Miami leads the globe for the highest price jump in a city’s luxury housing market over the last year. Prices increased by about 26% from the third quarter of 2020 … Click to Continue »
An attorney for one of the white men standing trial in the death of Ahmaud Arbery told the judge Thursday he doesn’t want “any more Black pastors” in the courtroom … Click to Continue »
LiSA shared a music video accompanying “Akeboshi” (“Morning Star”), her new track being featured as the opening theme of the Mugen Train story arc of the Japanese anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Directed by Masakazu Fukatsu — the visual artist responsible for the videos for LiSA’s long-running hit songs “Gurenge” and “Homura,” as well as other J-pop acts including ONE OK ROCK — the video expresses “hope in the midst of chaos” based on the world view of the song written and arranged by “Homura” songwriter Yuki Kajiura.
In keeping with the train theme of the anime’s storyline, the video sees LiSA performing the song in a mysteriously illuminated railroad tunnel. The visuals are superimposed with so-called “Alive Paintings” by artist Akiko Nakayama, a mixture of liquid images that represent the world being depicted in the track. The strength and magnitude of the song’s lyrics are also enhanced by the scene that features the veteran anime songstress singing surrounded by flames in the wilderness at night.
LiSA’s “Akeboshi” was released digitally on Oct. 18, and the CD version coupled with “Shirogane” — the ending theme of the same anime — as a double-A-side track is set to drop Nov. 17. Watch the clip below.
Universal Music Group’s 10:22PM label has created a new virtual supergroup, KINGSHIP, comprised of four characters from the Bored Ape Yacht Club non-fungible token (NFT) project. Billed as the first group of its kind, KINGSHIP marks a potentially important step forward in the music industry’s adoption of NFTs.
Bored Ape Yacht Club is one of Web3’s most successful NFT projects to date. It started when the U.S.-based company Yuga Labs minted 10,000 original ape cartoons as individual NFTs in April 2021. For buyers, purchasing a Bored Ape is viewed as both an investment and a status symbol (many owners set their social media avatars to the Ape they purchased to flex their ownership). All owners of Bored Ape NFTs have monetization rights to the characters, and the prices of the NFTs regularly reach six-figure sums. In September, a set of 107 Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs sold for $24.4 million in a Sotheby’s auction, according to Reuters.
In a press release, the KINGSHIP project is billed as a “landmark, first-ever exclusive agreement to create a metaverse group.” Under the initiative, the team behind 10:22PM — a Web3, creator-focused record label founded by Celine Joshua — will develop and release new KINGSHIP music and products. Akin to pre-existing virtual idols like Miquela (or perhaps even a band like Gorillaz, who hid their human identities behind animated characters), KINGSHIP will be the front-facing digital performer used to cultivate a community and fanbase around the music.
Jimmy McNeils, an avid NFT collector who goes by the username j1mmy.eth, is supplying the Apes for KINGSHIP from his personal collection, including the rare Golden Fur and Bluebeam characters. The initiative to form a musical act around the cartoons will allow McNeils to monetize his Apes’ likeness and drive up their value, providing new potential use cases for NFT buyers and sellers.
The KINGSHIP project arrives on the heels of Mark Zuckerberg’s recent rebranding of Facebook to Meta, a reference to the metaverse. With interest in Web3 and the metaverse growing swiftly over the last year, 10:22PM is now setting its sights on creating the first musical icon of the burgeoning new era.
“Creating KINGSHIP has been incredibly fun and imaginative. I started 10:22PM to push the boundaries of innovation in the music industry and with KINGSHIP, we’re literally inventing what’s possible in real time,” said Joshua in a statement. “Just as we would with any artist or creator, my team and I will work with KINGSHIP to sharpen their vision and develop their unique sound. Each member of the group has their own story and personality that influences and contributes to KINGSHIP’s overall narrative. Through music and events across the metaverse, we will bring the Apes in KINGSHIP to life by building communities and utility, and entertaining audiences around the world.”
McNeils added, “This deal is a leading example of how powerful commercial rights are for collectible NFT projects and their collectors. I’m incredibly excited to explore this new area of NFT ownership with Celine Joshua and 10:22!”
BE:FIRST’s “Gifted.” bows at No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Nov. 1 to 7, coming out on top after one of the closest races between two songs since the inception of the chart.
“Gifted.” ruled four metrics of the chart’s methodology this week — radio airplay, downloads, streaming, and video views — while the song at No. 2, INI’s “Rocketeer,” ruled three — physical sales, look-ups, and Twitter mentions. The difference between the two tracks was a mere 509 points, with “Gifted.” gaining a slight advantage with the points it collected in the metrics not mentioned above.
Nineteen-year-old singer Ado’s “Ashura-chan” rises 7-5 after debuting last week, coming in at No. 7 for downloads (13,204 units), No. 17 for streaming (4,418,428 streams) and No. 5 for video (1,734,612 views).
Breakout singer-songwriter Yuuri’s “Dryflower” extends its stay on the Japan Hot 100 to 54 weeks since it debuted in November last year. This week, as the tallying of the 2021 year-end chart looms around the corner, the monster hit song holds at No. 3, still racking up points in downloads, video, and karaoke.
Meanwhile, the rising 27-year-old artist’s new single “Betelgeuse” debuts at No. 8, coming in at No. 22 for streaming, No. 4 for downloads, and No. 21 for video. This song is being featured as the theme of a well-received Fuji TV drama series called “Super Rich” starring Noriko Eguchi, and it will be interesting to see if the popularity of the drama will help its theme song become another long-running hit for the “Dryflower” singer.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, Twitter mentions, YouTube and GYAO! video views, Gracenote look-ups and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, dated Nov. 1 to 7, here.
Spotify will acquire the audiobook distribution company Findaway as the audio giant seeks to scale its catalog and creator tools in a similar fashion to its podcast offerings, the company said on Thursday.
Findaway has both a full-service and self-service audiobook production platform for authors, narrators and publishers. The self-service option connects independent authors to narrators and provides access to global distribution, while top publishers like HarperCollins and Hachette have used the full-service platform for audiobooks.
The acquisition, pending regulatory approval, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“It is Spotify’s ambition to be the destination for all things audio both for listeners and creators,” Gustav Söderström, Spotify’s chief research and development officer, said in a statement. “The acquisition of Findaway will accelerate Spotify’s presence in the audiobook space and will help us more quickly meet that ambition.”
Findaway will still be led by founder and CEO Mitch Kroll and remain headquartered in Ohio. Kroll will report to Spotify’s head of audiobooks, Nir Zicherman.
“Together with Spotify we have the opportunity to innovate and democratize the audiobook ecosystem,” Kroll said. “We founded Findaway with the recognition of the power of the spoken word through audiobooks and the unique opportunity to empower storytellers and connect them with listeners. We look forward to combining our leading technology tools and world-class team with the reach of Spotify’s platform to provide an enhanced audio experience for creators, publishers and listeners around the world.”
Spotify first tested out its literary offering in January this year with a collection of nine exclusive audiobook recordings, as The Hollywood Reporter first reported. The recordings included celebrity narrations of literary classics, such as Cynthia Erivo reading Jane Austen’s Persuasion; Forest Whitaker reading the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave; Hilary Swank narrating Kate Chopin’s The Awakening; David Dobrik reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; and Audra McDonald reading Jean Toomer’s Cane.
The Stockholm-based audio company, led by CEO Daniel Ek, has made a concerted effort in the past years to boost its non-music audio presence, most notably in the podcast space. Since 2019, Spotify has gone on an acquisition spree, picking up podcast companies like Gimlet Media and Anchor, the podcast advertising platform Megaphone and the live audio developer Betty Labs. The audio giant also acquired Bill Simmons’ The Ringer, adding dozens of popular sports and pop-culture podcasts to Spotify’s library, and has made splashy deals with talent like Barack and Michelle Obama, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Joe Rogan, Dax Shepard and Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper.
The Findaway acquisition thus marks Spotify’s first major acquisition in the audiobook space as it competes with other giants like Amazon’s Audible.
“We’re excited to combine Findaway’s team, best in class technology platform, and robust audiobook catalog, with Spotify’s expertise to revolutionize the audiobook space as we did with music and podcasts,” Söderström said.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
When the chimpanzees see Ron Magill, they go wild. “Whoo, whoo, whoo,” Magill calls out in greeting to Samantha, Bubbles, Hondo and Niger as he walks toward their yard at … Click to Continue »
New surveillance video shows the moment when three gunmen shot at an SUV filled with children outside of a Wendy’s in North Miami Beach. Police are hoping the video will … Click to Continue »
Opa-locka Mayor Matthew Pigatt abruptly announced his resignation during a city commission meeting Wednesday evening, marking the latest twist of fate for a city trying to overcome years of corruption … Click to Continue »
Mickey Guyton embraced her natural hair for an emotional performance of “Love My Hair” at the 2021 Country Music Association (CMA) Awards Wednesday evening (Nov. 10) live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
Faith Fennidy, who was removed from her Catholic school at age 11 for wearing braids, presented the performance by opening up about how she personally inspired the song “Love My Hair.” “A few years ago, I was sent home from school because my braids were said to be a distraction. It was devastating for me. But this next artist created this song to make sure girls like me feel seen and loved,” she said before pausing in the midst of roaring applause. “And that’s how you turn something very painful into something very positive. With your help, we can work together to ensure the next generation grows up in a respectful and open world for natural hair.”
Guyton, Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards put their big, beautiful curly hair and billowing white gowns on full display while singing their truths as Black women who “used to think what God gave me wasn’t fair/ I’d braid it all/ Just to hide the curls up there/ I found my freedom/ When I learned not to care/ Now I’m not scared/ To love who I am/ I love my hair.” After the threesome harmonized on the chorus, they came together in an embrace.
Guyton was nominated for new artist of the year, which fellow Black country artist Jimmie Allen ended up winning that night. “Love My Hair” is from the 37-year-old singer’s debut studio album Remember Her Name, which she released in September via Capitol Records Nashville.
Two-time entertainer of the year winner Luke Bryan made his hosting debut at the 55th annual CMA Awards.
