CARMEN AND CARNIVAL WITH DUDAMEL at the Hollywood BowlAfter a three-month absence, Gustavo Dudamel, longtime musical director of the LA Philharmonic, made a triumphant return to the Hollywood Bowl in late August to launch the orchestra’s final two weeks of the season with six different programs.

So potentially popular that it merited two nights (September 3 and 5) on the schedule, Carmen and Carnival with Dudamel made for a wonderfully alliterative marketing title but a very unusual and offbeat tonal pairing. From casual conversations between patrons, the audience responses and the fact that some folks left at intermission (after the glorious Carnival left town), it seemed that many in the audience were fans of either Camille Saint-Saens’s classic, often whimsical parade of animal inspired pieces OR the dramatic Bizet opera.

Fortunately, I felt like I was perhaps one of the minority who embraced both for different reasons. I enjoy the boisterous prelude to Carmen and the sly vocal expression “Habanera” because these pieces were soundtrack music to one of my favorite all-time films, The Bad News Bears.

Photo credit: Shannon Cottrell

I love Carnival of the Animals not only because Saint-Saens so artfully captured the personalities of each member of the animal kingdom, but because one of his pieces, “The Swan” is. IMHO, one of classical music’s most beautiful and transcendent compositions, all at once capturing the bird’s majestic, divinely sculpted beauty and its graceful glide through water. This piece was the highlight of the Carnival, with cellist Robert deMaine’s elegant, lyrical and richly emotional cello melody gliding on the angelic wings of Karen Lechner’s soft hypnotic piano.

Under Dudamel’s ever nuanced and intuitive guidance, the LA Phil created a dramatic, flourish-filled instrumental equivalent of a brisk 25-minute trip to the zoo or a wild animal park. Along the way, we met lions (“Royal March of the Lion”), “Hens and Roosters” (with pecking simulated by playful string accents), “Wild Donkeys” (featuring fast piano flurries), “Tortoises” (slow and measured chording, naturally), “Elephants” (with percussive, stomping piano and a low toned cello quarter), graceful, hopping “Kangaroos,” and “The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods.” The cuckoo piece and “Aviary” simulated the sounds of their subjects with quickly fluttering flutes. Amidst the whimsy were caressing moments of immersion in the elegant fluidity of the “Aquarium” segment and, as mentioned, the dreamy, ballet-like beauty of the suite’s showstopper, “Swan.”

The narrative elements introducing some of the individual pieces of Carnival of the Animals between its 2019 performance at the Bowl and this one was pretty much night and day. While the earlier one featured Emmy winning actor Sean Hayes hamming it up and adding lighthearted humor to the show, Dudamel found a magnificent way to replace that shtick with a much more reverent and appropriately childlike approach. Sounding a bit like Linus in the classic Peanuts TV specials, the conductor’s 13-year-old son Martin provided the charming voice narration to a series of animated videos for many of the animals, creating a colorful and thoughtful feast for the eyes and ears even before each piece was performed.   The post CARMEN AND CARNIVAL WITH DUDAMEL at the Hollywood Bowl first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

It’s Daniel Ek’s World and Musicians Just Live In ItStreaming accounted for 84% of the revenue that U.S. labels and artists receive from recorded music. Total revenue from U.S. recorded music was $8.67 billion based on RIAA stats for the first half of 2024.
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Band Shirt Day 2024 is coming. Sign up now!Band Shirt Day 2024 is next Friday, September 20. Every musician with merch should sign up now to participate. Band Shirt Day is a single day global fundraising initiative where. Continue reading
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5 easy ways to improve your Singer/Songwriter Performance SkillsTransform your show performance skills with these five easy tips that most singer/songwriters overlook. Larry Butler unlocks the secrets to captivating any audience and making every performances unforgettable.
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Producer Fabio Aguilar Signs Publishing Deal With Position MusicPresident and CEO Tyler Bacon announced that Fabio Aguilar has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Position Music in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning producer Keanu Beats. On September 5, Aguilar won a BMI Hip-Hop Award for his songwriting on “HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew)” by Quavo and Takeoff, which he also co-produced.

Aguilar is a 22-year-old producer, loop specialist, beatmaker, and multi-instrumentalist. In late 2018, Aguilar sent his beats and loops to Keanu Beats through Instagram and the two quickly began collaborating. Since then, Aguilar has had cuts with Lil Baby, Jack Harlow, NLE Choppa, Roddy Ricch, Denzel Curry, Logic, and more - collectively garnering over 1.3 billion streams.

“Working with Position Music felt natural because they truly get the vision. I’m confident that with their support, I’ll continue to grow and explore new creative avenues,” says Aguilar.

"Position Music’s vision and approach align perfectly with what I see in Fabio,” says Keanu Beats. “He’s an exceptional producer with a unique ability to cross genres effortlessly. I’m confident that with Mike [Torres], Delmar [Powell], and Mark [Chipello]’s support, we’ll elevate his career to new heights and continue to create groundbreaking music together."

Aguilar joins a Position music publishing roster that includes Tinashe, Cannons, Audien, Jack LaFrantz, ¿Téo?, Austin Powerz, Brandyn Burnette, Dru “Falconry” DeCaro, Evalyn, John “Feldy” Feldman, Judah & the Lion, Alex “A-Bomb” Fernandez, KANNER, No Love For The Middle Child, Erik Ron, Yonatan Watts, and more.

"Fabio Aguilar is an exceptionally talented producer who has so much maturity and skill at such a young age. At just 22, he’s already had songs with a range of artists like Quavo, Jack Harlow, Kid LAROI, X Ambassadors, and many more. This is just the beginning for Fabio and he’s off to a nuclear start!” says Mike Torres, A&R at Position Music.

positionmusic.com

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Who owns K-pop giant HYBE?HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk remains the largest shareholder, but Scooter Braun and BTS own a significant chunk as well
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Concord Label Group merges Fantasy Records with Concord Records; combined brand led by Co-Presidents Margi Cheske and Mark WilliamsCheske and Williams are based in Los Angeles and report to Concord Label Group Chief Executive Tom Becci
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NIVA and Bandsintown partner to support ‘Live Independent’ venuesThe National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and leading live music discovery platform Bandsintown have partnered to launch Live Independent.
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Spotify Countdown Pages: A Quick Guide for Musicians & Music MarketersIf you’re an artist on the hunt for a new way to hype up your upcoming release, Spotify’s Countdown Page feature could be just the trick you’re looking for. Here’s how this. Continue reading
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Release Music on Vinyl: Why It’s Hard for ArtistsStruggling to press and release music on vinyl? Discover the key challenges artists face and why this classic format remains elusive for many in today’s industry.
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Spain’s recorded music industry revenues reached $269m in H1, up 16.6% YoYMusic streaming revenues in Spain grew 19.1% YoY
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Hopeless Records to bring 30th anniversary exhibit to The Punk Rock MuseumOn October 17th, the seminal California-based punk label Hopeless Records will celebrate its 30th anniversary at The Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas, when the Museum will host the last stop of the label’s traveling road show, the “Hopeless Museum Exhibit.” To celebrate The Punk Rock Museum’s opening of Hopeless’ exhibit, and the start of the When We Were Young festival, idobi Radio will present an opening party at the Museum on Thursday, October 17th, 2024, from 8 PM to 12 AM, featuring special appearances from Hopeless artists, VIP experiences, and more.

The Hopeless Museum exhibit’s visit at The Punk Rock Museum follows its debut at The Valley Relics Museum in Los Angeles, a stop in NYC this June, and a very special visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland this August. In addition to hosting Hopeless’ traveling exhibit, the Rock Hall also launched a semi-permanent exhibit last month dedicated to the label, which will be on display indefinitely, and is the Rock Hall’s first exhibit dedicated to a modern indie label, or a label central to the new alternative scene - check out a recap and photos of the Rock Hall’s Hopeless celebrations at Paste Magazine HERE.

The traveling Hopeless exhibit’s 1,000+ unique artifacts from across 150+ Hopeless artists’ careers include everything from All Time Low’s first gold single plaque, Synyster Gates’ guitar from Avenged Sevenfold’s platinum album Waking The Fallen (2002), and lyrics from The Wonder Years' album Suburbia I’ve Given You All And Now I'm Nothing, to on-stage outfits, instruments, and other items from Hopeless’ new stars like PVRIS, Destroy Boys, Scene Queen, Fame On Fire, LØLØ, NOAHFINNCE, and Point North. Other memorable moments from Hopeless’ last thirty years - like a letter from the estate of Leonard Bernstein praising Punk Side Story (1995) a cover of the West Side Story soundtrack and a signed guitar from the 2008 Take Action Charity Tour - are on display as well.

To kick off the opening of the exhibit and start of the When We Were Young music festival – which will feature notable Hopeless artists and alumni including Taking Back Sunday, Silverstein, Neck Deep, The Wonder Years, Bayside, and We Are The In Crowd – The Punk Rock Museum x Hopeless’ opening party on 10/17 will feature surprise appearances, a tattoo artist, giveaways, and more. 

Attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with key figures from Hopeless Records and enjoy surprise appearances from Hopeless artists in the Pennywise Garage, a unique space within the museum dedicated to iconic punk moments. Hopeless flash will be available in The Shop, offering attendees the chance to get quick tattoos inspired by the label's legacy. Throughout the night, live streams will capture the event for TPRM’s 150,000+ followers, and idobi will host giveaways with artists and guests, offering fans at home a chance to celebrate with the label.

Louis Posen, Founder and President of Hopeless Records, said "Punk Rock is the community that allowed me and Hopeless to get started, grow, and thrive over these past 30 years. It’s more than fitting that our 30th-anniversary museum exhibit will have its grand finale at The Punk Rock Museum. Fat Mike, the founder of the museum was the first person who trusted me with their music, letting me direct a music video for the NOFX song "Bob" and then helping me get Hopeless off the ground.We can’t thank Mike, The Punk Rock Museum and the punk community enough for their long-time support and love."
Fat Mike of NOFX, a long-time friend of Posen and the creator of The Punk Rock Museum, added “I know this might sound a little cheesy, but I am very excited about this exhibit! Why? Well, because I kinda helped Louis start Hopeless. I gave him all of Fat Wreck Chords radio contacts and press contacts and I even gave him a band. 88 Fingers turned out to be their biggest record that year. I'm just so happy to see the success of Hopeless after 30 years... maybe I might end up doing business with them someday... you never know.”The post Hopeless Records to bring 30th anniversary exhibit to The Punk Rock Museum first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Pharma giant Johnson & Johnson sued for alleged ‘rampant’ copyright infringement by Sony and Universal-owned production music firm APM MusicJohnson & Johnson is alleged to have used APM's music in promotional videos without permission
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Spotify For Artists survey asks you to ‘Share your thoughts on Spotify’Spotify is sending online surveys looking for feedback to artists and their teams using the Spotify For Artists platform.
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7 Music Promotion Alternatives to Short-Form ContentTired of feeling forced to sell your whole music brand under the constraints of short-from content. These music promotion alternatives will expand your reach and elevate your music career, all without following the latest content trends.
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