Obama Handpicked This DIY Artist For His Spotify Playlist

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The White House released a pair of Spotify playlists today curated by The President. Alongside The Rolling Stones, The Temptations, Florence And The Machine and Justin Timberlake, sits a hard-working Philly based band doing it all themselves.

I first discovered Low Cut Connie at the Echo in East LA last year. Playing to just over 100 people, they put on an incredible show, left a pint of blood on the stage and got me to buy all their merch. I’ve been following them ever since. You don’t go to a Low Cut Connie concert and forget the experience. Because, it’s just that: an experience. Front man, Adam Weiner, embodies Jerry Lee Lewis while he jumps, dances and pounds away at his upright piano (that LCC tour with). And the rest of the group expel equal amounts of balls-to-the-wall energy. Low Cut Connie just self-released their latest album Hi Honey (on their own label Contender Records).

+How Much You Should Be Charging For Merch (Low Cut Connie Show Review)

They’ve been chopping away at America’s club circuit for years getting little victories here and there. In 2012, Rolling Stone magazine ranked “Boozophilia” in the top 50 songs of the year (at #31 between Bruce Springsteen and The Beach Boys). Off of the success of that record, Jack White invited the band to perform at the grand re-opening of Third Man Records. In June, NPR included Low Cut Connie in the 10 Songs Public Radio Can’t Stop Playing list. And last month Weiner was given an audition-free slot on The Voice (after casting saw LCC YouTube videos), which he turned down – smart choice.

+This Musician Got An Audition-Free Slot On The Voice. Why He Turned It Down

But, that pales in comparison to being publicly recognized by the leader of the free world.

The White House released the first two curated playlists by POTUS explaining:

“When asked to pick a few of his favorite songs for the summer, the President got serious. He grabbed a pen and paper and drafted up not one, but two separate summer playlists: One for the daytime, and one for the evening.” – Kori Schulman, The White House

President Barack Obama discusses his vacation playlist with Jason Goldman, Chief Digital Officer, in the Oval Office, Aug. 7, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama discusses his vacation playlist with Jason Goldman, Chief Digital Officer, in the Oval Office, Aug. 7, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

I spoke with Low Cut Connie frontman, Adam Weiner, earlier today to get his reaction and see if he had any idea how The President discovered these blue-collar musicians. Weiner mentioned that a friend of his knows someone on the Obama team and told him that one of the 1st daughters turned their father onto the group.

“At first I thought it was a joke…then I realized that Obama’s got great taste and that he’s always for the little guy. In this case Low Cut Connie is the little guy…and I couldn’t be more honored, humbled, or confused. Thank you Mr. President,” Adam Weiner, Low Cut Connie

It probably didn’t hurt that the chorus gives a shoutout to “the south side of Chicago.”

Wondering what “Boozophillia” means? Yeah me too. Weiner explains, “I invented the word Boozophilia to refer to [my] attraction to ‘low life,’ dive bar and blue-collar culture that I’ve been toiling in for many years – traveling and playing music and [providing] entertainment in the grimiest and saltiest bars in America. I wrote the song about all these lunatics and weird-balls and gorgeous individuals who populate dank barrooms all over the USA. People with big hearts and busted up dreams and dirty jokes and so much love.”

Here are the full POTUS Summertime playlists:

The President’s Daytime Playlist

Ain’t Too Proud to Beg – The Temptations

Live It Up – Isley Brothers

Memories Live – Talib Kweli & Hi Tek

Tombstone Blues – Bob Dylan

So Much Trouble in the World – Bob Marley

Paradise – Coldplay

Tengo Un Trato (Remix) – Mala Rodriguez

Wang Dang Doodle – Howlin Wolf

Another Star – Stevie Wonder

Hot Fun in the Summertime – Sly & the Family Stone

Boozophilia – Low Cut Connie

Wherever Is Your Heart – Brandi Carlile

Good Day – Nappy Roots

Green Light – John Legend

Gimme Shelter – Rolling Stones

Rock Steady – Aretha Franklin

Down Down the Deep River – Okkervil River

Pusher Love Girl – Justin Timberlake

Shake It Out – Florence + The Machine

La Salsa La Traigo Yo – Sonora Carruseles

 

The President’s Evening Playlist

My Favorite Things – John Coltrane

Superpower (feat. Frank Ocean) – Beyoncé

Moondance – Van Morrison

Is Your Love Big Enough? – Lianne La Havas

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart – Al Green

Red & White & Blue & Gold – Aoife O’Donovan

Nothing Even Matters – Lauryn Hill

The Best Is Yet to Come – Frank Sinatra

You Don’t Know Me – Ray Charles

I Found My Everything – Mary J Blige

Help Me – Joni Mitchell

I’ve Got Dreams to Remember – Otis Redding

Suzanne – Leonard Cohen

Feeling Good – Nina Simone

Stubborn Love – The Lumineers

Until – Cassandra Wilson

UMI Says – Mos Def

The Very Thought of You – Billie Holiday

Flamenco Sketches – Miles Davis

Woo – Erykah Badu

Ari Herstand is a Los Angeles based singer/songwriter and the creator of the music biz advice blog, Ari’s Take. Follow him on Twitter: @aristake

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Source: Industry News

SoundCloud Faces Massive Legal Action ‘Before Thanksgiving,’ Sources Say

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Legal threats against SoundCloud from major content owners are now intensifying, according to sources, with filings likely to happen within a few months if negotiations don’t progress.  Earlier, Digital Music News pointed to looming legal threats from major labels Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, based on massive and unresolved levels of infringed content on the site.

Now, with negotiations spinning in circles, the clock is ticking as a stalemate approaches.  “[The lawsuits will] be filed before Christmas, definitely,” a source closely tied into the situation told Digital Music News this week.

“Before Thanksgiving? Very Likely.”

The biggest litigation threat easily remains Universal Music, whose principals remain “deeply unsatisfied” and “grumpy” with SoundCloud’s response to aggressive compensation demands.  That is partly being driven by corporate parent Vivendi, whose brass have been squeezing the reproductive organs of UMG chief executive Lucian Grainge to fix the free problem once and for all.  “[Universal] aren’t getting their pound of flesh,” another source relayed, while pointing to “wide-scale infringement at an insane level” that keeps getting higher.

“So this is looking like a showdown.”

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Exactly how much Universal is asking for is unclear, though it’s enough to substantially delay an agreement, cool investor support, and wreck a lot of good night sleeps.  Typically, UMG pushes for both a percentage of the ‘partner’ company, an upfront fee, or both, while threatening massive content pullouts and legal action if terms aren’t met.  That’s certainly the case with Spotify, whose launch in the United States was substantially delayed by endless back-and-forth over major label ownership and payment demands.

Currently, the major labels as much as 15% of Spotify, according to sources.

If legal action proceeds, SoundCloud would represent one of the largest legal targets yet for the major labels, a group accused of selectively choosing small- or medium-sized companies to crush.  That was certainly the case with Grooveshark, whose lawyers at Rosenberg & Giger mounted an aggressive defense for years, but were ultimately incinerated by a Universal Music Group legal hell-bent on ‘legal jihad’.

On April 30th of this year, Grooveshark was shut down forever.  Less than three months later, Grooveshark co-founder Josh Greenberg was found dead at age 28 with no declared cause of death.

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The question is whether history is now repeating itself with SoundCloud, a far bigger gorilla whose audience and impact eclipses anything Grooveshark achieved.  According to stats just released by Next Big Sound, SoundCloud has nearly doubled in size over the past year alone, thanks partly to an exploding EDM.  Indeed, SoundCloud’s roots are with the DJ, who helped build SoundCloud with endless mixes, live sets, and podcasts that catered to one of the most ravenous music audiences alive today.

Complicating matters is Warner Music Group, who already signed an agreement and whose CEO, Stephen Cooper, warned against ‘burning freemium at the stake‘.  Still, it’s entirely feasible that Warner could join the legal action, if only to present a united front.  Sony Music Entertainment, meanwhile, has shown some mixed signals, according to sources, but is almost guaranteed to follow UMG’s lead.

And then there’s the problem of money.  According to a DMN source, “the Valley isn’t touching [SoundCloud] with a 10-foot pole” given the predicament, but existing investors may be looking at a “too big to fail” scenario.  That means managing losses, or at least getting out unscathed.  “[SoundCloud] believes they are going to raise the money,” the source continued, while noting that one long-term investor has issued a “don’t worry we won’t let you go under” assurance.

More details as they become available.

The post SoundCloud Faces Massive Legal Action ‘Before Thanksgiving,’ Sources Say appeared first on Digital Music News.


Source: Industry News

Raves Don’t Cause Overdoses. Drugs Do.

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Earlier this month, two teenage girls died at HARD Summer Music Festival in drug-related complications.  But does that mean that EDM festivals should be banned?  The following is a response from Insomniac founder Pasquale Rotella, whose Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) is one of the largest EDM events in the world.

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I’ve been incredibly saddened by yet another loss of life that’s been attributed to our culture, and I have spent the last week reflecting on how the story has played out in the media. First and foremost, my heart goes out to the friends and family of those two young women.

We don’t condone or tolerate drug use, but the problem here isn’t raves or dance music, or even festivals in general. The health impact of drug abuse in our country extends far beyond what happens at our events.

I lost five friends to drug overdoses at a young age, none of which occurred at dance music festivals; most of them weren’t even fans of the genre. No one wrote about them.

Dance culture has survived for decades and has never been more popular.  Banning these events at facilities where we are able to provide first-rate medical care and emergency services is not the answer.  I hope that policymakers and the media do not turn their backs on a cultural movement that is thriving and brings so much happiness to a generation that, quite frankly, needs an environment where they can feel loved and accepted.  Most just want healthy interaction with their peers.  I know that if I didn’t have access to this community growing up, my life would have taken a much different turn.

I see nothing but great opportunity within large gatherings—the opportunity to promote health, happiness, individuality, and human connection.  

If we’re trying to create a safe and secure environment for these passionate fans, sending them back into the unregulated underground isn’t a step in the right direction.  

We all need to do our part in creating a national dialogue that educates our youth and encourages them to be accountable for their choices—especially when it comes to drugs.

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Source: Industry News