Tidal won't pay to those #music #producers who upload “wholly generated” tracks by #AI starting from end of June #MusicBusiness #Distribution

KISS 50th Anniversary of Destroyer Released in Limited EditionKISS Destroyer: The Definitive Visual History: Making And Touring The Legendary Album, Official And Authorized Book Set For October;  

KISS Unmasked Live Show Three-Day Kiss Army Event November 14-16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, KISS’s Destroyer was originally released in 1976 and is considered to be one of the quintessential KISS albums. It is the band's first album to sell one million copies in its first year and holds the title of being their all-time best-selling studio album.

To mark the milestone, KISS has released limited edition vinyl pressings of "Destroyer." These include a purple liquid-filled vinyl and a metallic gold and purple fire vinyl. The metallic edition comes in an embossed jacket with gold ink details and includes a poster, while the liquid-filled vinyl features a die-cut circle on the back cover to showcase the liquid inside. Both editions highlight classic tracks like “Detroit Rock City,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “Beth,” and “God of Thunder”

Alongside the vinyl, KISS has launched a Destroyer 50th anniversary merchandise line. Items include a Destroyer jacket with an embroidered KISS logo, pullover sweatshirts, raglan-sleeved shirts, belts, and T-shirts featuring the album cover. Many of these items are exclusive to KISS Army members, with limited quantities available shopkissonline.com+1.

Publisher Insight Editions has set an October 27 release date for KISS Destroyer: The Definitive Visual History: Making And Touring The Legendary Album, Official And Authorized. The book was written by author Ken Sharp along with KISS co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.

A press release describes the product:

“In 1976, Gene, Paul, Ace, and Peter stomped their platform heels into the mainstream with Destroyer, which catapulted them to superstardom. This official, authorized retrospective takes you behind the scenes at the recording sessions and backstage at the mind-blowing tour that followed, offering eye-opening insights into  Marlon Brando’s significance on the direction of the album, tensions in the sound studio, the destruction of Paul Stanley’s favorite guitar, creating the costumes, and the cover artwork, the photo shoots to promote the record, a dare that led to the birth of the KISS Army, David Bowie’s influence on the stage design, the band’s hijinks on tour, their encounters with Karen Carpenter, Margaret Hamilton, Paul Lynde, other stars of the day . . . and more!

“The book features interviews with more than 50 people, including exclusive new interviews with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and producer Bob Ezrin, who reveal all the sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll that went into making the record. It comes jam-packed with deep dives on all the songs—including demos that didn’t make the final cut and who titled “Beth”—and contains hundreds of photos, some never before published. Comprehensive tour information covers dates, venues, and key performances, and a complete timeline of recording and promoting the seminal album features world affairs and other cultural events, putting the band’s milestones in meaningful context.

“For the recording of Destroyer, Bob Ezrin was brought in as KISS's new producer, helping the band reach new levels, both sonically and creatively. The album also showed the band's growth as musicians and songwriters, experimenting with new sounds which came in the form of the softer side of songs like "Do You Love Me?" and songs heavy with orchestral arrangements, including "Great Expectations" and their Billboard No. 7 hit single "Beth." Following the breakthrough success of 1975's No. 9 Billboard charting Alive!, Destroyer was the KISS album that brought them to the forefront of the mainstream and transformed them into global rock icons. For its anniversary, UMe celebrates this album's legacy with a staggering amount of bonus material.” 

“Destroyer was pivotal for us, a real a raise-the-bar moment,” lead singer Paul Stanley reflected in an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock. “And interestingly, it wasn’t initially met and embraced in the way we had hoped because, let’s face it, it didn’t sound like Kiss Alive! But over time it became a part of who we are and who we’re perceived to be, and the songs just transcend, perhaps, the initial resistance to the sonics or the instrumentation.” He continued, “We had never used pianos, and I don’t mean as frills on a song, but we actually fortified guitars with pianos to make the chords bigger. And I think some people were thrown by all of that. But ultimately, more songs from Destroyer over the years have been in our shows and in the set than any others.”

Music journalist and author Ken Sharp, who penned the liner notes for Nothing To Lose: The Making of KISS 1972-1975, described Destroyer in an email.

“Destroyer is the album where KISS's sound turned from grainy black and white into full-blown Cinemascope, hard rock guitars mixed with pianos, strings, calliope, bells, and atmospheric sound effects to create a dazzling fantasia of sound and textures. Decades on, Destroyer is regarded as KISS's most ambitious and accomplished release.”

A recent email on the KissOnline.com website revealed the group will perform an unmasked live show as part of the three-day Kiss Army Storms Vegas event, celebrating the fan club's 50th anniversary. The event is scheduled to take place Nov. 14-16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Besides the Kiss Unmasked performance, the e-mail mentioned that a full schedule of activities will be announced soon, and that fans can expect "a special live performance from former Kiss member Bruce Kulick, along with other special guests, activities, exclusive experiences, and more.”

Paul Stanley of KISS is a lifelong Otis Redding fan. “Try a Little Tenderness” is one of his favorite records. In 2021, his side project, Paul Stanley’s Stone Station, recorded the album Now and Then, displaying the Star Child’s soul side.

On February 18, 1974, Casablanca Records held a party where KISS played live at the Century Plaza Hotel ballroom in Century City. I remember being introduced to Stanley, and we talked about Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Philly soul, and the wonderful recordings Thom Bell produced. Stanley also mentioned he saw Love at the Fillmore East in New York as a teenager.

In August 2024, when I encountered Stanley at a grocery store in Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley, he raved again about Redding.

“I was lucky enough to see Otis Redding and the Bar-Kays in the summer of 1967 in New York. He was part of the Rheingold Music Festival [on August 18]. Jimi Hendrix and the Monkees played there, too. I was fifteen and paid a dollar for my ticket. I went to see Bo Diddley, but he had some legal problems and couldn’t perform at the show. “Then Otis Redding came out with the full band and horns. The power and the urgency in his voice—I was thrilled! Right then, I knew I was witnessing something. I saw the difference between great and greatness.”

On that February 18, 1974, Casablanca Records held a party, I watched with Justin Pierce of The Hollywood Press, deejay Rodney Bingenheimer and met The Fugitive actor, David Janssen.

I remember thinking, “Here is a band whose first LP and career will either be over in 15 months or they’ll be with us for 50 years.” It was a loud, defiant showcase, and the food was incredible. Casablanca label head Neil Bogart sure knew how to throw a party.

For the February 15, 1975 issue of the now-defunct UK music weekly Melody Maker, I interviewed Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Gene Simmons of KISS.

Kiss: Kiss and Tell Melody Maker, 15 February, 1975

"We sold out two houses in Detroit at 12,000 each and were the biggest thing to hit the city since the Beatles. People were charging the stage; throwing jewelry at us, pills and everything else you could hope to imagine," reflected Kiss member Paul Stanley with just a hint of conceit.

In fact, the group does have a lot to be proud of, for within the span of about a year, the once obscure boys from New York City have attained a phenomenally loyal following both state side as well as in Japan.

"It wasn't too long ago when we were in the audience and paying. The whole premise of Kiss was that when you're paying to see us, we feel we owe you everything. It's an exciting brand of rock and roll that comes off as pure entertainment. And if you want the music, you can always listen to our albums."

The whole Kiss story started back in '73 when record company executive Neil Bogart was starting a new label called Casablanca. Bogart had been the man responsible for signing a majority of important acts in the sixties to his Buddah label, but he now felt it was time to broaden his perspective and look into the seventies.

Stereotype

Paul remembers: "We were basically a city band playing dances all over New York. It was the classical rock 'n' roll stereotype. And then Neil discovered us, and after listening to our demos, he asked us to be his first release on Casablanca. He promised us enough things to put together the exact kind of show we always hoped for.

"It was actually like a dream come true. With his assistance, we've been able to conceive what we feel is probably one of the most viable uses of theatrics. Our purpose was, and still is, to enhance the music rather than be pretentious."

Indeed, the whole Kiss consciousness is an awesome sight. Their show opens with the lighting of their huge KISS sign that can be seen throughout the arena. Then the band appears amid an onslaught of energy and thrust. The four piece outfit is each clad in a leather jumpsuit highlighted by Kabuki-like makeup utilizing heavy traces of black, silver, and red against a white base.

Bassist Gene Simmons looks at their approach from a unique perspective. "The band that first knocked me out was the Beatles. Up until then, one wasn't aware of the visual presence a group could have. Each had the same haircut, dressed the same, and if you saw one of them walking down the street, you knew that he belonged to that group. And that concept knocked me out, especially the fact that there was no frontman and each member was a quarter of the whole.

"People have told us that they see similarities in Kiss. Each one of us is so visual that we don't need a frontman. In previous bands we've been in, it was each one of us who stood out. Now it's a case where four people have gotten together as a cohesive and incredibly tight unit. It's also an added plus for the people in the audience."

Bizarre

With the Kiss image being so particularly intriguing and striking, one question everyone wanted to know was where the band got the idea for the bizarre use of heavy makeup. Stanley cautiously ponders the thought, "We've often been accused of being pretentious, but in actuality our concept of what we're doing is an effort to shy away from pretentiousness. The thing we do is very surface, for there are no built-in subtleties in our music or what we do on stage. We feel our whole image is based on the use of imagination.

"I think black leather is very tough and exciting. I'd much prefer something macho rather than coming on in pink satin. There isn't any attempt other than trying to perfect a stage act. It's a very positive trip. There's nothing negative about our show. Just go to a concert and see the kids dance in the aisles, singing along with us.

"We are, in essence, with the audience, for we feel we represent the looseness that everybody can identify with. When people look at us, they say, 'That's what's inside me.' They understand that's not what they look like, but rather what they feel like. "I think we are an extension of everything that happened before us. We're children of the last generation of rock. All my idols, the Stones, Who, Move, and the Kinks had a profound influence on my outlook on the world. When I first saw Peter of the Who, I knew that excitement could be attained, and we've tried to live up to that sort of archetypal image."

Drummer Peter Criss looks at it from a different angle: "I was always into Phil Spector, the Ronettes, early Stones, as well as early Motown with Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, and all the other numerous talents. Therefore, all our influences owe to a melting pot, and what you get out is not blatantly derivative of any one area. At times, we have tinges of a lot of quality music that has gone down before us. In this age, it's extremely difficult to be original, if not impossible. What you can hope for is to have the right influences predominate throughout your work."

Rollicking

With their brash and assailing brand of rollicking rock, Kiss has admirably been able to succeed with almost any group they've been billed with.

Bogart, who signed the group, has been the one man credited with signing such diverse acts as Question Mark & The Mysterians, Terry Knight & The Pack, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Curtis Mayfield, Melanie, and the Isley Brothers, as well as being influential in bringing the English Charisma label to the US for distribution when he was president of Buddah.

His opinion of the band is flattering to say the least: "I've never been into hard rock until recently. But I can honestly say that Kiss is the first band that I've devoted myself 100 per cent to. In fact, they're everything I've been looking for in a rock band. Their visual show features a drum set that levitates six feet in the air, a lead singer who blows fire out of his mouth, and their wonderful use of makeup is just a shatteringly satisfying experience. Even more important is the fact that they're probably one of the best rock 'n' roll bands I've ever heard in my life."

Another incredible aspect of the Kiss story is the gigantic support they've achieved in Japan.

"It's nice for a band, other than a Japanese group, to put out an album with Japanese liner notes. If for nothing else, it gives our fantastic fans in the Orient something different, as well as being aesthetically pleasing. All the photos on our second LP, titled Hotter Than Hell, were from a party we had, which was something right out of Satyricon, even featuring naked women in bird heads. We felt that the Japanese sense of artistry would get off on it, and we understand it's been received quite favorably."

At the moment, the future looks bright indeed for the boys from Gotham City, who are now planning an exhaustive tour of England, Europe, and Japan that they are looking forward to with a sense of apprehension, as well as expectation.

"We've often been thought of as an English band by many fans in the States, so it'll be interesting to see how we go over there. But just the satisfaction in knowing that we're now reaching young teenagers all the way through 27 year olds means a lot to us."

(Harvey Kubernik is the author of 21 books, including 2009’s Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon, 2014’s Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll In Los Angeles 1956-1972, 2015's EveryBody Knows: Leonard Cohen, 2016's Heart of Gold Neil Young and 2017's 1967: A Complete Rock Music History of the Summer of Love.

Sterling/Barnes and Noble in 2018 published Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik’s The Story Of The Band: From Big Pink To The Last Waltz. In 2021 they collaborated on Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child for Sterling/Barnes and Noble. 

Otherworld Cottage Industries in 2020 published Harvey’s Docs That Rock, Music That Matters. His Screen Gems: (Pop Music Documentaries and Rock ‘n’ Roll TV Scenes) was published in February 2026 by BearManor Media. Kubernik is researching a multi-voice narrative study on the Beatles scheduled for a UK publisher with a planned summer 2027 publication date.   

Harvey spoke at the special hearings in 2006 initiated by the Library of Congress held in Hollywood, California, discussing archiving practices and audiotape preservation.

In 2017, he appeared at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in its Distinguished Speakers Series and as a panelist discussing the forty-fifth anniversary of The Last Waltz at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles in 2023. Kubernik attended the November 1976 concert.   

Harvey was interviewed along with Iggy Pop, the Beach Boys’ Bruce Johnston, Love’s Johnny Echols, the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs, Victoria and Debbi Peterson, and members of the Seeds for director/producer Neil Norman’s documentary The Seeds: Pushin' Too Hard. In summer 2026, GNP Crescendo plans to release Norman’s film on DVD/Blu-ray). Author Miss Pamela Des Barres narrates).

Photo of Paul Stanley by Brad EltermanThe post KISS 50th Anniversary of Destroyer Released in Limited Edition first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Spotify rival Anghami receives take-private offer from its controlling shareholderOSN Streaming is proposing to buy each ordinary share it does not already own in Anghami for $3.39 in cash, which would cost a little over $10 million.
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The 1965 Rolling Stones Song That Secretly Became "Bitter Sweet Symphony""The Last Time" gave Mick Jagger and Keith Richards their first real hit in 1965. Thirty years later, it secretly powered one of the biggest songs of the 1990s — and the band who borrowed it lost everything.

In the Studio with PærishThe Members: Mathias Court, vocals, guitar; Frédéric Wah, guitar; Martin Dupraz, bass; Loïc Fouquet, drums

Producer: Will YipAdditional Production and Engineering: Justin BartlettStudio: Memory Music Studios

The Origin: Operating entirely on intuition, Parisian alternative rock outfit Pærish developed their alt-emo sound by surrendering to an internal infrasonic frequency — those comforting, heavy vibrations pulsing deep within, becoming the baseline of a soundtrack destined to be pushed outward. This interior wall of fuzz-buzz soaked guitars and celestial indie rock melodies became their purest musical currency — a profound wealth of sound that demanded to be heard beyond the borders of France.Bypassing the localized currents of L'Hexagone, where Chanson Française and musique urbaine tend to rule the sonic terrain, Pærish refused to remain confined by scenes at odds with their alt-rock artistic vision. Instead, they chose to loosen the tourniquet of their musical surroundings by ensuring their more visceral melodies bled outward — a pursuit that initially pulled them away from the heart of Paris. Guided by an autonomous, unwavering conviction and devotion to shoegaze-rock, the band crossed the English Channel to Glasgow, Scotland, to record their 2016 debut, Semi Finalists, alongside producer Bruce Rintoul, known for his work with VUKOVI and Twin Atlantic. The move marked their first real leap of faith into what often felt like a series of impossible artistic challenges.

It was a trajectory driven entirely by a persistent inner voice that refused to quiet down, a pestering whisper that resurfaced during the final stages of the record’s production. Acting on that instinct, the band reached out on a whim to Will Yip — a producer they had been following from across the Atlantic — to master their inaugural effort. Yip, a Grammy-nominated (and now Grammy-winning) producer known for his genre-defining work with bands like Turnstile and Code Orange unexpectedly replied. What followed was a transatlantic creative connection: a rare working relationship that quickly evolved into a strong artistic friendship. Over the course of their subsequent albums, 2021’s Fixed It All and 2023’s You're in both dreams (and you're scared), the shorthand between the band and Yip deepened, with Yip gradually becoming an invisible fifth member of Pærish.

The Production: For their forthcoming album, Rita, that partnership entered its most mature phase yet. Before reuniting with Yip, the band took time between albums to step back, returning home to France to find the physical and mental space needed to elevate their songwriting and pre-production workflow. Spending long hours at guitarist Freddie Wah’s home studio setup, Pærish systematically unpacked the urgent, heavier guitar tones pulsating within them. In doing so, they uncovered an innate call to build a louder, more aggressive sonic palette packed with infectious, crowd-surfing energy. This revitalized direction brought forth a pit-ready drive that harkened back to the denser, classic foundations of alt-rock — capturing the high-velocity sonic sensations that collide simultaneously across a full live crowd, a feeling they had discovered and craved while touring. This process helped the band reconnect to the raw wonder of what made them fall in love with rock music in the first place: a pure, alt-emo fury.Armed with this augmented direction, Pærish arrived at Will Yip’s Memory Music Studios in Philadelphia—his brand-new recording facility following his multi-year tenure at Studio 4 in Conshohocken, PA. Here, Pærish walked through the doors with a meticulous set of well-structured songs, prepared to sit down with a powerhouse producer celebrated for his relentless energy, collaborative songwriting spirit, and legendary ability to bring the absolute best out of artists. Yip’s hyper-focused "song is king" philosophy perfectly complemented the band’s amplified, heavier-hitting energy, ensuring that every high-efficiency session locked into the core emotional message of Pærish’s music. Together, they sculpted solid, custom-built tones that gave Rita its definitive edge, proving that the pairing’s transatlantic signature still held its undeniable creative magic.Paradoxically, while the resulting soundscape felt denser, faster, and more aggressive, the music was born from a noticeably lighter, more stabilized headspace. Lead singer Mathias Court rejects the tired cliché that an artist must be deeply depressed to create their best work, noting that being utterly overwhelmed only serves to freeze creativity. In a modern musical landscape that can often feel like a dead end, choosing to unapologetically be an indie rock band became an anchor of sanity—a declaration that fighting for a seemingly impossible cause was worth the struggle. Through this process, the band realized there is a fine line between destructive misery and what they discovered on this record: productive gravity, "a good darkness.""This new record is very spontaneous, even though it's so heavy and so raw and in-your-face," Court reflects. "I was in a very dark place during the last album. This time, I wanted to go rough, but sometimes you feel like you can  only go ‘rough’ because you're in a better state of mind. It has an aggressiveness to it, but it also has a spontaneity to it… a kind of good darkness if that makes sense."

It does. It is the kind of darkness artists can finally thrive in, rather than drown. This newfound mental clarity extended directly into how the music was built at the source during the songwriting and demo process. When starting a track, Court operates entirely out of a pure player's mindset. "I always think as a guitar player in my head," he notes. "I will always be just a guitar player who tries to write songs."His writing process begins with rhythm rather than a pen—layering guitar, bass, or drums while humming nonsensical, mumbled melodies over the top to capture the initial vocal pocket. For Court, constructing melody lines alongside lyrics is an intricate puzzle and a long, patient evolution. To keep from forcing a track or burning out on frustration, he prefers to let the demos breathe. It is a patient, old-school methodology he proudly shares with his ultimate inspiration, Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins. "Lyrics and the songs are very different things," Court reflects. "But it's very beautiful when you manage to glue them together and make them something unique."

Because of this puzzle-like quality and patient waiting game, the metamorphosis of a song is often beautiful but entirely random. For the sweeping track "Heal," Court presented a highly detailed demo where he had programmed every single layer on a smartphone app, down to a prominently featured flute melody. Conversely, one of the album’s centerpieces, "Prince of Darkness," arrived at the studio as nothing more than a solitary, stripped-back guitar and vocal sketch. Court notes it was the technical prowess of drummer "Lolo" that saved the track, introducing an intricate time signature that pulled the arrangement into its crushing final form. Court summarizes: "There’s no proper way of doing it [writing songs]. You just have to do it every day."This fluid, unpredictable workflow made stepping out of their isolated home setups and into Will Yip’s new, state-of-the-art facility feel like an immense culture shock. For a band accustomed to home studio, small-scale setups, entering those highly specialized tracking rooms was a profound luxury. It presented an elite sonic playground where they could explore how to translate lo-fi, radio-fuzz styled vocals using a wide range of rare analog outboard gear, top-shelf preamps and legendary consoles. Rather than being intimidated, they fully leaned into its sonic possibilities and, more importantly, the luxury of time.The gift of extra time gave them an entire, uninterrupted week dedicated solely to collaborative pre-production with Yip—a rare privilege in high-end studio tracking. For Court, this initial stretch is always the creative peak of the record, stripped of high-stakes pressure and reduced to just the five of them jamming in the live room. They spent those first seven days completely geeking out over sonics. Sessions became methodical experiments on how to build walls of atmospheric sounds. It was this dedication to scrupulous exploration that perfectly interlocked with their shift toward a more aggressive direction.

"We wanted it to be noisier, to be more alive than the previous one," Court reflects. For this, the band leaned heavily into a fuzz-soaked production style, treating the distorted textures as a loud, living, breathing element of the mix. "We had all the time necessary to do everything we wanted... to really take the time to know what we were doing."

After settling on darker guitar tones and lush, layered arrangements, they focused on crafting heavier bridges and choruses, refining lyrics, and finalizing the track listing until the album’s overarching themes crystallized. When the time came to settle on a title, Court kept returning to a distinct childhood memory: a picturesque view of the clock tower of the Church of St. Rita (Église de l'Annonciation) from his family’s apartment in Nice, France. Thinking back to those days, looking out that window with his lucid dreams of being a rock star, he realized that while chasing that life can feel entirely impossible, the patron saint of impossible causes was looking out for this strange dream all along. In her mythos and patronage, the band found the ultimate wistful, melancholic sentiment: a symbolic protector of their own beautiful, seemingly desperate dream.

Court reflects on how that instinct carries them through the improbability of it all: "I think the title of Rita is a very emo message—her being a protector over people dealing with impossible, desperate causes… but also full of hope, and being together all these years. She protects this whole idea of being in a band."

Photo Courtesy of Big Picture MediaThe post In the Studio with Pærish first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

South Korea’s FTC opens probe into HYBE and ADOR over NewJeans’ DanielleDanielle's attorney, Jung Jong-chae, who filed the complaint, said the FTC began investigating on June 4.
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AllMusic Has Rated All 4 Lauryn Hill Albums — Including The Miseducation of Lauryn HillTwo albums earned 5 stars. One earned 4. One earned 2.5. AllMusic has rated all four albums in Lauryn Hill's 28-year catalog — here's the definitive breakdown, album by album.

Kirk Franklin Honored, NSAI Rise ProgramKirk Franklin Honored

With 30+ years of hits, multi-Grammy winning artist-songwriter-producer Kirk Franklin receives SoundExchange’s Hall of Fame Award as one of the most-streamed artists of the past 20 years. Part of inaugural Rise and Rhythm Cruise, he headlines August’s Gospel Garden event in London.

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NSAI Rise Program

The 2026 Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Summer Rise Program kicks off this month. For artists ready to pursue an in-depth study of songwriting, the remote interactive program runs for five weeks, July 20 – August 18, with NSAI delivering an incredible group of industry guests ready to answer questions and offer their best insight and advice to help writers improve in their craft.

Topics covered include co-writing, the music business, publisher pitching, and professional songwriter feedback.

Limited to 25 participants, all genres and levels of songwriters are welcome, with details and registration at: nashvillesongwriters.com/RISE / for questions, please email: maxwell@nashvillesongwriters.com.The post Kirk Franklin Honored, NSAI Rise Program first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Google says AI training is fair use and copyright should be policed on outputs, not inputsThe tech giant has published a new policy paper outlining the company's preferred approach to AI regulation
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AllMusic Gave These Classic Rock Debut Albums 5 StarsAllMusic rates albums on what they are — not what they predict. These five debut albums earned 5 stars before anyone knew the bands would become legends. The reviews hold up completely.

10 Albums That Were Grunge Before GrungeNirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden didn't invent grunge — they perfected it. These 10 albums, from 1968 to 1984, built every sludgy riff, raw production choice, and punk attitude that Seattle made famous.

Musical Longevity From a Semi-Pro MusicianI’ve been a bassist since the mid-1980s, mostly at a semi-professional level (i.e., earning money but not making a living from music). I’ve toured across multiple continents, recorded in world-class studios, and realized many of my adolescent dreams. Since arriving in L.A. in 2000, I’ve also been a music journalist. On occasions, I’ve acted as manager, booking agent, and/or publicist for my bands, so I have experienced many facets of the industry.

At age 52, with an all-original band (I’ve never done the cover/tribute thing), I signed to a prominent indie label, and we released an album regarded as a genre classic. My most recent gig, at age 59, was a rapturous sold-out show in Mexico City last month, with all the trimmings. My playing is better than ever; I’ve never enjoyed it more; and most of my friends are former bandmates.

Accordingly, my strictly subjective tips below are aimed at those seeking longevity—and maximum joy—as a semi-pro musician playing original music rather than someone wanting to “make it big” or survive as a session or tribute player (though these ambitions can certainly overlap).

Know Your Craft

In a business which places heavy emphasis on “who you know,” networking can start taking priority over actual musicianship. Unless you have absolute rock star talent/looks/charisma, this is a mistake. Think of practice (with a metronome!) and lessons as investments in future fun, creative satisfaction, and maybe a career. Because, sooner or later, the recording light will come on and you’ll need to deliver. I once read that after age 25, all a musician has to offer is their chops—an exaggeration but grounded in truth. This doesn’t mean you have to be a virtuoso unless the gig explicitly requires it. I’m a competent bassist, nothing more, but often get gigs specifically because I keep things simple, solid, and play for the song. 

Be A Good Hang

A few years ago, we hired a pro drummer for an Australian tour. He explained that, as he put it, “being a good hang” is crucial to working consistently in the music business. Because, with countless great players to choose from, especially here in L.A., artists are looking for those who’ll also be fun (or at least amiable) when sandwiched together in a van, studio/rehearsal space, or shared hotel room. Most music making will involve one or more of these situations, so “playing well with others” applies on and off stage. (I once heard of a fantastic guitarist who was fired mid-tour because he kept masturbating on the bus and would hog all the fruit on backstage riders!)

Prepare

“Practice for rehearsal, not at rehearsal,” the old saying goes. No one wants to battle traffic for 45 minutes then stand around in silence at an expensive lockout while one member of the band listens to the material and figures out their parts. Do that stuff at home! Of course, this is infinitely more important when auditioning. Humans are naturally lazy and so are inclined to hire the person who walks in knowing their parts without instruction. For example, I was once asked to learn three songs from an album before auditioning for a signed singer. I learned the entire record. We played it front to back at the audition and, while the last notes were still ringing out, the drummer declared, “Right—let’s books some shows.” A year of fantastic international touring followed.

Get a Flexible Job 

Making music the only thing you do doesn’t make you a musician. Because for most of us, being unemployed will only make you a liability to a band: unable to maintain a reliable vehicle or gear and too broke to contribute to rehearsal/recording costs. Plus, it’s hard to practice if you’re living in your car in a CVS parking lot (I knew a drummer who did just that). So, a day job should be embraced as an intrinsic part of being a semi-pro musician rather than resented as a detriment to that pursuit. Flexibility is key: a job or business that will allow you time off to tour. This is precisely why, when I realized I had appropriate ability, I worked feverishly to build a freelance writing career. And if that job can be complementary to your musical dreams, all the better (I’ve learned so much from interviewing rock stars that applies to my own musical efforts).

Get Out There

In an ideal world, we’d all form our dream band with our best mates at high school and spend adulthood touring the world together. In reality, most musicians are making creative compromises most of the time. But it’s important to stay out there playing rather than just sitting at home scouring Craig’s List and waiting for the perfect opportunity. Even if it’s not entirely your style, joining a band will develop your chops and put you around other musicians with whom, or through whom, more apt situations can evolve. If you can really play and are the aforementioned “good hang,” word-of-mouth often does the rest. But you need to be “in the shop window,” demonstrating what you can do. This doesn’t mean a hardcore punker joining a Barry Manilow tribute act—seek out situations that check at least some of your boxes but be ready to be flexible.

Be A Team Player

This should go without saying but is depressingly common. Don’t be that band member who insists on being loudest in the mix or on rehearsals being scheduled/rescheduled around their whims. Musicians exhibit diverse motivations for playing in bands and, counterintuitively, these sometimes don’t include simply contributing to making the best sound possible. I’ve met folks who’ll join a band mostly so they can live rent-free in its lockout or who are lonely and simply seeking a captive audience. Be a team player and seek out team players, because music is almost always a collective endeavor. This will not only yield better creative outcomes but will also make the process way more enjoyable. Because making music, even in the darkest and angriest genres, is supposed to be fun.The post Musical Longevity From a Semi-Pro Musician first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

The Last Time All 7 BTS Members Were Onstage Together — And What They Said Would Never Happen AgainIn October 2022, BTS performed together as seven members for what fans believed was the last time. Over 50,000 attended in Busan. Tens of millions watched online. Most of them were in tears.

New Music Critique of MOMARZContact: momarz1842@gmail.comWeb: instagram.com/momarz99Seeking: Review, Label, Film/TVStyle: Electronic

The term “electronic music” can mean almost anything nowadays. Most producers, certainly in pop and hip-hop but elsewhere too, incorporate electronic elements. According to his online bio, MOMARZ “centers his music on piano-rooted melodies, hypnotic percussion sequences, and instrumentals.” That makes for a sound which comfortably blends a warm, nostalgic electronic sound, with something still quite futuristic. “Signals” could score a moody scene in an indie movie effectively, while “Party Moves” is reminiscent of club anthems from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. All of which is a good thing.The post New Music Critique of MOMARZ first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Sony Music Publishing wins Publisher of the Year at 2026 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul AwardsSMP songwriters were recognized across 27 of ASCAP's top-performing R&B, hip-hop and gospel songs of the past year.
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