Music

The latest news and reviews of music.

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Nine Inch Nails' latest video taps into gaming legend
Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor's current interest in video games goes beyond remastering the Quake soundtrack for vinyl and using Kinect on tour. The video for NIN's new single "Less Than" uses the retro PlayStation VR game Polybius as its main attraction. The on-screen action ramps up in time with the music, lyrics flying toward the viewer, building to a crescendo at the two-minute mark where all hell breaks loose.
Singer sues 'Fallout 4' publisher over use of a classic song
The Fallout game series is legendary for its use of music to set the post-apocalyptic mood, but it might have been a little too eager when creating the tone for Fallout 4. Singer Dion DiMucci has sued Fallout's publisher, ZeniMax, for allegedly using his 1961 hit "The Wanderer" for ads without verifying that he approved of the content. The artist contends that ZeniMax didn't bother honoring contract terms that let him refuse the use of his song in the promos, which he finds "morally indefensible." He's not objecting to the game itself -- rather, it's that the ads glorify the protagonist's violence "as sport" instead of focusing on the "struggle for survival." Clearly, he's not a fan of seeing his cherished, upbeat pop song playing as someone guns down mutants.
Recommended Reading: Rebooting a hero in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'
'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Is One of the Best Superhero Movies in Years Christopher Orr, The Atlantic Well folks, the time has come. The team-up between Sony and Marvel for the third different take on Spider-Man debuted this week. So far, the reviews are mostly positive, noting that the duo created a compelling story line for Peter Parker with Tom Holland that establishes the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Don't take my word for it, The Atlantic has a full review (yep, spoilers) with all the details.
Kanye's Tidal breakup is about ego, not money
The relationship between Tidal and Kanye West, one of the streaming service's original artist-owners, is seemingly coming to an end. According to various reports, which Engadget confirmed independently, 'Ye has decided to terminate his exclusive streaming deal with the company, claiming it owes him more than $3 million dollars. Most of that sum was allegedly supposed to be a bonus for him bringing in 1.5 million new subscribers with the release of his last album, The Life of Pablo, in 2016. Tidal is shutting down Kanye's claims and, per TMZ, doesn't seem to be too concerned with his threat to quit since he's still under contract. It's also been reported that, if he were to jump ship and join another streaming service, Tidal's prepared to take legal action.
Kanye West terminates his exclusive Tidal streaming deal
Tidal no longer has exclusive rights to stream Kanye West's music, according to Complex and Billboard. Engadget was also able to independently confirm that Jay-Z's streaming service and West, who was one of its 16 original artist-owners, have terminated their deal. A report published by TMZ says Ye made the decision due to a financial dispute: the company apparently still owes him $3 million, a bonus he was promised for bringing in 1.5 million new subscribers after The Life of Pablo dropped. He also says Tidal hasn't reimbursed him for the music videos he shot for the service yet, a claim the company denied. According to one of TMZ's sources, Tidal didn't pay because Kanye hasn't delivered the videos, but West refuses to hand them over until he's paid what he's owed.
Spotify's new series tackles topics like immigration and equality
Spotify's foray into original content began in 2016, with a documentary about the young days of legendary rock band Metallica, followed by a video series on Green Day earlier this year. Now the streaming service is getting ready to launch "I'm with the banned," an in-house initiative that will feature music, videos and a documentary inspired by issues like immigration and LBGTQ equality. The original series brings together artists such as Desiigner, Pusha T, K.Flay and X Ambassadors on six new pieces of music, all created with help from singers, songwriters and producers who are affected by Trump's controversial travel ban.
Fender Play doesn't judge -- it just teaches you guitar
If you ask Ethan Kaplan, chief product officer of digital at Fender, about the death of the electric guitar, he gets a bit incredulous. And it's easy to understand why. As he's quick to point out, "for some reason, there's still a guitar on every stage." But while he's adamant his company and the industry is perfectly healthy, it's clear some of the cultural cachet of the guitar has dried up. Fender is hoping to turn the tides.
Kanye West reportedly quits Tidal over money dispute
Kanye West has been one of Tidal's biggest champions: he joined the company the moment Jay-Z relaunched its service, and The Life of Pablo was one of the streaming music service's largest (if temporary) exclusives. However, it appears that the relationship has... soured. TMZ sources claim that Kanye has left the company over a payment squabble involving both Life of Pablo and music videos. It's reportedly a messy dispute, and certainly not what Tidal wanted in an already tumultuous period for the business.
Sony plans to revive its vinyl record production
Sony was late to the vinyl resurgence with a new turntable of its own, and it's going to be later yet with its effort to jump back into pressing records. Nikkei reports that thanks to demand, the perpetually tardy tech company will first start putting Japanese music (and some modern hits) to wax, with production starting next March. In fact, the company has already outfitted a recording studio with a press so it can produce masters in situ. If there's a roadblock, it's that Sony is apparently having a hard time finding engineers to help guide the pressing process.
Apple Music's latest personalized playlist helps you chill
Ever since Apple Music got its big redesign last year, you've had access to just two personalized playlists: a favorites mix and a new releases mix. Suffice it to say that this won't cover the bases if you want tunes that suit a specific mood. However, Apple is spreading its wings a bit: it's gradually rolling out its first new custom playlist. The weekly My Chill Mix uses a combination of human curation and an algorithm to deliver songs that help you relax, but also reflect your tastes. You could have a laid-back hip-hop selection, for instance, while your friend gets downtempo electronic tracks.
Pandora is shutting down in New Zealand and Australia
While Pandora got a nice infusion of cash from SiriusXM a few weeks ago, there's bad news for the streaming services' users down-under. The company just announced that its co-founder and CEO Tim Westergren is stepping down and, according to Billboard, Pandora is ending its service in the only two non-US markets it currently operates in: Australia and New Zealand.
Pandora's CEO is stepping down as digital music evolves
The rumors were true: Pandora CEO Tim Westergren has announced that he's stepping down from the company he co-founded 17 years ago. He'll remain in the leadership position while the company searches for a replacement. President Mike Herring and marketing chief Nick Bartle are also leaving, the streaming music company says. While Pandora isn't clear about why the executives are bowing out, it comes after efforts to "refocus and reinforce" the firm by selling its ticket business and taking a $480 million cash infusion from SiriusXM. In other words, it's likely looking for fresh blood as it adapts to a changing digital music landscape.
Recommended Reading: Apple's original television aspirations
Apple Is a Step Closer to Making Its Own TV Shows David Sims, The Atlantic While the company's television aspirations remain largely a mystery, Apple hired two big names this week to help build its slate of original shows. Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, presidents of Sony Pictures Television, will make the move to Cupertino this summer with experience making hits like Damages, Breaking Bad, Justified and other series. The Atlantic offers a look at what this means for Apple and what we can expect from Eddy Cue & Co. in the months to come.
Tesla is reportedly trying to build its own music streaming service
Tesla has continued to one-up its achievements as a successful proprietor of safe, green and increasingly autonomous electric vehicles. But it might venture out from the niche its carved for a much more saturated market: Streaming audio. Music industry sources told Recode that Tesla has been in talks with major labels to create a proprietary service that it would bundle with its cars.
Today's Google Doodle lets you compose your own music
If you're looking to lose half an hour in service of making your own music, head on over to Google and click on today's doodle. The company is celebrating the 117th birthday of Oskar Fischinger, the German-born artist and filmmaker who created geometric animations using paper and card. As Google's Leon Hong explains, Fischinger's work left him "awed and puzzled," making him wonder "how could he make such magic without computers?"
Spotify hopes you'll create shared playlists in Facebook Messenger
It can be fun to create shared playlists on streaming music services -- it's a window into your friends' tastes. You don't necessarily want to wade through an app to add tracks, though, and they usually shut out pals who can't use the service. That's where Spotify thinks it can save the day. It's launching a Group Playlists chat extension in Facebook Messenger that lets anyone in a chat add songs to the queue, even if they're not using Spotify. Once someone has started one of these collective playlists, you just have to tap a button to start adding tracks.
Spotify beats iTunes to the Windows Store
Microsoft promised back at Build that that a slew of big-name apps would reach the Windows Store, and it's making good on that vow. Spotify has released a Windows Store version of its app in every country where its streaming music service is available. This isn't a redesign, for better or worse -- Spotify is really just porting its existing app over using Microsoft's Centennial framework. The biggest immediate difference is that you'll get updates through the Windows Store. This release is more important in what it represents for Microsoft's long-term Windows plans than anything else.
Spotify test rents playlist slots to music labels
Spotify is already letting labels determine what you're allowed to play on its free tier. Now, however, it's giving labels the chance to insert songs of their own. TechCrunch has confirmed that Spotify is testing a "Sponsored Song" program that slips tracks into playlists you follow, and possibly elsewhere on the service. You wouldn't be forced to listen to a song, to be clear -- you could even opt out (unfortunately, it's not opt-in) to avoid seeing them. However, it might catch you off-guard if a brand new single slips into the rotation alongside your all-time favorites.
Ripplemaker brings modular synths to all skill levels with an iOS app
There are plenty of apps that can turn your phone or tablet into a synthesizer, but they tend to fall into two camps: they're either affordable and simple or pricey and robust. While that's sometimes due to the nature of the instruments they're replicating, it can frustrating if you want an app that covers all the bases. However, music app developer Bram Bos may have managed just that. He recently released Ripplemaker, a patch-based modular synth for iOS that's designed to ease you into the West Coast synth method (where you add harmonics to a waveform to produce an effect) while still giving you room to grow.
Discover your rockstar stage persona in ‘The Artful Escape’
"It's not an artist's job to give people something they want, but to give them something they never could have imagined." These words are spoken to Francis Vendetti in The Artful Escape, an upcoming game that follows a young guitar prodigy on a psychedelic journey to discover who he really is. In the moment, the words are meant to help Vendetti find his own path as a musician, but it feels like they apply to the game itself -- a gorgeous, musical storytelling experienced disguised as a platformer.

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