music licensing platform, Easy Ode, and is developing Seed-Music, an AI music generation tool on Duobao (China’s top AI app), using advanced models for composition, editing, and voice cloning. Finally, Mashapp debuted a music mixing platform, licensed by all three major labels.

💰 You’ll Never See Royalties: While ASCAP reported a 6.5% increase in royalty payouts totaling $1.7 billion in 2024, Kobalt estimates $1 billion in uncollected royalties annually. There’s still a lot of work to do in this space, and Kobalt is starting by launching Kosign, catering to independent artists through the platform.

🤝 Top Streaming Fans: Spotify announced a new music pro service offering superfan perks for $5.99/month, including early access to tickets and AI remix tools. Meanwhile, SoundCloud introduced new features highlighting artists and top fans, as well as enhanced live-streaming features through a partnership with Ticketmaster. Finally, Live Nation CEO, Michael Rapino confirmed ongoing talks with Spotify, Apple, and Amazon about creating superfan tiers for ticketing.

Fyre Festival 2 debunked, HYBE launches global boy band search, streaming revenues surge, and major catalog acquisitions

😒 Fyre Festival 2: The event has been debunked by a local tourism board, claiming that the festival does not exist, following ongoing speculation about its revival (womp, womp–but who’s surprised?)

🎤 Making The Band: After the successful launch of girl group, KATSEYE, HYBE co-founder Bang Si-Hyuk and CEO Scooter Braun have teamed up with OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder (Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Adele, Ed Sheeran collaborator) to launch a global search for a new boy band.

🐅 Big Label Moves: Sir Lucian Grainge of Universal Music Group recently shared a memo outlining the onset of the "streaming 2.0" era, while Warner Music and Audiomack expanded their licensing deal to 47 new countries.

📈 Subscription Revenue on the Rise: YouTube saw its quarterly ad revenues top $10 billion for the first time, and the African-based streaming service Mdundo reported a 45% surge in subscription revenue, looking to expand beyond its home continent.

💰 Securing the Bag: Sony Music co-led a $16M funding round for AI startup Vermillio. Duetti, a platform supporting indie artists, has raised $200 million in debt funding to expand into music publishing and catalog deals. TikTok rival Triller raised $50M, and MNGRS·AI secured funding after signing up 2,500 artists.

📚 Catalogs: T-Pain has sold his publishing catalog and select masters to HarbourView. In other catalog news, Create Music Group has acquired the catalogs of Pack Records, deadmau5, and Mau5trap Records in a $55 million deal. Sony has struck a $400 million deal to acquire the iconic Pink Floyd catalog. Additionally, Cardo, known for his collaborations with Drake and Travis Scott, has sold his publishing catalog to Kilometre Music.

Alternative and indie albums spring forward, JENNIE of BLACKPINK has solo debut, TOKiMONSTA drops highly-anticipated Eternal Reverie

Charlie Cunningham, In Light | Ruston Kelly, Dirt Emo Vol. II

Japanese Breakfast, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) | Selena Gomez, I Said I Love You First | James Arthur, Pisces | Jessica Simpson, Nashville Canyon, Pt. 1 | Ryan Hurd, Midwest Rock & Roll

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next time 😎

Donya and Chris

#97 - Requiem for Autumn 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday, and thanks to the 246 music enthusiasts who’ve joined since our last edition!

If you’ve enjoyed our newsletters so far, we’d love for you to continue spreading the word by forwarding the newsletter to a friend or foe who likes music. In return, we’ll surprise that person by marooning them on a private island off of Mexico to experience Fyre Fest II next August. Finally, you now have the option of listening to our newsletter in a soothing voice narrated by our hybrid AI voice by clicking on “Listen Now” at the top right corner of this email.

Rating Rationale: Elton John claims Fontaines D.C. is the best band in the world right now; just as he supported The Last Dinner Party earlier this year, the Rocket Man knows good music when he hears it. The Irish punk band, whose namesake is inspired by The Godfather and their hometown of Dublin City, has been on the scene since 2014, but while on tour with the Arctic Monkeys last year, they worked alongside producer James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, The Last Dinner Party) for the first time to create a fourth studio album that brings a modern twist to the early ‘00s punk era. With grungy production and breathy, monotone, yet bright vocals, the Irishmen met in college and bonded over their shared love of Irish poetry, which naturally transitioned into songwriting. Our favorite tracks include “Favourite,” “In The Modern World,” and “Starburster.”

TOKiMONSTA postpones Eternal Reverie and cancels tour, RÜFÜS DU SOL shares Inhale / Exhale release in October, Lane 8 drops Childish

Due to a family emergency, TOKiMONSTA announced earlier this week that she would be postponing the release of her highly anticipated seventh studio album, Eternal Reverie, and canceling her tour.

Inhale / Exhale, is what RÜFÜS DU SOL are embracing on their first studio album release in three years, which is set to drop on October 11. Lastly, Lane 8 explored his childlike wonder in his latest album release, Childish, which dropped last Friday.

Diddy arrested, Kendrick Lamar will perform Super Bowl LIX, Drake releases three new songs on Finsta, Ye teases Bully, FLO & GloRilla announce debut albums, and hip-hop community mourns Rich Homie Quan, Fat Man Scoop, and Beatkings

Earlier this week, Diddy was indicted by a grand jury and arrested for a number of federal charges, including conspiracy, sex trafficking, and fraud.

Now that the NFL 2024 season is in full swing, Apple Music announced Kendrick Lamar would be the Super Bowl LIX Halftime performer. A few days later, Kendrick released a new song via Instagram. Both Jay-Z and Rihanna issued statements of support after a few controversial takes that Apple “snubbed” Lil Wayne, although no one is more upset than Nicki Minaj...

…except maybe Drake. Recently, Drake released three new tracks via his finsta account titled “Circadian Rhythm,” “SOD,” and “No Face.” Meanwhile, Ye seemed to announce his next solo studio album, Bully, at a show in China, while Sunlighter-favorite FLO and GloRilla announced their respective debut albums, Access All Areas and Glorious, set to release this fall.

In sad news, the hip-hop community has mourned the losses of Rich Homie Quan (whose posthumous album is speculated to be in the works), Fat Man Scoop, and Beatkings over the last month 🕊.

Oasis stages historic return, The Cure sets 14th album release date, Måneskin lead vocalist pursues solo project with Labrinth

Oasis’ highly anticipated 2025 reunion tour is expected to generate over $400 million, with fans eagerly awaiting the historic concerts set to begin July 4, 2025. Though the band has confirmed they won’t be playing at any music festivals, such as Glastonbury, speculation continues over which artists might support them on the tour. As expected, the demand for tickets has been overwhelming, leading to the inevitable Ticketmaster crashes. Despite the uproar, Ticketmaster and the ticketing industry have defended their pricing strategies, though a UK government investigation into the platform’s dynamic pricing model is underway. Earlier this month, Liam Gallagher revealed that Oasis has also finished recording a new album, jokingly noting that his brother Noel is "no longer a potato."

Classic rock fans have even more to look forward to over the next year: The Cure is finally teasing their long-awaited fourteenth studio album, Songs for a Lost World, launching a secret website and WhatsApp channel to engage fans ahead of its release on November 1. Meanwhile, Interpol is also hard at work on their next album, with drummer Sam Fogarino recovering from surgery and ready to rejoin the creative process. Meanwhile, after much fan speculation, Linkin Park has a new lead vocalist in Emily Armstrong as they prepare for their upcoming tour.

Onto modern rock, Damiano David, lead vocalist of our favorite Italian modern rock band, Måneskin, is working alongside Labrinth on his first solo project. Additionally, The Smile is surprising fans with their second album of the year, set to be released this upcoming Friday.

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Classic and modern pop artists at work this year, Charli XCX’s bratosphere is alive and well, The Weeknd, Halsey, Chappell Roan, and Jon Bellion tease upcoming albums

Between Stevie Wonder’s surprise arena tour, New Kids on the Block announcing their Vegas residency, and Phil Collins working on new music for the first time on over 20 years, it’s safe to say both classic and modern pop artists are at work this year.

Over the last month, we said goodbye to Sunlighter-favorite Charli XCX’s brat summer, but just as we expected, the 2024 Variety Hitmaker of the Year plans to keep the bratosphere alive and well. While on her joint tour with Troye Sivan, she has plans to release brat and it’s completely different but also still brat on October 11. She’s also reportedly been working on new music with Bon Iver and Danielle Haim–do we think it’s part of the reimagined brat, or something brand new?

We’ve seen a myriad of pop artists give fans tiny glimpses into their new eras. The Weeknd has released two singles from his upcoming project, speculated to be titled Hurry Up Tomorrow. With the help of a few magic tricks, Halsey shared the tracklist for her upcoming album, The Great Impersonator, set to drop on October 25. While battling ticket scalpers and calling out inappropriate fan behavior, Chappell Roan is already writing her next album. Off the heels of a successful (and kind of random?) duet release with Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga announced a companion album to Joker: Folie à Deux with the release of Harlequin. Lastly, after six years of songwriting and producing for other artists (The Album & TORI.), Jon Bellion released “Kid Again,” marking his return as a solo artist.

Bon Iver, Joy Oladokun, Caribou, and mxmtoon to release new albums, Hinds reaches new heights

Bon Iver released a new single titled "S.P.E.Y.S.I.D.E,” from his upcoming SABLE, album release on October 18. Corinne Bailey Rae made her return to the spotlight with her new single "Silvercane." Meanwhile, Hinds are finally having their global breakthrough moment with the release of their latest album, VIVA HINDS–our friends at Chartmetric report a 490.5% increase in Spotify listeners over the last month 🤯

Searows announced their forthcoming EP, Flush. Joy Oladokun announced forthcoming release, Observations from a Crowded Room. For Fleetwood Mac fans, Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham have teamed up for a cover album featuring songs from the Buckingham Nicks era, while Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast teased a gloomy, guitar-heavy new album. Caribou also announced new album Honey, marking their first album release in four years, while mxmtoon revealed plans for her third studio album titled Liminal Space.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds announced their first North American tour in seven years, much to the excitement of the band (and Peaky Blinders) fans. Soccer Mommy is also preparing for a 2025 tour and has released a new track titled "Driver" to celebrate the upcoming tour dates.

CMAs shuts out Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER, Shaboozey breaks through with 2 nominations, Post Malone makes Grand Ole Opry debut

The Country Music Awards (CMAs) announced nominations for its 2024 ceremony this week, and the best-selling country album of the year, Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER, is up for…zero nominations. Unfortunately, this is an unsurprising move by the CMAs; the concept of the album was inspired following the way Queen Bey was treated while performing with The Chicks at the 2016 ceremony - note that this video was also removed from the CMA YouTube channel 🙄

The silver lining here is that through COWBOY CARTER, Beyoncé was able to champion young, Black artists like Shaboozey, who did earn two nominations for the song “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which has dominated the charts throughout 2024.

Speaking of artists championed by Beyoncé, in the days leading up to his first-ever country album, F-1 Trillion, Post Malone made his Grand Ole Opry debut with a little help from friends like Vince Gill, Lainey Wilson, and Brad Paisley. The album debuted at #1 with 250K units sold.

Primer: If you’ve ever turned on a lo-fi playlist while studying, chances are, you’ve probably come across keshi’s music. Representing the Vietnamese diaspora community of Houston, Texas, Casey Luong began his grounded pursuit of music at the age of 13 after being inspired to learn guitar by watching Drake Bell’s character from Drake & Josh. Undoubtedly talented, Casey eventually met his first wall of adversity after flying to Los Angeles for a music competition he subsequently lost, placing him at a crossroads - continue making music or pursue something else? Luckily, with YouTube’s continuous live-stream feature and later anonymous artists like Lofi Girl buttressing the lo-fi trend, Casey maintained his interest in music after discovering low-fidelity production. With a limited, but nurturing support system of friends and family, Casey eventually created a SoundCloud account in 2017 titled, “keshi,” a childhood nickname given to him by his friends. He wrote his first song, submitted it to a Reddit competition, and won, ultimately helping him seed his listener base.

After graduating from The University of Texas, Casey began working full-time as an oncology registered nurse in Houston. He found himself struggling to balance his professional career with his burgeoning music career, and eventually, after a bad day at work, he chose to resign from his RN job. That same week, he signed to Island Records.

What’s Next: Earlier this month, keshi expectedly released his sophomore album, Requiem, in good timing with his Requiem World Tour, scheduled to begin next month.

Lyte abruptly ends operations, TikTok Music shuts down, Meta continues UMG partnership, Roblox releases music charts

🎫 The Lyte Shutdown: After launching in 2014 and raising an aggregate of $53 million, a couple of weeks ago, Lyte abruptly shut down, inactivating its website and going dark, leaving many fans unable to access their funds from secondary sales and forcing festivals to take on the monetary burden. This week, Lyte has initiated a sale of its assets and clear its unsecured debts.

💥 TikTok Ends Music Pursuit: After launching its music streaming service a year ago, TikTok announced that it will shut down its TikTok Music streaming service in November 😮. This comes after a tenuous renegotiation partnership with UMG earlier this year.

👓 A Meta Future: Meta and Universal Music Group announced a multi-year partnership to expand opportunities for UMG artists through Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This comes shortly after the release of a new music feature on Instagram, allowing users to add a song to their profile.

🎮 Roblox Music Charts: Move over Billboard, Roblox is doubling down on music discovery (after partnering with DistroKid last month) by offering music charts on its platform, allowing gamers to discover new music from their gaming experiences.

🤖 Tackling AI: SoundExchange recently launched a registry allowing rightsholders to permission their recordings for generative AI audio training. GEMA announced that it has developed a new licensing model for AI-generated derivative tracks. UnitedMasters has added AI mastering services through its partnership with RoEx.

💬 Yelp!: The National Independent Venue Association is accusing Yelp over claims of misleading concert ticket listings.

Miley Cyrus and Sony Music sued for “Flowers,” English Teacher wins Mercury Prize, Kesha establishes independent label, Netflix readies Building The Band, Killphonic Rights and Mellomanic raise funding rounds

👨🏻‍⚖️ Major Lawsuits: Several parties, including Miley Cyrus and Sony Music, are being sued for copyright infringement for 2023 hit, “Flowers.” Shaboozey has sued Warner Chappell, the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, for intentionally thwarting his effort to buy out the remainder of his contract amid the success of “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Finally, Barry Manilow is suing Hipgnosis for $1.5 million in unpaid bonuses (another headache for Blackstone).

📈 Artist Development: SoundCloud has revealed its new global artist development program, which has previously supported artists such as Kenya Grace, Shaboozey, Teezo Touchdown, and Barry Can’t Swim. Separately, the Featured Artists Coalition and Amazon Music have partnered to provide ten artists with £8,000 grants through the Step Up Fund.

👩🏻‍🏫 English Teacher: Good grammar, good consequences. Post-punk band, English Teacher, is the latest winner of the Mercury Prize for the top album in the UK + Ireland, beating out Charli XCX 🤔, The Last Dinner Party, and Nia Archives.

🤝 Label Partnerships: Kesha recently launched her independent label, Kesha Records, in partnership with Crush Music and Warner Music Group. Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records (now owned by Snoop) have agreed to a full-catalog publishing deal with Reservoir Media. Jennie, formerly of BLACKPINK, has signed a solo deal with Columbia Records. South Asian music label, Myst Music, is partnering with Sony Music’s distribution subsidiary, The Orchard. Finally, Beggars Group, an indie label holding company, is partnering with Recreational Music to license its music for personalized video game play.

💰 Securing the Bag: Music publishing and royalty services company, Killphonic Rights, received a $3 million investment from Stilwell Creative Capital to expand its artist management services. We Are Giant rebranded as Mellomanic and raised an additional $6 million. Superfan streaming platform, Mixcloud, acquired live booking platform, Encore. Miris raised a $26 million seed round 👀 to support spatial audio computing and delivery. Ampollo, a musician collaboration platform, raised £2.3 million to launch its app allowing users to separate stems from tracks, remix songs, and share their new music creations. Superfan spaces app, FanCircles, has raised $2 million in funding to continue building its platform allowing artists to launch apps geared at generating exclusive content for their fans.

🎞️ Video Killed the Radio Star: Netflix’s upcoming pop group reality competition show, Building The Band (perhaps an homage to MTV’s Making The Band), revealed its judges which include Kelly Rowland, Liam Payne, and Nicole Scherzinger. Elton John’s documentary, Never Too Late, will be premiering on Disney+ on December 13th. Finally, Shailene Woodley will be starring in an upcoming biopic of Janis Joplin while KJ Apa will be starring as Bradley Nowell of Sublime.

🌐 Web3 Updates: Decentralized music streaming platform, Audius, is fully rolling out its direct artist payments feature to all artists on the platform, noting that 10% of each payment will be captured for the community treasury. Audius competitor, Tune.fm, has raised another $50 million in new funding from Global Emerging Markets.

📚 Catalogs: Julia Michaels has sold most of her publishing and recording catalog to Jonas Group.

Indie and electronic albums take center stage, Jamie xx releases first album in 9 years

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya in October 😎

Donya and Chris

#96 - Sunday Best 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday, and welcome to the 113 music enthusiasts who’ve joined since our last edition!

We’re back with our first monthly edition and… a lot has happened in the music industry: StubHub delayed its IPO, Forbes officially declared Bruce Springsteen a billionaire, and Chappell Roan drew the biggest Lollapalooza crowd, perhaps ever (and she wasn’t even a headliner). Prince was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Usher is getting his own AMC experience, and Siri has opinions on the Kendrick vs. Drake battle. YouTube Music & TikTok activate a “hum” search feature while the latter is under fire by the DoJ. Lastly, Carrie Underwood will come home to American Idol as a judge. Because we’re highlighting four weeks of news into one edition, our newsletters will be longer reads, so feel free to take it in small bytes!

Rating Rationale: In what must be one of the most difficult tasks for any artist, Glass Animals took on the practically insurmountable challenge of gripping early listeners along with mainstream newcomers on their fourth studio album following magnum opus, Dreamland. The CliffNotes is that ILYSFM is an outstanding album, but it falls short of the aforementioned task. However, we recognize that the body of work is unequivocally head and shoulders above most album releases this year (perhaps even in our top 10? 👀). Thematically, ILYSFM is an intentionally vague interpretation of love across 10 songs. While the album is well-produced, there is a slight drop-off in the creativity of Dave Bayley’s uncanny lyricism, and the production feels a bit more homogenized and borrowed from their sonic approach that shined in Dreamland. A noteworthy detail is that ILYSFM is their first release through Polydor (UMG), with the majority of their previous releases being through indie label, Wolf Tone Records 🤔. Nonetheless, it’s still a strong album, and our favorites are, “Show Pony,” “Creatures in Heaven,” “A Tear in Space (Airlock),” and “White Roses.”

Fred again.. and The Blessed Madonna ready new albums, Empire of the Sun returns from an eight-year hiatus, Knife Party teases a return to music, Palm Tree Festival heads to Cali

In what will be one of EDM’s most highly anticipated albums of the year, Fred again.. will be releasing his new record, ten days, encapsulating ten songs about “really very small quiet intimate moments.” Aside from his first three singles, we expect the remaining seven songs will include Sampha, The Japanese House, Emmylou Harris, Joy Anonymous, SOAK, and Duskus. Separately, The Blessed Madonna will be releasing her debut album, Godspeed, which will include features from Kylie Minogue, A-Trak, and mutual Fred again.. collaborator, Joy Anonymous.

A few weeks ago, the “Walking on a Dream” duo, Empire of the Sun, released their album, Ask That God, marking the end of an eight-year hiatus. We presume they’ll be on the bill for several festivals next year. Additionally, Australian DJ duo Knife Party is teasing a return to music after going on hiatus in 2019.

Kygo’s Palm Tree Festival will be returning to Dana Point in October with headliners Martin Garrix, OneRepublic, Calvin Harris, and The Chainsmokers, along with a brilliant undercard that includes Cannons, Harry Hudson, and Sunlighter favorite, ayokay (Quinn XCII producer). Finally, The Sphere will see its first EDM show from Anyma on New Year's Eve.

PnB Rock receives posthumous justice, Drake drops 100GB worth of content, Mike WiLL Made-It follows DJ Mustard on releasing a record, John Legend is making a children’s album?

Back in September 2022, when we found out that PnB Rock was fatally shot at a Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles restaurant in Los Angeles, we decided to pay homage by spotlighting PnB Rock as our 5th artist of the week. This week, justice was finally served after a jury found both a 42-year-old man, who orchestrated the senseless action, along with his 17-year-old son, guilty of homicide. Separately, Tory Lanez, who is currently serving 10 years behind bars for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, released two new songs as part of his “Prison Tapes” series.

Since losing his rap beef battle against Kendrick Lamar, Drake has stayed relatively quiet… until this week. Unexpectedly, Drake released an archive of 100GB worth of material through 100gigs.org. A treasure trove of past content, 100 GIGS FOR YOUR HEADTOP is organized by past projects via a hard drive-style folder system and includes numerous studio session recordings, video footage, artwork, audio clips, and three new songs. Maintaining its aura of secrecy, the website also has several “easter eggs,” including a redirected link to a public Instagram account titled, plottttwistttttt. Separately, Drake also announced that he would be releasing a collaborative album with PARTYNEXTDOOR later this year.

Several other artists are busy preparing for new album releases. Mike WiLL Made-It will release his first album in seven years, R3SET, later this year. Cordae announced his upcoming album, The Crossroads. Finally, John Legend is working with Sufjan Stevens on a children’s album titled, My Favorite Dream, which is expected to be released later this month…(this one was definitely not on our bingo card).

MUNA’s Katie Gavin and Foals’ Yannis Philippakis pursue solo projects, several indie album releases set to arrive in October

In the current zeitgeist of on-demand music streaming and the relative ease of becoming an artist, several artists this year have branched out to explore solo projects. Joining the ranks of Adrienne Lenker and Josephine Vander West, among others, Katie Gavin of MUNA and Yannis Philippakis of Foals have announced respective solo projects, What a Relief and Lagos Paris London.

October is set to be a big month for indie artist releases: Texas-native soul singer, Leon Bridges, will be releasing his self-titled album, Leon. Soccer Mommy will be releasing her first album in two years, Evergreen. Finally, Billie Eilish’s brother, FINNEAS, will be dropping his second solo studio album, For Cryin’ Out Loud! after co-writing and producing Billie’s Hit Me Hard and Soft.

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More K-pop artists launch solo careers

Within the last week, both Jaehyun from NCT and Tzuyu of TWICE have announced solo debut mini-albums. Jaehyun’s upcoming album, aptly titled, J, will arrive later this month while Tzuyu’s upcoming mini-album, abouTZU, is pending a release date. Notably, Tzuyu now follows Nayeon and Jihyo as the third member of TWICE to go solo (that’s 3/9 members) and has recently seen a resurgence in popularity after being mistaken for a Korean archer during the Olympic games, subsequently seeing her old archery videos going viral.

Charli xcx and Chappell Roan dominate summer streams, Joe Jonas focuses on solo music, Jade Thirwall closes the Little Mix chapter, Taylor Swift’s Austria concerts canceled

Summertime music has always been a focal point for listeners, and the popstars who have undoubtedly taken the mantle this year are Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Charli xcx. We’re still riding the highs of Brat summer, as she recently surprise-released a remix to her song “Guess” (from her extended album) with Billie Eilish. This effort helped her score her first UK #1 single in a decade, yet another achievement after being recently short-listed for the Mercury Prize. In a similar vein, Chappell Roan’s meteoric rise within the last few months has also helped her reach her first UK #1 album.

Finally, here are several other notable highlights from pop artists within the past month:

Last month, Joe Jonas announced his sophomore solo album, Music For People Who Believe In Love.
JADE released her debut single, making her the final member of Little Mix to pursue a solo career.
Taylor Swift’s concerts in Austria were canceled due to a terrorist threat. As a result, fans took to the streets to sing her hits.
Addison Rae officially released her first song, “Diet Pepsi,” through a major (Columbia Records) - it’s not great 😬

Aerosmith retires from touring

Last fall, only three dates into their farewell tour, Aerosmith’s frontman, Steven Tyler, injured his vocal cords, forcing the band to postpone their remaining tour dates to 2024. Now deemed irrecoverable, the band officially announced that they plan to retire from touring and will subsequently be canceling all remaining dates.

Desert Daze returns after its cancellation last year

After a one-year postponement, the psychedelic rock and indie-focused festival, Desert Haze, is returning to Southern California with a lineup that includes Jack White, Cigarettes After Sex, Alex G, The Mars Volta, Thundercat, Fleet Foxes, and more.

Primer: The namesake of today’s edition was a hit song by a duo called Surfaces that went viral during COVID, but today, it’s fitting for several reasons: 1) It’s Sunlighter Sunday, and 2) you might be wearing your Sunday Best while listening to this artist’s latest album. Surfaces saw commercial success with “Sunday Best” and several other singles, including a collaboration with Elton John. Now, one of the duo’s founding members, fellow Texan and Baylor grad (sic’em 🐻) Forrest Frank, is on a mission to dismantle the notion that “Christian music is boring,” and spread the joy of his faith around the world with his solo debut album, CHILD OF GOD. Upon its release, the album shot to #1 on the Global iTunes charts across all genres, debuted at #28 on the Billboard 200, and became the #1 Christian album in the world. You might say, “feeling good, like you should,” but he would say none of the commercial success matters and direct all glory to God.

Forrest grew up going to church, with early musical influences from his mother, who served as a co-worship leader, and his grandmother, who wrote children’s music. It wasn’t until he purchased and started playing his MASCHINE Mikro that he discovered he could build a music career. Throughout his college years, Forrest dedicated any free time he had toward making music, even being led to what he says was a life-changing worship night at a local church in Waco, where he rediscovered his faith. After working in a corporate job for a year, Forrest decided to leave work and pursue music full-time. While he plans to continue releasing secular music through Surfaces, Forrest hopes that this new chapter of his solo music allows the world, particularly the younger generation, to be open to the possibilities of Christian art.

What’s Next: Forrest is currently performing his Child of God Tour, which wraps on September 9th in Phoenix, AZ. The album is authentic, genuine, and true to who Forrest is as an artist, inviting artists like Tori Kelly, JVKE, and Hulvey as featured collaborators.

Spotify surpasses UMG market cap, Udio & Suno admit to copyright infringement, Disney partners with Audioshake

💰Cash Me At Spotify: Spotify has surpassed Universal Music Group to become the world's most valuable music company, with its stock rising over 12% over the last month. The streaming giant reported a record-high quarterly profit and a 12% increase in paid subscribers, bringing the total to 246 million, despite facing a major patent lawsuit from Bluejay Technologies.

👨‍⚖️ Uh Oh: After the big three music labels (Universal, Warner, Sony) and the RIAA collectively sued them for copyright infringement last month, Udio and Suno are admitting to training their AI models with unlicensed music. We hope that the lawsuit sets the stage for an industry-wide solution that not only engenders more opportunity for creators but also compensates artists fairly.

🪇 Shake It Off: Disney Music Group has partnered with AI music startup Audioshake to create new listening experiences and fan engagement opportunities by leveraging AI technology to unlock innovative ways for fans to interact with Disney's catalog. Additionally, the music-focused AI company has also introduced a new paid promotion tool for artists, allowing them to sponsor songs on the platform.

UMG 🤝Prorata: Universal Music has struck a strategic agreement with AI startup Prorata, which recently raised $25 million, to streamline royalty payments and ensure fair compensation for artists through its AI chatbot and attribution tools.,

🤖 Streamers Adopt AI: Following in the footsteps of larger digital streaming platforms, Deezer has launched a beta feature for building AI-generated playlists. Additionally, YouTube Music is testing an AI-generated conversational radio feature, and Tencent Music's new AI technology is allowing users to sing in multiple languages, allowing artists such as Irish pop group, Westlife, to release songs in Mandarin 🤯.

🖊️ New Tech Helps Old Music: The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) has partnered with Beatdapp to enhance streaming fraud detection services, aiming to improve the accuracy and reliability of royalty distributions to artists. Additionally, Platoon has quietly elevated its services for songwriters, although specific details on the improvements remain sparse.

🤝 Music Partnerships: Timbaland's music marketplace Beatclub has expanded to China’s massive Chinese music market through a partnership with NetEase Cloud Music. TikTok has teamed up with Eventbrite to enable in-app ticket sales, enhancing the platform’s utility for live event promotion. Cirque du Soleil has partnered with BMG to enhance its music offerings, blending live performance with music production. American Airlines inked a deal with Ticketmaster, allowing AAdvantage frequent flyers to purchase any events, including concert tickets, with miles.

Luminate mid-year report takeaways, ORCA indie think-tank, music lawsuits, and M&A prospects

💡 Mid-Year Reports: Luminate, a premier music and entertainment industry research firm known for powering the Billboard charts, recently released its mid-year report. Here are a few major takeaways: global on-demand audio streams grew by 15.1% to 2.29 trillion in the first half of 2024, indicating a healthy appetite for music streaming. The "middle class" of artists (defined by those achieving between 1 million and 10 million on-demand audio streams) grew to 29,253 in the same period, showing a diversification in streaming success across a broader range of musicians. For more music industry takeaways on the 1H of 2024, you can also check out Believe, Reservoir, Deezer, SiriusXM, SM Entertainment, and Live Nation’s mid-year reports.

✌️ Long Live Indie Music: Independent music labels have formed ORCA, a think tank focused on recorded culture and arts, aiming to foster innovation and collaboration in the indie music sector. Meanwhile, YouTube Music's Foundry program has returned to support the next wave of independent artists, providing them with resources and exposure.

🕴️ More Suits: SoundExchange has filed a lawsuit against AccuRadio, alleging non-payment of royalties for streaming music, escalating legal tensions over streaming revenues. Record labels have sued Verizon for over $2 billion, alleging that the ISP failed to address copyright infringement notices related to music piracy. The New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves face lawsuits for allegedly using music in TikTok videos without proper permission. Utopia Music has been ordered by a US court to pay $1.9 million to the former owners of Lyric Financial, highlighting financial disputes within the music tech industry.

💰 Securing the Bag: Believe fully acquired Dogan Music Company, Turkey’s largest independent label, by buying the remaining 40% stake for $42 million. Ticketmaster expanded its presence in Africa through the acquisition of Quicket, aiming to tap into the continent’s growing live event market. Boomplay follows suit by partnering with K-pop music firm YG Entertainment as K-pop grows its presence in the African market. Both DICE and Downtown Music are eyeing potential sales. Although the details are undisclosed, Bridge Audio & Submix closed funding rounds.

📚 Catalogs: Sony Music Group and Apollo raised $700 million to acquire catalogs, with Queen being a notable acquisition target. Calvin Harris’s music catalog changed hands, though specific details on the buyer or terms were not disclosed.

🪶 Birds of a Feather: Billie Eilish and Finneas have kicked off Amazon Music's Songline series, which features in-depth artist stories and performances. This series aims to offer fans a closer look at the creative process and personal experiences of their favorite musicians.

📹 MTV VMAs 2024: Taylor Swift and Post Malone, lead the nominations for this year’s VMAs, with 10 and 9 respectively, including a nomination for Best Collaboration on their single, “Fortnight.”

🥽 VR Tour: K-pop group Tomorrow X Together is embarking on a VR tour in collaboration with AmazeVR. This will allow fans to experience the group's performances in a virtual reality setting.

August album rush to meet GRAMMYs 2025 consideration deadline

Zedd, Telos | Tycho, Infinite Health | AWOLNATION, The Phantom Five | Muni Long, Revenge

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya in September 😎

Donya and Chris

#95 - The Highlife 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! First, we want to acknowledge that United States politics is experiencing extraordinarily dark times this week - we hope that everyone can act as agents of change and support one another, through both the good times and tumultuous times. Second, we have a change to our newsletter that we want to announce: Donya and I have spent the better part of almost two years writing Sunlighter (almost) every week, and while we’re still committed to keeping our readers up-to-date on the music industry and helping you all find that next “big artist,” after this issue, we’ll be temporarily moving our newsletter cadence to monthly. Don’t worry, we’ll still highlight the most important music industry events, and the structure will remain the same, but this also means that each monthly newsletter will likely be a longer read. In the meantime, if you want to drop us a line at any point, you know where to find us.

Rating Rationale: After covering Griff in our 16th edition, it’s safe to say we’ve been waiting for this album for a long time. Largely recorded while touring with some of the biggest artists in the world (Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Florence and the Machine), Griff and her creative team wrote every track with “that dizzy upside-down sensation that heartache often leaves you with.” She released eight of the tracks in a two-part EP launch, through vert1go vol. 1 and ver2go vol. 2, in which you can hear the contrast between the dark versus euphoric songs on the respective records. Combined with six additional tracks, her debut album showcases a natural, strong maturation in Griff’s vocals, songwriting, and overall production from her debut EP, One Foot In Front Of The Other. Our favorite tracks are Mura Masa-produced “Cycles,” Imogen Heap-sounding “19th Hour,” and the title track, “Vertigo,” which Griff calls her “invisible string” connection to Taylor Swift (the track was written in the same room where Taylor wrote “Clean”).

LL Cool J, Childish Gambino, and Khalid announce new albums

In what will be his first album in 11 years, LL Cool J plans to release The FORCE (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) on September 6th, featuring Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Nas, and Saweetie. Childish Gambino previewed a few songs from his final album at an exclusive event in NYC, and Khalid shared plans to release his upcoming third studio album, Sincere.

Rema drops surprise sophomore album HEIS, J Balvin announces RAYO

Following the commercial success of his debut album, Raves & Roses, and subsequent remix of hit song “Calm Down” featuring Selena Gomez, Rema surprised fans earlier this week with the release of his sophomore album, HEIS.

Meanwhile, J Balvin announced his upcoming album, RAYO, will drop on August 9th, with a central theme of “having an earnest need for human connection.” The tracklist includes features from Feid, Chencho Corleone, and Saiko.

Founding member departs from Big Thief, Josephine Vander West of Oh Wonder Finds Joy in debut solo album, Bright Eyes roll Five Dice, All Threes

Last week, Big Thief parted ways with their bassist and founding member, Max Oleartchik, sharing the news with fans via Instagram. The band shared that the change was made for “interpersonal” reasons as the band prepares for its next era.

Speaking of new eras, Josephine Vander West of Oh Wonder plans to release her debut solo album under the moniker, That Woman on August 9th. She describes the album as 15 years in the making, and you can listen to the first three tracks off the record here.

Turn around, Bright Eyes are back with their 10th studio album, Five Dice, All Threes, which is set to drop on September 20th. While you wait for the drop and subsequent UK/Europe fall tour dates, you can listen to the leading single, “Bells and Whistles.”

deadmau5 surprises fans with new EP and album, Tame Impala introduces Telepathic Instruments

deadmau5 teased to his fans, the Hoard, that his upcoming EP and subsequent album are in the works, the first of which is set to drop this week. To celebrate the occasion, he is hosting an intimate performance on July 16th at the recently renovated Hackney Church in London.

Meanwhile, Tame Impala is in the early stages of building an electronic instruments company. Although there’s not much to report just yet, visit the website for yourself to experience some thought-provoking distortion and to sign up for updates.

Primer: In a departure from our usual focus on singer-songwriters and music groups, this week, we’re shifting to the field of music production, exploring the dual roots of London and Accra-based Afrobeats producer, Julian Nicco-Annan, or simply, Juls. Born in Hackney, East London, Juls’ early ambition of designing buildings as an architect (and later becoming a physicist) was eventually replaced by an unexpected interest in pursuing music production while studying finance at university. After lending his laptop to a friend and receiving it back with FL Studio installed, Juls began to take his passion for music more seriously, eventually focusing on it full-time in 2018. During his time at university, Juls began exploring the cultural sounds associated with his Ghanaian roots and how to best incorporate the instrumentals of Ghanaian highlife into the fabric of his production. After refining his sound, he eventually reached out to Nigerian artist, Mr. Eazi, (who at the time was relatively unknown in most Afrobeats circles) and asked to remix his song “Bankulize.” With its release and subsequent collaborations on hit singles like “Skin Tight,” Juls began to gain international interest and was broadly associated as one of the early pioneers and blueprints for modern Afrobeats production. Since then, Juls has produced for Burna Boy, Wizkid, GoldLink, Wande Cole, and even Tyler, the Creator. As the modern Afrobeats movement continues to popularize and evolve, we expect Juls to continue pushing the boundaries of Afrobeats sound, just as he helped bring the interwoven elements of Ghanaian highlife and UK production to the forefront of music.

What’s Next: Since releasing his PALMWINE DIARIES VOL.1 EP and High Life Sessions late last year, Juls has continued to expand his Afrobeats production discography by releasing two singles this year, “Hold You Down,” and “Best Interest.” Additionally, to celebrate the 10th year of his music career, he’s hosting his first (sold-out) live music experience in London later this October.

Ticketmaster integrates with Shazam, Amuse helps artists identify streaming fraud

⚡️ Shazam It: Live Nation subsidiary, Ticketmaster, announced an integration with Apple-owned Shazam, allowing artists to link their upcoming shows to their Shazam profile.

✅ Stream Check: Swedish music distribution and services company, Amuse, released their latest tool to help artists check for artificial streams.

Blackstone officially purchases Hipgnosis, UMG UK reorganizes, UMG explores Indigenous and anime music

💰 Purchase Agreement: After a short-lived bidding war, Blackstone has officially purchased Hipgnosis for $1.6 billion, closing the chapter on a tumultuous year for the catalog acquisition company.

🧱 More Restructuring: UMG’s UK division is restructuring to combine its Island Records and EMI Label organizations into Island EMI while also creating a new Audience and Media Division that will provide support to all UK labels and sub-labels, including Island EMI and Polydor. This likely translates to additional layoffs.

🪐 More Universal: UMG’s Australia division launched Irruk Birruk, a non-profit record label aimed at improving access to Indigenous music 👏🏼. Additionally, UMG’s Virgin Music Group is partnering with Tokyo-based Anime content and distribution company, Frontier Works, to release anime music projects, a strategic move hoping to capitalize on the growing global popularity of anime.

💰 Securing the Bag: French digital music company, Believe, has taken a 25% stake in Romania-based EDM label, Global Records, presumably to grow its electronic music distribution business.

MEGAN debuts at #3 helping women artists take 4 of Top 5 spots on Billboard 200

📈 Megan Thee Stallion scores her second-highest album debut week, with MEGAN at #3 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop charts with 64,000 album units sold. She joins fellow artists Taylor Swift (#1), Billie Eilish (#4), and Chappell Roan (#5) marking the first time women artists have secured four of the Top 5 Billboard 200 spots since March 2023.

Hip-hop album releases take center stage, charity collaborative album, ceasefire, will be released to support Doctors Without Borders medics helping Gaza civilians

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

📣 Album Announcements: Magdalena Bay announced upcoming album, Imaginal Disk, will be released on August 23rd.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Childish Gambino, Bando Stone & the New World
Fontaines DC, Massive Attack, Young Fathers, ceasefire
Glass Animals, I Love You So F***ing Much
Stray Kids, ATE
Blxst, I’ll Always Come Find You
Denzel Curry, King Of The Mischievous South Vol. 2
midwxst, BACK IN ACTION 4.0
Rich The Kid, Life’s A Gamble
Deadmau5, some ep
Highly Suspect, As Above, So Below
Avery Anna, Breakup Over Breakfast
JT, City Cinderella
Boombox Cartel, Proof of Life

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Chris and Donya

#94 - Chanel No.5 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 16:30:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Monday (blame bad weather for flight delays)! We’re officially halfway through 2024, which means it’s time for a midsommar update on our current favorite albums of the year–we’re covering a variety of genres. We’ll be off next week for the 4th of July, so you have a few weeks to catch up on what we think is this year’s best music so far 🎧 Here are the links in order: COWBOY CARTER, BRAT, empathogen, Clancy, Three, WE DON’T TRUST YOU, Prelude to Ecstasy, TYLA, Radical Optimism, and Why Lawd?

Rating Rationale: Camila Cabello’s debut album Camila solidified her career in the music industry as a solo artist with certified bangers like “Never Be The Same” and “Havana” and carried that momentum into sophomore album, Romance, and third album, Familia. After making what seemed to be a pivot into the hyperpop genre via commercial success with her leading single, “I LUV IT,” we had high expectations for this new era of CC. While the album has a number of moments that showcase her signature soprano falsetto (“Chanel No.5”) and vulnerable storytelling (“Twentysomethings,” “B.O.A.T.”), the theme lacks the cohesiveness we were looking forward to. This is particularly true of Drake’s standalone track, “Uuugly,” which functions as a clever but oddly out-of-place male perspective to collaborative sister track, “HOT UPTOWN.” Since CC seems to build her albums in trilogies and her experimental renaissance is in full swing, we hope to see her mature into a more refined sound in subsequent albums.

What happened at Glastonbury?

A lot happened this year at Worthy Farm, so here’s a quick list of the highlights:

Dua Lipa brought out Kevin Parker (who produced Radical Optimism) for a duet of Tame Impala’s “The Less I Know the Better” along with “Houdini,” the final song of her Glastonbury set.
IDLES had one of the most eventful sets of Glastonbury, bringing out special guest Danny Brown along with Banksy launching an inflatable migrant raft in the crowd during their song “Danny Nedelko,” a pro-immigrant anthem.
SZA’s set was not only marred with significant technical difficulties but also drew a shockingly sparse crowd due to set conflicts.
Jamie xx reunited onstage with The xx bandmates, Romy and Oliver, for the first time in six years and performed with Robyn.
Coldplay brought Michael J. Fox to the stage to play guitar during “Fix You,” and Little Simz as a surprise guest for a new collaborative track.
PJ Harvey kicked off her set by bringing Serbian performance artist, Marina Abramović, to deliver a sobering, reflective speech on the current state of the world and encouraging the crowd to participate in seven minutes of silence.
Fatboy Slim reunited with his old bandmates of indie rock band, The Housemartins, their first time playing together since 1988 🤯
SEVENTEEN became the first K-pop group to perform on Glastonbury’s main stage.
Blondshell revealed two new songs on her upcoming album.

Iran overturns Toomaj Salehi’s death sentence, K-Pop momentum continues

In 2022, the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, sparked nationwide outrage and worldwide protests against both Iran’s strict veiling laws and discriminatory police actions. The unjust actions eventually resulted in government defiance in many forms, including protest through music, in which Iranian hip-hop artist Toomaj Salehi rose to prominence as a voice of Iranian revolt in his song, “Faal.” Critical of the Iranian government’s actions and its lack of accountability for Mahsa’s death, Toomaj was eventually sought out by the Iranian government and forced into custody (including torture). Worse, in April, a local Iranian Revolutionary court declared Toomaj to be sentenced to death. However, after much criticism for excessive punishment, this week Toomaj saw his death sentence finally overturned.

In South Korea, several K-Pop artists have announced new music in recent weeks. Here’s a quick rundown:

Per Source Music, LE SSERAFIM will be releasing new music in August.
Jimin of BTS will be releasing his second solo album, MUSE, in July.
Stray Kids will be releasing their next mini-album, ATE, in July.
Red Velvet celebrated their 10th anniversary with new EP, Cosmic.

SOPHIE releases posthumous final album

The late hyperpop pioneer, SOPHIE, who tragically fell from her apartment balcony in Greece in January 2021, will be releasing her self-titled posthumous album, SOPHIE, on September 27th. While SOPHIE had “hundreds” of unreleased tracks since her accidental fall, most have remained unreleased, even as her album with longtime collaborator Ben Long was nearly completed at the time of her death. As such, this should be one of the most culturally important albums of the year.

Paying respects to Seth Binzer of Crazy Town, new albums from Tom Morello and Van Morrison

Seth Binzer, known by the moniker Shifty Shellshock and as the frontman for rap-rock group Crazy Town, tragically passed away earlier this week at his Los Angeles home from an accidental overdose. While you may not be immediately familiar with the band Crazy Town, we can (almost) guarantee that you’ll recognize their #1 hit, “Butterfly.”

Inspired by his son’s drop-D (a guitar tuning) riffs, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, Prophets of Rage) announced he will be dropping a solo rock and roll album as his next project. Legendary rock and roll musician, Van Morrison, announced an upcoming new album, New Arrangements And Duets, which will be released on September 27th.

Tycho returns, Kygo’s Palm Tree Crew, Splash House lineup

Tycho has returned with the first single, “Phantom,” from his upcoming sixth studio album, Infinite Health. This will be his first since his 2020 album, Simulcast, and is described by Tycho as a “hope for the future and a requiem for the past.”

Since Kygo’s recently released self-titled album, his live music events company, Palm Tree Crew, has been busy with expansion plans while simultaneously putting out fires. After the conclusion of Palm Tree Music Festival in Southampton last week, attendees have taken to social media to request refunds due to operational issues stemming from poor festival access as well as shortages in alcohol and water, at the expense of spending more than $350 for the one-day festival. Separately, Palm Tree Crew has announced a new hospitality branch by launching The Palm Tree Club in Miami, which will serve as a restaurant, hotel, marina, and waterfront entertainment venue.

Finally, Splash House revealed its double weekend festival lineup returning to Palm Springs in August:

Tinashe and Blxst announce new albums

Following her viral hit “Nasty,” Tinashe has released her single, “Getting No Sleep,” along with confirming her upcoming album, Quantum Baby will arrive on August 16th. What a comeback since Aquarius ♒️

Los Angeles hip-hop artist and producer, Blxst, will release his debut album, I’ll Always Come Find You, on July 19th.

Primer: In solidarity with Noah Kahan, we believe everyone needs to start acknowledging the greatness that is Wild Rivers–a trio whose namesake was coined at a Subway sandwich shop with a little inspiration from a Gregory Orr poem, “The River.” The concept of the band began in the early 2010s when Devan Glover (lead vocalist) and Khalid Yassein (vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist) met at Queen’s University in Kingstown, Ontario. The duo began writing and recording music together, but it wasn’t until they added Andrew Oliver (lead guitarist) that they knew their group was complete. In 2016, their self-released and self-titled debut album caught the attention of Nettwerk, who offered them a record deal. Since then, the band has released two successful EPs, Eighty-Eight (2018) and Songs to Break Up To (2020). In 2022, the trio dropped their sophomore album, Sidelines, which was co-produced with Peter Katis (The National, Kurt Vile) showcasing how the trio continues to mature in their lyrical storytelling and overall sound.

What’s Next: After releasing a number of singles earlier this year, Wild Rivers are looking forward to releasing their third studio album, Never Better, on July 26th before embarking on their Everywhere We Go World Tour later this fall.

Music labels sue AI music generators, MTV News archives officially shut down, Beats Pill speaker returns to stores

👨🏻‍⚖️ Big Music vs. AI Generators: The big three music labels, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment, along with the RIAA, have collectively sued generative AI music startups, Udio and Suno, for copyright infringement, claiming unauthorized use of original recordings to train their respective AI models. This could set the precedent for future music industry AI governance and serves as a potential blow to disruptive AI companies attempting to wrangle away power from traditional music industry titans. Other “losers” from the lawsuit include the venture capital firms that recently participated in Udio's ($10 million) and Suno’s ($125 million) fundraising rounds. As a possible corollary to the lawsuit, the big three have kicked off discussions with YouTube on potential licensing deals that would allow Google to legally access its music to train generative AI models associated with MusicLM.

📺 MTV News Shutdown: On the heels of a recently failed merger with movie production company, Skydance Media, Paramount has sadly shuttered its MTV News Archives for good (removing more than 20 years of music history). Another traditional music media publication bites the dust...

💊 Beatspilled: On Thursday, Beats by Dre announced the return of its culturally influential Beats Pill speaker, which is now $50 cheaper and 10% lighter, with an all-day battery life.

🌐 Web3 Updates: Web3 music streaming app, Audius, signed licensing deals with all four performing rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI, GMR, and SESAC), allowing songwriters to receive performance royalties for songs streamed on its platform.

Primary Wave Music dealmaking, PRS for Music gets sued, Create Music Group and Yoto raise new rounds of funding

🌊 The Home of Legends: Independent music publishing company, Primary Wave Music, announced the acquisition of Nuno Bettencourt’s catalog, including interest across all songs by Extreme, as well as its involvement in producing an upcoming documentary on songwriter, Gerry Goffin (Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, Ray Charles, Whitney Houston, etc.)

🖊️ Songwriter Lawsuits: Several UK songwriters are suing PRS for Music, a British music rights (royalties, music copyright, licensing) management collective, for providing more prominent songwriters better live performance royalties than lesser-known songwriters as well as constructing purposely bureaucratic processes to discourage licensing with PRS. Separately, songwriter Jon Hume (JP Cooper, Bebe Rexha, Sofi Tukker, etc.) is filing a lawsuit against Universal Music Group Australia over the misappropriation of audio stems used in Dean Lewis’ “Be Alright,” in which Hume claims that he acted as the sole producer (not just songwriter) for the song. Why is this important? Let's start with numbers: 1.7 billion streams on Spotify alone…

💰 Securing the Bag: Create Music Group received a significant minority investment of $165 million led by Flexpoint to support expansion into new markets via acquisition. Screen-free audio player for children, Yoto, raised $23 million as part of a new fundraising round, with 50% of the round taken down by Chan Zuckerberg Ventures.

Don Toliver and $uicideboy$ score highest chart debuts of respective careers

📈 The title says it all this week, with hip-hop showing renewed strength as Don Toliver’s HARDSTONE PSYCHO debuts at #3 on the Billboard 200 (77K units, highest week of sales ever) and #1 on the Billboard Hip-Hop Albums Chart and $uicideboy$’ New World Depression debuts at #5 on the Billboard 200.

Zach Bryan’s 4th of July album drop, Bloc Party shares first single of 2024, Maren Morris announces new EP post-exit from country

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

🚨 Surprise Drops: Bloc Party released a surprise single titled "Flirting Again," marking a fresh addition to their discography for the first time this year.

📣 Album Announcements: Maren Morris announced her new EP, Intermission, and shared its lead single, "cut! (feat. Julia Michaels)." Porches previewed their upcoming album with new single, "Itch."

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Zach Bryan, The Great American Bar Scene
Soulja Boy, $sboy

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸

Chris and Donya

#93 - The Borealis 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Sun, 23 Jun 2024 21:30:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! It’s officially BRAT summer, and if Charli xcx and Lorde can teach us anything, it’s their powerful reconciliation over music. As for JT, he’s taught us that it’s still a bad idea to drink and drive. Also… are all-caps album releases the new cool trend? There are four coming up this week, and summer is in full swing.

Rating Rationale: Whisper-singing queen, Gracie Abrams, has been taking inspiration from Taylor Swift for her sophomore album, packaging 13 songs on her latest LP with track #5 even featuring her tourmate. The album itself is expectedly more “extroverted” as Gracie has channeled much of her energy while being on tour (with and without Taylor) into a more lighthearted album, at least compared to the vulnerability of her past broken relationship on Good Riddance. Produced by Aaron Dessner (The National), we applaud Gracie for her refinement and steady progression outside of her comfort zone, though it may not be the mainstream-approved album we thought it would be based on her first two singles, “Risk” and “Close to You.” Thus, it’s a slight disappointment, but we still believe Gracie is one of the most talented songwriters in the industry, with witty recalls to her previous work on “I Love You, I’m Sorry” and previous relationships on “Gave You I Gave You I.”

Katy Perry’s controversial return, Sabrina Carpenter builds on momentum, Paris Hilton is an Infinite Icon, BRAT summer

After selling her catalog for $225 million last year and most recently completing her Las Vegas residency, Katy Perry announced her upcoming single “Woman’s World” after publicly revealing her controversial reunion with producer Dr. Luke.

With Tyler, the Creator bowing out of Outside Lands, Sabrina Carpenter has fortuitously replaced him on the lineup while announcing her upcoming Short N’ Sweet tour with support from underrated British artists, Griff and Amaarae.

Paris Hilton has been hard at work renewing her music career, collaborating with Rina Sawayama on her recently released single, “I’m Free,” while partnering with ADA on a distribution deal for her upcoming sophomore album Infinite Icon.

Something Corporate officially returns from 2004 hiatus

SoCo fans rejoice 🥹! Twenty years after going on hiatus, and one year after the core band got together for a When We Were Young sideshow at the House of Blues, Andrew McMahon and his core bandmates have reunited to release, “Death Grip,” a single credited to both Andrew McMahon in the Wildnerness and Something Corporate. Andrew McMahon has explained the reunion as a “full-circle” moment, which we think may translate to an upcoming tour announcement for 2025.

The Pop Out unites the West Coast, Quavo and Lana Del Rey collaborate, Clipse and Rakim both will release new albums in 15 years

Undoubtedly, one of the best moments of Juneteenth was Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out, a unifying rally cry that meaningfully brought together the community of Los Angeles to celebrate West Coast hip-hop. Aside from playing “Euphoria,” old Kendrick classics, and hilariously repeating “Not Like Us” five times in a row to end the night, it was a West Coast hip-hop broadcast that brought together a long list of both Los Angeles staples and lesser-known rappers: Dr. Dre, YG, DJ Mustard, Steve Lacy, Tyler, the Creator, Blxst, Ty Dolla $ign, Roddy Ricch, Black Hippy (a supergroup comprised of Kendrick, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and ScHoolboy Q), Dom Kennedy, Remble, Westside Boogie, RJMrLA, BlueBucksClan, and Ohgeesy. With strong communion from some of the most influential rappers in Los Angeles, does this moment become a potential turning point for hip-hop?

Separately, in a somewhat unexpected tie-up, Quavo and Lana Del Rey have been collaborating on a new song, “Tough,” though the release date has not been officially announced.

Finally, brothers Pusha T and Malice (together known as Clipse) are planning a reunion sometime next year to release a new album in collaboration with Pharrell, their first in 15 years. Similarly, legendary hip-hop MC, Rakim, will release his first album in 15 years titled, G.O.D.’s Network (Reb7rth), on July 26th.

Post Malone reveals upcoming album, F-1 Trillion

Now fully embracing his foray into country, Post Malone announced the name of his upcoming album, F-1 Trillion, via an F-150-themed Nashville billboard. Alongside the reveal, Posty officially released his second single “Pour Me a Drink” featuring Blake Shelton. If you happen to be in Nashville on July 16th, you’re in luck as Post Malone will be playing a one-night-only show to promote his album in partnership with… you guessed it, Bud Light.

A2IM Libera Awards, Julien Baker and Dayglow announce tours, :)

Last week, the American Association of Independent Music hosted Indie Week in New York City, including its annual Libera Awards ceremony. This year’s coveted Record of the Year and Breakthrough Artist awards went to Mitski’s The Land Is Hospital and So Are We and Blondshell, respectively.

Additionally, indie pop artist Dayglow and ex-boygenius member Julien Baker announced tours, both expecting to kick off their respective tours later this fall.

Finally, The Japanese House shared her new single, “:)”

Primer: When you hear of an artist who has been co-signed by Katy Perry and Troye Sivan, then featured on FIFA 16 and Frozen 2, you may not be surprised to hear that AURORA has seen steady growth in her career each year of her career. While she has the numbers of a mainstream artist, our goal is to support her growth in her current secondary market of the U.S.

AURORA grew up in a small Norwegian village that, according to her, “reminded her of Narnia.” For much of her childhood (and even now), AURORA’s eccentricity was inspired by withdrawing into nature and discovering the innate power of her mind. Her journey with music began at age 6 when she discovered an electric piano in the basement of her childhood home. Three years later, she began songwriting but kept much of her early work to herself, due to her introverted personality. Therefore, she was surprised when Made Management, a leading music management company in Norway, reached out to her for a meeting after seeing a video of her performing at a school graduation. At first, she was inclined to say no; however, her mom encouraged her to explore the opportunity. Soon after, she was signed, and at age 16, she published her first single, “Awakening.”

What’s Next: AURORA is performing across nine tour dates this fall to promote her most recent fourth studio album, What Happened to the Heart? More notably, we recommend checking out her feature on the new Bring Me The Horizon album 👀

TikTok expands licensing, in-house content, and music + AI investments, Sonopress creates environmentally friendly CDs, SoundLabs supports ethical AI vocal models

⏰ TikTok Expansion: Here’s a quick rundown of recent TikTok music updates:

Last Thursday, TikTok kicked off a behind-the-scenes album content series called “Off the Record” featuring Charli xcx, Meghan Trainor, and Bleachers.
On Monday, TikTok announced a partnership deal with Adobe to expand its commercial music library to support content creation through the “Adobe Express” application.
On Tuesday, TikTok released new job postings that indicated the company’s interest in “acquiring and investing in music rights.”
On Friday, ByteDance announced plans to invest $2.1 billion in creating an “AI Hub” in Malaysia.

💿 EcoCD: In partnership with Warner Music Group, Sonopress has developed a CD made from 90% recycled polycarbonate. The company will be releasing its first production-ready EcoCD album through its collaboration with Coldplay’s upcoming album, Moon Music.

🎤 MicDrop: SoundLabs and Universal Music Group have partnered to provide MicDrop, an AI vocal plug-in that extends artists’ vocals for AI training while allowing artists to maintain ownership of their vocal data.

🔋 Battery Life: Warner Music Group and gaming-focused music licensing platform, STYNGR, are rolling out a virtual, time-based listening product known as “Batteries.”

Scooter Braun retires from artist management, The Recording Academy expands globally, KKR enters the music festival market

🛴 23 Years: That’s how long Scooter Braun has been managing music artists. In a heartfelt Instagram post reflecting on his career, Scooter officially announced his retirement from artist management, a true end of an era.

🏆 The Recording Academy: The organization behind the GRAMMY Awards is partnering with regulatory and cultural entities in Africa and the Middle East to expand its support for artists in these regions. Additionally, The Recording Academy plans to host an inaugural Asian version of the GRAMMY Awards in Korea.

💰 Securing the Bag: Private equity firm, KKR, acquired European festival operations company, Superstruct Entertainment from Providence Equity Partners for approximately $1.39 billion. Warner Music Group is expanding its distribution and label services in Eastern Europe by investing a minority stake in Croatian music company, Dancing Bear Music.

📚 Catalog News: While not confirmed, multiple sources have reported that Sony Music is close to acquiring Queen’s catalog for $1.27 billion 👀

Pop dominates charts with BRAT debut and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please”

📈 Charli XCX’s sixth album, BRAT, lands atop several charts, including Top Dance/Electronic Albums (her first #1), top Vinyl Albums, and #3 on the Billboard 200 with 77,000 equivalent album units (her biggest week of sales ever). Interestingly, fans have speculated that Charli was unable to overtake Taylor Swift on the U.K. Official Charts (debuted at #2) due to a strategic but controversial tactic by Taylor’s team to release new, U.K.-exclusive editions of The Tortured Poets Department to propel album sales for her upcoming shows at Wembley Stadium. After using a similar tactic affecting Billie Eilish’s opening week, we see how fans are understandably annoyed. Separately, Sabrina Carpenter scored her highest debut at #2 with “Please Please Please,” while also giving a public nod of approval to Chappell Roan, which has helped The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess climb to #10, the highest chart placement so far in her career.

A$AP Rocky announces first album in six years, big pop & EDM albums arriving this week

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

📣 Album Announcements: A$AP Rocky will drop his first album in six years on August 30th, Suki Waterhouse plans to channel the ‘90s for her upcoming double album, Ezra Collective encourages fans to Dance, No One’s Watching in their upcoming album, Tones and I will share her sophomore album Beautifully Ordinary, PVRIS will drop a mixtape titled F.I.L.T.H. featuring LIGHTS and Tommy Genesis, and MICHELLE will release Songs About You Specifically.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Lil Yachty, BAD CAMEO
Camila Cabello, C,XOXO
Imagine Dragons, LOOM
Omar Apollo, GOD SAID NO
Wilco, Hot Sun Cool Shroud
Still Woozy, Loveseat
Lupe Fiasco, Samurai
Rich the Kid, Life’s A Gamble
Washed Out, Notes From a Quiet Life
Channel Tres, Head Rush
Steve Aoki, Paragon
jxdn, When The Music Stops

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Chris and Donya

#92 - The million dollar question 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! We’re kicking things off with an exciting opportunity: as we continue to grow, we’re looking for someone to join our team 👀 If you’re interested or know someone who would be, send an email to hello@sunlighter.xyz by June 30th.

This week, Simon Cowell broke Directioner hearts everywhere, Creed Bratton from The Office dropped new music (what?) John Mayer fangirled over Zach Bryan (same), and Doja Cat was shocked when no one at Parklife Festival sang back the words to everyone millennial’s favorite Hilary Duff classic, “Come Clean” (also, same).

Rating Rationale: Donya here 👋🏼 If you’re like me and you love listening for lyrics or searching for a good storytelling album, get ready. Twenty One Pilots just summarized a decade of fan theories, novelty, and yore through their latest album, Clancy. Much of that “yore” centers on lead singer Tyler Joseph’s mental health struggles–particularly with insecurity and anxiety–and this album is perhaps his most vulnerable of all. From front to back, in perfect grime, punk-rock, and alternative-pop fashion, you hear intricate and very much intentional cohesion, not just between tracks, but also within the songs themselves. Johnson’s vocals and rapping persona are showcased in fine form, and Josh Dun’s drumming skills are impossible to not bob your head to. There are simply no skips on this album, but our top five tracks are “Overcompensate,” “Midwest Indigo,” “Routines In The Night,” “Vignette,” and “Navigating.”

Several indie artists announce new releases, Mk.gee shares North American tour dates, original Sixpence None the Richer members reunite

On new releases, Toro y Moi and Pale Waves announced new albums this week, both dropping leading singles, “Tuesday” and “Perfume,” respectively. Meanwhile, Soccer Mommy released her first single “Lost” in nearly two years, while British singer-songwriter, Nilüfer Yanya, will drop her fourth studio album, My Method Actor, on September 13th.

Mk.gee, pronounced, “Mc-Gee” (believe it or not), is headed on a North American tour this fall in support of his most recent album, Two Star & The Dream Police. Speaking of the dream, soon the fireflies will dance as Sixpence None the Richer strike up the band to reunite for their 25th anniversary, celebrating on the road by also heading on a North American tour this fall.

Lastly, we want to take a moment to spotlight Cinderblock, a video streaming app focused on emerging and independent artists. They’re growing their newsletter, Tuning In, which focuses on the intersection of music and videos.

Tuning In 📺 | Cinderblock Tv

Cinderblock TV is a video streaming app built for music. Community of 10k+ users keeping up with all things music + video.

cinderblock.beehiiv.com/subscribe?_bhba=0d00efbc-b761-4783-a627-eb8759e79e12

The Eagles are up next for Las Vegas Sphere residency

Take it easy? We can’t, because The Eagles are next up to take on a residency at the famous Las Vegas Sphere. The shows will span over four weekends from September through October.

Coldplay teases new music in Greece

In their first-ever tour stop in Greece, Coldplay debuted two new songs, ”feelslikeimfallinginlove” and “All My Love,” the first of which is set to be released on June 21. Both songs are reportedly from their upcoming tenth studio album, Moon Music, expected to be the second volume of their 2022 Music of the Spheres (the first volume included emojis as song titles, so we hope the second continues that trend). Personally, we dig it 🌞

Normani shares DOPAMINE, Rihanna resets expectations for R9, Common and Pete Rock will release a collaborative album

On Friday, Normani released her highly anticipated debut album, DOPAMINE, with notable features from Gunna, James Blake, Cardi B, and Starrah.

Rihanna, who was speculated to drop new music right after her Super Bowl 2023 Halftime Show, continues to tease her ninth studio album, this time telling fans she’s starting all over (ugh). Meanwhile, Common and Pete Rock will release The Auditorium, Vol. 1, with Common stating that the creative process felt like he was “home.” Listen to their first two singles, “Dreamin’” and “Wise Up,” to get an idea of what to expect.

Charlotte de Witte announces new single from Roar EP & NYC merch pop-up, HONNE & TOKiMONSTA share plans for upcoming albums, Anna Prior from Metronomy releases debut solo EP

One of our favorite trailblazers in industrial techno/trance, Charlotte de Witte, will release the newest single from her Roar EP, “How You Move,” on June 20th, in perfect timing with her pop-up shop at Extra Butter in NYC next week.

After dropping a series of singles, the electronic duo HONNE plan to release their fifth studio album, hinting at finding inspiration from their earlier works during the creative process. In good company looking to drop a fifth studio album is TOKiMONSTA, who released her new track, “Switch It” from the upcoming album, Eternal Reverie.

Lastly, Anna Prior from Metronomy released her debut solo EP, Almost Love, largely co-written and co-produced with James Greenwood.

Primer: From seeming obscurity to overnight fame, Tommy Richman’s story is what every TikTok artist dreams of, a shot at proving that their artistry can be culturally impactful, and more importantly, have real staying power in the music industry. Given his ability to produce music across multiple genres and his music career tenure, we believe that to be the case for Tommy - he’s certainly not a one-hit-wonder nor the speculated notion of an “industry plant.” In fact, Tommy’s first release was in 2016 as a local artist from Woodbridge, Virginia (a suburb of D.C.) before eventually committing to pursuing music full-time in 2019 after gaining substantive attention from his track, “Pleasantville.” In 2022, Tommy met Darren Xu, who was then, the COO of Brent Faiyaz’s imprint, ISO Supremacy. This became a pivotal moment in his career, as Tommy became the first signed artist to ISO Supremacy. Last year, Tommy opened for Brent’s tour and was even featured on “Upset” from his recently released album, Larger Than Life.

What’s Next: Tommy (and his team) have a lot of strategic decisions to make following his wildly successful single, “MILLION DOLLAR BABY.” Here’s the good news - he doesn’t have to follow up that hit with another single as he’s likely, for the time being, left his best single for last (though “SELFISH” may be just as good). In total, he’s released four singles in 2024 along with several singles and an EP, THE RUSH from last year, enough to construct a compelling album. Thus, now that the stakes have been raised (and the music industry wants to support his current momentum), we expect a sophomore LP and corresponding tour announcement soon.

Spotify Hi-Fi included with price hike, Musical AI promises secure IP distribution, and Metallica & Don Toliver debut on Fortnite

🎧 Hi-Fi Spotify: It’s been a long time coming (three years since the official announcement), but it seems Spotify is officially planning to level up with its Hi-Fi audio option to subscribers for an additional $5/month. Will the audio quality truly compare to its competitors like Apple and TIDAL? 🤔 Moreover, Spotify continues to celebrate its data analytics-driven personalization through its “My Spotify” campaign, part of the company’s newfound Creative Lab.

🤖 AI + IP: With its updated platform, Musical AI (formerly Somms.ai) is promising to be the “secure IP distribution between rights holders and generative AI companies,” with its CEO committing to put the proper “mechanisms in place to control and monitor music usage.”

👾 For a Fortnite: Both Metallica and Don Toliver are making their Fortnite debut, with the former making history as the only band to ever “take center stage” on the platform, while the latter spotlights his recent fourth studio album and teases an unreleased track…

🎤 Ladies & Gentlemen…The Weeknd: Through a collaboration with SSENSE and 032c, The Weeknd interviewed an AI version of his ten-year-old self, leveraging OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

🌐 Web3 Updates: Arpeggi Labs has expanded on its Kits AI program with a new program called Kits Earn, with the commitment to ensure artists are fairly compensated for the use of their voices.

Ariana Grande joins Scooter Braun’s WeVerse, TuneCore pays $4 billion to independent artists, French music is on the rise

🙃 We Can’t Be Friends (Yes, We Can): It seems Ariana Grande and Scooter Braun are back together again, but this time, not in a management capacity. The songstress announced a new partnership with HYBE America’s superfan platform, WeVerse.

🏦 Money In The Bank: Tunecore, an independent development partner dedicated to distributing music for self-releasing artists, has paid over $4 billion to participating artists since the company’s inception in 2006. Similarly, music licensing platform BeatStars has paid artists $325 million in royalties.

🖊️ Indies Ink Deals: Last week, EMPIRE signed a deal with Bandcamp to give its artists easy access to a platform dedicated to superfans and drive more retail opportunities. Meanwhile, Neon Gold Records now has a global distribution deal with Virgin Music Group, which founder Derek Davies says allows them to “maintain independent spirit and an artist-centric ethos while benefiting from the scale, global infrastructure, and team at Virgin.”

🇫🇷 Tout ceci est bien pour toi et moi: Our friends over at Chartmetric have aggregated data summarizing the expansion and global impact that French (or francophone) artists/music have had on the industry in recent years. The steady rise to surge is nicely illustrated, and the summer Olympics seem like a perfect opportunity for that growth momentum to continue…

💰 Securing the Bag: Breakr, the music marketing and technology platform enabling direct-to-creator relationships in the music industry, has raised $9 million, including investments from Nas and Andreessen Horowitz.

Eminem’s “Houdini” proves his staying power, ATEEZ and Shaboozey make strong debuts, Chappell Roan climbs charts

📈 After 25 years, Eminem shows he can still command the hip-hop industry, with his most recent single “Houdini” debuting at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, matching his 1999 hit, “My Name Is.” ATEEZ has now scored their third consecutive top-ten album within 12 months, an accolade that even BTS hasn’t achieved. Shaboozey’s highly anticipated album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going debuted at #2 on the country album charts, right below Morgan Wallen’s One Thing At A Time. Finally, multiple songs by Chappell Roan have slowly climbed the charts within the past few weeks, alongside her current hit, “Good Luck, Babe!” We expect her to continue her strong year and are encouraged by her recent surge in weekly album sales.

Three big album releases coming this week: Peso Pluma’s ÉXODO, Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us and Kygo’s self-titled album

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Peso Pluma, ÉXODO
Gracie Abrams, The Secret Of Us
Kygo, KYGO
Avril Lavigne, Greatest Hits
Lake Street Dive, Good Together
Kehlani, Crash
Olivia O’Brien, Love and Limerence
The Story So Far, I Want To Disappear
G-Eazy, Freak Show
Famous Dex, Gore

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Chris and Donya

#91 - It Is What It Is 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! We’re kicking off today’s edition with two unrelated images we found informative: Flavor Flav single-handedly attempting to save Red Lobster and the Wall Street Journal showing a breakdown of how ticket sales revenue gets distributed to various parties in the music industry. Also, lawsuits seem to be a weekly occurrence - Kanye West’s previous assistant claims sexual harassment, while hip-hop songwriter, The-Dream, was accused of rape and physical assault. Lots of updates this week, but first, Charli.

Rating Rationale: Chris here 👋🏼 If you know me, I’ve been singing Charli xcx’s (and A.G. Cook’s) praises as one of the most underrated artists for almost seven years, with Pop 2 being a true pièce de résistance. This week, Charli released her sixth studio album, BRAT, conveyed in purposeful low-resolution, presumably as an allegorical nod to a “Rewind” back to her Pop 2 days (interestingly, Charli admits that BRAT shares the closest resemblance to Pop 2). Charli continues her partnership with A.G., and as a duo, they maintain their status at the frontier of sonic innovation, particularly as notable trailblazers of hyperpop. BRAT is an impressive culmination of all things Charli - part club icon/party girl, part vulnerable, confused girl - while being thematically existential. Charli continues to pay homage to late hyperpop pioneer and friend, SOPHIE (all of CRASH was dedicated to her), as well as to simpler times that didn’t involve her unnerving self-doubts. This album certainly has moments of experimentalism (expanding her collaborations with current partner, The 1975’s George Daniel, and Gesaffelstein) and is a refreshing change of pace from the normative releases currently in the music industry. We feel “360” to “365” (brilliant sister songs), “Sympathy is a knife,” “Talk talk,” and “So I” provide the necessary balance to the glitchy club bangers “Club classics,” “Von dutch” and ”B2b.”

Halsey details health struggles in upcoming album, Sabrina Carpenter announces Short N’ Sweet, Cyndi Lauper bids farewell, J-Lo cancels her tour

Halsey announced this week that she is “lucky to be alive” after experiencing several autoimmune disorders across eight years, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjögren’s syndrome, Mast Cell Activation syndrome, and Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Her plan with the album? To reclaim her optimism during her 30s.

Sabrina Carpenter, who has been working late–because she’s a singer, announced her upcoming album, Short N’ Sweet. If you didn’t know that she was Maya Hart from Girl Meets World, you should know that she’s actually short (4’ 11’’) but not sweet (because she’s your espresso).

Finally, the girls get to have fun one last time with Cyndi Lauper as she announced the details of her farewell tour. Separately, Kesha performed for the first time as an independent artist, while J-Lo canceled her summer tour due to poor ticket sales.

Several hip-hop albums will debut this summer, Kendrick Lamar is “popping out” for Juneteenth, hip-hop mourns Brother Marquis

We’ve got a lot of hip-hop summer album announcements this week: the “Princess Diana of rap,” Ice Spice, will release her debut album, Y2K on July 26th. Megan Thee Stallion is releasing her upcoming album, MEGAN, on June 28th. DJ Mustard took to X with a biblical reference and a hype trailer for upcoming album, FAITH OF A MUSTARD SEED. Denzel Curry is featuring numerous hip-hop features on his album, King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2. Finally, James Blake & Lil Yachty’s collaborative album, Bad Cameo, finally gets a concrete release date of June 28th.

Kendrick Lamar surprised fans by scheduling a special Juneteenth show at The Forum in Los Angeles titled, The Pop Out: Ken & Friends, presented by pgLang (Kendrick’s creative agency) and Free Lunch. Unsurprisingly, due to the show being K.Dot’s first performance since his weeks-long feud with Drake, ticket prices have skyrocketed, primarily caused by targeted bot-buying and reselling. Don’t worry. If you can’t attend, you can catch a live stream on Amazon Prime and Twitch.

Finally, in sad news, Miami hip-hop group, 2 Live Crew, lost Brother Marquis this week due to a massive heart attack.

Jamie xx and LSZEE (LSDREAM and CloZee) announce highly-anticipated albums, Lost Lands improves festival experience

Jamie xx is set to release his sophomore album (his first being We’re New Here, a collaboration with Gil Scott-Heron), titled In Waves. Surprisingly, this is Jamie’s first LP since his debut solo album, In Colour, released nine years ago. LSZEE, a collaborative bass-focused EDM project by LSDREAM and CloZee, announced their self-titled debut album. Both EDM albums will arrive in September.

Shortly after releasing their 2024 lineup and DJ Snake announcing his bass music-only set at LL24, Lost Lands Festival followed up with a commitment to improve the accessibility of its festival by kicking off a tunnel project that will better connect the campgrounds with the main festival area.

Sturgill Simpson is now “Johnny Blue Skies,” Luke Combs is releasing a new album next Friday

Similar to his outlaw contemporaries Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers, alternative country artist, Sturgill Simpson, will embrace his iconoclast personality with his next album, Passage du Desir, by taking on a completely different appellation (ironically pronounced Appalachian), known as “Johnny Blue Skies.”

Luke Combs is releasing his next LP next Friday, titled Fathers & Sons, as a reflection on his experience becoming a father of two sons, so expect some emotionally vulnerable songwriting.

Primer: From a drunk Instagram DM asking Lewis Capaldi to be an opening act on his tour, to an on-stage co-sign from Adele, Rachel Chinouriri is assembling the building blocks for staying power in the music industry through her fearless, vulnerable persona. As the youngest of five siblings, Rachel’s childhood experience was split between the Croydon neighborhood of South London and her parent’s native country of Zimbabwe. Growing up, her parents were strict about their family’s music consumption, only allowing Christian or Zimbabwean music. Once the family moved back to Croydon, Rachel would steal any moment to search secular music on YouTube, particularly artists like Coldplay and Daughters, who gave her a sense of peace during difficult times of being bullied for her race in a predominantly white school. At the age of 17, Rachel began writing and publishing her songs, one of which – “So My Darling” – caught the ears of Parlophone Records, who signed her in 2018. After four years, that same track resurfaced on TikTok, and according to our friends over at Chartmetric, that drove a spike in her social media following (TikTok by 57% and Spotify by 106%), garnering her more mainstream attention than before.

We describe Rachel’s music as alternative/indie, but you can easily hear influences of punk-rock and pop throughout her discography. Sharing the same hometown as Stormzy, Rachel strives to replicate his openness during the creative process and become another success story as a rising artist pushing the boundaries of genres.

What’s Next: Rachel recently dropped her debut album, What A Devastating Turn Of Events, just in time for a series of shows and festivals across Europe this summer. This fall, she’ll take on the US while supporting Remi Wolf on The Big Ideas Tour, with a brief stop at our hometown festival, Austin City Limits.

Spotify raises subscription prices again, Merlin releases program to improve music licensing while Twitch strikes music licensing partnerships, Stability AI releases text-to-audio model

💲 Another Price Hike: Don’t worry, we’re experiencing the déjà vu, too. On Monday, Spotify announced they would be adjusting their Premium subscription prices in the United States again, bumping individual prices from $10.99 to $11.99 starting in July. This comes after significant backlash against their new policy for royalty payouts. This feels like the right time for disruption, though for the world’s music library, it still feels like a small price to pay.

🧙🏼‍♂️ A Music Wizard: Merlin, a digital rights licensing platform for independent record labels, debuted its “Merlin Connect” program, allowing select technology platforms to access pre-cleared, licensed music. Per Merlin, the value proposition for these partnered companies is decreasing the time and effort of experimenting with licensing quality music. Separately, Merlin, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music have an agreement in principle with Twitch to allow DJs to legally livestream their sets.

🌄 The AI Greenfield: On Wednesday, Stability AI announced Stable Audio Open, a new generative text-to-audio AI model “optimized for generating short audio samples, sound effects, and production elements using text prompts.” Separately, there is speculation that Google is preparing an imminent rollout of its first external extension for Spotify. Finally, ActiveFence, an online community health monitoring platform, has reported a general uptrend in users generating harmful songs targeting minority groups via platforms like Udio and Suno (lawmakers, wya?)

🌐 Web3 Updates: Spinamp, a public library of web3 artists and music collections, released “Spinamp Channels,” allowing mobile users to quickly swipe through curated artists cards to discover new artists. Cooper Turley of Coop Records is organizing an on-chain concert series that can also be experienced IRL at the Midnight Diner in LA’s Koreatown - more info can be found here.

Anti Social Camp comes to NYC, Sony Music expands South Asian footprint, Canadian regulatory commission imposes 5% tax on streaming services

👩🏻‍🎓 Music Academics: It’s New York Music Month, and Anti Social Camp is headed to New York City next week to host music industry-focused events for artists, songwriters, and producers. Separately, Tomorrowland and Afrojack are partnering to release a new program dubbed, “WALL Pro Academy,” in which Afrojack will serve as a personal coach and instructor on production, mixing, mastering, and marketing lessons.

🌏 South Asian Expansion: There continues to be a keen interest in the growth of music in South Asian countries, particularly within the Indian and Pakistani markets. Sony Music Entertainment continues to validate this trend by signing a JV deal this week with Los Angeles-based label D36. MIDiA Research also corroborates this notion with its recent global music forecast, highlighting the Global South (South America, South Asia, Africa, etc.) as a primary driver for new subscribers into the next decade.

🇨🇦 Online Streaming Act: The CRTC, a Canadian regulatory commission that presides over Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications, is requiring online streaming services, including music streaming platforms, to contribute 5% of their Canadian revenues to support the Canadian broadcasting system.

🎮 Video Game Soundtracks: There’s a new music trend that has been covertly strengthening the intersection of gaming and music - the physical collection of video game soundtracks.

💰 Securing the Bag: Tencent Music, the preeminent music streaming company in China, is acquiring a 10% stake in Thai-based music and entertainment platform, GMM Music.

Twenty One Pilots debuts at #3, RM doubles Sexyy Red’s album sales in Rap Charts

📈 Twenty One Pilots’ Clancy debuted this week at #3 on the albums chart, below Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, even after selling ~113,400 units.* For hip-hop genre debuts, RM released his sophomore solo album the same week as Sexyy Red, selling 54,000 units*, outperforming In Sexyy We Trust by double the equivalent units*. What does that say about the state of hip-hop 🤔

*What does “unit” mean? There are multiple equivalents of a “unit”:

Pure Album Sales: One album sale
Track Equivalent Albums: 10 individual tracks sold from an album
Streaming Equivalent Albums: 3,750 ad-supported audio and video streams OR 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand audio and video streams generated by songs from the album

Don Toliver, $uicideboy$, SG Lewis, and Channel Tres will release albums this week

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

📣 Album Announcements: Electronic musician, Ben Böhmer, will drop Bloom, his first album in three years, this fall. The Offspring announced their upcoming album, Supercharged, will arrive this fall, and fans have the leading single, “Make It All Right,” to enjoy until then. Thomas Rhett will drop his seventh studio album, About A Woman, in August.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Luke Combs, Fathers & Sons
Don Toliver, Hardstone Psycho
$uicideboy$, NEW WORLD DEPRESSION
SG Lewis, Heat
Channel Tres, Headrush
NxWorries, WHY LAWD?
Moneybagg Yo, SPEAK NOW
David Bowie, Rock ‘n’ Roll Star!
Wings, One Hand Clapping
Raveena, Where The Butterflies Go in the Rain
The Decemberists, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again
Lindsey Stirling, Duality
Moby, Always Centered At Night

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Donya and Chris

#90 - The Sunday Club 🌞

Chris Xu — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! Our Sunday Club has grown tremendously since the start of the year (by ~70%!), and as such, we plan to scale our newsletter with more insights and tools in the coming months. Aside from that, a couple of must-see moments in rock ‘n roll this week: Ed Sheeran got to make his childhood dreams a reality when he joined The Offspring on stage at Bottle Rock. Meanwhile, Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless got bit by a bat (yes, you read that right) while opening for AC/DC in Spain…

Rating Rationale: This year has been Young Miko’s “growth to mainstream” year, and her debut album att. is a punctuating statement that flaunts her authenticity and unique trap sound during a time when reggaeton diversity has begun to plateau. With longtime collaborators, Mauro and Caleb Calloway (Rauw Alejandro, Bad Bunny), Young Miko and her coterie interweave a wide range of hip-hop production and relatable reference points–sampling Technotronic’s “Pump Up The Jam” in “MADRE” and Mac Miller’s iconic hook from “Nikes on My Feet” in “wiggy”–with Miko’s bold personality to construct an album that feels like a genuine collage of Young Miko’s personality and Y2K digital age interests, and perhaps, serves as a bridge that brings more listeners who prefer traditional hip-hop production to reggaeton. There are many great songs on the album - we like “rookie of the year,” “tamagotchi,” “ay mami,” and “oye ma’.”

John Summit & Kygo set to drop summer albums, Fred again.. shares collab with Anderson .Paak & Chika, LCD Soundsystem announce LA residency

Electronic music fans, rejoice: John Summit officially has a release date for his debut album, Comfort in Chaos. Additionally, Kygo shared news that he will drop a self-titled album in late June, just in time for his upcoming tour.

After teasing the collaboration on Instagram last week, Fred again.. dropped his new single, “places to be,” featuring Anderson .Paak and Chika.

LCD Soundsystem will play a series of eight shows in an LA residency that will take place at the Hollywood Palladium and Shrine Expo Hall.

Camila Cabello will feature Drake twice on upcoming album, James Blake will play an “eclectic solo show” in NYC

Camila Cabello's upcoming album, C,XOXO, will feature two tracks with Drake, one being a solo interlude called “Uuugly.” We spy another sneak diss track…

James Blake is set to play a special eclectic solo show in New York on June 12th, keeping fans guessing on the location and meaning of “eclectic.” The show coincides with the release of his new single, “Thrown Around.”

Foster the People are in a Paradise State of Mind, BADBADNOTGOOD drop Chaos, Order, and Growth trilogy, Wilco tease “summertime-after-dark” EP

On Friday, Foster the People announced they’ve signed with Atlantic Records and dropped the leading single, “Lost In Space,” from their upcoming fourth studio album, Paradise State of Mind. This will mark the band’s first album release in seven years.

BADBADNOTGOOD has released a new three-part project titled "Mid-Spiral Suite," which showcases Chaos, Order, and Growth as they bring their continued evolution and experimentation in jazz and instrumental music to life.

Wilco will expand upon their 2023 EP, Cousin, with their upcoming EP, Hot Sun Cool Shroud, an album they describe as “summertime-after-dark” on June 28th.

Melt Festival will end after a 27-year run

After hosting its final weekend this summer, Germany's Melt Festival will be canceled after 27 years, marking the end of an era for the beloved staple of electronic music. Why? The festival director shares, “Melt no longer fits into the German festival market and cannot withstand the developments of recent years without radically altering the festival concept. It’s a difficult decision, but we believe it’s time to explore new paths and create space for fresh ideas.” We wouldn’t be surprised if more festivals begin to follow suit as genre-blending and internationalism continue to change listening habits…

Primer: Did you have a simultaneous fit of rage and sadness when BROCKHAMPTON announced their hiatus at Coachella? Yeah, we did too. As BROCKHAMPTON began to step away from the limelight, a younger Bay Area hip-hop group had been quietly developing, away from mainstream eyes. The group, known as AG Club (or “avant-garde club”), consists of 14 total contributing members (and counting…) and may be the perfect collection of cross-functional artists (vocalists, graphic designers, writers, and videographers) to fill the current void of hip-hop collectives. While membership has been somewhat “loose” and the open door policy of “everybody’s in the club” has been the prevailing ethos governing AG Club, the four core members Jody Fontaine, Baby Boy, Ivan Collaco, and Manny Madrigal act as the glue for the club. They’ve built a reputation for multi-faceted artistry, and with cosigns from A$AP Ferg and NLE Choppa on their popular remix of “Memphis,” AG Club poses as a real answer to the revival of hip-hop groups.

What’s Next: While we’ve followed AG Club since 2021, we believe their recently released project, BRODIE WORLD, can provide the momentum that propels both the group and the hip-hop industry back towards advancing versatile hip-hop group acts.

Ticketmaster data hack, Rostr launches Stack, Sony eyes Queen catalog

🔒 Ticketmaster Hacked: It seems Live Nation can’t catch a break (nor should they). They’re now in the midst of another class-action lawsuit, as nearly 600 million Ticketmaster customers’ personal data was hacked.

📔 Stacks on Rostr: New to the industry? Rostr has launched a new product called Stack, a comprehensive directory of music tools and resources designed to support artists and industry professionals. Check out our friend Rob Abelow’s guide to your direct-to-fan business.

💨 Another One Bites The Dust: Sony Music Entertainment is speculated to purchase the Queen catalog, valued at $1 billion. Given its recent $600 million acquisition of Michael Jackson’s catalog in February, this sale would make it a banner year for ownership of music rights for Sony.

📉 Bye Bye HYBE: After seeing a Q1 decline in revenues, HYBE has sold $50 million worth of SM Entertainment shares. This move comes after a year of battles for corporate control and news of a $78 million stake this past March.

💰 Securing the Bag: To advance the adoption of AI music, Music.AI has partnered with Vultr and Dell Technologies to grow and scale its business.

Billie Eilish sees soft debut for HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, ZAYN makes first foray into Alternative/Americana

📈 It’s tough to compete with Taylor Swift. During the past week of eligible streams, Billie Eilish’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT debuted one notch below #1, an undoubtedly disappointing outcome for Interscope after the surprise reveal of the album and its subsequent heavy promotion. However, “LUNCH” has been a standout single, reaching #1 on several secondary charts. Separately, ZAYN has been in the process of reinventing his sound, with his most recent album qualifying for Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Americana/Folk Albums.

Charli XCX’s BRAT comes out Friday, KAYTRANADA and Meghan Trainor are accidental competitors with the same album name

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

📣 Album Announcements: On Thursday, Roddy Ricch shared on Instagram that he’s been working on an upcoming personal project, The Navy Album. AWOLNATION announced new album, The Phantom Five, will be released on August 30th. After a two-year hiatus, Action Bronson is returning to hip-hop with a ridiculously-titled (we love it for the culture) eighth LP, Johann Sebastian Bachlava The Doctor.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Charli XCX, BRAT
KAYTRANADA, TIMELESS
Tems, Born In The Wild
Peggy Gou, I Hear You
Dagny, ELLE
Meghan Trainor, Timeless
AURORA, What Happened To The Heart?
NxWorries, Why Lawd?
Alfie Templeman, Radiosoul
42 Dugg, 4Eva Us, Neva Them
L'impératrice, Pulsar
Bon Jovi, Forever
Various Artists, Bad Boys: Ride Or Die Soundtrack
2hollis, boy

If you enjoyed today’s edition, feel free to show us. Drop a comment or share it on your social media platforms of choice. After all, music is best when shared with your people.

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Chris and Donya

#89 - Big Summer Feelings 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Sun, 26 May 2024 23:30:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday and Memorial Day Weekend! A lot of ‘suits happening these last few weeks, and we don’t mean binging the slept-on TV series. The DOJ sued Live Nation, and the Mechanical Licensing Collective sued Spotify. Horrific hotel video footage from 2016 was released this week, exposing Diddy of physically assaulting his then partner, Cassie, and fueling a seventh sexual assault lawsuit against him. Finally, Sean Kingston was arrested on theft and fraud charges.

Rating Rationale: If you can believe it, WILLOW signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and debuted her career with “Whip My Hair” nearly 14 years ago. If that’s the last you heard of her, allow us to bring you up to speed. After initially gaining mainstream attention, WILLOW has paved her individualistic expression through each album release (even honoring her mother, Jada Pinkett Smith’s metal music roots by releasing a slept-on rock record), creatively pushing herself to fine-tune her artistry. We were intrigued to listen to her sixth studio album, empathogen, after hearing the track, “b i g f e e l i n g s,” on Spotify’s New Music Friday. It’s a breath of fresh air in the midst of uniformity across many of the mainstream releases today. Filled with improvisational instrumentation, wide vocal range, and fine-tuned volume dynamics – every piece seamlessly blends together. Chet Baker and a glass of wine in Napa Valley served as the catalysts for inspiration as she joined forces with friend and co-producer, Chris Greatti, to actively separate her value from the way her music is perceived, thus building an experimental, career-defining record. She describes “symptom of life” as the doorway to the house of empathogen; along with “the fear is not real” and collaborations from Jon Batiste and St. Vincent, it’s one of our favorite tracks.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill crowned as best album in modern era, KAYTRANADA announces TIMELESS, Beyoncé sued for copyright infringement

With the help of artists and experts, Apple Music assembled their top 100 greatest albums ever created, revealing Ms. Lauryn Hill as the artist taking the top spot with her only solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

KAYTRANADA will release his third studio album, TIMELESS, on June 7th, which is expected to feature Anderson .Paak, Channel Tres, Childish Gambino, Don Toliver, and Charlotte Day Wilson.

Finally, amidst the legal turmoil of Diddy and Sean Kingston, Beyoncé and Big Freedia (the queen of bounce) are also experiencing their own headaches with a copyright infringement lawsuit by bounce quartet, Da Showstoppaz, for “BREAK MY SOUL” and associated sampled song, “Explode.”

Trailblazing K-pop group T-ARA hints at reunion

Before BTS ushered K-pop to the forefront of international popularity, groups like Super Junior, BIGBANG, Girls’ Generation, 2NE1, and T-ARA initially helped pave the way for subsequent K-pop groups to flourish during a time of evolving globalized listening trends. This week, members from T-ARA teased a reunion for their 15th anniversary. Initially debuting as a six-piece K-pop girl group, T-ARA eventually saw two members depart, most recently reuniting as a four-piece girl group in 2021.

Frank Walker and NGHTMRE release new records, CRSSD Festival reveals lineup

After 8 years of producing music, Canadian DJ, Frank Walker, finally released his debut studio album, ORIGIN, on Friday. On the same day, bass/trap EDM artist, NGHTMRE, released his latest EP, Unsound 2, through his imprint, Gud Vibrations.

Separately, San Diego EDM festival, CRSSD 2024, revealed its lineup that will include Disclosure and Gesaffelstein as headliners, along with artists such as Four Tet, Gorgon City, BLOND:ISH, Nora En Pure, and TOKiMONSTA.

Clairo announces upcoming album Charm

Clairo announced that her upcoming third studio album, Charm, will be released on July 12th. Fans should expect a vintage, 70s-inspired sound that blends psychedelic folk, jazz, and soul.

Founding bassist of Train tragically passes away

In sad news, Charlie Colin, the original bassist for the five-person pop band, Train, best known for hits, “Drops of Jupiter” and “Hey, Soul Sister,” tragically passed away this week from a slip in the shower. Our takeaway: live every day like your last and be thankful for what you have in life.

Primer: Luna Li is not only Hannah Kim’s musical project and alter-ego, but it’s where she feels most at home while being a voice of representation for women in music and her Korean-Canadian heritage. Born and raised in the Toronto region, Hannah’s mom always encouraged her musical pursuits - from immediately saying “yes” when Hannah asked if she could learn piano at age 5, to renting Hannah a harp for her birthday a few years ago. More formally, Hannah’s mother runs the Classical Music Conservatory of Toronto, which Hannah decided to attend to continue pursuing her craft. When it came time for college, Hannah enrolled at McGill University to study violin performance but quit within the next year after becoming fascinated with the burgeoning music scene in Toronto. In 2017, after a few years of playing in Veins, her garage rock musical project, and gathering production expertise from a program at Seneca College, Hannah self-published her first project, Opal Angel EP, as Luna Li, which caught the attention of AWAL and In Real Life. Since releasing her debut album in 2022, Duality, she has toured with Japanese Breakfast and Wolf Alice, in addition to her headline tour. Click “Shuffle” on any Luna Li mix and you’ll soon find yourself immersed in an alternate universe: engulfed with ethereal production, consumed by airy yet strong vocals, and filled with a plethora of instrumental interludes to showcase her “Baby Shred” on the guitar, piano, violin, bass, drums, and harp – a dynamic and poignant mix for which we have major respect.

What’s Next: Starting in September, Luna Li will embark upon a North American Tour to support her sophomore album, When a Thought Grows Wings, which will drop on August 23. In the meantime, you can hear her first single from the new record here.

Suno raises $125 million, Mahogany gets into distribution

🤑 Mikey Raises: In one of the largest fundraising rounds by a music technology company in recent history, generative AI music company, Suno, raised a $125 million Series B at a $500 million post-money valuation. Participants include VC firm Lightspeed Venture Partners, Nat Friedman (GitHub), Daniel Gross, and others.

🪵 More Mahogany: Mahogany, the UK-based music company known for its cinematic music discovery channel, Mahogany Sessions, will be partnering with Believe to launch a DIY distribution service for independent artists.

📝 The Future of the Creator Economy: Epidemic Sound, the content creator-focused royalty-free sound effects catalog company, released its 2024 Future of Creator Economy Report highlighting insights on content creator challenges, opportunities, and future trends. From a music perspective, content creators acknowledge the pivotal role of music in creating impactful content. Here’s how creators leverage music:

🎧 Sonos Ace: Sonos, a long-standing audio company focused on reinventing the home audio experience, officially made its first foray into the competitive headphones market with the Sonos Ace, priced at $449 (sheesh).

🔦 Fan Spotlight: TikTok has announced a new “Fan Spotlight” feature in partnership with Billie Eilish’s latest album release, allowing artists to showcase their favorite fan-created videos on their profile.

🌐 Web3 Updates: The Web3 Music Association (W3M), a new music industry trade organization, officially launched to support industry-wide technology R&D initiatives. Snoop Dogg and Death Row Records are doubling down on web3 by launching music exclusively through web3 streaming platform, Gala. On-chain music streaming company, Audius, is partnering with Music Reports to support the administration of music licensing rights and payment to music publishers.

The DOJ files antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, RAYE wins Songwriter of the Year at The Ivors, Warner Music expands internationally

👨🏻‍⚖️ Break It Up!: The Department of Justice, along with 30 state and district attorneys, filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, for its alleged monopoly over ticket pricing, exclusive ticketing contracts, as well as serial acquisition of concert promoters. Live Nation responded to the lawsuit by suggesting that Ticketmaster’s market share has actually declined since 2010 and candidly mentioned that regardless of the lawsuit and separation of companies, the goal of reducing ticket prices and service fees will not be met.

🏆 The Ivors Academy: This year, The Ivor Novello Awards, known as the British awards for songwriting and composition, honored numerous artists including RAYE who won this year’s coveted Songwriter of the Year Award.

🌎 Warner Global: As part of a broader theme within the music industry, Warner Music Group is expanding its international footprint by striking a partnership with Dominican artist, Tokischa, to launch the artist’s own imprint, SOL, through Warner Music Latina. Additionally, WMG is also planning to establish a new creative hub in Lagos, Nigeria to spur A&R and marketing growth for Warner Music Africa.

🎞️ Music as Film: As music and film continue to interweave due to the growing popularity of musician biopics, several documentaries/docuseries are expected to be released in the coming months: Celine Dion’s documentary detailing her health struggles will be coming to Amazon Prime, Camden’s rich music history, featuring artists like Nile Rodgers, Chris Martin, and Noel Gallagher, will be available on Hulu, and a potential Diddy documentary that was recently subject to a bidding war will be coming to Netflix.

Bring Me The Horizon and Vince Staples drop surprise albums, the Piano Man returns

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

🚨 Surprise Drops: Bring Me The Horizon revealed to fans early Friday morning that they would release POST HUMAN: NeX GEn, their first studio album in 5 years (we spy a feature from Lil Uzi Vert). Earlier this week, Vince Staples announced his eighth studio album, Dark Times, which dropped Friday.

📣 Album Announcements: Elton John will reportedly release a brand new album in the next few weeks. Zach Bryan shared the tear-jerking “Pink Skies” along with news of his upcoming album, Great American Bar Scene. Covers are hot right now, and Aloe Blacc knows it – catch volume one of two of his EP, Rock My Soul, where he will cover ‘90s alternative songs.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Willie Nelson, The Border
Shaboozey, Where I’ve Been, isn’t Where I’m Going
Ayra Starr, The Year I Turned 21
Becky Hill, Believe Me Now?
Kameron Marlowe, Keepin’ The Lights On
ATEEZ, Golden Hour : Part. 1
Arooj Aftab, Night Rain
Maya Hawke, Chaos Angel
ELIO, Something In The Air
Ben Platt, Honeymind

The Merch Table

💚 X Years of X: No, not the rebranded Twitter. Earlier this week, Ed Sheeran celebrated ten years of his sophomore album X with a series of shows at Barclays Center. If you missed them, check out the exclusive merch celebrating the occasion here.
💎 Nothing New: Catbird, a Los Angeles-based jewelry company, has again joined forces with Phoebe Bridgers to restock their best-selling collaborative pieces from 2023.
🍟 More Munchie Meals: Ice Cube has partnered with Jack in the Box on their recent, limited “Munchie Meal,” sixteen years after releasing a song of the same name.

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Donya and Chris

#88 - Balanced Breakfast 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Mon, 20 May 2024 03:30:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! For a balance of genres to satisfy your music hunger (and to learn our taste in music), check out our Balanced Breakfast playlist. For us to better understand yours, help us by completing this survey to make your Sunday reads more curated and entertaining.

Rating Rationale: This week, Billie Eilish, who we first discovered in 2016, released her third full-length album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, in collaboration with none other than her brother, FINNEAS. As you probably predicted by the title, it’s a very intimate album and one we think is her best body of work since her 2017 EP, dont smile at me. Similar to WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, Billie again pays homage to Hayao Miyazaki through her reference to “CHIHIRO,” the ten-year-old protagonist in Spirited Away. Throughout the album, she continues to illustrate her immense, moody versatility (not just a “whisper” artist), all while revealing her chaotic emotions, albeit now in a more refined manner. One theme we’re noticing this year with big-name pop artist albums is their unabashed vulnerability; they’ve chosen to make music for themselves without much concern for fan backlash. Ariana, Taylor, and Dua have taken this route, and so too now has Billie. Perhaps it’s the zeitgeist of the maturing Gen Z.

Soundside Festival & The Best Day Ever Festival debut this year, Glastonbury unveils remaining spots on lineup

Two more inaugurals have been announced for this year: Soundside Fest in Bridgeport, Connecticut, boasts a strong alternative-folk lineup, featuring headliners Noah Kahan and Foo Fighters. Additionally, Aminé will be launching The Best Day Ever Festival in Portland, Oregon this August, featuring Kaytranada, BADBADNOTGOOD, and Toro y Moi, among others.

After announcing headliners in March, Glastonbury 2024 unveiled plans to add two new stages along with the remainder of artists set to take the stage at Worthy Farm next month.

Billie Eilish thanks “First Fans” via SoundCloud, Gracie Abrams releases sophomore album tracklist

Billie Eilish embraced her SoundCloud roots (she was discovered on the platform with “Ocean Eyes” in 2015), by partnering with the DSP to offer her day-one fans early access to the album via SoundCloud’s “First Fans” platform. The collaboration was made complete with the streaming company refreshing its logo to celebrate the drop.

A few weeks after announcing plans for her second studio album, The Secret of Us, Gracie Abrams dropped a track listing, including a feature with Taylor Swift on track 5 👀

2024 ACM Awards surprise fans with stellar performances

Last week, Reba McEntire hosted the Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMs) in North Texas as Lainey Wilson and Chris Stapleton swept the evening of awards. A few surprises throughout the night included: Dua Lipa joining Chris Stapleton on stage for a duet of “Think I’m In Love With You,” Post Malone debuting a new country song, “Never Love You Again,” and Noah Kahan joining Kelsea Ballerini for a duet of “Stick Season.” As country music gains mainstream popularity and artists embrace the current momentum of breaking genre barriers, we expect to see more collaborations moving forward. Lana Del Rey and Lewis Capaldi have already hinted at a few upcoming ones…

Primer: In celebration of AAPI month, we’re highlighting the fluid eclecticism that makes Korean-American artist, AUDREY NUNA, sonically unpredictable and fiercely individual. Toeing the line between the conventional, austere Asian-American upbringing and pushing parental leniency to pursue her dreams, Audrey has always embraced a defiant, yet casual attitude–a trademark characteristic since her early years visiting her father’s clothing manufacturing factory in the Garment District. After attending NYU for a year, she eventually pitched her father via PowerPoint to drop out of school. Since then, she has continued to embody that same attitude within her music career à la a liquid breakfast. To put it plainly, she’s very cool. We admire her candor (particularly about existentialism and her identity duality struggles as an Asian-American) and hope she continues to be nothing less than herself.

What’s Next: After dropping “IdgaF” (🔥) and “Locket” (which samples Huey’s “Pop, Lock & Drop It”) last summer and following up with three additional singles this year, we’re led to believe that Audrey will be dropping her sophomore album soon, likely in 2024.

Spotify vs. NMPA breakdown, Google launches Music AI Sandbox, AI-driven backing band on Apple’s LogicPro

😬 Spotify vs. NMPA: Spotify's recent changes in its royalty payment structure have sparked significant controversy among songwriters and publishers. The streaming giant's decision to classify itself as a "bundle" due to the inclusion of audiobooks, which results in lower royalty payments to songwriters under the Phonorecords IV agreement, could reduce payments by an estimated $150 million annually. This move has drawn sharp criticism from the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), which accuses Spotify of undermining the creators essential to its business. In a further escalation, the NMPA issued a cease-and-desist letter over unlicensed usage of music videos, lyrics, and podcasts, threatening legal action. Spotify defends its position, claiming the NMPA previously agreed to the bundling terms and asserting its commitment to compensating songwriters.

🚫 Sony Says No to AI: Sony Music has issued warnings to 700 AI music streaming companies, declaring its decision to opt out of using its catalog for AI training. The company emphasizes the importance of protecting the rights and compensation of human artists, reinforcing its stance against the unauthorized use of its music in AI-generated content.

⏳ Playing in the Sand: Google has launched its Music AI Sandbox, a tool designed to enable artists to use AI to generate musical ideas, create unique sounds, and enhance their music production process. This initiative features collaborations with Wyclef Jean, Justin Tranter, and Marc Rebillet to demonstrate the potential and creative possibilities of AI in music.

🖥️ It’s Logical: Although its iPad Pro ad was a fail, Apple wants you to know that with the help of an AI-driven backing band, the latest Logic Pro software update will allow musicians to generate dynamic accompaniment, enhance the creative process, and streamline production.

🌐 Web3 Updates: everwave, a music collaboration platform, announced its web app now has a mobile version. Coachella onboarded 15k people to crypto wallets this year, and these are the main takeaways from the activation. Lastly, Single.xyz shares three takeaways of how big artists have maximized direct-to-fan campaigns this year.

Epidemic Sounds possible IPO, House passes TICKET, Melodie raises A$1M

💸 A Public Sound Epidemic: While the Stockholm-based music licensing company has not yet confirmed the plans, there is speculation that Epidemic Sounds may IPO in 2025. This comes after Reuters reported the company’s profits increased 25% to $140M in 2023.

🎟️ Driving Ticket Change: On Wednesday, the United States House passed the TICKET (Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing) Act, which “mandates guaranteed refunds for event cancellations or postponements, and prohibits the use of deceptive URLs that are used to rip off consumers through fraudulent ticketing sites.” This comes shortly after the state of Maryland has outlawed “hidden fees and speculative ticket pricing.”

🏆 BET On It: Unlike his battle with Kendrick, Drake is in the lead for overall BET Award nominations. See all the nominees here – the ceremony is set to take place on June 30.

✍️ Drawing Up Contracts: After 26 years, Christina Aguilera exits RCA Records and signs with Latin label, 5020 Records. Tame Impala (Kevin Parker) sells all past and future rights to his music to Sony Music Publishing.

💰 Securing the Bag: Melodie, an Australian music licensing company for influencers and content creators, raised A$1M in bridge funding.

Kendrick beats Drake on the charts, sees renewed interest in discography, Dua Lipa debuts at #2

📈 The title really sums things up, with the Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake rap battle in focus for this week as all six songs between the two hold the top six spots on the Hot Rap Songs Chart. However, Kendrick Lamar is the one clear winner, who not only took #1 with “Not Like Us,” but also eviscerated Drake’s reputation while claiming that spot. Additionally, Kendrick’s four LPs since Section.80 have all gained momentum on the Billboard 200 charts with DAMN. at #18.

The Band CAMINO drops surprise EP, Twenty One Pilots releasing Clancy this week

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

🚨 Surprise Drops: On Friday, The Band CAMINO dropped their Bruises EP, featuring three new tracks.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Twenty One Pilots, Clancy
RM, Right Place, Wrong Person
Sexyy Red, In Sexyy We Trust
Astrid S, Joyride
Aaron Carter, The Recovery Album (posthumous album)
Wallows, Model
DIIV, Frog in Boiling Water
Andrew Bird, Sunday Morning Put-On
Lenny Kravitz, Blue Electric Light

The Merch Table

⚡️ I’m Just Slash: Fresh off a cameo at the Oscar’s, Slash has partnered with Gibson to launch a replica of his “Jessica” guitar as the brand’s new signature model guitar.
📕 YUNG Poetry: YUNGBLUD will release a poetry book titled, You Need To Exist, which will be published on August 15.
🕶️ Sunrise, Sunset: Lenny Kravitz and Ray Ban have joined forces for an exclusive partnership revealing six limited edition sunglasses in the “Reverse Collection.”

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Chris and Donya

#87 - Parked Car Conversations 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Sun, 12 May 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday & Mother’s Day! Now that the dust has settled between Drake and Kendrick (did our suggestion of checking Genius cause the website to crash 🤔), we’re here today to ask a favor. For everyone who opens this email and is still reading this intro, thank you! We’d love for you to share it with that one friend who complains about how they need new music or that other friend who can’t find everything related to the music industry in one place. Our goal is to deliver Sunlighter to as many inboxes as we can, so please help us spread the sunshine 🌞

Rating Rationale: Everyone loves a boyband, but if you weren’t aware, most of them don’t actually write their songs, at least not in their early days. Label executives bring in the experts to pen something so catchy that fans can’t help but sing along. This week’s UV album features the fourth studio album of the Irish boyband, Picture This. Their differentiator is that band members, Ryan Hennessy and Jimmy Rainsford, have been writing most of their songs from the very beginning. Parked Car Conversations showcases an incredible maturation in vocals, production, and the band’s picture-perfect pop songwriting. Starting strong with the introductory track, “Act of Innocence,” the album coalesces ballads and potential stadium bangers across all 15 tracks. While Chartmetric qualifies almost 75% of their audience as Irish and UK listeners, they’re seeing a surge of growth in followers on TikTok and Bandsintown, especially as they’ve announced an upcoming European tour in support of the album. We’re hopeful this group gains enough momentum to break into the USA.

Billie Eilish listening parties, Camila Cabello and beabadoobee announce new albums, Eras Tour reimagined

Following her announcement (in partnership with AmEx) to host listening parties in New York City and Los Angeles for her upcoming album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, Billie Eilish revealed that she will be partnering with Apple Music to bring additional listening party events to select AMC theaters around the United States.

Alongside Billie’s promotional announcements, Camila Cabello revealed upcoming album C, XOXO, and beabadoobee announced This is How Tomorrow Moves.

Finally, across the globe, Taylor Swift confirmed to fans speculating whether The Tortured Poets Department might be added to her Eras Tour by officially debuting 7 songs from the new album during her stop in Paris while also making several changes to her wardrobe and setlist for her other eras.

Austin City Limits reveals lineup, Governors Ball After Dark, and SXSW expands to London

Earlier this week, Austin City Limits (our home festival) revealed its 2024 lineup, which includes headliners Dua Lipa, Tyler, the Creator, Chris Stapleton, and Blink-182. While there’s been some public disdain towards the headliners, we believe there’s a lot of hidden value in the undercard.

Governors Ball, set to kick off in less than a month, announced its After Dark shows for select artists, including Sunlighter favorites: Teezo Touchdown, FLO, and Ryan Beatty.

Finally, after successfully organizing its inaugural festival in Sydney, SXSW continues its international expansion by introducing a London edition in 2025. Due to the large UK representation that already occurs at the annual flagship festival in Austin, this doesn’t come as a huge surprise.

Hinds returns as a duo and announces new album

After recently returning from hiatus (two members from their band parted ways), the indie duo from Madrid, Spain, Hinds, announced their return with an upcoming album, VIVA HINDS, which will be released in September - we love to see resilience. This week, they released their new single, “Boom Boom Back,” featuring Beck.

Post Malone introduces his country era, Lainey Wilson returns with Whirlwind

Post Malone has been teasing his foray into country music for a while now. If his evolving sound in AUSTIN didn’t give it away, maybe it was his performance at the CMAs with Morgan Wallen and HARDY, or a surprise duet with Noah Kahan at Coachella, or maybe his duet with Beyoncé on “LEVII’S JEANS” - it was only a matter of time before he made it official. This week, he introduced his new country era with “I Had Some Help” featuring Morgan Wallen.

In Nashville, Lainey Wilson is not only opening her own branded bar, she also has a Hulu documentary coming, along with her third album titled Whirlwind.

Primer: As our friend Eric Alper puts it, Medium Build is a “dancefloor messiah with an effortless funkiness underlined by his sensitive falsetto.” In 2015, Medium Build was conceptualized in Anchorage, Alaska by Carpenter after meeting fellow songwriter, James Glaves. The two worked together to independently release four albums in 2016, 2018, and 2019, but they would eventually part ways. It wasn’t until 2022 that Medium Build was born again, this time catching the attention of Island Records with the single, “comeonback.” Since then, Carpenter has toured alongside artists like FINNEAS, Lewis Capaldi, and Tyler Childers, proving his ability to push genre barriers. After a move from Anchorage to Nashville, he began to pen his latest album, Country, exhibiting his authentic storytelling as he explores the meaning of home and identity, while continuing to challenge musical genres through a mix of ‘80s, emo, and indie-folk sounds along the way.

What’s Next: Medium Build has upcoming tour dates through July 1 all across the US. If you’re one of the lucky ones and tickets are still available in your city, we recommend snagging a ticket. In the meantime, stream “Cocoon,” the latest song he has released with our early Sunlighter favorite and his Europe tourmate, Holly Humberstone.

🤝🏼 Apple Partners: Apple Music is launching new partner platform features that allow labels and distributors to access better data analytics tooling.

💥 The Next Hit: China-based Tencent Music believes it can predict the “next big hit through its QQ Music streaming app based on its newly developed AI-enabled “PDM” technology.

📉 Sirius Problems: Unfortunately for SiriusXM, subscriber losses continue to mount, totaling 445K for its first quarter. With its most recent streaming strategy pivot, is it too late to be competitive?

🌐 Web3 Updates: Audius recently released a developer-focused music plug-in that directly integrates Audius into Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. Songcamp teased a custom minting frontend built on Zora.

🎶 Music in the Air: Goldman Sachs’ annual music trend report is here. This year, the focus is on premium product-led monetization, emerging markets driving streaming growth, and of course, generative AI as a disruptive technology. From a growth perspective, Goldman Sachs estimates the CAGR for the global music industry to be approximately 7.6% (good days are still ahead for the music industry).

👪 Only The Family: That’s the name of Lil Durk’s independent music label, which recently relaunched through a partnership with AWAL. The partnership allows Durk to maintain ownership and control over the label while still providing major label-like support.

🌍 International Earnings Recap: Last week, HYBE released its earnings, showing a 12.1% decline in Q1 revenues, reflecting the significant impact BTS’ absence has had on the company's financial performance. Anghami's earnings for Q1 2024 indicate fluctuations in the Middle Eastern music streaming market. Meanwhile, French streaming platform, Deezer, reported a significant 14.2% increase in revenue in Q1 of 2024, accompanied by a milestone achievement of reaching 10.5 million subscribers, indicating steady, increased expansion of its user base.

🖊️ Recent Signings: Sony Music Publishing Nashville signed country artist Randall King to a global deal. Miranda Lambert signed with UMG’s Republic Records through its Big Loud label. Hippo Campus inked a new label deal with Psychic Hotline (Sylvan Esso’s indie label) and recently released its first single titled, "Everything at Once.”

💰 Securing the Bag: AI-powered ticketing and concert promotion platform, Gotobeat, raised an undisclosed amount, led by Velocity Capital.

Tommy Richman’s meteoric rise, debuts #2 behind Taylor Swift

📈 If you haven’t heard of Tommy Richman, you’re not alone. We weren’t expecting the viral sensation that has been “MILLION DOLLAR BABY.” It’s another TikTok success story, showcasing TikTok’s undeniable influence and audience reach in the music industry during a very precarious time for the company. We also love his story - he’s been producing his music from his mother’s basement in Woolbridge, Virginia.

Billie Eilish & ZAYN to release new albums this Friday

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Billie Eilish, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
Cage the Elephant, Neon Pill
ZAYN, Room Under The Stairs
Sasha Alex Sloan, Me Again
The Avett Brothers, The Avett Brothers
Galantis, Rx
renforshort, clean hands dirty water
Luis Fonsi, El Viaje
Mat Kearney, Mat Kearney
New Kids on the Block, Still Kids

If you enjoyed today’s edition, feel free to show us. Drop a comment or share it on your social media platforms of choice. After all, music is best when shared with your people.

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Chris and Donya

#86 - Writing the future 🌞

Chris Xu — Mon, 06 May 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! We thought we were writing the future, but turns out, it’s been 88rising all along - more on that below. Let’s first talk about how Kendrick is standing on business and the collective rapper community going against Drake, with Ye even mentioning that it’s been energizing. While it’s likely not a PR stunt, this does feel good for hip-hop…

Rating Rationale: In Dua Lipa’s first album in four years (yes, it’s been that long since you’ve done the push-up challenge to “Physical,”) she reveals her conscious choice of embracing “radical optimism” as a way to improve her own wellness while simultaneously interpolating its philosophy via a psychedelic-driven sound. Inspired by Britpop and UK rave culture, Dua and her supporting class, which includes Kevin Parker (Tame Impala), Danny Harle (ex-PC Music, producer for Caroline Polachek), and co-writer Tobias Jesso, have procured an album that feels like natural maturation. We think it’s a good album and marries the vocal delivery of her self-titled debut with the dance production of Future Nostalgia, but unfortunately, it still lies under the umbrage of the magnum opus that is Future Nostalgia. Aside from the singles, we suggest listening to “Anything For Love” and “Falling Forever.”

Kendrick Lamar & Drake fuel their feud with more diss tracks

The saga has heightened between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Following the release of “Push Ups” and the since-deleted AI-generated “Taylor Made Freestyle,” (the estate of Tupac Shakur threatened to sue), we’ve seen at least six tracks contributing to the feud between the two rappers. On April 30th, Kendrick Lamar released “euphoria” and then followed up with “6:16 in LA” before Drake escalated their dispute with more personal attacks on “Family Matters.” In keen anticipation, Kendrick released “meet the grahams,” and “Not Like Us” within hours before Drake finally responded with “THE HEART PART 6” (a clever play on Kendrick’s “The Heart” series). Now that you’re up-to-date with the timeline, we suggest heading to Genius to get the full context of the feud from the crowd-sourced sleuthing from both camps.

Stagecoach surprises, Randy Travis sparks rumors on AI-generated vocals

Last weekend was one laa “yee-haw” for Coachella Valley as artists took the stage for Stagecoach. Here are a few highlights and surprise guests:

Eric Church sparked controversy with his non-traditional headlining set.
Post Malone performed a series of country covers, including one with Brad Paisley.
After Morgan Wallen surprised fans by bringing Post Malone on an encore performance, the two teased (and later announced) the official release of their upcoming single, “I Had Some Help.”
Paul Cauthen brought out Lana Del Rey for a performance of “Unchained Melody.”
Jelly Roll brought out T-Pain to perform a cover of the late Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy.”
Miranda Lambert brought out Reba McEntire for a duet of “Mama’s Broken Heart.”
Nickelback brought out HARDY and Jelly Roll.

Back to country classics, Randy Travis released his first song in over ten years after he experienced a debilitating stroke in 2013. This is a significant moment for Travis and fans as many are speculating the vocals on the new track, “Where That Came From,” might be AI-generated. Amidst the debate on the ethical use of AI in music, it’s worth wondering - wouldn’t we rather keep the artists’ music going as long as we can?

Lovers & Friends Festival canceled, Slipknot plans Knotfest 2024

In a last-minute announcement, Usher and Live Nation’s Lovers & Friends Festival was canceled due to inclement weather conditions in Las Vegas, NV. Although it was set to be a showstopping lineup, ticketholders won’t be leaving empty-handed. The festival has promised to issue ticket refunds within the next 30 days.

Meanwhile in Iowa, Slipknot will bring Knotfest 2024 to their hometown of Des Moines on September 21 to celebrate their debut album’s 25th anniversary.

Linkin Park planning 2025 tour, Ra Ra Riot drops “The Wish,” and Local Natives co-founding member departs

All signs point to Linkin Park planning a tour in 2025, potentially featuring a new female vocalist, leaving fans to speculate what else the band has planned. Ra Ra Riot returns with their first new single in five years, titled "The Wish," produced by founding Vampire Weekend member, Rostam Batmanglij, and hinting at a new direction for their upcoming music. Lastly, Local Natives announce the departure of co-founder Kelcey Ayer and pay tribute to his contributions to the band's journey, signaling a new chapter for the group.

Primer: If you’re wondering… “what kinda artist name is this,” we’re in the same boat, so we did some research for you. After surprise releasing their first internet culture-laden album, hella (˃╭̣ ╮˂̣)✧♡‧o· ̊, the 88rising hip-hop music collective, with any given artist lucky enough to be invited to collaborate, has remained relatively secretive. The group is evidently paying homage to ‘90s hip-hop, but from an angle of futuristic experimentation, showcasing both brazenness and intrigue. Stylistically, we believe this is the RIGHT type of innovation that will help progress and evolve the hip-hop industry - you know, like writing the future.

What’s Next: With 88rising’s annual music festival, Head In The Clouds, occurring next week in New York City, we suspect there might be some surprise performances or announcements involving 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE. Keep your eyes peeled.

☝️ One More Time: After cutting ties earlier this year, Universal Music Group and TikTok have reached a new licensing agreement. Sir Lucian Grainge, the CEO of UMG, confirms that this deal will result in greater compensation for their artists and songwriters, addressing his longstanding commitment to fair compensation in the digital era.

👻 Snap Nation: Snapchat extends its partnership with Live Nation through its new Snap Nation public profile, aiming to bring exclusive artist and concert content and allowing users to form deeper connections with their favorite artists.

🐝 Music Discovery is Buzzing: SoundCloud unveiled its fan-powered “Buzzing Playlists” feature, which aims to spotlight emerging artists by empowering listeners to influence playlist placements based on their engagement. Meanwhile, Qobuz's integration with Android TV enhances music discovery by providing users with a seamless interface to explore new releases and curated playlists.

🌐 Web3 Updates: Boombox.fm recently launched its music app to uphold the power of tastemakers and fan communities by allowing users to share their favorite artists. Powered by Base, Privy, and Neynar, users can earn BOOM currency when fellow fans add their favorite artists.

🍦 All In on $25 Tickets: Live Nation is “All In,” not only on its biggest-ever first quarter with record-breaking revenue, but in offering tickets at $25 for select concerts to encourage attendance and support live music events. To make things extra sweet, they also plan to offer soft-serve ice cream at summer concerts, through a partnership with CVT Soft Serve.

😬 Manchester Miss: Manchester's Co-op Live faces significant challenges as it cancels and postpones several concerts, including those of Olivia Rodrigo and Keane, due to ongoing construction issues and operational chaos. Liam Gallagher voiced frustration, suggesting he might perform at a local Lidl supermarket instead of the Co-op Live Arena if it's not ready soon. Amidst the turmoil, Co-op Live apologizes for its troubled opening and agrees to meet with the Music Venue Trust to discuss implementing a £1 ticket levy.

🤖 Music & AI Progress: Amid the Grammys on the Hill advocacy event, where artists gathered to share thoughts on ethical AI practices and ticketing reform, FKA Twigs revealed an initiative to create an AI deepfake version of herself to interact with fans as she focuses on making new music.

🧠 Playing Mind Games: To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, John Lennon’s estate has partnered with Lumenate to introduce nine new psychedelic, meditative remixes of his song, “Mind Games.”

💰 Securing the Bag: Warner Music Group’s subsidiary Songkick has partnered with Shoobs, a ticketing and marketing company, to enhance its offerings in the live events space, aiming to provide a more comprehensive platform for artists and fans alike.

Taylor Swift sets new records with The Tortured Poets Department

📈 On the heels of releasing her 11th studio album, Taylor Swift is really only competing with herself on the charts. Not only is The Tortured Poets Department #1 on the album charts, but fourteen of her songs (almost her magic number) hold the top 14 spots on the Billboard Hot 100.

Gracie Abrams announces new album, Gunna and Kings of Leon to release albums this week

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

📣 Album Announcements: Gracie Abrams announced her upcoming album, The Secret of Us, while Channel Tres revealed his debut album, Head Rush. Both will be released in June.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Gunna, ONE OF WUN
Kings of Leon, CAN WE PLEASE HAVE FUN
Alec Benjamin, 12 Notes
The Chainsmokers, No Hard Feelings
Destroy Lonely, Love Last Forever
A.G. Cook, Britpop
Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Love Hate Music Box
Judah & The Lion, The Process
Chief Keef, Almighty So 2
Dehd, Poetry
Orville Peck, Stampede
Incubus, Morning View XXIII

The Merch Table

🍗 Open Wide: Longtime music producer and collaborator, Benny Blanco, has published his first cookbook, Open Wide.
🔊 SoundZ: That’s right, not SoundY but SoundZ… and it’s oddly an AI instrument created by Coca-Cola. Unfortunately, physical versions aren’t accessible to the general public, but you can download the digital app version!
🥣 Back for More: Through a collaboration with General Mills, TOMORROW X TOGETHER will be on the covers of your favorite cereal boxes starting May.

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Chris and Donya

#85 - Coulda woulda shoulda 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! We’re back after a week off, which naturally means, we have a lot of news. Here are some highlights: The Spice Girls reunited for Victoria’s 50th, Drake absolutely went in on multiple rappers in “Push Ups” (and it wasn’t AI generated), and of course… a lot of discourse around TTPD. Lastly, we have a new format for our Artist of the Week in partnership with Chartmetric along with updates to our Music Calendar 👀

Rating Rationale: Taylor Swift is the queen—not only of sandcastles—but of keeping her fans guessing. Just when Swifties think they’ve figured Taylor out, she executes something unexpected. At 2am on the night of her 11th studio album’s release, TTPD was revealed to be a full anthology with 15 additional tracks. Clocking in at just over two hours, it brings listeners into Swift’s journey of overcoming every stage of grief following her break-up with her longtime boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. Back with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, it’s fitting that the two halves of the anthology feel like sister albums, much like folklore and evermore, with glaring hints of Lana Del Rey’s borrowed inspiration. For us, this album falls flat based on what we’re used to from Swift, particularly due to the lack of dynamic vocal delivery - too many moments it sounds more like she’s reciting poetry than performing a song 😬. Regardless, Swift provides vivid imagery through her expected masterful storytelling. Our favorite moments from part 1: the angelic English choir intro in “So Long, London,” the gut-wrenching real meaning of “loml,” the stream of consciousness of embarking on her Eras Tour in “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”, and the raw reflection of her career on “Clara Bow.” From part 2: the tortured emotional tug-of-war in “imgonnagetyouback,” taking the high road on “thanK you aIMee,” in her controversy with Kim Kardashian, and the clever vocal delivery parallels of “The Prophecy” and “seven” from folklore.

Taylor Swift dominates streams and sales, critics provide polarizing takes on TTPD

Yet again, Taylor Swift delivers a masterclass on marketing and lyrical intrigue with TTPD. Grooming the subculture she’s co-developed with her personal Swiftie investigators, her album successfully stirs the superfan soul with celebrity name-dropping (Charlie Puth, Patti Smith, etc.) and speculation on matching lovers (Joe, Matty, Travis) to lyrics. Unsurprisingly, this translated to Taylor breaking another set of music streaming and physical sales records. However, music industry critics are providing much more mixed reviews: it’s brutally honest and, at times, even refreshingly humorous, but it’s too long and under-edited. Some songs provide a creative jolt, while others are over-engineered and predictably thematic to the Swift-Antonoff partnership. It looks like the preference for this album will be based on the eye of the beholder.

The Death of Slim Shady, Megan Thee Stallion accused of abusive work environment, NBA YoungBoy on federal charges

The city of Detroit continues to have a good year. After taking the stage at the 2024 NFL Draft, Eminem revealed that his 12th studio album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), will be released later this summer.

For Megan Thee Stallion, her year has been… up and down. After opening up about her mental health last fall, this week, Megan Thee Stallion was accused of “severe” and “pervasive” harassment by a former cameraman, including sexual harassment (crazy scenario) and fat-shaming insults.

Another hip-hop artist is facing federal investigations. This week, NBA YoungBoy was arrested on six charges related to procurement of drugs, illegal weapon possession, and identity fraud. Federal agents are alleging that NBA YoungBoy may be involved in running a prescription drug ring that fraudulently acquired codeine and promethazine from pharmacies across 11 cities in Utah. These charges are only a small portion of the 63 crimes he may be connected to…

Some odds and ends: Kid Cudi broke his foot jumping off stage during his Coachella Weekend 2 set and subsequently announced that he would be canceling his North American tour. SZA was honored with the Hal David Starlight Award at the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction, making her the second black woman to receive the award following Alicia Keys.

New Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Smashing Pumpkins find their guitarist, Dickey Betts passes

In recent years, inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame have become increasingly diverse, spanning not just “rock ‘n’ roll” but also hip-hop and R&B. This year’s list of honorees continues that evolving tradition and includes Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner, Dave Matthews Band, Cher, Kool & The Gang, and Peter Frampton.

Separately, after a months-long search and receiving 10,000+ applications, the Smashing Pumpkins finally revealed their newest guitarist, YouTuber and Shrednanigan queen, Kiki Wong.

Finally, with much veneration, we bid adieu to one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band, Forest Richard “Dickey” Betts.

Non-major cities see inaugural festivals, returning festivals reveal lineups

As mid-tier cities continue to grow as a corollary of remote work, it’s natural that some mid-tier cities are hosting their first major music festivals. Here are a few inaugural lineups:

South Star Festival in Huntsville, AL: Gwen Stefani, Blink-182, Beck, Shinedown, Sublime, Jane’s Addiction, The Goo Goo Dolls
Elsewhere Festival in Wichita, KS: Killer Mike, Steve Aoki, Lane 8, Vince Staples
Sudden Little Thrills in Pittsburgh, PA: The Killers, Melanie Martinez, SZA, and hometown legend, Wiz Khalifa

Of course, some annual favorites are returning this year:

Outside Lands in San Francisco, CA: Tyler, the Creator, The Killers, Sturgill Simpson, The Postal Service, Chris Lake, Kaytranada, Gryffin
All Things Go in Columbia, MD: Laufey, Bleachers, Janelle Monae, Hozier, Reneé Rapp, Conan Gray
Lyrical Lemonade’s The Summer Smash in Chicago, IL: Cactus Jack (Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Sheck Wes, Chase B, SoFaygo), Playboi Carti, and hometown hero, Chief Keef
Ohana Festival in Orange County, CA: Pearl Jam, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Alanis Morissette, Turnpike Troubadours

Primer: Although this artist has opened up for Elton John, Sting, and Bryan Adams, we discovered her supporting LANY at Emo’s Austin in 2017. If our music tastes were a Venn Diagram, Dagny’s synth-electro-pop style would be right at the center of it. Born and raised in Tromsø, Norway, Dagny is the youngest child of two notable Norwegian jazz musicians. Not only did she grow up in a musical household, but like many young girls from the millennial generation, The Spice Girls were one of her biggest inspirations to pursue a music career. After six years of collaboration projects (including an EP) and small festival showcases, Dagny was ready to give up until she recorded the single “Backbeats,” which received critical reception from Zane Lowe at BeatsOne, enough to change the trajectory of her career. Although she was originally signed to Republic Records, she eventually parted ways to start her own label, Little Daggers, leading up to the release of her debut album, Strangers / Lovers, in 2020.

What’s Next: As we await the official announcement of her sophomore album, Dagny plans to release a series of “mini-albums,” the first of which, ELLE, will drop in June.

🚫 The TikTok Ban: Within the past couple of weeks, the Senate passed a TikTok ban bill, Biden signed it, and ByteDance publicly mentioned that they aren’t planning to sell TikTok anytime soon. As we await the next move, TikTok continues to operate normally, striking a global ticketing partnership with AXS that allows users to buy tickets for live events within the app. Separately, troubled TikTok competitor, Triller, merged with Hong Kong-based holdings group, AGBA.

📱 Spotify Strife: Apple continues to play hardball with Spotify after the latter updated its pricing disclosures on Apple’s App Store but continues to defy the new App Store tax. Additionally, earlier this week Spotify reported its earnings, predictably showing strong subscriber and revenue growth.

🤖 Master of Playlists: On the heels of Spotify’s AI playlist generation tool, Amazon Music has soft-launched its version called Maestro.

🎸 In The Band: Collaborative social media music app, Indaband, is allowing users from around the world to layer videos together to make a cohesive band.

💵 Hipgnosis Bidding War: In one of the biggest music industry M&A moves in recent history, Concord, with the financial support of private equity firm Apollo Global Management, made a $1.4 billion bid to purchase Hipgnosis Songs Fund before increasing its bid to $1.51 billion to overtake a $1.5 billion counteroffer from Blackstone.

👨🏻‍⚖️ We Don’t Antitrust You: The Department of Justice is expected to file an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster within the next few weeks.

📚 National Recording Registry: Every year, the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings representing American culture to preserve in its permanent collection. This year’s recordings include “Arrival” by ABBA, “Wide Open Spaces” by The Chicks, “Dookie” by Green Day, and “Ready to Die” by The Notorious B.I.G.

📊 More Accurate Charts: Music data company Luminate is partnering with music sales metrics provider, StreetPulse, to improve the accuracy of physical music sales.

🇫🇷 French Connection: French private equity company, Ardian, is selling its interest in audio mixing company Audiotonix, to PAI Partners, another private equity company based in France.

🤝 Plethora of Partnerships: Warner Music South East Europe launched a new EDM label, Balkan Electro. Universal Music France and Wèrè Wèrè Music launched Def Jam Africa to focus on the growth of French-speaking artists in Africa. Believe announced a partnership with management agency, Kidding Aside, to launch EDM label, All Night Long. Warner Chappell Music and ReverbNation are partnering on a joint A&R and creative services venture. Nigerian afrobeats artist, Davido, partnered with UnitedMasters to launch his new label, Nine+ Records.

💰 Securing the Bag: Warner Music Group is selling media subsidiaries, UPROXX, HipHopDX, and Dime Magazine to three media veterans, forming a new entity dubbed UPROXX Studios. U.S. private equity firms, Blackstone and CVC, are considering a buyout of European festival organizer Superstruct Entertainment. Finally, Armada Music (a label founded by Armin Van Buuren) is acquiring Netherlands-based publisher Cloud 9 Music.

Future & Metro Boomin are 2/2 for #1 debuts this year

📈 Future and Metro Boomin are back on top of the Billboard 200 for a second time this year with We Still Don’t Trust You as more artists take shots at Drake. Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” debuts at #7 but is expected to climb in the coming weeks.

St. Vincent, Chief Keef, Anitta released albums last week, Radical Optimism coming this week

📅 We’ve added PR links and consolidated artist touring regions in our calendar. Access it here.

📣 Album Announcements: Judah & the Lion announced The Process will drop on May 10th. aespa will be releasing their debut album, Armageddon, on May 27th. Imagine Dragons unveiled their sixth studio album, LOOM. Normani created a hilariously titled website anticipating the drop of DOPAMINE. Tems revealed her debut studio album, Born In The Wild.

⏪ Notable albums released last week:

St. Vincent, All Born Screaming
Chief Keef, Almighty So 2
Anitta, Funk Generation
Shygirl, fabric presents Shygirl
PARTYNEXTDOOR, PARTYNEXTDOOR 4
Jess Glynne, JESS
Pet Shop Boys, Nonetheless
Luke Hemmings, boy
Picture This, Parked Car Conversations

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Dua Lipa, Radical Optimism
¥$, VULTURES 2
Sia, Reasonable Woman
WILLOW, empathogen
Charlotte Day Wilson, Cyan Blue
The Lemon Twigs, A Dream Is All We Know
Tai Verdes, 4K
Jessica Pratt, Here In the Pitch
Frank Turner, Undefeated
MISSIO, I Am Cinco
P.O.D., Veritas

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Donya and Chris

#84 - Dream in Colour 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 00:45:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! Getting blocked by the moon this week was truly a traumatic event, but at least it brought back Bonnie Tyler. Since the eclipse, we saw J. Cole pull “7 Minute Drill” (lol he did delete later) and Taylor Swift’s music return to TikTok. We’ll be taking next week off to recover, but don’t worry. We’re back on the 28th, and we’ll be catching everyone up.

Rating Rationale: Earlier this week, Vampire Weekend celebrated their fifth studio album, Only God Was Above Us, with a show in Austin, TX during the total solar eclipse. The album’s namesake is a direct quote from a passenger onboard Aloha Airlines Flight 243 after the aircraft’s roof came off mid-flight, later made into a headline of a 1988 edition of the New York Daily News. All ten tracks are heavily inspired by 20th-century New York City, particularly through artist Steven Siegel’s photography and footage from that time period, one that frontman, Ezra Koenig, describes as “funky New York in the ‘80s with a touch of surrealism.” Koenig and company worked to create an album that lived up to that imagery. While we believe the band achieves that with Ariel Rechtshaid (Plain White T’s, HAIM) returning to the band as a co-producer, we miss the lyrical imagery that was served on Father of the Bride. Our favorite tracks on this record are “Connect,” “Prep School Gangsters,” and “Capricorn.”

Unpacking Coachella Weekend One, Rolling Loud expands to Europe

Every year at Coachella, festival-goers anticipate surprise guests and bespoke performances (good and bad). Here’s the scoop on Weekend One:

Lana Del Rey brought out Jon Batiste on piano for “Candy Necklace” and Billie Eilish for a duet on “Ocean Eyes” and “Video Games,” before ending her set with Jack Antonoff on piano playing “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but I have it.”
Argentian DJ, Bizarrap welcomed Shakira to announce her world tour.
Peso Pluma brought out Becky G for “CHANEL,” Junior H for “El Azul,” Arcángel for “PESO COMPLETO,” and Santa Fe Klan for “NO SON KLLE.” One thing is for sure, Mexican hip-hop is on the rise.
No Doubt brought out Olivia Rodrigo.
Tyler, the Creator welcomed Childish Gambino, A$AP Rocky, Charlie Wilson, and Kali Uchis. Oh, and Rihanna was in the crowd.
Vampire Weekend, who was announced as a last-minute addition to the lineup, brought out Paris Hilton to play…cornhole?
Billie Eilish and Finneas threw a listening party at the Do Lab Stage.
Ice Spice and LE SSERAFIM debuted new songs.
Dom Dolla brought out Nelly Furtado, and then she took a tumble.
Grimes had constant technical difficulties, but so did most artists on the main Coachella stage.

For Weekend Two attendees, it’s safe to say these artists won’t attend next week. If you’re going next week, make sure to check this Coachella parties events guide.

Finally, hip-hop festival, Rolling Loud, announced this week that the organizers will be expanding to Austria. Branded Rolling Loud Europe, the headliners include Nicki Minaj, Playboi Carti, and Travis Scott.

The hip-hop community loses two influential members

In sad news, both Brooklyn hip-hop DJ, Mister Cee, and Atlanta-based Organized Noise producer, Rico Wade, passed away this week. Mister Cee was best known for his mixes at HOT 97 and serving as the associate executive producer of Notorious B.I.G.’s debut album, Ready to Die (and playing an important role in helping Biggie get signed to Bad Boy Records). Rico Wade was not only known for his extensive production accolades, which include TLC’s “Waterfalls” and OutKast’s first two albums, but also for building a hip-hop community in Atlanta by way of his music collective, Dungeon Family, and being a mentor to his cousin, Nayvadius Cash (most know him as Future).

Tomorrowland Brazil will return, Allure of the Seas to set sail in January 2025

After confirming a return to Brazil in 2024, the organizers of Tomorrowland have committed to a 10-year renewal, agreeing to improve the logistics of the electronic festival in São Paulo, including “water-proofing” the venue, a challenge that mired the previous year’s festival.

This week, Whet Travel unveiled the lineup for their 37th Groove Cruise aboard the Allure of the Seas next January. The headliners of the four-day nonstop festival include Eric Prydz, James Hype, MEDUZA, Nicole Moudaber, and Seven Lions.

Franc Moody

Primer: We can’t resist the ongoing disco renaissance, so we’re using it as an excuse to keep the electronic theme going this week. Ned Franc and Jon Moody hail from London, England, and together, they comprise “Franc Moody.” In 2016, after having bad experiences with their previous bands, the two friends were initially set to become a writing duo. Shortly after working together, they discovered their shared inspirational sound palette, one they describe as the “meat of digital, analog, and human error meets quantization.” The duo dropped their debut album, Dance Moves, in 2018, and a follow-up, Dream in Colour, in 2020, before releasing their third album, Into the Ether, in 2022. Over the last few years, they’ve added Lollapalooza and Life is Beautiful festival to their resume, along with supporting Louis the Child at Red Rocks, a bucket list venue for the duo. Through careful curation of their live band members, they’ve become well-known for their quality, eclectic live shows.

Genre: Electronic, soul, funk, disco

Influences: Daft Punk, James Brown, Jamiroquai, Fast Dominos, Chuck Berry, Parliament

Current Label: Juicebox Recordings

Audience: ~1.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify

What’s Next: So far, Franc Moody seems to be committed to releasing a new album every two years, which means we may get a new album as early as this summer. Over the last year, while on their Into the Ether Tour, they’ve been teasing their experimental creative process by sharing TikToks of the unique ways they use their “medieval boom microphone” to capture various sounds. See take 1 and take 2 here. If you dig their sound, subscribe to their monthly newsletter, House of FM, for more regular updates.

💳 Getting Even: EVEN, an app that allows superfans to purchase music directly from artists based on set “tiers,” just went live.

🧑🏻‍💼 Co-Manager: That’s the name of an AI-powered assistant created by Venice Music to help support and guide the music career of any artist.

🎧 Playlists & Remixes: Spotify is continuing to ride the wave of AI by launching a functionality that allows user prompts to generate a customized playlist. Additionally, on Thursday, WSJ reported that Spotify is planning to release remixing tools for fans.

✈️ In-Flight Music: Tuned Global, a B2B music streaming platform, and Spafax, an airline content media network, are partnering to bring in-flight music to various major airlines, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, British Airways, Iberia, Air Canada, and Lufthansa.

🌐 Web3 Updates: Royal released plans for their version 2.0, a major reshuffling of the decks: support for more decentralization, sunsetting of the Royal marketplace, and possibly generative AI. Audius released support for Solana NFTs, which means users can now stream audio content within Audius by simply holding a Solana NFT distributed by the artist as a collectible gated track. Supercollector added a feature that adds transparency to upfront fees (and why you should collect via blockchain vs. credit card)!

🇨🇳 C-Pop Rising: Universal Music Greater China has partnered with Beijing-based TF Entertainment on a distribution deal to support the global expansion of C-Pop.

🖊️ New Signings: Dua Lipa’s recently formed Radical22 media company signed a bespoke “admin” deal with Warner Chappell Music. Legendary classical singer, Andrea Bocelli, signed a global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group’s Classics & Screen department. Lisa of BLACKPINK signed a solo deal with RCA Records.

📶 Strategic Expansion: Warner Music Group is doubling down on expansion efforts in South Asia after a deal with Giraffe in late January, launching Warner Music South Asia to support recorded music operations in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Live Nation is expanding their live concert operations into “Tier 3” city, Des Moines, Iowa via a joint venture with local concert promoter, First Fleet Concerts.

💰 Securing the Bag: Udio, an AI-powered music-making app developed by former Google DeepMind researchers, raised a $10 million seed round from a16z, UnitedMasters, will.i.am, Common, Tay Keith, and others.

Beyoncé becomes first black female artist to top Billboard Country Albums chart

📈 This week, Beyoncé made history on the Billboard charts by achieving her eighth #1 album while also becoming the first black female artist to reach #1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Additionally, due to Rumi Carter’s guest appearance on her mom’s song, “PROTECTOR,” Rumi now overtakes Blue Ivy as the youngest person to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT is out this week

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

📣 Album Announcements: Billie Eilish announces her highly anticipated third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, which is set to drop on May 17. Shortly after a supporting spot on tour with Alanis Morissette and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Morgan Wade will release OBSESSED. Ahead of their residency at The Sphere, Phish announced their first album in four years, Evolve will be everywhere on July 12. You love jazz standards? So do we - Andrew Bird has recorded a trio album, Sunday Morning Put-On, set for a May 24 release.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Taylor Swift, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT
Ringo Starr, Crooked Boy
Brian Eno, Eno
Gabrielle Aplin, Writer’s Block Pt. 1
Pearl Jam, Dark Matter
YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Untitled
Local Natives, But I’ll Wait For You
Tei Shi, Valerie

The Merch Table

🎧 Alo, it’s Tyla: Tyla is collaborating with Beats and Alo to release special edition headphones, which you can purchase at limited Apple and Alo stores in the US.
🩱Just Keep Swimming: Lizzo ventures into fashion with the launch of Yitty Swim, her inclusive swimwear line aiming to celebrate body positivity.
👕 Everybody Wants to be a Cat: Thundercat announces a flagship collection in collaboration with Dover Street Market London, further expanding his creative pursuits into the fashion realm.

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Donya and Chris

#83 - Power of Thought 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 04:30:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! Anyone else’s head spinning from all the new music that dropped Friday? 🔥 Check out our favorite songs currently in rotation on our Balanced Breakfast playlist. While you’re waiting for the upcoming Solar Eclipse, give us a follow on Spotify to access all of our playlists.

Rating Rationale: Earlier this year, we covered Tyla as our artist of the week in anticipation of her debut, self-titled album. After finally listening to TYLA, we’re happy to report back that she’s star material. One of the principal challenges that can arise from artists integrating regional sounds and influences into their LP is the potential for too much repetition. However, Tyla’s variations in vocal range and dancehall tempo across the album provide the versatility needed for listeners to stay engaged as they explore Tyla’s avant-garde version of ampiano. We’re surprised Tyla’s debut single, “Getting Late,” didn’t make the album, but presume that “To Last” is what bridges her past to her present. “Water” is of course her most well-known song but we believe “Truth or Dare” gives it a run for its money.

J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar saga heightens, Pharrell Williams skips DSPs for surprise album drop, Ye & Ty Dolla $ign cancel Vultures listening events

It’s the battle of the diss tracks, and we’re just getting started. In response to Drake and J. Cole’s song “First Person Shooter,” Kendrick Lamar dropped a verse on “Like That” from Future and Metro Boomin’s latest album, WE DON’T TRUST YOU. The verse very pointedly addressed their ongoing feud, proclaiming to fans that “there’s no big three (presumably Drake, J. Cole, and 21 Savage), there’s just big me (Kendrick).” On Friday morning, J. Cole surprised fans by dropping a whole album, MIGHT DELETE LATER, which features a “7 Minute Drill,” dissing various albums throughout Kendrick’s career, particularly To Pimp A Butterfly. Future and Metro Boomin will release WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU next week, and we expect another Kendrick response…

On Friday, Pharrell Williams released a full album, Black Yacht Rock, Vol. 1: City of Limitless Access, that’s exclusively available to fans on his website. Forgoing the digital streaming platforms (DSPs) seemed to be explicit here, and while we’re fans of artists owning their work and how it’s released, this was a miss. Our friend Dave Edwards from Audiomack says it best, “going direct should mean offering fans a better/different experience than what they can get on streaming: unique content/experiences/unlocks, etc.” Nonetheless, this is a strong, summer-ready album.

Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign cancel their respective listening events for their collaborative album, Vultures. While the project was slated to be a trilogy series, there’s still no word on the following installments. Could it be that FUGA is upset that the first album was released without distribution clearance? While no official reason was provided for the cancellations, fans and industry insiders eagerly await further updates.

Billie Eilish teases upcoming album to “Close Friends”, ABBA’s Voyage takes Vegas, Charli XCX receives ASCAP Global Impact Award

On Thursday night, Billie Eilish added all of her Instagram followers to her “Close Friends” list, revealing a story that teased her upcoming album. As fans were eager to learn more about her next album, she reportedly gained 2 million followers in a matter of hours.

ABBA has reportedly secured a lucrative deal to bring their "Voyage" show to Las Vegas, marking a significant expansion of their live performances beyond their initial run in London. The deal underscores the enduring popularity of ABBA's music and the strong demand for its innovative hologram-based concert experience.

Charli XCX becomes the seventh artist ever to receive the ASCAP Global Impact Award, which acknowledges her influence and impact on the pop genre. She’s in good company with Lana Del Rey (2018) and Hillary Lindsey (2019). The ceremony is set to take place on May 8 in Los Angeles.

Kelce Jam and more upcoming festivals

The Kelce Jam (yeah, we had no idea either) will present headliners Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz, offering a dynamic lineup in its second year in Kansas City. SZA is now slated as a headliner for this June’s Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI. Later this summer, a few Sunlighter favorites will take the stage at MEO Kalorama in Portugal, including Olivia Dean, Overmono, and The Smile.

Here are a few more genre-focused festival updates:

Jazz: Blue Note Jazz Fest 2024 offers a stellar lineup including Andra Day and Corinne Bailey Rae.
K-Pop: Waterbomb Festival 2024 shared its lineup for its stops across Asia this summer.
Hip-Hop: Unfortunately, Jay-Z’s curated Made In America Festival has officially been canceled for the second year in a row.
Rock & Metal: Rocklahoma 2024, revealed a lineup that features Slipknot and Mastodon.

Interpol announces free Mexico City show on 4/20, Nine Inch Nails announce multiple ventures

Interpol plans for their biggest show to date, a massive free concert set to take place in Mexico City on April 20. Meanwhile, Nine Inch Nails is making waves with a comprehensive array of ventures on the horizon, from a new album to ventures into television and fashion.

Charlotte de Witte

KNTXT

Primer: Proudly hailing from Ghent, the epicenter of nightlife and rave culture in Belgium, Charlotte de Witte has emerged as a trailblazer for the new generation of techno. While Charlotte may have grown up habitually listening to music by way of her father working at EMI, the strongest influences for her music career have come from her journey in discovering Belgium's rich history of electronic music and her youthful experiences raving at underground nightclubs. Originally donning the surreptitious male moniker Raving George as a 17-year-old DJ, these days, Charlotte is embracing both her persona and sound. Some describe her music as dark or aggressive, but for Charlotte, it’s where she finds her peace.

Genre: Industrial-techno mixed with elements of trance

Influences: Belgium techno and trance labels from the ‘80s and ‘90s and conversations with everyday people!

Current Label: KNTXT (her own label)

Audience: ~2.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify

What’s Next: We know she plays music and loves food, so you’ll likely catch her playing sets throughout Europe, New York, or at select festivals. In the meantime, relive history by watching her close out Tomorrowland’s main stage:

📈 Spotify Means Business: Spotify is raising its prices…again. Individual Premium subscriptions will increase by $1, while Duo and Family plans will go up by $2. Additionally, Spotify will introduce a Basic tier that will include music and podcasts, but not audiobooks. The price hikes will start in the UK, Australia, and Pakistan this Spring, while the U.S. will see them later this year. In more Spotify news, the streaming giant officially launched its new royalty model in which artists must accumulate at least 1,000 streams/year to earn royalties, which risks widening the gap between established and emerging artists.

🤖 AI x Music Updates: This week, over 200 artists, including Metro Boomin and Billie Eilish, stood together to sign a letter urging AI developers to refrain from using AI in ways that diminish the rights and worth of human artists. This step aims to uphold the value of artistic expression and creative autonomy while advocating for ethical practices as AI expands its presence in the music industry.

🌊 Tidal Making Waves: TIDAL aims to remove the hurdles of sharing music by launching a new feature that allows listeners to share music with their friends, who can in turn, listen on their streaming platform of choice. Its current integrations include Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music.

🔍 Hold Up, Wait a Minute: Bandsintown released a new feature allowing artists to aggregate a contact list for every show, even for fans who were placed on the waitlist.

🎧 Be Your Own DJ: Odd Ball is bringing a playful take to the music creation process, allowing you to use their app to become your next house party’s DJ.

💭 There Can Be Miracles, If You Believe: Warner Music Group is reportedly considering a bid of up to $1.8 billion to acquire Believe, a major player in the independent music distribution sector. This move would help WMG gain a substantial foothold in the fast-growing independent music distribution market while expanding its international presence.

🛋️ Couchella > Coachella: Couchella goers, get ready. YouTube has added a multiview feature where fans can live stream up to four performances at a time for this year’s Coachella festival. This is like every music lover’s version of March Madness.

😬 TikTok Pressured: IMPALA (hold the Tame) a trade association representing independent music companies in Europe, is supporting UMG in its ongoing dispute with TikTok over royalty rates. The organization argues that all streaming platforms (calling out Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer) should prioritize fair compensation for creators.

🤝🏻 Beat the Negotiations: BeatStars unveiled a new Creator Rights Agency platform aimed at empowering artists with tools and resources to navigate the complexities of deal negotiations within the music industry.

💰 Securing the Bag: KISS is rocking and rolling all night, and partying every day after selling their entire catalog to Swedish company, Pophouse, for $300 million. KAI Media raised $3 million in early VC funding to continue investing in K-pop expansion.

Kendrick Lamar elevates WE DON’T TRUST YOU, Hozier tops rock and alternative charts

📈 With WE DON’T TRUST YOU topping both Billboard album and song charts, Metro Boomin earns his first #1 on the Hot 100 as a recording artist (previously reached #1 as a writer and producer). More impressively, “Like That,” reached 59.6 million weekly streams, the most in one week in over a year since Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers.” Separately, Hozier’s “Too Sweet” debuts at #1 on seven different rock and alternative charts.

DREAMCAR drops Dream EP, Linkin Park’s greatest hits album set to release next week

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

🚨 Surprise Drops: Along with J. Cole and Pharrell, DREAMCAR, a supergroup comprised of members from No Doubt and AFI, released Dream EP, the group’s first release since 2017 (presumably in anticipation of Coachella). Lil Nas X surprise-released a demo for his new song, “Light Again.”

📣 Album Announcements: Four years after the mainstream success of Dreamland and “Heat Waves,” Glass Animals announced their upcoming album, I Love You So F***ing Much, out July 19th.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Linkin Park, Papercuts
Maggie Rogers, Don’t Forget Me
Future & Metro Boomin, WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU
girl in red, I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!
Nia Archives, Silence is Loud
Jade Bird, Burn the Hard Drive
Alice Merton, Heron
Pabllo Vittar, Batidão Tropical Vol. 2
Famous Dex, I’m Not Perfect I’m Just Honest

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Donya and Chris

#82 - This ain't Texas 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter and Easter Sunday! 🐰 Beyoncé ruled the week, Diddy is still on the run (somewhere in the Caribbean), and our hearts go out to those affected by the collapse of the Francis Key Bridge. Here’s this week in music.

Rating Rationale: Donya here 👋🏼 I’ve been waiting for an album like COWBOY CARTER since Beyoncé released “Daddy Lessons” and performed it live with The Chicks at the 2016 CMA Awards. If you haven’t listened to that recording, consider it your homework. This is the first album I’ve rated as a 10 across all 82 editions we’ve published (if you’re curious, Chris’ was Stormzy’s This Is What I Mean). It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to an album from front to back that felt like a true mastery of musicianship. COWBOY CARTER is a musical marvel–dynamic, yet effortlessly cohesive in both lyrical storytelling and overall sound, with special voiceovers from Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, surprising features from Miley Cyrus and Post Malone, and a brilliant multitude of samples in “YA YA.” Beyoncé performs a tear-jerking reinterpretation of The Beatles classic, “BLACKBIIRD,” championing up-and-coming black female country artists, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell, and Tiera Kennedy. This song is even more symbolic as Paul McCartney mentioned that “Blackbird” was initially inspired by the Little Rock Nine, who helped pioneer the civil rights movement. This is a no-skip album, folks, and it’s worthy of every bit of recognition I hope Beyoncé will finally and inevitably receive.

Critical acclaim for Cowboy Carter, Diddy on the run

Two stories ruled the headlines this week: Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER and a federal investigation involving Diddy.

Let’s start with the good: COWBOY CARTER isn’t a country album, it’s a Beyoncé album. Not only was it over five years in the making, but this album is a clear, cathartic response to an experience where she felt unwelcome, presumably by the country music community during her 2016 CMA performance with The Chicks. In Act II, Beyoncé brings a gun to a knife fight, highlighting the rich but frequently under-recognized history of African-American country music.

Now, the bad: After Cassie’s scathing and head-turning accusations against Diddy’s long-time abuse that oddly settled within the same week, this Monday, U.S. Homeland Security raided Sean “Diddy” Combs’ homes as part of a wider sex trafficking investigation.

Since then, it was reported that:

Diddy sold his shares in Revolt TV to an anonymous buyer.
Ex-college basketball player, Brendan Paul was arrested for his role in supplying and distributing drugs and guns for Diddy.
Diddy is presumably in Antigua after taking off from Miami on Monday afternoon.

Tate McRae wins JUNO Awards, Camila Cabello explores hyper-pop

Last Sunday, Tate McRae was recognized by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences as Artist of the Year through the annual JUNO Awards, which recognizes the achievements of Canada’s music industry. Her song, “greedy” also won Single of the Year.

Camila Cabello returned to music with a surprising stylistic change to her sound - a venture into hyper-pop with “I LUV IT.” If you know us, we always welcome hyper-pop as we’re big Charli XCX fans. Coincidentally, you can catch Charli either “LIVE” or during one of her “PARTYGIRL” DJ sets as part of her upcoming Brat Tour.

Field and Stream debut, All Your Friends Fest, Willie hosts annual 4th of July Picnic

Earlier this year, Morgan Wallen and Eric Church purchased a long-time outdoors magazine known as Field & Stream. Now, they’re debuting a music festival in Winnsboro, South Carolina under the same media brand with Eric Church and Lainey Wilson as headliners of the inaugural festival.

Another inaugural festival is coming to Ontario, Canada - All Your Friends Fest, which features an emo-forward lineup that includes Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, The All-American Rejects, Silverstein, and Mayday Parade, among others.

Finally, Willie Nelson will be hosting his yearly Fourth of July picnic (since 1973), but this time in New Jersey, a deviation from his usual native state of Texas. Nonetheless, Bob Dylan, Maren Morris, and others will be joining him. Check out the rest of the lineup here.

Tomorrowland denies expansion speculation, Framework hosts afterparties in the desert

While speculation ran rampant after false reports that Tomorrowland would be expanding to a new location in Thailand, the Tomorrowland team clarified that an official decision had not been made and that they were currently in the due diligence phase.

With Coachella on the horizon, underground EDM event producer and organizer, Framework, unveiled their third annual Coachella afterparty lineup for Framework in the Desert, which will take place in the Atlantic Aviation airport hangar in Thermal, California. Here's the know before you go.

Dermot Kennedy

Primer: Although this Irishman is well-known to (hopefully) a majority of music industry folks, we’re highlighting him to support his still rising popularity in the U.S. Just fifteen years ago, Dermot Kennedy was hustling at open mic nights and busking the streets of Ireland (famously, Grafton Street) with his gritty, raspy voice. He spent his early teenage years learning and honing his guitar and songwriting skills, and to say his parents were supportive of his passion is an understatement. When he was underage, his father would sneak him into bars to perform at open mic nights, and his mother encouraged him to pursue a music education. In the mid-2010s, Dermot signed to the majors, hit the major festival circuit, and by 2019, he had released his debut album, Without Fear, which garnered mainstream attention from the BBC, BRITs, and NPR’s Tiny Desk:

Genre: Folk-rap, hip-hop

Influences: Ray LaMontagne, Glen Hansard, Damien Rice, Mike Dean

Current Label: Interscope Records (US-only) & Island Records

Audience: ~12.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify

What’s Next: In true Irish fashion, Kennedy released his latest EP, I’ve told the trees everything, the Friday before St. Patrick’s Day–you can find the themed sweatshirt in our Merch Store below. He was formerly on the bill to join Shawn Mendes’ Wonder tour in 2022. Even though the tour was canceled, with Shawn returning to the stage later this year, we hope this means these two will take the stage together soon.

🪐 Spotify Universe: Universal Music Group expanded its relationship with Spotify to improve “music discovery and social interaction,” along with fan experiences. One of the first features associated with this partnership includes the ability for users to watch music videos via the “Switch to Video” feature.

🛝 Blipblox: That’s the name of a toy-like music synthesizer developed by parent company, Playtime Engineering, to support early music interests in adolescents. The company recently released a more advanced toy-like instrument called MyTracks that allows kids to live out their young producer dreams.

🤖 AI x Music Updates: AI multimedia company, Runway, recently partnered with lyrics catalog platform, musixmatch, to provide generative video capabilities to musixmatch’s artist community. Separately, music usage rights company, Rightsify, released their copyright-clear AI music generation model, Hydra.

HYBE 🤝 UMG: HYBE and Universal Music Group announced a 10-year partnership that would effectively provide UMG exclusive distribution of HYBE’s artist roster as well as increased collaboration and integration with HYBE’s artist-to-fan engagement platform, Weverse.

4️⃣ Big Four: BMG is quietly approaching $1 billion in annual revenue. Is it time to consider BMG the fourth major label?

🐘 HipNOsis: Within the past few months, we’ve highlighted the flawed business model and subsequent downfall of Hipgnosis Songs Fund. This week, boutique investment bank, Shot Tower Capital, provided an independent valuation of Hipgnosis that was 26% lower than their reported valuation in December. Materially lower than their public disclosures, should we expect upcoming lawsuits asserting that the company misled investors?

🌎 Music Worldwide: is steadily growing. In China, Tencent Music revealed a 21% increase in paid subscribers, while in Australia, the Australian Recording Industry Association released new data showing the highest level of music growth since 2005.

🖊️ New Signings: Teddy Swims is off to more than just a hot start with “Lose Control.” This week, he signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. Additionally, upcoming singer-songwriter, Dasha, signed with Warner Records after “Austin” hit #1 on TikTok’s viral charts (make sure to check our chart data below to stay updated with viral hits).

💰 Securing the Bag: This week is about giving. UK royalty distributor, PPL, is launching “PPL Giving,” a £1 million annual program to invest in organizations that promote positive change in talent development and career support. Swedish AI-powered record label, Snafu Records, revealed a $1 million fund to support female creators.

Kacey sees strong sales with Deeper Well, Justin Timberlake struggles to impress

📈 No artist toppled Ariana Grande’s eternal sunshine this week, though Kacey Musgraves achieved her biggest career sales debut, reaching #1 for Top Album Sales. Unfortunately for Justin Timberlake, Everything I Thought It Was missed expectations across most charts.

Four Sunlighter favorites drop new albums this week

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

📣 Album Announcements: Local Natives announced their sixth album, But I’ll Wait For You, will be released April 19th. NewJeans surprised fans this week by announcing two new albums, one dropping on May 24th and the second dropping on June 21st. AURORA announced her upcoming album, What Happened To The Heart?, will be out June 7th.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Vampire Weekend, Only God Was Above Us
Conan Gray, Found Heaven
Griff, vert1go vol. 2
Young Miko, att.
Khruangbin, A La Sala
Lizzy McAlpine, Older
Novo Amor, Collapse List
Bryson Tiller, Bryson Tiller,
X Ambassadors, Townie
The Black Keys, Ohio Players
Tori Kelly, TORI.
Nate Smith, Through the Smoke

The Merch Table

🌳 Summer Sweater Weather: If you’re now a fan of Dermot after this week’s profile, you can order his sweatshirt in honor of his latest EP, I’ve told the trees everything.
👟 Barbz Sneakers: On April 12th, Nicki Minaj will release 11 unique pairs of sneakers in her first collection with in collaboration with LØCI.
🏃 Diplo Run Club: Wanna run a 5K with Diplo? You’re in luck. The DJ has announced that the first two races will take place in San Francisco and Seattle this September.

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Donya and Chris

#81 - LP Global 🌞

Chris Xu — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 03:30:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! Friction was the backdrop of this week in music: Kendrick Lamar took shots at Drake and J. Cole, severe weather impacted Ultra Music Festival, and tragic news came from Moscow’s Crocus City Hall. We’re hopeful for better days ahead.

Rating Rationale: If you’re like us and you’ve been a fan of Kacey Musgraves since Same Trailer Different Park, Pageant Material, and Golden Hour but were disappointed with the departure of star-crossed, you’re in luck. With Deeper Well, take comfort in knowing that Kacey has found her way home. Kacey stays true to her internal compass of authentic storytelling while being one of the most endearing and engaging artists in country music. Over the last year, Kacey has explored the art of folk-country through her Grammy award-winning and chart-topping collaboration with Zach Bryan and her feature on Noah Kahan’s Stick Season. In her sixth studio album, we hear her fully lean into this sound. Recorded at Electric Lady Studios in NYC, Kacey describes it as her most grounded album, embracing the theme of ruthlessly removing resistance to growth. That said, we miss the 1-2 upbeat tracks that often made her previous albums feel more complete (“Dime Store Cowgirl,” “High Horse”). The standout tracks for us are “Sway” and “The Architect.”

Lollapalooza shares Sunlighter-heavy lineup, Country Calling features Lainey Wilson, Noah Kahan headlines Pilgrimage Festival, and Festival d’été de Québec scores diverse lineup

Festival lineups continue to roll in as Lollapalooza announced its 2024 lineup featuring SZA, Tyler, The Creator, and Blink-182 as headliners along with several upcoming artists we’ve previously featured as Artist of the Week (Laufey, Tyla, Lizzy McAlpine, Teezo Touchdown).

As country music continues to dominate streams, Country Calling Festival will debut in Ocean City, MD with headliners Eric Church, Jelly Roll, Tyler Childers, and early Sunlighter favorite, Lainey Wilson.

Confirming the “season of the sticks” is alive and well, Noah Kahan prepares to headline the 10th Annual Pilgrimage Festival in Franklin, TN this September. Stephen Sanchez joins the lineup, alongside COIN, NEEDTOBREATHE, Hozier, and Dave Matthews Band.

Finally, Billboard coins Festival d’été de Québec as the “best kept secret in Canada,” and this summer, they’ve unveiled a diverse lineup, including Post Malone, 50 Cent, Nas, Nickelback, J Balvin, and the Jonas Brothers.

“Don’t Stop Believing” hits 18x platinum, Yungblud curates BLUDFEST, and Vampire Weekend will play solar eclipse show

Earlier this week, Forbes reported Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” is the biggest song of all time, officially certified 18x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

While teasing the inspiration for his upcoming album, Yungblud is aiming to recreate the feeling of old-school punk gigs by curating an event called “BLUDFEST,” which is set to take place at the Milton Keynes Bowl in England this August. The event will feature Lil Yachty and Nessa Barrett, among others.

Vampire Weekend revealed that they’ve been recording a new project with an imaginary backstory, hinting at a departure from their usual musical style and potentially offering fans a glimpse into their creative experimentation. Meanwhile, the band shared plans to livestream a special solar eclipse show on April 8th in Austin, TX.

Metronomy’s Anna Prior announces Almost Love, Porter Robinson’s “Cheerleader,” and Coachella’s new EDM stage

Long-time DJ and Metronomy drummer, Anna Prior, announced the tracklist for her debut solo EP, Almost Love, coming on June 13.

“Ooh, I think that I found myself a cheerleader,” is a nod to the OMI song but also the name of the first single from Porter Robinson in two years.

The demand for EDM continues to grow as Coachella announces the launch of Quasar Stage, an EDM-focused addition to its lineup. So far, Diplo, Mau P, Honey Dijon, and Green Velvet are among the confirmed artists.

LP Giobbi

Primer: Leah Chisholm, better known as LP Giobbi, is more than just an artist - she’s an evangelist for matriarchy, both through her music and by way of her mother’s maiden name (Giobbi). Leveraging her extensive classical piano training since second grade, Leah first immersed herself in jazz piano performance at UC Berkeley before pivoting to electronic production post-college after meeting Peter Franco, an engineer for Daft Punk. Realizing that women comprised only 2% of charting producers, she doubled down on her pursuit of gender impact in electronic music after founding FEMME HOUSE, a nonprofit that creates opportunities for gender expansiveness through music collaborations. Now, as the global music director at W Hotels and head of her label, YES YES YES, she continues to embrace her role as a non-traditional DJ to empower other women to pursue music.

Genre: Electronic dance music, pioneering the “piano house” sound

Influences: The Grateful Dead - so much so that she was inspired to integrate their songs into her house music sets, dubbed “Dead House.”

Current Label: Counter Records; FEMME HOUSE releases music in partnership with Insomniac Records

Audience: ~2.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify

What’s Next: After releasing her first LP (no pun intended), Light Places, in 2023 and dropping her second volume of FEMME HOUSE earlier this month, we expect Leah’s momentum, unique sound, and mission of inclusivity within the EDM space to catapult her towards mainstream audiences. You can catch her at several EDM festivals or a brief residency of her “Dead House” set at the Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas. Not sold on her talent? Here’s an insightful video by the Recording Academy of Leah’s journey and mission:

🤖 AI x Music Updates: While AI was getting booed at SXSW, it has continued to gain traction in the music industry. Check out Rolling Stone’s profile of Suno AI, an AI-powered song generator, and a letter from the founder of Soundful, an AI music production tool - both companies detail the possibilities of bridging the gap between AI and human creators. In Tennessee, legislators signed the first law protecting musicians against AI through the “Elvis Act.” Meanwhile across the pond, Jammable is facing legal challenges in the UK for its artist voice cloning service that houses over 3,000 AI models.

📻 Boombox on Roblox: Music and gaming continue to play well together as UMG and Republic Records recently launched an ad-supported portable music player on Roblox.

📉 Stats on Streamers: Spotify continues to embrace pay transparency by updating its Loud & Clear website (Music.ally examines the trends here). For the first time since it launched in the U.S., TikTok’s subscriber base has begun to stagnate following the removal of the UMG catalog and possible stateside ban.

🎵 What If Music Was Enough?: Earlier this month, singer-songwriter, James Blake, expressed his frustrations with the shortcomings of the music industry via X. His boldest claims were specifically associated with fair pay for artists, stating, “the brainwashing worked and now people think music is free.” Over the past week, he announced a partnership with Vault to make royalties directly accessible to artists. To start, he uploaded his unreleased tracks (including one with Anderson .Paak) to his personal Vault, which fans can unlock for only $5/month.

😬 Streaming Fraud: A man in Denmark was sentenced to 18 months in prison for streaming fraud after using bots to manipulate his streaming numbers. Meanwhile, IFPI and Music Canada called out nine streaming companies who falsified streaming numbers, all of which have been shut down. Both cases highlight James Blake’s claims of the vulnerabilities within the streaming ecosystem and call for the importance of pay transparency in the streaming industry to ensure fair compensation for artists and rights holders.

📈 Music Market Growth: Although streaming continues to have its fair share of hardships for both artists and rightsholders, it was the main driver of global music revenue growth in 2023, increasing 11.2% YoY, and overall music revenues, rising from $10.2 billion to $28.6 billion. Streaming revenues make up nearly 50% of the music market today. Read the full report from IFPI here.

🌍 International Updates: Saudi Arabian media conglomerate MBC acquired a 14% stake in Anghami, the leading music streaming platform in the Middle East.

💰 Securing the Bag: Wavemaker, a music licensing startup, launched with a significant boost of $5 million in funding, aiming to streamline the complex process of licensing music across various platforms. Warner Music India invested in Jetsynthesys Global Music Junction, indicating the label's strategic focus on expanding its presence and influence in the Indian music market. Iconoclast acquired the catalog of legendary crooner Tony Bennett.

Ariana Grande shines on charts and helps her grandmother make history

📈 Ariana Grande becomes only the fourth artist to simultaneously claim the top album, top song, top artist, top songwriter, and top producer spot on the Billboard charts in a given week. Additionally, because her “nonna” was credited as a co-writer on the track, “Ordinary Things,” her 98-year-old grandmother now holds the title of the oldest living person to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter leads heavy album release week

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

🚨 Surprise Drops: Hozier released Unheard, an EP of previously unreleased music.

📣 Album Announcements: We’ve got a lot this week. After switching record labels, Anitta announced her first LP with Republic Records, Funk Generation, will drop in April. Bryson Tiller will also be releasing his self-titled album in April. Remi Wolf has Big Ideas for her next album in July. renforshort will be embracing clean hands dirty water in her upcoming EP.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter
MGK & Trippie Redd, Genre:Sadboy
Gesaffelstein, GAMMA
j-hope, HOPE ON THE STREET VOL. 1
Blu DeTiger, All I Ever Want Is Everything
Chief Keef, Almighty So 2
Enrique Iglesias, FINAL (Vol. 2)
HARDY, HIXTAPE, Vol. 3: DIFFTAPE
Kenny Chesney, BORN
Sheryl Crow, Evolution
Sum 41, Heaven :x: Hell
Boyz Noize & Rico Nasty, HVRDC0RE DR3AMZ
Buddy, Don’t Forget To Breathe
Chastity Belt, Live Laugh Love

The Merch Table

✨ How to Disappear: Radiohead's Colin Greenwood is set to release a photo book chronicling the band's journey, offering fans a glimpse into their creative process and behind-the-scenes moments.
📕 Sum Memoir: Sum 41's frontman Deryck Whibley reveals plans for a memoir titled Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell, promising a candid reflection on his personal struggles and triumphs throughout his music career.

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Donya and Chris

#80 - Ok Love You Bye 🌞

Donya Bayrami — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! While the weekend kept us busy listening to all of the new album drops, we also had a chance to watch The Greatest Night in Pop documentary on Netflix. It centers on the night that brought together the biggest voices of the ‘80s for a common good, and we highly recommend it.

Rating Rationale: Ariana Grande’s seventh studio album, eternal sunshine, is not just a title that’s on-brand for Sunlighter, but more thematically, it’s a nod to the plot of the movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, as a symbolic representation of her harrowing divorce from Dalton Gomez (and likely, her love of Jim Carrey). Primarily produced by Max Martin and ILYA, eternal sunshine is Ariana’s emotional exhale from the highs and lows of her previous relationship. The sequence and interrelated tracks of the album are cleverly structured, like “true story” informing “the boy is mine,” and the album radiates with raw emotion, particularly “eternal sunshine” and “i wish i hated you.”

Aging pop stars struggle, Meghan Trainor and Perrie Edwards announce albums, Dua Lipa embraces Radical Optimism

This year has seen an interesting progression in the dichotomy between new pop stars and aging pop stars. Interestingly, older pop stars are struggling—particularly Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez, who have released uninspiring new albums amidst an all-out-blitz PR effort that included Jennifer Lopez’s Super Bowl halftime commercial and JT’s recent visit to NPR’s Tiny Desk.

For more recent pop stars, the gears continue to grind. Meghan Trainor will be releasing her new album, Timeless, in June, while ex-Little Mix singer, Perrie Edwards, is planning to drop her first solo album later this year. Dua Lipa announced that the name of her upcoming album will reference the philosophical concept of Radical Optimism, and Olivia Rodrigo continues to prove that she has guts, even as her management was forced by political pressure to repeal the distribution of contraceptives during her Guts Tour.

Bon Jovi documentary and new album, Neil Young returns to Spotify, Tokyo Police Club bids farewell

Not only will Bon Jovi be releasing a four-part docuseries of the band’s 40-year history titled Thank you, Goodnight, but this week, they announced an upcoming album, Forever, that they consider a “return to joy.”

After two years of protesting Spotify’s continued support of Joe Rogan’s podcast amidst “spread of misinformation,” Neil Young has decided to bring back his catalog to Spotify as he states Apple Music and Amazon Music haven’t done any better.

Finally, Tokyo Police Club revealed their farewell tour dates as they have planned to go on hiatus indefinitely after their tour.

Glastonbury finally reveals lineup, Pitchfork returns to Chicago, and THING festival moves from Port Townsend to Carnation

After much anticipation, Glastonbury Festival has released its headliners for the upcoming 2024 festival: Dua Lipa, Coldplay, SZA, and Shania Twain. The festival tickets are already sold out, but you can still enter in the donation prize draw to win one of the 20 pairs of tickets.

Even with its recent absorption into GQ, Pitchfork is returning its annual festival to Chicago, headlined by the Black Pumas, Jamie xx, and Alanis Morissette.

Finally, the successor to the iconic Sasquatch festival, THING Festival, released a strong indie-forward lineup that includes St. Vincent, Toro Y Moi, and Black Pumas. However, this year, the location has moved from Port Townsend to Remlinger Farms in Carnation, WA.

Willie Nelson announces The Border, Zach Bryan debuts “Sandpaper”

Incredibly, Willie Nelson is maintaining a productive music career, even at the age of 90. Fresh off the heels of his carefully curated Luck Reunion Festival, Willie will be releasing his 75th solo album, The Border, a month after his 91st birthday. Separately, fellow outlaw country artist, Zach Bryan, debuted a new song called “Sandpaper” as part of his ongoing tour.

OIivia Dean

Primer: If your karaoke song is also “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, you’ll like this week’s artist. Born to an English father and Jamaican-Guyanese mother who filled their house with music, Olivia naturally began singing at age 8, debuting her voice during a performance of “Tomorrow” from Annie at a school talent show. She enrolled in the renowned BRIT school, where she focused on songwriting. By age 17, she secured an audition and spot to perform alongside Rudimental.

You may recognize Olivia from her collaborations with Rudimental and Leon Bridges, but her solo work stands above and beyond. With a Motown-inspired sound supported by effervescent production and jazz cadences, her deeply introspective debut album, Messy, is cohesively strong and anything but its namesake.

Genre: Neo-soul, Pop

Influences: Lauryn Hill (Olivia’s parents were such big fans, they made “Lauryn” her middle name), The Supremes, Carole King, Amy Winehouse

Current Label: AMF Records

Audience: ~3.38 million monthly listeners on Spotify

What’s Next: Before kicking off her 14-date UK tour in April, Olivia will play at Weekend 2 of Coachella’s Empire Polo Club.

💥 Spotify Fires Shots: Primarily at YouTube. This week, Spotify began rolling out music videos for its Premium users in 11 countries, challenging the status quo set by Vevo and YouTube.

🔮 Song Psychic: If you haven’t already tried it, Spotify launched a new feature called “Song Psychic” that allows users to ask Spotify questions and receive insightful answers informed by Spotify’s immense amount of music data. Spotify GPT, anyone?

💸 Pandora Royalty Changes: As Pandora’s business model has evolved over the years, music labels, specifically Universal Music Group, have exploited these changes that have resulted in artists receiving $135 million less in royalties due to the reclassification of royalty payouts from SoundExchange to UMG.

⭕ Circles: That’s the name of TIDAL’s new feature that enables artist-to-artist forum discussions, further augmenting artist community-building on the platform.

🇪🇺 Music Tech Europe: 10 European Union members formed a new music consortium known as “Music Tech Europe” to improve the development and innovation of music technology within Europe.

🌐 Web3 Updates: Sound added two new channels to their mobile app.

🌮 Live Más: Taco Bell’s highly practical “Feed The Beat” program, which helps fans discover new artists while feeding touring musicians with $500 in Taco Bell gift cards, is expanding to the United Kingdom and will feature British artists including MISOGI (whose album we ranked #2 in our Top 10 of 2023) High Vis, Neck Deep, and Felixthe1st.

🎶 MusicWatch Study: The annual audio and music purchasing and listening study was published by MusicWatch earlier this week. This year’s data shows a continued trend in record-setting paid subscriptions for streaming platforms along with hip-hop finally overtaking classic rock as the most popular genre in the United States.

🤝🏼 Industry Partnerships: SPIN Magazine is partnering with Greater Than Distribution (Virgin Music Group) to launch an in-house record label, SPIN Records. Big Loud Records is partnering with Mercury Records (Republic Records) to expand their label’s distribution efforts. Finally, video game music technology company, Recreational Music, signed licensing deals with Cherry Red Records and Hopeless Records to access their catalogs on its platform.

💰 Securing the Bag: Canadian digital audio workstation startup, BeatConnect, raised a $1.67 million funding round, including participation from Sfermion. AI music generation platform, SOUNDRAW, raised $3 million in funding to continue scaling its user growth.

Tyla to release her debut album next Friday

📅 For upcoming albums, tours, and festivals access our comprehensive music calendar here.

📣 Album Announcements: NPR compiled a list of 50 albums coming this spring, including Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter.

⏩ Here are album releases to look out for this week:

Tyla, TYLA
Shakira, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
Metro Boomin & Future, We Don’t Trust You
Empress Of, For Your Consideration
FLETCHER, In Search of the Antidote
Adrianne Lenker, Bright Future
Joyner Lucas, Not Now, I’m Busy
Gary Clark Jr., JPEG RAW
The Veronicas, GOTHIC SUMMER
Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood
SiR, HEAVY

Meanwhile, check out our other articles and give us a follow on Twitter!

See ya next Sunday 😎

Donya and Chris