Orlando, Fla. (April 6, 2021) – It’s official: On Thursday, June 10, thrill-seekers will have the opportunity to soar 155 feet in the air and catapult up to 70 mph alongside a ferocious Velociraptor pack as Universal Orlando Resort opens Jurassic World VelociCoaster – Florida’s fastest and tallest launch coaster, located at the Islands of Adventure theme park.
This all-new species of roller coaster was conceived and designed by the award-winning Universal Creative team in partnership with acclaimed filmmakers from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment – bringing to life a new “Jurassic World” story that combines the epic thrills and popular characters from the blockbuster film franchise with jaw-dropping roller coaster maneuvers. The original cast from the movies – Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and BD Wong – reprise their roles as Owen Grady, Claire Dearing and Dr. Henry Wu in the thrilling new attraction, which sends guests on an extreme adventure through the raptor paddock and beyond with the films’ Velociraptor pack: Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo.
VelociCoaster will transport guests into a dynamic environment inspired by the “Jurassic World” films, surrounded by intricately detailed rock work and lush landscaping, conveniently located near the elevated watch tower used to keep an eye on the dinosaurs. Once inside, guests are greeted by Dr. Wu as they learn about the cutting-edge new coaster, which Jurassic World is touting as its newest “carnivore expansion.” Along the way, they’ll hear the screams of fellow riders as they rapidly roar by with Blue, Delta, Charlie and Echo right on their heels – and even come face-to-face with a few hungry Velociraptors who are anxiously awaiting being released from their stables. As the adrenaline builds and guests approach the load platform, they will hear a few reassuring words from Claire Dearing – and one final warning from Owen Grady.
Then, the ultimate high-speed chase begins.
After boarding revolutionary ride vehicles that have been specially designed to intensify the thrills, guests take off on an epic coaster experience that sends them through the raptor paddock, into the air, just inches above water, and more. They’ll encounter a series of intense maneuvers along the coaster’s 4,700 feet of track, including near-misses, a barrel roll right above the Islands of Adventure lagoon, high-speed launches – the fastest reaching 70 mph in 2.4 seconds – and the signature “Top Hat,” which propels riders 155 feet in the air and then immediately into an 80-degree drop – Universal’s steepest drop yet.
Stay tuned. More details about Jurassic World VelociCoaster will be revealed soon.
Universal Orlando continues to implement its enhanced health and safety procedures and guidelines focused on “screening, spacing and sanitization.” Key measures include screening guests and team members, enforcing social distancing, requiring face coverings, limiting capacity at the theme parks, attractions and hotels and increasing the already-aggressive cleaning and disinfection procedures. Universal Orlando has also launched its own contactless
payment method – Universal Pay – which can be accessed through the Official Universal Orlando Resort App and allows guests to quickly scan to pay for purchases at most merchandise and quick-service food locations throughout the theme parks and CityWalk directly from the in-app wallet. 


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For more information about Jurassic World VelociCoaster and to sign-up to receive exclusive updates about the attraction, visit www.universalorlando.com.

When you buy stock under an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), the income isn’t taxable at the time you buy it. You’ll recognize the income and pay tax on it when you sell the stock.
When you sell the stock, the income can be either ordinary or capital gain. The sale will qualify for capital gain treatment as long as the stock is held for both of these:

• At least two years after the option is granted
• At least one year after you buy the stock

Also, you must stay employed by the company until at least three months before you exercise the option.
If you meet the holding-period requirements, your ordinary income from the sale depends on the option price. The option price:

• Might be less than the fair market value (FMV) of the stock on the date you received it. If so, you have ordinary income to the extent FMV is more than the option price.Report this income as wages on Form 1040, Line 7. The stock’s basis includes the ordinary income recognized in the sale year.
• Might not be less than the FMV of the stock on the date you received it. If so, treat the income as long-term capital gain.Report the capital gain on Schedule D. The stock basis is the option price. The capital gain — for any income more than the ordinary income — is determined above.
• If you don’t meet the holding period requirement, it’s a disqualifying disposition. You can only recognize ordinary income. To figure the ordinary income amount:

1. Determine the FMV of the stock on the date you received it (exercise date).
2. Subtract the amount paid for the stock (option price).

The ordinary income might be more than the gain on the sale. The stock’s basis is the total of both:

• Ordinary income amount
• Stock’s option price

Report the amount of ordinary gain as wages on Form 1040, Line 7.
Losses on the sale of ESPP stock are capital losses.



article credit: https://www.hrblock.com/
picture: Barron's/H&R Block

​DIGITAL MARKETING FOR MUSICIANS 101
​Whether you’re a band, a solo artist/MC, or a producer, chances are that you will have to rely on yourself first when it comes promoting the music you create. And that’s OK! We’re living in an age that finds social and promotional platforms at our fingertips. While that’s obviously a major plus, it’s a double-edged sword in that it creates what can feel like an oversaturated independent music market. However, there’s really no excuse to not take advantage of them if you want to build a fanbase online.
It’s important to concentrate on the digital promotion of your new releases, music videos, tour dates, or even just yourself/your band for the sake of getting the name out there. By doing so, you’ll be inviting more and more opportunities your way while simultaneously building a ‘brand’ around your music.
A lot of artists hear ‘digital marketing’ and assume it’s a lot of work that requires years of experience, but really, there’s a lot of easy ways to get started on an effective campaign. Establishing a social media presence and developing a flow of content to share, making your digital assets available in one place, building an email list, and pitching your music to digital outlets are all efforts you can begin focusing on early on in your music career.

BUILDING YOUR DIGITAL PRESENCE As you begin to get organized and prepare to promote yourself, it’s important to consider everything you’ll need to put together and where it will all live online. If the head of a record label or a booking agent suddenly wanted to know everything about you, will they be able to find it without much effort? Or will they have to sort through loose ends, empty profiles, and potentially wrong links to hear your music and establish a general understanding of what you’re up to?

ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT (EPK)Your electronic press kit provides a central location with all of your assets – like image and music files, bio, etc – for members of the media (editors, bloggers, radio program directors, venue talent buyers, etc.) to quickly access. It should include the following:

• Your Bio
  No one needs a novel, but there are some crucial elements to an effective bio.
• Your Photo(s)
  Professional-looking photography doesn’t have to be unaffordable, and it goes a long way.
  Provide a link to hi-res photos for writers and editors to use – think Google Drive or Dropbox.
  Include photo credit info if necessary.
• Press Quotes
  If you’ve been featured somewhere online or in print, include any positive quotes. If not, no worries – that’s why you’re pitching, after all!
• Links to Your Music
  Consider that everyone has different preferred platforms and include major streaming channels like Spotify and Apple Music in addition to Bandcamp and/or Soundcloud.
• Links to Your Social Media Profiles/Website
  Social channels have a way of keeping members of the media up to speed with what’s happening in your world.
  Members of the media want to be able to share links when covering music.
• Any Imperative/Timely Information
  For example, if you’re releasing a new EP or album, make sure to include a section that includes all the information around it.

YOUR WEBSITE - With social media channels offering a variety of ways to engage with our favorite artists, for a lot of people having a website can feel antiquated. However, by building an artist website, you’re creating a hub for all the information being conveyed across these social channels to exist in one place. While an EPK can live on an artist’s website, the two are not necessarily one and the same – think of a website of being fan facing and an EPK to be business facing. Believe it or not, people who want to cover your music and people who want to engage as fans can both find websites very convenient.
But there can be more to an artist website than just a place to house links and pictures. Building a website is just the start – it’s up to you, the artist, what you want to achieve from your website. Maybe it’s to promote tour dates, maybe it’s to get more email addresses from fans – once you determine whatever that objective is, you can make it the centerpiece of your site. Thankfully, too, there’s an abundance of resources out there to make building and maintaining a website easy – so don’t go signing up for HTML courses just yet.

SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES - At this point, most music fans are at least somewhat active on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. As you continue to build your music career, you’ll find that social media is a great way to connect (and remain connected) with your fans.
While this Survival Guide is meant to be an introductory look at digital marketing, we could write an entire individual section on the importance of social media marketing for independent artists — wait a second, we did!
Head over to the TuneCore Social Media Beginner’s Guide – a step by step guide to getting, growing and interacting with followers that will help you learn about:

• Defining your brand
• Engaging with fans, venues, other brands, and more
• Channel differentiation
• Social media analytics
• Boosted posts and advertising

Once you’ve begun to establish your social media presence, (and that may even include deciding which platforms to avoid depending on what kind of fans you’re trying to reach), you’ll begin to find the kind of content sharing that works for you. A lot of that has to do with finding your ‘social voice’ and cadence, but a lot of it also has to do with pure experimentation – so have fun with it!

EMAIL LIST - Email was one of the first big revelations associated with the digital age, and as a result it can be viewed as ‘old school’ in a rapidly evolving environment. Regardless of this, email lists can be extremely impactful for artists. Sure, tweeting or sending a direct message might seem like the easiest way to communicate with fans directly, but like anyone else, music fans check their email inboxes, too. Additionally, email has the highest engagement rates per post – fans are more likely to read any one email than any one Facebook post or tweet, both of which exist in a virtual sea of content.
First things first: finding ways to build that email list. Tactics like offering incentives in exchanges for your fans’ email addresses and setting up a sign-up sheet at your merch table are two of the most common strategies here. Free downloads or access to exclusive content can be offered in exchange for a fan’s email address. Hooking new fans up with small, free items of merch at your table after a performance on the condition that they throw their email addresses down on your list is a practical approach, too.
Once you’ve begun to build your email list – and don’t worry if it’s starting out small, Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? – it’s time to start thinking about what kind of content you want to share.
Email lists provide an easy, wide-reaching communication option when it comes to spreading high level information about a new release, a tour, a music video, or radio/TV appearance – but it can also be used just to check in and say hello to your fans, letting them know you’re still thinking about them. Like anything else, it’s important not to abuse these lists or make the messages you send too redundant – music fans are just like you: they don’t want to be spammed.
Think of this in a different light in terms of what you’d post on social media. People who take the time to open your emails are truly some of your most engaged fans, so give them something that’ll make them want to open your next one. Some ideas include:

• Early access to events or singles
• Behind the scenes glances
• Tour dates/show announcements
• Cool new merch for sale
• This one could offer an exclusive discount!

Put some thought into the content of your emails, and like your social media accounts, develop and craft a ‘voice’ that your fans can relate to and enjoy. Building and sticking to an email calendar will help ensure that you don’t go overboard or leave anything out. Did we mention that email tends to be more effective per subscriber in terms of e-commerce than social media? When you’re ready, start setting some sales goals as a measure of your growth in this area – as always, remember that it’s a balance and to avoid coming off too salesy.
Be sure to check out Cheryl B. Engelhardt’s six-part S.T.A.G.E.S. series on email marketing for artists on the TuneCore Blog.



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