Léolo – “Feel The World” (Video Premiere)

Today I’m so excited to share with everyone the latest music video from Montreal-based pop artist, Léolo. On this song that is filled with such raw emotion, “Feel The World” embraces the springtime with an optimistic outlook. When speaking on the single, Léolo shared, “The idea for this song came to me while I was taking a walk on the beach of a small island in the St. Lawrence River. It was the first time I had gotten out of the city since the beginning of the pandemic, so the need to sing about opening oneself up to the world and the urge to celebrate was quite legitimate at that point! If you’re enjoying the latest track, please consider streaming this artist’s music here. I was also able to catch up with the talented pop star below.

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Review: Be Well – “A Tap I Can’t Turn Off”

The latest two-track single from Baltimore punk/hardcore band, Be Well, is an electric-charged artistic statement that demands to be taken seriously. Led by fearless frontman Brian McTernan, “A Tap I Can’t Turn Off” and “Without A Compass” rock with an immediacy to them that put a firm focus on why this band is so dynamic. Starting with “A Tap I Can’t Turn Off,” the heavy opening riffing sets the tone for the lyrics of, “There is an overwhelming sense of doubt / That’s spent a lifetime occupying my mind / The things that I’ve done to block it out / Have corroded the rest of what’s left over time,” that showcase McTernan’s conflict within his own mind. The track explodes out of the gate with a rare sense of urgency, and ends with the pain in the lyrics of, “But I still lack confidence / And sometimes I feel like shit.”

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Review: Broadway Calls – Coming After You

Music has a funny way of finding us, doesn’t it? So when I got wind of the Oregon punk rock band, Broadway Calls, and their latest EP, Coming After You, I was taken back by just how good the music pouring out the speakers was. This slick, 4-song EP was recently pressed on a 7″ vinyl via Red Scare Industries, and is a pleasing blend of great punk rock riffing paired with sing-a-long moments that are sure to make you feel rejuvenated about the current punk scene. The set was produced by Scott Goodrich, and puts a bright spotlight on the band’s songwriting improvements. Broadway Calls are Coming After You, and you should embrace it.

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Marcel Wave – “Stop/Continue” (Video Premiere)

Marcel Wave

Today I’m so excited to bring everyone the new music video from British post-punk band Marcel Wave, called “Stop/Continue.” Band member Maike Hale-Jones shared, Stop/Continue is the product of a youth spent in a decaying post-industrial town. The carcasses of derelict mills looming over the landscape a stark reminder of how the mighty always fall and how nature carries on regardless. The song comes from the band’s upcoming LP Something Looming, that will be released on June 14th via Feel It Records/Upset the Rhythm. If you’re enjoying the latest single, you can pre-order the band’s new LP here.

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Love Fiend – “Hard Feelings” (Video Premiere)

Love Fiend

Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the latest single and video from rock band, Love Fiend, called “Hard Feelings.” On this 60’s stylized synth rocking jam, Love Fiend quickly establish themselves as an artist to keep a keen eye on as the year unfolds. The band shared, “What began as a conversation surrounding the meaning of the common phrase ‘no hard feelings,’ became a structured academic study into the cosmological origins of emotion. What we discovered was that before the human heart had fully developed, emotion first rested silently in the earth’s crust – petrified, rock-solid, HARD. If you’re enjoying the latest single, please consider supporting this talented band here. I was also able to catch up with the band for a brief interview below.

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Spotify’s New Royalty Model to Pay Songwriters Less

Kristin Robinson, writing at Billboard:

When Bloomberg reported that Spotify would be upping the cost of its premium subscription from $9.99 to $10.99, and including 15 hours of audiobooks per month in the U.S., the change sounded like a win for songwriters and publishers. Higher subscription prices typically equate to a bump in U.S. mechanical royalties — but not this time. 

By adding audiobooks into Spotify’s premium tier, the streaming service now claims it qualifies to pay a discounted “bundle” rate to songwriters for premium streams, given Spotify now has to pay licensing for both books and music from the same price tag — which will only be a dollar higher than when music was the only premium offering. Additionally, Spotify will reclassify its duo and family subscription plans as bundles as well.

To determine how great this loss in royalty value would be for the music business, Billboard calculated that songwriters and publishers will earn an estimated $150 million less in U.S. mechanical royalties from premium, duo and family plans for the first 12 months that this is in effect, compared to what they would have earned if these three subscriptions were never bundled