Music Features

Lorde, Sia, Pearl Jam, and More Demand Politicians Stop Playing Music Without Permission

A new letter from the Artist Rights Alliance demands that politicians receive permission for the political use of music.

Rock Stars React to President Trump: Year One

Update 8/4/2020: Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young has filed a copyright infringement suit against Donald Trump's presidential campaign for the use of his songs "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Devil's Sidewalk" without a license. The Trump campaign reportedly played the songs at the June 20th rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it's suspected that the late entrepreneur and Republican political figure Herman Cain contracted COVID-19.

The suit states that Young "cannot allow his music to be used as a 'theme song' for a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate." The lawsuit will serve as a test case for license exclusions in the case of political events.

Imagine pouring your hard work, your talent, and your heartfelt emotions into a work of art for all of humanity to enjoy, only to have it co-opted by a symbol of hatred and division.

For a stunning number of musicians who vehemently oppose Donald Trump's presidency, that is exactly what has happened in recent years. Despite repeated statements that they don't want their music played at his political rallies, Donald Trump's re-election campaign has continued to use music from artists like Adele, Rihanna, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Pharrell Williams, Axl Rose, and honestly too many others to mention.

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MUSIC

Paul McCartney Buries Lennon Rivalry and Settles the Beatles vs. Stones Debate

McCartney discussed a variety of topics with Howard Stern, from Chinese wet markets to Peter Jackson's new documentary

Earlier this week Paul McCartney called into The Howard Stern Show to settle some old beefs and discuss Peter Jackson's upcoming documentary, The Beatles: Get Back.

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Music Features

RIP Bill Withers: The King of Soul's Best Songs

Listen to hits like "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lovely Day."

Bill Withers

Photo by Antidoteusa Kobal Shutterstock

Bill Withers, the singer-songwriter known for classics like "Lean on Me," "Ain't No Sunshine," and" Lovely Day" has died of heart complications.

Withers was 81 at the time of his passing and is survived by his wife, Marcia Johnson, and their two children, Todd and Kori. The family statement reads:

"We are devastated by the loss of our beloved, devoted husband and father. A solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world at large, with his poetry and music, he spoke honestly to people and connected them to each other. As private a life as he lived close to intimate family and friends, his music forever belongs to the world. In this difficult time, we pray his music offers comfort and entertainment as fans hold tight to loved ones."

Withers was primed to sing of heartbreak from an early age, growing up in poverty in West Virginia and enduring the loss of his father at just 13 years old. He got out of West Virginia as soon as he was old enough to join the Navy, where he served for nine years before moving to the San Francisco area. It was there that Withers, in his early 20s, began to learn to play the guitar and sing music. After moving to Los Angeles in 1967, Withers found a job making toilet seats that kept him afloat so he could spend his nights pursuing his real passion: music. Eventually, famed black music executive Clarence Avant took Withers under his wing and signed him to a record deal.

Withers went on to release seven albums in eight years, albums that included hit songs like "Lean On Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine" which quickly became integral parts of American culture. He retired from music in 2009, in part because of ongoing disputes with Columbia records.

When he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, Withers said, "I really don't have the personality to do this all the time, I'm not that outgoing. I'm rather shy—I'd rather hide. I never danced. I hid behind the guitar. So it's all life, you know, as long as you're doing something."

Despite this, there is no question that Withers poured his heart and soul into his music. Every song by the late singer is imbued with a depth of feeling and a storytelling ability that helped to define the genre.

Listen to all of his best songs on our Spotify playlist:



Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshineyoutu.be

Music Features

On This Day: Fleetwood Mac’s "Rumours" Was Destined to Be Terrible

The legendary masterpiece was born out of so much drama that it should have been a mess.

Fleetwood

Photo by Larry Marano on Shutterstock

On this day in 1977, Fleetwood Mac's magnum opus Rumours soared to the #1 spot in the US.

The album was a masterpiece, a "diamond of opulent late 70s rock" as Rolling Stone put it. But the album was very much born out of personal turmoil, with the mythos surrounding its creation still discussed to this day. Ripe with heartache, drug abuse, infidelity and so much drama, it should have been a terrible album.

After a passionate relationship, Stevie Nicks tumultuously split with her musical partner, Lindsey Buckingham. Meanwhile, Christine divorced the band's bassist, husband John McVie, all while Mick Fleetwood's convoluted marriage was additionally on the rocks. The latter would go on to have a wild affair with Nicks. When the group entered the studio to begin the recording session behind Rumours, tensions were high, and the personal chemistry behind the band was all but shot. Rumours was destined to be a mess, but somehow the group's tragedy translated into their most raw and powerful music of their careers. "All who listened to Rumours [became] a voyeur to the painful, glamorous mess," wrote Rolling Stone.

Fleetwood Mac ~ The Chain ~ Live 1982www.youtube.com

The legendary work spawned some of the best rock songs to ever exist. "The Chain," an emotional rock ballad about lost love, is one of the greatest bops of all time, and due to its spliced nature (it was composed of various unfinished demos), to this day it is the only song technically written by every member of the band. "Dreams" was composed by Nicks in Sly Stones bed, Mick Fleetwood credited his "own ineptness" and dyslexia for the famous drum pattern on "Go Your Own Way," and Buckingham had to have her guitar restrung every 20 minutes during the recording of "Never Going Back Again." It was all a hot mess, but what emerged was one of the finest creations in music history, like a phoenix from the ashes. "We refused to let our feelings derail our commitment to the music, no matter how complicated or intertwined they became," Fleetwood wrote in his memoir. "It was hard to do, but no matter what, we played through the hurt."

Revisit this classic masterpiece below:

Rumours (Deluxe Edition)

Photo by: Lee Campbell / Unsplash

Josh Stone, the promising protege of Public Enemy's Chuck D, debuted his new breakout single today titled "What They Talkin' Bout."

As a producer and CEO of his own Real Vibez Only record label, Stone may not yet be a household name, but has been immersed in the music industry for years. While originally from New York, he was set to be a hockey superstar before an injury sidelined him indefinitely from the game he loved. He turned to music as a way to cope with the stress, and ended up dedicating his life to perfecting his craft.

Over the last decade he's worked for a plethora of different labels, and has collaborated behind the scenes with some of Hip-Hop's biggest stars, from The Diplomats to Uncle Murder of G-Unit. Now, he wants the spotlight for himself, his hard hitting debut seeking to prove to the naysayers that Josh Stone is next up, and that Hip-Hop better brace themselves for his arrival. "'What They Talkin Bout' was created because I can't relate to anything being said and going on in the music industry today," said Stone. "These new artists are following trends and talking about nothing. There's a niche in the market that I'm here to fill."

Check out the single below:

Popdust Presents

Jenna Raine Talks About Existing in "Technicolor"

The young artist stopped by Popdust to break down her new single

Jenna Raine talks her latest single, 'Technicolor'.