It wouldn't be the Super Bowl without the must-see commercials! Every year, families gather around the big TV on Super Bowl Sunday to watch the fun and exciting TV spots -- and also a football game.
The nation's biggest companies shell out millions to craft hilarious, clever, touching and downright wild ads for the annual sporting event. Designed to make viewers laugh, cry or bond with one another, advertisers spare no expense to capture people's hearts and minds. As the popularity of the ads have grown over the years, the commercials don't just debut during the big game, either! There are teasers for the commercials, as well as viral and social media campaigns that hype up expectations, which drop long before kickoff ever comes. So, we're rounding up all the Super Bowl LV commercials as they are released in real time -- including pre-releases and teasers. Enjoy! READ MORETom Brady's Super Bowl History: The GOAT'sBiggest GamesSKIP ADMichael B. Jordan Goes Shirtless as "Alexa’s Body" For this big spot, Amazon asks the important question: what if the new Alexa lived inside a robot Michael B. Jordan? The steamy commercial -- made to promote the new Alexa design -- begins in an office boardroom as some tech designers for Amazon marvel at the device's new round orb shape. "It's just flawless," one exec shares in awe as she smiles down on the sphere. "I mean, I literally couldn't imagine a more beautiful vessel for Alexa to be inside." The exec trails off as she looks out the windows of the office building and sees Jordan's face on a movie poster on the side of a bus -- and suddenly drifts off into a fantasy about what it would be like to have an Alexa around the house that looked exactly like People's Sexiest Man Alive. Meanwhile, her husband is less than thrilled by the ridiculously handsome Alexa-bot living in their home, seeing as his wife is enjoying looking at him a little too much. How Klarna's "Four Quarter-Sized Cowboys" Tamed the Wild West This ad for Klarna features four pint-sized Maya Rudolphs singing Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walking" while riding miniature horses through an Wild West town. After watching it many, many times, it's still unclear what this ad is about, or what Klarna is, is why this was their ad -- but it's absolutely amazing nonetheless. It appears to be an app where you can buy things in installments, and it could truly revolutionize shopping -- maybe? The only thing that is certain is Hollywood needs to make a movie that follows these three mini-Mayas during their day-to-day lives on the fashionista frontier. Michelob ULTRA Organic Seltzer Taps an "All-Star Cast" This ad for the beer brand's new organic seltzer features what very nearly resembles an all-star cast of famous actors and musicians -- but they are really all celebrity doppelgängers. Actors and actresses portray stars like Serena Williams (Olivia Griffian), Maluma (James White), Lucy Liu (Kimmy Suzuki), Usher (Duane Avery) and Megan Fox (Claudia Alende). Meanwhile, the real Don Cheadle appears opposite his lookalike brother for a clever subversion of your typical star-studded Super Bowl commercial. Bruce Springsteen Drives a Jeep Into the Heart of Middle America While the country has faced some truly intense challenges and political divisiveness, Bruce Springsteen's Super Bowl ad for Jeep is a call for unity, acceptance and the strength of togetherness and American values. "We need the middle. We just have to remember the very soil we stand on is common ground. So we can get there. We can make it to the mountaintop, through the desert, and we will cross this divide. Our light has always found its way through the darkness. And there's hope on the road up ahead," the iconic rock intones in this somberly patriotic car commercial. "Let’s Grab a Beer" Adds Star Power Behind the Camera While Anheuser-Busch opted to not run any Budweiser ads, they are running their first-ever ad for the Anheuser-Busch corporation, and their various brands and off-shoots. In an emotionally powerful and surprisingly thoughtful commercial about the social nature of sharing a beer, the company hired two-time Oscar-nominated director David Fincher to produce the impressive commercial that doesn't shy away from a genuine portrayal of friendship and the realities of life and love. Cadillac Casts Timothée Chalamet as Edward Scissorhands' Son Three decades after Tim Burton's iconic fantasy romance film Edward Scissorhands hit theaters, Winona Ryder returns as her character, Kim, in a new Super Bowl ad for the Cadillac LYRIQ, set in the movie's candy-colored world. But this time, she's telling the story of another boy who has scissors for hands: Edward's son, Edgar, played by Timothée Chalamet. Like his father, Edgar's sharp metal appendages make him unique and special, but also an outcast -- that is, until, Kim buys him a car that he doesn't need hands to drive. Mila Kunis and Shaggy Trick Ashton Kutcher for Cheetos Mila Kunis has been caught "orange-handed" by her husband, Ashton Kutcher! The couple is featured in a hilarious new ad for Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix that aired during the second half of Sunday's big game. Throughout the commercial -- which also features reggae musician Shaggy -- Kutcher catches Kunis stealing his snacks. Every time he questions her, however, she has only one reply: "It wasn't me," a nod to the 2000 dancehall hit. To promote their new product, the cheesy snack food brand dropped two strangely dramatic and ominous teaser commercials. The first -- titled "Evidence," and released online on Jan. 14, was shot like a neo-noir crime drama, and features Kutcher coming home and opening a mysterious manila envelope filled with black-and-white long-distance photos of something viewers can't see but clearly disturbs Kutcher. He also pulls out an empty, flattened bag of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix and whispers in stunned horror, "I knew it." The second teaser, which dropped on Jan. 19, is titled "Advice" and opens on a tearful Kunis addressing an unseen other person, and asking with pained disbelief, "What exactly are you insinuating? Do you think that I would do that? That I would go behind your back after everything that we've been through?" The camera pans back to reveal that she's actually talking to a mirror and is faking her tears. For some reason, rapper Shaggy is sitting behind her and tells her to "just stick to the line I gave you," evidently helping her rehearse some sort of alibi. Shaggy is also revealed to be involved. Which makes sense, because if there's anyone who can teach someone to deny responsibility for something, it's famously Shaggy. Dolly Parton Reimagines "9 to 5" Dolly Parton's 1980 workplace anthem, "9 to 5," is getting a reimagining, thanks to a new Super Bowl ad for Squarespace, a website building and e-commerce platform. Parton recreated her classic "9 to 5" but changed the lyrics to "5 to 9." The reworked lyrics refer to the hours when people are able to work on their side hustles aside from their day jobs. "Working 5 to 9, you've got passion and a vision," Parton sings. "Gonna change your life, do something that gives it meaning." Michelob ULTRA Wants Viewers to Find Their "Happy" Place When it came to making an ad for Michelob ULTRA, which is also owned by Anheuser-Busch, they decided to go for a more uplifting, emotionally inspiring commercial featuring Serena Williams and Peyton Manning, all set to Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side." The narrated commercial explains the importance of finding the little things that make you happy throughout your journey in life -- and how Michelob can help you do so. Uber Eats Brings Back "Wayne's World" Mike Myers and Dana Carvey are reprising their roles as Wayne and Garth -- complete with their beloved living room set and shaggy wigs -- for Uber Eats' ad. The ad includes Cardi B and a lot of fun references to everyone's favorite public access show. The first teaser commercial debuted during an episode of Saturday Night Live (which makes sense, considering that's where Wayne's World originated), and featured Wayne and Garth teasing their appearance during the game. "We just wanted to say that we'll see you soon for the game, which for legal reasons cannot be named," Wayne explained. Fiverr Gets Topical With Four Seasons Ad Poking fun at a particularly hilarious mishap with a press conference held by Rudy Giuliani last year, Fiverr set their almost magical commercial inside the Four Seasons Total Landscaping business, and its just fantastic. Lenny Kravitz Is a "Heartbeat Billionaire" in Inspiring Stella Artois Ad The Belgian brewery tapped GRAMMY winner Lenny Kravitz for their inspirational Super Bowl spot, which stresses the importance of enjoying life and not wasting your time on Earth. "We're all born with 2.5 billion heartbeats. That makes you a billionaire," Kravitz says in the ad, while playing the drums and transforming into a stylish animated version of himself. "So let's not waste the fortune within us. Invest. Invest in each other and the moments we share. Because you're rich in life when you're a heartbeat billionaire." Reddit Does A Lot With 5-Seconds Leave it to Reddit to create the one ad that so many might miss, but will still be a rebellious act of guerrilla-style marketing. T-Mobile Reveals Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's Awkward 1st Date T-Mobile's Super Bowl ad takes viewers back to "a few years ago" when Gwen Stefani calls up Adam Levine and says she's looking for a man who is "cultured" and "from another country." But, due to a poor connection, Levine hears that she wants a man who is "country" and "uncultured," and his buddy Blake Shelton comes to mind instantly. The first date doesn't exactly go smoothly when Gwen sees Blake has arrived for dinner in spurs and denim. (Although, in real life, they are engaged and seem super cute. But it's fun to see them willing to make fun of themselves in a Super Bowl ad.) Later, T-Mobile aired another ad for the strength of its new 5G connection by pitting Anthony Anderson against his mom in a brutal game of family flag football. Jimmy John's Is in a Turf War The nationwide sandwich shop has made their first Super Bowl spot ever, and they are kicking things off by starting a hilarious turf war with a violent rival. In this ad, comedian Brad Garrett stars as Tony Bolognavich, the "King of Cold Cuts," who has a mobster-like attitude and a disdain for the tasty sandwiches available at Jimmy John's. It'll be fun to see how this campaign potentially escalates. Dr. Squatch Brings Its Soap to the Super Bowl The rapidly growing men's grooming brand has made a name for itself online with some wildly popular YouTube ads, and now the company is bringing its comedic sensibilities to the big game with this ad for its natural soap, which doesn't include synthetic detergents found in many big-name soap brands. This indie commercial has everything: Men showering in the forest? Check. A dragon-slaying sword? Check. After Effects explosions? Check. Good job, Dr. Squatch. Vroom Goes Dark With "Dealership Pain" The online used car retailer Vroom is looking to show people how much easier and more pleasant it is to buy a car through the internet than having to deal with a dealership. To get this point across, Vroom is presenting a deeply unsettling commercial shot like a horror movie showing a potential car buyer strapped to a chair in a dimly lit dealership as a creepy salesman prepares to torture and electrocute him with jumper cables and a car battery. There's no denying the ad is definitely attention-grabbing. Tide Gets Surreal With a "Jason Alexander Hoodie" Tide is asking the age-old question: "What if Seinfeld star Jason Alexander's face was on a hoodie, and he didn't appreciate it?" You know, that old chestnut. This commercial for Tide stresses the importance of making sure you keep your giant face sweaters clean. Amy Schumer is a "Fairy Godmayo" The comedian dons golden fairy wings for this commercial from Hellmann's mayonnaise, in which she tries to encourage people to avoid food waste by making great leftover dishes by adding mayo. You can't argue with mayo. Mercari Says Goodbye and Hello You know how you have a whole bunch of random stuff lying around your house that's perfectly good but you just don't use it? Well, Mercari wants to be your go-to online market place for selling things from the comfort of your living room. So when your wedding guests don't pay attention to your registry and you end up with two popcorn makers or three crockpots, Mercari wants to help you make some cash by hocking those redundant gifts as quickly as humanly possible. Toyota Recreates Jessica Long's Inspiring Life Story In an effort to make the most emotionally impactful commercial of the year, Toyota has creatively retold the life story of American Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long, from her adaption as a baby to her overcoming obstacles in her pursuit of her dream, to becoming a 13-time gold medalist. This will undoubtedly be one of the ads from this year's big game that viewers won't soon forget. Rocket Mortgage Knows that "Certain Is Better" Tracy Morgan in a bath robe? Check. Dave Bautista in a leather jacket? Check. Murder hornets? Check. Yeah, it definitely seems like this commercial for Rocket Mortgage has what it takes to be among the best of the night. Oatly... Did This Thing. The CEO of Oatly decided to make a Super Bowl commercial that was just him, playing an electric keyboard in the middle of a field and "singing" (?) a song he wrote about oat milk. And this is a real thing, that actually exists and aired during the Super Bowl. Bud Light Makes Lemonade Seltzer Out of Lemons Anheuser-Busch, which traditionally runs ads for Budweiser during the big game, revealed their plans to forgo Budweiser ads in favor of donating the money it would have spent on the commercials and air time to coronavirus vaccination awareness efforts. However, they still plan on airing ads for Bud Light and their Bud Light Seltzer brands. To promote their Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, the company takes a comedic look back at the past year, and explains how they made their drink out of the "lemons" of 2020. In terms of the commercial, they represented all the insanity of the last year as a metaphorical storm of lemons pelting the earth and ruining everything for everyone -- so, it's a pretty spot-on parody of the particularly sour year. Huggies Tells Babies, "Welcome to the World" It can't be too hard to sell diapers. Parents can't go without them, and also babies are adorable. So you have a pretty captive market and a commercial filled with adorable stars. For their Super Bowl ad, Huggies leans hard into cuteness and it honestly pays off. Miracle-Gro Encourages Viewers to "Keep Growing" With Star-Studded Spot For their first major Super Bowl spot, Scotts Miracle-Gro tapped a multitude of celebs to help them promote their giveaway that could allow one lucky fan to win the lawn and garden of their dreams. The company went all out for the spot, which includes appearances from Martha Stewart, The Mandalorian star Carl Weathers, John Travolta and his daughter, Ella, The Office's Leslie David Baker, fitness instructor Emma Lovewell, NASCAR driver Kyle Busch and comedian Matt Braunger. "Drake From State Farm" Hires Super Stars as Body Doubles State Farm certainly brought on some famous faces for their Super Bowl ad -- although how it sells insurance is a little vague. But who cares about the "meaning" of a commercial when you've got Paul Rudd and Drake being hilarious? John Cena Can Count on Mountain Dew Major Melon Mountain Dew has tapped the WWE wrestler and action star for their upcoming spot in the Super Bowl -- a commercial that will apparently give one lucky viewer (who correctly counts the number of Mountain Dew bottles that appear in the background of the ad) a chance to win $1 million. When ET spoke with Cena, the actor explained why he's so excited to be a part of the brand's innovative campaign. Nick Jonas Is Introducing the Future Nick Jonas is one of the most prominent figures openly battling diabetes, and now he wants to help others struggling with having to stab their finger every day to test their blood sugar. The musician has teamed up with Dexcom G6, which is apparently a new app that can show you your blood glucose level without the sting. Chipotle Wants to Change the World This is Chipotle's first-ever Super Bowl ad (which seems impossible, but apparently it is), and the company decided to go for a more uplifting, inspiring and high-reaching tone for their debut spot. The commercial sees a young kid eating a Chipotle burrito, and wondering aloud about whether or not a simple burrito could change the world. Or rather, if a burrito chain restaurant could impact agriculture by using real and organic ingredients. Chipotle has some lofty goals and they are setting the expectation bar high with their new campaign. "Bud Light Legends" Save the Day Tapping into some Super Bowl commercial nostalgia, Bud Light is bringing together the stars of some of their popular past ads for a heroic and humorous spot. When a Bud Light truck overturns, a few Bud Light legends -- including Post Malone, Cedric the Entertainer and the Game of Thrones-inspired Bud Light Knight -- are brought together through magical portals to help restock the truck and get it back on the road to make sure no one has to forgo their favorite ice cold light beer beverage. A "Space Return" Goes Wrong Because of Delicious Pringles Taking a page out of Milky Way's playbook, Pringles' new ad shows how their endlessly stackable flavor chips will distract you so badly, you will totally lose all ability to do your job. In the ad, two astronauts return to Earth in an emergency capsule in the middle of the ocean, but no one is around to pick them up because everyone at NASA is too busy eating Pringles. A passing cargo ship brings the astronauts hope, but the crew is also too busy dancing around while eating Pringles. Sometimes, a snack really can be too delicious. DoorDash Is Bringing the "Nom Noms" What would life be like if Daveed Diggs and Cookie Monster were roommates? Well, DoorDash has answered this very specific question with their new Super Bowl spot. As it turns out, Cookie Monster goes a little overboard when ordering delivery. But DoorDash knows how to satisfy any order of any size for any appetite -- even Cookie Monster's. This is a great tribute to Sesame Street, and anytime we get to see Big Bird in the spotlight, it's a good thing. General Motors Is Bringing Comedy Icons Together to Fight Norway What do you get when you combine Will Ferrell, Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina with a whole bunch of intense energy, chaotic comedy and a massive budget? You get this bizarrely hilarious Super Bowl ad featuring the comedy greats traveling across the world in an effort to get to Norway for... reasons? The commercial doesn't have to make a lot of sense to have a lot of memorable comedy moments, and isn't that the point of a car commercial? Doritos 3D Brings Us "#FLATMATTHEW" McConaughey Doritos is tapping some real star power for their bizarre ad campaign -- specifically, Matthew McConaughey, but flat. It bums him out, but then he eats some Doritos 3D chops, and he's good again. So, if that makes you want to eat Doritos, then mission accomplished. Ahead of the big game, Doritos teased the commercial with a series of mysterious promos. One ad stars Jimmy Kimmel and Mindy Kaling on the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live (although it's an in-person interview that looks like it's from the pre-COVID days) and the two are talking about an unnamed guest with a "new look," along with the teasy tag #FLATMATTHEW. The second teaser, which was even stranger, shows some kids playing in their front yard with their mom, as they look on in wonder as a dog runs by and one kid asks, "Mom, why is that dog flying a kite?" Then the other kid asks, "And why does that kite look like Matthew McConaughey?" So, it seems that Doritos will unleash some sort of weird flattened version of the Oscar winner to sell their flavored corn triangles? SpaceX Wants to Send People Into Space If you've ever thought that an all-civilian mission into space was a good idea and something you'd like to be a part of, this commercial for Inspiration4 is for you. Every sci-fi lover's dream of being a space smuggler anti-hero appears to be one step closer. Paramount+ Brings TV Stars Together for an Epic Expedition Paramount will soon be releasing it's own streaming service, and this commercial shows all your favorite TV stars (including James Corden, Dora the Explorer and a hungover Snooki) on an epic hike up the iconic Paramount mountain. New 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Trailer Last we saw Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson (aka the Falcon) and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes (the Winter Soldier), Sam had inherited Captain America's star-spangled shield. Marvel teased what comes next during Sunday's Super Bowl, debuting a new spot that is equal parts explosions and quippy odd couple banter. Lil Nas X for Logitech The "Old Town Road" singer is encouraging people to "defy logic" for Logitech in this new Super Bowl spot that also features his catchy single, "Call Me By Your Name." "Come Together" Over a Bag of M&Ms If you're having a hard time figuring out how to apologize, M&Ms suggests handing over a bag of chocolate treats. This new commercial for the beloved sweet snack features people making amends and rebuilding burnt bridges with heartfelt mea culpas and gifts of candy. Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy is also involved, because he just makes anything he's a part of instantly better. M. Night Shyamalan Brings Fans to a Creepy Beach For his latest supernatural thriller, Old, director M. Night Shyamalan is bringing fans to a nightmarish beach that makes you, well, old? Or you age quickly? It's not super clear from this first trailer, but clearly this beach won't be getting very many five-star Trip Advisor reviews. Lil Baby Reflects on Being a Rockstar Lil Baby has teamed up with Rockstar Energy to shine a light on what makes someone a rock star isn't just a search for fame, but embracing the hustle to achieve dreams -- with a little help from a particular beverage that also gives them a little boost. "Get Ready" for the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show This year, in a seemingly unprecedented move, Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Budweiser have decided not to buy ad time during the Super Bowl, according to press statements released by the companies -- citing the pandemic and social upheaval as incentives to "ensure we are investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times," according to Coke. However, Pepsi has decided to instead focus all promotional efforts into the flagship-branded halftime show. This was the first teaser, titled "Get Ready," that celebrated the undeniable mega-hit single "Blinding Lights" by the event's headliner, The Weeknd. Is this the Holy Grail of solar panel technology?
VICTOR TANGERMANN JANUARY 22ND 2021To improve the efficiency of solar panels, scientists have become increasingly intrigued by perovskites, an evasive natural mineral with a unique crystalline structure. Unfortunately, the mineral has proved to be uncooperative. At room temperature, three of its four possible atomic configurations are unstable and the material quickly reverts to its fourth phase, which renders it useless in the effort to convert sunlight to electricity. Fortunately, a team of scientists at Stanford University and the Department of Energy may have just found a solution, as outlined in a paper published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications. Their methodology is surprisingly simple: squeeze the fourth phase of perovskite inside a diamond anvil cell at high temperatures. The resulting atomic structure isn’t just efficient and usable for generating electricity from sunlight, they say, but is also stable at room temperature. “This is the first study to use pressure to control this stability, and it really opens up a lot of possibilities,” Yu Lin, researcher at the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences (SIMES), said in a statement. “Now that we’ve found this optimal way to prepare the material, there’s potential for scaling it up for industrial production, and for using this same approach to manipulate other perovskite phases,” Lin added. The “black” phase, the one successfully stabilized by the scientists,of perovskite has intrigued scientists for years since it has been found to be extremely efficient in converting sunlight to electricity, making it the Holy Grail for solar panel technology. The phase, however, isn’t stable and previous attempts at stabilizing it have fallen short of replicating real-world conditions. But by squeezing perovskite in this state between two diamond tips, the equivalent of roughly 1,000 to 6,000 times atmospheric pressure, and heating it to 450 degrees Celsius, the researchers found a way to keep the material in its black phase even after pressure and temperatures dropped to normal levels. One major challenge remains however: scaling up the technology to make it a feasible way to manufacture the next generation of solar panels on an industrial scale. San Francisco-based technology firm Feed Media Group (FMG) has partnered with Warner Music Group (WMG) to launch Adaptr, a new platform that allows developers to legally integrate music into their apps.
Adaptr provides full licensing for on-demand music, allowing businesses to skip direct licensing negotiations and go straight to market with music from popular artists and songwriters. For a subscription fee, developers can build a catalog of tracks from Adaptr’s pre-licensed library, which includes music from WMG’s artists and songwriters, BMG Records, Equal Vision Records, Vio Mobile, A-Train Distribution, and more. Using Adaptr’s APIs and SDKs, developers can integrate that music into their apps. Launched in 2015, FMG is described as “a technology company dedicated to making it easy for businesses of all kinds to use music to create more engaging experiences for their customers”. The company is led by veterans from the technology, music licensing and distribution, finance, and marketing sectors including co-founders Jeff Yasuda (CEO), Lauren Pufpaf (COO), and Eric Lambrecht (CTO). Adaptr’s monthly subscription fees range from $69 per month for the ‘Starter’ tier to $549 for the ‘Teams tier’. The first one gives you unlimited access to the platform’s full music catalog and 500 Song Streams to be used for one app. The latter gives its users’ access for up to five apps and 5,000 song streams. According to the app’s FAQs, Adaptr is only available to companies that have ‘raised less than $7.5m in funding and your app is earning less than $4.5m in revenue’. Adaptr also features tools for curation that enable startups to create custom musical experiences for their audience while ensuring that rightsholders are paid for every stream. FMG’s platform also includes Feed.fm, which was launched in 2015 to power non-interactive radio for apps and digital technologies in the fitness, retail, healthcare, gaming, connected fitness, and AI sectors. “ONE OF OUR KEY GOALS AT WMG IS TO MAKE IT FAR EASIER TO LICENSE ALL MUSIC.” OANA RUXANDRA, WMG Oana Ruxandra, Chief Digital Officer, WMG, added: “One of our key goals at WMG is to make it far easier to license all music. “Among other things, reducing frictions around licensing will enable us to accelerate innovation, support the startup community, engender competition, excite our fans with new and evolving ways to interact with music, and deliver additional value for our artists and songwriters. “We want to drive innovation and spark creativity, and Adaptr will help us do just that.” “WITH ADAPTR, THERE’S NO NEED FOR DEVELOPERS TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER THEY SHOULD ASK FOR PERMISSION OR FORGIVENESS.” JEFF YASUDA, FMG Jeff Yasuda, Co-Founder and CEO of FMG, said: “With Adaptr, there’s no need for developers to worry about whether they should ask for permission or forgiveness. “Now they can get the commercial music they want without needing to jump through the complex hoops of music licensing, distribution, and payments — the hurdles that often lead to illegal usage — and just focus on creating. Music Business Worldwide January 25, 2021 09:00 ET | Source: One Planet Groupphoto-release
Payam Zamani, CEO, One Planet Media Jack Lenz, music composer, "Here Comes Love" WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Jan. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One Planet Media, a media production company focused on purpose-driven content, in collaboration with acclaimed composer and music producer Jack Lenz, has released a music video project to help continue the discussion around dismantling systemic racism and addressing internal bias. “There were important conversations and calls for institutional changes happening in the late spring and summer after the public outrage over the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor,” said One Planet Media founder and CEO Payam Zamani. “The increase in COVID-19 cases and the presidential election caused the topics of racial inequalities and systemic racism to be less front and center. We’d like to do our part ensuring that this collective effort will remain a focus in 2021 and until our oneness as a people is achieved and celebrated.” The song “Here Comes Love” was written and composed by Lenz in 2017 for a civil rights documentary. The music video uses documentary footage from 2020 marches and demonstrations across the U.S. The song is sung by the late Amoy Brown and Mark Masri. “The lyrics were inspired by a poem Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, loved. We have also incorporated the names of courageous people throughout the Civil Rights era to modern-day whose lives and deaths have prompted us to reflect on ourselves and how we see race and inequality,” said Lenz. “It all starts with us. The hope coming from 2020 was how many different races and nationalities came together to march and promote changing our current system of justice, our institutions, and change within our own hearts.” Several prominent scholars, artists, business leaders, and others will join the social media campaign around the music video to increase awareness and promote the discussion of racism and racial bias. “There’s this mythology that when slavery ended, the playing field got leveled,” said Dr. Joy DeGruy, educator and author of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome. “The reality is that after hundreds of years of trauma in slavery, what came next was more trauma. We’ve never had a collective moment in history to heal and to acknowledge the injuries. We need real-life conversations on racism and trauma, we need to reach out to friends and family, and we need to touch people in the best way we can.” The music video runs 5:47 and can be found on One Planet Media’s website oneplanet.media and One Planet Media YouTube channel. “Racism is a profound deviation from the standard of true morality… The change required is not merely social and economic but above all moral and spiritual.” - July 2020, the Universal House of Justice About One Planet Media: One Planet Media is a production company that creates purpose-driven content. We believe that media has the power to positively change hearts and promote a spiritual transformation by educating and inspiring people. One Planet Media produces its own original content as well as partners to co-produce film, TV, and digital content. Projects must be designed to have a positive impact and contribute to making the world a better place. One Planet Media is a One Planet Group company. www.oneplanet.media and www.oneplanetgroup.com SEOUL -- Two Kakao subsidiaries will be combined to become a total entertainment company targeting the global market. The merge would create synergy by joining intellectual properties to create new content aimed at attracting global Hallyu (Korean cultural wave) fans.
Kakao Page, the digital content-making wing of Kakao, services webtoons, also known as webcomics, and web-based novels worldwide. Kakao webtoons are especially popular in Asia. Kakao M is an entertainment company with music labels that have popular artists such as female singer-actress IU and boy band MOXSTA X. The integration of Kakao Page and Kakao M would require approval at a shareholders' meetings on January 26. "The strategic decision was made to take the upper hand by gaining competitiveness in the global entertainment industry where information technology and retail giants are competing fiercely," Kakao said in a statement. The merged entity will be named Kakao Entertainment. "We will lead the new entertainment industry by merging the business know-how, capabilities, and value chains of the two companies," said Kakao Page which is armed with some 8,500 original content. In 2019, Kakao M and Kakao Page have collaborated to create a drama series "Touch Your Heart," based on a webtoon of the same title. The drama starred actress Yoo In-na and actor Lee Dong-wook who garnered global attention for their roles in the 2016 K-drama series "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," also known as "Goblin." January 22, 2021 10:05 ET | Source: Fortune Business InsightsPune, India, Jan. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The growing demand for high-quality crops is expected to foster healthy growth of the agricultural films and bonding market during the forecast period, “Agricultural Films and Bonding Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Agricultural Films, Twine, Netting, Others), By End Use Industries (Greenhouse, Mulching, Silage, Vegetable & fruit Packing, Shade, Anti-insect, Others) Others and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026.” The increasing need for high crops yields is expected to enable speedy expansion of the market.
The coronavirus emergency has given immense loss to industries and sectors across the globe. The governments of several countries have instigated lockdown to thwart the spread of this deadly virus. Such plans have caused disturbances in the production and supply chain. But, with time and resolution, we will be able to combat this stern time and get back to normality. Our well-revised reports will help companies to receive in-depth information about the present scenario of every market so that you can adopt the necessary strategies accordingly. The report on agricultural films and the bonding market contains:
Get Sample PDF Brochure with Impact of COVID19: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/agricultural-films-and-bonding-market-102302 List of Top Companies in the Global Agricultural Films and Bonding Market:
Key Market Driver: Acquisition of Berry Global Group by RPC Group to Propel Growth Berry Global Group, a Fortune 500 global manufacturer and marketer of plastic packaging products announced that it has acquired RPC Group. The acquisition was set for a price of approximately $6.5 billion (£5.15 billion). The joined business will employ over 48,000 people across six continents with sales of roughly $13 billion (approx. £10.3 billion) based on the latest published financial statements of Berry and RPC. Furthermore, Tom Salmon, Chairman and CEO of Berry, said in a statement, “The acquisition of RPC will give us the opportunity to leverage our combined know-how in innovative material science, product development, and manufacturing technologies to create significant value for our shareholders. ”He further added, we remain highly impressed by the tremendous depth of talent and resources embedded within RPC and are looking forward to the opportunity to strengthen our combined platform with the wealth of experience and expertise this team has to offer. The agreement is expected to create lucrative opportunities for the global market in the forthcoming years. However, high installation cost and adverse effects of plastics on the environment are expected to restrict the growth of the market. Inquire Before Buying This Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/queries/agricultural-films-and-bonding-market-102302 Regional Analysis: Booming Agriculture Industry to Augment Growth in North America The global Agricultural Films and Bonding market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is expected to expand radically during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to the rapidly growing agriculture industry. The surging food demand in emerging economies such as India and China can help expand the market in the region. North America is expected to experience a significant growth rate due to the growing population. The heavy demand for regulated agriculture is likely to drive the market in the region. Europe is expected to expand exponentially during the forecast period owing to the favorable regulations regarding film disposal and development. The growing demand for biodegradable materials is expected to aid expansion in Europe. The Middle East is expected to experience sluggish growth due to strict environmental regulations owing to the hazardous nature of certain films. Key Points Covered:
Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/agricultural-films-and-bonding-market-102302 About Us: Fortune Business Insights™ offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them to address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data. At Fortune Business Insights™, we aim at highlighting the most lucrative growth opportunities for our clients. We, therefore, offer recommendations, making it easier for them to navigate through technological and market-related changes. Our consulting services are designed to help organizations identify hidden opportunities and understand prevailing competitive challenges. Contact Us: Fortune Business Insights™ Pvt. Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US:+1 424 253 0390 UK : +44 2071 939123 APAC : +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Music industry says proposed new regulations of online platforms are a good start but need work1/25/2021 Both the European Commission and the UK government yesterday unveiled proposals for new laws that will regulate online platforms. Although copyright protection is not core to these proposals, the music industry hopes that – as lawmakers seek to combat illegal content online – any new rules will also include additional measures to stop copyright infringing material from being posted and shared.
The responsibilities of large internet companies that allow third parties to post and share content have become a big talking point in political circles in recent years. Much of the conversation to date has focused on the distribution of extremist, violent and abusive content, as well as misinformation and disinformation. Although all of that is often grouped together under the banner “illegal content”, which obviously covers a wider range of material. The general consensus is that large internet firms are not currently doing enough to block and remove this kind of content and that new laws are required to increase the legal obligations of said firms in this domain, so to force them to act. The tech sector, while insisting it takes all of these things very seriously indeed, obviously would prefer not to face new legal obligations, and to that end generally urges politicians to be cautious when writing any new laws, talking quite a lot about the “unintended consequences” of any proposed new rules. As is always the case when internet regulation is discussed, the tech sector is often supported in opposing at least some of the proposed new regulations by free speech advocates, some of whom are raising legitimate concerns regarding the impact new internet laws may have on freedom of expression. In the EU, the proposals for new internet laws come in the form of the Digital Services Act – which looks at the obligations of large internet businesses when it comes to policing content on their networks – and the Digital Markets Act – which seeks to stop the largest internet businesses unfairly exploiting their market dominance. The proposals will likely ultimately result in new EU-wide regulations and amendments to the EU E-Commerce Directive. Unveiling the proposals yesterday, European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: “The two proposals serve one purpose: to make sure that we, as users, have access to a wide choice of safe products and services online. And that businesses operating in Europe can freely and fairly compete online just as they do offline. This is one world. We should be able to do our shopping in a safe manner and trust the news we read. Because what is illegal offline is equally illegal online”. Fellow Commissioner Thierry Breton added: “Many online platforms have come to play a central role in the lives of our citizens and businesses, and even our society and democracy at large. With today’s proposals, we are organizing our digital space for the next decades. With harmonized rules, ex ante obligations, better oversight, speedy enforcement, and deterrent sanctions, we will ensure that anyone offering and using digital services in Europe benefits from security, trust, innovation and business opportunities”. In the UK, ministers have published a formal response to a white paper the government published last year all about ‘online harms’. That response sets out how a new ‘duty of care’ obligation applied to internet platforms might work, and what new responsibilities that might hand to said platforms. Launching the British proposals, the UK’s Secretary Of State For Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden, said: “I’m unashamedly pro-tech but that can’t mean a tech free-for-all. Today Britain is setting the global standard for safety online with the most comprehensive approach yet to online regulation”. “We are entering a new age of accountability for tech to protect children and vulnerable users, to restore trust in this industry, and to enshrine in law safeguards for free speech”, he added. “This proportionate new framework will ensure we don’t put unnecessary burdens on small businesses but give large digital businesses robust rules of the road to follow so we can seize the brilliance of modern technology to improve our lives”. It remains to be seen to what extent these legal reforms in the EU and UK help copyright industries like the music business. While the pesky copyright safe harbor, which reduces the copyright liabilities of digital platforms, is being reformed in Europe via last year’s European Copyright Directive, that doesn’t apply in the UK, and it doesn’t deal with all of the music industry’s safe harbor concerns even in the EU. The copyright directive does increase the liabilities of safe harbor dwelling user-upload platforms, which is one of the music industry’s big safe harbor gripes. However, music companies would also like to increase the minimum requirements of the takedown systems that all safe harbor dwelling internet companies must operate, ie the systems via which copyright owners can demand that infringing content be removed. The key ask there is for a takedown-and-stay-down obligation, so once a copyright owner has removed some infringing content once, the platform must stop it from being re-uploaded again and again. Beyond any further safe harbor reform, the music industry could also benefit from the EU proposals to put new transparency obligations onto digital platforms, and any measures that reduce the domination of the biggest tech players. European digital music companies like Spotify, Deezer and SoundCloud will also welcome moves to constrain American tech giants Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook. To that end, reps for the music industry yesterday welcomed the new proposals, particularly the EU ones. Though they stressed that, from a copyright owner perspective, what has been proposed is a good starting point, but there is much more to be done. Helen Smith from IMPALA, the pan-European trade group for the independent music community, said yesterday: “If we strike the right balance, both pieces of legislation represent opportunities to secure a more inclusive and competitive online ecosystem, where all actors can operate on a level playing field”. “From what we have seen so far”, she added, “there is still a way to go for the legislation to achieve its purpose. At the same time, we fully support the aim of achieving a more accountable digital environment and welcome the recognition that some operators are quasi-public services with responsibilities that need to go beyond what is normally required of businesses in Europe”., “As a starting point, any new competition tool needs to prevent the high levels of concentration and companies with entrenched market power for indispensable trading. Cultural goods are unique and not substitutable, and the impact of market power is particularly serious in such markets. We have been calling out the inadequacy of the current competition framework for a number of years now”. Smith concluded: “We want to see effective responsibility of all platforms, building on the EU’s work under the previous legislature with the copyright directive and platform to business regulation. A safer and more accountable internet is in the interest of everyone, citizens and businesses alike. We look forward to working with member states and the European Parliament to ensure that the voice of independent music companies is heard in this debate and that together we can achieve the digital framework which Europe deserves”. Speaking for the music publishing sector, Director General at the International Confederation Of Music Publishers, John Phelan, said: “For too long there have been two rulebooks for the same game. We firmly support the EU’s goal of ‘what is illegal offline, must be illegal online’. However, work remains to realize this maxim. The DSA imposes a ream of welcome responsibilities on online services. It also extends some concerning paths to liability exemptions”. He added: “The DSA is propelled by the political goal of ‘preventing harmful behavior before it takes place’. Detecting and preventing illegal digital music can be easy thanks to existing technologies, but it is often problematic in practice as many services believe they are beyond laws. As things stand, the DSA lets some services off the hook. Some amendments to the final law will be needed so that Europe’s digital music industry will not be devalued nor creators continue to be ripped off by certain platforms”. credits: https://completemusicupdate.com/ Hollywood is slowly getting back to work as feature films, Netflix shows and network programs resume production. The industry has introduced enhanced safety protocols and drastic new measures designed by guilds and unions, along with epidemiologists, to keep incidences of Covid-19 down on sets.
It remains to be seen how sustainable and realistic the steps are over the long term. During the first wave of the pandemic, the industry was caught off guard — and got pummeled. The hope is that with stricter measures, Hollywood will be able to weather future waves. However, actors are still testing positive, some workers are still unable to return to work because of safety concerns, studios are still having to push movie releases or debut feature films on streaming platforms, and movie theaters are struggling to survive. HBO announced Wednesday that its tentpole feature "Wonder Woman 1984" will be released simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters on Dec. 25. With half of theaters out of operation and many people still hesitant to go to the movies, the studio said it couldn't risk a large-scale release for a $200 million film — even though that means the movie won't return big box office numbers. That change is the latest attempt to regain some sense of normalcy in an industry that finds itself once more in a vulnerable position. The threat of further halts looms large, jeopardizing both the financial success of content scheduled to launch in 2021 and the future of popular content that has already been greenlighted but isn't yet shot, let alone wrapped. "The production shutdown that happened as a result of people not understanding how to keep people safe during production has had a tremendous negative impact on businesses and the livelihoods of our members and workers all over the industry," said David White, national executive director of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA. "The pandemic has led to a great deal of collaboration," White said. "All of us on all sides of the fence needed to figure out how to work together in order to recover and figure out how to get people back to work." White said figures outside Hollywood also provided key insights. For example, producer Tyler Perry created an isolated bubble at his studios in Atlanta and was able to resume production with a set of very strict quarantine and testing protocols. The guidelines SAG-AFTRA established are centered on repetitive testing, which is covered by employers. That's especially important because a single test captures only a brief moment of a person's Covid-19 status. The plan also uses zones to limit how many people enter certain areas and come into contact with one another. "If you're in Zone A, the zone with our performers, you're being tested a minimum of three times a week," White said, citing one example. "The only people able to enter that zone are people being tested at this level." Other unions, like the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, have adopted these same protocols to protect their members. A member of that union, who works in the costume department on big-budget films and asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, outlined some of the safety measures and said there was a lot of back and forth about who would foot the bill for tests. "The union was really strict about the fact that we wouldn't go back to work without testing," the union member said. "There's a 'Covid safety officer' at every site where we're working, and all they do is handle Covid-19 questions and concerns. There's regular testing. You have to take a safety course, and you can't take off your mask inside the building for any reason whatsoever, not even to drink water or coffee." The member said the protocols have created what feels like a safe environment but questioned their long-term applicability. Already, unique challenges have arisen, especially when Los Angeles experienced extreme heat or poor air quality from fires. Staying hydrated has also become an issue, because a water break requires a trip outside, which is time-consuming. In addition, because people have to eat outside and away from others, workers have to camp out in their cars and run their air conditioners to eat lunch when the air quality is bad or it's very hot, which is expensive. Recommend The protocols have also meant production has slowed, which is counter to much of how the industry operates, the union member said. "You can't take off your mask inside the building for any reason whatsoever, not even to drink water or coffee." "So much of film is rushed and short-notice, where you're calling someone in for last-minute day work," the member said. "The process has been slowed down by necessity. You can't call someone and be like 'we need you to come in tomorrow and get this done,' because they need to be tested and take a safety course, which has impacted our workflow and pace greatly." The union member also said women and older workers are being adversely affected, because the protocols don't really account for child care needs or the increased vulnerabilities and concerns of older people, who are at greater risk for adverse effects from the virus. Small businesses are also taking a harder hit from Covid-19, even as Hollywood resumes production, White said. He pointed to catering companies, which traditionally are structured around providing huge spreads of meals at communal stations where food is shared. With the coronavirus, there has been a shift toward separate meals. "That may be a permanent shift in the way we think about feeding individuals in close quarters, because the pandemic has gone on for so long that there's been a mindset shift," White said. "Once companies make the investment to provide food like that and once people become accustomed to that, companies that aren't equipped to manage that may not come back." Ultimately, however, White is hopeful that Hollywood and its various components will prove resilient and innovative. He is particularly optimistic given that the Covid-19 recommendations put out by the different guilds and unions are designed to be scaled and adjusted to accommodate different sizes of productions. Still, some are erring on the side of caution and opting to pursue smaller projects that are set on somewhat isolated locations and have fewer cast and crew members. That's what Will Packer Productions, which produced "Straight Outta Compton," "Ride Along" and "Girls Trip," is doing. It has identified a few projects, including a small horror film set in New Orleans and an Idris Elba survival thriller, "Beast," that fit the bill. Only seven people are in the horror film, 90 percent of the movie takes place in one home, and only three locations are used. The shoot should last only about 25 days, and while there are some stunts, there isn't a lot of close in-person contact. "There are films on our slate that we have examined and taken a hard look at and decided we just can't film it in this climate right now," said James Lopez, president of Will Packer Productions. "We had a musical with a large cast, a lot of singing and dancing, a lot of close contact. When the pandemic hit, that was the very first one we looked at and came to the realization that it's going to be difficult to film until there's a vaccine." Much still relies on the spread and containment of the virus. As winter approaches, forcing people indoors, and infection rates increase, even careful restarts could be in jeopardy, which could have ripple effects from workers and production companies to studios — and moviegoers. Credits: https://www.nbcnews.com/ Armed with our top 10 turkey tips, you'll come out looking like a pro on Thanksgiving Day. Whether you're hosting your first Thanksgiving dinner or your fiftieth, these indispensable tips will help you turn out a terrific turkey. 1. Choose the right type of turkey for you.
Heritage? Organic? Fresh? Frozen? There are lots of choices out there. A heritage turkey is right for you if you want to try an old-fashioned breed of turkey, often leggier and leaner and more flavorful, and don't mind paying a little extra for it. If organics are important, you may already have your eye on a turkey raised according to organic standards, and fed organic feed. If you'd prefer a traditional fresh or frozen bird, pick the healthiest-looking one in the weight range you need, and make sure it looks well fed for its size. And, remember, fresh may not necessarily be better than frozen; frozen turkeys are snap-frozen just after butchering. 2. Figure on 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of turkey per person. To buy the right size turkey for your party, simply tally up the turkey-eating guests. Add a few pounds on for bones and you've got your turkey weight. For example, 8 people will require a 12 to 14-pound turkey. 3. Cook the turkey on a rack of vegetables. Create a natural roasting rack for your turkey by layering carrots, onions and celery on the bottom of the roasting pan. Lifting the turkey off the base of the pan helps to increase hot air circulation around the whole bird so that it will get crispy all over. And the vegetables add great flavor to the gravy. 4. Brining keeps it moist. Brining is an easy, sure-fire way to a moist and flavorful turkey. A typical brining solution contains water, salt, sugar and a variety of spices and aromatics. Just be sure to follow a trusted recipe so you get the right proportion of each. 5. Keep the stuffing on the side. Chances are the Thanksgivings of your childhood featured a stuffing cooked right in the cavity of the turkey. Go ahead and use your family recipe, but we suggest you cook the stuffing in a separate pan. Cooking the stuffing in the turkey can provide fertile ground for the growth of harmful bacteria. In addition, a stuffed turkey will take longer to cook, which could result in drier white meat. Instead, loosely fill the turkey with aromatics such as onions and herbs, and cook the stuffing separately. 6. To tie or not to tie. To help ensure that poultry cooks evenly, many professional cooks like to truss their birds, which is just a fancy term for tying them up. While it's not a necessary step in cooking a terrific turkey, it can be fun to show off your culinary skills at home. Simply tuck the wings of the turkey under the body and tie the legs together with kitchen string to create a tight package. 7. Rub the turkey with butter or oil. Before putting it in the oven, make sure the skin of the turkey is as dry as possible, and then rub it all over with butter or oil. For even moister meat, place pats of butter under the skin. 8. Skip the basting. Basting means more oven door opening, resulting in temperature fluctuations that can dry out your bird. Instead, keep your turkey moist by brining it or by rubbing it all over with butter or oil. 9. Invest in a good meat thermometer. Check for doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey around the thigh, avoiding the bone. At 165 degrees F, it's done. The turkey will continue to cook as it rests, so the temperature should rise another 10 degrees or so out of the oven. 10. Give it a rest. To lock in juices, tent your turkey with foil and let it rest for at least 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Be sure you don't cover the turkey too tightly as you don't want the bird to steam under the foil. Browse our best turkey recipes to find the perfect bird for your Thanksgiving feast. credits: https://www.foodnetwork.com/ Subscribe to #MaadHouse for your chance to receive money towards your thanksgiving dinner From, Maad House. We're thankful for everybody choosing Maad House for their source of entertainment. Those selected will be contacted 11/20-11/22. Happy Holidays and continue to stay safe. Though Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” continues to dominate the internet, many big-name musicians released some of the best new pop music this week. Taylor Swift debuted an exclusive song from her most recent release, Carly Rae Jepsen returned with a few unreleased tracks, and Troye Sivan debuted a smoldering EP.
Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop music. Listen up. Taylor Swift — “The Lakes”It’s been nearly a month since Taylor Swift dropped her surprise album Folklore and the singer is already back with even more of the best new pop music. Debuting alongside a deluxe album announcement, “The Lakes” was co-written by producer/Bleachers singer Jack Antonoff and boasts atmospheric production and lulling melodies. Carly Rae Jepsen — “Me And The Boys In The Band”This week was an eventful one for Carly Rae Jepsen, who celebrated the 5-year anniversary of her album Emotion and released three new songs. Two of the tracks were Emotion b-sides by “Me And The Boys In The Band” arrived as a standalone effort. Joyous instrumentals denote Jepsen’s lyrical love letter to touring. “I miss travel and performing and my band mates who over the years have become my adopted brothers,” Jepsen said about the single. Troye Sivan — “Stud”After making a name for himself with his first two albums, Troye Sivan returned this week with his shimmering EP, In A Dream. The six-track effort features the slow-burning “Stud,” opening with wistful piano and artful auto-tune until a crashing beat arrives and quickly revs-up the song’s energy. BTS — “Dynamite”K-Pop supergroup BTS shared their first full English-languaged track “Dynamite” this week, and it shattered YouTube’s viewing records. In under 24 hours, the video racked up over 90 million views, breaking the previous record set by the group’s “On” video. In a statement, BTS said “Dynamite” is “made of positive vibes, energy, hope, love, the purity, everything,” and it’s upbeat instrumentals reflect these themes. Dana Williams — “Stuff”LA singer Dana Williams continues her prolific year with yet another single. Williams takes a long look in the mirror with “Stuff,” showcasing her moving vocals over a wavering guitar. The heartfelt visual alongside the single pays homage to her childhood, inserting adorable home video clips of her growing up. Blackbear — “If I Were You” Feat. LauvAfter linking up with Charlie Puth for last week’s “Hard On Yourself,” Blackbear returned with the 12-track record Everything Means Nothing. The record includes his smash hit “Hot Girl Bummer,” as well as a number of collaborations — including with breakout star Lauv. The two got together to record “If I Were You,” a buoyant reflection on the confusion that comes with navigating a toxic relationship. Aluna — “Envious”Aluna, one-half of electronic duo AlunaGeorge, has begun to pivot to a solo career with a handful of recent singles and flex her talent as a songwriter. “Envious” continues a string of strong efforts, boasting an earworm chorus, shimmering harmonies, and club-ready beat drops fit for epic living room dance parties. Carlie Hanson — “Good Enough”Following her acclaimed EP Junk, Carlie Hanson has shared a handful of introspective pop ballads this year. With “Good Enough,” the singer gets real about struggling with mental health: “I wrote ‘Good Enough’ during one of the darkest periods of my life. My relationship was fizzling, I missed being with my family and friends, and at the time I was on a prescription medication that was really negatively affecting me. […] Fortunately, I was able to find my way out of this depression and push forward by writing about it and coming to terms with my mental health.” Bazzi — “Crazy”Continuing a prolific 2020, Bazzi is back with the infectious track “Crazy.” Piggybacking on his signature songwriting structure, “Crazy” starts soulful before a hypnotic beat drops and Bazzi flexes his wide-ranging vocals. “Inside this city I see people everyday like you / I know your type I do,” he sings. Kiiara — “Never Let You”Kiiara has positioned herself as a strong songwriter with a handful of singles over the past few years, gaining notoriety for her hit effort “Gold.” With “Never Let You,” Kiiara reflects on her musical path, wondering what her life would be life if she chose a different career: “A few months ago I was wondering what my life would have been like if I had never picked up a guitar and written ‘Gold.’ That’s what I wrote ‘Never Let You’ about. It’s sort of the grass ain’t greener type of situation. At the end of the day no matter how discouraged I get, I know I can’t imagine doing anything else. Music is all I think about 24/7. It’s my life and it gives me purpose.” Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Jayson Tatum was five years old when Carmelo Anthony entered the NBA, so he literally grew up watching the All-Star forward.
Tatum always has admired Anthony's game, so after 'Melo made NBA history in the Portland Trail Blazers' 124-121 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, the Boston Celtics forward had to show him love. Here's Tatum's Twitter shout-out of Anthony after the 36-year-old moved to 15th on the NBA's all-time scoring list: Anthony ironically passed Celtics legend Paul Pierce, who racked up 24,021 of his 26,397 career points in Boston. Tatum called Anthony one of his "top three favorite players" after the Celtics and Blazers met earlier this season, so it's no wonder he was so excited to see the 36-year-old make history (even if it was at Pierce's expense). Anthony respects Tatum's game, too: He admitted earlier this season he "loves" watching Tatum play and said the 22-year-old is "like a little brother to me." Tatum might eye Pierce and Anthony on the all-time scoring list one day if he continues to play at a high level. A tall awning supported by pillars provides shade to the drive-up area and gives the home a feeling of grandeur. A large, circular planter creates a roundabout for cars to abide by as they enter and exit. (PHOTO ABOVE) Shaquille O’Neal is known for his large stature, imposing basketball skills, and massive car collection. But there’s one other larger-than-life aspect of Shaq’s legacy: his Florida megamansion. The staggering estate includes 31,000 square feet of living space sitting on three acres. It includes a 1,170 square foot great room, a 6,000 square foot indoor basketball court, a 15-feet-deep pool, a 17-car garage, and so much more. Read on to see all that Shaq’s jaw-dropping mansion has to offer.
Pulling Up To The Massive EstateThe gated entrance and massive driveway make it clear right from the start that this is no ordinary house. The vibrant blue roof makes the expansive property standout among lush trees, but it also blends well with the surrounding water. Investors who owned stocks in the 2010s generally experienced some big gains. In fact, the SPDR S&P 500's (NYSE: SPY) total return for the decade was 250.5%. But there’s no question some big-name stocks did much better than others along the way.
Berkshire’s Difficult Decade: One underperformer of the last decade was Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B). Berkshire struggled throughout the past decade to keep pace with a bull market that was led by high-growth, high-valuation tech stocks. Buffett is one of the most iconic value investors of all time, but value stocks have underperformed in a climate of historically low interest rates and skyrocketing corporate debt. One of Buffett’s best moves of the past 10 years was his decision to go all-in on Apple, Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) in May 2016. At the time, Apple shares were trading at around $110 per share. Roughly five years later, Apple is now trading at $444 and it’s by far Berkshire’s largest holding, worth around $111.5 billion. But Buffett also had plenty of missteps in the past decade as well. Buffett invested in airline stocks in 2016 only to sell them all in early 2020 near the market bottom during the COVID-19 sell-off. Berkshire’s Class B shares started the 2010s trading at around $70 after a 50-to-1 stock split in early 2010. Berkshire hit its decade low of $65.35 in late 2011. Berkshire shares then began a steady march higher over the next three years, peaking at $152.94 in late 2014. From there, Berkshire spent most of the next two years trading sideways in a wide range of between $125 and $150. The stock finally broke out to the upside in late 2016. 2020 And Beyond: Berkshire ultimately peaked at $231.61 in early 2020, its high point of the last 10 years. However, Berkshire shares were hammered in early 2020 during the broad market COVID-19 sell-off, and the stock dropped to as low as $159.50, its lowest point since 2017. While the stock has since rebounded to around $210, it has still delivered underwhelming overall performance over the past 10 years. In fact, $1,000 worth of Berkshire stock in 2010 would be worth about $2,614 today, assuming reinvested dividends. Looking ahead, analysts expect Berkshire’s climb to resume in the coming months. The average price target among the three analysts covering the stock is $223.45, suggesting 6.7% upside from current levels. President Barack Obama meets with Warren Buffett in the Oval Office in 2011. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza. Surviving September Hard Rock/Metal band from Jacksonville FL has been making waves in the music world. They have played with many headlining acts throughout the eastern region of the United States. Surviving September played along side Bands like Godsmack, The Offspring, A Day to Remember, of Mice and Men, Beartooth, Stone Temple Pilots, Soil, Flaw, Scream Blue Murder (UK), 10 years and many others. Their NEW single and music video "PREY" available on all streaming platforms and YouTube. Check out their new Website www.survivingseptember.com Main Stage Feature - Cruzer Ur Ameshi
Cruzer Urameshi is an upcoming music producer. Cruzer was Born in Columbus, Georgia. Cruzer grew up around music and became really fond of producing at the age of 16. Already at 23 Years of age Cruzer already produced for dozens of artists as well as a few big named artists such as Shoreline Mafia, HotBoy Turk, Lil Davy, ChecktheStar, Oppo ,& his group BLVCKTRIVD. Cruzer is currently out in the Pacific Northwest and has been on a strong run. Cruzer became a heavy influencer within the music culture including the producer community. He has had such an impact that a lot of people have begun to call him a “Super Producer” in the making. Cruzer has a lot of projects already on all major platforms. Cruzer's most recent project is 1000 Days Later with his team BLVCKTRIVD that Cruzer executive produced. The project has been a real success. Cruzer is also working on his next solo project called Cruzer 64. The reasoning behind the name is that Cruzer came into the music game making an impact that will be remembered years to come as the Nintendo 64 video game console is to the video game world also among pop culture today as one of the greatest video games that are still enjoyable to this day. Cruzer and his fans believe that his productions are timeless and will be enjoyable in 10 years as it is now comparable to the Nintendo 64 today. Cruzer knows his journey has been a great ride and he has learned a lot so far. Cruzer feels that this is only the beginning of it and there’s so much more success to come to him, his audience, team, and fans. Twitter : https://twitter.com/Cruzer3x Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/Cruzer3x/ BeatStore : https://traktrain.com/cruzer96 FaceBook : https://www.facebook.com/Cruzer3x Justin Bieber and a boy band called One Direction are some of the biggest names in modern music. So, not surprisingly many people assume that most music buyers are tweens or teens. But the 45+ age group is actually the largest music buying demographic according to a Consumer Trends survey by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Tweens and teens are the smallest. You may think that much of that 45+ music is probably being bought for children or grandchildren. Without a doubt some is. But much of what's being purchased is called catalog music. A lot of this is music from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's rather than newer acts. In 2012, catalog acts like Guns N' Roses, Queen, The Beatles and Whitney Houston were outselling new acts. Younger people mostly buy singles because they have far less disposable income. The Jezebel.com article "Who's Buying Music, Is It You?" points out: "...teenagers don’t buy as many tunes as people think, accounting for only seven percent of CD sales and just 12 percent of downloads — that means adults are buying Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande albums. Also, dudes used to buy most of the digital downloads, but now women buy around 54 percent of digital albums." Record labels have become what the book The Song Machine calls "global hit factories manufacturing the songs that have everyone hooked." They may have a lot of younger people hooked, but older buyers are often being ignored. You may be wondering why the recording industry largely markets music to a younger demographic (mainly 14 to 24 year olds) rather than the demographic that actually buys the most music. There are a few different reasons for this. Adele Has Sold Millions of Albums with Music that Appeals to Older Music Buyers Older Music Buyers Can Be Set in Our Ways Taste in music is often established in our younger years. So, many people prefer the music that was around when they were children and young adults. It's easy to malign the likes of One Direction and Justin Bieber today. But many highly respected acts like The Beatles and Elvis started out doing music with mass appeal before producing great works like Hey Jude and Suspicious Minds. The fact is many older music buyers don't actively go out looking for new artists. Older people are far less likely to listen to the radio, where most new artists are broken. If they aren't willing to buy the music of younger artists, labels have less reason to appeal to a more mature demographic. However, the success of Adele may have labels rethinking their assumptions about who will buy new artists. Adele's music is aimed at older music buyers. Yes, older music buyers can be very set in our ways and we often don't actively go looking for new artists. But it is likely that older people will buy the music of younger artists if the record companies can just find a way to reach us. However, that also proves to be a challenge. It's Easier to Market to Younger People It's much easier for record labels to target younger audiences than older audiences. Older people are busier with jobs and families. They have a wide variety of interests and listen to less music radio. Younger people can easily be targeted through pop radio stations, entertainment shows, advertisements during television shows aimed at teens, online sources aimed at teens, and teen magazines. Labels can target a large youth audience through limited media outlets. This isn't possible with older audiences. It's much harder to pinpoint the best way to target music to older listeners. Younger people are also more susceptible to marketing techniques than older people. Again, the success of Adele would prove that it's not impossible to market music to an older demographic. Younger People Attend More Concerts Younger people are much more likely to attend concerts, so record labels aren't as dependent on record sales to make money from artists that are popular with younger audiences. They can make money from artists in many different ways. Younger people are more likely to purchase merchandise like posters, t-shirts, books and other products. Risks for the Music Industry Many record labels have done away with artist development departments as they have focused more on creating acts aimed at tweens and teens. There is a concern that newer artists won't have the longevity that many earlier acts like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and Madonna have had. If record companies don't invest more in developing their acts and ensuring they stay for the long haul, there might not be a big catalog market in the future to keep the music industry afloat.
A group like One Direction may never get to create their own Hey Jude (assuming that they have that creative ability in them) if they can't grow up with their fans. As people get older they want quality. Labels need to ensure that artists grow and mature with their audiences by moving them away from bubble gum mainstream music to more meaningful songs. The Beatles quickly moved from mainstream songs like Love Me Do to more grown up songs like Eleanor Rigby. If artists don't do that, they will likely fade away as their fans grow and mature. Considering the demographics that actually buy music, artist development needs to once again become a priority. article: Spinditty DJ Chubby Chub Exclusive with Justice Lane.
Justice lane - For everybody listening, we have DJ Chubby Chub on the line with us right now! We know you been in the game for awhile now, so when was the moment you decided you wanted to be a DJ? DJ Chubby chub - It was very odd, around the time I started dj-ing when I lived in The Bronx, I didn’t really know I wanted to be a DJ, I just loved music. I would have to say when I was outside in a park and I seen a DJ from the area and he was entertaining the crowd, and that made me think, “I need to be apart of this.” Justice lane - Wow! And how long ago was that? DJ Chubby chub - I’d say about 20, 25 years ago Justice lane - So today, why do you think a lot of DJ’s have moved away from co-signing artists or breaking new music? DJ Chubby chub - I don’t think a lot of DJ’s have moved away from it, I just think a lot of DJ’s haven’t found the right people that they wanna co-sign. Justice lane - With that being said, you’re 50 Cent’s official tour DJ - How did you link up with 50? DJ Chubby chub - Well there was an audition and I went and that’s how I got it (laughs) you know I already had a release with him, and I was breaking his music in Boston and on the radio, I was one of the first people that was doing that before a lot of people were. I was just playing mixtape cuts. Justice lane - I know you’ve seen the music industry music style change and from a DJ perspective, what do you think about it, and being in the game for 20 years, how do you feel about it? DJ Chubby chub - I mean, hip hop is different, it’s definitely different from nineties hip-hop, it’s a different lifestyle. Back then it was different for every other reason, it was more lyrical and more being a teacher to the rap game, now it’s more “this is a lifestyle” and it’s more having fun and partying and people are dancing, you know you can't really take away from what used to be and what is now. Justice lane - Thank you joining me, I hope everybody’s listening, especially with the knowledge that you have. What would you tell other DJ’s looking to come up to be successful to where you are today? DJ Chubby chub - The best thing is being yourself and always knowing that you’re happy with you and what you present and what you’re going to give the world and what you offer is what stands by what you create. Justice lane - Do you have any advice for artists about how they would go about having a DJ like yourself breaking their record and getting their music to someone like you? DJ Chubby chub - Don’t stop - keep sending your music out to every DJ, every DJ has his own ear and eventually someone is gonna say “you have what it takes” and if you don’t and they don’t get right back to you, don’t stop, keep going. A lot of people give up, they think cuz they make one record that’s what they have is that one record, it’s not true. You gotta keep coming up with different songs, you gotta come up with creative thoughts about what you want people to hear about and who you are as an artist. Justice lane - Very True. I see that one of your mentors has been (coming up with DJ Clark Kent??) do you have any other DJ’s or inspirational people that when you first started you looked up to or wanted to work with? DJ Chubby chub - When I grew up, there was DJ’s like Grandmaster Flash, everybody wanted to be Flash, everybody wanted to be like Kid Capri, everybody wanted to have their own style, and I was surrounded with a lot of Dj’s like SNS , Craig G, (Dower?) , doing what they were doing and we was doing all together at the same time was mixtapes, but as far as a lot of DJ’s , I look up to a lot of DJ’s because every DJ has their own niche and their own gift of what they brought to the table as being a DJ. Not everybody is going to say they played off records, not everybody is gonna say they had turntables, but every DJ has their own gift they just gotta know what to give to people, you can't play for yourself you gotta play for the people. And me personally, I play for women, you need to play for women more than anything (Laughs) Justice lane - Well thank you, thank you (Laughs) Justice lane - Before I let you go, please tell us all where we can find you on social media for you and 50’s movement? DJ Chubby chub - All social media @djchubbychub holla at me! Justice lane - Any shoutouts you would like to give? DJ Chubby chub - I would like to give a shout out to you Justice, thanks for having me on the show, and shout out to everybody that’s tuned in and rocking out, we appreciate you and make sure everyday counts! Justice lane - Thank you! Yes and everybody tuned in, make sure to check out DJ Chubby Chub and his movement!! I support you and 50 and the movement with it. feel free to come back so we can keep the fans updated. Thank you again for joining me!! DJ Chubby chub - You’re welcome, thank you for having me! The Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is the only facility where assembly of a rocket occurred that carried humans beyond low-Earth orbit and on to the Moon. For 30 years, it also served as the final assembly point for space shuttles to external fuel tanks and solid rocket boosters.
The iconic facility serves as the central hub of NASA’s premier multi-user spaceport, capable of hosting several different kinds of rockets and spacecraft at the same time. Whether the rockets and spacecraft are going into Earth orbit or being sent into deep space, the VAB will have the infrastructure to prepare them for their missions. The VAB was constructed for the assembly of the Apollo/Saturn V moon rocket, the largest rocket made by humans at the time. The last structural beam was positioned in the VAB in 1965. The interior construction, including the construction of the extensible work platforms, was completed in 1966. The building is located 3.5 miles from Launch Pad 39A and 4.2 miles from Launch Pad 39B. The tallest portion of the VAB is called the high bay. There are four high bays, two on the east side, and two on the west side of the building. Each has a 456-foot-high door, enabling rockets to be stacked vertically and then rolled out to the launch pad. Combining established capabilities with modern needs is the primary goal as the world’s most famous landmark of space exploration is being upgraded to support NASA’s 21st century launch complex. Fun Facts
pictures credits: iFM Magazine (Justice Lane) article credits: https://www.nasa.gov/content/vehicle-assembly-building The crawler-transporters, formally known as the Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities, are a pair of tracked vehicles used to transport spacecraft from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) along the Crawlerway to Launch Complex 39. They were originally used to transport the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets during the Apollo, Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz programs. They were then used to transport Space Shuttles from 1981 to 2011. The crawler-transporters carry vehicles on the Mobile Launcher Platform, and after each launch return to the pad to take the platform back to the VAB.
Overview Manufacturer Marion Power Shovel Company Also called Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities Model years 1965 Powertrain Engine 2 × 2,050 kW (2,750 hp) V16 ALCO 251C diesel engines 2 × 750 kW (1,006 hp) generators, driven by two 794 kW (1,065 hp) engines, are used for jacking, steering, lighting, and ventilating. Transmission 16 × traction motors, powered by four 1,000 kW (1,341 hp) generators Dimensions Length 40 m (131 ft) Width 35 m (114 ft) Height Adjustable, 6 to 8 m (20 to 26 ft) Curb weight 2,721 t (6,000,000 lb) Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities U.S. National Register of Historic Places Location Kennedy Space Center, Florida MPS John F. Kennedy Space Center MPS NRHP reference No.99001643 Added to NRHP January 21, 2000 The two crawler-transporters were designed and built by Marion Power Shovel Company using components designed and built by Rockwell International at a cost of US$14 million each. Upon its construction, the crawler-transporter became the largest self-powered land vehicle in the world. While other vehicles such as bucket-wheel excavators like Bagger 293, dragline excavators like Big Muskie and power shovels like The Captain are significantly larger, they are powered by external sources. The two crawler-transporters were added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 2000. Specifications: The crawler-transporter has a mass of 2,721 tonnes (6 million pounds) and has eight tracks, two on each corner. Each track has 57 shoes, and each shoe weighs 900 kg (1,984 lb). The vehicle measures 40 by 35 meters (131 by 114 ft). The height from ground level to the platform is adjustable from 6.1 to 7.9 m (20 to 26 ft), and each side can be raised and lowered independently of the other. The crawler uses a laser guidance system and a leveling system to keep the Mobile Launcher Platform level within 10 minutes of arc (0.16 degrees; about 30 cm (1 ft) at the top of the Saturn V), while moving up the 5 percent grade to the launch site. A separate laser docking system provides pinpoint accuracy when the crawler-transporter and Mobile Launch Platform are positioned in the VAB or at the launch pad. A team of nearly 30 engineers, technicians and drivers operate the vehicle, centered on an internal control room, and the crawler is driven from two control cabs located at either end. A crawler-transporter carrying Discovery travels the ramp to Launch Pad 39B. The vehicle's back end can be raised, keeping the Shuttle and the MLP level.The crawlers were overhauled in 2003 with upgrades to the Motor Control Center, which houses the switchgear and electrical controls of all of major systems on board; a new engine and pump ventilation system; new diesel engine radiators; and replacement of the two driver cabs on each vehicle (one on each end). As of 2003, each crawler had 16 traction motors, powered by four 1,000 kW (1,341 hp) generators, in turn driven by two 2,050 kW (2,750 hp) V16 ALCO 251C diesel engines. Two 750 kW (1,006 hp) generators, driven by two 794 kW (1,065 hp) engines, were used for jacking, steering, lighting, and ventilating. Two 150 kW (201 hp) generators were also available to power the Mobile Launcher Platform. The crawler's tanks held 19,000 liters (5,000 U.S. gal) of diesel fuel, and it burned 296 liters per kilometer (125.7 U.S. gal/mi). Due to its age and the need to support the heavier Space Launch System and its launch tower, in mid-2012 one of the crawlers was undergoing an upgrade involving "new engines, new exhausts, new brakes, new hydraulics, new computers", to increase its lifting capacity from 5.4 to 8.2 million kg (12 to 18 million lb). The crawlers traveled along the 5.5 and 6.8 km (3.4 and 4.2 mi) Crawlerways, to LC-39A and LC-39B, respectively, at a maximum speed of 1.6 kilometers per hour (1 mph) loaded, or 3.2 km/h (2 mph) unloaded. The average trip time from the VAB along the Crawlerway to Launch Complex 39 is about five hours. Each Crawlerway is 2 m (7 ft) deep and covered with Alabama and Tennessee river rock for its low friction properties to reduce the possibility of sparks. In 2000, NASA unearthed and restored an Apollo-era segment of the Crawlerway to provide access to High Bay 2 in the VAB in order to provide protection from a hurricane for up to three Shuttles at the same time. Kennedy Space Center has been using the same two crawlers, now nicknamed "Hans" and "Franz", since their initial delivery in 1965. In their lifetime, they have traveled more than 5,500 km (3,400 mi), about the same driving distance as from Miami to Seattle. Photo Credits: iFM Magazine (Justice Lane) credits:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawler-transporter?fbclid=IwAR3pcnVDR2X1AWyti7XtF4kNZOloTJOkeIPO7i4MoZqLV3eqwB8tf1sSU8g First it was just a few displaced shows in Asia and Europe — then came the toppling of global music-tech conference SXSW, desert bacchanal Coachella, and tour dates for everyone from Pearl Jam to the Rolling Stones to Post Malone to Billie Eilish. North America’s largest concert promoters AEG and Live Nation suspended all their shows; major arenas and underground clubs alike were forced to their doors. By mid-March, the coronavirus pandemic had effectively put the multibillion-dollar concert industry on indefinite pause and brought cataclysmic knock-on effects into the rest of the music business as well.
As the crisis continues to spill over into the operations of record labels, venues, streaming services, booking agencies, tech startups, and other companies in the various corners of the music industry, we’re committed to in-depth reporting and analysis from every angle. The Week the Music Stopped: It was the beginning of March when Don Smiley started planning for the worst. As the chief executive of Milwaukee’s Summerfest — which calls itself “the world’s largest music festival,” attracting 900,000 people over 11 days each year — Smiley was confronting a tidal wave of reports about the outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S. With the news darkening, he began to seriously consider dismantling the event’s entire meticulous plan. In its 52-year history, Summerfest — which was set to include performances by artists from Justin Bieber to Guns N’ Roses this year — had never been canceled or postponed. In March, COVID-19 wiped concerts and festivals off the calendar — and that was just the beginning. Inside the unprecedented week that threw the music industry into crisis. Credits: https://www.rollingstone.com/ The Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (Music Modernization Act) is the most significant piece of copyright legislation in decades and updates our current laws to reflect modern consumer preferences and technological developments in the music marketplace. The law is organized into three key titles, outlined below: Title I--Music Licensing Modernization Act; Title II--Classics Protection and Access Act; and Title III--Allocation for Music Producers Act. The Copyright Office has been active in executing its duties under the MMA, including:
On July 8, 2019, the U.S. Copyright Office named Mechanical Licensing Collective, Inc. as the designated Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) under Title I of the MMA. On September 24, 2019, the Office issued a notice of inquiry regarding implementation regulations for the new blanket section 115 “mechanical” license. Following this notice, the Office plans to publish multiple notices of proposed rulemaking, each focusing on one or more of the regulatory categories discussed in the initial notice. On December 6, 2019, the Office held an all-day educational symposium to kick off a public study to determine the best practices that the MLC may implement to effectively identify copyright owners and unclaimed royalties of musical works while encouraging copyright owners to claim royalties and ultimately reduce the occurrence of unclaimed royalties, as directed by the MMA. Credits: https://www.copyright.gov/ Entertainment law is a broad term used to cover the areas of law necessary to provide legal service to persons in the entertainment industry such as artists, producers, musicians, writers, publishers, managers, filmmakers, photographers, and game companies.
While entertainment law primarily involves intellectual property issues such as trademarks, copyrights, and the rights of publicity and privacy, the practice of entertainment law also frequently touches on issues in employment/labor law, corporate law, torts, securities law, insurance law, First Amendment law, and international law. Why should you hire an entertainment lawyer? Entertainment lawyers handle the unique legal needs of individuals and businesses involved in the entertainment industry. If you have a contract you need reviewed or drafted involving art, motion pictures, music, theater, book publishing, photography, and/or video games, it’s wise to work with an entertainment lawyer to ensure the contract is clearly drafted, reflects your agreed upon deal points, and serves your best interests. Lawyers who do not have a current understanding of these industries may well feel like you are speaking to them in a different language and/or fail to identify critical issues potentially leaving their entertainment clients with either a raw deal, or no deal at all. What do entertainment lawyers do? Most entertainment lawyers are transcriptional lawyers who spend the bulk of their time drafting, reviewing, and/or negotiating contracts for their clients to ensure the contracts reflect industry standard and/or agreed upon terms, provide appropriate compensation, and protect intellectual property. A good entertainment lawyer will also spend time explaining how the industry works to new clients so that they can avoid bad deals as well as costly disputes to try to get out of them. Many entertainment lawyers act as general counsel for established artists and companies who have a regular need for advice on how to secure rights to third party content to avoid copyright/trademark infringement (e.g., optioning a book for a screenplay, acquiring music for film soundtrack) and how best to exploit/protect their brand (e.g, licensing their name, image, or content to distributors, merchandisers, sponsors, etc.). Some entertainment lawyers may also “shop” clients to try to secure deals with industry players (e.g., artists to record labels, TV show concepts to networks, screenplays to studios). It is important to be cautious in entering into such representation arrangements, especially if the lawyer promises you a deal in exchange for a shopping fee. Unless the lawyer controls the label, studio, etc. (and the ethics of that are murky at best), then it’s unlikely that he/she can follow through with such promises no matter how much money you pay him/her. In the music business, connections rule the day.
Entertainment lawyers are some of the most connected professionals in the industry. An established entertainment lawyer can streamline your demo direct to the decision-makers… but too often, musicians overly rely on the role of lawyer in “shopping” the music deal. A lawyer’s connections alone will usually never get you a record deal (of course, there are exceptions). First and foremost, the music industry is a business – if you cannot prove that you will be a return on a business’s investment, it is very unlikely that a lawyer can get you a deal. The lawyer does, however, play an integral role in a musician’s career – and this does include introducing the musician to record label executives when the musician has some leverage. I get at least one e-mail or demo submission every week (usually more) from a band or musician asking me to shop them to a major label. There are plenty of lawyers that will agree to shop an artist for a fee – in this case, shopping merely means submitting the artist’s demo along with a letter from the attorney on official letterhead. We do not do this. Our law firm does not shop. Artists need to understand that connections or talent alone will never equate to a record deal. Record labels want to see independent record sales, real MySpace numbers (or other online music sites), a touring schedule, merchandise sales, and general media buzz (whether it be from local sources or via online social networking). The role of the lawyer (along with the manager) is to assist you in developing these components into a viable and sustainable business – we are here to form a business entity for you, protect your intellectual property, negotiate license deals, create a solid infrastructure for you from which to take your career to the next level, and yes, get you in front of label executives. But consider this: if a lawyer has the option to “shop” an existing client that has developed a relationship with the lawyer OR shop an artist that only wants to be shopped, the answer seems obvious. Maintaining and protecting one’s reputation is crucial in this industry, and that means being extremely selective about when it makes sense to leverage contacts for a client. So the next time you think about sending a lawyer your creative materials to be “shopped”, think instead about sending your statistics and sales numbers. Music is about creativity; the music business is about spreadsheets and returns. One thing all entertainment attorneys do not do—despite the popular myth—is seek out and secure record deals for artists—a process known as “shopping” an artist to record labels. It is true that some entertainment attorneys perform this service, but very few succeed in getting their clients signed to a deal. An Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station early Thursday (May 24) to deliver more than 3 tons of science gear and supplies — and some goodies for astronauts, too. NASA astronaut Scott Tingle captured the uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft using the space station's robotic arm at 5:26 a.m. EDT (0926 GMT). It was attached to the an Earth-facing port on the station's Unity module about 3 hours later. The spacecraft is packed with 7,385 lbs. (3,350 kilograms) of science experiments, equipment and basic supplies, like clothing and food, for the station's Expedition 55 crew. But it contained some extra treats for the astronauts, too. "There's always goodies on board," Kirk Shireman, NASA's space station program manager, told reporters after Cygnus launched into orbit. "We try to fly something that each crew member likes. So, I'm sure there's something for them to look forward to." (May 21) from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia using an Antares rocket (also built by the company). It is the ninth of 11 cargo delivery missions for NASA by Orbital ATK under a $2.9 billion resupply contract. Dulles, Virginia-based Orbital ATK named this Cygnus the S.S. J.R. Thompson after J.R. Thompson, a NASA veteran and Orbital ATK executive who died last November. Among the science gear delivered by Cygnus is the Cold Atom Laboratory, which will use lasers to create the coldest spot in the universe on the station. Another experiment includes a sextant to test how the centuries-old navigation tool could be used to navigate spacecraft in an emergency. And an experiment called Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology will study how long-duration spaceflight affects the DNA of astronauts, plants and microbes. The Cygnus spacecraft will remain linked to the space station until July, when it will be packed with 3 tons of trash and commanded to intentionally burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Before it burns up, the spacecraft is expected to deploy several tiny satellites, called cubesats, as part of its mission, Orbital ATK representatives have said. Orbital ATK is one of two commercial companies with NASA contracts to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under the space agency's Commercial Resupply Service 1 program. The other company is Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX, which has flown 14 of 20 planned missions with its Dragon capsules and Falcon 9 rockets for NASA under a contract worth just over $3 billion. NASA has also picked Orbital ATK, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp. to supply the space station under its new Commercial Resupply Services 2 program. The International Space Station is currently home to six astronauts and cosmonauts making up the Expedition 55 crew. In addition to Tingle, the crew includes NASA astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Anton Shkaplerov (who commands the mission) of Roscosmos, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Norishige Kanai. Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:31 a.m. EDT to include the successful berthing of the Cygnus spacecraft at the space station. Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. Glancy Kelly is an artist with a very innovative take on his R&B sound. On one hand, is music is inspired by legends like Trey Songz and Mario, while on the other, he also channels the spirit of innovative artists such as Miguel or Frank Ocean, to name a few. One of his most recent single, “Who Knew,” is a sultry and outspoken composition, which blurs the lines between emotional lyricism and the artist’s energetic delivery. It is not surprising that the artist has been on the radar for some of the world’s top A&R people and record labels executives! He even turned down a few offers to be a songwriter for other major artists, because he deeply believes in the potential of his sounds. “Who Knew” is a perfect song for Glancy’s vocals, and no other singer would have been able to capture the track’s expression in such a personal way. Following the success of his other single, “Tell Me,” this song is yet another banger with a catchy, sexy vibe. Find out more about Glancy Kelly and listen to “Who Knew,” which is now available on Spotify: (Texas) – Like many who need an escape from the harsh realities of life, Glancy Kelly turned to music at an early age as a salve for his various difficult experiences. As soon as he learned how to write he began creating songs and lyrics about things he was going through as a kid. It wasn’t long before he was experimenting with rap, and as he began to learn more about music – from playing drums to learning multiple other instruments – he began to develop a deep passion for the art of music making.
Today Kelly is ready to showcase his body of work to the world with the release of his album “Now or Never.” It’s an album that explores a variety of musical styles – from hip-hop to R&B to soul and pop. “It kind of represents all parts of me,” Kelly said. “I’ve been working on it for the last two years and I’m ready to see how far I can go with it. I had a couple of major artists wanting to buy a couple of my songs – like ‘Hold On To Me’ and ‘My Life’ – but I wanted to keep them for myself. I figured I’m not getting any younger and it’s time to put this album and those songs out to the world now or I’m never going to do it.” This isn’t the first time Kelly has attempted to enter the music industry. In fact, he’s has modest success for a few years, including a short stint in the early rounds of the FOX reality show American Idol. “While I consistently received praise from the producers, I never moved past the non-televised portion of the contest,” he said. “It was a wake-up call for me. I have these ideas and content that break the convention mold of ‘filler’ lyrics, and I realized that I was going to have to make my own dreams come true. That’s why I put out ‘Hold On To Me’ a couple of years ago. The positive response has been overwhelming. My followers on Soundcloud just exploded, and some of the heavy-hitters in the music industry began to take notice.” And now he’s ready to take that positive momentum and use it to promote this new album, “Now or Never.” He said he hopes the album connects with people on a personal level. He said he hopes they see an original voice in the industry who has a unique story to tell – one that almost anyone can connect with on some level or another. “Not only did I learn a lot of instruments as a kid, but I also taught myself how to sing,” he said. “I’ve been singing now since I was 17 or 18. A lot of people have vocal coaches, but I didn’t have that and I taught myself to sing. I just kept practicing, trying to be good at it. I really believe that all you need is a steady tone and the ability to hold a note and you can do some things in this industry.” “Now or Never” is available for purchase on iTunes, Spotify and other digital media sites. Fans who want to sample more of Kelly’s music can visit his Soundcloud page, or check out some of his music videos on YouTube. Fans can also follow him on social media @glancysinger on Twitter and Instagram and www.facebook.com/glancykellyofficial |